“You say this is all Link’s?” I asked.
Joanna snickered. “Yep. He grew up on this estate. Just stayed in the family, you know?”
I nodded slowly. “It’s beautiful. How big is this place?”
Hope barked with laughter. “Hell if anyone knows. Not even Link knows the dimensions right off the top of his head.”
Joanna leaned back against the cushions. “All I know is that it’s more than enough room for us. And maybe a kid or two one day.”
Hope squealed. “Oh! My! God! Have you guys been finally talking about it? I know you’ve wanted kids your entire life.”
Hannah took Joanna’s hand. “Details. If you guys have talked, we need all. The. Details.”
Simone grinned from beyond the rim of her glass. “And maybe a story or two about how you guys are practicing for the main event?”
Joanna blushed deeply. “You know I don’t like to talk about that kind of stuff.”
Hope stood up. “Because my sister is a goodie-two-shoes!”
Hannah got up and shook her ass around. “Goodie-two-shoes! Goodie-two-shoes! Goodie-two-shoes!”
Joanna scoffed playfully. “Hey! At least I’ve got a productive sex life. What can you girls say about that?”
Simone shrugged. “Never been one for kids. So, it’s all fun and games for us.”
Hope couldn’t stop laughing. “My sex life is just fine, thank you very much.”
Hannah beamed with pride. “I’ve got one particular story you guys would love, if the conversation is headed that way.”
I patted the cushion next to me. “Oh, stories like that are always welcome. I can live through you guys for a while.”
Joanna furrowed her brow. “Live through us?”
Hope shook her head. “You mean, you and Sly haven’t…?”
I sighed. “Thanks to my brother? Definitely not. He’s practically breathing down my throat about how bad Sly would be for me and how I’m not allowed to call or text him and how I have to listen because I live under his roof.”
Hannah blinked. “What are you, a toddler?”
I snickered. “You’d think so.”
Hope sat next to me and took my hand. “Have you been on another date with Sly since the picnic you told us about?”
I peeked over at Joanna. “You mean, the picnic she told you about?”
She waved her hand on the air. “Semantics. But still. Have you seen him since the picnic?”
I licked my lips. “Well, I’m supposed to meet him at the bar at six to talk. That’s about it, though.”
Hope looked down at her phone. “Oh, shit! It’s already four in the afternoon! We gotta get you ready, girl.”
Joanna stood. “Yes. My room, right now. We’re going to find you a nice outfit and get your makeup done right.”
Someone pulled me off the couch. “I mean no offense, Joanna, but I’m not sure your clothes are going to fit me.”
She grinned. “What? You calling me fat?”
I felt my face pale. “H-h-hardly. I just—”
Hope linked her arm with mine. “She’s just kidding. And trust me, Joanna’s got the weirdest closet alive. I promise, there will be something in here to fit you.”
And they weren’t kidding.
Joanna had all sorts of beautiful clothes in every shape, color, and size. It made me wonder why, but I also didn’t question it. Did her weight fluctuate that much? Or did she just enjoy stocking clothes that didn’t always fit her? I didn’t know, it seemed a bit odd. But I didn’t question it.
Especially since everything in her closet was so soft and beautiful.
And sparkly.
“Oh, oh, oh, let’s try her in this,” Hope said.
Something covered my face as it got tossed at me before clothes piled at my feet.
I heard Joanna’s voice, though. “Let’s go easy on the clothes. We’ve only got a couple of hours to get her ready and get her to the bar. So, we need to be swift.”
And swift, they were.
After trying on at least a dozen different outfits, I settled for a leopard-printed sundress with a shawl wrapped around my bare shoulders and a pair of flats to help keep me steady. I’d never been one for heels ever since I turned my ankle in one and almost dislocated it. But that didn’t stop the girls from trying to convince me to wear a pair while Hannah did my hair.
And hope Simone did my makeup.
“Girl, you look hot,” Hope said.
Joanna smiled at me. “Sly’s gonna shit himself when he sees you.”
Simone clapped her hands. “I want to teach you how to do your makeup. You’ve got the perfect skin tone to pull off a lot of looks girls like me only wish they could.”
I shook my head. “I have no idea what any of that means.”
Simone threw her arm around my shoulders. “Doesn’t matter how. All you have to do is go to that bar and knock his damn socks off.”
Hope giggled. “And his pants, too. If you can swing it.”
Joanna ushered me out of the closet. “Time to get you laid, sweet thing!”
The girls whooped and hollered as they rushed to piece themselves together a bit. Then, we all set off in Joanna’s Jeep and made our way to the Iron Horse. I felt alive for the first time in my life. I felt free of the craziness I had gotten plunged into thanks to my brother, and I felt ready to tackle whatever Sly had for me this evening. I wrung my hands in my lap as I watched the clock. We were already running fifteen minutes behind schedule. But the girls kept saying something about playing hard to get and making him wait and being ‘fashionably late. So, I didn’t worry much about it.
Until we didn’t see anyone’s bikes in the parking lot.
“Uh oh,” Joanna murmured.
I craned my neck over her seat. “What’s wrong?”
Hope sighed. “Their bikes aren’t here.”
I looked over at her. “That a bad thing?”
Hannah opened her car door as Joanna parked. “I’m going to go inside and see what’s up. Give me a second.”
I shook my head. “What’s happening? Has something bad happened?”
Simone rubbed my thigh with her hand. “Not at all. We’re just trying to figure out if the guys are actually here or somewhere else.”
Joanna turned around to look at us. “Or working.”
I furrowed my brow. “Sly didn’t say anything about him having to work tonight. I mean if he was working, he wouldn’t have invited me, right?”
Hannah opened the car door right next to me. “Yep. Bartender says they went out on a scout about twenty minutes ago.”
I swallowed hard. “So, they aren’t here?”
Simone took my hand. “Girl, it’s okay. I’m sure they’ll be back in no time. And until then? We can have some drinks. I mean we all dressed up, so we might as well.”
Hannah nodded. “Come on. Drinks and food are on me tonight. Just got my first decent paycheck from my job, so let’s celebrate.”
“Woohoo!” Joanna exclaimed.
“I’ll never turn down a free drink,” Simone said with a smile.
Hope rubbed my back. “You gonna come in with us?”
I tried not to sound too disappointed. “Of course, I am.”
Joanna gave me a soft smile. “It doesn’t happen all the time. But eventually? You get used to it.”
I wasn’t sure I wanted to, though.
Either way, I went inside with the girls and sat down. I needed a drink or two, especially since my soul felt so deflated. I didn’t even interject when the girls ordered a massive plate of wings and fries. I wasn’t really a fan of chicken wings. They were too messy and I couldn't eat them with a fork and a knife, like I was used to with the rest of my food.
Still, my eyes kept gravitating out the window. Hoping and praying that Sly would show up.
“Hey, you there?” Joanna asked.
Her hand touched down softly against my forearm and I looked over at her. And that was when I realized that not
only had a glass of wine been ordered for me, but our food was already sitting on the table.
“Uh, I’m sorry. What happened?” I asked.
Hope giggled softly. “A lot.”
Simone nodded. “You’ve been sitting there for thirty minutes just staring out the window.”
Joanna rubbed my back. “Missing Sly?”
I shrugged. “I was excited to talk with him. I had some questions I wanted to ask him. I was hoping he’d give me some honest answers.”
Hannah leaned forward. “You could always ask us.”
Hope nodded. “Yeah. We know a lot more about their movements and operations than most give us credit for.”
God, I hope my brother doesn’t have me bugged or something. “There’s something I have to admit, and I can’t keep it inside any longer. I was hoping to admit it straight to Sly, but since he isn’t here…”
Joanna took my hand. “What is it, Tara?”
Hannah took my other hand from across the table. “You’re one of the girls now. You can tell us.”
Simone furrowed her brow. “Are our guys in trouble?”
And when I didn’t answer, all eyes were on me.
“Tara? What do you know?” Hope asked.
I closed my eyes. “I’ve just—heard some rumors from my brother on what the crew gets up to and stuff. I was hoping to ask Sly about it so he could set the record straight, because I’m having a hard time believing what my brother is saying.”
Joanna’s voice sounded calm, and comforting. “You can tell us anything and we won’t get upset.”
“You have our word,” Simone said.
I opened my eyes. “I’ve overheard my brother saying that the crew is somehow connected to some sort of trafficking ring with some guy named Skeleton?”
The table fell silent as I talked, so I kept on going. With my voice down, of course.
“He says there are drugs involved. Moving women around or something like that. And that the crew is helping with it or something?”
I glanced around the booth at the widened eyes of the girls, and already I knew I had said too much. Or said something to piss them off. So, I braced myself for the awful. The terrible. The no-good, very bad of it all.
Until Joanna spoke. “What the ever-blessed fuck?”
Hope shook her head. “No. Just—just no. No to all of that.”
Hannah tugged on my hand, bringing me closer to her. “None of that is even remotely accurate. Where the hell did your brother get that information?”
And when I didn’t respond, Simone piped up. “He’s federal, isn’t he?”
The girls looked at me as if I’d grown a third head as they all scooted away a little bit.
“Look, you guys. My brother might be who he is, but I’m not that. I’m a paralegal that lost her job a little while back and I moved in with my brother to try and find another job. That’s all. He approached me the day of that poker game? Remember? He said he needed my help for something he was doing, then boom. I’m at the bar for a poker game and Sly is hitting on me and he’s so handsome and amazing and I just—”
Joanna held out her hands. “Okay, okay, okay. Slow down. Take some breaths.”
Hope grinned. “We believe you.”
Hannah leaned back. “Just had to ruffle your feathers a bit to see where you stood. That’s all.”
I looked over at Simone. “Do you believe me?”
Her eyes slid down the parts of my body she could see. “Yeah, I do. And I’m actually impressed that you were about to take this to Sly. He could’ve erupted on you, you know.”
I paused. “Erupted?”
Joanna nudged Simone. “Don’t scare the girl. You know she’s seeing a side of Sly we never see.”
I cocked my head. “What kind of side?”
Hannah sighed. “It doesn’t matter. Look. The guys have been worried that your brother—Chains, right?—is a federal agent.”
Joanna pinned me with her stare. “Is that true?”
I swallowed hard. “I plead the fifth? Can I do that and not lose my new friends?”
Hope giggled. “Yes. You can.”
Simone nodded. “Especially since it’s pretty obvious you’re not involved.”
I sighed with relief, leaning against the booth cushions. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, including my brother. But he is working off the assumption that this crew is wrapped up in all of this stuff.”
Hannah clicked her tongue. “Which means the Feds think that about the crew, too.”
Joanna scooted closer to me. “You want to know what’s really happening?”
I looked over at her. “What do you mean?”
“Do you want to know what’s really going on between the guys and Skeleton instead of what your brother thinks is happening?”
I nodded fervently. “More than anything. Please, tell me this is all one big ass misunderstanding.”
Joanna lowered her voice to almost a whisper. “All the guys are trying to do is take Skeleton out.”
Hope nodded. “Yeah. Get his crew off the streets for good.”
Hannah reached for a French fry. “They’re trafficking women and selling them off to the highest bidder. Plus, they run some of the nastiest drugs on the streets right now. They moved into our town a little while back, and the guys have been working overtime to push him back out.”
I blinked. “Wait, wait, wait, wait. They’re not involved; they’re trying to help stop him?”
Simone nodded. “Every free second of the day they can.”
Joanna turned my face to meet hers. “Look, even I know—as an attorney—that these guys step into gray areas a lot. But this time? They’re fully in the white.”
Hope shrugged. “Well, as white as it gets for them.”
Hannah giggled. “You got that right.”
Simone stepped in. “The point is: the guys aren’t working alongside Skeleton or even for him. They’re trying to stop him using any means necessary they have at their disposal.”
Hope lifted her finger. “Including working with the police.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “This is all so fucking backwards. I have to tell my brother this.”
Hannah practically leapt forward. “Shh, shh, shh, shh! No. No, you can’t do that.”
Hope shook her head. “You can’t tell a soul what you’ve just told us.”
I blinked. “I mean aren’t you going to tell your guys that you’ve gotten confirmation from me about who my brother is?”
The girls looked around at one another before Joanna shook her head.
“Unless it’s pertinent and we know no one’s going to get hurt, no. We’re not.”
I balked. “But I thought you guys—”
Hannah held her hands up. “Look, they’re already curious about your brother, and that’s enough for them. We don’t need to be throwing gasoline on an already ravaging fire and distracting them from what’s really important.”
Joanna nodded. “Which is getting Skeleton off the streets for good.”
I slumped deeper into my seat. “You guys have a point.”
Hope reached for a chicken wing. “Can we eat now, you guys? I’m starving and our food’s getting cold.”
Joanna eyed me carefully. “Promise you won’t say anything to your brother.”
Without a second thought. “I won’t. You have my word.”
Hope handed me a plate. “Good. Now, let’s stop talking and start stuffing our faces. I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
11
Sly
“Son of a fucking bitch,” I hissed.
I slammed my shoulder into a door that didn’t fucking budge, and the pain ricocheted all the way down my spine. Three warehouses. Three of them. By myself, with no backup, and no plan if I ran into this motherfucker. But everything seemed good at this first warehouse. Pulling up to the facade of the place, there had been no lights on. There were no electrical wirings that suggested someone had taken up residence
here. There weren’t even bike tracks or footprints of any sort in the dust and the mud that coated this place.
So, I headed to the second site after clearing the first.
The drive to the warehouses was sobering, but they only served to make me angrier. Maybe if I could clear these warehouses within the next thirty minutes, I could get out of here with enough time to take Tara somewhere and make this up to her. I gnashed my teeth together as I tried hashing out a plan. If I was going to make it, that meant I could only spend fifteen minutes clearing this next warehouse.
Which was why I sped all the way down the road to get to it.
The front of the building looked much like the first: crawling with vines, massive amounts of water damage, and black spaces interspersed along the outside plaster that made it look like this place succumbed to a fire or some shit. Either way, I clicked on my flashlight and held my gun poised in front of me.
Ready to shoot someone if they popped out.
I crept as silently as I could up and down the hallways. I cleared corners and opened doors that had locks that had already rusted over due to time. And the place reeked horrendously of mold and mildew.
“Ugh. Gross,” I murmured.
I rolled my aching shoulder as I came around the last corner of the building and—surprise, surprise—there wasn’t a soul in this place. And I still had five minutes to go. I burst through the back door and wrapped around the left side, my head on a swivel and my ears trained to take in and process any sound it heard.
Though, the only sounds greeting me were bats flapping their wings and the trees groaning and swaying to the dominance of the wind.
After clearing the second warehouse, I hopped on my bike and sped in the opposite direction. I had five extra minutes on my side, which meant I might actually be able to do this. So long as this third warehouse didn’t give me any fucking trouble, I’d be able to report back to Link and get my ass back to the bar with enough time to fully and completely make this up to Tara.
Which was very important to me.
Sly (Dragon Riders MC Book 5) Page 7
