by Jayne Blue
I let out a bitter laugh. “Me too. But you know that’s one of the last things I remember talking to her about. She said I should go to you if anything ever happened to her. You always took care of me. You always do.”
Bear nodded. “Damn straight.”
“I wanna find that son of a bitch, Bear. I want to be the one to do to him what he did to her. I want him to hurt like she did. You swore to me if the day ever comes, you’ll help me.”
Bear held out his hand. I grabbed it, locking fists with him. “I keep my promises, Chase. And I’ll keep this one. If we ever find out who killed Rochelle, you’ve got the full weight of the club behind you. I don’t just owe that debt to you, I owe it to her. She deserved better than what she got. I’ll regret till the day I die that I didn’t step in and get her away from Birdman sooner.”
There was a soft knock at the door. Only one person would be bold enough to interrupt us. Bear squeezed my hand again. As the door cracked open and Mama Bear poked her head in, I patted Bear on the shoulder.
“I don’t hold that one against you, man,” I said. “If you’d done that, I wouldn’t be here.”
Bear’s belly laugh vibrated through the floorboards as Mama Bear stepped in. I swear that woman could read minds. She gave me a soft smile as she leaned against the wall. She was compact and tiny, with white hair cropped in short spikes.
“You boys about through?” she asked. Though Bear and I knew if she was asking, it wasn’t really a question. It was more of a command.
“Coming, Mama,” Bear said, smiling. He gave her a gruff growl, but his eyes melted when he turned to her. What they had was special. I knew their love hadn’t come easy. Legend had it Josie Bullock’s stint in the army had been in part to get away from Bear. She kept coming back though. Their son Shep was our Road Captain now. Mama Bear lived and bled for this club as much as Bear did. We’d all be lost without her.
“You okay, baby?” she said. I knew I couldn’t put a damn thing past her. She knew I’d gone out to Hutchins Street and why.
“I’m good, Mama,” I answered. As I stood up, she reached for me, running her hand through my hair.
Bear came to her side, sliding his arm around her waist. He jerked her to him and Mama Bear gave him a wicked smile. I felt like the intruder now. It had been a long day for everybody.
“You look like you need a good night’s sleep,” she said. “I’ll make you some breakfast in the morning before you head out on your run.”
“I just might,” I said. I shot her a wink then gave Bear and his woman the privacy I knew they needed.
I walked down the hall, heading for the apartments we kept in the back. I was saving up to build a new house on the beach. For now, the clubhouse was home. Mama’s offer sounded damn good. Something gnawed at me though. I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep.
The rest of the guys had scattered for the night. Maddox and a few of the prospects hung out by the bar. It was going to be a quiet night, but that didn’t mean the guys here wouldn’t get their fun. Our clubhouse was shaped like an L. We had a bar in the middle, the conference room built off that. The apartments where some of us crashed curved around the back.
Grabbing my helmet from the bar, I drew a hard stare from Maddox. One of the banger girls he liked sat on his lap nibbling his ear. I gave Maddox a wave and headed out the door. If he meant to question me, the chick he was with made him quickly forget. That was good for me. I didn’t want any company where I was headed.
Sliding on my helmet, I started my engine. A full moon hung low in the sky. The light it cast was so bright, I barely needed headlights.
I went north, over the Port Azrael Bridge. Each mile I put between me and the clubhouse made my heart pound just a little faster. It was always like this when I headed out this way, like something pulled me back. The north side was my past and the thing that dragged me down. The docks, the clubhouse, and my brothers were my present and future.
Hutchins Street was quiet as I made the final turn. I picked a spot just across from my old place. Ariel had taken the “For Sale” sign down and boarded up the broken windows.
Ariel.
Her name had been on my lips all day. She didn’t belong here. Hutchins Street was cursed, man. The idea that it could touch her made my blood turn to ice.
I don’t know how long I stayed there, but pink bands streaked across the sky marking dawn. I sat still as stone, watching the house. It was just a fucking house. Brick and glass, pavement and grass. Still, something about this place threatened to drag me down.
As the sun peeked over the rooftop, a truck pulled up in front of the house. My heart flipped and I pushed my visor up, hoping to see a glimpse of Ariel. She wasn’t there though. Just two young kids climbed out of the cab. They were probably part of her demo crew. She had dumpsters parked on each side of the house. I watched for a few minutes more as the kids went inside.
“Nah,” I whispered to myself. “There’s nothing here for you anymore, man.” I’d lied to Bear. I hadn’t left the ghosts behind. They were with me, always. I didn’t come here to say goodbye. I came hoping something might jog my memory.
My mother had locked me in my room that night, but her bedroom was right next door. I could see straight into hers through broken slats in my closet. I never heard her scream. That doesn’t mean she didn’t. When the cops finally came in, they found me crouched there. Only I couldn’t remember anything. I’d blocked it out.
I closed my eyes and heard the sound of glass breaking. A scuffle. For a brief moment, I thought finally, my memory had come back. A deep voice and a grunt snapped me back to reality. The scuffle was coming from inside the house in real time.
“Shit,” I said, tearing my helmet off.
I’d been so focused on the damn house, I hadn’t noticed the other truck parked at the end of the street. Pulling my Nine from my holster, I ran to the front door.
“Hey!” I yelled. What was left of the front window erupted in a shower of glass. I dodged just in time. I didn’t think. I just reacted. When I burst through the front door, four men had the two young kids down on the ground about to bash their skulls in.
I lifted my gun and fired once.
Chapter 4
Ariel
I heard the shot from a half a block away. “Oh hell, no!” Flooring the gas, I pulled up to the curb, parking at a wild angle.
That was dumb. I knew it. I should have just kept on driving and called the police. Instinct kicked in and all I could think about was Bobby and Ryan. I asked them to come in early and have a look around the Hutchins Street property so we could make a plan for how big a crew we needed. They were kids, both of them. Eighteen and seventeen. I wouldn’t turn tail and run.
I froze when I got to the foyer. Chase Cutter stood with his gun drawn. Bobby and Ryan were on the floor. Behind them, four men stood with their bloodied hands raised. Ryan’s lip was split and a line of blood ran from his chin to the floor.
“What the ever-loving fuck?” I said.
Chase didn’t move. He kept his gun trained on the four. Shit. I’d seen their type before. They ran with one of the local gangs. I could guess what happened. They’d either squatted here last night or got an early start trying to rip out the plumbing. Stupid. So stupid. I never should have sent Bobby and Ryan in by themselves.
“Are you okay?” I asked. Bobby looked ashen like he might pass out any second. He had a welt on his temple. One of the thugs behind him still held a hammer in his hand.
“You could have killed him!” I shrieked. “Are you kidding me? For what? Some pipes?”
“Ariel,” Chase said, his voice steady and cold. “Walk outside.”
I couldn’t. Rage took over. These boys were my boys. My crew. Saving the north side wasn’t just about the buildings. Both Ryan and Bobby grew up down here. I gave them steady work and a path to independence. We were family.
“Is this you?” I said. Fear and rage mixed together in my mind. I could see myself as Chas
e must have. My hair flew around me and my cheeks grew hot. I was borderline hysterical. “Did you send these little monsters here?”
Chase ignored me. He kept his gun trained on the four with their hands up. They could be brothers. All had jet-black hair and dark eyes. The ink on their arms meant something. They weren’t Saints though, that was clear. Chase stepped around Bobby and Ryan. I went to them, helping Ryan up. I pulled them with me and the three of us staggered out of the house.
“What the hell is happening?” I asked.
Ryan shook his head. “They jumped us,” he said. It’s all he got out before doubling over the flower boxes and vomiting. I put a hand on the small of his back. Bobby gave me a helpless look and shrugged.
When Ryan recovered, he straightened and turned to me. “Squatters,” he said. “They were already inside when we got here.”
A sick thud drew my attention. Bone on flesh. I started back toward the house but Bobby grabbed my arm. He gave me a slow shake of his head.
“Right,” I said, stepping back off the porch. We walked over to the truck and Ryan sat on the bumper.
One by one, the four thugs filed out. Two of them were limping, a third held a hand to his head, blood pouring between his fingers. Chase filled the doorway behind them standing tall and straight. He was immovable, like a mountain. I got the full effect of his hard stare and leather. He had a gun in a hip holster, but he barely needed it. He stared murder and menace at those four and for a second, I felt sorry for them.
Chase tilted his head and spit to the side. He took one step off the porch and the four scattered and went running.
“Hey!” I yelled. Fumbling for my phone, I ended up dropping it on the ground. “We should call the cops,” I said.
Chase turned toward me; his stare, hard as granite, sent a shiver through me. Sliding his hands into his back pockets, he walked toward us. He moved right past me and went to Ryan. Chase took him by the jaw gently, moving Ryan’s head from side to side.
“You might wanna get that looked at,” he said. “You’ve probably got a concussion.”
“I’m fine,” Ryan said, indignant.
“No, you’re not,” Chase answered, his voice gruff and all alpha male. “Lucky for you, you’ve got marble for a head. But he hit you with that hammer, didn’t he?”
My heart turned to ash. Now that the adrenaline started to wear off, I realized just how close this morning had come to being a downright tragedy.
“Ryan,” I said, my voice choking out of me. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t sweat it, Ariel.” Ryan’s pain-filled smile tore me up. “He’s right. I’ve got a marble head.”
“Still. Go to the doctor, will you? I’ll cover it.”
“Don’t worry,” Bobby chimed in. “I’ll take him. I’m just sorry it’s going to put us behind on the demo.”
“Are you serious?” I said, my heart aching. These were good kids, hard workers. They’d been looked down on their entire lives because of where they came from. North-side trash. But I knew better. Bobby was saving to go to school so he could become a carpenter. He had real talent. Ryan had made every mistake his father made before him. At seventeen, he already had a kid of his own on the way. But he was trying to do the right thing and save enough money so he and his girlfriend could have a house together.
“Ryan.” I went to him and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. “You work for me. I take care of my crew. Get checked out. I want written clearance from a doctor before I let you work another day. Got it?”
Ryan gave me a lopsided grin as he chewed his lip, but he nodded. “Got it, boss.”
“Good.” I locked eyes with Bobby to make sure he knew I was serious. Bobby’s slow nod over Ryan’s head reassured me he’d make sure Ryan got taken care of. Then the two of them climbed back into the truck and drove away.
It was then I nearly fell apart. I folded my hands around me and turned back toward the house. I just prayed Bobby and Ryan had showed up before those four losers had stripped all the copper out of the house.
“Hey!” Chase said, calling me back as I tried to head up the walkway. His voice was deep, commanding. It set my blood humming in spite of myself. Pausing, I turned to him. He came to me, crossing the distance between us in two quick strides.
“I told you,” he said. “This neighborhood is no place for someone like you.”
“Someone like me?”
“You think those assholes would have given two shits if it had been you showing up here this morning? You just drove up here by yourself. Jesus. You realize what could have happened if you walked in on them this morning? You’re lucky those two kids got here before you.”
“Lucky?” I put a hand on top of my head. I felt like it might pop off. “Lucky? I’m pretty sure Ryan’s got something broken in his face. I know that kid. He was trying to act all tough in front of you because you’re ... you. He’s probably going to puke all the way to the E.R. That’s if he actually lets Bobby take him there.”
True panic started to set in. It was as if I existed outside myself. I knew what Chase had to be thinking. I was hysterical. Out of my mind. I started pacing up and down the walkway.
“I suppose the next thing you’re going to tell me is I told you so!” I shouted at him.
Chase jerked his head back. It was the only movement he made. He stood before me large as a colossus, his hands folded in front of him. I was on a roll now.
“Oh, I get it,” I said; anger bubbled to the surface. I wouldn’t have been surprised if steam came out of my ears. “Was this you? Is this how the Saints operate? You send those shitheads here to rough up my crew. Then you just happen to be close by to swoop in and run them off? Let me guess, the next thing you’re going to do is offer me a deal, right? What is it? A hundred bucks a week? Five hundred? You gonna protect me now, Chase?”
He still didn’t move a muscle. But Chase’s face went white. His eyes flashed with something dark.
“Forget it,” I said. “I’m not afraid of you. I’m not afraid of your club. I won’t be bullied. This is my town. My house.”
A tremor went through him. His face was expressionless. Those cold, gray eyes cut straight through me. The man seemed chiseled from granite. He had a certain kind of heat coming off him. Chase Cutter was raw sex and danger wrapped in leather and ink. When he moved, it felt like the air itself got out of his way. He’d drawn a gun on those thugs in the house but he wouldn’t have needed it. It was more than the patch he wore, more than the dark menace in his eyes. Chase was lethal. I felt naked under his gaze.
And yet, there I was raving, flapping my hands, sweating. I knew with absolute certainty that if Chase hadn’t walked up when he did, Ryan and Bobby might be dead. It was my fault. My fault. They worked for me. I sent them here. My knees started to knock together and I prayed Chase didn’t notice.
“Ariel,” he said, his voice softening just a bit. This man could be hard and gentle all at once. Alarm bells clanged inside of me. I took a step back. My breath came hot and heavy. A beat passed. Then another.
Chase dropped his shoulders. “This wasn’t us,” he said. “You can think what you want about my club, we don’t operate like this. This was no shakedown.”
I let out a breath I hadn’t realized I was holding. I wanted to tell him I was sorry for thinking the worst. I wanted to thank him for the very real fact that he’d probably just saved Ryan and Bobby’s lives, maybe mine too. I couldn’t say any of it. I kept my arms folded in front of me, shielding me from ... what ... I don’t know.
Chase took a deep breath and scanned the street. A few of the neighbors had come out to investigate the commotion, but they were used to it, I think. They went about their business. Doors closed, cars started.
“I should call the police,” I said.
Chase curled his lip. “You can. You should. They might send a few extra patrols through. Might not. But those four fuck nuts won’t be coming back. They’re freelance, I can tell you that.”
I wanted to ask him how he knew but decided against it. Maybe it was better I didn’t know the details. Something thawed within me as my heart settled back into my chest.
“Thank you,” I said. I put a hand out to shake Chase’s.
He moved, finally. At first, it was a barely perceptible tilt of his head. A slow smile spread across his face, revealing a deep dimple I hadn’t seen before. Chase Cutter was probably a heartbreaker with the banger trash who frequented his club. Oh, I’d seen them around town too. This man didn’t look like Texas. He had the white-blond hair of a surfer and those piercing gray eyes.
Chase took my hand. Heat struck my heart. He really was something when he trained those eyes straight at you. Other women might melt from it. I could see that. I wasn’t like other women. I held my ground and kept my grip firm.
“How do you know they won’t come back?” I asked.
Chase let go of my hand. I had the overwhelming urge to touch him again. There was a chill in the air. Chase’s smile lit his face. “I said this wasn’t a shakedown. It wasn’t. Those boys were two-bit thugs, but they know what this patch means. They won’t be coming back here again. But that doesn’t mean you’re safe.”
I cocked my head and tapped my foot. “Chase Cutter, huh? And how long has it been since you’ve lived on Hutchins Street?”
A shadow crossed his face and I almost regretted the question. There had been a moment like that yesterday too inside the house. What darkness was this man hiding? An ache went through me with the desire to know.
“Twenty years.” His answer was more frank than I expected. I was learning to expect the unexpected where this man was concerned.
“Twenty years,” I repeated. “A lot has changed in two decades, Chase. You have any idea what I can sell this house for once it’s fixed up?”
He raised a wry brow, his expression so stunned it was almost comical.
“Come on,” I said. “Take a little walk with me.”
