Calming the Riot

by Karen Renee

  His temper was rising to the boiling point, but Blood’s earlier question niggled in his mind. He turned to Blood. “Why’d you ask if I’ve been followed? Anybody could see this car sittin’ here and decide to fuck with it.”

  Rage stepped forward. “You think I’d be this damn pissed over vandalism?”

  Under any other circumstances, Liar would facetiously say, “Well, yeah,” but these were clearly not the circumstances for that response.

  Volt came forward with a piece of paper. It was a picture of four people, but the more Liar looked at it he realized those four people were Andrea, Tennille, Razor and himself. They were standing outside the Urban Bean, and if he didn’t know better, it was before they went inside to order because Andi’s hands were up in front of her. She had waved them both at Razor in her effort to tell him not to get the donuts, but to get the waffle boats instead. Liar was about to give Rage a run for his money for having the most anger in that moment.

  Then he saw the written message beneath the picture. “Bush didn’t get the chance to finish the job, but I damn sure will, asshole.”

  “This was under the windshield wiper on the Trans-Am. Obviously, someone’s keepin’ tabs on you. And I don’t just say that because of the picture,” Volt said.

  Liar gave Volt a sideways glance. “Explain.”

  “Why put the pic and note on the Trans-Am? Whoever the fuck did this, they could’ve jacked up your bike and left it there. They went out of their way to come over here and fuck up the car you’re plannin’ to improve even further in order to get top dollar for it. Not just anybody—”

  Liar couldn’t hold his tongue. “It’s Prank. Nobody else would do this shit, and he’d have the resources to get at Blake to send him in here Saturday at closing.”

  Volt’s mustached-lips pursed. “That is the going assumption, but I don’t want to make assumptions about this. Especially if it means Andrea and Tennille’s safety is at risk.”

  Liar’s eyes narrowed in question.

  “Bush was hell-bent on raping Tennille’s mouth before the neighbor showed up, which ultimately scared him off. Not certain that’s what the note means or not, but ain’t gonna be any women I know gettin’ forced into shit they don’t want while I’m President of this club.”

  After three deep breaths and exhales, Liar looked to Rage. “They really get a fuckin’ pound of sugar into the tank?”

  Rage stared at him for a long time. Liar realized this was probably the wrong thing for him to focus on at the moment, but the thought of someone having eyes on Andrea pissed him off to the point he might go on a rampage. Major answered before Rage could.

  “Won’t know until we get that car up on a rack or somethin’. I don’t think they got all of it in there, but even a fuckin’ cup of sugar is bad for a car, so the tank’s gonna have to be removed and dealt with. Patch is tryin’ to get hold of his shop’s wrecker so he can get it over there to put it on a lift.”

  Liar gave him a short nod. “Where’s Razor? You call him to tell him about this shit?”

  “Cal spoke with him just before you got here. Seems clear this is aimed at you, but he’s surprising Neil with a trip out of town after Thanksgiving. After all the shit with Bush last month, he had a primo security system put in at her place. Also cleared her garage, and while her truck still don’t fit, his bike is there every night,” Volt said.

  Liar tore a hand through his hair. “Why the fuck won’t this fucker just come at me straight-on?”

  Cal sighed out a humorless chuckle. “That’s why I’m not convinced it’s Prank. He’s a weaselly bastard, but he’d still find his time to approach. Puttin’ a customer under his thumb and then following you seems outside his realm.”

  Volt shook his head. “Can’t rule him out though, and can’t rule him in. Not sure if he knows Andi’s got a restraining order on someone or not. If he does, then using the ‘stalker’ type move would be something he’d think might throw us off.”

  Silence settled on the men, but the unmistakable rumble of a diesel engine broke it, and Liar turned to see Patch swinging the tow truck around in the parking lot. Once he had it at an appropriate angle, he began backing it toward the Trans-Am. They all moved out of the way, but Volt clapped a hand on Liar’s shoulder.

  “Get back to Andrea. We’ll make sure Patch gets the car up on the truck with no problems. She needs to know what’s goin’ on though, and it should come from you.”

  Volt’s expression shifted when he took in the look on Liar’s face. Before Volt could call him on it, Liar said, “I should just cut her loose. She’s too good for me anyway, and I’m bringing danger—”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Volt growled at him.

  Liar gave a short head shake at the vehemence behind Volt’s words.

  “We don’t give in to shit like this, Liar. Thought you understood that. Live our lives the way we want and on our own damn terms, otherwise, why bother joinin’ the MC? She’s fuckin’ happy around you, man. I don’t see her that frequently, but I’ve seen her enough over the years to know somethin’ was missin’ from her eyes. Now there’s a light there that should’ve been there all along.”

  “No, man,” Liar started.

  “Not up for discussion, Liar. Tellin’ you, I ain’t ever seen her hustle after someone the way she did you with that damn WD40. It’s good to see. She needs that. Hell, my guess, you need that too.” Volt clapped him on the shoulder again. “Now, go make sure she’s good.”

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  Andrea

  The knock on my door was harder than I was accustomed to. Part of me thought it would be Liar, but at the same time the knock sounded so much like a cop knock, it wasn’t funny. I padded as quietly as I could to the door and peeked through the peephole. Sure enough, Liar was standing there looking harangued.

  I opened the door to him, and he moved into my space, wrapped an arm around my waist, moved us both and closed the door in an impressively fluid move.

  “What in the universe?” I breathed.

  “We gotta—” he started but stopped when he caught sight of the television.

  I watched his expression change from one of sheer determination to curious contemplation. As much as I admired his features, this transformation was a beautiful show. Then his eyes shifted to the left, and he noticed Janie camped out on my futon. His eyes darted to mine with serious urgency.

  “What are you two watching?”

  I pressed my lips together to hold in my laugh, but I knew I wasn’t restraining my smile. Janie, meanwhile, simply let her humor fly by way of her loud laughter.

  “We’re watching season two of Outlander. Have you seen it?”

  Liar’s expressionless expression told me he had not and that he had no desire to do so at that moment.

  I sighed and looked to Janie and then back to him. It seemed clear he wanted Janie out of my place, but I also didn’t want to unceremoniously toss her out because a man came back to my place. She was as much a guest as he was, and there was no reason they couldn’t both be there at the same time.

  His arm was still wrapped around me, and I barely caught his mumbled, “Fuck it.” Next thing I knew, he was pushing me back toward my bedroom. When I tried to stop his progress, he deftly turned himself and then dragged me as he walked backward to my room. Over my shoulder, he said to Janie, “Sorry, there. I gotta talk to her privately, and now.”

  Well, if this wasn’t the epitome of rudeness, I wasn’t sure I knew what was.

  “Liar,” I said, but he ignored it. With a little more steel in my voice, I said, “Jim Huntley!” However, I was too late. He had us both in my room and leaned into me so he could push my door shut.

  I glared at him, and the slightest hint of a grin twitched his lips.

  “We gotta talk, babe.”

  “You don’t say,” I deadpanned. “The real question is why do we have to talk privately and be so rude to my dearest friend in the process?”

  “You’re in d
anger,” he said. This was informative-ish, but it didn’t answer my most recent question.

  “How am I in danger? Gil Grant?” I asked.

  “Maybe. Fact is, we’re not sure.”

  I pulled out of his hold and crossed my arms over my chest. “If you’re not sure, then how are you so certain I’m in danger?”

  He sighed and mirrored my stance. “I’m not typically this bossy, but you need to send your friend home. Pack a bag so you can spend the night with me. I’ll tell you the rest at the compound.”

  My arms dropped, but my hands went directly to my hips. “You cannot seriously be walking into my place, and telling me to get rid of my girlfriend because you think but can’t be sure I’m in danger—”

  He reached out and grabbed one of my wrists, jerking me toward his torso. “Didn’t say I wasn’t sure you’re in danger. I said we weren’t sure if Gil Grant is the source of your danger. Please. Cooperate with me. Sounds like your friend’s been through some shit, so don’t expose her to more shit she has to get through by bein’ stubborn right now, baby.”

  My head dipped a little toward my shoulder. “How do you know this?”

  With my body pressed to his, I felt and heard his growl. “Andi. I’ll explain this shit in my room. Not here, and not right now.”

  I wasn’t pleased with this answer. I pulled at his grip on my wrist, but he tightened his hold. “First, though, give me a kiss.”

  My intention was to simply peck his lips, but as his head lowered toward mine, he chuckled. When his lips brushed over mine, his tongue traced the line between my upper and lower lips. Reflexively, I opened my mouth, and my body leaned further into his with my free arm wrapping around his waist. As nearly every one of our kisses had been before, this one heated up faster than any kiss I ever had. His free hand slid into my hair above my ear. We kept at it, heads slanting to take it deeper. The low growl I couldn’t hold back dragged Liar out of things, and he broke the kiss.

  His breathing was heavier than I expected, and he hit me with a stern gaze. “Go, see your girl out. Pack a bag. You want, I’ll feed your cat for you, so he’ll be taken care of and one less thing for you to worry about.”

  It was sweet that he was thinking of Mr. Snuffles. If in some other dimension the roles were reversed, there wasn’t a chance in hell Mr. Snuffles would think about Liar. I still didn’t like the fact that he was being supremely pushy. “I’ll go see Janie out, and since you offered, the cat food is on the floor of the pantry. There’s a scoop inside, and a single scoop goes in his dish. I’ll meet you back in here, though. Not so sure I’ll pack a bag.”

  I shifted away from him, but he still had a light hold of my wrist. The further I went from him, the farther our arms stretched. Then, damn the man, he yanked me back to him again. “Babe, I asked you to cooperate. But I won’t ask again. You don’t pack a bag, that’s on you. I’m haulin’ your ass to my room at the compound. You’re spendin’ the night, and I’m takin’ you to your office in the morning.”

  In the big scheme of things, I was not a very confrontational woman. But hell, if this man didn’t push all of my buttons and probably cause a complete shift in my chakras. Since I knew I was more than ready to argue with him in the worst way, I decided to stall.

  “I’ll see Janie out. Meet you back here, Jim.”

  ***

  I was leaning on Janie’s sleek navy-blue BMW sports car. It wasn’t entirely her idea to drive such a flashy car. Her husband was all about keeping up appearances. I wasn’t sure if he was simply wired that way or if it was part of his political agenda. Most likely it was a mix of both, but Janie enjoyed driving the car, and anything that brought her joy was a damn good thing these days.

  Janie pulled me from these thoughts when she asked, “He really thinks there’s danger?”

  I shrugged a shoulder. “It’s what he said.”

  Janie giggled. “Wish you had told me earlier he was gonna feed Mr. Snuffles. That would’ve been a delicate blend of hot and cute.”

  I gave her a cynical look. “I don’t think a biker like him can be ‘cute,’ Janie.”

  She tossed her purse into the passenger seat. “Whatever, Andi. You know what I mean. That is something most men would never do, so you need to appreciate it.”

  I crossed my arms. “I’d be more appreciative if it weren’t for his confrontational and bossy nature.”

  She was standing in the ‘v’ created by her open door and the car, while I was facing her, leaning on the front quarter-panel. Her eyes shifted up toward my door, and I knew Liar must have stepped out of my place.

  “Well, I better split before he gets bossy and confronts us both. Take care and call me tomorrow. If Trent hasn’t commandeered all of my time, as he’s been prone to do these days, we can get together on your day o—”

  I shushed her. “He doesn’t know I’m taking the day off.”

  Janie arched an eyebrow at me and angled into the driver seat. Before she closed the door, she muttered, “I don’t think I’d keep any secrets from your Jamie Fraser look-alike. Especially, if he’s right about there being problems swirling around. Take care, honey.”

  I waved and climbed the stairs back to my apartment. Liar stood sentry-like at the door.

  “Better hustle, baby. Ain’t got all night for you to get your stuff together.”

  I walked into my apartment. When I heard the door close, and the locks click, I whirled on Liar.

  “Why have I gotta spend the night at the compound? This doesn’t make sense, and it isn’t that I don’t appreciate you looking out for me, but I do not like being told what I’m gonna do. You can’t just shove me out of a room in order to get me alone and then lay down the law like I’m your personal sex puppet or something.”

  Liar’s hands were resting on his hips, and he bent his head to stare at either my carpeting or his boots. There was a vibe rolling off of him, and I sensed I had overstepped. Then again, as far as I was concerned, he overstepped the moment he manhandled me into my own bedroom.

  He leveled his gaze on me, and his eyes were glittering at me. “Someone fuckin’ followed us to the damn coffee shop this mornin’. Took a fuckin’ picture of us with Razor and Neil. Printed that shit out, wrote a note and left it for me where I work. When I tell you there is potential danger for you, Andi, I fuckin’ mean it. I’m not talkin’ about the possibility of pullin’ a muscle or some shit. That’s all I’m givin’ you here. You gotta fuckin’ R.O. against a crazy motherfucker, and I don’t wanna sit here when I don’t have a gun or anything but my knife on me to protect myself.”

  “Well,” I huffed as haughtily as I could manage. “As Jackie would say, you should’ve led with that. I’ll go pack a bag.”

  Liar

  There weren’t many upsides to having a room backing up to the clubhouse bar, but one of Liar’s favorite upsides was having no windows. His room was as dark as night at any time of day. Yet, this perk also annoyed him from time to time. He had no idea what time it was, and he couldn’t remember if he set his alarm after he got Andrea into his room. She wasn’t nuzzled up next to him like she normally would be, but she also wasn’t very far away either. He didn’t want to disturb her, and yet, he had a full day ahead of him.

  Before he could roll to look at his nightstand, Andrea slowly moved out of his bed. It took her a fair amount of time, but she finally felt her way around the edge of the bed and made it to the bathroom. He turned to see it was about an hour before his alarm was set to go off. The lamp on his nightstand was a three-way setting, so he turned it to the dimmest light. When Andrea came out of the bathroom, the surprise on her face was cute and sexy as all fuck.

  “I didn’t mean to wake you,” she mumbled.

  He couldn’t hold back his smile. “Be hard for you not to. Helen Keller would’ve found her way to the bathroom better than you.”

  Her eyes narrowed at him, and she suddenly changed direction from going around the bed, and she climbed onto the bed on top of Liar. �
��It’s not nice to speak ill of the dead, Jim.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “Wasn’t speakin’ ill of the dead, babe. Was speakin’ ill of your ability to make a graceful line to the bathroom.”

  She growled in irritation at him, and he chuckled. Then he rolled her to her back, and muttered, “Fuck it. I don’t need that extra hour of sleep.”

  Once he untangled himself from under the sheets, he kissed her neck and shifted down to her ample breasts. It made him glad he convinced her to go to bed naked with him, though he had no idea a woman could argue so adamantly about wearing her pajamas to bed. His hands slid down her sides and in the back of his mind he relished the hourglass curve of her waist. Sometimes he still wondered how he managed to land this woman in his bed. It seemed surreal because she was everything he wanted in a woman.

  His hand went further down her body and her leg, then in between her legs. She parted just slightly. Her hands were roving over his back, and there was a restlessness to it. He knew she wanted to do more for him, but at that moment he didn’t care about that. Sucking hard on her other breast and driving a finger into her slick center, her hips bucked with more force than he knew she had.

  “Liar, I want more than just—”

  He lifted his mouth from her tit. “Me too, baby.”

  Tagging his pillow, he tossed it to the foot of the bed, and he positioned himself on his back with his feet toward the headboard. “We both got mornin’ breath, but it won’t matter much if you put your pussy on my face, Andi, and blow me while I take care of you. We’ll both start the day right.”

  Her neck was craned to look him in his eyes while he spoke, but the hungry look that slid through her eyes pleased the hell out of Liar. Even more pleasing, she wasted no time doing what she was told.