by Lauren Wood
“Okay, are you sure that we can trust him?”
“Well I don’t trust him like I trust you and the other guys, but yeah, I think he is good. It wasn’t his fault that he got pulled in before. I know that he was telling the truth when he said he didn’t know. The man is too scary to do something like that.”
“But do we really want to do business with a man that gets scared so easily? I worry that he is going to get in deep with someone and the first thing he is going to do is sing to the cops.”
It was a legitimate question, but the answer was still the same. He got rid of a lot of product for us and I wanted to continue working with Santiago. It was just something that had to be done.
“You know how I feel about it. For the time being, there is no one else to take his place, so we will have to use him. We need runners and distributors and he has both.”
David didn’t second-guess me very often and that was why I let it slide. He was still sort of new and I would give him lee-way this time. It didn’t mean that I actually liked it though. If I was truthful, it drove me crazy.
“I am going to take off for a bit. I am starving and I need something on my stomach. Why don’t you just come by later after you are done over there and we will talk about next steps? I think it would be best if we kept our heads down until everything on the block settles down some. I also need to know what is going on with that man next door. He doesn’t know much about us, but if he is looking for a little mercy, he may remember seeing a lot of people over or something like that. You know how easy it is for people to snitch.”
David agreed and I could tell that he was worried about it as well. It wasn’t like there was anything that we could do about it. What would be, would be. I couldn’t worry about it right then. I had to get some food and then meet with Boris. I owed him for patching up a couple of guys last night and I wanted to ask the Russian about a couple of things I was curious on. He wasn’t part of our group, but his ears were always open and he was a great source of information, as well as many other things that he did well.
I waited for David to leave before I jumped in the shower and changed clothes. My stomach was growling and I was legitimately starving. With all of the chaos that was going on yesterday, I had forgotten to eat and now I realized it as it rumbled almost as loud as the bike motor.
“Stacy’s Place.”
That was the place I had heard about opening up on 5th. The place had been there for some time, but it was the first time I had the inclination and time to try something new. Some of the guys had raved about the food, so naturally I had to give it a shot. It wasn’t like I cooked, so there was nothing that I could do but eat out. I had been told to get a woman for that, but I didn’t want to have to deal with one, just to make me a couple of sandwiches every now and then.
When I walked into Stacy’s Place, it wasn’t at all what I had expected. Everyone was looking at menus, while I was checking out the wait staff. I don’t know what it was about waitresses, but I had a thing for the apron. It made them look more feminine and tastier in my opinion.
“Welcome to Stacy’s Place. Go ahead and find a table and I will be with you in just a minute.”
The voice was attached to a woman that I recognized from the night before. It didn’t take much to realize that she was the one that had been jumping out of the window last night. It was also pretty clear that she was the one that had been screaming as well. Her face was pretty, but there was bruising and swelling that made it hard to imagine what she really looked like underneath all of that.
“Do I know you because you look so familiar?”
She nodded her head. “I don’t think so, but I know you Lucas. We used to be neighbors not too long ago.”
Used to be. That was what she said, though I had to wonder what happened. I wanted to ask, but instead I went to find a seat like she suggested. I would ask her later, although I could tell that she didn’t like the attention I was giving to her face. The woman was embarrassed and I wanted to tell her not to be. It wasn’t like she had done anything wrong, but for a moment I wanted to do something to the person that made her look that way. No man should put their hands on a woman. Period.
Was it wrong for me to check out her ass as she walked away? The woman was hot and my body reacted like it did last night. This time was no less awkward then riding my bike as we got away last night. Did my cock know something that I didn’t?
Chapter 4
Fran
“So what is your name then since you already know mine?”
I looked to the man that I had lived next to for a couple of years and pointed to the nametag on my shirt. It said that my name was Fran and it was rather obvious then what it was. Most guys read it just fine because it was located on my chest and that was where their eyes usually were.
“Fran. That is a beautiful name. It suits you quite well.”
“What can I get for you Sir?” I was not in the mood for his flirting. The guy was extremely hot and I could tell by the way he was acting that he was used to girls at his feet.
He chuckled and told me that he could take a hint. I hope so, because the last thing I was in the mood for was a guy like him trying to hit on me. I needed to stay clear of men with tattoos and leather jackets, the ones that made my heart race faster in my chest. Those guys were bad news. The bikers in the city were no better than the men like Cass. It was obvious to me that the two men were one in the same, at least as far as drugs and crime went. He was one of those bad boys that I knew I had to stay away from, even if my body responded as soon as I saw him.
“I think I will have the western omelet and hash browns.”
“Okay, sounds good. I will have it out to you in no time at all. Did you want some coffee or juice to go with it?”
“No, but I would like to get your number. It seems a shame that we were right next door to each other and never got to know each other any better.”
I just smiled and pretended like I didn’t hear the request about the number. This guy was really laying it on thick. I wanted to curse my body’s response like it was an invitation to more. I wasn’t worried about men right now, certainly not one like him. I wasn’t looking and even if was, I would never pick another bad boy like Cass. Lucas was certainly a bad boy, even if his words were as smooth as butter.
Lucas was handsome. I had admired him from afar before when I had seen him shirtless in teh front yard working on his bike. He was blonde and blue-eyed, though that was about the only two features that were normal on him. Everything else was hard to ignore and I couldn’t. His thick arms were muscled and covered in tattoos that bore naked women and what I was sure was gang symbols.
The man wore full black, even when the weather was rather fair outside and that kind of jacket wasn’t needed. It must have burned him up, but he didn’t seem to mind it at all. I didn’t mind looking at him, but that was as far as it was going to go. I wasn’t supposed to even do that. Men like Lucas and Caspien were the ones that seemed to always get me into trouble. I had had enough trouble for a while.
When I brought back his food, he tried a few more lines on me, but I had heard them before. I had to wonder why he would flirt with me, knowing what I looked like. Maybe he was just trying to be nice. That thought made me a little nicer to him, but it wasn’t enough to take what he was peddling. It didn’t matter that I could feel wetness where I shouldn’t and that my nipples were hard with some of the suggestions that he made.
As he was handed his check, he stopped me with his words and I finally really looked at him. “I am glad you are okay Fran. It would have been a shame if something would have happened to you. I haven’t seen someone jump out a window like that in a long time. Didn’t seem to be the first time around for you.”
I smiled and for a minute it was real. “It wasn’t. We all do that kind of thing when we are young and a little wild.”
“You still have a bit of wild in you Fran. I can see it in your eyes.”
Lu
cas stood up and it was then that I got a full idea of how big he was. Before I hadn’t been so close and it hadn’t really occurred to me that he was huge. Now he towered over me and I had to crane my neck upwards to see his face. “Why do I take it that you are saying it as a compliment?”
“Because I am. Most girls would have just cowered, but you did something. I respect that.”
“I did scream, as I am sure that you heard.” God, how embarrassing was this? I wish no one would have seen or heard me then. It was one of the worst nights of my life and I was going to make sure that it was the last one that I had like that. I didn’t want people to remember me that way and I certainly didn’t like that I had to walk around with this crap on my face. It made it hard to forget and everyone had something to say. Though I didn’t really like his comment, it was better than telling me I deserved better.
“Yes, but you got out and saved yourself from being a victim. There is nothing wrong with that and that is to be commended.”
“Why were you leaving?”
The grin faded a little and I would have laughed if it wouldn’t have been such a pain to do so. He didn’t like that question. I had a good feeling that it was because he didn’t want the cops to find out what he was doing that was no doubt illegal. I knew enough about Lucas through rumors and conjectures to know that he was not a law abiding citizen by any stretch of the imagination.
“I didn’t think it was good to stay. The neighborhood was going to be swamped and that would have made it impossible to leave.”
“Uh huh. I think you and my ex-boyfriend have a lot in common. More than you think.”
I turned to walk away. I didn’t have the energy for mental sparring with a man that I had never even really met before. Yesterday was a long night and I hadn’t had enough sleep for all of this. His hand went to my arm to stop me from leaving and I turned back around to face him.
“I would never put my hands on a woman, ever.”
I looked down at where he had me. “Yet here you are, with your hands on me.”
He immediately moved it. “You know that is not what I meant Fran.”
“I know, but I don’t know you Lucas and you are getting a bit too friendly for my liking.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but then stopped. “I am holding back a whole lot Fran. If I had it my way, I would have already pulled you into that bathroom.”
I looked to the bathroom that he was talking about and I could feel my face getting red. Why could I already feel his hands and lips on me?
“Well that is classy. You couldn’t spring for a by-the-hour motel, huh?”
“Anywhere we went would be classy. You don’t think I could change your mind?”
There was a big part of me that knew he could, that if he had pulled me into the bathroom and kissed me, I would have kissed him back. I hated to think what else I would do. That was why I had to stay away from men like him. They were bad news in every way possible.
“Maybe you could, but today is not the day.”
“I am a patient man when it comes to many things Fran, with you I can see that won’t apply.”
I didn’t really believe him, but I did like the idea of it. It didn’t take much to realize that I wasn’t in the mood at the moment, but if today would have been any other day, I was sure that the ending would have been much different. Talk about bad timing.
Watching him leave, for a moment I wondered if I had made a mistake turning him away. More than likely I had, but I was staying away from those types. I hadn’t even broken up with Cass, though that little tidbit didn’t bother me that much. It was a fact that I had to deal with my last relationship before I got tangled up into another one. I had to find out what was going on with Caspien and a guy like Lucas would just complicate everything. The last thing I needed right now was complications.
“Who was that?” Steph was behind me and pulled me from my thoughts.
“Oh, a neighbor.”
“He is cute. Kind of looks like Caspien in a way, don’t you think?”
The only thing they had in common was hair color and choice of dress. They were both covered in tattoos and they both had an aura of danger around them. I had been drawn to Lucas, just as I had been drawn to Caspien. Look where that had gotten me? Obviously my heart and mind were idiots and I was going to have to help them shut up at some point. I had picked the wrong guy so many times, I didn’t trust the radar anymore and I was sure that Lucas would be no better. Maybe it was time to just take a break from it all. It would be easier and I was due a break.
“Not really. You should go for him if he comes in here again.”
She looked away. “If he is interested in you, there is going to be no way that he is interested in me.”
“Why?”
“Because you are like a hundred pounds soaking wet. Guys that like that. They don’t like fuller women like me.”
“You are not that much bigger than me Stephanie. I think you worry about it more than guys do. They are liking that big bootie thing nowadays. Girls my size are now the ones getting work done to look more like you, butt implants, all of that nonsense.”
She scoffed and told me that I was full of it. I didn’t feel like I was and I meant every word of it. I had always admired her physique, even as she herself hated it so much. It was a constant problem for her and I just didn’t see it. Maybe it was true that no one was really ever happy with themselves.
“Well anyways, no matter what you think, you are hot and if you are into that sort of guy, then you should say something to him about it.”
“Those kinds of guys don’t like girls like me. That is your type and you know it. I saw the way he was looking at you. I bet he asked you out, didn’t he?”
“Not in so many words, but I turned him down. I am still with Caspien.”
“You can’t be serious Fran. After everything that happened between the two of you!?”
“It’s not like I am going back to him, not hardly, but it was just last night. A bit too soon to be going down that road again, don’t you think?”
She looked to the door that Lucas had left out of and I had a feeling that she didn’t agree with me. Steph went to the table and picked up a hundred. “It seems like he really likes you Fran. No sense in waiting around forever. Guys like that don’t come in here that often.”
I took the money and was thankful. I did need it since all of my money was at Cass’ house. I had to go over there today and get the rest of my things, but I didn’t know what kind of situation that I was walking into. There really was no telling.
“It doesn’t matter if he does. I am not trying to get caught up with another man right now.” I really wanted to get off of this subject. “So are you going to come with me?”
I asked her earlier and Steph had agreed. I just wanted to make sure and then more than that, I wanted to get her off of talking about Lucas. I shouldn’t have felt anything for him, but he had made me smile on a day where that was a near impossible feat. If nothing else, he had done that. I hadn’t thought about it, but maybe I should have asked him if he could tell me anything about Cass and what happened. I wanted a heads up, but I knew that I was going to have to go in there blind now. There hadn’t even been anything on the news about it yet. I didn’t know anything about what we were going to be walking into.
“Yeah, I am going with you. You don’t need to be alone with him if he is there. I hope he isn’t though. They should have shot him or carted him off to jail. I am sorry Fran, but it is what he deserves.”
I didn’t think that he would be there, but I was thankful that she was willing to go. She was the one that had warned me about him. Said there was something off about Cass. Now I know that Steph was right and I was even more grateful that she hadn’t rubbed my nose in it. It would have just been insult to injury and I was happy that she wasn’t that type of friend.
***
There were yellow caution lines cordoning off the house. I didn’t know w
hat to think or expect, but it hadn’t been this. I was thinking that I would have to worry about Cass, but the blood in the house made me wonder what happened. Whose was it?
I wasn’t supposed to be here, I knew that, but I had to at least get a few things. I found the stash of money and grabbed a bag full of clothes before going back over the yellow caution tape that was stretched across the door and front yard. Looking around, I noticed there was a lot of activity at Lucas’ house. I didn’t mention to Stephanie that is where he lived, though she did ask as we were driving back to her place who the guy was that I was talking to at the restaurant. It seemed as though Lucas had made himself an admirer. As far as I was concerned, she could have him.
“So what do you think you are going to do next?”
“What do you mean?”
“For a place to stay. You know that you are always welcome with me, but that studio is barely big enough for one person and I know how you like your space.”
“I don’t know. It was hard enough to find that place with Cass and he ended up paying cash for it through a lawyer because he hasn’t ever had a real job in his life. With what I make at the diner, I just don’t know. It is all just a mess and I haven’t even thought that far ahead to be honest. Cash is low because Caspien always took care of the money. I just gave what I made to him.”
“No rush Fran, really. You know that, but if you want me to help you ask around, I will. I don’t know of anywhere off hand, but I will look around and see if anything pops up.”
I thanked her and stared off out the window. My life was always constant motion, but this time, I hadn’t seen this coming. I don’t know what I expected, but I didn’t expect to be in this position again, staying with a friend and trying to figure out what it was that I was going to do next. It was exhausting and I wanted to push it all from my mind.