by J. L. Drake
“Come on, Brick.” I slapped his shoulder as I hopped back and forth. “Don’t hold back on me now. I saw how you were on the streets.”
“All right, Tess, show me your best.”
Morgan leaned over the counter and watched. Brick punched, but I jumped back with a yelp. I knew he’d never hurt me, but I wanted to win.
“Come on, Tiger,” Morgan hooted. “Use your assets.”
“Dude.” Brick dropped his arms and glared at him. “She’s my fucking sister.”
I tapped his cheek and laughed. “That’s, what? Two for me now? Yeah, two.”
“Oh.” Jace, the newer prospect, slipped in near Morgan. “I get winner!”
Brick started to scowl but stopped himself when he saw me move in closer.
“Nice try, but that won’t—”
“Brick!” Gus rounded the corner. “We have a problem.”
“Damn.” He stopped, and I knew we were done. “Give me a few. I want to talk to you more.”
Jace hopped over a seat when I went to wipe down the tables. His boyish grin made me smile. He was a bit infectious sometimes, and sweet in a dorky way.
“So, you and Brick lived on the streets?”
He was a cute kid, but he was a kid. I was almost thirty-two and had witnessed too much to date down. I did enjoy Jace, though. He seemed genuine.
“Yeah,” I admitted.
“What was it like?”
I folded my arms and sat on the table. “Great at first, then fucking horrible.”
“What happened?”
“I was fourteen, young, and had no money. I was what they called prime meat.”
He moved closer and sat on a chair backward. His arms leaned over the back. “So, a pimp?”
I laughed, but it stopped short when I recalled the horror of it. “Worse.”
“What’s worse than a pimp?”
“What brought you here, Jace?”
He shook his head. “I heard you dodge personal questions.”
“It’s one of my many talents.”
“Like dancing?”
I snapped my head around to look at him. Shame and a deep craving tore through me. One battled to take over, but I never let the other win. I wouldn’t let either define me.
“I heard you rocked the place.”
I nodded as I pulled the rag through my fingers, deep in thought.
“Sometimes humans slip back into old habits. Sometimes the craving is so intense you can’t think of anything else.” I stepped over to him.
“How did it make you feel, being up there?” I began to use my assets on him and he swallowed hard as he tried not to react.
“You ever have someone take over your body, mind, everything?” He nodded. “It’s like that, but for…” I felt Trigger’s eyes on me from across the room, but I ignored him. “But imagine that times thirty.”
“Thirty?”
“Thirty pairs of eyes were on me, thinking whatever they wanted.”
He shifted as I stood directly in front of him. His gaze fell on my breasts. “What d-did you want?”
I leaned down and whispered, “I wanted to be their fantasy, their best of the night. In return, I’d use them as my escape.”
“Escape from what?”
I pulled back and stared him right in the eye. His throat contracted and his cheeks flushed. For once I went with the cold, bare honesty. “From this.”
“Tess,” Trigger called out.
“Excuse me.” Tossing the rag on the table, I made my way over. “Yeah?” I stepped into his office and found him next to his desk staring at a photo.
“You showed.”
“Well, you fired me from my other gig, sooo…” I shrugged.
“How’d you get here this morning?”
I shook my head at his sudden change of direction. “Um, Rail.”
“He spent the night?”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
He rubbed above his eyes. “Did you fuck Rail?”
“No. I came downstairs and he was there, and he offered me a ride.”
He dropped the photo and sat in his chair with a heavy thud. Something weighed on him.
“You okay?”
My eyebrows drew together. “Why do you keep asking me that?”
“Because you won’t answer me.”
I opened my mouth to snap back, but I stopped myself. He was right. I rubbed my arm and then my wrist.
“I’m fine. There was a point last night where I was scared, but I was with you, so I knew we’d be all right.”
His stare became intense. “Okay. So, you trust me?”
“I trust parts of you, yes.”
“Parts?” He seemed amused by that.
“I think you genuinely care if I get hurt. Brick is your best friend, and I’m his, so I can see how that would go hand-in-hand. I appreciate what you did for me last night, but not other things.”
“Other things.”
“I don’t think you have a right to stop me from dancing.”
“My club.”
“Right, a club where I can make us a good living. What you did was a bad business move.”
He chuckled and fiddled with his pen. “Now you’re giving me business advice?”
I groaned internally and went back to my original argument. We were not going to agree on this.
“I think I’m a little confused about why you called me in here.”
Trigger tossed me a photo. I picked it up and swallowed hard. There was me walking by the clubhouse, my face stuck in my phone.
“Turns out you made an impression on the Serpents.”
“Not sure how I did that.” Son of a bitch, how did he find out about that night?
“I have a mole who said the Serpents have been watching you go to and from work. You might want to think of taking over one of the free rooms we have here.”
“You want me to move in here?” I wanted to laugh.
“Something wrong with my clubhouse? It’s not the Hilton, but it’s safer than where you are now.”
My temper rose. That was my problem with Trigger. He assumed he knew me. “Whatever gave you the idea I was from money?”
“No one walks through that door and becomes part of my family without me knowing who they are.”
“Why am I here, Trigger?” I was tired already.
“I told you, the Serpents have their eye on you. It’s only matter of time. I need to know you’re okay and that you won’t tell a soul what happened yesterday.”
Seriously?
“First, I would never. And second, why am I here?”
“I just told you why.”
I closed my eyes and tried to find the right words. “All I do is drive you insane. Why on earth would you want that?”
He didn’t answer. He just stared at the floor as I stood and headed for the door. “I don’t know why,” he whispered, bringing me to a standstill. “I just do, so fucking deal with it.”
I opened the door and stopped. “Besides liking my alone time, there is one other reason why I love my apartment.” He remained quiet. “Let me think about it, okay?”
I heard his chair squeak.
“Stay off my men’s bikes.”
I turned to glare at him. “Why?”
“Because it means something.”
“I rode on yours. What does that mean?”
“It means stay the hell off their bikes.”
“Uncle T?” Den popped his head in the door. His big, dark eyes beamed up at me. “Hey, Tess.”
“Hey, kid.”
“Look!” He held up a paper to Trigger. “Got them all right.”
Trigger flashed him a smile that nearly had me mesmerized. Christ, he had sexy moments.
“So, you can count, you little shit.” Trigger lit a joint, and I laughed, catching his attention.
“Good job, Den,” I chimed in, feeling like the boy could use a female touch.
Den looked at my shorts then over at T
rigger. “Nice.”
“She’s too old for you,” he huffed.
I shot him a look then glanced down at the seven-year-old perv. “I don’t date, sweetheart, but you’d be the first on my list.” I winked.
“So, now will you teach me to toss a right hook?” I heard him ask as I shut the door behind them.
Brick stared me down from across the table. Morgan came over twice to bring us a drink, but Brick sent him away each time. Which sucked because I was thirsty.
“Details, now.” He nodded at Trigger’s hoodie that was stuffed in my bag.
I rolled my eyes and granted him a side smile. “He offered me his hoodie last night. I was going to return it.” Morgan was at my side. He froze, and they both stared at me. “What?”
“Trigger offered you his hoodie?” Brick repeated.
“Yes.” I shrugged. “I don’t get what you are thinking here, guys.”
Morgan ran his hand down his long beard. “You had Trig’s hoodie?”
I dropped my glass down on the hard wood with a deep sigh. “No matter how many ways you ask me, guys, the answer is still the same. Please tell me what you want to hear.”
“Says anything without a care, wears his hoodie…” Brick turned to me like he was counting. “Have you ridden on his chopper?”
Oh, Christ…
“You have, haven’t you? I’m honestly lost for words.”
“That’s a first,” I joked.
“It’s like a fucked up blind date with the devil,” Morgan muttered in amazement.
“Pardon?”
He glanced over my head at Brick. “Make this right.”
“Make what right? Seriously, guys, feel free to include me in this conversation.” I shoved Brick, who looked stunned. Finally, he snapped out of it and moved as I stood. He grabbed my shoulders and bent down to my eye level.
“Tess, you’re walking a thin line. Trigger is not someone you fall in love with. I don’t even think he would know how to. Since he was a boy, he’s been surrounded by nothing but hate. He’s been killing since you were on the school playground.”
“Easy,” Morgan warned.
Brick squeezed his eyes shut briefly before he reined himself in. “Nothing positive will come from it.”
I shook free from his grip, beyond pissed my best friend was giving me a pep talk. “And you think I am capable of such feelings?” I suddenly felt uncomfortable in my own skin.
“I know you are.”
“Stop, Brick,” I warned in a tone I didn’t like to use. “Move on.”
Morgan stepped in between us. “All right, Tess, take a break. Go for a walk.”
Chapter Six
Trigger
“What’s wrong?” Brick was a million miles away, and I needed him here with me.
He glanced outside the meeting room. “Can I ask you something with the risk of stepping over the line?”
No.
“Depends.”
“Are you interested in Tess?”
I chuckled and lit my joint. After a long exhale, I spoke. “She is quite a woman, isn’t she?”
“But that wasn’t my question.”
Clearing my throat, I swallowed my annoyance. “She intrigues me.”
“Tess is good at that.” He played with the clip of his gun, and I knew there was more to come. “Look, there is so much you don’t know about her. I can’t tell you not to do anything, but I’m saying please be careful. She’s fragile, and her past is still hot on her heels.”
“Care to explain some of it?”
“No.” He looked at me right in the eye. “I’d tell you my deepest secret, but I won’t ever risk losing her again. I would never break her confidence, and she is a very private person. She’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to family, and I would die for her.”
“You sure you’re not in love with her yourself?” My own words bothered me. Who was I to ask that?
“Oh, I love her, but not in that way. We’ve had lots of chances to have something happen, but that’s not what we need from each other.”
“All right.”
“All right?” he questioned.
“I’ll take all of that into consideration.”
He wasn’t happy with that, but he let it go, as he should. I didn’t do personal, but I would bend a little for Brick.
“We done with this?” I pulled out a spreadsheet.
“What you got?”
I tossed the sheet at him and folded my arms. “Why hasn’t the second half of the money come through?”
“I thought Cray and Rail were looking into it.”
“Well, now I need you to. New Orleans will be arriving in a few days, and I want to be able to clear their debt. The last thing we need is more Stripe Backs here.”
The Stripe Backs attempted to run the northeast. They formed a few years back and had been encroaching on my territory for a while now. Our New Orleans VP saw an opportunity to buy some guns and turned around and sold them to a buyer working with the Stripe Backs. Needless to say, the deal went bad, and now they owed thirty grand. Normally, I’d deal directly with them myself, but I didn’t need another enemy on my shoulders. I was still cleaning up the mess from Keith’s little situation with the Almas Perdidas. Although I did have a detective friend who was handling it. Also, Cole stayed true to his word and had helped me get back one of my Arizona crew who had managed to get tangled up with the cartels.
Fuck.
“Anything else?” Brick opened his phone and sent off a quick text. When I didn’t answer, he looked up. “What?”
I rubbed my beard before I glanced out into the bar. “Keep your ear to the ground about a priest.”
“Priest, as in stale bread and holy water?”
“Our hangaround took the liberty to embed himself into the Serpents’ club.”
Brick sighed. “So, he’s dead.”
“Normally, yeah, but he heard there’s a priest poking around our route.”
Brick leaned forward. “You think he’s dippin’?”
“Don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”
“Shit.”
“Mm-hm,” I agreed.
Brick stood and grabbed the file I had on the table. “I’ll do some digging.”
I followed him out and frowned at Morgan, who now worked the bar solo.
“She needed a moment—think she’s out back.”
I grabbed an apple and a small carton of milk and slipped out back, trying to clear my head. Kneeling, I made a kissing sound and waited. Her little black head popped out from under my truck’s wheel well and made the tiniest cry.
“Come here, girl.” I poured the milk in her dish and watched as she dropped to the ground and hurried over. Her pink tongue stuck out and slurped up the puddle. I sat and leaned against the hot steel. I could really use some sleep, but my head was set on spin.
What the hell was up with my crew?
As soon as the little cat was finished, she clawed her way up my jeans, dug into my arm, and settled in on my shoulder. She batted at my hair and purred happily.
“Don’t mind me,” I whispered sarcastically but scratched under her chin.
“Mew.” She pawed my face for more attention. Her big yellow eyes blinked, wondering what I waited for.
“Maybe I want to be rubbed. Hmm?” She sneezed and fell from the force of it, landing in my lap. “That’s what you get for demanding something from me.” She burrowed her head in my hand and purred.
The roar of an engine caught my attention, mainly because I heard Tess laugh.
“Back to your bed, kitty.” I lifted her up into the wheel well and helped her into the spot I made for her when I first found her.
Tossing my apple over the fence, I hurried around back and slipped through the fence. When I rounded the corner, I was shocked at what I saw.
Tess was on Jace’s bike as he showed her where everything was.
“Just ease it forward.”
“I can’t.” She look
ed nervous and small on the bike. “It’ll fall.”
“Nah,” he grinned, “just ease out.”
“Then what? Ease into traffic and take it for a spin?”
I couldn’t help but smile at her comment. She was right—then what?
“Here, shift back and I’ll show you.”
She hesitated and squared her shoulders. “Just give me second.”
Jace caught sight of me and looked terrified. I didn’t blame him. As a prospect, he hadn’t yet earned his place here. I shook my head to let him know it was fine. She wasn’t going anywhere. She was too nervous.
I tried not to think about her ass hanging out of her jean shorts as I slid in behind her. Her body froze stiff as a board.
“Let go of the brake and ease onto the gas.” She sagged into me when my hands moved to cover hers. “Go on.”
The bike jumped forward, and she yelped.
“Never mind. This was a bad idea.”
My lips moved to her ear. “I disagree.” Pressing down, I held her hands in place and gently moved the bike forward and out onto the road.
Jace rode a chopper with ape hanger handlebars, which meant our arms were extended up high and I could really study her toned figure. She felt good between my legs, where I had her all to myself.
When we came to the light, both my feet hit the ground, and she did the same. Her body shook, her nerves getting the best of her.
“You’re fine.”
I pointed to the exit and flicked on the blinker to jump on the PCH. Traffic was light heading north, the water was calm, and the sunset spread along the ocean’s horizon.
Tess seemed to ease up a little, and her legs released their death grip on the sides of the seat.
We hit a patch of traffic, and she pulled back on the gas, but I sped us up. She shook her head, but I pushed on.
“Trigger,” she looked panicked, “it doesn’t feel right.”
“Hey.” I squeezed her hand. “Have I ever let anything happen to you?”
Her head turned, and her mouth opened, but instead she just gave me a little nod. She didn’t complain, but she did keep her eyes squeezed shut until I finally had to tap her arm.
When she opened them, I saw her relax in the mirror.
We were now on the open road, cruising through the mountains with only one other car which faded quickly behind us.
She slipped her hands from under mine and spread them out at her sides, arching her back, and rested her head on my shoulder.
