Nothin' But Trouble

by Nothin' But Trouble [Evernight] (mobi)

  “No. Please, don’t.” Every part of her screamed out in agony, but the sound of the rumbling intensified, and then she heard the man on top of her curse and stand quickly. He tried to lift her up, but ended up ripping her scrub top in the process. The cool air brushed along her exposed chest, and even though she wore a bra she tried to lift her hand to cover herself. It seemed her brain didn’t want to give the commands, because her arm felt like it was made of lead. Exhaustion started weighing down on her, and she couldn’t see out of her left eye any longer. But that rumbling sound was most definitely not in her head, and the closer it got the more she realized what it was.

  Lilly managed to stumble forward, drag herself off the ground despite her pounding head, and moved toward the road, but she didn’t get far because he wrapped a thick arm around her middle and hauled her against his chest. He was striding quickly toward his truck, but Lilly got a renewed sense of strength and started fighting harder than she had before.

  “What the fuck.” The deep, rage-filled voice could be heard clearly through the massive rumbling of the Harleys that had come to a stop in front of them, but with Lilly’s swollen eye, and their headlights shining right on them, she couldn’t see much.

  “Not your concern. Just ride on,” the man holding her said in a low, harsh voice. He started moving toward the truck again, and she screamed.

  “Help. God, please help me.” It was only seconds after she had called out that someone had her out of the other man’s hands and pressed against his chest. She smelled leather and a spicy cologne, and all she could think about at that time was Court. It was such a random thing because it had been so long since they had seen each other, but his image slammed into her head and she started to cry.

  “You motherfucker,” someone gritted out, and then she heard the sound of flesh meeting flesh, of a male grunting in pain, and then of a body hitting the ground. Despite the sound of motorcycles still rumbling close by, it seemed so deathly quiet.

  “Hey, you’re okay,” the man holding her said and rubbed her back. “Can you tell me your name and who we can call?” She pulled back, but winced and moaned as her head pounded hard.

  She shook her head, but licked her chapped lips and spoke through her tears. “Lilly Winters.” She rattled off Roan’s number, didn’t know if anyone had written it down, but she was feeling even sicker the longer she stood on her feet.

  “Man, I think she needs to see a doctor. She can’t even stand up without you holding onto her,” another man said from behind her. Lilly didn’t know these men, but she didn’t feel the dread and need to escape like she had with the asshole that had attacked her.

  “We can’t take her to a hospital, especially not when we need to take that fucker back to the clubhouse. Kink, call Doc Mason, and get a hold of her family,” the man holding her said. Lilly looked into his face, but with the swelling and her tears all she saw was this blurry vision. Dizziness assaulted her and she swayed, but he held onto her tighter, and then she was in his arms and resting her head on his hard chest. “I’m Lucien Silver, and ain’t no one gonna fuck with you anymore.” He tightened his arms around her, and she tried to breathe through the pain. But darkness was slowly starting to consume her, and she knew she wouldn’t be able to hold on for much longer. “Malice, call Ruin and have him get his ass out here to take my bike back to the clubhouse. I’ll take that piece of shit’s truck.”

  Clubhouse? So they were bikers.

  “You want me to toss this dick in the back of the truck?” a guy behind her asked.

  “Yeah, throw his soon to be dead ass with the rest of the trash he has back there.”

  But that was the last thing she heard because she gave up the fight and finally allowed herself to be swallowed up by the darkness that tempted her.

  Chapter Four

  Court grabbed his bottle of beer, the one he had been nursing for the last hour, and took a sip of the lukewarm shit. The stripper on stage was currently in the process of slipping her G-string down her thighs. They had been at Summer’s for a few hours, but Court would have left sooner if Stinger hadn’t gotten trashed and needed a babysitter. Dallas was at least sober, but he had been getting lap dances of his own and wasn’t paying any mind to Stinger. The thing with Dallas was he was in his own world recently. He did what needed to do to keep the club going, was there for the rest of the members, but there was this void look in his eyes. Whatever the fuck he was going through it was some heavy shit.

  Normally they could take care of themselves, whether they were drunk or not, but Stinger was getting lap dance after lap dance, and a few times the bouncers had to tell him to keep his hands on his lap. The bouncers and owner at Summer’s knew not to mess with The Grizzly MC, but that didn’t mean they still didn’t have to look out for the girls working the pole or the guys. No hard feelings on that account, and after the second time of Stinger being clearly too drunk to give a fuck, Court had stepped in and told him to cut the fucking shit.

  He brought the beer to his mouth and finished the nasty thing off and felt his cell vibrate in his front pocket. Once he had it out and saw it was the club he brought it to his ear and covered his other one with a hand. “Yeah?”

  “Hey, some guy named Roan called looking for you. Said it was an emergency and wanted you to call him ASAP.”

  Hearing that had Court sitting straighter.

  “What’s the number?” Court didn’t bother asking if Roan had said anything else, because no way could it be good if he was reaching out to him at this hour and after so long.

  He ended the call when he got the number and stood. He grabbed Stinger by the back of the cut, gestured for Dallas to come with him, and started hauling ass out of the strip club.

  “What the fuck, man?” Stinger slurred, and then swayed on his feet. They were already outside, and Stinger had to brace a hand on the brick wall to steady himself. Court ignored him and dialed Roan’s number. It only rang once before someone answered.

  “Court?”

  “Yeah.” The music from inside was muted, and a couple of the guys that had been smoking outside had gone back in when they had stepped through the doors.

  “Christ.” Roan sounded out of breath, and there was this frantic quality to it.

  “What’s wrong?” He didn’t bother asking how Roan got the number, because right now his bear rose to the surface, needing to know what the fuck was wrong. Court’s heart was beating so fast that he felt it in his throat and heard it in his ears.

  “It’s Lilly, man.”

  “What the fuck is wrong?” Court couldn’t help the way his voice rose, or the fact his bear was starting to take control at the thought of sweet Lilly hurt. A low growl left him, and Stinger was suddenly alert beside him, but kept his mouth shut.

  “Shit, Court, someone attacked the fuck out of her.”

  It took all of his power not to shift right then and there. “You at your house?” Court was already striding toward his bike, but then he remembered Stinger and Dallas and stopped.

  “No, I’m at some biker club in River Run.”

  Court’s blood rushed through his veins. There was only one MC in River Run—The Brothers of Menace. Before Court could say anything Roan was talking again.

  “The President, Lucien, called me and said someone attacked Lilly. They got the fucker here with them, and some doctor is checking her out, but shit, Court, she looks bad and is passed out.”

  The growl that came from him was deep, low, and filled with warning. His entire body shook with his rage. Someone had hurt Lilly—his Lilly—and Court was about to break a motherfucker’s neck.

  “I didn’t know who else to call in a situation like this. Fuck, I didn’t even tell my mom what happened because she doesn’t need this shit. Dammit, I don’t know what else to do but kill the asshole that did this to her.”

  But Court calmed himself enough that he could talk. “Where is the fucker now?” He swallowed, took a deep breath, and clenched his hand at his sid
e into a fist.

  “He’s out cold, and some of Lucien’s guys are watching him. I’d go after him now, but I want the motherfucker awake when I beat his ass.”

  Oh, Court planned on doing a hell of a lot more to the guy that hurt Lilly than just kicking his ass. “I’m on my way.” After he hung up he turned and looked at Dallas and Stinger. “My girl got hurt.”

  Shit, did he just say that? It didn’t matter, because he had been trying to push how he felt for Lilly away this whole time, and it hadn’t done any good. He was going to watch over her and protect her so this never happened again. And he was going to make that bastard that harmed her pay with blood, broken bones, and eventually, when he was done fucking him up, let him take his last breath as he ripped his throat out.

  “You got a girl? Since when did you get an old lady?” He knew Stinger was loose with his tongue because of the alcohol. If he was sober he would have seen how close to shifting Court was at this moment, and that questioning him about an old lady was not smart to do right now.

  “Stinger, shut the fuck up right now.” Dallas pushed Stinger over to the building again so he could brace himself against it, and turned to look at Court. “What do you need from me?”

  “Can you call the club and have one of the guys come by for his drunk ass?”

  Dallas nodded.

  “Make sure whoever comes brings a prospect so Stinger’s bike doesn’t sit here all night.”

  “Court, you need back-up?” Dallas asked.

  “Yeah, man. You need us to fuck someone up?” Stinger asked, too, but his words were slurred. As much as Court wanted to do this alone, he thought about it and knew that wouldn’t be smart.

  “Shit.” He scrubbed a hand over his head. “Yeah, I probably will need to take someone with me, but not you.” He pointed at Stinger. “You need to get to the clubhouse and sleep the alcohol off.”

  Stinger shook his head. “Nah, you’re in trouble, and brothers stick together.”

  This was why Court loved the MC. Whether it was someone that he needed to drink with, to bullshit with, or to help kick a fucker’s ass, any one of the Grizzlies rose to the occasion, no matter what.

  “Thanks, Stinger, but you wouldn’t be much use to me if things went south and you can’t even stand up on your own.” Stinger flipped him off in good nature, but Court was far from a teasing mood. “Dallas, make the call, and meet me at The Brothers of Menace clubhouse.” The air shifted to frigid.

  “That MC did something?”

  Court shook his head. “No, but I don’t know much, and what I do know I don’t want to talk about right now.”

  Dallas nodded.

  “Just make the call and meet me there.” He didn’t wait for a response, just went to his bike, got on, and started it. He knew Dallas would let Jagger know, and he also knew that it most likely wouldn’t just be Dallas that met him at The Brothers’ clubhouse. All of that was well and good, but all he could focus on was Lilly and exactly how badly she was hurt.

  ****

  Lilly sat on the edge of a bed that smelled like someone had just fucked in it, and rested her sore head in her hand. She had just woken up, but she wasn’t in any pain from whatever this Doctor Mason guy had given her. In fact, she was feeling pretty good. But it was the smell of old sweat, cologne, and spilled alcohol that filled her head and made her stomach twist painfully even more.

  “You’re going to be sore, but the swelling should go down within the next forty-eight to seventy-two hours. The bruising, however, will get worse before it gets better.”

  She dropped her hands to her lap and looked at the young and very attractive doctor sitting on a chair in front of her. He reached down to where his medical bag sat and pulled out an unlabeled bottle.

  “Here are some pain pills. You can take up to two pills every four hours.”

  She nodded, but she couldn’t quite focus. He smiled and looked over his shoulder at Roan. Her brother was by the far wall, and although he had a very worried expression on his face, she could see how angry he was by the way he kept clenching and unclenching his hands at his sides. He looked so tense and had a red tint to his cheeks that told her he was furious and barely holding on. The doctor told Roan that same thing he had just said to her, and her brother nodded once. There were a few biker guys in the room, too, but she hadn’t been able to see very well from the swelling. She heard their low, gruff whispers, and knew that the one that wore the President patch on his cut was called Lucien Silver, and he was the one that had carried her to the truck, and then into their clubhouse.

  “We’ll give you two a few minutes. The Grizzlies should be here soon,” Lucien looked over at her. “If I had known you were associated with them I could have called them right away.”

  “I’m not associated with them,” she said, and Lucien looked over at Roan, who just closed his eyes and shook his head.

  “That fucker still out?” Roan asked Lucien from between gritted teeth.

  The President nodded. “Yeah, one of my guys knocked his ass out cold.”

  Roan grunted, but she knew he was pleased with that, as was she. Lucien tipped his chin and he and the rest of the men left the room. Once the door was shut Roan sighed heavily and ran his hand over his short dark hair.

  “Fucking hell, Lilly.” He lowered his arms so they fell to his sides and walked over to her. When he was on his knees in front of her he lifted his hand, as if he meant to touch her, but curled his fingers into his palm at the last moment. “What the hell happened?” He searched her face with his gaze, and for how bad it felt, and the way he grimaced, she knew she looked like she got the shit beaten out of her—which she obviously had.

  “My car started making a clicking noise, and I remembered when you and Court…”God, he was coming here for sure, and that brought up a lot of feelings inside of her. “I remembered when you guys were working on your Mustang and were talking about that and having something to do with the engine.” The drugs the doctor had given her made her head feel lightheaded, and she had to lie back as the room started to spin. Roan helped her, and once everything righted itself in front of her vision she turned her head to look at him. “Do I look as shitty as I feel?” She was trying to tease, to somehow ease the tension that was suffocating her. This, of course, was so not a joking matter or situation, but she hated seeing Roan look so upset.

  He shook his head, but looked anything but amused. “No joking or making light of this, Lilly. He didn’t…” Roan swallowed, and his expression went harder. He didn’t have to finish his sentence for her to know what he was going to ask.

  “No, but if those bikers hadn’t shown up—”

  He held up his hand and shook his head. “Let’s not talk about it, because I am barely holding on as it is.” He opened his eyes and smiled, but it was clearly forced. “Now, tell me what happened, okay?” His voice was gentler this time, and she took a deep breath and told him what had happened.

  For several minutes she relayed everything she could remember. It was horrible, though, because it felt like she was experiencing it all over again. When she said the last word and brushed the tears away, the silence descended. “I didn’t even know him, and can’t understand why he did what he did. God, Roan, what if he has done this before?” She had needed to say something because the silence was too much. Roan looked at the ground for several seconds, and she could see the way his jaw clenched and unclenched.

  “Lilly, sometimes there are just bad people that do bad things.” He looked at her then, and she saw the raw pain on his face. “But I can guarantee that this will never happen again.” She loved that he was protective, but she didn’t tell him that he couldn’t make a promise like that, because he couldn’t be there all the time. They had their mom to worry about. Oh, God, my mom.

  “What about Mom? Did you tell her what happened and then just left?” She went to sit up, but Roan gently pushed her back down.

  “I didn’t tell her anything besides your car broke down a
nd I was going to go look at it. She’s going to have to know about this eventually, but I didn’t’ want to tell her and then leave her at the house to worry.”

  Lilly nodded. That was the best thing to do, because worrying and getting upset over this was something her mom didn’t need right now. Before either could say anything else the sound of loud male voices on the other side of the wall had her pushing herself up and Roan standing to place himself between her and the door. And then there was the sound of footsteps pounding down the hallway, and of the door being slammed open and hitting the wall. She looked around Roan’s body to see who it was, but she already knew.

  Court stood in the doorway looking pissed and powerful, and so very animalistic. She had seen him around town, but right now, he looked like a totally different male. His body seemed bigger, his biceps flexing so hard that his muscles popped out, and his chest rose and fell as he breathed in and out.

  “Lilly.” Court said her name harshly, and she could see the bear flicker across his face.

  She turned away, not wanting him to see her like this. “Thanks for coming, Court.” Roan spoke just as harshly, but her brother’s voice lacked the fierce edge that only a shifter had. Lilly glanced to her side and watched as Court stepped inside. Two other Grizzly MC members moved in behind him. She knew them by name seeing as she had lived in Steel Corner her whole life, but she only knew of them by reputation. They kept to themselves, but were scary enough that people stayed away from them. Her brother and Court slapped each other on the back, and it was like all those years they had been distant had just vanished.

  Court didn’t respond, just moved away from Roan and closer to her. And then, as if she wasn’t surprised enough to see him he dropped to his knees in front of her, all six foot four inches of him, and reached out as if to touch her. He was gentle as he wrapped his hand around her shoulder and leaned in to hug her. The scent of grease and beer filled her nose, but it was the wild smell that she remembered from their time together that rose up stronger than the earlier scents.