Burning Hot Rumors (Choices: Tarkio MC Book 2)

by Debra Kayn

Callie

  RODDY WALKED BEHIND Dawn and slapped her butt, rewarded with a startled scream. Callie covered her mouth to hide her smile, knowing Dawn's small crush on the biker. At every party, those two circled each other, almost driving her insane with their flirtatious banter, before Roddy hauled Dawn to the back and had what she suspected was some form of sex that put her friend in a better mood.

  Hauled over Roddy's shoulder, Dawn lifted her head, and upside down, gave her a thumb up. Callie waved, amused at their relationship. That's the way flirting and fun should happen. Even though Dawn would like more with Roddy, her friend knew that Roddy would never be hers. And that was okay.

  It wasn't like Roddy bad-mouthed Dawn to everyone or made up rumors about what happened between them. They were both adults and respected each other.

  "Callie?"

  She turned and found Razor walking toward her. "Yes?"

  "Do you have a moment?"

  "Sure."

  Razor finished his beer and set the can on the table beside him. "I heard you needed a job."

  She tilted her head, surprised that he would know about her situation. "I do."

  "Bragley's Music and More, over on Tenth and Pine Street." He hooked his hands in his armpits. "They need someone to help the customers, work the cash register, probably a little stocking of the shelves. Nothing hard, but it will be busy."

  He got her attention. "I haven't heard of that store."

  "My brother in law and sister, Jamie, opened the place up about six months ago. They jumped on the bandwagon, selling CDs, and can't keep up with all the customers." Razor hitched his shoulders. "I could give them a call and let them know you're interested if you are."

  "Yes." Excitement filled her. "I would love to go in for an interview or fill out an application, anytime they want."

  "Give me two minutes, and I'll call Walter and see what he wants you to do."

  "Thank you." The second he left the room, she pressed her hand to her chest.

  A job? Excitement bubbled inside of her. It would feel wonderful to have money again. The pay would be less than when her dad owned the gas station, but that was okay. It was a start.

  She hurried over to Paco. "Where's Kent?"

  "He took a walk." Paco rubbed the back of his neck. "He'll be back soon, I bet."

  Why would he go on a walk? He always rode his Harley.

  She opened her mouth to ask him why he'd leave, but Paco walked over and joined a poker game at one of the tables. She'd have to wait and tell Kent about the possible job when he came back.

  "Callie?"

  She turned. Razor stood at the corner of the hallway with the phone pressed to his ear and waved her to him. She hurried, nervous even though she told herself not to get her hopes up.

  "My brother in law wants to talk to you." Razor stretched the phone cord, holding the receiver to her.

  She stepped closer. "Hello? This is Callie Moore."

  "Walter Bragley, owner of Bragley's Music and More. Ted mentioned you were looking for a job and had the skills to run a cash register."

  Ted? She glanced at Razor. Of course, that wasn't his real name.

  "Yes, I've owned and worked at Moore gas station—"

  "The one that burnt down?"

  She cringed. "Y-yes. My father owned it until he passed away, and then I took over and ran it myself until the fire."

  Her nerves had her babbling too much information. She only needed to assure him she was qualified.

  "I'll tell you; business is good. Between the wife and me, we're there from eight o'clock in the morning until five o'clock at night, and we're getting behind. If you'd like a job, be here in the morning when we open. We'll try you out for the day, and if you work out, you're hired."

  "Thank you. I'll be there in the morning. Thank you again." She handed the phone receiver back to Razor, wanting to twirl in happiness.

  Now that she had a way to earn money and help Kent out with expenses, she wouldn't feel useless, and—she laughed. Everything was looking up.

  "Well, I take it that was good news." Razor came back to her. "Walter and my sis are good people. You'll find out they're easy to work for."

  "I can't thank you enough, Razor." She rubbed his arm and then, on a splurge of excitement, hugged him. "Thank you so much."

  "Not a problem." Razor chuckled.

  She rocked back on her heels. There was so much to do before tomorrow. She needed to pick out an outfit, figure out how to wear her hair. A music store? Her excitement escalated. She'd want to dress cool like a rocker and —

  "Callie?" said Kent.

  Pulled out of her plans, she found him standing behind her. She flew toward him, wrapping her arms around his waist, warmed by having him here, and able to share the news with him.

  "I got a job at a music store." She gazed up into his eyes. "I'll be working for Razor's sister and her husband. I start tomorrow."

  "Good deal." He looked around the room instead of at her.

  She pulled back. "What's wrong? Where were you?"

  "I need to talk to you."

  "Okay." She grabbed his hand, linking her fingers with his.

  "Not here. It's too loud. I can't think." He pulled her toward the front door.

  Outside, she stopped him from walking. Worried that something had happened to him, she searched all over his body looking for an injury or that he'd been in a fight. All she found were deep worry lines at the corners of his eyes, and his mouth thinned to a straight line. He wasn't happy.

  He looked mad.

  "Did I do something?" she asked.

  "How well do you know Linda?" He studied her.

  She shook her head. "I met her when Curley invited me to the parties at the clubhouse. She's shy. Since we were both new to the clubhouse, we hung out together. Why?"

  "How well do you know your ex-husband?" Kent's mouth hardened.

  As if slapped, she recoiled. "What's with all the questions?"

  "Do you know what he does?"

  "H-he does several things. His dad owns a lot of companies in town, and he oversees them."

  Kent stepped closer. "Do you know what kind of man you were married to?"

  "Stop." She turned away.

  "Do you know why he spends so much time and energy making people believe you're a slut?"

  "I don't want to hear this." She walked away. "I'm going back to the house."

  She almost made it to the sidewalk, and Kent grabbed her arm. Before she could protest, he wrapped her in an embrace and held her tight. Too tight.

  Chapter 30

  Kent

  "YOUR EX-HUSBAND RUNS a swingers' club downtown." Kent locked his arms around Callie, not letting her push him away.

  "A swingers' club?"

  "It's where couples and singles can—"

  "I know what it is." She struggled in his arms. "Why are you telling me this?"

  "Tonight, Linda arrived at the Clubhouse, beaten with black and blue marks and a swollen lip."

  Callie gasped, stilling in his arms. "Will she be okay?"

  "From the physical injuries, she will. I don't know what she went through for her to walk away in that condition." He tilted her head. "Others have seen her at the swingers' club with Josh."

  She swayed, and he held her upright. "Are you saying J-Josh is the one who hurt her?"

  "I'm not saying that." The muscles in his shoulders ached. "I tried to get her to tell me who beat her, but she acted scared and kept saying it's too late."

  "Too late for what?'

  "That I don't know."

  "Maybe I can find out where she lives or get her phone number. Someone needs to check on her. I do know she lives with her grandma and takes care of her." Her brows creased. "She's fooled around with that one biker...oh, what's his name? He has a scar at his hairline. I can't remember his name if I even heard it. If we find him, he might know where we can find her."

  He shook his head, more concerned about Callie. The way Linda talked, Callie was
in danger. The only person who would want to hurt her was Josh.

  "Did you know about the swingers' club?" he asked.

  She sighed, pursing her lips. After several seconds, she shook her head.

  She'd hesitated too long. There were things she knew and refused to say. He'd swear on his life.

  "Linda was clear about one thing." He cupped her shoulders, turning her back to him. "She kept telling me to protect you. I need to know everything about how you're involved in all this, so I can keep you safe."

  "The only way Josh can hurt me is by talking and telling rumors, turning everyone against me. He'll probably come up with some new lies when he figures out I'm living with you."

  "Why does he do that?"

  "Because he's an asshole." She groaned. "I really just want to put him and my marriage behind me."

  "You can't until I stop him."

  "No." She frowned. "If you confront Josh, it'll only get worse."

  "You don't know that."

  Her face paled. "When we were married, I caught him."

  "Talking about you?"

  She shook her head. He couldn't read her mind. Whatever it was, she still hurt.

  "With another woman?"

  Her head quivered left and right, and she held up two fingers.

  "Two women?" he asked.

  She nodded.

  Nothing surprised him at that point. If she would've told him Josh had sex with every woman in Missoula, he'd believe her.

  "It was in our house. In our bedroom. In our bed," she whispered. "I walked in on all of them."

  "What happened?"

  She blew out her breath. "After a few moments of standing there, trying to figure out how that was happening, and it was real, he noticed me. There was almost a smirk of...I don't know, almost like he was proud of himself, and he wanted to show off in front of me. He never moved away from them...or stopped what he was doing to them."

  "What did you do?"

  "What could I do? I walked out of the house and went home to my dad." She crossed her arms, her shoulders narrowing. "Divorce is such an ugly thing. For how far women have come and society has changed, the only one who suffers during a divorce is the woman. Everyone blamed me. Josh made that worse by telling everyone I was the one sleeping with every man in town."

  "He spread the rumors to keep others from believing you in case the truth came out. What does he have to lose if people found out about his affairs or the swingers' club?"

  "I don't know." She looked skyward. "His reputation, I guess. His dad is the mayor and owns most of the businesses in the strip mall. Josh's dad owns the A.P., the insurance company, the laundromat, and the cinema. Everyone knows his family runs the town, and Josh walks around like no one can touch him."

  Having a good idea of what motivated Josh, Kent had to agree with Linda. Callie needed him to protect her.

  Josh was unpredictable, spoiled, egotistical, and wrapped up in an underground sex ring that could not only ruin his life, his father's life, but also wipe out every business the Hill's family owns. Not to mention financially cripple him.

  Depending on what Callie knew, and what she'd divulge, she might have enough information to send Josh to prison if she could prove that her ex-husband was making money off swingers and coordinating sex sessions for the members.

  With the marks on Linda fresh on his mind, he turned Callie to him. "Did he ever put his hands on you?"

  She shook her head. "No. Never. He never physically hurt me."

  Relief swept through him. He gathered Callie in his arms. She leaned into him. He could tell discussing her past had exhausted her.

  "Let's go home." He kissed the top of her head. "You've got a job to go to in the morning, and right now, I want you beside me. Let's forget about this shit for the night."

  Later, he'd need to talk with Curley and find out how involved Tarkio was in Josh Hill's life so he could figure out how to cut Callie's ex-husband's life short in Missoula. He wouldn't allow him to continue making her unhappy and threatening her every time she took a step forward.

  She sighed. "Why does everything have to be so hard and people so messed up?"

  "I'll fix that." He bent his knees and looked her in the eyes. "Only one thing should be hard."

  She stared at him and then rolled her eyes. "Do you always think sex will solve problems?"

  He straightened and walked her to his bike. "Only with you."

  She turned her face away but not before the color rushed back into her face. He sat his Harley and held out his hand for her. She climbed on behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.

  For now, their problems would wait until tomorrow. It was more important that his woman believed there would be good times ahead.

  Chapter 31

  Callie

  TWO WEEKS FROM THE day Callie started working at Bragley's Music and More, her boss handed her a check. Afraid of looking at the total, she smiled at Walter.

  "What are you and Jamie going to do on your weekend off?" She folded the paycheck and slid the paper into her back pocket to deposit in the bank on Monday.

  "Pretend we have more than twenty-four hours away from this place." Walter leaned back in his chair behind his desk. "The grass is up to my knees and needs cut. Jamie's going to a baby shower."

  "That's not a lot of time to relax." She looked at all the CDs hanging on the wall.

  Any returns that came into the store broken or scratched were thrown away, but Walter had started putting them on the wall, shiny side up.

  The best part of her job was listening to music all day long and giving her opinion to customers who wanted recommendations.

  She even enjoyed all the kids who came in, talking about their favorite singer, and seeing when the new releases came out at the beginning of the week. None of them knew her or her reputation. They politely ignored her as they caroused through the store, looking at everything and putting on the headphones to jam to their favorite music.

  In some ways, the job was more relaxed than at the gas station. Someone else was responsible for keeping the place up and running. She only needed to make sure the customers found what they wanted and ring the sales up at the cash register. There was never any time when she stood around doing nothing because all the customers mixed up the racks in their search for the perfect music.

  But she had a feeling the check in her pocket would be less than she'd hoped. There was nothing she could do about that. She was grateful for the job.

  "If you see Ted tonight, tell him to come by and get that dresser out of our garage," said Walter.

  Used to Jamie and Walter calling Razor by his given name, she nodded. "If I see him, I will. You guys have a good break. I'll see you on Monday."

  She left the office and waved to Jamie in the hallway on her way out. Looking around the parking lot, she found Kent sitting on his Harley, two stores down, outside the Chiropractor's office. They'd made the decision together that as long as Josh was causing problems, she would leave the truck at home and let Kent take her to work and pick her up. That way, Josh wouldn't drive by, notice the pickup, and come in and harass her.

  She hurried to him. "I missed you, babe."

  He hooked her neck, kissing her hard. "You're happy today."

  "I am. Guess what?" She turned sideways and patted her butt. "Payday."

  He chuckled, eyeing her ass. "Good deal."

  "What do you want? Name it. Anything in the world under ten dollars is yours. I'm buying." She climbed onto the seat behind him.

  "How about a beer?" He rubbed her thigh. "We can stop at the Tarkio clubhouse."

  She laughed, knowing they wouldn't have to pay to have a drink with the bikers. "Okay."

  "Hold on to me." He started the Harley and pulled out of the parking spot.

  Adrenaline filled her, eliminating the tiredness of working for eight hours. The more she rode on the motorcycle with Kent, the more she enjoyed the wind in her face.

  Mostly, she loved bein
g with Kent.

  It still amazed her that she'd fallen in love with a biker. Just looking at him left her breathless. He was sexy, strong, and dependable.

  When they were together, he made her feel happy, loved, and free. As if the open road ahead of them was only for them.

  More often than not, that road led to Tarkio Motorcycle Club. Another thing she was happy about. It was the one place where everyone accepted her and nobody had a bad thing to say about her. They never judged her for being divorced or treated her differently because she'd been married to Josh.

  She wished her dad could see the changes in her life and know that she was happy and in love. She might've had to start over with nothing after the fire, but she'd picked herself up and looked forward to tomorrow. Most of her reasons for not giving up had to do with Kent.

  He brought out the good in her. He'd also shown her that the only person she was hurting was herself if she let Josh control how people treated her.

  She felt stronger. Probably the strongest she'd ever felt, despite the recent fire catastrophe.

  Kent pulled into the parking lot in front of the Tarkio clubhouse. A crowd of bikers rushed around. Half of the motorcycles had their engines running.

  "It looks like they're busy," she yelled over the noise.

  "Stay here and wait for me." Kent toed the kickstand.

  She scooted back as far as she could on the seat, giving him room to swing his leg off. He went to the others, pulling Curley out of the group. As long as she'd known about Tarkio, their activities were kept secret. Others speculated, but she found none of the rumors true—as was usually the case.

  What she'd learned after getting to know them was they partied hard and were rough, often scary-looking in appearance and mannerisms, but if someone needed help, they were loyal and giving with their offers. Yet, besides the party aspect within the MC, she only knew the day jobs of a few of the bikers. The rest seemed to hang out at the clubhouse around the clock.

  Kent nodded as he listened to Curley. Unable to hear their conversation with all the motorcycles running, she grew curious about what was going on.

  From the serious expressions on all the men's faces, Kent's plan to grab a beer before they headed home would not happen.