Wanted: An Outlaw Anthology

by Lane Hart

  Insurance card, tire gauge, car cleaning wipes, a box of feminine products… it doesn’t look like anything’s been taken. Just rifled through.

  Your insurance card has your real name on it.

  Panic starts to well up in me again, but I push it back down and try to replace my terrified thoughts with more reasonable ones.

  Maybe I left my car unlocked last night? I don’t exactly live in the best neighborhood. It was probably just some kid wandering around, trying doors for an easy steal. Yeah. That’s probably all it is. I force a shaky laugh at the thought of some young delinquent boy pulling out my box of tampons.

  But it might not be. It might be…

  My heart starts to pound again. Even as my mind tells me I’m being ridiculous.

  I’ve learned over time not to ignore my instincts. Usually, my gut and my head are in complete agreement on stuff like this: whenever one says it’s time to go, the other one starts making exit plans.

  Something like this glove box is enough. It’s enough to convince me it’s time to disappear once again.

  But this time, I feel a war starting to wage inside me.

  Dammit, I’ve let this town get under my skin.

  And if I’m honest, it’s not just Tanner Springs.

  It’s a one-night stand with a bullet in his side, who’s probably forgotten all about me by now.

  Chapter Eight

  Six

  I’m worried when I walk in the front door of Rebel Ink that Hannah will notice right away something’s wrong. Fortunately for me, the shop is super busy today.

  There are three groups who came in together, and two other people by themselves. One of the groups is a mother, daughter, and aunt, who are here to get a tattoo in honor of the aunt’s daughter, who died in a car crash a few months ago. They immediately gravitate toward Hannah, who takes them back into one of the larger rooms so they can all do them together. Chance takes the group of two guys, and Dez greets an older man who’s on the third session for a large back tattoo.

  I take front desk duty and set up the third group and the lone woman with albums of art, so they can browse while they’re waiting. There’s a mountain of paperwork behind the desk that hasn’t been gotten to yet, so I start in on that, grateful for the distraction.

  The time passes quickly. The woman by herself looks over the tattoo books I’ve given her, then seems to chicken out and mumbles that she’ll come back another time. I smile encouragingly at her and let her go. It’s never a good idea to get a tattoo unless you’re absolutely sure you want to do it. The last group, three girls in their early twenties with pouty lips and expensive blowouts, each pick out the tattoo they want, chattering and laughing the whole time. When Sumner comes out of the back room, they all stop and look at him, catching their breath and giggling at the same time, like identical triplets.

  “Okay. Which of you ladies wants to go first?” he asks in his deep baritone. All three girls’ hands fly up at once. Sumner looks over at me and smirks, and I suppress a snort. I know he’ll take all three of them back at once, and flirt with them the whole time.

  A few minutes after Sumner leads his blond bevy into the hallway, Hannah comes out with the mom, daughter, and aunt. The three of them look happy and a little teary, and I can see it was an emotional session for all of them. They thank Hannah over and over again, and tip her lavishly.

  “Those poor women,” Hannah shakes her head as they leave. She leans against the front counter with a sigh. “It always gets to me when someone comes in for ink to commemorate someone they’ve lost.”

  For some reason, my mind drifts to the rose tattoo on my neck. “I know what you mean,” I murmur softly. Hannah must catch something in the tone of my voice, because her eyes lock onto mine. “Um,” I continue hurriedly, “what art did they ask you to do?”

  Hannah cocks one eyebrow, as though she’s thinking about asking me something. She seems to think better of it. “A pink lily — Lily was the girl’s name — with the dates of the girl’s birth and death circling it.” Hannah flexes her shoulders and rolls her neck. “They told me all about Lily. She was gonna be a freshman in college this year.”

  “That’s so sad.” I shake my head.

  “Yeah.” Hannah goes over to the couch in the waiting area and flops down. “Thank God there are no other clients waiting. I need a break.”

  “You’re not going out for a smoke?” I ask.

  “Nah. I quit on Saturday.” She holds up an arm and pulls back the sleeve of her shirt to reveal a nicotine patch. “See?” she grins.

  I congratulate Hannah and give her some quiet, turning back to the computer to finish keying in the last of the paperwork. A few minutes later, the sound of the front bell announces a new customer. Before I can raise my head to greet the person, Hannah does the job for me.

  “Hey, long time no see!” she calls out. “Afraid Chance is busy right now. You got time to wait?”

  “Actually, I came to see someone else,” Bullet answers.

  Bullet comes up and leans across the counter, exactly where Hannah was a few minutes earlier.

  “Hey,” he rumbles. His voice thrums through me, deep and penetrating.

  “Hey,” I blush back. The flood of happiness that washes through me is almost overwhelming. “You here for ink, or for something else?”

  “Yup.” He grins that gorgeous, reckless grin of his, and just like that, I’m lost.

  “You know, you don’t have to get a tat to see me.” My voice comes out high and girlish. Good lord, what’s wrong with me? I barely suppress a giggle. A giggle, for Christ’s sake!

  “What if I want both?” he shoots back.

  “Um… if you want me to do it, I think Chance is gonna be occupied for a while,” I start to explain, but he stops me.

  “Chance will let you do me without him watching.” He lifts his chin toward the back, then winks at me. “Just go ask him. Tell him I’m good with it.”

  I toss a quick look at Hannah, who is staring openly at us, then nod shakily and take Bullet into the back. Just as he said, Chance shrugs and gives his okay once Bullet tells him he’s fine with having me do the tattoo unsupervised.

  This time, he wants a hellhound, in the space just below the bullet I did for him. As nervous as I was last time, this time it’s almost worse. Because this time, every time I touch him, the heat of his skin reminds me of what it was like to be in bed with him. How I shuddered against his tongue, and then against his cock, as he made me come. How good it felt when he was inside me. I felt whole, complete. And then afterwards, I remember how solid he felt. How unmovable, like a rock.

  I never told him this, but I woke up once that night, and realized he was holding me in his arms. I’ve never felt safer, or warmer.

  It’s hard to concentrate, even though Bullet hardly talks as I work. My skin feels electric, the low buzz of the ink gun almost like it’s coming from inside me. I’m so nervous that I make my first mistake ever on a customer: I give one of the hellhound’s eyes a heart-shaped pupil.

  “Shit,” I hiss. Bullet looks down and frowns.

  “What’s up?”

  “I, uh… well, I made one of your hound’s eyes heart-shaped. I can fix it,” I add hastily. “It’s small. I just have to…”

  “Leave it,” he interrupts me.

  “But…” I stammer.

  “I mean it.” Bullet chuckles. “I can’t see it. But I’ll know it’s there. I kind of like the idea.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Yep.” His eyes twinkle. “I won’t even tell Chance you fucked up. On one condition.”

  My heart starts to pound. “What’s that?”

  “You let me take you out tonight.”

  “Well,” I quip, “if that’s the only way I can get you not to rat me out to my boss, then…” I heave an exaggerated sigh. “I suppose so.”

  Bullet waits patiently while I finish up his tattoo and recite the spiel about aftercare that Chance makes us say to eve
ryone, regardless of how much ink they have. I walk back out to the front with him, where Hannah is now sitting at the front desk. He pays her, and then gives me a wink. “Tonight. What time do you get off work?”

  “Seven,” I murmur self-consciously, with a glance at Hannah.

  “I’ll pick you up at your place at eight.” Bullet doesn’t wait for an answer. He just turns and strides out the door.

  I may or may not stare at his tight ass in his jeans the whole time.

  “What in the hell was that?” Hannah demands once the front door closes behind him. “Jumping Jesus Christ, Six! Why didn’t you tell me you had a thing going on with one of the Lords?”

  “I… well…” I stammer. “I don’t, I mean, I didn’t…” I shake my head and try again. “What I mean is, I didn’t exactly have a thing going on. He’s been flirting with me for a while. And yeah, a few nights ago, I let him take me out. But I didn’t think it meant anything.” I shrug helplessly. “Until just now, I figured he’d forgotten all about me.”

  “And now?” Hannah skewers me with her eyes. “That didn’t exactly look like forgetting.”

  “Now… well, maybe we have a little bit of a thing going on?”

  “Damn, girl.” She lets out a low whistle. “Here I thought you had put on your chastity belt and thrown away the key.”

  “So did I,” I admit. “And honestly, I’m a little freaked out. I keep wondering whether I’m making a big mistake.”

  “Well, if you are making a mistake, you’re sure as hell making it with the right person. Those Lords men are hot. Every damn one of them.” Hannah sighs. “I just don’t know how there can be that much sexy packed into one club.”

  I don’t say to Hannah that I’m pretty sure I’m losing my footing a little bit where Bullet is concerned. It’s only now, when I’m so happy he’s come to ask me out again I feel like I’m going to burst, that I see how much I’ve been trying to push down my emotions. How desperately I’ve been telling myself he’s just a fun fling before I leave town. I realize now that I’m pretty sure I’ve had a thing for him ever since we met. And it’s only gotten stronger over the months I’ve been here in Tanner Springs.

  This … whatever it is with Bullet … well, like I said to Hannah, it’s definitely a mistake. And even more so because the more time I spend with him, the worse I feel about leaving town. He’s like a magnet that’s gotten too close to my compass. I feel all discombobulated around him — like I can’t figure out what direction my head is going.

  I’m so preoccupied and excited about seeing him again tonight that I completely forget about my car being broken into until I get off work. By then, it’s easier to tell myself I was just overreacting earlier. Because I have more important things on my mind now.

  Like what I’m going to wear for my second date with Bullet.

  Chapter Nine

  Bullet

  Well, fuck. Looks like my date with Six is gonna have to wait for a bit.

  I’m on my way to pick her up a little before eight p.m. when my cell buzzes in my pocket. I pull over to the side of the road and fish it out to see that Beast, the VP of our club, is calling me.

  “Yeah,” I bark into the mouthpiece.

  “Hey, brother. I need you to come back to the clubhouse. We got a situation with a shipment we’re driving down to the Ironwood chapter. Striker was comin’ with us on the run but he’s stuck up north and won’t be back in time. Angel needs you to fill in for him.”

  It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask Beast whether someone else can do it. But that ain’t the way I operate. Club business comes first. It always has. Just because it’s inconvenient right now don’t mean shit.

  “Yeah. Tell Angel I’m on my way. Just gotta make a quick phone call.”

  “Will do.”

  Beast hangs up and I go for my phone’s contacts, then spit out a curse as I realize I don’t have Six’s number. Well, I’m almost to her house anyway. I can just tell her in person. That way at least I get to see her for a bit.

  When I roll up to her apartment building, she comes out the front door to meet me. She’s dressed simply, in a tight black pair of jeans that look painted on and a red tank top that matches her cherry lips. She’s wearing an oversized leather jacket I’ve seen on her before. It shouldn’t look so sexy on her, but somehow it works. I groan as my cock stirs in my pants. Jesus, she looks good enough to eat — and if I had time, I’d take her inside right now and do just that.

  She comes up to my bike, an expectant look on her face. My chest gets tight when I see in her eyes how much she’s looking forward to this. Shit, I was, too. I hate like hell to have to leave her.

  “Hey, babe,” I murmur before she can say anything. I note with satisfaction that her face flushes at the pet name. “I hate to do this to ya, but somethin’ just came up. I got some business to attend to that can’t wait.”

  Six’s eyes grow sad, but to her credit, she doesn’t pout about it or make a fuss. “That’s too bad.”

  “Yeah. It is.” I frown. “It ain’t my choice, though. Club business.”

  Six pauses for a moment at my words, then nods. “Okay. Well…”

  But I’ve grabbed her by the hand and pulled her toward the bike. Standing, I thread my fingers through her hair and tilt her head up to mine. I give her a long, deep kiss that leaves her breathless and panting. By the time I pull away, she’s bright red. She gives me a dazed half-smile.

  “Rain check?” I rumble hoarsely. She nods again. “Okay. Look, I need your number. I probably ain’t gonna be back in town tonight, but I’ll call you when I can and let you know what’s up.”

  Six pulls her phone out of a small bag looped around her shoulders. We exchange numbers. When we’ve finished, she looks at me through dark lashes.

  “I’ll miss you,” she murmurs. “Be careful.”

  “Always.”

  I fire up the engine and give her a one-finger wave. Then, cursing under my breath, I turn the bike around and head for the clubhouse.

  The club’s a little late heading out, on account of the last-minute change in plans. It’s already dark by the time we get to Ironwood, the newer, southern chapter of our club. We’re there to help pick up a shipment of guns from a cartel that has a base in Atlanta. The cartel runs them up to us through Nashville and Lexington. Normally, the Ironwood chapter could handle this run by themselves. But this time their prez, Axel, sent half of them on another run out to the east to deal with another problem. So Angel said we’d go down and give them a hand, since the guns are comin’ up to us anyway. Once they’re in our possession, we’ll drive them further north up into Milwaukee, to sell them to one of our contacts up there.

  When we get to Ironwood, there’s a party already in full swing at their clubhouse. The fact that they’ve got a run tomorrow doesn’t seem to be slowing the party down at all. Liquor is flowing like water. Club girls run around on stiletto heels with skirts so short you can see daylight between their thighs. Axel, the Ironwood prez, emerges out of the crowd of men in leather cuts and comes out to greet us.

  “Angel, brother,” he yells with a wolfish grin. “What the fuck took you so long?”

  “There any booze left for us?” Angel cracks back. The two presidents approach each other and clap one another on the back.

  “Shit, yeah,” Axel laughs, looking around at the rest of us. “But you better get movin’. My men have been goin’ at it for a while. You snooze, you lose.”

  “Hey, stranger,” coos a soft, feminine voice beside me. I turn to see one of the club girls, a hot as sin redhead I remember spendin’ some quality time with last time I was here.

  “Hey, there, darlin’,” I smirk as she drapes herself across me, casting about in my head for her name.

  “It’s Ginger,” she pouts, reading my thoughts.

  “Looks like you’re already jumpin’ right in,” my brother Tank grins. He, Striker, Hale, and the others head off to join the crowd. Angel and Beast go with Axel, no doub
t to talk business before they start to party in earnest.

  “It’s been too long,” Ginger whispers breathily in my ear as she clings to me. “I missed you.”

  In spite of myself, I’m irritated. My cock isn’t in complete agreement with me — like I said, this chick is hot as sin — but even so. I can’t help comparing her to the girl I just left back in Tanner Springs. And thinking that if I wasn’t here tonight at the Ironwood clubhouse, I’d be with her. Giving her orgasm number six and trying for seven and eight.

  Ginger must notice I’m less than enthused. “Come on, baby,” she coaxes, reaching down to cup my growing erection through my jeans. Her pout turns into a grin of triumph. “See? You know you want to!”

  For fuck’s sake. I know from experience that Ginger will do whatever I want her to, but for some reason, I just ain’t in the mood. “Goddamnit,” I growl, grabbing her hand. “Go find someone else to grope. I ain’t that hard up.”

  Her eyes flash. “You didn’t think you were hard up the last time!” she spits.

  “Any port in a storm, darlin’,” I drawl.

  Ginger turns on her high heel and stalks away. She spends a good part of the night climbin’ all over my other brothers and shooting me dirty looks. I don’t give a fuck. Good luck to her. As for me, I head over to a group of men clustered around two Ironwood brothers engaged in a drunken wrestling match. I trade shots with a few of the men, and pass a perfectly decent evening drowning my sexual frustrations in a bottle of Jack.

  Chapter Ten

  Bullet

  The next morning, I come to on a raggedy-ass couch with springs sticking into my back. I don’t remember getting here, and judging from how I feel, I’ve had a lot more booze than I have sleep. Around me, other Lords are waking up. Some of them are in better shape than me, some worse.