This Savage Love: A Bad Boy Romance Boxed Set

by Kathryn Thomas

  Brett grew still and extremely quiet, and Alex concentrated on getting the outline set. When he spoke again, Brett’s voice was gruff. “You know he’s punishing you. It’s a strategic move.” Alex said nothing. He’d assumed as much, but he wanted to hear Brett’s take on it. “Either he’s pinned you because you’re not coming back, or he’s got something going on here he doesn’t want you around for.”

  That was about the size of it. Alex had spent all day yesterday thinking it over and come to the same conclusion. “What can I do, man? I won’t risk blowing Betty’s engine to save myself.” He forced himself to hold back, keeping a firm, steady hand and not digging in too deep with the needle. It would turn out poorly if he took his frustration out on the tattoo.

  “So, take matters into your hands. Screw what Pop says. This club is going to hell in a hand basket if someone doesn’t stop him. He’s got a god complex all of a sudden, and it’s going to ruin us,” Brett insisted vehemently. He sounded like the leader of some big cause, lobbying to a government official or trying to rile up a crowd of followers.

  The funny thing was, it worked. Alex felt infused, and he seriously considered the implications. Could he turn things around, stand up to Pop and remove the threat? It wasn’t exactly easy to do, especially with so many of the Ashes believing in their leader blindly. Bringing down the bull, in this case, included taking out the masses with him. Alex wouldn’t bring anyone else in, either. He wasn’t the type to ask others to take the same risks. Rusty and Brett might offer, but the offer would fall on deaf ears.

  “What are you thinking?” Brett asked quietly, tense beneath the gun.

  “That you need to relax,” Alex growled. He didn’t like having his thoughts interrupted. Sighing at his snappy attitude with the one person who actually offered valuable information and useful suggestions, he said, “Sorry, I’m just trying to put it together.”

  Alex worked in absolute silence for several minutes, and he smiled as the outline of Betty came to fruition. He sat back and cleaned off the excess ink and small spots of blood and let Brett have a look. “Okay, that kicks ass,” Brett said with a laugh, but even his amusement was strained.

  “Wait ‘til I shade it,” Alex said, going back to his materials to figure out what he wanted to add next. He’d come to a single conclusion, and it would probably be signing his own death warrant. But he had to try something to avoid the certainty of dying in some hovel in Mexico, as well as sending Krishna to the morgue. “I have to somehow get Pop completely alone. And I have no idea how to clear this place out.”

  Brett snorted. “Good luck with that.” It was exactly what Alex was thinking. But then, his subject grew quietly pensive. “There might be something we can do.”

  Alex brushed it off. “Like what? None of these guys ever go anywhere else. I don’t think half of them even have an actual home.”

  “Yeah, but I think I can arrange something,” Brett insisted. Alex shot him a doubtful expression, but the kid’s eyes danced with possibility. “Check it out. My friend, the one who’s storing Betty for me, has some lakefront property, and he’s got connections. I doubt a bunch of grilled steaks would get them out there, but maybe if we can get some girls…”

  It wasn’t the best plan, but it wasn’t terrible. It was, however, last minute, and Alex didn’t know if they could pull it off in time. “It has to happen tomorrow. Otherwise, I’m crossing the border.”

  He watched the determination set in Brett’s face, his eyes hard and his jaw clenched. “I’ll do what it takes to make it happen.” In a quieter voice, he asked, “What’s your plan?”

  Unfortunately, those details weren’t quite clear yet. “Not sure. But as long as Pop is alone, I’ll figure it out.” Maybe he’d just improvise. If he didn’t have a clear direction, he would certainly take Pop by surprise. There was also a part of him that held back, knowing Brett was on his side but not trusting anyone. For all he knew, someone could walk by any time and overhear just a small piece of the conversation. They’d already said too much and been lucky they were alone.

  And there was that slight possibility it could be a setup. He wouldn’t expect it from Brett, but it was entirely possible Pop knew that. He would put his faith in Brett to a point, in the promise to set it up for the clubhouse to be deserted, with the exception of Pop. Of course, the question was, would Pop want to join the rest of the crew? If so, how would Alex stop him?

  Every answer posed another challenged, and he cursed under his breath. He was leaving a lot up to chance, and he let it go temporarily, putting his mind to the design and perfecting his shading. But the more he thought about it, the more furious he grew, and he took comfort in one thing. He was a betting man, and he liked games of chance as much as games of skill. He would find a way to make this work, and if he went down in the process, he’d take Pop with him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  This time, when her phone rang, Krishna knew who was calling, and she answered the number she’d saved as belonging to Shane. But she also knew it was only one of many numbers he had, and Brett was carrying that particular phone right now.

  It was midafternoon, and she only caught the call because she’d taken a break to shove some carrots and celery with ranch in her mouth. She’d worked up an appetite on a very busy day. Flipping her hair out of the way, she answered. “Hello?”

  “Hey, bro,” Brett spoke from the other end of the line.

  She smiled; he really was careful not to give anything away, no matter where he was or what he was doing. She felt good about that; he treasured their friendship – and her life. “What’s going on?” she asked, holding the phone with her shoulder while she washed her hands. She was back in the pit in a couple of minutes and, unlike her carelessness at her cashier job, she worked hard to be on time arriving in the morning and getting back from break.

  “I have to cancel our plans tomorrow. I’ve got something important to take care of.” He sounded distracted, and that caught Krishna’s attention before she could feel too much disappointment. “I was hoping we could reschedule, maybe later in the week.” His tone was businesslike, and she guessed he was at the clubhouse.

  “Is everything all right?” she asked, concerned now. Had he been caught meeting with her after all? “Should I be worried?”

  “Not now,” he said in an overly light tone of voice. “Let’s just talk in a couple of days and set up a time to get together. I hate cancelling on you.”

  Reading between the lines, Krishna decided there was something pertinent and maybe dangerous he had to do, and she prayed Pop wasn’t sending him on a run. But what else could pull him away? And lead him to tell her not to worry right now…

  That left it open to a potential problem later. “I’m sure we can reschedule, as long as you think it makes sense.” She dried her hands and stood just outside the main garage. “Are you sure everything is all right with you?”

  “I’m perfect,” he said. “I even have some brand new ink you’re going to love!” A little more quietly, he added, “Just keep your phone as close as you can, in case I need to get hold of you in a hurry.”

  Alarms went off, ringing louder in her head than all of the equipment in the garage put together. Something big was going to happen, and even in her wildest imagination, she couldn’t figure out what that might be. “Promise me you aren’t doing anything stupid.” His laughter was sincere, and it gave her a modicum of relief. But she didn’t just blow it off. “Be careful, all right?”

  “Always. You, too.”

  He hung up, and Krishna took a deep breath as she headed back to the daily grind. Her mind raced, trying to think of possibilities. What was Brett getting himself into? More importantly, did it involve Pop? That would be a nightmare because there was no way Brett could stand up to Pop. He was young and fiery, but he didn’t have the right level of menace and deviance to compete with such a truly evil force.

  Krishna focused hard on her work, not wanting to consider any possibili
ty that someone she cared about would be hurt, or worse. And that included Alex. She had been so angry with him that she hadn’t even given him a chance to tell her the truth.

  Of course, he was so busy protecting her he probably wouldn’t have told her everything no matter what. Still, he was taking the hit and suffering through god only knew what sort of punishments to make sure she was safe. Krishna knew Pop wouldn’t make his life easy after everything that had happened, and he’d chosen that to assure nothing happened to her. How could she stay angry with him now?

  For the first time since she’d started this job, Krishna was truly relieved when the day ended, and she was all but desperate to get home. She didn’t know what she planned to do once she got there, but she couldn’t just sit around and wonder what the hell was going on with the Ashes.

  She actually ended up pacing the floor, the same path Alex had covered so many times, and staring at his name in her phone. She almost pushed the button to call him at least three dozen times before tossing the device on the couch. She couldn’t break the silence. What if he was standing right next to one of the other members of the gang and her name popped up on his phone?

  At the same time, if he denied her call, it might make him look even better in the midst of a bunch of guys looking over his shoulder. She fisted her hands in her hair and stomped her feet, screaming silently in a childish fit. It was the only way she could release some of the tension of the mystery and indecision.

  This wasn’t going to work, she decided, and she quickly grabbed her backpack and keys and rushed out the door, barely stopping to lock it behind her. In the car, she raced down the road, headed toward Shane’s house. She hoped Brett had confided in his friend and that Shane could tell her something to at least take the questions away. It was a bit of a drive, but she covered the distance in record time.

  Rapping on the door anxiously, she wasn’t surprised when he answered right away, though the fact that he wore khakis and a white dress shirt hanging open caught her off guard. He smiled but gave her a questioning look. “Kris? What are you doing here?”

  Now, she felt like an idiot, awkward and rash in her decisions. But she tried to tell herself that she had every right to know what was going on, and she had made the only attempt she could to find out. “I’m sorry, I should have called first. But I didn’t know who else to ask.”

  His lips pressed into a tight white line as his brow knit in consternation. “You talked to Brett.”

  “You know what’s going on.” She made it a statement and not a question, just like he did.

  He stood there, looking indecisive, and then stepped back. “Come in. I’m not gonna talk to you out on the doorstep like you’re some door to door salesman.” She walked past him, and he shut the door, not even bothering to lock it. “I don’t have all day. I’m meeting with a couple of guys who want to start a business. I have to see if they have a product that’ll sell. Come to the kitchen. I’m hungry. What about you?”

  “I could eat,” she said. Food tended to calm her. She would have offered to help, but as it turned out, Shane was something of a chef.

  He went to work and looked like a professional doing it, so she just sat down at the table and watched. He talked while he worked. “I don’t know exactly what he’s up to, so I can’t give you details, even if I wanted to. All I know is that he called yesterday and asked a big favor, some big party he needed me to whip up for him at the last minute. He’s going out to the lake for a big barbecue tomorrow with a bunch of his gang.”

  Krishna frowned. How was that so important that he would cancel working on his bike? More to the point, why did he sound distressed about it? She was thoroughly confused. “He didn’t give you a reason for it? Or for the rush?”

  “No, and I don’t ask questions. He’s been there for me when I needed something in the past, so I’m willing to return the favor.” He had seasoned chicken tenders in a frying pan and had started chopping up vegetables for what looked like a stir fry in minutes.

  She was impressed. But she also had a very important question. “If you felt you owed him a favor, why didn’t he come to you for bail? How did he end up in the bind that made him sign a contract with the Ashes so he owes Pop and plans to endanger himself to pay the debt? You do realize he could end up back in jail or dead doing this stuff.”

  “I asked him that.” Shane had a regretful tone. “I told him I would have bailed him out, paid for his lawyer, and made sure he got a good job and out of trouble for good.” He shook his head. “He said he was too embarrassed to call me. He was in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn’t know how to back down, so he went along with the robbery. He’s a good guy, wouldn’t hurt anyone.”

  Now, Krishna understood. “Pop chooses carefully. He preys on the weak.”

  “That’s what I see. I don’t know a lot about anyone in the club, but from the little Brett told me, it sounds like one commonality.”

  Krishna thought about Alex. He had no family to speak of, nowhere to live, no friends, and only exes with drug issues. He’d been a user himself, and he’d been even weaker, going through withdrawals. The offer Pop made probably sounded like a gift from heaven at that time, under those circumstances. “What a weasel.” She sighed. “I wish there was a way to overthrow him. I don’t suppose things work that way in a motorcycle club, do they?” She figured they probably worked like a dynasty, handing the throne down to someone handpicked and groomed to their liking.

  “That depends,” he said, testing the chicken as he flipped it and then tossing the salad while it cooked for another minute. “I don’t know a lot about how these things work. I grew up in a very different world, obviously. But a few of my friends who race have some experience, and if enough of the members decide that the leader’s turned into a royal asshole, they can work together to move him out in favor of someone with better leadership qualities.” He laughed without mirth. “Or someone can kill him and claim the position.”

  Krishna’s eyes grew wide, and her jaw went slack. She hadn’t considered that an option and, now, she worried Brett was going to try something crazy, like killing Pop. A more public place, where all of his brothers were busy eating and enjoying the outdoors…it would be easy for them to lose track of where everyone was, and he could quickly and succinctly slip away with Pop and come back alone.

  She cursed under her breath. She couldn’t show up there and talk him out of it. The minute any of those guys caught sight of her, she was toast. And if she did manage to hunt Brett down and get him alone, she was sure someone would catch them, and Brett would end up six feet under right next to her.

  She hadn’t even noticed Shane plating the food until it landed in front of her. It smelled delicious, and he plopped a soda down beside it. Unabashed, she dug in and nearly fell over. “You should open a restaurant and be the next Gordon Ramsay.”

  He smirked. “That’s too much work, and I can’t be that mean.” He took a bite from his own plate and nodded. “Brett’s not going to make that bold of a move,” he told her, seeming to read her mind. But it still reassured her. “But I think there’s something he’s not telling me, whether it’s a conspiracy between a lot of his guys to take Pop down or what. I really think this is about ending the big guy’s reign. I just wish I knew what sort of plan he had. I’d love to see the execution of it. Pun intended.”

  Krishna rolled her eyes and had to smile at the bad joke, despite worrying that this was going to turn into a disaster. And now, she was resigned to the fact that she would have to wait and see, unable to interfere. “I guess I should be going,” she said, cleaning her plate.

  But Shane shook his head. “Stick around. Help me decide if I want to put money into this business or not. I get tired of deciding on my own, and I’m sure you have a very valuable and interesting opinion to share.”

  Flattered and a bit relieved that she wouldn’t have to head home and fester in this anxiety just yet, Krishna agreed. It could be an interesting experience a
nd was at least a distraction.

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  “So, what’s this big shindig about anyway?” Rusty asked from across the table. Alex was all ears, wondering what Brett would say by way of explanation. Chewy and Wyatt perked up with interest, too.

  Brett, barely reacting to all eyes being on him in expectation, called the blind and said, “It’s just an excuse to use up all this steak. And a friend of mine happens to owe me a favor, so he’s loaning me his land and some of his best girls from the strip club he owns half of.”

  Wyatt nodded. “Where’d you get the steak?”

  “I was planning a party before I got picked up and landed in the joint. It’s been in my freezer since.” Alex had to admit, Brett was a smooth liar. He’d cover his bases and he didn’t give himself away with any tells. That made him a force to be reckoned with at the poker table, too, and Alex was losing his ass to the kid.

  “Cool,” Rusty said, raising dealing the flop. “You meet this guy in the joint?”