He didn’t know everything. He knew more than he should, but not everything. I just needed to make him believe he did. Exhaling slowly, I arched one eyebrow and smirked.
“Do you have a point? Besides proving that you know how to Google.”
He snorted derisively. “Yeah, I have a point. You can take whatever bullshit you’ve brought with you and get the fuck out of Devil Springs.”
“That’s not going to happen. Like I told your friend Copper, I don’t take orders from you.”
“You know, if you and your sister hadn’t almost gotten me and my brother killed, I just might like you.” He reached down and blatantly adjusted himself. “Not going to lie, your tight little body and sassy fucking mouth make my dick hard as a rock, but even a piece of prime pussy isn’t worth dealing with the kind of shit you’ve got going on.”
I licked my lips and ran my hands over my breasts tightly encased in my fitted T-shirt. “Right back at ya, big guy,” I said with a wink and blew him a kiss as I hopped back into my truck. “Too-da-loo,” I called out and wiggled my fingers in a girly wave before I hit the gas, kicking up dirt and gravel as I drove away.
“Fuck!” I cursed when my phone rang five minutes later. I’d forgotten to call Josie.
“Tatum, what in the hell is going on?” my boss asked. “I got a call from Josie saying she was in the safe room and you were chasing after someone because you’d been compromised.”
“Semi-compromised,” I corrected.
“Explain.”
“Those bikers you claimed were good guys don’t know how to mind their own business,” I spat.
He sighed in exasperation. “Tatum, I understand why you want to do this on your own—I really do—but it’s time to let them help you.”
“I don’t—” I started, but he kept going.
“Do you want them to keep digging? Do you want to put your sister in more danger?”
“You know I don’t,” I seethed.
“Go back to the store with Josie and wait while I make a few phone calls.”
“Fine,” I gritted out and ended the call. The last thing I wanted to do was make nice with the big, broody biker, but I would do anything for my sister, even if I hated every minute of it.
6
When Copper called us in for Church, I knew it had something to do with that damn woman and her sister. It was no coincidence that Bronze and I were attacked right after two damsels in distress appeared in Devil Springs. I was at the gym almost every day prior to getting shot and I’d heard nothing about the space next to the gym being occupied. No way in hell was I going to allow a repeat of my past. Women with secrets showing up in our town was trouble we didn’t need or want.
“Got a call from Luke Johnson today. He asked for our help looking after two of his acquaintances—sisters Taylin and Jo Crawford, but two of you already know their real names are Tatum and Josie Cross.” Copper paused and looked at Spazz before focusing his angry eyes on me. “I couldn’t refuse his request, since we’re the ones who may have put them in jeopardy! What in the fuck were you two hoping to accomplish?” he yelled and slammed his fist on the table.
“I was hoping to find out why in the fuck I took two bullets to my back and your brother took a knife to the chest. And I knew it had something to do with them. We almost fucking died! We both have the right to know why!” I roared right back at him.
Every muscle in his body tensed while he glared at me. “You think I don’t know that? You think I don’t know that I almost lost my blood brother and a man I consider my blood brother? I fucking know, Trey!” He tilted his head back and swallowed before he pinned me with his fury-filled eyes. “We’re helping protect those women. No more searches. Church dismissed.”
I shoved away from the table and got to my feet. “Nah. Fuck this. I’m not putting my life on the line for some bitch I don’t know. A-fucking-gain,” I declared and turned to leave.
“Yes, you will!” Copper shouted. “It’s a fucking order!”
I met him stare for stare. I was fucking furious and I didn’t give the first shit who knew it.
With a clenched jaw, Copper gritted out, “I don’t have to explain myself to you or anyone else, but we all know it’s the right thing to do. And we’re fucking doing it. Now, get out of my face before you really piss me off.”
And fuck if that didn’t piss me off even more. President or not, I didn’t like being told what to do by anybody. Especially when I knew I was right.
I stormed out of the clubhouse, unsure of where to go or what to do to let off some steam since I hadn’t been cleared to return to the gym. Technically, I hadn’t been cleared to ride either. “Fuck it,” I muttered and climbed on my bike.
Twenty minutes into my ride, a familiar truck pulled onto the road a few car lengths in front of me causing me to smile. We’d see how Little Miss Secrets and Lies liked being followed.
My smile quickly disappeared when I noticed I wasn’t the only one following her. “Call Copper,” I said and impatiently waited for him to answer.
“Thought it’d take you longer to pull your head out of your ass,” he grumbled.
“Someone’s following Tatum.”
“Fucking hell, Batta—”
“Not now, Prez. If we’re supposed to be helping, we gotta let her know before she lets them follow her to the store or wherever she lives.”
“Stay behind them and stay on the line.” Muffled sounds filled my helmet followed by Copper’s voice, though I couldn’t make out what he was saying.
“Drop back a few more cars. Dunk and Underwood should be coming up behind you any minute. They’re going to pull her over. When they do, you keep going for a while. Then, turn back and come to the clubhouse. Coal’s going over to the store to check on the sister.”
“What about Tatum and the pricks following her?”
“Tatum is going to be arrested and the truck will be impounded. If they’ve made the truck, she can’t keep using it anyway. Luke will work out the rest of the details,” he explained.
“And the prick following her?” I repeated.
Copper cleared his throat. “Luke’s handling that.”
“Yeah, I’m not feeling any of this shit, Prez,” I grumbled.
“So you’ve said, and I get it. But, we weren’t asked to take over and handle things our way; we were asked to assist.”
“See ya in a few,” I said and disconnected the call. I couldn’t remember ever disagreeing with a decision made by the club, but I was not on board with the decision to blindly help these women. We didn’t know the first fucking thing about what we were getting into, and I had a feeling, deep down, that it wasn’t something simple like an abusive ex-husband. No, these women were running from something much bigger. Something big enough to involve the FBI. And I’d be damned if I let someone else’s secrets and lies take another member of my family away from me.
When I saw the blue lights in my mirror, I kept my eyes on the black Lexus sedan with the tinted windows and the paper tag. Part of me wanted to laugh at how obvious it was. A simple baseball hat and any Honda or Toyota would have been much more inconspicuous.
As expected, the sedan took the next turn after Tatum was pulled over. Then, I did something I never thought I would do; I ignored an order from my President and followed the car.
7
Fuck! I was being followed by some cockwad in a black sedan who wasn’t even trying to be conspicuous. Oh, and a big ass, grumpy biker.
I thanked the stars above that my phone was synced to the truck and set to accept voice commands. “Hey, Siri, call Luke Johnson.”
“Okay, Badass Queen, calling Luke Johnson.”
“Johnson,” he answered.
“I’ve got a tail,” I said without preamble.
“I’m pulling up your location. Do you recognize them?” he asked.
“No, not the one I’m concerned about. The grumpy biker is also following me.”
Luke snorted. “They’re a
ll grumpy. Be more specific.”
“Big guy. Short beard. Dark blonde hair with a hint of red cut in a short Mohawk. Mischievous blue eyes. I saved his life. Oh, and he goes by Batta.” The one I wouldn’t mind fucking a time or two.
Luke huffed. “Next time give me the name first if you already kn—” A phone ringing interrupted his words. “Hang on, Tatum. Keep driving.”
“Oh, that’s a brilliant plan. I hadn’t thought of that,” I snarked.
Luke didn’t take the bait and the line fell silent for several long minutes before he returned. “You’re not going to like this, but it was the best I could do. A local cruiser is coming to pull you over. You’ll be arrested and the truck will be impounded. You’ll be bailed out in a few hours and I’ll arrange another vehicle for you.”
“What about Josie?” I asked. “She’s at the shop by herself.”
“I’ve already sent one of the bikers over to get her.”
“Yeah, that doesn’t make me feel any better. The one tailing me isn’t my biggest fan, and their President is kind of an asshole.”
Luke cleared his throat and lowered his voice. “My nephew, Coal, is a member. That’s who I sent to get Josie.”
I breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing his words. I’d heard a lot about Luke’s sister, Kathleen, and her family since I’d been working with him. So much so, that I felt like I knew them personally. “If I’d known your nephew was in the club from the beginning, I likely would’ve been a lot more receptive to this plan.”
Luke chuckled. “You and I both know that’s bullshit. You aren’t receptive to anything.”
I laughed. “I know. And that’s why you love me.”
“All right, you little pain in the ass, go get yourself arrested.”
“You know how I love handcuffs. Did you ask them to be rough with me?” I joked.
When he snorted a laugh, I could picture him pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head while he tried to hide his smile. “Later, Tatum.”
Right on cue, flashing blue lights appeared in my rearview mirror. I was tempted to hit the gas and add some fun to this little adventure but figured I shouldn’t push my luck and pulled over like a good little civilian.
A female officer got out of the cruiser and approached my truck. “Hello, I’m Officer Dunk. Do you know why I stopped you this afternoon?”
“I do, but the real question is, do you?” I asked and raised one eyebrow.
She laughed. “I spoke with Luke myself. My partner and I are aware of the situation. Go ahead and hand me your license and registration so we can make this look authentic.”
“I have a loaded gun under the center console and one in the door,” I told her as I reached to get the registration from the glove box.
“Only two? Luke told us you’d have three or four.”
“Just two today,” I said and handed her the requested items. I only had two because I left one with Josie. I hoped Luke’s nephew was able to get her somewhere safe until I could get back to her.
“All right, let’s make this look good. I’m going to need you to step out of the car and put your hands behind your back.”
“Can you make sure my guns aren’t impounded with the truck?” I asked.
She nodded. “My partner is going to grab them, and we’ll hang on to them until they magically appear in your new vehicle.”
“Thank you.” I sighed in relief and climbed out of the truck. “You want me to resist? Shake things up a bit?”
She laughed. “That’s up to you, but the more paperwork we have to do, the longer it’ll be before you’re released. And, unfortunately, there’s nothing I can do about the dashcam that’s recording all this right now.”
“In that case, I’ll behave.”
* * *
For a relatively small town, they sure took their sweet ass time booking, processing, and releasing me from jail. When I was finally allowed to leave, Officer Dunk handed me a large bag with all of my belongings in it. “Your vehicle is parked in the middle row, third space back. Keys are in the bag. Your sister is at the clubhouse,” she said and handed me a piece of paper with the address written on it.
“Thanks again,” I said and headed for the parking lot. Going to the clubhouse to see the grumpy bikers was not on the list of things I wanted to do after being released from jail. Actually, it wasn’t on any list of things I wanted to do, but Josie was there, so I had to go.
I opened the bag and felt around for the keys while I was walking through the parking lot. My hands wrapped around the familiar metal ring in the bottom of the bag right as I arrived at the third space in the middle row. I looked at the vehicle and then looked around the parking lot for the hidden camera because it had to be a colossal joke. No way in hell was I driving a minivan.
The bag in my hand began to vibrate. Digging my phone out, I wasn’t surprised to see Luke’s name on the screen. “You have got to be shitting me.”
“Sorry, Tatum, it was the best I could do on such short notice. But, it’s temporary. From now on, I want you in a different vehicle every few days,” Luke explained.
I huffed in annoyance. “Fine, but try to limit the number of minivans I have to drive. I’d prefer a pink Jeep over this, and you know how I feel about pink.”
“Were you always this much of a pain in the ass?”
“The survey says yes.”
He sighed. “Get in the damn van and go to the clubhouse. Copper is waiting for you.”
“If your goal is to get me there, you’re going about it all wrong.”
“Tatum,” Luke growled in the tone that meant he was close to losing his patience with me.
“Fine. I’ll go talk to the grumpy bikers,” I reluctantly agreed and ended the call.
I cringed as I climbed into the minivan and began to putter down the road. Hopefully, I wouldn’t pick up another tail because there was no way I would be outrunning anybody in my new ride. I’m sure there were plenty of people out there who loved them, but I was, and always would be, a truck girl. It didn’t matter to me if it was fifty years old or brand new as long as it had a big engine and a nice rumble.
I pulled up to the clubhouse gate and started to roll down my window, but a young man waved me through. I parked where a few other cars were parked—none of which were minivans—and walked up to the closed doors. Was I supposed to knock?
Fuck it. I didn’t even think about it. I just yanked the doors open and walked inside. According to Luke, they were expecting me. “Greetings, grumpy bikers. I’m here to see your leader.”
The room fell silent. I glanced around and realized there were no men in the room. “Well, shit, am I in the wrong place? Who cares? If this is a girls only MC, how do I join?”
A beautiful blonde woman laughed and stepped out from behind the bar. “You must be Tay. I’m Layla,” she said and extended her hand to me. “Copper’s in his office. Follow me.”
“Well, damn. I knew it was too good to be true,” I said and followed her down the hall.
She knocked on the door as she pushed it open. “Tay’s here,” she said and stepped to the side so I could enter.
When she started to close the door and leave, I said, “You should stay. I don’t really like him.”
Layla cleared her throat and gave Copper a pointed look. He sighed and sat back in his chair. “I apologize for being an asshole to you at the hospital,” he gritted out.
The amount of effort it took for him to say those words to me made me want to laugh, but I somehow managed to contain it. I could tell he wasn’t the kind of man who apologized often. “Uh, thank you for that,” I replied with a curt nod. When the room fell silent for several beats, I added, “This awkward moment was brought to you by the letter S.”
Copper’s lips curved up into a small grin and Layla burst into a fit of laughter. “Oh, I like you. Copper, be nice to my new friend,” she said.
“I hear ya, Locks,” he replied before she closed the door on her way out
.
The moment she was gone, all traces of humor vanished from my face. “Where is Jo?”
Copper held his hands up in a placating manner. “She’s in one of the rooms down the hall. She knows what’s going on, and she’s okay.”
“I’d like to see that for myself,” I stated firmly. I had no intentions of discussing anything with him until I’d seen Josie, and I told him just that.
“We need to discuss one thing first. We’ve been made aware of your real names. How do you want to handle that?”
“Who’s ‘we’?”
“The members of my club; the officers to be exact.”
I shrugged. “I have no intentions of being out in public with any of you, so go ahead and use our real names around here.”
“Will do,” he said and rose to his feet. “Follow me; I’ll take you to your sister.” As he led me down a hallway lined with doors, he added, “We already told Riley your names were Tay and Jo, so just go with it so it doesn’t confuse her.”
Before I could ask who in the hell Riley was, he stopped at the fourth door on the left. He squatted down and knocked the beat of Jingle Bells on the wooden door. Just as I was about to question his sanity, a little girl opened the door with a bright smile on her face. “Uncle Mr. President! Did you come to join the tea party?”
Copper scooped the little girl into his arms and tickled her. “Sorry, Princess Riley. I brought a visitor for Lady Jo. This is her friend, Miss Tay.”
“Hi, Mistay! Would you like to join our tea party?” she asked excitedly.
I choked on my own spit at the way she pronounced Miss Tay. It sounded like Misty with far too much sass at the end. Seeing Josie in the room trying to stifle a giggle instantly put me at ease. “Hello, Riley. You can call me Tay or Tatum.”
“She also likes to be called Queen,” Josie added causing me to glare at her. What Siri called me was no one’s business but my own.
Riley’s forehead wrinkled for a few seconds before she nodded once. “Okay, you can be a queen, but you can’t be my queen.” Then, she leaned close to Copper’s ear and whispered loud enough for everyone to hear, “Can you put me down now? I need to greet my guest like a proper lady.”
Batta: Blackwings MC - Devil Springs - Book Four Page 4
