by J. L. Drake
“No, I could keep going.”
“Spare me the big brother act. I was with Gus, and he introduced me to some other women.” I pulled off my shirt, and Brick nearly punched Rail. “Jesus, relax your balls. I have a suit on.”
“That doesn’t explain why you’re wet.”
I tilted my head at my best friend and chuckled before I leaned up and kissed his cheek.
“When are you going to see that I am not that little girl you met in the alley?”
His expression softened, but I knew how he felt. I felt the same way about him. It was good to care, but care and worry were two different things, and I didn’t want to be why he had a stroke at thirty-five.
Dust rising in the distance drew our conversation to a halt. Three bikes came to a stop next to Trigger’s camper.
The atmosphere felt a little off, but I couldn’t place my finger on it. I followed Brick and Rail over to meet them.
“Where’s Trigger?” one of them asked as he looked me up and down like he hadn’t seen a woman in years. He was taller than I was. He had bright blue eyes, and his face was tattooed like the skin of an alligator.
Yuck.
“Better yet, who is this?”
Rail came into view and wrapped an arm around my neck playfully.
“This here is Tess.”
“Your old lady?” he asked while he gave his attention to my breasts.
Rail laughed before he shook his head. “Trigger’s.”
“Yeah, right.” He laughed, and the others did too. “Can’t fuck the untouchable.”
My anger sparked quickly, but I saw Trigger approach us. Rail dropped his arm, and when Trigger was close enough, I grabbed his shirt and neck and slammed my mouth to his.
He froze at first, but then I felt his hand run along my ass and the other into my hair. After a moment of him controlling the kiss, he pulled away with a look that made me wet. He squinted as he tried to read my thoughts.
“Well, fuck.” The reptile on the bike looked back to a woman who had her eyes glued to Trigger. “Looks like my gift will have to be shared.”
I gripped Trigger’s arm, and he held me closer. I hated to be a jealous person, but she was beyond hot and had a pair of tits that made even me stare.
I was no match for that.
“Who the hell is that?” Minnie asked as she joined us.
“He’s the runner,” Brick whispered.
“No, I meant the bitch who’s eye fucking Trig.”
I love Minnie.
I jumped when the reptile tossed a bag at my feet. “We should talk.”
Trigger nodded to the prospects to move the bag off to a bunch of chairs around a fire pit.
The reptile motioned for his people to follow before he offered a hand to Trigger.
“Good to see you again.”
“Yeah, you too, Gator,” Trigger answered then looked down at me. “You good?”
“I am.”
“You look cold. You should put on a shirt.”
My hands went to my hips. He must be kidding. “It’s eighty-two degrees out. I can assure you I am not cold.”
He looked over my head as he thought, his lips pressed into a thin line, before he spoke. “People are drunk.” He stopped himself. “I don’t want to have to kill anyone—” He cursed, and I couldn’t help but laugh. “You enjoy this too much.”
“Kinda.” I beamed, happy that he cared about me and struggled with it. I had always fought with the terror of letting my guard down with someone else, but with Trigger, it was different. “Ask me, and I might consider it.”
He hissed and ran his tongue along his teeth then took my chin in his hand. His sexy green eyes were inches from mine, and I thought he was mad. “Put a damn shirt on so I don’t have to kill Gator for staring at what’s mine.”
Air-sucked-from-lungs.
Mine.
Did he just say mine?
Holy Mother of Lucifer, where the hell did that come from?
I nodded like a moron because I couldn’t speak, even if I could will the words to my tongue.
My feelings battled. I liked the sound of that, but there was the guarded part that warned me to walk away.
Brick tossed a shirt at me.
Of course, the dick would take my moment and crush it.
I flung it back at him and headed to the camper.
Ten minutes later, I had changed into a black dress and boots. I couldn’t do the skinny heels tonight. My poor ankles were not able to handle the rocky ground anymore, and these heels had a bit more chunk to them.
My hair had dried with a slight wave, and I had touched up my makeup. I felt pretty good until I saw the expressions everyone around the fire pit wore. That, and the fact that two prospects were standing in the middle, their faces blank.
What the hell is going on?
Trigger leaned against a picnic table with his arms folded. His face was grim, and his body language told me something was wrong.
I pushed through and ignored the prickly comments. I popped out between two people to see Gator place a tray down on the table and hand the prospects, Jace and Ty, each a tube.
“What the hell is going on, Trigger?” someone yelled from across the circle.
Trigger held up a hand to quiet the chatter. “Someone is tampering with our shipments.” The entire crowd went silent. “Normally, my prospects would test the quality. However, knowing there is a risk, I don’t expect them to try it.”
Horrible comments wove through the crowd, but none were from our club.
“They’re prospects,” a dick yelled out next to me. “There’s five more to replace them.”
“Screw you,” I snarled. “You get up there and do it, then.”
“The fuck you say, bitch?”
What was with that word? I started to say something, but Tristen blocked my path. I rolled my eyes and went back to the horror in front of me.
Jace caught my eye, and I saw how terrified he was. His hands were clenched into fists to fight the shakes that had a hold on him.
“Don’t do it,” I mouthed.
Ty stepped up and held out the glass tube. He took a seat, leaned forward, and took a deep inhale of the powder before anyone could speak.
Jace went white and took a step toward the table, but Trigger held out his arm to stop him.
Ty’s head flopped around, and he shook and foamed at the mouth. His eyes were blood red and he started to choke.
My hands flew to my mouth as the urge to scream crept up the back of my throat.
His neck contracted, and he turned a bluish color. His nails scraped the wood so hard they broke off at the base. Blood tricked out of his ears and dripped down the little scruff that lined his jaw.
He fell backward and landed with a final shake before he stopped breathing.
Trigger snapped his head in my direction almost like he felt me there.
“Joe.” He nodded at me, and I felt arms around my shoulders that guided me away from the circle.
“Come on, sweetheart. You don’t need to see this.”
Minnie joined me on the steps of the camper a while later. She had a bottle of champagne and handed it to me.
“How you doing, honey?” She brushed my hair off my shoulder in a loving way.
I took a long chug before I gave it back. “You want the truth or what I should say?”
She shrugged. “Can’t be as bad as what I’m thinking.”
I eyed her then let out a long breath. “I’m reckless, so I understand the pressure Ty felt to do what he did. Makes me think about my actions, you know?” I glanced over to see her agree with me. “But, to be honest, I’m glad it wasn’t Jace.”
“Well, I see we are both going to hell, because you are not alone in that thought.” She giggled, but she stopped herself with a frown. “When I first got here, Ty was just a hangaround. We made out one time in Rail’s garage. Moment of weakness thing.” She took a sip from the bottle. “When I met Brick, I fell hard,
and when Ty saw that, he told Brick what we did.”
“What did Brick do?”
She smiled warmly. “He said he had done worse, and as long as I wasn’t going to do it again, we were fine.”
“Huh.” I wiped a pesky tear, more for the fact that Trigger lost a man than for the man himself. “Matt, I mean Brick, has always been the one who could see things more clearly. He helped me figure out a lot of shit. I’m really happy you two are good.”
Her eyes softened when I looked at her.
“What?”
“I like when you call him Matt.”
I chuckled. “They can call him whatever they want. To me, he’s Matt Montgomery, the boy in the alley who saved me from them.” I felt the pain that followed that story.
Minnie hopped to her feet and shook like she was getting rid of her own bad feelings. “I want to do something other than sit here and bitch.” An idea seemed to hit her, and she held out a hand. “Wanna see something cool?”
Why the hell not.
***
“Really, Minnie.” I awkwardly grabbed a shrub and hauled myself up. Tumbling forward, I managed to stagger upright. I was covered in dirt, but my sides hurt more from laughing at the ridiculous hike she had us on. “That’s more of a workout than Trigger.”
“You sure about that?” She giggled as she popped the cork of the somehow unbroken bottle of champagne she had stashed in her purse.
“Where the hell are these things coming from?” I dug inside her purse. “You’re like an alcoholic Mary Poppins.”
“I can fly too.” She handed me a joint.
“Oh, I think I just fell in love with you.” I lit the tip and took a long drag. “Oh, yes.”
Minnie went to the edge of the cliff and dipped her head back. “This right here is my favorite spot when we come here. No men, no shit, just me and the open sky.”
I joined her and took a deep breath of the desert air. “I needed this,” I confessed.
We sat on the edge of the cliff and chatted about anything that wasn’t personal.
“You read?” I asked after an hour’s chat about the newest Fifty Shades of Grey movie.
“I do.” She handed me a bag of peanuts.
“You will make a great mom,” I joked but took them, as I had a bad case of the munchies. “What was the last book you read?”
“Real, by Katy Evans.”
“Shut the hell the up! I’m a huge Remington Tate fan.”
She laughed.
“I knew we’d hit it off. Wanna hear something?” She nodded so I went on with my confession. “When I moved here, I was in bed and heard this odd noise. When I went to my window, I saw this guy boxing on a rooftop. So fucking sexy, totally Remy. I like to take photos, you know? I loved the way he looked, but I couldn’t see much. He had a hoodie and whatnot. Christ, Min, I can’t get that guy out of my head.”
She chuckled. “You live on 6th and Ocean, right?”
“Yeah.”
How does she know…? Ah, yes, Brick.
“Your window looks across to the old movie theater.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah, your Remington Tate is Trigger.”
I looked at her with delight but also disbelief.
“What are you…what? I need you to explain further, please.”
She tucked the bottle between us and stretched out her legs. “Brick wanted you to be safe. Safest place besides the bar is right next to another building his boss owns. He knew Trigger goes there a lot. Ergo, you were being looked after without you even knowing it.”
I wanted to be mad, but how could I, when my best friend would go to such lengths to protect me? Plus, I fell for a man twice without realizing it. It also explained how he knew where I lived.
“That actually makes me happy.”
She shoved my shoulder. “Wow, Tess, you used the word happy in a sentence. Big day for you.”
“Yeah.” I felt myself blush, and I wasn’t sure why. “I need to pee.”
“Thank God, me too.” She stood and offered a hand. “We should go back down. Trigger will kill me if we’re gone too long.”
Somehow, with my bladder screaming, we managed to get back down the mountain with the use of our cellphone flashlights.
The bubbly drink had gone to my head, so I had to latch on to her arm for support. “You know that expression, I have to pee so bad I can taste it?”
“Yes,” she giggled.
“I can’t go any further.” The camp was just across the other path, but I knew I couldn’t go on.
“Fine. I’ll be over there doing the same. I’ll meet you over by that rock.”
“Sure.” I stumbled off the path and over to a cluster of boulders. Wiggling my thong down, I so-un-lady-like rested my back against the rock and had the best pee of my life. No joke, angels were cheering me on. If that wasn’t what heaven sounded like, I might change my membership card and head down south.
Rolling along the rock, I moved toward the road. Footsteps off to the right froze me mid-step. I held still, barely breathed, and waited.
“Well, who the fuck brought it to him?” a man shouted.
“Gator. Trigger had them follow the drugs up the run. When they zig-zagged, they caught it and grabbed a bag off the truck to bring here.”
Why does he sound so familiar?
“And?”
“Prospect died. Shit, it was a rough one.”
I know you.
“Fuck, he will not be happy with this.”
“When does he release the shipment on the market for Trigger?”
Wiggling my thong back into place as they came closer, I sank deeper between the rocks. My knees shook, and I was sure they would hear my teeth clattering.
“Day after tomorrow.”
“Does he have any idea where the church is?”
My brain ping-ponged through my mental files, trying to place who that voice belonged to.
“It’s fifty miles from where the drop-off point is, so my guess would be no.”
They both went silent for a moment then the other voice spoke up.
“Why didn’t Trigger do the cocaine?”
Two more footsteps toward me, and I had to cover my mouth.
“He never does it, only prospects. He smokes pot and drinks. That’s about the extent. He only has one interest at the moment, and it’s the blonde.”
“That so?”
My entire body went cold and I felt my blood pressure drop. Suddenly, my cell stuck in my bra started to vibrate. I could never hear the damn thing or even feel it, as a rule, but, in the dead of the night in the middle of ass-fuck nowhere, it went off, and it was loud.
I fumbled with it to send it to voicemail and covered the screen so I wouldn’t be a damn beacon.
“Seems we are not alone tonight.” The other voice sent a shiver through me. I started to lose my balance, so I shifted, and my heel scraped across the dirt.
Fuck!
“Go back to the camp. I’ll deal with this.”
“You sure?”
“Oh, yeah.” I heard the click as he jacked the slide of a handgun.
A light flashed out in front of me, so I lifted my legs and pulled them back to my chest. It scanned all around me, but luckily, the way the rock bent around me covered me with its shadow.
“I can feel you,” he hissed like a cat. “I will find you.”
Pressing my back painfully into the boulder, my blood drummed through my ears. I found a pebble, and I thought it was the best option I had. With all my might, I hurled it over my head and off into the distance.
When the light moved down the direction I came from, I pulled out my phone, and with shaky hands texted Minnie as fast as I could, cupping the phone to keep the light down.
Tess: Make a distraction!
“Clever,” he chuckled, “almost had me, there.”
Oh, come on! My fists clenched at my sides, and I repeated my own version of a prayer.
“Were the hell
did I lose my panties?” My savior Minnie’s voice broke through, and my breath caught in my throat.
The light flickered off, and the footsteps moved away. They soon stopped, and I knew he was still close, but I didn’t care.
“I really need a pair that glow in the damn dark!” As soon as she was a few yards away, I bolted off the ground and directly to her arms.
“Run!” I grabbed her hand, and we raced back toward the camp.
“Tess, what the hell?”
“Just run, Min!”
Once we hit the first trailer, I let go and ran toward where I’d seen Trigger last.
“Where is he?” I shouted at Peggy, who for once in her damn life answered without being snarky. I must have really caught her off guard.
“Last I saw, he was in his trailer.”
Without thinking, I tore open the door and stepped inside.
“Trigger?” I called out and felt like I had been hit by a pile of bricks.
There were Trigger’s legs hanging over the end of the bed and Tammy naked on top doing what I was doing only hours ago. His jeans were still on, but she was butt naked, and he didn’t move when he heard my voice.
Fucking coward.
The trailer was dark, but I saw her face when she looked up at me. She knew what was racing through my mind. All my walls that he had torn down immediately stacked right back up.
As I leapt out of the trailer, I collided with Gus.
“Wow, sweetheart, you okay?”
“No.” I started to run, but pictured Ty’s face and stopped myself. Reckless was not a good thing. “I’m just going to walk the perimeter. I won’t wander off.”
I could tell he wanted to ask more, but didn’t push. “Keep your phone on you. The reception here sucks.”
“Okay.” I needed to breathe, and right now this was the last place I wanted to be. Instead of heading in the direction I normally would, I headed for the far back corner. So many people were hammered and barely noticed me, and I was happy to be a wallflower. Only a few women glared at me and made sure I knew who was theirs. You couldn’t pay me enough to sleep with half of these men, whose dicks double dipped over the course of one night.
I cringed when I saw an older man hold an iron poker from the fire pit to a prospect’s arm. He bucked and jumped, but never made a peep. Crazy, stupid drunks.