by Hart, Rebel
“Did you declare your degree this year?”
She scoffed. “Why, Dani, I’m thoroughly offended.”
I grinned. “So, no on that degree declaration still.”
She rolled her eyes. “I don't know what the big rush is.”
I walked through the line and decided on breakfast for lunch. I mean, breakfast was acceptable at any time during the day. But especially at lunch. Hannah stood behind me at the panini bar, getting herself a hot sandwich to go with her soup. I took the liberty of getting our drinks and finding us a place to sit. Preferably by a window.
I enjoyed a nice view.
“Oh, thanks, girl. This diet?” Hannah asked.
I was still staring out the window when she sat down. Wondering if that bike I’d heard earlier would come cruising by.
“Hello? Earth to Dani?”
I blinked. “Yeah, sorry. Uh, yes. Yes. It’s diet.”
She furrowed her brow. “You okay?”
I picked up my fork. “Just drained from the week. You know, getting back into the groove and all.”
“Well, you will be happy to know there’s a party going on in the dorm beside us. Might be a nice way to wind down on a Friday night.”
“That might be how you want to wind down. But what I want to do is order pizza, get into my comfy pajamas, and pass out after stuffing my face.”
She pointed her spoon at me. “Now that’s a plan I can get behind.”
I gasped playfully. “What? You miss a party to be with little old me?”
Her face fell. “You’re pushing it, Dani.”
I smiled. “Which is why you love me.”
“Wait, now? Seriously?”
My ear perked up at the sound of the voice behind me. It sounded an awful lot like Benji. That stupid jerk-off. But it was the voice that came after his that sent a shiver down my spine. And explained why I’d heard the motorcycle earlier.
“I told you to be ready once I called. This is me calling, since you don’t want to pick up your damn phone.”
I slowly peeked over my shoulder and saw Max hunched over a table with Benji. They sat a couple of tables down, in a corner that didn’t have a window beside it. I quickly turned back around as my toes curled in my shoes. I heard Hannah talking at me, but I closed my eyes, trying to block out her voice so I could pay attention to them.
“Dude, I didn’t do it intentionally. I was in class, remember? This morning? I got that class with--”
Max interrupted. “I call, you jump. That’s how that works. You wanna be one of us? That’s what it takes. This is the last time I’m tracking you down for a job. Got it?”
“Hey, Maxy-pad. You're the one who wanted me to--”
Max growled. “The fuck did you just call me?”
Hannah cleared her throat. “Dani? Are you listening to a word I’m saying?”
The growl that bubbled up Max’s throat had me rooted to my seat. But Hannah’s voice pulled me from my eavesdropping moment. I looked at her with wide eyes and she cocked her head, trying to figure out what in the world was wrong with me.
Join the club.
The scraping of chairs along the floor pulled my eyes over my shoulder. I saw Benji and Max get up from the table, heading straight for the exit. Max loomed over the lanky boy, his leather jacket pulled taut over his broad shoulders. And when his eyes roamed over the room as he stood by the exit, those dark green eyes I’d been daydreaming about all morning found mine.
I held my breath.
He stared at me as he held the door open for Benji. Even as Benji walked through it, he didn’t move. I didn’t dare move, either. I watched him lick his lips, causing my cheeks to flush. And when Hannah started laughing, Max slipped effortlessly through the door and into the exit stairwell.
“Wow, you’ve got it bad, Dani, dear.”
I let out the breath I was holding. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Hannah’s giggle told me she knew exactly what I was talking about.
And I didn’t know how to feel about the predicament I found myself in.
12
Max
With Rupert at my side and Benji directly behind me, the crew I had hired for this job rode up the driveway of my father’s home. When my father jumped, everyone around him said ‘How high?’ So when he’d finally sent the text message this afternoon that we were to all assemble, I didn’t bat an eye. I had been frustrated all week with this shit. What started out as a Tuesday afternoon job had turned into a Friday night job, per a last minute change on our client’s part. That kind of shit didn’t bode well for me and my boys. Especially since Mr. Dean struck me as the kind of man my father had become.
But the moment was upon us. We parked our bikes in front of the porch and made our way inside. The ritual was simple: Dad briefed us on the details of things now that everything was solidified, we would receive our tentative schedules, and if Dad wanted to make any changes to the crew members I had brought on board, he reserved the right to do that during the briefing.
Which he had done to me many times before.
We all walked up the steps and the heavy wooden door of my father’s mansion magically opened. We marched into the foyer, taking up our stances while we waited for my father to appear. He enjoyed the theater of it all. The drama of us waiting for him while he entered a room by himself.
And when he appeared, I let out the breath I didn’t realize I had been holding.
“Eight men?”
His booming voice made my ears twitch.
“Yes, sir.”
He stood in front of me. “You only need eight men for this job?”
I looked him in his eyes. “You know too many bikers around these parts brings unwanted attention on the streets. If the client wants to be unseen, we have to be unseen with him.”
He nodded. “Very well. Change of plans--”
“Go figure,” Benji murmured.
My eyes slowly panned over to my cousin and I heard my father’s anger already bubbling in his veins.
“What did you just say?” he asked.
Benji swallowed hard. “Nothing, sir.”
Dad marched in front of him. “Don’t you lie to me.”
I butted in. “He’s right, though.”
Dad turned his anger toward me again. “Want to try that again?”
I shook my head. “No, I’m good.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Yes, this week has been tense. Mr. Dean has pushed the date back on us a couple of times. That’s what happens when delivering a premium service, however. People expect premium treatment.”
I nodded. “Yep.”
Dad stared at me for a long time. “Ready for the details? Or do you and the boys want to keep being smartasses?”
“Ready when you are, sir.”
He nodded. “Good. Our client is already at his hotel. There’s a business meeting he’s conducting tonight. He wants the lot of you to meet him at the hotel, escort him to the meeting, and case the building while the meeting is being held.”
“We can get it done.”
“You are to stay with him during the meeting, then get him back to the hotel. I’ve already informed Mr. Dean that if he wants a change in the itinerary on your watch, you need to radio me first. Got it?”
I licked my lips. “Got it.”
“Good. Now, get the hell out of here and get to the hotel. You’re expected within the hour.”
I whistled through my teeth and my men started for the front door. I stared my father down one last time, letting him know how absolutely disgusted I was with how this man was already yanking our chain. All week, we’d stood by our phones. All week, we’d waited for this inconsiderate asswipe to come into town. All I could hope for now was smooth transitions for the time we guarded this man.
Though I knew better than to expect something like that.
The guys fell in line behind me as we rode through town. The small mounted GPS on my bike handlebar guided me tow
ard La Grenvan Rouge, and the closer we got the more expensive things became. The rundown brick buildings I was used to turned into fashion boutiques and overpriced coffee shops. The dollar stores became Targets and the seedy gas stations because ‘refueling’ stations. And when we pulled up to the front of the hotel, I gazed up at the reflective mirrored expanse of the hotel’s black façade.
Yep. This place had some serious money sunk into it.
“Max?”
My eyes quickly found the tinny tenor voice that had dictated my name.
“Yes?” I asked.
A tall, spindly man came up to me and stuck out his hand.
“Mr. Dean.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “You’re Mr. Dean.”
His hand fell to his side. “I might not look like much, but never underestimate a supposed underdog, Mr. Ryddle.”
“Call me Max.”
He nodded. “Very well. I’m due at my meeting in fifteen minutes. You and your men can ride behind me, but I want two of you at my side when I go in for this meeting. I assume you and your men are hot?”
I blinked. “Yeah.”
“Good. See to it that it’s always that way.”
“Not a problem.”
He walked off to the limo sitting down the block, and it made me wonder why the hell he wanted to walk to his limo. All of this smelled off. But I tried not to let it get to me too much. I twirled my finger in the air to round up the guys, and one by one we fell in behind the limo. We still hadn’t been informed of this club destination. For all we knew, we’d be riding for the next fucking hour to this damn place.
But we surrounded the limo as best as we could to protect this man from any roadside onslaught.
Earpieces. We’re going to need earpieces for this job.
The second we pulled up to the club, I gnawed on the inside of my cheek. This place wasn’t a damn club. It was a seedy, sleazy, underground brothel-slash-casino ring. I knew all about it. Mostly because my father entertained a great deal of his personal guests beneath the crumbling walls of this dilapidated building. I shook my head as the guys all pulled up behind me. Our bikes surrounded the limo as Mr. Dean got out. He looked at me and crooked a finger, beckoning me to come with him. I looked toward Rupert and nodded my head, signaling that he needed to come with me.
After slinging my leg over my bike to get off, I held up the number ‘two’ in the air with my fingers. My men knew exactly what that meant after working together for so long. They got to work. All of our standard protocols had numbers assigned to them. Two was ‘search and check.’ My men were to case the outside of the building and cover all the exits with their guns ready to be drawn at a moment’s notice.
“The hell’s going on?” Rupert murmured.
I sighed. “No fucking clue.”
Mr. Dean walked up to us. “Come with me, you two. We’re going downstairs and into an office. You don’t have to come inside the office, but I do want you standing on either side of the door until the meeting has concluded. Understood?”
I nodded. “Understood.”
“Wonderful. Come with me.”
The string bean with eyes turned on his heels and I looked over at Rupert. Even he had his eyebrows up as we walked behind this man. None of this was panning out the way we figured it would. And it had both of us on alert. We walked inside the club and cleared corners, making sure Mr. Dean was safe in this disgusting place. Then we followed him down a back staircase that led directly to a stark white door.
“You two wait here. I’ll be out as soon as I can.”
I nodded. “Understood.”
Rupert and I took up our assigned places as Mr. Dean greeted, with great fervor, the person on the other side of the door. I didn’t care to take a look. Or even try to eavesdrop. I didn’t know what the hell this shit was about, and I didn’t care to. It had nothing to do with me, so it wasn’t my business.
“I hate this place,” Rupert murmured.
“Shh.”
“Seriously. It gives me the creeps.”
I peeked at him. “Shut up.”
He sighed. “It doesn’t give you the--?”
The door swung open. “All right, gentlemen. With me.”
I furrowed my brow as Mr. Dean came charging out of the room. The man hadn’t been in there more than ten minutes.
Meeting must’ve gone bad.
I looked over at Rupert before we took off. I had my hand on my gun because my gut was screaming bloody murder. My eyes panned around the small corridors and the nasty building we walked through as we escorted our client back to his limo. But a voice behind us called out, stopping us in our tracks.
“Mr. Dean?”
Our client sighed. “Yes?”
We all turned around and found a very chaotic-looking man standing at the top of the steps we’d just come from.
“I forgot to mention something to you before you turned down my offer.”
Our client rolled his eyes. “Yes?”
“I really can’t allow you to leave.”
Rupert reached for his gun, but I held my hand out. The man at the steps hadn’t drawn a weapon, so there was no need for us to. Yet. Mr. Dean narrowed his eyes as he slowly walked toward the man. Rupert and I followed him, step for step, making sure we had his back while our hands hovered over our guns.
Yeah, we really need earpieces for this shit.
“And why is that?” our client asked calmly.
The club owner snickered. “I don’t do business with lying bastards like you.”
The second the man reached into his jacket pocket, I had my gun out and ready. Rupert made a run at the man, tackling him to the ground. Mr. Dean stood there with a grin on his face, completely immobile. As if he were a statue. And as I crouched down, silencing my footsteps, I watched my best friend wrestle this maniacal-looking man to the ground.
But not before he popped off a shot.
“Mr. Dean!”
I fisted the man’s coat and tossed him into a darkened corner. Protected by the shadows, I leveled my gun at the club owner on the floor. Rupert jammed his elbow into the man’s wrist, and I heard the ‘snap!’ as it dislocated. Another gunshot rang out, though, one that wasn’t connected to the man on the ground. And as Rupert kicked the man’s gun in my direction, I picked it up, dual-wielding weapons as I tried to find the source of the second shot.
13
Dani
“Hey, girl. You wanna go check out the party next door?”
I peered out the window with my cardigan wrapped around my body. I was already in my pajama pants and wondering about when I should order pizza. I gazed outside, my eyes gravitating across the street, watching that flickering lamplight illuminate the darkness, wondering if Max would magically appear before my very eyes.
“Hello, earth to Dani. I swear, you’ve been so--”
I sighed. “Distracted?”
I slowly turned away from the window and drew in a deep breath.
“I’m not okay right now, Hannah.”
Her face fell. “Talk to me. What’s going on?”
I leaned against the window. “I’m already struggling with my classes, and it’s only been one week.”
Hannah came over and placed her hands on my shoulders.
“That’s a good thing, then.”
I furrowed my brow. “What?”
She giggled. “The good thing is that it is only the first week. You’ve got plenty of time to focus and make things up. What happened?”
I shook my head. “No, no, no. It’s not--it’s not really grades, or anything like that.”
“Well, then, what are you struggling with?”
I shrugged. “Just this whole…”
I looked over my shoulder to gaze out the window again and Hannah gasped.
“You’re still thinking about that guy.”
I paused. “Max.”
“What?”
“He has a name. It’s Max. I--figured that out Monday.”
&n
bsp; She swatted me. “You saw him this week and you didn’t tell me?”
I rolled my eyes. “Trust me, it wasn’t the best encounter there ever was.”
“Why? The man’s hot. Especially in that leather and black of his.”
“He calls me ‘Daddy’s girl.’ Even though he knows my name.”
“Dani, you know boys pick on you when they like you, right?”
I grimaced. “That’s a really stupid way to go about things. Why not just treat someone with respect?”
She giggled again. “Do those bike-riding guys strike you as the kind of guys that give respect? No. What they give you is good times. And you’re very overdue for a good time.”
“Are we talking about my virginity again?”
“We’re talking about your everything again.”
I sighed. “Forget it. I shouldn't have said anything.”
Hannah tugged me to my desk. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re going to sit right here and we’re going to talk.”
She pushed me down into my seat before pulling her chair up.
“So tell me everything. Exactly how often do you think about him?”
I shrugged. “Kind of hard not to. I mean, that Benji guy?”
“Who?”
“The one that was in the room that you had to kick out.”
“Oh, that asshole? What about him?”
I snickered. “He’s in my Monday and Wednesday morning conflict management class.”
She paused. “Is he a human resources major, too?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so. That class also serves as a debate class requirement. Some people still knocking out their other required classes take it.”
“So he’s in that class with you.”
“Yeah. And no matter where I sit in that stupid class, he always has to sit right beside me. Wednesday morning, I got there fifteen minutes early. And when he came waltzing into class twenty minutes late, he glared at the girl sitting beside me in the second row until she moved.”
She laughed. “Oh, shit. That’s some serious bull right there.”
“Right!? It is. Not to mention, he’s a jerk-off. Always picking on me. Calling me names. And every time he sits beside me, he makes me think of Max. Which starts me down this daydream spiral that I practically have every class. I don’t know what to do. I can’t even think clearly right now, Hannah.”