by Ryan Michele
Her silent confirmation hangs in the air around us. “Why you still here?” She shoots another drink then screws the lid on the bottle.
I shrug. “Thought I could help Casey, but that’s doubtful.”
“You’re a good friend to her. Thanks for that.”
Her words take me back a bit. “Why you thanking me?”
She blows out a ragged breath. “I wasn’t here for her and I’m just glad you were. The friendship you two built while I was locked up, I’m pretty positive kept her sane.”
“She didn’t tell me anything about Mia, if that’s what you mean.” I reach over for another beer. I’m not sure Princess is thinking clearly because all I did with Casey was listen. I’m not sure I helped much at all.
“Don’t mean that. She told me about your talks, she needed that.” Her eyes meet mine. “You’re a good guy, Tug.”
I scoff. “Good guy,” I mutter under my breath and then drink. That’s one phrase I wouldn’t use to describe myself. Long minutes pass and we sit in comfortable silence. The term good guy didn’t even apply to me in the service. Taking guys out repeatedly never felt good. It was necessity. It is a necessity. But I never felt good about it. Just like I never felt good about… my mind drifts off, but the clicking of buttons dissipates my thoughts. Princess on her phone.
“Did Blaze come by?” The mere mention of her name has my full attention, not that I let it show.
“Yeah. For a bit, just checking in on things.” I twirl the bottle with my fingers, little beads of water slide down the glass. Blaze’s face is burned into my mind.
“I put her in charge of X tonight. She say anything?”
“Nope, not a word. Just that you got rid of some of the girls and made her life easier. But nothing about tonight.” Which seems odd. Surely she’s not so nervous around me that she can’t talk to me? I did only ask her how X was, I wasn’t specific.
“Shit. I hope everything went okay. Those women can be bitches, but I’m sure Blaze handled it.” She nudges my arm. “It was kind of a test. I needed her to be in charge of X. Tonight threw that chance at me. I’ve been wanting to do it for a while.”
“What kind of test?” The snideness in the way I said test has Princess smirking. Call it protectiveness or any damn thing you want, but testing her doesn’t fucking sit well with me.
“Need to determine if she can handle the women. I know she can, but she stays cooped up in that damn dressing room of hers all the time. I need to know she can take care of the business. Hands on.”
“Why, you handing it over?”
“Fuck no.” She snorts. “I need help. I can’t do this shit all by myself anymore. I got a man, a kid, and a club to take care of. I need someone I can trust. Someone smart. Someone loyal. And after that fuckwit Liz, I have to be in deep with the person I hire. The fact that she graduated and is smart as shit with numbers is another bonus.”
“Better hook her before someone else offers her something.”
“Gotta see how tonight went. If it went as expected, I’ll take it to Pops.” She pauses. “Your time’s about up prospecting?”
“Yep.” I know better than to discuss club business with anyone other than members, even ol’ ladies.
“Smart man.” She pats me on the shoulder and rises. “I’m gonna go get some sleep. Cruz and Cooper both snore like hell.” No matter what words come out of her mouth, she wouldn’t change it for anything. She loves those two.
“Night.” I trudge outside, the fire slowly dwindling with only a few embers still lit. I lie on the picnic table, even though the harsh wood could splinter my back. As I stare up at the stars, the peaceful night calms me. I’ve always loved being outside at night when everyone is asleep and nothing seems to exist besides the crickets. It seems to take everything wrong in the world and still it, right it, if only temporarily. I calm and I drift off.
The scrape of wood, the ting of metal, the flick of a lighter… all these indicators mix together as I try to open my eyes, but the bright light makes it difficult. Shit.
Pop… Pop… Pop… Pop….Pop… Loud noises, like gunshots ring in my ears. What the fuck?
I immediately go on alert, calming my breathing, and jump up with my gun aimed in the direction of the noise. I squint, trying to adjust to the sunlight as more pops go off. My entire body is on high alert, moving left and right, trying to find the damn shooter, but when my eyes focus, they land on my brothers roaring hysterically to the point of bending over and tears escaping their eyes. Motherfuckers.
I breathe in deep and put the gun back in my waistband, rubbing my hands over my eyes.
“Wake up, sleeping beauty,” Dagger calls from the corner, his voice filled with laughter as my brothers surround me, giving me pats on the shoulder.
There is a pot on the picnic table with red papers and singed wicks from several firecrackers. My body calms. “Ha, very funny”
“We thought so.” Rhys crosses his arms over his chest, feet apart like the badass he is, but there is a crinkle in his eye.
“Damn right, we needed a good laugh,” Cruz says from the other side of Dagger.
“How’re the girls?” The faces on the men change, hatred, anger and death start to pulsate off of them in droves. Anyone else would have probably cowered from asking, but I refuse.
Pops steps forward. “Let’s have a seat.” I help Dagger drag over another table and we butt it up to the first, all of us taking a seat while Pops sits in a white plastic chair at the head of the table. Everyone’s here except for GT, which is to be expected. I must have been really out of it to not hear Buzz and Breaker’s bikes come in. I rub my hand over my face, pressing my thumbs in my eyes and adjusting to the sunlight. I need my fucking sunglasses. I pat my rag. Nothing. Shit.
“GT will be with Angel the next few days. You need him for anything, come through me first.” Everyone nods. “Dagger, Buzz, and Breaker go over and make sure everything is clean.” Pops is referring to the house that blew up and the reason Rhys got knocked on his ass.
“You got it,” Dagger says with Buzz and Breaker nodding in agreement.
“Becs, Cruz, and Tug go meet up with good old Randell.” Randell is one of the very few informants we have on the Sumner Police Department, and from what I heard the last visit to him didn’t end up so well. He had to take a leave of absence for a while. A broken leg will do that for a beat cop. “Any information on this explosion he’s got, I want it. No blowback.”
We wait for Pops to continue, but he is obviously done. “Go!” he commands and we scatter. Pops’ fuse with all this shit is very short. Pissing him off is not in the cards for any of us.
“Give me ten and let’s roll.” Becs pats me and eyes Cruz who gives him a chin jerk instead of words.
“Gotta piss and I’m ready,” I grunt, the damn man better have some information.
“I don’t know nothing,” The officer in plain street clothes mumbles. My fists are gripping his shirt at his chest, his feet still on the ground. The man’s body is stiff, as if that would intimidate me. Not.
“Randell, somewhere along the line here, you stopped the information track. You have gambling debts, we pay them, you give us information. That’s how this deal works. I talked to Cassius.” At Becs’ words, Randell’s eyes widen, disbelief crossing them. Cassius is a bookie that Randell turned to when he needed cash. “Yeah, motherfucker. You’ve racked up over thirteen grand. How are you gonna pay for that?”
“I’ll pay it back.” I release the shithead and throw him to Cruz who wraps his arm around his neck from behind. The living room we are in has thin walls that are covered in a dark paneling and the carpet has track marks in it from the wear of many sets of footsteps over the years. The entire room is dusty and in serious need of someone to pick up the litter of pizza boxes spread around the place. Pictures line the walls of a woman and a few kids, but there is no way those people live in this house the way it is.
“Wife leave ya, Randell?” I ask as he wh
ips to me.
“I don’t got shit left.” He’s visibly pained to say those words, but it also proves he has nothing left to lose. This could go either way at this point. Good or bad. But it does give him a reason for dropping off the grid and not being a rat and giving us to the higher ups. Cruz tosses the man into a recliner and it rocks back and forth from the force.
“Yeah. Whatever. Information. We want it about the building on Waters that burned down. We want all information on it by three o’clock,” Becs says, lighting a cigarette and sucking in a drag from it.
“And if I have to come back I sure as fuck will get some shots in on your ass,” Cruz warns.
Randell looks up at Becs from his chair. “You gonna pay the debt off?”
“Five, if the information comes back right. If it doesn’t, I’ll put a bullet in ya and save my money,” Becs replies.
Randell is a tricky one to read. His eyes show of desperation but his body shows of giving up, like all the fight’s left him. Maybe he needs some more motivation. “You see your kids?”
His eyes dart to me as I stand stoic. “No, she won’t let me.”
Becs nods in agreement. “We’ll try and help you out there.” A small spark of hope enters his eyes, but it’s short. He nods. I can’t do shit about his kids, but Ravage just needs his information and I’ll say whatever to get it.
Becs kicks the chair, giving Randell a jolt. “I’m calling at three.” Cruz tosses Randell a burner phone that he catches. “Have the information.” Becs lifts his chin to me and Cruz. We move.
I place my sunglasses over my eyes, blocking out the glare of the sun after shutting the door with a click. “Gonna do it?”
Becs strolls to his bike, me and Cruz on his heels following. “We’ll see. If not, we put the bastard out of his misery.”
“Ladies and gentleman… Give it up for Blaze!” The announcer’s long, drawn-out version of Blaze’s name does nothing but rev up an already ignited crowd. The guys and I just got here in time for her last performance and I’m assuming since Princess is at the clubhouse, Blaze is in charge again tonight. Up on the stage, a light shines directly over her from behind, pointing out to the crowd and giving us a tantalizing view of every curve of her body.
As the lights flash, my mouth drops. Tight black leather surrounds her body, her beautiful tits held up by a vest similar to a rag. The buttons down the front are connected with stones that sparkle, amplifying those beauties. The small little shorts below crisscross over her hips, her legs appearing longer than normal. Damn.
The music blasts and her hips sway to the sound, rolling in seduction. Those killer heels on her feet define each muscle in her very toned legs. Her signature smile is in place, but behind her eyes is a void. She’s not enjoying this, not one bit. She’s trying to mask it for the crowd and doing a damn good job, but I’ve been seen the real thing.
And damn if I don’t want to dig inside that brain of hers and find out more about her, not her physical appearance, she’s already got that shit down pat, but her. What makes her tick? Fuck me. I must be losing my shit.
Her body sways on its own accord, never missing a beat. Her legs hug the pole as she slides down slowly, and then she thrusts up and down once her feet hit the floor. She unbuttons the vest one tedious button at a time, giving the crowd a slight peek. Her eyes meet mine and a small wink comes my way. My dick throbs and pinches inside my jeans. I adjust myself as the leather falls from her body, her voluptuous breasts on display. Fuck.
All too soon, the lights disappear and all I can think is I have a date with that tonight. It is good to be me. I rise, giving Buzz and Breaker a grin.
“You’re really hitting that tonight? I mean, really seeing her, not this going to talk to her bullshit?” The skepticism in Breaker’s voice pisses me off. It’s like he thinks I couldn’t get something that is considered unattainable.
“I fucking told you I was,” I bite.
He holds his hand out in a calming gesture. “Easy there, brother. No need to get your panties in a bunch.”
“Back off, Breaker,” Buzz chastises, but has a smirk grazing his face. He says no more about it. “Eight a.m., clubhouse.”
“Got it.” Like I could forget. Pops called church, not that we’ll be sitting in on it, but it’s mandatory that we are in the clubhouse during the meeting. I do know what will be discussed, though. Randell said the fire was deemed accidental. Some pipe in the basement broke giving off gas and when the water heater kicked on, it blew. I think it’s a bunch of shit and the guys do too.
I nod at the guys and blow through the crowd that parts like the Dead Sea as people catch me coming.
I wander past the red velvet curtain and Doug stands guard. “Doug.” I wait for him try to stop me. I’m pretty sure he got smarter from the last time though, at least I hope.
This time his eyes do not waver and he steps aside, allowing my entrance. “Tug.” I smirk, at least he can learn that’s more than I can say for some people and cross straight to Blaze’s door ignoring the women in the room, but they watch me. I nod at Cali which he reciprocates and knock on the door.
“Be done in a minute, Cali. I gotta do another sweep and then Doug said he’d stay and lock up.” I stay quiet and listen for movement inside the room. It sounds like a damn tornado breezing through it. If I had feelings that could get hurt, I may think that she’s trying to escape me. Surely she knows better than that. I place my hands in the front of my jean pockets, waiting. “Then I gotta get out, Cali. The girls are all square and there’s only two more up, probably one now that I’m dressing,” her voice rings out.
Her rambles are pretty fucking cute. The door whooshes open, but Blaze is too busy with her belt and doesn’t realize I’m here. Her soft body collides with mine. I grip her hips and her eyes swing to mine, shock registering in a flash. “Tug,” she says so soft only I can hear her. She tries to school her facial expressions, but it’s too late.
“Hey, sweet lips. Ready to go out?” She steps out of my grasp, finishing with her belt. The button-up white shirt she has on is rolled at the arms and tucked into her jeans, which fit her like a fucking glove. The tears in them are strategically placed, giving a hint of skin in all the right places. Fuck yeah. She has the sexy business woman thing down pat, she may want to include that in her act. A low growl resonates in my throat at anyone learning this of her but me.
“I have a job to do, Tug. Maybe some other time.” She focuses on Cali, obviously trying to dismiss me and scurry away as fast as possible. Inside I want to chuckle. She has no idea. “You ready?” she asks Cali.
“Whatever you need, Ms. Blaze.” Cali pushes off the wall and Blaze tries to sidestep me, but she doesn’t get far as my body blocks her.
“I’ll wait.” Her body tightens, shoulders rise and her luscious tits puff out. Damn that’s a great view.
She breathes in deep, whether to control her anger or the fact that she’s turned on I’m not sure which, but I can tell her body is aching. Her nipples are at peaks through the thin white cloth and her breathing has increased. She probably doesn’t even know it’s happening. Or she totally does and is avoiding me like the plague. Not going to happen.
“Tug, seriously. I don’t know why you’re doing this.” She shakes her head, the wheels inside her brain turn so fast I’m surprised steam doesn’t roll out of her ears. I wish I knew what is consuming her. “I work for the club and I’m not a momma. Anyone here will be happy to fuck you and send you on your merry way. It’s not me, Tug.”
“Did I say I was fucking you?” I place my hand on her soft cheek. Her whole body quivers beneath my fingertips, calling her a liar. I don’t let her answer as I continue, “No. I said coffee, maybe food. I want to know more about what’s up here.” I remove my hand and point to her temple, tapping it two times.
She scoffs. “Right Tug. You just want to fuck me, add me to your list of conquests, and be on your way to the next. I know men and your type.” I won’t lie and say
I don’t want to be between those thighs, because that is where I will be soon, but I want to know more about how she knows my type. I will know. The emptiness in her eyes is compelling me to find out. Better just to ignore her comment.
“Go do your thing and hurry up.” The evil glare she gives me only sparks my fire more. My hand reaches to the small of her back, smashing her up against my body, and air leaves her lungs in a whoosh. Her hands snake to my pecs, trying to push, but I don’t give an inch. Her body is strung so damn tight. I can think of several ways to loosen her up lips, tongue, hands…
I lean in close to her ear as she tenses and whisper softly. “Baby, you smell so fucking good.” A mix of sweat and something floral turning my overriding libido up higher. “Tonight, we have coffee. Sit and talk. You find out I’m not such a bad guy and we go from there.” I can’t resist. My teeth nip her earlobe and she jumps away from me, eyes wide.
It takes her a few seconds to find her words and I love the fucking fact that I did that shit to her. “Coffee, then I’m going home. Alone,” she concedes.
Keep telling yourself that. I swear those words are more of a reminder for her than a warning for me. But, I’m in this shit and I don’t back down. Won’t. Really I can’t. Not now.
I step out of the way, nodding to Cali who follows behind her.
Stupid mother fucking piece of monkey ass shit. I growl, pacing the floor of X with Cali on my heels muttering about the stubborn man in my dressing room. I should call him a worm since he’s worming his way into my life and damn if I don’t give in. I’m angrier at myself than anything, but being angry at him is easier, so I’m going with that. I can’t help but be pissed at the Neanderthal who thinks he can dictate what I’m doing and when I’m doing it. And the problem is, I’m freaking letting him just like I let what happened to me all those years ago happen. I can’t do this. I won’t do this again. I clear my mind and focus on the task on hand.