by Shyla Colt
Evonne turned to stare at him, feeling stunned. Mouth liked to talk and flirt. It was what he did.
“Come on, before you get both of us doing the shit tasks,” Sherlock muttered, gesturing toward the hallway.
“Possessive much?” Hil whispered into her ear. “What did you do to the man, Evonne? “
“What? Nothing.” Evonne shook her head.
“Must’ve been something,” Hil mumbled.
“Maybe they just fit, Hil,” Jul offered.
“What? No offense but you and Rocky?” Hil shook her head.
“He’s a lot deeper than you give him credit for. If we’ve learned anything it’s never judge a book by its cover,” Evonne said.
“Okay, I hear you. But—I mean what do you do?” Hil asked.
“Are you asking about sexual preferences? Because I have to tell you, Hilary, I’m downright scandalized,” Evonne said covering her throat.
“Shut up, you know that’s not what I meant. What’s gotten into you lately?” She held out her hand with her palm out. “Never mind, don’t answer that.”
Evonne laughed. “I’m just teasing. We watch a lot of movies, train in the gym.”
“I knew that booty was looking even more banging.” Hil patted Evonne’s ass.
“Hands off, you might get Rocky going again,” Juliette teased, winking.
“He’s not that bad. I think seclusion is getting to him too,” Evonne said.
“Uh, huh,” Hil nodded as they reached the door that led outside.
Sherlock held the door open, allowing Mouth to step outside first and scout the area.
“We’re good,” Mouth said as they stepped out.
“Thank you for this. I think I forgot what the sun looked like in person.” Hil sighed.
“It has been a long week and a half,” Juliette added.
They walked a few yards behind the boys, giving themselves privacy without diminishing their safety. Walking the perimeter, they leisurely kept the conversation light and playful. For a moment, they could almost pretend things were actually normal.
“We should head back. It’s been awhile and being outside makes me nervous,” Mouth finally said.
“All right, Mouth.” Evonne glanced at the others. “We’re ready.”
“Sherlock, take the rear.”
Sherlock nodded, falling back as they made their way inside behind Mouth.
The place had settled down. Small clusters were scattered around the room and the vibe felt relaxed and laid back. Evonne noticed Joey and Moose were absent along with the Prez and Boston. Poor things are probably exhausted. She almost snickered.
“I think I’m going to retreat to my room before I piss anyone else off,” Hilary said.
“You sure? We don’t want you to feel like you have to run off,” Juliette replied.
“Positive. I’ll see you guys in a few.” With a tiny wave, Hil headed toward her room, looking completely out of place in her black slacks and colorful blouse. Her heels clacked across the floor as she made her way through the area.
Evonne could see the alienation occurring, but she felt powerless to do anything to stop it.
* * * * *
“What was up with the Harpy earlier? She looked more bitchy than usual,” Rocky noted, leaning back on the bed as Evonne changed into her nightclothes.
“Do you have to call her that?” Evonne asked, glancing over her shoulder.
“She’s a ballbuster, Firecracker. That title ain’t going nowhere. Now tell me what I want to know.”
“So bossy.”
“You knew that shit from day one,” Rocky said quietly.
“Yeah, I did. She got into it with Joey over the shit going on with Peter’s crew. I know she didn’t mean it the way it came out, but it sounded like she was badmouthing Mayhem. Joey being Ms. Hormonal snapped, and Juliette did too, shockingly.”
“Damn, she must’ve been really out of line to piss off the librarian.” Rocky shook his head. The meek mild-mannered woman never seemed to lose her cool. “Doesn’t she know why Shooter is named Shooter and what happened to Peter?”
“Like he would just shoot her over hurt feelings,” Evonne stated in a voice tinged with laughter.
“I don’t know, he’s a protective dude. We all are if you haven’t figured that out,” Rocky said.
“Trust me, I know.”
“You complaining, woman?”
“Nope. I like being the one to ride bitch for once.”
“Any news from the parents?”
“They’ve taken Paul off the meds to bring him out of the medical coma and access the brain injury in its natural state. That could take up to twenty-four hours. Mom said she’d keep me in the know,” Evonne said.
He could hear the hurt in her voice. It made him want to pound her father’s face. What kind of man treated his only daughter this way? She cleared her throat and slipped one of his t-shirts over her head, making him smile. “You know I like you in my clothing.”
“I do, my dominant male,” she said in a singsong voice.
“Come over here and let me give you something to shut that mouth of yours.”
Evonne turned to him, her eyes glazed over with lust.
His jeans grew tight and he growled in anticipation of what would come next. “Come here, baby. I need those panties.”
She grinned. “What if I’m not wearing any?”
“Fuck, Firecracker, you turning into a dirty girl on me?”
“I know what you like.”
“Come here, mama, I want you to sit on my face.”
“Fuck.”
The explicit word made him smirk. “I’m getting inside more than your pussy, baby. You’re changing.”
“Hard not to, given the company I keep.”
“No, it’s not our influence. It’s you learning how not to give a fuck. So damn sexy.”
She walked toward him and grabbed the hem of her shirt.
“Uh-uh, keep it on,” he said.
“You really do like me in your clothing.”
“That’s right, now saddle up, sexy.”
She crawled onto the bed and his mouth watered. “Damn, you got me drooling, baby. You got the sweetest pussy I ever tasted.”
“How about I sit facing away, so I can have a treat too?”
“You want my cock, baby, you can have it. You all but tattooed your name on that shit anyways.”
Her eyes opened wide.
Her surprise amused him. “You didn’t know?”
“Rocco…” She climbed over his body and sat on his lap. “You’re not the type of man to be beholden to anyone, especially a female.”
“You think you’re just some female?” Rocky sat up, winding her hair around his fist until it pulled tight. “I didn’t take this leap with just anyone, Evonne.” The use of her given name made her whimper. “I don’t like—”
A knock on the door made him swear. “Fucking never fails!” He growled. “Yeah?”
“Got an issue, we need to leave, now.”
He recognized Shooter’s voice immediately. “Gotta go, darling, keep that pussy bare for me. I’ll wake you up proper when I get back.” He winked, sliding from the bed.
Evonne nodded, biting her bottom lip.
Outside the mess that came with her and her friends, shit had been quiet around their territory. The silence never lasted long though. “Be out in five, brother,” Rocky called, walking over to slip on his cut and sit on the edge of the bed to pull on his boots.
“Good, make sure you bring your piece.”
Shooter’s words made him tense. Whatever they had going on wasn’t small time. He finished lacing up his boots and walked over to his nightstand, pulling out his .45. He could feel Evonne’s worried gaze on him. He sank down on the bed beside her, grabbed a fistful of hair and pulled her close. “Hey, I’m going to be fine.”
Her eyes were wide with a vulnerable look, but she never protested. “Okay.”
“I know it’s be
en quiet lately. But this is my normal, okay?”
She cleared her throat. “I know. But thinking it and experiencing it are two different things.”
“Look, if you need anything, you can go to Boston and I’m sure your girls are up now too, so maybe give them a call?”
She glanced down. “Nah, I think I need to stay here and—process for a bit.”
“Fair enough, now lay one on me, doll face, so I can go.”
She leaned in, their lips connected and the electricity between them sparked. He moaned, deepening their lip lock. The connection he felt with this woman was so surreal. Whether she knew it or not, she had her hooks embedded into his heart. It scared the fuck out of him. Women and he didn’t have a great track record.
They parted and he slipped off the bed. “Get some rest. I’m sure I’ll be awhile.” That said, he walked out of the room without a glance back. No time to be distracted when he had a job to do. He walked down the hall and spotted Moose, Shooter, Maverick and Hawk at the bar. “What’s up?” he asked.
“Got the Angels of Death forgetting their place,” Hawk grumbled. “Not only are they muscling into our space, they’re dealing.”
“Shit,” Rocky whispered. “Weed?”
“Fuck no, hard shit. Heroin,” Shooter answered.
Anger rose in Rocky’s chest. One of the things he had liked about Mayhem originally was the fact they didn’t deal drugs. There was a no-pushing rule in the territory they claimed for themselves. They’d lost too many good people to the shit, through addiction, deals gone wrong or being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They didn’t want to make their living off that kind of blood money. Everything else, they were up for.
“We got a tip. One of their dealers has a buy set up in thirty minutes. Let’s go be his welcome party.” Hawk grinned.
“You got it, boss,” Moose stated as Hawk walked off and they followed him.
Tension crept into Rocky’s shoulders as he went on alert, paying attention to every shadow. He had not only his life on the line, but that of his brothers. They were silent as the prospect rushed out to open the gate to allow them through.
Twenty minutes later, they pulled into the spot where the buy would take place. The seedy back alley of the run-down apartment building smelled like piss and garbage. His nose burned and his muscles flexed as they waited in the darkness. The minute he and the boys arrived they had taken out all but one of the lights that lit up the alley. They stood a few feet in front of their bikes.
“Show time,” Hawk announced as a man dressed in black approached. A hood obscured his face.
“Think it’s the client or the dealer?” Shooter whispered.
“Doesn’t matter, both are fucked,” Moose answered. He cracked the knuckles on his massive hands.
Rocky rolled his shoulders and Hawk took the lead, appearing beneath the light in the center of the alley.
“Hey, man…you Ricky? You didn’t say you’d bring any friends.” The antsy man in the black hooded sweatshirt reached for his pocket.
Hawk snatched him up by his hoodie and slammed him into the wall. “No, motherfucker!” Hawk reached inside his pockets. A moment later a gun skittered across the ground, and bags of powder, pills and weed followed close behind. “Look what we have here.” Hawk held up a glass vial. “I’m Mayhem. You know you don’t deal in this territory.”
“Hey, man, I just do what I’m told,” the dealer said.
Hawk laughed. “You make shitty decisions. This one won’t cost you your life, but you shouldn’t press your luck.” Hawk delivered a blow to the man’s cheek that made Rocky wince. Blood spurted from the dealer’s mouth and his head whipped to the side.
“You tell your boss to remember the lines or we’ll pay him a personal visit.” Hawk delivered a punch to the dealer’s middle section, doubling him over. “Give me a name and I might let you skate by with less injuries.”
The dealer coughed. “You know I can’t do that.” He clutched his stomach and stared at the ground.
“Another bad decision,” Hawk muttered. “Boys, work him over.” Hawk stepped back and crossed his arms as they moved forward, raining blows down on the poor fuck who had decided to pollute their space with poison.
Rocky was no stranger to violence, and this gave him a sick sense of vindication. Drugs had stolen much of his life away. Right now, he was making sure in some small way they wouldn’t do the same for others.
They stepped away a few minutes later and the dealer slid to the ground.
“Now tell me what you’re going to tell your boss,” Hawk said with a growl.
“Mayhem ain’t happy.”
“Damn straight. Remember this ass whooping the next time you’re about to come deal in Mayhem territory. These streets are clean and they’re going to stay that way.” Hawk stepped away. “Our job is done here, boys.” He nudged the dealer with the toe of his boots. “Isn’t it?”
“Jesus, yes, yes.”
Hawk nodded. “I’ll be taking your weapons with me. You’ve already proved you don’t know what’s good for you.”
They strolled back to their bikes and Rocky couldn’t help but wonder if they’d just started up a war.
“You think they’re going to go balls to the wall over this?” Shooter asked.
“Don’t know. This is the first time they’ve ever done anything. They could be testing the waters, trying to catch us with our pants down or they’re already soldiered up, ready to attack,” Hawk replied.
“They’ve always been pussies, so this sudden shift doesn’t make sense,” Shooter noted.
“It’s not like we’re on friendly terms. Might be time to look into their leadership. Maybe there was a shift in the hierarchy,” Moose suggested.
“Damn. I’ll get some of the newer prospects on that tomorrow. No one will know their faces, so they can move undetected,” Hawk said. The situation could go sideways fast. They knew the old leader Rip well. Throwing a new person in the mix could very well change the entire set and the way they did things.
“When it rains, it fucking pours,” Shooter commented, his voice grim.
“No shit, brother,” Moose added as they climbed onto their bikes.
“We’ll call a meeting first thing tomorrow. I think it’s time we schedule church on a larger scale. The shit coming our way requires backup. We’ll send a call out to the charters and move the lockdown to the cabins.” Hawk fired up his bike, ending the conversation and they rode out.
As they rode back to the clubhouse Rocky thought about Evonne. I need to lock that shit down, claim it properly and give her my cut. Old ladies were treated differently by everyone. It’d give her more respect and protection. Both would give him peace of mind while he was out on the streets. He’d tried to do the decent thing and wait ‘til shit settled down with her family, but life didn’t always allow those luxuries. Hope you’re ready for me, girl, ’cause I’m done waiting. He smirked, imagining the fight she’d put up before she surrendered. I’m in the mood to burn off a little tension.
Chapter Ten
The ringing of the phone pulled Evonne from sleep. Instantly alert, she rolled onto her side and reached out to grab the cell phone on her nightstand. As sleep faded, her stomach cramped. Something went wrong tonight. “Hello?” she whispered, waiting to hear one of the boys say Rocky was in the hospital—or worse.
“Evonne, it’s not looking good. Your brother’s brain is hemorrhaging.”
“Mom, I’m on my way,” she said, instantly awake.
A heartbeat passed. “Hurry.”
The dial tone in her ear spurred her into action. She turned on the lamp on the nightstand and moved to the chair that held her jeans. Tugging them on, she hurried to the closet and dug out a hoodie. She slipped on a pair of flats and emerged from the room. The jumbled mess of her thoughts made it difficult to think straight. She scanned the area. Moving farther into the room, she could see most of the lights were out and it looked like a ghost town.
“Going somewhere, Firecracker?”
She turned to see Casanova. “I need a ride.”
“What? At this time of night?”
“My brother is in the hospital. He’s not doing too well.”
“You know we’re on lockdown.”
“He’s fucking dying! I’m not going to miss that.”
Casanova paused.
The roar of bikes interrupted them and she ran for the door. Just before she reached the door, she was jerked back. “I’m not about to step in the ring with Ali to box because you can’t think straight. Go sit your ass down at the bar while I make sure these are friendly engines. We’re not on lockdown for shits and giggles.”
“But—”
“Now.”
Casanova’s booming voice made her jump. They made it easy sometimes to forget they were bikers, then when the shit hit, they were all fierce. She jogged across the room and sat at the bar, wringing her hands.
The gate clanged once to signal it was being opened and the rest was drowned out by the bikes. They began to walk into the club and Casanova pulled Rocky aside, gesturing toward her.
Rocky’s shoulders tensed. “Yo, Hawk, gotta take my lady to the hospital. Her brother isn’t doing too well.”
“Take a tail.”
“Casanova, you on with me?”
“Shit, why not.”
“Come on, Firecracker, let’s get you out of here,” Rocky called.
Evonne jumped down from the stool and ran to Rocky. He wrapped an arm around her, gripping her waist tight as he led her outside. The gentle squeeze he gave her side did nothing to ease her anxiety.
A few minutes later, they were on the street. She’d never appreciated the speed of the bike as much as she did now, as Rocky wove in and out of traffic. Pressed up against him, she closed her eyes, thinking up the worst-case scenarios. They pulled up to the parking lot and she all but ripped the helmet off and ran for the hospital entrance.
Everything felt numb and time itself seemed to slow as she placed one foot in front of the other and balled her hands into fists to keep it together. Guilt ate at her insides, like an alien ready to hatch inside its host. She could feel the heat rolling off Rocky at her back and silently drew from his strength. They made their way onto the elevator and she gripped the bar so tightly her fingers ached. The ding of the car as it settled on their floor mocked her. The doors rolled open and the last thing she wanted to do was walk through them.