by Jayne Blue
I hadn’t loved her. I’d only just met her. She was my last one-night stand after maybe a hundred that came before her. We both knew what we were getting when she asked me to dance. And then she was gone forever. And it shook me to my core.
Sly pulled off the exit. The warehouse property was just around this last corner, hidden in a little valley. The perfect location. Two minutes off the highway, but protected. I took my position at his left rear. Josh was just behind me. We took that last corner and every muscle in my body went rigid.
The warehouse was gone. There was nothing left but a smoldering ruin. Sly pulled to a stop and threw off his helmet. It clanged against the ground. I cut my engine and slid off my bike. Josh did the same.
“The fuck?” I was the first to speak. Sly kicked the ground and let loose a stream of cursing that would have curled Mo’s toes.
“This had to be last night,” Josh said. “I mean, it’s still fucking smoking.”
I was no expert, but there was a distinct chemical smell in the air along with the smoke. And there were empty red gas cans thrown clear on nearly every side of what was left of the building. Somebody did this on purpose and they wanted us to know.
Instinct kicked in and Sly and I drew our nines. But there was no one fucking here. The warehouse was the only building on this stretch of land. Further down the road, you’d find a little industrial complex. A delivery service, a meat processing plant. But there were no hidden corners. Nowhere for an ambush. It’s one of the things that appealed most to Sly about the property.
He got on the phone and punched in a number. Through gritted teeth, he talked to Rachel Westbrook, his real estate agent. “Who the hell was supposed to have eyes on the place? And who the hell did you tell I was interested in it?”
I couldn’t hear any of Rachel’s answers. I also couldn’t bring myself to believe she was foolish enough to tell anyone the Wolves were interested in this property. Sly had set up a shell company for that very reason. We’d worked with Rachel for years. She was loyal. I knew Sly’s next question would be about who she had working in her office. He asked it. Rachel spoke for a few seconds and Sly’s whole posture changed. He dropped his head and kicked the ground again.
“We’re not done,” he said. “Soon as I get clear of this, you get yourself down to the Den.” He hung up on her.
“Don’t tell me,” I said.
“Who fucking knows,” he answered. “She’s got a new receptionist. Guy by the name of Ryan D’Amato.” Josh already had his phone out. He started texting, probably to Ford or Tiny. They’d have a full dossier on this D’Amato guy by the time we got back. For his sake, I hoped he was clean.
“You think this is the Hawks?” I asked.
Sly shook his head. “I can’t be sure. It’s almost too obvious. If I find out Rachel’s got a leak in her office, that’s gonna take all of an hour to track.”
“So you think someone wants us to figure it out,” Josh said.
“I think someone’s trying to send a message, is what I think.” Sly walked the perimeter of what was left of the warehouse’s frame. He put his arm over his mouth to keep from inhaling all the smoke.
“I don’t get it,” I said, walking next to him. He examined the ruins. I watched his back. Josh watched mine from a distance. The kid’s instincts were good. What Sly needed to say wasn’t for a probie’s ears. Not yet. “You tellin’ me nobody called this in? Fire had to have burned all night to do this much damage. I get it’s not close enough to have threatened the other buildings down the road. But I’m pretty sure the shipping place down there has a night shift. Somebody had to see something.”
“They’re on shutdown,” Sly said.
“Still, a night watchman? Security cameras?”
Sly stamped out a burning ember. “Get Josh and the other probies on that. I doubt it’s gonna matter. This is somebody trying to rattle my cage and let me know they’re here.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Same thing we were planning to do. Rachel’s going to have to do some negotiating. I was planning to buy this property with the warehouse included. Now I’m just buying a buildable lot.”
“Sly, this makes no damn sense. You’re going to end up paying a hell of a lot less for the property than you were planning. Hell, we were talking about tearing this building down ourselves. As long as there’s nothing to connect the current property owners to the fire, they stand to get an insurance check plus your check for the land. If someone wanted to hurt us, this seems like a pretty stupid way to go about it.”
He ran a hand over his face. “You’re not wrong. My gut’s telling me that’s not what they were after. Hurting us. This feels like a warning. They burned down one of my houses. Maybe they want me to think the next time they’ll hit even harder.”
“Maybe,” I said. Josh was on his phone, probably calling the manager at the shipping warehouse a half mile down the road.
“It’s in the air, Angel,” he said. “I can feel it. We’ve kept the peace with the Pagano crew for over five years. This just ... I don’t know ... can’t you feel it?”
I took a sharp breath, drawing in the sickening smell of burnt rubber and charred steel. I hadn’t seen Sly like this in a good long while. I also knew his instincts were rarely wrong.
“Tell me something good, Angel,” he said. “Enough of this bleak shit.”
I let out a sigh. “Receipts are up at the bar. You know that. Gunn’s settling in with Brenna. And you got married, man.” No sooner had I said the last bit when it got me wondering. I was never one to keep things from Sly so I didn’t now.
“Prez,” I said. “What happened at the wedding. You know that shit wasn’t your fault. Brenna’s dad wasn’t right in the head. That beef had been simmering for a long time. You deserve to be happy. That wasn’t you paying for past sins and you know it. It was just one crazy asshole and rotten fucking luck.”
He raised a skeptical brow and his face split into a smile. “You trying to convince me or yourself, man?”
Shit. It was like the man could crawl inside my head.
“It’s no good,” he said. “Mo said you’ve been having nightmares since that night. I know you blame yourself for what happened with Scarlett’s cousin. That shit wasn’t your fault either. You’re not cursed. And you’re not your old man. You don’t have an expiration date any more than the rest of us. You deserve to have what you want too, Angel. As much as I’d love it, you can’t make the rest of your life about watching my back.”
“I’ll always have your back. That’s a blood oath and you know it.”
He put a hand up in surrender. “I know. I know. That’s not what I mean. I mean, it can’t be your career. It’s long past time for you to branch out on your own. Dex is handling my longer-term investments with the MMA fighters. Gunn’s got the body shop and he’ll be bringing in Josh and a few of the others. But that ain’t your gig. Tell me what you want.”
“I’m good at watching your back,” I said, taking a deep breath. “And we’ve talked about it for years off and on. Some of the charters have branched out into formal security firms. I think I’d be good at that. Specialized shit. Bring on some members with military backgrounds. Special Forces. They’re out there. You know it.”
Sly pursed his lips and nodded, impressed. “You’re right. You would be good at that. You’re already doing it now, but piecemeal.”
“I’m working a new contract maybe,” I said. “There’s this county building. A free legal clinic. The place is a magnet for bad dudes looking to hurt their exes. I’ve got a meeting with the chick who runs it. I want to make her a proposal.”
“A lawyer?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
Sly smiled. “Wouldn’t happen to be the same lawyer who charged into my bar the other morning threatening to shut me down?”
Fuck. I was a dumbass for thinking I could roll this one past him. I was serious though. A security contract with the clinic could raise our pr
ofile in a way I’d been wanting for a long time.
“Yeah,” I said. “Her name’s Maura Denning. And I think it was just a misunderstanding about her little sister. She’s cooled off.”
“Hmm,” Sly said. “Just be careful, man. I know how this goes.”
“How what goes?”
Sly laughed with his eyes. “She was something to look at. And that woman had fire in her. Just the type to turn you upside down, Angel. Just be smart. Be sharp. I don’t need trouble from her. But I also need you at the top of your game. You and everyone else.”
“You have that. That’s a promise.”
“Good,” he said. “Real good. So, take a meeting with this woman. Feel her out, not up.”
I couldn’t help it, I faked a punch. Sly dodged it.
“I will, if I can get her to say yes. She’s kind of sore at me for what happened with her sister.”
“And let me guess, nobody’s seen her or that dumbass Judd for days.”
I didn’t want to get Judd in trouble. My silence told Sly everything he needed. We started walking back to the bikes.
“Can’t get her to say yes, huh?” Sly asked. “Maybe there’s hope for this chick yet. Sounds like she can see straight through your shit already. I think I like her.”
I climbed on my Harley next to Sly’s. “Haven’t worked my full magic on her yet. Just wait.”
Sly laughed. “Just watch yourself. I meant what I said the other day about trusting new people for a while. Keep her at a distance. Keep your eyes and ears open.”
“Always.”
Just then, my phone vibrated in my back pocket. I pulled it out and warmth flooded through me. I couldn’t stop the wide smile that came. It was Maura. Her text was short and to the point.
“Friday night. Regalado’s. Six o’clock.”
The cursor blinked and before I could type yes, she texted back. “And it’s a business dinner. You’re not buying.”
Sly leaned over my shoulder and read the whole thing. He burst into hearty laughter. “Yep,” he said. “I’d say she’s got your shit straight all right.” Then he revved his engine to drown out the off-color comment I made back as we headed back toward Green Bluff.
Chapter Eight
Maura
Agreeing to dinner with Angel Bishop might just be the craziest thing I’d ever done. Certifiable. He was everything I told myself I was against. A bad boy, alpha male type who ran with the roughest of crowds. He was just the kind of guy my mother would bring home to upend our lives. Oh, I knew his type. Angel was probably only interested in one thing. I was a challenge to him. I saw it in him the second he laid eyes on me. He’d looked me up and down, taking in every detail. He saw a conquest.
The only problem was, every night this week, I had dreams about just how good it would feel to be vanquished by him. Dammit all to hell. In my dreams, I would wrap myself in that sweet, soft leather as he ran his rough fingers over my rib cage. His mouth was hot, demanding, as he devoured me with kisses. Each time I woke up panting, tangled in the bedsheets and throbbing for release.
I tried to shake that memory with my third cup of morning coffee as I stared at my computer screen. I worked from home on Fridays. The clinic was managed through the Harrington’s community outreach and fundraising arm. Though I’d downplayed everything with Angel, he’d hit the nail on the head as to the one major flaw in the college’s business plan. Forgoing a security contract with the county had been a mistake. It was only a matter of time before Lee Corley or some other disgruntled ex decided to make trouble. It was a pissing match between two bureaucracies that could jeopardize my clients’ safety. The college wanted to wait and see whether I could make a go of the clinic before they allocated additional funding. Six months in, and my client list was only growing.
As much as I wanted to avoid any unnecessary entanglements with Angel, I was a practical woman. The Great Wolves M.C. struck the kind of fear in the people of Green Bluff that I just might be able to leverage ... if the price was right. So it made perfect sense that I’d take a business meeting with Angel to get his proposal.
Except every time I thought about seeing him again tonight, that pulsing need flared from my core and it got hard to breathe.
The doorknob jiggled and I slapped my laptop closed. I let out a sigh as I peered through the peephole. It wasn’t Bailey, forgetting her key. It was our mother. She tucked a loose hair back into her carefully coiffed “updo” as she waited for me to open the door.
“Hi, Mom,” I said as I opened the door. Cracking her gum, she charged into my living room, throwing her purse on the couch.
“What’s going on with Bailey?” she asked. My mother always got straight to her point. She dressed in her signature color, pink. She wore a tight-fitting pink t-shirt tucked into white capri pants. She teetered on pink pumps and gold bangle bracelets adorned her tanned arms. She was beautiful, my mother. Or could be, if she wiped about half the pancake make-up off her face. She had just turned forty, but I always thought the make-up made her look decades older. She beat her body into submission with grueling Pilates and hot yoga work-outs at the local gym. Work-outs she really couldn’t afford and I winced just thinking about her mounting credit card debt. Sooner or later, her financial plan would come through for a while. She’d find some guy willing to bail her out.
I had to tread carefully before I answered. Bailey had come to live with me during her senior year in high school after she and Mom had a falling out. My mother hadn’t quite forgiven me for it and she’d never let me hear the end of it if she knew the latest.
“I don’t …”
“Don’t lie to me,” she said. “I already talked to Mrs. Endicott. She said Bailey’s been gone all week.”
Crap. I hadn’t thought to tell Mrs. E to keep that bit of intel on the down-low. “She’s nineteen, Mom,” I said. “I can’t keep her chained in the closet. And I’ve been in touch with her. She’s all right. She just took a trip down to San Diego with some friends.”
I made a mental note to remind Bailey how much she owed me for that little lie. Though I wasn’t exactly sure why I told it. It’s just that my mother could be counted on to overreact to just about everything and I didn’t need her falling apart on me right now. In another hour, I’d be sitting across from Angel Bishop. I needed my head clear.
“Bullshit,” my mother said. “She’d have told me that. And she’s not answering my texts or calls. I’m worried, Maura. It’s not like Bailey to do this.”
I bit my tongue past the retort that this was exactly like Bailey to do this. It was like my mother too. My whole life, I’d had to deal with her taking off with some guy at the drop of a hat and not knowing when or if she’d come back.
“I’ll make sure to tell her to give you a call,” I said. “Next time I talk to her. She’ll be back in a couple of days. Please don’t worry. Bailey’s doing great. So am I. You can relax.”
She came to me, her face softening. My mother lifted one perfectly manicured hand and tucked the hair behind my ears. “Where are you going?” she asked.
“What?”
“Your clothes.” She stepped back and looked me up and down. I was wearing my usual black dress pants and a red, sleeveless blouse. It was conservative, professional, understated.
“You look like you’re going to a funeral, not on a date,” she said, reaching for me to open two more buttons on my blouse.
I stepped away from her. “Who says I’m going on a date? It’s not a date. I’m just meeting someone for work.”
My mother raised a skeptical brow. “Right. Honey, nobody goes out dressed up on a Friday night for a business meeting. Is he cute? Is he rich?”
I opened my mouth to answer, but the woman had me flummoxed. I was having enough trouble keeping my head together ahead of meeting Angel. I did not need her to stir things up.
“It doesn’t matter if he’s cute or rich,” I said. “There are more important things in life. I can take care of myself.”
“Not working at that shithole like you are. You barely make more than minimum wage. What a waste.” She flapped a dismissive hand and reached for her purse. “You’re a lost cause, Maura. You’re so pretty. But you dress like some sort of sexually repressed librarian from the fifties. Now maybe that’s a turn-on for some guys. I mean ... if you worked it the right way. Ah ... you can’t though. You’re just way too uptight, honey. Now Bailey, she’s a stunner and she knows it.”
My blood heated with rage. I’d gotten this lecture more times than I could count. It’s a wonder the woman hadn’t driven me to an eating disorder with all her emphasis on looks over anything else.
“I need you to go,” I said, tight-lipped. “I’m not trying to be rude. But I do have a business meeting.”
She plopped herself on the couch and put her purse on the table. She checked her nails and casually crossed her legs. “I think I’ll stay here and wait for Bailey, if you don’t mind.”
I did mind. I wasn’t in the mood for a power struggle. “Suit yourself,” I said. I picked up my own purse from a hook by the door.
“Really, Maura? Let’s go through your closet. Let me help you find something prettier to wear. Or I bet Bailey wouldn’t mind if you borrowed something of hers. It might be tight on you but that’s not always a bad thing …”
“Goodbye, Mom,” I said. “Lock the door when you leave.” I slammed it behind me and headed downstairs.
Mrs. E was on the stoop again, looking miserable. “It slipped out,” she said. “Your mom has a way of making you forget what the hell you were talking about.”