Her mouth went dry when he sat a gun on the table between them. She didn’t know anything about guns and couldn’t tell what kind it was, but it looked pretty formidable.
“They come into my sanctuary, which is this town of Bowling Green…I’m here to promise you, they won’t be leaving the way they came, if you know what I mean.”
That low threat was exactly why she’d sought him out, but it was also the one thing that scared her to death.
Chapter Eight
“Do you need me to take your spot on the run tonight?”
Layne looked up from where he sat hunched over the hood of the car he was working on. Black Cherry in color, it belonged to a local friend of the club, Cash Montgomery. “I’m sorry, what?”
“Do you need me to take your spot on the run tonight?” Jagger asked again, wiping off his hands with one of the rags they kept lying around the shop.
“Why would I need you to do that?”
Jagger felt like he was talking to an elementary school kid. “You’ve got a woman here with you. I figured you might want to hang out with her? After all, she did come here from California.” The ‘duh’ hung in the air, unsaid.
Sighing, Layne shook his head. “No, I had that commitment before she came. I’ll see it through.”
“The guys will understand if you need the night off. It’s not like any of us haven’t done it before, my friend.”
This was so odd for Layne. He had never had to clear his schedule with someone else since he had been welcomed into the club. He wasn’t used to it and wasn’t at all sure he liked it. “Can she hang with you and B?”
“It’s cool with me, man, but you might wanna check with her. She and B seemed to be hitting it off pretty well earlier. I daresay B was possibly corrupting her a little bit.”
A small smile tilted up the side of Layne’s mouth. “Maybe B will take her to Wet Wanda’s.”
The two shared a chuckle. “Seriously though, it’s cool with me if you want me to keep an eye on her, but you do need to make sure it’s okay with her. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since becoming part of a couple—women don’t like you to make decisions for them.”
“I’m not part of a couple,” Layne argued.
“Maybe not, but for the sake of argument, just listen to me.”
Layne again sighed before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jessica’s number.
“What are you going to do tonight while Layne’s on his run?” Bianca asked the other woman as they made their way back to the clubhouse.
This time, Jessica was prepared for the crazy way Bianca drove, and she was enjoying herself. “Run?”
“Yeah,” she answered, checking to the left and right as they came to a stop sign. “It’s how they make most of their money.”
“You mean illegal money?”
“First rule around here, Jess. We don’t ask questions. The only reason I know about any of this stuff is because the guys did a lot of talking where I used to work at Wet Wanda’s. Let’s just say what they help transport could hurt others. Either way, don’t ask about it. I just assumed Layne had told you that he wouldn’t be around tonight. He’s scheduled to go to Louisville.”
Well, that was perfect wasn’t it? She’d invited herself into his dorm room and into his life. Not once had she thought about what he may have going on. “I never really thought about it to be honest with you. He didn’t even tell me he was going on this run.”
“Can’t say I’m surprised.” Bianca glanced over. “Layne’s pretty quiet, and he’s not used to having to check in with anybody.”
“He doesn’t have to check in with me,” she argued. “It’s never been like that with the two of us.”
“C’mon, you came to Bowling Green because you wanted to be near him. Because you felt safe with him. It’s never been that way with him? Not even a little bit?”
Jessica was saved from answering the question when her phone rang, the call coming from Layne. She held up a finger and answered.
“Hey, what did you need?”
His voice was hurried on the other end, like he wanted to get her off the phone quickly. “I have to go on a run tonight. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier, but I don’t feel right getting someone else to take my place. Would you mind hanging out with Jagger and B tonight?”
Her stomach gave a roll, and she wasn’t sure why. He couldn’t put his life on hold just because she showed up here out of the blue, but a part of her had wanted him to. “If it’s okay with them, then it’s okay with me.”
“Jagger’s good with it, so I’m sure Bianca will be too. I’ll come get you tonight when I’m done.” He hung up before she could say anything else.
She glanced at the phone before sitting it down in her lap. “Guess I’m hanging out with you tonight—if that’s okay. I hope you and Jagger didn’t have plans.”
Bianca laughed. “No plans, unless you wanted to go to a strip club?” The grin on her face was mischievous, and Jessica couldn’t help but wonder about this place she’d heard about.
“How seedy is it?”
“It’s seedy, I’m not gonna lie to you. It was like home to me for a long time though. There’s good people there, but it’s not for everybody.”
Something about Layne pawning her off on other people had Jessica wanting to live a little. Here in this place where no one knew her name and didn’t readily know that she was a Hollywood starlet, she realized she could let her hair down. Maybe have that group of core friends that she’d missed as she’d become more and more famous. “I wanna go,” she said on impulse.
“Awesome, I’ll see if Roni and Meredith wanna come with us. I don’t think Denise would be up to it since she just gave birth, but we’ll see.”
Glancing out the car window, Jessica watched the scenery whiz by. Just because she’d put herself in a bad situation didn’t mean she had to stay in it.
“I can’t believe she’s coming with us.” Bianca grinned at Jagger as she stepped into the living room of their apartment.
“Why wouldn’t she?” he asked, not looking up from the game he played on his phone. “It’s either she hang out with us or she sits in Layne’s dorm room alone. He’s kind of a dumbass if you ask me.”
“She doesn’t really know us,” Bianca argued.
“Doesn’t matter. If I was her, I’d rather go to a strip club too,” he mumbled, moving his phone to the left and right before he groaned. “Fuck!”
“Would you stop playing that game?”
For the first time, he glanced up, noticing the clothes that covered her body. “Nice damn dress.” His eyes looked her up and down once before he went over and kissed her lips softly. “Am I gonna have to fight a bunch of men off tonight?”
She rolled her eyes. “With Jessica here? I’m sure they won’t even give the rest of us a second glance.”
“You might not be a movie star, but you’re hot, babe,” he told her as he grabbed his keys and helped her out of the apartment and down the stairs.
“Thanks.” She kissed him again when they got to the car. “You always know how to make me feel wanted.”
His eyebrows jacked up and down. “I can make you feel wanted one more time before we leave if you want.”
“Jagger,” she groaned, smacking his stomach. “Not now.
“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”
Jessica sat in Layne’s dorm room, chewing on her bottom lip, completely unsure of herself. Had this been California and one of the clubs or premieres she went to there, she would know exactly how to dress. Here, in this little town, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Would anyone recognize her? If they did, would they make a big deal about it? She didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but she was very nervous, and Layne wasn’t here to calm her fears. He’d left a couple hours ago with nothing more than a ‘see ya later’.
She was seconds away from calling Bianca and telling her that she’d decided not to do this when there was a knock at the d
oor.
“Be right there,” she said to the person on the other side as she stuck her feet in the shoes she’d decided to wear for the night. Walking quickly over to the door, she flung it open and was greeted by Meredith.
“Damn girl, you look hot! You sure Layne’s not gonna be there?”
“He told me he wasn’t.” She ran her hands down the leather leggings she wore. “Is it too much?”
“Not at all, but you do look like a hot biker bitch,” Meredith giggled. “Is he coming to pick you up on his bike when he gets back in town?”
“I have no idea,” she mumbled. There was a part of her that didn’t want to tell the other woman that he’d barely said ten words to her when he’d walked in from the shop earlier. “He just told me he’d see me later when he came to pick me up.”
“I bet he rides his bike. Have you ridden on his bike with him yet?”
The former reporter was full of questions, and it made Jessica a little leery. Not that she thought Meredith would tell someone where she was or inadvertently spill some information, inquisitive people just made her nervous now. “Not yet. Should that be something I look forward to?”
“It’s my favorite place to be with Tyler besides next to him in bed. There’s something about riding on the back of the bike, your arms wrapped around your big strong man as he maneuvers the bike where he wants it to go.” She shivered. “You’ll understand as soon as you ride with Layne. Trust me.”
For the first time since she’d showed up here, Jessica was jealous. She wanted to know what those feelings felt like. She wanted to share those things with Layne. Not wanting to depress herself, she plastered a smile on her face. “Are we ready?”
“If you are.” Meredith grabbed her hand and led her out of Layne’s dorm. “Jagger’s gonna drive us over in Tyler’s truck, and then he’ll be there in case the guys don’t get back in time to take us home.”
“Why wouldn’t they get home in time?” She was so unused to this life, had so many questions that she wasn’t sure she’d ever find all the answers.
“Sometimes runs don’t go as planned.”
The look on Meredith’s face made her wonder what that meant. “As in, they run into traffic on the way?”
“That’s one way to put it,” she mumbled.
“No, I’d really like to know. I’m here and in this for now, I’d like to know Layne’s day-to-day life. He’s so closed off about it.”
Meredith wasn’t sure if she should get into this with Jessica. Layne was very private. He might not want his business shared, but if she was here, then she was a part of this life. “Sometimes they meet up with a rival gang, and they gotta get the hell outta dodge, if you know what I mean.
Jessica wasn’t exactly sure she knew, but her imagination ran rampant. “That happens a lot?”
“Sometimes,” Meredith sighed. “Look, if you want to know more, you’re gonna have to ask Layne. I don’t know what he wants you to know and what he doesn’t want you to know. The last thing I want to do is betray his friendship or lie to you, so I think this is a conversation the two of you need to have.”
“That’s fair,” Jessica nodded. “And I appreciate that you’re looking out for him. Something tells me he hasn’t had a whole lot of that in the last few years.”
A moment passed between the two of them. They came to an understanding before Meredith grinned. “Let’s get this show on the road. We’re about to show you how Kentucky girls party.”
“A lot different than California girls,” Jessica giggled as they made their way to the main room.
Jagger stood there, keys in hand. “Your chariot awaits, my ladies.”
They laughed again as they made their way outside and climbed into the truck beside Bianca. Jessica knew if anything—these new friends of hers were going to show her the kind of time she’d only before written about.
Chapter Nine
“Can I get ginger ale in a beer mug?” Meredith asked Jasmine, the waitress who had come over to their table and who had previously worked with Bianca.
Amused, Bianca and Jessica looked at each other, both snickering.
“What?” She shrugged. “I want to at least feel like I’m part of the group. Just because I’m trying to get pregnant doesn’t mean I can’t have a good time.”
“I hate to break it to you,” Bianca reached over and put her hand on Meredith’s arm, “but you’re ridiculous.”
“Let her do what she wants,” Jasmine chided them. “What can I get for you?” She turned to Jessica.
“Whatever Bianca’s having, I’ll have too.”
Bianca glanced at the other woman, and then looked around the room. Jagger sat over to the side, talking with Steele, who was doing protection at the club for them on this night. “Oh, what the hell! Let’s do a Crown and Coke tonight.”
Jasmine took their orders, promising to be back soon.
“So what do you think?” Meredith asked as she glanced over at Jessica.
That was a loaded question. Never in her life had she been in a place like this. She hadn’t been one of those Hollywood starlets that were known for going out and being crazy. No matter what racy roles she took as a youngster, she had worked hard to come out from underneath that shadow. That had always been the women she was compared to. Save for that one moment where she threw caution to the wind and let nude pictures be taken of her. “It’s interesting,” she finally answered.
Meredith leaned closer. “Interesting good or interesting bad.”
“Not sure yet,” she answered honestly.
Jasmine came back with their drinks and proudly sat a frosty mug in front of Meredith. “Here ya go, do you want me to pour it for you too?” she teased, opening up the bottle of ginger ale.
“No, smartass, I can pour it just fine.”
The lights of the club went lower, and Jessica’s eyes were drawn to the stage. There she saw a scantily clad woman doing things to a pole she’d only seen in movies. Men sat at the edge, ogling her, pushing money towards her.
“You did this?” She looked over at Bianca, her eyes wide.
“Oh, no, I didn’t do that. I was a waitress like Jasmine. Having said that, I’ve had plenty of situations that I didn’t want to be in because men were so overbearing. That’s kinda where Heaven Hill came in. They started working protection for the club.”
“Is that where you met Jagger?”
Meredith snorted from her seat. “That’s an even better story.”
“I kinda fell in Jagger’s lap,” she said carefully, crossing her legs under the table. “I may or may not have been half-way naked. Either way, we met each other, and the rest, they say, is history.”
Jessica sat back against her seat and watched the two ladies. They were obviously very comfortable with one another. “Have you two known each other a long time?”
“No,” they laughed.
“It’s funny about these guys,” Meredith explained. “They make anyone who comes into this group part of the family, and it just sorta stays that way.”
“Even when you’re hesitant about it and you don’t think that you want any more family than what you already have,” Bianca finished dryly.
There were so many things that Jessica was curious about. Most of it was Layne’s life that even she hadn’t been privy to. “So you’ve only known Layne for a short period of time?”
“You could say that, but really I’ve known him since he started hanging around with the club. Since they worked protection here, I became acquaintances with most of the guys. But I didn’t get to know any of them on any kind of personal basis until Jagger and I hooked up.”
“So have you ever seen him with anyone?” Jessica wasn’t sure why she asked that question, she really didn’t want to know the answer.
“Can’t say that I ever heard him mention anyone but you,” Meredith told her. “And that wasn’t until very recently.”
“And if you’re asking if he’s ever had a woman around the club, I h
aven’t seen it,” Bianca told her. “He must either be a monk or very discreet.”
Jessica wasn’t sure that she believed either of those statements. “So what’s this about showing me a good time?” She grinned, putting on the face that she wore at most premieres. If they expected her to be the life of the party, then that’s what she would be.
Layne was not in the best of moods. The last thing he had wanted to do was go on the run that had just ended. Combine that with the fact that he had to go to Wet Wanda’s to check on the ladies, and he was downright pissed off.
“You want me to go in there and get ’em?” Tyler asked, as the two of them parked their bikes.
“Jagger should be bringing their asses out here. He’s been with them all night,” Layne reasoned.
“He texted me about an hour ago and told me he was gonna need some help.”
What the fuck did that mean? “Fine, let’s just go get them and get the hell outta here.”
Layne threw open the door to the club and inhaled deeply. What greeted him was not at all what he expected. Jessica and Bianca stood in the middle of the room, dancing and laughing. Meredith stood to the side, clapping her hands and egging them on. It wasn’t that they were being obscene, but others watched them. Where the hell was Jagger? He was supposed to be keeping an eye on them.
His brown eyes swept the inside of the building, looking for his friend.
“What the fuck?” Tyler’s deep voice asked as he came to stand beside Layne.
“My thoughts exactly…where the hell is Jagger?”
“He’s around here somewhere.” Tyler was much taller than Layne, and within seconds he’d spotted the other man. “There he is, right there in the corner. Shit’s under control.”
Making his way over to the corner where Jagger lounged, Layne couldn’t take his eyes off the women dancing. As they got to where Jagger sat, he tore his gaze away from them. “How long they been doin’ that?”
“Just started an hour or so ago.” Jagger shrugged, taking a drink from his beer bottle. “Nobody’s gotten out of line with them, and Meredith looks like she’s havin’ a good time, so I didn’t want to bust it up.”
Worth The Battle (Heaven Hill Series) Page 6