by Zoey Parker
The next time Zack visited Colridge he was going to take Jameson with him. If they could weed out the intruder in time, he could save the Red Riders a lot of time and energy. But the guy was smart, he was keeping a low profile and remaining off the grid. But when Zack finds him, he’d be sure to send the Kings a message. He remembered all-too-vividly how hospitable they’d been to him and Jameson when they’d unknowingly shown up on their territory. He’d be sure to repay them in kind.
Brooding, Zack sat up pressing a hand to his throbbing temple. His knuckles were dark with the promise of bruising, but he didn’t care. He was close to finding the intruder. Close to wiping them out and gaining respect within the Red Riders. But this was about more than respect, it was about getting revenge for Jameson. For too long he’d watched his friend wear the ugly mask they’d cruelly given him.
Deciding he’d already thought it through enough Zack reached for his cell phone and called up Jameson. For a while it just rang and he feared he might have to call back later.
“Yeah?” Jameson eventually picked up, sounding a bit breathless. Zack suppressed a smile. His friend was probably in the middle of having sex with some girl he’d picked up in a bar. Typical Jameson.
“Hey, man, it’s me.”
“Oh, hey,” the tension in Jameson’s voice lifted. Zack heard two muffled female voices in the background.
“Did I disturb you?” Zack asked teasingly.
“You could say that,” Jameson laughed. “Nothing I can’t pick up again later, though. What’s up?”
“There’s a guy in Colridge.”
“So I was right?” Jameson gloated.
“You were right.”
“What now?”
Zack thoughtfully stroked his chin. “You tell me.”
“I say we go and pay him a visit,” Jameson’s voice dropped so that it was menacingly low. “We kick him the hell out of town and send the Skeleton Kings a clear message.”
“That’s what I was thinking,” Zack nodded to himself.
“A display of strength,” Jameson insisted brightly. “And I’ve got just the thing to do it.”
Chapter Thirty-One
“I’m so sorry,” Nancy was upon Brittany the moment she walked through the door, placing her hands on the younger woman’s shoulders and gazing apologetically into her eyes.
“I just got so caught up with your brother last night and - ”
“It’s okay,” Brittany smiled kindly at her boss and pulled her hands from her shoulders. “You don’t need to apologize.”
“But I do!” Nancy insisted. “We were going at it all night! You must have heard us!”
The guy behind the reception counter snickered appreciatively.
“I think the whole neighborhood heard you,” Brittany admitted dryly.
“Oh God,” Nancy clamped her hand to her chest. She was wearing a low-cut top which revealed several hickeys which blossomed up her chest and towards her neck. Brittany glanced away, her cheeks burning as if she’d walked in on some intimate moment between Nancy and her brother.
“Brittany, I’m sorry. I’m not normally like that. Zack is just so dangerous and sexy and - ”
Brittany raised her hands, interrupting her.
“And he’s my brother,” she stated bluntly, “so less talk about how sexy he is, please.”
“But he is,” Nancy followed Brittany through reception towards the staff room. “And he’s dangerous.”
Brittany shrugged. “Oooh, he is so sexy and dangerous, I get it. But that doesn’t mean I need to hear it.”
“Brittany,” Nancy was standing in the doorway, her whole demeanor changed. Her expression was soft yet stern. “I noticed a tattoo on your brother.”
“I bet you noticed a lot of tattoos on my brother,” Brittany joked. “Again, nothing I need to know about.”
“Actually, this one you might.”
“No.” Brittany was holding her hands up again, her voice forceful. “Whatever it is, don’t tell me. Because if you tell me you’re invading my brother’s privacy, and I don’t like that. If he needs to tell me something, he will. Okay?”
Nancy nodded solemnly and backed out of the room. “Okay.”
“Is this the part where you ask me when he’s coming back to town?” Brittany teased, smiling lightly.
“No,” Nancy pursed her lips. “I had a great time with Zack, don’t get me wrong. And he’s an amazing guy,” a flush crept over Nancy’s face as she remembered the previous night. “But he is dangerous, Brittany,” she concluded flatly. “If he comes back here, I fear he’ll be bringing trouble.”
“Trouble?” Brittany laughed at the accusation. Zack wasn’t a bringer of trouble. He was the kind of guy who spent his time avoiding it, wasn’t he? He didn’t stir things up, he wasn’t like that. For years, he’d had Brittany’s back, keeping them both safe. Nancy had just read him wrong or was bitter about him walking out on her first thing.
“Yeah, Zack is nothing but trouble,” she joked as she strolled out of the room to greet her first client of the day.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Nancy went around to reception in the tattoo parlor, scrutinizing all the designs on the walls.
“Everything okay?” Will, the slim receptionist asked, furrowing his brow with mild concern.
“Everything is fine,” Nancy told him unconvincingly, her eyes still scanning the walls.
“Seriously, Nancy, what’s up?”
“You know much about gang tattoos?” Nancy came and leaned heavily against the reception desk which caused her ample bosom to bunch up towards her neck. Will politely kept his gaze at eye level.
“Gang tats?” Will shook his head slowly. “Not really.”
“We don’t do them here,” Nancy told him sharply. “Gang tattoos just breed trouble. You agree to the wrong commission, and you get a brick thrown through your window. Or worse.”
“Can it really be that bad?” Will sounded shocked and a little scared.
“Oh yeah,” Nancy nodded gravely. “I’ve had to move twice before because of gang crap.”
“But Colridge isn’t like that,” Will stated with false confidence. He looked pleadingly into Nancy’s eyes, urging her to back him up.
“I didn’t think it was,” she admitted. “But I’m starting to fear I might be wrong.”
“What makes you think that?” Will asked, alarmed. Nancy glanced beyond him, checking the rest of the tattoo parlor and ensuring that they were alone.
“So last night I hooked up with a guy with a gang tattoo. There was a skull dripping blood on his inner left wrist which I know means he belongs to the Red Riders.”
“Last night?” Will’s eyes widened with surprise. “You mean Brittany’s brother?”
“Wow, gossip sure travels fast here,” Nancy noted dryly.
“Does Brittany know?”
“No.” Nancy straightened and readjusted the low-cut top she was wearing. “And I intend to keep it that way. Brittany is a sweet girl, I reckon she’s got no idea of the amount of trouble her brother gets into, or the dangerous company he keeps.”
“Aren’t you going to tell her?”
“No,” Nancy sighed, aware that perhaps she should just be honest with her new friend and employee. “At least not yet. If her brother starts stirring up trouble in town, then I’ll talk to her. Until then, I’ll let sleeping dogs lie.”
“So you think the Red Riders are in town?” Will looked pale. Like most people in Colridge, he’d heard horror stories about the Red Riders and their dark antics.
“I don’t think so,” Nancy nervously fingered the ornate necklace she was wearing which hung down between her breasts like a sexy pendulum. “But I think someone else is. Let’s start bringing the shutters in here down at night, okay?”
“Okay.”
“And I’m going to draw up a list of images that are forbidden in here. There’s no way I’m getting caught up in gang politics.”
“Okay, sure,�
� Collin was nodding frantically as he nervously gripped the edge of the reception desk.
“Don’t worry,” Nancy urged him, her face brightening with a smile. “At least not yet.”
Chapter Thirty-Three
Max pulled up outside his Uncle Alex’s bar. The sun was bright overhead and he squinted against it as he parked his bike and sauntered inside. The darkness within the bar was in stark contrast to the bright light outside. It took a moment for Max’ eyes to adjust. Once he spotted where the weathered old man was sitting he walked over, his boots thumping against the chipped wooden floor.
“Hey, Uncle Alex,” Max pulled down the sunglasses he’d been wearing on the table beside him as he slid into a vacant chair opposite the old man.
“Thanks for coming by so quick,” Alex gave a brisk nod of gratitude.
“No problem,” Max stretched out his long legs and leaned back in his chair. “To what do I owe the pleasure? Am I being brought back to the bosom of the brood?”
“Always such a joker,” Alex chided his young nephew. “How are things in Colridge?”
“Good,” Max replied ambiguously. He didn’t want his uncle to know about Brittany. Not yet. It might influence the old man’s decision to have him leave town sooner than he should. Alex could be cruel like that, it was a by-product of being old and bitter.
“How do you feel about staying out there a little longer?” Alex wondered tentatively. Max raised his eyebrows, trying not to look too happy, only surprised. He’d figured that in being called back to the bar his time in Colridge might be over. He had a whole speech planned about why he needed to stay there, how there was still much he could learn by being in the town.
“A bit longer?”
“Say a month or so,” Alex shrugged.
“I…um, I can do that.”
Alex raised his arm and two beers promptly arrived at the table.
“So, the extended stay?” Max wondered as he raised the cool bottle to his lips.
“There’s talk that a member of the Red Riders has been there.”
“Oh?”
“A high-up member, someone you don’t want to mess with.”
“What does that mean?” the cool amber liquid slid down the back of Max’ throat, but it tasted bitter. He knew all too well what it meant for a senior member of a pack to show up in a town. It meant trouble.
“Means they know you are there,” Alex narrowed his eyes angrily. “Means they are looking to shake things up a bit, scare you out of town.”
“Huh.” Max instantly thought of Brittany. If someone was looking to scare him, she was an obvious target. His entire body tensed with the desire to protect her.
“That’s why you need to stay there,” Alex explained. “Lure them out into the light like the cockroaches they are.”
“And then squash them?”
“Exactly,” Alex clasped his hands over his ample chest, a look of smug satisfaction on his withered face.
“And I’m supposed to do that alone?” Max titled his head at his Uncle. If a load of Red Riders members showed up in Colridge, he’d hardly be a force to be reckoned with standing alone against them.
“I’ll send some more boys back with you,” Alex offered. “Put them up in that motel with you.”
Max felt his shoulders sag. With other Skeleton Kings around it would be harder to have time with Brittany. It also increased the risk of their relationship being discovered.
“I’m not saying we want trouble,” Alex clarified, a cruel smile pulling on his lips. “But we want Colridge. It’s time for us to branch out a little.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Max nodded. He was as keen as his Uncle to see the Skeleton Kings thrive. More territories meant more members and strength in numbers.
“Handle any Red Riders members you find by any means you deem necessary,” Alex ordered. “I’ll inform the guys heading out with you to take their cue from you. You okay with that?”
Max gave a stiff nod. He didn’t need to ask what means his Uncle was suggesting. He knew that if he needed to take a life, no one would judge him for it. In fact, murder only worked to strengthen the Skeleton Kings’ formidable reputation. Max already had the blood of several men on his hands, and he wasn’t keen to add to that stain.
“Hopefully it won’t come to any bloodshed.”
“Where’s the fun in that?” Alex asked wickedly. “I’m not sending you out there to make friends, Max. Make no mistake about that. We’re heading for war, these are dark times. I need to know that when the time comes, I can count on you.”
“You can count on me,” Max promised. “We’re family.”
“Good lad,” Alex leaned forward and patted his nephew’s outstretched hand. “Blood is thicker than water, don’t you ever go forgetting that. The Skeleton Kings gang was formed on the strength of brotherhood and loyalty.”
“I know, Uncle.”
“But, you need to keep yourself out of trouble with the ladies,” Alex warned. “Don’t forget why I sent you to Colridge in the first place.”
Max could barely recall his tryst before leaving for Colridge. Shame burned through him as he remembered. Now all his past conquests felt like awkward mistakes when compared to his time with Brittany. He could feel pairs of angry eyes watching him from around the bar. Perhaps he’d taken things too far when he left, had been too cocky.
“You don’t need to worry about me with the ladies,” Max promised, flashing his Uncle his boldest smile.
“You gone and got a ball and chain?” Alex raised an eyebrow.
“What?” Max spluttered out some of his beer. “No.”
“Because having a woman in your bed makes you a King. Having a woman in your heart makes you weak, don’t you ever forget that Max.”
“No,” Max swallowed nervously. “I won’t forget, Uncle.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Brittany’s cheeks ached from smiling so much. Each morning she sprang up out of bed, eager to start the day. She was doing a job she absolutely adored and had a boyfriend who was truly falling for her. Just thinking about Max made her entire body break out in excited goose bumps. He was everything she’d ever wanted in a boyfriend – he was strong, loving and loyal. Not to mention insanely hot.
Everything in Brittany’s life was going well. At the parlor, she was getting more and more clients. Lots of repeat work too, where people loved her art so much that they came back for more. To Brittany, there was no higher compliment they could pay her. To have a piece of her original artwork etched into someone’s skin was incredible. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d been this happy, at least not since her parents died. This felt like the life she’d always been destined to live.
“Aren’t you a ray of sunshine?” Nancy commented with a smile as Brittany bounced in through reception, the door jangling merrily behind her. Even though it was cloudy outside for Brittany, it felt like a beautiful sunny day and nothing could cast a shadow over her happy thoughts.
“I’m just happy,” Brittany shrugged playfully.
“You’re just getting laid,” Nancy observed, raising an eyebrow.
“What?” Brittany’s smile promptly fell from her face. Was it that obvious? Some of her happiness started to slip away. If Nancy found out about Max, then she might tell Zack. And so what if she did? Didn’t Brittany deserve to find happiness with someone just as her brother had done? Though she might not revel in her happiness quite as audibly as he had done. And within such close proximity.
“I’m happy for you,” Nancy shrugged, smirking to herself. She raised a hand to tuck a loose strand of neon shaded hair behind her ear. As she did so, all the bangles she was wearing jangled towards her elbow sounding like a metallic waterfall. “Everyone deserves to be getting laid.”
“Amen!” the male receptionist chimed in with a cheeky grin. Brittany rolled her eyes at both of them.
“Can’t a girl just be happy for the sake of being happy?” she needed to lure them off the sc
ent before she revealed something about her and Max. She kind of liked keeping their relationship a secret from Zack. It made everything feel more dangerous.
“Not in my experience,” Nancy quipped with a click of her fingers. Her long nails had been painted a dense shade of black which didn’t bode well for the day ahead. Brittany had learned that Nancy was prone to painting her nails to match her mood. While sunshine yellow would reflect her current mood, if Nancy was feeling black she clearly didn’t share her colleague’s level of happiness. Had Zack failed to call her? It wouldn’t surprise Brittany. He hardly seemed like decent boyfriend material, even as his sister she could see that.
