Then Lizbeth turned her gaze to him. “You sit.” She motioned to the leather couch and chairs that faced a huge flat-screen TV in the main cabin.
Daisy threw him a serious side-eye, then dashed down the steps to the lower cabins.
From what Daisy had told him, he knew Lizbeth cared about her, and this little sit down would definitely be the interrogation part of the night. What Lizbeth lacked in height she made up for with a take-charge, you-better-listen-to-me attitude.
Joker settled on the leather couch, and she sat in the chair opposite him. He squared his shoulders, dragged his hand through his unruly hair, and tried to look respectable. Not easy with a .45 stuck in the waist of your low-rider jeans, a face beat to shit, and a Gucci bag full of hot money at your feet.
“So, it all went according to plan?” Lizbeth’s jet black eyes bore into him, demanding the truth.
“I guess,” he admitted.
“Charlie is very precise when she does a job.” Lizbeth chewed on her lower lip. “She’s a professional.”
There was that word again. Joker was getting tired of feeling like a rookie.
“I know how to handle myself.”
“I’m sure you do, but what they do is a bit different. There are all kinds of skills, the trick is to know which ones will be most effective.”
He liked this woman. She didn’t waste words with bullshit. Right to the point.
“I would’ve liked a little heads-up. And a little trust.”
“Trust is earned.” Lizbeth cocked her head. “Perhaps it was you who didn’t trust her, and that’s why you wanted to do things your own way.”
He’d agree with that, but suspicion and mistrust kept him alive.
“Esteban’s a nasty fucker, and I knew exactly what he wanted from her. So, believe me, I was prepared.”
“I’ve known Charlie for six years. Two years before that pig, Esteban, ruined me.”
“Daisy, I mean, Charlie, told me what happened. I’m sorry.”
Joker couldn’t image losing his son. It would be the one thing that could break him.
“I’ve made a lot of mistakes, but I never thought I would have to pay with my son’s life.” She blessed herself with the sign of the cross, then kissed the cross around her neck and raised her eyes to her imagined heaven. “Your girl is smart. She knew what she was doing.”
His girl. He liked the sound of that, yeah.
Whatever the chef was cooking in the kitchen sizzled, sending the sweet aroma of garlic through the cabin. Joker’s stomach growled so loud that the corner of Lizbeth’s lips curved upward.
“Toshi, please bring him some food.” She frowned at Joker and nodded toward his hands. “Wash your hands, then you can eat.”
He did as he was told, thinking that was a first. As a kid, his father never even cared if he ate, and as an adult, nobody would dare tell him what to do. Kinda crazy, but he liked it. He returned to the couch and half expected her to inspect his hands.
The cook laid a plate of fish tacos in front of him, and he didn’t think he‘d ever smelled anything so delicious.
She examined him closely. “I can see why you’re the first one.”
“The first one?” he said around a mouthful of crisp taco and the best fuckin’ fish ever.
“The special one. The only one she brings to see me.”
“She’s told me about her past. I know I’m not the first.”
“Fucking.” Lizbeth waved her hands around. “Is not making love.”
He shrugged, not sure if he even knew the difference.
“How many girls you fuck? I’m thinking many, and I’m also thinking you don’t care about any of them. I saw the look in your eyes just now, and I heard the tone of her voice when she talked about you to me the other day.”
She’d talked about him?
“Even though you didn’t know the whole plan, you still felt the need to save her.”
“Maybe you’re right.” He wiped his mouth with the soft linen napkin.
“No, maybe—I am right. Charlie comes to the Keys a few times a month, and she always comes to check on me. Sometimes we talk, sometimes we cry. She lets me be a mother to her, and I let her be a daughter to me.”
Joker liked that Lizbeth seemed to care very much about Daisy. She reminded him of Shirley at the clubhouse. The same smarts that came from age and experience.
“You care about her, yes?” Lizbeth’s dark eyes warmed.
Joker nodded his head as he formulated the words in his head. Talking about and expressing his feelings was not his strong suit, and this woman deserved more than some stupid generic answer. Plus, he guessed she’d see right through any bullshit, so getting this right became extremely important.
“I had another woman in my life. A good woman, but I—lost her. Screwed things up bad.” An ache radiated through his chest. “My life is different now, and I won’t make the same mistakes I made in the past.”
Lizbeth studied him. “She’s been hurt by others. People she should’ve been able to trust have let her down. Another disappointment would ruin her.”
He knew that mainly because he felt the same way. The pressure to get this right was high.
“Charlie and I share our thoughts and fill each other with the things that are missing in our own lives.” She smiled wide. “That’s how I know that you are the special one.”
She pushed out of the chair to retrieve more towels as well as a pair of clean sweatpants and a t-shirt from the cabinet. “Go below and shower.” She pushed the towels into his arms. “Then come up, and I’ll dress those wounds properly.” She clucked her tongue. “Men … It’s a wonder you all don’t die of some rare infection.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Daisy lavished under the warm water of the boat’s shower. She spent extra time washing and rinsing her hair, letting the whole night swirl down the drain.
Although the scam went off without a hitch, she scolded herself for not seeing the loophole with Esteban. Yes, Esteban made vague advances to her in the past, but he’d always put business first. With him being a money-hungry bastard, she expected that he’d be so happy about getting the cash that sex would be the last thing on his mind. Wrong on both counts. The money ignited not only his joy but his libido as well.
The miscalculation alarmed her, but she knew the reason. She’d broken the golden rule and made it personal. Pulling cons with Rico and others was strictly business, but with Joker, she worried about him getting hurt, how the outcome would affect them, and everything else that screwed with a good, clean job.
Daisy’s anxiety only worsened when Joker showed up dressed in his biker clothes with blood streaming down his face. She tried to recoup, she tried to recover, but the desire to run to him in Esteban’s office tripped her up. She hadn’t told him about the fake DEA bust for a reason, and now a pang of unexpected guilt slithered through her because she feared he might be right. She didn’t trust him enough to be honest, and if that were true, then where did that leave them as a couple. Were they even a couple? She didn’t know.
Two people who were used to being in charge would always find it difficult to back down, and they were smart enough to know that a relationship so precarious would never work. Yet, here they were, colliding together and hitting into each other with all their past drama—like the most horrifying accident that no one could drag their eyes away from.
Daisy wrapped a towel around her head and dried herself with another one, then entered the adjoining guest bedroom. She loved Lizbeth’s boat. The beige furniture fit perfectly in the room and all the pieces were symmetrically aligned. The precision of it all calmed the chaos that ruled her life. The fluffy bedding looked so inviting, but she had to go up on deck. Daisy needed to speak with Lizbeth, and now that she relaxed a bit, she was starving. Her stomach growled twice in the shower, and she couldn’t wait any longer for some of Toshi’s delicious food.
She could hear Joker and Lizbeth’s muffled voices on deck. Li
zbeth never minced words, and she could only image Joker’s reaction to her grilling questions. A smile crept across Daisy’s face as she put on the soft cotton sleep shorts and t-shirt she kept on the boat.
When she entered the main cabin, Lizbeth was pushing Joker toward the stairs.
He eyed her skimpy pj’s and grinned. “Cute.”
She tried to act cool, but the sight of those dark eyes and rippling muscles set off every survival alarm in her system. He caught her checking him out, and when he chuckled, she rolled her eyes, and he laughed again as he headed to the lower deck.
She huffed out a breath, and Lizbeth motioned to the sofa. Toshi set a plate in front of her, and she dug in. How could anyone make fish tacos taste so good?
“That man is a genius.” Daisy nodded at Toshi as she crunched around a mouthful of fish.
Lizbeth silently watched her eat. When she finished the first taco, Lizbeth leaned in. “I’m guessing you know how Joker feels about you.”
“I think it’s called a love-hate relationship.”
“I think more love than hate.”
Leave it to Lizbeth to cut right to the bone. No big lead up, no false questions—Just … Boom!
“Maybe.” Daisy wanted to believe that, but even thinking about something like that caused pain and a nervous, twitchy feeling.
Lizbeth’s deep, throaty laugh surrounded her. “From what you told me the other day, and what I see tonight, it seems you two go out of your way to fight against each other.” She reached out her tanned fingers and squeezed Daisy’s hand. “You’re worthy of some happiness, even if you don’t think you deserve it.”
“I suppose.” She’d spent so much time teetering on the edge, afraid to free-fall into an abyss so eternal that she’d never hit bottom. The weightless, uncontrolled descent of wishing for something or someone that she had no business wishing for.
“If he’s worthy of you”—Lizbeth patted her hand—“stop torturing yourself and claim that happiness.”
All she had to do was convince herself because she gave up on feeling worthy of any kind of goodness a long time ago.
Joker rejoined them on the main deck, and Daisy’s heart kicked up at the sight of him dressed in clean sweatpants and a t-shirt, his hair slicked back and still damp from the shower. The gash by his temple was pink and raw against his tanned face and the cut on his bicep was slowly healing and not as inflamed. His eyes were softer and searching hers like he knew what she and Lizbeth had talked about. A man so hard and rough that just standing there radiated his power and strength.
“Sit.” Lizbeth pointed to the chair. “I’ll tend to those cuts.”
His bulk commanded the inner cabin, and when Lizbeth stood, their size differential was laughable.
Lizbeth returned with a first aid kit worthy of a hospital’s, then Toshi followed her with three glasses of amber liquor in cut-glass tumblers.
They sipped at the high-end bourbon while Lizbeth cleaned and dressed Joker’s arm and then his head. Her firm, swift touch said she knew what she was doing and had done it many times before.
“I gotta say between the bourbon and this jacked-up boat, I’m feeling pretty good,” Joker said.
Lizbeth finished taping the last piece of gauze in place, and Joker grasped her hand. “Thanks—for everything.”
Daisy suspected his gratitude had to do with more than his bandaged wounds.
“We’ll be in the Palm Beaches by morning.” Lizbeth put the first aid kit back together, then climbed the stairs up to the bridge. “Go below and get some sleep.”
The hum of the engine and the water hitting the hull of the boat were the only sounds. Daisy finished the last of her bourbon and placed the glass on the coffee table bolted to the floor. Joker did the same, his eyes never leaving hers. The bourbon mellowed her enough that when he pulled her to a standing position, she burrowed into his chest.
He tilted her chin to look at him, both knowing it could be their last night together.
Joker smoothed his palm over the soft, clean sheets. After the last two nights in that roach motel, a gunfight with Rico’s thugs, and a bust from fake DEA agents, he was mentally and physically exhausted. He’d held off on grilling Daisy for details of what had happened before he got to Esteban’s office, torn between wanting to know and wanting to forget. A man like Esteban was used to getting his own way, which led to a lot of shitty questions that he may not want answered.
That thought made him punch the pillows as he waited for Daisy to come out of the bathroom. They were in what Lizbeth called the guest suite, and after all they’d been through, it was pretty close to perfect: light wood furniture, another flat-screen TV, and those amazing sheets.
He’d just laced his fingers behind his head when the bathroom door opened and Daisy stepped out in those cute little pj’s. Outstanding. The minute she stepped close enough, Joker dragged her to him.
She sighed deeply. “What a night.”
A million questions shot through his brain, but he clenched his jaw almost to the point of pain.
“You were so late, I was starting to think you weren’t coming.” Her damp hair fell around her shoulders.
“Ran into a little trouble.”
Her brow knitted together.
Daisy pushed his hair back, examining the side of his face. “My gasp in Esteban’s office was real. What happened?”
“Had some guests.” He pushed himself up on the bed. “Rico’s guys, the ones we taped up at the hotel in South Beach came looking for the money. Big fuckin’ joke on them since I didn’t have it, but that kinda pissed them off even more.”
“And that’s what this is about?” She ran her fingers over his bandaged temple.
“It got a little crazy, but I’m sure that’s not the first time a room at the Pink Flamingo got shot up.”
“Shot up?” She pulled the sheet down, examining his torso.
“Rico oughta upgrade their weapons. Those cheap Saturday night specials can’t even shoot straight.” He grinned. “I think I winged one of them though.”
The slight twist of Daisy’s lips told him that although she was worried about him, the same thrill coursed through her at his narrow escape. Yeah, they were both a little screwed up with their need for adrenaline.
Joker reached out and jerked her onto the bed and then pulled the tank top over her head. Perfect. Like unwrapping the best Christmas present ever. Her flawless skin still had a pink glow from the hot water of the shower earlier, and when she shivered from the air-conditioning, his lips tilted into a wicked grin. He flipped back the sheet further, and she snuggled closer to him.
“That shower was heaven.” Daisy stretched her arms over her head, and his dick twitched at her cat-like move. The higher power that created her might’ve stuck her with a shitty upbringing, but it was made up for in a perfect body. And right now, Daisy and her warm, soft skin made the whole night disappear.
She rolled to her side and gently touched the butterfly bandage on his face, then inspected his arm. “Lizbeth is very good at this.”
He nodded. “She’s pretty cool.”
“She’s the closet thing I’ve ever had to an adult in my life and certainly the only one I’ve ever respected.”
“I get it. I feel the same way about Shirley, an older woman who cooks at the clubhouse.” He pulled her into his side. “Never had any good role models growing up. That’s why I worry about how I'm raising Derek.”
“I’m sure you’re doing fine. You know everything not to do.”
Joker examined the bruises on her arms again. The thought of that bastard Esteban touching her pissed him the fuck off. Usually, when that kind of rage erupted, he lashed out and smashed anything in his path. Not an option on a beautiful cruiser owned by a sweet woman who was trying to save their ass. So he squeezed his eyes shut, willing the anger to pass.
She cupped his face with her hands. “Are you all right?”
He pulled away from her. “I know I got no righ
t to ask this with that women’s equality shit and all. Your body is your business, I get it, but I still gotta know. What happened with Esteban before I got there?”
“Nothing.”
She answered him so quickly that he didn’t know how to take it. Was she trying to cover up a lie to save his feelings, or was she telling the truth? Even now, Daisy was so good at deception that he couldn’t figure her out.
“Nothing?” He sucked in a deep breath. “That fucker was looking at you like you were a steak dinner.”
“I was so worried when you were late, and then, when you showed up all cut up”—she reached up to him—“I didn’t know what to think.”
“Nice try, but not gonna work. Tell me what happened.”
She pulled at the blanket. “Esteban was happy to get the money back. Maybe a little too happy.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He wanted to celebrate.”
“He wanted to fuck you,” he ground out.
“But then, you barged in and saved the day.”
“Why do you not sound grateful?” Joker’s fingers twisted the sheets.
“Because I’m mad at myself for not keeping it together and thinking of another way out. Because the whole time I was worried about you being late, I made the job personal, and that’s a mistake that could’ve gotten us both killed or worse.”
“I knew what he wanted from you the minute I walked in there. I tried to tell myself that even if you fucked him, I’d get over it because it was part of the job. But in the end, I couldn’t—”
“Would you please shut up.”
“I’m trying to be understanding. You know, liberated.”
“Right, that’s why your hands are balled into fists, and your expression says murder.”
“On the upside, I didn’t break anything or pull out my gun.”
“I was worried about you not keeping it together, but I was off tonight too. I let my feelings for you take me out of the game.” She rolled her eyes and sighed. “This job wasn’t like any of the others. From the very beginning, every point was off. I‘ve never worried about anybody but myself, but tonight you were all I could think about. Not the money, not the end game, just you.”
Beyond Redemption: Joker (Serpents MC Las Vegas Book 1) Page 16
