Lucy snorted suddenly, ignoring the prick of tears in her eyes. “Fine, you’re right…I’ve been fighting with Gabe.”
Danny’s raspy laugh echoed through the receiver. “What else is new?” Lucy could hear the mirth in his voice. “What’d you do this time?”
Sitting up straighter, Lucy huffed indignantly, “Why’d you assume I did something?”
“You’re always the instigator.”
“Oh I see, this is a bro code thing. Whatever happened to family loyalty?” Lucy sighed and stared out over the twisting, whirling lights of the city. A heavy silence hung between them before Lucy spoke again. “Did you two ever talk about his father?”
Danny scoffed, “No! Nobody wants to talk about that shit. You were a baby when Archie came to live with us. You didn’t see the state he was in when he first got off that plane.” He let out a rumbling sigh. “I remember we went to the doctor the next day. Archie’s arm had been repeatedly broken and never set properly. They had to break it again and he wore a cast for almost a year…”
Lucy’s stomach ached with sadness. “What else do you remember?”
“I remember that Archie doesn’t fucking talk about this stuff and wouldn’t appreciate you sticking your big fat nose into things,” Danny chastised. “Leave it the hell alone, Luce! He’s got enough shit to worry about without you trying to talk about feelings or whatever the hell you girls try to do to us.”
“I do not have a big fat nose!” Just like that, she was back to bickering with Danny like they were children and order was restored to her world. “I hope you’re staying out of trouble, Danny. Seriously, if I come back to that house and it’s a sty, I’m going to kick your ass six ways from Sunday.” A long silence told her that it was already wrecked in there. “Call up one the prospects and get him to clean it. Hunter or Kyle…not Mort. He’s sweet but I don’t think the boy can find his ass with both hands and a flashlight.”
Danny chuckled appreciatively. “Good idea.” He sobered. “Do me a favor and try to have fun, please? Leave Archie alone. Not everything has to be so damn serious.”
That was rich coming from Danny, who took absolutely nothing seriously. “Alright. I love you, big brother.”
“Love you too, little sis. Remember what I said.” Danny disconnected the call, leaving Lucy’s cell phone beeping on her end. Punching the off button, she headed back the bedroom and glanced around. Gabe was still showering in an attempt to avoid confrontation. Lucy sighed and flicked on the television. Although she wasn’t really hungry, she ordered them some dinner before hunkering down to get lost in some sappy romantic comedy. Usually it wasn’t her type of film but she needed a distraction from the hurt that welled up inside her. Lucy wanted to believe happily ever after could really happen, even if it was only for an hour.
Gabe stepped out of the bathroom just as the room service cart was being wheeled in. Lucy tipped the man handsomely and grabbed the macaroni and cheese she’d ordered. It was the ultimate comfort food—exactly what she needed right now. Lucy decided against pettiness and broke the silence between them, “I got you a burger,” She announced.
Archie finished drying his hair and tossed the towel onto the rack. “Thanks.” He sat down and picked at the meal in front of him. Although it was perfectly fine, he really didn’t feel like eating. Eventually he gave up and set it aside. He realized Lucy was doing the same exact thing; they were just going through the motions to avoid awkwardness. Gabe poured two glasses of booze from the mini bar. Holding one of the cups out to Lucy, he said nothing as she refused the drink. With a shrug, he simply poured her scotch into his glass. “I’m going to sleep on the sofa tonight…”
Lucy caught her bottom lip between her teeth to steel herself against the onslaught of emotion. “Fine.” Danny was right. Rome wasn’t built in a day and she wasn’t going to be able to get through to Gabriel in one either. Lucy went searching through the armoire until she came up with some extra sheets and a blanket. “Here.” If she just kept it cordial, treating him as if they were casual acquaintances, everything would be okay.
Archie’s eyes swept over her. He never thought in a million years that her reserved, cold demeanor would be worse than her anger. He felt like he was the lowest scum on the earth. Despite the confusion it would cause, he wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in his arms and kiss it better…but that would defeat the purpose of everything he was trying to do. It was too early for bed but he settled on the couch nonetheless. Lucy flicked through the channels until she found some stupid romantic comedy. Archie marveled at the stupidity of a man who thought he could build a relationship on lies. Those thoughts haunted him as he drifted into a fitful sleep.
Sometime around midnight, Lucy shut off the TV. Gabe was snoring lightly on the couch, one leg thrown over the back of it and his arm hanging off and draping on the floor. She grabbed the blanket and pulled it over him. Sighing softly, she leaned down and dropped a gentle kiss on his forehead before shutting out the light. Exhaustion overtook her as she slid into the big, empty bed and closed her eyes. Today had been a disaster but things would be clearer in the morning…they had to be.
Chapter Nine
When Lucy awoke the next morning, she was alone. She wandered aimlessly around the suite until she noticed a pad of paper sitting on the table. Gabe had penned a quick note about going to pick up breakfast. Lucy took the opportunity to look through the purchases they’d made yesterday. A black pencil skirt and simple white blouse were neatly pressed and hanging in the closet. Additionally, there was a pair of grey dress pants and a sateen top with several tastefully sexy cutouts. In the far corner of the closet hung a dress that would be perfect for tonight’s blackjack game. The crimson gown was floor length and sparkled with sequins. After a quick shower, she decided to try it on and was pleasantly surprised by how sensual yet modest the piece really was. It was truly perfect.
Archie pushed open the door to the suite to find Lucy modeling a dress he could only assume was intended to give him a heart attack. She looked like a siren, fresh and dewy from her shower, luring him to his death. Archie narrowly avoided dumping the coffee as he tripped over his own two feet. “Shit!” He carefully placed everything on the table before he could spill it everywhere.
Lucy whirled around, unaware that he’d returned. “Hey…” She chewed her bottom lip. “I was just picking out an outfit for tonight. What do you think?”
“You look amazing.” Archie bit back a curse at how enamored he sounded right now. He cleared his throat several times to try and get rid of the admiration in his voice. “I got you the same coffee as yesterday, I hope that’s okay.”
“That was very thoughtful of you, thanks.” To preserve the gown for tonight’s affairs, she changed into a pair of holey jeans and a tank top. It wouldn’t do to risk such a fancy dress becoming wrinkled or stained. She grabbed the coffee from the tray and sighed at the delicious infusion of caffeine. “Mmm, that’s good.” He’d also gotten egg sandwiches and she grabbed the one with an L written on it. Her eyes widened when she took a bite. “You remembered I like jalapeños in my eggs?”
Gabe plopped down on the couch and took a long swig of his own coffee. “Of course I remember. I grew up with you, Luce. I know everything there is to know about you and your crazy, weird food preferences.”
“Liking your eggs spicy is not weird!” Lucy groused. “You hate peanut butter and jelly. That is insane.”
“I don’t hate it,” Archie replied curtly. “I just don’t see what all the hype is about. It’s peanut butter and jelly and bread, not the second coming of the messiah.” He raised his palms in mock surrender, “I know you love your PB&J but I’ll take a turkey club any day.” For a moment, it almost felt like the old days when they could sit and talk all day. It was a simpler time then, long before he realized he was in love with Lucy.
“Agree to disagree,” Lucy chuckled softly and finished off the rest of her sandwich. Now that she had her coffee, she was fully consc
ious and ready to tackle whatever today threw at her. “So what about these prospects you had lined up? Do we have meetings today?”
“Not we. Me.” Archie narrowed his eyes, “No arguments! I can’t have a prospect hanging around for this. It doesn’t matter if you’re male or female or a fucking ghost, it’s not the way these things are done. Only members can meet with prospects. I need to make sure these guys are solid if we’re going to start up a charter in Reno.”
Lucy knew the rules of the MC but this town was dangerous, uncharted territory. There were potential enemies everywhere and she’d be damned if she let Gabe get hurt. “What if something goes south?”
Archie’s frown deepened. “If something goes south then I want you as far away as possible, Lucy. This isn’t your fight.”
“The hell it isn’t! The Black Jacks gunned my parents down in the street. This is personal! I want to see the them wiped off the Earth just as badly as the rest of you.” Lucy pressed. “I don’t need to be at your side while you talk to these guys but Gabriel, I’m begging you…don’t go off half cocked just because you’re trying to push me away.” Lucy felt her chest begin to ache with sadness again. “Look, I understand why you don’t want to try. I’m resigned to the fact that you aren’t going to give us a chance…”
“Lucy—”
She folded her arms over her chest. “I’m not trying to restart the fight. I’m just saying, I can compartmentalize my feelings too. It’s not that hard. I’ll just imagine you’re an overbearing, pig-headed dick.” Her onyx eyes narrowed again. “Actually, I think it’s going to be easier than I ever imagined!” Lucy was not backing down. “I will not get in your way. I will not listen in. But I just can’t let you go walking in there knowing something could happen to you when I could have stopped it.”
Once again, Archie found himself pinching the bridge of his nose in a vain attempt to stop a tension headache before it began. Lucy wasn’t wrong; this was unfamiliar territory and there was a strong possibility it could become hostile. So far they’d avoided detection but the Black Jacks weren’t stupid. Still, he hated the idea of putting Lucy anywhere near a dangerous situation. If anything happened to her, he would never recover. Then again, if he didn’t give her the go ahead, she would still find a way to be there and that could cause even more trouble down the line. Archie took a deep breath and capitulated. “Fine. You can come but you stay out of sight and you don’t interfere unless I ask for your help. Am I understood?”
“Yeah, boss, coming in loud and clear.” Lucy strapped her gun to her ankle, placed the butterfly knife back into its spot at her ribcage, and clipped the mace to her belt loop.
Tamping down on the urge to roll his eyes, Gabe ushered her out of the suite. They headed to the same dingy lounge where they’d interviewed Pip yesterday. Lucy sat at the bar sipping water while Gabe met with several young men who were eager to become part of the Devil’s Own. The comforting hum of motorcycle engines coming and going outside was a welcome change from the squeaking of taxi breaks and thunderous boom of busses dropping off passengers.
It was just after noon when a group of men in suits filed into the bar to enjoy a drink. Lucy didn’t think anything of it until one of them moved beside her. “This seat taken?” He was passably handsome with wispy, white blonde hair, cut close to his head. Lucy was guessing he was probably ex-military. His dark brown eyes were jolly and kind. Even with the lifts on his dress shoes, he was several inches shorter than she. Since he posed no threat, Lucy shrugged.
The man slipped into the seat beside her and signaled for the bartender. “I’ll have what she’s having.”
“You’re going to be disappointed, buddy.” Lucy chuckled to herself. “I’ve got water.”
“Seven years sober.” He grinned and extended his hand to her, “Steve Ellis…esquire.”
“Well Steve Ellis, esquire, that’s probably a good choice then.” Lucy made sure there was no way he could miss the wedding rings on her hand when treating him to an extra-firm handshake. “Lucy Archer…” Even though Lucy wasn’t looking at him, she could feel Gabe’s eyes at her back. If he was going to play the part of jealous husband, she was going to put on a show. Lucy pasted a grin on her face and took another sip of her water. “What’s a guy seven years sober doing in a dump like this?”
Steve wrapped his hand around his glass. “What’s a classy chick like you doing at the nastiest bar in Reno?”
“I asked you first,” Lucy replied tartly.
Steve motioned to the collection of suits ordering shots. “Last Friday of the month the whole office takes a half day. They get trashed and I make sure they get home without killing themselves or anyone else. Right now, I’ve got everyone’s house and car keys. I’m surprised you didn’t hear me jingling from all the way outside.”
Lucy’s soft, feminine laughter elicited a primal response from Archie. He was desperately trying to ignore the fact that she was talking to some jerk in a suit and appeared to be having a nice conversation. His jaw clenched in anger and he forgot to listen to the boy in front of him droning on about his dreams of being part of the MC.
“So this is something you do every month? What’s the boss have to say about that?” Lucy smirked.
Steve winked playfully. “I don’t mind. It boosts morale and promotes teamwork.”
It didn’t surprise Lucy that Steve was the man in charge; there was an air of authority about him. Something in the way he carried himself told her that he put his all into everything he did. “That’s smart. Happy workers do better work.”
“We haven’t lost a case yet.” Steve boasted, “Although I think our winning streak is mostly due to the fact that we put away murderers, rapists, and child abusers.”
“You decided to lead with that?” Lucy snorted, “I’m guessing you’re not married? Or at least not anymore…” Steve bristled slightly and Lucy knew she hit the nail on the head. “Let me give you a piece of advice?”
“Please,” Steve listened raptly.
Lucy rested her hand on his shoulder. “You’re kinda funny, you’ve got a good job, and you’re smart…but you’re cocky.” He leaned in closer—in what she could only assume was an attempt to kiss her. Lucy put two fingers on Steve’s forehead and gently pushed his head back. “But you come on a little strong.” She frowned markedly. “For example, I’m not hitting on you.” She tilted her head. “Do you see that behemoth in the corner? That’s my husband.”
Steve shrank away from her the second he realized his mistake. “Oh…” He cleared his throat and slipped off the stool, nervously glancing over to the booth in the back.
Lucy raised an eyebrow and glanced over at Gabe again. The vein in the middle of Gabe’s forehead was throbbing and his hand was clenched tight around his glass; but he hadn’t lost control just yet. “If you keep your hands to yourself from now on, you should be fine.” She motioned for Steve to sit down again. “As I was saying, you misread signals and get in trouble. I notice you don’t have any women working with your little group…narrowly dodged a few sexual harassment suits?” He was silent and Lucy smirked. “That’s what I thought.”
“What should I do about it?”
“Well for one thing, you don’t just lean in and kiss a girl. Ask her out on a date first. If she wants to go to dinner with you, chances are she might entertain the idea of kissing you.” Lucy explained. “Play it cool. Talk about books or the weather or music before you go delving into the deeper stuff. She doesn’t need to know you’re seven years sober before she knows what kind of food you like.” Lucy smirked.
For a moment, Steve sat with that thought. “Thank you.” Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a card and slid it over to her. “If you ever need a lawyer, call me up. Lucy Archer, it has been a pleasure.” He grasped her hand and dropped an overly dramatic kiss to her knuckles.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Lucy laughed quietly as Steve walked away. The man was harmless; he reminded her so much of Anita it was almost unc
anny. When she turned back to her drink, Lucy found herself face to face with a very annoyed Gabe. “Is there a problem, sweetheart?”
“What the hell was that?” Archie snapped and picked the business card up off the bar. “Flirting with lawyers?” Jealousy stole over him and burned hot in his gut. “We’re supposed to be newlyweds.”
Lucy stood toe to toe with her very jealous husband. “I wasn’t flirting, Gabriel. He was coming onto me and I very nicely explained that he didn’t have a shot in hell.” She lowered her voice. “Besides, what do you care? At least when you divorce me, I’ll have a couple dates lined up.”
Archie gritted his teeth angrily. “Oh, so you’re going to take my ring off your finger and immediately jump into the next guy’s bed? You’re just going to pretend none of this ever happened?” The rage that burned in his chest was intensely uncomfortable.
“Move on from what, Gabriel?” Lucy glowered. “You made yourself very clear last night. You are not interested in having any kind of relationship with me, sexual or otherwise. So yeah, I’m going to do my best to pretend that this was all a very erotic bad dream and move on like you told me to!”
“Damn it, Lucy!”
She poked her finger into Gabe’s chest. “You don’t get to have this both ways! You can’t expect me to turn my feelings on and off like a faucet. If you want to be with me, it’s all or nothing. You either give in to what we both clearly know is between us or you butt out and let me live my life.”
Archie knew he wasn’t playing fair. He had no right to be jealous or possessive but damn it, he couldn’t help himself. Averting his gaze, he mumbled a hasty, “I’m sorry.”
“What was that? An actual apology from Gabriel Archer?” Lucy feigned shock and dismay. “Hold on, I need to put this down on my calendar. This is one for the history books!”
“You’re a fucking riot,” Archie snarked sarcastically.
Flashing him a grin, Lucy rested her hand on the bar. “Did you have any luck with the prospects?” She’d formed her own opinions about them as they came in but—in deference to the MC’s rules—she kept her mouth shut.
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