She cleared her throat. “I—”
“No offense, but Peyton isn’t a realtor. Her expertise is on the administrative side.” He smiled at her. “Although, I’m sure she’d agree that this house is worth every penny of the asking price.”
“You’re representing the seller, too, right?” I replied, knowing he’d be getting commission from both ends.
His eye twitched. “Yes, but even so, this buyer knows he can get the full amount and has only had it on the market for a short time. You start low-balling and you’ll lose it. It’s only Saturday and I’m sure there will be other viewings today.”
I knew he was right. I looked at Peyton again, wishing I didn’t have to deal with the asshole. “Can I talk to you alone for a second?”
Her eyes widened. “Uh, okay,” she said, looking over at John.
He gave her a hard look.
“Could you give us a couple of minutes?” I said to John.
“Of course,” he replied with a forced smile. He picked up his briefcase and walked outside.
“So, what do you think? Is he pulling my leg, or what?” I asked her in a low voice.
“Honestly, I may not be a realtor, but I’ve seen what houses are selling for and I think he’s right. It’s a good deal.”
I grinned. “I think so, too. I just wanted to… what was that you said yesterday? Oh, yeah. ‘Ruffle his feathers’ a bit.”
She smiled. “Oh, you definitely did.”
“He’s an asshole. How can you stand working for him?”
“It’s a fulltime job. I need the money.”
“I hope he’s paying you well.”
Peyton snorted. “Let’s just say I’ve been keeping an eye out for something better to come along.”
I smiled. “Good plan. Meanwhile, keep writing.”
“I’ll try.”
My phone suddenly began to ring. I pulled it out and noticed that Phoenix was calling again. “I’d better take this. You can tell John to start the paperwork. I’ll offer the full amount.”
She grinned. “Okay.” Peyton headed toward the door.
“Hey, brother. What’s up?” I answered.
“Nothing good. I just got word that someone broke into the tattoo shop and took off with Devon’s safe.”
I swore. “I hope she didn’t have a lot in there.”
“A little over five-thousand dollars.”
“Shit. You have any idea of who did it?”
“Actually, she checked the cameras and recognized someone,” he replied, his voice strange.
“One of the Blood Angels?” I replied.
He didn’t say. “Look, we’re on our way back into town. I need you to meet me at the clubhouse in two hours.”
“No problem,” I replied, a feeling of dread forming in the pit of my stomach. Something was wrong, and it wasn’t just the stolen money. “Anything else you’re not mentioning?”
“You’ll find out soon enough,” he said and hung up.
Chapter 10
Peyton
“Is there something going on between you?” John asked when I stepped outside. He was leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette.
“I don’t know what you mean,” I replied, forcing a smile to my face.
He grunted. “Don’t give me that. You know exactly what I’m talking about.”
Something told me not to tell him we’d had dinner the night before, or that we were doing it again later in the evening. “We built up a good rapport yesterday and he trusts me. Anyway, he’s agreed to offer the entire amount.”
John grinned. “Excellent. Let’s just hope he really does have the cash on hand to purchase now.”
I nodded.
The door opened up and Dom walked out, looking distracted.
“So, I heard we’ve got the green light to make an offer?” John asked.
“Yeah,” he replied. “How fast can we close?”
“That all depends on how fast you can get the money,” said John.
“I can write you a check today,” said Dom.
Hearing the word check, John smiled. “I wish it were that easy. We need to draw up the paperwork, get the offer approved by the seller, and then I need the title company to do their end. It will be at least a couple of days.”
“Okay. I should probably have an inspection done,” said Dom, looking back at the house. “But,” he frowned, “dammit, I’ve just got too much on my plate right now. I need to find a home.”
“It’s in good condition. You saw it,” said John. “I don’t usually recommend skipping the inspection, but you can’t beat the price and it has everything you’re looking for. I’m sure any repairs needed are just minor, anyway.”
I rolled my eyes. John was full of shit. He was always trying to push sales and often steered customers away from inspections so he could close faster.
“Like I said, I’m in a hurry. Let’s just get this over with,” Dom said.
“Let’s go back inside. We’ll start filling out the paperwork and get the proposal out to the seller,” said John, grabbing his briefcase.
Dom nodded.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, noticing Dom was unusually silent as we walked back into the home.
“Someone broke into our clubhouse and stole some money,” he replied in a low voice.
“Oh no,” I said, staring at him in surprise.
“I apologize, but I have to make a quick phone call,” hollered John from the kitchen.
“No problem,” replied Dom. He turned back to me. “I wanted to spend the day with you, but it looks like I’m going to be busy for a couple of hours.”
“I understand. Do you still want to have dinner tonight?”
“Of course. This shouldn’t take too long,” Dom said. “Why don’t you give me your address and I’ll pick you up afterward?”
“On your motorcycle?” I asked, feeling a tinge of excitement at the thought.
“Yeah.” His eyes searched mine. “You ever been on one?”
“No. I’ve always wanted to, though.”
He grinned. “So, I get to pop your cherry?”
I blushed. “Apparently.”
He was going to say something else, but his cell phone began to ring again. Sighing, Dom pulled it out and checked who the caller was.
“Sorry,” he said, looking at me. “I have to take this.”
“No problem.”
Chapter 11
Tarot
The caller was Tank. I stepped away from Peyton and answered it.
“Brother,” he said. “I don’t know what the fuck is going on, but I think someone is trying to frame you.”
My stomach tightened. “What do you mean?”
“I just got a call from Phoenix. He was asking me some serious questions about you.”
“Me? I don’t understand. What was he asking?”
“Apparently, they’ve been robbed and the guy on video looks exactly like you.”
My blood began to boil. “I didn’t rob anyone. That’s bullshit.”
“I believe you. You and I go way back and I know you’d never steal from anyone, let alone your own club. Anyway, if that wasn’t bad enough, Devon’s being stalked and she claims you’re the one who’s doing it.”
I was so outraged, I had to step out of the house. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” I said angrily. “I was over at her place last night helping her. She had a Peeping Tom looking through her windows and Phoenix called me up, asking me to go and check on her. That’s all I did. I’m not into stalking anyone, especially women.”
“Relax, brother. I believe you.”
“Why would she accuse me of this shit?” I said in disbelief. “I don’t understand.”
“Apparently, the neighbor noticed someone who looked like you in her backyard last night.”
I grunted. “Of course, they did. I was checking around for the asshole looking in on Devon.”
“The neighbor claimed it was around seven that the Peeping
Tom was lurking around. Phoenix said he didn’t talk to you until much later.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I was having dinner with someone at that time. What in the hell? Don’t they fucking trust me?”
“They want to, but obviously, someone is messing with their heads.”
“Yeah, apparently.”
“There’s one more thing,” said Tank. “Devon claims she received a dick-pic on Facebook from someone calling themselves ‘Tarot’. Apparently, the guy had a pair of her panties and was—”
“Enough,” I growled, pacing back and forth. “You know it wasn’t me. I don’t even have a Facebook account, and I sure as shit wouldn’t send a picture of my dick to anyone. Someone is framing me.”
“It certainly looks like it.”
Trying to calm down, I ran a hand over my face. “I need to talk to Devon.”
“That’s not going to happen. Devon is pretty freaked out about this and they don’t want you going near her until this shit is figured out.”
The fact that they didn’t trust me was like getting kicked in the stomach. “This is bullshit!”
“You have any idea of who might be doing this?” asked Tank.
“Honestly, my gut is telling me it’s the Blood Angels.”
“I was wondering about that as well. Why would they concentrate on you, though?”
I thought about it. A riff between me and the club could create a big distraction. I told Tank my thoughts.
“It makes sense. Hopefully, we can get to the bottom of this quickly.”
“I hope so. The fact that Phoenix and Devon believe I’d do this shit is really pissing me off though.”
“They just don’t know you well enough. I told Phoenix that it couldn’t be you. He’s definitely willing to give you the benefit of the doubt.”
I grunted. “I’d hope so. Besides, I have witnesses who will attest that I was having dinner last night and nowhere near Devon’s place until after Phoenix called.”
“I don’t think you’re going to need them.”
It sounded to me like I would.
Tank sighed. “I gotta go. Tell Phoenix to call me later after you talk to him.”
“Will do.”
“I know you’re pissed off,” he said. “But, we’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“Damn right we will.”
We spoke for a few more seconds and then hung up. I walked back into the house and explained that I needed to sort some things out, but still wanted the house. They had me sign some paperwork, and then John took off.
“What’s wrong?” asked Peyton, searching my face.
“More club stuff,” I replied, not wanting to drag her into any more of my drama.
“You want to talk about it?”
“Maybe during dinner. We’re still on, right?”
She smiled. “Of course.”
I relaxed. “Good.”
“Here’s my address, by the way,” she said, handing me a slip of paper.
I stuck it into my pocket. “Thanks. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
“Okay.”
We walked outside to her car. She got in and rolled down the window.
“I’m glad you’re buying this place,” she said, looking past me toward the house. “I think it’s a great place to raise a family, as well as a great investment.”
“Me, too,” I replied, leaning down. “You know what else?”
She gave me a questioning look. “What?”
Chapter 12
Peyton
He leaned into my window and kissed me on the lips, first softly, and then with passion. “I’m glad I met you,” he whispered, touching my cheek as he slowly pulled away.
“Same here,” I said, stunned.
Smiling, he walked over to his motorcycle and got on. As he started it, heat rushed through my body as I imagined the two of us doing more than just kissing.
Slow down, I told myself. It was just a kiss. And we were just having dinner.
***
I drove home and was just walking through the front door, when my cell phone went off. It was my friend Stephanie.
“Hi, Steph,” I said, answering the call.
“Hi. We missed you at dinner last night,” she pouted.
Stephanie and I had known each other since high school and she was probably my closest friend. Although we didn’t get together much, I enjoyed our monthly dinners and regretted having had to cancel last night.
“I missed you, too. Did everyone else show?”
“Yes. It was a nice evening.”
“Figures. So, what’s new with everyone?”
“Joy is pregnant and Abigail is dating someone new,” said Steph. “And very happy, for once.”
“Seriously? That’s awesome,” I replied. I knew Joy had been trying to get pregnant for the last few months and Abigail’s ex-boyfriend had cheated on her. To find out that both of my friends were happy was music to my ears.
“I know, right?”
“So, what about you? Anything new?”
“Not really.”
“How’s the job going?”
Stephanie was a nine-one-one operator and always working crazy hours.
“Same as always,” she replied. “Busy. I did have a crazy call the week before, though. A woman called up and wanted her husband arrested for impersonating her.”
“What? That’s crazy.”
“I know. Apparently, she caught him dressed in women’s clothing and wearing a wig. If that wasn’t bad enough, he’d stolen her driver’s license and one of her credit cards so he could go clubbing.”
“Wow. That’s just… wow.”
She laughed. “Oh, and last month a guy called up thinking that there was a UFO hovering over his house. We were going to send someone out there to check it out, but then he called back explaining he’d made it mistake. It was the moon.”
I chuckled. “You’re serious?”
“Believe me, I wish I wasn’t. What’s scarier is knowing that these people live in our city. I don’t know how they function in normal society.”
“No doubt.”
“How’s your job? Ready to jump ship yet?”
She knew how much I despised John. “If I find another job, yeah.”
“You should come and work with me.”
“You know I can’t handle stress the way you can. You have so much patience for these people.”
“It’s definitely challenging.”
We spoke for a few minutes longer and then she asked if I wanted to grab a bite to eat.
“I can’t,” I replied.
“Are you working at Olive Garden tonight?”
“No.” I told her I had a date.
She sucked in her breath. “Really? Who’s the guy?”
I knew that if I told her he was a biker, and with the Gold Vipers, she wouldn’t understand. Instead, I said that he was one of John’s clients and explained how we’d met.
“Wow. That’s kind of romantic—a lonely guy goes house-hunting and finds both a place to put both his shoes and his heart.”
I laughed. “Who’s the sap?”
“I know. I am. Anyway, I hope it works out for you. It’s been a long time since you’ve dated, hasn’t it?”
It had been almost a year, and the last guy I’d gone out with had been dull and boring, both in and out of bed.
“Yeah, I’ve just been so busy,” I replied. “Working two jobs and… I just haven’t met anyone, until now, who is interesting.”
“Well, I hope it works out for you.”
“Yeah, me, too,” I replied, although part of me was nervous about the fact that he was in the Gold Vipers. As much as I wanted to believe that they really were just a club with a bad rap, I had a niggling feeling that it was wishful thinking.
Chapter 13
Tarot
I headed to the clubhouse to wait for the others. Although I was still furious at the thought of being accused of something like this, my instincts tol
d me it was what the people framing me wanted.
When I arrived, Devon wasn’t in the tattoo parlor, but two of her employees were inking up customers. They stared at me as I walked by, but didn’t say anything.
I stepped out of the parlor and into our clubhouse lounge, closing the door behind me. It wasn’t a huge area, but the room accommodated us well for what we needed. It held a few small pub tables, a bar, a refrigerator, and an old jukebox that sometimes needed to be kick-started. There was also an old pool table, a dartboard, and an air-hockey game that was on its last leg.
I grabbed a beer from the fridge and went into the church. Sitting down, I cracked open the bottle and waited for Brass and Phoenix. They showed up about forty minutes later, looking tired and frustrated.
“So much for the fishing trip, huh?” I said to them.
“No shit,” replied Phoenix.
“The fish weren’t biting anyway,” said Brass.
“Speak for yourself. I caught a couple of Sunnies,” said Phoenix.
I couldn’t hold back any longer. I was pissed. “I spoke to Tank. You don’t honestly believe I did all of that shit, do you?” I said, trying to remain calm.
Phoenix, who was sunburned from fishing, sat down across from me at the table. “I don’t know what to believe. But, I’m not going to accuse you of anything unless I see some hard evidence.”
I looked at Brass. “Brother, I didn’t steal from you and I certainly didn’t stalk Devon or send her anything on Facebook. Someone is trying to set me up.”
He sat down and pulled out a pack of smokes. “Don’t sweat it. I’m a pretty good judge of people. and I have a hard time believing you’d pull this shit.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, relaxing.
Brass lit his cigarette. “All I can say is that I hope the person sending dick pics to Devon saved them, because when I’m through with the fucker, he won’t remember what his looked like.”
“Who in the hell does that, anyway?” mumbled Phoenix.
“A lot of assholes,” said Brass. “Apparently, it’s not the first time some douchebag has sent her stuff like that.”
Luring the Biker (The Biker) Book 7 Page 5
