by Marie James
“About what?”
“Should we watch Arizona or Oakland?”
Behind Grinch’s head, a baseball game is playing on the screen.
“Neither,” I answer. He frowns. “The day is just going to end up with all of you betting, arguing, and bickering like children.”
“It’s baseball season,” Rocker says, joining the conversation. “We’re supposed to behave like that.”
“Watch whatever you want. I don’t car—”
“Rivet, can I speak with you?”
My head snaps toward the hallway, and I see Scooter glancing in my direction. When I move to get off the couch, several of the guys start whispering again. This shit is really getting on my nerves, but it serves to ramp up my anxiety as I cross the room to speak with Scooter.
Is this it? Did he draw the short straw about asking me what they clearly all know?
“I wanted to ask you—” he begins the second I’m in hearing distance, but I jerk my hand up to interrupt.
“It was one damn time,” I hiss. “Okay it was twice, but can we just let it go? No one makes a big deal when the guys get laid. I don’t know why it’s front page news when I fu—”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Scooter’s eyes glare down at me.
Well shit.
Heat rushes my face and down my chest. My fingers tingle with the need to rub my face, but I manage to keep them at my sides.
“What exactly are you talking about?”
“Umm… n-nothing. What did you need?”
He looks at me for a long beat before talking again. “I was hoping you could help Mia shoot.”
I blink up at him. “Mia?”
“Yeah, she umm…” He grips the back of his neck before speaking again. “She’s been through some rough shit, and I’m trying to help her get her power back, you know?”
“I’ve heard a little about what happened.”
“Everyone around here gossips like children,” he mutters.
“You’re telling me,” I agree.
“Anyway, I was hoping you could spare some time. I think she’d really appreciate your help, and since you’re a chick and all… I don’t think she’ll be as leery as she would be if I ask one of the guys.”
“Why doesn’t she shoot with you?”
That makes the most sense.
“We—it’s hard to concentrate when we try to shoot together.”
His lips twitch, but it’s the only sign giving me a hint as to why they can’t seem to concentrate together. Good for them. Coming back from the things she’s endured are hard, impossible even for some people.
“I’ll help,” I tell him. “Want to start today? I’ve got nothing but time on my hands.”
And I’m grateful for the distraction, goes unsaid.
“Sure. I’ll grab her and meet you at the range.”
“Handguns or rifles?” I ask so I know which range to go to. Cerberus has both on the property—indoor for smaller caliber, and an outdoor range for some of the heavier stuff.
“Handguns. I don’t know that she’ll ever have any interest in anything else.” He nods before stepping away.
I make my way to my room, grabbing what I’ll need before avoiding the jackasses in the living room and heading to the range.
Before Mia shows up, the door to the building opens and Jasmine and Camryn walk inside.
“Heard it was Ladies Night!” Jasmine says with a wide grin as she pulls a pink camouflage backpack from her shoulder.
“Okay?” News travels fast around here.
“I want to go first,” Delilah says when she joins the group.
Ivy is close behind her, with Gigi pulling up the end.
Mia is the last one to arrive, and even though her eyes dart around the room, assessing the situation, she doesn’t look like she’s going to freak out. I’d be a little uneasy handing her a firearm if she was skittish. Accidents happen, but that would be asking for trouble.
“Ladies,” Scooter greets as he steps inside with a small case in his hands.
They all greet him and Mia with smiles, but I’m trying to work out the logistics. There are three lanes and now seven women in the room including myself.
“We’re going to shoot over here,” Ivy says pointing to the two lanes on the far side. “That one there can be for you and Mia.”
“Works for me.”
The other girls don’t waste time getting their gear ready. Scooter helps Mia into her glasses and ear protection before pressing a brief kiss to her lips and leaving the range. I watch through the glass as he walks into the outer room, but he doesn’t leave. He ends up walking toward the small office to the left and disappearing inside. My eyes automatically go to the camera in the corner. They’re motion activated which means they started recording us the second I stepped inside and turned on the light.
I understand what he’s doing. He wants to see how comfortable she is while doing it without him in here. I also know that the other girls being here is part of his plan as well. Jasmine and Camryn don’t live on the property, and as of last week neither do Delilah and Ivy, so their prompt arrival this afternoon was pre-planned before Scooter even spoke with me. I nod at the camera and turn my attention back to Mia.
“How many times have you—”
Mia ducks her head when Delilah shoots her first round without warning.
“It’s okay,” I tell her. “You’ll get used to it.”
She nods, but her eyes are as round as saucers. It takes at least a dozen more rounds being fired before she stops flinching, and as I’m explaining things to her because I have no idea exactly where she is in her training, she begins to relax. Then there’s a lull in the shooting as the other girls change out, and she’s back to flinching when they start again.
I position her arms, and she begins shooting when she’s comfortable. I keep my focus on her, only turning back around when she empties her first clip.
It looks like a party is starting when I look back at the group which has grown in the last ten minutes. Sophia waves at me while Izzy stands a little off to the side. I heard that Hound didn’t get to see his daughter much until after she turned eighteen. Now she’s at the clubhouse more often than not, but from the expression on her face, he hasn’t spent much time making her comfortable around firearms.
“Another clip?” I ask Mia. She still appears a little shell-shocked, but she smiles at the other women as they talk about the things they brought with them today.
“Izzy looks like she’s lost,” Mia mutters. “Can you help her, too?”
“Sure,” I respond instantly. I think Mia needs a little break and some of the focus off of her, so I wave to get Izzy’s attention, and nearly laugh when relief washes over her face.
“Yes, ma’am?” she says loudly as Camryn begins to fire in the middle lane.
“Ma’am?” I scoff, but there’s a smile on my face. “You really shouldn’t call me that while I’m armed.”
Izzy smiles wide, and Mia chuckles, having grown even more accustomed to the firing going on around her.
“Want me to show you?” I angle my head toward the lane reserved for us.
Izzy agrees, and time flies as fast as the bullets as they take turns shooting. Both of them take everything I say seriously, and before long, they’re comparing targets, loading clips, and taking turns without direction from me.
“How good are you?” Jasmine asks when I feel comfortable enough to take a few steps away from the lane.
“Good enough,” I tell her with a smile, but I take the 9mm she hands me and step up to the line.
I empty the clip, but my shots are slightly down and to the right. Just as I’m telling myself I need to spend more time in here, I feel a body slide up beside mine. I step to the side, glaring at the side of Cannon’s head, but he doesn’t acknowledge me. He simply lifts a Glock and fires. When he lowers the firearm, I’m finally able to pull my gaze from him to peer at the target. The X in the c
enter is obliterated.
He turns to look at me, a cocky grin tugging up his lips, but instead of speaking to me, he winks and takes a step back.
Gigi doesn’t waste anytime stepping up to the line to fire, so we inch back and give her space. My eyes dart to the far lane, checking on Mia and Izzy before I give him my full attention.
“So, you’re a great shot,” I say loud enough for him to hear me.
He shrugs, the action tugging up his t-shirt. The red fabric has the outline of motorcycle handlebars with the words IF IT HAS TITS OR TIRES, I CAN MAKE IT SQUEAL in white.
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling at yet another off-the-wall shirt.
Feeling eyes on me, I turn to see Griffin watching the two of us. The small smile playing on his face is all I need to know.
Without looking at Cannon again, I walk out of the room. The waiting area just outside isn’t far enough, so I keep going. My blood is heated, and I’m pissed. His immaturity has once again prevailed because it’s clear he couldn’t keep his damn mouth shut about what happened between us.
Chapter 24
Cannon
I glare at my brother, shoulder checking him as I follow Rivet out of the room.
Scooter peeks at me from the office, so I know she isn’t in there.
I find her right outside, muttering under her breath. Without a word, I clasp her arm and drag her around the side of the building so we’re out of the sight of people and cameras.
My dad already knows what happened between us, so it’s not like I’m hiding, but a little privacy is nice.
“Hey.” I lift her chin, forcing her eyes to meet mine.
They’re stormy and filled with irritation.
“I was wondering when I was going to see you again.”
She doesn’t say a word.
It’s been too long since we ran into each other. I’ve been busy with work and hanging out with Griffin at his new apartment, but she made it clear within forty-eight hours that she was avoiding me. She holed up in her room and refused to open the door when I knocked. I didn’t go so far as to turn the knob to test if it was locked or not because I didn’t want to invade her space when she clearly didn’t want to be around me.
“Where were we the other day?” I lower my head, needing my lips on her, needing her panting under me again. Hell, I’ll even take us fighting each other for domination if it means I could get inside of her again.
My fingers flex on her hip, but before my mouth can meet hers, she’s shoving me in the chest.
“Stop.”
“Wanna go back to your room?”
I’m fighting the lust I feel for this woman with everything I have. She could turn around and drop her jeans right here and now, and I don’t know that I’d be able to resist her.
“No more,” she hisses.
“No more outside?” The scowl on her face confuses me.
“No more, ever,” she clarifies, and that hits me in the face like a load of bricks. “It’s over.”
I take a step back from her, breaking our contact after reluctantly pulling my hand from the curve of her hip.
“Over?”
I swear I’m not slow, but the way we were together the other night was explosive, for both of us. Over doesn’t even compute right now.
“It was a mistake. It can’t happen again.”
Her eyes dart around me as if she expects my dad to come sauntering up and to remind us how bad of an idea being together is.
“You told people,” she snaps when I stand there gawking at her like an idiot.
“I didn’t,” I vow. “Not a damn soul.”
“Your brother knows. I could tell by the look in his eyes when he walked into the room a few minutes ago.”
“I didn’t tell him,” I repeat. I didn’t say a thing. I didn’t confirm or deny his suspicions when he asked me about it the day I was helping everyone move.
“The guys know. They’ve been snickering and gossiping like little girls.” She sighs, unable to meet my gaze. “I knew it was a bad idea. It never should’ve happened.”
“I didn’t tell anyone.”
“Then how do they know?” Her eyes snap to mine, full of the wrong kind of heat.
“Maybe they’re guessing. Maybe they see the way you look at me,” I joke, trying to bring some levity to the situation.
Wrong choice.
She isn’t amused. If anything, it only pisses her off even more.
“Wait.” I reach for her when she tries to shove past me.
“Listen, Cannon.” Here we go, the it’s me, not you speech. I’ve given it enough to know what it looks like. “We just need to keep our distance. It can’t happen again.”
I’m speechless as she walks away. My brain isn’t firing right because I never expected it to happen like this. Sure, I didn’t think we had a long-term thing going, but I didn’t expect her to let others get in the way of the fun we’ve been having.
I don’t know how long I stand on the side of the firing range while the scorching sun blazes down on me, but by the time I make the decision to go back inside, my face is hot and covered in sweat.
The girls are starting to pack up, and Scooter has joined Mia in the room. Everyone is busy chattering with each other. Griffin is the only one who notices that I’ve come back.
He doesn’t rib me, doesn’t look at me with mirth and teasing in his eyes. He looks concerned, and somehow that’s even worse.
Instead of hanging out and trying to get my mood back to something a little more civil, I walk out without saying a word. My brain urges me to go to her, to make her explain why we’re a bad idea, but the memory of her face and the seriousness of her words force me to keep my distance from the clubhouse. I didn’t set out to ruin her experience with Cerberus, but here we are. Somehow the guys on her team know, and they’ve been giving her a hard time because of it.
None of this is what I wanted. I can’t explain my draw to her, but a little fun seemed like a good idea. I won’t sacrifice her position with Cerberus just to get my rocks off a few times.
Needing to get away, I skirt around the side of the clubhouse, arrowing for my bike, but my dad steps around the corner, and my steps falter.
“Hey, Son. What’s the rush?”
I want to confront him. I want to shake him and demand to know why he told people about her being in the house, but my level of respect for him prevents me from doing just that.
“I’m going for a ride,” I grumble.
“Want company?”
On any other given day, I’d be ecstatic at the offer of him riding with me, but today, I just can’t deal with being around him.
“I’d rather be alone.”
“Wanna talk about why you’re in such a shitty mood?”
I lift my eyes to glare at him. He’s giving me an opening, and I should take it, but deep down I know my dad isn’t a gossip. He doesn’t sit around talking about irrelevant shit. I have no doubt he spoke to some of the other original guys about Rivet being at the house, but they aren’t the type to run and tell the new generation all about it.
Maybe Rivet is wrong. Maybe she’s reading into something that isn’t there. Maybe she just wants to be rid of my ass so she’s blaming it on something else.
“Just got a lot on my mind,” I tell him with a sigh.
My troubles seem so irrelevant to the things this man deals with in his life.
Girl trouble?
That shit doesn’t even register because Mom and he are so solid.
“I don’t mind listening if you want to talk about it. May make it easier to sort out.”
I wait a long second before shooting him down, knowing that offers like this don’t come around that often. We could approach him if we ever needed to talk about something, but he rarely seeks us out for these types of discussions.
“If it becomes something I can’t handle on my own, I’ll come to you,” I promise, but I know I never will. My issues with getting r
ejected by Rivet aren’t his concern.
“Okay.” He slaps me on the back. “Be safe on your ride.”
With that, he walks away.
Before I can convince myself to turn around and ask him how to get the girl, I stride to my bike, knock the kickstand back, and crank the beast. Moments later, I’m driving off the property with the sun beating down on my back and the wind in my hair.
I don’t have a location planned. I don’t have any idea where I’m headed. I just know I can’t stick around the clubhouse and not go to her.
Getting her out of my mind is going to be impossible, but it seems like she’s giving me no choice.
I don’t know her all that well, but she doesn’t seem like the type of woman that makes hasty decisions or regrets the words that leave her mouth.
Her mind is made up, and there’s very little chance I’ll be able to change her decision.
The only problem is, how do I see her, smell her, hear her voice across the room and not go to her?
How do I exist around a woman when I know my craving for her isn’t going to dissipate any time soon?
I sure hope Griffin doesn’t mind company because it looks like his new place is about to become mine as well.
Chapter 25
Rivet
“You heading out there?”
I jolt at the sound of Rocker’s voice, but I don’t turn my gaze from the window.
They’re not really having a party out there, but since everyone linked to Cerberus is surrounding the pool having a rip-roaring good time, it sure sounds like it. Notes of the rock song playing on the outdoor speakers drift inside punctuating their happy mood while I stand here staring like a fool.
“Nope,” I answer when I feel him step up to my side.
“You’ve been distant,” Rocker says without looking over at me. “For weeks. Even while we were gone, you just kind of faded into the background.”
I know all the guys are observant, but they don’t want to hear about how much I’ve been questioning my decision to join Cerberus.
“Care to tell me why?”
I huff. “You should already know.”
“I’m not a mind reader.”
