Untouchable: A Dark Bad Boy Romance

by Kathryn Thomas

  “I’m afraid I’ve got some bad news.”

  Shocker, Alec thought bitterly. He was beginning to think there were no other kind of news in the world.

  “What?” he asked again.

  “I’ve got some insights from the Cobra,” Lucas began, lighting himself a cigarette in the process. “Apparently Gary Merchant is out for revenge.”

  Alec frowned. “Revenge on whom? And for what?”

  “Lind,” Lucas said, entirely unsurprisingly. “And that girl, the one who used to work there. He blames them for what happened to him.”

  “Shit.” Alec blew out a long breath.

  He had not seen this coming, but in retrospect he probably should have. Some of his guys had gotten ahead of themselves after the attack on them at the Cobra, back when they all still thought Gary Merchant was behind it. Long story short, the nightclub had been ransacked and shots had been fired, one of which hit Merchant in the lower back, condemning him to a wheelchair. Alec had taken care of the hotheads, but apparently Merchant was not satisfied. He should have known that something like that would fill a man with anger and resentment until his hate exploded.

  “What do we know?”

  Lucas shrugged. “Not much yet,” he admitted. “Just that Merchant is putting things in motion. I think we should keep a close watch on Lind.”

  “On the girl, too.”

  Lucas stared at him in surprise.

  “What?” Alec all but barked.

  “Nothing,” Lucas said quickly.

  Alec knew exactly what. There was a time when he wouldn’t have bothered to put an outsider under the club’s protection. But that was before the birth of his children. Their arrival had softened his nature, and he was still trying to decide whether that was a good thing.

  “Get the others and update them,” he ordered. “Get on it with Lind. I’ll handle the girl.”

  Lucas nodded and stood to take his leave.

  “And Lucas?” Alec called out when the kid was at the door. Lucas turned around. “Good job.”

  Lucas gave him a huge, pleased grin and walked out of the room.

  Alec sighed heavily and leaned back in his chair. He allowed himself a few moments to gather his thoughts, then he grabbed the phone and dialed the number.

  She picked up on the third ring.

  “Hello?” She sounded tentative, on guard. Could Merchant have made some sort of move already?

  “Hello, Eve,” Alec said smoothly.

  There was a pause. “Who is this?”

  “It’s Alec. Alec Moore.”

  Another pause. “The leader of the Diamondbacks?”

  “That’s the one.”

  “How the hell did you get this number? I’ve changed it after…well, you know.”

  Oh, Alec knew. After all, it had been him that they were shooting at.

  “You were on my payroll for a while, sweetheart,” he said. “I keep track.”

  “I want you to leave me alone.” Eve’s voice was stronger now, angrier.

  Alec smiled. He liked fierce women. “It’s not my intention to harm you or stalk you,” he said.

  “Then, what do you want?” she demanded. “Is this about Lind?”

  Alec refrained from rolling his eyes. Clearly, her mind was on Lind as much as Lind’s was on hers. He wondered if he was doing the right thing, bringing her where Lind was. The two of them being in close proximity might not be the brightest idea. But what other option did he have? Sure, he could just leave her to fend for herself, but then Lind would never forgive him.

  “It’s not about Lind, per se,” Alec said. “It’s about you.”

  There was a moment’s hesitation from the other end of the line. “What about me?” Her confusion was so palpable Alec could almost touch it.

  He took a deep breath, already regretting his actions. “You’re in danger.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Your friend, Gary Merchant,” Alec clarified. “Apparently, he’s out for blood. Yours, specifically.”

  “Why would Gary be after me? I’ve never done him any harm.”

  “Apparently, he got into his head that if you and Lind had figured out earlier that he had nothing to do with the Cartel shooting at us, he wouldn’t be in a wheelchair.”

  “A wheelchair? What the hell are you on about? What happened?”

  Clearly, she had no idea of what went down. Perfect. Alec rubbed his forehead with his thumb and forefinger.

  “Never mind,” he said. “I’ll fill you in once you’re here.”

  “Excuse me?” she said. “I’m not going anywhere.”

  “Yes, you are. I’ll send someone over to your place to pick you up. You’ll stay with us until this blows over and the danger is passed.”

  “I’ve heard that before…”

  “Listen,” Alec snapped, “Lind would have my hide if anything happened to you—”

  “Lind doesn’t give a fuck about what happens to me.”

  Alec froze. He had not expected that. “What are you talking about? Of course he does.”

  “No, he doesn’t,” Eve said. “I called him earlier today. He hung up on me.”

  Fuck. How could Lind not even get this one right? He sighed heavily. “It’s not his fault,” he began. The hell it isn’t. “Lind is…uh…well, he’s not exactly himself right now.”

  “He was drunk.”

  The pure disgust in her voice almost had him laugh.

  “How do you think we handle our issues, princess? With a massage and a trip to the sauna?” he teased. “Listen, sweetheart, I really don’t have time for this. I’ll send two men over to your place in one hour. You either go with them, or you let Merchant put a bullet in your pretty head. Your choice.”

  That said, he hung up. He scowled fiercely, as if she were right there and he could glare holes into her. How dare she refuse his help? How dare she question him?

  He had one more phone call to make. He took a deep breath, summoning all his patience, and hit speed dial. He was almost ready to give up when Lind finally picked up.

  “What?” he barked, his voice rough and raspy.

  Alan clenched his jaw in anger and then willed himself to speak calmly. “Get your ass over to the headquarters. Now.” Well, at least he tried to sound calm.

  “No, thanks.”

  “Lind!” Alec roared into the phone. “This concerns you directly.”

  “Are you guys finally voting me out?”

  “I wish,” Alec said. “Really, I do. I’m fed up with your attitude. But unfortunately that will have to wait. Someone’s looking for you.”

  “Who? Eve?”

  Alec frowned. What the hell had happened during that phone call, he wondered? “No,” he said. “Merchant.”

  “Merchant? Gary Merchant?”

  “Yes.”

  “What does he want?”

  “Your head on a plate, from what I’ve been told,” Alec said. “Along with Eve’s.”

  There was a brief pause. “Why Eve?” Lind growled. He sounded almost sober for the first time in a long time.

  “He blames the two of you for what happened to him.”

  “How was it our fault?”

  “I guess he thinks you should’ve figured out sooner that he was not involved with the Cartel,” Alec said. It really didn’t take a genius to figure out the motifs behind Merchant’s anger. “Now seriously, get your ass over here. We’d best keep an eye on the both of you.”

  Lind hesitated. “Eve, too?”

  “Yes. I’m sending two of our guys to pick her up. She’ll be a lot safer here.”

  “You’re bringing her to the club’s headquarters?”

  “Do you know of any safer place?” Alec retorted.

  “I guess not,” Lind said after a moment. “But in that case, I’m not coming.”

  Alec remained speechless for a few moments, completely taken aback. He had not been expecting that. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

 
“I can’t see her, Alec,” Lind said, his voice actually shaking.

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake!” Alec exploded. “Are you kidding me?”

  “I’ll be fine,” Lind said. “You know I can take care of myself.”

  “Actually, over the past few months you’ve demonstrated quite the opposite.”

  “Whatever. I’m not coming.”

  “Fine,” Alec snapped. “Then stay there and get yourself killed, see if I give a fuck.”

  He hung up, temper flaring. He got up off the chair and walked in long strides to the front of the office, wrenching the door open.

  “LUCAS!” he barked. “Get in here!”

  The kid hurried over in an instant. “What is it?”

  Alec ushered him in and closed the door behind them.

  “We have a problem,” he said. “Lind is being an ass.”

  “Surprise, surprise,” Lucas said. Then, he realized what he had just said and paled. “I mean…uh…”

  “Relax, he deserves it,” Alec reassured. “He won’t come willingly, so I need you to grab a couple of guys and go fetch him and bring him here.”

  Lucas swallowed visibly, but he didn’t complain. “Will do,” he said readily.

  Alec nodded and opened the door again to let him out. He watched him go and deliver the news to the others, who groaned as one man. Alec couldn’t blame the men’s reluctance. Even in a stupor, Lind was still the Viper, and a pissed off snake was something no one ever looked forward to.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  “Is this really necessary?” Eve called out from the backseat of the car.

  They had placed a blindfold on her eyes.

  “Probably not,” one of the men escorting her said. “But better safe than sorry.”

  Eve grunted in protest but didn’t say anything else. When they had showed up to her door, the first thing Eve wondered was how they had gotten past the doorman. The next thing she thought about was how the ease with which they had made it past the doorman demonstrated that she really was not safe in her house. Reluctantly, she had agreed to go with them.

  Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. She knew Lind would be at the headquarters too, and she didn’t know what to expect after their phone call.

  The car ride was over far too fast for her likings. For all that she had dreamed about seeing Lind again, she didn’t feel like she was ready. They took off her blindfold, and once her eyesight adjusted to the daylight once again, she saw that the Diamondbacks’ headquarters were in an old but well-kept warehouse on the outskirts of town. She cautiously followed her guides inside, and she was surprised at what she found.

  She would have imagined a motorcycle gang’s headquarters to be somewhat squalid and dirty. Instead, the main room was cozy, furnished with old furniture. There was a pool table, quite a few couches and armchairs, and a large dining table with chairs in the most spacious area of the room, and a bar to the far end.

  A few men were sitting on the bar stools, and they turned to look at her. Lind also was there. She would have recognized him amongst thousands of people, but he didn’t turn around. He kept his back to her and remained hunched over a pint of dark stout.

  “I’ll let Alec know you’re here,” one of her escorts said, disappearing down a corridor.

  Eve stood there, uncertain. It all felt unfamiliar and surreal to her, and the only familiar thing in the whole room—hell, in the whole world—refused to pay any attention to her.

  A few moments later, she spotted the tall, lithe figure of Alec Moore walking up to her. He looked as intimidating as she remembered him, his gray eyes always alert and searching. They seemed to bear holes into her once he finally stood in front of her and watched her carefully.

  “Ah, I see you’ve decided to join us in the end,” he said. He extended a hand and Eve shook it cautiously.

  “Did I really have a choice?” she asked.

  Alec shrugged. “You could’ve chosen to get yourself killed.”

  He said it so matter-of-factly that Eve could not suppress a shudder. “What’s the plan now?” she asked, forcing herself to focus on something else that wasn’t Lind ignoring her.

  “Now, we show you to your room. You’re free to go wherever you please within this building, but you shouldn’t leave it until we tell you it’s safe to do so.”

  Eve nodded. “Understood.”

  Alec seemed surprised at her cooperation, but he covered it up with a smile. “Good.”

  Her room was small, but comfortable. The furniture was simple but as welcoming as that in the main room had been. These bikers were really a surprise to her, and she found herself wondering about stereotypes and snap judgments.

  She got settled in quickly, having packed as light as she could. Soon, she was left with nothing else to do but fidget. Against her better judgment, she decided that she would look for Lind. If he didn’t want to face her, she would force him to. She wasn’t about to let him play any games with her. She tied her long hair up in a tight ponytail like she did whenever she was about to take on a difficult task, and then she left her room.

  He wasn’t at the bar anymore, but he wasn’t hard to find; the other members of the MC were only too happy to give her directions to his room. Once outside his door, Eve almost lost her courage. But she couldn’t turn back now. She couldn’t bear the thought of spending God only knew how much time in that place playing hide and seek with him.

  She took a deep breath and knocked.

  “What?” he called out, his voice almost as rugged as it had been on the phone.

  “It’s Eve.”

  There was a moment of silence. “Go away.”

  The hell I will, Eve thought fiercely. She pushed the door open and walked in.

  Lind was sitting on the bed, smoking a cigarette. He wore a pair of jeans and nothing else. Despite her best efforts, Eve’s eyes ran down his naked torso and drank it all in. He was even more handsome than she remembered. She wanted nothing more than to join him on that bed and kiss and touch him until he became hard.

  Common decency and the cold fire in his eyes as he looked at her stopped her.

  “I said, go away,” he growled.

  Eve was shocked at his anger, but she held her ground. “You can’t ignore me forever.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  She licked her lips nervously. Now that she had recovered from the initial wave of emotions and physical sensations at seeing him again, she could take in his appearance with a more objective eye. There were red circles around his eyes. He was pale, and his lips were dry and cracked.

  “You look like hell,” she said.

  He gave a rude snort. “What do you know about hell?”

  Eve frowned. “Would you mind telling me why you’re so angry at me?”

  “Just get the fuck out of my room, please.”

  Eve didn’t budge. She didn’t understand it. She didn’t understand him. Why was he so hostile? What happened to the Lind who looked at her like she mattered?

  “I said, leave,” he repeated.

  “I won’t leave,” Eve said. “I demand to know what’s going on with you.”

  Lind reached out for the bottle of Jack Daniel’s standing on his nightstand. Eve hadn’t noticed it before. It was half empty. He took a long swig, all while regarding her with the coldest stare she had ever received.

  “You don’t get to make demands, sweetheart,” he said.

  Eve sighed. “Lind,” she tried, more gently. “Please, talk to me—”

  “I SAID, GET OUT!”

  It was a full-on roar. Eve jumped. She stared at him in shock, horrified. Just what the hell was happening to the men in her life? Unbidden, the tears came back, and this time she was unable to stop them from rolling down her cheeks. She bit back a sob and turned on her heels, slamming Lind’s door shut behind her.

  Damn her if she was going to stick around, she thought furiously as she flew back to her room. She repacked as quickly as she had unpacked. Danger
or no danger, she was not going to take anyone’s abuse ever again.

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  She didn’t go very far. The good thing about a motorcycle club’s headquarters was that it was filled with just that: motorcycles. The bad thing was that it was also filled with bikers who were far more efficient riders.