Clutch: Satan's Fury MC (17 page)

His back straightened as he sat there quietly studying me for a moment, then his face grew pale. His eyes dropped to his lap as he mumbled under his breath. He ran his hands over his face, then finally looked back up at me. “I’m fine. Just a little tired I guess. I … uh … It’s just you and that boy seem to be getting along. Happy to see you doing well. You’re a sweet girl. You deserve to be happy.”

“We’re doing alright. Well, today we are. Who knows what the future holds.” I smiled.

His eyes grew intense as he said, “Hold on to the good, Hazel. Hold on tight.” He looked down at his plate of food and started eating, letting me know that he was done talking for the moment. I left him to eat in peace, but continued to check on him until my shift was over. I couldn’t help but worry about him. Over the past few weeks, he’d become very important to me. He was a good man. I could see it in his eyes and in the way that he talked about things that were important to him, but he’d lost his way. I just had to believe that he’d eventually figure things out and get back on his feet. I was glad to know that I wasn’t the only one who felt that way about him; Cyrus also had a soft spot for him and was doing what he could to help. He’d made arrangements for Dan to take him back to the clubhouse after he finished his dinner. He’d gotten him a room set up and hoped that being around the guys might actually do him some good. When Sam finished his sandwich, Dan pulled his truck up to the front door to get him. Sam waved goodbye, and once he was gone, I headed upstairs to put the kids to bed.

When I finally got in bed myself, I couldn’t sleep. Like the pea in the princess’s bed, thoughts of Clutch had me tossing and turning all night, and the next few nights weren’t much better. It was agony. Each hour seemed to drag into the next as I waited for my night alone with Clutch. I was a wreck. One minute I was elated by the thought of finally getting to take that next step with him, but then, in a flash, I was slammed with a bottle full of nerves. I did what I could to distract myself with idle jobs around the apartment or taking the kids shopping for things that they’d need for camping, but nothing helped. Clutch was constantly on my mind. It didn’t help matters that since I’d told him about the camping trip, he’d been oddly distant. He’d started working later and later each night, cutting our nightly visits into quick dinners or short chats about our day. His lack of attention was absolute torture.

I was really starting to miss those little stolen moments, so I decided it was time to give him a little push—and I wasn’t exactly subtle about it either. I paraded around the apartment in his favorite cutoff shorts when he came over for dinner, and the minute I saw him walking into the diner, I would unfasten an extra button on my uniform. I’d smile and flirt, but no change. When that didn’t work, I started making excuse after pathetic excuse just to touch him, even if it was just to get a piece of lint off of his t-shirt. Unfortunately for me, he wouldn’t take the bait, and I was left feeling like an idiot and … a tad desperate. Something had to change—and fast.

She was killing me … absolutely, fucking killing me. I couldn’t even be in the same room with her without getting a damn hard-on, and she wasn’t helping one bit. I had known she was doing it on purpose—the sexy little smiles and the nonchalant flips of her hair, wearing those sexy-as-hell cutoff shorts that showed off her long, lean legs, and that extra hint of cleavage she was sporting whenever I was around. Fuck. I wanted her so bad, my teeth hurt, and I knew if I got too close, I’d lose the last of my restraint. So I did the only thing I could: I kept my distance. I spent extra hours in the garage and took a few long rides through the city, whatever I could to get my mind off that hungry look in her eyes.

I finally got the distraction I needed when Big Mike called.

I’d just finished lunch and gotten back to the garage when my burner started ringing. When I saw that it was him calling, I quickly answered, “What did you find?”

“You got yourself an interesting one here, Clutch. A college graduate. Good job. Nice apartment. Pretty little thing, too,” he started.

“I know all that, Mike. What else you got?” I pushed.

“Her dad was one of the top real estate agents in Boston. A few years back, his company bought up several lots downtown. He was working with the mayor and the city council to renovate the area. Some cool new restaurants, a coffee shop, and a couple of those girly stores that sell t-shirts and shit. From what I can tell, it was going good. Really good. People were buying into it, and the area is booming now. It’s doing just what he said it would do, and people are starting to move into some of the older homes and they’re fixin’ them up.”

“All that sounds legit. So how did he end up with a bullet in his head?”

“Still not exactly sure. I do know that a man by the name of Hanson from New York got wind of the new development. He came in with an offer to buy up several of the empty lots, but Turner wasn’t interested. He didn’t like the fact that he wanted to open a Gentleman’s club and a couple of bars. It wasn’t what he was going for, so he didn’t take the offer, even though Hanson was offering above asking price—almost double—and it would’ve made Turner’s company a killing.”

“So the money didn’t matter to him?”

“Apparently not. He kept the offer hidden under a mountain of paperwork. His partner wanted him to push it through. His son even went behind Turner and wrote up a contract. They would’ve made a killing on it.”

“So you think the business partner and Hanson had something to do with the murder?”

“Can’t say for sure. Perry had a guilty conscience for sure. The suicide note had a message for Olivia. After a bunch of mumbo jumbo crap, he said to tell her that he was sorry.”

“Fuck. What about his son?”

“He’d been working with the company for a couple of years. I’d say he’s doing alright. Got a BMW and a penthouse apartment,” he said and chuckled.

“Sounds like he’s doing better than alright.”

“No doubt. I’m still digging. I’ll see what else I can find on him. Also still looking into this Hanson guy. He’s a high roller, and I’m trying to see if I can find any shady connections. He started off small, but he’s made a fortune by buying and selling different businesses around the country. There’s not much on him.”

“Gotta wonder why a high roller would want to set up shop in a suburb of Boston. Why was that spot so important?”

“I don’t know, brother, but I’ll find out.”

“What did you find on Detective Brakeman?”

He let out a sigh. “Brakeman looks clean, man. Not a lot on him. He’s got a place out on the eastside of town with his wife and two kids. Seems like a typical all-American family to me, but those are always the ones with skeletons in the closet. I’ll see what else I can come up with.”

“Thanks, Mike. I appreciate it. How are things going back at home?” I asked.

“It’s going. Cotton and Guardrail have been working on the new pipeline, trying to get everything ready to roll. Waiting on Nitro to get the shipment lined up,” he explained. “When you planning on heading back?”

“Things are moving along in the garage, so it shouldn’t be much longer. But I’ve got some other things to tend to before I can head back.”

“Like this Olivia?” he chuckled.

“None other. Get back to me as soon as you can, Mike. I need to know what the hell is going on.”

“I’ll have more in a day or so. I’ll be in touch,” he replied as he hung up the phone.

I put my phone in my back pocket and tried to focus on work. The garage was buzzing. Several new faces were there doing what they could to help out Blaze. During their last doctor’s visit, Kevin’s bloodwork had been off. The doctors decided to run some more tests, so Blaze had been at the hospital with him most of the day. I’d managed to get the entire engine pulled out of the truck I was working on and had finished most of the disassemble when he finally got to the garage.

He gave me a half smile as he walked over to me and said, “You getting anywhere with that piece of shit?”

“Slowly but surely. This one might do me in,” I groaned. He quickly glanced at the progress I’d made and nodded with satisfaction as he leaned against the hood of the car. I looked over to him and asked, “How did it go at the hospital?”

“I don’t know, Clutch. They want to run more fucking tests, and I’m sick and fucking tired of seeing my son treated like a goddamn pin cushion. I just want some answers. I just don’t see why they can’t just tell me something.”

“Figure they want to be sure before they tell you anything, brother. It’s hard, but when they are done, you’ll know for sure.”

“That’s the hardest part. Not knowing. If I just knew, I could prepare either way. I need to be able to get my head straight,” he grumbled.

I placed my hand on his shoulder and said, “I wish I had the answer, but only time is going to give you that. Just try to keep it together a little longer. You’ll know more soon.”

“Never been good with that whole patience thing,” he admitted. “I appreciate you staying late this week.”

“Don’t mention it,” I told him as I looked at the clock. It was almost time for Louise to pick up the kids. “I’ve gotta head out, but if you need anything, just give me a shout.”

“Will do.” When I walked out the door, he shouted, “Have a good weekend.”

“Planning on it.”

The kids were supposed to leave around seven, and since it was already after dark when I got back to the apartment, I knew I didn’t have much time to get ready. I was about to get into the shower when I heard the kids walk out into the hall. They were talking a mile a minute and I could hear the excitement in their voices as they started down the stairs. Olivia followed behind them reminding them about all of her little rules. When the hallway fell silent, I went to take my shower. I knew Olivia would be waiting, so I didn’t waste any time getting ready. Once I was dressed, I grabbed my phone and keys and started for Olivia’s apartment. When I opened my door, Olivia was standing there. She was stunning. Her long, auburn brown hair fell loose around her shoulders, and she wore one of those little black dresses with a pair of black heels. Fuck. The woman was going to be the death of me. I had no idea how I was going to be able to keep my hands off of her, and the way she was looking at me like I was her next meal wasn’t making it any easier.

“Hey,” she said softly.

“Hey.” I smiled. As she stepped inside my apartment, I asked, “Did the kids make it okay?”

“Yeah. They were really excited about it.”

“They’ll have fun,” I tried to convince her.

“I think Charlie’s hoping that a girl he likes is going to be there.”

“That would definitely make the night more interesting,” I chuckled. Damn. The small talk was killing me. I just wanted to reach out and grab her, carry her to the bedroom, and put an end to the tension that was building between us, but that would have to wait. I started for the door and asked, “You ready?”

“No.”

I was surprised by her answer, so I turned around to face her. “No?”

“No,” she answered again, more firmly this time. Her teeth nipped at her bottom lip as she stood staring at me. Finally, with her cheeks blushing red, she said, “I’d rather just stay here.”

She didn’t say the words. She didn’t have to. Just one look at her and I knew exactly why she wanted to stay home. After a week of waiting, we were finally alone, and the last thing either of us wanted was to spend our night out surrounded by strangers. I dropped my keys on the table and said, “Staying here sounds good.”

“Okay,” she said nervously.

“Olivia,” I growled as I took as step towards her.

“Yeah?”

“I noticed.”

Her eyebrows furrowed as she tried to figure out what I was talking about. “Noticed what?”

“The cutoffs. The buttons on your uniform. All the excuses to put your hands on me. I noticed.”

A sexy smile spread across her face as she said, “I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“You’ve been torturing me all week.”

“The way you were acting, I didn’t even think you were paying attention.”

“I was. And just so you know … you’re going to pay for that shit.”