by L. Wilder
“As tempting as that might be, you wouldn’t be moving in with me, Parker. You’d just be staying in my room.”
“At the Ruthless Sinners’ clubhouse?”
“You’ll be safe there.”
“Okay, but if I’m going to stay, and that’s still an if, I like it here. I’m not sure I want to move, so I’m going to need a little time to think about it.” His brows furrowed, making it clear he wasn’t happy about my response. Hoping to set his mind at ease, I placed the palm of my hand against his cheek and said, “I’m not saying no. I’m just asking for a little time to think about it.”
“I get it.”
Menace eased the covers back, got out of the bed, and picked up his clothes from the floor. When he started getting dressed, I began to worry that he wasn’t telling me the truth when he said he understood. “Wait, are you really leaving?”
“I’m going to survey the perimeter and run a check on the security system.”
“Now?”
“Yeah, now.” He pulled on his boots, then walked over and gave me a kiss on the forehead. “It’s late. Get some sleep, and I’ll be back in a few.”
With that, he walked out of my bedroom, leaving me alone to swim in an ocean of thoughts churning around in my head. Talking about what had happened in Colorado had dredged up all those feelings of guilt and regret I’d spent months trying to overcome. I hated that those dreadful emotions had put a damper on my night with Menace. I’d fantasized time and time again about how it would feel to be in his arms, but never had I imagined it would be so wonderful. Not only had the sex been incredibly hot and all my wildest desires fulfilled, but I’d also felt safe and protected in his arms. For that brief moment in time, I hadn’t worried about Rossi or the horrible things he’d done to the people I cared about, nor had I thought about what he might do if he found me. I got to live purely in the moment, which I never thought would be possible again.
I found it very endearing that Menace had gone out to check the perimeter of my building. The man was not only unbelievably hot, he was thoughtful and attentive—something I hadn’t actually expected from him. I’d felt the attraction that radiated from us both. It was undeniable and intoxicating, but I thought that was all there was. I was beginning to wonder if I was wrong. There was a definite shift after our conversation about my past—a change in his tone and the way he looked at me—but I wasn’t sure what it meant. I was hoping to feel him out when he came back to bed, so I tried to stay awake until he returned. Unfortunately, I was too exhausted to wait him out and ended up falling asleep. A few hours later, I rolled over, expecting to find Menace lying next to me, but instead, I was alone. When I sat up, I noticed a light flickering in the living room, so I eased the covers back and got out of bed.
I tiptoed over the doorway and peeked my head into the living room. To my surprise, the TV was on, and Menace was soundly sleeping on my sofa. I was tempted to wake him and have him come to bed but decided against it. If Menace wanted to be in bed with me, he would’ve been. I shrugged it off, then eased back to bed and crawled under the covers. I tried to not to think about how good it felt when he was in bed next to me—how the warmth of his body brought mine to life. He’d made me feel things I never dreamed I could. The thought sent a rush of need surging through me, forcing me to roll on my side as I clamped my thighs together. Damn, I needed to get a grip.
The next morning, I woke up to the intoxicating scent of coffee and cinnamon rolls. When I opened my eyes, I found Menace standing in the doorway with a coffee cup in one hand and a plate in the other. “Morning, sleepyhead.”
“Morning.” I sat up in the bed and used my fingers to brush my hair out of my face. “You’re up early.”
“No, actually it’s kind of late for me.” He walked over and offered me the cup of coffee. “It’s after eleven. I’m usually at work by now.”
“You didn’t have to stay on my account.”
He sat down on the edge of the bed and said, “I didn’t want to take any chances on you running off before we had an opportunity to talk.”
“Talk about what?”
“You and your situation.”
“Look, it’s not your problem.” I inhaled a quick breath, trying to sound brave and self-assured. “I can handle it on my own.”
“Stop right there,” he ordered. “I don’t wanna hear that bullshit. I know you think you can do this on your own, but you run again, and it’s just a roll of the dice whether or not they find you. I don’t know about you, but that shit isn’t gonna work for me.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” I argued. “We had sex, Menace. No strings or attachments. It was just sex, so there’s no reason for you to put yourself in danger. Not for me.”
His eyes grew fierce as he clenched his jaw and let an aggravated breath slip through his pursed lips. He cocked his head to the side, trying to rein in whatever emotions he was feeling—which I’m pretty sure was outright anger, then rolled his head, popping the vertebrae in his neck. “You might just be the most infuriating woman I’ve ever met.”
“I don’t understand why you’re getting mad here. I’m letting you off the hook.”
“Never said I wanted ‘off the hook,’” he barked. “I’m trying to help you. I want to help you, but I can only do that if you let me. So, let me.”
I didn’t immediately respond. As much as I wanted to take him up on his offer, I knew it would mean putting him in danger, and that was something I wasn’t eager to do. Menace was fabulous in bed, and sweet and attentive. I liked him. He seemed like a good guy, and I didn’t want to see him get hurt. But at the same time, I was tired of being so scared and alone. If there was a chance that he and his brothers could help me, even a slim one, I had to take it. “Okay, I’ll let you help, but under one condition.”
“And what’s that?”
“That you’ll be careful and won’t put yourself or your brothers in any unnecessary danger.”
“I’m not making any promises, but I’ll do my best.” He gave me a wink, then jumped right in. “I need to discuss it with Viper, but I still think you should move into the clubhouse—at least for the time being. The security here is just not enough.”
“Okay.”
“Okay? You aren’t going to give me hell about it?”
“Nope.”
“I’m gonna have to do some looking into this Rossi guy, but I’m good at what I do. I can make it where no one knows I’m snooping around.”
Unable to control my fear, my voice trembled as I replied, “Okay.”
“You can trust me on this, Parker. I know what I’m doing.”
“Okay.”
“Is that how it’s gonna be?” A mischievous smile swept across his face as he asked, “You’re just going to keep saying okay to everything?”
Thinking he was implying another round of sex-capades, I smiled and answered, “I guess that depends on the topic of conversation.”
“Mm-hmm. I’ll keep that in mind.” He smirked at me, then said, “I’ve gotta get going. I have to run by the clubhouse before work.”
“Okay.”
“I gotta say,”—he stood and gave me a quick kiss on the forehead—“I like this agreeable side of you.”
“Don’t get used to it ’cause it’s probably not gonna last long.”
“I’ll keep that in mind.” As he started to the door, he said, “I’ll see you tonight at the club.”
“Okay.”
“Yep, I definitely like it.”
Once he was gone, I got up, grabbed a few things from my bags in the kitchen, and took a shower. My mind was racing with doubt as I dried off and put on my clothes and makeup. I wanted to believe Menace and his brothers could help me, but the thought of them going up against Rossi and his family was terrifying. I didn’t want him or anyone else to get hurt. There was only one way I could make sure that didn’t happen. I had to get the hell out of there and never look back, so I put my things back into my bag and started for t
he front door. I was just about to bring everything out to my car when there was a knock at the door. I thought it was Menace coming back, but when I opened it, I found Country and Locke standing on my doorstep.
I quickly stepped in front of my bags. “Hey, what are you guys doing here?”
“Menace asked us to swing by and pick you up on our way to the club.”
“Oh, you didn’t have to do that. I can drive over on my own.”
“I said the same thing, but he was adamant about it.”
“Seriously, I’m good. I don’t need a ride.”
He motioned his head towards the two motorcycles in the driveway, then said, “You ready or do you need a few minutes?”
“Ummm.” It was clear he wasn’t going to let it go, so I feigned a smile and said, “Yeah, I’m ready. I just need to get my stuff.”
I grabbed the bag with my uniform and the rest of my things, then followed them out to Country’s bike. After he placed my things in his saddlebag, he gave me his spare helmet and waited as I got on behind him. I’d just gotten settled when Country glanced over his shoulder with a smirk plastered across his handsome face. “I’m gonna have to thank Menace for sending me over to get ya.”
“Oh?” I knew a coy comment was going to follow when I asked, “And why’s that?”
“You kidding me? Hot chick on the back of my bike. Don’t get any better than that.” He shook his head. “He’s gonna be all kinds of pissed when he finds out I didn’t take the truck.”
“What difference does that make?”
“You’ll find out soon enough.”
Before I had a chance to respond, he started his bike and eased out of the driveway. I’d only ridden a motorcycle a couple times, so I had to focus on holding on without giving Country any ideas. Sadly, it wasn’t enough to distract me from the onslaught of mixed emotions I was feeling. Menace must’ve figured out I was having doubts and sent Country over to get me. It was a sweet gesture, but at the same time, infuriating as hell. It seemed the man was always one step ahead of me. Maybe that was a good thing.
Maybe it wasn’t. I guess only time would tell.
Menace
“Does Lynch know?”
“No, I came here to talk to you first.” I shook my head at Viper. “Not sure what to say to him. Thinking his grandparents were killed in a robbery was tough enough. I’m afraid this is going to be an even harder pill to swallow.”
“Peter was a stand-up guy. He knew the risk when he took in that girl, and he did it anyway. That says a lot about him.”
“I hope Lynch’ll feel the same way.”
“I’ll talk to him. Considering the situation, it would be better if he heard it from me.”
“Whatever you think is best.”
Axel glanced over at me and asked, “You said she was thinking about leaving?”
“Yeah, she doesn’t want anyone else getting hurt.”
“Maybe she’s right,” Viper replied. “Maybe you should just let her go.”
“Can’t do that, Prez.” I had no good explanation for why I couldn’t simply cut ties with her, at least not one that made any fucking sense. “She needs someone to help her.”
“What are you wanting to do here?” Viper pushed. “This chick is up against the fucking Italian mafia, and they’re no goddamn joke. We don’t have the means nor the desire to go toe to toe with these motherfuckers for some chick who just so happens to work at the bar.”
“It’s not like that, Prez.” I knew I was opening a door I wasn’t ready for, but I didn’t have a choice. “She’s more than just some chick from the bar.
“Oh, really?” His brow furrowed with discontent. “You claiming her or something?”
“Not like that either.”
“Then what the hell is it?” he pushed.
“That’s just it. I don’t know.” I knew I sounded like I’d fucking lost it, but I couldn’t explain what I didn’t understand myself. “I’m still trying to figure it out, but I can’t do that if she’s gone. Or worse... if she’s dead.”
Viper let out a deep, frustrated breath, then shook his head and said, “Not sure what you’re asking me to do here, son.”
“I want you to help me help her. I’m not asking the club to go against these crazy motherfuckers, but I am asking for some kind of direction because I don’t know what the hell to do here.” I was putting my president and my brothers in a tight spot, but I didn’t have a choice. I had to find a way to help Parker. “There’s gotta be a way we can figure this out.”
“Anything we do is gonna bring heat to the club.”
“I’m with Prez on this one, brother,” Axel interjected. “The club’s got no issue with these guys. No sense in making one.”
“I understand. I don’t want to bring any trouble knocking at our door either, but I can’t leave her to fend for herself,” I explained.
“There’s only one way to handle this.” Viper ran his hand over his salt and pepper beard, then grumbled, “We gotta make her disappear. We’ll get her a new name, a new place to live, and—”
“She’s already tried that with the whole witness protection bullshit. They found her then, and they’ll find her again,” I argued. “Rossi knows Parker’s the only thing keeping him behind bars, so he’s going to have his people use every avenue possible to find her—and men like these have the means that others don’t.”
An odd expression crossed Axel’s face, then he said, “Maybe there’s another way we can make her disappear.”
“And how do you suggest we do that?”
“Don’t have a clue, but Billy might,” Axel suggested. “The guy has a way of making things happen.”
The club called on Billy whenever we’d run into an altercation with an adversary and had a mess to clean up. War was messy, and Billy had a real talent for cleaning that shit up. He always found a way to make sure no evidence came back to bite us in the ass. Hell, he’d even go so far as to make it look like someone else had come in and blown a building to smithereens if it took any and all heat off of the club. The guy was a genius, but he dealt with the dead. I wasn’t sure he had the know-how or the resources to deal with the living. I grimaced as I turned to Axel. “You really think he could help with this?”
“Only one way to find out.”
“He’s right. We need to talk to him,” Viper agreed. “I’ll give him a call, fill him in on the situation, and see if there’s anything he can do.”
Without waiting for either of us to respond, Viper picked up his burner and called Billy’s number. Axel and I listened silently as Viper told him about Parker’s predicament and waited as he listened to Billy’s response. After a few minutes of back and forth, Viper said, “Thanks, Billy. She’ll be there sometime tomorrow.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Viper ended the call and tossed his burner on his desk. When he didn’t saying anything, Axel pushed, “Well?”
“He thinks he can help, but he needs her to come to him.”
“What?” I huffed.
“You heard me right, brother.” Viper grabbed a piece of paper, and once he’d written down Billy’s address, he handed it to me. “He wants her there tomorrow. Said it’s the easiest way for him to do what he needs to do.”
“And what’s that?”
“I’ve got no idea. Guess she’ll just have to go find out for herself.”
“Wait... I’m not sending her there alone, Prez.”
“Hmm.” He cocked his eyebrow, and a teasing smile crossed his face as he suggested, “We could always send Country with her.”
“Oh, hell no. That shit’s not gonna happen.”
“Didn’t think so.” He snickered. “Get things sorted at the club. Have Lynch or Hawk cover for you until you can get back.”
“Any idea how long this is gonna take?”
“No clue.”
Even though he always bitched about me coming, I tried to go see Jagger at least once a week. I didn’t like the thought of missi
ng the chance to check in on him, so I told Viper, “I’ll swing by the prison and see about Jagger on my way through.”
“I talked to him earlier this week.” His eyes grew fierce as he said, “I wasn’t happy to hear about the altercation he’d been in, but he assured me all was good.”
“I’ll be sure to check when we stop by there.”
“The girl’s going with you? You sure she’s gonna be okay with that?”
I shrugged. “She’ll have to be.”
“It’s doubtful that he’ll know anything, but you should ask him about this Rossi guy while you’re there. See if he’s heard any of the other inmates talking about him,” Axel suggested.
“Will do.” I turned my attention back to Viper. “Thanks for this, Prez. I appreciate it.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” he scoffed. “I’ve got no idea how this thing is gonna turn out.”
“He’ll fix this. He has to.”
As I left Viper’s office, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders. I had no idea what Billy had in mind for Parker, but I knew he would be able to help her in ways no one else could. I walked out to the club’s parking lot and pulled out my burner. Since I wasn’t sure how long Parker and I would be gone, I put in a call to the prison, informing my contact to have Jagger add Aubrey Cash to his visitor list for the following morning.
With that done, I started up my bike and headed over to Stilettos to check in on Parker. I’d gotten Country and Locke to swing by her apartment and pick her up on their way to work—it was the only way I knew for certain she wouldn’t try and run off while I talked to Viper.
I’d seen the look of uncertainty in her eyes when I talked about the brothers and how they could help us with her situation. Even though she played along, I knew she wasn’t buying it and was considering sticking to her plan of leaving, and I understood why. It was hard for her to trust, and rightly so. Everyone who’d promised to protect her and keep her safe had failed, so it was no surprise that she was hesitant to trust me or anyone else for that matter. I just hoped I’d be able to convince her to give Billy a chance.
