The woman shook her head. “No police. It just pisses him off and then it’ll be worse.”
She heard Dozer growl behind her, and instinctively knew it came from the wolf as much as the man.
Duke handed a bag of ice to Gen, who lifted it to the woman’s face and gently put it on the red around her cheek, nudging it up towards what Gen could now see were the remains of a fading back eye, mostly covered by make-up.
“I’m Gen, my boyfriend Duke came in with the ice, and the big fellow who floored the asshole who hit you is Dozer. What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“I’m Sunny. Thanks for the ice, but I’m okay. Where did they take Terry? I should check on him.”
Dozer stepped forward, replaced his hand where Gen’s was, and gently nudged her out of the way. “Terry’s gonna stay put for a bit, and then I’m gonna have a talk with him. He responsible for the black eye, too?”
Sunny looked up, and up, and up, until she met Dozer’s gaze, and nodded, looking like a wild animal about to run.
“No one in this room will hurt you, Sunshine. Not now, not ever. How long you been with Terry?”
Sunny looked to Gen as if she needed rescuing, but answered, “We been seeing each other ‘bout six months, but I didn’t move in with him until last month. I knew he had a temper before I moved in, but it’s getting worse. I just need to learn how to keep from making him mad, is all.”
Dozer touched her chin, gently aimed her gaze back to him, and used an ultra-gentle voice to tell her, “No matter how mad a woman makes me, and some have pissed me off until I couldn’t see straight and had to turn around and walk out the door, but I’ve never lifted a hand to one in anger, and I never will. You were mine? I’d treasure you and take care of you. No call for a man to hit a woman like that. He’s trash, and you’re too good for him.”
Gen noted Duke texting someone on his phone, but she stayed silent and watched, secretly worried about the safety of the man being held in the back, if Dozer was to decide the man’s fate.
Five minutes later, Gen was sitting by Duke reading the texts, and watching as Dozer sat with the woman in his lap, talking to her about respecting herself enough to not let people treat her as less than she was worth.
Duke had Brain running a search on the man in the back, because Gen assumed her boyfriend wanted to make sure Dozer wasn’t going to start a war against another group with whatever he was likely to do to the man. Duke had offered to take care of the asshole, but Dozer had given Duke a no-nonsense look and said, “Oh no. He’s mine.”
Gen ordered a sampler appetizer tray and some sweet tea for Sunny, and then sat with her and talked while Duke and Dozer went to deal with her boyfriend.
“What are they gonna do? They won’t hurt him, will they?’
“I don’t know what they’ll do, but I can pretty much promise they’re going to hurt him, Sunny. No one comes on RTMC property and acts that way, but with Dozer taking a liking to you? It’s gonna be worse.”
“RTMC?”
“Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club. They own the restaurant and bar, and they don’t mess around with security.”
“I got him in trouble with a motorcycle gang?”
Gen smiled and tried not to laugh as she heard herself giving Duke’s correction of, “Club, it’s a motorcycle club. And no, you didn’t get him in trouble, he did that all by himself by striking someone in their place of business. He started it, they’ll finish it. Do you want to keep living with him, or do you have a place you can go?”
She shook her head. “My lease ran out and I gave up my place. I bought a new car because I thought I’d have less rent to pay, so I couldn’t move out if I wanted right now.”
“No one you can move in with for a month or two, until you can get things straightened out enough to get your own place again? Parents, sibling, friend?”
“She don’t have to move out today,” Dozer said as he came in the room. “Her ex-boyfriend was involved in a single car collision with the concrete fence surrounding our compound. He’s on his way to the hospital, where he’ll be for a while with a head injury and a broken left arm, which is a cryin’ shame since he’s left-handed.”
“You hurt him!”
“No ma’am. He drove out of our parking lot and just slammed right into the wall across the street. His car doesn’t have airbags, he didn’t have his seat belt on, his face hit the steering wheel, and his arm got caught in there somewhere, and he’s a mess. Also, he’d been drinking, so he’ll likely have to deal with a DUI with the cops, too.”
Dozer glanced at Gen as he said, “Duke’s handling the paperwork with the cops, he wants you to wait for him in here. Thanks for helping take care of her, Duchess.”
“I thought you said your name was Gen?”
“Yeah, but the guys call me Duchess, since I kind of belong to Duke. I’m guessing you’ll have at least a day or two to get your things together before he gets out of the hospital. Are you sure there’s no place you can go?”
She shook her head. “My mom remarried and no way will her new husband let me live with them. My dad lives in California, and my sister has a family and I just can’t ask.” She lowered her voice, thinking Dozer couldn’t hear her. “I wish they hadn’t hurt him, when he gets better he’ll just take it out on me, say it’s my fault.”
Dozer stayed silent, but I answered on his behalf. “My guess is Dozer gave instructions the asshole is never to lay a hand on you again, but you know you have to get away from this guy, right? Even if it means picking up another part time job so you can pay for your car and get a cheap apartment. You can’t stay with him, Sunny. If he’s this bad after only a few weeks, then in a few months he’ll be truly dangerous.”
“I got a spare bedroom,” Dozer told her. “Hundred dollars a month, split electricity and internet with me, and if you know how to cook a good southern meal then I’ll buy all the groceries and clean the kitchen when you’re done. No strings, no sex, no expectations… though I won’t turn the sex down if you offer.”
Brain poked his head in, told Gen that Duke needed her, and she started to argue she needed to stay and help Sunny, but the look on his face told her something was up, so she came.
As Gen rounded the corner with Brain, she saw Duke standing next to his twin brother. “Gen, you remember Randall?”
Gen had worn all Armani today, and the jacket alone cost nearly seventeen hundred dollars. Pebbles had immediately recognized every piece, but Gen knew most men didn’t have a clue. However, as Randall eyed her from head to toe and back up, she could almost imagine him adding up the thousands of dollars in clothes and shoes she wore, which seemed surprising. However, she quickly noted his black designer Baxten jeans showcased his muscled body even better than Duke’s Levis. This man knew his clothes.
“Duke tells me you’re Frisco’s little sister?”
Gen nodded, and Randall said, “He also says the two of you have already had lunch?”
“Yes, but if you haven’t had anything, I’d be more than happy to sit and talk to you while you eat. I’m not driving so I can have a drink. I don’t know how Duke’s afternoon looks, but I’m free until my next appointment at five.”
Randall eyed his brother, then looked back to Gen. “I think I’ll take you up on your offer. Duke says he has some things to see to, perhaps he can join us later.”
Duke kissed the top of her head and told his brother, “She’s mine, Randall. In every way. No bullshit, yeah?”
“I understand. I came to make sure the issue at hand is resolved without things blowing out of proportion. I’m not here to make things worse.”
Gen tensed as she asked, “Issue at hand? What’s going on?”
“The gentleman involved in the accident across the street works for my brother’s construction company.”
Gen glared at Randall. “You know he’s a huge jerk, right? I watched him slap his girlfriend and call her a horrible name in a bar full of people, and tell her she had more comi
ng to her. Dozer’s taking care of her now, ice on her face, making sure she’s okay, helping her figure out where she can move to get away from him.”
Randall shook his head with a happy smile as he looked at Duke and said, “I like her. She has spunk. No worries, I’ll just see how many embarrassing childhood stories I can fit in while we wait for you. Take your time.”
Randall offered his arm to Gen, and she grinned at him as she accepted it, and squeezed Duke’s arm with a smile as she let go and went back into the bar with Randall. She walked him to the rear of the room, found an open VIP table, and nodded to one of the waitresses. “Can you get his drink order, and me a rum and Coke?” She looked to Randall. “I’m going to make a pit stop in Duke’s office and I’ll be right back.”
She knocked on her way in to Duke’s office, but Dozer and Sunny were gone. She quickly opened the safe, put her weapon in, locked it back, and rejoined Randall at the table.
“Sorry about that.” She took a sip of her rum and Coke and asked, “Have you been here before? Everything’s good, but the steaks are to die for.”
“You removed your weapon. Why?”
Gen froze a second, drink still midair, and then put it down carefully as she asked, “Why would you think I had a weapon? Or that I removed it?”
“I smelled it on you earlier, and now I don’t.”
“Duke told you I know?”
He nodded, and Gen shrugged. “My carry license is void when I’m drinking. I may be dating an outlaw, but I prefer not to turn into one.”
“Did you carry before you met him?”
“Yes. I’m a Realtor, and regularly meet with strangers in empty houses and business offices. I’ve been trained, I know how to handle it.”
Randall nodded and smiled. “Good. I’d hate to think my brother has let his shit get you dirty.”
“You don’t seem to have a high opinion of your brother.”
He sighed. “I’m sorry, that’s not actually the case. I don’t necessarily approve of his choices, but I understand why he’s made them and I’m sad it’s the way things ended up.”
Gen tilted her head, sensing there was more. “And?”
He shook his head. “And, my life’s easier because he made the hard decisions, so it’s difficult for me to fault him for them.”
Gen’s opinion of Randall went way up with the admission, and she asked, “Why’s your life easier?”
“I’ll let him explain what he wants you to know about why he left the pack. Why don’t I go back to happier times, and tell you about a seven year old Keith who decided to get up before the rest of the family when we were camping. He told dad he just needed to use the bathroom, but I knew as soon as dad went back to sleep, my twin wasn’t coming back. I snuck out and followed him, watched him write his name in the snow when he peed, and then I climbed up on a boulder and watched him zero in on a bunny rabbit. We hadn’t shifted yet, but our wolves were starting to talk to us, were beginning to form. Keith followed the rabbit, and I knew when they headed towards the lake what was going to happen, but I was too far away to stop him.”
Randall stopped his story long enough to get his food from the waitress, and then went back to it. “So, he’s chasing the rabbit, not paying attention to where he is or where he’s going, just after the damned bunny. I have no idea what he planned to do with him if he caught it. It was like watching a train wreck… the bunny hopped out on the iced-over lake, and Keith made it ten steps and went in with a splash. His face, when he was halfway down and realized it was only going to get colder in another half second, was priceless.”
He smiled and took a bite. “Mmmm, you were right. The steak is good. Anyway, I knew you were supposed to lay down to rescue people, and I was so cocky when I slithered out to rescue him, laughing my ass off the whole time. Unfortunately, when I went to pull him in, the ice under me broke and we both ended up wet. We made it to the shore, soaked and freezing, about the time our parents came out of the tent to see what the noise was about. Dad built a fire so we could get warm, laughing at us the whole time. Mom stripped us down to nothing and turned us around the fire until she was sure we were warm, and threatened to finish warming us up with dad’s belt when we complained. We had oatmeal with eggs and bacon that morning, and lots of hot chocolate. Best hot food I’ve ever had. Damn, that water was cold.”
“Did the two of you get into a lot of trouble, growing up?”
His smile let her know they had, and he said, “Yeah, that was when we were seven. When we hit thirteen and discovered girls? Even I’m too embarrassed by some of our exploits to tell them to you.”
“Did you know the guy was a jerk? The one who had the, ummm, accident?”
“It’s okay, Gen. I know it wasn’t really an accident, and now that I know the story, I’ll do what I can to keep it from becoming a problem. He’s my employee, and it’s widely known my employees are under my protection, but once I let the word get out of why he got into problems while on RTMC land, no one’ll expect me to retaliate, and if they do, they’re just gonna have to be disappointed.”
“Are you interested in having a relationship with your brother again? I’d like to invite you to my house to have dinner with us, maybe this weekend, if you are?”
“Yeah, I’d like that, if he’s good with it.”
Chapter Thirty-Six
Gen’s phone beeped with an incoming text, and she awakened and checked her phone, forcing her eyes to focus.
The run went good. I’m going to crash here. See you later today. Thanks for helping make this happen. Love you.
Gen closed her eyes and offered thanks to whoever was listening. Duke and Randall had gotten to know each other again over the past two months, and both had felt the need to go on a run together, as wolves. The Pack and MC were both against it, but the brothers decided to try it, anyway.
Gen texted back:
Love you, too. Sleep well.
Within moments, her phone rang and she answered it with a smile, but Duke asked, “Why are you still up at nearly four in the morning, Beautiful?”
“I left my phone on so I’d know if you texted me.” He’d told her to turn it off, but he had to know she’d do what she wanted.
“Of course you did. My wolf and I are both happy but exhausted, and Randall offered me a guest bedroom, which I’m accepting.”
“So, the run went well?”
“Yeah, running with him was incredible. Our wolves seemed to accept we’re both the leader of different groups, and neither wanted to challenge for dominance. It was like old times — running with him, hunting, chasing.”
“I’m happy for you, Duke. Now, get some sleep and I’ll see you later today.”
* * * *
When Duke texted her again to let her know he was up, Gen was working with a seller. She knew he’d let himself into her house, and looked forward to going home, where she could fall into his arms and let him hold her.
The two had fallen into a comfortable pattern in the months they’d been seeing each other. Duke’s things were in one of her guest room closets, and two of his bikes were in her garage. Amy now shopped for the two of them, not just Gen, and her pantry was stocked with possibly more beer than wine.
Duke stayed over three or four nights a week, and spent the other nights at the compound. Gen opted to sleep in her own bed most of the time, but spent enough of her days and evenings at the clubhouse to keep up her role as Duchess.
Duke had won her mother over, though Gen wouldn’t have believed it. The first time her mom went to her bathroom to snoop, Duke followed her and told her, “Yeah, I stay over, and I’ve claimed your daughter in every way a man can take a woman. I love her, and I think I make her happy. I know you love her, too, and want what’s best for her. All I ask is that you look to see how happy she is before you make a decision about me. I’ll never do anything to hurt her. She’s the world to me.”
Gen’s mother now made his favorite food and brought it over, just because.
And when there were family dinners, Duke received a personal text from her mom to make sure he knew when to show up.
And yet, Gen felt as if she and Duke were in a holding pattern, waiting for something to happen.
When she arrived home, Duke was there along with five of his top MC guys. They were seated in her kitchen, drinking beer, and after Duke’s hello kiss, he poured her a glass of wine as he explained, “The guys needed to put eyeballs on me to make sure I’m okay after running with the Pack Alpha last night.”
Gen took a sip of her wine, and grabbed cheese, crackers, chips, and dip from the pantry and fridge. “My guess is you’re also seriously considering his offer of letting all of you run with the Pack on a full moon?”
“No,” Brain said as he reached for the chips, “because we think the weakest from both groups won’t be able to resist jockeying for dominance. However, it could work to let his top people and our top people go for a run together.”
She nodded and looked to Duke. “I know the two of you have responsibilities greater than yourselves, but for now maybe you and Randall should focus on nurturing your relationship one-on-one. Bringing in your top people can be good, as it’ll let you meet the people important to each other, but take it slow. No need to rush, yeah?”
Gen’s phone buzzed to let her know someone pulled into the driveway, and she looked to see a picture of a car she didn’t recognize. Duke had the same picture, but she stopped him before he could leave the kitchen.
“It’s okay. Bethany’s gonna stop by with the guy she’s been seeing, it’s probably them. I’ll get them and bring them back.”
Gen knew this guy was a professional football player out of Atlanta, but hadn’t been prepared for how big he’d be. He wasn’t big like Ethan, because he wasn’t extremely tall. Not short, either, perhaps right around six feet tall. But his arms bulged, and even his thighs inside his jeans were obviously muscled. Gen’s eyes went to the man’s muscled hand and forearm as he helped Bethany out of the car, and when her gaze met her best friend’s, the two of them grinned like silly school girls.
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