by D. D. Prince
My chin wobbled.
“Watch how you fuckin’ speak to her,” Spencer snapped at his brother.
My eyes bulged.
Rider put his phone to his ear and was talking on his phone. “Dad. We need a meet. Jackals extorted money from Pippa this morning.”
My eyes ping-ponged between Rider and Spencer. What was happening here?
“Dunno yet. Getting details from her. Yeah, she’s here with us. Be there in twenty,” Rider said and ended his call.
“I don’t think it had anything to do with you guys,” I whispered to Rider.
“Whether it does or doesn’t, shit needs to be carefully monitored, Pip.”
Spencer was grinding his teeth, staring at me. I kept my eyes on Rider. He was way easier to look at right now than Spencer.
“They said Joe owed some guy money. That Justin junkie guy turned up in this old car. I tried to tell them I wasn’t with Joe, that I didn’t know about the debt. They tried to intimidate me, make me give Joe’s family’s address.”
Spencer huffed so I glanced his way. His face was red. He thrust his fingers through his hair. My eyes darted back to Rider.
“So, I just gave them the money and hoped they’d go away.”
Spencer moved behind his brother, so I was forced to have him in my field of vision, too.
“And they know where you live, showed up at your house first thing in the morning and got what they wanted, not to mention an eyeful of you showin’ all that skin and you don’t think they’ll be back?” he asked, folding his arms across his chest.
Rider left us alone in the kitchen, heading to his and Jenna’s bedroom.
“I hoped they’d just go away.”
“You think they find out you’re mine, they won’t try to fuck with you even more?”
“I’m not yours.” The words came out in barely a whisper. It felt like there was glass in my throat, like my chest was going to explode.
I was trembling.
“You’re in danger now. These guys are fucking scumbags, Sunshine. And we need to instigate damage control.”
I just sat there, numbly.
“Let’s ride,” Rider growled, coming back into the room, putting his Dom cut on.
Spencer’s eyes were still pinning me to the spot. “Be out in a minute.”
Rider looked at me and his anger melted. He gave me a soft look, squeezed my shoulder and said, “We’ll keep you safe.”
I swallowed.
“You got keys to lock up, Spency?”
“Yeah.”
And then he was gone.
Spencer’s eyes were on me for an eternity, searching, yet communicating something.
Neither of us said a word. Finally, he opened the door and gestured. “Walk you to the salon. You stay in there, don’t be alone. I’ll send a prospect over to stay with you until later.”
“But, Spencer…”
“No. You need to hear me, Pippa. These guys will figure out about you ‘n me and if we don’t pay attention, they’ll use it to fuck with the brotherhood by fuckin’ with you. Mark my words. You’re gonna have a target on your back. They’ve been layin’ low since… shit went down a few months ago and we took out a bunch after Ride got shot, but we knew more was comin’. I will not let them use you to ignite this war again. Here on out, you’re not alone. When I’m not there, you’re in a group or you’ve got a prospect on you. And not Bronto either.” He hissed, looking off to the side in thought. “He’s another one needs a fuckin’ lesson.”
“You need to hear me, too,” I stated.
His eyes met mine.
“We, you and me, we’re not in a relationship. I---”
“They’re gonna figure out there’s a you and me, regardless of what you think this is or isn’t, Pippa. I need you safe and I’m makin’ sure it’s happening, no arguments. I gotta go meet with the brothers. You stay downstairs or you can come and sit at the clubhouse in my room, because I am nowhere near fuckin’ cool with you being alone in your brother’s apartment.”
“I have a full book of appointments today. Jenna is calling the first two, if she has a chance, but I have like… fourteen appointments today, and…”
“Fine. I’ll walk you down there, then I’ll pick you up here after work. You either get picked up downstairs or you come up here after with Jenna if I can’t get to you until then. I’ll send Scooter to keep an eye. From now on, you’ll have a Dominion Brotherhood shadow.”
“Spencer…”
“Sunshine, I saw the pictures. I know who those two shitheads are, and I saw how they were lookin’ at you. This is non-fuckin’ negotiable. You do know Jackals raped and murdered Jet, Edge’s woman.”
I didn’t know those people, but I’d heard the story.
I said nothing.
“Dominion Brotherhood is a motorcycle club. Wyld Jackals is a gang of asshole outlaws that happen to ride bikes. Big difference, baby. They move women and underage girls for the mob for the sex trade. Sometimes against their will. They dabble in underage porn. They run weapons and heroin. They---”
“Okay! Take me downstairs. I need to figure my day out.” I threw my hands up in the air, jumped up and headed to the kitchen door, which he was still holding open.
He blocked me, shutting it and putting his back against it, then his hands were in my hair, his eyes on mine.
I tried to pull back.
He refused to let go.
“Your days of getting hurt by men are done, baby. I won’t let them touch you. You have to understand where I’m comin’ from here. I have been unfuckin’ done since I saw the text pictures.” His fingers were caressing my scalp. His face moved closer, like he was going to kiss me.
I grabbed his wrists and tried to pull him off.
“I need space.”
“Well, baby, you won’t be getting it.” He pulled me closer and kissed me on the forehead, leaving his mouth lingering there.
I closed my eyes, squeezing tears out.
“I know it’s been a fuckuva time for you lately, but please, trust me on this. I’m not lettin’ them fuck with you. It’s not happening.” His lips were moving against my forehead.
He pulled me to his chest. I didn’t hug back but I didn’t pull away either.
He held me close, tight. Part of me wanted to just wrap my arms around him and get lost in that.
But a bigger part of me was scared out of my mind and unable to process my thoughts. So, I just stood there.
He kissed my forehead again and then took my hand and led me out of Jenna’s kitchen, hitting the buttons on the alarm panel before shutting the door and then reaching into his pocket for keys to lock the door.
Rider sat at the bottom of the rooftop terrace stairs on his motorcycle, talking on his cell phone.
Spencer walked me down the alley and back toward the door.
As we rounded the alley, I heard the roar of multiple motorcycles.
Spencer rushed me toward the front door, but about a dozen motorcycles drove past, slow, and of course there were rabid-looking dogs on the backs of the leather-wearing riders who drove by the salon and all looked directly at Spencer, in his Dominion Brotherhood jacket, with his arm around me, as he led me into Jenna’s House of Allure.
Fuck.
Things were heating up with the Jackals, evidently. No one had seen them riding through town in any sort of formation in months. I didn’t even think there were that many left around here.
***
“What the fuck?” Jenna snapped at me. Spencer got between us.
“Back off, Jenna.”
Jenna backed up and put her arms across her chest.
“She doesn’t leave alone under any circumstances,” he said to Jojo and Jenna. “None of you do. I’m sending Scoot after church, which is happenin’ in fifteen, and the three of you listen to what he tells you.” He gave Jojo, who appeared to be manning the reception desk, a pointed look.
She was chewing her bottom lip.
Jenna went back to the salon chair and was putting curlers into a lady’s hair. Bronto’s grandmother sat beside that lady, under the dryer. There were two more people in the waiting area, one of them my next customer.
Bronto’s grandma smiled at Spencer and waved.
He jerked his chin up at her. “Hi.”
The waiting area had been cleaned up during my brief time upstairs and everyone that was here had mugs of coffee. Jojo had obviously pitched in. They all had eyes on Spencer.
“So, you are able to take me, then?” a lady asked. I’d done her brows a few times but couldn’t recall her name right then. “My husband dropped me off early and Jenna said you couldn’t do me, so I was waiting for him to come back for me, but I can’t get him on his phone.”
“I can take care of you.” I tried to give her a smile. It was probably shaky. “Just give me five?”
She smiled hesitantly, eyeballing Spencer, who was exuding some seriously amped vibes.
Deanna rushed in right then, eyes big and on me and Spencer.
Spencer tugged my hand and took me into the utility room and shut the door.
I blew out a breath.
“You can’t keep hauling me around like that,” I hissed, noting four large tins of cookies on the counter with labels on them. One had my name. Bronto’s grandmother came in once a month for a wash and set and brought cookies each time. For me, Jenna, for Debbie (the lady who used to own the salon, who still worked part-time), and for Lulu.
He put his hands to my face and planted a hot and heavy kiss on my mouth.
I squeaked in surprise. The kiss went on for a long time before he pulled away.
I hadn’t pulled away. Why hadn’t I? I actually participated for some weird reason.
“You stay here. Till I come for you. Or you go upstairs after the salon closes. Yeah?”
I nodded.
“Gimme the key to your brother’s pad.”
“Why?” I asked.
“I’m grabbin’ you a change of clothes. You’re stayin’ with me tonight. Don’t want you back there today.”
Nope. I had to make this stop.
I shook my head. “I’ll stay with my parents tonight. Don’t worry about---”
He glared at me. “Keys.”
I glared back. “You need to stop this.”
He swung the door open and stomped out.
As the salon’s front door swung shut, I could practically feel the energy of Jenna, Jojo, and Deanna, all about to blurt a zillion questions at me.
I put my hand up. “Don’t. I can’t even.”
“Mrs…” I looked at my client.
“Eggert. Tricia.”
“Sorry Tricia. Bad morning. Come on in and let’s get you taken care of. Jen, you cancel my 11:30?”
“Yep. And your 12:00. After Tricia here, you’re free until 1:00.”
I said a silent thank you to the universe and gave Jenna a thank you with my eyes. I needed those precious minutes to get my head together.
9
The ninety minutes didn’t help, because once Tricia was looked after, I couldn’t leave the salon. Jojo physically blocked me. Yes, physically. It was as if she was our temporary bodyguard until Scott arrived.
“Where you going? You can’t leave…”
“I’m just going upstairs to Jenna and Rider’s to chill,” I replied, confused.
“You can’t. Scooter’s comin’ here and then you still can’t, because he’s protecting the three of us and so we have to stay together.” Jojo folded her arms.
I looked over my shoulder at Jenna. I just wanted to go upstairs for the 90 minutes and decompress. Be alone. Think. Or something.
“She’s right,” Jenna said. “You wanna talk to us about what’s goin’ on?”
My reply was to go into my procedure room and slam my door.
And then I had to pee and was thirsty, so I stormed out a minute later and got a drink from the utility room, not making eye contact with them, then used the bathroom, and stormed back in and slammed the door, noting Jojo had again dashed to block the door.
Fucking Valentines.
Thankfully, I was busy the rest of the day, which helped me not think about the implications of being on Wyld Jackals radar to be used as a way to ‘fuck with the brotherhood’.
I tried to be cheerful with my customers, as that was what they’d come to expect from me, but I probably failed.
As was promised, Scott showed up early afternoon and spent the day at the reception desk, so he could see out the front door.
People came in and he greeted them and acted like he was the receptionist, which Jenna got a kick out of. Jojo hung out all day and Ella turned up a little after five, too. With Bronto (who sat and looked out the window, not at me. Not even once).
I rolled my eyes at that.
“Chat, after your next client?” Ella asked, taking a bite of a snickerdoodle.
“Full day, sister. Sorry.”
I led my next customer in.
Ella hung out with Jojo in the waiting area for a bit. Jenna had a busy day, too, and then she waved at me with her thumb and pinky at her jaw, giving me the ‘call me’ sign.
I blew out an exasperated breath behind my dust mask and went back to exfoliating my customer’s heels.
Between that customer and the next, Jenna came in and shut the door.
“I have another one in like five minutes.”
“I know. Rider told me what you said to them upstairs. I just wanna check in and make sure you’re okay. That must’ve shaken you up this morning.”
I blew out a breath. “Yeah. Understatement.”
“You okay?”
“No one touched me. Wait. No. The one guy grabbed my ass.” I cringed. “They tried to intimidate me. They looked over me like I was a prized calf on the auction block, but I’m okay. I just hope they forget I exist.”
She shook her head. “You can’t underestimate these guys. Please tell me you’re taking this as a serious thing… let the Doms take care of you. Let Spencer take care of you.”
“This matchmaking bullshit needs to stop.”
She shook her head. “All matchmaking stuff aside, I’m not joking. This stuff is scary-real. But speaking of… he’s got it bad for you. Rider and Deacon don’t gossip about the shit that goes on in the club with the brothers and the women they see, screw, whatever… but both me and Ella got the lowdown as best as we could from our men and Spencer is gone for you. He has been into you since he met you, but he’s…”
“I don’t need this right now, Jenna. And he was into Ella first and then talked about getting into your pants if Rider didn’t pull his head out of his ass, so I’m not all that flattered.”
“No, Pip. It’s not like that. He has definitely pulled up since Rider almost got killed. It shook him. He and Ride had a big fight in Sioux Falls where Rider laid it all out and Spencer’s shit got woken up. I’m not saying he can’t still be an occasional alpha-hole, but Pip---”
“Did you not hear me?” I snapped. “Enough with this shit. I’m not interested.”
I slammed a bottle of nail polish back into the caddy.
Her eyes narrowed. “Just tell me you’ll take the security threat seriously. Those guys are bad to the bone, those Jackals. Rider says they’re definitely going to take them down, but it’s taking time. It’s looking like a bunch relocated here from another chapter. And they joined forces and patched over some other outlaw MC in Bismarck as well as one in North Dakota last month, and---”
There was a knock on the door. Jenna opened it.
It was Lulu. “Jenna, Pip, both of your 6 o’clocks are here.”
***
ALMOST 2:00 AM
It didn’t feel safe in Phil’s apartment because those guys had been here that morning, because Joe had been in here the other day, but I was trying to sleep.
Well, it was safe right now, but that was because I had a guard outside. And inside (sort of).
I tossed and turned,
unable to find sleep.
I looked out the drapes and saw that Spencer was still there. Still in his truck. He’d been here for almost five hours, on guard. Keeping me safe.
I was starting to feel guilty. Maybe I should let him in.
No.
Screw that. He’s a jerk. I tossed and turned some more.
The dog, my interior guard (who was in the bed beside me) yawned.
“Sorry, boy.” I scratched his head. “I’m keeping you up.”
Yep, dog. I had Spencer’s dog with me.
Several Hours Earlier
The shop was closing, and Spencer was in the waiting area, talking to Scott. Jesse was with him.
Spencer looked no less pissed off than that morning. I closed my procedure room up and headed toward the door.
Jenna was at the reception desk. I didn’t know where Jojo was.
“Pip?”
I looked over my shoulder at her.
“Love you. Call me later.”
I gave a little finger wave. “Love you, too.”
I wouldn’t call. We both knew it. But, I loved Jenna like crazy.
I was just on emotional overload and I tended to clam up in times like these. I wasn’t one of those girls who sat around telling my girlfriends my problems. I was a great listener in a crisis. I was a great person to have someone’s back in a crisis. I was just closed off when it came to dealing with problems when they were my own.
I moved to open the door to the salon and Spencer was right there, crowding me. He tagged my hand and kept talking to Scooter, who was being told to wait until Jenna was done with her final appointment, to head upstairs with her, that Rider wouldn’t be back until about midnight.
Scooter was on Jenna duty while Rider was out of town on some club business of some sort. Apparently, Bronto had handed Ella off to Deacon. I’d heard Jojo say he was gonna be glued to Ella’s side unless she was in the dealership with Spencer. And Jenna told me I’d be getting a shadow and that if I was lucky, it’d be a hot biker by the name of Brady in a few days. Brady was from Sioux Falls, was a Dom member who had grown up with the Valentine boys, his father being a member (a member who was in the clink), and now Brady was moving to the Aberdeen charter permanently.