She looked up at the elevator shaft. “Can we get out of here? Please? I’m not too fond of freight elevators either.”
He nodded, but stepped toward her. She took a step back. He moved closer and took her chin in his hand, tilting her face up to his. “All right, Princess. You don’t want to talk about it, I’ll give you that. But I’m here to protect you, and to do that, I need to know what the hell I’m dealing with. Understand?”
She nodded, her eyes big.
“Shannon, I’ll keep you safe. I promise. No one is going to hurt you. You need to believe that.”
Those big blue eyes looked up at him. Looking at him like she wanted to believe him, but she didn’t know if she could trust him.
“See you don’t trust me. But you will, Shannon. You will. I’ll see to it.” He let her go and moved to throw the lever again.
When the elevator stopped, and he threw the gate open, she hustled across the loft and into the bathroom, shutting the door. Crash paused at the island, his palms spread on the cold granite, and he dropped his head. Shit, what had he gotten himself into with her?
His cell went off. Pulling it out, he flipped it open and put it to his ear. “Yeah?”
“That little shit’s goin’ after his girls.” Cole’s voice came across the line. “One of the girls that quit and went to work for Sonny was beaten last night.”
“Motherfucker,” Crash breathed into the phone.
“Mack’s calling us in. When can you be here?”
“Ah,” he glanced toward the bathroom. “I can be there in about twenty.”
“See ya then, brother.”
“Yeah.” Crash disconnected. Walking over to the bathroom, he leaned his palms on the frame and bent his head to the door. “Shannon, something’s come up. I need to go out.”
“Fine,” came the sniffled response from the other side of the door. Shit, was she crying?
“You okay, babe?”
“Yes.”
“Can you come out here, please?”
“Just a minute.”
He heard water running in the sink. He waited. A moment later, the door opened, and he stepped back. If she’d been crying, she’d fixed her face because there were no traces. She looked up at him. “I…ah…have to go out. Club business. You gonna be okay here alone?”
“Yes. I’ll be fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes, Crash. I’m fine now. Go on and go.”
He nodded. “All right.” He wasn’t sure why he did it, but he found his hand raising, and the back of his knuckles brushed her cheek. “Come on. I’ll send the elevator back up. You need to lock it in place.”
She nodded, and he stepped away.
She followed him to the elevator. He paused before he stepped on. “You call me if there are any problems, yeah?”
“I will.”
His hand hooked the base of her neck, and pulling her close, he pressed a kiss to the top of her head. When he pulled back, he instructed, “You need me, you call. I mean it.”
She nodded, looking a little flustered by the kiss.
He stepped into the elevator and slammed the gate. Leaning back against the bar, he threw the lever and began descending. His eyes remained on her until she was out of sight.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Crash pulled up at the clubhouse. It was an old brick two-story manufacturing plant at the end of a dead-end street back in an industrial park. It was surrounded by a parking lot and a chain-link fence and backed up to a set of railroad tracks.
Throwing his kickstand down, Crash threw his leg over, dismounting. There were about a dozen bikes in the lot. Cole and Red Dog were outside smoking when he approached the door. There was a big sign over the door with the Evil Dead emblem, the Angel of Death.
His eyes connected with Cole’s. “Everyone here?”
Cole tossed his cigarette. “Just waiting on you.”
The three of them headed inside. They walked through the open area which contained a couple of pool tables off to the left and a bar off to the right. The floors were concrete and the ceilings high with multi-paned grimy windows up high in the brick walls. Exposed iron beams ran across the ceiling. A metal staircase off to the left led to a second floor where the old factory offices had been. Under the second level was a conference room they used for club meetings. It still held the original conference table and chairs. Back beyond that were some restrooms and a hall that led back to the large manufacturing floor.
Crash followed Cole and Red Dog into the conference room, stopping to toss their cell phones into a plastic tub held by one of their prospects. Mack was at the head of the table, smoking a cigar. The rest of his brothers were gathered around. Cole shut the door and moved to take his seat to Mack’s left. Crash and Red Dog pulled out chairs and sat.
An hour later, they’d come up with a strategy for dealing with Artie Gorman and on how to give Sonny a hand with keeping his new girls safe. He’d taken on five of Artie’s former employees, including one bartender. They’d decided to take shifts escorting the girls to and from work, since the attack had taken place in the parking lot outside the girl’s apartment.
Wolf was the lucky one in charge of that detail, along with two prospects.
The beaten girl had been unable to identify her attacker. She’d said she’d never seen him before and couldn’t connect him to the Queen of Hearts, but Mack and Cole were sure Artie was behind it. They’d decided another visit was in order. Artie had made his first payment, after a little persuasion, but that didn’t mean he liked it or didn’t hold a grudge.
They’d made a plan for a visit tonight, after the place was closed. Which meant he’d be leaving Shannon alone again. This time at night. He thought about sending a prospect to watch over her, but he wasn’t sure she’d be comfortable with a strange guy staying with her.
The meeting concluded, and the guys all walked over to the bar for a drink. Cole moved next to him. Crystal, who was manning the bar slid them each a bottle of beer. Crash twisted the cap off and threw it at her with a grin. She caught it in mid-air and tossed it into the trash. Crash cracked a smile as he tipped the bottle up, taking a long pull.
Red Dog sat down next to Crash and smiled. Crash looked over at him and did a double take. He hadn’t noticed till just then, two of Dogs teeth were missing. Crash teased him, “At first, I thought you’d lost weight, but then I realized, no, it was just teeth.”
“Ha. Ha. You look like shit,” Dog replied.
“That’s very funny, coming from a jack-o-lantern,” Crash fired back.
Red Dog waited a moment, and when Crash didn’t make any further comments, he asked, “You ain’t even curious?”
“Curiosity is a vice. It’s one of the few I don’t have,” Crash replied.
“Go on,” Cole encouraged. “Ask him what the hell happened.”
“All right, I’ll bite. What happened?”
Just then a new girl walked up, her hands running up and down Dog’s back. Obviously, they had something going on. Red Dog looked over his shoulder. “Beat it, darlin’.”
She pouted and walked off.
Red Dog watched her ass as she sauntered away. Then he turned back to the guys with a grin and said, “She’s like a high-performance vacuum.”
“Good on hardwoods and carpet?” Cole asked with a grin.
“You know it.”
The guys chuckled.
Crash took a hit off his beer. “You’re keepin’ quiet about Shannon, right? Don’t need Mack finding out.”
“Silence will cost you, brother,” Dog teased.
“Come on, Dog, you scratch my back, and I won’t tell Mary who’s scratchin’ yours,” he teased back, glancing back at the girl.
Dog just grinned, “Don’t matter. She already knows. Who do you think knocked my teeth out?”
Crash chuckled.
“She cut him off, too,” Cole added with a laugh.
“Oh, yeah?” Crash grinned, looking at Dog. He leaned to
ward Cole and mused, “I wonder what his brain is gonna do with all that extra blood.”
Cole almost spit out his beer.
“That woman’s driving me crazy.”
Crash grinned, “Yeah, which one?”
Dog gave him a smirk. “Mary, dickhead. She’s always wanting to talk about feelings for Christ’s sake. Always wanting to know what I’m thinking.” He took a hit off his beer. “Like I’m thinking all the time.”
Cole and Crash burst out laughing.
“Women,” Red Dog grumbled.
“What, you ready to give ‘em up?” Crash goaded.
“No, it’s just all the crap you have to go through to get to the good stuff.”
Cole lit a cigarette. “Shut up, Dog. You’re lucky Mary puts up with your shit.”
“That woman can emasculate a man quicker than Green can jerk off.”
Crystal brought Dog a beer and purred, “I could make you feel like a man, Red Dog.”
Red Dog grinned, “That right, baby-cakes?”
“Yeah, take out the trash.” She jerked her thumb toward the garbage can.
The guys hooted with laughter.
“Bitch, Bitch, Bitch. That’s all you ever are,” he teased back.
Green walked up, standing between Crash and Red Dog, lighting a cigarette. He looked over and noticed Red Dog’s missing teeth. Letting out a chuckle he said, “Trick or treat.”
“That’s supposed to be a joke?” Red Dog growled.
Green paused, the lighter half way to his smoke. “Yeah, okay.”
“He want a beer?” Crystal asked Crash, nodding toward Green.
“He’s breathin’ ain’t he?” Cole replied for him.
Crystal grinned and got him a beer.
“What are we talking about, boys?” Green asked, flicking his lighter closed and drawing on his smoke.
“Red Dog was just telling us the joys of being married,” Crash replied.
“Huh. Joys, eh? No woman’s catching me in that trap,” Green snorted.
“Come on, Green,” Red Dog encouraged. “Don’t you want to get married? Have a sweet, willin’ woman waiting on you when you get home with a backrub and a hot dinner?”
“Well, at least there’d be something in it for me.”
“Well, that one’s mostly theoretical,” Dog admitted.
Crash and Cole just shook their heads, trying not to laugh.
Mack walked up and sat on Cole’s other side. “VP.”
“Pres.”
Crystal brought him over a beer.
“How’s the remodel coming?” Crash asked. Mack had been remodeling his house with the help of Natalie, Angel’s aunt, whom he’d been in a relationship with for a couple of years now.
“Fuck, don’t bring that up. That woman’s turned the honey-do list into an art form. She’s got so many projects lined up for me, I’m ready to break.”
“Speak of the devil.” Crash nodded toward the door. “Here she comes with her list.”
Mack’s head swiveled to look. Natalie was walking in, a piece of paper clutched in her hand. “Another goddamned list. God bless it.” His head dropped.
“If you lie real still, she may just sniff you and leave you alone,” Dog whispered.
Green chuckled.
She walked up, smiling brightly. Crash’s eyes roved over her. She may be Angel’s aunt, but she was no gray haired grandmother. She was only in her late forties and had always reminded Crash of a young Ann Margret. His eyes slid over her slim shapely figure. She was wearing slim-cut black pants and a silver tank top with matching high-heeled sandals. Her glossy red hair fell to just below her shoulders and her fiery green eyes matched Angel’s.
“Hi, honey. Boys.”
They all nodded back.
“Hey, sweetheart,” Mack murmured, hooking an arm around her waist and pulling her in for a kiss. “What have you got there, baby?” He pulled the paper from her hand.
“I need a guy’s opinion on something.”
Grinning, he replied sarcastically, “Okay. I’ll be the guy.”
“Do you think we should wallpaper the bathroom? Because I think it would go really well with the new sink and flooring.”
“Wallpaper?” Mack asked dumbfounded.
Cole stifled a laugh.
“Baby, you already had me replace the flooring and paint. Now you want me to put up wallpaper?”
“Mack, don’t you think it would look better?”
He rolled his eyes. “We’re just pretending I have a choice here, right?”
She smiled. “Right.”
“Look, Natalie—you made a brand new vein stand out on Mack’s head,” Cole kidded.
She gave Cole a look that could kill and turned back to Mack. “Let’s sit and talk.”
“She’s offering you candy, brother. Don’t get in the car.” This from Red Dog.
The guys snorted, trying unsuccessfully to stifle their laughter.
Ignoring them, she slid her arms around Mack’s neck. “Remember that thing we did this morning, baby?”
Cole almost choked on his beer. “TMI, Natalie.”
She ignored Cole and traced the contours of Mack’s ear with the tip of her finger. “You want to do it again, baby?”
Mack stared at her like he was completely under her spell. “Is this some kind of trick question?”
The guys all snickered.
Cole came to her rescue. “You treat him too good, Natalie.”
“I was just trying to be nice.”
“This morning you were real nice, baby.” Mack grinned at her.
“Yeah, well he’s not used to being treated that way.”
“Shut up, Cole,” Mack snapped. “You want wallpaper, baby, you got it.”
She gave him a megawatt smile and kissed him.
“When you come up for air, brother, there’s a fresh beer for ya,” Cole teased, setting a beer down in front of Mack.
Natalie pulled back. “I have to run. I have to pick up some wallpaper samples.”
“Okay, sweetheart. Do I get another kiss?”
“Later…if you’re good.”
“Ooh,” could be heard from all the guys.
Mack ignored her response, pulled her to him, bent her backwards and kissed her goodbye. After she’d sauntered out. He turned back to the guys. “I’m gonna lock myself in that goddamn bathroom, take a hot bath and slit my wrists.”
Cole burst out laughing.
“Don’t get any blood on that new flooring,” Crash advised, with a laugh.
“I should have stayed in bed this morning.”
“Suck it up, cupcake,” Cole jabbed with a smile.
“This is the kind of shit day that ends with some newscaster ending his story by saying… ‘before turning the gun on himself’.”
“Sounded to me like it started out real nice,” Cole chuckled.
“Yeah? Well, it’s all been downhill since then.”
“She’s got you wrapped, brother,” Cole teased him.
“No she doesn’t,” Mack protested.
“The hell she doesn’t. Ask anybody in the room.”
More laughter was heard around the bar. Mack grabbed his beer and walked off, grumbling, “Assholes.”
Crash took a hit off his beer.
Cole did the same, and then looked over at him. “How’re things going with Shannon?”
Crash looked over at him. “Fine.”
Cole studied him. “What’s the matter, brother?”
A grin pulled at Crash’s mouth. His brother could read him like a book. Not surprising since they’d known each other since they were kids. “Just hate leaving her alone, you know?”
“You want me to take you off this tonight? We don’t need you, brother. I got enough boys.”
Crash hesitated. “Naw. She’ll probably be fine.”
“Brother, I know you. If you got a feeling about this, it’s for a reason.”
“She’s just been kinda jumpy, you know?”
“You sure?”
“Yeah.” He nodded toward Crash’s beer. “You should finish that and get back.”
Crash nodded.
Cajun stumbled over.
“You want to play pool, Cajun,” Green asked.
“I’ve been drinking all day.”
“Good, then we’re playing for money.”
*****
Crash pulled in his garage and called Shannon to send the elevator down. After a few moments, it started rattling its decent. When he ascended and threw open the gate, Shannon was nowhere to be found. He strolled through the loft, glancing in the bedroom, bathroom, and finally headed up the stairs to find Shannon sitting up on the roof.
She twisted to look at him when she heard the door open.
“Hello,” she greeted him with a smile.
He moved toward her, coming around the side of her chair. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.”
“What the hell is that?” Crash asked, stopping dead when he saw what she was holding. A skinny, orange tabby cat.
“A kitten. Well, it’s barely older than a kitten.” She held the thing up to her nose. “Aren’t you, Eddie?”
“Christ, you’ve named it already?”
She grinned, cuddling it to her. “Yup. I named him Eddie for Eddie Van Halen. I name all my cats after famous guitarists.”
“All your cats?”
“Um hmm. I’ve had a Duane for Duane Allman, Buddy for Buddy Guy, Kenny for Kenny Wayne Sheppard, Stevie for Stevie Ray Vaughn and Jimmy for Jimmy Hendrix.”
“Christ, how many cats have you had?”
“A few.”
“You’re a nut.” He shook his head. “Where’d it come from?”
“The alley.”
He put his hands on the three-foot high wall that surrounded the roof and peered over, down into the alley below. “How the hell did it get up here?” He watched as Shannon just shrugged, all innocent like. Right. “It sure as hell didn’t climb up the wall.” He folded his arms, leaned back against the wall and glared at her.
She stayed quiet.
CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) Page 10