by Hawk, Ryanne
All eyes turned to him and he took a sip of his beer, pretending to not be piss-faced afraid of what was coming in that room. The current officers followed Hammer into church, and Lucky walked between the whispers of his friends to his fate.
The wolf inside him ate his fear and growled. Lucky got the message loud and clear.
“We’ve a few things on the docket tonight,” Hammer called from the head of the table, a gavel in front of him like an angry jury encased in wood. Flip, their sergeant at arms, Pretty-Boy, their vice president, Meat, their secretary, and Flash, their treasurer, sat around the table. Also present was the club’s road captain, Brick. Lucky sat in the last seat. He’d given up his VP patch when he went AWOL. He was no longer an officer; in fact, he only held on to his patch by a thread.
“Jiff heard chatter on the pipeline about a hefty bounty. Two other clubs have already accepted,” Hammer said. Rumblings started amidst the committee members, some talking to themselves, and others to their neighbors. “And some of y’all ain’t gonna like the deal.”
Hammer’s eyes stopped on Lucky and for some reason, Lucky knew this wasn’t going to be good. He’d learned his president’s tells a long time ago. Right now, Hammer tapped his fingers in rapid succession on the carved wood table and rubbed his index finger over his lips.
“What’s the prize?” Meat asked.
“Two mil from some big oil tycoon and small arms dealer currently locked up at the Leavenworth Pen.”
Meat whistled. “Lotta cash, boss.”
“It is,” Hammer agreed and opened the file folder sitting in front of him. “The Delta Dogs and Ice Rangers are currently hunting this girl.”
He held up a photo and the air from Lucky’s chest burst from his mouth as he stared into the beautiful eyes of Cecelia Marks.
“Fuck,” Lucky said out loud.
“My sentiments exactly, Lucky.” Hammer passed the picture around the table, and the other officers studied the little bird Lucky had just kissed and eyeballed him, trying to figure out his role in this mess. “We don’t kill women in this club, never have, never will. Not as long as I’m president, anyway,” Hammer amended. It’d been a long-standing rule with Inked Menace, but rules could change with different chiefs.
“So what’s the plan?” Flash, the club’s only female officer, asked from the far end of the table. Her red hair was cut short, and her leather vest was laced up the front, showcasing her ample cleavage. Hammer cut his attention to her and then went around the table with his gaze. Unlike human motorcycle clubs, the shifter club had no problem with a woman in their ranks, providing that woman could hold her own, hunt, kill, and whelp.
No one spoke up. Lucky cleared his throat. “We find her, and we protect her.”
“Why? What is she to us but a war?”
Pretty Boy said, “I say we leave her alone and let the chips fall where they may.”
Meat nodded. Flip remained silent. Flash perused the table, her gaze lingering on Lucky for a long moment before she sat back in her chair and waited for the vote to come down.
Brick, breaking his silence said, “What did she do to warrant such a high price?”
The others quieted down, wondering the same thing, wondering if she deserved what she’d get. Lucky knew she didn’t. Not from the way she’d cowered in fear of being struck.
“It says here she turned evidence on her now ex-husband who’s some arms dealer on the side. She spent some time in the hospital and then called the state’s attorney’s office. No other details about her trip to the ER, but I can certainly imagine. They have photos of her injuries.”
Lucky could imagine it too. He bristled.
“Doesn’t change my opinion,” Meat stated, resting his beefy frame back against his seat and crossing his arms over his wide chest. His brown mop of stringy hair fell in dirty waves to his shoulders. Meat shifted into a giant brown bear and didn’t like fighting other people’s battles if he could help it. He was stubborn that way.
Flip said, “Let’s vote and be done.” He glanced at Lucky and widened his eyes, trying to convey some message to him that just wasn’t computing now that Lucky knew what had spooked Cecelia. All he could see was her pretty blue eyes and her body cowering in fear. Every instinct in him screamed that he needed to get to her, keep her safe.
And then it hit him. He knew it was the one card he had. The one thing he could say that might save her life. “She’s my old lady, and possibly my mate,” Lucky blurted out just as Hammer opened his mouth to call the vote.
Flip gave him a small nod and a quick show of his teeth.
Hammer raised a brow. “Well, then, it looks like we have another piece to this puzzle. All in favor of protecting Lucky’s old lady from her untimely death?”
There was grumbling at the table, but in the club, old ladies were protected. Mates even more so. Hands rose. The gavel fell.
“Now, on to the next piece of club business.” This time when Hammer looked at Lucky, he knew he wasn’t going to live up to his road name. “We need to discuss Lucky’s return to the pack.”
Chapter Five
Cecelia picked at her breakfast, scrambled eggs and a side of both corned beef hash and home fries as she waited for Agent Frank Dover to meet her. She’d gotten to her place last night and impulsively told him to come fetch her so she could start her next new life as quickly as possible. Her car sat out in front of the diner, where one of the other agents could grab it rather than risk the license plate number being run.
They were being careful.
The roar of motorcycles blew down the quiet road. Five riders, one lead, the others in spread formation, pulled to rest at a bar across the street. They set their kickstands down and rested on their bikes. Cecelia’s heart raced and adrenaline surged through her body, the fight or flight reflex kicking into full swing. She couldn’t tell from this distance what club the bikers belonged to. Her fingers inched toward her purse. She had a small, registered gun for personal protection.
The lead rider removed his helmet and turned to face the diner.
Time stopped as Cecelia stared at Lucky’s face.
He scanned the sidewalks and then his eyes rested on her car. He glanced up at the diner sign, and then said something to the other bikers. They turned and went into the bar as Lucky stared at the tinted diner windows. Her mouth went dry. Lucky limped toward her side of the road, his jeans stained with dark colors in a few places. He wore a full leather jacket that molded to his form and made him seem dangerous with a side of sexy.
The front door opened, blowing a cool breeze into the restaurant, and then his gaze locked on Cecelia. He marched to her, no hesitation.
“Is this seat taken?” he said and raised a brow, standing only a few inches from the table.
“Um, I, um…” Cecelia lowered her gaze and spun her mug of coffee. “No,” she finally said.
Lucky sat opposite her. “Cecelia, will you look at me, please?”
There were no bruises or cuts on his face that she could see, but she knew from the way he walked that he’d had some body damage, probably from last night. She shook her head, exasperation taking over her mouth.
“Who kicked your ass?”
He grinned and laughed, then coughed into his fist. Her waitress came over and smiled at Lucky, and a tiny knot formed in Cecelia’s stomach at the hunger she saw in her eyes.
“What can I get for you?”
She might as well have said, “Take all your clothes off and fuck me,” with the sensual tone she put into her words.
“I’ll have what my girlfriend’s havin’, darlin’, and a large coffee.”
The waitress glanced from Lucky to Cecilia and then shrugged. “Sure thing. Let me know if you change your mind.” Then she flitted away from the table, swaying her hips, her high-waisted shorts showing off more leg than was probably necessary for a mom and pop shop. Hooters, maybe, but not a small town diner.
“Ballsy,” Lucky said and resumed his focus on
Cecelia.
“Yeah, you are. Where do you get off?”
“Well, you did shove your tongue down my throat. It seemed plausible.”
She deflated, knowing he was right. “Touché.”
“Plus, she deserved that lesson. You shouldn’t hit on someone when they’re sitting with the opposite sex. It’s just rude.”
“And tacky. You forgot that one.”
Lucky clucked his tongue and laughed. The warmth of his tone settled right over her skin and she relaxed, muscle by muscle, knowing he wasn’t there to harm her. She had to keep reminding herself of that.
“You waiting for someone?” he asked. He grabbed a cream and sugar from the dish when their waitress returned with his mug. She set it down in front of him, brushing her arm against his, then gave him a sly smile and left again.
“You could say that,” Cecilia hedged, taking a bite of eggs to give her mouth something to do other than tell her sordid life story. For some odd reason, she wanted to share all that she’d been through with this man, and that was more dangerous than the two biker gangs coming for her head.
“Leaving town?”
Her head snapped up and she met his intense stare. It was filled with knowledge, and in that second, Cecelia wanted to both throw up and hit him with her plate so she could run. Put distance between her and the man who’d revved her engines after all these years of wondering if she was truly broken.
“What’s it to you?”
He shrugged and leaned back in his seat. “I don't want to play games, Cecelia. I know you’re in trouble. I came to see if you’d let us help. Let me help.”
“I can’t ask you to do that,” she said on a sad breath. Part of her wanted to take him up on his offer, and the other part wanted to squeeze his balls under the table for trying to protect her. Cecelia wasn’t used to men being nice to her unless they wanted something.
“You’re not asking. I’m offering.” He blew out a breath. “We’re offering.”
Cecelia matched his position, crossing her arms over her chest and meeting his eyes. They were so green, like fresh spring grass. “Who? Why?”
He didn’t blink, just stared at her like he could see down to her soul. Cecelia licked her lips and he latched onto the movement, something stirring in his eyes. Something primal and aware.
“Let’s just say this is our town and we don’t want blood on our hands, okay?”
“Doesn’t make sense to me.”
The front door opened again and two men wearing black suits walked in, standing out more than a lily in a field of daisies. “Excuse me,” she said and stood.
Lucky turned his face to the door and his expression grew colder. He swore under his breath.
Agent Dover and his partner caught sight of her and then saw Lucky sitting in the booth with her and both their hands went to their holsters. “It’s okay,” she said, holding up her hands. “Don’t freak.”
They walked in sync to the table, light on their toes, ready to rumble at a second’s notice. Lucky moved over and wrapped his hand around her wrist, tugging her down gently to sit beside him. The agents slid into the other side, and a staring grudge match ensued.
She still wasn’t sure who’d won when Agent Dover said, not taking his eyes off Lucky, “What’s going on, Cecelia?”
“This is Luke.” She gestured to the man next to her, who was radiating leashed violence. The black leathers didn’t help his appearance.
“We offered her protection,” Lucky said, interrupting whatever else she was going to say.
“No. Absolutely not,” Agent Dover replied without hesitation.
“It wasn’t a request,” Lucky said with more heat. He brought his hands up to the table and griped the edge, a small groan from the wood dialing up the menace. “You can’t protect her like we can.”
“We’ve done fine so far. We don’t need your kind meting out justice.”
“How are you going to fight two outlaw clubs?” Lucky sat back and waited.
She wanted to know that too, so she sat back with Lucky. He grinned a little when she looked up at him, but he didn’t take his eyes off the agents across from them.
“We’ll move her to a safe location, and wait out the storm.”
Lucky was already shaking his head. “Seriously? That’s all you’ve got? There’s a two million dollar bounty on her pretty head and you think just moving her to some new place is going to stop the threat? Wow.”
She hated to admit that he had a point.
“What should we do, go in guns blazing and take out the club leaders, start a huge war, and then wait to see what happens?”
Well, that didn’t sound very promising either.
“We have a better idea,” Lucky said.
“Care to share with the class, son?”
Agent Dover’s partner had been strangely quiet during this whole exchange, and Cecelia assumed he was deferring judgment to his superior. They did seem to drill that into law enforcement heads. The military was worse. There was a yellow glow to his eyes and Cecelia stared at the color until her brain told her it was just the sunlight reflecting off the table into his face.
Or something.
“We’re going to have a summit with the heads of the Delta Dogs and the Ice Rangers. She’s” – Lucky thumbed in her direction – “in our territory. We don’t allow the killing of women in our club. But besides that, we’re going to ask them nicely to back off.”
Agent Dover laughed. “And why, pray tell, would they do that?” He steepled his hands and pushed his sunglasses up onto his forehead.
Lucky shrugged. “Because she’s my old lady.”
Agent Dover looked aghast. His partner glanced between Lucky and Cecelia and he grinned.
“I like it. It’s devious and gets us around a bloodbath.”
Dover met Cecelia’s eyes and asked, “Do you know what he’s saying? What that means?”
Not really. But I’m about to find out, aren’t I?
“The devil you know is better than the one that creeps from the shadows?” she offered.
Lucky burst out laughing. She wasn’t sure why he thought that was so funny. She was just being honest.
“Yeah, baby,” he said and sidled up close to her, then wrapped an arm around her shoulders. “That’s exactly what it means.”
“Are you sure?” Agent Dover asked, concern marking his face and softening his features.
“Not really. But what’s the better alternative? I like it here. I don’t want to keep running.”
“Even if we mitigate this threat right now, you know Peter is just going to make another play for you. It’s never going to end.”
“What the fuck, man,” Lucky said, anger lacing his words with steel. “What kind of shit thing is that to say to her?”
“The truth. What? You’d rather I lie to her? Tell her that yes, as soon as this little charade is over, she’ll feel safe and secure? She won’t. You know as long as that bastard is in there and she’s out here, free, he’ll stop at nothing to get revenge.”
“He’s right, Luke,” Cecelia said softly. “I’ll never be safe as long as Peter is alive.”
Agent Dover’s face showed victory.
“But,” she continued, “I’d rather have what little safety and peace I can find right now than live on the run in fear. I’m going to stay with Lucky, and the club.” Cecelia set her shoulders and sat straight up. “Thank you for coming down here. I’m sorry I wasted your time.”
Agent Dover slid a disposable phone across the table to her and pushed his partner with his arm. They both stood up. “Use that if you need us. We’ll help if we can.” He firmed his lips, an angry line creasing his forehead. “Stay alive, Cecelia. I mean it.”
“I will, Frank. Thank you.”
He turned to Lucky. “Watch it, and watch her back. These guys mean business.”
Lucky nodded. “So do we.”
“I’ll sanction this operation,” the younger agent said. “Just try t
o keep it clean, and the body count down, understand? The ice is thin.”
Lucky nodded and when the agent reached out their hands to shake, Lucky stood awkwardly next to her and shook her friends’ hands. Then the agents left the diner, and left her car on the street.
She turned to Lucky. “Now what?”
His face showed strain, but he managed a smile. “Now we move your stuff to my place, and I introduce you to the club as my old lady.”
She swallowed hard. “Okay.”
I’ll be all right. What’s the worst that could happen?
They returned to the table, and she shoved another bite of breakfast into her mouth just as their waitress brought out Lucky’s food. She chewed quickly.
“Here you go, sugar,” the waitress said and reached over Cecelia to set Lucky’s steaming food in front of him.
Cecelia grabbed the girl’s wrist as she pulled back. “Excuse me,” she said to the girl. “Your behavior is unacceptable, and I don’t appreciate you gawking at my boyfriend and asking him out in front of me. Show some class.” She let the girl’s arm go, and the waitress sputtered. She opened her mouth but no sound came out. Then she turned and walked away without another word.
Luke placed an arm over Cecilia’s shoulder and kissed her cheek. “I like a woman with teeth,” he said and nuzzled her ear for a second. Cecelia was proud she didn’t flinch when he touched her. That would have been awkward.
“When I got away from my ex-husband, I swore to myself that I’d never be a doormat again. I’d never take anyone’s shit or let them talk down to me or make me feel small.”
He nodded. “Good. This just might work, then. You’re going to need that calm patience where we’re going.” He picked up some food and started eating.
Chapter Six
“Ever ridden on a bike before?” he asked as he and Cecelia stood next to his gleaming motorcycle. He straddled the seat and lifted, kicking the stand up. His brothers all waited, engines running. They followed Brick; Lucky was second in line. They hadn’t talked much on the ride to the center of town. The guys had gone into the bar for a round while he’d headed over to the diner to discuss things with Cecelia.
