by Alexa Rynn
Clearly, I had the best timing.
“ACE?” Cutter said louder to be heard over the background noise.
“Hello, darling, it’s me,” I announced sweetly. I’d never called him darling before but I figured since I wanted something it was only fitting that I bring the big guns out.
Heather smirked next to me.
“Grace?” Cutter asked suspicion in his voice. “Why do you have Ace’s phone? What have you done?” The sound of footsteps moved in and out loudly around him.
“He’s right here. He just wanted me to call you and make sure that it would be okay if I stopped over to my mother’s house for a few minutes and get some clothes, maybe say hello to her and my sister.”
“Your mother?” He sounded like the idea had never crossed his mind.
“CUTTER!” Someone screamed in the background, it sounded like Blaze.
“Just a minute,” Cutter snapped. “Look, Grace, I really can’t talk.”
“It’ll only be for a few minutes, baby. Please?” I begged.
“Put the phone on speaker.”
I hit the button, holding the phone toward the front of the car.
“Go ahead,” Ace said.
“She has an hour and then you get her out of there.”
I was smiling so big that I probably looked like an idiot.
“Got it,” Ace told him, satisfied.
“Take me off speaker, Grace.”
“Hi,” I said, bringing the phone back to my face.
“An hour, Grace, I mean it.” There was more yelling around him.
“Thank you, thank you so much.”
“Yeah, yeah.” I could practically hear the smile on his face. “Remind me in the future that when you call me by any cute little nicknames that you want something from me.” The line went dead.
“Nicely played,” Heather told me, grabbing the phone and giving it back to Ace. “I never thought I’d see the day that my brother gave someone their way because they called him ‘baby’, I’ll have to try it next time.”
“The warehouse?” I whispered, inching closer to her. “How did you? I mean I didn’t know that you even knew anything about it.” I glanced at Ace to see if he was listening but he was already turning the car around.
“I know more than people think.”
“Address,” Ace barked.
I glanced at Heather. “Thank you.” I would never have had the nerve to say the things that she said to Ace and that meant Ace would never have called Cutter in the first time so that I could ask permission.
I was still pretty shocked Cutter had given in so easily. I must have caught him at a really good time. Or maybe a bad time for him, but a good time for me. I said a silent little prayer that he was okay and tried not to worry about him too much. He was right; if I wanted to be with him I was going to have to start coming up with new ways to deal with it.
I wasn’t sure I’d be too good at it, but I could at least try.
“Don’t mention it.” Heather shrugged. “I owed you, too” It was her way of apologizing for the things she had said the other day but she didn’t need to, I had already forgotten about it. I had too many other emotions flooding through me to hold onto pointless grudges, especially for the sister of the man I was falling for.
Heather turned around and didn’t say another word the rest of the ride.
By the time we pulled up to my house I was too nervous to think straight. I hadn’t talked to my mother or sister in over two weeks, that was unheard of for us and I was pretty sure they were flipping out. I knew I should have made time to call them before this, but I had been a little caught up with all the other life-altering drama going on around me.
“Are we going in?” Ace asked after a few minutes of just sitting there.
“Yes,” I nodded. “Yes, of course, we are going in.”
“Great,” Heather said, swinging the door open and climbing out.
“Oh,” I said, startled. “I didn’t know you wanted to come in.”
Heather smoothed out her black shirt. “Of course, I want to come in, why wouldn’t I?” She motioned for me to get out of the car. “Come on, I can’t wait to meet my new sister-in-law’s family!”
That got me out of the car and fast. “Your what?” I sounded like someone ran over my voice box with a tractor. “You can’t say things like that in front of them! Promise me!”
I could hear Ace laughing as he got out of the driver’s seat.
“Relax, sis.” Heather threw her arm around my neck and guided me toward the front door. “I won’t tell your family about your new boyfriend who’s the head of one of the most feared biker gangs in the city, your secret is safe with me.”
“Gee, thanks,” I said sarcastically.
It was funny, even under the stress of seeing my family I was very aware of the fact that she had called me Cutter’s girlfriend. The high school girl in me came out and I felt myself starting to blush.
“Could you be any more obvious?” Heather laughed.
“What?” I asked, faking innocence.
She pushed her sneaker across the sidewalk as we walked. “You’re completely and totally in love with my brother!” She linked her arm through mine, dragging me up to my mother’s front door like we had been best friends forever. “I think it’s about as sweet as a toothache.”
“What?” I asked her, hanging my mouth open. “I’m not in love!” I was trying to keep the screech out of my voice. “I just started hanging out with your brother and your already singing wedding bells.”
“Oh, please.” She yanked on my arm roughly. “What do you think I was? Born yesterday? I don’t care if you’ve been hanging out with him one day, it’s pretty clear that you’ve fallen completely head over heels for him. You’d probably wipe his ass if he asked you to.”
I took my front steps up two at a time. “That’s nasty, Heather. Besides, you know what they say about people who live in glass houses…” I trailed off, waiting for her to look guilty.
“Are you going in or not?” Ace called from where he was leaning against the car, smoking a cigarette. “You only have 54 minutes left.” He glanced at his phone, double-checking the time.
“What do they say about glass houses?” Heather ignored Ace.
“They shouldn’t throw stones.”
“I’ve never even heard that saying before. I think you made it up.”
“I didn’t make it up!” I threw my hands up in the air. “It means that if you’re doing something yourself you shouldn’t point it out in others. It’s a very famous saying.”
“I’m not in love with my brother!” Heather made a face. “Gross.”
“You aren’t, you’re right.” I turned to look at her. “But you’re definitely in love with Blaze.” I titled my head to the side and shot her a smug smile. Two could play this game.
Her face turned a light shade of pink. “You’re way off, Grace!”
“So, you’re telling me that you aren’t totally into Blaze?” I looked at her skeptically. “Yeah, right. Just because your brother and Blaze are too dumb to notice doesn’t mean I am, I’m a woman after all.” I took another step up toward the door. “Don’t worry I’m not going to tell anyone or anything. I’m just saying if you live in a glass house…”
“Ladies, I’m growing old here!”
“There’s nothing to tell,” Heather whispered, turning to look at Ace. “Because it’s not true, so just shut the hell up, would you?” She pulled her hand back and pounded on my mother’s front door as hard as she could.
“We don’t have to knock, I live here!” I pushed open the door.
“You still live with your mother?” Heather sounded unimpressed, even though I was pretty sure she still lived at home with her father. Of course, that probably had more to do with her father and Cutter than anything else.
“I meant I used to live here.”
Casper was clearly an overprotective father, I wondered if Cutter would be the same way and
then pushed the thought out of my head, along with the promise I’d made his father days before. Somehow I was conveniently good at pretending it didn’t exist, despite the guy who had pretty much just threatened to kill me if I didn't get a move on with it soon.
I was going to have to tell Cutter about promising to have his baby.
The longer I put it off the worse it was going to be.
Yet, there I was, still justifying why I hadn’t yet.
“Hello!” I slammed the door shut behind us. “Mom? Alexis? I’m home!” The house was silent, too silent. It reminded me of the night I had walked into the bar those weeks ago to meet who I thought was Ace. Heather took a step forward but I shook my head, placing my head on her wrist.
Something wasn’t right.
“What?” Heather looked alarmed.
“Something’s off,” I whispered.
A second later my sister came bursting out of the kitchen and threw herself into my arms. “Grace! Oh, Grace! Where have you been? We’ve been so worried!” Her long hair flowed around her body and fell against my neck. “I’ve tried to call you like a million times!”
“I know, I know,” I muffled into her hair. “I’m sorry, some things have been going on.” I tried to pull away from her but she clutched onto me even tighter, refusing to let me go.
“I’d say some things have been going on,” Heather muttered.
Alexis pulled away from me and glanced at Heather. “Hello.”
“What’s up?” Heather shot her a smile. “I’m Heather.”
It hit me how pretty she was when she actually smiled.
“Alexis.” She glanced over her shoulder toward the kitchen. “Grace, what have you done wrong?” She tightened her grip on my wrist, a worried look on her face. “There’s a cop in our kitchen looking for you.”
A cop? I looked at Heather, panicked. It had to be because of what had happened the other night with Cutter when he had beaten the shit out of that cop. He was right, the cop didn’t let it go and now they were here looking for me to tote me off to jail!
“He’s in the kitchen right now?” I whispered.
“Yes!” She gasped. “Moms feeding him cookies and coffee!”
Heather wasted no time opening the door and motioning Ace inside.
“Alexis.” I put my hands on her shoulders and squeezed as tight as I could. “No matter what happens it’s really important that you trust me and keep your mouth shut unless I tell you to speak and when you get the chance you tell mom the same thing. Do you understand me?” It was alarming how much I sounded like Cutter.
“Gracie,” she mouthed my childhood nickname. “You’re scaring me.”
“Just trust me.”
“I trust you.”
Ace and Heather reappeared in the doorway at the same time my mother and a man in a light brown tailored suit emerged in the hallway. The man was older with gray hair and a thick mustache. He had a cup of coffee in his hand and what looked like a mouth full of cookies.
My mother looked like someone had run over our childhood dog. I hated myself for the stress and worry that was written over her face at the sight of me. My poor mother, she wasn’t getting any younger, she didn’t need this kind of thing going on in her life.
“Grace?” The man asked, holding his free hand out to me. “Detective Lance Orangemen. I was hoping that you would have some time to answer a few questions for me.”
I glanced down at his hand then reached out slowly to shake it.
Ace pushed my hand away and shoved himself forward. “What is this regarding?” He and Heather both looked like they were dealing with the scum of the earth; I let myself fall back so they could take the lead. I pulled my little sister along with me.
“Are you her attorney?” Lance smirked. “Cause it’s privileged.”
“Can I see your arrest warrant then?” Ace asked him.
Did he say arrest warrant? My mother’s eyes grew wide. I felt so ashamed. Was I really going to be taken out in handcuffs from my childhood home in front of my baby sister and mom?
I immediately wished Cutter was with me.
Lance looked suddenly uncomfortable.
“Oh.” Ace nodded. “You don’t have one? Well, tell you what, why don’t you come back when you do and we can talk then?” He turned around and opened the front door. “Until then we don’t have anything to say.”
Lance didn’t move for a second, sizing Ace up, but after a second he handed the cup of coffee to my mother and licked the cookie crumbs off his lips. He reached into his pocket and held his card out to me as he passed. “Call me if you change your mind, Grace, I’m trying to help you get out in front of this thing.”
Ace intercepted the card and tore it in half, letting the pieces fall to the floor. “She’s not interested in anything you have to say, now get the fuck out of her house.”
“Real classy group of guys you hang around with, darling.” He looked at me closely. “There’s video, Grace, it’s only a matter of time before that cop snaps out of it and talks. If you work with me, I can make sure you get a good deal, don’t go down for something your boyfriend did.”
“OUT,” Ace snapped. “BEFORE I THROW YOU OUT.”
“These kind of guys never change, remember that.”
Ace slammed the door shut behind him. “Asshole.”
My mom clutched her heart.
“Sorry,” Ace mumbled.
“Hi! I’m Heather!” Heather announced, smiling as she took a step closer to my mother. “It’s great to meet you!” She put her arm around Alexis’s shoulder and pulled her closer to her small frame. “Your daughters are absolutely beautiful.”
My mother looked back and forth between Heather and me. Then her eyes fell on Ace. She took in his long dark hair, broad chest, and arm full of tattoos. Next, her eyes traveled down his muscular body and landed on his thick black boots and leather biker pants. The outline of his gun was evident through his t-shirt.
My mother gasped. “Oh, Gracie. Gracie, what have you done?”
And then her eyes rolled back in her head and she fell to the floor.
“Wonderful,” Ace muttered.
Chapter Five
CUTTER
I was livid.
No, I was beyond livid. I’d almost fought everybody in the fucking committee meeting once they had put it to a vote and pretty much made it clear that I wasn’t allowed to be involved in Stone’s takedown at all. Blaze had to pretty much take me out of the warehouse kicking and screaming while he took all my guns hostage so I didn’t do anything drastic.
I didn’t give a fuck. Grace was my girl I should be the one to go.
The fucking cops weren’t going to do shit.
Blaze drove along the back roads of our turf. He’d taken the long way around the city back home so that I had some time to calm down. I didn’t want to calm down, I felt worked up. What I really wanted to do was get home and fuck the shit out of Grace.
Sounded like a great way to get rid of some stress to me.
The thought of me spreading her pussy apart and shoving my dick inside of her made my junk so fucking hard that I was tempted to tell Blaze to pull over so I could go off and jerk the fuck off while I thought about her. She was so fucking sexy.
Apparently some asshole cop had paid her mom a visit and gotten everyone all worked up at her house. I wasn’t worried about it, Blaze had already put a call into one of our contacts in blue, telling him to do what the fuck he needed to do to get his hands on that tape and destroy it.
And the cop’s wallet was still burning a hole in my safe just in case he needed a little more motivation to keep his mouth shut about what had gone down that night.
Now all we could do was wait and hope that our man panned out.
In the mean time if anyone came near Grace again it was going to be the last thing they did. My adrenalin was pumping so high that I felt like my mind was going to explode if I didn’t get some relief soon.
“You know I’m n
ot going to walk out of there without him,” Blaze said.
“Not about that, Blaze, and you know it. This should be on me. I’m the one who wants to keep her. I’m the one who owns her. It’s my fight that I brought the brotherhood into, the least I can do is head up the fucking team on the fucking mission.”
I knew I was saying fuck every other second but I didn’t give a fuck.
I didn’t give a fuck about anything except getting home and pounding the hell out of Grace while she looked up at me and moaned like the good girl she was, my good girl.
Blaze shook his head. “Hey, you know how it is. If one of us has a problem, we all have a problem. You didn’t drag us into it, we walked into it when we chose this life, when we picked the brotherhood over anything else.” He pulled over into a parking lot and cut the engine.
“Thanks, Blaze, but we both know that’s not how it is where Grace is concerned. She’s my responsibility.” I looked around the empty parking lot. “Why did we stop?”
“We’re meeting Ace,” Blaze said just as a black car pulled up next to us.
“Who’s watching Grace?” I demanded.
“I put one of the other brothers on her, relax, Ace said it was important.”
“It better be.”
Ace jumped out of his car and got into the backseat of ours. “What’s good?” He rubbed both of his hands together, letting the cold air off of him from his brief time outside.
“You tell us,” I snapped, annoyed. I wasn’t having the best night and I still wasn’t that thrilled with Ace considering everything that had gone on between him and Grace. She had sworn nothing had happened between the two of them and I believed her, I knew she wasn’t that type of girl, but the situation as a whole still pissed me off.
And he was an easy target for my rage right now.
“Not to add salt to an open wound but we have a situation I think we need to take care of.” He shifted nervously in his seat. “Now I didn’t tell you this because I thought it was just street gossip until today.”
I swung around in my seat, curious now. “What is it?”
