by Meg Ripley
Velvet shrugged. “It’s Friday.”
“Huh. Is it?” I rubbed my face to clear my mind.
When had I last gone to work? I might have already lost my job. At least that would mean never having to see Alex again.
“Here.” Velvet slid a fresh beer over to me. “I ordered for you.”
“Perfect.” I chugged half the glass in one sip. In another three or four, I’d be feeling better. “What trouble are we getting into tonight?”
“Hellcat’s out. She had a big job to pull or something. I don’t know.”
“She’s not coming at all?”
“Just you and me.”
“Then what trouble are we gonna get into?” I grinned and tapped my glass to hers.
“Let’s see.” She turned to scan the bar. “So many people here, I can barely tell what gangs are around.”
I kicked her chair, and when she looked my way, I gestured with my head toward a man a few tables away. “You’ve got a secret admirer.”
She inspected him, making no moves to hide her gaze. “Maybe.”
“He’s pretty hot. I’d do him.”
She chuckled. “You say that about every man we see.”
“I do not.”
“How long’s it been for you?”
I hated to think back that long or to think who it had been with. “Lost track.”
“You’ll grow cobwebs if you’re not careful.”
I shoved her. “Like you’re any better. I heard the talk.”
“Yeah, yeah, well you know what it’s like when you get your heart broken.”
“Ah. Then we have the same excuse.”
“Yeah?” She looked over at the man again. Another man had joined him. “Maybe it’s time we both fix that. What do you say?”
I looked the men over, but felt nothing. They were hot, but I just wasn’t into it, even for a one-night thing. “Nah, I’m good. You go on.”
“You sure?”
“I need to catch up anyway.” I held up my beer and took a long drink.
Velvet got up and walked over to the men and within minutes, she was sitting on one’s lap, laughing. Looked like I was on my own for the night.
I looked around the bar again. No one and nothing interested me. I felt irritated that Hellcat had bailed. Ditched us to work? How lame.
I sat for a while, finishing off another beer, before I needed a smoke. I headed outside and leaned against our usual spot at the corner of the building, taking long, slow drags, enjoying the night air and looking up to the stars. The view was beautiful and clear, but I was bored.
By the way things were looking with Velvet and her new friend, I doubted she’d be up for anything fun—well, anything outside of whatever craziness she’d end up doing with that guy.
I watched a car pull in and absently followed it with my gaze. As it parked and the door opened, I looked for a moment, then looked back. No. Alex made eye contact with me.
What the hell is he doing here? Well, whatever his deal was, I wasn’t getting involved with it.
I turned so that my face was hidden from him. He’d already seen me, but hopefully he would keep walking and go on to do whatever he was there to do.
“Whoa, who invited Doogie Houser?” a man said.
“Doogie Houser was a doctor, you moron. You mean Steve Urkel,” another man said.
They both laughed and I knew they had to be talking about Alex. Even though he’d changed out of his Ranger uniform, he still wore ironed slacks and a button-down shirt, tucked in.
“Hey,” Alex said to me.
I reluctantly shifted my gaze up to look at him. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“I came to talk to you,” he insisted.
“Oooh! Urkel has a girlfriend!” one of the men teased.
I grabbed Alex’s shirt and pulled him around the side of the building. We were out of the main view, where only a few cars were parked.
“I don’t want to be seen with you,” I snapped. “What the hell are you here for?”
“You. What the hell are you here for?”
“I just came for the peanuts. What do you think?”
He made a quick sweep around with his gaze. “Where’s your gang? I know this is one of their hang-out spots.”
“And how do you know that?”
He narrowed his eyes at me. “I have my ways.”
“Well, that’s great. Use your ways to guide you back home where you belong, you hear?” I dropped my cigarette and stomped it out.
“Are you planning to come back to work?”
“Possibly. What’s it to you? I’m sure things’ll go more smoothly without me.”
He laughed once. “Obviously. But don’t you think you’re being a little irresponsible? You just don’t show up or call for four days in a row?”
Crap. Had it been that many? “Uh, sorry, Dad.”
“Roxy! These women you’re hanging out with are no good for you. How can you not see that? You’ve missed days of work and are about to be fired. You barely made it out of getting in trouble for breaking the park curfew. Who knows what else you’ve done. Why would you hang out with people who do nothing to contribute to society?”
“Oh, wow. That’s the argument you’re going for? They don’t contribute?” I laughed. “They’re boosting the local economy.”
“Right. The local crime economy.”
“What does that even mean? You know what, it doesn’t matter. We’re done here.”
“Wait.” He reached out to touch my arm.
A thrill ran through me that I pushed aside. Whatever I hadn’t felt for the men Velvet was talking to, I felt for Alex. And that was ridiculous. How could I be so tuned into someone so repulsive?
He looked into my eyes intensely and said, “I think you’re better than this.”
My heart tightened. “So, now you’re judging my friends, too?” I shook my head. “Take your lecture somewhere else. I’m done listening. I don’t care what you think about me, my friends or the places I hang out. Got it? Stay the fuck away from me.”
I turned to storm off. Two men leaned against a car, grinning, and it was clear they had been watching.
“Enjoy the show?” I asked.
As I passed them, one stood up and grabbed my ass, but I was much too angry already to hold anything back in that moment. I spun, punching him square in the jaw.
“What the hell?” he said and stood taller, rubbing his cheek.
His friend walked over and they stood side by side, in my face.
“I’d watch it if I were you, little lady,” the friend said. “You’re going to get yourself hurt.”
I laughed. “By whom, you? Not likely.”
He grabbed my wrist and pulled it. “Watch your mouth.”
“Let go of me.” I yanked my arm back and stumbled when it came free from his grip.
“Hey! Leave her alone!” Alex shouted.
I closed my eyes. Oh god. Not now. What is he doing?
“Go home, Alex!” I shouted. “I can take care of myself.”
The friend approached Alex as he hurried over. “Look at this guy! He couldn’t win a bar fight with a fly!”
The first man grabbed my arm when I was distracted and pulled me closer to him. “Let’s just watch and see what happens to your friend.”
“Get off me, asshole!” I tried to pull away from him, but he was stronger than his friend.
I looked back to see Alex explode into bear form, roaring loudly in the night air.
“What the hell?” The guy let go of my arm and took off running, with his friend right behind him.
8
Roxy
I looked at Alex in horrified shock. “Are you a complete idiot?” I scanned the area, but luckily, no one else was visible. “Shift back before someone sees you!”
Melting back into his human form, he stood in front of me, naked, covering himself.
I put my hands on my hips, but I could feel myself shaking all over. “Now w
hat are you going to do? You’ll get arrested for indecent exposure.”
“I’ll just run home and get my car later. Are you okay?”
I glanced behind me to make sure the men hadn’t returned. “Yeah.”
“Let’s get out of here. Please.”
“Yeah, I’m heading out.” No way in hell I’d stay there for one second alone, but I wouldn’t admit that to him.
“Come with me then,” he pleaded.
“I’m fine. Really.”
“Roxy. I don’t want to have to worry about you all night. Please.”
I closed my eyes and shook my head. I couldn’t keep looking at him. Adrenaline flowed too fast through my veins. My heart raced and I couldn’t stop my knees from shaking. If Alex hadn’t been here…
I shook my head again to clear it; I couldn’t think about what might have happened. He was there and he’d shifted in front of humans to save me. Crazy idiot. Why would he do something that stupid? But he had done something stupid. Something dangerous. For me.
“You better get out of here fast,” I warned. “If those guys tell someone what you did, people will be everywhere looking for you.”
“Then hurry up.” He gestured for me to come with him.
Every muscle in his body had to be hard as rock. He could be some kind of a sculpture with those abs and thighs. And ass. I looked away again.
“It’s much safer for everyone if we leave together,” he insisted.
I heard the crunch of gravel behind me and panicked. Had the men returned? Was someone coming around the corner? I had to get out now. I ran to the closest patch of trees and took a long leap, shifting in mid-air to wolf form.
Alex was right behind me, running fast. I tried to turn sharply to get away from him, but it was no use. He stayed on my tail.
After a few minutes of running my hardest, I had to stop. My brain was going crazy and so were my hormones. I couldn’t have Alex chasing after me like that.
When he stopped, too, I shifted back to human form. I didn’t even care that I was naked in front of him. Let him look. I’d checked him out. It was only fair.
He shifted back and stood several feet from me. “Are you…?”
“What?” I snapped.
“Why did you stop? Is something wrong?”
“Something wrong?” I gestured back toward the bar. “Maybe all that?” The arm I held out started shaking. And I wasn’t cold.
“So, let’s talk about it. That’s how these things are made better.”
“What are you, some kind of shrink now?”
“I just want to help,” he said softly.
“What makes you think you can help me?”
He took a step closer and held my gaze. His expression was sympathetic. Genuine.
My insides twisted. Seeing him like that, without his clothing to make him look geeky, he seemed like a different person. Someone who would risk himself to protect me. Someone who could do dangerous things when he had to. Maybe I’d been wrong about him all along.
I swallowed hard and felt, for the first time, somewhat self-conscious of being naked in front of him. I had no shame over my body or anything like that, but being naked while being so drawn to him was a bad combination.
“Thank you for what you did,” I said. “It was stupid as hell, but it was…” I had thought to say, “sexy,” but I didn’t want him to get the wrong idea. “It was brave.”
“I didn’t do it to impress you. I was afraid for your safety. The benefit of saving you outweighed the risk of being found out. Simple as that.”
The risk of being found out was a huge one. So, that would have to mean that to him, saving me was an even bigger benefit. My heart pricked with that sensation I’d fought so hard to avoid; a combination of admiration and appreciation that made me like him a little too much.
“I know how cautious of a person you are, so…” I wasn’t sure what to do with my tangle of emotions. “Thank you.”
“I know we haven’t always gotten along. But that doesn’t mean…” He pressed his lips together and sighed. “As a fellow Ranger and member of the shifter race, I care about you.”
I chuckled. He was doing his best to downplay his feelings, too. But in his dark eyes, I could see the glimmer of longing there. I hoped he couldn’t see it in me. I wanted him, and I had some kind of feeling brewing in me. I wondered what it would be like to kiss him. Or to do more. Was he careful in bed, or would he surprise me there, too?
I took a step toward him, and when I realized what I was going to do, I stopped. I couldn’t kiss him. If we took things to that level, it would make it all worse. In the back of my mind, my past rose up. The last time I trusted someone and gave him my heart, he stomped all over it and took off, leaving me without even a best friend to comfort me. I’d been screwed over so badly by the two people closest to me and couldn’t take the chance of letting that happen again.
“I think I just need to be alone for a while,” I told him. “To think things through and just recover.”
He nodded. “I get that. I’m the same way.”
“Then I guess I’ll see you around.”
“Will you be back to work on Monday?”
I considered my weekend. I might spend it being crazy with the Devils or I might end up hiding in my apartment alone with a tub of ice cream. But if I still wanted to have a job, I needed to be there Monday.
“Yeah,” I said.
I turned from him and shifted back into wolf form, then took off running.
After a few minutes, when the world around me went still, I slowed to a walk and checked in with my clan.
Hey all, I said.
Where have you been? Stacy asked. Several others echoed her concern.
Just busy. I’ve been around here and there.
Not at work, she said. Toby’s been asking about you.
Well, I’m fine. I just had a bad week, but I’m better now.
Does that mean you’re not hanging out with those She Devils anymore?
Great. Now my clan was going to get on my case, too? They’re my friends. Yeah, I hang out with them.
I get that you have motorcycles in common, but I don’t get it, Stacy continued. Why hang out with people like that?
People like what? I snapped back. People like me?
They’re not like us.
No. I think the problem is I’m not like you. I’ll catch y’all later.
I shifted back and sat down in the dirt amongst the trees and brush. Pretty sad that I had to be alone in the woods in order to keep from being bothered. Why was everyone always on my ass?
So what if the Devils liked to have fun? So did I. Hanging out with them had made me feel alive in a way I hadn’t since my ex left. I needed that kind of thrill. Didn’t anyone get that? I wasn’t content to sit at a desk all day and at home all night; I wanted adventure and fun.
Maybe what I needed was a major change. When Jax and Nina took off, it was a major change of a different kind. One I had no control over. But if I made changes of my own, then I could regain control of myself. Jax and Nina had left and gone to another state. Even Alex had left his home state to come here. Maybe I could get out of Texas, too. Try out a big city. Had to be more exciting with so many people and things going on all the time.
The world seemed wide open and inviting. I could choose any state, any city I wanted. Some place warm like Florida? Some place cold like Colorado? Some place super busy like New York City?
I thought through my options as I wandered back toward home. I could get back and pack my bags right then, take off first thing in the morning and never look back to Big Bend.
9
Alex
I watched Roxy run off, her soft gray paws hitting the ground lightly. She was beautiful, even in animal form. I didn’t feel great about her going off alone. My need to protect her had only grown after the incident at the bar. I couldn’t stand having her out of my sight, and I’d have to wait the entire weekend until I saw her agai
n.
I kept spare clothing in my car, so when I was sure no was watching, I used the hidden key to grab some clothes and get inside. When I got home, I took a long, hot shower. My muscles loosened but the tension didn’t leave my chest.
As the hot jets streamed over my back, I could only come up with one solution: to stay occupied so that I wasn’t tempted to do something crazy like follow her around all weekend.
And I knew just the project to hold my attention. If I couldn’t convince Roxy to leave the She Devils, if she refused to see how bad they were for her, then I would find another way to draw her from their influence.
I would bring the She Devils down and eliminate the gang completely.
Once I dried off and dressed, I sat at my computer and immediately got to work, creating a new spreadsheet with variables that I’d take from other biker gangs. I needed to know what I was working with before I could know how to bring it down, so I opened a fresh search window and began my research.
The night was already late when I started, and I didn’t stop until I found my eyes burning with exhaustion. Sometime in the middle of the night, I finally went to bed.
I slept in much later than usual thanks to my late night, but once my eyes opened, I was right back at my computer working, a full pot of coffee brewing behind me.
Once I had a basic understanding of biker gangs—or motorcycle clubs—MCs as they were usually called—I applied the knowledge to the She Devils. From what Wyatt had pulled on them through the police database recently, I figured that the leader was a woman named Hellcat.
Once I knew that, I didn’t need to know the names of any of the others. If the leader fell, it was likely the rest of the club would fall, too. That’s how those criminal organizations tended to go.
With the basic info I’d found on the She Devils and the extensive data I now had on all sorts of biker groups, I was able to find enough similarities to make a prediction. Based on histories, membership numbers and lengths of time in operation, most MCs were busted for multiple criminal acts before the police started paying them attention. Getting a club shut down was much harder than I thought. It would take dozens of criminal charges all tied together to get them to disperse. Any time the law stepped in to try to disband a club, it never seemed to work.