“No.”
“Why the hell not?”
I shifted my attention toward Bear. “Your people brought trouble to my life. I don’t want anyone to think I’m in any way associated with you or your club.”
“Being associated with us will help.” He leaned forward, his stare hard and intense. “They’ll believe you won’t go to the police if they think you belong to one of us.” I ran my head over my forehead while he continued talking. “That’s the way the clubs work. Everyone involved in the club stays true to the club. You’ll be less of a concern if you pretend to be associated.”
I hated that what he was saying made sense. I’d started reading about motorcycle clubs, and from everything I’d read, they are loyal to each other and handle most problems within the organization’s walls. That information alone was the reason I began questioning his relationship with Luke. My gut told me there was a bigger story there.
“What does that mean? Associated how?”
He glanced at Luke before facing me again. “We need them to believe you’re dating someone from the club.”
I looked at Luke, who nodded. “They can provide the best protection. And I think Bear’s right. If it’s believed that you are involved in the club, they’ll expect that you shared the message with them but not the police.”
I gestured back and forth between Luke and Bear. “You two are obviously not adversaries. Don’t they know that?”
“They know more than we want them to know, but they still believe our MC operates under the codes in which all MCs do,” Bear explained. “And cops only get so far with the members.”
I concentrated on Luke. “And you think this will keep my kids safe?”
“I think this is our best shot,” he admitted. “It’s this or put you in a safe house and open a full investigation.” I shook my head, and he smirked. “I knew that would be your answer.”
“Fine.” I exhaled loudly. “What would dating someone entail?”
“You’ll need to be seen together around the clubhouse. Maybe around town. We have eyes on the Widows, so we’ll know when we have to amp up our play. We’ll let you know, and you can be seen more with the members.”
“Who am I dating?”
Once again, they glanced between each other, and I held my breath. If they said Bear, I might back out. I hated this idea, but I hated the notion of the kids being in danger more, so I’d do it. Although, no matter what, I couldn’t do it with Bear.
“Bull,” Bear responded, but his voice was low. “Next to me, he’s the best to provide protection.”
“Do you agree with that?” I glanced at Luke but not before I saw Bear’s expression harden. I had the impression he didn’t like to be questioned.
Luke grinned down at the table before he faced me. “I think it’s the best compromise.” He gestured toward Bear. “Dating Bear would make you more of a target, but being involved with a member who isn’t a personal target of the Widows will keep you safe.”
My eyebrows lifted, and I looked at Bear. “Why are you a personal target?”
“That’s club business,” he replied.
“Which means?” I encouraged him to continue.
“You aren’t privy to that information unless you’re an officer of the club.”
“Not to mention, you’re a woman,” Luke added.
I shook my head when I saw the shitty smirk on Luke’s face while he and Bear faced off. Obviously, they didn’t allow females to be officers in their club. “Why am I not surprised?”
“One more thing.” Luke lifted his head when Bear spoke. “No more lessons from Manny.”
“He’s a good teacher.” I defended my choice.
“He’s dangerous.” Bear leaned forward and lowered his voice. “We know fuck-all about him. That makes him unpredictable, and that doesn’t work in either of our worlds.”
“He’s right.” I shifted my attention back to Luke.
“Does he have a criminal past?” I asked.
Luke glanced at Bear before answering. “No, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t hiding something.” I only nodded, so he continued, “If you want to own a gun, we’ll find someone to teach you.”
“Not someone,” Bear stated sternly. “I’ll teach you.”
I exhaled heavily. “Relax. I have no plans to go back to Manny or to own a gun. I decided it wasn’t for me.”
Luke looked relieved and didn’t ask more, which I was happy about. I didn’t want to admit that Manny had made me nervous. I’d also had the impression something bigger was going on in that building, so after my lesson, I thanked him but told him I didn’t think owning a gun was for me.
“That’s a smart decision, Josie.”
Bear slowly shifted his attention from Luke to me, and I read people well enough to know that he was pissed. “You ready to go?”
“Go where?”
“We’re meeting up with Bull to nail down the details.”
I sighed and stood. “Let’s get it over with.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
BEAR
Me: On our way.
I typed out the text to Bull when I left through the back door of the café. I’d told Josie to hang back, and when I was leaving, she was talking to Sydney, one of the owners of Joe’s. When I heard her order a coffee to go, I grinned, happy that she was playing the part without me having to explain it to her. Luke would leave through the back later, long after we were gone. I didn’t have a tail. They knew I’d spot them in a second if they tried, but I couldn’t reject the idea that they had one on Josie.
That was why this was the perfect plan.
I knew that.
So why the fuck was it pissing me off?
I hopped in my truck, which I’d brought because it was much less conspicuous than my bike, and drove down the alley, turning into a neighborhood and driving through the streets. It was better to stay off the beaten path right now, and I did until I reached the long stretch of road leading out to the clubhouse.
In less than fifteen minutes, I had pulled into the garage attached to the clubhouse, parked the truck, and hopped out.
“How’d it go?” Gunner called out while he walked toward me, wiping the grease from his hands on a black rag. We were both mechanics by trade, but lately, we had gotten into custom detail and paint work, which I was surprised to find we both had a talent for. It would help grow our business even more, and we needed that if we expected to have the best garage in town.
“She agreed,” I replied and leaned back against my truck, eyes on the parking lot. No one was here today, only the boys who worked in the garage, so we didn’t have a prospect on the door, but until she was parked and safely inside, I wasn’t taking my eyes off the damn lot and front door.
Gunner stopped in front of me and jammed the rag into his back pocket. “I’m surprised.”
“I’m not,” I admitted. “All it took was mentioning the kids, and she was on board.”
Gunner nodded. “You think this will work?”
“I think it’s the only move we have right now,” I confessed. “But I’m not sure it’ll be enough.” I gestured toward the clubhouse. “Bull inside?”
“Yeah,” Gunner confirmed. “He went in right after you texted. He’s not happy to be the babysitter.”
“He’ll get over it,” I replied. “He’s the only person I trust to keep her safe.”
“Besides yourself?” Gunner smirked, but both of our heads twisted to the parking lot when we heard the sound of gravel crunching.
I pushed off the truck and started toward the side door connecting the garage to the clubhouse, but called out over my shoulder, “Watch her until she clears the door.”
Pushing through the door, I let it slam behind me and continued down the hall toward the bar, passing the bathrooms and kitchen on the way. I’d just cleared the entrance to the bar area when the front door opened and Josie walked through. Bull was sitting at the bar but turned on his stool and glanced at Josie, then me.
He obviously didn’t want to do this; however, he would for the good of the club. It was the best plan Gunner and I could come up with, and Bull agreed. But not happily. Josie hadn’t made a great impression on Bull and pretending to date her was probably the last thing he wanted to do. But I couldn’t do it. I wouldn’t make her a bigger target.
“Let’s get this shit over with,” Bull grumbled, and Josie frowned.
I waited while she walked toward Bull, careful not to let my eyes linger too long on her hips while they swayed in that tight-ass skirt. She wore high heels and a blouse, which were pretty fucking sexy too, but that skirt made me hard the second she’d walked into Joe’s.
Following suit, I walked closer to Bull and stopped a few feet away before I began speaking. “Let’s get our stories straight.” When they both stayed silent, I continued. “We’ll keep it simple. Becs introduced you, and now you’re together.”
“What about the members?” Bull asked, his eyes on me.
“We’ll have church tonight, so the officers will know the plan. As far as the rest of the club members are concerned, you two are actually together.”
“Church?” she inquired.
“What we call our meetings,” I explained.
“We lyin’ again?” Bull questioned, and from his expression, it was obvious that pissed him off. He didn’t like secrets in the club, but sometimes shit was better kept quiet while we maneuvered our way through a situation.
“We can’t take the chance that this gets out. The more people who know, the better the chance.”
Bull watched me closely but remained silent. It was Josie who finally spoke. “What does dating mean for me? What do I have to do?”
“You need to show up here for shit whether you drive or Bull picks you up, but when we have something, you need to be here.”
She nodded. “Won’t your other members realize that we’re not together?”
I’d thought of that, and what I had to say next was going to piss me off, but it was necessary. “You’ll have to make it believable.”
“What does that mean?”
Bull smirked, and I knew whatever he was planning to say was going to shock her. I wasn’t surprised when he finally spoke. “Means it has to look like we’ve fucked.”
She stared at him for a moment before glancing at me and then back to him. “Makes sense.”
I watched Bull’s smirk drop when his comment didn’t ruffle her feathers like he’d thought it would. He leaned his back against the bar and crossed his arms over his chest. “Could get physical.”
Again, he was trying to shock her, but I was curious now as to how she’d handle it, so I waited for her answer.
She shrugged. “I understand that.”
He narrowed his eyes. “Why are you okay with this?”
Again, her eyes shifted back and forth between us before landing on Bull. “I have a feeling you like this idea about as much as I do, so I don’t think we’re going to have a problem.” When neither of us answered, she took another sip of her coffee and then angled her head toward the door. “If we’re done here, I need to go. I have a lot of work to do.”
“We’re done,” I confirmed.
“Need your number,” Bull proclaimed.
She turned and started for the door. “Bear has it.”
Bull stood slowly and called out to her. She paused and turned to face us. “I’m walking you to your car.”
Her eyebrows lifted. “Didn’t think that was something you guys did.”
“Guess you shouldn’t have made so many assumptions,” I pointed out, not surprised by her opinion of us.
She didn’t respond, just turned and pulled open the heavy steel door with Bull right behind her. I walked back out to the garage, needing to get to work, but for some reason, I was unable to stop myself from glancing toward the far end of the lot where she was parked. Bull stood beside her open door, caging her in while they appeared to be talking. He leaned down, and my body tensed when I assumed he was going to kiss her. He had a part to play, after all, but he didn’t. He said something and pulled back, waited for her to get into the car, and then shut the door. He stayed right where he was until she was out of the parking lot before he headed across the lot toward the garage.
I watched him make his way toward where I stood, not bothering to hide the fact that I’d watched their interaction. It was all for show, after all.
Bull entered the garage and leaned his hip against my truck. “This gonna be a problem?”
My eyebrows drew together. “What?”
“Me and her.”
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Bull dropped his head and rubbed his hand over the top of it before facing me again. “Known you a long time, brother. Know when someone’s caught your interest.” He gestured back toward the parking lot. “And that girl has caught your interest.”
“You’re wrong.”
He watched me for a moment before nodding. “Dressed in that tight skirt, copping that fucking attitude, just might make this fun for me.”
“She’s under your protection,” I reminded him.
He smirked. “Can do my job while I find out what else she’s hiding under those clothes.”
My jaw clenched so hard it throbbed when I took a step closer to him. “Do not fuck around with her, Bull.”
“That an order from my president?”
He was obviously goading me, but it didn’t stop me from agreeing. “Yeah,” I answered roughly. “It’s an order from your president.”
He nodded, but I knew Bull well enough to know if he wanted to fuck around with this, he would. I just hoped for both our sakes that he was smarter than that.
CHAPTER TWELEVE
JOSIE
Huffing, I pulled on a worn black T-shirt, advertising my love for the television show Friends, and tugged it down over my breasts. It was a little snug, but considering where I was going, I figured that was probably a good thing.
Bull texted me earlier and said the club was having a bonfire while the fall weather was still nice. I’d heard that North Carolina weather could become unpredictable in the fall. New Hope was far from the coast, but hurricanes still had the potential to bring rain and other weather that would force us indoors. I’d grown up in Boston, where the fall temperatures would already be dropping, so the warmer weather had been a nice change.
He’d offered to pick me up, but I’d wanted to drive. I liked the freedom that afforded me to leave when I was ready. The only thing about tonight that I was looking forward to was spending time with Becs. We hadn’t been able to meet for dinner again between her schedule and mine, but we’d texted often. Something told me she needed friends almost as much as I did, and she might be even more guarded than me.
Running my palms over my hips, I took one last look before grabbing my sneakers and moving into the kitchen. This wasn’t my kind of thing. Or at least I didn’t think it was. I’d never even been to a bonfire until we had them for the kids at camp on the weekends, but that was fun because as the summer rolled on, I’d been able to watch the kids growing emotionally. The first bonfire we’d had was quiet. No one except the staff talked, but as the summer wore on and friendships were formed, the kids became the only ones talking while the staff hung back and watched. That might have been my favorite transformation and the most obvious.
Grabbing my purse and keys from the counter, I left my apartment, careful to lock the door behind me. No one had bothered me since the attack other than that one time they passed me on the street, but I wasn’t taking any chances. No matter what Bear thought or even what Luke told me, I didn’t believe this was the safest option. But considering we couldn’t think of another one, it was all I had.
I was in my car and headed out of town in a few minutes, knowing this drive by heart, considering I’d made it all summer. I’d watch motorcycles come and go from the clubhouse and always wondered what type of building it was, but I never really
saw anyone. The truth was, I left for the camp very early and went home very late at night, so I imagined I always just missed the activity.
Pulling into their parking lot, I slid into a spot and sat in my car, just staring at the front door. It wasn’t a long walk, and someone stood there watching just as Bull had promised. He said not to walk to the building unless I saw a prospect manning the door, but just like the last time I met Bull and Bear here, my heart was beating so loudly I swore I could actually hear it.
A small knock on the window of my door made me jump and cover my mouth to silence the scream. I must have been too lost in my thoughts and memories to notice that someone had walked across the parking lot. And that someone was none other than the man I was referring to as my nemesis. Bear.
Sighing, I shut off the engine and pulled my keys from the ignition before reaching for the door handle, just as my door was pulled open. Swinging my legs out, I stood but immediately paused when Bear didn’t step back, which forced our bodies very close together.
“You came.”
I swallowed hard when his arm brushed against mine. “Bull said I should.”
“Good.” He shifted his body slightly, putting us closer.
I ran my eyes over his broad chest before meeting his again. “Can you move?”
He put his hand on the top of the door and leaned down so his face was closer to mine. “You may see some shit tonight. Some of it will probably surprise you if the boys are rowdy.”
My pulse raced when his eyes slid down to my lips. “Why are you telling me this?”
“I want you to be prepared.” His eyes lazily slid back up to mine.
“I’ve been to bars before, Bear. I think I’ll be fine.”
“This isn’t going to be like any bar you’ve been to. You’ll see shit happen in there that wouldn’t be allowed in regular bars.”
I arched an eyebrow. “Like what?”
“These guys and girls get drunk, and clothes come off, Josie. They do whatever the hell they want to after that, and no one judges them. Sometimes they sneak off into a dark corner. Sometimes they don’t.” He watched me closely. “Just not sure you can handle it.”
End Game (Sinners MC Book 2) Page 9