by J. L. Drake
“I want you, Tess.”
“You can have me,” I peeled myself off his lap, “after you speak with Elizabeth.”
I gave him a wink and hurried out the door before he decided to lock it.
I couldn’t help but try to eavesdrop from behind the counter. Several guys strolled in and out of the bar, ordered, and hung around, but I couldn’t tell you one person’s name.
Brick suddenly popped into view, his hands on his hips and one brow cocked.
“You’re back for more detail?” I grinned, but he didn’t. “What?”
“What?” he repeated, and I knew he was really mad. “Imagine my surprise when Cray checked in to tell me the body left in Mary’s Tea House was handled.”
“Did I fail to mention that?”
“Tess Marin, I swear to God, I will remove your eyelids and feed them to the rats if you lie to me.”
“That’s a tad specific.”
“Tess!”
“Brick, it’s fine, I’m fine. I had a plan, and everything worked out fucking flawlessly.”
Well, kinda.
He leaned his hands on the bar and stepped back to lower his head. “Christ, woman.”
“Hey.” I rested my hand on his. He was struggling, and his eyes were squeezed shut. “Spit it out.”
When he finally looked up at me, he seemed so young, like the first day we met.
“You’re all I have for family that I can count on, and I feel like you keep the most shit from me.”
That hit me right in the center of the chest. He was right. I did.
“Truth?” I hopped up on the counter, swiveling so I was directly in front of him. “You’re right, I do, but it’s not for the reason you think. It was always you and me—”
“And Clark,” he added bitterly.
“No, it was always you and me. Clark was on the side.”
“Fine.”
“You spent how many nights protecting me when you could have been out with girls and shit?” He started to speak, but I covered his mouth. “You sacrificed a lot for me. I guess I’m trying to do the same for you.”
He batted my hand away. “I’m lost.”
“Hey!” Cooper looked like he might be sick. “Have you seen my cut?”
“No,” we both said, and he flew out of the bar and down the hallway.
“Check the boys’ room!” I called after him.
I rested my hands on Brick’s shoulders. “I really like Minnie. She’s a feisty little shit, kinda reminds me of myself.” I winked. “I don’t bother you with all my problems ’cause you should be focusing on her.”
“You don’t—”
“You might not see it, Matt, but a wedge could form between you two because of me. It’s now your turn to focus your energy on protecting Minnie, because shit knows I have enough versions of Trigger protecting me.”
He sighed and rubbed his head. “When did you get so smart?”
“It comes in waves.”
***
Allen
My bloodstained boots dripped on the hot steps of the Catholic church. I hated Texas with a passion. It was always hot, and they had the most asshole gunslingin’ cowboys known to man.
“Where should I put him?” Zay dragged the body of the priest who used to run the church.
“Stuff him in the tire swing.” I waved him off and sipped my warm sweet tea.
I grumbled as I saw a woman and her son approach me.
“Good morning.” The lady looked past me. “I’m looking for Father Parie. Is he around?”
“Sorry, he’s not in this morning. He called me to fill in while he dealt with a flat tire.” I laughed inside at my choice of words.
“Perhaps we can come by tomorrow.”
“Absolutely.” I flashed my smile and watched them leave. The little boy looked over his shoulder, and I gave him a wink. His eyebrows rose in surprise. I was sure the devil spoke to him through my grin.
An alarm went off inside the church, and I jumped to my feet with my binoculars.
“Zay,” I called out and pointed, “we have a runner.”
He pulled on a rope, and a huge white flag fell from the roof with a huge blue cross on it. Christ, it was like a beacon waving down the illegals.
“Please,” a man dressed in dirty clothes pleaded as he ran toward us. He dropped at my feet with his hands in the air. “Please, Father,” he fought to catch his breath, “I need you to protect me. They’re coming for me.”
“Who?” I glanced at the horizon.
“The coyotes.” His accent was thick, but he spoke English well. “We are not allowed to break off, but they took my kids, and I can’t find them.”
Perfect.
“The Lord will help you.” I reached down and lifted him to his feet. “Let’s get you some water.”
“Thank you, thank you,” he sobbed.
He ate, showered, and was given new shoes, thanks to the dead man hanging in the yard. We sat inside the church while he prayed, and I grew bored.
After half an hour, I’d had enough and pulled his attention to me.
“Jer, I need to understand what happened out there in order for us,” I pointed to the Jesus statue, “to protect you. What did you see?”
“Five men took us across the border. We had to carry bricks of cocaine on our backs, and there was barely any room for water. When we started, there were thirty of us. When we arrived, there were only seven.” Tears dripped down his face.
“Where are the drugs now?”
He rubbed his eyes dry like he was frustrated. “We spent last night in the woods, about five miles from here. When they told us to drop the cocaine, we knew something bad was about to happen. That’s when they took my girls, told me I had to return to Mexico and bring over one more load before they would release them. You don’t understand these men. They are bad men. They don’t keep their word. They—”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.” I waved him off to shut him up and opened the Bible to where I had a map. “Show me where the drugs are.”
He eyed me in fear but slowly took the map and studied it. “Here.”
“You sure?”
“Yes.”
I shot him in the face.
“Whoop!” I held up the map to Zay. “Go get your customs outfit on. It’s time to go play.”
Zay fired up the quad and raced into the desert with two men I had recently recruited.
I watched until the dust trail disappeared then headed back inside the church. I could really use a nap.
Chapter Twenty
Trigger
“I’m not proud of my choices, Nolan. If I could go back, I would, but I’m here now. I’m not expecting you to forgive me or to even see me again after this. I just wanted the chance for you to hear me out.”
I glanced at Tess, who was with Brick at the bar, and then back to my mother. A lot of shit had happened lately, and my curiosity about who my mother really was had always gnawed at my gut.
“Fine. You have two minutes.”
“First,” she handed me a Post-it with an address on it, “I’m sure he’s gone, but Allen was staying there last night.”
“Brick,” I called. He looked up and headed over as I held up the Post-it. “Allen’s last location.”
“On it.” He grabbed Rail by the cut and pulled him away from some chick.
“How did you find him?” My men couldn’t seem to track him, but she could? What was I missing?
She looked away for a moment and studied the club. “Well, that’s part of the reason I’m here.”
I glanced at my phone, annoyed. I didn’t have time for mind games.
“The truth is, Nolan, I’m sick.” She waited for a reaction, but I didn’t have one I cared to share. “Turns out I have bad kidneys.” She leaned back in her chair with a sigh. “Serves me right, all those years treating my body like a garbage can. Stripping wasn’t something I wanted to do, but one wrong move can define your life. I know that now, and I want to fix it
. I made many mistakes, but the biggest was leaving you behind.”
“I won’t argue with you there.”
“I’m sorry.” I could tell by the way her body slumped forward she meant it. “I’ve been seeing a doctor here in town, and he’s one of the best. When I left the office, I saw Zay. I know he’s Allen’s hired killer. I followed him back to that hotel, and that’s where I found Allen. I knew he would still be after you. I wanted to talk to him.”
“Did you find out anything that would tell you what he’s up to?”
She licked her lips like she wanted to say something but stopped herself. “No,” she paused. “But my guess would be that he won’t go far from wherever you are. He’s a horrible man. I know that now.”
“Horrible wouldn’t be the word I’d use.”
“True, but I’m here now and can help.”
“I am not interested in your help.”
“I get it.” She held up her hand and didn’t push it any further.
“Okay.” I grabbed my phone and stood. I had waited three decades to know and understand my mother, and now she was here and sick, and all I really cared about was killing my father. How fucked up was that? I turned and headed for the door, but Nolan suddenly appeared and stopped me in my tracks.
Fucking head.
I turned to look over my shoulder. “Get your shit from your motel and come stay here. The rest can be handled later.”
“I wasn’t asking to stay here. I just wanted you to—”
“I know.”
The club door swung open, and Mud held up his arms. “I’m here with a package.” He twisted and pointed to Wes, my former cellmate, who squinted at the change in light. “Found him hitchhiking up on the 210 freeway. Never thought I’d ever hear your name as a drop-off location.”
“Thanks.” I nodded and signaled for Tess to bring us two beers. “Sit.”
He sat and dropped his bag at his feet. I noticed Mud had found his way over to my mother.
“How are ya, Wes?”
“Confused.” He laughed at me. “And now, by your lack of surprise at seeing me, I think I may have my answer to why I was released early.”
“I’ve come into some leverage.” I ran my hand up Tess’s leg when she set the drinks on the table. “Tess, this is Tray.” I gave him a look, and he knew what the nickname meant. He earned a place at the club. “He’s from the Tennessee chapter, but he’ll be joining ours now.”
She held out her hand, and he respectfully shook it.
“Nice to put a face to the name, Tess. You’re pretty famous, you know?”
“Am I, now?” She grinned at me, knowing that most of the men still couldn’t believe I gave her a ring. Rail spread that shit like a crack in the ice. “Well, I’ll leave you two be, and I’ll find you later.” She gave me a sexy smile as she walked away.
“Can’t thank you enough for what you did. I am in your debt.”
“No,” I corrected him, “now we’re even.”
We finished our beers, and I brought him up to speed on what I expected from him. For now, he would stay with Rail until we got Gus’s room cleaned out. I hated that it still made my neck tick thinking of my uncle.
“Trigger!” Morgan shouted from the back room and stormed into the bar with his phone to his ear. “We may have a problem.”
I heard a noise at the door before it flew open. One of my doormen looked shook up and pointed over his shoulder.
“Trigger, there’s some men here to see you.”
I pulled out my phone and checked the cameras.
“Let ’em in.”
“You sure, boss?” He waited a beat before he hurried back out.
In walked five Hispanic men with their guns at their sides.
“Trigger,” the man with all the flashy rings pointed at me, “I thought maybe I should come and kill you, but I hesitate. Given our history, I thought a chat might be in order first.”
“After years of working together, I’m pleased you chose that route,” I muttered sarcastically.
“Who’s that?” I heard Tess whisper to Rail.
“That would be the cartel.”
“Holy shit.”
“Yeah…” He trailed off. “So, curb your inner tiger around these guys.”
“Where can we talk?” He glanced around and spotted Tess. “She will serve us drinks.”
It was the one and only time I wished fuckin’ Peggy was back. Her fake tits would have been more his speed.
I nodded at Tess, and for once, she didn’t argue. She just headed back to the bar and started to load up her tray with booze.
“This way.” I waved him to head into the meeting room. I glanced at Morgan, who tucked an extra gun into the back of his pants before he hurried inside and joined Brick and Rail. “Hey,” I met Tess at the bar, “don’t linger within their reach, don’t speak to them, and don’t get lippy. Serve and get the hell out.”
She nodded. “Why are they here?”
“No clue.”
I waited for her to enter the room before I shut the doors and sat at the head of the table.
Bruno’s men formed a horseshoe around him. They carried at least four guns each, and their eyes scanned the room carefully. Not guys to mess with.
“Let’s skip the shit and jump right in,” I started. “Why are you here?”
“I want my coke back.”
My face twisted in confusion. “Everything I had from you sold. Your cut was signed off by your own men. I have nothing left of yours.”
“Ah, my friend, but what about the one-point-one million you took last night from my coyotes?”
What? I tried to calm myself. I had never stolen from the cartel, not once. I wouldn’t be that stupid.
“We’ve worked together long enough for you to know I would never touch another man’s product. I believe I’ve earned that respect.”
He leaned back and looked up Tess’s skirt as she leaned to put a drink on the table. I knew what he was doing, and I tried hard not to let it bother me. She set a shot of tequila in front of him and stepped back next to Brick.
At least she listened.
“Pictures don’t lie, Mr. Vineyard.” He signed for one of his men to drop a photo in front of me.
I snatched up the photo of a man on a quad. The back was piled high with bricks of cocaine, and there was my fucking reaper staring back at me. What the fuck? I held it closer and studied the face. I handed it to Brick, and his face went hard. Tess leaned forward and looked at the photo Brick held, then she cupped her mouth when she saw who it was.
“That’s not my man. The cut is mine, but that man is Zay. He works for my father.”
“Interesting you let the chica in your business.” He tilted his head at Tess.
I hated that he even paid attention to what was mine. It felt like Serpents were back in the room.
“Are we here to talk about pussy or the fact that I was set up?”
His face snapped over to mine. “Why not both?” When I didn’t budge, he unfolded his fingers and held them up. “Fine, educate me. Who is this Zay in the photo?”
“He’s some hit man my father hired to help him kill me. I’m sure you’ve heard that my father holds no love for me.”
His eyes darkened when he made the connection. “Yes, I have heard many things lately, and I wondered about the timing of this unfortunate theft. Your father owes me a lot of money. I have been very generous with him, even loaned him guns. I have been very patient. Now he steals over one million in drugs from me as well?”
“Looks that way.”
I wasn’t aware my father owed money to the cartel. It was a game changer. I couldn’t help but wonder why he would take such a risk.
“Interesting.” He rubbed his chin and eased back into his seat. “What to do now,” he said, more to himself than anyone in the room.
My mind mulled over all the possibilities, and after a few moments, I knew what the best move might be for me and my club.
“I have an idea that I think will work for both of us.”
“I’m listening.”
***
Tess
“Holy shit, Tess.” Minnie rose from her chair. “I’ve never seen a more badass wedding dress in my life.”
“I’d do you,” Rail sputtered.
“Huh, like you’d ever get a chance,” Minnie scoffed. “Why on earth Trigger would send him to watch over us is beyond me.”
I stepped out of the tiny dressing room and stood in front of the mirror. There was zero way I was going to wear white, so any traditional wedding shop was out of the question. No, I wanted something that was me, and this—I turned around and admired my ass—was me. A tight black leather dress hugged my body. It looped around my neck, low in the front, and sexy lace held the two pieces together. The back was my favorite. It dipped dangerously low and settled right above my ass.
“I can’t wait to see how Trigger will react!” Minnie squealed with joy.
“That’s her wedding dress?” a lady whispered to her friend. “What are her bridesmaids wearing, pasties?” They laughed and rolled their eyes.
“Hey, Tess,” Rail leaned over the back of the seat to see me better, “remember how you stabbed that asshole over twelve times because he hit on you? That should be in your vows.” He winked at me as the nasty women grabbed their bags and ran out of the store.
“Not a bad idea, Rail.” I laughed. “Okay, this is it, I’m done. Ring it up.”
“What else do you need to do?” Minnie slurped back a rum and Coke in a Big Gulp cup.
“Nothin’, really. Just needed my dress and shoes.” I patted my bag. “The rest will fall into place. It’s just a party in the back yard. That’s all we want.”
“I love that you love simple.” She grinned. “Because there’s no room for a white wedding in the MC world.”
“Amen to that shit,” Rail piped in and draped his arm over my shoulders. “I’m still waiting for Trigger to change his mind so I can swoop in and steal ya.” He grinned playfully.
“Did you feel that way before or after you thought I was the mole?”