Hatch dragged his hands down his face. “How about I drop you home?”
“I have my car.”
“You drove?” he snapped.
“No,” she said slowly. “Flea brought me here, Buzz drove my car.”
He relaxed… sort of. “How about I follow you home, then?”
“Or I could stay and have another drink.”
Hatch chuckled without mirth. “You’re funny.”
She sighed. “Fine. I’ll see if Katie wants to come over.”
“Great plan,” he said.
“You’re kind of a pain in the ass, Con.”
“Backatya, sis.”
With his need to make sure his sister was okay, his plans were effectively shot to hell, so he followed Cricket home, then headed for Blush. He couldn’t help his mind from turning to the class-act he’d helped earlier as he rode. Fuck, she was gorgeous. He wondered if she’d made it home okay and if she was having any other issues with her car. Not that he could do anything about it unless he was willing to cross over to the stalking line and have Booker do a background check. He had her license plate, it would be easy.
He shook his head. No, he wouldn’t do it. She was far too classy to be anything but high-maintenance, and the last thing he was lookin’ for was more drama. He’d done that once before and suffered the cost. Never again.
Hatch walked into Blush and Booker led him downstairs to where Matt was handcuffed to a metal chair, his mouth duct taped closed.
Matt’s eyes darted between Pug and Train, two of the scariest individuals on the planet, but, then again, Matt hadn’t seen what Hatch could do.
“Hey, Hatch,” Train said, and stepped away from Matt.
Hatch gave him a chin lift and then turned his attention to Matt. “You remember who I am?”
Matt nodded.
“So you also remember how you and I had a nice little talk about how you needed to treat my sister right?”
Matt nodded again.
“And remember how I told you that if you didn’t, there’d be consequences?”
Matt scowled in response.
“So, we seem to have a little problem here, because my sister has some bruises and a bloody lip. Blush cameras got a real good look at the person who put those bruises there… and it’s you; in case you were gonna try to deny it, so I’m real disappointed that you didn’t listen to my warning.” Hatch cracked his knuckles, then crossed his arms. “Do you know why they call me Hatch?”
Matt shook his head.
“It’s short for the Hatchet Man. I take care of people who get in the way and I do it without blowback. You have just become one of those people who got in the way, Matthew, and I’m going to take care of you.”
* * *
Maisie
Saturday afternoon the kids were bouncing off the walls and I was ready for a break. The rain had stopped, so I decided it was time to take a little walk to the neighborhood park and see if I couldn’t run off some of their energy.
Don’t get me wrong, I loved watching Ryan and Ali’s kids, but three on one was a lot more work than just Poppy. She and I had a symbiotic thing going on, plus I could theoretically beat her since she was my own.
“Right, loves. Let’s go,” I called down the hall.
“Can I bring my skateboard, Auntie?” Merrick asked.
“Yes, as long as you wear your helmet.”
We leashed their golden doodle, Curly, donned rain jackets (just in case), and piled out of the house. I loved the rain, which, in a roundabout way, was how we ended up in Portland. I couldn’t fathom the thought of leaving London and going somewhere perpetually sunny. I craved the rain like most people craved the sunshine, so when Niall had been offered his dream job and discovered they had an office in Portland, we jumped at the chance. I smiled at the memory, the grip on my heart easing as I took a few deep breaths of the clean air. The smell of the ground after a downpour was always so peaceful… and peace was something I longed for more often than not.
Arriving at the park, I wasn’t surprised to find other parents with their children enjoying the sunshine, brief as it might be. A beautiful young woman who was quite pregnant sat on a bench and had her gaze fixed protectively on a little girl heading for the ladder to the playhouse. “Cambry, careful baby.”
“I am, Mama,” she sassed.
“Hi,” I said.
The woman sighed and smiled at me. “Hi.”
“Is this seat taken?” I asked.
“Nope. It’s all yours. I’m Kim.”
“Maisie,” I said, sitting on the damp seat and securing Curly to the bench.
“Are those all of yours?” Kim asked.
I chuckled. “No. I’m watching my bestie’s kids. Mine’s the blonde one. Poppy.”
“She’s gorgeous.”
“I’d have to agree with you.” I smiled as I watched Poppy and Grace help Cambry up the ladder. “How old’s your little one?”
“Cambry’s three going on sixteen.”
I chuckled. “They do that, don’t they?”
“Yes, they do. She also has her daddy wrapped around her little finger.”
“Well, that’s also their job.” From the second Poppy was born, she’d bonded to Niall. They were inseparable.
“This is so true.” Kim ran her hands over her belly. “Do you and your husband have other kids?”
I shook my head. “He died before we could.”
“Oh, I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine, love. It was a long time ago.”
“I haven’t seen you here before. I take it you don’t live in the area?”
“No. I’m watching the kids at my friends’ place. Easier for them.” I smiled. “Poppy and I actually live in the Pearl… not that you needed to know that.”
“It’s all good.” Kim smiled. “I love the Pearl. I have a condo there, although, I rent it out now. It’s not really conducive to equine pets.”
I laughed. “No, I don’t suppose it would be. I had horses as a girl. Gosh, I miss them. I’d love for Poppy to learn to ride.” I sighed. “One day.”
Kim rummaged in her purse and pulled out a card, handing it to me. “We have a training facility with some amazing instructors. Give us a call and we’ll find Poppy a lovely horse to ride.”
I focused back on my daughter.
“Daddy!”
Kim and I turned toward Cambry’s squeal, and I saw a tall man (very tall) walking toward the play structure, catching his little girl as she threw herself into his arms. He had dark, longish hair and wore jeans, motorcycle boots and a leather vest over a long-sleeved thermal.
“See?” Kim said. “She has daddy radar. She’ll know he’s around even when she can’t see him.”
“Hard not to see him,” I pointed out.
“I know. He is rather large.” She licked her lips as he approached, then added, “And delicious.”
“Hey, sugar.” He leaned down and kissed Kim.
“Hey, honey. Did you come to rescue me so I didn’t have to waddle home?”
He chuckled. “Pleadin’ the fifth on that one.”
“Smart man,” I said.
“Knight, this is Maisie,” Kim said.
“Nice to meet you,” he said.
Cambry snuggled closer to her daddy.
I smiled. “You as well.”
“Hatch is back at the house,” he said. “We grabbed pizza.”
My ears perked up at the name. “Hatch is quite an unusual name.”
“Hatch is quite an unusual man,” Kim said.
“I met a Mr. Hatch the other day. Probably not the same one, but it’s interesting.”
“Is he tall, in his early forties, long hair usually man-bunned?” Kim asked.
“Yes, that sounds just like him,” I said, my heart suddenly racing.
“His name’s just Hatch.” Kim glanced up at Knight. “What’s his real name, honey?”
“Connor,” Knight said, kissing his daughter’s neck. Cambry sq
uealed and leaned in for more.
“Right,” she said. “No one uses their real names. Well, the wives do when we’re pissed at them, but otherwise…”
“You’re funny, sugar,” Knight said.
“I know.” She turned to me again. “Where did you meet Hatch?”
“If it’s the same man, he got my car started for me.” I shared the story of breaking down and Hatch’s subsequent assistance.
“What a bit—I mean, what a mean thing to do,” Kim said, glancing at her daughter who was suddenly listening to every word her mother said. “Never leave another woman stranded.”
I nodded. “My friend said the same thing.”
“Hatch helps out with deliveries to a few shops around town,” Knight said. “So it sounds like the same guy.”
“Small world,” I mused, suddenly wanting to see him again.
Strange.
“We should go,” Kim said, pushing up from the bench. “But please give me a call. My cell phone’s on that card. We’d love to help Poppy out with lessons and perhaps you can get back into riding yourself.”
I patted my chest. “Gosh, I’d love that.”
“It was so nice to meet you, Maisie.” Kim smiled again. “Have a great rest of the weekend.”
I waved. “You too, love.”
I watched the happy family walk away and I thought how strange it was to have come so close to Hatch again. Serendipity was a strange thing.
* * *
Hatch
Hatch grinned at little Cambry as she rushed up to him. “Unca Hatt.”
“Hey, baby girl, how are ya?” he asked, and picked her up.
“Pizza!” she squealed, slapping his face gently.
“Yep, we got pizza.”
“Cambry, honey, let’s go wash up,” Kim said, leaning down to kiss Hatch on the cheek as she took Cambry from him. “Hey.”
“Hey, babe,” he said.
“Thanks for waiting on the pizza.”
He chuckled. “No problem.”
Kim took Cambry to the sink and they washed hands as Knight grabbed beers from the fridge, handing Hatch an open one.
“If I said the name Maisie, would you know who I was talking about?” Kim asked.
Hatch nearly choked on his swig of beer. “What?”
“I found out we might have a mutual acquaintance.”
“Blonde. British, fu—ah” —he stalled, mindful of Cambry—”I mean, real pretty.”
Kim giggled, lifting Cambry from the sink and handing her off to Knight. “Yes, that’s the one. You helped her with her car?”
“Yeah. How do you know her?” Hatch asked.
“Met her in the park today.”
“Yeah?”
“Sugar, leave Hatch alone,” Knight ordered.
Hatch chuckled. “She’s good, brother.”
Typically, he wanted nothing to do with the club old ladies trying to set him up, but at the present time, he wanted to know more about Maisie.
Kim filled him in on the circumstances that left Maisie stranded and Hatch felt his blood run cold. Pissed that she might have been in real trouble if he hadn’t been there to help, despite the fact Triple A had been called, and suddenly wanting to hit the bitch who didn’t help her. “No kidding?” Hatch said.
“Sugar,” Knight warned again.
“Anyway, her daughter might come take riding lessons.”
Hatch raised an eyebrow. “So she’s married.”
Kim shook her head. “Widow.”
“Shit, seriously?” Fuck. He didn’t expect that, but it explained the sadness.
“Yep.” Kim took a bite of pizza.
“Fascinating.”
“Isn’t it though?” she sang.
Hatch chuckled when Knight dropped his head back and swore at the ceiling, then groaned out, “Babe.”
“Okay, okay. I’m done,” she promised. “Unless, of course, you want me to get more information.”
“Kimmie, stop,” Knight snapped.
“I’m good, babe, but thanks,” Hatch said.
Hatch could tell Kim was disappointed, and although he thought Maisie was gorgeous, he reminded himself (again) she wasn’t easy pussy and that’s all he was looking for. He finished his pizza, begged off staying for another beer, and headed home his mind swirling with Maisie thoughts.
Fuck. Now he knew he really needed to avoid the bitch at all costs.
* * *
If you liked the sneak peek of Road to Peace, you can order HERE!
2015 Piper Davenport
Copyright © 2015 by Trixie Publishing, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States
Logan ‘Mack’ Reed loves women. Really loves women. He’s an equal opportunity player, happy to oblige just about anyone looking for a good time, but when a beautiful red-headed pixie walks into his club, he finds himself unable to think of anyone but her.
Darien Aherne and her sister have lost both of their parents, but create a comfortable life for themselves. Darien, however, is sheltered and overly curious, which is a dangerous combination. When Darien breaks away from the protective bubble her sister has created, she finds herself falling for a man who could break her.
When the chance of a lifetime pulls Darien into a provocative world she has no experience in, will she trust Mack enough to tell him all of her secrets?
Will he be able to protect her, even from herself?
CHAPTER ONE
Mack
MACK’S PHONE BUZZED in his pocket. He pulled it out and read the display, smiling as Kim’s name came up on the screen. “Hey, babe.”
“Hi, Mack. Sorry I’ve been MIA,” Kim said. “I had a couple of shows.”
“Yeah? I thought maybe you were dead in a ditch somewhere.”
“Right, like you’d ever let that happen,” Kim pointed out. “If you’d really been worried, I would’ve been tracked, located, and the perpetrator killed before they had a chance to get to a second location.”
“Yeah, that’s probably true.” Mack chuckled. “What’s up?”
Mack met Kimberly Church when Booker claimed her best friend Dani and subsequently married her. Kim rode fancy-ass horses and, although Mack knew nothing about horses or that side of her life, he knew Kim enough to know she was up to something.
“A couple of friends and I wanted to come to the club tomorrow night. Will you be there?” she asked.
He frowned. “Booker’ll lose his shit if Dani comes without him, Kimmie.”
“It’s not Dani,” Kim promised.
“Which begs the question, why are you plannin’ somethin’ without her?” he asked. “What the hell are you up to?”
Dani and Kim rarely did anything without each other. Mack always thought it was a little strange until he got to know Kim and her history. She’d had a rough beginning in life and Dani and her family had helped exorcise a lot of Kim’s demons. Not all of them, but enough for Kim to function.
“She’s busy.” Kim groaned. “Mack, seriously. She’s not part of this. Just a few friends getting together for a good time and if you’re there, I get to see you too. Bonus.”
He shook his head with a smile. “Yeah, I’ll be here.”
“Thanks, bud.”
“But no leaving with some random douchbag, yeah?”
“I can handle myself,” she argued.
He glanced out the one way mirror and down at the club floor unusually packed for a Thursday night. “Fuck me, Kim, you cannot. Do I need to remind you about three weeks ago?”
Kim had walked out of the club with one of their regulars, and he’d attacked her in the ally. He didn’t get far because Knight followed them and beat the shit out of the guy, but not before the asshole had ripped Kim’s dress down the front. She seemed to lose her mind when Knight was around and Mack knew his brother was getting fed up with her desire to find trouble.
She sighed. “No. You didn’t tell Booker, right?”
Both M
ack and Kim knew if he did, Booker’d tell Dani immediately and then Kim would be screwed.
“No, babe, I didn’t tell Booker, but you keep up with this stupidity, I will. Better yet, I’ll tell Dani.”
Kim let out a quiet hiss. “Logan Reed, you better not!”
“I fuckin’ will, Kim, but for now, your secret’s safe.” He turned toward his desk. “What are the names of your friends?”
“Darien and Pauley,” she said. “I think Darien might bring a friend as well.”
“You’re bringin’ guys in? Not typically your style, babe.”
“No, they’re sisters. Their dad wanted boys, it’s a long story.”
“Okay.” He didn’t admit it, but he had a thing for girls with boys’ names. It was sexy as hell.
“Anyway, you’ve met Pauley. She’s the bartender at the restaurant.”
“Yeah, the hot redhead.”
Kim giggled. “Do you actually know the names of the women you meet or are they all classified by hotness and hair color?”
Mack chuckled. “I’m thinkin’ I’m not gonna answer that.”
“Chicken.”
“I’ll make sure you’re on the list.”
Kim sighed. “Thanks, Mack.”
“Hey,” he said, his tone softer. “I’m lookin’ out for you, yeah?”
“I don’t know why,” she grumbled.
“Need me to break it down for you?”
“No, what I need is for you to go back to being Mack the dawg instead of concerning yourself with my sex life. I know you’re watching out for me, honey. But outside of that, I’m good, okay?”
He gave a reluctant smile. She was right. He was inserting himself somewhere he didn’t belong. “Okay, babe. I’ll butt out.”
“Thanks. And thanks for the entry.”
“No problem. Talk to you later,” he said, and hung up.
* * *
Darien
I slid my leg under my bottom and settled my laptop squarely in front of me. Still no email informing me I was about to be published. Even so, I thought I might attempt to write something else. However, this was the third time I’d changed positions in an effort to shake out the cobwebs in my head.
The Road Back (Limelight Series Book 2) Page 19
