by Brook Wilder
She’d been so sure this would be the answer to all her prayers. What the hell was she going to do now?
“I… have an idea,” Tex’s voice was tense. He looked at her with concern in his green eyes. “Just, Jesus, you have to stop crying. I can’t take… Just stop crying and get on.”
Tex nodded to the back of his bike and Lori hurriedly scrambled up behind him. She hid her tear-stained face against his shoulder. She heard him draw in a deep breath, but he didn’t say another word as he started the engine and pulled out of the parking lot.
Chapter 13
As Tex drove towards the safe house, he knew he was making a big fucking mistake. That still didn’t stop him from staying on the road that would lead them there, or slow down even a little.
He couldn’t stand to see the tears in Lori’s eyes or the look of despair that had shadowed her sweet face. He would have said just about anything to make it stop, offered her anything in the world. Knowing that didn’t make things any easier as he drove further and further into Devil’s Martyrs territory.
As the road stretched out in front of him, Tex’s thoughts whirled with worry. How the hell was he going to be able to just walk away now? Every time he tried, she pulled him in tighter and tighter.
And now that he knew just how dangerous her situation was, it set him even more on edge. He was used to looking out only for himself, but now he found himself thinking about her at odd times when his mind should have been focused solely on his work. Halfway through a run, he’d find himself wondering if she was okay, if she was safe, if Gears was hurting her.
That was the worst, the not knowing.
The concern he felt for her seemed to have sprung up out of nowhere. He’d never been the type to hurt women, and he didn’t hold with those who did. Some of the men in the Martyrs got a little rough with their girls from time to time, and Tex didn’t think twice about stepping in when they did.
But those times hadn’t been personal. This thing, whatever was happening with Lori, felt personal. And he didn’t know what the fuck he was going to do about it. He sure as hell couldn’t just leave her to Gears’ mercy.
He was still struggling to find an answer when he pulled into the long side street, little more than a gravel-lined alley, that led to the Devil’s Martyrs’ safe house. As he braked his bike and helped Lori off, he prayed he wasn’t making as big a mistake as he feared he was making.
The house looked exactly as it always did. It resembled an old farmhouse that had been sitting abandoned for years if not decades. Tex didn’t hesitate before striding towards it. Waiting would only make matters worse.
He headed towards the rickety looking front porch. then realized that Lori wasn’t following him.
“Well, come on, sweetheart. I don’t want to stand out here all day.”
“In there?” she asked with a hesitant look at the dilapidated façade.
Seeing the place through her eyes, he didn’t really blame her. There was no sign of life inside, but he had the advantage of knowing what they were walking into. He could see the concern in her gaze, making her eyes look cloudy and grey.
“Don’t worry,” Tex said, wanting to reassure her.
And it struck him again as he stood there. Why did he care so much about her feelings? His confusion made his voice gruffer than he intended when he spoke again.
“Let’s go, Lori. No more delays. Follow me or stand out here by yourself. I don’t care.”
But he did care. That was the problem. He did care, and there wasn’t a damned thing he could do about it.
Tex forced himself not to look behind him as he pulled open the door, entered the security code, and walked into the farmhouse. Even though he didn’t see it, he was still aware of Lori’s wide-eyed gaze as she looked around the well-appointed interior of the house, so different from the run-down exterior.
“Stay close,” he muttered before heading down the hallway. “Robbie! Yo, man, are you in here?”
Tex walked through the kitchen, but there was still no sign of the man he was looking for.
“Robbie!” he called out again, waiting for a response but still none came.
Brows furrowed, he walked further down the hallway, drawn by the faint sound of chimes. The sound grew louder as he approached the half-closed door at the end.
Tex rolled his eyes as he got close enough to hear the music, some mix of wind chimes, chanting, and rain sounds. Yep, he’d definitely found Robbie. Gently, he knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he toed the door the rest of the way open.
All he could do was shake his head as he watched the hardened biker and drug dealer twist himself into a pretzel, his palms pressed together as he whispered some words too quietly for Tex to pick out.
“Uh, Robbie? Hate to interrupt… What the hell this is?”
“Vinyasa,” the other man said softly.
His eyes were still closed as he drew in a deep breath, untangling his limbs before rolling into a headstand, his crossed arms supporting him as he pointed his bare feet toward the ceiling. Only then did Robbie open his eyes, to examine them upside down for a moment before speaking again.
“Tex,” he said by way of greeting.
The man didn’t look surprised to see him, or Lori for that matter. He watched them for another few seconds, his gaze going from one to the other, before dropping his legs back down and shifting into another pose. He was on his stomach this time, pressing his chest upward like a snake.
“Your vibrations are intense,” Robbie said after a moment, and Tex had to hold back a snort.
“Just leave our… vibrations out of this,” Tex said, trying to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. He didn’t think he was being successful. “Whatever the hell that means.”
But Robbie was already nodding his head, ignoring Tex’s words.
“You two, together. Like yin and yang, inhale and exhale. I can feel the chemistry from here.” Robbie nodded again. “It’s obvious your energies are aligned with each other, although there’s something still blocking them from merging completely. Maybe if you tried some breathing exercises together.”
Tex blanched at the other man’s suggestion. He’d walked in on one of Robbie’s breathing sessions once and he’d been completely nude. Not that he wouldn’t mind seeing Lori strip off her clothes.
The sudden intense image of him and Lori, naked and sweaty and panting as their bodies twined together in various positions, took his breath away, and Tex cleared his throat roughly. Lori looked warily from Tex to Robbie and back again, and he found it hard to meet her gaze. Her wide eyes just had those images burning even more clearly in this mind.
Suddenly out of patience, his body riding an unfamiliar edge, Tex shook his head.
“You know what. This was a mistake. I never should have brought you here.”
He threw up his hands and turned to leave. But Robbie’s shout stopped him.
“No, wait! Tex, hold on.”
Robbie rolled back until he was once more sitting cross legged on the middle of a mat.
“You obviously came here for a reason. An important reason.”
Tex drew in a deep breath before grinding out the words through his teeth.
“We need help.”
“This is the girl, right? The one who was in trouble and needed fast cash.”
“Well, it’s not fast enough,” Lori said, finding her voice at last. “And I’m Lori by the way.”
“Name’s Robbie. Nice to meet you. How you doing? I heard about your situation. I’ll send good thoughts your way.”
Robbie held out a hand and Lori took it, smiling at the other man in a way that bothered Tex even though he couldn’t say why.
“Thanks. I appreciate that… I think,” Lori said, still smiling.
“If you’re done with the small talk,” Tex said, rolling his eyes at them, “maybe we can get down to business?”
Lori sobered immediately, worry rising once more into her changeable hazel eyes. T
ex felt a pang of guilt for putting it back there. But they were there for a reason, and it wasn’t to chit chat about yoga and vibrations, or whatever the hell else that floated in and out of Robbie’s mind.
“I know about your problem,” Robbie said slowly, nodding his head, “And I want to help you.” He leaned towards Lori again. “You have a kind energy and a good heart.”
“Uh, thanks,” Lori said. “So, you think you can help me? I need cash, fast.”
She glanced at Tex and he nodded.
“It’s okay, Lori. Robbie’s safe. He knows everything. He’s where the pills came from in the first place.”
Lori nodded, a look of relief passing over her face. She didn’t say anything else and Robbie fell into a thoughtful silence.
They sat there like that for a long moment before Robbie jolted upright.
“I’ve got an idea. But it’s risky.”
“Believe me, it can’t be any riskier than the situation I’m in already,” Lori snorted.
Robbie considered her with a slow nod.
“I suppose you’re right. There’s a big seller a few counties over. A king pin. Solomon. If you can get in touch with him, you might be able to make a bigger profit. He’s got a new pill. High end. Like I said, it’s risky, but that’s the fastest cash you’ll make.”
Lori nodded, grinning her thanks, and Tex caught the look of familiarity that crossed her expressive face at the sound of Solomon’s name. He didn’t know how he felt about that.
“Thanks Robbie. We have to go.”
“I hope it helps,” Robbie said, his words distant as he watched them walk towards the front door. “Remember what I said, about your energies.”
“Uh huh. Sure thing, Robbie.”
Tex threw a wave over his shoulder and let out a sigh of relief as they walked outside towards his bike.
He turned to Lori.
“Well, sweetheart? What’s the plan? I know you’re concocting something. I saw your face in there.”
She looked hesitant at first, but after a moment she gave in with a shrug.
“Carrie used to date one of Solomon’s underlings. She can get in touch with him and set up the meeting. But we have to convince her first.”
“We?” Tex repeated her word, trying to ignore the glow of warmth it caused inside him.
Lori looked at him questioningly and he hurried to forestall her. He wasn’t about to let her walk into Solomon’s den all by herself. He’d never met the man, but he’d heard enough rumors about the drug lord not to trust the man an inch, especially with Lori.
“Well? What are we waiting for?”
After a minute, Lori nodded, pulling out her cell to call her friend. Tex listened in unabashed.
“Carrie? It’s Lori. Hey, can I come over? I have something important to ask you.”
Lori nodded and then hung up before looking back at Tex.
“Alright. Let’s go to Carrie’s. Now we just have to convince her to help us.”
“She will.” Tex said, getting on his bike.
Lori climbed on behind, wrapping her arms around him. Damn it, he was getting too used to the feel of her warmth at his back, her body pressed against his.
For the second time that day, Tex drove off wondering if he was making the biggest fucking mistake of his life.
Chapter 14
Lori caught a glimpse of Tex’s tight expression and Carrie’s hesitant one as she paced her friend’s small apartment. They had ridden to Carrie’s place after leaving Tex’s odd friend and her rough plan had tumbled out in confusing bits and pieces. Now she continued to pace. Carrie’s frown deepened as she tried to understand what Lori was asking for.
“So, you want me to just call up my ex out of the blue, and do what?” Carrie asked for the tenth time.
Lori shrugged, not slowing her pacing in the small space.
“Just talk to him. See if you can find out anything about Solomon. Where he’ll be. How to get in touch with him.”
“Lori, Rocko is a bottom of the barrel type, if you know what I mean,” Carrie said after a minute. “Guys like him don’t just set up meetings with the big boss, you know? I don’t think that he’s ever even spoken to Solomon. He’s a lackey. And not even a very good lackey.”
Lori bit at her nails, shooting a worried look at her friend, then forced her shoulders back.
“Solomon is pushing a new drug. Something high end and real expensive. If we could get in on that, I could make the money I need to get out of here before Gears…”
She trailed off. She didn’t need to say the rest out loud. They all knew how it ended.
“I don’t know, Lori. I want to help you any way I can. But Rocko, he’s a mean son of a bitch. And besides,” Carried shrugged, looking away, suddenly bashful, “there’s Porky now.”
“I’m not asking you to sleep with the guy, Carrie,” Lori snorted.
“I know. But a guy like Rocko, he only has one use for women. And if I call him, he’s going to assume… things.”
Lori rolled her eyes and resumed her pacing.
“It’s the only connection we have, she said. “There’s no other way to get a hold of Solomon. And I have to, Carrie. I have to make this happen.”
“I know,” Carrie said after a moment, and she didn’t sound happy about it. She glanced up at Lori again. “So, what? I call him and then what?”
“Maybe we can meet. Find out if Solomon has a bar or hangout. Track him down somehow. You’re good at getting info out of guys Carrie.”
“I know that too.” Lori’s friend sighed, looking miserable, before getting to her feet and stalking to the tiny kitchen.
A moment later she was back with a bottle of tequila.
“Courage.”
She twisted off the cap and took a long swig. Lori took it next and threw back a shot of her own, nearly choking on the burning bitter liquid.
“Courage,” she repeated before taking a deep breath.
She knew Carrie needed some Dutch courage to make the phone call to her ex, which Lori would have avoided if she’d been able to think of another way. Lori herself was much more worried about what would happen after. Would she meet the notorious Solomon? What would she say if she did? She was pretty sure it wouldn’t be anything like dealing with Kyle and his scummy friends. No, it would be a hell of a lot more dangerous.
The sudden touch of Tex’s fingers closing over hers came as a shock and she jumped at the unexpected contact. Heat flashed through her, along with Robbie’s words about energies and chemistry, and a flush spread across her cheeks as she turned to him.
Slowly, he dragged the bottle from her hand, tilted it to his lips and took a slow sip, his green eyes never breaking contact with hers. She wouldn’t have been able to look away even if she’d tried, even if she wanted to. Those eyes had her trapped.
Finally, Tex blinked and released her, But he shot her an arrogant grin that said he knew exactly what effect he was having on her. It left her breathless, that grin.
“It’s not courage you need,” he said after a moment in a gravelly voice. “It’s a god-damned plan.”
Lori huffed out a sigh.
“I told you the plan already. Several times.”
“It’s not much of a plan,” he drawled, his eyes still tracing her movements as she resumed pacing.
Worry ate at her. It didn’t help a bit that he was right.
“It might not be much of a plan, but it’s the only plan we’ve got at the moment. Unless either of you have anything better?”
“Yeah, go home. Leave this kind of shit to the big boys.”
“Who, like you?” Lori snorted, her voice full of derision as she turned on him. “This is my life, cowboy. I know you seem to think that this is all some big fucking joke, but it’s not. It’s real, and I’m not…”
“For Christ’s sake, sweetheart, I get it,” Tex said, throwing his hands up, finally giving in with a grimace. “I can’t think of anything better at the moment. If you could
just wait a few days, then I’m sure I could come up with something better than this dumb ass idea.”
“I don’t have a few days, Tex!” Lori shouted suddenly, turning on him. “Gears was waiting for me outside my house today. He’s been spying on me. He grabbed me, and if I hadn’t been able to lie my way out of it, I don’t know… I don’t know what would have happened. So don’t sit there and preach at me about time…”
“I’ll do it.” Carrie broke in, cutting off Lori’s tirade mid-sentence. “I’ll do it, Lori. You’re my best friend. Of course, I’ll do anything I can to help you.”
