Colt

by Jayne Blue

  God. Some things had stayed completely untouched about Lincolnshire. Others couldn’t be more different. When I left, I didn’t look back. I had no regrets, but Kellan Carter was a good man, and I was glad I had the chance to get to know him again.

  He caught my eye, and I knew I didn’t have to say another word. He knew what I was thinking. His mouth tightened into a grim line, and he gave me one quick nod of his head. We were solid, Kellan and me. Brothers in our own way. From now on, he’d have my back, and I’d have his.

  “So how are things really out in California?” Kellan asked. I knew this conversation was coming, and I was glad it started with someone I was beginning to trust again.

  “They’re good,” I answered. “I’m not going to say there haven’t been rough patches to the transition, but we’ve got a real foothold in some solid, legit businesses.”

  “And you think you can bring some of that out here?”

  I swallowed hard. I trusted Kellan, but he’d been part of this charter for over a decade. His opinion mattered.

  “I think it could be good for the town. The place is dying, man. Anyone can see it. But I’m not here to tell you guys how to run things.”

  Kellan went still. He focused on a point over my head, and I knew he was trying to figure out what to say to me. He had to be as torn as I was. He was loyal to Catman and the charter, but something was eating at him. I didn’t like it. There was a dark cloud hovering over this club and sooner or later, I needed to know the source of it.

  “I’ve been to Grand City,” he said. We had another charter in Grand City, Michigan. We ran one of our most successful gyms out of there. “It’s big, isn’t it? The gym. The fighters.”

  I nodded. “It really is. We’re on the map now with some league titles. People are lining up to train with our guys up there.”

  “How much?” Kellan said. “How much do you pull in?”

  I leaned back and crossed my ankle over my knee. “I don’t know the numbers for Grand City. That’s not my operation. But Green Bluff is self-sufficient.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean we don’t owe anyone shit anymore. We run our own shop. Tight. Clean. Legit. Enough to put a roof over everyone’s head and food in our mouths, Kellan.”

  Kellan’s eyes widened, then narrowed. He wanted to believe me but couldn’t yet. I knew that look. It was the same one I and the rest of the Green Bluff charter gave to Sly Cullinan when he came to us with the idea of changing the way we did things for good. Maybe it was an easier sell for him, though. At the time, we’d just lost one of our own, Dex McLain, on a bogus drug charge. He did hard time, and Sly had vowed it would never happen again. He showed us the way out, and we took it. Now it was up to me to help Catman do the same for Lincolnshire.

  Again, he seemed to know what I was thinking. “He won’t roll,” Kellan said. “Catman and Tommy. They’ve been running things a certain way for a long time.”

  I saw a dangerous opening and took it. “But you can see how it’s not working anymore. You’ve already given up a hell of a lot fighting another man’s battle, Kellan. How much are you willing to risk this time?”

  My words hit him like an anvil in the chest. He recoiled as if they had that kind of weight. Kellan blinked hard and looked back at me, his expression made of granite. It was okay. He should keep his guard up.

  “It’s getting late,” he finally said. “Tommy’s going to swing by. Catman wants you coming with us when we do rounds. You up for that?”

  I knew what he meant. We’d danced around it since I rode back into town. The Lincolnshire Great Wolves were into something bad. I saw it in the looks I got at The Shires. From Jase.

  Now I’d get my first taste of exactly how bad it was.

  Chapter Seven

  Amy

  I dreamed of strong hands running all over my body, dragging my panties down past my hips. His lips were soft and hot as he feathered kisses over the plane of my stomach, stopping to dip his tongue into my belly button and making me shiver. Then he moved to my hips, dragging my panties even further, over the curve of my ass, trapping me so I couldn’t spread my legs any wider. I thrust upward, searching for the release I knew his lips and tongue would give me. Anything, just to have him touch me more, worship me with those strong fingers and skillful tongue.

  But I woke alone, panting and in a cold sweat. The crotch of my panties was soaked, and I couldn’t help but run a finger across my swollen clit. God, Colt would be like that. I knew it. I saw it in the way he looked at me, the way he carried himself. He would know exactly what to do to me. If I let him, I just knew he’d have me begging for him. I could let go of everything, just for once. Let him take control and ride him past the point of caring.

  Those were just dreams, though. In real life, I knew it could never be that simple. I couldn’t lose control. Not for a minute. Not for a second. If I ever did again, I might lose myself. I couldn’t. I wouldn’t. No matter how much my body cried out for it in the dark.

  I’d checked my phone at least a dozen times. More. Then I headed into work. It was good. He needed to move on to someone else. There were a hundred girls like Nurse Kayla for him to choose from. That’s all he really wanted anyway. Quick and dirty. A one-night thrill that felt good in the moment but wasn’t meant to last. That wasn’t for me. It could never be for me. Oh, but quick and dirty sounded sooo good.

  The white rose weighed on my mind as well. Roy’s calling card. He’d do a dozen things like that a year. Nothing ever came of it and I hated that I still reacted at all. It was meaningless. Cowardly. He knew he could never come near me for real again. So I pushed thoughts of Roy out of my head. It wasn’t that hard since thoughts of Colt quickly rose to replace them.

  I checked my phone another dozen times between first, second, and third hours. I headed down to the teachers’ lounge after fourth hour hoping food might help distract me. Lindy was waiting for me. I took the seat across the table from her. She had mischief in her twinkling, brown eyes. She waited for two of the science teachers to grab their stuff from the fridge and move off to the other side of the room. Then Lindy leaned forward and put a hand on my wrist.

  “Okay. I’ve given you space. When are you going to tell me the back story of Mr. Sultry from the other day?”

  I smiled and shoved my spoon down into my yogurt. “I like to call him Mr. Manwhore. There’s nothing to tell. We were both getting stitches at the same time. I left my phone. He brought it back. The end.”

  “Amy. Knock it off. That guy was underwear-model gorgeous and totally into you. You need to jump on that. Or I need to figure out how to lose my phone so I can.”

  “His name is Colt,” I said as if that was all the explanation Lindy needed.

  She rolled her eyes, and a blush crept into her cheeks. “Of course it is. How can you not just want to lick him?”

  Oh. I wanted to lick him all right. I did my best to keep my expression neutral, but Lindy knew me well enough to see right through that.

  “All right, that’s it.” I’d left my phone on the table next to me and Lindy lunged for it before I could stop her.

  “Lindy.”

  She scrolled through it, and her eyes went wide when I knew she found his contact. Dammit. I should have deleted it. I should have fucking password protected the lock screen!

  “Lindy!”

  “You dog!” she said. “He texted you last night. You are not blowing this guy off. As your friend, I am duty bound to not allow it.”

  She scooted her chair away from the table and started typing.

  “Lindy!” My heart raced. I reached across the table, but she held my phone high in the air. “Lindy!” I gritted my teeth as the science teachers turned to see what was going on. Great. The gossip mill in this place was hell.

  “Lindy,” I said quietly. “Please, don’t.”

  She smiled and slid the phone back across the table. I picked it up, afraid to look at what she’d typed. I let out a hard
breath when I saw it.

  “How about you pick me up Friday after work?” she’d typed for me. The cursor kept blinking, and I hoped maybe he wouldn’t answer. Maybe he’d already blocked my number after I blew him off. A few more seconds went by, and the screen flashed back to life.

  “Done.” Heat flared between my breasts and shot straight down to my toes.

  “Lindy, I can’t see this guy again.” I pleaded with her. I thought about telling her about Roy’s latest antics but didn’t want to even give him airspace.

  “Yes, you can,” she answered. “It’s time, Amy.”

  “I don’t know anything about him.”

  “Yeah, that’s why you need to see him again. You know, to get to know him. And anyway, maybe not getting to know him isn’t the worst thing either. Just meet him. He’s into you. Have a fling.”

  God, I wanted to. It scared me how much I wanted to. But he was a fantasy. I had to live in my reality. Lindy saw something in my face. Her demeanor changed, and she leaned across the table and put a gentle hand on my upper arm.

  “Amy, it’s time. Not every guy in the world is like Roy. It’s time you stopped letting that asshole dictate what you do with your life. He can’t hurt you anymore if you don’t let him.”

  Stinging tears sprang to my eyes, and I blinked them back. I looked toward the window so Lindy wouldn’t see. She was right, but it wasn’t so easy to change. Roy had taken so much away from me, I didn’t know if I’d ever get it back.

  “Colt is a good first step,” Lindy said, answering the doubts I hadn’t put into words.

  “I have to be careful,” I said, both to Lindy and to myself.

  She nodded. “So tell him you’ll meet him somewhere public. That’s what normal people do, Amy. It’s okay.”

  I bit my lip and looked back at my phone screen. My breathing came hot and heavy. My head felt light. I had to blink to keep the letters from floating off the tap screen. I blew a breath out and typed.

  “Second thought, let’s meet somewhere.”

  His answer was instant. “Anytime, any place. Name it.”

  “Coffee shop!” Lindy whisper-shouted. “Corner of Washington and Tenth!”

  I nodded and typed. “Six o’clock. Sufficient Grounds. Coffee place on Washington. Next to the courthouse and the public safety building.”

  The cursor blinked as he typed his response. “Sensible woman. I like that. We’ll be surrounded by fifty cops.”

  “Girl can’t ever be too careful,” I typed back as my heart hammered practically in my throat.

  “See you Friday,” he typed back. Then I put the phone down and slid it toward Lindy as if it had turned to hot coal. She squeezed my hand.

  “You did good!” Lindy said. “And it’s going to be fine. I’ve got a feeling about this guy.”

  I nodded and squeezed my eyes shut. The tears still hovered just behind them.

  Chapter Eight

  Colt

  Friday couldn’t come fucking fast enough. I spent the two days in between riding with Kellan and Tommy. They called it rent collection, but unease boiled low in my belly with each stop we made. The Great Wolves weren’t slum lords. We hit almost every business downtown and all through the north end. They were paying for protection. It was a shakedown. And all at once, I understood the look I got from Ricky at The Shires and the rest of the bar patrons my first night in town. It wasn’t respect; it was stone-cold fear.

  Kellan didn’t say much as we quit for the day. Tommy was watching me. Catman wasn’t stupid. He knew I might be a problem. And I would have been. But none of the business owners we hit gave Tommy any trouble. I felt sick thinking about what would have happened if they did. Kellan was quiet, but he and I were going to have to have a conversation alone, and soon.

  We headed back for the club with Tommy riding point and Kellan right behind me. It was four o’clock. Two more hours until I’d get to see luscious Amy again. My blood simmered in anticipation.

  For now, though, I had some words for Catman he wasn’t going to like. He sat at the table with his feet up as Tommy came in and handed him the fat brown envelope with the club’s “rent” for the month.

  “Have a seat, Colt,” he said. I was on edge and wanting to pace.

  “You got some sort of problem?” Catman said when I didn’t do as he asked. I knew he’d been waiting for this little conversation since the minute I rode into town.

  “Look,” I finally said as I stopped pacing and turned toward him. I rested my hands on the back of one of the chairs between us. Tommy took a seat on the opposite side of the table. Kellan sat next to him. Kellan wouldn’t look at me. He kept his eyes focused on his hands as he folded them and rubbed one thumb with the other. “You know one of the reasons I came out here. You’ve had me riding around with Tommy and Kellan for days, biding my time. I’m no fucking diplomat. You want to talk real business or not?”

  Catman tapped his fingers on the table. “Maybe we need to get the full crew in here.”

  I shook my head. “How about just you and me for now?”

  He gave me a wide-eyed stare. Light from the window cut across his face, making his eyes flash. He looked more like a damn cat than ever. “You say whatever you have to say in front of Tommy and Kellan. They’re my top guys. I don’t want to have to repeat it.”

  I nodded. “Sly wants to expand the gym franchise to Ohio. He’s looking at property in Cleveland unless I can give him a reason not to jump on it. I say fuck that. I say Lincolnshire should have its own version of The Flats. Bring the revenue to our backyard. Cover our people.”

  Catman laughed. He knew what I was going to say before I said it. He’d known since the second Sly and I called and told him I was on my way. He’d been making me do this monkey dance with the rent collection. I’d put up with it as long as I was going to.

  “You and Sly think you know better than I do what my town needs?”

  I took a seat and ran my hand along the stubble on my jaw. I hadn’t lied when I said I was no fucking diplomat. It’s the reason I’d outgrown Green Bluff and could be the reason Catman might run me out too.

  “It’s big money, Cat,” I said. “Big money. We’re bringing in millions in Cali with the Wolf Den revenues added on. And it’s one hundred percent legit. No heat from law enforcement, no RICO shit. Nothing. Just money and a future. I know you’ve talked to the Grand City boys. They’ve probably told you the same thing. The question is whether you want in or not. You’re sitting on prime real estate in your backyard, and you know it. The downtown area by the waterfront is nothing but shelled out factories. That’s how we started in Green Bluff too.”

  Catman leaned forward. “Here’s the second time I gotta warn you not to tell me how to run my town. What we have here works just fine for us. Puts money in everyone’s pocket. We don’t owe shit to anyone. You think I’m going to turn my back on these guys, this town, and let Sly Cullinan own my ass? No, thanks. You’re drinking Kool-Aid and selling fucking Amway, Colt.”

  I slammed my fist on the table. “This club would own everything outright. This isn’t a pyramid scheme. We loan you whatever you need for startup. To buy up the land, convert the buildings, all that shit. The trainers for the fighters have to be our guys, but you own the business. The profit is yours. All of it. That’s the whole idea behind this. Our guys doing for our guys and our towns. Just like we’ve always done except it’s a hundred percent legit.”

  Catman laughed. He caught Tommy’s eye, and Tommy laughed right along with him. Kellan kept his head down, and my blood simmered. Catman’s need to run this club with an iron fist was going to screw these guys out of their golden ticket. This conversation couldn’t have gone worse if he’d pulled a gun on me. The look in his eyes, when he quit laughing, made me think shooting me might have crossed his damn mind.

  “You’re from Lincolnshire, Colt. I get that. But as far as this club’s concerned, you’re new here. We run things my way or no way. I’ve got no interest in turning
my club, my town into Sly Cullinan’s corporate puppet. You got a problem with the way I do things, you know the way back to the highway. Keep heading west.”

  I gritted my teeth, wishing I could end the conversation with fists. Catman seemed to understand that a hell of a lot better. He smiled again, sensing how I struggled to keep my shit together. I had to keep my cool and think of the big picture. I was doing this for Sly and my charter. More than that, though, I was doing this for Lincolnshire.

  “Sly doesn’t want you back though, does he?” Catman said, leaning across the table. His cat eyes narrowed at me, and it took everything in me not to react.

  “He thinks I’m running some kind of farm team down here. And I’ll tell you what, I’m not interested in dealing with his castoffs or problem child. You wanna be a member of this club, you follow my rules. Right now, I don’t want to hear about your corporate franchise or little sports bars for hipster pussies. Maybe Sly forgot what the Great Wolves are about but I haven’t. You’re right, though. We do take care of our own. So if you want to stick around, Colt, it’s time for you to decide whether you’re part of Sly’s club or mine. You can’t have it both ways.”

  I kept my hands flat on the table. Otherwise, I knew it would have been too easy to ball them into fists. Catman and I played a mental game of chicken as he stared at me from across the table. I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of flinching. But his message was clear. I was either his soldier or Sly’s.

  Chapter Nine

  Amy

  I changed my mind about what to wear a thousand times. I got in and out of my car at least that many times too. But at ten minutes to six, I finally pulled out of the driveway wearing a black mini skirt and white blouse. It was going to put me at the coffee shop ten minutes late or more depending on how long it took to park. There was a chance Colt might not even stick around. But I made the decision to go. Lindy would be proud.

  Sufficient Grounds was a dying business in the middle of the busiest part of town. One of those no-man’s land retail spots where anything that went in there folded in a year or less. It had been a bakery, an ice cream shop, a juice bar, now a coffee shop. The current owner, a pretty redhead who’d just graduated from college, lived in an apartment above the shop, and she smiled brightly when I walked in.