“Off the scales, but it’s Bandit territory, so we’re fine.” Joe parked the SUV. “Should have brought my bike.”
“Why is Bandit territory fine?” I tried not to jump to conclusions.
“The guy we met at Jack’s Place runs the Bandits in Dallas, and he’s a friend. No one gets on that guy’s wrong side.”
“Friends with a criminal?” I heard my own disapproval.
“Darling, we’re legal and don’t worry about our friends, as long as they don’t ask us to step wrong,” Joe chided me.
Why did this bug me so much? I looked for things to dislike. It was as if each piece of proof strengthened my case, but that was craziness. None of my facts would change the outcome—me alone in bed crying for the man I loved. What was worse, I changed direction like a kite in a windstorm, first imagining forever then planning to run away. This was beyond me, no matter what I did, this would end badly.
“Let’s go.” I hopped out of the SUV.
We walked across the street to a wooden building in need of paint. A dimly lit sign proclaimed the place Buzzard’s Nest. Inside, Buzzard’s Nest was worse than outside—the air reeked of smoke, sour beer and body odor. Two pool tables dominated the back of the bar, and bikers were packed around tables on the floor. Barely dressed women were draped across the men.
My pulse raced and I expected a fight, but then I remembered I wasn’t here as a cop. The bikers glanced at JoJo and away. We belonged here. Unease made my skin tight and my insides tangled.
“Relax, darling. Whiskey or beer?”
“Nei—”
“Pick one.” He spoke low.
“Beer, not out of that tap.”
He chuckled and guided me to the bar.
“Two Buds in a bottle.” Joe laid a hundred on the table.
“No bottles here. Can or tap?” The guy read Joe’s cut and grinned. “You know Rebel?”
“Of course, we work together.” JoJo nodded. “Cans then.”
The bartender slid across the two cans and pocketed the hundred. Expensive beer. I glanced at JoJo but he just smiled.
“You seen Al Viceroy? I need a word with him before he disappears.” Joe’s whole manner became threatening.
The bartender stepped back. “Here two nights ago, he’s not a regular. Likes to hang with the Alphas.” He nodded to the big group in back. “His brother is in the club, but he’s not here either.”
“What’s his brother’s name?”
“Everyone calls him Coyote, don’t know his real name.”
JoJo nodded. “There’s a better reward in it if you call me next time you see him.”
The bartender nodded and went to help another customer. He brought us two more cans a few minutes later. JoJo slipped him a twenty that time, again no change.
“Why no change?” I spoke low.
“Brotherhood has a rep, what we lay down is yours to keep.” He kissed me and I wanted to pull away, but that’d ruin my cover.
He stood and tugged me after him. “I’m playing pool and you’re going to listen.”
A solid plan.
He put his money on the table and backed me into the wall, then bent to kiss me again. He stroked my thigh, up my stomach and across my sensitive nipples. I couldn’t move, afraid to blow our cover and getting more aroused by the second. This wasn’t me, yet as he nuzzled my neck, I knew one thing, I wanted his hand back on my breast.
“You want to come?” he whispered in my ear.
I rocked into his leg, needing the friction for relief. God, I wanted to come, but that wasn’t something I could do.
His tricky fingers traveled up my thigh, his chest brushed against my nipples. I was lost to him as he played my body like he owned it.
“So fucking sexy. Can’t wait to fuck you.” He nibbled my ear.
Then he bit the spot on my neck, the one that always sent me flying. My body tensed and Joe pushed me on and I let him, hell, needed him to give me what was only seconds away. I arched as the orgasm tore through me, quick and savage. Joe’s mouth covered mine and swallowed my noises with his kiss. Floating in the bliss, I didn’t want to come back.
“You good, darling?” He nipped my ear. “My turn to play.”
He left me leaning dazed against the wall with an “I’ve just been fucked” look on my face.
Slowly reality penetrated my bubble.
With him, I had no damn rules. Next, I remembered my assignment. Glancing around, I noticed that two Alphas played at the other table. Joe played against a Black Bastard. Biker clubs had colorful names. Where Joe had propped me was a great spot between the two tables. I listened to the conversations buzzing around me.
I heard Coyote’s name once and fucking brother once. Half the conversation was in Spanish, and my Spanish was second-rate at best. JoJo played against the other biker. It was a tight game. I couldn’t hear what they said, but they both laughed, then the game turned serious again. Joe scratched on the last play and lost. He grinned and turned over a hundred dollar bill. They shook hands, in a biker kind of way, and my man headed back to me.
We strolled out of the bar and back to the SUV.
“And we learned?”
“You have a sweet pussy.” He licked his finger.
I covered my face. “I don’t...that’s not me. You do things to me.”
“Like make you come against the wall.” His feral smile stoked my desire.
“Make me forget myself.” I cleared my throat, refusing to admit how much I liked what he’d done to me. “What did we learn?”
“No one likes Viceroy there, especially the Alphas. They’ve turned him down. The Alphas told Coyote to keep Viceroy away from the club. They don’t like the heat.”
“Your Spanish is good.”
He shrugged a shoulder. “I grew up in South Texas, and the biker I lost to likes to gossip. I guess there was a fight about it last night.”
“Did you lose on purpose?”
“Of course.” He winked. “People tell you more when you lose.”
We visited two more bars but didn’t see Viceroy, and Joe didn’t make me come against the wall again. I almost wished he had.
No, I didn’t. I wasn’t that kind of person. Was I?
Chapter Twenty-Four
JoJo
I woke the next morning with Charlie plastered to my naked body. I was a lucky man. Last night I’d flipped her switch when I’d made her come at the Buzzard’s Nest, we’d fucked late into the night, and now I’d wake her up the same way.
I now understood her better—there were two Charlies. The one she created with her rules and expectations, and the real one that I was just starting to know. That one surprised me all the time. However, I doubted she’d let go of all her rules even for me. I’d already fallen for her, loved her maybe, but I wouldn’t tell her, not just because she didn’t want to hear it, but because it’d only make it harder for me—saying it aloud would amplify the power of the feelings.
Her ass scooted into my groin, and my dark thoughts disappeared. I bent down and sucked her pink nipple into my mouth. Fuck, I’d miss this when she was gone.
After a long morning in bed, we showered and I was contemplating undressing her when my phone rang. “This is JoJo.”
“This is Skunk, from Buzzard’s Nest.” The guy spoke just above a whisper, making it hard to hear over the mobile connection.
“Yeah, you got news for me?”
“Two scoops, if you’re paying.” He sounded nervous.
“I am, should I come to you?”
“Quick if you can. Coyote and Viceroy are here drinking, most the Alphas are gone, place is close to empty.” He spoke fast. “But some goomba in a flashy suit comes by after you left last night, looking for you.”
“And you said?”
“Not that I noticed
but we were busy. Can’t say what others said, but we like our kind here, not the mob.”
“Skunk, I owe you, and I’ll pay when we see each other. Be there in a few.” I hung up. “We need to roll. Viceroy is at the Buzzard.”
“So fast?”
“Yup, our skip tracer gives us good intel, then we work the network.” I shrugged on my jacket to hide my gun.
Charlie tucked hers into her boot. I handed her a stun gun. “Elle says they work great. Me, I just punch my way through.”
“I don’t have that great a punch.” She hefted the stunner, then stuck it down her cleavage. Good hiding spot.
We made it to the Buzzard in less than thirty minutes. Bikes were lined up in front of the bar and I hoped that meant they were still there.
“You cover the back? There’s a door in the alley.”
She nodded. “Yeah, I hope I get to zap someone.”
“That’s my girl.” I handed her plastic cuffs. “Cuff them both or Coyote will go for you.”
With a gulp, she took both sets of cuffs. “Got it.”
I walked in the front door to see Coyote and Viceroy at the bar. I sat across from the two. Skunk put the can of Bud in front of me. “So the goomba was back a few minutes ago.”
Fuck. Charlie was in back. “Go tell those guys I’m here for Viceroy, they’ll run out the back, and then I can finish this up.”
I slipped five bills and a card over to him. His eyes grew wide at the card. “One of the Biker Specials at Bound?” Awe tinged his words.
All members had free services at Bound, our sex club, but I never used them, so I’d convinced Rebel to let me use my perk as a reward. Getting a free night at Bound had bought me cooperation with more than one biker. “You got it.” The cards had become legendary, since we handed them out rarely.
“Man, you need anything, call Skunk.” He pocketed his loot and headed over to the bar. I thumbed through my phone, texting Charlie to be ready. The guys tried to be covert as they slipped off their bar stools, but elephants would’ve been quieter. I waited a beat, then followed.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Charlie
What’s worse than the seedy inside Buzzard’s Nest? The alley. I’d seen at least two drug deals go down in the ten minutes I’d waited. Why weren’t they coming? I heard feet scuffing through the trash and a curse, I peeked from my place behind the Dumpster—a guy in a suit looking very mob-like was poking through the alley. He’d be on me in seconds. I pulled out the stunner and waited. As he came even with the edge of the Dumpster I pressed the gun into the flesh of his neck.
“Fuck.” He fell to the alley unconscious.
I checked the door but no movement. I scurried over and secured his wrists. Adrenaline pumped through me. One down, two to go. The door opened and a guy in a biker vest and Viceroy walked out. I hoped this gun didn’t need to recharge as I turned and pressed it into Viceroy’s arm. He went down.
“You fuckin’ bitch.” The biker hauled his fist back.
“Don’t hit a woman.” JoJo clobbered the guy from the back, sending him to the dirty alley floor. Two more hits to the jaw and Coyote was out.
I secured Viceroy. JoJo hauled him over his shoulder in a fireman carry.
We’d done it. Kicked ass and taken names. It was the best part of detective work—without the bureaucracy or searching through countless dead ends. Joe had nailed him in less than two days. Amazing. He was damn good at his job.
Still flying high, I followed Joe. What would we do with Franco’s guy? Question him? Torture him for answers? Surely not.
Joe secured Viceroy in the back of the SUV, put up the glass panel and locked the doors. “I need to deal with Franco’s guy. Go take off his security cuffs.”
“What?”
He rolled his eyes. “I’m gonna get Skunk to set up our mob friend with the Alphas, tie up all our problems at once.” He handed me a knife and left me standing there before I could ask the dozens of questions in my mind.
His story had more holes than Swiss cheese, but I booked it back to the mob guy. This wouldn’t fall apart because I hadn’t done my job. I’d just gotten the cuffs off when the back door boomed open and a huge Mexican biker stalked out.
“You say this man took down our Coyote.” The beady-eyed guy looked from me to JoJo. “You hear this?” He glanced back at the scrawny bartender.
“Yeah, he was here last night. I told Coyote and he went out the back.” Skunk backed up JoJo’s story. But Coyote could undermine the whole thing as soon as he woke up.
“Take him. We’ll show him who’s boss here.” The biker nodded to another of his club members.
“Take care.” JoJo grabbed my hand and we hurried from the alley.
“That story won’t hold... Coyote knows—”
“If he has a brain cell, he’ll say he forgot or agree to whatever story they tell him.” JoJo gave me a predatory smile. “Otherwise he admits he was helping his brother, who he isn’t supposed to be with, and that he started trouble with another club protecting him.”
“Not a good choice?” I didn’t quite follow.
“Nope, you don’t disobey an order from your prez, so Coyote will keep his yap shut and Franco’s man will end up in the hospital while we turn in our bounty. Franco’s losing face left and right.” He sounded so satisfied.
“You sure we didn’t make it worse?”
“It can’t get worse, we just have to keep pushing his nose in it.”
It took us almost two hours to process the bounty with the Dallas PD, even with the paperwork, his work beat mine in gratification. Quick, brutal and satisfying. It shouldn’t appeal to me, but it did. The grind of police work wore on me, more since Jensen had died. I saw all the parts I didn’t like, and if I were honest, I didn’t like most of my job. But the sweet taste of putting criminals away, it was worth it.
He took down real bad guys without the complications of the force. I shook my head to stop the flow of traitorous thoughts. I was a cop, born and bred, and I wouldn’t be corrupted by a few days with him. Not that he’d tried to convince me—he hadn’t said a word about my choices—but his world tempted me. And that stopped now. I stared at the dark biker who was so different from the man I’d almost married. Jensen spent a lot of our time together warning me of possible dangers, advising me on the best path, and generally worrying about my reputation with other cops. He’d made me self-conscious and even more uptight with his concern. Joe’s total acceptance was so freeing, just like riding the motorcycle. I was becoming addicted to both.
“I say we get a good dinner and celebrate with some dancing.” He winked at me. “We never did get to dance.”
Dancing. Dinner. A real date. That was dangerous, but I was already nodding. “Sounds good.”
Joe’s phone rang. He glanced down. “Damn.”
He walked away from me, and I couldn’t hear what he said. No doubt someone from the club. They owned him, after all.
He frowned, fists clenched. Bad news? Had he heard more about Franco? My pulse picked up and I glanced side to side. We were exposed on the street. True, we were in front of a police station, but I wasn’t sure that would stop Franco’s men. They were brash.
“Are we safe?” I assessed the area for threats.
“Yeah.” He blew out a breath. “Going out has to wait. I got club business tonight.”
Owned. The club came first and I wished I was his top priority. That was ridiculous. As soon as this situation was over, we’d go our separate ways. This was a fling, an affair, definitely not a permanent arrangement.
“And that means...”
“To my place, and then I’ve got a few prospects lined up to protect you. I’ll be back as quick as I can.” He scuffed his boot on the sidewalk. “Sorry we can’t go out tonight.”
“No problem, I could use the downtim
e.” More like time away from Joe to sort myself out. I was too involved for my own good. If I didn’t pull back, I might fall in love with him. And that’d be a mistake. One I wouldn’t be making, no matter how much I craved him.
The bike ride back north passed quickly with me lecturing myself on not falling for my biker. It boiled down to three simple reasons we couldn’t be permanent: being with him would dead end my career, I couldn’t deal with the shadowed grays he lived in every day, and I never wanted to be his or anyone’s property—that was barbaric.
As we pulled onto a side street in Ardmore, one more truth hit me—I needed to make this affair count, let my wild side go, because I’d never indulge again. Joe pulled into a duplex in the middle of the street and parked his bike. I jumped off the bike before him, eager to take off the stifling helmet.
“I need to change and shower, then some guys should be here.” He clasped my hand and pulled me along beside him. “Delta and I live here, but he’s already in Barden.”
“Why aren’t you taking me with you?” I glanced around his place—bachelor central with mismatched furniture and a big-ass TV with three game systems.
He kicked his shoes off at the door, not meeting my gaze. “You don’t want to be anywhere near the clubhouse tonight.”
“Why?” What was he hiding?
He rubbed the top of his head. “It’s a full-blown party to celebrate Dare and Lila’s good news. Everyone needs to put in an appearance, and Lila asked for me specifically.”
What? A party, that wasn’t biker business. “So why don’t I want to go?”
“Goddammit, you don’t like the lifestyle and our parties are wild—a no-holds-barred kind of deal.” He sat on a leather couch and pulled me down on his lap. “I don’t want to stress you out more.”
“So you decided to keep me away? Is this how our relationship would work? I don’t like it, so you keep me in the dark.” How could I trust him? Why did I care? Hadn’t I already decided this was temporary? Make up your mind, Pine.
“You can go, if you want.” JoJo stared at me, reading me. “It’s a lot to take in, even for those who like the club.”
Shake Down Page 19
