“How?” I croaked out.
“Shhhh, if you calm down, sweetheart, I will tell you.” He grasped my hand and I clung to it like a lifeline. Slowly, I started to calm down. There were things he could never know, things that were not on record anywhere. “I looked into Philip Worthington,” he said as I started to calm and relax, “I followed his business and he bought a company the day after Amarillo. I know about the company. I know about your parents and I know that your grandmother cut them out of the will. I don’t know what I’m missing, but you need to fill me in so I can protect you.”
I sighed in relief, he didn’t know everything. “There are some things about my past that I can’t and won’t tell you. It is better to let some skeletons stay in the closet and some of those skeletons are attached to others. I will tell you this and please don’t ask anything beyond it.” I drew in a deep breath, shaking and still nervous about telling something that I have kept secret for so long. “My parents chose silence and connections over me. When they did this, my grandmother threatened them that if they wanted her to stay quiet, then I had to come live with her. Otherwise she would talk and either way, I would be out of the clutches of my greedy, status seeking parents.”
“Why did they need to keep quiet?”
“That’s the part that I can’t and won’t tell you. Others are involved.” Brice did not look happy with my answer.
“I can’t protect you if I don’t know what’s going on. What if your parents aren’t the threat, what if it’s whatever you are hiding from me?”
I shook my head. “It’s not. You just have to trust me.”
Titan’s voice broke into the conversation. “McKenzie, where do you fit in all this?”
She looked him straight in the eye. “I’m just the best friend.”
I saw his jaw tick. “The fuck you are. You are the stepdaughter of a senator, and whatever went down in high school that separated Abby from her parents, did the same to you.”
“One has nothing to do with the other, Titan,” she said, his road name with a bit of sneer.
Titan looked at her for a moment and shook his head. “I’m done,” he said, “you can keep your secrets, McKenzie, you can keep your anger, resentment, and your demons. I hope they are good company in bed at night. I’m done.” He pushed away from the table and looked at Brice. Had he been watching Mac, he’d have seen the spark of emotion in her eyes. “Brother, let me know when and if you need me. Otherwise, I’m headed to the club.”
After Titan left, I watched McKenzie. “Brice, can you give us a moment.” I didn’t take my eyes off her. I saw the water in the green depths, the unshed tears. I didn’t know what all had happened with them, but I knew for a fact that no man has ever got close enough to break down her defenses enough to cause tears. Brice stood up and left the same way Titan had gone.
Chapter 18
Brice
I walked outside after Titan, he was sitting on his bike about to start it up when I walked out the door. “Where you headed to brother?”
“The club, there’s nothing for me here.” He jerked his head toward the house behind me.
“I’m not so sure about that.” After he walked out, I had seen the look of defeat in her eyes and the tears threatening to spill over. Fuck, relationships were fucking new to me. Yeah, I had had a long-time girlfriend through school but that was a lifetime ago. “Just don’t give up on her yet, brother, not if she could possibly really mean something to you.”
Titan was unlike a lot of the other brothers, he came from a good stable home. His dad was in the MC, just like mine and Legend’s, but his dad and mom had been together fifty years and in all that time, no one ever saw him with one of the club girls. He was faithful to his old lady and to the club. Titan wanted the same thing his parents had. He just hadn’t found anyone worth the effort yet. “If she wants me, brother, she knows where to find me, but I’m done fighting a demon I don’t know. I can’t compete with an unknown variable.”
“I know, man, but I don’t think you’re the only one who is fighting those demons.”
“Really? Because if she had any feelings at all, I would have seen them in some form. I haven’t seen anything behind that damn mask she wears. Maybe it’s not a mask and she’s just not interested.”
I doubted it, but I had too much shit going on right now trying to figure out my own woman’s problems and keeping her safe. If Titan wanted McKenzie, then he would have to figure it out. I think he already had her, but he was not known for his patience. I’m amazed he had lasted this long.
I went back into the house after he left and I found Abby and McKenzie in the kitchen still. There was a folded up letter on the table and McKenzie was sobbing into Abby’s shoulder. Tears were flowing silently out of Abby’s eyes as she looked at me over her friend’s shoulder. I wanted to go for the letter to find out what was going on, but I knew that this was not the time.
Instead, I turned around and went back outside. Titan was likely still on his bike so I sent him a text.
She’s crying. She feels, maybe too much.
Fuck, it was really eating me that I knew so little about these women. One I was in love with and the other I felt protective over, like a brother. I was sure of what the cause of all this was, but I didn’t know who or how it all fit together. It was aggravating being on the outside.
I reached for my phone, ready to call Gavel, when the door opened and Abby ran right into my arms. Her face buried in the crook of my shoulder and her legs wrapped around my waist. She was clinging to me as she shuddered and sobbed. Holy fuck, the only reason she would be reacting this violently to anything McKenzie had to say meant she hadn’t known a piece of information until now. “Sweetheart, what is it?”
“I can’t,” she sobbed, “I want to kill them. I want to kill them both.”
I pulled her back from me. “Honey, you have to tell me. If anyone needs killing, I will take care of it, but I can’t help you and McKenzie if I don’t know what I’m trying to help you do. I can’t protect you unless I know the threat.” I wanted to shake her as she shook her head at me. “This is bullshit, Abs, you and McKenzie keeping shit from Titan and me is driving us nuts. Not to mention leaving us without a clue as to what is coming our way.”
“It’s not my place to tell, Brice.” She shuddered one last time and used the back of her hand to wipe tears from her face before pushing out of my arms. “I can’t tell you because it’s not my place to tell, Brice.”
I wrapped her in my arms and held her close, offering what little comfort I could provide. Titan was right, we were fighting demons that we had no idea what they were. The difference between Titan and I though, was in our women. I had mine, she wanted me, needed me. McKenzie just pushed him away instead of drawing from his strength. I felt for him.
McKenzie left early to head to the restaurant, I was drinking a cup of coffee and waiting for Abby to finish up in the shower and finish getting ready. I had left her there after distracting her from whatever news she had gotten this morning. I heard her phone ring through the house and the next thing I know, she’s running down the stairs in nothing more than a red thong. “Brice, McKenzie, the bar…” Fear and worry clouded her eyes.
I didn’t wait for her to say anything else. I grabbed my phone and hit Titan’s number. “Yeah,” he sounded sleepy and I heard a woman ask who it was in the background.
“McKenzie. Get to the bar. I’m right behind you.” I hung up. “Come on, get dressed and you can tell me what happened?”
Tears were streaming from her eyes again, dammit. I fucking hated seeing her cry. “Someone broke into the bar. She said it’s a mess and they spray painted on the wall.” She threw on some black yoga pants and a loose top that dipped off her shoulder. At any other time the look would have been innocently tantalizing, but I was worried about McKenzie. She grabbed her shoes and we headed to her truck. I hopped behind the driver’s seat and pulled out the second she was in.
“Titan
’s on his way. Please tell me she didn’t stay in the building.”
“I don’t know. She just told me to get there and fast.” She was pulling on her shoes as I was speeding toward town.
It occurred to me that Gavel was already in town and could possibly beat us there. I hit his number, “Dad, McKenzie’s in trouble at the bar.” He hung up before I could say anything else, not that I had anything else to say. I was furious. Furious at him for keeping this shit from us, furious that obviously he wasn’t keeping a close enough eye on things, furious with McKenzie and Abby for not telling us what the hell was going on. If I had my way, I’d know all their shit by the end of the day, but I highly doubted it considering Abby just learned something new this morning. “GOD DAMMIT,” I yelled at the steering wheel because this feeling of being helpless to protect McKenzie and Abby was infuriating.
I pulled up to the bar and saw both Titan and Gavel’s rides. Before I could even throw the car into park, Abby was out and running to the bar. “Shit, Abby, wait,” I caught up to her as she was reaching the door to the bar. When the shot rang out, I pushed Abby through the door and onto the floor. I kicked the door shut behind us and pulled her further into the room.
“Abby,” My voice was hoarse and fear crashed over me that I had not reacted quick enough. “Sweetheart, are you hit?”
“Fuck, Brice, that hurt,” she grumbled at me. The woman had just been shot at and she was grumbling at me.
I started at her head and ran my hands over her arms, sides, stomach, and legs. She was in one beautiful piece, thank fuck. I looked up as Titan crouch walked by. “Where did the shot come from?”
“Southwest. I can only guess that they didn’t get a clear shot because I was there, but I don’t think that it was a pro. A pro would have been able to make that shot.” I pulled out my phone and dialed. “Legend,” I said when he answered, “get here yesterday. Someone just took a shot at Abby.” Titan had moved over by the door and was peeking through the window to see out. The girls had chosen right with dark windows that could not be seen through. Thank God for small favors.
I saw Gavel holding onto McKenzie over by the hall that led to the restrooms. “Abby, go over by Gavel and McKenzie, stay down.” She slowly made her way over to them, crawling on the glass covered floor. It was then that I noticed the state of the restaurant. Tables were overturned, chairs broken, the custom booths that looked like car bench seats with chrome and black leather had knife punctures all over them, and dishes lay in shattered pieces. There wasn’t anything in the restaurant that wasn’t destroyed. The black and white artwork was ripped or had gaping knife holes going through it. Whomever did this shit was thorough in destroying everything.
“Fucking bastards,” Titan said, “I don’t see anyone. They must be well hidden or they are gone. My guess is they split right after firing the shot.”
I joined him by the window. “Gavel, did you call the sheriff?”
“Didn’t have time, you got here and the shot was fired.”
Titan stiffened. “You didn’t have time before Grit and Abby got here. You weren’t here?” He turned accursing eyes on McKenzie, “Please tell me you were not stupid enough to stay in this building by yourself when it looked like this.” He roared his question at her.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I must have missed the part where I had to ask your permission to do shit. Fuck off, Titan. I came in and saw the place. I immediately called Abby. I assume Grit called your ass for reasons that are beyond me.” She looked at me, giving me a look that promised retribution. “Thanks for that,” she sneered.
Fuck, now I see what Titan has been dealing with. She’s perfect for him. I wanted to laugh as she, at her full height of 5’3”, tried to stare him down. If I hadn’t seen her face this morning when he said he was done and left, I would have thought as he did, that she didn’t care. I made a mental note to never play poker with her because she had one hell of a poker face.
I pulled out my phone again as McKenzie and Titan continued to glare at each other and quickly explained to the 911 operator what had happened. I refused her offer to stay on the line and walked over to Gavel and Abby. “Thanks for getting here so fast, Dad.” I still hated that he didn’t tell me shit, but at the same time I knew he was bound by his oath to the law and to her confidentiality. That didn’t totally take the anger away, but it did help appease it some.
“Dad?” McKenzie tore her gaze from Titan to look between Gavel and me. “Huh, I see it. Shit, if that’s what you’re going to look like in thirty years, I might have to steel you from Abby.” I swear I saw my dad flush and Titan was raging on the inside, the truth was in the clenching and unclenching of his fists. He didn’t get that it was all for his benefit that she was saying that. I would tell him, but it was too much damn fun to watch.
I held Abby while we waited for the police to show up, which for a small town took longer than expected, especially since shots being fired were reported. The officer came in, took statements and pictures and left. So much for investigating; small town politics at its finest.
“Legend should be here in a few hours. He can help us figure shit out. In the meantime, let’s get the crew over here to get this shit cleaned up,” Titan said, “I’ll go work in the bar. It’s just as bad, if not worse.”
Chapter 19
Abby
One call to the clubhouse and the restaurant and bar was crawling with the members and women of the Steel Demons. It really surprised me that they really were like a family. There were some of the girls, what I’m assuming were the club girls that Brice had told me about, that I didn’t like. Mainly because I knew that they had been with him, but the ugly looks I was getting from the one with the curly brown hair was really starting to piss me off.
“That girl looks like she wants to deck you.” Mac said to me quietly as we worked side by side, trying to scrub the paint that had been thrown all over the dance floor.
“Yeah, I’m sure she is mad because Brice is with me.”
“You mean she’s been with Brice?” McKenzie looked at me with concerned eyes.
“Titan, too, I’m sure. The club girls aren’t picky who shares their bed and I’m sorry to disillusion you, but the men don’t seem too picky, either.”
“Hey, I resent that. I’m very picky who’s in my bed these days.” Brice said quietly as he moved up behind me, squatted down, and kissed my cheek. “Ignore her. She has nothing to do with us, but she is part of the club, so you will see her upon occasion.” He whispered into my ear.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m good. As long as she knows you are off limits, we are good. I don’t care about your past, it’s your present and future that matters to me.”
“That’s why I love you.” He kissed me again.
“Jeez you two need to get a roo-,” she cut off what she was saying and I looked at her as pain crossed her face. A blonde Barbie had her arms wrapped around Titan and he wasn’t pulling away. “I’m going to work in the kitchen. I’m still pretty shaken up from earlier. Cooking calms me and everybody is going to be hungry soon.” She rambled and almost ran from the room.
“Brice,” I said. I was hurt for her. She had feelings for Titan, but with the way she treated him, I couldn’t blame him for his actions either.
“I know, honey, there’s nothing we can do. They have to figure their shit out on their own.” He kissed me tenderly on the lips, then he whispered something that made my heart melt even further. “If she didn’t understand that you’re mine and I’m yours, she does now. I never kissed any of the club girls. I haven’t kissed a woman since Monica.”
With everything that had happened that morning, I should have been a complete and total mess, but with his words, I felt so full of happiness. I hadn’t felt this happy in so long. Even living with Grams, as much as I loved her, I still felt that a part of me was missing. I wasn’t feeling that anymore. Brice had changed everything.
Mac had gone into the kitchen to start preparing lunch. I noticed Ink
follow her in there and not come out. He seemed to be a nice guy, though intimidating as hell. He was so focused and intense. When I got my tattoo, he had told me to bring in headphones because he did not talk while working. His intensity was made more sinister by the tattoos which seemed to be everywhere. The gauges in his ears and the piercings through his brow and lip all added to the intense look.
He wasn’t like Titan or Brice. They were both tall and gave off the air of domination, but there was tenderness beneath it. With Ink, it was all fierceness and domination with no underlying vulnerability, just in a smaller package. He was just under six foot and lean muscle with not much mass, so it was interesting that I felt more intimidated by him than by two giants.
“Where are you headed?” Brice asked me as I walked toward the kitchen.
“I’m going to go check on Ember. I don’t think she is dealing well with what happened earlier.”
When I opened the door, I drew up short and a wall of muscle bumped me from behind. Titan and I were shocked at the scene before us. “Son of a bitch” I heard him mutter quietly with anger lacing his voice. I felt him withdraw from the sight of McKenzie wrapped in Ink’s arms. He was whispering softly in her ear as she cried into his chest, nodding at his words.
I turned and walked out, unnoticed by Mac, but Ink looked at me and nodded slightly assuring me that everything was okay. Whatever he was saying to her, she needed to hear it judging by her reaction and the way she was holding him tightly. I turned to head back out and caught sight of Titan walking out the front door furiously. “What’s going on?” Brice asked, walking up to me.
I sighed and looked at the door behind me. “I wish I knew Titan saw something that neither one of us could begin to understand what was happening.”
“What did he see?”
Phoenix Bar: A Steel Demons MC Novel Page 13
