by Rachel Cade
She was upset and he knew it. Still, he felt the hard urge to backhand her.
Why was everyone testing him today? Callas, that fat fuck Mitch, and now his God damn fiancée. He was sick of all of it.
And that God damn beeping!
He took a deep breath. “I know my job.”
“Well, why don’t you go and do it then?” Her voice was pointed, lethal. She might as well have been her old man sitting there. It might as well have been his voice.
“Jesus, how is he?” Craig came stumbling into the room, and the noise was a welcome distraction.
“Where the hell have you been?” Ashley asked.
Will was glad she had a new target for her venom. “I’m going to head back to town.”
“I meant what I said, Will,” she said as he passed Craig.
*
Will stared at the biker. They were not far from Lil’ Apple motel, inside an antique shop that barely opened once a week.
Normally he wouldn’t be at these meetings, but he had a very specific purpose.
“You got Death Skulls here.” A man with a tattoo on his chin that Will assumed was the leader spoke up.
Mitch busied himself with making the exchange, only glancing at Will briefly.
“We do.”
“How long have they been here?”
“Too long,” Will answered. “And I need them out.”
The man grinned. “What’s that mean?”
Mitch seemed satisfied as he looked over the money in the duffle bag. But at the turn in the conversation, he eyed Will again.
“You interested in making some side money?”
*
“You finally picked up your phone?” Noa said after he heard Chaos’s voice on the other end.
“Where the hell are you guys? I had to bring Mrs. C and your baby back to the warehouse.”
“Why?” Noa gripped the phone.
“Dude, Los Bandidos are already here.”
“Who the fuck is that?” Bleed’s deep voice cut over Chaos’s words. As they drove past Lil’ Apple when they returned to Amber Falls, Noa’s eyes spotted a dark Corvette on the side of the road in front of a closed shop.
“They saw her outside of the diner,” Chaos continued.
Noa jerked forward. “Are you fuckin’ serious?”
“They’re okay, I promise.”
Noa motioned for Bleed to pull the van off the road.
“Did Tin put any guys on the street?”
“No, we’re holding down the fort here. Where are you guys?”
Noa let out a breath. “We’ll be there soon. And thanks man.”
“Yeah, just get back here, alright?”
Thanks to the open space, the only place they could park and not be seen was behind the motel. Bleed had shut the van lights off before they got back into the town’s limits, making it a bit easier for them to back up on the road undetected.
“You think the cops are in there with them?” Bleed asked.
Noa quietly opened his car door. “Likely. This must be their meetup spot.”
“The fuck happened to Whisper?” Bleed checked the rounds in his glock’s magazine before putting it back in the holster beneath his vest. “How are we playing this?”
“Bust in and shoot up everyone? The world’s a better place.”
Bleed gave him a look with a small lift of his mouth.
Shoot everyone.
These fuckers were at the diner? Right under Lyndie? Could there have been a worst case scenario?
Was Durand crazy enough to be in there too? he wondered.
His trigger finger had still been itching for Eduardo back at the hotel.
As much as anger tried to get the best of him, he had to remember the consequences.
It was a hard fight.
He took a breath. “We’ll just check and see who the players are for now. We don’t need to draw any more of these crazy fucks here.”
Under the cover of night, Noa and Bleed moved quickly to the side of the building.
*
“Gentlemen, it was nice doing business. We’ll make some different arrangements for next time.” Mitch closed the duffle bag and seemed ready to leave.
Will couldn’t blame him. This set of guys, if possible, looked worse than those fucking Death Skulls.
“Side money?” Chin tattoo asked. “For what?”
Mitch offered him another look.
“I need you to do what I’m sure you do best: cause a lot of trouble.”
He chuckled. “Small town law is always the dirtiest.”
Will ignored the statement, but Henry visibly got upset. “Are you willing to do it or not?”
“I think we’re good with keeping this as a simple transaction,” Mitch cut in. “And that’s done. It’s getting late we should all go home.”
“You want to hire us to fuck up your little town, sir?” He cracked a knuckle before looking at his partner. “That’s usually a free service, but we could put it into consideration.”
“Eduardo set up this meeting. And our business is done. I’m sure they’re waiting for you,” Mitch’s voice cut through their conversation sternly.
Tattoo chin lowered his eyes briefly, eyeing Mitch, who didn’t back down.
*
Two regular cars were parked behind the building. No squad car, so if they were inside, they weren’t that bold. A back door opened and Noa quickly hid behind a few trash cans against the wall as someone he emerged. He recognized Lyndie’s boss Mitch as he came out, walking toward his car.
The second person to come out was Henry, Deputy Douche.
“Are you crazy?” Mitch turned toward the door as Durand came out.
Noa’s hand was already on his gun.
How simple and easy it would be to get rid of his problem right then.
And Lyndie’s problem.
“I don’t appreciate what you did.” Their voices were low, but Noa had no trouble hearing them in the dead quiet of the open space. Bleed was on the other side of the building, and Noa wondered if he spotted anyone else.
“It’s my meeting,” he answered. “My meeting, my connect. You’re the muscle. That’s how this thing works.”
Durand was in street clothes, still giving off the presence of an absolute dick.
“If we’re not around, there is no business. That’s how this thing works.” He was in Mitch’s face now. Noa couldn’t see his expression because his back was to him.
A car started. Likely Los Bandidos in the front of the building. They must have used another exit. They had to go back to Vegas for the drop; they wouldn’t fuck around about that.
“You gonna let that gang showing up here fuck everything up?” Mitch asked, looking up hard at him. “Let those guys go. Men like that aren’t guys you can put a leash on, Will.”
“Every second now everyone wants to tell me how to handle shit. I’m either not dealing with it at all and when I try to handle it, it still isn’t right.” His laugh was quick, bitter. “Mitch, I’m going to say this for the last fucking time. You keep your fucking nose out of how I run Amber Falls.”
“Radio Dexter,” he said to Henry. “Make sure he sees them leave town.”
Henry stepped away from them to get on his phone.
“Maybe you were right.” Mitch tossed the duffle bag’s strap over his shoulder. “I’ll talk to my connect and come up with an excuse to delay the next drop.”
“Glad to see you come around.”
“Yeah…” He turned to get into his car and left the parking lot.
Noa stood up against the wall.
Durand’s back was still to him, a gun in the back of his waistband.
Just a few steps out of the shadows.
One shot.
*
“This is Noa’s spot so you guys can wait here.” Lyndie didn’t tell him that she’d been here before as Chaos let her and Max into Noa’s trailer.
It was cool inside. Clean, like she remembered
.
“You can watch some TV. Did you want some food? I can find you something.”
“Thank you.” She set Max’s carrier down on the couch and unsnapped him out of it. He seemed pretty anxious to be picked up. She held him to her chest and smoothed a hand down his back. “So much…” Max tried to rub his mouth on her uniform. “Are you going to get in trouble for bringing me here?”
Chaos’s brows raised. He took off his cap and she realized his colorful hair was gone. Now it was jet black and cut low on the sides. “It’s fine, Mrs. C. You’re one of us now. We take care of our own. What does the baby eat?”
“Milk,” she smiled. “I kind of have that covered.”
“Got you. Hang tight. I’ll be back. And it’s okay to relax; you’re safe here. We got enough artillery to blow this place off the map.” His laugh quickly dropped. “Figure of speech. We’re not gonna blow anything up.”
Lyndie’s nod was slow.
“I’ll find some food, though.”
Lyndie pulled Max away from her. “Are you okay, munch?” His smile was full of gums. “You’re just a tough guy, aren’t you?” She brought him to her and kissed his forehead. “We need to get you cleaned up. You smell like grease, just like me.”
She busied herself with finding some water and a bowl to get her baby freshened up and changed.
She needed a plan.
As Max kicked his tiny feet into the air eagerly on top of his duck blanket, Lyndie’s thoughts were on what she was going to do.
She had to be smart about this and use her savvy. It wasn’t about stopping Will, necessarily. Not physically anyway. But maybe she could sway him in a direction where he would do himself in. It wasn’t a bad idea, but it involved the worst tactic she could think of: getting him to trust her again.
And how the hell was she going to that after the incident in the diner today, not even wanting him to touch their child?
But one thing she had on her side was that he would never suspect her.
That gave her a definite advantage.
And she also knew he was still interested in her, even if it was just on a sexual level.
Lyndie shook her head, not even breathing for a moment.
The night he tossed her against his car at the diner, the times he humiliated her again and again. All his head games.
He deserved a taste of his own medicine.
Shit, what about Noa?
If she told him her plan, he’d be pissed.
But she had to do something. Noa’s loyalty was to his club first. One day he would have to go again, because he was a Nomad and she’d be here with no protection from Will. Once his visa was obtained, they would divorce and Lyndie would have to build her new life with Max.
She wanted to do it safely, without any thought of Will showing up at her place or her job.
Once Max was cleaned up, she decided to give herself a tour of Noa’s trailer to try to relax her nerves a bit.
In his bedroom, which was a decent size, she couldn’t help but notice how much it smelled like him. It was a little disheveled, but the bed was made.
She turned to leave, but something behind the door caught her attention. It was a tank on a metal table. But the inside didn’t hold any fish.
Just one large scorpion.
Before Lyndie caught her breath, she rushed out of the room with Max, closing the door quickly.
Chapter Five:
Deal With The Devil
As soon as Noa and Bleed got back to the warehouse property, he could see the guys were on high alert. But no one had gone out into the street and he was thankful Tin had listened.
He planned on making a beeline to his trailer, but his President stopped him.
“So you’re givin’ the orders now?”
Noa knew this conversation was coming, but he wasn’t interested in it right then.
“I made a call,” he answered, glancing over at his trailer in the distance.
“Yeah, they’re in there,” Tin snapped, guessing his line of thinking. “You went against my authority.”
Noa wound his jaw. “I did. I had a bad feeling leaving them here and went with my gut. I won’t make excuses.”
Tin’s teeth flashed. “There aren’t any excuses to make.”
“We stumbled on Los Bandidos making the buy with the cops on the way back. I think Durand might be trying to make a side deal. Likely to use them to get rid of us. He needs more leverage since Langley’s condition is up in the air.”
Tin listened. Noa watched his eyes narrow as his words sank in.
“And no one saw you?”
Noa shook his head.
“A dirty cop with everything to lose is not a guy you give time to plan.” Tin took a breath. “He’s got the potential and connections to get us all fucked up. We have to handle him quickly and swiftly only when necessary, and with no traces back to us. Do you hear me?”
He nodded. “I apologize for not heeding the order.” Which was true. He did. But he would do it again if it meant protecting Lyndie.
*
She looked up, expecting to see Chaos coming back into the trailer with food.
But it wasn’t him.
Noa’s large figure, cloaked in black, stood at the door.
Lyndie stood up from the couch and closed the space in a few steps, rushing into his hug.
She squeezed her eyes shut and tightened her arms over his shoulder as he lifted her off the ground.
“I’m glad you’re okay,” she whispered near his neck.
He didn’t answer right away, just held her in the quiet.
Lyndie let go of her breath and all her anxiety and just relaxed in his arms.
It was the safest place she ever felt in her life.
“I’m glad you’re okay, too.” He lowered her back to the ground.
“Can I guess things didn’t go okay in Vegas?”
Max had fallen asleep in his carrier watching wrestling. She would have never thought he’d be interested while still being so small.
Noa’s thumb grazed her chin. “No. It didn’t go as planned. Tell me what happened with you.”
*
He’d brought her the BLT sandwich and chips Chaos had been on his way back with.
“He’s a good driver.”
Noa’s laugh was short before his head lowered. “I’m sorry that happened. The last thing I wanted was for you and Max to be in danger.”
The sudden grimness in his face sent her hand to it, stopping at his temple to wipe away sweat. “We’re okay,” she said softly.
He’ll protect you and Max. Her face warmed as she recalled Vicky’s words, which she clearly remembered brushing off. She just kept having to remind her heart that he wouldn’t be here forever. Her life just didn’t work out that way. She had to stay grounded in reality.
“You want to take a shower?” he asked looking down at her uniform. “I only have t-shirts, but you can borrow one to sleep in.”
“You’re sweatier.” Her fingers skimmed his cheek as she lowered her hand. “You take one first.”
*
And one of the reasons was because he spent more than a few minutes against a dark wall with his gun trained on the back of her ex’s head.
“Ladies first. I’ll be alright. You go ahead. There’s towels in there.”
“The shower in your bedroom?” she asked.
“Yeah.”
Her mouth opened before she squinted. “You have a scorpion in there.”
“Lucy?”
“Lucy?” she repeated.
Noa smiled. “I’ll find a spot to put her.”
He moved the aquarium, putting it outside near his bike, covering it up, since more than a few of the guys weren’t fans.
Noa had no idea how all this was going to fall out, but he felt calmer with them here.
She showered first and was on the bed in one of his skull-covered t-shirts when he came out of the bathroom.
Max was on his bed sleeping quit
e comfortably on his stomach.
Seeing them just felt like home.
Noa sat on the bed by her feet.
He put them on his towel-covered lap, seeing the redness on the soles.
Gently he started to massage them.
Lyndie didn’t hide her surprise.
“Um, thank you.”
He shook his head, continuing to rub her feet. “It’s not a problem.”
“I need to get some better shoes.”
“You’re on your feet too long during the day.”
She shrugged, glancing at Max after he coughed. “Comes with the job.”
“I could pay your bills for you if you want to take a break.” He felt her foot tense, but continued with his touch.
“We already have the arrangement for the marriage,” she answered softly.
“So?”
His hand smoothed over her heel. He knew Lyndie wasn’t used to people doing nice things for her and that struggle had been a way of life for her for so long she didn’t know any other way. He still didn’t know much about trying to be romantic and kind. He was just going off instinct. “We make a new arrangement, then.”
He continued rubbing her feet. There were more things he wanted to say to her, but he stayed silent, waiting for her response.
“Negotiating new terms is… what I think they call it.”
Looking down he smiled. “You’re right. Do you want to negotiate new terms with me?”
He looked up to see her mouth folded in a kind of a sheepish smile, but in her eyes, he saw the reluctance.
“You already have so much on your mind. I know Chaos didn’t happen to be by the diner. You had him watching us while you were gone.” Her voice tugged at his heart. “I was trying to make it to my car with Max. But I don’t know what would have happened if he wasn’t there. Thank you.”
Noa couldn’t think about what would have happened. He set his jaw before forcing himself to relax it to talk. “Don’t thank me for protecting you. That’s what I’m supposed to do.” He gently rubbed her ankles in an attempt to distract himself.
“Noa.” She let out a heavy breath. “I don’t – want you to feel like you’re obligated to me and Max.” Her voice was soft. “I get you’re a Nomad… I don’t want you to feel tied down to us.”