Crossroads

by Chantal Fernando

  “She’s asleep,” I say, cutting off his charming comment. “When she wakes up I’ll bring her out to eat.”

  “Okay,” he says cheerfully, then walks away. I close and relock the door and climb back into bed. The open ring box still sits on my side table, taunting me. I can’t believe she said no. She’s so stubborn. Isn’t that what most women want, the ultimate commitment? Fuck, I sound like a little bitch. This hellion in my bed right now is definitely giving me a run for my money. Women are so hard to figure out sometimes. I’m glad she came over here though—I thought she was going to stay mad at me forever. I wonder if she spoke to Elizabeth and that’s what brought her here. Either way, I’m thankful.

  She’s in my bed, where she belongs, and even though the ring is on the table and not on her finger, she’s still mine. I haven’t lost her, and she’s forgiven me for lying about fucking her cousin. Yeah, that sentence doesn’t exactly paint me in a good light. I wonder if she’s one of those women who will keep throwing shit in my face, even after she says she’s forgiven me. Like months from now is she going to bring it up every time we fight?

  Remember the time you fucked Elizabeth and lied about it?

  I really hope she isn’t like that, but if she is, then I’m going to have to handle it, and her. If she fucked someone I knew, I don’t think I’d take it very well, never mind someone I was related to. When she stirs I sit down on the bed, the mattress going down with my weight.

  “Babe, are you hungry? We’ve been in bed for hours,” I say, kissing her forehead. “I need to feed you.”

  “Hmmm,” she hums, opening her eyes. “What are we going to eat?”

  “I don’t know, but everyone is waiting to see you out there,” I warn her. “There’s probably food in the kitchen, otherwise I’ll take you out to get something.”

  “Who is here?” she asks, sitting up and rubbing her eyes. “I met Anna, she’s the one who let me in the gate. Are all the women here gorgeous?”

  “Pretty much,” I say, shrugging. “I don’t know—I don’t see them like that.”

  “Really?” she asks, eyes flaring. “I don’t even swing that way and I’ve checked out both Anna and Faye.”

  I lift the sheets off her and pull her out of bed. “Well, you can see who else is here. What do you want to bet Anna called all the women?”

  Jo rolls her eyes and stands up. “So, what, it’s let’s-all-stare-at-the-cop day? Are they going to give me shit? Never mind, don’t answer that. Either way, I’ll handle it.” She goes into my bathroom and washes her face, squares her shoulders, then says, “Okay, let’s do this.”

  I grin and lead her straight to the kitchen, because I’m starving. Like I’d guessed, almost all of the women are in the kitchen, with the exception of Tina, Anna, and Faye.

  “Oh, look who’s here!” Tia says, smiling widely. “What a lovely surprise.”

  I glance around the room, expression blank. “Anna called you, didn’t she?”

  Lana takes off her glasses and smiles at Jo, then at me. “She may have sent a group text.”

  I sigh. “Everyone, this is Jo. Jo, these are the Wind Dragon women.”

  I point and tell her the names of each woman. Jo says hi to each one, smiling amiably.

  “There’s spaghetti,” Tia says to me while she pulls out a chair. “Jo, why don’t you sit with us while Ranger sorts you out?”

  Jo takes a seat and I start serving the two of us.

  “You’re so pretty,” I hear Shayla blurt out. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Jo.”

  “You too,” Jo replies, and I can hear the smile in her voice. “It’s nice to put faces to the names.”

  “What’s Ranger been saying about us?” Tia asks, making a tsk-tsk noise. “I can only imagine what you’ve heard. We’re not that bad, promise.”

  “Although she probably likes bad,” Bailey throws out.

  “Yeah, bad at beer pong,” Lana adds, laughing.

  Fuck, I’m never going to live that down.

  “I heard about that,” Jo says to Lana. “Talon told me. I think we should have a rematch.”

  I’m going to have to kill my old Wild Men president, and I’m totally fine with that.

  “When, tonight?” Tia asks, sounding interested. “Getting drunk on a weekday, isn’t that spontaneous. I wonder if Talon will stay with Rhett so I can get in on this.”

  I approach the table and set down a bowl and fork in front of Jo. “Do you want anything with it? Parmesan cheese?”

  “No, I’m good, thank you,” she says, picking up her fork. “I’ll save room for all the beer I’ll be drinking soon.”

  “So, we’re having a beer pong match on a weeknight, against a cop and a former enemy turned family member?” Lana asks, eyebrows hitting her hairline. “Our lives are definitely interesting. Who’s going to play? We only need two.”

  “Me!” Tia says, waving her pink-tipped fingernails in the air. “I nominate myself.” She looks around the table. “Who is joining me? Shayla? What say you?”

  Shayla looks to Lana, who shakes her head. “You go ahead, Shay. I think I’m going to enjoy this from the sidelines.”

  “You scared, Shay?” I taunt, sitting next to Jo and digging in. “I won’t lose a second time. Tell Vinnie to expect you home very drunk.”

  And getting Tia drunk can be my ‘payback’ to Talon for doing the same to Jo that night at the bar.

  “We’ll see about that, Ranger,” Shayla boasts, lifting her chin. “Eat. You’re going to need a full stomach.”

  These women.

  All I know is I better not lose this time.

  • • •

  Everyone comes for the event, like it’s a birthday, not a midweek beer pong game. The kids are all here too, but they’re playing outside while we’re in the game room. The red cups are lined up, and everyone is waiting to begin.

  “Have you played before?” I ask Jo, not knowing how much she partied in the past. I probably should have asked her these things. But then, she’s the one who started this whole thing, so she probably deserves to get intoxicated tonight.

  She nods, giving me an amused glance. “I haven’t been living under a rock, you know.”

  “Ladies first,” I tell her, giving her the opening shot.

  She throws the white ball but misses all the cups. She throws overarm, which I think looks weird, I prefer the underarm technique.

  “Nice try, babe,” I tell her, trying to curb my competitive streak and be encouraging.

  Tia goes next and also misses. “Dammit!”

  I get my shot in, and Shayla drinks the cup, everyone cheering as she finishes it. Shayla misses her shot, and I taunt her for a bit, enjoying annoying the shit out of her.

  “Maybe next time, Shay.”

  “Shut up, Ranger!” she calls, poking her tongue out at me. “You haven’t won yet.”

  This game really brings out the immaturity in everyone.

  “I’m not losing.” I look to Jo, then smirk at Talon. “I have a better partner this time.”

  Talon picks up a candle off a table and fuckin’ throws it at me, but I duck and it smashes against the wall. See what I mean about the immaturity thing?

  “I’m an excellent beer pong buddy! Not our fault Bailey and Anna are fuckin’ sharks,” he calls out, and I actually agree with him on that one. Bailey is sweet as pie, so no one ever suspects her, but you need to remember who her company is. Any girl who is best friends with Anna can’t be sweet.

  When Jo plays her next shot, she gets it in, and I’ve never been so proud. I lift her in the air and cheer as Tia chugs down the cup. Speaking of the devil, Anna arrives and smirks, approaching the table. “Well, isn’t this déjà vu.”

  “Not going to lose this time, Anna.”

  “That’s because I’m not playing,” she says, a smug look on her face. “And because Bailey’s not here. Convenient how both of us aren’t here while this is going on!”

  I throw a Ping-Pong ball at her.
“Call Bailey. After I win this game, Talon and I will happily take you both on.”

  I hear Talon groan, but I ignore it. He’s in this too, and Anna isn’t going to shut up until she’s taken down a notch. I only hope she doesn’t open her mouth about my kidnapping her in front of Jo, because that will open up a shit storm and I really don’t have any way of talking myself out of that one.

  Fuck. I really should have thought this through before bringing her here. Damn Anna and her lifelong grudge! What’s a little kidnapping among enemies turned friends?

  “All right, I’ll call her now,” she says, sliding her phone from her jean pocket.

  In the meantime, the game goes on until we have one cup left, while they have three.

  So we need only one shot to win.

  And it’s Jo’s turn.

  Everyone is watching, and the pressure is on. If she gets this in, I’m going to go down on her for an hour tonight. Who am I kidding? I’m going to do that anyway.

  She throws the ball and it seems to spin through the air in slow motion as it plops gracefully into their last cup.

  When she gets it in, I’m so fuckin’ happy, I take her into my arms and kiss the shit out of her. Everyone cheers, except Tia and Shay I imagine, while I dip her backward and congratulate her with my lips, a promise of what’s to come later tonight when we’re alone.

  Bailey comes to the clubhouse just for the rematch.

  “Bailey, this is Jo,” I say, arm around my woman. “Jo, this is Bailey. Don’t be fooled by her sweet demeanor.”

  Bailey rolls her eyes and hugs Jo. “Welcome to the family, Jo. We should get to know each other a little after I kick your man’s ass.”

  “Told you,” I mouth to Jo, who starts laughing and takes a seat next to Shay to watch the game.

  Talon looks at me, amusement dancing in his green eyes. “Brother, if we don’t win this we’ll never be able to show our face here again.”

  Dramatic, but true.

  “We’re just going to have to win it, then, won’t we?”

  “Not all of us have been practicing,” he says so only I can hear.

  “I can carry us,” I say, slapping him on the back. “I’ve got this.”

  I play the first shot and miss on purpose. Let them think they’ve got this. We got hustled, and now it’s their turn.

  Every shot after that, I get in.

  And when I take the winning shot, I look Anna right in the eye, and I smile.

  Lucky for me, she doesn’t use the kidnapping against me in front of Jo, for which I’m grateful. I even give her a kiss on the cheek. “Good game, Anna.”

  She rolls her eyes, but I don’t miss the quirk of her lips.

  What a damn good night.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  Johanna

  Two months later

  “REMEMBER that time I proposed to you and you said no?” Ranger says when we walk through the door of my house.

  I laugh, my body shaking. “You’re not going to let that go, are you? Where have you been?”

  “I had to drop by a few of the businesses and do some accounting stuff,” he says, stepping behind me as I wash the dishes and kissing the side of my neck. “Then I came straight here. I’ve missed you today, and I was thinking about something.”

  “What?” I ask, turning off the tap and spinning around.

  “Do you like this house? As in do you want us to live here, or should I buy us a new house?”

  My eyes widen. “How is this a casual conversation for you? And since when are we moving in together?”

  We practically live together anyway, so I understand his train of thought, but his asking if he can buy us a house is not a normal conversation. It wasn’t even “Should we buy a house together,” he just asked if he can buy us a new house. Am I a kept woman now?

  “We sleep together pretty much every night and I have a key to your house. How is that not already living together?” he asks, raising a brow. “I don’t have time for your commitment issues, Jo. If you want the milk, buy the cow.”

  I burst out laughing at that, and glance around my house, considering. “I do love this house, but it’s not very big. What do you think, Ranger? I just want to be wherever you are.”

  “And I just want to make you happy.”

  “You do,” I whisper.

  I don’t remember ever being this happy before. Everything in my life is going well, and I’m in a place I never thought I’d be. I’m in love. I have a man who will do anything to make me smile, and keeps me satisfied in every way. I have a house, a good job, friends, and family. I’m a lucky woman.

  “Maybe we could get a new house and rent this one out,” I suggest, then add, “We’re going to need room for any possible children we have.”

  His eyes dash to me, widening. “You think you’re having kids without us being fuckin’ married? What? You gonna give them hyphenated names and shit? I think not, Jo. Nice try, but my good genes come with a ball and chain.”

  I smile, step forward, and rest my head on him. “You really want me to marry you that much, Ranger?” I ask him. “It’s that important to you?”

  “Yeah,” he admits. “I don’t know why, but it is. And I’ve never even considered marriage before; I just want it with you. I want you to be mine in every way, even the traditional ones.”

  I smile and peep up at him. “Okay, Ranger. I’ll marry you.”

  He lifts me into the air, kisses my lips, then takes me to the bedroom and shows me just what I’m signing up for.

  And trust me, I’m not complaining.

  • • •

  We’re still in our post-lovemaking daze when Ranger gets a call from Arrow.

  “What?” he growls, sitting up. “What happened?”

  I sit up, alert.

  He glances at me as he continues to speak. “She’s with me. Okay, I’ll be there now.”

  He hangs up, throws his phone on the side table, and jumps out of bed. I can’t help but stare at his naked body as he picks up his pants from the floor.

  “What happened?” I ask, lifting the sheets up. “Is everything okay?”

  “Cops raided the MC,” he says, getting dressed. “They didn’t find anything. Thank fuck they didn’t find any of the weapons.”

  What the hell? I have to wonder why I wasn’t told about this, or at least had any idea it was taking place. Did Travis not tell me on purpose? Did they have a reason for the raid?

  I cringe, ignoring his mention of weapons, and also start to get dressed. “Ranger, I had no idea they were going to do this.”

  I know I don’t have to explain myself, but I don’t want him to think I knew and didn’t tell him. It’s a fine line, and if I did know I don’t know what I would do anyway.

  “I know, Jo,” he says, softening his tone. “It’s okay. Arrow just wants me to go in because he’s calling a club meeting.”

  “Do you want me to come?” I ask him, not sure what to do here.

  “No, babe,” he says, walking over to me and kissing my forehead. “I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

  Right, it’s not like I’d be welcome to a club meeting, but I feel a little helpless right now and unsure what to do.

  Did Arrow ask where I was to see if I knew about what was going down? Is the club meeting about me? What if they don’t want me to be with Ranger anymore?

  Should I go to the station and ask what happened? Or will that make me look like I’m siding with the MC? I can’t win here. It’s a conflict of interest, and I can’t choose either side. I’m stuck in the middle. I want Ranger to be able to trust me, and I want to know what’s going on in his life, but at the same time I can’t know too much, because if I’m asked . . .

  Is it possible to be a good cop and a good girlfriend to a biker?

  I don’t know how, but I need to make it work. I want both, and I need to make it so I can have both. Can’t I just be Switzerland? Neutral ground? Even I’m not so naïve as to think so. Shit is going to blow up
, it’s just a matter of time, and I don’t know how I’m going to handle it. Being a cop is who I am, but Ranger . . . Ranger is who I love.

  I slide back into bed and wonder what the hell is happening right now.

  • • •

  “Never thought I’d be having lunch with a cop who’s dating one of the Wind Dragon men,” Faye says, the beauty in her smile almost blinding. “But I like you, Jo. To be honest, I was kind of worried about Ranger before you came into his life.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask her as I take a bite of my chicken salad.

  She tilts her head to the side, then explains. “He was restless becoming a Wind Dragon. It’s like he felt like he didn’t fit in or something, although I tried everything to make sure he felt like he did. I gave him your cousin’s case to distract him. I thought he was going to leave us, and I didn’t want him to.”

  “He loves being a part of that lifestyle though.”

  “He does,” she says, nodding. “But it was a big change. When you’re with a club, you become so loyal to them. He was loyal to the Wild Men. So was Talon, but his loyalty changed to Tia, and he already had ties to the Wind Dragons, so it was an easy transition for him. Ranger had only Talon, and he knew Shayla; I think that was it.”

  “So it was like a whole new life. New people, new environment, and new loyalties?”

  “Exactly,” she says, nodding. “Also a very different biker lifestyle. More family environment, less drugs and alcohol, less club whores, et cetera. All the men have settled down now. So maybe that made him feel left out, I don’t know. He’s a good man though, and I’m glad he found someone worthy of him who makes him happy.”

  “He is a good man,” I agree, then broach the topic I want to ask her about. “I didn’t know anything about the raid, you know.”

  “I know,” Faye says, studying me. “It’s going to be hard to keep your work separate from Ranger, but you can do it. Ranger told us you had nothing to do with it, and we believe him, and you. Nothing happened anyway. They were looking for something but found nothing. I also think that if they did find something they’d have tried to drag you down with us.”