Ridin' Dirty: An Outlaw Author Anthology (OAMC Book 1) (27 page)

Gabby

Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.  I was sure that if I came here, where I know the Crips like to hang out, I would figure something out … or at least see Tommy.  Now here I am, dressed in one of my sexiest red dresses, talking to a total creep.

I’ve never been one to be overtly flirty.  I’m a take-me-as-I-am kind of girl.  I’m a hairdresser with a unique style that tends to draw in the women, but freak out the men a little.  I make friends easy enough, but I’ve never mastered the art of flirtation.  Standing in this loud and crowded nightclub, I’m completely out of my element.

I’d been standing by the bar for an hour sipping on my Singapore Sling and trying to figure out who to talk to when a man approached me.  I had never seen him before but he seemed friendly enough, and I can tell by the blue he’s wearing and the tattoos on his arms that he’s a Crip.

Three drinks and a whole lot of lame pickup lines later, I’m no closer to learning anything at all about my brother, and I am now in a situation where I can’t walk away from this guy without making a scene.  I look up at him and bat my eyelashes, hoping I look flirtatious and not like I have something stuck in there.  He grins down at me, assuming I liked whatever the hell he just said.

Uh oh.  What had he just said to me?  Just then, he leans in close and wraps his arm around my hips, dragging my body into his.  Fuck.  His nose fits itself into the crook of my neck and I barely contain my yelp when his tongue flicks out, tasting my bare skin.  Shit.  Think Gabby!  Think!

“What the fuck!  Baby, I’ve been looking everywhere for you!  What are you doing?”

I look up in surprise and am thrown backwards a little when tongue boy whips around to face whoever had spoken.  Double shit.  It’s Sargent Lawson … and he doesn’t look happy.  The guy I was with takes a step forward and pokes him hard in the chest.

“Who the fuck are you?”

Sargent Lawson plants his feet and raises his eyebrow at him.  He towers over the younger man and easily outweighs him by forty pounds of solid muscle.  “I’m her man.  Who the fuck are you?”

Tongue boy screws his face up and turns to give me a dirty look.  “Fuck this shit, man.  Stupid bitch.”  He gives me one last sneer and then pushes past Sargent Lawson and disappears into the crowd of dancing bodies.

I probably look like a complete fool with my eyes wide and my mouth hanging open, but I can’t help it.  What the hell is he doing here anyway?  And why does he smell so good?  It hadn’t escaped my notice earlier today that he is one of the most gorgeous men I’ve ever seen in real life, but at the time I was pissed off and was focused on getting the missing persons report filed.

Now that I’ve had a few drinks and feel a little looser, I can’t help but notice how perfect those jeans mould to his muscular thighs, or how hot he looks in that green button-down shirt.

Sargent Lawson’s eyes narrow on me.  “Gabby?  What the hell are you doing here?”

I stare at him a beat, my mouth still hanging open.  “I, uh …”  Swallowing, I decide to stop looking at his body and start looking at just his eyes.  Fuck.  Look at how green they are.  “Um … I just …”  I got nothing.  In an attempt to salvage this situation and avoid looking like a stuttering fool, I shrug and just grin at him.

His jaw hardens and his eyes narrow further.  “Are you out of your mind?  You’re here looking for information on your brother, aren’t you?”  I swallow again and nod.  He shakes his head and glares at me.  “You are out of your mind.  Do you have any idea how badly this could have gone, Gabby?  These guys aren’t good people.  They’re not just gonna tell you where he is!  They could have figured you out!  You could have been hurt!”

His anger confuses me.  “I wasn’t doing anything dangerous.  I was just trying to find out some information.”

“Not dangerous?  Are you fucking kidding me right now?”  He grabs my arm and pulls me close, his mouth close to my ear.  “This bar is fucking crawling with gang members, Gabby.  The same gang members that may or may not have done something to your brother.  Use your head!”

My eyes widen and I yank myself out of his grasp.  “Excuse me!  I appreciate your concern, Sargent Lawson, but —”

“Daniel,” he barks.

I stare at him, surprised by the interruption.  “Fine.  Whatever.  I appreciate your concern, Daniel, but I’m a grown woman.  I can take care of myself, thank you very much.  Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some people to talk to.”

He grabs my arm again.  “I don’t think so, Gabby.  You need to take a step back and let the police do their job.  We are trained to deal with this shit.  You’re not.”

As he talks, my anger grows, but I find it harder and harder to focus on his words.  The room spins slowly and my skin starts to feel hot and clammy.  When I look at him to give him my best glare, there is two of him.

“I can’t wait around for you la—”  My words are cut off as my knees give out.  Just as I’m about to hit the floor, Daniel wraps his arm around me, dragging me up to my feet once more.  My head rolls loosely on my neck and I struggle to keep my eyes open.  Something is very wrong.

“Gabby?  Gabby!”  I can hear him calling me, but the sound is muffled — echoing somehow, like it’s coming from far away.  My eyes fall closed and no matter how hard I try, I can’t peel them apart again.  The last thing I hear is Daniel calling my name.

Daniel

Last night did not go as planned.  When Gabby collapsed, I caught her just before she hit the floor.  She showed definite signs of being drugged.  The date rape drug acts fast and, luckily for her, I came along before that greasy thug got his chance to touch her.

I made quick work of getting her out of that club and into my car.  I didn’t know what to do with her. I knew that someone needed to keep an eye on her, so I just brought her to my house.  She spent over an hour throwing up before I finally managed to get her into my bed.

Now it’s morning and I’m in the kitchen making breakfast, waiting for her to wake up.  This is not good.  She’s sleeping in my bed.  This is not good.  There’s no way I should have allowed things to get this personal with her, but what else could I do?

Thinking back to last night, I remember how fast my blood heated when I saw that fucker put his hands on her.  It was all I could do to stay calm and not rip him to shreds.  I’m pissed at her too.  I know she wants to find her brother, but she’s obviously clueless of just how dangerous the Crips are.  You don’t fuck with them without them fucking you right back.

A noise in the hallway breaks me from my thoughts and I look up just as Gabby peers cautiously around the corner.  When she sees me, her eyes widen and I can hear her gasp from across the room.

“Sargent Lawson?”  She steps into the room and looks around, her dress wrinkled and hair tousled.  Her eye makeup is smudged around her eyes giving her a slightly raccoon-type appearance.  It doesn’t even matter.  She still looks beautiful.

“Daniel.  Call me Daniel.”  She stares at me, nibbling on her lower lip.  Breaking the silence, I raise my coffee cup.  “Coffee?”

She curls her lip.  “No thank you.  I don’t drink coffee.”  Her eyes scan the open concept living room/dining room/kitchen combo before coming back to me.  “Um.  Daniel?  Why am I here?”

Sighing heavily, I stand from my spot and take a few steps towards her.  “Well, I went to the club last night, hoping to get some information on your brother’s whereabouts when guess who I should see there.  Any guesses?”  Her eyes narrow but she says nothing.  “That’s right, Gabby.  I see you.  Snuggled up with a Crip.  And not just any Crip, but a Crip who was carrying a handy stash of roofies.”  Her eyes widen in surprise and my anger grows as I talk, just thinking of how close she came to being hurt.  “You’re lucky I came along when I did or you’d be waking up somewhere a lot worse than my place … if you woke up at all.”

“I was roofied?”  I stare at her and nod, glad she’s finally getting that her move last night was crazy and dangerous.  “Wow,” she says as she walks the rest of the way into the kitchen.  “Thank you for helping me, Daniel.”  I nod again, considering the conversation over.  “I do appreciate it, but I’ll tell you right now, I don’t appreciate the way you’re talking to me.”  I stare at her in surprise.  “I was only there because sitting around doing nothing isn’t getting me anywhere.  I can’t sit in that empty house another minute when I could be doing something to find my brother.”

I take another couple of steps towards her, until I am close enough to touch her.  “I get that Gabby, but you need to think things through!  You made a stupid move last night.”

Her eyes narrow, and her voice lowers.  “Don’t you ever call me stupid.”

Sighing, I reach for her.  “I didn’t mean it like that.”  She jerks out of my reach and I groan, stabbing my fingers through my hair.  “Look, I’m a cop.  I know what I’m doing here.  You shouldn’t have been there.  Next time you try something like that, I won’t hesitate to redden your ass.”  I don’t know who’s more shocked that I said it, but I meant it.

She frowns and glares at me.  “You’re as big of an asshole as that Frank guy from the station!”

Her anger doesn’t faze me.  The truth is, after saying what I said, I can’t get the image of her out of my head, bent over in front of me, my reddened handprint shining bright on her pale skin.  Before I get a chance to respond, a knock on the door breaks the tension.  We both turn to stare at it, our argument temporarily forgotten.  Who the hell could it be?  It’s barely eight thirty in the morning.

Turning, I stride toward the door and look through the peep hole.  Fuck.  It’s my sister’s thug boyfriend.  I forgot he was coming over.  Pulling open the door, I ignore Gabby behind me, and hope to make this quick.

“Travis,” I greet.

He nods silently and holds out a wrapped package.  I look up to see another man on a bike, idling at the side of the road.  Bikers.  Travis is a member of the Kings of Korruption MC and goes by the name Tease.  I instantly recognize the man at the corner as Bosco, the King’s newest prospect.  I’ve been profiling the Kings for over a year now, so it’s no surprise that I hate my sister being tangled up with this guy.

“Tell Laynie I said thank you,” I say.

He nods again.  “Will do.”  Turning, he takes a single step down the stairs to head back to his bike when Gabby rushes out the door, knocking me out of her way.  She charges past Travis and heads straight for Bosco.

I watch in shock as she says something to him, her arms gesturing wildly.  He stares at her in surprise, his eyes amused, before he shrugs and nods.  Gabby throws her leg over the back of his bike and climbs on.  I break out of my daze and hurry down the steps to the sidewalk.  Just when I reach it, Bosco revs his motor and peels off down the street.  I watch in anger and desperation as he carries her away, and am shocked even further when Gabby turns around and raises her arm, staring right at me as she gives me the finger.

A chuckle from behind me reminds me that Travis is still standing there.  “Damn, man.  You pissed that bitch off.”

“Where’s he taking her?” I demand, turning and getting in his space.

He smirks.  “I don’t have a fuckin’ clue, man but you best take a step back.  Whatever you did to piss her off is not my problem.”  He steps around me and walks towards his bike.  “Look.  If you want, I’ll go to the clubhouse and see what I can find out, okay?”

I grit my teeth and nod, not wanting to rely on his help with anything, but not having much choice in the matter.  Travis nods in return and climbs onto his ride, leaving without another word.

I stare after him, my mind racing.  The Kings are notorious around here for being more dangerous than the Crips.  Hell, they’re the most dangerous club in the country.  Surely Gabby wasn’t that clueless to think that she’d be safe with them.  But she must be, because why else would she ride off on the back of a bike belonging to a King?

Gabby

Okay, maybe leaving with this biker wasn’t the best idea, but when I’d seen the Kings of Korruption logo on his leather cut, the idea came to me and I ran with it.  Besides, Daniel was being an asshole.  Admittedly, he was probably right, and I probably just proved him right again that I have a tendency to not think things through.  It doesn’t matter though.  I have been impulsive all my life.  I know how to handle myself.

The bike pulls to a stop in front of a large building surrounded by motorcycles.  The front part of the building seems to be a garage and there are several tattooed, hairy men milling about talking and working on cars and bikes.  I look around in awe, taking it all in.

“You gonna get off the bike, Sweet pea?”

His voice startles me, and I swing my eyes to his.  He sits in front of me on the bike, his torso turned so he can look at me, a smirk plastered on his handsome face.  My eyes widen and I scramble off the bike, instantly aware of how disheveled I look.  My hair is still a mess, my makeup is likely smeared across my face from the night before and my dress is rumpled.  He laughs at my awkward dismount and gracefully gets off himself.

“Come on, girl,” he says on a chuckle.  He grabs my hand in his and starts walking towards a door near the back of the building.  Bikers are everywhere and it seems every eye is on me as we walk.

“Um …”  Shit.  I don’t know this guy’s name.  “Sir?”

He turns and stares at me, bursting into laughter.  “Sir?  Alright, I can deal with that.  What can I do for you, Ma’am?”

My cheeks flame.  “Maybe this isn’t such a good idea.”  I tug on my hand, attempting to pull it from his.  “I think I’ll just go home, actually.  Thanks for the ride, but …”  My voice trails off as I stare at where my hand is trapped in his.

“Look, Sweet pea.  If you are who you say you are, this is definitely a good idea.”  He sighs and squeezes my hand.  “Listen, just go in there and say what you gotta say, and if after that if you still want to leave I’ll take you home myself, okay?”

I stare at him, my eyes filling with tears, and nod.  My heart pounds in my chest.  I don’t know if I can do this.  I don’t know if I should do this.  Reluctantly, I follow him.  I don’t have much choice seeing as my hand is still trapped in his.  He gently guides me through the door and into the building.  We enter directly into a room that looks just like a seedy bar.  Considering it’s barely nine o’clock in the morning, there is nobody around.

He walks me even farther, pulling me down a long and narrow hall.  I look around, trying to ignore my pounding heart as I take in everything around me.  Finally, he comes to a stop just outside a wooden door at the end of the hall.  Knocking on it, my breath catches in my chest while we wait for an answer.

“Come in.”

The voice comes from inside and my heart jumps into my throat, racing the entire time.  I tug on my hand again as the biker pushes the door open, but he just gives it a reassuring squeeze and pulls me inside.

The room is large and dingy, paperwork stacked untidily on every surface.  The walls are covered in naked and half-naked women, and a large wooden desk sits off toward the back of the room.  It’s the man behind that desk that is causing my body to tremble.

He looks almost exactly the same as he did the last time I’d seen him — back when I was only six years old.  Sure, he’s a little older looking and has more tattoos than he did back then, but there’s no doubt that this is him.

The man stands slowly, his brow furrowed in frustration.  “What the fuck, Bosco?  You know I don’t let bitches back here!  Who the hell is this?”

My body locks tight at the sound of his voice.  If there was ever any doubt in my mind, it’s completely gone now.  I still hear that voice in my sleep sometimes.

“Funny you should ask,” Bosco drawls.  He turns to me and gives me a reassuring smile.  “I’ll be out in the hall.”

Staring into his eyes, I nod gratefully, glad that he’s not abandoning me entirely.  Bosco nods in return and winks before he backs out of the room and closes the door.  I stare at that door, wishing I could run through it myself and never look back.  But I’m here now, and this is my best shot.  I need to take it.

Turning, I face the angry looking man behind the desk and paste on a phony smile.  “Hi Daddy,” I whisper.