Hell or High Water (The Four Horsemen MC Book 8)

by Rayne, Sara

Mmm. Bet she’d make the same sound when I toss her on a mattress.

  “Welcome back to Hell, Lex.” Voo swallowed hard, meeting her eyes. He gripped her waist, reluctant to let go.

  She swayed on her feet, her pink tongue darting out to lick her full lower lip. “When will I see you again?”

  “The Crows are playing at Perdition tomorrow night.” He grinned. “Why don’t you come to the show? Put on your dancin’ shoes and shake off these bad vibes.”

  “It’s a date.” She wiggled out of his grasp and glanced up as Ryker took Axel’s place in the driver’s seat. “You don’t mind taking my stuff over to Eddie’s?”

  “No, because I’m gonna make the new prospect do it.”

  “Okay, then.” She caught Voo’s eye as she shut the truck door. “See you tomorrow night?”

  “Count on it.”

  Ryker took off, wheels squealing—no doubt in a hurry to get back to his new bride. Voo hadn’t bothered to move to the front seat.

  “Hot date, huh?”

  “Shut the fuck up, Ryker.”

  Chapter Six

  Lex barely registered Axel’s muttered “Charlie” before he’d vanished from her side. Seconds later, she heard his old lady shout, followed by a peal of laughter.

  Lex cleared her throat. “Glad to see things worked out okay for them.” She walked into the main garage. “Dani? Are you here?”

  Seventh Circle Motors was huge and spacious, with ports for a dozen cars at a time. Shiny red tool-lockers lined the walls. Three bays were loaded with cars, but Dani wasn’t working on any of them.

  A muffled cough echoed through the concrete room, and Lex followed the sound to the office.

  Dani sat on the edge of Axel’s desk. Standing way too close to her was Detective Frost, a local police officer. Dani had a history with the detective from back in her wilder days, but Lex only knew a few hazy parts of it. For as much as Dani loved to dish about other people’s love lives, she’d been tight-lipped on this particular subject.

  Frost backed off, greeting Lex with a polite smile, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes.

  “Ma’am.” He tipped his hat.

  “Lex, I didn’t know you were coming!” Dani jumped up and crossed the room, throwing both arms around her. She was dressed in paint-spattered white coveralls over a black tank top, and a dab of motor oil smudged her angular face.

  Ah, Tommy Girl perfume, paint thinner, and grease—eau de Dani.

  “Why didn’t you text, yo?”

  “It’s a long story. I can fill you in later if you’re…busy.” Lex shot a glance at Frost.

  “Nah, the po-po was just leavin’. Weren’t you, Frosty?” Dani’s eyes twinkled with mischief, and Lex would’ve given all the money she’d ever spent on textbooks to know what she’d interrupted.

  Frost scowled at Dani for a second then flipped back to his polite police officer façade when he faced Lex again. “I was about to take my leave. I’m certain Ms. Danielle and I will have plenty of opportunities to continue our conversation later.” He tipped his hat again as he sauntered towards the door. “Ladies.”

  Lex turned to Dani. “Ms. Danielle?”

  Dani actually blushed. “Shut up. Don’t ask.”

  “You always did have a thing for men in uniform….”

  “Don’t know what you’re talking about. Let’s switch topics. Whatcha doin’ here? Did somethin’ happen?”

  “Slow down.” Lex put her hands up in protest. “Who said anything happened?”

  “Oh, no. What’d your momma do now? She called earlier.” Dani tugged her over to one of the workbenches and sat them both down. “Or was it Brad? Tell me everythin’.”

  Lex filled her in on the basic details.

  “Oh my God, he didn’t,” Dani said as Lex wrapped up the tale. “Gotta love A-man. Watchin’ him be a dick to people is somethin’ special. Probably why they made him Prez.”

  Lex settled back against the bench, trying to sort through the afternoon’s events. She’d been running on autopilot, the frustration and anger subdued behind a haze.

  “Hey, you okay?” Dani nudged her with a shoulder. Like Lex, Dani was the daughter of a club member, Goat. Cap and Goat were the only original club members not dead or incarcerated. “If it helps, Sailor’s not the easiest to live with, either.”

  Lex smiled sadly. “When will the hits stop coming? I never did… I didn’t do anything to deserve all this. Grant was going to… I protected myself, stood up for myself. Why didn’t I win?”

  “You ain’t lost yet, girl.”

  Lex half smiled. Sometimes Dani felt more like a cousin or a sister than a friend. Something about being children of Horsemen connected them, made them family.

  “I hope you’re right. But I can’t help thinking…what if I was wrong?” The fear bubbled up in her heart, flooding out of nowhere, and with it came waves of panic crashing against her chest. “He’s dead, and what if I misjudged his intentions? Maybe he—”

  “Maybe…what?” Dani shook her head. “He forgot rape and takin’ someone home are two separate things?”

  “There was so much blood, and he was gone. Dead. I didn’t even see it happen.” Suddenly, she was back in the truck, surrounded by broken glass, Grant’s blood dripping down her face while the ambulance sirens screamed.

  Dani snapped her fingers, jerking Lex out of the memory, and wrapped a warm arm around her shaking shoulders. “Shhh, Lex. It’s over. You’re safe.”

  No, I’m not.

  Lex knew she’d never feel safe again. She shook Dani off. “If I was wrong, there’s no way to take back what happened. I made an assumption, and now he’s dead—and everyone hates me.”

  “When assholes hate you, sweetie, you’re doing the right thing. Trust me.”

  Lex wiped away the tears streaking down her face. “I’m sorry. I don’t know where that came from.”

  “Maybe the big-ass fight you had with your judgmental parents about your place in the world?”

  “Ouch.” Lex flinched. “Point taken.”

  “Thank you. And anyway, you weren’t wrong. Haven’t you seen the news?”

  A hollow feeling settled in her chest. “What news?”

  What now?

  “Girl.” Dani’s eyes widened. “The whole football team at West Texas U is under investigation for videoing women without them knowing it and posting the videos online. There’s all kinds of obscenity and indecency charges—they’re even saying some of the girls might be underage.”

  “For real?” A savage sense of vindication warmed her chest. It was awful, but Dani was right. Lex hadn’t been wrong about Grant.

  “Cross my heart and hope they die.” Dani drew an X over her chest with a finger.

  A wave of relief hit Lex so strong her knees wobbled. “How did this happen?”

  “Some anonymous tip got emailed to the police station, is all I know.” Dani’s lips curved into a mischievous smile. “Coyote had every TV in Hades tuned in to the story all morning.”

  Lex’s brows shot up. “You don’t think…?”

  “The guy’s had a rough row to hoe lately, and say what you want about how he’s handling it, but I always trust Yo to have our backs.” Dani punched the air. “Perks of being daughters of Horsemen?”

  Lex bumped her fist against Dani’s. “Hellspawn forever.”

  “Damn straight.” Dani gave her a sidelong glance. “Now, let’s get down to the real dirt. What’s up with you and Voo?”

  She shrugged. “We’re friends.”

  “Horseshit.”

  “That so, Ms. Danielle?”

  “C’mon, stop messin’ with me.” Dani playfully punched her in the arm. “You’ve had the blues for months. Maybe you need some Louisiana rhythm to go with it. You gonna break off a piece of that big, beautiful man or what?”

  Lex looked down. “Actually, I think I am.”

  “Shut the front door.”

  She nodded. “I’ve spent most of my life denying mys
elf things I wanted so I could get ahead. I thought I had to, but I could’ve died as easily as Grant. It could have been me with a steel beam through my chest.”

  “Lex….”

  “No more saving dessert for last, or saving expensive outfits for special occasions, or not telling people things I need them to hear.” She gulped in a breath, feeling the words to the marrow of her bones. “I’m done waiting for my turn. The way I see it, if nice guys finish last, good girls don’t finish at all.”

  Where had playing by the rules gotten her? Nowhere.

  Dani looked thoughtful. “Then I need to pull a Sandra Dee bad girl makeover on your ass. When you meetin’ up with Voo?”

  “Tomorrow night at Perdition. The Crossroad Crows are playing.”

  “Perfect. I’ll send a care package over to Eddie’s for you.” Dani’s grin was downright wicked. “Voo’s not gonna know what hit him!”

  Half an hour later, Lex was feeling pretty damn good as she pulled out of Seventh Circle Motors. Her ride sported a new cherry red paint job with gold metallic flames twisting across the hood. The new custom license plate read HllSpwn. She blasted “Sweet Home Alabama” all the way to Eddie’s house, flying high on her flirtation with Voo and her decision to act on it.

  In the name of keeping her safe, her parents had constructed a virtual wall around the club, blocking Lex out.

  A fat lot of good it’d done.

  She hadn’t been any safer inside her ivory tower at college. The world was a violent place. At least the Horsemen were upfront about it. There was no such thing as “safe”. Doing everything by the book and following the rules hadn’t stopped bad things from happening. All the sacrifices she’d made were for nothing.

  The closest thing Lex had to security was muscled, covered in tattoos, and packing hidden knives. Her phone beeped with a text.

  Starting a new batch of gumbo for you, ma petite.

  Oh, yeah. She was done playing by other people’s rules.

  The club was about to see just how close she could get.

  ***

  Lex could hear shouting from inside as soon as she pulled into Eddie’s driveway and cut the engine. Considering the way her luck had been going lately, she should’ve expected the other shoe to drop.

  Please don’t be about me, please don’t be about me, please don’t be about me.

  “She’s your daughter, for Christ’s sake. She’s not gonna turn into the Whore of Babylon because she lives near Horsemen.”

  Goddammit.

  All of her warm, fuzzy feelings faded away. Apparently, it was too much to hope to walk through the front door, make a plate of something pan-fried and smothered in sausage gravy, hug her dad, and call it a day.

  “Lex ain’t gonna settle for bein’ some dude’s old lady. She’s better than that.”

  “And what’s wrong with being ‘some dude’s old lady’? Considering I’m one.” Eddie’s tone turned viperish.

  Shit, Dad. You ever think before you talk to a woman?

  “Eddie, don’t make this about you.”

  Lex trudged up the front steps and knocked on the door. Axel opened it and gestured for her to come in without saying a word. Ryker twisted around in his chair at the table and waved when they entered. Axel leaned against the wall. Lex followed suit as Cap and Eddie brought the fight closer, voices echoing from the living room.

  “You ain’t family ‘til you’ve seen one of Eddie’s full-fledged tempers.” Axel winked, and Ryker shot her a thumbs-up over his brother’s shoulder. “There she blows.”

  “I ain’t the one making this about me. You’re seriously standing in the middle of my livin’ room and tellin’ me who I can and cannot invite into my own house? I don’t think so.”

  “I done told you when she dropped out I didn’t want her to move in. She’s fine over at her mother’s place. Why can’t you ever leave well enough alone, woman?”

  Lex blanched. Voo had hinted her father might see her moving in as problematic, but she’d been holding onto the hope at least one of her escape routes would run smoothly.

  “She’s my guest. Your ‘permission’ wasn’t required!” Eddie stormed into the kitchen, looking fit to be tied. Her ponytail bobbed angrily with her movements, and her apron was smudged with bits of sausage gravy. “And I’ll tell you one thing, Mr. Cooper. She’s welcome in my house anytime—but your sorry ass can sleep in the garage tonight for all I care. Don’t pull that shit under my roof and expect to sleep under it, too.”

  She caught sight of Lex and flashed a smile. “Hello, honey. Glad to see you made it okay.”

  “Eddie, you can’t—” Captain stopped mid-tirade as he caught sight of Axel, Ryker, and Lex. “Didn’t know we had an audience.”

  “Well, with you hollerin’ like the Alamo’s under attack, what did you think was gonna happen?” Eddie put her hands on her hips.

  Cap glanced at Ryker and Axel as if they might come to his aid, but they only grinned.

  Ryker shook his head. “Never corner somethin’ meaner than you.”

  Lex couldn’t look in Captain’s direction. Hurt rose in her gullet, burning like bile.

  “Lex,” he said, coming towards her.

  She held up a hand, clearing her throat so her voice wouldn’t crack. “You don’t want me here, Dad?”

  Ryker and Axel winced in sympathy.

  “Ain’t what I meant, baby girl.” Cap’s gruff tone sounded somewhere between apologetic and exasperated. “You’re always welcome to visit….”

  “I see.”

  “I just got off the phone with your mother. She and I agree—”

  Red flashed before her eyes. Everywhere she went, people wanted to send her away. The hatred towards her on campus had been bad enough, but it’d been compounded by her frosty welcome home from Brad. Now this? Her own father didn’t want her here? Was there no place she could run?

  “You know what? I don’t give a rat’s ass what you and Mom agree on. I’m an adult, and I don’t need your permission or approval. I’m going to do what I want to do for once in my life.”

  His face said she’d confirmed his worst fears.

  Lex huffed out a breath. “Whatever. Don’t worry, I’ll figure something else out.”

  “Don’t be silly.” Eddie glared at her fiancée before she addressed his daughter. “I issued you an invite, and you’re welcome to stay in my house.”

  “Thank you, Eddie. I appreciate the hospitality, but I’ll be out of your hair as soon as I figure out a place to stay. Shouldn’t need more than tonight.” Her injured pride silenced her desperation. She had nowhere else to go, but she’d figure it out. Sleeping in the street would be better than depending on the charity of people who didn’t want her around.

  “Lex, please don’t—”

  Her head snapped up, expression lethal enough to cut off whatever her dad had been about to say.

  She spun on her heel and climbed the stairs to hide in the guest room. The walls still held shelves of Axel’s high school trophies and model cars he’d built. As if his mom was too proud of him to pack them away. As if he’d always have a place in Eddie’s home.

  She closed the door behind her and slid down to the floor, the tears flowing freely down her face while the argument resumed downstairs.

  Chapter Seven

  When Lex walked into Perdition the next night, the Crossroad Crows were playing “When Doves Cry” by Prince and the crowd was in full swing, buzzed on Pretty Boy’s finest mixes. Hellions strutted between muscled, tattooed men shooting pool. She remembered coming to the bar as a kid and staring up at the motorcycles suspended from the open rafters in awe.

  She’d asked why there was underwear strung around the bar, and her dad had turned the shade of a ripe tomato. Stuffing quarters in her hand, he’d told her to go try out the jukebox while Eddie laughed.

  Lex glimpsed the club’s mantra, Think on Your Sins, painted in blood red on the back wall. This joint felt more like home than her mom’s house.r />
  Elbowing her way to the bar, she hopped up on a stool and checked her reflection in the mirror behind the liquor bottles. Her hair fell in soft waves around her face, dancing down a red kerchief-patterned tank top, knotted at the waist. The jeans she’d borrowed from Dani hugged her hips and ass, the fabric soft, worn, and faded to nearly white. Patches were missing along the length of the legs, showing glimpses of her tanned thighs and knees framed by fraying denim.

  Not too shabby.

  The bikers gave her a wide berth as if she was still off-limits. She’d figured whatever “don’t touch Lex” proclamation her dad had issued expired when he was no longer president. Evidently not. She couldn’t even get the attention of what her dad called “citizens”. Every time she caught a guy’s eyes, a biker would break the line of sight with a silent nope, move it along, buddy.

  Lex only cared about flirting with one biker in particular, but the protective act still rankled. It shouldn’t be hard for a girl to sow some wild oats in a biker bar for pity’s sake. She sighed, waiting to catch Pretty Boy’s attention. He waved, indicating he’d be over in a minute.

  “How may I be of service?” Pretty Boy’s electric-green eyes flashed beneath his disheveled fringe of coal-black hair when he appeared in front of her.

  “Something strong? With fruit juice so I can swallow it, please.” She forced a smile.

  “Yes, ma’am.” He flipped over a tall glass. “You alright, Lex?”

  “About to be.”

  “Fair enough.” He filled the glass with ice and splashed in some rum and Southern Comfort. She lost track as he added brightly colored juices, fruit wedges, and a touch of club soda. Topping it off with an umbrella, he twirled it as he set it down. Swirls of red and orange spun through the layered drink. “Will this help with your bad day?”

  “Won’t hurt.” She toasted him. The alcohol burned down her throat for a second before the cool citrus licked a soothing path in its wake. She looked up in surprise. “Bless you, sir.”

  “I aim to please.” He inclined his head.

  “What’s it called?”

  “This hot little number?” He tapped the tip of the umbrella. “Hellspawn on the rocks.”