by KB Winters
She froze and shook her head. “No, not now.”
I couldn’t deny that it hurt like hell that she didn’t want to talk to me, but I also couldn’t blame her. She’d been stuck with that bastard for a week of hell, probably unsure if I would keep my word to her. “Okay. But please, if you don’t want to talk to me then talk to someone else. Moon is a good listener and she’s all into that yoga and Zen shit that’s supposed to help center you, or whatever. Please, babe?”
She grinned and slowly it spread and became the smile I’d seen on her beautiful face so many times. “You’re a good man, Stitch.”
“Don’t sound so surprised, babe. I told you, I’m a catch.” I patted my chest and a small laugh erupted out of her, making me feel about a thousand feet tall. But I was a good guy and I needed her to know that. “I want to help you, Marisol, in any way I can, but that doesn’t mean we have to be together or sleep together if you don’t want. I mean that.”
I pushed back from the table and stood because what I had to say was important. “I like you, a lot, and I do want you, but if you don’t want that, I’ll still be here for you. You’ll have to stay here until we’re sure Carlito is gone but that’s it.”
I wanted her bad and hadn’t realized it until Carlito had dragged her into that church basement, beaten and scared. But I couldn’t be another man who wanted what she didn’t want to give.
I wouldn’t be that guy.
Ever.
She looked at me, her sad brown eyes trying their damnedest not to look it. I dropped back into my seat. Gutted. “Thank you, Stitch.” She placed a hand on top of mine and I sighed at the warmth, the evidence she was coming back to life. “It’s not that I don’t want you, I’m just…I don’t know, exhausted.”
“Okay, I get it.” That much I could deal with. “I’ll sleep downstairs and have Jana and Moon check on you from time to time to make sure you’re okay, yeah?”
She shook her head, eyes welling up with tears. “Can…can’t you stay?”
Fuck yeah, I could stay. “If you want me to, Marisol, I’m here.” When she looked at me this time, her whole face lit up and some of the color had come back. I had to fight the urge to crash my lips down on hers, but fuck me, I wanted to. “Whatever you need, babe.”
She stood and rounded the table before she climbed on my lap and rested her head on my shoulder with her arms wrapped tight around me. “Right now, Stitch, I just need you to hold me.”
So I did. I held on tight and let her soft curves lean into me. We sat like that for so long that my legs went numb and my ass began to tingle from being pressed into the scrawny wood kitchen chair but I didn’t say a damn word. Not one fucking peep. I didn’t move one inch unless Marisol needed to readjust. I may not have been the best bet for most of my life but right now she needed my warmth. My protection. My comfort. And I was damn well gonna give it to her.
That and so much more.
When she was ready.
Chapter Twenty-Six - Golden Boy
Two weeks had passed since the shit had gone down with the cartel. Lockdown ended and life was finally getting back to normal. Sort of. Everyone was still on high alert, including myself, but so far things had been quiet. Thanksgiving was right around the corner and I hoped to have a holiday without blood and without bullets. Without any fucking drama.
“Hey, Golden Boy, phone’s ringing!” Lasso’s voice pulled me from my thoughts that had interrupted the boring ass work of bookkeeping. Despite the money I’d gotten from my lawsuit against the State of Nevada, I ran a small business and that meant a lot of fucking paperwork. All of the fucking time.
“Yeah, I hear it,” I grumbled and rubbed my eyes while the phone continued to ring. “GET INK’D, what can I do for you today?”
“You can tell me what you’re wearing, Tate.” Teddy’s husky voice was a purr over the phone, making me smile but when she used my given name, fuck that sound got me hot and ready to fuck.
“You first, Cover Girl.” The silence on the line extended long enough to put me on edge. “What’s up, babe?”
She sighed and I was already on my feet, scanning the office for my keys. “I need you to come home. Now.”
I snatched the keys off the ring Jag had installed right by the door. “Is this a sex thing or something else?”
“Something else,” she answered with a smile in her voice.
“I’ll be there.” I ended the call and went to the front where Jag stood at the counter, face buried behind a computer screen. “I need to head out. Something’s up with Teddy.”
Jag looked up. “Need a hand?”
“Don’t know yet. I’ll call if I do. You got things here?”
“Of course. Good luck.”
The last time I got a call like this, Teddy’s house had been set on fire. Then Jana had been shot and I got a call then too. I pushed my bike as fast as it would go until I pulled into our driveway and took the steps three at a time before bursting into the living room. “Teddy?”
“She’s in the kitchen,” Vivi said simply and I froze, looking from her to Katrina, who ran our Stetson Brothel. It was upscale, discreet and pricey. It was also our most profitable business other than weed. “Shit’s happened but maybe your wife should fill you in.”
“Why don’t you fill me in?” I didn’t mean to bark at Vivi but she would give me the facts only and that was what I wanted.
Straight up facts.
Vivi picked up the laptop she was working on and set it on the table, leaning back on the sofa and crossing her boot capped legs. “Kat’s here because some strange fuckers have been coming into Stetson for the past few days. They’re rough, which they pay for, but these guys are different, she says.” She pointed at Kat who looked terrified. “Tell him.”
She nodded, raking a hand through her hair before her eyes came back to mine. “Like she said, they pay for the rough stuff but Stetson isn’t really the place for those kinds of guys, ya know?” I nodded because I did know. “But last night the Doc had to come because Bitsy got a fractured rib and Tawny’s eye is swollen shut. I’ve never seen them before this week but a group of ten came in last night and Bitsy said her guy had a tattoo on his forearm. Double cursive S’s.”
“Salinas,” Vivi confirmed.
“Shit.” It was my turn to slid a hand through my hair and blow out a breath. “Why did you come here instead of the clubhouse?”
Vivi stood, wearing her badass uniform of black jeans and a matching black t-shirt with shit kicker black boots. “That’s where I have to insist you talk to Teddy.”
“I’m here.” My wife entered the living room carrying a tray of drinks, looking as beautiful as ever. With the tray on the coffee table, she opened a beer and handed it to me, a true sign I wasn’t gonna like what she had to say. “Some strange things have been happening at the office lately. At first I didn’t think anything of it because, you know, shit happens.” She smiled nervously and I grabbed her hand.
“Shit?”
She nodded and flicked her red hair behind her shoulders. “The power’s been off since yesterday and then the plumbing went out. I asked Vivi to look into the building owner to see if he was trying to sell the building or raise rent or something. But when Kat came over today, I knew it was more.”
“Shit, Teddy.” I shook my head and stepped away from her, dialing Max to let him know what was going on before turning back to them. “Okay, why are you here again, Vivi?”
“Emotional support,” she deadpanned.
“Tate,” my wife called in a warning tone. “She’s the one who saw that the power had been cut and the plumbing tampered with and she made me leave. When we got here, Katrina had just barely arrived.”
Kat nodded, confirming my wife’s version of events.
“There’s nothing nefarious about my being here,” Vivi said defensively, grabbing her laptop and her bag. “Now that you’re here, I’m gone.”
Dammit. “I never said that, Vivi.”
; “Doesn’t matter,” she muttered as she packed up her shit without looking at me. Or Teddy. Or Kat. She went to the door and held the knob. “It wasn’t sophisticated, and they didn’t break into the office to steal anything. Bolt cutters were used to cut the electricity and a good old fashioned rag to stop up the plumbing. It was just to scare you and maybe send a message,” she said before yanking the door open and leaving before I could apologize.
“Jesus fuck, Tate. Can’t you be nice to her after all she’s done for us?” Teddy smacked me on the arms and chest about a dozen times in frustration.
“I didn’t mean it how it sounded,” I argued but it was no use, Teddy flew out the door to track down her friend and I turned to Kat.
“Anything else?”
“The girls are terrified and threatening to walk. I gave them the rest of the week off for the holiday.” Kat was shaken and pale, terrified for her girls and probably herself.
“Thanks, Kat.” The fucking cartel was a pain in my ass. “When Teddy comes back, tell her to pack a bag because we’re all going back on lockdown to the club.” She nodded and I turned to call Cross and fill him in on everything.
Again.
Fuck.
Chapter Twenty-Seven - Gunnar
The clubhouse was a fucking hive of activity when Lex and I got back from the store. As the designated gophers we were at the beck and call of Jana, Mandy and Kat, who were busy preparing for Thanksgiving. “Who in the hell starts cooking two days before the holiday?” I hefted two big ass turkeys onto the metal slab that Mandy insisted was a table but looked more like something you’d find at the morgue.
Jana turned to me with her hands on her hips and a gleam in her eye. “People who are cooking for a small army that includes at least a dozen men with hollow legs.” Her arched blonde brows dared me to question her more but, wisely, I kept my mouth shut. “You didn’t forget the hams did you, because we need ham.”
“No, Jana, I didn’t forget. But seriously, is all this necessary?”
Lex groaned as he dropped five canvas bags onto the floor beside the table. “A more important question is, is this everything you need to get through the holiday? The store was a fucking madhouse!”
Jana grinned. “The only upside to this lockdown is having someone else do the shopping.” She turned and pulled two wrapped packages from the fridge. “Pastrami and mustard for you Lex and roast beef and horseradish for you Gunnar. Thanks for your shopping skills boys.”
Lex grinned and stepped up to accept his sandwich, wrapping Jana in a one armed hug. “If this is my reward, all you have to do is ask Jana.” He winked and vanished like he was afraid they might ask him to chop or peel something.
“You okay Gunnar? You look a little, I don’t know, dazed.”
That was part of it. “Just trying to make it through the day, same as everybody else.” I grunted.
“Only it’s different when you have a little one counting on you, right?” I nodded but kept quiet because I wasn’t really the confiding type. “All you can do is enjoy the time you have. It could be a cartel or a drunk driver, you never know.” Jana’s lips twitched and I shook my head.
“You’re not a very good motivational speaker,” I told her, which only made her laugh.
“No, I’m not. I’m a realist and I also happen to be right.”
“Yeah, thanks for the sandwich anyway.” I left the kitchen before Jana tried to rope me into a conversation about my feelings because that shit wasn’t happening. “Anyone seen Maisie?” There were kids everywhere, something that still surprised me every time I walked into the clubhouse. It wasn’t all that long ago that we were all just a bunch of hard partying ex-military men who made money any way we could. Now, half the club was filled with family men.
What a difference a couple of years makes.
“She’s outside.” Black pointed to the rear exit where the playground had been set up and I frowned because it was too damn cold for any of the kids to be outside and it looked like Maisie was the only one.
Unease settled deep in my gut and I picked up my speed, pushing through the glass door that would take me to my sister. My kid. “Maisie!” The playground was empty but the sound of her familiar laughter sounded in the distance. “Maisie, where are you?”
“Here, Gunny!” I relaxed just a little at the sound of her happy tone and followed it. She knew better than to come out here alone so I hoped she had adult supervision. “Gunny!”
Around the giant slide I stopped dead in my tracks. Maisie stood with her little hands tucked into the pockets of her hot pink jacket, that Peaches woman next to her.
“What’s going on back here?”
Maisie turned at the sound of my voice, her big blue eyes excited as she ran to me. “Peaches said girls can do anything.” My sister who sounded more like an adult than I’d ever heard her sound, looked up at the woman for confirmation.
Peaches winked. “That’s right, Gunny. Your sister said she likes cars.”
That explained the giant race track that had been set up in the mulch at the free end of the play area. “Cars, huh?”
Maisie ran back to Peaches and grabbed her hand, nodding her head with more energy than I’d had in the last decade. “Fast cars,” she clarified.
“I like fast cars,” I insisted. Why in the hell I felt the need to justify my hobbies, I had no fucking clue, only that there was something about this Peaches woman that put me on edge. On the defensive.
“No one said you didn’t. We were talking about Maisie.” Peaches sent me an amused look like I was some jokester and that only pissed me off more. She ignored me and bent down with a hand on my sister’s shoulder. “Okay Maze, this is the remote. Press it in the direction you want the car to go. Like this.” She gave the excited little girl a quick lesson on remote control cars and then left her in control. “Ready?”
“Yeah!”
“Okay, then. Three, two, one…go!” Peaches stepped away, smiling as she watched my sister learn how to navigate the car. It took a few times before she got the hang of it but when she did, Maisie proved to be quite the speed demon.
A few times the car went off the track and I watched, amazed at how patient Peaches was with Maisie’s exuberance. She exhausted me every single day and I wondered what motive Peaches had for being so kind. So nice to my little girl. “Oops. Sorry Peaches!” Maisie looked up at her with what I imagined were her best puppy dog eyes after she sent the car flying off the track and smacking against the leg of the slide.
Peaches looked down at her with wide eyes. “Holy crap Maze, did you see that? You made it flip like nine or ten times! How cool was that?” She laughed and whooped, loudly, until Maisie began to jump up and down excitedly.
“I did?”
“Yep. I think you’re gonna be a stunt woman when you grow up, if the whole engineer thing doesn’t work out.”
“Engineer?” Maisie was almost three years old, there was no way in hell she even knew what an engineer was. “It’s a little soon to be planning her future, don’t you think?” Hell, I hadn’t even started searching for a preschool or daycare center for her and she was my responsibility.
“I’m not planning anything, just enjoying some time with a fun little girl. Is that a problem?”
“Not as long as you remember that she isn’t your little girl.” I didn’t need to bark at the woman, but I felt angry and frustrated and she was as good a target as any.
“Wow. Did you really just go there? You think I want to steal your kid?” Peaches huffed out a disbelieving laugh and shook her head before she dropped down to face Maisie. “I have to go take care of some boring grown up stuff, Maze. Enjoy the track, okay?”
“Do you hafta go, Peaches?”
She glared at me and nodded, giving Maisie a sad smile before she stood. “Apparently, I do, kid, but I want you to know that I had fun with you today. You’re a cool little girl, stay that way.”
“Okay, Peaches,” she giggled, looking up at the woma
n with admiration shining in blue eyes so much like my own. “See you later.”
“Later, Maze.” She waved over her shoulder before turning to me with a glare. “Fuck you, Gunny.” With a smirk she walked away, hips swaying to a beat that only I could hear. Dammit.
“Peaches, wait up!” She didn’t stop and I looked back at Maisie, engrossed in trying to keep the car on the track. “Peaches, I’m sorry, okay?”
“Don’t be. I know where I stand and I appreciate that.” She stopped and turned to me so I could see that there was no anger there. Just resignation.
“Why are you being so nice to her?”
Peaches rolled her eyes. “She’s a kid, why wouldn’t I be? She wouldn’t have any friends if the whole world judged her by her guardian.”
That much was true and though I should have been grateful, I wasn’t. “You don’t even know her.”
Peaches sighed heavily and took a step back. “You don’t want me to spend time with your kid? Fine. I’ll be gone soon enough anyway. Thanks for the warm fucking welcome, man.”
I watched her walk away and yeah, I was an asshole with my eyes glued to her shapely ass until she disappeared from sight. “Shit!”
“Gunny said a bad word!”
A deep laugh sounded from behind me and I turned, ready to spring into action but it was just Jag.
“You scared the fuck out of me, Jag.”
“Gunny said a bad word,” Maisie said again, this time even louder.
I needed to watch my fucking words. “Maybe you were just too busy ogling Peaches to hear me. You were a real effin’ dick, by the way.”
“Tell me something I don’t know.”
Jag smiled and bent to pick up the car that once again fell off the track. He set it back in its place and grinned. “How about this…if Vivi gets wind of you bein’ a dick, she might make it look like you never existed. Just so you know.”
I barked out a laugh. Vivi was a crazy bitch but she had a lot of heart. For Jag and for the MC. “What are you doing out here?”
