Red Thorns Crew: The Complete Series

by Rebel Hart

  “I’m going to kill you,” I murmured.

  “Sweetheart, you don’t have the balls.”

  He held up his phone before pressing the ‘play’ button. And as the professor went back to lecturing, it was all I could do to tune out the blaring rock music I heard pouring from the outside of those stupid, cheap ear-plug-music-headphone things. I gripped my pencil so tightly I thought it might break. I shifted around, trying to get comfortable as the snoring to my right mounted with a mighty roar. The girl directly next to me slipped down a little further. The copper of her jeans scraped against the plastic chair.

  It took so much energy to focus on the professor that I didn’t have enough to keep taking notes.

  It’s going to be a long semester.

  I couldn’t pack my things up quickly enough when the professor finally wound things down. And with an hour before I had to be in my next lecture, the one thing I needed was coffee. I wanted to douse myself in coffee. No, no, I wanted to sink an I.V. directly into my vein and fill it with coffee.

  Right after I apologized to my professor.

  “Sir, if I could--?”

  He held up his hand, stopping me in my tracks.

  “What’s your name?” he asked.

  I swallowed hard. “Danika, sir.”

  “Miss Danika, first impressions are everything.”

  “I’m so sorry about what--”

  “Let me finish.”

  I nodded. “I’m sorry. Of course.”

  He sighed. “They’re everything. But they’re also up to interpretation by the person who is receiving said first impression. Your words created more conflict than necessary in my class. One could argue it would’ve been in your benefit to simply stay quiet. You chose not to, which came with consequences. Consequences you couldn't talk yourself out of. That’s what my class is all about.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “With that said, it was clear to me you didn’t incite what happened. It’s not a reflection on you, it’s a reflection on him. You have nothing to worry about.”

  I sighed with relief. “Thank you, Professor.”

  “No thanks needed. You’ll learn a lot more about this as the semester progresses. Just make sure to get here a few minutes before class if you don’t want to be in the back.”

  I nodded. “Already noted and I’ll adjust my alarm as necessary.”

  He smiled. “Good to hear. I’ll see you Wednesday morning.”

  “See you then.”

  I tossed my backpack over my shoulder and headed out of class. I felt good about things again. Good enough to not want to drown myself in coffee.

  “Now, how’d I know you’d throw me under the bus like that?”

  Scratch that. I wanted to drown a painful death in my coffee.

  “Benji, leave me alone,” I said.

  I whipped around and watched as he slithered away from the wall like the snake he really was.

  “You could’ve defended me, you know. I’m hurt. I thought we were friends.”

  I scoffed. “I’m late for my next class.”

  “Here. I’ll walk with you.”

  I hurried away from him. “No, thanks.”

  I walked as quickly as I could, but I heard him hot on my heels. Taunting me. Calling me ‘Daddy’s girl’ and ‘bonnet lady.’ I think I heard ‘tightwad’ and ‘snitch’ at some point in time in there as well. I tried not to pay attention. All I wanted was to get away from him. As far away from him as I could.

  “Why are you running, Daddy’s girl? I thought we could get to know one another!”

  I charged out the front doors of the building before running into something hard. Something stiff. Something tall. I fell to the concrete steps and stared at a set of legs and knees.

  “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry. Are you okay? Are you hur--?”

  A hand dipped down into my vision, giving me pause. I blinked as my gaze slid along the leather jacket. Up the proud chest. Over the broad shoulders and up the thick neck to the eyes of that man I kept coming into contact with. I heard Benji laughing behind me as he pushed out the front doors. But, when he saw who was standing there, he stopped. Almost instantly.

  “Max? What the hell are you doing here?”

  His name is Max?

  I stood up straight as his hand fell back to his side. He quirked an eyebrow at me, his stare slowly dropping down my body. I shivered in my tennis shoes, my breath quickening as my cheeks reddened. I didn’t even realize I had dropped my backpack until he dipped down and picked it up for me.

  Holding it out for me to take.

  “Thanks,” I said softly.

  He nodded, but he didn’t say anything. He simply stared at me, his eyes unwilling to let me go.

  “You here to make sure I go to class or something?” Benji asked.

  “No. I’m here to tell you about the new job.”

  “Oh, shit, Max. This is gonna be awesome. I knew you’d finally give me a chance. A real chance. Come on. There’s this place that has the best fucking coffee. You’ll love it, dude.”

  Max.

  The hot guy finally had a name. A name I could call him by the next time I saw him. Because if our lives were any indication, I’d be seeing him sooner than I figured. His stare finally pulled away from me and directed itself over my shoulder, landing on the excited boy behind me. I wanted to take the wins as I could get them, even though I wasn’t sure why I thought getting the man’s name was a win.

  Either way, I wanted to treat myself to some celebratory coffee. Specifically, at the coffeehouse they wouldn't be at. So I stepped around Max’s body and started for the sidewalk.

  Then I felt someone’s hand around my wrist.

  10

  Max

  “What’s your name again, sweetheart?”

  I didn’t like the way Benji was touching her.

  “Danika, you twit.”

  I watched her cheeks flush deeper as her eyes fell to her feet. It was cute, in a way. If I squinted hard enough.

  “Please move. I have to get to my next class,” she said softly.

  I snickered. “Yeah, Benj.”

  Benji giggled. “Hey, I’m just trying to make friends with my classmate.”

  He pulled her back until the two of us were standing in front of her.

  “I’m serious. I have to get to class,” she said.

  Benji shook his head. “You’re so skittish. Like a baby deer. Isn’t she like a baby deer, Max?”

  Her doe eyes cast their way up to mine and I stood there, rooted in place. She implored me with her eyes, begging me to answer. To save her from the boy who wouldn't let her go. She had been pretty in the dark. But in the sunlight, there was something about her stare that caught my attention. The way her long black hair poured down her back in a low ponytail called to my hand. My entire fist. I suddenly wanted to wrap my hand around it and drag her off to her class just to get her away from Benji. Away from his prying eyes.

  Mine.

  “You’re right, Benj. She is kind of like a baby deer.”

  She snickered. “Great. You too.”

  Benji licked his lips. “Yep. Him, too.”

  Her imploring eyes grew angry, and I found myself paying attention to the details. How thick her black eyelashes were. How her eyes sparkled the angrier she grew. She had strength behind those eyes. There was a wildness to their color that was accentuated by the way her eyes slanted softly upwards, with her eyelids completely invisible beneath the deep ridge of her brow. The angular structure of her face was softened by the roundness of her cheeks. Especially since they were now flushed with red.

  Angry, furious red.

  This girl has no idea who she’s staring at.

  The idea was almost laughable.

  “What are you looking at?” she asked.

  I nodded. “You.”

  “And why is that?”

  Benji scoffed. “Maybe because that’s his right as a man.”

  “Well, don’t le
t those hands get any ideas.”

  I licked my lips. “And if they do?”

  She paused. “Then keep them for the two girls from the hallway. I’m sure they’d enjoy it more than me.”

  Benji snickered. “Is that jealousy I hear?”

  Her eyes widened. “What?”

  “Holy shit. You’re jealous.”

  “Jealous of what?”

  I grinned as Benji stepped between her and me.

  “You’re jealous of the girls Maxy-boy here had at the party.”

  Benji slapped his hand against my chest and I caught his wrist.

  “Easy there,” I warned.

  He giggled nervously. “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re jealous.”

  Daddy’s girl shook her head. “Nope. Not even a little bit.”

  “Face it. You like Max, don’t you?”

  “Nope.”

  “Oh, then maybe you like me.”

  I shook my head. “Nope.”

  Benji sighed. “Well, she’s obviously jealous. And that’s kind of cute, don’t you think?”

  Daddy’s girl glared at us. “I’m. Not. Jealous. I could never be jealous of a couple of college girls with no standards.”

  “What did you just say?”

  I placed my hand onto Benji’s shoulder. The boy was always much too fired up. Always ready to prove his worth. Always ready to jump down someone’s throat to prove he belonged somewhere he didn’t. It was entertaining for a while. Until it became too much.

  Like now.

  Benji leaned his head toward her still. Creating a friction against my hand that made me fist his coat. Even still, though, his arms slid out of the jacket, inching him even closer to the girl who had gone from timid, to jealous, to angry, to frightened.

  I didn’t like the fact that Benji was scaring her.

  “Where’s your mommy, Bambi?” he whispered.

  My nostrils flared. “Enough.”

  “Huh? Yeah? You like being called Bambi, Little Miss Jealous?”

  I growled. “I said, that’s enough.”

  I pulled Benji back to my side as his jacket fell down his back. I watched her jerk away, clutching her backpack to her chest as she rushed off. Her feet carried her away from us as quickly as she could move. And as I stood there, forcing Benji to stay at my side, I wanted nothing more than to twist the little fucker’s head off.

  Especially since he was laughing.

  “Oh, wow. Chicks like her are too easy of a target. Man. She needs a damn backbone, don’t you think?”

  He looked up at me and I glared at him. Ready to rip him to shreds and cast him to all the corners of the globe. Benji didn’t know the first thing about being a Red Thorn. Or a decent-enough human being. He thought being in the crew was all big talk, sex, cigarettes, and fast bikes. He didn’t understand the world we delved into. He didn’t understand the price we all paid. The devil we had sold our souls to in exchange for a small slice of heaven every once in a while.

  In the form of money in our pockets.

  “The hell’s that look for?” he asked.

  My hand gripped the back of his neck. “Follow me.”

  “Ouch. Hey. Max. Fuck--ah, dude. Seriously?”

  I pushed him back up the concrete steps and into the building. We tore through the foyer. I walked down the hallway straight in front of us. And the first empty classroom we came to, I shoved him in. After looking both ways over my shoulder, I slipped into the classroom as well. I closed the door behind me, then checked the corners. Just to make sure there were no cameras that might be recording us. Or listening in. Or focused on us in any way.

  Privacy was always key when it came to these kinds of jobs.

  “What the actual fuck, man?” he asked.

  I narrowed my eyes. “Time to focus on the job and less on the goodie two shoes you go to class with. All right?”

  He adjusted his leather jacket. “Yeah. Yeah, I got it. You got a job you’re finally gonna let me do?”

  “There’s a job in the works, yes. Not sure if I’ll need your help much. But you’re looking for a way to prove yourself and I’m looking for my best guys to help out with this.”

  “Well, you know I’m good at what I do when you actually let me do it.”

  I growled. “Don’t test me.”

  He held up his hands. “You call the shots, boss. I’m just a willing participant. Glad to finally get a shot at proving myself to you guys. You got any details for me?”

  “I’ll keep you posted as it’s unfolding. The guy we’re protecting arrives tomorrow. I’m gonna go scout out the hotel tonight. Take a tour of the place just to get a feel for it.”

  He put his hands down. “Oh, shit. Is this one of those ‘undercover, you have to put on that suit’ kind of deals?”

  I licked my lips. “All you need to do is stick by your phone.”

  “Oh, fuck! You’re gonna put on the suit! Damn, man. I haven’t seen you in that penguin get-up in a while. You gonna take pictures?”

  “I’ll pull you from this shit in a heartbeat.”

  He rubbed his hands together. “I’m not trying to upset you. Just having a bit of fun. You’re always so tense, Max. Need to loosen up a bit.”

  “Maybe when the job is done.”

  “How long is it supposed to run?”

  I shrugged. “Ten days. A week. Somewhere around in there. You know how it is with Ashton and dates.”

  He nodded. “Well, you can count on me, no matter what you need.”

  “Well, when I need it, you better be ready to ride. None of this ‘I’ll get back to you’ bullshit you pulled last time.”

  “I was taking a shit when you called!”

  “Well, shit faster next time. Or pick up the damn phone while you’re pushing it out.”

  “Great. Yeah. I’ll take the phone call in the middle of my grunts.”

  I shrugged. “You’re the one who still has to prove yourself.”

  “Says the guy who refuses to give me a shot in the first place.”

  “You want work, or no?”

  “No, no, no. I want the work. I just--”

  I glared at him and he shut his fucking mouth.

  “I’ll pick up when called, boss.”

  “Good. I’ll keep you updated.”

  I turned around and yanked the door open, startling a group of students just beyond the door. They looked up at me with wide eyes while a couple of the girls standing there licked their lips. I winked at the brunette before walking off, listening to her sigh as I brushed by. Making women weak in their knees came with the territory. And my fear was that Benji felt that was more important than the safety of the rest of the crew. Still, he was good at what he did. The boy could wield a serious gun and rode unlike anything I’d ever seen. You know, once he had a decent bike between his fucking legs.

  He could prove to be useful if things got hairy with this guy.

  Or if Rupert fucking insisted he come along.

  I shoved my way out the front doors and hopped down the concrete steps. My bike glistened in the morning sunlight as I threw my leg over it. The cling of the kickstand coming up hung in my ears. My stomach was ready for food, and my veins were ready for some more coffee. But as I slid my helmet over my face, I gazed across the sidewalk.

  And saw a very familiar set of eyes looking back at me.

  Hello, Daddy’s girl.

  I cranked up my engine and revved the bike. I watched as she flinched, but she didn’t take her eyes off me. The girl was something, that much was certain. She acted like she’d never see a bike before. Or a man wearing leather. It was cute. It added to her endearing nature. I decided to put on a show. One that would emblazon itself into her mind.

  I spun out the wheels, filling the air with burnt rubber before I took off. I sped away from the curb, popping a wheelie before I took a sharp turn onto the main road. I cut cars off. They swerved and honked their horns at me. I chuckled to myself as I drew in a deep breath, resolving m
yself to a nice morning ride to my favorite breakfast place. I could get a decent cup of coffee there and a stack of pancakes all the way up to my eyebrows. Something my stomach needed immediately.

  I listened to the sweet, soothing sounds of their cursing as I peered over to look at my rearview mirror.

  Watching her as she watched me right back.

  11

  Dani

  “Now, understanding human resources policy and administration might not sound as interesting as debate. But this class will provide a great deal of information that is going to be necessary for you to have at your disposal. Think of things like negotiation tactics as the icing on the cake, but classes like this are the cake itself. Which is why, in my class, you’ll need at least a C+ in order for me to recommend a move-up on my behalf in this curriculum. Some of you are already forgetting that with the pop quizzes I gave you Wednesday.”

  The class groaned, but I didn’t flinch. However, the groan did snap me out of my partial trance. The week had gone by incredibly slowly. But it was finally Friday, which meant the weekend was almost upon us. And with my last class of the day finally coming to a close, I listened to the professor repeat, over and over again, the mantra she thought was imperative to close every class with.

  “I know, I know. It’s usually a C- for the rest of the classes. But with something like this you need to do just a little better. Getting a degree in human resources is serious stuff. Might not sound like it, but it’s important. HR is what stands between the employees and unlawful firings. HR is what keeps the peace in certain--”

  My eyes panned over to the window and I gazed outside. From the building on campus, I saw the back of my dorm. A safe haven I had come to enjoy. And as I stared out the window, minding my own business, he popped up into my mind again.

  Max.

  I still smelled burnt rubber in my nostrils, even days later, after seeing Max speed off on his bike like that. I felt a smile slide across my face as his eyes popped to the forefront of my mind. Those brooding, dark green eyes. That softly crooked, stubbled jaw of his. The way he seemed unconcerned with the world around him. The expert way he popped that wheelie before blazing a trail into traffic.