BoyScout (The Rebels MC)

by Avery Abbott

  “Whatever.” I jumped up with an idea. “I have this place I want to take you to. It’s a beach covered with seals. It’s so cool. You have to see it. I haven’t been back since Scout took me and I’ve been dying to go again.”

  “I’m at your beck and call for the next four days, but then I have to get back.”

  “So soon?” I sounded defeated. I had hoped he would stay longer. I loved the company.

  He grimaced. “Yeah, sit down for a sec.”

  “What is it? You’re scaring me.”

  “I met someone, Shaw. A girl I really, really like.”

  My mouth dropped open. “Well, that’s awesome. Why are so scared to tell me?”

  He looked away, ashamed. “I don’t know. I guess, I feel like this means the end of us.”

  I pulled him to me. “No one has that power.” I cleared my throat. Dread began to fill my stomach at the thought of losing him. I was happy for him and honestly felt like some weight had been lifted from my shoulders that he wasn’t pining away for me, even knowing we had agreed to move on as friends years ago. “Get your cute butt up while I dress so we can go and I want to hear all about her.” I spun, chuckling. “Wait, it is a her, right?”

  He hurled a pillow from the couch at me. “Yes, her name is Sarah, and I’ll tell you all about her over lunch. I’m buying.”

  I had to work each night he was visiting. He refused to come and see me, but he was leaving and I wanted to spend as much time as possible with him, so I needed to convince him to come watch. We were at a small little outdoor café, having chocolate croissants and coffee when I heard the rumble of a motorcycle. I looked up, hoping to see Scout, but realized it wasn’t him. I’d know his body on that bike anytime, anywhere.

  “So, what are you going to do about the asshole?”

  “I was thinking of getting a gun.”

  He choked on his latte. “A gun, from where?”

  I shrugged, peeling a piece of my croissant off and eating it. “I’ve got connections.”

  “Let me a guess, a client?”

  “Hardy har har, no. I could ask Scout; he told me he’d teach me.”

  “Is Scout the one you’re in love with?”

  “Maybe, I don’t know. I have feelings for him. Real feelings, but he’s avoiding me and you know how I can get.”

  “Why? Because of Garrett? Don’t let that dick ruin your life, Shaw.”

  “I know. Maybe it’s because of him. I’ve only ever trusted one guy and that’s you. What if Scout turns out to be like Garrett or my dad?”

  “Has he given you an impression he will?”

  “No, Maybe. I think he wants to hurt Garrett for me, but I don’t want him to get in trouble for me.”

  “I’d be down for that,” he mumbled under his breath. “What else is wrong?”

  I spent the next half hour telling him all about Charlie and my one time in bed with Scout. He listened to all of it without judging, or at least I thought that he wouldn’t judge.

  “He’s right, Shaw. You have to say no.”

  I grimaced. “His mom is dying and...”

  “Who cares?” he cut me off. “You have no feelings for this dude; so he’s basically paying you like you’re a prostitute.” He leaned back and crossed him arms. “I’m with this Scout guy.”

  The rumble of another motorcycle stopped at the light. A flash went off and then it peeled away. “Let me guess?”

  My gaze flicked to the corner. “It isn’t him.”

  Another flash went off, but I ignored it.

  “You do realize whoever that was took a pic of us, right?”

  “Yeah,” I frowned, unsure how to explain that even to myself. It was an odd move, but one I’d let go for now, not knowing who was keeping tabs on me. Was it Garrett or Johnny? I prayed for the latter, so I chalked up to him making sure I was safe. I refused to let Garrett near Tommy, or have him suspicious that I was in danger, so I had to pretend for his sake it those photos meant nothing.

  “So,” I changed the subject. “You promised you’d come tonight.”

  “Shaw, no offense, but, I don’t want to watch my best friend take off her clothes. It’s kind of fucking with my head.”

  “Pretty, pretty, please, Tommy. I want you there.”

  “If I come, you’ll have to promise me you’ll come back to Phoenix where I can take care of you, once Garrett is out of the way.” He had asked for his real name but I pretended I didn’t know it to keep him from getting hurt.

  “Deal,” I assured him.

  “Really?” he asked, shocked.

  “Well, can we just say a visit for now and then see what happens down here?” I pulled my bottom lip in, gnawing it while he debated.

  “Fine. I’ll take what I can get.”

  I reached over and hugged him. “You’re the best.” When I pulled back, I glanced, around still feeling eerie, like we were being watched.

  Chapter 20

  BOYSCOUT

  Little did Shaw know when she bumped into Kick and Slider coming from her condo that they were installing a camera to monitor the front door of her condo, which they placed in her main living area. I had asked them to do me this favor based on the fact they knew Smoke would kill us all if anything happened to her. I had promised them both that I would tell him and tell him soon; I just needed something else from her: that something else would be that I mattered to her.

  I needed it more than air to breathe. And I hated seeing this guy—who she clearly loved—go and in out like he was her boyfriend. And hated even more how damned happy she looked with him, like maybe he was better suited for her than me.

  I had been going in and watching Shaw perform, but stayed in the shadows or up in Howie’s office watching through the double glass mirror. It was killing me not to go to her, force her to come back to my place and lock her away forever and keeping her from the world. But, I didn’t do that. I owed Smokey too much to keep this going with Shaw behind his back—hell, behind the club’s back, as well. I let my dick do the thinking once and needed a clear head when I saw her to avoid mistake number two.

  I’d been watching for an hour from upstairs. Her friend watched the girls perform, but the second Shaw came out he picked up his phone and played with it.

  Interesting.

  Poor bastard! A bastard I could empathize with. I continued to watch him, paying close attention to his movements. When Shaw finished her performance, I knew she had about ten minutes until she came back on after Cherry. I watched Shaw move toward him, grinning. She had slightly covered herself up. He grinned back at her. They talked for two songs, then she planted a kiss on his cheek before ducking behind the curtain. Cherry was up, so I made my way down, pulled two beers from behind the bar and walked toward him. Luckily, he had taken a tabletop back in the shadows where Shaw wouldn’t be able to see me talking to him.

  He placed his phone down and looked sideways as I stepped up, placing the two beers down. His gaze left the drink and landed on my cut, his eyes trained on my road name. “You’ve got to be shitting me?”

  “Relax, Tommy, just here for a little chat.”

  “Look, man, just say what it is you came over here to say and leave me alone.” At least he had balls to speak to me in this manner; most ran for the hills.

  “You ever been to a strip club before?”

  He shot me a fuck-off look.

  “I’ll take that as a yes.”

  My gaze had him staring me down when the song changed. I knew what she danced to, so Shaw was up. I couldn’t help but smile; she had chosen something new. She came out to a classic Journey, “Lovin’, Touchin’ Squeezin.”

  His eyes flicked to her but looked away quickly.

  “She’s fucking fantastic, isn’t she?”

  He didn’t answer. He picked up his phone and fiddled with some app.

  “I’ve been watching you since you got here, trying to figure out who you are to her, and then I realized you and me have something in common.”


  He grumbled. “I doubt that.”

  I let the remark go, forging ahead.

  “You’re in love with her.”

  His gaze slid my way. “Not anymore.”

  “Really? Then look at her, Tommy.”

  He put his phone down but picked up his beer instead.

  “I said look at her, bro.”

  He cast his eyes forward.

  “She’s pure magic to watch. The way she’s able to seductively move that body to those songs she picks. No one else dances to the shit she dances to, yet you feel like she’s making love to you on stage, and every guy feels that way when she’s up there.”

  His eyes were still peeled on her. “It’s the music she grew up on. It reminds her of her mother. They used to dance around their apartment to this stuff.” His gaze came to mine. “They were more like best friends than mom and daughter. She’s lost without Dee.” He sighed heavily. “I can’t believe she’s taking her clothes off for money to get by.”

  “I’ll remember that. Now, let me ask you a question, and I want the truth.”

  His jaw clenched.

  “That asshole ex. What exactly did he do to her to make her leave Arizona?” I knew he had hurt her, but not the extent, and I needed answers before I acted.

  He shook his head. “He beat the fucking shit out of her. I don’t doubt for one second he would have raped her, possibly killing her, if Cheryl—she was our neighbor—hadn’t been walking by and heard her scream. I had just gotten back when she was pounding on the door. I broke it down, but he was gone. I tried to find him, but he split. Later, he trashed my place, looking for answers.”

  “I’ll take care of Shaw, and don’t worry about that prick. He won’t touch her again. I promise you that.”

  “I’m glad she has someone to look out for her, even if it’s you.”

  “What the fuck does that mean?” I stepped closer.

  “She told me you’ve been ignoring her. Let her go, if you don’t want her. She deserves the world, not some asshole biker trying to get inside her pants.”

  “Newsflash, Tommy, she already let me in those pants.”

  He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Stop using her.”

  “Why? Did she say I was using her?”

  He fell silent and watched me intently. “Not really.”

  I grabbed his collar and hauled him to me. “Did she or didn’t she tell you that?”

  He shoved off me. I gave him points for that. “She didn’t have to, man. You haven’t seen in her in days, even after what went down with Garrett trying to take her. She’s been looking down at her phone waiting to hear back from your sorry ass from some fucking text she sent, wanting to talk to you.”

  His comment cut me half, but I refused to show him. “Because I know you mean something to her, I’m going to let this conversation slide, but ever speak to me that way again, or I won’t play so nice.”

  He opened his mouth, ready to tell me to fuck off, but then snapped it shut.

  “Good choice.”

  And then I left, knowing she was okay for another night.

  Chapter 21

  SHAW

  Tommy had left, and I hadn’t seen Scout in over a week. I thought about texting him again, but decided against looking like a sad puppy chasing his tail. So many things crossed my mind about why he chose to ignore me—the number one reason being I wasn’t good enough in the sex department for him to keep up the charade of our friendship. He got what he wanted, or at least some of me, and that was apparently enough. So typical of men.

  I spent the day shopping, getting my lady parts groomed and then binged on watching “Gilmore Girls” while eating an entire pint of chocolate marshmallow ice cream with added caramel swirls. It was worth every calorie.

  The only person who had a key was Fiona, so when I heard the door creak open I didn’t pay any mind. “Hey, Sugar,” she called out reassuring me it was indeed her.

  “Hey, Fi. On the couch.”

  Her eyes landed on the empty ice cream tub. “Bad day?”

  “No. It was a fine day.”

  She glanced at me and I could tell she already knew the answer. “No, Scout yet?”

  I shook my head.

  “I haven’t seen him at M&B either, and when I asked Slider he told me to leave it alone.”

  “Ouch,” I grimaced.

  “Yeah. Did you get in touch with him about Charlie?”

  “Yes and no. I started to tell him, but decided against a voicemail. He won’t return my texts or my calls. I’m done trying. Besides, if he was serious about me not going, he’d step up, or at the very least answer my calls or texts. He’s not my boyfriend, and he’s making it painfully obvious that he wants nothing to do with me anymore, so I don’t have to placate him.”

  “Technically, he is one of your bosses.”

  “I don’t care. What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?” I did care. A lot. But, if he decided to walk away, I would need that money to move and start fresh.

  “So, when is the big day?”

  I rolled my eyes. I didn’t want to go up to Santa Barbara. I didn’t want to pretend to be someone’s soon-to-be wife, but I had agreed, and my heart broke when he told why he needed me. “A week from Saturday.”

  “Aren’t you working on a Saturday night during high season?”

  I took the spoon from the ice cream and licked all the remnants off it. “I’m going to call out sick. Summer flu.”

  “You’re sure about this? I think Scout…”

  “Fi, stop. Enough about Scout. And I’m as sure as I can be, at least, I think I am. Speaking of work, I need to get ready to go in soon. I’ll pop over tomorrow for coffee?”

  She sighed and I could tell she wasn’t happy with any of my answers. “Sure, Doll.”

  It was midnight when I clocked him. I was getting ready to go on stage when I saw Scout sitting down in the middle of the place with the new girl, Monica. Here, she went by Jewel, and she was planted on his lap. No other brothers were around, just him sitting among the crowd. He was hard to miss with his size, his tattoos, his scary demeanor, all of it pulled your attention to him.

  I changed my music at the last second to Joan Jett’s, “I Hate Myself For Loving You.” I was nervous since I hadn’t practiced with the beat and had a thing about nailing down certain moves to go with the lyrics, guitars or drums. I was even clad in black leather knee high boots with matching bra and panties. A biker’s dream.

  I saw his eyes lift from Monica to me when the first riff came loud through the speakers, his eyes narrowed as I walked to the edge of the stage, keeping my eyes on him and then bent forward, teasing the crowd pretending to take off the bikini top. He turned, guzzled back his drink and then whispered something in her ear.

  As I moved to the music, I saw everything like I was watching a live play: Scout patting her ass to get up, grabbing her hand and tugging her to one of the private rooms, smiling the way he smiles at me. My heart sank and I prayed to God he couldn’t tell. Barely able to finish the four-minute song, I crashed into Jody coming off the stage.

  “You okay, honey?”

  “Yeah. Just a fool.” I wanted nothing more than to go home, sink in a hot bubble bath and drink a glass of Chardonnay, but I couldn’t, seeing I had another two sets to perform.

  It was only twenty minutes later when Monica came backstage to the dressing room, her hair a disheveled mess, her make-up smeared and her minuscule outfit mostly undone. “Oh. My. God.” She enunciated each word. “I’m going to be sore for the next month. Those boys sure know what they’re doing in bed. I thought Hound was good, but Scout, I could barely keep up.” She took a tissue and fixed her eye make-up.

  My face fell as I watched her. He had gone through with it. Right that second, I concocted a new plan—get the twenty-five grand from Charlie and then move to Boston, far, far away from Scout and The Rebels, and start over from scratch.

  I was done.

  Gone.

/>   It was a well-thought-out plan until I realized Scout was right behind her, grinning and listening to her prattle on about his cock.

  “Shaw, how you been?”

  “I’m on next. See ya, Loverboy.” Monica sashayed her flat, skinny ass out onto the stage.

  “Can I get a minute alone? Ladies,” he gestured holding the curtain back.

  I rolled my eyes and did my best not to cry. “They can stay.”

  “Out, now, or you are all fired,” He seethed, his calm gaze on me.

  “I’m busy; what do you want?” Angry and sad, more at me than him, I turned away to face the mirror to primp for my next song.

  “You play that song to send a message?”

  “Nope, just like Joan Jett,” I casually lied.

  “You’ve never danced to her before.”

  “So?”

  “You’re pissed about me being with Monica.” It wasn’t a question; it was a statement. One he nailed.

  “Why would I be pissed? We’re just friends, Scout. You can sleep with whoever you want. It’s your reputation, although, I assume you don’t really care what people think.”

  “There’s that word again—friends. I know I didn’t go to college and I’m just a mechanic with a Harley, but I know women and know them well, Sunshine.”

  I started brushing my hair, pretending not to listen, but watched him through the mirror.

  He stood and leaned against the door, arms and ankles crossed. “So, I said to myself, Scout, if this was just a platonic relationship for her, then what when Monica came back here and told her what went down in that room, would have Shaw looking like she was ready to bolt, puke or maybe even cry? I haven’t really nailed down which emotion took over, which made me wish I’d snapped a photo to figure it out later on, but then I realized what it was. You were hurt. And if me being with another woman hurt you, that means you must feel something for me, that you care.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “Are you done?”

  “No. I’m not asking a lot, Shaw. Just that you’re honest with me like I’ve been with you.” He stepped behind me, resting his hands on my shoulders. “I didn’t do shit with her or anyone since I met you.”