“Yeah, baby, ’fraid so.”
“What’s going on?” I asked.
He glanced behind him, then made his way to my door and closed it. Sitting on the edge of my bed, he pulled me between his legs. “Shit’s goin’ down with another club. We’re expecting retaliation, so I want you where I know you’ll be safe.”
“And Sierra might be collateral damage,” I finished.
“Yeah.”
“They set the fire?”
He tugged me closer, kissing my neck. “I’m not going into any more details about this, Razzle. Just trust that we have it under control.”
“I’m going to let this lack of information slide because I’ve already figured out what happened, but forewarning for next time, I probably won’t be so patient.” I kissed him quickly. “Capisce?”
He grinned, giving my butt a squeeze. “You need me to pack anything else?” he asked, and it wasn’t lost on me that he didn’t acknowledge my forewarning.
I shook my head. “I’m good.”
He kissed me again and we headed out.
* * *
The next three days were an exercise in how not to murder another human being.
That human being was Sierra.
And the person wanting to murder her was Orion.
This meant, I was constantly in the middle of my man and my best friend and I was a little over it.
“I swear to Christ,” Orion hissed as he walked into his bedroom.
I was folding laundry on the bed, at least, I was trying to fold since it was about the only thing I could manage with my hands still bandaged. “No.”
He closed the door and crossed his arms. “She needs a leash.”
“I warned you,” I pointed out.
“Babe—”
“No,” I repeated, facing him. “I get that you two butt heads. You’re both alpha to the core, so it doesn’t surprise me. Yes, she’s a lot sometimes, unapologetically, but there’s a reason she’s my best friend. You will never find anyone more loyal or kind. It all just happens to be wrapped up in a tiny free-loving package.”
“I don’t care that she’s having a little fun, Raquel. I didn’t even care that she instructed two of my prospects to fuckin’ pull everything out of the kitchen cabinets and move things around to ‘unblock the flow of chi’ or ‘release the energy’ or what the fuck ever.”
“Yes, you did,” I countered.
“Okay, well, in comparison to what she just did, the kitchen cabinets were nothing.”
I dropped a t-shirt on the bed and focused on him. “What happened?”
“She had the same dumbass prospects move Gertrude.”
“Who’s Gertrude?”
“The 1926 Harley Wrath has been restoring for the past two years.”
My stomach roiled. “She moved it?”
“Yeah.”
“Did she say why she moved it?”
“She said it made the room look unkempt.” He dragged his hands down his face. “It’s a fucking garage, Raquel.”
I bit my lip in an effort not to smile. ‘Unkempt’ was one of Sierra’s favorite words. “Just ask her to put it back.”
“Raquel, we are so far beyond that, it’s not even funny.”
“Why?”
“Because Wrath lost his shit and Sierra’s sobbing in the bunk room.”
“Oh my god, she’s crying? Way to fucking bury the lead, Adam,” I growled as I rushed past him and out of the room. I found my best friend in a puddle, curled up in the fetal position on one of the lower bunkbeds. “Sierra?”
“Go away,” she grumbled.
I closed the door and made my way to her, sitting on the edge of the mattress. “Honey, are you okay?”
“Does it look like I’m okay?” she snapped. “This place is full of hostile energy.”
“Do you think it might have been a bad idea to move the bike?”
“I do now!” she cried out. “I was just trying to help. You know, give the place a little more hominess.”
“Honey, it’s a biker club. Hominess doesn’t really apply.”
“Yeah, well that beast of a man made sure I was fully versed in that fact.”
I forced a smile. “I’m sure he’ll apologize when he calms down.”
“He called me a hippy bitch, Raquel,” she whispered. “I don’t know that an apology will be sufficient.”
I sighed. This was unfortunately true. ‘Hippy’ Sierra could handle, but you didn’t call her a bitch and come out unscathed. “I’m sorry.”
“I want to go home.”
“I know,” I said. “I do, too.”
“How long do we need to stay here?”
I shook my head. “I have no idea.”
“I have to work tonight,” she said.
“I’m aware. Orion is sorting out someone to go with you.”
“Well, it better not be that asshole, or I’m gonna open a can of whoop-ass on him.”
“Since we definitely don’t want that, I’ll make sure it’s not Wrath, okay?”
She nodded.
“Are you hungry?”
She wiped her cheeks and nodded again. “Yeah, a little.”
I rose to my feet. “Let’s go see what they have in the fridge, huh?”
* * *
Six hours later, I was walking downstairs when I heard yelling, followed by breaking glass, then more yelling. I inched my way around the corner and saw Wrath jabbing a finger toward Orion, rage an inadequate adjective to describe his mood.
“Outside, Orion!” Wrath bellowed. “Scooby and Scrappy put Gerty outside like a fuckin’ dog.”
“Where are they?” Orion asked, his voice calm, but tight.
“If they’re smart, they left town,” Moses retorted. “Maybe they split with that pain in the ass granola chick.”
“What do you mean, she left?” Wrath asked, and my heart dropped into my stomach.
“Does it matter? The bitch fuckin’ left.”
“Yeah, it fuckin’ matters, Moses,” Wrath growled.
Moses shrugged. “If you find her, you might want to get your woman to reel her hippy friend in.”
Shit!
I pulled my phone out of my pocket and fired off a text, using speech to text because my hands were useless, asking Sierra where she was. Three dots appeared, then disappeared, then appeared again.
Sierra: I’m taking a time-out.
Me: Where are you taking this time-out?
Sierra: I don’t want to tell you.
Me: I need you to tell me, Sierra, or you’ll have to deal with Wrath.
Sierra: That asshole can go fuck himself in the ass.
Me: I need to know you’re safe.
Sierra: I’m with Leith. He’s keeping me safe.
I bet he was.
Jesus.
Leith was her ex and happened to be the biggest douche on the planet. I rubbed my temples and took a deep breath. This was bad.
Really, really bad.
I headed out of my pseudo-hiding place and when Orion saw me, he stalked toward me. “Any idea where your girl is?”
I nodded. “It’s not good, Ori, but I don’t think she’s gonna listen to me.”
Wrath walked back in the room and scowled at me. “Where the fuck is your bitch?”
“Oh my god, she’s not my bitch. In fact, she’s not a bitch at all. And maybe you could move into the twenty-first century and stop referring to women as bitches all together!”
“Would you prefer cunt?” Wrath seethed.
“You really are a fucking Neanderthal!” I squealed.
He knuckled his eyes, like he was warding off a headache, then took a deep breath. “Where’s Sierra, Raquel?”
“She’s at her ex’s.”
He fisted his hands at his sides. “The address,” Wrath hissed.
“I’m not giving you the address.” I glanced at Orion and moved closer to him.
“Give me the goddamn address,” Wrath growled.
I shook my head. “She
will absolutely lose her shit if I do.”
“What the fuck’s goin’ on?” my brother demanded, walking into the room. “You better not be yellin’ at my sister,” he warned Wrath.
“Jesus fucking Christ!” Wrath jabbed a finger at Orion again. “Fuckin’ deal with this.”
He walked away with a curse.
“Sierra’s missing,” Orion explained.
“She’s not missing,” I countered.
“Why was no one watchin’ her?” Tristan asked.
“She was at work,” I said.
“Again,” my brother stressed. “Why was no one watchin’ her?”
“Scrappy was watching her,” Orion said. “She slipped him.”
“Of course she did,” Tristan said with a groan.
“I’m gonna need that address, baby,” Orion said to me.
“Don’t give it to Wrath.”
He sighed. “I’ll have Aero get her.”
“Can you get her?” I asked my brother.
“Knee-deep in somethin’ else, sissy. If Aero can deal with it, I’d appreciate it.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Fine.”
He nodded, then headed back the way he came. I found Leith’s info in my phone and sent it to Orion, then he sent it off to Aero before wrapping his arms around me and giving me a squeeze. “She’s gonna be okay, Frazzle.”
“Lordy, I hope so,” I whispered.
“Tequila?”
I smiled up at him. “Yes. Definitely.”
One hour later, I was snuggled up to Orion in the great room, sipping my third margarita when I heard my best friend wailing like a banshee, then Wrath appeared in the room with Sierra thrown over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Oh my god, what are you doing?” I snapped, standing.
“He’s a fucking beast, Raquel!” Sierra hissed, trying to squirm out of his hold.
Wrath smacked her butt and I saw red. “Don’t hit my friend!”
He ignored me and stomped up the stairs. I followed, Orion close on my heels.
“Let her go!” I demanded as Sierra pounded on his back.
Wrath spun to face me. “Your bi—friend is gonna be locked down.”
“Where?”
“In my room,” he said.
“Like hell I am!” Sierra spat out, pounding on his back again. “Let me go!”
“Let her go!” I demanded, stepping toward him, but Orion pulled me back. I glared at him. “What are you doing?”
“Let Wrath deal with this.”
“No way in hell!” I argued, turning to face them again and found they were no longer standing in the hallway. I pulled out of Orion’s hold and rushed toward Wrath’s room. The door was locked, so I pounded on it. “Open this door!”
“Raquel!” Sierra screamed, and I tried to force the door open. I kicked it, body slammed it, and got nothing but a bruised shoulder.
“Baby, quit!” Orion growled. “The door’s solid wood, you’re gonna hurt yourself.”
“Get her out!” I ordered.
“Not gonna do that, Raquel. This is between Wrath and Sierra.”
I faced him. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Baby—”
“Don’t you dare ‘baby’ me,” I snapped. “Get her out.”
He sighed, banging on the door. “Wrath! Raquel would like to check on her friend.”
“She can do that tomorrow,” Wrath yelled in response.
“Raquel!” Sierra bellowed.
“Do something,” I begged. “She’s scared.”
“She’ll be okay.”
“He’s hurting her, though. You have to get her out.”
“He’s not hurting her, baby,” Orion said. “He’d never hurt a woman, trust me. Just let them work it out.”
I had never been so angry at another human being in my life. “I’m getting my brother.”
“Not your brother’s business, Razzle.”
I pulled out my phone and texted him, despite Orion’s decree.
“Are you seriously gonna tattle to your brother every time we have a disagreement?”
“This,” I waved my hand between us, “is way beyond a disagreement,” I snapped. “And since I trust him above anyone else, I think it’s appropriate that I ‘tattle’ to him. If you’re not gonna help my friend, then he will.”
Heavy steps sounded on the stairs and my brother appeared like the badass savior he was. “What the fuck’s going on?”
“Wrath has locked himself in with Sierra,” I explained, calmly and without overreacting. “She doesn’t want to be in there with him.”
“She needs to be locked down, Raquel,” Tristan said.
“She’s not a criminal.” I narrowed my eyes and crossed my arms. “Get her out.”
Tristan banged on the door. “Wrath, brother, open the door.”
“Fuck off, Doc.”
“Proof of life, asshole, or I’m pulling rank.”
“Fuck you,” Wrath bellowed. “This isn’t your house.”
“Rank’s rank, and you know it.”
“Goddammit!”
The door flew open and I moved to walk in, but once again, Orion pulled me back. “Unhand me.”
“Baby, your girl’s good.” He nodded into the room.
“Sierra?” my brother asked, leaning in. “You good?”
“Come on out,” I directed.
Sierra slid off the bed and stalked toward me. “This man is an asshole.”
“Sierra’s going to sleep in my room.”
“Ah, no, she’s not,” Orion countered.
“Yeah. She is.”
“Raquel—”
“You can sleep with Wrath.”
“Jesus,” he hissed. “Don’t overreact.”
I scowled at him. “My best friend was accosted and locked in a room with a Neanderthal and you didn’t do anything to help her, but I’m the one overreacting?”
“Bab—”
“Goodnight, Adam.”
Sierra and I walked up the stairs and closed ourselves into his room, locking both the door and the deadbolt.
“Why the hell would you go to Leith’s?” I whisper-hissed, crossing my arms.
She shrugged. “Because he,” she pointed toward the door, and I deduced she was referring to Wrath, “is not the boss of me. He has no right to tell me what to do.”
“Okay, I get it, but Orion was the one who asked that you be here, not Wrath.”
“Then why the hell is he the one dragging me everywhere?”
“That’s a very good question.” I sighed. “Did he hurt you?”
“No.”
“I’ll talk to Orion if he did.”
“No. He was surprisingly gentle… for an asshole,” she conceded.
“I’m sorry, honey.”
“It is what it is,” she said. “Well, I’m tired and I have an early shift tomorrow, so am I sleeping here?”
“Looks like it,” I said. “But would you keep your clothes on? Just this once?”
Sierra always slept naked and I just couldn’t deal with her accidentally spooning me in the middle of the night.
“Fine.” She rolled her eyes. “Jesus, when did you get all prudish?”
“Not wanting you to dry hump me awake is not prudish.”
“Me wearing panties to bed does not guarantee I won’t dry hump you.”
“And a T-shirt.”
“A T-shirt won’t save you either,” she warned.
I groaned. “Oh my god.”
We glanced at each other, then burst into uncontrollable giggles, and all was right with the world again.
Raquel
I AWOKE THE next morning to find Sierra gone. I had no idea where Orion was, but I honestly didn’t really care at that moment. I was still angry and not quite ready to forgive him. I did, however, have a class at eleven, so I needed to get my ass out of bed.
I showered and dressed, then made my way downstairs, heading for the kitchen, hoping a pot of coffee was
waiting for me.
“Hey, Raquel.”
I turned to see Sundance walking in, a smile on his face, a beanie on his now bald head.
“Hey. You’re looking good.” I poured a cup of coffee and then faced him again.
“Thanks. Chemo’s a bitch, but today’s a good day.”
“What do the doctors say?”
“Won’t know anything for a little while, but they’re optimistic.”
I let out a relieved sigh. “I’m really glad.”
“Me too, sweetheart.” He raised an eyebrow. “Heard there was a dustup last night. You okay?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not the one you have to worry about.”
“I’ll have a conversation with Sierra. Smooth things over.”
“What?” I almost spit out my coffee. “I wasn’t talking about Sierra.”
“Oh?”
“You need to teach Wrath some manners.”
Sundance laughed. “Not my job.”
“Well, whose job is it?”
“You’ll have to ask him.”
“No thank you.” I took a sip of coffee. “Where’s Orion?”
Sundance frowned. “On his way to Denver, didn’t he tell you?”
No, the little fucker did not tell me.
“I haven’t checked my phone this morning,” I lied. “He probably sent me a text.”
“Probably.”
My brother walked in and smiled. “Morning.”
“Hi.”
“You ready? I’m taking you to and from class today.”
“Oh, okay.” I nodded. “Let’s go.”
I grabbed a muffin from the pantry, poured my coffee into a travel cup, then followed Tristan out to my car.
“Am I allowed to drive, or do you need to do that, too?” I asked, my already bad mood spiraling into the toilet.
He raised an eyebrow. “You okay?”
“I’m peachy,” I snapped.
“Can you drive with your hands bandaged?”
“Watch me,” I retorted, hitting the unlock button on my key fob with my chin and sliding into the driver’s seat.
Tristan climbed in beside me and I drove to my campus in silence, using my wrists most of the way, my anger swirling and stewing.
I parked, then climbed out, opening the back door and grabbing my bag as Tristan walked to the driver’s side and held his hand out for the keys.
“I’ll pick you up when you’re ready. Just text me,” he said.
“Whatever.”
“That attitude’s not directed at me, right?”
Primal Howl (Primal Howlers MC Book 1) Page 13