by Marie James
I see her nod from the corner of my eye. “Yep. About a dozen times. Last time I told him to leave he said we’d discuss things when I got back. I’ve been avoiding coming home.”
We pull into the subterranean garage and park in the empty spot designated for her condo number. I look over at her. “You haven’t been home once?” She shakes her head. “You’ve been at the clubhouse for over a year.”
“I know,” she says with a quick shrug. “I like it there.”
“Are you even sure he’s still here?”
She points out her window to a faded red truck. “His truck.”
“Looks broken down. Sure he didn’t just leave it?” If I flew all the way to Tennessee and his ass isn’t even here, I’m going to be pissed. Actually, I won’t. I’ll turn right back around, catch the first flight back to New Mexico, and crawl into the bed with Makayla.
“He called me from the condo landline yesterday,” she says with a frown. “He’s still here. I have no clue how he’s paying the bills. I had the electricity and water turned off. The condo is paid for, except for yearly dues.”
“Is he the violent type?”
She smiles wide. “Are you afraid of a little scuffle?”
I sigh, the frustration from earlier coming back full force.
“He’s indifferent, not violent. I could’ve come back and eventually convinced him to leave, but I don’t want to be away from the clubhouse any longer than I have to. Em’s about to have the babies, and I want to be there to help when she gets out of the hospital.”
I cough to keep from laughing at the ridiculousness of her words. She doesn’t know shit about kids and has no honest desire to learn, but I can appreciate the friendship she’s formed with my sister-in-law.
“Let’s go,” I say getting out of the SUV. “Leave the bags. We’ll come down and get them later.”
The elevator ride hints at how nice her condo is going to be. “What do you do for a living?”
“Real estate,” she answers. “But the business isn’t as lucrative in New Mexico.”
“I imagine not,” I say as the elevator dings announcing we’ve arrived at her floor.
She pulls the key from her purse and plugs it into the lock. Stale air and arguing hit us the second we walk in. I follow Bri into the living room, stepping over clutter on our way.
I clear the threshold into the room just as Bri does. The young guy, who I assume is Trey, is kicked back on one of those game system rocking chairs made for adolescent boys.
“Hey babe,” he says with a quick smile before turning his eyes back to the screen for a full three minutes before exiting out of the game and setting the controller down. “I knew you’d come ho—”
His eyes land on me for the first time and his smile fades. I don’t even hide the scrunch of my nose at his wrinkled, dirty clothes. Did she say he was handsome? He doesn’t look like he’s bathed or shaved in weeks.
“Who is this,” he asks with an edge to his voice that makes my hackles rise.
“Dom,” she answers. “The Enforcer for the Cerberus MC back in New Mexico.”
The corner of his mouth twitches. “Dom? Like on The Fast and the Furious?”
He offers a hand that I ignore. “Believe me, kid, I was around long before Vin Diesel even considered acting was a good idea.”
Bri stands off to the side, enjoying our interaction a little more than she should be. Her eyes squint, and her teeth scrape her bottom lip as if she’s picturing me covered in grease and bald.
Five minutes in this trashed condo and I’m ready to leave.
“Did you say enforcer?” He turns back to Bri who straightens from her fantasy and looks at him. “You brought fucking muscle from New Mexico or is this the guy you’re fucking now?”
She doesn’t say a word, letting him believe what he wants. I want to clear up any confusion, but Bri needs to have the upper hand here. He’s already been staying here after being repeatedly asked to leave. I don’t, however, appreciate the tone he’s taken with her. She claimed he’s not abusive, but a lot can change over the course of a year.
“You need to pack your things and leave,” Bri says with boredom in her voice. She’s not concerned he’ll get violent, so I allow my adrenaline to calm marginally.
“I’m not going any damn place, Bri. This is my Goddamned condo, too!”
I look up at her, and she gives her head a slight shake. Things would be a little different if he had some claim to the property.
“I paid this condo off two years before we even met. No part of it is yours.” She points to the childish rocker. “I even bought that stupid thing and the Nintendo you play all damned day.”
He laughs, and I have the urge to laugh right along with him. She’s showing her age and lack of game system knowledge. I don’t play the stupid shit, but even I know that he’s playing a newer Xbox.
“Nintendo?” he sputters while taking a menacing step toward her. “You’re old and fucking stupid.”
I clamp a hand on his shoulder digging the tips of my fingers into the sensitive flesh behind his collar bone.
“Time to go, buddy.”
Like the pussy that he is, he backs down immediately as if catching himself in the middle of his anger.
“I need time to pack,” he mutters.
I don’t let him go but guide him by my grip to the door Bri points out for me.
“Grab what you need for the night, and I’ll make sure she leaves the rest of your shit downstairs for you to pick up first thing in the morning. If it’s not gone by noon it’s going in the trash.”
He glares at me, looking down at the clothes strewn all over the floor and back down the hallway toward the living room. He lifts the collar of his shirt to his nose. Deeming it clean enough, he sits down on the edge of the bed and pulls a pair of Chucks on his bare feet. Forgoing everything in the room, he walks back down the hall, grabs an empty grocery store bag and begins unplugging his game system. This guy’s priorities are all kinds of fucked up.
We watch in silence as he bags his Xbox, Bri and I giving him space. He stands and shoves the last cord into the bag and looks around the room. With the bag hanging from his wrist he clutches the back of the gaming chair and drags it toward the door.
I step past him and pull it open for him. Once out in the hall, he looks back at Bri like a lost child. “You don’t even care where I go?”
I don’t give her time to answer. “Nope,” I tell him and close the door in his face.
Watching him through the peephole, I follow him until he gets on the elevator without a backward glance.
“That was almost too easy,” I tell her when I turn back in her direction. “Think he’ll be back?”
She shrugs. “Maybe after a few days when friends get tired of smelling him. The place will be empty by then.”
I look around the room, finally realizing the extreme mess of the entire place. “I’m not staying in this shit tonight.”
I may turn down first class over coach, having known much worse, but sleeping in filth is something I’ve always avoided.
“Me either,” she says with a seductive edge to her voice.
I open the door again and cross a hand in front of me indicating for her to walk out first. She switches the light off before I close the door.
“The cleaning company is going to make a killing,” she mutters as we make our way down in the elevator and back out to the SUV.
We make it out of the elevator in time to see Trey pulling away in his truck.
“Sad fucker,” I mutter. I shake my head at the ridiculousness of the whole generation. “No wonder the world has gone to shit.”
I open Bri’s door for her, something I was an asshole about and didn’t do at the rental company. I climb in and take her directions to a hotel a few blocks away. After parking, I pay for two rooms in the overpriced hotel, much to Bri’s dismay. She insisted she needed all three suitcases but actually offered to handle the one she was denied as a carry-on at the a
irport.
“You could’ve saved quite a bit of money and shared a room with me,” she purrs leaning in a little too close on our elevator ride up to the floor we will be sharing.
The glint in her eyes makes me wonder if she picked this expensive ass hotel because she was hoping I’d balk at the price and offer to stay in the same room with her.
I shake my head and take a step away from her. “Bri, I know you have some sort of crush on me, but it isn’t going to go anywhere. I’m not trying to be mean, but you’re wasting your time.”
“Is there someone else,” she prods as we step off of the elevator and head in the direction of the room indicated on the key cards we were provided.
Makayla flashes in my mind, but it makes no difference. I never would’ve touched Bri even before she showed up on my doorstep. But now? The thought of touching another woman seems abhorrent to me, and that causes more concern than I feel like dealing with.
Bri looks up from the two sets of cards in her hands. “Looks like we’re neighbors. Which one do you want, left or right?”
“I’ll take whichever one you don’t want.”
She picks the room on the left and offers the other set to me. I hold up her suitcases to indicate I can’t take them from her just yet. She unlocks her door with a small laugh and flicks on the lights once she’s inside.
“We’re neighbors with connecting doors.” She points to the door on my right and turns the deadbolt until it unlocks. She winks at me. “Just in case you change your mind.”
I place her suitcases near the dresser and hold my hand for my set of keys.
“Goodnight, Bri,” I mutter as I leave her room and close the door behind me, locking it for good measure.
I toss my duffel on the bed in my room and head right back out, the bar on the ground level calling my name.
Chapter 21
Makayla
I scrub at my eyes as I leave Dom’s bedroom. Even the comforting smell of his body on the sheets all night didn’t bring me the sleep I’m so desperately missing this morning. I lay in bed for two hours after waking up from another nightmare. They didn’t happen when I was in bed with him, and I hate feeling like I need him next to me just to get some rest.
“Who are you?” a young voice says as I walk into the room.
Startled, I fumble the cell phone and the gun in my hands, dropping them both on the floor.
Like a wild animal caught in unfamiliar headlights on a dark, deserted road, I freeze and stare at her. Auburn hair surrounds her youthful face, and wide hazel eyes stare right back at me.
“You’re Makayla,” she finally says.
Alarm rings in my ears, forcing me into action. I squat and reach down for the gun.
“Please don’t,” she begs. “I’m Khloe.”
The name is familiar, but I can’t recall where I’ve heard it before.
“Kid’s girl,” she offers as my trembling hands lift the gun from the floor at my feet.
“Cerberus?” She nods. The fear and pure shock at seeing me here make me believe she means me no harm. She had no clue she’d find me here today.
Keeping the gun pointed in her general direction, I reach down one more time to grab the phone. I glance at the screen and realize it’s busted. That makes two phones I’ll have to pay Dom back for.
“What are you doing here?” She looks absurd with her hands up like she’s the cashier behind the counter in a robbery. “You can put your hands down. I won’t shoot unless you make a move toward me.”
“You’re scaring me,” she whispers, her chin trembling.
I lower the gun and tuck it under my arm. “Why are you here?”
Hands still up she points into the living room. “It’s my turn to water the plants. I swear Dom thinks they stay alive by sheer magic. Kincaid usually sends Em over, but her feet are really swollen, and he’s keeping her under watchful eye since the doctor told her the babies could come any day.”
“Babies?”
She nods, and a small smile plays on her lips. “She’s having two little girls.”
Two nieces for Dom. I bet he’s scared shitless.
“How do you know who I am?” Anger washes over me, warming my cheeks at the thought of Dom going behind my back and telling any of the guys at the Cerberus clubhouse that I’m here when I specifically asked him not to.
“Kid asked me yesterday if I’d seen you. Described your pink hair.” The index finger on her raised right hand points in the direction of my hair.
“Not very conspicuous is it?” I hadn’t even thought of changing the color or cutting it since I haven’t left this house in days.
“It’s gorgeous, but yeah, you kind of stand out.” She smiles in earnest this time.
“Put your hands down,” I say again with a chuckle. “Did Kid explain why he asked you?”
She finally lowers her hands when I pull the gun from under my arm and place it on the counter.
“He said you went missing from your clubhouse. Said some scary guys from there were looking for you. Didn’t say much else. Just warned me to stay away from anyone on a motorcycle that isn’t wearing a Cerberus patch.”
I watch as she heads back into the kitchen, pulling two gallons of water from the pantry. After adding some Miracle Grow she retrieved from under the sink, she leans against the counter and gently shakes the jug until the powder dissolves and turns the water bluish-green.
“He didn’t have to even warn me, though. Most of those Renegade guys are really freaking scary, so I always hide out when they’re around.”
You have no idea.
“How old are you?” I ask more for verification before I drop my guard completely. I now remember where I heard the name.
“Nineteen,” she answers. “I’ve been with Kid almost two years. My birthday is in a couple of months. How old are you?”
“Twenty-four. You go to college?” I always wanted to go to school, but it was never in the cards for me.
She nods. “I took my GED in what was supposed to be my senior year. Never thought I’d go. Kid persuaded me. I only had one class this morning. Was just stopping by on my way home. Dom doesn’t like many visitors, so we take turns taking care of the plants when he leaves.”
“Why not just get rid of the plants?” I ask making my way to the coffee pot. Khloe slides over to give me room to get water from the tap.
She laughs. “I asked Kid the same thing. He told me Kincaid said it’s the only other living thing in the house, that Dom needs things to remind him that life goes on.”
“That’s kinda fucking sad,” I say.
“I’m honestly surprised to see you here. He doesn’t ever have anyone over when he’s here. I think the guys come over every so often, but he usually ends up at the club.”
Of course he does. That’s where the easy pussy is.
I wait in silence, keeping my eyes on the coffee pot as it begins to trickle the life force of my day into the carafe.
“I’m going to water the plants,” she says when I don’t offer up any more information or questions.
“Want me to make you a cup?” I offer as she begins to walk away.
“That would be wonderful,” she praises. “A little sugar and tons of milk, please. I was up late last night.”
By the time she is finished breathing life back into Dom’s flagging plants, I have the coffee waiting for both of us on the coffee table in the living room.
Mindlessly, I point the remote at the TV and start the next episode of The Tudors.
Gracelessly, Khloe flops down beside me, scoops up her coffee, and mimics me by kicking off her shoes and putting her feet up on the table beside mine.
I laugh at her free spirit. “You don’t mind if I hang out for a while, do you?”
I’m not going to turn down the company. “Did you lock the front door and turn the alarm back on?”
“Always,” she answers. “I think it’s silly since this is one of the safest neighborhoods in Farmingt
on, but Kid insists on it. I don’t like him having to worry about me.”
“Over protective?” I would ask her if he’s possessive, but I imagine all men who really care about their women are to a point.
She smiles wide. “Just the right amount of protectiveness.”
I turn my eyes back to the TV as the beginning credits finally end on the screen and the show begins. “Turn the volume up,” she says. “I can’t hear anything.”
I turn it up, for some reason feeling safe with her here, even if it’s a false sense of security.
“Henry the eighth was an asshole. I wonder if this show would have been as successful if Jonathan Rhys Meyers was replaced with someone less handsome.”
I grin at her assumption. “He loves hard and then moves on pretty quick doesn’t he?”
She sighs. “Poor Anne Boleyn never stood a chance.”
“Some men draw you in, and even though you know it’s only going to end in tragedy you still can’t resist falling for them.” I take another long sip of coffee. Now is not the time to reflect on my current living situation and impending homelessness after Dom takes care of Grinder.
“He doesn’t want her,” she offers. “If you’re worried about him messing around with Bri.”
“Bri?”
She nods. “He went to Tennessee to help get rid of the mooch of an ex that wouldn’t move out of her house. He barely tolerates her when he’s around. I don’t think he’ll mess around on you.”
“What?” I sputter into my cup. “Dom and I aren’t together. I’m just staying here until he can help me out with some things.”
She has the tact to look mortified. “I just assumed. I saw you coming out of his room. I know no one is allowed in there. I figured if he gave you permission you were like his.”
His. Oh, God. How I wished.
“I’m not going into why I’m here, but he gave me access to his room in case of an emergency.” It’s all I will offer her. No matter how much I can see us being friends, we’re not. Trust no one has been ingrained in my head from the day I was born, and a young girl who seems innocent isn’t going to make me change that now.
She nods, not seeming upset with my vagueness. “The panic room. I get it.”