by KB Winters
“Sure, what’s up?” Peaches leaned forward expectantly, but Annabelle’s gaze swung from Peaches to Gunnar and back.
“Maybe we should do this in private?”
Peaches grinned at her. “There’s so much shi-stuff going on around here that I’ll probably have to tell them. Tell me here and this way I won’t have to.” She smiled at Maisie and nodded towards the back door. “Go on in and see if Martha has a snack for you.”
“Yay, I hope she made cookies!” Gunnar’s little sister scrambled out of Annabelle’s arms and ran inside, letting the screen door smack shut behind her.
All eyes swung to Annabelle and she shoved her hands into the pockets of her expensive slacks, which fell around a pair of hot pink sneakers. Odd. “I’ve been thinking about this for a couple of days now, and I wasn’t sure if I should say anything or not. I mean, I figured if you wanted me to know you would have told me, and I didn’t want to butt in—”
“Annabelle,” Peaches said with a calm voice. “You’re babbling.”
“Right,” she said as her cheeks pinkened adorably. “A man came to the hospital looking for you the other day and something about it didn’t feel right.”
“What? Didn’t?” I barked at her. “Are you in trouble?” She wasn’t my problem and she sure as shit wasn’t an MC problem, but I knew Gunnar wouldn’t see it that way because Peaches wouldn’t.
I earned another glare, but she didn’t say one fuckin’ word to me. She turned back to Peaches. “He said you were old friends, and I wasn’t sure if that meant old lovers, but I remembered that you only ever talk about Vivi. He wanted directions to the ranch, and luckily I was called away before I could give them to him.” She took a deep breath, wringing her hands nervously. “It hasn’t set right with me since, so I decided to come out here and tell you, so you could decide how to deal with it.”
Peaches took in Annabelle’s words slowly, carefully logging every detail into the database she called a brain. “What did he look like?”
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Decent looking but not stand out handsome with short brown hair and plain brown eyes. No blemishes, birth marks or other distinguishing features.” Her shoulders fell. “Sorry. The best way to describe him is, well, nondescript.”
“Sounds like cop speak,” I said out of the blue and completely unnecessary based on the glares Holden and Gunnar sent my way.
Annabelle glared too. “I can call the cops and give them this information if you prefer?” She folded her arms, daring me to say something else to piss her off.
Peaches held up a hand to stop us both. “Shit. It’s definitely him,” Peaches said with a groan. “Did he leave a name?”
“No. I told him if he gave me his info I’d pass it on and that just seemed to piss him off.”
“You did the right thing, Annabelle. Thanks.” Peaches grabbed her laptop from Holden and sighed. “Let’s go inside and have a chat while these stubborn bastards talk about me behind my back.” She winked at Gunnar, blew him a kiss and walked inside.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Gunnar spoke. “Get the guys and tell them to meet in the bunkhouse ASAP.”
Chapter Ten
Annabelle
“So you used to be a spy?” My head was spinning so much that two drinks ago, Peaches had started adding a splash of bourbon to my lemonade. But a splash wasn’t enough. Not with the crazy story she’d been telling me for the past hour.
“Not a spy, no. Not even officially an employee of the government. Just a consultant. That’s the fancy word they use for freelancers.”
“But that’s not how you got started working for the government?”
“No, they caught me as a kid hacking into some places I shouldn’t, and you know the deal. They used my skills while I worked off my punishment without a record.” She said it so casually I shook my head, but no, I didn’t know the deal.
“Are you freaking out?” she asked.
I was, a little bit. “You’ve led an exciting life, Peaches. How could I not know any of this? I mean, I’ve always wondered how you’re able to wear fabulous shoes and your gadget collection puts everyone else to shame.” I was ashamed to admit that I assumed Gunnar paid for it all.
She sighed and sipped her own, bourbon-less lemonade, taking her time to work through whatever was bothering her. “I never planned to tell you any of this.”
That stung a little, and I guess it must’ve shown on my face because Peaches looked guilty as hell. “It’s fine. We’re all entitled to our secrets.”
She arched a brow. “Like the terrible job you and Wheeler are doing of pretending like you hate each other?”
I felt my cheeks heat even though I wasn’t ashamed that Wheeler and I were using each other for sex. It was damn good sex from a man who was ten thousand percent sex on a stick, and as untouchable as the sun. “It’s not pretending, but yes we have been sleeping together. On and off. Mostly off.”
Her copper brows furrowed, making her look just as confused as I felt. It didn’t make sense, his attitude and clear mistrust. I hadn’t done a damn thing to earn either.
“What’s his problem, then?”
I shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe he hates that he wants a prissy bitch like me.”
Peaches barked out a laugh that startled me for a moment. “You do have your prissy moments but it’s more like they slip out once in a while. It’s all part of your charm.”
That was nice of her to say, but I knew the truth. “I’m a snob.” I couldn’t tell her about the pills I was no longer prescribing or giving to him. It wouldn’t be good for me or Wheeler for her to know that. “Aren’t there more important things to talk about than a temperamental biker?”
Peaches’ bright red lips snapped shut at my quick subject change. She arched her brows and flashed an impressed smile. “I never planned to tell you any of this because I hoped you’d never need to know. I’m not ashamed of my work, but most of it is secret and most people can’t resist asking questions. The less you know, the better.”
I understood that. There were a lot of secrets on Hardtail Ranch. “Like all the questions I haven’t asked about all the off the books medical help the guys need?”
“Wheeler hasn’t told you about the Reckless Bastards?” The surprise in her voice must’ve shown on my face because she rolled her eyes as a low frustrated growl tore through the quiet kitchen.
“We don’t have that kind of relationship. He drops by whenever he feels like it and he always leaves me satisfied so I always let him in. We fuck like wild animals, and he leaves. The end.”
“Right. I’m surprised you put up with that.”
“It’s a cheap fuck, no strings attached. It works for me for now. It’s not like I have the time or the inclination to date anyone right now, but I do love sex with that man.” It was my turn to arch my brow at her attempt to change the subject. Again.
“Anyway, they’re a motorcycle club and sometimes that brings a different set of troubles.”
“Is that another name for a biker gang?”
“They aren’t a gang. They are an official club whose members share common interests. They are also military veterans and business partners. Brothers. When trouble comes for one of them, one of us,” she corrected with a wistful smile, “it comes for all of us. Me included.”
“Okay so you’re one big happy family. Why can’t I know any of that?” It just didn’t make any sense. “I thought we were friends.” I heard the hurt in my voice, and I wasn’t ashamed of it, because I thought this friendship was different.
“We are, and that’s exactly why I wanted you to be ignorant of everything that was going on here. Not that I even really know half of what’s actually going on most of the time, but I figured the less you knew the better. And honestly, the whole Farnsworth stuff is kind of a recurring nightmare.”
I listened as Peaches told me all about the mysterious job in Europe, nothing specific, that had gone wrong. The sudden and even more mysterious
deaths of her co-workers in said job, and the man—or men—currently coming after her. Farnsworth. It was a lot to take in all at once and process. It was all so far removed from my life. Hell from anything I’d ever experienced, first or second hand, in my life. My legs shook as I walked toward the cabinet that passed for a bar in the main house, pulling out the bourbon and pouring it over the ice and the splash of lemonade already in the glass. “So this guy really is a spy or some kind of undercover operative?”
I was sure I sounded like an idiot.
Peaches drained her glass and said, “The most undercover of the undercovers. I’ve worked with a few different Farnsworths in my career.”
“You say it all so casually, and yet I can’t seem to wrap my mind around any of it.” But I was good at the details. “You still don’t know what he wants?”
“Probably to kill me,” she said in such a monotone voice that I froze, drink halfway to my mouth.
“Peaches, stop.”
“You deal with life and death every day, Annabelle.”
“And that’s exactly why I don’t take either lightly.”
“Good. Because this is the other reason I didn’t want to tell you any of this. It’s the reason I’m sorry I kept it from you. Farnsworth has already, somehow, made the connection, between either me and you, or you and the club.”
I heard what she was saying, but all I could focus on was what she wasn’t saying.
“I’m in danger?”
Peaches gave one sharp nod, guilt swimming in her eyes. “Yep. And it doesn’t matter what you know or don’t know. I know that now, and I’m sorry, Annabelle.”
I wanted to be upset, to yell and scream at both Peaches and Wheeler for keeping me in the dark when they knew exactly how much danger was lurking around them. But getting upset wouldn’t change anything, so I nodded. “Does any of this have to do with your mysterious trip to New York?”
She nodded. “It all does. That’s where I lived when, well when this all first started to go wrong. There’s been a lot of lying low and all that, but yeah. We went back to see if we could figure out why Farnsworth is after me.”
Her gaze slid to the side like she was hiding something. At this point I didn’t know if I even wanted to know what it was. But I felt compelled.
“You don’t know?” I asked her, incredulously.
She shook her head, her expression mystified as copper curls came to a rest on her shoulders. “I can’t say for sure. The op didn’t go as planned, but they don’t sometimes. If there’s something else happening, I don’t know what it is. That pisses me off and terrifies me.” Peaches shrugged and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. “Everything was mostly scrubbed clean so it wasn’t helpful.”
I heard what she wasn’t saying. “You found something that you’re not sure about, and you don’t want to tell anyone.” It wasn’t a question. Now that I had a much clearer picture of her life, I could see the signs.
She nodded. “It’s not just that I don’t want to, I can’t. If I do, everything I’ve done will have been for nothing.”
I didn’t know what to say to that. It all seemed so implausible but Peaches seemed to believe it. All of it, including the danger I was in, so I said the only thing I could.
“Apology accepted.”
“Good. Because I think you need to move to the ranch until Farnsworth has been dealt with.”
That was not happening. “I can’t do that, Peaches. I like having my space. I need my space.” Not to mention the fact that Wheeler would probably shit a brick if I stayed here.
“I’ll be fine.”
“You won’t. That’s what I need you to understand. Farnsworth will kill you just to get back at us, to throw us off balance.” She was fired up, and I knew Peaches sincerely believed it all, because I believed her.
“So what, I’m supposed to live in your guestroom, driving an extra fifteen miles back and forth to the hospital for an indefinite amount of time?” That sounded completely unreasonable, though not when the alternative was death.
“I didn’t want to have to do this, Annabelle, but you’ve left me no choice.”
A small smile crossed my face at her theatrics. I sat back against the wall and waited.
“No choice?”
She folded her arms over her big boobs and pursed her lips before she spoke. “I need an extra set of eyes on Maisie at all times. Between me and you and Martha, we should have it handled. At all times.”
Suddenly, I knew what she meant. “Low blow, Peaches.” Bringing that adorable little girl into it, knowing I wouldn’t be able to deny her that, was unfair. And it worked like a charm.
She shrugged, completely unapologetic. “You left me with no other option. I’ll get the empty master suite at the other end of the hall ready for you. It’ll be your own little space.” Gratitude and hope swam in her eyes, but more than anything I saw relief.
“Thanks, Annabelle, and I really am sorry.”
“I’m only sorry you didn’t think you could trust me with your secrets.”
“Again? Wheeler ringing any bells?”
I shrugged. “There’s nothing to tell, but I’m happy to provide details if you want.”
“Later,” she said, flashing a wide smile. “Whenever their meeting is over, one of the guys will take you to get some of your things. Until then, how about a proper bourbon?”
She read my mind, and I smiled, lifting my glass up for a refill. Sometimes a girl just needed a little bit of liquid courage to get through the really tough shit.
Chapter Eleven
Wheeler
“Try not to take too long, Doc.” I didn’t have to growl at her the way I did, but I could have slapped Gunnar for telling me to keep an eye on Annabelle while she prepared to stay on the ranch until shit blew over. I insisted on driving my own truck, and she sat beside me, quiet and pensive. Probably trying to figure out how the hell she got sucked into this mess.
“It’ll take as long as it takes for me to hand wrap my good China.” She snorted and pushed open the door before I even killed the engine, giving me a quick eyeroll then walking up the steps into her house.
I followed her inside and grabbed her shoulder. “Just a sec.” Now that we knew it was Farnsworth, we had to assume no place was safe. “Stay here.” Instead of waiting for her to argue with me, I went inside, checking all the rooms on both floors until I was satisfied the place was safe. “Come on in, Doc.” I called out.
When I got back downstairs, Annabelle had kicked off her shoes and grabbed a beer while she surveyed the contents of her fridge. “Help yourself to a beer and the television. It’ll take me about an hour.” She picked up her bottle and disappeared up the stairs, leaving me alone in her space.
Her place always surprised me. It was more colorful than I imagined her place would be. Splashes of yellow and red, bright purple and emerald green dotted the otherwise black and white furniture. She seemed so prissy everywhere except the bedroom, I half expected her place to be pink and beige. But it wasn’t. This was her space, where she let her true self shine, and it was her to a tee.
Goddammit, the last thing I wanted was to understand her. She was about to stay on the ranch. Under MC protection, which meant I couldn’t keep getting mixed up with her. Not while she slept under Gunnar’s roof. Hell, I wanted her so bad I’d argued against having her stay on the ranch, insisting she didn’t need our help.
I felt like a real asshole when Gunnar pointed out that Farnsworth already knew where she worked. If he knew where she lived, he probably knew about my semi-regular visits. Which meant she needed our help.
And now she had it, which meant I couldn’t have her.
Maybe not once we were on the ranch, but we weren’t there now, were we?
Fuck no, we weren’t. Five seconds later I climbed the stairs and found her bent over inside her closet, heart-shaped ass encased in denim. Teasing me the way it wiggled.
“Need some help, Doc?”
Sh
e froze at the sound of my voice and looked over her shoulder, sending a bolt of dark arousal through me as I imagined her naked, letting me fuck her hard from behind.
“No thanks, I got it.” She turned back, dismissing me.
Too bad my cock was already awake and stirring. I needed her, bad, and I had to have her.
I leaned over and purred in her ear. “Are you sure?” I rubbed my hands over the globe of her ass, up and down her thighs, letting my thumbs graze the almost invisible seam between her legs. “Because I’m right here.”
I knew I had her when she tossed her head back and let out a sensual moan that had my cock standing up and taking notice. “What do you want, Wheeler?”
“I want to fuck you, Annabelle. It’s been too long since I felt you fall apart around my cock.” She moaned again and wiggled her ass against my cock.
“Fuck me, then.” That was it, easy acceptance of what we both wanted. It was a part of what made her so damn appealing. So fucking irresistible.
“I will,” I promised, pulling her toward me and slowly stripping her out of her slacks and silky blouse. Her doctor’s clothes. She was fucking perfect, thin and feminine, with a narrow waist and hips a little bigger than they needed to be and her tits, were slightly more than a handful. But the way some of her pussy hairs were already slick? That had my mouth watering, knowing she wanted me just as fucking bad.
“But first,” I told her and leaned forward, inhaling the musky scent of her wet, turned on pussy.
“Yes?”
“First I want you to show me the dirty girl I know you can be.” Before I could say another word, her hands were on my body, pulling off my clothes before I stilled them.
“What do you want me to do to you, Annabelle?”
With a coy smile, she bit down on her bottom lip and gave me a long look. “Lie down. On the floor.”
I didn’t know whether to be insulted or turned on, but the scent of her desire swirled in the air and my cock was rock hard from just looking at her. So I got down until her soft plush carpet was against my back. “Now what?”
