by Nicole James
Cole nodded.
****
The man stood in the bushes, fifty yards from the clubhouse. Just far enough away to be out of sight. He grinned as he watched the men scramble out to their bikes. They’d never figure out who was fucking with them. He was just too good. Hell, this was like taking candy from a baby.
He twirled the gold necklace with the tiny locket around his finger. A little memento from last night. One he’d taken from the cute brunette. She’d yelled filthy things at him before he’d shut her up, calling him a grotesque hideous monster. The little cunt.
He’d shown her though, hadn’t he? He’d shown her the true meaning of the word monster, saving her for last, taking his time with her, slashing her over and over while she’d screamed behind the duct tape he’d put across her mouth.
She’d been Sonny’s headliner. He chuckled. Her head wasn’t so pretty anymore, now, was it?
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Crystal was on the front steps of the shop, sipping on a cola and enjoying the spring sunshine for a fifteen minute break when Max came roaring up on his Harley. He backed it to the curb, dropped the kickstand and climbed off. Pulling his helmet off, he twisted, grinning back at Crystal.
Her eyes trailed over his bike. All of the O’Rourke brothers rode. And every time she heard their bikes pull in, every time she looked out the window and saw that line of four bikes, sometimes a lot more than four if they had a bunch of bikers for customers, she’d miss the feel of riding down the road on the back of Wolf’s bike.
She’d ridden with Wolf quite often over the years. He’d take her on long rides. Usually, they’d stop somewhere quiet and have long talks about anything and everything. He’d tell her about growing up with a father that made his life hell and never thought he was good enough. She’d tell him about growing up with a sister who could do no wrong and how in comparison she could do no right. They’d share things with each other, things they’d never shared with anyone else.
Her thoughts went back to one ride in particular…
Wolf had ridden her up into the hills to a spot that overlooked the city below. It was a place he’d taken her to several times before. In fact, she’d begun to think of it as their special spot.
Dusk was falling, turning the sky to a gorgeous sapphire blue as the lights of the city sparkled below. They sat side-by-side on a big boulder, their booted feet swinging.
“It’s so beautiful up here,” she murmured.
“Um-hmm.” He studied the horizon.
She turned to him. “If you hadn’t joined the MC, what would you have done?”
“What do you mean?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “I mean, like in high school, what had you wanted to do with your life?”
He grinned at her. “You mean what did I want to be when I grew up?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes, Wolf. What did you want to be when you grew up?”
It was his turn to shrug. “Hell, I don’t remember. I think I had planned to join the Army. Back then I would have signed my life away just to get the hell out of my father’s house.”
“But you joined the MC instead?”
“Yep. About that time I met Dog.” He grinned at her, teasing, “It was all downhill from there.”
She gave him a sly grin in return. “I’ll tell him you said that.”
His brows went up. “Like hell you will.”
They laughed. When they got quiet again, she turned to him. “Do you ever come up here without me?”
He turned to look at her, studying her a long moment before he shook his head. “Nope. Just with you.”
She grinned, liking his answer, and dropped her head to his shoulder. “It’s our spot then.”
“Yep, kiddo. It is.” He reached down and took her hand, threading their fingers together. Then he brought their joined hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. Then his eyes returned to the horizon.
“Wolf?” she whispered.
“Hmm?” he responded, his eyes still on the horizon.
“Do you ever miss your family?” She felt his head move, and his jaw pressed against the side of her forehead as he dipped his head toward hers.
“All I’ve got left is my ol’ man. And you know how I feel about him. So, I guess the answer is no.” He hesitated a moment, and then asked, “Why? Do you miss yours?”
She shrugged. “Sometimes.”
“When’s the last time you saw them?”
“Three years ago.”
“Maybe it’s time you went home for a visit, then.” When she didn’t reply, he bumped her with his shoulder. “Hey?”
She lifted her head and met his eyes.
“What’s the matter?”
“My father has been sick, and I really want to go see him.”
“Then you should go.” When she hesitated, he frowned. “What’s the problem, sweetheart?”
She shrugged. “You know how I get on with my mom and sister. I just don’t know how a visit would go over.”
He grinned at her. “You need backup, just say the word.”
Her eyed dropped to his mouth, and she returned his smile. Looking into his eyes, she asked, “You offering to be my backup, Wolf?”
“I’ll always be your backup, darlin’. Anytime. Anyplace.”
She grinned up at him and got lost in his warm brown eyes. He meant it. Every word. And she loved him for it. In fact, she’d loved him for a long time. She just didn’t know how to tell him.
“I’ve got the weekend free. Say the word, and you’re on the back of my bike, and we’re gone.”
She searched his eyes. “You mean it? You’d really take me?”
“Yes, I’d really take you. If you’re ol’ man is sick, you need to go see him. Don’t let your mom or sister keep you from doing that.”
“You’re right, Wolf. I should go.”
“It’s settled then. And if your mom or sister give you any grief, I’ll shut that shit down in a heartbeat.”
Crystal’s eyes stared off into space, thinking back on the sweet memory. He’d taken her that weekend, just like he’d promised. He’d met her father, the two of them even having a quiet talk. And he’d had her back for every barb her mother and sister threw at her. Finally, before the weekend was over, they’d come to have a new appreciation of her, treating her with a new respect they’d never had for her before. And that was all because of Wolf. He’d pointed out to them over and over what a good person she was, what a hard worker she was, and how everyone loved her. Finally, having enough, he’d informed them if they couldn’t see any of that, they could both go to hell.
Of course, that hadn’t gone over well, but she had to admit, they’d both changed their tune after that.
“Sometimes, people just need to be reminded of shit and put in their place,” he’d told her later when she’d thanked him.
Max’s voice drew her back from her memories. “Hey, darlin’, want to go for a ride?”
She focused back in on him as he stood next to his bike, looking up at her. “I’d love one, but it’s busy, and you’re late. You know how that pisses off Jameson. And no one wants a pissed off Jameson.”
He grinned back at her, and then his eyes lifted to something over her head and behind her.
“A pissed off Jameson?”
She heard the growled words and winced. Apparently, while she’d been daydreaming, she’d missed the sound of the door opening. “Oh shit.”
“Yeah, oh shit is right, Ace.”
She twisted to see the man, himself, standing on the porch behind her, his arms folded over his chest. He may have growled, but his eyes twinkled down at her. Then he lifted his eyes to his brother. “Our hours are noon to eight, in case you forgot.”
“I remember.”
“Did you remember the paperwork I asked you to bring me?”
“Paperwork?” Max frowned.
Jameson let out a long suffering sigh. “The shit I left on the kitchen table.
The shit I called you about a half hour ago?”
“Oh. Shit. I forgot.” Max looked up at him sheepishly.
“Well, go back to the house and get it.”
Max grinned up at him. “I was just asking Crystal, here, if she wanted a ride.”
“That so?” Jameson looked down at her. “You wanting a ride?”
“Umm. Yeah, sure.”
He lifted his chin toward Max. “Go on then. Go with him.”
“But the shop,” she protested lamely.
“Got it covered, Ace. Go on.”
She swiveled her head to see Max smiling and crooking his finger at her.
She rose to her feet and trotted down the steps to her first ride in a long, long, time.
They rode through the backwoods and countryside, Max definitely taking the long way back to the old family farmhouse the four brothers shared outside of town. When they finally pulled down the drive, and he dropped the kickstand, Crystal remembered why she loved riding so much.
They both climbed off.
Max looked back at her and grinned when he saw her face. “You enjoy that?”
“God, yes. I miss it. Bad.”
Max frowned. “Then do it more often.”
“Uh, that’s kind of up to when I get the chance.”
“Why settle for being on the back?”
“What do you mean?”
“You shouldn’t have to have a man to be able to ride. Get your own bike. Then you can ride whenever the hell you want, darlin’.”
Crystal smiled, sliding her hands in her back pocket. “That’s not as easy as it sounds. I don’t know the first thing about, you know, riding one of these things.”
Max grinned. “I could teach you.”
Her eyes widened and her mouth parted. “Are you serious?”
“Hell, yeah. Why not? You’re a quick learner.”
Crystal was amazed by his offer, her eyes skimming over the sleek lines of his beautiful bike. God, it would be awesome to ride one. To ride anytime she wanted. Go anywhere she wanted. Shit, how cool would that be? Then she bit her lip. There was just one problem with that. She couldn’t afford a bike.
“What’s wrong?” Max asked.
She shrugged. “It’s a real sweet offer, Max, but even if I wanted to, I couldn’t afford a bike.”
“And do you want to? Bike aside, I mean.”
“Of course, but—”
He turned his back on her and walked toward the garage that was set back from the farmhouse. “Come on, Ace.”
She trailed behind him, stopping when he lifted up the garage door, then following him inside the huge three-car garage filled with a lot of junk. He stopped in front of a tarp covered shape and pulled the canvas off, revealing an old motorcycle. The front forks were missing the wheel, the handle bars were bent, and the rear fender was damaged.
“It needs a little work, but it’s a good bike.” Then he shocked the shit out of her by turning to her and saying, “I’ll make you a deal. I’ll fix it, but you’ve got to learn to ride it.”
“Are you saying…?”
“I’ll give it to you.”
“No shit!” A smile burst across her face, and he busted out laughing.
“No shit, Ace.”
And so commenced her riding lessons. She spent all her spare time, first watching Max work on the bike, then taking lessons. Not just from him, all the brothers got in on the act, each one of them taking a turn teaching her. She rode every chance she got. And as May turned to June, and June to July, and July to August, she was becoming damn good.
Pulling into the shop one day, she strutted inside before opening time to find the four brothers gathered around her reception area. Liam was sprawled in her chair, Rory was sitting on her desk, Max was leaning against the customer side of the counter, and Jameson stood with his feet spread and his arms crossed.
“Good. She’s here,” Max greeted her, twisting to look over his shoulder.
“What’s going on?” she asked, looking suspiciously from one to the next.
“Family meeting,” Rory teased.
“Family meeting?” she frowned, her eyes moving to Jameson.
“Employee meeting,” he corrected.
“That’s what I said,” Rory insisted with a grin.
Crystal moved to stand next to Max, setting her purse down on the counter. Max leaned over and bumped her with his shoulder, grinning at her. “How’s the bike running?”
She grinned back. “Awesome.”
“Good,” Jameson replied. “Because we’re going on a road trip.”
“A what?” Her eyes widened.
“Sturgis, Ace.”
“Sturgis?”
“Yup. We go every year. Make a mint up there. Customers are lined up out the door,” Max confirmed.
“Okay, but why do I have to go?” she frowned, a panic taking hold of her.
“Someone has to do the paperwork and handle the payments, babe. We’ll be working non-stop laying ink,” Jameson clarified.
“Are you serious?”
“Yeah, Ace, I’m serious. Why?”
“Sturgis? No way.” She shook her head.
“It’s not up for negotiation.”
“I’m not camping out in some campground with a bunch of men. No way. I need a bed and a hot shower,” she insisted.
“High maintenance, isn’t she, boss?” Max gave her a wink.
“I never met a woman that wasn’t,” Jameson replied, his eyes on her.
“Hey!”
“You’ll have a bed…and hot water,” he clarified.
She put her hand on her hip and arched her brow suspiciously. “I’m not sharing. Just so we’re clear.”
He looked at her, his eyes skating down her body and he grinned.
“Jameson.”
“We’re clear, Ace.”
“Where exactly are we staying?” Her eyes moved around her desk, landing on each man before stopping on Jameson again. She watched his eyes sharpen.
“You’ll have your own room, Crystal.”
Liam added, “Yeah. We rent out a storefront on the main drag. There’s a small apartment above it that comes with it. Of course, the cable network that’s interested in signing Jameson for his own show is going to be providing him with one of those big tour buses.”
Rory grinned. “Yeah, we’re going to be our own traveling ‘road show’.”
“Tour bus?” Crystal looked at Jameson, who almost looked embarrassed by it all. He shrugged.
“They’re going to do a little filming. See if there’s anything worth doing a show with.”
“You mean, kind of like a pilot?” she asked.
He shrugged again. “I guess.”
“Holy cow!” Her eyes got big.
At her lame-o response, he grinned. “Yeah, how ‘bout that. Holy cow.”
She slugged him in the arm. “Shut up.”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
“Babe, you seen my long sleeve shirt?” Crash called out from the bedroom when he heard the toilet flush and the door open. He was distractedly stuffing clothes in a duffle bag that sat on the bed. He twisted, looking over his shoulder at Shannon. She had a funny look on her face. Kind of green, kind of anxious.
“You okay?” He frowned, thinking back to all the anxiety and panic attacks she used to have when they first met, attacks he’d thought were long in the past. But then again, he hadn’t left her for an extended period of time, not like this run was going to be, and it crossed his mind for the first time that maybe she was afraid to be alone. He straightened. “Shannon?”
“Yes. I’m fine.”
“You know I have to go. It’s a mandatory run. Sturgis is national. There’ll be Chapters from all over the country.”
“I know. How long will you be gone?”
“Its fourteen hundred miles, babe. Two days out, maybe six days there, two days back. So, ten days probably. Maybe more.”
She suddenly dashed back into the bathroom, her hand ove
r her mouth. This time, he followed and held her hair back while she puked. As she bent over the toilet, his eyes skimmed down her back and landed on her ass. And the little white telltale stick sticking out of her back pocket.
His eyes moved to the waste basket, and he spied the corner of the recognizable box she’d tried to hide under a wad of tissue. His eyes then moved to her back as her muscles flexed with her heaving. He rubbed her back and couldn’t fight the grin forming on his face or the joy singing through him.
She flushed the toilet, and he handed her a wash cloth. She moved to the sink, turning on the faucet. Scooping some water into her cupped hand, she slurped it up and spit it out. Wiping her face, she then chugged some mouthwash.
“Sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry for. You okay now, Princess?”
“Yes.”
He studied her face. Then he took her by the hand and pulled her back into the bedroom. Taking her in his arms, he stared down at her a long moment and then asked, “Were you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
He reached and pulled the stick out of her back pocket. Holding it up, he asked again, “Were you going to tell me before I left, sweetheart?”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she pressed close against him. He felt her nod her head against his chest, her face buried.
“Shannon, look at me.”
Finally, she pulled back and looked up at him.
“Aren’t you happy?”
She sniffled. “Yes, of course I am.”
He pushed her to sit on bed and knelt in front of her. “Then what’s wrong?”
“You’re leaving. I’m afraid. And I didn’t want to tell you and distract you.”
“Baby,” he breathed, his eyes searching hers. “You know I want nothing more than to stay with you. Especially now. But you understand I have to go, don’t you?”
She nodded. “Yes. And I’ll be fine. I’m being silly. I guess the hormones are already kicking in. I’m just being emotional.”
“I love you.” He held her eyes for a long moment before dropping them to her stomach. Then he moved in close to kiss her belly and whispered against her skin, “And I love you, too, little Princess.”
