by A. M. Myers
“Just leave it alone,” he snaps before sighing and running his fingers through his hair. Yeah, something is definitely going on with him but pushing him has never worked in the past. Storm and I have been friends since we were kids, but he was different back then. He’s been through more shit than most people deal with in two lifetimes and even as his best friend, I don’t know how to help him sometimes.
“Things okay with Alison?”
“I said to leave it the fuck alone,” he roars and I shake my head, turning away from him to hide my smile. Of course, it’s about Alison. Since the moment she walked into his life, he’s been all sorts of twisted up about the woman. I would feel bad for him if it wasn’t so fucking funny that he can’t seem to get his bearing when it comes to her. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I yank it out, eager to read the response from Carly.
Carly:
Has hell frozen over?
I laugh out loud, picturing the challenge on her face when I asked her for her number in the parking garage and wishing she was standing in front of me right now so I could see it again. Storm glares in my direction, his gaze flicking down to the phone in my hand before returning to the road.
Me:
If I say yes, will you?
With a smirk on my face, I tuck my phone back into my pocket and shake my head. From the moment I met her, standing on Alison’s lawn in that sexy as hell black dress I wanted to peel off of her and the red leather jacket that seemed out of place but somehow still fit, she’s all I can seem to think about. As troubling as it was at first, I’ve decided to embrace it. Not like I had any kind of choice. She turned her haunting gray eyes in my direction and it was like a punch to the gut I couldn’t walk away from. It’s fucking insane because I know nothing about her and the situation is less than ideal but from the jump, I’ve had this nagging sensation deep down in my soul that she’s special—that there’s something different about this girl. And her playing hard to get is only making me more interested. I’m fucking dying to find out what makes her tick, what makes her melt, and why she seems so hell-bent on avoiding the attraction between us. My phone goes off again.
Carly:
Probably not.
Me:
Only probably not?
Seems we’re making progress.
“Who the fuck are you talking to?” Storm grumbles as we pull up in front of the business we are keeping an eye on today. I shrug.
“Carly.”
His head whips in my direction and he stares at me for a second before shaking his head. “No.”
“What?”
“You can’t see her.”
Flashing him a tight smile, I cross my arms over my chest and my brow quirks up. “What the fuck makes you think you can tell me to stop seeing her?”
“You’re gonna fuck things up with Alison and I,” he says, meeting my glare and not backing down. Storm may be my best friend, but he is fucking delusional if he thinks he gets a say in this.
I let out a sardonic laugh and nod. “Yeah, seems like you’re doing a fine job of fucking it up all by yourself.”
The tension in the cab skyrockets and he clenches his fists. “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Sure, I do. You’ve been an unreasonable asshole since the break-in so I’m sure she’s just about over you and your shit.”
His body jerks like he wants to lunge at me as he clenches his teeth. “Well, we both know you’ll only stick around long enough for Carly to fall for you before you leave her like you have everyone else. Face it, once the shine wears off, you’re out of there. Besides, what about Trixie?”
"Don’t go there," I growl. It's a dirty move - twisting shit and using it against me.
He smirks, shrugging like he doesn't understand the shit he was trying to start. “Just saying.”
“Fuck you, asshole,” I seethe, throwing the door open and slamming it shut again. For all the trouble he’s had in his life, Storm is lucky enough to have fallen in love once before and it seems he’s well on his way again with Ali. All I want is the thing he’s found but somehow, it always evades me. My chest burns and I sulk away from the truck, pulling out my phone and dialing Kodiak’s number.
“What’s up, brother?” he answers.
“I’m fucking done with him. He can do this job by himself or you can send someone else out with him but just keep him the fuck away from me.”
Kodiak chuckles under his breath and if I wasn’t so pissed, I would probably find the situation funny also but all I hear are Storm’s snide words replaying in my mind.
“That was quick.”
I blow out a breath and run my fingers through my hair. “Don’t start with me. Y’all haven’t been able to deal with his cranky ass either.”
“True.” He laughs. “How about we let him stew by himself for a little while then?”
“That sounds like a plan. Just check in with him later for me, will ya?”
“You got it,” Kodiak says and I hang up, noticing a text from Carly.
Carly:
Don’t get your hopes up.
Me:
Too late.
* * * *
Cold air blasts me in the face as I step into the fancy hotel downtown and I slip off my sunglasses as I scan the lobby. When I don’t recognize any of the faces milling around or sitting in the lounge, I turn and walk over to the bar. As I slip onto a stool at the end of the glass bar with the wall to my back, the bartender glances in my direction and ambles over.
“What can I get you?”
“I’ll take a beer. Whatever you’ve got on tap,” I answer, still scanning the lobby through the glass walls that section off the bar area. He nods and fills up a glass before setting it on a napkin in front of me. As I take a sip, I remember the flowers I sent Carly this morning and pull out my phone to check for a text. I laugh out loud when I see a photo of the flowers in the garbage can.
Carly:
This isn’t going to work on me.
Me:
What will work on you?
I guess I didn’t really think it would work but I’m also surprised she threw them away. She never says or does what I expect her to and I like it.
Shaking my head, I tuck my phone back into my pocket and lean back against the wall so I can watch the crowd. I fidget with the napkin and sigh. Sitting still for long periods of time isn’t really my strong suit but if it will keep one of our girls safe, then I’ll do it. Even if it's like torture.
My phone rings and I dig it out of my pocket before glancing at the screen.
“What’s up, Boss?” I ask Blaze, our president.
“Where are you at?” he asks, sounding out of breath and I sit up, all my senses heightened.
“I’m on my way to check in on Dina. Everything okay?”
He sighs. “Yeah, it’s all good. I just need that file that Streak gave you earlier.”
“Oh, it’s on the dresser in my room.”
“Perfect. I’ll let you get back to it then. Let me know how Dina’s doing after you leave.”
I nod. “You got it, Boss.”
I hang up and slip my phone back in my pocket as I scan the crowd one last time and chug half my beer. Standing, I toss a twenty down on the bar before stepping back into the lobby toward the elevators. It’s a little excessive to wait so long after arriving at the hotel, but I’d hate myself if I lead Mitch right to Dina’s door.
The elevator door opens and I step inside, sighing as I lean my head back against the wall, thinking about the day we moved her here.
Dina first called us from the hospital after her husband had beaten the shit out of her and a nurse slipped her our number, telling her we could help her. She even went the extra mile and hid Dina at her house until we could move her, but nothing happened according to plan that day. Dina’s husband, Mitch, has erratic working hours and it was difficult for us to get information without it getting back to him so we went in blind, which was a huge mistake.
Mitch showed up as we were walking Dina to the truck and attacked us. He caught me by surprise, punching me in the face, and as a result, I smashed my head on the side of the truck and passed the fuck out. When I woke up, he was on top of Storm, hitting him, and I jumped up before kicking him off of him. The sound of two of his ribs cracking as he hit the concrete steps was satisfying but not nearly as satisfying as pressing my gun to his head. It was a stupid move, especially in the nice suburban neighborhood where it all unfolded, but this case got to me.
The elevator doors slide open and I walk out, turning left down the hallway toward Dina’s room, still keeping a watchful eye on everything around me. I stop in front of her door and check the empty hallway one last time before knocking. After a second, the door opens and Dina offers me a soft smile.
“Hi, Chance.”
“Hey, Dina,” I say, looking over my shoulder. “Can I come in?”
She nods, backing up, and I notice the bruises around her neck where Mitch tried to choke her are almost gone as I step into the room and close the door behind me.
“You want something to drink? There isn’t much, but I could get you some water.”
I shake my head. “Don’t worry about me. How are you doing?”
“Good,” she says, sitting down on the couch and clasping her hands together as a shy smile teases her lips. “Great, actually.”
“Yeah?” I ask, noticing the light in her eyes that wasn’t there a few days ago.
She nods. “It was scary at first, but each day it feels a little easier, you know?”
I smile. “I always had faith that you’d be all right.”
“I can't believe I have a future again. That’s the weirdest feeling in the world,” she says with a laugh and I nod.
“If you need anything, you can call any of us and we’ll help you out. Don’t think just because we got you away, our help ends here.”
“I know, Chance,” she whispers, nodding. “Thank you. I think if it wasn’t for you and Nurse Kelly, I might be dead right now.”
“We’re glad to help. Now, what’s the deal with your parents?” I ask, scowling when fear creeps back into her gaze. Her parents were supposed to come down from Maryland to get her four days ago but they got held up.
“Um… about that… Mitch has been calling them and he’s threatened them if they help me. They said they didn’t give a damn, but I don’t want them to get hurt so I asked them to stay there for the time being.”
I nod. “Do you need anything from us?”
“Honestly, I’m not sure,” she says, shrugging. “I don’t really know what to do.”
I nod, scrubbing my jaw as I try to think of the best way to protect her. The problem is once she gets to Maryland, I’m not sure how much we could do to keep her safe.
“Let me talk to Blaze and we’ll figure something out, okay? Like I said, we’re not just going to leave you hanging.”
Relief sweeps over her face. “Thank you, Chance. I don’t want to be a burden to you guys…”
“Hold up, right there, Darlin’,” I interrupt, holding my hand up. “You are not a burden to us. This is what we do, and if you need anything, all you gotta do is call. I mean that. This is a long and ugly process, and you have our support through the whole thing.”
Tears well up in her eyes and I stand, opening my arms for her. She hugs me quickly before taking a step back and wiping her eyes. “I’ll reimburse you guys for all the hotel costs, too.”
“Nah, no need for that.”
She huffs, looking annoyed. “You have to let me find some way to thank you all for everything you’ve done.”
“If you really want to thank us, you can pay it forward and donate money to help someone else.”
Dina sighs again, looking down at the floor before she meets my eyes. “Well, all right, then. I guess if y’all won’t let me do anything else.”
“No.” I laugh, making my way toward the door. “We won’t. Listen, I’ll go talk to Blaze later today, and we will figure out a plan, okay?”
“Yeah, sounds good,” she says, opening the door, and I offer her a smile before ducking out. “See you later, Chance.”
“Make sure you lock this door behind me,” I tell her, and she nods again. I wait until the door closes and I hear the lock click into place before I head back down to the lobby, eager to get back to the clubhouse and come up with a plan to keep her safe.
Chapter Four
Carly
I stifle a yawn as I step onto the elevator, wiping the sleep out of my eyes, as I press the button to take me to the top floor because nothing but the penthouse in the most expensive building in the city will do for my mother.
“Hold the elevator,” a familiar voice calls and I stick my hand out to stop the doors from closing. Ivy runs into the elevator, out of breath. She turns to flash me a friendly smile and her eyes widen before she laughs.
“Oh, it’s just you.”
I scoff. “Just me? I’m hurt, Vi.”
“You know what I mean,” she replies, shoving me as the doors close and the elevator ascends. “I take it you also got summoned.”
I nod. “Yes. Woke me up and then chewed me out for still sleeping at six thirty in the morning.”
“The nerve,” Ivy quips, laugher in her voice and I nod.
“What do you think she wants?”
She shrugs, yawning. “Maybe she’s found her next ex-husband.”
“Oh, that poor bastard,” I whisper with a shudder and Ivy throws her head back, laughing.
“We should probably warn him.”
I shake my head and reach out to grab her arm in a dramatic fashion. “And risk angering the Wicked Witch of the West? I don’t think so.”
“What’s she going to do?”
“To me?” I ask, pointing a finger at my chest. “Nothing but I’m not the one using the trust fund she swindled out of number three for us.”
“She wouldn’t,” Ivy gasps, her mouth forming an O. I don’t touch the money, but Ivy has no qualms about using the trust fund to her advantage. She was smart and used the money to build her jewelry design business to the success it is today.
“You know she would in a fucking heartbeat.”
With an adorable pout, she crosses her arms over her chest and leans against the back wall of the elevator. “I guess the schmuck is on his own then.”
“Nice to know where your priorities are, baby sister,” I tease her and she sticks her tongue out at me.
“Hey, I don’t owe him anything, and he’s a grown man… hopefully.”
I gag, covering my mouth with my hand. “Please never insinuate mother will become a cougar ever again. It’s bad enough when the men are her age.”
“Sissy, I’m certain if she ever found herself a teenage billionaire, his age wouldn’t even cross her mind.”
“You mean, eighteen, right?” I ask and she shrugs.
“Hopefully.”
I shake my head. “So gross. She’s got to be almost a billionaire on her own by now, right?”
“No clue but she likes to spend it as much as she likes to make it.”
“You mean steal it,” I point out and we both giggle as the door slides open to reveal our mother. She arches a brow and stares at us as we try to get ourselves under control.
“Well, aren’t you two in a good mood today,” she says, crossing her arms over her chest and said good mood takes a nosedive.
“Or delirious. You called us over here at the ass crack of dawn.”
“Yeah, Mother,” Ivy adds, checking her watch. “You can’t invite us to brunch and tell us to show up at seven-thirty. That’s just breakfast.”
“Are you done?” she snaps and I sigh as I peek over at Ivy as she bites back a smile.
“Yeah, we’re done.”
With a sharp nod, she turns and walks away from us, her heels clicking against the marble floors. “We’re eating on the deck.”
“Seriously,” I whisper to Ivy a
s we follow behind her. “Who is in full makeup, a dress, and heels to walk around their house at seven-thirty in the morning?”
She shrugs her shoulders. “Satan?”
I bite my lip to keep from laughing and Ivy nudges me, grinning. Mother peeks over her shoulder at the two of us and lets out an annoyed sigh. She wasn’t always like this. There was a time, back when both Ivy and I were still little, that she was happy, but everything changed. Maybe I was just too young to realize what happened but to five-year-old me, it came out of nowhere. One day, she was my Momma and the next day, she was cold and unreachable.
“You’re gonna get me in trouble,” I hiss and Ivy shakes her head, pressing her hand to her heart.
“No, no, sissy. I’m the good one and you’re the bad one.”
“Since when?”
Her “duh” expression says it all. “Always.”
Mother guides us over to the private elevator that leads to the top floor and rooftop deck, and after we all cram inside, she presses the button for the deck. The silence is awkward, and I spare a glance at Ivy, whose eyes widen in a “say something” gesture but I’ve got nothing. It’s too damn early for me to navigate the minefield that is Grace Mills.
When we get up to the deck, Mother steps out first and we continue on behind her as Ivy pulls out her phone and smiles.
“Is that Julian?” I whisper and she nods.
“Yeah. He wants to know what was so urgent with Mother.”
I flick a glance in her direction as she struts over to the dining table on the far side of the deck. “Tell him it’s a toss-up. It’s either the end of the world or she’s planning to redecorate and felt we needed to have this information.”
“Okay,” she whispers, smirking as she types out her message.
“What are you two going on about?” Mother asks, pulling our attention to her, and Ivy tucks her phone in her pocket.
