by Lane Hart
“Jesus fuck,” I complain to an Ironwood brother named Rogue. “You assholes need to spend some money on some new furniture.”
He grunts in agreement and chuckles. “That’s what the booze is for, brother. You drink enough, your head hurts worse than your back in the morning.”
“Ain’t that the truth.” I wince as I sit up. “I don’t know if there’s that much whiskey in the world.”
The club girls who are still around busy themselves making us breakfast, and I slowly wake up with a cup of coffee and a smoke sitting outside as the morning warms into what promises to be a hot, sticky day. My dreams are blurry, but I remember Six was in some of them. I’m tryin’ to remember what happened when Angel comes outside and sits down beside me.
“We’ll be heading out pretty soon,” he grunts. “We got a few hours’ drive ahead of us to get to the meet.”
I grunt back. “I’ll be ready.”
“You good?” Angel asks. “You’ve been uncharacteristically quiet since we got here. ‘Course,” he chuckles. “I shouldn’t be lookin’ a gift horse in the mouth.”
I snort. “Yeah. I’m good. Just… this run kinda interrupted somethin’ I was in the middle of last night.”
“In the middle of, or inside of?” Angel smirks.
I laugh. “Fixin’ to be inside of.”
Angel gives a single nod and frowns at me. “Huh. I saw you brushing off that redhead last night. I was wondering what that was about. You ain’t in the habit of turning that shit down, brother.”
“Not all tail is created equal, I guess,” I mutter.
Angel chuckles. “Don’t I know it. Well, don’t let yourself get distracted today. This should be a routine run, but you never know.”
“Don’t worry, boss. I’m good.”
He nods. “Okay, then.” Standing, he claps me on the back. “I’m gonna head back in. Be ready to go in thirty.”
Four hours down, and another four hours back. Everything goes as planned, with no problems. We meet with our contacts, load up the gun shipment, and arrive back to Ironwood around dinnertime. When we get back, the Lords are in the kind of good mood that comes from a successful run. I can tell there’s another epic party brewing to rival last night’s. But instead of looking forward to it, I’m feeling antsy.
Angel is inside the clubhouse with Axel and their two VPs, Beast and Rourke, bottles of beer in hand. I go over and pull him aside.
“Hey, I think I’m gonna head back to Tanner Springs, if you don’t need me anymore tonight.”
Angel cuts me a look. “You goin’ back to take care of unfinished business?” I nod. “All right, then. See you back there. Don’t forget we got church tomorrow morning.”
I lift my chin at him and slip out, before I can get any grief from the other brothers. An hour and a half later, I cross the city limits into Tanner Springs. It’s only then that I realize Six might already have plans for tonight. Well, fuck it. She’s gonna change ‘em.
I pull out my phone while I’m gassing up my bike and send her a text.
Back in town. U around?
A few seconds later I get a reply:
Out with Hannah at Lions Tap. Come by
“I didn’t think I was going to hear from you,” Six says calmly as I slide into the booth next to her. Across the table, Hannah greets me with a nod and a sly look.
“Didn’t know how long I was gonna be busy.” I signal to Zeb at the bar to get me a beer. “Just got back into town.”
“I’m flattered.”
“Hope I’m not crashing your party,” I smirk, looking from Six to Hannah.
Hannah sighs loudly and rolls her eyes. “Hardly. You’re all Six has been talking about since we got here anyw… ouch! Bitch!” She scowls at Six, who I’m guessing just kicked her under the table.
“Is that right?” I cut my gaze to Six. Her face is flaming as she glares back at Hannah.
“Oh, please, Hannah is exaggerating,” she insists.
“Like hell I am!” Hannah chortles, shaking her head. She tips back her bottle of beer and drains it just as Zeb appears with mine. “You know what, I’m gonna leave you two to it. I was just a placeholder until you got back anyway, Bullet.” She nods at me. “I’d tell you to keep her out of trouble, but I’m not sure you’re capable of that.”
“She’s safe with me.”
Hannah snorts good-naturedly. “Right. I’ll see you at Rebel Ink, girl.” She nods at both of us. “I’d tell you to have a good night, but I think you already got that covered.”
I watch as Hannah waves goodbye to the staff and exits the bar, fire-engine red hair swinging past her shoulders. “I’ve always liked that girl,” I remark. “She knows what’s up.”
“She’s a blabbermouth,” Six mutters into her beer.
“So, you’ve been talking about me, eh?” I tease. “What about, exactly?”
“None of your business.” She’s clearly uncomfortable with this conversation, which just makes me want to push her more.
“Maybe about how loud I made you scream when you come?” I let my voice go low and deep. “Or about how wet your pussy gets when you think about me? Is that what you were talkin’ about, Mystery Girl?” I lean toward her and slide my hand between her legs. Her thighs tense, and even with the noise of the bar, I can hear her breath hitch in her throat.
“Stop it…” she pleads in a strangled tone.
“Stop what, baby girl?” With one finger, I lightly graze the fabric of her jeans just where it covers her clit. Six stifles a moan. “You sure you really want me to stop? Cuz it doesn’t sound like you do.”
“Bullet…” she whispers. Her back arches, her breasts straining forward in spite of her best efforts not to show the effect I’m having on her. My cock stiffens as I realize I can feel her getting wet through her jeans. Now it’s my turn to stifle a groan.
“Babe, I think we need to get out of here. Finish that drink and let’s go,” I command.
Six doesn’t argue at all, just raises her beer to her lips with an unsteady hand and downs it. Then I’m out of my seat, throwing a couple bills on the table. She grabs that oversized jacket she always wears, and a minute later, we’re outside, and she’s climbing on the back of my bike.
Neither one of us talks. Our bodies are saying everything that’s important. I can feel her trembling with need as she holds onto my waist, but the fact is, she ain’t the only one. I’m about to bust out of my skin. It’s an effort not to just pull over on the side of the road and take her up against my bike. But I want her long, and slow, and all night long. So I tell my dick to calm the fuck down and concentrate on getting us to her place in one piece.
When we get there, I follow her up to the front door of her apartment, just like the first time, and wait impatiently for her to fit the key into the lock. She frowns as she struggles with it, and then says, “Huh.”
“What?” I ask through the fog of testosterone that’s clouding my brain.
“The door’s not locked.” She pushes it open with a frown. “I thought it always locked automatically.”
“Fascinating,” I rumble. “But that ain’t getting us to your apartment any quicker.”
She looks up at me and laughs breathily. “Sorry,” she mumbles, biting her bottom lip.
“Fuck, that mouth of yours,” I growl. “You do that just to torture me, don’t you?”
“Do what?” She lets go of the lip and slides her tongue slowly over it.
“You’re gonna pay for that, little girl,” I warn.
She flashes me a saucy smirk. “I hope so.”
“Oh, Jesus…” I groan, my cock so hard it hurts.
I’m already thinkin’ about spreading her legs and burying my face in her wet, waiting pussy as I watch her ass wiggle in front of me on the way to her apartment. I’m so absorbed in the thought that for a second, I don’t notice when she stops dead in her tracks. She gasps, one hand going to her throat.
I come around to the side of her, n
ot registering what’s happening. “What?”
All color has drained from her face. Wordlessly, she points in front of her. I follow the direction of her arm to see that the door to her place has been kicked in.
“Motherfucker,” I fume. “Looks like you’ve been robbed.” Instantly, I’m on high alert, all thought of sex on the back burner for now. “Look, we’ll check to see what they took, and then call your landlord. You probably ain’t the only one who got hit, since they went to the trouble to force the front door.”
But Six is shaking her head. “It’s not a robbery.”
“What? How do you know?”
“Because I know who did this,” she says miserably. “Bullet, I’m sorry. I can’t do this.”
“Don’t worry, darlin’. I got you,” I bark. “We’ll figure it out. You can stay at my place tonight if you need.”
“No.” She shakes her head. “I mean, I have to leave town. Now.”
I frown. “What? The fuck are you talking about?”
“I’m sorry,” she says again, in a whisper.
I’m confused. Then, I’m angry. I don’t know what it is she’s not telling me. But goddamn it, I’m about to find out.
“No.” It’s not a question. “Fuck that. You are not going anywhere, Six.” I grab her hand and half-drag her toward the apartment. “You are gonna tell me what the fuck is going on. Right the fuck now.”
Chapter Eleven
Six
Bullet is furious.
I can’t figure out if he’s mad at me, or mad at the situation, or what. But he’s demanding an explanation. And I’m pretty sure I’m not going to get out of giving him one.
Tiredly, I walk in the bashed-in door of my apartment. Turning on the light, I pull off my old leather jacket and hang it on the hook by the door, suppressing a bitter sigh as I think about where it came from.
I go over to the couch and flop down on it. It barely registers that my place has been tossed. That’s the least of my worries.
“It was my ex,” I murmur, staring down at the carpet. “He’s found me.”
Bullet’s expression turns to stone as he takes in my words. For a few seconds he says nothing. My mind is already starting to mentally pack up. My suitcases are in the storage locker downstairs. I don’t have time to go buy rope to tie the rug to the top of my car, so I’ll have to leave it after all. I have enough money in my bank account for maybe two full tanks of gas…
“Six.”
I look up, befuddled, to see that Bullet has sat down on the couch next to me. His cold, angry eyes bore into mine. “Who the fuck is your ex? And what does that mean, he’s ‘found’ you?”
I let out the breath I don’t even realize I’ve been holding.
“It means exactly that,” I sigh. “I thought maybe in Tanner Springs, I’d done a good enough job of disappearing that Flash wouldn’t find me for a while.” My tone sounds robotic, detached, to hide the fear underneath my words. “I got stupid and stayed too long,” I shrug. “I should have known better. So… it’s time to go. Before he comes back.”
“And does what?” Bullet growls insistently.
My shoulders move up and down again. My blood is rushing in my ears, so when I start talking again, my voice sounds far away. “Tries to hurt me, I guess. Honestly, I don’t know why he’s so obsessed with me. I thought when I broke it off, he’d just let it go. Or at least get over it eventually. But I don’t think that’s going to happen until he makes me pay.”
“Goddamnit, Six, pay for what?” Bullet’s eyes are ablaze.
“Breaking up with him in the first place.” I lean back against the sofa cushions and close my eyes. I feel so exhausted all of a sudden. “I never thought he’d be such a psycho. I just thought he was a run of the mill lying, cheating piece of shit. But when I told him we were finished, he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He was calling me all the time, trying to talk me into changing my mind. I got kind of freaked out by it, to tell you the truth. I was working at a shitty job I hated, and the lease was almost up on my apartment, so I left town. And it seems like I’ve been leaving towns ever since.”
I suppress a shudder at the memories that start flooding in. “I figured that would be the end of it, but instead, he went nuts. He started calling and texting me, demanding to know where I was. When I wouldn’t tell him, he’d go try to get it out of my friends, giving them the excuse that he needed to get something from me.” I roll my eyes. “Thankfully for me, my friends always hated Flash, so they weren’t about to tell him anything. And because I didn’t want to put them at any risk, I stopped telling them anything about my whereabouts.
“The last time he cornered me was in Chicago. He attacked me in public. Tried to rip my clothes off right in the middle of a freaking crowd outside a club.” I open my eyes and start blindly at the stained popcorn ceiling above my head. “You know what they say about how in a crowd, no one will step forward to help you? Well, it’s true.” I give Bullet a bitter sneer at the memory of it. “I finally managed to kick him hard enough that he let go for a second, and I pulled away from him. At that point, some of the people who had just been watching and doing nothing finally seemed to realize he was trying to hurt me. Some guys grabbed him and roughed him up, and I was able to get away. I left everything I had in my apartment and just drove out of town right then and there.”
“Fuck.”
I shake my head, angry at letting myself be lulled into staying so long in one place. “I knew he’d find me again. Deep down, I knew it. He always does.” I force myself to raise my head. Enough sitting around. “So, I have to leave, Bullet.” As I meet his gaze, I swallow around a sudden lump in my throat. “I’m sorry,” I say softly. “I really sort of liked the direction it seemed this was going.”
Bullet’s jaw is tight, but his eyes are unexpectedly tender. “Six. How can you live like this?”
Defensiveness rises up inside me. “It’s better than not living at all. Or giving myself up to Flash.”
Something seems to click in his brain. “Is this why you go by Six, and not your real name?”
Suddenly, I want to tell him. I want to give him something of me. Something real.
To remember me by.
“Yes.” I swallow, and then make myself go on. “My name is Stacia. Six is… well, it’s how many different places I’ve been since going on the run.” I smile tremulously. “It’s simple. Something I can remember without too much effort. Plus, it has the added benefit of being androgynous. Could be a girl or a guy. I guess I figure it gives me one more layer of protection. Small as it is.”
Bullet’s laugh is brittle. “So, did you used to go by Five before this?” When I nod, he shakes his head. “I don’t know if that’s idiotic or genius.”
In spite of everything, that makes me laugh. “Let’s go with somewhere in between,” I suggest.
“So…” he continues, his brow furrowing. “I can’t believe I’m suggesting this, but have you ever thought about calling the cops on this piece of shit?”
I snort. “No. Let’s just say I have my reasons for not doing that.” I’m pretty sure my record in juvie won’t do much to make the police believe my story. And the last thing I want is that kind of scrutiny from the law, when I’m doing my best to stay under the radar.
Thankfully, Bullet doesn’t probe. But what he says next is a complete surprise.
“Six. Stacia.” The words come out husky, and I shiver a little to hear him say my real name. He reaches out and puts a finger under my chin, until my eyes meet his. “You’re done running.”
“But I can’t st…”
“You’re done. This ends here.” His words are final. Resolute. “I’m gonna make this guy go away.” Bullet’s eyes bore into mine. “Do you trust me?”
I want to. God, I want to.
For the first time in years, I let myself imagine for a second what life would be like if I could stop running. If I could stop looking over my shoulder all the time.
&n
bsp; The relief that floods through me, even though it’s only a specter, a what-if, is so sharp that tears spring to my eyes.
I want to believe Bullet. I want to believe this could all be over. Forever.
So, I whisper, “Yes.”
Even though I don’t know if it’s true.
When Bullet kisses me, his lips are hard, demanding. But when he pulls back to look at me, his gaze is softer than I’ve ever seen it.
“Come on,” he says, standing and reaching down to pull me up with him. “You’re gonna stay at my place for a few days. No arguing,” he barks when I open my mouth to interrupt him. “Tomorrow, I’m gonna talk to the club. The Lords are gonna take down your ex, once and for all. Don’t worry, Six. You’re not gonna have to see this fuckin’ weasel ever again.”
Bullet gives me a few minutes to pack a small bag with toiletries, a change of clothes, and my laptop, which is thankfully still on my nightstand where I left it. I fret about not being able to bring more, but he promises me we can come back tomorrow or the next day.
Finally, when I’m ready, holds his large, strong hand out to me, and I take it.
Something seems to shift in the air between us as I allow myself to be led out of my apartment toward his bike outside. I realize, with a mixture of excitement and apprehension, that I’ve confided more in Bullet than I have to anyone since I first started running from Flash. I’ve told him things that no one else knows. Not even Hannah. For better or worse, I’ve decided to I’ve put my trust in him.
The last time I trusted a man, I ended up having to give up everything I knew, just to save myself.
And only time will tell if I’ve just made yet another huge mistake.
Chapter Twelve
Bullet
Once we’re out of Six’s apartment, I don’t call her by her real name again. She seemed to sort of flinch when I said it — like it’s a door to her past life that she’d prefer to keep closed.