Lucky (No Prisoners MC Book 4)

by Lilly Atlas

  “What can I do for you?” the older man asked. She assumed he was Shiv.

  “Um, hello…” Her voice was barely above a whisper so she cleared her throat. “Excuse me. My name is Kori and I need to speak to you about a few things, um, with regards to your club.” She stood in the doorway wringing her hands like a nervous kid, but she couldn’t help it. Her insides were shaking like she was a kid in front of an unhappy principal.

  Striker narrowed his assessing gaze then his eyes widened with recognition. “Kori? As in Rebel’s recently discovered daughter?”

  “And Savage’s fiancé?” Shiv added.

  Well, shit. She should have assumed they’d know who she was. Rebel had been planning some big bash in her and Savage’s honor. It made sense he would invite his Crystal Rock brothers. Hopefully that wouldn’t put her at an immediate disadvantage. If they blindly sided with their MC brothers from Vegas she’d be screwed. And of course, she was complaining to the chapter president and VP about another president and VP. This had failure written all over it.

  “Yes, that’s me.”

  “Hmm,” Shiv said. “Well come on in, grab an empty chair.” The men exchanged a wary look.

  She couldn’t blame them, really. Her arrival was quite out of the norm.

  “Question,” Shiv asked as she took the empty chair next to Striker’s. “Either of them know you’re here?”

  “Ah, no, they definitely do not. In fact, they probably don’t know I’ve left town, and I’d appreciate if it stayed that way.”

  Striker looked ready to argue, but Shiv held a hand out. “Next question. This visit have anything to do with that fading bruise on your face?”

  Damn it, why did she keep forgetting the freaking bruise? “No, well, it played a strong role in my leaving, but it’s not why I’m here in Arizona.”

  “So why are you here? Striker asked, his tone full of impatience.

  “Rebel and Savage are selling drugs.” For the entire four-and-a-half-hour drive, Kori rehearsed exactly what she wanted to say to these men. Her prepared speech started with a statement about how she knew the club’s bylaws were important and taken very seriously. Then she’d planned to go on about loyalty and brotherhood, all things that had been touted her entire life by various MC members. Then she’d end with gripping indecision over what was the right course of action to take before finally breaking down and admitting what she knew about Rebel and Savage.

  At no point had she decided to vomit out the information in such a blunt manner. Apparently her subconscious had different ideas and decided cutting straight to the chase was the best way to go. If the looks on both men’s faces were any indication, her subconscious may have been very wrong. What five seconds ago was a cautiously wary vibe in the room, now was icebox frigid. Shiv blew out a long stream of smoke and Kori was surprised it didn’t freeze and plunge to the table.

  He snubbed out the stump of a cigar in an ashtray that needed to be emptied three days ago, then leveled her with a look she’d never forget. Dark, dangerous, deadly. She was on ice so thin she didn’t dare move.

  “Pretty serious accusation, girlie. But I get it. Your ol’ man’s knocking you around. It ain’t what you signed on for. Hell, I even agree it makes him an asshole. And maybe you’re mad at daddy for not being there for you while you were growing up. He missed your dance recitals, your prom, the sex talk. I get it all. But…” His tone was lethal and a shiver raced down Kori’s spine.

  Don’t fold.

  “You cannot throw shit around like that. You want revenge? Fine. Slash his tires. Yank out the hair of whatever bitch he’s tapping on the side. Rack up daddy’s credit card. Do not fuck with the man’s standing in his club. You have any idea the shit storm you’re on the verge of triggering?”

  Was this guy for real? This was what he thought of her? Of women? That she’d concoct this story as revenge for getting slapped? Of course it was. He was an MC president, after all. Please. She could cut the man’s balls off herself for that. Her hands clenched to tight fists.

  Striker hadn’t so much as blinked. The muscles she’d admired minutes ago bunched with strain. Kori could literally feel waves of tension wafting in her direction. “Do you have any proof of your claims?” he asked.

  Shiv’s jaw dropped and he swung the piercing gaze to Striker. “Don’t tell me you believe this bullshit? Get your head out of your ass, Striker.”

  Kori opened her mouth to speak, but Striker beat her to it. “I’m not saying I believe her.” He cast a quick suspicious glance in her direction before refocusing on Shiv. “What I will say is that Jester’s been bitching about Rebel lately. Since we’ve had all this nonsense going on with Acer’s old man, Jester’s been handling business with them. He’s been saying for weeks that Rebel’s been erratic. Missing phone meetings, disinterested in business. He’s been off. That’s all I’m saying.”

  “Shit,” Shiv said as he produced another cigar seemingly from thin air.

  Okay, enough was enough. “I do not have proof. No physical evidence I can hand you right now. But I’ve seen things, and I’ve heard things. I can tell you exactly where the drugs are. I can tell you exactly when I saw a man they’d beaten nearly to death. Hell, for all I know he’s dead now. I can also tell you that I think the rest of the club is in the dark, but I don’t know how long that will last. Rebel has plans, big plans to grow and expand this business.”

  Shiv still glared at her, but the complete disbelief was replaced by a small glimmer of curiosity. A willingness to listen to her. “Why come to us with this?”

  “There are good people in that club. People who will either be forced to go along with Rebel’s plan or be harmed. It’s not right.”

  “That’s it? You’re just a good Samaritan?”

  She shook her head. “No. There are other reasons. But they are my own and have no bearing on the fact that what I bring to you is the truth.” Somehow, she managed to ignore the urge to run and hold his gaze without looking away. She just wasn’t ready to share anything about her relationship with Lucky and how she’d been strong-armed into ending it so tragically.

  Thank God, she hadn’t seen him on her way into the clubhouse. She was dying to know if he was there but too chicken to ask. Once she left here, she was off to the east coast. As far from Vegas as she could get while still being in the US.

  Shiv lit the new cigar. “Well isn’t this a giant ass fuck.” He turned to Striker. “Get Jester in here. I want to hear his thoughts.”

  Striker disappeared and a thick silence descended, the only sound in the room that of Shiv puffing on his cigar. Thankfully Striker was back within a minute. “Pres, Lucky’s with him. Says he needs to speak to you about something that can’t wait.”

  “Fuck me,” Shiv muttered.

  Lucky was here. Kori’s stomach bottomed out and her spine straightened. If only she had the superpower of invisibility.

  Striker returned to his seat at the table as Jester stepped into the room, Lucky hot on his heels. Of course, his head swiveled in her direction as soon as both feet were through the doorway. He stopped dead in his tracks and zeroed right in on her. Good thing his superpower wasn’t laser eyes because she’d be a pile of embers in her chair.

  “What the fuck is she doing here?” he asked in a cold tone she’d yet to hear from him.

  The hair on her arms stood on end as shards of ice pricked her heart. The weight of four men’s prying gazes rested heavily on her.

  “Hey, Lucky.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “No,” Lucky said. “Fuck no. What the hell is she doing here?” This could not be happening. Kori was here. In Crystal Rock. Was Savage with her? Was this one last screw you before they rode off into the sunset of wedded bliss? And why did she have to look so goddamn beautiful? Why was her long platinum hair up in that high ponytail he loved to grip as he pulled her head back for his mouth.

  “Well, if my guess is right,” Shiv said, disgust thick in his voice. “She’s
here for the same reason you are. Have a seat, Lucky. I take it you two need no introduction.”

  Kori’s face flashed fire-engine-red and she averted her gaze as she shook her head. None of what Shiv said made any sense except for the part about them knowing each other.

  Kori knew nothing about Rebel and Savage’s business. And it would remain that way until the day she died if they had their say. Unless of course she’d stumbled upon something by accident. Still, it was hard to believe she’d betray her new fiancé like this.

  Lucky moved around the table and took the empty seat next to Shiv. No way could he stand sitting next to Kori. Being in such proximity to the woman who cut out his heart, smelling her, possibly brushing against her…

  Well it was a terrible idea.

  Unfortunately, the alternative put him directly across from her and staring into her…bruised face? What the fuck? Anger surged, swift and fierce. He shot up from his chair and ignored the clatter as it tipped and clanked to the ground. With both palms flat on the table, he leaned forward and scowled at Kori. “He do that to you?”

  “What?” The bruise almost disappeared, swallowed up by the intense red blush that still suffused her cheeks. A neatly manicured hand covered her cheek. “I’m fine. No big deal. It’s nothing for you to worry about.” Her gaze darted around the room as the color in her face deepened.

  It was then Striker’s smirk registered. Christ, he was acting like a jealous moron. They’d be on his ass about that later, for sure. Kori was right. Her wellbeing wasn’t any of his damn business. Her life, her choices. He righted the downed chair and returned to it. “Looks like you made the wrong decision, huh?” The little dig felt good until he saw the light in her eyes dim to nothing and she seemed to shrink into the chair.

  Shit. He may be angrier at her than he’d ever been with anyone, but that didn’t mean she deserved an abusive relationship. No woman deserved that shit. Jester and Striker both frowned at him, adding to the guilt.

  “If you’re done with the outbursts, Lucky, I’ll get right to the point.” Shiv tapped ash off the end of his cigar. “Kori claims Rebel and Savage are selling drugs.”

  She knew? How? How the hell had she found out? He kept his ears open to Shiv, but stared at Kori.

  “She claims to have seen the drugs as well as a man possibly killed.”

  There was a very good chance Lucky’s heart stopped beating. “What did he look like?” he whispered.

  “What? Oh, um, the man they…uh, well,” she grimaced. “It was a little hard to see exactly what he looked like because his face was…bad. But he was thin, unhealthy thin. Brown hair, kinda stringy. And—”

  Guilt slammed into him and Lucky held up a hand. “That’s enough. It’s Robbie.” Jesus, Robbie, why couldn’t you just keep your damn mouth shut?

  Shiv slammed a hand on the table. “It is enough. Enough bullshit. Start talking, Lucky. Now.”

  There was a chance this conversation wouldn’t go well for him. Striker and Shiv would be well within their rights to kick his ass for withholding what he discovered for so long. “A little over two months ago I was leaving the clubhouse late and overheard Savage and Rebel discussing drug sales. They’ve been working with the Grimms down here in AZ. They’re fed up with Casper. Apparently, things have been shitty since Snake disappeared, so I guess they’d been at it for a while.”

  He ran a hand across the back of his neck. The muscles at the base of his skull were tightening by the second and a monster of a headache loomed not far in the distance. “I wanted to gather more information before making a decision on what to do. Then Kori showed up. She was living with Rebel, got engaged to Savage. She was an innocent about to be caught in a colossal clusterfuck, so I held off.”

  What he didn’t say was that he fell ass over tea kettle for her and that was the real reason he didn’t want her in the crossfire.

  “What the fuck is Rebel thinking?” Jester leaned back in his chair and crossed his massive arms over his even more colossal chest. That was not a man Lucky ever wanted to do battle against.

  “Money.” Kori answered before Lucky had the chance. “Money and power.” She shook her head. “I haven’t known him very long, but that much is obvious.”

  “This why you patched over, Lucky?” Striker asked.

  Kori’s expression was somber, filled with regret and pain. It just made Lucky’s ire flare. How dare she be depressed about his leaving? She’d lost the right to give a shit. “One of the reasons,” he said, not shifting his focus from her.

  “You ever planning on bringing this to my attention?” Shiv’s question was asked around the stogie between his lips.

  “Today, if you can believe it. When I first got here we were dealing with all the shit down at the border and with Acer’s old man. Plus, I hadn’t figured out a way to keep Kori out of it. But I heard from a contact that Robbie was most likely dead. Things are heating up and something needs to be done soon.”

  “Goddammit. I cannot believe this shit.” Shiv crushed the end of his cigar into the metal table. “Anyone else want to shit on this day? Anybody an undercover cop? Maybe my wife’s fucking around on me? I have to go out of town. Two days max. Can’t be avoided. Sick fucking motherin-law. I’m calling church for the second I roll back into town. We’ll figure this shit out then.”

  The men in the room nodded and voiced their understanding.

  “All right. Everyone get the fuck out. I need to think about all this. Don’t leave town, Kori.”

  “I, uh…I have plane tickets to—”

  “Good,” Shiv said. “If anyone goes looking, that will throw them off your trail. This is gonna get ugly. Least we owe you for bringing it to our attention is some protection. Plus, you may know details that can help us. But not a word of this to anyone. Especially not any ol’ ladies you might get tight with.”

  She looked like she wanted to argue, but nodded instead. “All right. I’ll stick around for a while. And I know how it works. I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

  Fanfuckingtastic. Now he’d have to go to sleep tonight knowing Kori was close by. The sickest part of the whole thing was how much he still wanted her. Even now, with nerves and frustration coursing through him, he was semi hard just because she was in the same room. He stood from the table and followed the others out into the bar area. Time for a drink.

  Kori hovered off to the side, staring at her phone, probably searching for a hotel. Good luck with that.

  “Hey, Kori.” Striker held a beer out to her. “Don’t bother looking for a hotel. You won’t find one in town, and everything within fifty miles is shit. You’re more than welcome to stay with my wife and me.”

  She’d removed the ponytail and her hair flowed down well past her shoulders. Lucky wouldn’t admit it, but he was glad she wouldn’t have to stay in any of the crappy no-tell motels out of town. She shifted her eyes in his direction before looking back to Striker. “Well, um, thank you. Your wife won’t mind?”

  “She won’t mind at all. In fact, I’m sure she’ll be thrilled. She has a few days off work and I couldn’t clear my schedule so I know she’d love some company during the day.”

  “Okay, ah, I guess…thank you.” Kori smiled at him but it didn’t reach her eyes. Her glassy eyes appeared ready to spill over any second. The bruise on her face was all the more striking when viewed next to her pale hair. “Sorry, I’m not usually a bumbling idiot. This is all just a little overwhelming.”

  Lucky had the overpowering urge to yank her into his arms and kiss her until the sorrow and apprehension flowed out of her. And that pissed him off. Made him over the top, irrationally angry. Weeks of loneliness, irritation, betrayal, and resentment, not to mention sexual frustration, threatened to blow the top of his head straight off. And Kori was the perfect target.

  “I’m starting to see your pattern, Kori.”

  Her eyes widened but she remained silent.

  “A few weeks with one guy. A few weeks with Savage. You draw a guy in
for a while, have your fun, then screw him over good, huh?”

  “Hey, Lucky, tone it down, brother. The man fuckin’ hit her. You going crazy?” Jester narrowed his eyes and took a step closer to Lucky, his size often a deterrent to poor behavior.

  She drew her bottom lip between her teeth and shook her head. “Lucky, maybe we can talk later. Privately.”

  “Nah, I’d rather do this now. It’s too bad for you this time around, though. Striker’s married. You’d have easy access staying at his house and all, but he and his ol’ lady are pretty damn tight, so it’s not really worth your trouble.”

  Kori gasped. “I would never.” She turned to Striker. “Striker, I’m so sorry. We have some personal…issues. I would never—Jesus, Lucky. I would never.”

  It was as if he was disassociated from his body. His brain heard what an asshole he was being, but that didn’t seem to matter to his mouth. Anger flowed through his veins in a deluge of fury. The dam had broken and he was on a roll. Rational thoughts be damned.

  He shrugged. “Don’t worry. There are plenty of guys here who’d be willing to fuck you. Probably a few who would even ask you to move in with them.”

  The strangled sound that came from her barely registered as he geared up to spew more bitterness in her direction. “But, you should know—”

  “Enough!” Striker yelled. “Lucky, shut your mouth up, right now.” He turned to a crying Kori. “Honey, why don’t you go out and wait by your car. I won’t be five minutes then you can follow me to my house. I’ll call my wife, Lila, on the way so she’s ready for us.”

  “Thank you,” she whispered before she slunk outside, head down, quiet sniffles the only sound she made.

  “Okay,” Striker continued when was out of earshot. “I think we all get that you have some kind of ugly history with her, but what the fuck, man? I’m not sure what happened, but public humiliation isn’t usually the best way to solve your problems.”

  Shit. He hadn’t lost control of his tempter like that in years. Now that Striker cut through the rage, shame crept in. Kori hadn’t deserved that. She’d risked a lot to come here and the contusion on her face spoke of how she hadn’t had an easy few weeks. “I’m sorry, brother.”