ROUGHNECK: A DARK MOTORCYCLE CLUB ROMANCE (7 page)

I
scanned the file
, looking at the names we had on record. Dirty, Sly, Dime Bag… the list went on. We were working on tying each of these guys to the shipments of cocaine and heroin being brought into the city, but the kid gave us the missing pieces.

We were building a case. That’s how we did things. Slow, steady, and methodical. You rush into this and you’ll never cut the head off the snake. This bullshit out on the highway blew
slow and steady
right out of the water. The Lieutenant wanted somebody in handcuffs, and we were going to need to deliver.

Cejudo walked back into the office with our lunch.

“What do you think?” I asked him.

“About the kid?”

“Yeah. Do you think we can trust him?”

He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we’ll find out when we find out, long as we don’t let the gang get to him first…”

“You think they’ll scare him out of testifying?”

“They’ll try. And if they aren’t convinced they can do it, they’ll kill him. We know what they’re capable of now.”

I tapped at the keyboard on my computer.

“Makes you wonder why he didn’t want protection.”

“Ignorant or stupid,” said Cejudo. “A lot of these lower level guys think they’re safe. They never see it coming.”

“I got a feeling he’s gonna disappear on us,” I said.

“What makes you think that? He came in on his own.”

“I know. But you could just tell he didn’t know what he was doing. It was like he wanted us to talk him out of it.”

“Maybe we should put a car on him.”

“Yeah right. We’ll never get the green light on that. There’s barely enough money in the budget to refill that coffee pot. There’s no way they’re gonna give up the coin to make an undercover officer play tag-along with some nobody. Besides, we’ve got him on recording. That’ll be enough for the judge.”

“Fair enough,” Cejudo said. “But we’ve got his number. Let’s try to stay in touch.”

“
W
ake up cowboy
.”

The bucket of cold water did little more than pull me out of my sleep.

“C’mon, on your feet.”

I tried to blink away the blur. My head ached as I tried to remember what happened.

The room slowly came into focus. I was still at the clubhouse. It was one of the rooms the guys would use to get after whatever slut wanted to tag along for the night. I didn’t know what was worse… Getting hit over the head, or waking up in this dirty ass bed.

They killed him.
I thought to myself, my aching head finally starting to fire on both cylinders. Clancy had been the club president for longer than I’d been alive. And they shot him like a dog in the street. Never gave him a chance.

“You back with us, tough guy?”

Dirty’s voice grated on me like nails against a chalk board.

“You better have that gun pointed at my chest, motherfucker,” I growled.

Dirty chuckled as he leaned against the wall.

“Don’t need it.”

I straightened up and prepared to launch myself at him. Headache be damned.

“Because,” he continued, “I just got a call from one of the boys, and it sounds like they’ve got that little bitch you’ve been runnin’ around with in their sights.”

“I’d expect nothing else from you,” I said.

“That’s the coward’s way. First you shoot an unarmed man… an unarmed man who’s done more for this club than you or your piece of shit old man ever did. And then, you want to hold up a woman who’s got nothin’ to do with this? You probably shot that civilian for fun, didn’t you?”

“Got nothing to do with it?” he asked with feigned amusement. “I’d say she has plenty to do with it. For one, her worthless younger brother ran out on his people. That job would have never gone down the way it did if he knew how to handle himself.”

He spat on the floor.

“And number two, word is you’ve been doin’ a little runnin’ around with the little bitch. That peaks my interest, Roughneck. Makes me wonder if you know more than you’re letting on.”

“So, what do you want? Because if you didn’t want something you would have done me just like you did the prez.”

“Yeah, well, you’re right about that. Believe me, I would have shot your big ass if pops didn’t think we could use you.”

I wanted to feel the bones in his neck crush under my fingers.

“And the girl… I think she gives us just enough leverage to make you do what we want. They call that a fortuitous turn of events. You like that?”

“Fuck you.”

“I thought you’d say that. So, just so you know we’re not playing any games, we’ve got eyes on her place.”

“Bullshit.”

“Five-five-seven Maple Street. Apartment ‘D’. That sound about right?”

My vision was starting to clear enough so that I could see again. There was a sore spot in the crook of my elbow. They must have shot me up with some dope to keep me down.

How long had I been asleep?

“She drives a gold Nissan. You need me to tell you the license plate number, or are you coming around to the idea?”

“Stay the fuck away from her.”

“We’ve got no quarrel with the bitch. It’s her brother we’re after.”

“I’ll bring you the kid, but you need to leave her the fuck alone.”

“Scout’s honor,” he said, raising his right hand in the air. “I’ll even let you keep fucking her.”

I wanted to run at him, but whatever they had given me was still slowing my body down. I’d make him pay later.

“What did you do with the prez? As soon as people hear about this they’re gonna riot.”

“Not worried about that, either. A lot of the boys were as tired as we were about that old fool leaving money on the table. We’ve got the numbers. The rest will either fall in line or go their own road. And if there are any other hero’s, the hole we dug out in the sticks is big enough for more.”

I knew that a lot of the guys were pissed, but I doubted they had the majority. Between me, our veep, and the lifers, there was more than enough to outnumber them. Yeah, they would have most of the new guys, but that didn’t matter.

“How long do I have?” I asked.

“End of the week. Bring him here with a bow on his head. If you get to him before the cops do, I won’t make him suffer before I kill him.”

He tossed a set of keys on the floor at my feet. They were mine.

“Had to move your bike. Didn’t want people wondering where you were.”

“How long have I been out?”

“Little over a day and a half.”

Shit.
Addy was probably going crazy.

“Now, get yourself together and go find him. No time to waste. After you bring him in, I don’t give a fuck about you. Sly says you follow the fucking code, and that’s the only reason I let you wake up. Remember that. Bring me that boy and get out of this city. Once I get my hands on him, any business between you and me is done. We understand each other?”

“Crystal clear,” I replied, gritting my teeth. I knew the truth. He wouldn’t let me walk away from this any sooner than I’d let him. One of us was going to end up dead, and if I played my cards wrong, I might be taking Adeline with me.

W
hat were
the odds I’d still end up sleeping in my car even if I did get the rent paid?

It was all I could think to do. I was parked next to the complex across the street that led to my building. I figured if anyone was watching, I’d be able to see them from here. They wouldn’t know to look for my car on this side.

I tried the phone number all last night and through the afternoon today. Each time I’d get four rings and then the prompt to leave a message. That was, until about two o’clock this afternoon. Then it started going straight to voicemail. I hadn’t tried since.

I’d never felt so alone. When things had gone wrong in the past, at least Jared would be around to make me laugh. I guess I relied on him more than I realized.

The thought of sleeping in the car another night was becoming harder and harder to fathom. Last night, all I could do was sit there and fret over every set of headlights that turned down the street. I was almost disappointed when no one came.

It was fifty-fifty whether I wanted to just go inside. The fact is, they were probably just trying to scare me. Last night I was willing to consider it more than an empty threat, but after being sure that no one came by I was feeling more comfortable.

What would be the harm, anyway? So what if they
were
watching. They were looking for Jared and he definitely wasn’t coming by here anytime soon.

I decided the best course of action would be to check out the apartment. If I took a look around and nothing seemed to be out of order, I’d go in. That creep wouldn’t have said anything about the key if they were planning to use it again.

I checked the time on my phone. Eleven-thirty. Late enough that most people would be inside and asleep. Any car coming down the street at this time would have to be scrutinized a lot harder.

I slipped back into my sandals. The heat during the day was brutal, but this long after the sun went down it was almost pleasant. As I stepped out of the car, I wished I had some kind of weapon. A quick search of my surrounding area turned up a rock and a road cone. Can’t do much damage there. I weighed the rock in my hand. It was barely big enough to cover my palm.

Pepper spray!

Jared had made me carry some since high school. He’d have a fit if he ever caught me without it. I stuffed it in the glove compartment the day I bought the car and hadn’t thought about it since.

Sure enough, it was there. I played with the tab to make sure I knew what direction to turn it in my hand. If I sprayed myself in the face, it wouldn’t be the first time I did something that clumsy.

I tried to imagine how it would go down if I had to use it. On TV, it would always make the assailant drop to their knees in pain. The unafraid heroine would shoot a stream of the potent spray across their eyes and then drop a clever one-liner before walking away. It seemed simple enough.

The street was dimly lit. Save for a flickering street light on the corner, there was nothing to show the way. A few of the tenants still had their front windows illuminated, but that didn’t help at all.

How many times had I complained about the unsafe lighting situation to the property management company? I couldn’t remember. They always waited a week or so, then finally responded by telling me they would “look into it.”

Lazy. They only perked up if the rent money didn’t show up in their mailbox on the day it was due.

I tip toed like any stereotypical burglar in a comic book. It was the only version of “sneaky” I knew.

I was just about to discard the whole thing as a joke when I saw movement from around the corner of my building.

The beat up Toyota that hadn’t moved from its parking spot in months would have to serve as my cover. I ducked behind it to watch.

He was large, and moved quietly. That’s all I could really get a read on from the distance I was at. Damn the lack of safety lighting. He was less than ten yards from me, only stepping in front of me without noticing by sheer luck and good timing.

My breath caught in my throat. I didn’t know if I should quietly try to run away, or wait to see what he was going to do.

With so little else going on, the sound of my footfalls would be enough to draw his attention. But if I tried to stay put, he might turn to walk this direction and find me anyway.

I had to act.

He appeared to be messing with the door knob. If he knew where the key was, why didn’t he use it? Yesterday, I thought about running up to the front door and grabbing it, but at that point I was still too scared.

A light beat floated through the air. It took me a second to understand what it was.

The creep was
knocking.

What was he going to do? Wait until I opened the door, as if I’d be that stupid, then push his way inside?

I checked the pepper spray one last time. Ready. I still held the rock in my left hand for back up.

Just move. It was something Jared told me when we were younger. If you were too scared to do something, take that first step. Most of the time if you could do one, you could do another.

So I did. One tentative foot forward. And then, another. Before I knew it, I was within five feet.

He wore the hood of his sweatshirt pulled tight over his head. The asshole was about to get a face full of poison. Then, I’d scream loud enough to bring half the neighborhood running.

I think he sensed my presence, because in that moment he turned. I didn’t waver. Instead, I let loose with a hellatious burst from the small can of spray. I didn’t wait to see if it hit the mark before I threw the rock. It struck him solidly in the shoulder.

“What the fuck?!”

The whisper was harsh and familiar.

Hale
.

In the midst of all the adrenaline and haste, I’d gone into fight mode.

“Dammit. Are you out of your mind?”

“Oh my God! Hale, I’m so sorry.”

“What the hell are you doing out here? Don’t you even have a clue what’s going on?”

“Yeah, I’m sorry, it’s just… I thought… and then you came creeping up in that stupid hoodie…”

“Because I wanted to make sure no one was out here,” he barked.

“Let’s go inside before anybody sees us.”

“Get the key out of that pot,” I whispered, nodding toward the small plant on the ground.

“Jesus,” he muttered.

He found the key in a hurry and opened the door. I hooked a finger into his back pocket as I followed him inside.

“Is it safe to turn the light on?” I whispered.

“Might as well. I don’t think we’re gonna get the drop on anybody after that stunt you just pulled out there.”

I flipped the switch.

“Wait here,” he said, making his way across the living room so he could do his security sweep.

“Alright, we’re alone.”

“Where have you been? You said you would be here to take me to find my brother.”

“Take it easy, babe. Things got a little complicated.”

He pulled the sweatshirt over his head. When he did, the white tee he had beneath pulled up high enough to reveal the slight line of the vein running through his abs.

“Are your eyes okay?”

“They’re fine. Your aim sucks. Here, do something with this.”

He shook it out and handed it to me.

“Put it outside. You soaked it with that shit.”

I ran to the laundry room and tossed it in the washing machine. In the short time I held it, the fumes made my eyes start to water.

“Wow. I would have felt so bad if I got that in your eyes. It’s really strong.”

“Fuck that, what about the rock?”

He pointed to the welt forming on his shoulder where he had rolled up his sleeve. I turned my head to hide an expression that would be sure to piss him off.

“Protecting my house. You can’t blame me for that.”

“Yeah…”

“Wait. What do you mean, ‘things got complicated’? Is Jared okay?”

“Still don’t know where he is. Do you have anything to drink?”

I mentally kicked myself for not going ahead and purchasing my groceries.

“Uh, yeah. Hang on.”

As the refrigerator door swung open, I hoped against hope that I had something good in there.

Nope.

Any groceries I’d bought were still sitting out in my car going bad. I was down to two eggs, a jar of pickles, and a wine cooler.

I grabbed the wine cooler and sheepishly handed it to him.

“Shopping didn’t go well…”

Hale pulled the top off and poured the whole thing down his throat in a couple of thirsty gulps.

“So…,” I said.

“So, there’s a little more trouble than we thought. They don’t know where Jared is, but they want him bad. They
do
know where you are, but I guess you already gathered that by the way you came at me with the pepper spray.”

“Two guys followed me yesterday. They threatened me.”

“I know. I’m sorry I wasn’t here.”

“Is it your people who are doing this? Are they in your gang?”

“Club,” he corrected. “I hate the word ‘gang.’ Makes me think of a bunch of assholes listening to bad music and robbing old ladies for their social security. We were supposed to be legit. No drugs, no running guns…”

“No shooting at people?” I said, letting a bit of anger come out.

“No fucking shooting at people! And, no. They’re
not
my people. Some of them are wearing my colors, but they don’t deserve the leather on their fucking back.”

“What’s happening then? What do we do?”

“Nothing has changed. The stakes are just higher, now. We find your brother and get the both of you somewhere safe until this shit blows over.”

“What about you?”

“Don’t worry about me. Your brother got me into some deep shit here, but it’s nothing I can’t handle.”

“Story of his life…”

“And yours?” he asked.

I took a second to think it over. Hale’s burning hot lips were still fresh in my mind.

“I think things happen for a reason…”

He paused, and I could see the weight of the world on his shoulders. There was so much he wasn’t telling me, but I decided to leave it alone.

“You look tired,” I said, reaching out to touch the mark on his shoulder. “Why don’t you stay here tonight? Let me take care of you, then we can go find my brother in the morning.”

He cast a sideways glance at me.

“You… take care of me?”

“And, I suppose I wouldn’t mind the company. It sure would be nice to be able to sleep through the night. Anything beats trying lay down in that car seat.”

“You slept in your car last night?”

He laughed but let my hand stay on his shoulder.

“I can imagine how tight that little body must feel right about now.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

It was frustrating to be so unsure of myself around him. I wanted him desperately, but he was still so scary. Even though I knew his heart was good, his body still terrified me.

The other night when he left… it was hard to imagine what it would be like. He made me feel afraid in my own fantasy. I’d spent my life dating the quiet guys. That’s all I ever seemed to run into. Hale was so different… He burst at the seams with confidence. I didn’t want to admit how much it turned me on.

“Come here. I want to show you something,” I said.

I turned toward the bedroom and walked without checking to see if he was following. That was more than enough to get him. I hadn’t made it half way down the hall before he swept me up in his arms and charged toward the bed.