End Game (Sinners MC Book 2)

by Jennifer Hanks

  She frowned. “I already checked. Everyone’s full, especially the homes willing to take siblings. Unfortunately, there are more kids than families available right now.”

  I nodded. I’d already assumed that, and from talking to Lucy for the past few minutes, it was obvious if she’d had an alternative family for them, Dominic and his sisters would’ve already been moved. “Well, I guess that only leaves me with one option, considering I can’t get him to meet with me.”

  Lucy tilted her head to the side. “What?”

  “Follow him.”

  Her eyes widened. “You sure that’s a good idea? It could be dangerous.”

  “Maybe,” I admitted. “But I can’t let him slip through the cracks. He has so much potential to do so many great things, and he loves his sisters. I think it would kill him to leave them if he was caught doing something illegal and ended up in jail. If there’s even a small chance I can prevent that, then I will.”

  She grinned. “I’d go with you, but I currently live with my very overprotective fiancé, who doesn’t sleep well enough for me to sneak out.”

  I laughed. “That’s okay. I do appreciate the thought, though.”

  “I wish there was more I could do right now,” Lucy admitted. “The only thing I can do is increase my visits, which I plan to do.”

  “That’ll help,” I confessed. “Will you let me know if you have any concerns?”

  “Of course,” she agreed, but she hesitated as though she wanted to say more.

  “Was there something else?” I prompted.

  She hesitated again but then sat up and leaned forward. “Can I tell you something that I should probably keep to myself?”

  I nodded enthusiastically, and she laughed. “Absolutely.”

  “I was a little nervous coming to see you today.”

  I tilted my head. “Why?”

  “This is a small town. Everyone knows everyone, but nobody really knows you since you spent the whole summer at the camp.” When I didn’t respond, she hurried on. “It’s understandable, considering you were setting up that camp and leading it, but I wasn’t sure if you would be open to my suggestions regarding Dominic and his sisters because I didn’t know much about you.”

  “Have you had problems with other counselors not being open to your suggestions or comments?” I was surprised by this information, considering the town seemed filled with friendly people who always appeared willing to help each other out.

  “Yes, actually,” Lucy confessed. “We’ve had a few who refused to accept my recommendations or suggestions, and because of that, we had problems doing the best thing for the kids, who are my main priority. And now, after talking to you, I know you share the same priorities.”

  “I do, and I agree. We will be more effective if we work together to find the best solution for the kids.”

  She smiled softly. “I’ll keep trying to catch Dominic at home and see if he’ll open up to me at all.”

  “And I’ll let you know what I find out on my mission.”

  We both laughed and stood at the same time. As Lucy started for the door, she glanced back and stopped. “Okay, this is none of my business, but I have something I want to ask you, and it’s personal.”

  I laughed again. “Sure, go ahead.”

  “Are you and Bear…?”

  She trailed off, so I gestured for her to continue. “Are Bear and I what?”

  “Dating?”

  I snorted out a laugh. “No. Actually, we can’t stand each other.”

  “Are you dating Bull?”

  I didn’t know Lucy, not well enough to be honest with her even though my gut told me I could trust her. She was going to marry Chris Dimarco, and from the little research I’d done, he worked with his brothers at Elite Securities, who appeared to be friends with the Sinners. I found that odd and have wanted to ask Bull but never found the right moment or had the nerve, honestly.

  “Bull and I are getting to know each other.”

  She smiled. “Well, from what I hear, he’s a really nice guy, so I hope it works out.”

  “Thanks, Lucy.”

  She nodded and turned to open the door before walking through. “I’ll be in touch.”

  She smiled one last time over her shoulder and walked down the short hallway toward the front office. Stepping back inside my office, I closed the door and sat down in my seat.

  Almost immediately, there was a knock on my door. “Come in.”

  Nancy poked her head in and smiled softly. “I just wanted to let you know I’m leaving.”

  “Okay, Nancy. Have a nice evening.”

  She nodded and closed the door quietly. Settling back in my chair, I thought back to Lucy’s comments and realized I didn’t know anything about my own secretary. I didn’t know anything about any of the professionals I worked with. I had always been a little closed off, and in the cities where I worked, that didn’t matter. But here, in this small town, it seemed like I was developing a reputation that I didn’t want.

  Thinking for only a moment, I grabbed my phone and checked the time. It was just after five on Friday night. Bull usually showed up at my place around eight, but I didn’t want to wait that long to talk to him.

  Me: Can we meet?

  I tapped the phone against my palm, waiting for the bubbles to appear, excited when they finally did.

  Bull: Everything okay

  Me: Yep, just need to run something by you.

  Bull: This gonna piss me off

  I chuckled to myself. Bull was a tough guy to get to know, but when he moved into my place after the incident in the hospital parking lot without me even having to ask, I discovered his gruff exterior really only masked a huge softie beneath.

  Me: No.

  Me: At least, I hope not.

  Bull: Come to the clubhouse

  Me: On my way.

  I grabbed my things and made my way outside to my car. Unlocking it, I got in and started the engine. Still holding my phone, I pulled up local pizza places and chose one I’d overheard other staff bragging about. I called the number and ordered five large pizzas, having no idea how many guys would be lingering.

  I was in and out of the pizza shop in no time and heading outside of town toward the clubhouse. The more I thought about my idea, the more I liked it. It was a way to do something nice and for me to get to know and hopefully make more friends in this town. I liked it here. Minus the attack, it was the best place I’d lived in a very long time, and if I had plans to make it permanent then, I needed to do this right.

  Pulling into the parking lot of the clubhouse, I turned off the engine and paused a moment. I wondered if these little jolts of fear when I parked here would ever completely dissipate. I looked around and saw Blaze walking out of the garage.

  Lifting my hand in a wave, I pushed open my door and stepped out. “Hey, Blaze.”

  “Hey, Josie,” he called out as he came toward me. “Bull told me to watch for you.”

  “Thank you.” He jerked up his chin, and I turned to pull open the back door of my car. Leaning down, I grabbed all five pizza boxes and took a few steps back to clear the door, closing it with my hip. My head turned quickly when I heard a sharp whistle. The door slammed closed just as I saw Blaze shift his head toward the garage where Bear stood, wiping his hands on a red cloth, his eyes hard and locked on Dozer.

  Glancing back and forth between the two men, I waited until Bear finally called out, “You got a job to do. You do it or get the fuck out.”

  His eyes flicked to me, and he frowned before shoving the rag in his pocket and jogging the short distance across the lot. He was standing before me, and I still hadn’t figured out what the hell happened between them, but it appeared Blaze understood.

  “Give me those.”

  Bear’s deep voice was like a jolt of electricity to my system. He was filthy, covered in dirt and grease from what I was assuming had been a long day beneath the hood of a car or truck. He looked bigger than I remembered, and I
’d seen him just a few days ago. Maybe it was his shirt that spanned tightly across his broad chest or his biceps that bulged almost obscenely from the short sleeves of his T-shirt. No matter what, this man had the ability to make my mouth dry and my panties wet with nothing more than a look.

  He grabbed the pizza boxes and frowned. “Who’re these for?”

  “Bull,” I answered, but my voice cracked, so I cleared it. “I called and asked Bull to meet. He said to come here, so I picked up pizza. I wasn’t sure how many people would be here.”

  His face hardened, but he nodded once and looked at Blaze. “Get the door.”

  He didn’t respond but jogged toward the clubhouse door and yanked it open. I followed Bear in and waited while he dropped the pizza boxes on the bar top and then turned to face me.

  “Stop wearing that shit here.”

  When I glanced down, my forehead wrinkled when I looked at my clothes. I was wearing a slim black skirt and white blouse with one of my favorite jackets. It was a copper color and ended right at the waistband of my skirt.

  “These are my work clothes.”

  “What you see as your work clothes, my guys see as a tight-ass skirt and fuck me heels.”

  My eyes widened. “That’s ridiculous.”

  “That’s men.”

  He walked around me behind the bar and bent down before throwing a stack of paper plates beside the pizza boxes. “That’s not all men.”

  He grunted. “You’re not around all men, sweetheart.” His eyes bore into mine while he dug into his pocket and threw a few twenties on the pizza boxes. “You’re around my men, and my men like tight skirts and fuck me heels.”

  Annoyed, I decided to poke the bear. “You seem even more unbearable today than usual.”

  “You here?” When I didn’t answer, he continued. “You’re here, I’m gonna be unbearable.”

  “Ouch.” I was deliberately poking at him but hadn’t expected his answer to hurt quite as much as it had. We were a long way from where we were the night Becs had Wyatt, but I shouldn’t be surprised. This was what happened when two people who didn’t get along crossed the line.

  His eyes skimmed over my body while he crossed the short distance and stood right in front of me. “Didn’t get my road name because I’m nice, honey.”

  Tilting my head back, I laid my hand on his chest, and the heat from his stare rolled over me. I didn’t have to like this man or even know him very well to recognize the side of him that loved his club and his sister. I’d seen it in his expressions and his actions, but for some reason, he didn’t want anyone to know what lay beneath the rough exterior. “There’s a part of you that you don’t want anyone to see. You can try to hide it, Bear, but I’ve seen it.”

  He dropped his head and slid his hand along my hip. My breath caught when heat seared through my body. I wanted nothing more than for him to close the distance between us and kiss me the way he had in his office that night, almost as if he craved me.

  His warm breath flitted across my lips when he spoke. “Don’t know what you think you’ve seen, but I live up to my name.”

  “Pizza?”

  Bull’s voice was loud in the otherwise quiet room, and I took a hurried step back. Bear didn’t move, and his heated eyes stayed locked on mine until I spun on my heel and looked across the room, only to watch Bull walk toward us.

  Clearing my throat, I nodded. “Yeah, I thought you might be hungry.”

  He glanced at the bar where the pizza boxes sat. “How much pizza do you think I can eat?”

  When I saw the small grin playing around his lips, I laughed, but it was shaky. I could still feel the heat from Bear’s hand on my hip, and I knew his eyes were on me. “I wasn’t sure who would be here.”

  He looked down at me. “Nice of you.”

  We both looked to the side when we heard Bear’s voice, but only caught the back of him as he rounded the corner to leave the bar area. “Be in the garage. Take the money, Josie.”

  Bull ran his hand over his head and gestured toward the pizza boxes, but the grin was completely gone from his expression. “What’s going on?”

  I watched until Bear was completely out of sight and finally let out the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding. Redirecting my attention to Bull, I finally answered his question. “I wanted to ask you something.”

  He gestured toward the stools, and we both sat. “Go ahead.”

  “I’d like to have a baby shower for Becs.”

  His head jerked back, and when he only stared at me, I continued. “I doubt she had one because she had Wyatt early, so I thought it might be a nice distraction for her and give her the chance to set up his nursery. When I took her home the other day, I didn’t see anything that screamed there’s a baby coming home soon.”

  Bull studied me for a moment before he dug his phone out of his pocket and hit a few buttons. When he lifted the phone to his ear, I frowned. I liked Bull, but he was hard to follow sometimes.

  “Can you and Maggie come downstairs?” He spoke aloud, and I realized he was talking to Gunner. My shoulders sank a little. I hadn’t considered that they might already have one planned. Maggie and Becs were friends, but I hadn’t thought to call Maggie first. He said a few more things before shoving his phone back into his pocket.

  “Maggie probably already has one planned. I hadn’t thought of that,” I admitted.

  “Doubt it,” Bull replied. “Maggie grew up on the streets. There’s not a chance in hell she’s ever even been to a baby shower, but they’ll know what Bear already got her. There might not be a reason to have a shower.”

  My eyes widened. “You think he bought her everything she’ll need?”

  “He’ll do anything for Becs and anyone else he loves.”

  I nodded, but my attention shifted toward the stairs when I heard footsteps. Gunner and Maggie appeared and headed toward us; Gunner’s expression suspicious.

  “What’s going on?” he asked when he stopped in front of us.

  “Hi, Josie,” Maggie greeted me in her quiet way.

  I smiled. “Hi, Maggie.”

  “What the hell, Mags? No hi for me?” Bull teased loudly, and Maggie giggled.

  “Hi, Bull.”

  He grinned at her but then snapped his attention back to Gunner. “Josie wants to have a baby shower for Becs.”

  “A baby shower.” Maggie smiled brightly. “That’s a great idea.”

  Gunner grabbed her hand and smiled sweetly down at her before facing us again. “What do you need from us?”

  “Got no idea if Bear already bought her all the shit she needs.”

  “Last time I talked to him, he told Becs to get whatever she needed, and he’d pay for it.”

  I frowned. “That’s boring for her.”

  Maggie giggled. “I was thinking that too.”

  “So…” I looked back and forth between Gunner and Bull. “Can we plan one for her?”

  Gunner nodded. “I don’t see why not.” He rubbed his hand along the back of his neck. “Just need to clear it with Bear. He’ll want it here so he can keep it secure.”

  Looking around the room, all I could see was brown and black. Nothing that screamed baby shower. Glancing at Maggie, I sighed. “We’re going to have a lot of decorating to do.”

  This time, she laughed, and I watched in amazement as Gunner’s whole expression changed at the sound. He leaned down and kissed her softly before tugging her to stand with her back to his chest. She glanced up at him but then aimed her beaming smile at me. “This is going to be so much fun.”

  “When are you thinking?” Gunner asked.

  “Next Saturday?” I suggested. “Setting up Wyatt’s room might give her something to do on her days off work when she can’t be with him.”

  “That’s true,” Maggie agreed.

  “We need a guest list.” My eyes flicked over them before landing on Maggie. “I don’t know any of Becs’s friends, except you and Kat.”

  “I can do the
guest list,” Maggie offered, but then her smile dropped a little. “I don’t know much else about baby showers. I’ve never been to one.”

  She seemed almost embarrassed to admit that, so I shared my secret, hoping it would make her realize she wasn’t alone. “Me either.”

  Her eyes widened. “Really?”

  “No.” I shook my head. “But there’s plenty of information online, so I know we’ll figure out what to do.”

  “Why are you doing all of this?” Bull asked.

  “Because Becs is my friend,” I answered. “And because I think any woman who not only has a baby by herself but also plans to raise it alone deserves a kick-ass baby shower.”

  Bull slowly grinned, and I waited to hear what he might say. Becs was my friend, my only friend in this town, and she was there for me after the attack even though she didn’t need to be and had enough of her own stuff going on. I wanted to give her something back.

  “Alright. Then let’s plan a fucking baby shower.”

  Gunner laughed. “Not words I ever thought I’d hear from you, man.”

  “Not words I ever thought I’d say,” Bull admitted. “But shit sure seems to be changing around here.”

  Maggie laughed and stood. “Okay. I’ll get started on the list.”

  “Do you have time to meet tomorrow?” I asked Maggie.

  She nodded excitedly. “Yeah.”

  “Can I have your number?” I inquired. “I can call you in the morning and figure out a time to meet.”

  “Sure.”

  I pulled my phone out, and she recited her number. She and Gunner said their good-byes and headed back upstairs.

  “Nice of you to do this for Becs and to include Maggie.”

  Looking up at Bull, I tilted my head to the side. “You don’t think much of me, do you?”

  He stared at me thoughtfully, and I waited, already anticipating that I might not like his answer, but it would be honest. “Didn’t at first,” he admitted. “But I do now.”

  “I appreciate your honesty.” He grinned and jerked up his chin, so I continued. “One other thing I wanted you to know is that I have plans tonight, so I’ll probably be home a little late.”

  “Plans?” His eyebrows drew together. “With who?”