I was getting a lot of fresh starts these days. “Will you be late?”
“Not sure.”
I would not act needy. “Okay.”
His voice dropped an octave. “I’ll be sleeping next to you tonight, babe.”
“You’d better be.”
He kissed me, a definite promise to that effect, and then called over his shoulder, “Don’t you dare get tattooed without me there.”
“I’ll try not to.”
I didn’t know what to wear to a tattoo shop, but I didn’t have many options. I put on the jeans and tank top I’d washed, but then discarded it for a black wifebeater I found in Tals’s closet. I wore my bra underneath, so I showed a lot of skin, and I pulled my hair back and put on makeup for the first time since the night of the bar.
I smelled Cage on the shirt—on me—and I looked damned good. I needed that.
Rocco looked like he approved, if his rumbly hello and gaze up and down my body was any indication—and since he obviously knew the deal between me and Cage, I was safe with that gaze. Having the Vipers’ approval was a good thing.
Rocco drove me in his truck, big and black, with a slight tint to the windows. He kept checking the rearview, but turned to me and said, “We’re clear.”
He parked behind the clubhouse and we cut through the alleyway to the shop.
“Holly’ll show you the ropes,” Rocco told me. “You’ll stay till closing and then she’ll bring you to the clubhouse next door.”
I froze then. Cage hadn’t mentioned that part. I didn’t want to make a big deal of it—I was only going to the clubhouse to meet Rocco, not to hang out. Obviously, Cage had kept my meltdown a secret, which I was grateful for. “Sure, that’ll work.”
Rocco nodded. “You just text or call if you need me. I’d hang here, but I’d rather check things out from next door.”
“Because of Flores.”
“Yeah.” He glanced at the blond woman who walked up to us, and she nodded to him. “Calla, this is Holly.”
I hadn’t seen Holly around before, because I would’ve definitely remembered her. She looked like a model. She was at least six feet, and somehow still managed to look completely feminine and graceful. She wore old jeans that looked painted on and a tank top that showed off a delicate sleeve of tattoos, and her long blond hair hung in a sheet halfway down her back. “You must be Calla.”
And to top it off, a crisp, brilliant British accent.
She gave me a head-to-toe once-over. “You’ll do, but maybe you can dress a little sexier?”
“I thought I was just taking appointments.”
“Nothing around here is ‘just’ anything.”
Rocco put a hand on my shoulder and he’d disappeared before I could turn around. When I faced Holly again, she said, “I didn’t really want you working my shop tonight, but I owe Preacher. So let’s try to not make this a miserable experience.”
“Wait—Vipers doesn’t own this?”
“They own the building, but this business is mine,” she said, her eyes cutting me like daggers.
“Okay, wow. That’s cool.”
She pursed her lips together, like she’d heard it a thousand times, and pointed to the phones. “Just answer and check the book.”
I stared at her, then walked behind the counter. The book didn’t look particularly full and I made the mistake of saying so.
“Lots of walk-ins,” Holly told me, sounding bored at having to deal with me. “And a lot of them just want to get close to the club, so they come to hang out. Makes the place look busier, which attracts more business.”
She shrugged and pointed at the appointment book. “Before you schedule, you’ve got to find out what exactly they want. And if they don’t know, they need a fifteen-minute consultation appointment before they can book the real thing.”
“Do a lot of people back out?”
“A lot of women come in for their consultation and end up having sex with the artist in the back,” she said with a shrug. “It’s a big deal to be marked by a Viper, but a one-night stand doesn’t get you in the club as an old lady.”
“What does?”
She smirked. “You’re really interested, honey?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?”
“For now. But we both know that you don’t really belong.” Holly’s tone was clipped and condescending. “You don’t know anything about this MC or any MC.”
“Cage brought me here.”
“Guys do all sorts of dumb things for gash,” she conceded.
“I’m working here tonight, so if you’re not going to show me how to run this, is there someone else here who can?” I asked sweetly.
“You look like you’ve never worked a day in your life.”
“I’ve worked every day of my goddamned life, so cut the shit,” I hissed under my breath, then smiled as the man in leather approached the counter. “How can I help you?”
Holly snorted and walked away. Bitch.
I’d figure it out myself. How hard could it be?
Chapter 25
The ride Cage was supposed to take with Preacher the night after he’d arrived back in Skulls had been pushed off until things were calmer.
Unfortunately, losing the detectives’ tail took a bit of work, but they were able to use all of their very distinctive bikes to throw them off track. Rocco and Tals headed in the opposite direction—on Preacher’s and Cage’s bikes—while Cage rode Tals’s bike and followed behind Preacher on Rocco’s Harley. It was just like the first time he’d ridden behind the head of Vipers, wondering if Preacher was bringing him into the woods to kill him.
He’d been sixteen. That’s how fucked up his life had been. That’s how he’d thought, even after so many years of Preacher paying for his school, his clothes, his life.
That night, Preacher had given him a probie cut. “Nothing will change if you don’t put it on, Cage. You’ll still have my support—financially and otherwise—until you’re eighteen. After that, the financial shit stops but nothing else does.”
He’d stared at the cut for half a second before nodding and letting Preacher help him shrug it on. Because he believed in Preacher, and the Vipers. And he believed in the MC life, since that was all he’d known.
He’d followed Preacher’s example, had gone into the Army and done his time. Between Preacher and the Army, he’d become the man he wanted to be. The man he’d need to be to shoulder the responsibilities of being second in command of Vipers, which was where Preacher told Cage he ultimately wanted him. For now, Tals was filling that role, and Tals himself told Cage he didn’t want it. Ultimately, Tals would be a much better enforcer, and he’d enjoy that job far more.
Before he could accept that, though, he had to take down his family. And now, it was finally time. “I should’ve been honest with you about going rogue. But after that fight . . . when we lost Cal and Marsh I . . .”
Jesus, he didn’t want to go back there. A night of celebrating, of being back in his element, the Vipers all around him, all shot to shit in an instant. A single Molotov cocktail flung through the window of the bar. He remembered the screaming, the choking smoke. He and Tals and Preacher easily made it to the doors, opening them to let people and smoke out . . .
Right into the arms of the waiting Heathens. And Cal and Marsh had taken the brunt of it.
“I know, Cage.”
“What do you know, Preach? That if it hadn’t been for my return, those guys would be alive? The bar wouldn’t have been destroyed? Women wouldn’t have been scarred and terrified?”
“Taking the weight of it all on your shoulders isn’t smart, Cage. The Heathens want to bring us down—you’re a convenient excuse.”
“You can’t tell me there wasn’t a vote called after that,” he said.
“Is that why you left?”
> “I didn’t want to make any of you choose. If I thought I could let go of the cut, I would’ve. But that’s something I’d never do.”
The men stared at each other as Cage bared his goddamned soul to Preacher.
“Fine. I can understand that. But you still could’ve asked for our help in this, even though you were rogue.” Preacher crossed his arms and stared him down, and goddamn, the man still had the power to make him feel ten again. “Why didn’t you?”
“It’s not your fucking responsibility.”
Preacher nodded. “Never said it was, but maybe I’d want to help.”
“Not your battle. You’ve done enough for me. More than enough. I couldn’t ask—”
“You could’ve. You should’ve. But since you didn’t, I’ve gone ahead and started working toward it. Guessing you’d like to help.”
Cage’s head shot up. “Don’t get involved, Preach. If something happened to you or the club again—”
“Something will happen. Something is happening, Cage. Can’t keep the meth out of Skulls on a wing and a prayer. You saw those men the other night—they might’ve followed you and Tals into Skulls, but Tals isn’t stupid. He recognized them. They’re the ones working with the Heathens to push the meth in here, to scare the shit out of the residents and the cops, so no one says a word. We’ve got to do some major damage control. Now.”
“What do you have in mind?”
“Follow me.” Preacher walked a few feet, then moved behind some trees and pointed. “Go lift the trap door. Disarm it first.”
“Are there cameras?”
“Waiting for you to tell me, Army guy.”
“Fuck off,” he muttered, since Preacher was one himself. “What the fuck is this?”
“Drug tunnel,” Preacher said. “Now you know why I needed the C-4.”
“I know they dig this shit in California, but here?”
“They’re getting smarter.”
“If they’re so smart, how’d you find out about these?”
Preacher smiled. “You know what they say about a woman scorned.”
“One of the Heathens women told you this?”
“Troy’s old lady.”
“You slept with my brother’s wife?”
Preacher shrugged. “Whatever it takes. She needed a shoulder. And revenge. And I got her the hell out of Dodge. She’s safe, hidden, and she’ll get clean.”
Goddammit, Preacher always knew how to pull it out of the fire for me. “When?”
“When I left you in the hospital.”
“I thought you were just pissed.”
“I was. If you hadn’t been in such bad shape, I’d have beaten the shit out of you myself.” Preacher pointed at him. “I waited for you—I could’ve done this months ago, but I fucking waited for you, kid.”
Kid. Shit. Cage forced himself not to smile.
Taking out the tunnel was step one in dismantling the Heathens’ power. Cage’s father and his brother were too well protected for him to take out. He’d seen that himself and wore the scars to prove it.
Because he’d gone it alone. And even the baddest of assassins had some kind of backup.
When he was in basic, he’d learned that no man is an island. And he’d known that in his brotherhood, but he’d forgotten it along the way.
But he’d gotten one hell of a reminder.
Now he set the C-4 with the igniters and waited. Because he and Preacher didn’t want to take out the Heathens who’d come to patrol the drug tunnel. No, he was planning on framing them.
There were neighbors close enough to hear the explosion but not be hurt by it. No innocents would be harmed by this—it wouldn’t make up for all the people the Heathens had already hurt, but it was a start.
Hitting the Heathens where it would hurt them most would anger the MC and put their relationships with the connections they sold the drugs through in disrepair.
It looked like they’d gone from just making it themselves to buying it in larger quantities. Or maybe they were doing both, but either way the fact that they’d needed a tunnel made Cage think that more than just meth would be coming in.
“Think Havoc knows about this?” he asked Preach. Because even though their compound was hours away, they owned this stretch of land, although why was anyone’s guess.
“Back end of their land, so I’m guessing no, or they would’ve taken care of it a long time ago.” Preacher ran a hand over his shaved scalp. “Then again, who the fuck knows if they’re in on this? I’m thinking that not giving them a heads-up is the best idea.”
“Agreed.” It was time to start dismantling the Heathens from the head down, and a war with Havoc wasn’t something any of them wanted. “Ready when you are, Preach.”
“I’ve been ready for this since you were ten, Cage.”
Cage ignored the tightness in his throat as he pressed the button and watched the tunnel blow sky high.
Chapter 26
The night passed quickly, thanks to a constant stream of men and women, all hoping to get a glimpse of one of the Vipers. But tonight, no one with the familiar patch on their cut came in. I got looks from men, sneers from some of the women, but it was fine, especially because Holly wasn’t there the whole night.
She’d gotten quiet at some point after being the life of the shop for a couple of hours, calling out to people as she tattooed a man’s shoulder. And then the wisecracks were gone and then she was gone. She’d left me with a woman named Gigi, who was in the back now, counting up one of the registers while I finished taking the last of the money from the young girl who’d come in and given a deposit.
I scheduled the appointment, but I could tell she would back out.
“I’m almost done, Calla. Then we’ll go to the clubhouse,” Gigi called. My heart sank, because I’d managed to forget about that for a while.
I was just about to go lock the door when the bells on the door jingled and I looked up to see a teenage boy wearing a leather cut with a probie patch.
“Where’s Cage?” he asked. I stared at the patch and then at him as alarm bells went off in my head. He was young, sure, maybe sixteen at most, but he was also a Heathen.
“He’s not here. You can check next door.” I tried to sound casual.
“Not going into a Vipers clubhouse.” He pointed to the Heathen patch. “Can you call over for me?”
I glanced down at the phone and back up at him, the confusion no doubt obvious in my eyes.
“You’re new,” he said.
“Very.”
I held my breath until he said, “I’m Eli. Cage’s brother.”
Eli, not Troy. “Oh. Oh, okay. Is he expecting you?”
“Definitely not.” He paused and looked at me, but I didn’t see any kind of connection there, and maybe he didn’t know that the Heathens had me on some kind of hit list. “You Cage’s old lady?”
“We’re friends.”
He put his tongue in his cheek and pushed it out. “Cage doesn’t have women friends.”
“Maybe you don’t know him all that well.”
He smiled, the way only a teenage boy could when the devil was at his door. And then he said, “I’m in some trouble. He said I could come to him, but I lost his phone number.”
“He’ll be back soon.” In truth, I’d debated pulling out the cell phone to call him, but I decided that I liked Eli’s vibe and didn’t have anything to worry about. Although I really didn’t understand the Heathen thing. Unless . . .
I pointed to his jacket. He looked at the patch and back at me.
“I’m not going to hurt you. I really just want to talk to Cage.” He glanced behind him. “You want me to lock this up?”
Gigi called, “A few more minutes, Calla, and then Rocco’s coming to grab us!”
Okay, that was good. Although
it made Eli tense up. “Yeah, just hit the lock, okay? I’ll talk to Gigi about letting you hang out here until Cage comes back.”
I should’ve been bone tired, but I was buzzing. Maybe I’d crash soon, but for the moment I was just fine.
And really, I should never say or think anything like that and tempt the universe, because shit went to hell in the next few moments.
“Yeah, that’ll work. Gonna hit the head.” Eli went to use the bathroom and I was about to go talk to Gigi when the glass door shattered inward. I ducked behind the counter to avoid the flying glass.
There was a bat. I held it in my palms, wondering if I should get up or not.
In the end, that choice wasn’t mine. Someone grabbed the back of my shirt and dragged me up, but since the counter was between us, the hold was awkward. I managed to pull away, my shirt nearly ripped off in the process. I held one hand to my chest, the other firmly curled around the bat as I focused on the leather-wearing Heathens in front of me.
My first thought was that Eli had somehow played me, but I dismissed that quickly. My instincts had been sharpened since I’d let Jeffrey Harris take advantage of me.
“Where’s Cage?” one of them demanded.
I found my voice. “You could’ve just knocked.”
The biker grinned, but it wasn’t friendly. It was predatory, and I chilled. “Come here, sweetheart.”
I held up the bat. He held up a gun, and I froze. And that’s when gorgeous Holly came in, swinging a shotgun wildly. She was distracting enough in just a T-shirt and striped barely there underwear, her hair as wild as the look in her eyes.
“Get the fuck out of here,” she said in her clipped British tones. She sounded so proper even when she was cursing, and for a moment it almost worked. The Heathens blinked at her; then the biggest one smiled and stepped forward, still holding his gun as he went to grab Holly.
Holly walked toward him and fired. It hit the big Heathen in the thigh and he howled in pain. She shot again, toward the other men, who cursed, grabbed their friend and dragged him backward through the shattered glass of the door.
Everything after that happened so fast. I unfroze, because Holly buckled to the ground, holding the shotgun and rocking a little. Eli came out and cursed and told me, “Gotta get out of here before the cops come.”
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