“That shows how much you know. Your father doesn’t need to leave Defiance to make money, it comes to him. I wouldn’t be worrying yourself about our vacation plans, those are none of your business.”
Carri nodded her head in acknowledgment, but her mother didn’t stop her tirade. It was almost comical to her how her mother would never change. The words she was spewing all over the place were ones she’d heard many times before.
“He is, after all, a Worthington. We don’t scrape for anything, unlike other people who have to do menial things just to get by.”
Carri wanted to laugh when she made that comment looking right at Suzie. Hell, the woman never once had a clue Suzie had a ton of money. She just didn’t flash it around like the pompous people sitting in the country club currently.
“Did you hear that, Suzie, it only takes the name Worthington and things happen? I feel so blessed, I don’t even know what to do. Do you think if I snapped my fingers, I would get my wish granted?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Carri, but hey, us little people like to dream, so you go girl, snap that digit and let’s see what happens.” Carri had to hold back her laugh when Suzie started to bounce up and down her seat like a little kid, clapping her hands. God, she loved Suzie and had missed her so much. All this was slightly less painful with her around.
“You might not appreciate our family name, Carrington,” her mother’s stern voice broke through her amusement, “but don’t think for one second it didn’t open doors for you.”
“No, Mother, that’s where you’re wrong, I changed my name years ago. Everything I am and have is because I made it happen, not because I was born with the name Worthington. Tell me, Mother dear, exactly what have you done besides dangle like a piece of jewelry from Father’s arm?”
Carri knew that would be the final push her mother needed to leave. Carri had gotten what she needed and really wanted to get the hell out of there. Her father was planning something big in Defiance at the end of the month. She was determined to find out exactly what that was and expose him once and for all.
In a huff, her mother stomped away, and Carri couldn’t resist one last jab, snapping her fingers, she looked at Suzie and said loudly, “Hell, look at that, it does work.”
Suzie laughed, but under her breath she said, “Damn Carri that was really mean, she might be a bitch, but she’s still your mother.”
“No, Suzie, that’s where you’re wrong. That woman might have given birth to me, but beyond that, she was never a mother.”
Carri knew her issues with her parents ran deep, she didn’t try to hide them. She learned they would never change, and unless Carri was willing to fill their mold of who and what she should be, she would never be welcome or even tolerated. She wasn’t willing to conform to anyone’s image, except her own.
“Let’s get out of here.” Carri picked up her napkin and threw it down on the table. “I want to get a few things set up before you drop me off at Addy’s, and I have to face the boys of the RBMC.”
Suzie didn’t make her wait, getting to her feet, walking over to her, and locking her elbow with hers. “Lead the way sister.”
Chapter 7
Link felt like he was going out of his mind. After speaking, or damn he should call it what it was, arguing with Tuck, he stormed out of the Clubhouse, got on his bike, and hightailed it to The Grove. Why? Because Carrington was there. Fuck, Link didn’t want to even think about why that mattered so much to him. She’d been in town for less than a couple of hours and already, thoughts of her were taking up way too much space in his brain.
Looking at The Grove Link snarled; the place always gave him the creeps. It represented everything he wasn’t and never wanted to be. He had the money now, but even with it, a place like this would never suit him. He had no desire to rub elbows with the people who frequented this joint. These people flaunted wealth and status like it meant something when in the long run, it meant absolutely nothing.
A person’s character would always be how Link judged people, not the size of their house or bank account. Plus, he knew too much about most of the people who were members, and that stuff was wrong; everything from simple adultery to downright abuse, and then there were the underhanded to illegal deals. These people thought themselves better, but Link knew the truth, and he couldn’t disguise his distaste.
He felt like a complete douche sitting on the side of the road looking at the place. He had been in such a hurry to get there to find Carrington; now, he wanted to turn the fuck around. Tuck’s words were getting to him. Did he have feelings for Carrington? No, Tuck was wrong, he only wanted a piece of her. She was exactly like the women who came to this club. He had no business thinking of her as anything other than a piece of ass.
Then again, most of the female members of this place came down to the Clubhouse to slum every once in a while; maybe Carrington wasn’t any different. He could get his rocks off and be done with this little mind trip. It was all really a fucking joke to him. These people always acted like the members of the RBMC were the scum of the earth, but when it came down to it, they liked to get a little dirty, just like Val and her crew.
Link was done. He was done playing the games he had been for so many years. He was finally going to have to sit down with Tuck and let him know if the RBMC wanted information from Val, some other brother would have to pay the price, it wouldn’t be him. Link didn’t want that woman in his bed or anywhere near his dick. It had been coming for a long time now, but she seemed to be showing up more and more, and Link couldn’t take it anymore.
It wasn’t like he’d ever been forced to do the things he did with Val, but he was getting older and the games no longer held any appeal to him. Watching first Whiskey, then Tank take Old Ladies, he was starting to think maybe he wanted something other than a mindless fuck. Easy pussy, as Brass would say, wasn’t exactly quality pussy.
Rubbing his hand down his face, Link tried to dispel his fucking thoughts. The Val shit was a no brainer, but he had no business thinking about Old Ladies and his name in the same train of thought. He had a sneaky suspicion it was all because of one smart-mouthed, curvy as fuck lawyer, making him more determined to get her back to where she belonged and away from him.
Noticing Brass and Creed up ahead, he started his bike, again and pulled up beside them.
“Are they still in there? Report. What has she been up to since leaving the courthouse?” Link didn’t even need to use her name, the guys knew exactly who he was talking about.
“She and Suzie left the courthouse after an intense discussion between Ms. Worthington and James Haslet,” Creed answered him.
That peaked Links interest. “Do you know what the discussion was about?”
“Sorry, man, I wasn’t close enough to over hear anything, but it looked heated. Haslet grabbed her a couple of times, but Ms. Worthington held her own.”
That pissed Link off he didn’t like the idea of another man’s hands on Carrington in any way.
“Continue.”
“They made one stop on the way here,” Creed pulled out a small pad of paper from his vest and rattled off and address, “2500 S. Main Street. They were in there for approximately thirty minutes then left the building.” Link didn’t ask a question this time only raised his eyebrow; this time it was Brass who responded. “It’s the building up for lease next to the diner. They met with Myrtle Shownig, the realtor listed for the place. It’s office space.”
Oh no fucking way, Link would put a stop to that shit right quick. Picking up his phone, he dialed the one person who wouldn’t give him any shit and simply do as he was told.
“Jinx, I need you to get me everything on a property on Main Street. Yeah, 2500 South Main. I want to know who owns it and how much it leases for. Then get on the phone, call the realtor in charge of the property, Myrtle Shownig, and tell her that under no circumstances is she to lease the fucker to anyone but the RBMC. Do you hear me?”
Link hung up the phone and glared
at Brass and Creed. It wasn’t their fault, but since the person he wanted to spank wasn’t available at the moment, he would take his frustration out of them.
Brass just looked at him and said, “You know that’s not going to work, right? I might not know Carri all that well, but I do know one thing. If that woman wants something, she’s going to make damn sure she gets it.”
“That’s what you think,” was all Link said in response. He knew his phone ringing, not a second later, wasn’t a good sign. Looking down and seeing Tuck’s name didn’t help dispel that thought. His barked ‘Yeah’ was the only acknowledgment he gave the man.
Brass was unusually quiet these days. Ever since Reagan and Suzie had been taken by Reagan’s brother, the man hadn’t been himself. Gone were his normal jokes and annoying in-your-face attitude. The man’s road name came from him having the biggest brass balls of any of them. He wasn’t afraid of anyone. He did and said whatever came into his mind, no matter the consequences. Link thought, maybe, he’d finally met his match in Suzie, but wondered why Brass didn’t seem happier about it. The guy had been holding a torch for the cute little waitress for as long as Link could remember. Maybe the finish line wasn’t as good as the buildup. Something he needed to remember where Carrington was concerned. Carrington was a firecracker, and he was aware that if he ever got her between the sheets or fuck even up against any hard surface, the buildup would be nothing compared to the ending.
Tuck’s caterwauling laugh didn’t help.
“Addy called and said Carri is headed to her place. I want you to come back to the Clubhouse, we need to discuss a few things before going to the farm.”
“Fine.” The man was still laughing when Link hung up on him. Tuck was having way too much fun at his expense, and he planned to put a stop to it. Glancing back at Brass and Creed, Link made his way back to his bike. He started up the engine, revving it a couple of times.
“They should be headed to Addy’s soon; if they decided to make another stop, call me,” he ordered and pulled out, heading back to the Clubhouse, only this time he took the long way. He needed to get his head together and deal with all the shit swimming in his brain.
As the miles passed by, Link pushed his bike further and harder. He wanted to get the feeling of freedom that riding out on the open road always gave him, but one little woman was still clouding his brain. The same questions kept running through why her and why now? Carrington was beautiful, but she was far from the type of woman who usually caught his attention. She was tiny, fragile even, he would break her with what he wanted to do.
His usual type could only be described, as well, easy. He tended to go for attributes like thin, long legs, in your face boobs, and no brains. No strings, no commitments, and a hell of a lot of no-holds-barred sex. He didn’t want complications and conversation. He wanted to get off and get gone; that was his MO. Carrington was never going to be that type of woman. She was complication personified. She would expect more than to just fuck, she would need a commitment. The bigger problem? The thought didn’t bother him as much as he thought it should. What the hell?
Link pushed his bike further, trying to wrap his head around the thoughts going through his mind. He tried to justify it. He barely knew her, she sure as hell didn’t know him, and they seemed to mix like oil and water. He wanted her, sure, but hell, he’d wanted other women before and never once did they spark thoughts of more than one night or any real feelings.
Pulling his bike over, he found himself sitting at the edge of the high school. Why they fuck had he come here? Then he remembered, and it all made fucking sense. Carrington Worthington was the only woman who had ever stood up to him; she was also the only woman who had ever said no to him. She hadn’t merely said no, she’d said hell no.
He had been a Senior, and she was a Freshman. Link had noticed her right off the bat; since she was Addy’s best friend, and since Whisk was screwing around with Addy, it meant the four of them were often together. He remembered her being a bit nerdy, hot as hell, and sweet, something Link wasn’t used to in girls or women. After watching and hanging out with her for nearly the whole school year, he finally got up the nerve to ask her out, something that never happened. He didn’t pursue girls, even back then. He pointed, and they came running. But Carrington had always been different. She would smile and walk away after he made an ass of himself saying or doing something to get her attention.
The one time he finally got his hands on her, he did something he had never done before and still hadn’t done again. He asked her for a date. When she smiled and walked away with a wink, saying she would think about it, Link could remember feeling all fucking giddy. Two days later when he approached her trying to make plans, she looked him right in the eye and said no. There wasn’t any big long explanation or show of any kind, she’d simply said no.
It pissed him off, and he’d been so floored, he stayed the hell away from her until he left for the Air Force. He remembered hearing things about her, but from that point forward, he blocked anything that was said. He didn’t want to hear about her or what she was doing. He continued to screw around with Val or whoever the fuck he wanted to, and that was that.
Laughing, he brought his hand up and rubbed it down his face. That was it, she was a challenge, one he needed right now. Feeling better now that he figured it out, Link started his bike back up and rode, at a much slower pace, to the Clubhouse. Tuck was wrong, Carrington wouldn’t bring him down, but Link might put her on her knees right before he sent her sweet ass right back to Lexington. All this shit was lust, pure and fucking simple.
Chapter 8
Carri was drained; the flight, her reaction to Link at the airport, and then court. Her little impromptu fight with James then the whole thing with her mother. She and Suzie left the Grove and drove in silence to Addy’s. She still didn’t know if she wanted to be in Defiance; Carri was leaning toward a whopping big no, but she needed to be in Defiance now. Talon was ticked off she’d exposed where he’d been during the attack he’d been accused of, and she hadn’t even had a chance to figure that out, yet. But one thing she did know was that the RBMC was in trouble, and she was going help them whether Lincoln Frost liked it or not.
“Are you okay?” Carri was snapped out of her thoughts when Suzie grabbed her hand. That was the question of the century. Carri didn’t have the answer, so she smiled.
“I’ll be all right, long day, you know. Coming home isn’t always all that it’s cracked up to be in the movies,” Carri tried to laugh, but it came out stilted.
Looking up she noticed they were sitting at Addy’s house. Now this place, this was what she needed, she should have come here first. There were so many good memories here; her freedom from her family, hard work, and friendship. She smiled; this is where she had found herself and realized what she wanted out of life.
The Sinclair farm wasn’t much to look at, a typical two-story farm house. Some might find it lacking, but not Carri. She’d lived in one of the biggest mansions in Defiance and still, this little farm house was worth way more to her.
“Are you going to come in?” she asked, looking at Suzie. That’s when Carri heard it, the telltale sound of pipes. It seemed the two bikers who had been following them all day had finally caught up.
Carri watched her friend as her sweet smile turned sad, but before she could ask what was going on, Suzie said, “No, like you it’s been a long day, and I only want to get home. Tell Addy and the others hi for me, okay? I’m going to call it a night. After all, we have a lot to do tomorrow if you want to get the office up and running.”
“In case I didn’t say it before,” Carri said, pulling Suzie close, hugging her, “I missed you, and I’m glad you agreed to team up with me.” Carri saw one of the bikers pull up behind Suzie’s car and get off. Carri had met him a couple of times when she was in town, but his name was escaping her. Carri cocked her eyebrow asking Suzie what was going on. Suzie just shook her head, and Carri decided to leave that discus
sion for another day. At least now, she would be around for a while to find out what was going on with her usually cheerful friend.
Getting out of the car, she didn’t bother addressing the two men who had gotten off and were standing next to their bikes. She did, however, give them a wave. It was rude not to acknowledge someone, even if you weren’t quite sure what to think of them, yet.
Carri didn’t bother knocking on the door, just walked right in. This place had been her home for many years. Walking up the steps made her feel nostalgic. The farm and Addy had saved her, and she would be forever grateful. Walking into the front room, only one obstacle stood in her way, Aiden “Whiskey” Frost. Addy’s man and one of the Frost brothers.
“I still think you’re a douche,” Carri said to Whiskey.
“Noted,” he nodded. “I still think you’re a bitch.”
“Accepted,” Carri said. “I’m a bitch and every other bad word you can think of, and if you ever hurt Addy like that again, I’ll show you how much of a bitch I really am, and trust me, Aiden Frost, you’ll not like it one bit.”
“You don’t have to threaten me, Carri, I would kill my own damn self before I ever did any of that to Addy again.”
“Nice to know. Addy loves you, so I won’t stand in your way, but I’m not as forgiving as my best friend.”
“Understood.”
“Are you two going to stand out there all day,” Addy yelled from the kitchen, “or are you going to come in here and hug me?”
Carri went to Addy, hugging her up. “How are you doing, honey?”
“Good, really good,” smiling bigger than Carri could ever remember her friend ever smiling, well at least since before Sunshine. Carri could see the changes in Addy. She looked happier now that she and Whiskey were together, and Carri was happy for her. All she’d ever wanted was for her to be happy. There were times after Addy lost Sunshine that Carri feared she would lose her friend, but looking at her now, she realized Addy really was doing much better. If Whiskey could do that for her, then Carri was willing to cut him some slack.
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