Brash: A Bad Boy Biker Romance (Black Reapers Motorcycle Club Book 1)

by Jade Kuzma

  “How about you?” Michelle asked. “I’m sure Sean over here did something really stupid to get your attention.”

  Lydia looked up at me.

  “Now that you mention it…” she started.

  “Stop!” Michelle said as she put her hands up. “I don’t wanna hear it. I’ve had enough trouble hearing about how the idiots in this club deal with women. You’d think you’d learn a thing or two about how to treat a woman.”

  “Hey!” I said. “I know how to treat a woman. Don’t talk shit now.”

  “You’re a Reaper,” Michelle said. “Being smooth was never your forte. This club is better at other things.”

  “Right,” Garnet said. “You know damn well I make you scream, babe. Leave all that romantic shit at the door.”

  Michelle rolled her eyes and kissed Garnet, seemingly reluctant. I’d known the couple for so long but seeing them together like this always put a smile on my face.

  “Come on,” Michelle said. “I’m still hungry.”

  “Hungry?” Garnet said.

  “That was hours ago, you idiot. Let’s go get something to eat. Give the two lovebirds a moment to themselves. Poor Lydia here has been dealing with the entire club the whole day.”

  Michelle dragged Garnet up off of his seat, leaving me alone with Lydia. The rest of the club was mingling outside but their conversations were distant. Lydia sat up straight on the couch we were on.

  “How are you doing?” I asked. “You all right?”

  “Better than all right,” she said with a smile.

  “What do you think?”

  “Well… I didn’t know what to expect. But I’m glad I came here. Everybody here is so warm and welcoming.”

  “That’s not surprising. You’re a respectful woman, so they’re gonna treat you with respect. I told them you weren’t like all of the other women in Ivory.”

  “Is that right?” she said, raising a curious little eyebrow in my direction. “What else did you tell them?”

  “Not much else,” I said with a shrug.

  “Did you tell them how good of a fuck I was?”

  I chuckled softly at her. I reached my hand up to her face and gently pressed my thumb to her lips. Her skin was so damn soft.

  “You’re such a beautiful woman,” I said. “That kind of talk doesn’t suit you.”

  “You’re a big boy. You can handle that kind of talk… Speaking of which…”

  She looked over at Garnet in the distance and sighed.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked.

  “I was talking to him,” he said. “He told me…”

  She slowly turned back and stared right into my eyes. A gorgeous set of brown eyes that had me so fucking hypnotized.

  “He told me what happened,” she said. “About Angela. About the night you got arrested… Is it true? Is that how it happened?”

  I exhaled a breath through my nose and smiled softly at her.

  “I suppose you haven’t taken the time to look it up,” I said.

  “I could have done that, sure. But nobody knows what happens better than you did. I trust you’ll tell me the truth.”

  “Always…”

  “…Then it’s true. You killed a guy because he hit your woman.”

  “I wasn’t trying to kill him. I was just trying to hurt him. I wanted to teach him a lesson. It didn’t help that he was shooting at me.”

  “That makes sense.”

  “I was alone out there. It was just me and him. When I caught him and got my hands on him, I just let out all of the pain and frustration. Seeing her hurt… It was the worst feeling in the world. I never want to experience it again. I never…”

  I paused for a second. I laughed to clear my throat, suddenly getting choked up as the memory came back to me.

  “…I never want to see something like that happen to you. And I’ll make damn fucking sure it won’t.”

  “I believe you,” she said with a nod. “I just… That guy at Finn’s the other night… He was angry.”

  “No kidding. Poison. He’s not even a Cobra. Not anymore, anyway. But it was his brother that I… that I killed.”

  “He threatened you. He said he’d pay you back.”

  “He’s not even a nomad. There’s no reason to worry about him. The Cobras don’t back him. And I’ve got the rest of the club watching my back. He’s just some punk out there who wants justice.”

  “Right…”

  She looked down at the ground. I knew she was uneasy about the whole situation. I wanted to tell her that being in a club meant you were always under a microscope, especially when it came to other bikers.

  But just as I started searching for the right answer, she looked back up at me.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “I know you’re trying to do the right thing. I know I don’t have anything to worry about. I know I can trust you.”

  “God, Lydia… I don’t know what I did to deserve you—”

  “Shh…”

  She cut me off and put an index finger to my lips. I shut my mouth like she had a spell on me. Looking into her eyes, I would have done anything she asked of me.

  “Let’s just enjoy this moment together,” she said.

  “Yeah. I can do that.”

  “Hey!”

  We both turned and looked up at Garnet working the grill.

  “Lydia,” he said. “You worked at a restaurant before. Why don’t you show me a thing or two?”

  She looked at me as if asking for approval. She didn’t need me to give it to her. She was her own woman. I didn’t say a word as she got up from her seat and helped Garnet work some more food onto the grill.

  As the two of them worked together, Michelle made her way back over to me. She took a seat down next to me and smiled.

  “She’s a sweet girl,” she said.

  “She’s more than sweet,” I sighed. “She’s special. She’s real special.”

  “Yeah, she’s special, too. I know that’s not just your dick talking.”

  “Ghost said something similar. He thinks because I just got out of the pen that I’m ready to dive into the first pussy I see. That’s not the case though.”

  I took a swig of beer, my eyes locked on Lydia in the distance as she cooked with Garnet. She stuck out from the rest of the crowd. Just a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans but she might as well have fallen from Heaven.

  “If you’re sure—”

  “I’m sure,” I said, turning back to Michelle. “I’ve never been more sure about anything in my life.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “Have you ever been locked up?” I asked. “Have you ever been behind bars and had your freedom taken away?”

  Michelle shook her head.

  “It changes you,” I said. “It’s more than just losing all those years when you could be out here in the real world. All that time alone in the cage gives you time to think to yourself. You start to realize what’s really important.”

  “And what’s really important to you, Sean?”

  “When I first got out, the first thing I wanted to do was put on my vest, get on my chopper and just ride. It didn’t matter where I was going, I just wanted to ride. I wanted to feel the wind against my face and smell the exhaust. And that’s what I did. It was the best fucking feeling in the world.”

  I finished the rest of my beer and tossed the bottle over to the side. I locked my eyes on Lydia as the memory came flooding back to me.

  “But when I saw her,” I said. “It was like nothing else mattered. She was the only thing that mattered. It’s like she came here to Ivory just for me. It was fate.”

  “Fate? That’s a strong word.”

  “My feelings are strong. What we have is strong.”

  “What about Lydia?”

  I turned back to Michelle. Her eyebrows raised and her eyes wide, she stared at me like she was still skeptical.

  “What about her?” I asked.

  “Have you considered her fee
lings?”

  “Lydia is free to leave. I would never make her do anything against her own free will.”

  “Sure. But maybe she doesn’t know exactly what she’s getting into. Being with a biker isn’t easy.”

  “She knows that.”

  “Does she? Does she truly understand what it means to be with a man in a motorcycle club?”

  I sighed and shook my head.

  “If you’re trying to say something, just say it,” I said. “No need to get all fucking philosophical with me.”

  “What I’m saying is that you think Lydia came to Ivory for you.”

  “Yeah. And?”

  “Did you stop to consider why Lydia came to Ivory?”

  “I know why. She came here to work at Amy’s.”

  “But why did she come here? She had a good life in the big city. She would have been just fine if she stayed there.”

  “She wanted something different for herself. She needed to find something.”

  “Or maybe she was trying to escape.”

  Michelle reached forward and put a hand on my shoulder.

  “She left a lot behind,” she said. “A lot of it was good but she wouldn’t have left it there if she loved it so much.”

  “What’s your point?”

  “My point is she didn’t come here to find whatever troubled her all over again. Now, I’m not saying there’s some ex-boyfriend back home trying to kill her. Or the cops have a warrant out for her arrest. Nothing like that. But if Lydia finds whatever it is she left behind here in Ivory, maybe in you, she has just as much reason to go back.”

  Michelle looked me right in the eye as she said it.

  “Don’t give her a reason to go back,” she said. “Don’t remind her of the life she willingly left behind.”

  I clenched my jaw, trying to make sense of what Michelle said. I looked over at Lydia in the distance. She was smiling and laughing with Garnet as the two of them continued to work the grill.

  Whatever point Michelle was trying to make, it was lost on me.

  “I’m hungry,” I said. “And I need another drink.”

  “Sure. The night’s still young.”

  Chapter 14

  LYDIA

  “Tiramisu… I think you’ve really got something here.”

  Gina dug her fork into the slice and took a bite. She closed her eyes and groaned softly. The amount of pleasure she took in eating was almost comical.

  “How many pieces have you had?” I asked.

  “This is my third one. But, my slices are really small. So it’s more like two actually.”

  “You know the ingredients don’t come cheap. You should be saving it for the customers. I don’t think Amy would appreciate you eating all of her product.”

  “I know, I know. This’ll be my last slice. I have to know what it tastes like so I can explain it to the customers. They can only get so much from Italian dessert.”

  “All right,” I said. “No more after that. The whole point of offering new items is to attract new customers.”

  “Yeah, yeah…”

  I giggled at Gina while she indulged in the slice of dessert.

  It was another average day in the bakery. I’d gotten used to my surroundings. The place could have used a remodeling but the regulars who came in here didn’t care about the decor. I figured it was just as much quaint as it was anything else.

  As I reorganized the pastry display, the bell rang on the door. I looked up and saw Officer Rose walking in.

  “Officer Rose,” I said. “It’s good to see you again!”

  “Hello, Lydia. Gina.”

  He nodded to her. She raised her eyebrows at him as a hello, distracted by her phone and the dessert she was eating.

  The young officer walked up to the counter, an awkward smile on his face. He somehow looked even younger than the last time I saw him.

  “Ben,” he said.

  “What?” I replied.

  “Ben. Call me Ben.”

  “Oh! Right. Sorry about that. I forgot.”

  “It’s okay. I figure it’s a small town and I’m getting to know everybody. I want all of the citizens in Ivory to feel comfortable talking to law enforcement. We’re working for people like you.”

  “Yeah… I get it…”

  He kept smiling awkwardly at me. I stared at him, my eyes wide as I waited for him to say something.

  “Say, what’s that she’s eating?” he said as he glanced at Gina.

  “That? It’s tiramisu. Would you like a piece?”

  “Oh, tiramisu! That’s great!”

  “You’ve had it before?”

  “Sure. Not here in Ivory but I’ve had it. It was really good. Is yours any better?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt to try.”

  “All right then! I’ll take a slice! And a cup of coffee while you’re at it!”

  “Sure thing.”

  Ben had the enthusiasm of a schoolboy. He even looked like one, too. I couldn’t help but notice how neatly his hair was combed on his head, just like always. Even his uniform didn’t have any wrinkles in it.

  I prepped a slice for him then poured him a cup of coffee.

  “There you go,” I said.

  “Thanks…”

  He put the money down on the counter.

  “Have a good day,” I said.

  “Say, Lydia.”

  “Yes?”

  “I was planning on eating it here.”

  “Sure thing. There’s plenty of tables to choose from.”

  I sarcastically pointed at all of the empty tables and chairs in the bakery. Ben laughed nervously.

  “There was something else,” he said. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “You wanted to talk… to me?”

  “Yeah. If you don’t mind. I promise you this’ll only take a second.”

  “Um… Sure. Just give me a moment.”

  I furrowed my brow in confusion, wondering what Ben could possibly want to talk to me about. Ben moved to a table in the corner of the bakery.

  I plopped down in my seat. Ben took a bite of the tiramisu and savored it the same way that Gina did, his eyes closed and his lips smacking.

  “Oh, yeah,” he said. “That’s good. Just like I remember it.”

  “I’m glad you like it. You should come by here more often.”

  “Really?” he exclaimed.

  He coughed to clear his throat after realizing how excited he’d gotten.

  “I mean… Yeah. That sounds like a good idea. As long as you keep serving this, I’m sure I’ll be around.”

  “We won’t have it around too often. It’s kind of a hassle to get all of the ingredients for it. But Amy gave me the okay to keep making it.”

  “Okay then,” he said with a nod. “I’ll make it a point to come by here as often as I can.”

  I watched him eat his dessert, waiting for him to say whatever it was he had to say to me.

  “So…” I said. “There was something you wanted to talk to me about.”

  “Oh, right. That. Um… How do I put this?”

  He took a sip of his coffee and cleared his throat again.

  “Let me see…”

  “This sounds kind of serious,” I said.

  “It might be.”

  “Really?”

  My ears perked up. I couldn’t imagine what Ben was going to say but my mind was racing.

  “The Sheriff’s Deparment has been doing some surveillance,” he said. “As you know, they brought in a lot of personnel to track people, mainly the motorcycle clubs. There’s been an increase in activity.”

  “I remember.”

  “Some of our people picked up some footage of you at the clubhouse of one of the motorcycle clubs.”

  My heart skipped a beat. It was frightening to think that someone was watching me even though I hadn’t done anything.

  “It’s all right,” he said as he put his hands up. “We’re not following you.”

  “How can I be
sure?”

  “You’re not really a person of interest. As I said, we’re just monitoring the clubs and you just happened to be there.”

  “Okay,” I sighed. “I was at one of the clubhouses. There were a lot of people there. A lot of them weren’t even members.”

  “I know. It’s not really a concern for you. Unless…”

  “Unless?”

  “You’re not close to anybody in the club, are you?”

  I laughed softly, shaking my head at the question.

  “I don’t think my personal life is any of your business,” I said.

  “No. Of course not. But I did say that the motorcycle clubs in this town are up to something.”

  “Last time I checked, there were a lot of clubs in this town. They can’t all be something.”

  “True. We don’t know for sure until they do something. That’s why we have to monitor all of them.”

  He finished the rest of his dessert and washed it down with a big gulp of coffee.

  “I’m not telling you what you should or shouldn’t do, I just figured I would give you a heads up since you were seen in the area.”

  Ben started to get up from his seat but I grabbed his wrist.

  “Wait,” I said. “Hold on a second.”

  Something immediately came to my mind.

  “Can I ask you something?” I said.

  “Sure. What is it?”

  He sat back down.

  “They’re up to something,” I said. “What is that supposed to mean?”

  “Lydia… I don’t think I’m supposed to let you in on the details of a police investigation.”

  “I won’t tell anybody. I just want to know. You said it yourself. I might be getting myself into trouble if I’m around them. You’ll only be helping me.”

  Ben shifted his eyes toward Gina. She was on the other side of the bakery, distracted by whatever it was she was looking at on her phone. He sighed and leaned forward.

  “Some of the clubs are getting involved with moving weight,” he whispered.

  “Moving weight? Do you mean—”

  “Drugs. Because clubs have access to transportation, their bikes, it makes it easy for them to transport it from one city to the next.”

  “Why would anybody transport drugs from a city like Ivory? It’s a small town. It would be easy to get caught.”

  “They’re not transporting the drugs from Ivory, they’re transporting them through Ivory. The drugs are moved between cities. Ivory is just a stopping point. The clubs can make some big money by working with some of the bigger distributors.”