Mean Machine

by Joanna Blake

  “I’m okay by myself.”

  I cocked an eyebrow at Paton, then glanced at Michelle.

  “You could take the day off.”

  She shook her head swiftly.

  “I want to work. I’m not sure about leaving her with a stranger though.”

  I nodded.

  “Okay, so Pate comes with us, then we call it a night early and come back.”

  “You don’t have to do that.”

  I cut her off before the words were even out of her mouth.

  “I’m the boss, I can knock off whenever I want.” I reached down to scratch Cheeto behind the ear. “Besides, I usually come back for an hour or so to feed the critters.”

  I looked up to find her staring at my hand. She was watching me stroke the cat’s fur. She looked… transfixed.

  I had a sudden flashback to the kiss. That stupid, out of control kiss that had been haunting me every minute since. Every damn second.

  The one thing I couldn’t believe wasn’t how good she had felt in my arms. Or the sweet relief I felt when I finally touched her. It was how she had kissed me back…

  And she had kissed me back. Eagerly. Passionately. Without a shred of hesitation.

  I closed my eyes and stood up. I had to get some head space on this. Everything was too mixed up. She was my responsibility now, not just a sexy girl that got my motor going.

  I’d just avoid extreme proximity to her. I had to strong. Respect her boundaries. Just keep my distance.

  While working and living with her, naturally.

  And wanting to be as close to her as humanly possible.

  No problem, right?

  I cleared my throat. I knew I was doomed. But I didn’t care. It didn’t change a damn thing.

  They were mine now. My family. My responsibility.

  Mine.

  “I’ve got to bring in some hot sauce. Be ready to go in ten.”

  I could feel her eyes on me. I knew she was wondering what the hell was wrong with me. Sadly, that was the one thing I couldn’t tell her without laying my foolish heart on the table.

  I headed to the basement to get a tub of my homemade hot sauce. We went through the stuff like water, so I cooked up a big batch at least once a month and froze some.

  I needed to calm the fuck down if I was going to driving Shell and Pate to work.

  The hinges creaked as I opened the freezer. My phone vibrated. I glanced at the screen.

  Dammit. Not now.

  It was Cain.

  The meeting set for six at PJ’s.

  I wanted to stay the hell away from club business. Especially now that I had two innocents under my roof. But I had promised Cain.

  And I knew Cass and Connor were tied up in this business too. Plus, any blowback on me could hurt Michelle and Paton. None of that was acceptable.

  I texted back quickly that I’d be there.

  Then I grabbed a tub of hot sauce and headed back upstairs.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Connor

  “This is nuts, Con. We’ve been coming here for weeks.”

  “Shut up, Reily.”

  My new partner was getting on my nerves. He never shut up and at least fifty percent of what he said was a complaint.

  It didn’t matter what the hell he said anyway. I was not leaving. Not when there was a chance I could put this case to bed once and for all.

  Protect my woman. Avenge my partner. Close the door on this horrible case and get the monster safely behind bars.

  Four unsolved murders. Now five, plus some club girls getting attacked by the same monster. All signs pointed to the Hell Raisers and the club President, Shane. He’d been second in command for only a year before he took the mantle. A newer member, but powerful and charismatic.

  Not to mention reckless and wilder than anyone I’d ever met.

  Most, but not all, of the murders had started after he became a member. My partner’s death was years ago. I couldn’t pin that on Shane. But he was involved in the rest, I had no doubt.

  Or at least, he knew something about it.

  “I’m starting to think you have a crush on pretty boy.”

  I glared at him. Shane didn’t look like a typical biker, that much was true. He had Rob Lowe-esque good looks. But he was covered in tats and scars like the rest. Hell, he probably had more ink than half his club combined.

  Nobody called him pretty boy to his face. He was far too dangerous for that.

  The man was fucking crazy.

  “Have you seen my wife, you dumb fuck?”

  He grunted, acknowledging my point. That shut him up. There was no way I was looking elsewhere. I was married to the most beautiful woman in the Carolinas. Both of them.

  Yes, Cassandra was insanely good looking and very, very pregnant with our second child. And pretty pissed at me from what I could tell.

  But all the same, it wasn’t just her looks that made me love her.

  She was spunky and loyal and strong, not to mention naughty and creative as hell when it came to pleasing me in the bedroom. Not that she had to do a damn thing besides be willing. But she went above and beyond all my expectations.

  Lately she’d wanted to try some food stuff. Not licking it off each other or anything, though that was a favorite of mine from the past. No, lately when I took her, she wanted a snack.

  During.

  I shook my head. We were only having sex in one position lately. With her on her side. And damn if I hadn’t caught her sneaking some rice chips the last time.

  I chuckled to myself.

  I was never, ever going to let her live that one down.

  Still, I had to go easy. She was more temperamental than a cat. I knew it was the baby. And I also knew she was mad about the case.

  I hadn’t told her about the latest murder yet. It was far too similar to the one she’d interrupted a couple of years ago. She’d been a key witness and in mortal danger from the Raisers back then. It still scared the hell out of me to think about what could have happened to her if Dante had gotten his hands on her. So I didn’t say a word.

  I didn’t want my woman upset.

  But now she was upset anyway.

  I checked my phone to see if she had texted. Radio silence, just like the past two weeks. I sent her a quick text, telling her I loved her.

  Unfortunately, I didn’t expect a reply. Not unless she went into labor. And even then, the stubborn woman might call someone else. Or worse. She might try and drive her damn self to the hospital!

  I had my sister and mom checking in on her at least once a day, but I was still worried.

  “We got company.”

  I jerked my head up and scanned the parking lot. A sweaty old hog was pulling in. I hissed out my exhale when I saw it. I knew that bike well.

  “Sonofabitch!”

  Mason had just pulled into PJ’s parking lot. I stared as he walked inside and headed right for the corner booth by the window. The same booth Shane was sitting in.

  “Goddammit!”

  “Easy man.”

  I glared at Reily. Now this joker was telling me to calm down? The man who was my de facto father-in-law was here. The same man who was Godfather to my first child, and probably the next one too.

  The very same man who had promised me he would stay out of this whole mess, not once, not twice, but three times.

  Motherfucker!

  I rubbed my temples, knowing that there wasn’t a damn thing I could do at the moment. But later… oh there was going to be hell to pay. Mason Saint James had some explaining to do.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Mason

  “Mason.”

  “Shane.”

  We eyed each other like two dogs in an alley. Shane had never messed with me or mine, but he was a Raiser, and his brothers certainly had.

  Plus, he was the most unpredictable fucker I’d met in my life.

  His green eyes were cold as he ran a knife under his nails.

  “Cain’s late.”<
br />
  “He’ll be here.”

  Shane’s eyes snapped up to mine. He was like a rattlesnake. Quick and mean.

  And then he smiled.

  A fucking chill went down my spine. That smile was scarier than any of the stories I heard about him. The rumor was that he was a cold, hard killer.

  Or at least a maimer. If you crossed him, even the tiniest bit, he’d hurt you bad. I’d heard that the last guy who called him pretty boy had his arm snapped like a toothpick.

  Shane was proficient in martial arts and had extensive military training before he joined the Raisers. Special ops, if the rumors were true. He was intense, off kilter, and very, very strong.

  So killing wasn’t that big of a stretch.

  But if he tried to hurt anyone I cared about, he’d be the one begging for mercy.

  I smiled back, showing my teeth. The threat was implicit. He should have been pissed or scared, maybe both.

  Instead, he laughed.

  “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

  His eyes flickered over my shoulder. Cain had arrived. It was bizarre, sitting here with two club presidents. But since I had nearly been the head of the Untouchables a few years back, maybe it made a sort of backwards sense. Plus, with my bar in the middle of two territories, I was almost like the one who ran the border.

  “Cain.”

  “Shane. Mason.”

  He slid into the booth, his eyes constantly scanning the room. Cain was equally scary, but more in control than Shane. I knew if he wanted to kill me, I’d damn well know.

  Shane was still smiling. There was something unnerving about that smile. It reminded me of Dante.

  That motherfucker had been the worst of the lot.

  “You have information.”

  Shane bobbed his head.

  “Yeah, sure. Dante wasn’t the killer.”

  Cain rubbed his face and gave me a look.

  “Yeah, we got that. Where does that leave us?”

  Shane leaned back in his seat and stretched his arms out across the back of the booth.

  “Don’t get me wrong, Dante definitely signed off on whatever was going down.”

  Cain’s gravelly voice was incredulous.

  “And you didn’t.”

  Shane grinned crazily.

  “That’s right.”

  “What the fuck are you smiling at? If you have unapproved kills happening behind your back then you have no control over your men.”

  Shane’s smile dropped and he leaned forward, stabbing a knife into the table inches from Cain’s hands. Cain didn’t flinch. Neither did I.

  “Oh, I have control. There’s some twisted fuck who is challenging me. I’m going to find him.”

  The smile was back, even crazier than ever.

  “And I’m going to tear his skin off.”

  He looked at me, his eyes shining.

  “What do you think, Mason? Should I deep fry it? Make him eat it?”

  I raised my brows, considering. Shane was serious. And this was some serious Game Of Thrones shit.

  “Sounds like something Ramsey would do.”

  For a split second I saw real humor in his eyes. Humor, surprise and maybe even a touch of sanity. Then it was gone.

  “You are fucking funny, you know that?”

  I ignored the question.

  “Any idea who it is?”

  “Oh, I got ideas. The question is why do you want to know, Saint James?”

  “You know why.”

  “Maybe it’s that pretty lady you got staying at your house? Or her kid? Or Sapphire. She’s got a little one and another on the way, don’t she?”

  Dante used to call Cassie ‘Sapphire’ on account of her bright blue eyes. I didn’t hesitate. I leaned forward, a hard glint in my eyes.

  “You listen to me, motherfucker, if anyone even looks at my family, you are fucking dead.”

  He laughed, throwing his head back. Deep and way too loud. I glanced at Cain and he gave me a look of sympathy. Shane was off his damn rocker.

  “You got nothing to worry about from me. I don’t hurt women or kids.”

  It might seem crazy but I believed him. His next words erased all that relief in a heartbeat though.

  “But this fucker, he does.”

  “We’ve had a couple of club girls carved up real good. Not dead, but wishing they were. They won’t be talking anytime soon. He broke their fingers and cut out their tongues.”

  And just like that, I knew real terror.

  “You know something. Tell us. We can handle it.”

  Shane’s hand came down on the table hard.

  “My house. My mess.”

  He flipped a switch and the crazy smile was back.

  “Nice seeing you, boys. Tell me if something comes up. And tell that Connor to back off.” Shane leaned forward and whispered. “He’s starting to get on my nerves.”

  Then he stood up and slowly walked out.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Michelle

  My eyes opened with a snap, taking in the unfamiliar room. Pate snuggled against my side on the thin twin bed. Mason had offered his own bed to me the first night we were here but I said no. It was too much, on top of everything else.

  Besides, the twin bed was a lot better than trying to sleep in the backseat.

  The sad part was, I would have loved to climb into his bed. But only if he was in it with me.

  I blushed at the thought. The kind of filthy thoughts I always seemed to have around him. I wasn’t one for daydreaming about romance. I’d already had enough to worry about most days. But now that I had a good job and a place to stay… well, my unspoken crush was rearing it’s head.

  I needed to get a grip on myself, or I would embarrass us both. Mason would fire me and ask me to leave. I wouldn’t even blame him if he did that.

  And getting kicked out of this place was the last thing Paton needed.

  She was already attached to Mason and adored his pets. Tearing her away wouldn’t do any good. It was too late for that.

  But we couldn’t live here forever, even if he had booted my car.

  I knew why he did it. We both seemed to understand the way each other thought for some reason. He knew me enough to know I wanted to run. To start over with the money I’d been saving since the first shift I worked at his joint.

  But I didn’t want to leave. Not really. Even though I was embarrassed and feeling sad and foolish.

  Paton was happy and safe. I was… well, I was safe anyway. And only the precocious girl squished up next to me mattered.

  She shifted and I heard it. A soft meow and then purring. There was something in bed with us.

  I lifted the blanket and saw Cheeto’s orange face and green eyes peer back at me. He blinked and laid his chin back down on Paton’s arm. I almost laughed.

  The whole family had been more than welcoming. Especially the furry ones.

  Come to think of it, Mason was pretty furry too.

  Oh no, here I go again.

  I couldn’t get that kiss out of my mind. The feel of his scruffy beard against my skin. His rough hands and soft lips. Just the memory of the heat of him, the brute strength, was enough to make me weak in the knees.

  The man was a sex machine and he knew it.

  Jaken had told me about all the girls who threw themselves at him every night. I’d seen some of them in action.

  Apparently, I was the first waitress in years who hadn’t fallen in love with him. Married, young, old, they all made fools of themselves over the boss.

  Jaken and Shorty told me they were glad I was immune.

  If only they knew… I was just as ridiculous as the rest of them. Maybe worse. Because I had more than a crush. I really thought I was falling in love with him and it scared the heck out of me.

  “Mom?”

  I kissed her forehead.

  “Good morning, buttercup. You have a little friend under the covers.”

  She giggled and pulled the blanket
down enough for Cheeto to blink at us.

  “I thought you wouldn’t notice.”

  I smiled, staring at the ceiling.

  “I am very observant. For example, I can see with my peripheral vision that you are thinking about tickling me.”

  She held perfectly still, her outstretched fingers frozen in place.

  “Do you know what happens to attempted ticklers?”

  “No?”

  “They… get tickled!”

  I pounced and Cheeto leapt in the air, getting out of the way of the action. Paton squealed and giggled as I tickled her sides without mercy. Well, I showed a little bit of mercy. I was her mom, after all.

  The door burst open and we both jumped, the tickling game instantly forgotten. Mason stood there, staring at us with panic. My eyes darted to the knife in his hand.

  He saw my glance and relaxed his hand.

  Cheeto meowed and he stared down at him.

  “I heard screams.”

  “I’m sorry. We’re fine. I was just tickling her.”

  “You’re fine.”

  It wasn’t a question, but it was. He was telling himself. I could see his breathing even out.

  “I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  He nodded.

  “No. It’s my fault. I… shoot, sorry about that.”

  He left and closed the door behind him.

  I looked at Paton and she looked at me.

  “Don’t be mad at Mason.”

  “I’m not.”

  “He really loves us, you know?”

  I stared at her, her sweet and earnest face.

  “Whoa, where did that come from?”

  She shrugged and climbed out of the bed over me.

  “I just thought you should know.”

  Mason? Love? It sounded crazy, but deep in my heart it rang true. Lord knows I was feeling something profound in the heart department.

  I sat there for the longest time, staring into space.

  I sat with Paton, chewing my lip. She’d have to start school again soon or else they’d want to hold her back. We’d left the last town during summer break and now it was past time to get her enrolled again.