by Ali Parker
I waited for Caleb in the gym parking lot by his car. He came out, his bag slung over his shoulder, and gave me a sheepish grin. “You look good draped up against my car like that.”
“Fuck off,” I growled, nudging his shoulder and jostling him around playfully.
Caleb chuckled and opened his back door to toss his bag in. Then, he slammed it shut and faced me with his arms crossed. “So. What’s wrong? You never show up out of the blue unless it’s bad news.”
“Not true.”
“Name a time.”
“Uh—”
“Don’t bother. There aren’t any.” Caleb leaned one hip against the car. “So what’s up?”
I raked my fingers through my hair. “The Devil's Hand is getting out of prison on Friday. He’ll be at Kadia on Saturday night. Will you be working the door?”
Caleb stuttered as he tried to process all the shit I’d just thrown at him. “Out on Friday? What the fuck? It’s only been a few weeks!”
“I know.”
“That’s so fucked up. Ryder is gonna be—”
“Are you working Saturday or not, Caleb?”
He clapped his mouth shut and nodded. “Yeah. Fuck. I’ll let the other boys know something might go down that night. Are you planning something?”
“I’m going to run it by Ryder before I discuss it.”
“Fair.” Caleb nodded. Then he groaned and slumped over. “I had plans with a girl on Saturday. Fucking tits. Now I’ll have to think of a stupid excuse to keep her from showing up.”
“A girl, hey?” I asked, wagging my eyebrows at him.
“Yeah. She’s fine as hell, man. And something special.”
“Special?” I teased.
“Fuck off.”
“Is she super duper special, bro? Does she make you all tingly inside?”
“Fuck off,” Caleb said again, taking a playful swipe at me.
I laughed and backed away toward my truck. “All right, all right. You keep your girl away from the club. I’ll be in touch.”
“Where are you heading now?”
“Ryder’s.”
Chapter 4
Evelyn
Penny had her hands on her hips, and she was giving me the same look my mother used to give me when I tried to wear jeans that were too low and too tight to my first day of tenth grade. “I don’t understand why you won’t just borrow my clothes to start. There’s no need to go out and blow a bunch of your cash on new stuff when I have plenty of things you can use. We’re the same size!”
“I know, I know,” I said, trying to appease her. “But I already feel bad enough for freeloading off you. You won’t take any money for rent, so the least I can do is this.”
“The least you can do? I haven’t had to cook for myself in a month and a half.”
“Yeah, but that’s because I like cooking.”
“Is it?” she asked, arching an eyebrow.
I sighed. “Are you really going to turn down a shopping trip, Penny?”
Penny groaned and threw her hands in the air in defeat. She marched over to the kitchen counter where her phone was sitting and called in sick to work. She even threw in a dainty fake cough, and I heard her boss tell her to take it easy today. Penny hung up and gave me a smile. “Okay. Two conditions. One, we stop and get cappuccinos on the way to the mall. And two, you have to try on everything I tell you to, because I know you, and you’re going to gravitate to the same long-sleeved, skirt to the knees shit.”
“But—”
“Nope,” Penny said sharply, shaking her head. “Those are my conditions. Take it or leave it.”
I found myself grinning and then giggling. “What would I do without you?”
We hit the mall after stopping for coffees. It was decently busy being a Friday morning. People bustled by and around us as we plunged into store after store. It took me awhile to loosen up and find my groove, and by the time we reached the third store, I was finally willing to start trying things on.
Penny draped clothes over her arm that she wanted me to try and picked up a couple things for herself. I collected a small number of modest blouses that Penny scrunched her nose at. She pointed at a yellow one hanging off my finger. “What is that?”
I glanced at the blouse. “It’s a blouse.”
Penny shook her head. “For work?”
“Well, yeah.” I liked it. The buttons were sparkly, and it had a low-ish neckline. The sleeves could be rolled up, and I figured it would look cute tucked into a skirt or a high waisted pair of shorts.
“Put that back. Who are you? Miss Daisy? You’re going to be catering to men who are going to a cigar lounge to relax and sip on whiskey. It’s sophisticated, Evie. Not cutesy.”
I hung the blouse back up and frowned. “I don’t know what I’m doing.”
“Well, that’s all right because you have me, and I know exactly what I’m doing. Come on.” She hooked her arm in mine and led me around the store. She pulled thin-strapped flowy tops and tight little dresses from their racks. Everything she chose was in dark colors or reds. She found skirts and tiny black shorts with buttons up the front. When her arms were overflowing with clothes, she marched me to the back of the store and shoved me into a fitting room. She unloaded everything in her arms into mine. “Okay. Here. I’m going to be in the next changing room trying this on,” she said, showing me a tiny little dress with cutouts on the side. Then, she closed the door in my face, leaving me to my fate in the fitting room with a thousand clothes that threatened to swallow me up.
The first outfit I tried on was simple, a little black dress that was skintight all over. It had thick straps and a sweetheart neckline that emphasized my busty chest.
“Do you have something on yet?” Penny called from the other side of the door.
“Yes. But it’s a bit … much.”
“No such thing. Come out here and show me.”
I did as I was told and emerged from the fitting room feeling like a freshly cased sausage.
Penny gasped when she saw me. “Oh my goodness, Evie, this is stunning. Are you sucking in? Why the hell are you sucking in? Stop that. You look like a troll.” She clicked her tongue disapprovingly.
“I don’t think I’ll get tips looking like a troll,” I said, a little nervous and more than plenty uncomfortable. This was completely out of my element.
“No, silly. I said you looked like a troll because you were all hunched up to suck in. Just relax and be natural. You’re gorgeous. Do you like this one? It’s not too revealing.”
“It’s a little revealing.”
Penny gestured at the royal blue dress she had on. Chunks of fabric were missing exposing her sides and ribs and most of her back. “This is revealing. Yours is just a cute little cocktail dress. It’s perfectly appropriate for the work you’ll be doing. And you want to make money, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah.”
“Then you’re getting this one. Okay?”
I grumbled and returned to the fitting room. There was no arguing with Penny once she’d made up her mind about something. I stripped out of the black bodycon and swapped it out for a miniskirt and flashy gold top. When I showed it to Penny, she shook her head sternly. “No. Too trashy.”
Trashy was not what I was going for, so I went in and changed again. And again. And again. I kept going until I’d whittled it down to only a few items. Penny separated the no from the yes pile for me and gave me all the things she thought I should buy. She let me veto one top that was just too low-cut for me after I told her there was no way in hell I would ever wear it. I reminded her I was a bit strapped for cash, and she let it go.
After paying for the black dress, a blue dress, two skirts, and three tops, we moved on to the next store.
We spent the better half of the afternoon at the mall. It became more fun the longer I went and the more I got used to seeing myself dressed in clothes I would never have imagined wearing. I went from pantsuits and law school to cocktail dresses and servi
ng. What a leap.
My parents would have blown their tops if they could see me now.
At the end of the trip, I had six massive bags of new clothes and one bag with three pairs of shoes. Penny had purchased a couple things, including the blue dress with cutouts from the first store and a pair of silver sparkly shoes to go with it.
On the way home, she pulled into a parking lot and stated that we were grabbing wine. We got out and went into the store where we proceeded to hem and haw over which bottle to buy.
“You know, all these new clothes of yours have given me an idea.” Penny ran her fingertips over the labels of the wine in the aisle we were walking down.
“I’m nervous already. What’s this idea of yours?”
Penny shot me a look over her shoulder. “I was thinking we should try them out in the real world and go out for a night of dancing. What do you say? It’s been a long time since the two of us went out and just had fun.”
I blinked at her and then looked away. I picked up the closest bottle of red wine to me and pretended to find the label interesting. “I don’t know. The club isn’t really my scene.”
“Oh, please. The club is everyone’s scene once they have a few drinks in them.”
I put the wine back. “Penny I just … I’m not good with big crowds. Or people looking at me. Or wearing strappy little dresses and heels and wearing a full face of makeup.”
“You don’t have to wear heels. Or put on a full face. You can do whatever you want. But I miss dancing with my friend. You and I could do with a night like this. It’ll be fun. I promise. I know this club we can go that always has cute guys.” She trailed off and winked at me.
I laughed. “I think a guy is literally the last thing I need right now. If you haven’t noticed, my life is kind of in shambles.”
“It is not. And maybe I need a guy.”
“You always think you need a guy, Penny. You’ve been boy crazy since fourth grade.”
“Yeah. Because boys are great, especially the ones at Kadia. Trust me. You just have to see for yourself. And I never said you needed to date them or fuck them, for that matter. I just think a dance or two with a sexy guy would do you some good. You know, to remind you that you’re a badass chick with a hella fine body.”
I sighed. “How about I just dance with you?”
Penny pushed out her bottom lip in a pout. “I’ll accept that, but don’t get mad at me if I get drunk and want to dance with someone.”
“I won’t. Promise.”
“So,” she said slowly. “Does this mean you’re down?”
I picked up another bottle of wine. The label was pretty and floral and just the kind of thing Penny would gravitate to. I waggled it, and she nodded. Then, we started to walk to the register. “I guess I’ll come. It will take the pressure off my first day on Monday to get back into that scene and just see what it’s like these days.”
“These days?” Penny giggled.
“Yeah. I haven’t been out since before I went to Hawaii.”
“Oh, shit. Seriously? That’s like, three years.”
“Three and a half,” I corrected.
“Oh, I’m going to make sure you have the time of your life. Grab another bottle of that. We’ll drink it before we hit the club tomorrow night.”
We paid for the wine and got back in the car to head back to Penny’s apartment. She talked my ear off the whole way there about the kind of guys she’d had run-ins with at Kadia. She explained how they were above average when it came to attractiveness. She also said she never paid for a drink there, which was a nice bonus for my very sad wallet and bank account.
“You’ve already talked me into going, Penny. There’s no need to keep trying to convince me.”
“I know. I’m sorry. I’m just really excited. There’s this one bouncer there—oh my goodness, he is so freaking cute. He always lets me get in for free. So, fingers crossed he’s working.”
“Right. Fingers crossed.”
I already regretted agreeing to go to the club, but I was painfully aware that I still owed Penny for everything she was doing for me. If going out for a night would make her happy, then I was more than willing to do it.
Besides, what did I really have to lose from one night of dancing?
Chapter 5
Derek
Sabian joined me, Ryder, Jax, and Axel at the table on Ryder’s back deck. He pulled out his seat and dropped into it before raking his fingers through his black hair and lifting his gaze to meet Ryder’s. “Sorry, I’m late.”
Ryder dismissed his apology with a shake of his head and looked around at the rest of us. He’d called the meeting that afternoon after I got him all the information about The Devil’s Hand getting out of prison on Friday. He’d wanted to throw together a plan of action, and when I told him I already had an idea, he arranged for all of us to meet.
It was still weird that there was an empty chair at one end of the table that should have been occupied by Hyde.
I tried to ignore it as Ryder cleared his throat. “You all know why you’re here. That bastard is free as of yesterday afternoon, and we have a plan to eliminate him.”
Axel leaned forward on his elbows. “Eliminate?”
“You heard me right.” Ryder nodded.
Sabian crossed his arms and slumped back in his chair. “Are you going to share the details of this little plan of yours?”
Ryder glanced at me. “It wasn’t my plan, actually. This one is all Derek.”
The others all looked at me. I assumed this was my time to talk. “You all know I have connections from before I joined up with you guys. I decided to put them to use and ask some questions about our big bald problem. Word is The Devil’s Hand will be at Kadia tonight.”
“Can we stop calling this bastard The Devil’s Hand?” Jax hissed. “Let’s simplify it. Can we just stick with The Hand?”
Everyone nodded in agreement and then attention turned back to me. I shrugged one shoulder. “Well, word is The Hand will be at Kadia tonight. I’ve already spoken with Caleb. He knows what to expect, and he’s made arrangements to better accommodate us and our needs. It’s going to be tricky working with so many people around, but it’s going to be the best shot we have at him. And I, for one, am not going to miss that opportunity.”
Sabian glanced between me and Ryder. “So the plan is to kill him, then?”
We both nodded.
Sabian shrugged. “All right. You won’t hear any objections from me.”
“Or me,” Axel grated.
We all looked at Jax, who met our hard stares. “I’m in. What’s the plan, then?”
I looked at Ryder, who stared right back at me. He gestured for me to go ahead. I met the eyes of all the men gathered around me. This felt like we were preparing for war. Five generals all gathered around to bring down a common enemy. A personal threat.
I started talking. “The plan is to separate him from his boys. Caleb has switched his shift and won’t be working the front door. Instead, he’s covering the emergency exit, which opens up onto a back lane where partygoers never venture because it’s pretty shady. Once we get him out there, he’s ours. The trick will just be moving him out there without him getting suspicious of it being a setup.”
Axel was nodding along to my words. “I’m guessing you have an idea of how to lure him out?”
I nodded. “Yes. He responds to action. Violence. If we can start a brawl in the club, Caleb has directed his guys to get The Hand out of there and into that back lane.”
“Really?” Sabian asked.
“Yes,” I said. “Those boys all know what this bastard is capable of, and they don’t want him hanging around their club any more than we want him hanging around our city. This is our best shot. We have backup and the element of surprise. So long as we can get him outside, we can end him.”
There was a buzz of anticipation in the air. It had been a long time since I did anything this real, and I was itching for a fight. I was
itching for blood and payback. It had been a long time since I did anything like this, and I hated myself for craving it. I also told myself it was for a good cause. It was for Hyde. It was to protect my brothers and their families.
But I’d be a liar if I denied I just wanted to feel the rush of a good fight again.
The last time I’d been in a brawl was when Ruby and The Hand had the upper hand in this very house. Caleb and I had shown up and let our fists fly, but the odds were so stacked against us that I never had the chance to really let loose. This time would be different.
“Derek?” Ryder asked.
I blinked. I hadn’t even noticed that I’d zoned out. I shook my head. “Sorry. Did someone ask a question?”
“Who’s going to be the one to off him?” Jax asked.
“It doesn’t matter,” Ryder said.
“So long as he’s dead when we leave,” I added.
The men all nodded. Then, Axel piped up again. “So, we’re doing this. What time are we leaving?”
“Just before midnight,” I said. “We have to get there late and do it right away. We can’t risk him seeing any of us beforehand.”
“What about civilians?” Sabian asked.
“What about them?” I asked.
Sabian scratched his chin. “There’s a high risk of someone getting pulled into the fray. I’m not interested in jeopardizing innocent people. Kids, probably, knowing fucking Kadia. Just a bunch of people out to enjoy their night and have a good time. I’m only doing this thing if we’re all on the same page. Nobody else gets hurt.”
It was a small request, and something I should have been on board with right away. All the others were. They nodded their agreement and slowly turned to look at me.
What was I willing to risk to put this fucker in the ground? Myself, easily. My brothers, no. Strangers?
Maybe.
That was a bone-chilling thought.
I looked down at the table. “Agreed. Nobody gets hurt.”
The silence around us was thick. Tense. Everyone had caught on to my hesitation, and I wished I could have taken it back. I was hardened from my years working with Warren. He’d made me into a monster to do his bidding. I’d killed men before. I knew for a fact that not all my brothers around the table had done such a deed. They’d come close, sure, and they had blood on their hands, but it wasn’t the same.