“Nope,” I acknowledged. “But it’s done now.”
“So we stick to her whether she likes it or not?” Bull concluded.
“Yeah.”
“What about the Widows?”
I leaned back and ran my hand along my beard. “Any suggestions?”
They weren’t surprised when I asked for suggestions since that had been my way from the time I was voted in. This wasn’t my club, it was ours, and even though the decision would ultimately be mine, they all needed to be included. My dad had not only believed that but had implemented it when he was president, and I respected him enough to follow his lead.
“They already started construction on a new building for their clubhouse. I say we blow it up before they make too much progress,” Bull announced.
“Nick did that,” Gunner reminded him. “Didn’t really work out.”
“That’ll do nothing but fan the flames,” I added.
Bull leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table, his eyes intense when they stared into mine. “Good.”
“Not good,” I responded. “We are not prepared to take on the Widows.”
“We need to send a message,” Ritz declared.
Gunner faced Ritz. “What we need to decide is how far we’re willing to go. This could eventually end in a war, but we have the chance right now to decide what kind of war.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’ve beaten them in the past just by outsmarting them. I’m just sayin’ I think we consider all our options before we decide what or who,” he emphasized, “we’re willing to risk.”
Tank laid his forearms on the table. “We back down, they win.”
“Not necessarily,” I interjected. “They want us to retaliate first, but I say we just watch them for a while.”
“Why the fuck would we do that?” Tank asked loudly.
My eyes flicked toward Pop, who nodded his head once. I had a feeling we were on the same page and he’d back my idea if needed. “Snap’s going to expect retaliation. They’ll be prepared, probably have the national members on call, but if we don’t respond right now, we have the chance to take them by surprise later.”
“Why?” Tank shrugged his large shoulders. “What the hell’s the difference between now and later?”
“We can’t win right now,” I responded bluntly. “We aren’t strong enough to take them on if they’re backed by the national organization. We take this time to continue building, bring in new prospects, and get stronger. Skinner has proven his loyalty, so I say we vote to patch him in immediately.” The men nodded in agreement, and I wasn’t surprised. Skinner had proven to be an asset to our club time and time again. The way he handled himself a month ago when we faced off with Viper showed all of us that he was already a Sinner. His loyalty to us and the job could only make us stronger. My eyes once again flicked over my men. “We need to take back the control. If we don’t respond immediately, they’ll begin to underestimate us. That’s our advantage.”
“So we can end them,” Ritz concluded.
“So we can end them permanently.”
I met the eyes of every one of my men, pleased when I saw them nod their heads at me. We had a plan. A plan that was going to take a shit-ton of patience on my part.
And patience has never been my strength.
CHAPTER FIVE
JOSIE
The knock on my apartment door startled me, and I jumped back to stand behind the island in my kitchen. I’d only been home from the hospital for a few hours after they’d kept me for almost two days. I’d suffered three broken ribs and had a whole lot of bruises on my face, but the massive headache was the reason they’d kept me for as long as they had. I had six stitches along my temple to thank for that headache. The doctor guessed it was from a ring the attacker was wearing, considering I didn’t remember him having any other weapon.
Another soft knock and I moved hesitantly toward the door. I hated that I felt nervous about opening my own damn door, but the truth was that I hadn’t really made any friends in town, so the only people I knew were the MC guys, Becs, and the members of the school district where I worked. I’d already told them I had to go home because of a family emergency, so it wasn’t them. Becs came to see me last night in the hospital, but she said she had to work today.
I moved to stand by the door when I heard a familiar voice call out. “Josie, honey, open up. It’s Bear.”
I closed my eyes. I didn’t want to see him. I wasn’t mad at him, but I just didn’t want to be reminded. And I certainly didn’t want whatever crap was following them around to land at my apartment door this time, so I stayed quiet.
“Josie, I know you’re in there. I watched you walk in a few hours ago.”
I’d already guessed he wasn’t a man to ignore, but the idea of him or any of them in my apartment felt a little overwhelming. Even with that, I somehow knew I didn’t have a choice, so I answered. “I’m here. What do you need?”
“I need you to open the door, honey,” he said quietly.
“I can’t right now.”
He sighed, loudly enough that I heard it through the door. “I know you’re scared, Josie. We’re here to protect you, but you have to let us in so we can do that.”
I didn’t want his protection. I didn’t want his club’s protection. I talked to detective Dimarco from the New Hope police department, but unfortunately, other than what I’d told Bear, I didn’t remember much else about the men. He told me he’d be in touch, and I was hoping I’d remember something a little more specific, but I was doubtful. It had been dark that night, and everything had happened so quickly.
“Josie, open the door,” he stated a little more sternly.
Sighing inwardly, I extended my hand and turned the deadbolt, then grabbed the doorknob. I slowly pulled the door open and stepped back, letting go of the knob and moving away from the three men ambling into my home.
Bear looked at me closely before he closed his eyes. When he opened them, he moved closer, and I involuntarily took a step back. He stopped immediately and frowned. “You don’t have to be afraid of us.”
I crossed my arms over my chest, hating that I felt fear, but I also knew it would take time for the memories to fade. “I don’t want you here.”
He nodded, his eyes running over me, but when they landed on my battered face, he scowled. “How are you feeling?”
“Okay.”
“Don’t lie to me.”
He grinned when he said it, and I assumed he was trying to soften me up, but I wasn’t interested. “My ribs and face hurt.” I reached up and ran my fingertips along the stitches in my forehead. “But when I think about what they could’ve done, I know I was lucky.”
His grin died and was replaced with a scowl again. “It shouldn’t have happened, and to ensure it won’t happen again, I need you to trust me.”
“Do you know who did this?” I took a small step closer to him. I couldn’t remember everything from that night, but I did recall him asking if I knew who attacked me when I’d given him the message they’d given to me. But the word Widows kept floating through my mind. “I talked to the police and answered the questions I could, but I couldn’t tell them much.”
“We don’t know.” Someone near the door spoke, and I looked around Bear’s arm to see who it was. Race. I recognized him from my one night at their club. He’d been the one angry with Becs, the one who had left to check out her car. He’d also been the one who found me, along with Dozer. He took a few steps forward until he stood beside Bear. “And even if we did, we’d still need to handle this situation in our own way.”
My eyebrows drew in. “Why?”
“How much do you know about MCs?” Bear asked.
I shook my head. “Nothing really. I’d never met anyone who belonged to one before you.”
“That’s what I thought.” He put his hands on his hips. “I can’t tell you much because that’s club business, and we don’t share it outside the club,
but we’ve been digging around into an MC that doesn’t run a clean business and was recently involved in some pretty bad shit, hurting a close friend of ours. They suspect we’re to blame for some things that went down recently.”
“Are you?” I inquired and waited, but wasn’t surprised when he didn’t answer. I was under no pretense that these were good men. The men who beat the hell out of me wouldn’t want them if they were. “Why would they give me the message?”
“They probably thought you belonged to one of the members.”
“Belonged to?” I questioned.
“Just means you’re with one member so you’re off-limits to the others.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
Bear watched me closely, but Race was the one to answer. “In the club, if a single woman comes to party, then she’s available to anyone she wants, but if she’s already dating one of us, then she’s taken. It keeps everyone in line, that’s all.”
“Oh.” I had about a million more questions, but he looked as though he was done answering them, so I quit asking.
I probably didn’t want to know anyway.
“So they were trying to hurt me to hurt you?” I surmised.
Bear’s eyebrows drew together, but he didn’t need to answer. It was obvious that beating the hell out of me was supposed to damage someone in the club.
“We need you to come to our clubhouse,” Bear said quietly.
My eyes widened, and I shook my head. “No.”
“Wasn’t a question.”
Once again, I peered around Bear’s shoulder to see who spoke and was surprised to see a large man by the door, and I do mean large. He had bulging muscles beneath the sleeves of his black T-shirt with tattoos snaking down his arms. His short black hair was so short it looked like he was just growing it in, so I could only assume he’d shaved his head in the past, which would make him look even more menacing.
He pushed off the door and took a few steps toward me. I wanted to back up, but I held still. “Gotta do what we gotta do to make sure you stay safe.”
“The police are doing that,” I replied.
“The police can’t keep you safe in our world,” he stated, his voice tight.
“Bull,” Bear barked, looking at him briefly before facing me and softening his voice. “We can keep you safer.”
“No thank you.” I took a few steps backward until I could round the island and put the counter between us. “I’m fine right here.”
“It’s not safe for you to live alone right now.” Bear pressed.
“Why not?” I asked. “I gave you their message. What else could they want from me?”
“You talked to the police.” Race explained. “They’re not gonna like that.”
“I don’t understand,” I admitted, beginning to feel frustrated by their vague responses. “If you know who did this, why can’t you tell the police and have them arrested?”
“We don’t know who did it specifically,” Bear stated, but it was obvious to me that he was lying.
“You’re lying.” I narrowed my eyes. “I remember someone saying the word, ‘Widows’. Is that who did this to me? Are they the other club?”
Bear shared a look with Race before shifting his attention back to me and completely ignored my question. “I need to keep you safe, and the only way I can do that is to have you under our protection twenty-four hours a day.”
“That’s impossible. I have a job.”
“Quit.”
“Quit?” I exclaimed, lifting my eyebrows. “Absolutely not. I worked hard to get where I am. I’m not quitting.”
“What do you do?” Bear took a few steps closer until he could lay his palms flat against the counter between us.”
“I’m a child psychologist.”
He dropped his head and breathed deeply. “Dammit.”
“What?” I asked defensively.
He lifted his head. “That makes our job even harder.”
I almost asked how, but I honestly just wanted them to leave. I didn’t like him and decided not to promote any more discussion. “No, it doesn’t because I don’t want or need your help.” I pointed back at my chest. “I can take care of myself.”
He ignored my statement, but his eyes once again locked on mine. “Where do you work?”
“That’s none of your business.”
I heard a snort and glanced over Bear’s shoulder to see Bull shaking his head. Shifting my attention back to Bear, I waited for him to speak, but he just watched me closely.
Feeling uncomfortable in the silence, I pointed toward the door. “Thank you for checking up on me, but I’d like you to leave now.”
“I’m not leaving until you agree to let me help you.”
“That’s not going to happen.” I tilted my head to the side. “This is my home, and I don’t want you here, so you’re trespassing.”
He slapped his hands down on the counter. “You need to let us help you.”
“You wanna help me?” I raised my voice. “Tell me the names of the Widows who attacked me.”
He shook his head. “Can’t do that, Josie.”
I nodded, having already anticipated his answer, and gestured toward the door. “Then we have nothing more to talk about.”
He watched me closely, his eyes never leaving mine, which made me slightly uncomfortable, but I wasn’t going to be the first to look away. When a small grin graced his lips, I narrowed my eyes but waited for him to speak.
He didn’t make me wait long. “Then, sweetheart, I’ll move in here.”
I shook my head immediately. “No. And don’t call me sweetheart.”
When Bear’s name was called, he looked over his shoulder toward Race. “What?”
“Becs.”
He dropped his head. “Fuck, that’s right.” He ran his hand over his forehead before looking at me again. “I need you to work with me here. I can’t protect you and Becs if you’re in two different places.”
My eyes flicked back and forth between his, and I thought of Becs for a moment. It seemed he would do anything to protect his sister, maybe even make a deal with me that would benefit him and Becs. I could sacrifice my freedom for a short time if it meant the men who did this to me would be prosecuted. “Okay. I’ll make you a deal.”
I heard Bull snort again but kept my eyes on Bear. “What’s the deal?”
“You tell the police everything because we both know you’re hiding a lot, and then I’ll move in to stay safe while the police do their job.”
“That’s not an option,” he insisted.
I studied him for a moment, ignoring the intensity of his stare and the tingles it caused along my skin. Needing this to be over, I skirted out around the counter and walked straight toward the door, yanking it open. I watched while Bull and Race kept their eyes on Bear, apparently waiting for instructions, but Bear’s eyes stayed on me.
He started toward me while speaking. “You always this stubborn?”
“Only when I’m being pushed around.”
He stopped in front of me, his chest almost touching mine, which required me to look up. These were the moments I hated being so damn short. It was why I often wore heels. They made me feel more powerful, but he’d caught me at home in my yoga pants and bare feet.
“This isn’t over.”
“It is for me,” I answered.
He leaned down, putting his face closer to mine, and lowered his voice. “You’re underestimating me, Josie. That’s not smart.”
A small shiver rolled through my body when he lifted his fingers and pushed a piece of my hair behind my ear, but I shoved it aside and answered. “I could say the same.”
He stood to his full height again and gestured toward the open doorway. Race and Bull walked out of my apartment before Bear even took a step back from me. When he finally did, I silently breathed a sigh of relief.
He was just outside the door when he looked back over his shoulder. “I’ll be back.”
�
��Don’t hurry,” I responded sarcastically before lifting my hand in a wave at Bull and Race and closing the door. I had a feeling I was poking the bear and remembered my conversation with Becs. I hadn’t seen that side of him at the bar, but I had been curious as to what she’d meant.
From the look on his face when I was closing the door, I had a strong feeling I was going to find out.
CHAPTER SIX
BEAR
“How is she?”
Twisting my head, I looked to the side and saw Luke slide onto the stool beside me. “She’s a pain in the ass.”
Luke grinned and motioned toward the bartender. “Whatever’s on tap.”
With a nod, he moved down the bar to fill the order. We were sitting side by side at a local bar named Hanks. A place we often met to talk because it was a neutral place. After all, the cops couldn’t be friendly with a motorcycle club, no matter how much good they were doing. Luke and I decided a while ago to do whatever it took to keep him and Cam off my property.
Luke lifted his beer after it was placed in front of him and took a drink. “Heard she’s been giving you a hard time.”
“From who?”
“Her.” I grunted and shook my head when he continued. “She told me you offered her a safe place to stay, and she offered you a deal. A deal you didn’t want to make.”
I rolled the bottle of beer between my hands. “You know as well as I do that as soon as she talked to you, she became a bigger target for the Widows.”
“We’re doing everything we can to keep her safe right now. I have cars patrolling her street, and lucky for us, she rarely leaves her building.”
Lifting the bottle, I took a quick drink. “You know how this goes. You went through this with Maggie and Gunner. If they find out she’s talking to you, she’s as good as dead when they get their hands on her.”
And I wasn’t exaggerating. The Widows had enough reach that they would make it look like an accident. Luke propped his forearms against the lip of the bar top. “I know that. I have no plans on following up on this.”
My head whipped toward him. “What does that mean?”
End Game (Sinners MC Book 2) Page 5