by Brook Wilder
“What men?”
“Don’t lie to me, Lori!”
Spit flew from Gears mouth as he shouted the question in her face, but she didn’t dare look away, didn’t dare turn her back on him.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Gears. It was just me and Carrie.”
Lori made her eyes go wide and pleading, desperately trying to look like the poor, innocent, helpless homeless girl he’d helped a year ago.
“There were motorcycles parked out front. Two of them. I saw them with my own eyes, Lori. You can’t get sneak around behind my back and get away with it.”
“It was just some, uh, some friends of Carrie,” Lori stuttered, praying that he believed her.
She didn’t know what she was going to do if he didn’t. But then another thought occurred to her.
“Gears, have you been spying on me?”
She tried to keep the question as non-confrontational as possible, praying that she wouldn’t say the wrong thing at the wrong time. Who knew what would set him off.
Oddly, at her question, he actually backed off a little bit.
“Spy? Is it spying to look out for my Shortcake?”
Lori shuddered at being called ‘his’ but kept her mouth shut as he sent her a sugary smile, his beer stained breath blowing against her cheek.
“I was the one who helped you out when no one else would, remember?”
“Sure… Yeah, I remember, Gears,” Lori stuttered when he looked at her, obviously expecting an answer. “Of course I remember.”
“I helped you. I got you a job and provided for you. I let you stay here for less than anyone else would charge.”
Not that Lori would know. Her ‘rent’ was taken out of her paycheck before the money ever reached her hands.
“I know, Gears. You’ve really helped me out. And now that I’m back on my feet I can start having fun again…”
“Fun!” he roared, transforming from mild and almost sweet to rage-filled and vibrating with violence in less than a blink of an eye. “Is that what you call fun? Having men over to your house and hanging out with sluts like Carrie!”
Anger sparked inside her at the insult directed at her friend, but Lori continued to bite her lip, forcing herself to hold her tongue. He was on the edge, more precarious than she’d ever seen him and anything could tip the scales.
“I would never want you to worry about me, Gears,” Lori said, trying to cajole him and take a step back at the same time. But there was no space for her to get around him on the small front porch. “You’ve already done so much. I just… I don’t want to be a burden.”
And just like that he was back to sweet.
“You could never be a burden, Shortcake,” he said, smiling softly down at her. “But you are my responsibility and I always keep track of my responsibilities.”
He crooned the words, reaching out to run a hand down her cheek and Lori just barely held back a shudder, nausea tightening in the pit of her stomach.
“Well, I really should be going. Heading to the grocery store to pick up some… baking supplies,” Lori said hastily, quickly coming up with the lie. “You know how much I love to bake and I’m all out of flour and sugar.”
“You could always come ask me if you need anything, Lori,” Gears said casually, but she could hear the meaning lying underneath.
“I didn’t want to bother you,” she said with a shrug, “Besides, I need a special type of flour for the cookies I’m making. If you want I can bring some by for you later.”
The words left her mouth all in a rush and she prayed that they would be enough to convince him.
Gears stared at her for a long moment, weighing each word to try and find the lie underneath it, but it wasn’t a secret that she liked to bake. She’d brought in plenty of cookies and brownies and cakes to the club. For all he knew, she could really be telling the truth.
Lori couldn’t breath as he studied her. Finally, he nodded and took a step back.
“Yeah, I’d like that. Bring some over.”
His haggard face broke out in a sudden grin, his emotions flipping faster than she could keep track of.
“I love your desserts. So sweet and delicious and tasty.”
His gaze moved up and down her body in a way that made her skin crawl. But then he was taking another step back, and another.
“Remember, Lori. I always keep track of my responsibilities.”
Lori fought back another shudder and, with fear like ice in her blood, she forced her feet to move as Gears disappeared back inside his own home.
She tried not to look back as she walked down the street in the direction of the grocery store, texting Tex the address to meet her there. It wasn’t safe for him to be anywhere near her house, or Gears.
Hell, it wasn’t even safe for her.
Chapter 12
Lori nibbled on her fingernails as she waited in the parking lot of the mart on the corner. It wasn’t long before a gleaming, dark red motorcycle pulled into the lot and slowly braked to a halt beside her.
Tex pulled off his helmet. He took in her nervous state with an intense, questioning look, but he didn’t say a word as he waited for her to climb on the back. Hesitantly, Lori took the helmet Tex handed her, staring down at it as if undecided. It was too hard to meet Tex’s green-eyed gaze.
“It was Gears,” Lori finally said, letting the words tumble out with a shuddering breath. “He was outside my house. Waiting for me, I think. He knew that you and Porky had come over. He was crazy jealous.”
“Did he…”
Lori glanced up through a fringe of thick lashes as Tex’s words trailed off. She knew by the angry look in his eyes what he was asking. She quickly shook her head.
“No, no, he didn’t hurt me. He just…” Lori paused, shrugging as she bit her lip.
It was Tex’s turn to finish her sentence.
“He scared you.”
Lori hated to admit he was right. She hated to admit to being scared at all, especially in front of Tex, but there was no way she could hide the truth from him. He seemed to see straight through her. And it didn’t matter how much she wanted to stay hidden away, he wouldn’t let her.
Lori couldn’t say the words, so she just nodded, still feeling like she was admitting defeat.
But suddenly Tex reached towards her, taking her trembling hand in his own. He gave it a squeeze, still without saying a word. It gave her comfort, like a warm blanket on a cold night.
Lori looked up at him in surprise and the air grew thick with tension. For a moment, she couldn’t look away, couldn’t do anything but stand there with her hand lost in his.
But then the moment was broken. Tex let her hand drop with a startled look of his own. He cleared his throat, his expression becoming distant and arrogant once more.
“Well, are you going to get on, sweetheart?” he drawled with an insolent nod towards the seat behind him. “Or are we just going to sit here in this parking lot all day?”
Lori sucked in a breath, marveling again at how this man could one moment soothe her with a touch and, the next, get her all riled with a simple question. Shoving the helmet onto her head and securing the strap, she threw a leg over the back of the motorcycle and scooted forward until she was pressed against him.
She wrapped her arms tight around his waist and bit back a victorious smile as she felt his sharp intake of breath at the sudden contact. At least it was something, knowing she wasn’t the only one that was bothered by their closeness. But as Tex drove out of the parking lot and onto the road, it didn’t do a damn thing to stop her own desire from rising like a tide inside her.
Her hand was still tingling from the soft touch of his fingers. What was it about him…? Lori held on tight, shielding her face from the wind against Tex’s shoulder as she tried to fight the storm that raged inside her. She hardly knew him. Hell, she didn’t even like him!
So, why did her body want to press itself even closer to his. Why did it revel in his
body heat and the spicy masculine scent that she inhaled with every breath? Why did her hands want to explore all the hidden contours of the hard, six-pack abs she could feel beneath her palms? Why was she so thirsty for a taste of him?
Her wayward thoughts took a nose dive straight into the gutter and Lori let out a sigh of relief when Tex finally pulled up in front of the address that Kyle had given her. It was an older, three story apartment building with red brick and tan molding around the doors and windows.
Tex braked the bike, keeping their balance by skidding his thick black leather boots along the ground until they came to a complete stop.
As soon as they were stationary, Lori jumped off the motorcycle, desperately needing to put some breathing space between them. Before she could take more than a step, however, Tex stopped her with hand on her wrist. He pulled her back around to face him.
Lori tried to avoid looking at him, terrified he would see the heat still smoldering in her eyes, and she ducked her head, pretending to fiddle with the helmet strap.
“Lori, be careful in there, alright? Don’t say any more than you have to. And don’t…”
“Yeah, yeah, don’t do anything stupid,” Lori said, muttering the words as she finally pulled off the helmet and shoved it into his hands with more force than was necessary.
Tex just grinned at her, with that too-sexy, lopsided smile of his that had her toes curling.
“Actually, I was going say don’t worry. I’ll have your back the whole time.”
Lori’s brows rose in surprise.
“You’re coming in with me?”
“Do you think I’d let you go up there alone? With that creepy asshole?” Tex snorted as he killed the engine and rested the motorcycle on the kickstand.
Lori was left shaking her head, surprised once again by this new side to him. One minute he was sneering, dismissive and distant, and the next protective. She could admit, to herself at least, that she was glad he was coming in with her. She knew that he would keep her safe.
Lori forced her feet to move again, carrying her up the cracked sidewalk to the front door of the building. She was proud that her hand was steady as she pressed the button on the intercom.
A moment later a loud, crackling voice echoed over the speaker.
“Yeah?”
“Kyle? It’s Lori. Want to buzz me in?”
“Lori! Hey, yeah, I mean yes. Come on in. We’re on the second floor.”
There was a static-filled pause and then another loud beep that signaled the lock on the door had been thrown. She tried not to look at Tex as she took the lead, pushing through the entrance and up the faded-linoleum stairs.
Lorie didn’t stop until she got to the door. She checked that the apartment number was the one she was looking for, then took a deep breath and knocked. She desperately wanted to look around her, up and down the hall, but she was afraid she’d look suspicious and kept her gaze locked on the fake wood of the door instead.
A moment later, it opened.
Kyle stood there, a greasy smile spread across his face as he greeted her. Then his eyes slid to Tex, who was standing tall and imposing behind her with his arms crossed over his broad chest. Kyle’s grin faded.
“Oh, I didn’t realize you were bringing anyone,” Kyle muttered, looking none too happy about the fact.
Suddenly, Lori was glad she had brought Tex along after all.
“He’s my ride,” Lori said by way of explanation.
Kyle frowned but stepped back, gesturing them both inside.
There were three other men in the apartment, all about the same age as Kyle or a little younger. They sat on a couch passing a six pack of beer between them.
“Hey, guys, this is that chick I told you about,” Kyle said by way of introduction.
Lori gave them a tight smile.
That chick!
She nearly rolled her eyes, but on reflection she was more than happy to keep her name out of it.
“Hey.”
“What’s up?”
“Hi. How’s it going?”
Lori nodded to each of them in turn as they tossed some sort of greeting in her direction. She didn’t answer any of them. She wasn’t there to chat. After the confrontation with Gears, she sure as hell didn’t need a reminder of why she was there.
Lori hitched the strap of her bag. “So, Kyle said you guys might be interested in making some, uh, purchases?” She tried to make her voice sound confident, like she’d done a million drug deals instead of just the one.
Kyle’s friends didn’t seem to notice. They were too busy staring at her in a way that made her feel like she needed to take a shower.
They cleared a small space on the couch, but she didn’t need Tex’s sharp look to know that she didn’t want to get any closer than she already was. Taking a deep breath, she dug a small bag of pills from her purse.
“You don’t need to rush,” Kyle said, his voice matching the greasy innuendo in his eyes. “Why don’t you stay and hang out with us for a bit? Maybe they want to sample some of the merchandise before they buy.”
Lori held back a shiver of disgust. She had a pretty good idea of just what Kyle and his friends would like to ‘sample’, and she wasn’t interested.
“No,” Tex said.
Just that, the single word. But Kyle blanched at the hard tone and the men on the couch avoided meeting the big, leather-clad man’s icy gaze.
“Come on, Lori. We just want to have some fun.”
“Are you buying or not?” Lori said quickly, praying they wouldn’t call her bluff. “If not, I’ve got others who are…”
“Yes! We’re interested,” one of Kyle’s friends said, leaning forward so he could dig a wad of cash from his back pocket. “Come on guys.”
A moment later, there was a pile of bills among the beer cans littering the coffee table.
Lori picked it up and counted it out with a sinking feeling in her gut.
“Ninety bucks.”
“I, um, I told them you’d give them a good deal,” Kyle said with a nervous laugh, not looking at Tex.
No doubt he’d told them a lot more than that.
Lori shook her head, then counted out a much smaller portion of the pills than she’d hoped she’d be selling that afternoon.
“Here you go, guys.”
Lori carefully folded the cash and tucked it away in her purse.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” she lied, turning on her heel as she headed for the door.
Suddenly Kyle was blocking her path.
“You’re not leaving already, are you?”
His voice had a whiny note to it, but underneath there was something darker, more menacing. Lori shuddered, more than glad to have Tex at her back, even if he was trying to glare a hole through the other guy.
“Yeah, I’m leaving,” Lori said, then forced a small smile. Even still, it felt tight. “Let me know if you want to buy any more.”
“You don’t have to go…” Kyle stammered, reaching out to take hold of her.
But Tex acted so fast she hardly saw him move until she was staring at his back.
“We’re leaving.”
“Sure… Uh, sure. I don’t want any problems.”
Kyle threw his hands of in the air, backing away quickly from Tex’s anger. At least he was a little smarter than he looked.
Lori didn’t so much as glance back as she followed Tex out of the apartment and down the stairs. A hollow feeling ate at her and she let out a quiet curse as they reached the parking lot.
She pulled the wad of cash from her purse, counting it once more just to be sure.
“Damn it.”
“What is it?” Tex asked, throwing his leg over the dark red motorcycle and looking at Lori with concern shining in his eyes.
“It’s this! Ninety three dollars,” Lori snorted, more than dismayed at the terrible profit. She’d been hoping for a couple hundred at least. “It’s not enough. At this rate, I’m never going to… I won’
t be able to…”
Lori cut off her words, unable to finish the sentence as she blinked back the sudden sting of tears. Hopelessness filled her, and she hated that Tex saw her cry. Not that he looked particularly happy either.
“I need to make more money – fast,” Lori said through her tears, swiping away the droplets from her cheek.
She’d been so sure this would be the answer to all her prayers. What the hell was she going to do now?
