Getting the DOWN (A Bad Boy Sports Romance)

by Daphne Loveling

  In between trying to avoid Ryker and trying to avoid Jimmy, I ended up with a lot of free time on my hands. I spent some of it looking at job ads online, trying to think about what I was going to do next. The trouble was, I didn’t even know where I wanted to live. Going back to Vermont seemed ridiculous. I had hated it there. But the idea of staying on in Cheyenne felt strange. Even though my roots were here, I didn’t feel like I quite belonged anymore. I looked at some jobs in the Denver area, and applied for a few here and there: waitress, receptionist, something called a “quality control inspector.” Nothing sounded interesting enough to be worth moving to a new place for, but I felt like I had to do something. To at least pretend to be moving forward with my life.

  I had started hanging out with Lucy a little, and this morning I was back at Crouse’s while she worked the morning shift. As she waited tables and bustled around the restaurant, I sat at the counter with my laptop and a cup of coffee, working on my résumé. “Having any luck with the job search?” she asked me as she came back from giving someone their change.

  “Not much,” I sighed. “I guess it would help if I knew what I was looking for.”

  “What’d you major in, again?”

  “Psychology.”

  “Huh.” Lucy looked at me quizzically. “Couldn’t you just open up a psychology practice, or something?”

  I laughed. “I wish. But with no money, no clients, and no experience, I don’t think that’s gonna work out for me. At least not right now.”

  Lucy cocked her head. “Yeah, I guess maybe you’re right. But someday, right?”

  Even though I was frustrated, I appreciated her optimism. It made me feel better having a friend to cheer me on. “Right. Someday,” I smiled back. “So, what’s new with you?”

  She smiled excitedly. “So, you know my boyfriend, Diego?”

  “Uh-huh.” Lucy had been seeing Diego for a little over a year now. He had apparently been two years ahead of us in school, but I didn’t know him back then. I had met Diego a couple of times now, and he seemed like a really nice guy.

  “I think he’s going to propose soon!” Lucy half-whispered, half-squealed the last part of the sentence. She looked at me with wide, bright eyes. “He said he wants to take me ring shopping!”

  “Oh, my gosh, Lucy! That’s so exciting! Congratulations!” I smiled at her warmly. It was clear she was really happy.

  “I know! Now we just gotta start saving up for the wedding. I already know it’s gonna have to be a big one. Diego’s family is huge!” Lucy chattered on happily about her plans for the big day, and I asked her questions to keep her going. It was a nice distraction from my directionless life.

  We were still talking about Lucy’s upcoming nuptials when the electronic beep of the front door sounded. Lucy’s gaze flickered up and a slight frown creased her brow. I turned around and saw Jimmy coming into the restaurant.

  “Hey, Hads! I thought you might be here,” he said, coming up to me and wrapping his arm around my shoulders. Ugh. How does he do that? I thought irritably. I needed to find some less predictable places to hang out.

  “Hey,” I greeted him, gently detaching his arm from me. “What’s up?”

  “Not much,” Jimmy replied. “I just thought I’d get some breakfast. Lucy,” he called, “Western omelet and a side of bacon.”

  “Got it,” Lucy called back, retreating into the kitchen.

  “Come sit with me,” Jimmy said, turning toward of the booths.

  I snapped my laptop shut and followed him. “You know, I was working on my résumé,” I said crankily.

  Jimmy led me by the hand to a corner booth, seemingly not having heard me. “So,” he said as we sat down. “Haven’t seen much of you the last couple of days. What’s been up?”

  As I looked at him across the table, I thought of Lucy’s meth-addicted cousin. Steeling myself, I decided it was time I asked Jimmy about the club’s drug business. “Jimmy,” I began, “can I ask you something?”

  He smiled encouragingly, and I realized he probably thought I was going to ask him about us. Arrogant jerk, I thought to myself with irritation. I ignored his expectant look and continued. “I’ve been hearing from... some people... that there’s a meth problem in Cheyenne lately. And from what I’ve been hearing, the club is the reason.”

  Jimmy scoffed. “Come on,” he said easily, leaning back in his seat. “Sure, the club has a hand in the business. We’d be crazy not to – that shit is crazy profitable. But that doesn’t mean anything. People are gonna do what they’re gonna do, Hads.” He shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “If the dealers didn’t get it from us, they’d just get it from somewhere else.”

  “That’s not very honest, is it, Jimmy?” I retorted. “Considering that there wasn’t a source for it before The Throttle got involved.”

  “Sure there was.” His laugh was cynical. “You think Cheyenne was just this pure little town before? Hadley, drugs are all over the place in this country. Shit, you can walk down any street, in any town, and get whatever you want. We’re just getting a cut in the action.”

  “And pushing meth into high schools,” I snapped. Lucy had told me more about how the bigger dealers the club sold to targeted “ambitious” high school kids who would do anything to make a quick buck.

  “Like I said, Hads, not our problem. It’s not like I’m standing in front of the high school handing it out.”

  “No, but somebody else is.”

  “Not my problem.”

  “Your conscience is pretty much nonexistent, isn’t it, Jimmy?” I was repulsed by his attitude, and it came out in my voice. Jimmy’s eyes narrowed.

  “Hey,” he said sharply. “You don’t get to tell me what to do, okay?” He pointed a finger in my face. “Club business is club business. No fuckin’ woman is gonna get in the middle of it. It ain’t your problem, Hadley. Case closed.”

  “Yeah,” I retorted. “Case closed.” I stood up. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have work to do.”

  Jimmy reached out to grab me by the wrist. “Don’t. You. Dare,” I bit out at him. “You do not fucking own me, Jimmy. And you never will.”

  “Hey!” he called after me sharply, but I was having none of it. Fuck him. I sat back down at my stool at the counter and woke my computer back up. He called my name a couple of times, but I ignored him. After a minute or so, I heard him swear, and then the door to the restaurant opened and closed brusquely as he left the restaurant.

  A minute or so later, Lucy came out of the kitchen with a plate of hot food. “Where’s Jimmy?” she asked. “Got his order ready.”

  “He left,” I replied.

  “Shit,” she muttered, walking over to the booth. She glanced down at the table in disgust. “Fucker didn’t even pay for the meal,” she said.

  I snorted. Typical. “Bring it here,” I sighed. “I haven’t had breakfast yet.” Arguing with Jimmy had given me an appetite. A Western omelet sounded just fine by me.

  “What were you two arguing about?” Lucy asked. “I couldn’t help but notice,” she added apologetically.

  I pursed my lips as I dug into the omelet. “Actually, I asked Jimmy about the club’s involvement with the meth trade.” I looked up in time to see her stricken face, and I knew she was thinking about her cousin. “You were right, of course, Lucy. The Throttle is distributing. Jimmy doesn’t see anything wrong with it. He said if it wasn’t them providing the meth, it would be someone else.”

  Lucy’s face transformed from stricken to furious. Her eyes filled with tears, which she brushed away angrily with the back of her hand. “How can he say that?” she cried. “There was hardly any meth here two years ago. My cousin Tina would be fine if it wasn’t for the MC. She would have graduated from high school. Maybe she would have gone to college, even.” Her voice cracked with emotion. “Instead, she’s lying in some shithole somewhere, half dead. Hell, maybe she’s already dead.”

  My heart ached for Lucy, and for her cousin. I was horrified Jim
my didn’t care that the club’s activities were ruining the lives of people who had nothing to do with the club. People who were paying with their lives, for the profit of The Throttle.

  I knew now that I could never convince Jimmy this was the wrong direction for the club. And I had no idea how to broach the subject with my father.

  But, I realized, there was someone I might be able to convince.

  Chapter 12

  Ryker

  After weeks of trying like hell to make myself scarce whenever I thought Hadley would be around, and her presumably doing the same, I looked up from my pool game with Gonz to find her standing in front of me, a nervous look on her face.

  “Hi,” she said simply.

  “Uh, hi.”

  She bit her lip. “Could we, um, go somewhere to talk?”

  I glanced over at Gonzo, who briefly raised his eyebrows. “Hey, fine by me if you wanna quit. I was kicking the shit out of you, anyway.”

  I laughed. Gonzo couldn’t beat me at pool if I was blindfolded. I turned my attention back to Hadley. I couldn’t imagine what she wanted to talk to me about. I could imagine what I wished she wanted to talk to me about, but that didn’t involve a hell of a lot of talking. “Sure,” I said, keeping my tone neutral. “Wanna go into the back office?”

  “Not here,” she murmured, looking around nervously. “Somewhere else.”

  I had no idea where this was going. But suddenly I had the urge to get as far away from the club and all its weight as possible.

  “Come on,” I said. I turned on my heel and toward the front door of the bar. Hadley followed. I strode out into the blinding midafternoon sunlight and stopped at my bike. “Here,” I said, handing her my helmet. She put it on without a word.

  I straddled the bike, and Hadley got on behind me. I felt her snug up against my back, and predictably, my cock jumped in response. Having her this close to me was going to be torture. Forcing myself to ignore my baser instincts, I fired up the bike, which roared to life underneath us. Hadley wrapped her arms around my waist, and we were off.

  We flew through town, though for once I was careful to keep the bike not too far over the speed limit. The last thing I wanted right now was the hassle of some wet-behind-the-ears cop with a quota to stop us – even though, with my easily recognizable cut, it was unlikely. Cops usually left The Throttle alone. I didn’t stop until we were miles out of town, finally slowing and turning the bike onto a small gravel road. It didn’t look like it led to much, but I knew better. I followed the road past a lone homestead, and finally came to a stop where the gravel ended abruptly. I killed the bike and Hadley got off.

  We were on top of a bluff, looking down into a small almost-canyon below. I came here sometimes to think. I had never seen another soul around, despite the raw beauty of the place. It was the one place I had always had completely to myself.

  Hadley had walked to the edge of the bluff and was looking out in wonder. As I came to stand next to her, she looked at me, her eyes wide. “How do you know about this place?” she asked softly.

  I shrugged. “I figure I’ve been on every road in this county at one point or another. I found this place a long time ago. Probably before I even prospected.”

  She sat down on a large, flat rock that looked almost like someone had placed it there as a natural bench. I sat down beside her. “So, what did you want to talk to me about?” I asked. No reason to pretend we were here to talk about the weather.

  “I heard through the grapevine that the club is dealing meth,” she said without preamble.

  Shit. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this. Of course it was true, but having Hadley know it made it even worse. I didn’t want her to know it. I couldn’t lie to her, but I didn’t want to tell her the truth either. So, I stalled. “Who did you hear that from?” I said.

  “It’s not important. But I know it’s true. Jimmy admitted it.”

  Fuck. I did not want to have this conversation. “So, if you know it’s true, what do you want to talk to me about?” I asked drily.

  “How can you do that?” she cried, turning to me. “How can you feel good about bringing meth into Cheyenne?” She shook her head. “Of course I know the club is into stuff that’s not exactly strictly legal,” she continued. “I’m not an idiot. But seriously, meth? Doesn’t it bother you at all? Jesus,” she swore softly.

  As uncomfortable as I already was about our meth business, Hadley’s obvious disgust just made me feel worse. “Of course it bothers me,” I retorted. I had never admitted this to anyone. I was still trying to figure out how to bring it up with Lon.

  “Well, then, why the hell are you still selling it?” Anger flashed in her eyes.

  “Because I’m not the one in charge,” I shot back. Too late, I realized that I was talking about her father. Blaming him, basically.

  Hadley flinched. “But you’re the VP. Can’t you do something?”

  Goddamn it. My frustration and guilt came out as anger before I could stop it. “What the hell do you expect me to do?” I yelled. “I’m the VP, but I’m not God. I’m outnumbered.” I stopped for a moment to get control of myself, and then said more calmly, “It’s good money for us, Hadley. Easy money. Not everyone wants to give that up.’

  She took a deep breath and let it out. She glanced over at me, her eyes shining, and then she looked away. “One of my friends. Lucy. Her cousin is addicted. They think they’ve lost her.” She shook her head. “It’s terrible.”

  “A buddy of mine from high school is addicted, too,” I answered. I was silent for a moment. “It’s bad. I know. Hadley, believe me, I wish we weren’t involved in it at all.”

  I looked at her to see if she believed I was telling her the truth. She gazed up at me, and our eyes locked. For a moment, the electricity that was between us flashed. Her skin flushed, and her breathing grew shallow. She looked away quickly.

  “I can’t believe you can’t do anything,” she said, a little breathlessly. “You’re the VP.”

  “Hadley,” I said, as gently as I could, “the club votes on these things. I can only do so much. Jimmy is one of the main ones who wants the meth trade. He and I aren’t exactly close friends.” Even without you between us. “Believe me, he’s never gonna agree with me on this. Neither is Stick, or some of the others.” I was watching her face when I said Jimmy’s name, to see her reaction. Was she with him? Had he reclaimed her as his?

  “Jimmy’s behind it?” she asked.

  “He’s not the one who came up with the idea. But he wants us to get deeper in.” I was treading on dangerous ground here. Club members didn’t discuss business with non-club members. Even old ladies.

  Not that Hadley was my old lady.

  As much as I wanted her to be.

  The thought sliced through me like a knife. I had never thought about any woman that way. Women, generally speaking, were a distraction. Fun to have around when you were horny and looking for some action, but it was better to keep them at arms’ length so they didn’t cause problems.

  Hadley, I realized, had broken through something inside me. I wanted things with her that I had never wanted with other women before. When I thought about her, which was often, I thought about fucking her within an inch of her life. But I also thought about other things. I wondered what she looked like first thing in the morning, with messed up hair and sleepy eyes. I wondered what it would be like to wake up next to her.

  Shit. I shook myself out of my reverie and tried to remember that she was my stepsister.

  “What about my dad?” she asked. “How much does he want to be in it?”

  “I don’t know,” I admitted. “It’s not so much that he wants the meth business, I don’t think. It’s that it’s lucrative and he sees no reason to stop.”

  “Because it doesn’t affect him,” Hadley said, her tone bitter.

  “I suppose,” I nodded. But even as I said it, I flashed back to what Lon had told me a few weeks ago, when Hadley had come back
. Hadley’s mom had died from a drug overdose. And Hadley didn’t know. It felt weird, sitting here with her and keeping such a big, important secret from her. I knew it wasn’t my place to tell her, but I felt like I was lying to her. And I didn’t like the feeling.

  “Will you talk to him about it?” she asked suddenly. “About stopping?”

  I didn’t tell her I had been trying to think about how to do that for months. “What makes you think he’d listen?” I asked.

  “Well, you’re his VP. And you’re his son,” she said, smirking ironically.

  I laughed. “Yeah. His son.” I smiled back at her and nodded. “Look, Hadley. I’ll do what I can. I promise.”

  She smiled up at me, a dazzling smile that lit up her face like Christmas. “Thank you, Ryker,” she whispered.

  “Of course,” I nodded. I mimicked her smirk from a moment before. “Anything for my sister, right?”

  She let out a short laugh in response, but then stopped. She looked into my eyes again. Her expression was a mixture of sadness and something else. With a jolt, I realized it was desire, raw and naked. My cock sprang to life as I returned her gaze.

  “Hadley...” I murmured. A lock of her wild, dark hair had fallen partway into her face and I reached up and brushed it back. Her eyes closed briefly as my hand made contact with her skin. Her nostrils flared slightly as her head tilted back. I grabbed her, roughly, and my mouth came crushing down on hers. She moaned as I forced her lips open, devouring her, my mind a blank except for the feel of her, the heat of her. Our tongues danced as we drank each other in. I took her in my arms and picked her up, lowering her to the grassy ground.