Buford pulled the hammer back on his pistol and I tried not to pull mine out and shoot them both in the head for mentioning Shiloh. That must have been who was lurking around her place right before I installed her security system.
“Okay, okay,” Beau said, putting his hands in the air. “I wanted into the game and I used Tuck to gain access. I met him at the Specter Bar one night and gamed him into becoming friends with me.”
“Why?” Atticus asked sharply.
“I told you. I wanted in on the game. I had no idea Tuck was going to do what he did, I was just with him for access to the table.”
“There are plenty of high-stakes games in town. Why the burning need to be in one of Jordy’s rooms?”
“Because I know who really runs those games and that’s who I want access to,” Beau replied.
“Ah, there it is,” Atticus said smiling and pointing a finger at Beau. “The first true thing you’ve ever said to me.” His smile dropped quicker than it had appeared. “Why?”
“Tuck’s access to the game isn’t the only thing I needed him for. He’s also my backer. If you’ve looked into me, you know I’m broke. I’m up to my eyeballs in debt since I bought this place. I don’t come from a wealthy family, and besides the thirty grand I’ve got stashed, I’m broke.”
“So, what’s that gotta do with our thing?” Atticus asked.
“I want in on the real action. The real money. Not the pocket change at the poker tables, but real scores. I wanted in on the game to get in with you guys.”
“How do you fit into this story, Detective Otter?” Atticus asked, looking at me.
“Beau and I met at Specter around the time he met Tuck. I was working as a bouncer at the time and he asked me if I knew of any underground tables. We became friends and eventually I did some research for him.”
“Research about the Beast?”
“Well, not at first. Not really,” I replied. “I was just looking to find out who ran the highest rolling table in town, which lead me to the dark web, the Dixie boys, and eventually the Beast.”
“Aren’t you leaving something out?” Atticus asked.
“Plenty, but I’m loyal to my club, so I am not at liberty to say.”
Plus, I apparently didn’t know a goddamn thing. There had been a threat from the Beast not long ago, but my club’s president said the threat had been eliminated. It was obvious to me now, that he’d kept me in the dark and I was fixin’ to find out why.
Buford pointed his gun at me. “How ’bout you be loyal to this here nine-millimeter?”
“It’s okay, Buford. I’ll fill in the blanks. The truth is, the Beast reached out to your club personally, isn’t that right?” Atticus asked.
“Couldn’t tell ya,” I replied.
“That’s okay,” he said. “I know what I need to know. It’s really a great big coincidence that you’re both here. I was expecting to have to make separate visits to each of you but here we are.”
“What are we here to do exactly?” Beau asked.
“Grant your wish,” Atticus said excitedly. “You’re going to work for me. Both of you.”
“What do you want us to do?” Beau asked.
“It’s a good thing Tuck’s not a real friend,” Atticus hedged.
“Why’s that?” Beau asked
“Because you and biker boy here, are going to cash him and his daddy out of the game permanently.”
I glared at Beau.
Fuck.
Otter
I RODE AS carefully as I could back to the compound, considering I was raging, but it wouldn’t do me any good to lay down my bike for this bullshit. I parked in front of the barn and took my helmet off as I stormed inside. “Doc!” I bellowed. “Doc!”
“Jesus, Otter, where’s the fire?” Rabbit asked, walking out of the kitchen.
“Where’s Doc?”
“In his office,” Rabbit said with a frown. “What’s wrong?”
“We’ll talk later,” I said, and stalked down the hall. I banged on Doc’s door and pushed it open before he bid.
“Otter?” He frowned, setting Olivia on her feet and pulling her behind him.
“We need to talk.”
Doc scowled and jabbed a finger toward me. “You don’t fuckin’ come bargin’ in—”
“Honey, it’s okay,” Olivia said. “I’ll give you two a minute.”
“Not the point, Liv,” Doc growled.
She smiled and walked toward the door, patting my arm as she walked out, closing the door behind us.
“What the fuck is all this bullshit about the Beast?” I hissed.
Doc’s eyebrows raised as he took his seat. “The Beast is handled and has nothing to do with you.”
“It does now.”
“What the hell are you going on about?”
“The Dixie Mafia is connected to the Beast and knows the Dogs have been investigatin’ them. Now they have Shiloh on their radar, therefore, I’m fuckin’ involved.”
“Fuck!” he hissed, standing again, and making his way to the door. Opening it, he leaned out and bellowed, “Rabbit!”
“Yeah?” I heard him yell back.
“Need you in here.”
Rabbit walked in a few seconds later and frowned. “What’s goin’ on?”
“Atticus Artrope knows the Dogs have been lookin’ into their business.”
“Well, shit,” Rabbit said, and closed the door.
“What the fuck!” I growled. “Why hasn’t any of this been brought up at church?”
“Because we’ve been sworn to secrecy,” Doc admitted.
I dragged my hands through my hair. “Did you slice your palms and shake? Jesus, Doc, this has fuckin’ gone too far.”
He frowned. “How has it gone too far?”
“Because Beau and I have now been tasked with killin’ Jordy and Tuck and if we don’t the Mafia’s comin’ after the club, Beau, Shiloh, everyone we know.”
“Goddammit!” Doc bellowed. “Rabbit, get Taxi on the phone. No, tell him he needs to get his ass here now. He needs to start explaining exactly what kind of shit show he’s dragged our club into.”
“Who the fuck is this Taxi guy?” I asked.
“You go find that asshole, Rabbit. I’ll fill Otter in.”
Rabbit nodded and walked out of the office while Doc took his seat again with a sigh. “Taxi is FBI. He’s runnin’ a secret group of… ah… skilled individuals, shall we say. He recruited Rabbit, along with a few other MC members from around the country.”
“For what?”
“Can’t say,” he said. “But Rabbit made a side deal with him. Rabbit helps him, he helps us eliminate the Beast.”
“Jesus,” I hissed.
“So, it sounds like the Mafia’s now involved.”
“Oh, it’s worse than that,” I said. “The Beast has come in and taken over. She—”
“Wait, what? She?”
“Yes. It’s a woman,” I said. “A council of women actually, with one giant bitch in charge, apparently. And she has decided it’s time to take the previously disorganized and disloyal Dixie Mafia and make it legitimate organized crime.”
“Fuck,” Doc breathed out.
“That’s not all,” I said.
“What the fuck else could there be?” Doc yelled.
“Beau is an undercover cop.”
“Are you shitting me? Does the mafia know?” Doc asked.
“If they knew, Beau would be dead already.”
“How the fuck did you get roped into all this shit?”
“Because I was there,” I said.
“And why the fuck were you there?”
“Because Beau and I needed to have a come to Jesus talk about why the hell he keeps pulling Shiloh into his bullshit. It was a case of wrong place, wrong time and now I’m part of the plan whether I like it or not.”
“And what kind of business would Beau have with the Dixie Mafia?”
“He gave me some insight after Atticus an
d Buford left his loft… well, the loft his agency is using for his cover, and he’s been working an angle to infiltrate Atticus’ inner circle for some time.”
“What kind of angle?”
“Don’t know and I don’t actually give a fuck. Well, not that he’d share, but they know who Shiloh is and that means, I need to lock her the fuck down, but she’s decided she wants a break, so…”
“Damn, brother, sorry.”
“Yeah.” I rubbed my forehead, pain slicing through my skull. “I’ve got Shadow and Stump on her place twenty-four-seven until I can figure somethin’ out.”
Rabbit walked back in. “Taxi’ll be here day after tomorrow.”
“What the fuck does he expect to do until then?” Doc demanded.
“He said he’ll take care of everything as soon as he gets here, but not to kill anyone in the meantime.”
“Asshole,” Doc hissed.
Rabbit chuckled. “I may or may not have said that to him verbatim.”
“Right,” I said, standing to leave. “I’ve got shit to do. I’ll see you later.”
“Don’t do anything stupid. In fact, don’t do anything at all unless I know about it first. You copy?” Doc asked.
“I copy, but if shit pops off, I’m gonna handle things the way I see fit.”
“Fair enough,” Doc said.
I turned and left. Time to spend a little time with my brother and since Shiloh was shutting me out, I needed the distraction.
* * *
Shiloh
Thursday afternoon, almost a week since I ran away from my feelings, I dragged myself out of my car and tried to shake off my melancholy as I walked up the stairs to my condo. It was about four o’clock, and I was on day three of my four-day schedule and I honestly didn’t know how I was going to survive tomorrow.
I hadn’t talked to Otter since yesterday morning, and before that, we’d talked once. He was busy, but he said he also wanted to give me space, and I was beginning to feel the sting of his absence. I realized last night that I didn’t need space from him, I just needed… damn… I don’t really know what I needed. But I knew I needed him in my life, in my space, in my body. He calmed me. Made me feel safe.
It had been a long time since I’d felt safe, so maybe that was what I’d been reacting to. I don’t know. I was too tired to think right now. I had just crested the stairs, my keys at the ready to unlock my door when I saw Otter leaning against my door, smiling as I approached him.
My stomach fluttered just as the burn of tears started in the back of my throat. I froze, waving my hand in front of my face as I watched Otter frown and make his way to me. Oh my god, he was here.
“Babe? You okay?”
I burst into tears my feet now moving, dropping my bag and wrapping my arms tight around his waist as I sobbed into his chest.
“Jesus, baby, what’s wrong?”
“I’m so tired,” I rasped, barely able to get the words out. “And I miss you like crazy and now you’re here and I’m so happy you’re here, but I also just want to sleep for a year.”
He chuckled, giving me a gentle squeeze. “Okay, sweetheart, I’m here for as long as you want me.”
“What about Steele?”
“He’s already gone back,” he said. “You’re gonna go climb into bed and I’ll be here when you wake up.”
“Even if I have a shift starting at six in the morning?”
“I’ll still be here.”
“Okay.”
“Okay.” He lifted my chin with a smile. “You hungry?”
“I’m too tired to be hungry,” I grumbled.
“Let’s get you inside, beautiful. You can go to bed and I’ll make food in case you wake up and want to eat.”
“But you’ll be in bed with me overnight, right?”
“Yeah, if you want me to be.”
“Yes.” I nodded. “That sounds amazing.”
He took my keys, picked up my purse for me, then unlocked the door, stepping back so I could precede him inside. I walked to my bedroom, stripping as I went, and falling into my bed, confident that Otter would take care of everything. I didn’t wake up until the sun was setting and it took me a minute to remember where I was.
I sat up, rubbing my eyes and taking a deep breath. I was starving, but I figured cleaning up a bit would be prudent since Otter was here, so I stepped into the bathroom and brushed my teeth, then dressed quickly.
Padding out to my living room, I couldn’t stop a grin as Otter came into view. He was leaning back on my sofa, his feet up on my coffee table, a beer in one hand, and his other stroking Sneezles who was on his back his paws patting his hand when it stopped petting him.
“Hey, baby,” he said, setting the beer on the coffee table.
“Meow.” Sneezles was not happy he was jostled out of his position.
I grinned. “Hi, honey.”
“You hungry?”
“Starved.” I started toward my phone to check messages. “What time is it?”
“Almost nine,” Otter said, standing and making his way to me. He leaned down to kiss me. “I made pork chops.”
“You did?” I asked, my stomach rumbling.
“You want one?”
“Sounds perfect.”
“I’ll heat you a plate.”
“Thanks, honey,” I said distractedly as I scrolled through my messages. “Oh, I forgot to thank you for the floor. Shadow took care of everything.”
“He told me.”
I frowned. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it earlier.”
“Babe, it’s fine. He told me you thanked him and passed it on to me. Now. Do you want wine?” he asked. “I bought white and red.”
I nodded, meeting his eyes. “White would be… wait. I didn’t see bags when I got home. When did you shop?”
“Depends.”
“On?” I prodded, sitting up at my island.
He raised an eyebrow. “If it’ll piss you off knowing I stole your spare key and came earlier today to check on Sneezles and restock your fridge.”
“So, let me get this straight.” I settled my chin in my palm. “You took my spare key, went shopping, then stopped by to check on my cat and fill my fridge, then made me dinner?”
He smiled. “Yeah. Exactly.”
I slid off the stool and made my way around the island, wrapping my arms around him. “I’m not mad.”
He chuckled, squeezing me as he kissed my temple. “No?”
“Not even a little bit. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
He kissed me gently, and I took my seat again and watched him work.
“How was your shift?” he asked, sliding a warm plate toward me before pouring me a glass of wine.
“It was good. Just one mama today. She had a little girl and everyone’s healthy.”
“You ever had it go the other way?”
“Not personally, no. But I’m the supervisor, so I’ve been on shift when there have been tough cases. In my time at Memorial we’ve lost one mom. It was heartbreaking, but that was a while ago, and so far, we’ve been really lucky.” I took a sip of wine. “It was a sad couple of days.”
“I bet.”
I took a bite of food and let out a sigh. “Oh my god, honey, this is amazing.”
He grinned. “Yeah?”
“Outside of your cock, I’m pretty sure it’s the best thing I’ve ever had in my mouth.”
“Jesus,” he hissed, then laughed. “I wasn’t expecting that.”
I shrugged. “Just speaking the truth, Easy.”
“You need to stow that truth unless you want me to take you back to your room and fuck you senseless.”
“Let me finish my dinner, then, absolutely, I want you to take me back to my room and fuck me senseless.”
“You sure it won’t fuck with your sleep schedule?”
“I have to be up at four, so fuck me senseless, once, then I’ll fall asleep and that’ll give me a good five hours of sleep.”
“I’m gonna have to work quick,” he deduced.
“You up for it?”
“Hell, yeah, I’m up for it,” he promised, and once I was done with my dinner, he kept that promise.
* * *
Four a.m. came way too soon for my liking and I snoozed twice before Otter slid his hand to my butt and gave it a gentle smack. “You need to get up, Loh.”
I groaned, snuggling against him. “I don’t want to get up.”
“I know, baby, but you gotta.”
“I’m going to quit.”
“Okay.”
“I was joking.” I sighed, kissing his chest. “Sort of.”
“If you want to quit your job, do it, baby. I’ll take care of you.”
I met his eyes. “Never been a ‘kept’ woman before.”
He stroked my back. “Never had a ‘kept’ woman before. Sounds fun.”
“Will you be here later?”
“If you want me to be.”
I nodded into his chest. “Absolutely.”
“Okay, then I’ll grab somethin’ to cook.”
“You’re going to cook for me again?” I whispered.
“Yeah. I like to cook.”
I bit my lip. “I hate to cook. I think you might be the perfect man.”
He let out a quiet snort. “I’m gonna see how far I can push that.”
“I look forward to it,” I said, and rolled onto my back. “Okay, I’m getting up.”
A few seconds later, Otter chuckled. “You’re getting up, right?”
“I am,” I insisted, pushing myself up. “Right now.”
I dragged myself into the shower and by the time I walked out of my bathroom, Otter was no longer in bed. I dressed in a clean pair of scrubs, then made my way to the kitchen. I found Otter setting a plate of eggs and toast on the island, along with a cup of coffee.
“Oh my god, I love you,” I breathed out, then slapped my hand over my mouth. “I mean—”
“Don’t,” he warned. “Don’t take it back.”
“It’s a figure of—”
“I said, don’t take it back, baby.”
I bit my lip and nodded. Things had suddenly changed, and I felt like I had just walked into quicksand.
“Eat, Shiloh,” Otter said, and nodded to my plate.
“I—”
“Baby, sit your sexy ass down and eat.”
Calling the Biker's Bluff (Dogs of Fire MC: Savannah Chapter Book 7) Page 10