Mettle: (Spartan Riders #2)

by J.C. Valentine

  Tucker looked away, sheepish. “Twelve hours and forty-seven minutes, assuming traffic is light, and there’re no detours. But,” he was quick to defend, “that’s only into the city. I couldn’t find him specifically. Yet.”

  “You see! It’s just like you said, she’s different. You like her. More than like her. You’re fal—”

  “Say it and, president or not, I will slap the fillings right out of your mouth,” Tucker warned, his eyes dancing with fire.

  Shock soared through Blake’s system, igniting his fight or flight responses. Unfortunately for Tucker, he always erred on the fight portion. Fortunately for Tucker, he knew how to control himself.

  “That’s your one pass,” he said with deadly calm. “But mark my words, you ever threaten me again, I’ll lay your ass out in front of God and everyone, you feel me?” Friends or not, that level of disrespect would not be tolerated within the club. He let something like that slide, and it would create a damaging ripple effect that would be hard, if not impossible, to repair.

  Tucker lifted a hand, relenting. “Sorry, bro. Didn’t mean to come off like that, but you know me. I’m not about that love shit. Liking and loving someone is two totally different things.”

  “I’m not going to pretend I know what your damage is when it comes to relationships, nor am I going to pry, but can I offer some words of wisdom here?”

  “Shoot.”

  “After Jodi, I thought I was done with relationships too. The last thing I wanted was to be tied down with someone who’d end up fucking me over in the long run, but I was wrong. Finding Gabby was the best thing to ever happen to me.”

  “And I get that. I see what’s she’s done for you and Ash, how much she’d brought into your lives. She’s a great woman. But Talia and I are just having fun. It’s just sex for us.”

  Blake outright laughed at that, mostly because he could see that Tucker believed his own words. “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that, bro.”

  Tucker managed to scowl and frown at the same time, but before he could say much else, the door to the trailer whipped open and a man in a hardhat bounded inside. One of Blake’s men, a construction worker that’d been with his company since the beginning, spoke frantically.

  “Boss, we have a situation in platform twenty.”

  Every muscle in Blake’s body went rigid. He sat up, dread filling him. “What kind of situation?”

  “A fire. It broke out in the basement. Fire crews are already on their way, but it’s spreading fast.”

  Blake shared a look with Tucker. A moment later, they were up and out of their seats and running out the door.

  ***

  At the end of the day, it was lucky that there were no human casualties. That’s what Blake kept telling himself, because if he allowed the anger simmering in his gut to take over, he would fly off the deep end and hurt someone.

  An entire building, gone. He stood in front of the smoldering pile of rubble, the scent of char and chemicals burning the inside of his nose and lungs, gnashing his teeth to keep from yelling.

  Months of work, gone. Millions of dollars, up in smoke. There was nothing left of the stretch of real estate overlooking the water, and it would take months before the insurance company would clear it so rebuilding could begin.

  The fire inspector still had to investigate, but off the record, he confided that his instincts suspected arson. So did Blake’s. No fire he’d ever seen raged that hot or that fast and with total destruction without a little help.

  “I want whoever is responsible for this found. Yesterday.”

  “Well,” Tucker said from beside him, “I don’t own a time machine, but I’ll do my best to track whoever it is down. They couldn’t have gone far. Are you sure it wasn’t one of the new guys?”

  Blake shook his head. He’d already considered that, but anyone new to the job came with years of experience in the field and were vetted by the temp agency on top of a thorough background check on his end before signing them on. Every man and woman on-site had family ties to the area, something to lose. He was confident that none of them had anything to do with it.

  “Then what about someone with a grudge. Someone who might have it in for you?”

  Tearing his gaze away from the pile of debris, Blake’s eyebrow perked up. “Do you really need to ask?” They both knew that Ricky Cruiz was still a major player in their lives. His main motivation: money.

  “Yeah, you’re right. Nothing has come up on my radar, but I’ll look again. The man’s a cockroach. There’s just no telling where he might be hiding.”

  “My guess, somewhere close. I don’t know, but lately, I feel like someone’s watching me. Gabby’s noticed it too.”

  “I’ll check into it.” Tucker’s expression was grave. “You know, I sent that missive out weeks ago, but Cruiz never bit. What if it’s not about the money anymore?”

  “You mean revenge?”

  “Exactly. I’m wondering if we were so busy watching the cash that we left the back door open, and he slipped inside without our notice.”

  “If that’s the case,” Blake growled, “I’m going to murder him when I get my hands on him.”

  “You and me both, bro.”

  The seed planted in his brain, Blake started thinking of Gabby and Ash. They were at the school, completely open. Even though he’d put a prospect on them, suddenly it wasn’t enough. “I need to take off.”

  Tucker read his expression and agreed. “Yeah, me too.”

  Blake didn’t have to ask. The first thing his friend would do once he left the property was track down his woman and make sure she was okay. Because that’s what you did when you loved someone.

  They grabbed hands and pulled each other in for a hug and slap on the back, then went off in opposite directions, Blake to his truck and Tucker to his motorcycle. As Tucker rode off, Blake watched him fade into the distance, shaking his head. The man didn’t realize it yet, but he was completely gone for that woman.

  SEVENTEEN

  “Twice in one day. What did I do to get so lucky?” Talia greeted Tucker with a smile and a lively kiss that made his pants tight in two seconds flat.

  Although his spirits were lightened just by seeing her, his nerves more relaxed now that he knew she was okay, Tucker remained stiff, his gaze constantly assessing their surroundings. “You alone?” he asked, peering over her shoulder into the apartment.

  Her brows knit together. “Well, yeah. I was just squeezing in a nap before I get some writing done. All that playing earlier zapped what energy I had left.”

  That was when Tucker looked at her—really looked at her—and noticed that her hair was matted on the left side of her head, tiny pillow creases tracked down one cheek from temple to jawline, and she had light shadows under each eye.

  He cursed himself. “I’m sorry, sugar. I didn’t mean to wake you.”

  “Are you sure?” she asked, her tone suggestive.

  He smirked, knowing exactly what direction her mind was going in. Ravenous, wasn’t she? He liked a woman who knew what she wanted and wasn’t afraid to ask for it. Unfortunately, he had too much to do and couldn’t stay. “I’m sure,” he said apologetically.

  “What brought you by then? Forget your earring?”

  His eyes narrowed, and he stepped into her space. Clasping the back of her neck, he drew her in. “Oh, I should use that next time.”

  Her pulse drummed beneath the heel of his hand. “It certainly worked for me.”

  He growled playfully. “I knew you were going to be trouble.”

  Landing a hard kiss on her lips, Tucker devoured her, pouring all his frustration and worry into it. When he was through, he rested his forehead against hers and took a moment to allow his heart rate to settle and his cock to calm down.

  It was impossible to be around this woman for more than a minute without getting turned on. It was as if she had mystical powers when it came to his dick, able to call it to attention with just a look or touch.

&
nbsp; “So really, why are you here?”

  He sighed at the question. Normally, he’d dodge it, offering some overused line meant to placate the woman, but he wasn’t in the mood to placate today. Instead, Tucker found himself sharing a touch of truth.

  “Something came up at work, and I just wanted to swing by and check on ya, make sure you’re okay.”

  “Well, I am,” she said, studying him closely.

  She sensed that something was wrong, but Tucker didn’t offer to elaborate, and she didn’t ask. He liked that. She didn’t try to pry information out of him like most women he knew. She cared, that much was obvious, but she wasn’t going to force him to say anything he wasn’t ready to.

  Kind of reminded him of Gabby that way.

  And on that note…

  “Well, now that I know everything here is good, I’ve gotta jet.”

  “Places to go, people to see?” she asked lightheartedly. No fishing around to make sure he wasn’t running off to be with another woman. Just a genuinely rhetorical response from a genuine person. Another thing to add to the growing list of things he liked about her.

  “Just places. Later, maybe a person. Assuming she’s up for company, that is.”

  “Hmm…maybe,” she said coyly, and what do you know, he liked that too.

  His cock agreed. Reaching down to adjust himself, Tucker forced himself to ignore her lust-filled look and said, “On that note, I’d better get out of here before I end up on my back again.”

  Her lips pursed. “Because I’m so insatiable, I assume. It’s not as if I clubbed you over the head and dragged you into my bed, climbed on top of you, and rode you into the sunset, you know.”

  Oh damn, how hot was that visual? His brain started working overtime, and before Tucker knew it, he was hard as a steel pipe again. He groaned, shifting himself around in his tight jeans. It was no use, though. It was physically impossible to be comfortable in jeans with a hard-on.

  “You keep slinging those metaphors around, and I might have to club you over the head and have my wicked way with you, sugar.” He tapped the end of her nose with the tip of his finger. “You’re dangerous to my self-control, so I’m leavin’ before I don’t.”

  He backed away, flashing her a dimpled grin. “Wait up for me.”

  Slowly, she began closing the door. “Don’t worry, I won’t,” she singsonged.

  Goddamn, she was amazing.

  Smiling all the way back to his bike, Tucker was already plotting out the course of the rest of the day. First, he’d make some calls and run some searches on the Web, see what turned up. He doubted it’d be much, though. Cruiz was the smooth criminal type. Had to be to get as far as he had. The life of a drug dealer had a reputation for being short-lived, and Cruiz had already exceeded his expiration date.

  After he was finished scouring through his contacts, he had some minor errands to run, including a quick stop by Blake’s place to relay his findings before he circled back around to Talia’s and got the night officially started.

  Maybe he’d bring along a bottle of wine, help lube her up a bit. Although, she hadn’t needed any help in that department. A woman who was always ready was a hell of an aphrodisiac. Did she even like wine? Lord knew he hated the stuff. He didn’t care what anyone said, he’d never met a good vino. Shit tasted like rubbing alcohol with a pinch of athlete’s foot. But she did like those little fruity drinks a whole lot. Maybe he’d pick her up some wine coolers instead, get her nice and tipsy then see what he could do about talking her into that headstand.

  Oh yeah, he liked that idea. Front row seats to an ass that wouldn’t quit? Sign him up.

  Nodding to himself, Tucker mounted the bike and dropped his helmet on his head. He was clipping it in place, his eyes scanning the parking lot, when he noticed a van parked down the street. Vans, in general, didn’t usually arouse suspicion, but there was something about this one that piqued his interest.

  A pristine white, it was windowless in the back and had a generic carpet cleaning logo slapped on the side. It was one of those nondescript vans that any business could purchase. It was also the kind he and his friends had always dubbed “kidnapping vans” growing up.

  Call him paranoid, but Tucker didn’t take chances. Especially when someone he cared about was at risk. So he did what needed to be done: Tucker revved the engine then drove right up to the thing.

  A cursory inspection revealed nothing out of the ordinary. No one was inside, and nothing was going on outside. He looked around at all the buildings for any sign of the cleaning crew responsible for parking it there, but he found nothing. Aside from the usual flow of traffic, everything was as normal as could be.

  Dropping the kickstand, he left the bike long enough to circle the van, testing all the handles only to find them locked up tight. He wanted to see with his own eyes that it was empty, that nothing was going on in the back where he couldn’t see. Had it been night, he would have simply busted out a window and let himself inside, but it was broad daylight, and there were people everywhere. Getting arrested for B&E wasn’t the smart way to handle things, so he’d have to curb the urge until later. If he came back and found it still sitting there, he wouldn’t give a damn whether anyone else was around. He’d tear the doors off the hinges if he had to, to set his mind at ease.

  Until then, he needed to make sure that Talia was covered while he was gone. Returning to his bike, he sat down and pulled out his phone. His eyes roamed the area as it rang, constantly on the lookout for anything suspicious.

  When the line connected, he said, “I need eyes on Maple, apartment two-five-one.” Then he waited, only leaving once the prospect was in place and he was assured that he wasn’t going anywhere until he relieved him personally. He probably didn’t need to, but Tucker let him know that if he turned his back for even a second and anything happened to Talia, the guy would be short a few vital parts. He’d readily agreed.

  Smart of him, because Tucker never issued a threat that he didn’t follow through with. He was dependable like that.

  ***

  It didn’t take long for Tucker to hunt down what he needed. All the hallmarks were there in the investigator’s report: abnormal heat markers present at multiple points, evidence of tampering with the electrical box, and the presence of an accelerant. Add that to the windows and doors all having been left open when the crew’s statements claimed they were always kept closed, and it was the fucking trifecta.

  Unfortunately, there was nothing to point to a possible motive or the person or persons involved in setting the fire, but all Tucker had to do was look at what was used to make a connection: a combination of acetone and lighter fluid, two main ingredients in your common meth lab.

  So the answer to their little mystery had to be Ricky fucking Cruiz. He was the only person who had motive and means, which made him guilty as sin in Tucker’s book.

  “The bastard is going to pay.”

  Standing on Blake’s front porch, picking his teeth with a toothpick, he stared out over the lawn and nodded. “That he is, my friend. That he is.”

  “No one messes with my property and gets away with it.”

  “No, they don’t.”

  “You do realize this means Cruiz is in town, right?”

  “Either that or he has his lackeys doing his dirty work while he sits off someplace cushy eating Bon-Bons and watching Married with Children reruns.”

  “I love that show,” Blake commented. “They never should have canceled it.”

  “Fucking crime,” Tucker agreed, shaking his head.

  They stood in comfortable silence for a minute before getting back to business. “You think Jodi has anything to do with it?”

  Tucker paused in his picking and looked up at his president. Eyes shot through with worry and tension stared back at him. “She’d be fucking stupid if she was.”

  Blake’s head bobbed slowly on his shoulders in agreement. “So that’s a yes.”

  “Likely, yeah.”


  “Stupid bitch. I should have listened when everyone said to stay away from her.”

  “You were a kid,” Tucker offered, hoping to ease his guilty conscience somewhat. “None of us thought with the big brain back then.”

  “That’s some truth right there.”

  “How’s Gabby taking all this?”

  “I haven’t told her.”

  Tucker shot him a look that clearly conveyed he thought his friend was crazy for leaving her in the dark. It was always better to be prepared than to find yourself in the middle of the jungle without a weapon and one hand tied behind your back.

  “Can you blame me? She’s a runner. One word about this, and she’d freak out. She’d start blaming herself again and then making excuses why she should leave and save us all the trouble.”

  “Hmm, yeah, woman logic. Gotta love it.” Tucker pitched the frayed toothpick into the lawn. “Have you reminded her that Cruiz is coming whether she’s here or not? That this beef goes back to when we were all just a twinkle in our father’s eyes? He’s just using her and that money as an excuse to ignite a war between the clubs.”

  “I’ve told her a thousand times. Trust me, she’s got a knack for twisting everything around in her head and believing it’s her fault. Shit, Ash got his finger slammed in the trunk while helping put away groceries the other day and she was convinced it was a sign that she wasn’t meant to be a mother.”

  Tucker’s eyes widened. “Seriously?”

  One of Blake’s dark brows winged up. “Seriously.”

  And he thought something was wrong with him for avoiding relationships? “Tell me you set her straight.”

  A sly grin crept across his president’s face. “Several times.”

  “That’s what I’m talkin’ about!” They laughed and pounded fists. “You still workin’ on that new addition, man?”

  “Like it’s my job.”

  “Man, if you’re comparing sex with a job, then you’re not doing it right,” Tucker chided. “Sex with a woman is a privilege. Anyone who skims the details and doesn’t fully appreciate what she’s givin’ them doesn’t deserve the invite.”