Bayou Devils MC: The Complete Series

by A. M. Myers

  “Yeah,” Rodriguez answers, pulling out a photo of dead flowers. “He left these for her the day she first talked to me to show his anger that she went to the cops. That’s when I started staying with her. Captain doesn’t want to spare the men to sit a car in front of her place which is why I called y’all.”

  “And because you think if he sees you leave, he’ll think it’s safe to come around,” I point out and he nods.

  “That’s the idea anyway. I need proof that he’s been here and I need to know who he is.”

  I nod. “Okay. I think we can handle that.”

  “There are cameras all over this building so if he shows up, we should get him on camera. Your main focus is protecting her.”

  “Diego?” a soft voice asks from behind us and we all spin around. Laney’s eyes widen and fear flits across her face for a moment before she gets a handle on it.

  “Laney, these are the guys from the club that I told you about. This is Kodiak and Storm.”

  I step forward, holding my hand out. “Hey, it’s nice to meet you.”

  “You, too,” she replies, straightening her spine and shaking my hand. This poor girl is scared out of her goddamn mind but she’s trying so hard to be brave.

  “Someone from the club is going to be with you at all times from now on, okay?” Rodriguez asks and she nods.

  “I know I’m probably being a huge pain in the ass but it means so much to me that you’re taking this so seriously.”

  He gathers up his papers from the table and walks over to her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “Laney, he threatened your life. That is as serious as it gets.”

  She sucks in a breath and nods.

  “I’m going to dig into this case as much as I can and call me if you need anything, okay?”

  She nods again. He pulls away and heads toward the door before turning back to us. “Call me if you run into any problems.”

  “We’ll take good care of her,” Storm assures him and he nods again before leaving. He closes the door behind Rodriguez and locks it before glancing at me with a raised brow.

  “What the hell was that about?” I ask. Rodriguez seemed more involved than usual and I have to wonder if he’s got something going on with Laney. Storm shrugs.

  “If I had to guess, I’d say he’s sleeping with her.”

  I sigh and walk over to the chair in the corner before sinking into it. It isn’t ideal since Rodriguez will have a harder time being objective but I really don’t care if he is sleeping with her as long as he’s honest with us.

  “Can I ask you a question?” I say to Laney as she sits on the sofa. She nods.

  “You and Rodriguez… are you a thing?”

  She smiles. “Yes.”

  “All right, then,” Storm grumbles, sinking into the other side of the couch as Laney frowns.

  “Is that a problem?”

  I shake my head. “Nah, sweetheart. We were just curious. If we’re going to protect you, it helps to have all the information, you know?”

  “Yeah, I understand,” she agrees before her teeth sink into her bottom lip. “Do y’all mind if I watch TV?”

  “It’s your house, Darlin’. Do whatever you like and we’ll be here to keep you safe.”

  She turns on the TV and I pull my phone out of my pocket, a photo of Tate greeting me as soon as I unlock my screen. Fighting back a smile, I pull up the feed from her house and search through the cameras before I find her lying in bed, reading. Fuck, that might be even sexier than the time I peeked in on her getting undressed. Yeah, it happened. Don’t fucking judge me, though. I’m only a man. I need to see her again.

  Closing out of the cameras, I pull up our texts and send one to her.

  Me:

  You free this weekend?

  I go back to the camera and watch her place her book on the bed as she grabs her phone. When she reads my message, she smiles and if I wasn’t sitting with Laney and Storm right now, I would jump up and do a fist pump. My phone vibrates in my hand and I click on her message.

  Tate:

  Why?

  Me:

  Do you always have to be difficult?

  I want to take you up to my cabin.

  “Dude,” Storm says and my head whips up, already listening for danger before I realize that he’s smiling.

  “What?”

  He starts laughing. “You’re so fucking screwed.”

  “What the fuck are you talking about?”

  Dropping his head back, he laughs harder before mimicking me on my phone with a wide goofy smile on his face. “I’m talking about you with your nose buried in that phone, texting a girl.”

  “You have no idea what I’m doing on my phone,” I scoff.

  “Sure, I don’t. I was only the exact same way a year ago when I met Ali and now look at me,” he says, holding up his left hand where his wedding ring sits.

  “What’s her name?” Laney asks and I scoff again.

  “There’s no girl.”

  Storm turns to Laney and points to my face. “You see that face right there, sweetheart?”

  She nods.

  “That face means there’s definitely a girl.”

  My phone vibrates again and I roll my eyes before glancing down at it.

  Tate:

  I don’t know about that.

  It sounds an awful lot like a romantic getaway.

  Me:

  Just as friends, scouts honor.

  It will help you get your mind off things.

  “Now, you see that grin on his face?” Storm asks and I glance up to see both of them studying me with smirks.

  “Yeah,” Laney answers him.

  “That grin means he’s head over fucking heels in love with her and the best part is he doesn’t even realize it yet.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” I snap, grabbing a throw pillow from behind my back and chucking it across the room. “You don’t get to weigh in on these things anymore.”

  “Why? ‘Cause I’m married to the most incredible woman you’ve ever met? I think that makes me a goddamn expert on that stupid ass look you’re sportin’.”

  My phone vibrates in my hand and I ignore him as I glance down.

  Tate:

  Okay, but just know that I’m bringing my

  Taser and knife so you better not try anything.

  Me:

  You won’t regret it, Darlin’.

  Chapter Nine

  Tatum

  I Don’t Dance by Lee Brice starts playing on the radio as I creep down what I assume is Lincoln’s driveway. Trees line either side of the road, so thick that I can only see about ten feet or so into the forest before everything becomes muddled. My heart skips a beat as I scan the gravel road in front of me, looking for an opening, and I slam on the brakes, gripping the steering wheel tight. I’m asking for trouble by agreeing to this but when he texted me yesterday to invite me, I couldn’t think of a good enough reason to say no. Now, as I inch closer to the address he gave me, every single reason why this is a terrible idea runs through my mind.

  I shouldn’t be here.

  My dream from this morning, one in which Lincoln pressed me up against the kitchen counter and knocked a plate to the floor as he kissed me like it was his saving grace, fills my mind and I shift in my seat – needing relief that I’m not going to get anytime soon. What the hell was I thinking? This whole thing would be a hell of a lot easier if I weren’t so damn attracted to him. But, of course, I am. A part of me thinks I only like him this much because I’ve forbidden myself from acting on it. Like, maybe if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t find him as appealing. Or maybe if Mom hadn’t just died, I wouldn’t be feeling so attached to a man I just met but I can’t help but think that he understands me in ways that I don’t even understand myself yet. My entire world has just shifted and he knows what that looks like from the other side while I’m still muddling through it.

  “It’s going to be okay,” I whisper to myself, the shakiness of my voice betraying me. I sh
ake my head and suck in a breath. No, it has to be okay. I’ve laid out clear boundaries for our friendship and he agreed with me so what does it matter if we’ll be sharing a space for forty-eight hours? We can control ourselves and act like adults. Besides, Lincoln was right. I do need to get away from my life for a little while. Living in Mom’s house is stressful. I constantly feel like I’m going to open up a box or dig around in a closet and discover another secret that she kept hidden from Theo and me. And the more I learn about all the lies, all the secrets, the angrier I get.

  Nodding, I ease my foot off the brake as Losing Sleep by Chris Young starts playing on the radio. Ugh. What is with all these sappy songs today? Leaning forward, I switch the station and Lips on You by Maroon 5 fills the car as the trees open up, revealing a quaint little lake with a red A-frame house on the far side. I can just make out the outline of Lincoln standing in front of a grill and I lick my lips, unable to stop myself.

  Okay, so I’m not going to sleep with him but does that mean that I can’t appreciate how damn fine he looks in his black wife beater and jeans? Black and gray tattoos fill both his arms and I find myself wishing I were closer so I could study each one. He glances up at the sound of the car I borrowed from Mia rolling over the gravel road and he flashes me a smile as he waves. Butterflies take flight in my belly and I take a deep breath as I round the lake and park in front of his house.

  “Hey, you made it,” he calls, setting a pair of tongs down before sauntering over to me. I’m so fucking screwed.

  “Yeah. Nice place.” I nod to the house and he turns to it.

  “Thanks. It’s my little piece of paradise. You hungry?”

  My stomach growls and I nod. “Very.”

  “Well, come on. I’ve got steaks on the grill and they are just about done.”

  I grab my bag out of the back seat before following him over to the grill, where he also has a fire pit and a couple tables set up.

  “Seriously,” I say, sitting down and setting my bag on one of the tables. “This is really nice. It’s so peaceful out here.”

  “Told you this is just what you needed.”

  Smiling, I nod. “This might be the only time in the history of ever that you’re going to hear this from me but you were right.”

  “Shit…” he drawls, barely holding back a laugh. “I feel like we should watch the skies for swarms of locusts.”

  I bark out a laugh and grab a stick from the ground before chucking it at him. “I’m not that bad.”

  “Naw, you’re not bad at all.” His gaze heats before dropping to my lips and my belly clenches as my heartbeat pounds in my ears. Time seems to stretch between us and out here in the middle of nowhere, it’s so easy to forget everything that’s happened in the past few weeks and all my reasons for resisting him.

  The growling of my stomach breaks our trance and he turns toward the grill. “You want to eat inside or out?”

  “It’s so beautiful today so let’s eat outside.”

  He nods. “Sounds good. Hang tight and I’ll go grab our plates.”

  I stand up and glance toward the house. “Oh, I can help you.”

  “Nope,” he replies, his voice strained and I scowl. “You just stay here and I’ll be right back.”

  Turning, I watch him as he jogs up to the house and yanks open one of the sliding glass doors before disappearing inside and I plop back down in my seat, wondering what happened. My phone vibrates in my pocket and I grab it, smiling at Theo’s name on the screen.

  “Hey, what are you doing?” I answer, a feeling of contentment washing over me as I stare out at the water.

  “Just got off work. What about you?”

  I glance back at the house. “Hanging out with a friend.”

  “Mia?” he asks and I shake my head.

  “Nope.”

  “Willow?”

  I laugh. “You don’t know him.”

  “Him?” he asks, his voice instantly shifting to protective brother mode and I roll my eyes, lean back in my seat, and close my eyes.

  “Yes, Theo. Him.”

  “What’s his name? Where did you meet him? Give me his social security number.”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake. You’re insane.”

  The little growl on the other end of the line makes me smile even as I roll my eyes again. “I’m serious, T. Who is this guy? You didn’t mention anyone to me when I was there and you’ve got money now. You need to be careful that he’s not using you.”

  “Theo!” I shout through my laughter. “I haven’t even spent any of that money so I don’t think men are suddenly looking at me like I’m their sugar mama.”

  “I’m worried about you,” he grumbles as the sound of the screen door opening behind me catches my attention. I glance over my shoulder and watch Lincoln as he walks down the steps with a pile of plates and silverware in his hands. “Hey, I gotta go. We’ll talk later, okay?”

  “Don’t think this is over, Tate!” he yells into the phone as I hang up, giggling at his reaction. Back in high school when I was getting into trouble, Theo was always stressing over where I was and who I was with but it’s not something he’s had to think about in a long time. Not that he has to now anyway. Lincoln and I are just friends.

  “You want any help?” I ask as he fumbles with one of the steak knives and he glances up, glaring at me.

  “I got it. You just sit your pretty ass there.”

  My brow arches. “You better watch it unless you want a repeat of our first meeting.”

  “Maybe I do. You’re not as scary as you think you are.”

  I scoff and hop up from my chair. “You’d be singing a different tune if you emptied my purse right now.”

  He studies me for a moment, trying to decide if I’m telling the truth and I almost want him to do it just so I can see his face when he pulls out the Taser, knife, and pepper spray. Not to mention the pistol I stowed in the glove box of Mia’s car.

  “I never know if you’re serious or not about the weapons.”

  Crossing my arms behind my back, I flash him an innocent smile. “Why don’t you take a peek?”

  My stomach growls again and he shakes his head. “Why don’t you get some food and tell me why you feel like you need to carry around multiple ways to defend yourself?”

  Sighing, I take a plate from him and go to the grill where I grab the tongs and put one of the steaks on my plate.

  “What’s in the tin foil?” I ask, eyeing the shiny little pouches on the grill.

  “Potatoes and veggies.”

  I grab one and set it on my plate before walking back over to the table and sitting down as Lincoln passes me. With him behind me at the grill, I take a deep breath, mentally reminding myself that I’ve got this before he walks back over and sits across from me.

  “So, how was your Valentine’s Day?” he asks as I cut into my steak and I picture two nights ago when the girls and I went through five bottles of wine and spent hours bashing the men in our lives – including the one staring at me now.

  “Uh…uneventful. You.”

  He nods, staring at his plate. “Same.”

  Something is off with him tonight but I can’t quite place my finger on it. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

  “What?” he asks, his head snapping up.

  “You’re being weird. What’s going on?”

  Shaking his head, he finishes chewing before setting the fork on his plate and sighing. “Sorry. It’s just… uh, not a good day.”

  “Why?”

  “Forget it, it’s nothing,” he says, waving his hand through the air like he might be able to physically push whatever is bothering him away.

  “Hey,” I snap and his head jerks up, his gaze meeting mine. A quiet gasp slips past my lips at the pain etched into his face and I stand up, rounding the table and straddling the bench next to him. “You can talk to me, Lincoln.”

  Reaching forward, I lay my hand on his face and he sucks in a stuttered breath.

&n
bsp; “I’m sorry, Tate. I thought if I invited you here, maybe it wouldn’t be so hard but I guess I was wrong.”

  I scowl, searching his face for answers. “What wouldn’t be so hard? Please just talk to me. I’m your friend.”

  I scoot closer to him and he glances up at me.

  “Tomorrow is the nine year anniversary of my little sister’s death.”

  Tears flood my eyes in an instant as I gasp and squeeze his hand. “Oh my god, Lincoln. I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s something that’s always in the back of my mind, you know? Something that always haunts me.”

  I try to put myself in his shoes and imagine what it would be like if I lost Theo and the pain is unbearable. Honestly, I don’t know how I would survive.

  “What was her name?” I ask and he quickly wipes away a tear.

  “Nora.”

  Our knees touch as I scoot closer to him and I take his hand in both of mine. “Will you tell me what happened to her?”

  “Just…uh, please don’t think less of me.”

  I shake my head. “Why would I ever think less of you?”

  “Because it’s all my fault.”

  “What happened?” I whisper. I don’t believe that it was actually his fault for a minute but I know hearing me say that wouldn’t help him right now. He sucks in a breath and nods.

  “Right after Nora graduated high school, she met this guy, Ben. I did the usual big brother thing and he seemed like an all right guy so I was cool with them dating. Eight months later, Nora decided to end things and Ben lost it. I didn’t know it at the time but he’d been stalking her for months, begging her to take him back and it didn’t matter that she ignored him because he just kept at it.” His voice breaks and I wish I could wrap him up in a hug but I want him to finish his story first.

  “About two months later, Nora started dating someone new and that’s when Ben really went off the deep end. For the first time, she was scared of him and what he was capable of so she came to me for help. At the time, I worked two jobs to help support my family and I always intended to look into it but I never got the chance because Ben killed her and her new boyfriend.”