by Ali Parker
“Hey,” I said, a little more firmly. “I don’t think a surprise is a good idea. Maybe give him a call first. You know Axel doesn’t like anything unexpected.”
Angela rolled her eyes. “Well, sometimes we don’t always get what we want.”
I arched an eyebrow at her. “You mean he doesn’t get what he wants, but you do.” Maybe she was still the same rich girl after all.
“I don’t think that’s what I said,” she said simply.
“It was implied.”
Angela shrugged. “Whatever. You’re just being a poor sport. Axel will love it. Want to know why? Because he loves me.”
I ran my hand over my face and sighed. “You’re right. Give it a go, then. See what happens.”
“You’re driving me,” she said.
“Uh.” I blinked. “No, I’m not.”
“Oh, yes you are. I’m not showing up bitch.”
“What?”
“I’m not going by myself. I have to arrive fashionably late. I’m the surprise. Come on Sabian, haven’t you ever been to a surprise party?”
“Yeah, for a nine-year-old.”
Angela shook her head at me and turned to Ellie. “He doesn’t understand.”
“He never does,” Ellie teased.
“I’m right here,” I mumbled, knowing neither of them were going to care.
Angela shrugged, winning herself an agreeable nod and grin from Ellie, who was always more than happy to enjoy a joke at my expense. My discomfort over surprising Axel seemed to entertain her as much as it did Angela, and I sensed an alliance forming between the two sisters-in-law.
An alliance that would bite me in the ass.
Jax nudged me in the ribs with his elbow. “You see what’s happening here, right man?”
“Oh, I see it. I can fucking feel it too. Like the calm before the storm.”
“A big fucking storm.” Jax nodded.
“Don’t be such a stress case,” Jamie said as she nodded toward Ellie and Angela, who now had their heads bowed together like they were discussing plans to open an underground speakeasy during the prohibition. “I’m sure it will be fine. Axel is a level-headed guy, right? Shouldn’t he be excited that his sister is here?”
“He will be,” I said. “But he’ll also have a shit ton of questions for her, which is probably why she wants it to be a surprise with a lot of people there. He won’t be able to ask her anything.”
“Questions?” Jamie asked, turning to face me and cocking her head the way a curious cocker spaniel would.
“Yeah. Family stuff. Personal stuff.”
She nodded her understanding and didn’t ask me anything else. Instead, she turned back to the two women and chuckled. “I hope they invite me. I want to see this all go down in person.”
“I’m sure they’ll invite you.”
Not five minutes later, both Ellie and Angela told Jax and Jamie that they should be at Axel’s place at seven. I was to pick Angela up just before eight, and Ellie would convince Axel that I had prior engagements to justify my tardiness.
I knew Axel pretty well, and I doubted he would believe his wife was throwing an impromptu dinner party. She’d never hosted one before, and Axel wasn’t a fool. He’d smell a trick a mile away.
I wasn’t a fool either, and I was well aware that if he was put off at all, I’d be the one paying the price for it.
Angela turned her big brown eyes on me and took a step forward. The smell of grease was replaced with the floral aroma of her perfume. “Give me your phone, and I’ll put my number in it.” She held out her hand to me. Her nails were short and painted in clear polish, which was a lot more subdued than I had been expecting.
Knowing the power was out of my hands, I took my phone out of my pocket and slapped it into her palm. She punched in her number and passed it back.
“Now remember, pick me up just before eight. And don’t say anything to Axel. If he knows I’m coming, I’ll know it was you who spilled the beans.” The smile she gave me was quite possibly the most extraordinary thing I had ever seen. She closed the distance between us and gave me a tight hug. I hugged her back and was mindful of where I put my hands. Not too high, not too low. Then she released me, said goodbye to Jax, and hugged Ellie and Jamie. “I’ll see you all tonight!”
She turned and walked back out to her car, her hips swaying from side to side with every step. I didn’t bother trying to look away. I was mesmerized by her every move. She was like a gypsy walking away with all my common sense and dignity, and I wasn’t going to fight her for it back.
Jax whistled low when she was in her car and driving away. “Bro, you’re fucked.”
“Shut up,” I grated as I turned back to what we had been working on.
Jax chuckled and followed my retreat. “Axel is not going to want you anywhere near his baby sister. He’s warned you before. I was there. You better keep your head above water.”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “I don’t plan on getting caught up in her again.”
Jax spat with laughter and shook his head. “Sabian, you sorry bastard. You already are.”
Chapter 6
Angela
I glanced down at my glitzy blue wrist watch and blew out an exasperated breath. It was ten to eight, and Sabian had still not arrived to pick me up.
My stomach was squirming with nerves.
I was excited to see my brother, but I was also a little nervous. As I had gotten myself ready for the evening, I had paused to wrack my brains to try to remember how long it had been since we spoke last. I was pretty sure at least five months had passed. A lot could happen in five months. I had changed a hell of a lot, and I was sure he had, too.
We had always been too alike, my parents said. We were both stubborn and loyal to one another to a fault. We hadn’t had a choice. We were each other’s saving grace in a world where money and reputation were more important than family values.
Axel had been smart to get out when he had the chance.
Now I was doing the same thing. I hoped he would be proud of me. I hoped he would congratulate me on my success and my bravery to leave the Cooper Estate. I was following my own journey now, just like he had.
The only difference was I wasn’t choosing a life with a band of criminals.
An old Chevy Challenger came around the corner and cut through traffic to pull up tight to the curb in front of me. Sabian leaned over across the passenger seat and popped the door open for me. I slid in and gave him a sideways glare.
“You’re late,” I said.
“You said before eight.”
“Yeah.”
“It’s before eight.”
He never had been the best when it came to courting a woman. Not that we were courting one another. He was just giving me a lift.
As he put the car back into drive and returned to the flow of traffic, I watched the tendons flex in his forearm. There was something about a working man’s arms that always made me hot and heavy.
I forced myself to look away and out my window. “So, how far away is Axel’s house?”
“Not far. At this time of night, probably only fifteen minutes or so. We just have to get out of the city.”
“Okay,” I said. I waited a few minutes before speaking again. “It’s nice to see you, Sabian. Really.”
He looked over at me. The hardness in his jaw and forehead evaporated and kindness touched his dark eyes. “It’s nice to see you, too. The real you. Not the bleached-out spoiled white girl version of you. The hair and the earrings… it suits you.”
I smiled and felt my cheeks start to burn. “Thanks. I figured it was about time I started making some choices of my own where my looks were concerned. Couldn’t let my mother rule over me from an entirely different state. You know?”
“Girl problems.”
I giggled. “Definitely.” I shifted in my seat so I could face him. “I’m surprised you didn’t pick me up on your bike. It’s perfect weather for it. I even wore pants.”
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“Axel would kill me if I showed up at his house with his baby sister on the back of my bike.”
“Maybe.” I shrugged. “But it would have been worth it for the look on his face.”
“You’re such a shit disturber,” Sabian said, but I caught him smiling, and that was all I had really been after.
When we arrived at Axel’s house and finally got through the gate, I was shocked to see how nice it was. It was nicely landscaped, and the house itself was a decent-sized rancher with plenty of windows and a massive garage on one side. That, at least, wasn’t a surprise. Axel would always need a place to store his precious cars and motorcycles.
I didn’t wait for Sabian to walk around the car to let me out. I got out myself, and the two of us walked up the drive, my heels clicking all the way. At the front door, Sabian paused and looked at me.
“How do you want to do this?” he asked.
I lifted my hand and rapped my knuckles on the door. “Let’s wing it.”
Sabian fell back to stand behind me and clasped his hands in front of himself. I listened as footsteps approached on the other side of the door, and then suddenly, it was wrenched open.
A thick-armed, burly chested, tattooed beast of a man stood before me.
“Hi,” I said, holding my hand out. “You must be Ryder.”
Sabian cleared his throat behind me. “This is Angela, Axel’s sister.”
Ryder’s dark stare flicked back and forth from Sabian to me. Then his scowl rearranged itself into a sunny grin. “Oh, fuck yeah you are. And you drove her, Sabian? Axel’s going to blow his top.”
“Why does everyone keep saying that?” I muttered as Ryder shook my hand.
He stepped aside and invited us in. I took off my shoes and followed Ryder from the foyer to the living area. The kitchen and living room were an open-concept design, and there were ten or so people milling about with drinks in their hands. It smelled like home cooking; something sweet and spicy.
I drew up short when I spotted Axel talking with another man. I had played the moment over and over in my head nearly a dozen times, and now that it was upon me, I had stage fright.
Sabian prodded me gently in the back. I stepped forward and cleared my throat. “Hi, big brother.”
I could see Axel stiffen when he heard my voice. He turned slowly, looking over his shoulder as he came around to face me. He looked utterly shocked for a solid three seconds before the surprise gave way to a smile.
“Angela,” he said, passing his drink to the man he was talking to. He approached me, and his eyes flicked behind me to Sabian. He quickly turned his attention back to me and swept me up in a big bear hug. “I knew there was something shady going on here.”
“Told you,” Sabian muttered behind me.
“I wanted to surprise you,” I said, noticing how much wider my brother was. I could barely get my arms all the way around him now. “Ellie helped me pull it off.”
He pulled away and held me by both shoulders as he looked me over. He soaked in the sight of the piercings, the short hair, and the dark red lipstick. “What are you doing here?”
“I moved here,” I said.
“Moved here?” His eyebrows crept up to his hairline. “When?”
“Beginning of the week. I have a penthouse in the Kent building in the Upper East Side. I was hired on by the New York Times.”
He reeled under all the information I had just unloaded on him. “Okay, hang on. You moved here, for real? And Mom and Dad didn’t throw a fit?”
I shrugged. “It took some convincing. But you know me. I can usually get what I want from them. I just had to be extra persuasive.”
He nodded knowingly and stroked his chin. “Persuasive. Right.” He pulled me in for another hug. “Congratulations, Ang. The New York Times? That’s fucking huge! I’m proud of you.”
I smiled into his shoulder as he hugged me. Then he pulled away again and turned to the rest of the room. He introduced me to everyone; they were mostly all men, save for me Ellie and Jamie. Both women waved to me from the kitchen.
The men were all part of the MC. It was obvious. They had that look about them, like they’d seen and maybe done terrible things, but they weren’t terrible people. My brother wouldn’t associate with them if they were, and I trusted his judge of character more than anyone else’s. He’d never steered me wrong before, and he had saved me from numerous boyfriends who were, on more than one occasion, only with me to either get in my pants or my wallet. Or both.
I met a lumberjack-sized man named Derek, who had a dark brown beard and a thick head of hair that was begging to have a woman run her fingers through it. He had warm brown eyes and a deep voice that gave me goosebumps. He was nothing short of polite as he shook my hand and offered to get me a drink.
“Just a glass of red wine would be great,” I told him as his warm grip released my fingers.
“You got it,” he said as he turned and went to the kitchen.
Axel turned me to another man. He was shorter than Derek, but not by much. His hair was dark, and his eyes were outrageously blue.
“Caleb,” he said, nodding politely. “Nice to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you, too,” I said, forcing myself to look away from his eyes as Axel steered me to the kitchen.
“And you already know Ryder and Sabian, and Ellie obviously,” Axel said. “Have you met Jamie?”
“Yeah, we met today.”
“Great,” Axel said. “Then I’ll leave you girls to it. I have to talk a little business with Sabian, and then you’ll have my full attention.” He kissed the side of my head before retreating out of the kitchen. He beckoned Sabian to follow with a curl of his index and middle finger. Sabian followed.
When I turned back to the girls, Derek was there with my glass of wine. He handed it to me and tapped his own glass of beer to the side of my wine glass. “To family reunions.”
I smiled and took a sip.
Derek left the kitchen, giving me a chance to pull Ellie and Jamie into the corner. “Is Axel really talking business, or is he giving Sabian shit?”
“What do you think?” Ellie smirked.
I glanced over my shoulder.
Sabian and Axel were standing in the hall, and I could see by their body language that this was not the friendliest conversation. Axel was leaning in and punctuating his sentences with aggressive finger-pointing at Sabian’s chest. Sabian was rigid and staring blankly into my brother’s face. If he was intimidated, it didn’t show.
“I feel bad,” I whispered.
Ellie bumped her hip into mine. “Don’t. These boys all manage to work their shit out one way or another. Axel just has to say what he needs to say. Sabian knows that.”
I took a large mouthful of wine, and then another. “Why does he think he can control everything and everyone around me?” I asked. I hated that Axel became my parents when they weren’t around.
“Because he cares about you, and he wants to make sure you’re safe. And he probably doesn’t think Sabian is good enough for you. Mind you, he won’t think anyone is ever good enough for you.” Ellie lifted her wine glass. “Forget about them. They’ll join us later, and everything will be fine.”
The front door opened, and a friendly male voice called out a hello. I turned to the door to see a new man coming in. He was blonde and ruggedly good looking. His hair was dishevelled and fairly long, and he had tattoos on one arm.
“That’s Hyde,” Ellie said. “Now the party can really get started.” She winked at me and opened her fridge. She found a can of beer and pushed it into Jamie’s hands. “Drink up. The kids are with their aunt for the night, and I plan on taking full advantage of it.”
Chapter 7
Sabian
It was nearly eight in the evening, and I was still at the shop. Ryder had called all of us in for a business meeting to discuss profits and workflow. With the shop being so much slower, he wanted to make sure we were utilizing our time well. I also suspected he wa
nted to make sure there weren’t too many people working. Paying more staff than necessary was a poor way for the MC to increase revenue.
Derek had brought over all of his accounting information. He was our treasurer mostly because he was the most organized one out of all of us. He had spreadsheets and records and forms tucked neatly into a black binder, which now sat in Ryder’s hands as he flipped through page after page, leading us through every meticulous detail of money coming in and money going out.
It was tedious, but it was important. We were running a business, and a lot of families counted on us to run it effectively.
The rest of the guys were there as well: Axel, Jax, Caleb, and Hyde. We were all draped lazily over the furniture in the office as the meeting wound down. I was sure that as soon as Ryder told us we were done, everyone would be up on their feet and out the door faster than they could blink. It had been a long day in the heat at the shop, and I was ready for a cold shower, an iced beer, and my sofa.
“I think that pretty much wraps things up here, boys,” Ryder said, slapping the binder closed and passing it back to Derek. “I know none of you wanted to be here, but I appreciate it. Work isn’t all fun and games.”
I ran my hand down my face and scratched at the stubble along my jaw as some of the others got to their feet and stretched out their kinks.
Jax paused beside Ryder. “You heard anything back from Dani yet about the missing person’s report?”
Ryder looked up at Jax and frowned.
We’d all been on the lookout for Ryder’s little cousin for two years now. He’d up and vanished when Dani first came into the picture as his parole officer, and it had devastated Ryder when he found out Jason had hitched his wagon to the Black Hearts. After everything that went down with their ever-cycling roster of treacherous leaders, Ryder had all but lost hope of finding his nephew again.
Then Dani had received an anonymous tip on Jason’s whereabouts. Apparently, he was still in New York City.
I was more than aware of the fact that this might all be hearsay. There was a good chance that whoever gave Dani the tip was lying. Or, perhaps, the person they had seen had only looked like Jason. But saying that to Ryder would be like kicking a bull in the balls and then waving a red flag in front of its face.