by S. Nelson
“Now why would we do that?” Marek asked, confusion and annoyance vying for top spot.
Pike’s eyes landed on Prez’s before he closed them. “Because they’ll go after them. And they’re in… innocent. Just like Maddie.”
Silence descended, heavy with unspoken words. I thought for sure someone would’ve immediately refused his request, but it appeared no one had an answer.
Linc grumbled something under his breath, and just when I thought he’d crossed over into a world he might not be able to come back from, he lowered his gun and said, “Yes.”
Five seconds later, Pike took his last breath, the gunshot his club inflicted on him the cause, and not us.
2
“Are you sure? Because you can stay here as long as you want. I enjoy the company.” Tucking my legs underneath me, I relaxed into the couch and took another sip of my drink, hoping Riley would change her mind. I didn’t realize how lonely I’d been until she came to live with me, and while I never expected she’d stay forever, I hoped her time here would last a little longer. It was like the sleepovers we used to have when we were younger, only better because now we could eat as much junk as we wanted and wash it all down with some delicious wine.
“I would, but I think it’s time I take the plunge. Kaden has been after me to move in with him, and since I’m over there more than I’m not, it just makes sense.” My bestie tucked a wayward strand of her blonde hair behind her ear, smiling at me as if her grin was gonna serve to lessen my impending solitude.
I’d been a loner by nature, even though it didn’t seem that way to most because I loved to party and have a good time. Growing up, my dad was in and out of my life due to his gambling addiction and his love for all things alcohol. He’d make promises but never keep them, and it didn’t take me long to learn not to trust him.
I was only twelve when I realized the only person I could rely on was myself, Riley a close second.
My mom gave my dad chance after chance until she decided enough was enough and kicked him out for good when I was fourteen. Afterward, it was just the two of us until three years ago when she got remarried and moved across the country to Michigan. I’d only met her husband, Joe, a handful of times, and while he seemed nice enough, I didn’t care to get to know him. If he treated my mom well, I wouldn’t have any issues with him.
“What happened to waiting because you two just got back together?” I finished off the rest of my drink, setting my glass down on the side table next to me and throwing the fleece blanket over my lap for extra warmth. Riley wiped away a drop of wine that dribbled down her chin, shrugging instead of giving me a verbal answer. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, I just got a lot on my mind, that’s all.”
“With Kaden?”
“Partly.”
I nudged her leg with my foot before slipping it back beneath me. “Out with it, woman.”
It didn’t take much prodding for her to start talking. “This whole thing with my dad is really bothering me. I hate that I’m the reason he’s still not staying at home and every time I try to talk to my mom about it, she either cries in frustration or starts yelling about how she’s sick of him being so pigheaded about the situation.” She took a short breath before continuing. “And forget about talking to him about anything. He can barely look at me, let alone sit down to discuss it like adults.”
“He just needs more time. It hasn’t even been a month, Ry. You know how he is.” Because I’d grown up with Riley, I’d been privy to countless scenes between her and her dad, his over-the-top reactions the topic of many of our discussions. On one hand, I completely understood why she got so frustrated with him, but on the other, I envied their relationship, wishing I had a father who cared enough about me to want to protect me. The last time I heard from my own was two years ago when he called to ask if I had any money. I didn’t believe he even said hello when I answered the phone before he dove right in. He got my number from my mom. She’d been naïve, believing him when he told her he wanted to mend his relationship with his only kid. She got an earful right after I hung up on him and blocked him from calling me again.
“It feels more like years.” She chuckled, the weight of her worries making me want to wrap her in a big hug.
Wanting to take her mind off her parents, I switched back to the man who’d stolen her heart. Again. “When are you gonna tell Kaden?”
“As soon as he’s finished with whatever he’s doin’. I texted him about wanting to talk whenever he’s free. That was two and a half hours ago.” She shifted on the couch next to me, repositioning the pillow resting in front of her. “I just hope he’s not where I think he is.”
“And where’s that?”
She gave me a look like I was stupid for even asking. “Around those…”
“Naked bitches?” I finished, smirking when she narrowed her eyes into tiny slits. “Even if he was, you know he wouldn’t give them the time of day. He only has eyes for your scrumptious butt.”
Riley laughed before tossing her throw pillow at me. “I hate that he slept with one of them. It makes me sick to think that every time he goes there, she might be there, too.”
“I know it’s hard, but you can’t think like that.”
“How do you deal with it when Ace goes there?”
I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. For as close as Riley and I were, there were some topics I didn’t wish to delve into because I didn’t even know what was goin’ on myself, so to express that to her would only confuse me more.
My logic makes sense tucked away inside my head.
“What do you mean? Why would I care if he’s around a bunch of strippers?” A tightness in my chest gripped me as soon as I asked the asinine question.
“Why won’t you just admit you like him? What’s the big deal?” My bestie finished nursing her drink and set it on the coffee table, pulling at the blanket on my lap to cover her lower legs.
“What’s to admit? We’ve fucked around, but that’s as far as it’ll go. I don’t care much beyond that.” I didn’t even believe my own lies. I liked Ace more than I wanted to admit, but I shoved those ill-placed feelings way deep down, drowning them under the heaviness I constantly felt where he was concerned. If I had to get all psychological, I’d say my reservation toward Ace stemmed from trust issues, being that I didn’t trust any man.
“I call bullshit,” she said, grabbing the blanket and stealing the rest of it for herself. “You like him, otherwise you wouldn’t’ve gotten so upset at him.”
“When?”
“When you two got drunk and you started throwing things at him because you thought he wanted to sleep with Natalie.”
“Oh yeah.” How could I forget? I’d been unbelievably hurt when he told me Natalie wouldn’t have any problem being with him. While I struggled with my feelings where Ace was concerned, I certainly didn’t want him mentioning being with anyone else. God forbid I would’ve said the same thing to him, he would have flown off in a jealous fit, worse than what I did.
“Oh yeah,” she mimicked.
“She’d jump on him given the chance, too.”
“Ace wouldn’t give her the opportunity.”
“How do you know that?” I asked, curious how she could say such a thing with conviction. Why I couldn’t be more open with my best friend about this annoyed me beyond belief. Everything else in my life she knew about, but my relationship, if I could even call it that, seemed to be a guarded topic. Then again, she never told me about her and Kaden, so I supposed we were even. Not that I was keeping score or anything.
“I see the way Ace looks at you. When you’re givin’ him attention, his smile is so big I want to pinch his gorgeous cheeks.”
“The ones on his face?”
“Of course. The only ass I’ll be grabbin’ is Kaden’s.” We both laughed at the trajectory of the conversation, diversion always a useful tactic. Only this time, Riley brought it back around. “Seriously though, Chels, Ace really likes
you. Kaden is annoyed with the amount of times the guy complains about you shunning him.”
I didn’t stop to consider that Ace would talk to anyone about what was goin’ on between us. A twinge of annoyance erupted inside me with the information, but I also couldn’t help but inwardly smile that he cared as much as he did, enough to talk to his friends about us anyway.
“He’s just so moody. He’s flip-flopped one too many times for me.” Riley was fully aware of my trust issues with guys.
“Sounds like you’re one and the same.”
“Not funny.” I reached behind me and snatched the extra blanket from the back of the sofa, draping the soft material over my entire body. “He is hot, though, and he’s an animal in bed.” I wiggled by brows, wanting to get off the heavy topic of feelings and onto what I enjoyed most.
“I’ll take your word for it.” She laughed, snuggling deeper into the couch. An incoming text interrupted whatever she was gonna say next.
“Kaden?”
“Yeah. He said he’s gonna be another hour or so. I’m just gonna tell him I’ll see him tomorrow since it’s already so late.” Riley gently kicked my foot. “You get me for another night, chickie.”
While I was happy she’d be staying with me again, she’d be gone the next day, and I’d be left to battle the imminent loneliness that would follow.
3
“You need to stop offering our services to the enemy.”
Lincoln returned my glare, tucking his weapon back into his waistband. “You know what type of people they are. They shot one of their own. They tormented Maddie, and now that he’s dead, although they don’t know that yet, they’ll go after his family, probably thinkin’ he ran. Speakin’ of which,” he muttered, checking the dead guy’s pockets quickly before pulling out his cell. “I hope he has their numbers saved in here, otherwise we’re not gonna be able to watch over anyone.”
After everything that just happened, Linc appeared calm, switching back from the deranged guy who was seconds away from shooting someone in the head, literally ready to have blood on his hands.
“I’m sure they’re gonna be lookin’ for him soon enough,” Hawke added. “Get what you need because we have to get rid of his phone so they don’t track it here.”
Linc opened his own phone and started typing. “Got it.” He turned off Pike’s device and dropped it on the ground before stomping on it, cracking it in two. “No way they get any info from it now.”
Hawke slapped his hands together, the noise echoing in the small space. “One problem down. One to go.” He turned to look at Nash who hadn’t moved from his spot across the room. “Where’s the other one?”
“Upstairs in the back bedroom. Miles has the key,” our Laredo brother answered, finally pushing off the concrete wall, seemingly waiting for us to vacate the basement and ascend the steps, which we did one after the other, Nash closing the door after we cleared the top step.
Hawke and Tripp moved toward the kitchen while Marek and Nash entered the living room where Miles continued to lounge on the couch, not a care in the world there was a dead body underneath us. And while I was sure he wasn’t aware of that fact just yet, it didn’t negate the seriousness of why we were all here right now. I didn’t think I’d ever get used to the seemingly blasé attitude from these guys when it came to life-and-death situations.
Linc, Kaden, and I situated ourselves in the hallway between the two rooms. Marek asked Miles for the key to the bedroom Tag was in, my heart thundering inside my chest at the thought of what was gonna happen next. Prez hadn’t indicated one way or another exactly what was gonna be done. Would he, or someone else, kill the guy or set him free? He eluded to both scenarios but never landed on any one side, not that I was aware of, at least.
“Let’s get this done.” Before Prez could retrieve the key, a pair of headlights shone through the front window before disappearing. Someone had just pulled into the driveway, and by the reaction of everyone else, it was someone no one was expecting.
From the corner of my eye, I saw Kaden straighten. He looked anxious, although he tried to hide his expression by flattening it, his eyes darting from his ol’ man to the ground and back again several times.
Miles finally got his ass off the couch and walked toward the window, sliding the dingy brown curtain to the side.
“Who the fuck is it?” Marek whisper-shouted, standing stock-still with his gun held closely against his leg. I hadn’t even seen him pull it out.
“Two chicks,” he answered, releasing the drape right before there was a knock on the front door. He looked back at the rest of us, and it was that exact moment the door to our right suddenly opened. Marek raised his weapon and stepped forward, Rez’s forehead an inch from the barrel.
His eyes widened while he froze in place. “Fuck,” he grunted, nervously swallowing, waiting several seconds before Marek lowered his gun. “Didn’t think I was in danger of taking a shit.” His nervous laughter was cut short when Marek grunted and turned back toward the front room.
Miles approached the door when another knock sounded, his gun cocked and ready to fire. He looked back at Marek and stared, and only when Prez gave him a curt nod did he unclick the lock and open the door.
Our visitors were oblivious to the mounting tension residing inside the house when they sauntered in. They also happened to be unaware there was a gun pointed right at them.
“What the fuck are you doin’ here?” Marek shouted, shoving me and Linc to the side as he barreled past us toward his wife. Reece stood next to her, moving back a step as he approached, his body bristling with surprise which was quickly replaced with anger. “Why are you here?” Neither of them answered his first question, so he hit them with another one of the same.
Tripp’s large form practically bowled me over as he rushed to get to his wife, grabbing her arm and pulling her away from Marek and her friend. His words to her were harsh in tone but because he spoke quietly, I couldn’t hear what he said.
Sully peered around her husband and made eye contact with Kaden. “I was asked to come.” The second I saw Prez start to twist his head around, I knew to get the hell out of the way because if I didn’t, I’d be on the ground in two seconds from the force at which Marek was gonna rush toward the three of us, his son being the target.
“We better move,” I whispered to Linc, which was unnecessary because he’d already shifted to his left as I did to my right simultaneously, leaving Kaden all alone in the middle.
“She needs to be here. She needs to weigh in,” Kaden blurted, shifting his feet while keeping his eyes pinned to his ol’ man.
As Marek moved to come at him, Sully grabbed his arm. I had no doubt her hold on him wasn’t strong, but he didn’t move.
“I told you not to involve her.” Marek’s face reddened, and it was the first time in a long time I didn’t want to be around any of them, mainly because of the uncertainty swirling through the air.
So many things could go wrong now.
Marek could kill Tag on principal.
He and Kaden could feud amongst themselves, allowing that shit to bleed over into the club.
He and Sully might fall out. Then he’d be one constant sour motherfucker to be around.
“I don’t agree,” Kaden said after inhaling a fortifying breath, no doubt trying to gather some semblance of strength.
“What did you tell her?” He never waited for his son to answer before swiveling his head back toward Sully. “What did he tell you?”
“Just that I needed to come here and help. I don’t know what that means, though.” She pushed a strand of her dark hair away from her face, looking more nervous as the seconds ticked by.
Sully was a small woman in stature, and while she was typically docile, she was also fierce when she had to be. I’d witnessed it once when she confronted Stone after he attacked Kaden in Ryder’s downstairs bathroom. And even now, with Marek standing beside her, bristling in anger, she remained calm, her brown eyes bounci
ng between her husband and her son.
“Reece, take my wife home. Now.” His raised tone put both women on alert, as well as Tripp.
“Tone.” One word was all Tripp said in response, straightening to his full height of six four, not that he could intimidate Marek, but his puffed-out chest was to show our prez he didn’t care for the way he talked to his wife.
Marek ignored Tripp, his eyes never leaving Sully’s. “You need to leave. I don’t want you here.”
“What’s goin’ on?” Her brows pinched tightly together. “Somethin’ tells me I should stay. There’s a reason Kaden asked me to come.”
“He was misinformed.”
She moved to sidestep Marek, but he moved with her, blocking her from advancing toward their son or even from getting a clearer visual of him.
“I wanna talk to Kaden.”
“No.” Sully tried to move around him again, but she had no such luck. “I want you to go home. No more questions. No more tryin’ to figure out what’s goin’ on. I’ll deal with him for involving you in this.” I watched Marek’s hands clench into fists so tight he lost some of the color in his knuckles. The man struggled not to rant and rave at his wife, but he was slowly slipping, and if she didn’t leave, taking Reece right back out that front door… well, let’s say I’d rather be back in the basement with Pike, holding a gun to his head myself. That’s how much less tense that situation was compared to what was slowly unfolding in front of me now. In front of all of us.
“Sully, just go,” Hawke yelled from behind me.
“I got this,” Marek grated, the muscle in his jaw pulsing under the weight of his barely simmered anger. Hawke held his hands up as a sign he’d stay out of Prez’s business.
The silence in the room thickened, the tick of the clock in the kitchen sounding so damn loud, I was waiting for some sort of explosion.
Sully and Marek stared at each other. Reece huddled closer to Tripp, exchanging quiet words between them as they waited right along with the rest of us to see how this scene would unfold.