Logan: New Crusaders MC (17 page)

Bells pointed to one of the waitresses who was weaving her way through the crowd.  Nicole recognized her.  Marina.  She’d been the one who served Nicole and Logan when they’d first gone to the club.

“Waitressing at a strip club to pay her way through college,” Bells explained.  “She’s a good kid.  Keeps her nose clean.”

“Working her way through college,” Nicole mused.  “I envy that.”

Once again she thought about the times her father had hinted he wanted that for her.  She tried to imagine leaving Castillo behind, getting an education and a career, starting a new life.  It was a terrifying prospect, and Nicole wasn’t sure she had what it took to make that leap.  It made her respect what Marina was doing.

“Go talk to her,” Bells said.  “I promise Logan won’t mind you poaching one of his servers.  There’s a lot of turnover in this place.”

Nicole waited until Marina looked like she had a free moment, then went over to her to offer her the job.

“Bells told me you’re going to school.  We can give you a flexible schedule.  Whatever hours work best for you.”

“That sounds really good,” Marina said, looking grateful.  “You make good tips?”

“Maybe not as good as you get here, especially since we don’t serve liquor, but you’ll get your regulars there.  It’s good money.”

“Okay,” Marina said, smiling.  “I have a day off tomorrow.  I’ll stop by the diner in the morning.”

“Excellent.  Let me give you the number.  Call when you get a break and ask for Chuck.  That’s my dad, the owner.  Tell him I referred you, and he’ll get you set up with an interview.”

Nicole grabbed a cocktail napkin and a pen from Bells, wrote down the number and the address, and gave it to Marina.  The girl thanked her, then scurried off to return to her job.  Nicole returned to the bar and handed Bells some cash, but she wouldn’t take it.

“Owner’s lady drinks free,” Bells said.

Nicole pushed the money across the bar.  “Then I’ll pay for my therapy session,” she said.

Bells laughed and took the money.  “Happy to help.”

“Thanks, Bells.  Maybe Logan and I will come by in a couple days, do some couple’s counseling.”

Bells let out a deep, belly laugh at that.  Nicole waved goodbye and left the club.  She got in the truck and headed home.  She’d done something productive today.  It was almost enough to make her forget all her worries.

Until she saw Clay standing outside her apartment door.

Without even thinking about it, Nicole’s hand went for the gun in her purse.  Her fingertips brushed it, but she left it where it was.

“It’s okay,” Clay said, holding his hands up to show he was unarmed.  “I just want to talk.”

“I’ve got nothing to say to you,” Nicole said, taking a step back.

“Then I’ll do the talking,” he said.  “Hear me out.  I didn’t mean to hurt you, Nicole.  Things got out of hand, and I apologize for that.”

“‘Out of hand’?  You tried to… you
attacked
me.”

Nicole took deep breaths, trying to steady her erratic heartbeat.  She hated how much this guy affected her.  She didn’t want to show him fear.

“That was wrong of me,” Clay said.  “I’m here to apologize for that, and to issue a warning.  You think you’re safe with the Crusaders?  You’re not.  They’re a bunch of animals.”  He stepped away from her door.  Nicole kept her hand on her gun.  “Things are changing around here, Nicole.  It’s going to get ugly.  Messy.  You won’t be safe with the Crusaders or any of that biker trash.”

“Oh, and I’d be safe with you, is that it?” Nicole bit out.

“You would,” Clay said, maintaining his calm tone.  “I would never let anyone hurt you.  I would guarantee your safety.”

“Somehow I don’t believe you,” Nicole said.  “Are we done here?”

“Just think about what I said.”

“I’ll think about it so long as you stay good and far away from me.”

Clay shrugged.  “You’ll change your mind.  I understand if you need some time.”

With that, he strolled past her, back to his car.  She hated him, hated the way he’d acted like they were two old friends catching up.  Nicole fumbled for her keys and threw herself into her apartment.  She found her old suitcase and began throwing clothes into it.  If Clay felt like making more house calls in the future, she didn’t want to be there for him to find.

Bag packed, Nicole pulled out her phone and dialed the diner.  Sure enough, Chuck was still there.

“You okay, baby?” Chuck asked.  “You sound rattled.”

“Clay was here,” Nicole said.  “At my place.”

“That bastard,” Chuck growled.  “Did he hurt you?”

“No, but he seemed pretty confident that shit was going to go down soon.  I’ve got a bag packed.  I’m going to stay with Logan for a while.”

“Good idea,” Chuck said.  “You don’t go near your apartment until we take care of Clay.  And we
will
take care of him, okay?  I’m going to spread the word right now that he’s fair game.”

“Thanks, Dad,” Nicole said, taking a deep breath.  “You watch your own back, okay?  I don’t know what Clay’s up to, but I just got you back.  I’m not about to lose you again.  Especially not to scum like him.”

“I’ll be just fine, sweetheart.  The diner’s been calm ever since you left.  You worry about yourself.  Keep me updated.  If anything else happens, I want to know about it.”

“I know.  I’ll call you as soon as I’m settled.”

Nicole hung up and stared at her phone.  She’d told her dad she was going to stay with Logan, but she wasn’t even sure if Logan would take her in.  He hadn’t called in so long, and she hadn’t exactly made him feel warm and welcome in her life.  Plus, he had his own shit to worry about without her piling on.  Her heart wouldn’t listen to that logic.  She wanted to see him.  She wanted to be safe in his arms.

But she didn’t even know where he lived.  He’d almost taken her back to his apartment the other night, but then she’d insisted on being returned to her own.

Nicole ran down to her truck, keeping an eye out to make sure Clay wasn’t still hanging around.  Once she was safe inside the cab, door locked, she took a moment to get her bearings.  She was alive.  Clay was gone.  She had a gun.  And she was going to find a safe place to stay.

Nicole jumped when her phone started ringing.  When she saw Logan’s name on the display, she almost couldn’t believe it.  She answered the call.

“Hello?”

“Hey, baby.”

Nicole closed her eyes and let the sound of his voice wash over her.

“Hey,” she breathed.

“Sorry I haven’t called,” Logan said.  “Shit was crazy.  Cork fill you in?”

“Yeah, he’s been great.  I’m glad you’re okay.”

“Me, too.  It was a close call, but me and the prospect are fine.  We’re headed back into town now.  I didn’t want to call with the all-clear until I was sure we were safe.”

“It’s fine,” Nicole said.  “I trust you.”  And, much to her surprise, she realized she did.  Without a doubt.  “Logan… would you mind if I stayed at your place for a couple nights?”

“What happened?” 

The urgency in his tone made it clear that he’d picked up on the fear and nervousness in her voice.  Reluctantly, Nicole told him what had happened, starting from when Clay had gotten fired.  Logan listened intently without interrupting once.

“Son of a bitch,” he said when she’d finished.  “I’ll kill him.”

“Get in line,” Nicole said, laughing weakly.  “My dad practically put a hit out on him.”

“Good.  Listen, you don’t sleep alone tonight.  Get to the clubhouse.  We got beds there.  No safer place for you right now.  I’ll be there soon.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll see you soon,” Logan promised.

“I’m glad.”

She hoped he understood how much he meant that.  She almost told him she loved him, but figured it was the wrong time to say that.  Maybe when they were back together, in the same location.

Nicole hung up and started the truck.  She didn’t once question Logan’s decision to have her stay at the clubhouse.  She trusted the Crusaders to keep her safe.  Not just because she was the president’s old lady, but because they were her friends.  They weren’t saints by any means, but she trusted them completely.  More and more, she found she wanted to stay with them, be included in their crazy family.

Ten minutes later, Nicole walked into the clubhouse and received a warm greeting.  The guys were around, drinking and playing pool.  A couple more trickled in after her, saying Logan had called them and told them to get there.  He hadn’t explained why.  The guys looked to her for an explanation.  Nicole looked around at all of them, her eyes finally landing on the bar.  She sighed.

“I could use a drink,” she said.

They were all about that.  Glasses were filled, shots went down.  Nicole took two shots in quick succession, letting the fire of the alcohol burn the fear out of her nerves.  It was amazing how quickly she relaxed, how completely safe and at ease she felt.  The guys cheered her on as she did a third shot.

“So there’s this guy I work with,” she said, instantly capturing their attention.  She saw Cork hovering on the periphery.  He was frowning with concern.  “Clay.  He’s been trying to get into my pants since he met me.  This guy couldn’t take a hint if it ran him over with a cement truck.”

Nicole downed another shot.  Cork grabbed one of the guys – Sam, if she remembered correctly – and muttered something to him about getting food.  Sam said he’d grab some pizza, and jogged off.  Meanwhile, Nicole tapped her shot glass.  Cork leaned over and took it away from her, ordered her a vodka soda and a glass of water.  At her annoyed look, he just shrugged.  A hint of a smile showed from under his bushy beard, but quickly disappeared again.

Nicole continued her story about Clay, letting every one of the listening Crusaders know what he’d done.  They immediately asked if Logan knew, and she told them he did.  She said her father knew, too, and that Clay was fair game.  They roared in approval at that, and Nicole smiled as she sipped her drink.  Cork pushed the water towards her and she rolled her eyes.  But she still drank some of it.  She knew Cork meant well, and she liked that he cared about her.

Sam arrived with the pizza a while later, and everyone converged on the food.  They all made sure to get a couple slices over to Nicole first.  She gratefully took a bite of the hot, greasy comfort food, unable to believe how different she felt with the Crusaders.  For so long, it had just been her and Chuck.  Even when her mother was alive, their family had been small.  No grandparents, no cousins, no aunts or uncles.  Now she felt like she had more family than she knew what to do with.

“Don’t worry,” someone told her.  “That bastard comes within twenty feet of you, we’ll tear him to pieces.”

“That job falls to me!” someone called.

Nicole turned with the rest of them to see Logan and the prospect standing in the entryway.  Her heart soared when she saw him, and she couldn’t help jumping off her barstool and running over to greet him.  Laughing, she threw her arms around him, only to immediately pull back when he winced.

“Sorry,” she whispered, cringing as she saw just how beat up he was.

“It’s okay, baby.  I appreciate the enthusiasm,” he said, leaning down to kiss her long and hard.

Nicole closed her eyes and kissed back, trying to convey a thousand different emotions with this one gesture.  When Logan pulled back, his eyes were sparkling with mischief.  His hand found hers, and he turned to address the crowd.