by Ivy Black
“Mommy issues?” I asked.
She shrugged. “Who fucking knows. I just wish my dad would stop keeping me from knocking his lights out.” I didn’t respond. I honestly didn’t know how to. I couldn’t imagine what it must be like, trying to lead a group of people who hated you. “Anyway, if it wasn’t clear before, you can have my guest room for as long as you’re here. It’s rarely used, only when friends get too drunk and have to crash.”
“Do you have a lot of friends outside of the club?”
She laughed. “I have to, don’t I? They all hate me.”
“Yeah, I could tell.” I shook my head. “I promise I’ll never do that.”
Tess pulled her car into the driveway of her house and then turned it off. She looked over at me, and all of her haughtiness was gone, leaving only a gentleness behind. “Thanks.”
As much as I knew I shouldn’t sit and stare, I couldn’t help myself. She was just too beautiful. “You’re welcome.”
I wasn’t unaware of the way Tess lingered in the doorway of the guest bedroom as we both prepared to go to bed that night, but I bit the inside of my cheek and kept my temptations in check. I was happy to be around Tess again, but I needed to be sure not to complicate things by getting so attached that I lost sight of my end goal. Get my bike fixed, get some money, and get out. The sooner, the better.
“Well, I guess I’ll see you in the morning,” Tess said with a sultry rasp to her voice.
I nodded, smiling. “I guess you will.”
Chapter Seven
Phantom
I stirred to the feeling of a heavy weight settled on top of me and warm breaths on my face. I groaned as I shifted—my still partially burned stomach didn’t appreciate the extra pounds—but the weight only moved with me. Finally, I forced my eyes open and saw that Lockjaw was lying on top of me, his mouth wide open and huffing on me as he snored while he slept.
I heard a snicker from the doorway and looked over to see Tess leaning against the frame, watching us with a smile. “I swear, he’s not usually like that with people.”
She looked next to none in a pair of short jean shorts that strangled her thick thighs and a neon green tank top with a healthy swooping neckline. Her hair was up in a bun, allowing her intoxicating gray eyes to be the star of her face, and she had a cup of coffee held between her hands.
I tapped Lockjaw on his head. “He’s a good boy.”
“He is.”
I tried my best to sit up in a way that wouldn’t disturb the sleeping pit bull on my stomach. “Didn’t you say you stole him?”
Tess smiled. “I did.”
“From where?”
Tess shook her head. “Nope. I’m not telling you anything until you answer some of my questions.”
“What questions?”
“Come on. I made coffee. Let’s have a chat.” She waved a hand before disappearing from the doorway.
I scrubbed behind Lockjaw’s ear as an apology for disrupting him, then I moved him over so that I could climb out. He grunted, peeked a single eye open, and then settled back into sleep. Once I was out of bed fully, I could see some folded shirts and pants on the desk in the room. Whether Tess had snuck a peek at my tags or just guessed at my size, I didn’t care. I grabbed the top shirt and pair of jeans and took them down to the bathroom. I took a brief but welcome hot shower, donned myself in the fresh clothes, and went out to the living room.
Tess was sitting at her kitchen island with a breakfast sandwich on a plate in front of her, and there was an identical one with a cup of steaming coffee sitting next to it. I stood motionless for a minute, just staring at the scene. Tess was scrolling through her phone. Lockjaw had no doubt followed the smell of bacon out into the living room and had been rewarded with a couple of pieces in his dog bowl. The morning Arizona sun glinted in through the front window and cast an angelic glow around the room. What a life that could be. I wouldn’t mind waking up to Tess every day, starting my mornings with her smiling at me, enjoying a hot breakfast before climbing on our bikes to take a ride in the heat. Some people wanted millions of dollars, a big house, or fancy cars. Me? I’d be happy with just this. This with no worries of Luther hunting me down or not knowing how Caid was feeling. Just this.
Tess finally looked up with a raised eyebrow. “You gonna stand there all day? It’s gonna get cold.”
It was enough to shake me loose. I continued through the living room and over to the other barstool and sat down. “Thanks for the breakfast and the clothes.”
“You’re welcome for the food. Clothes were actually my dad.”
“Seriously?” I asked.
Tess chuckled. “I was just as shocked as you were. He was here bright and early, dropping off a bunch of tools so that you two can work on the bikes later on. Brought the clothes, too. Said he could tell you needed ’em.” She gave a little shake of her head. “He really seems to have taken a shine to you.”
“I don’t know what I did.” I took a bite of the sandwich and let the salt of the melted cheese and bacon wash over my tongue.
“I don’t either, but I wouldn’t waste it. Trust me when I say, Nick Squared is a good man to have on your side.”
“I believe it.” I took a quick sip of my coffee before continuing. “So. You said you had questions?”
Tess took the last bite of her sandwich and then turned to face me properly. She kicked a foot out, and it slid briefly across my leg. Her ability to tease was unparalleled. Never mind being careful around Taylor and the other Knights. Tess was the real trouble that I had to keep an eye on.
“You gonna tell me why you’re being hunted?”
My heart slammed a little harder in my chest. “I told you, I don’t know.”
“And I told you that I don’t believe you.” She crossed her arms. “Your urgency to get out of here, the fact that you stayed on the run so long when you were in such bad shape, and you taking out the other prospects without so much as a scratch. I ain’t dumb, and I’d prefer you not treat me like I am.”
I sighed. She had me pegged. It was stupid of me to think I could pull the wool over her eyes. She’d always been smart and observant. I calculated the risk of telling Tess everything, even about where I’d come from. Would she believe me if I told her I wasn’t running with the Unchained Dogs anymore? That I truly picked her because I trusted her, and not because I was trying to get one over on the Steel Knights?
“Fine.” I turned to face her, too. “Here’s the truth.” Tess took a deep breath, almost as if she knew she wasn’t going to like what I had to say. “I stole some money. A lot of it.”
Tess raised an eyebrow. “How much?”
“Fifty grand.”
“Jesus!” she yelped. “For what?”
“For Caid.”
She calmed a little. “So, the experimental treatment in Germany. That’s all true?”
“Yes. He was getting worse by the second and was running out of time. The doctors here all said he wasn’t gonna make it, but one of them recommended this treatment in Munich. Hadn’t been verified yet, but it had a ton of success. He…” My throat burned a little as I thought of my poor brother, scared and weak in a hospital bed, strung up worse than Pinocchio. “He had asked me to kill him. He didn’t want to be alive anymore. He was in so much pain.”
Tess reached a hand forward and settled it on my cheek. That time, her actions weren’t seductive, only comforting. “I can’t imagine.”
“It was his last hope, but I didn’t have that kind of money. So, I stole it.”
“From whom?” Tess asked.
Even if she believed that I was uninvolved with the Unchained Dogs, the truth was too intense to share just yet. “From where they keep lots of money.” Half-truths had been working so far.
“So, the feds are after you,” Tess said, drawing her own conclusion.
It was a split-second convergence from the plan, a sign that I should save at least some information for myself. “Yeah.” I pulled out my c
ell phone and held it up. “I’m sure they can track me, but I can’t get rid of my phone—”
“Because it’s the only way Caid can contact you.” She rubbed her face with her hands. “How’d you get burned? They didn’t really set your house on fire?”
I rattled through a thousand feasible explanations in a matter of seconds. “I crashed the getaway car. It went up in flames, and I just barely managed to climb out.”
“Shit. You’re on the run from the cops for robbing a bank, and now you’re in a motorcycle club that’s into more than one illegal money maker. I can see why you didn’t want to tell me.” She grabbed my hands in hers. “I’m glad you did, though. You don’t have to worry. Your secret’s safe, and my dad has a few buy-outs at the station, so if they come looking for a Knight, we should be okay.”
I did feel a little guilty. Tess had stuck her neck out for me in more ways than one, and I was still lying to her about the whole truth that had brought me back to Hoppa. Still, it wasn’t advisable for me to tell Tess that I used to run with the Unchained Dogs. Until I completely lost management of that situation, I needed to keep that single gem to myself.
“Thanks, Tess.”
She held up a finger. “One other thing.” I nodded to urge her on. “Is that why…” She held up air quotes. “CJ?”
I snickered. I might have expected that wouldn’t get too far either. “It’s kind of dumb, right? It is just my initials.”
She whacked my arm. “You honestly thought I was going to forget your whole name? I was crazy about you. I know your name.”
I smiled, remembering those days when I could steal away from home for a few hours and just enjoy being around Tess. “I was crazy about you, too.”
She leaned forward and set her hands on my face, and for the first time since I’d arrived, I wasn’t able to bring myself to hold back. Tess set her lips on mine, and I leaned into her and let it happen. It was sweet, even sweeter than I remembered. Just like the beautiful scene of Tess sitting calmly next to a breakfast cooked for me, her lips felt too good to be true.
I was glad when she didn’t elevate us but pulled away with a satisfied smile. “That wasn’t so difficult, was it?” I just chuckled because the truth was that it was incredibly difficult. Not to kiss her but to stop. Every time I allowed myself to take a taste of Tess, I was only going to want more. “So. You wanna know how I got Lockjaw?”
“What unlucky jerk woke up to find his dog missing?”
A sly smile curled up Tess’ cheeks. “The Unchained Dogs.”
My stomach emptied out. “What?”
She giggled. “I know. I’d heard through the grapevine that they had gotten a new pit bull puppy as their mascot, and my dad had just told me that he wasn’t gonna let me pledge for the Steel Knights. So, I woke up in the middle of the night, stole his prized old-school Harley, drove to Rumble, stole their dog, and left without them even knowing I’d been there.”
It was difficult to keep my poker face. I remembered the day vividly. Not just because it was a huge deal that the puppy had been taken, but because I was the one who picked out and was responsible for it.
Luther had randomly decided that the Unchained Dogs deserved a live mascot and sent me to pick up a purebred pit bull puppy that he’d paid nearly five grand for. Because no one wanted to take care of a new puppy and because I was still only a year old in the gang at that time, I was put in charge of taking care of the dog. I couldn’t bring him back to my apartment, so I had to leave him at the club overnight, and the next day when we got there, he was gone. Luther beat the shit out of me, and I had to give him half my dues for the next two years to pay him back.
“Wow,” Tess said. “Are you that impressed?”
“Yeah.” I looked over at Lockjaw standing near his bowl, hoping for whatever food Tess or I didn’t eat. “Crazy.” No wonder he was no nice to me when Tess swore he was usually only that loyal to her. I was his first caretaker. I believed I’d accounted for everything, but I had not accounted for a dog giving away my secrets.
“Okay, sorry. I came up with one more question,” Tess said, bringing my attention back to her.
“What’s that?”
She leaned forward and kissed me again. It took me so much by surprise that I didn’t even have a chance to put my defenses up. My hands were on her thighs before I could stop them. Tess was leaning into me, deciding her first successful kiss was more than enough evidence that I wanted more. She wasn’t wrong, as I lost control of myself and stood up, gripping Tess as I moved so that I could lift her up onto the island. My plate tipped, which Lockjaw was more than happy to clean up, and Tess’ legs wrapped around my waist and locked behind me.
I was falling fast and hard down a slippery slope, unsure of how I would break free when a knock at the door saved me.
Tess let out a growl that would rival Lockjaw. “Go away!”
“Is CJ awake yet? We’re losing daylight!” Nick called back.
Tess took a deep breath in and held it for a few seconds before letting it out. “I can’t murder my father, right?”
I snickered. “I wouldn’t.” I wanted to hug him. I could already sense that I was fast approaching the point of no return, and I might have completely lost control just now if he hadn’t turned up.
As difficult as it was, I unlaced my arms from Tess’ side, and she hopped off the island and walked over to the door. I bent down and took the already clean plate from Lockjaw, getting a lick on the cheek as I did. I was praying that my unintentional peace offering would be enough for him to not rat me out in his own unique dog way.
Behind me, I could hear the door open. A moment later, Tess said, “Hi, Daddy. I thought you said you’d be back later.”
“This is later.” The sound of boot steps entering the house pulled me to attention. “Morning, CJ.”
I nodded. “Hey, Nick.”
“Did Val tell you I came by earlier?” Nick asked. “I’ve got a pretty nice set up for working on bikes at my place, but I figured it’d be more trouble than it was worth getting your bike over there. We’d probably hurt it worse.”
I hadn’t considered that, but he was right. “She told me.”
“All right. Let’s get started, then.” Nick turned and kissed Tess on the cheek. “Can you open the garage door for us?”
Tess nodded, saying, “Sure,” and Nick was out of the door a moment later. Tess turned and looked at me. “Well, that was shitty timing.”
I smiled, the feeling of Tess’ skin still burning against my hands. “Indeed.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Finish later?”
I knew that I shouldn’t, but she looked so hopeful, and I wanted it, too, so I smiled and said, “Yeah.”
“Good.” She grabbed her keys from the key rack next to her door and pointed it outside. A few seconds later, the rumble of the garage door lifting pierced the calm morning air. She chuckled at me. “Have fun bonding.”
“One question,” I said.
Tess closed in on me and quickly pecked me on the lips. I wasn’t expecting it, but she pulled away quickly, keeping me safe. “I suppose you’ve earned one more question.”
“Why does he keep calling you Val?”
Tess let out a loud, barking laugh that reminded me of her father. “Oh, you don’t like it when someone else uses different names?”
I let out a huff, knowing she wasn’t wrong. “Fine, don’t tell me.”
I started to walk around her, and she grabbed my arm. “Don’t be a brat.” She put her hand up and stroked my cheek. “My nickname at the club is Valkyrie. After I stole Lockjaw on the bike I’d stolen from my dad, he said I was like a fearless Valkyrie riding into battle and coming back with the spoils. Over time, they stopped saying the full name and just settled for Val.”
I thought about the headstrong girl I knew back before I left Hoppa and the impressive one I’d known since I got back. “Valkyrie.” I grinned at her. “I like it.”
She walked past me.
“Go before I tackle you and do something I’ll regret doing while my dad is outside.”
I’d started off toward the door when I heard the rattle of Lockjaw’s collar. I looked down, and the pit bull had bounded to my side and was waiting patiently. I chuckled down at him. “I guess Lockjaw is coming.”
“He’s got a bed in the garage, too,” Tess called before disappearing down the hallway.
I stepped out into the already blazing Arizona morning with Lockjaw at my side. I walked down the path and up the remaining length of the driveway into the garage, where Nick had already arranged both bikes and had a bunch of tools and parts laid out on a tarp, along with what I immediately recognized as the type of engine that my bike used.
“Hey,” Nick greeted again. He followed my gaze to the engine. “Yeah. I’m a big Harley fan myself, and I thought that I had a spare engine. Turns out, I did.” He rubbed the back of his head, and it was almost as if there was a touch of nerves there. “Taylor made sure the engine was destroyed. I’m sorry about him.” The nerves faded in an instant, and he just laughed. “I guess fifty-percent success isn’t bad, kid-wise, right? Don’t get me wrong, I love my son, but he needs help. Help he’s probably never gonna get.”
“Maybe not, but you’re doing the best you can as a dad, loving him regardless.”
I thought about how quickly my mom discarded her responsibility to take care of Caid because of how sick he was. A good parent would have done anything they could to help, but my mom regularly complained about how she didn’t sign up for taking care of Caid. I had respect for Nick, who could at least love Taylor, even if he didn’t know how to help.
“Thanks,” Nick replied. He held out a wrench to me. “Well, should we get started?”
I took the wrench from him with a nod. “Yeah.”
The silence around us as we worked on the bikes was welcome and calming. The clink of metal and ratchets was a sound that often relaxed my mind and spirit. I thought back to when I first restored my bike after I fished it out of that dumpster. It took me close to two weeks to clean it enough to see what needed to be replaced and what didn’t. Fortunately, I didn’t have to clean human remains out of my bike this time, but Taylor had done a number on it. The casing was going to need to be replaced, but, fortunately, the exhausts were okay. The engine was totally busted, so it was a good thing Nick brought a replacement.
