To Have and to Harley

by Regina Cole

  “Boss!”

  Trey ran through the coming scenario. Going downtown during daylight was the best choice. They could hide out and watch whoever was coming and going from the warehouse. They’d split into three groups, one coming through the front door, another two flanking behind the warehouse to enter—

  “Trey!”

  At the sound of his name in that angry bellow, Trey finally stopped. He turned and faced the bearded, glowering giant who was his second-in-command. “What?”

  “What the actual hell is wrong with you?” Wolf snarled the words, sounding angrier than Trey had ever heard him. “You got some kind of stick up your ass, that’s fine. But why are you hauling off and making piss-poor, split-second decisions? It’s not like you.”

  “Like me? Like who? Who am I? Do you know me? Do you really?” Trey stalked right up to Wolf, going nose to nose with him. “Maybe it’s exactly like me. Maybe you’ve been wrong all along. Think about that.”

  “I know you. You’re not the kind of person who would go off half-cocked like this.” Wolf’s tone eased a little, hard as nails but with half the volume. “You’re not the kind of man that backs out of his obligations like this. You made a promise to do this wedding, didn’t you?”

  “That’s none of your business.” Trey shoved past him to continue on his way to his house.

  “You made it my business when you dragged the Shadows into it!”

  Wolf’s yell echoed through the woods, an angry bellow that settled its full weight of guilt on Trey’s shoulders.

  “I know,” Trey whispered. “I know.”

  “Then let us finish it.”

  “I can’t. It’s too… I can’t.” Rough as concrete, Trey’s voice cracked. “We need to get Hampton taken care of. Then…then we’ll discuss what to do about that.”

  “I can’t convince you to take your time on this?”

  Trey’s phone chirped in his pocket with a new text message.

  Justine.

  G sed H’s been w Vinnie lots n that he will b @ warehouse 2nite. IDK if that’s who u r looking 4. GL.

  Vinnie. That son of a bitch.

  Trey looked up at Wolf, adrenaline surging through his veins.

  “We’re taking care of business tonight. Get ready. We roll out within the hour.”

  Chapter Thirty

  “What’s this all about?” Sarah asked as she entered Mama Yelverton’s living room.

  Bethany had been there for a good two hours already. Her tension heightened, she’d kept Mama Yelverton’s questions at bay as long as possible. But now that Sarah was there, she was going to lay it all out.

  “Sit down,” Bethany said, gesturing to the couch. Both Mama and Sarah sat, looking at her curiously.

  “What’s going on?” Mama’s expression was concerned.

  “I need to talk to you both.” Bethany drew in a breath, hoping the extra oxygen would calm her vibrating nerves. “It’s about Trey.”

  Sarah blanched slightly, but Mama showed no emotion. “Go on.”

  Bethany had decided this was the best decision. So she had to go through with it. God, this was scary. Wiping her damp palms on her jeans, she straightened her spine and said it.

  “I’m in love with him.”

  Sarah’s hand clapped over her mouth, but Mama laughed delightedly. “I knew it! I caught those looks that passed between the two of you. Oh, Bethy, I’m so happy for you.”

  Sarah sputtered a little. “But I thought you were dating his friend. The one with the weird name.”

  “All his friends have weird names. But no.” Bethany shifted her weight to her other foot. “I lied to you because I was worried it would make you upset. And with your school winding down and the wedding, I wanted to keep as much stress off you as possible.”

  Sarah looked down at her hands. “I can understand that, but I wish you’d trusted me.”

  “Oh, Sarah.” Bethany rushed to her side, sinking beside her on the couch. “I trust you completely. I do. I just was worried about you. Things have been so crazy lately—”

  Sarah’s smile sent a wave of relief through Bethany. “It’s okay. I know your heart was in the right place.”

  “So, where is Trey? I haven’t seen him or heard from him in days. Has he been working on the venue problem?”

  Mama’s innocent question sent Bethany spiraling right back into the depths of worry.

  “That’s the other thing I need to tell you. He’s… Well, he’s not a wedding planner.”

  “I knew it!” Sarah jumped off the couch. “I knew he wasn’t!”

  “Sarah,” Mama chided her.

  Beth continued. “He’s an undercover cop. That’s why he couldn’t tell you what his job was. I promised I’d keep his secret, so you can’t tell anyone. I wouldn’t have told you now, but he’s abandoning us, so I didn’t feel I had a choice.”

  Mama Yelverton frowned. “An undercover…” She shook her head. “Of course we’ll keep quiet. But where is he?”

  “That’s the thing. He’s feeling guilty for lying to you.” Bethany turned to Sarah. “To you both. He doesn’t feel like he’s good enough for this family.”

  Sarah snorted. “Well, that’s total crap. I know I haven’t exactly given him a ton of reasons to feel welcome, but is he really going to give up on Mom that easily?”

  “Not if I can help it.” Bethany pulled her phone free of her pocket and held it aloft. “If you guys agree, I’d like to arrange to meet up with him tonight so we all can gang up on him a little. Tell him that he does belong, that his past doesn’t affect how we see him, and that we all want a relationship with him.” Bethany’s chin fell, and she stared down at her toes. “Even if he doesn’t love me back, I don’t want his relationship with the two of you to end because of that.”

  Mama nodded, and Sarah backed her up. “We’ll do it. But do you think he’ll agree to see us?”

  Bethany looked down at her phone. “There’s only one way to know.”

  * * *

  The late-afternoon light spilled over the concrete and metal surfaces that surrounded them downtown. Trey shifted his position, the chipping paint of the back wall of Cherry Ice falling to the pavement below.

  “Boss.”

  Trey looked over. Doc was jogging toward him, a serious expression on his dark features. “Lars just texted. A big, black Escalade just pulled up behind the warehouse.”

  Trey nodded. “Okay. Keep watch here. I’ll circle and get a better look.”

  Doc nodded and pulled his ball cap low over his features as he took Trey’s position.

  Reaching into his pocket, Trey pulled his phone free. He tapped out a text to Wolf.

  Doc is watching CI’s door. I’m rounding 2 back of warehouse 2 check out new arrival.

  The answer hit him back right away.

  K. Side door still clear.

  Trey broke into a jog, phone still in hand. He was crossing the street when the sound of screeching tires met his ears.

  “Shit!”

  He dove for the curb, barely escaping a collision with a faded-black Ford with heavily tinted windows.

  The horn blared, the driver waving an angry middle finger out the window as the car continued down the street without slowing. It disappeared around the corner, not bothering to stop for the light.

  Trey brushed his hands off on his leathers. Bits of gravel had ground into the meat of his palms. But where had his phone landed?

  Glancing over his shoulder, he spotted it in the middle of the road. But before he could retrieve it, the sound of voices approaching had him diving for cover again, this time behind the dumpster in the alley between the warehouse and the empty storefront that sat beside it.

  Trey peered out from the gap between the dumpster and the wall.

  There were four of them. Hampton, Rat, s
omeone Trey didn’t recognize, and Vinnie.

  Trey’s hands curled into fists.

  They crossed the street, heading toward the warehouse and Trey’s hiding place. He held his breath as Vinnie stopped in the middle of the road.

  He crouched down and scooped up Trey’s phone. Trey bit back an irritated growl as Vinnie looked it over, then pocketed the phone.

  The group continued to the front door of the warehouse, disappearing inside, still talking and laughing.

  Trey waited, one heartbeat, two, three, before moving. He hustled to the back of the warehouse where Lars, Flash, and Dean were stationed.

  He’d have to get a phone off one of them. It had been an unbelievably stupid mistake to lose his. And now it was in the hands of the enemy.

  A mirthless grin spread across Trey’s cheeks as he flattened against the wall, looking carefully before moving behind the building.

  It didn’t matter. He’d have his phone back in a matter of hours.

  And Vinnie would be sorry he’d ever crossed the Shadows, and Trey in particular.

  * * *

  Bethany’s hands didn’t tremble a bit as she composed the text to Trey, even though her insides were nearly vibrating from the stress.

  This had to work. He couldn’t just walk out of their lives. Hers—well, she couldn’t deny that she was praying he’d give them another chance. But if nothing else, he couldn’t walk away from the family that had just found him after all these years.

  They needed him, and he needed them.

  She read over what she’d written.

  Trey, I know what you said. But I’m not ready to give up on you, on us. And your family needs you too. Your mom, your sister, and I would like to come see you tonight and talk things through.

  She bit her lip, debating for a second.

  Should she add it? She’d said it out loud, but she had no way to know if he’d heard it. And if he hadn’t? Well, she didn’t want her admission of her feelings to come via text.

  Selfishly, she wanted to see his face when she told him again.

  Text me back, please.

  “And, sent.” She looked over at Mama Yelverton and Sarah, who had been talking in low voices while she texted. When she spoke, they looked over at her.

  “So what if he says no?”

  Bethany looked down at the phone in her hands. “He won’t.”

  Sarah didn’t look convinced, but Mama Yelverton’s eyes were clear and bright as she nodded.

  “Whatever it takes.”

  When her phone vibrated in her hand, so suddenly and unexpectedly, Bethany jumped. She had to swipe the screen three times before it would unlock.

  632 Industrial Drive. C u there.

  Hope flared to life in her heart as she read the text again.

  It was brief, but it was an opening. A chance to lay out their case to him.

  Bethany memorized the address, then shoved the phone in her pocket.

  “I’ll drive,” she said with a smile. “Let’s go get him.”

  * * *

  Bethany’s phone GPS took her to an area of downtown that she wasn’t overly familiar with. She had been through there a time or two, when she and Sarah had gone club hopping downtown, but they had never stopped. The seedy strip joint wasn’t exactly their scene, and the warehouse just across the street behind definitely gave her a big case of the heebie-jeebies.

  “Are you sure this is the place?” In the passenger seat beside her, Sarah leaned forward and looked out the window as Bethany parallel parked. “This kind of makes me wish I had brought my pepper spray with me.”

  “Yeah.” Bethany cut the engine and pointed at the number spray-painted above the warehouse’s ratty-looking door. “There it is, 632 Industrial Drive. It really is a weird place for him to want to meet though.”

  Her stomach was tense, butterflies bouncing around the cold knot that had settled in the center. But she had to do this. No matter how scared she was, this was their chance to get Trey back. Not just for her, but for him and for the Yelvertons. For everything they had done for her.

  If she did nothing else to help heal the wounds that Trey’s disappearance had left, it wouldn’t even come close to repaying the debt she owed them. But she had to try.

  “Well, I guess we go inside.” Mama Yelverton pushed open the backseat door and stepped out. Bethany and Sarah followed suit. Bethany pressed the door lock on her key fob three times, just in case.

  Their footsteps made echoing sounds in the long afternoon shadows as they walked across the street. With each step, Bethany’s confidence wavered.

  The text had been so short, so terse. Was he angry? Was that why he just wanted to meet them fast and get it over with? Was he going to take one look at them and tell them to get lost for good?

  Suck it up, Beth. He doesn’t call you Strong Girl for nothing.

  She curled her hands into fists at her sides and steeled her resolve. They would talk things out, and it would be okay. It had to be.

  At the door, Bethany hesitated before knocking.

  “Maybe we should go.” Sarah was looking around nervously. “I just don’t like this at all.”

  “This is a really odd place for Trey to want to meet. Maybe we should take a second to think about it.” Even Mama Yelverton was nodding.

  Bethany paused, weighing their options. Her instincts were definitely screaming at her to take notice, but the longing in her heart for Trey was blinding her to good sense. A hand on her arm stopped her just before she knocked.

  “Come on. We’ll invite him over to the house and try to get him to see reason.” Sarah pulled her back toward the car. “Let’s go.”

  “But—” Before Bethany could get out a protest, the door to the warehouse flew open.

  Mama Yelverton, who hadn’t stepped back as quickly as Sarah and Bethany had, was the first to be grabbed. She yelled in surprise, then quickly recovered, pinning a strained smile on her face.

  “Vincent. Oh my goodness, you startled me. Why are you here? Are you friends with Trey?” Mama Yelverton’s tone was thin, high. Bethany and Sarah hesitated, only a step off the curb.

  The man she had called Vincent—a pale, wire-thin man with a greasy ponytail and a gold tooth—grinned. Bethany disliked him on sight, the grip he had on Mama Yelverton’s arm cementing the opinion instantly.

  “Well, lookee here what we got.” He ran a finger down Mama Yelverton’s cheek. Beside her, Bethany could have sworn she heard Sarah growl. “I didn’t expect all this. I just figured I’d get Mr. Boss Man’s girl, and here’s an old friend too. Come on in the house, get comfortable.”

  “Bethany. Run,” Sarah whispered hastily, then yanked her away from the door.

  Bethany hesitated, reaching for Mama Yelverton, but just then Vincent’s backup appeared.

  “Not so fast.” Two more men had appeared behind Vincent. Bethany started to run, but she wasn’t fast enough. One of them grabbed her with a vicious grip around her forearm, causing a burning, twisting pain that took her breath away.

  With one last pained look over her shoulder, Sarah took off at a dead run. Her footsteps pounded down the alleyway, and Bethany watched helplessly as another two thugs gave chase.

  Sarah was fast, but would she be fast enough to get away and call someone for help?

  Bethany could only pray.

  “Don’t worry, they won’t hurt her too bad.” Vincent laughed as he dragged Mama Yelverton through the doors.

  Bethany’s arm screamed in pain as the man holding her cranked it high behind her back. She stumbled as he shoved her forward into the darkness of the warehouse.

  It took a long, scary moment for her eyes to adjust. Blinking furiously, she peered into the blackness.

  The warehouse was musty, the floor caked with dust and dirt. Concrete columns dotted the place,
doing an imitation of holding the shabby roof up. Tables and chairs were stacked along one wall, looking like a restaurant of some type had closed down and the items had been dumped there to decay. Boxes and bags containing she didn’t know what lined the back of the place.

  A stack of chairs leaned drunkenly against the back wall, several of them having been pulled down to accommodate about eight more men sitting around, smoking, and looking curiously at the newcomers.

  Bethany’s blood ran cold.

  She knew now with almost complete certainty that Trey had not been the one to respond to her text message.

  Sarah had been right. They should’ve kept on driving and not stopped.

  She had led them straight into a trap, and she had no one to blame but herself.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Trey had seen some bad things in his lifetime. Seen friends hurt, seen people turn their backs on him, watched the train wreck of drugs and alcohol destroy lives.

  But he’d never been as terrified as when he saw Vinnie’s thugs grab Bethany and his mother and drag them into that warehouse.

  He surged to his feet, almost rounding the dumpster before his brain kicked in.

  Don’t be stupid. You can’t do this on your own.

  Rapid, desperate footfalls pounded down the alleyway where he still hid, just out of sight of the front door. A mirthless grin spread across his face, and he waited.

  One.

  Two.

  On three, he stepped out from behind the dumpster and grabbed Sarah, spinning her around behind him and facing her pursuers.

  Two of Vinnie’s meathead pals had ground to a sudden halt when they saw that their prey wasn’t alone.

  “Trey!” Sarah’s breathless voice was surprised, shrill.

  “Stay back,” he warned her, holding an arm out behind him to keep her there.

  “No worries there,” she said dryly, crouching down and scooping up a double handful of gravel from the ground beneath them.

  If he’d had the time, he’d have been impressed at her forethought to grab something to defend herself with, small though it was. But he was too busy sizing up the competition and making a game plan.