by Wilder, L.
It was clear from his tone that he wasn’t in the mood to deal with helping us close. To be honest, I understood how he felt. It was after midnight, and even though it was still relatively early, I was exhausted. I’d hoped Gladys would feel the same, but Gladys being Gladys, countered back with, “Well, it has to be done.”
“Yeah, but it doesn’t have to be done right this second. Let’s just come back in the morning or something.”
“He’s right.” Rafe stepped forward as he continued, “We’ve all had a long night. Let’s just call it, and we’ll get a few prospects over here to take care of the mess.”
“That sounds like a hell of an idea.”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t seem right to leave things like this.”
“It’ll be fine.” We could all see Gladys wasn’t sure it was the best idea, but Country wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Come on, Gran. Go grab your stuff and I’ll help you upstairs.”
“But I need to lock up.”
“I’ll take care of it,” I assured her. “You head on home and get some rest.”
Thankfully, Gladys was tired and grabbed her things without any fuss. As they started up to her apartment, Country called out to Rafe, “I’ll see you back over at the clubhouse.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I get Marlowe home.”
Once they were gone, I glanced over at Rafe and couldn’t help but notice his furrowed brow and the distant look in his eye. It was obvious something was weighing on him, but I had no idea what it was. Curious, I inched over to him and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yeah. Just a lot on my mind.”
“I’m here if you want to talk about it.”
“Thanks for the offer, but not something I can discuss.” He leaned over and kissed me on the temple. “Let’s get this place closed up, so we can get you home.”
I didn’t argue. Instead, I gave him a quick nod and then started locking everything up. Once I was done, Rafe followed me out to the parking lot. After I got in my car, I looked back at the bar one last time, and I found myself thinking about how much my life had changed over the past year. I won’t deny that leaving the only home I’d ever known was one of the most terrifying things I’d ever done. But when I thought about Gladys, Rafe, and all the other people I’d grown to care so much about, I knew, without a doubt, I’d made the right decision.
I glanced back in my rearview mirror, and just as I expected, I found Rafe waiting there behind me. He followed me back over to my apartment, and as soon as we were parked, he walked me up to the front door. Even though I knew he had a lot on his mind, I was eager to tell him about my conversation with Ford and the money he’d given me. Hoping he’d have a minute to talk, I asked, “You want to come inside for a while?”
“Wish I could, but I’m gonna have to pass tonight.” He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “I gotta get going.”
“Okay.” I’d like to say this was the first time he’d left me at my door with just a simple peck on the lips, but it wasn’t. This entire week he’d been different, withdrawn and oddly distracted, and I had no idea why. I could only assume it had something to do with me. Maybe he wasn’t as interested as I’d hoped. Trying to play off my disappointment, I gave him a slight shrug and said, “Well, I guess I’ll see ya later.”
“Yeah.”
He raked his teeth across his bottom lip as he stood there staring at me with an odd expression. For a brief moment, I thought he was going to say something more, but then he shook his head with a huff and turned to leave. He’d only taken a few steps when he stopped dead in his tracks and muttered, “Damn.”
He quickly turned around and charged back over to me. Like a man possessed, he snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me against his chest. I could feel the heat of his breath caress my neck as he whispered, “I don’t want to go.”
“Then, don’t.”
His mouth landed on mine, and a needful moan vibrated through my chest as his tongue slid against my bottom lip. Answering the only way I could, I met his mouth in a deep, searing kiss. I’d known from the start Rafe was a man who knew how to handle himself. He moved with confidence, his hands strong and possessive, and that kiss ... it was everything I was hoping for and more. I was getting lost in the moment when he stepped back, breaking our embrace. He brushed his calloused thumb deliciously across my bottom lip as he rasped, “Damn, I’ve missed those lips.”
Without giving me a chance to tell him I felt the same, Rafe’s hand moved to the nape of my neck, tangling in my hair as he pulled me close once again. His mouth landed on mine, hard and demanding, and my knees almost buckled beneath me. His hands begin to roam, exploring my curves in a way that had me clenching my thighs together. Damn. I’ve never been so turned on in my entire life. It was hard to believe that at my age I was just now experiencing such a feeling. I didn’t have much experience with men, but something told me there was only one man who could make me feel like this. His voice was ragged and full of need as he growled, “Soon, Marlowe. Very soon.”
I was still in a desire-filled haze when Rafe turned and headed back out to his bike. I didn’t even have a chance to try and stop him before his engine roared to life, and he was gone. It terrified me how much I wanted him. I had no doubt I’d end up with a broken heart, but just for the chance to be loved by him, I was willing to take the risk.
Chapter 9
Rafe
After days of going back and forth with Schommer, Menace and Shotgun were finally able to get the information needed to find Stark. Menace spent hours on end trying to break through the coded emails, but just as he was about to reach his wits end, he finally cracked it and hacked into their main server. Once he was inside, he was able to find the emails exchanged between Schommer and Stark, which he used to find Stark. After a little more digging, Menace discovered the guy wasn’t only a drug runner, but he also had ties to the Italian mafia.
Everyone knew about the Italians and their history of blood, rebellions, and wars. There was no way anyone couldn’t. They’d been plastered all over the news for their conflicts over territory and dominance. Hell, they’d even made fucking movies and TV series about them. I’d like to say this was the first time we’d had any dealings with the mafia, but it wasn’t. Less than a year ago, we’d helped the brothers of Satan’s Fury when they faced issues with Anthony Polito—a known leader in the Italian mafia.
It was a hell of a fight, so needless to say, we were concerned about Stark and his connections with the mob. It was that very concern that had me leaving Marlowe on her doorstep after a kiss that rocked me to the fucking core. To say walking away wasn’t something I wanted to do was an understatement. Fuck, if I had it my way, I would’ve spent the entire night wrapped up in her arms, but unfortunately, that wasn’t an option. Viper wanted us close in case we were needed, and I couldn’t, wouldn’t, let him or my brothers down. That didn’t mean I wasn’t thinking about Marlowe as I headed into the clubhouse. In fact, I was so lost in my own head I hadn’t even noticed Widow was calling out to me. It took him shouting to finally get my attention.
“Yo, Rafe!”
I looked up and noticed him standing at the end of the hall. “Yeah?”
“What the fuck, man?” Widow barked. “You deaf or something?”
“Sorry. I didn’t hear ya.” As I continued in his direction, I told him, “I got a lot on my mind.”
“Don’t we all.” When I made it over to him, he asked, “You and Country get Gladys taken care of?”
“Yeah, I guess you can say that.” I shrugged. “We sent a few prospects over to finish cleaning.”
“What about ol’ Gladys? She found a new place yet?”
“Not that I know of. I’m sure she and Country will find something.”
“She could always move in with Ada over at the storage lot. I bet she’d like having the company.”
“You know that’s not a bad idea.”
“Might be worth bringin
g it up to Country.”
“Will do.”
Concern crossed his face as he told me, “Guess you heard Viper called for church first thing tomorrow morning.”
“That’s why I decided to stay here tonight. Wanted to be close in case something came up.”
“Same here.” He ran his hand through his thick dark hair and sighed with worry. “Feels like we’re just sitting here waiting for a bomb to drop, and it’s getting to me.”
“It’s getting to us all, brother, but we’ll deal with this. We always do.”
“I don’t know, man. I got a bad feeling about this Stark motherfucker.” Widow stepped closer as he grumbled, “You remember how things played out with Satan’s Fury. These fucking mafia assholes are no joke.”
I didn’t know if I should feel relieved or even more concerned that I wasn’t the only one feeling like a dark cloud was hovering over us. This whole thing had been eating at me for days. I didn’t see any point in adding to Widow’s apprehension, so I nodded and said, “We handled those assholes, and we’ll do the same with Scar and whoever else he has in his pocket.”
“I sure as hell hope you’re right.” He gave me a pat on my shoulder, then started towards his room. “I’m gonna hit the sack.”
“I’m right behind ya.”
I continued down the hall, and as soon as I got to my room, I took off my clothes and got in bed. I didn’t realize how tired I really was until my head hit the pillow. I’d barely closed my eyes before I passed out and didn’t wake until the following morning. When I saw that it was after six, I got up and took a shower. I was just starting to get dressed when I heard Country pounding on my door. “You planning on sleeping all day or what?”
“I’m up!”
“Then move your ass. We’ve got church!”
“No shit! Give me a fucking minute.” I threw on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, then opened the door to find Country and Lynch standing in the hall waiting. I stepped back, then sat on my bed to put on my boots. As I grabbed my cut, I asked, “Did the prospects get over to Crockett’s?”
“Yeah. They finished things up last night.”
“Good.”
I followed them down the hall to the conference room. When we walked in, Viper and Axel were already there with Menace. They were in a deep discussion, and while I had no idea what they were talking about, I could tell from their expressions it wasn’t good. I walked over and took my seat, and it wasn’t long before Hawk and the others started filing into the room. As soon as everyone was settled, Viper slammed the gavel against the table and brought the meeting to order. “I called you all in so we could set some things straight. I know you’ve all been talking amongst yourselves about Stark and his connection with the Italian mafia. I get that you’re feeling uneasy about that and rightly so.”
“Yeah, we all saw how things played out with Satan’s Fury and that Polito motherfucker,” Axel added. “Don’t know what they would’ve done if we hadn’t been there to give them a hand.”
Shotgun looked over to Viper as he asked, “You don’t think there’s a possible connection between our guy and Polito, do you?”
“I guess there’s always a chance.” Viper leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “It’s definitely something to consider.”
“Are we just asking for trouble here?” Hawk leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table as he directed his focus on Viper. “It’s been almost two months since we ended the Punishers. If these guys are coming for us, where the hell are they?”
“Can’t answer that, brother. Wish I could.” Viper sighed as he continued, “All I can tell you is that I got a gut feeling this shit didn’t end when we took out the Punishers, and that feeling has been getting stronger every day.”
My brothers and I were all very aware of Viper and his gut instincts. From day one, he’d always listened to them, and they’d never once failed him. I had no doubt the same would hold true now. Hawk was clearly in agreement when he nodded and said, “That’s all I need to know then.”
“I’m going to be honest with all of you. There’s still a lot we just don’t know. Stark could just be a fucking go-between, or there’s a good chance he’s working directly with Scar. Either way, it’s going to take us some time to find out exactly what’s going on.” Viper looked out at all of us as he said, “Be patient. As always, we will get through this thing together.”
“Damn straight we will.”
“Stay close. Keep your eyes and ears open, and if you see anything that seems suspicious, I want to be the first to know about it.”
Viper slammed the gavel, closing the meeting, and everyone quickly started to disperse. I was on my way out the door when Menace came rushing up to me. “Hey, you got a second?”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“With everything that’s been happening with the club, I’ve gotten a little behind on things, but I did manage to get Marlowe’s background check done.” He handed me a folder. “Thought you might want to take a look at it.”
“Why? Something up?”
“Nah, everything’s good. Just some things in there I thought you might find interesting.” He watched as I opened up the folder and started sifting through the pages. “That last one might have something to do with why she up and moved so far from home.”
My chest grew tight as I read over the final page. It was surprising how so much information could bring more questions than answers. I quickly closed the folder as I glanced back up at him and asked, “So, she’s still good to start on Monday night?”
“Don’t see any reason why not.”
“Good deal.” I held up the folder. “Thanks for the info, brother.”
“No problem. Glad it all worked out.” He glanced down at his watch before asking, “You working a shift tonight?”
“Not on the schedule, but I’ll probably stop by to see if the guys need a hand with anything. If something comes up, be sure to let me know.”
“Will do.”
As soon as Menace turned to leave, I looked back down at the folder and groaned. Between church and the background check, I was feeling like the weight of the world had just been dropped on my shoulders. I’d like to say things got better after I left the conference room, but they didn’t. In fact, they only seemed to get worse.
I barely had a chance to catch my breath the entire weekend, and things didn’t improve when Monday rolled around. I was planning to head over to Stilettos so I could be there for Marlowe’s first shift, but that idea was shot to hell when Shotgun asked me to help him with an artillery check. The entire time we were in the vault, I was chomping at the bit to get done. I kept hoping that by some slim chance I might be able to make it to the club before Marlowe’s shift started, but just as we were wrapping things up, Ada—our tough-as-nails, seventy-year-old storage-lot lookout—came out and invited us to eat. I shouldn’t have been surprised. Ada was always doing what she could to look out for us but stopping to eat a big meal did little to improve my anxious mood. In fact, it only made it worse.
By the time we were done, I was completely on edge. The crazy thing was that I wasn’t exactly sure why. Maybe I was feeling guilty for not being at the club with Marlowe or maybe it was the simple fact that I hadn’t seen her in days. Either way, I was fed up with things not going as planned and was in no mood for any stupid bullshit. Unfortunately, bullshit was exactly what I found when I walked through the front door of Stilettos.
I’d barely started walking in Marlowe’s direction when I noticed she was talking to some guy at the bar. At first, I didn’t think much about it. Bartenders carry on conversations with customers all the time, but there was something about the guy that made my already tense mood that much worse. As I got closer, I realized why. The man she was talking to was Calvin Yates—an asshole who had no business sitting at our bar.
When I made my way up to the counter, Marlowe flashed me a smile and said, “Hey. I was beginning to think you weren’t going to show.�
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“Got here as soon as I could.” Without saying anything more, I turned my attention to Calvin. Over the past few months, he’d put on a few pounds and had grown a hell of a beard, but he still looked like the same old perverted asshole to me. “Hey there, Calvin. How you making it tonight?”
His eyes grew wide when he realized I recognized him. “Hey man. I didn’t mean no harm. I just stopped in for a drink and lost track of time.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah.” He motioned his hand towards Marlowe as he stammered, “Lowe here was just telling me how it was her first night, and I guess we got carried away.”
“Lowe?” My eyes skirted over to Marlowe, and she looked completely stunned by my hostile tone. Clearly, she had no idea who she’d been talking to, which seemed to piss me off even more. I placed my hand on his back and twisted a handful of his shirt into a fist as I growled, “Seems you and our new bartender have gotten right fucking cozy, huh?”
“Nah, man. It ain’t like that. I just came in for a drink, and we got to talking.”
“Is that right?” I gave him a hard tug, pulling him off the stool and onto the floor. “And why would you come in here for a drink when you know you’re fucking banned, Calvin?” I started dragging him towards the front door as I growled, “Or did you forget about how you put your hands on one of our girls?”
“That was all just a misunderstanding, man,” Calvin babbled as his feet dragged across the floor, knocking over chairs and one of the tables. “Besides, that shit happened a long time ago. I thought we could put all that behind us.”
“Banned is banned, asshole.”
I stopped walking just long enough to give him a swift kick in the side, then continued on towards the door. Once I got him outside, I yanked him up and slammed his back against the wall as I snarled. “You show your face around here again, and it’ll be the last fucking thing you do.”
“I won’t be back. I swear it.”
I gave him one last shove, sending him stumbling into the parking lot. As soon as he made it to his car, I turned and headed back inside to find Duce. He was one of our newer prospects, and tonight was his night to monitor the door. The minute I stepped back inside, I found him waiting for me. “I’m sorry, brother. I’ve been through the banned photos a hundred times, but I didn’t recognize the guy. The new beard threw me.”
