by Amelia Shea
She’d run the scenarios over in her head about how she would handle seeing Bryant. That was fine a couple days ago. Now, she wished she’d reached out for some sort of back up from Rourke or Cheyenne. Her stomach churned as she got into the elevator. Thankfully, it was full, and the clamor of people distracted her mind.
Once she settled in and got back to the routine of her work, her tension eased up.
“Welcome back.”
Macy swiveled in her seat. Her coworker, Kiara, leaned against the wall of her cubicle.
“Hey there.”
“How was your vacation? Do anything fun?” If Macy considered any of her coworkers as friends, Kiara would be one of them. They had lunch quite a few times and had done happy hour together in a large group at the office.
“I spent most of my time being lazy and just hanging around the house.” Macy sagged in her chair. “It was awesome.”
Kiara laughed. “Those are the best, right? Eat crap food, start cocktail hour at noon, and binge watch crappy shows all day.” She sighed. “I’m jealous.”
“So, fill me in, what did I miss while I was vacationing like a queen?”
Kiara moved into her cube and sat at her chair next to her desk. “Let’s see, someone stole Graham’s leftover Italian from the fridge, and he went ape shit. I should have videoed it for ya, it was amazing. Donna from Human Resources is apparently having an affair with Howard from Sales who is rumored to be in a relationship with Mitch from the art department. And Lauren, from our very own in marketing, is pregnant. Again.”
Macy widened her eyes. “This would be baby number five?”
“Six.” Kiara snorted. “I can barely handle the two I got, and she’s going for a starting lineup. Better her than me.” She pointed to Macy. “You know what this means, right?”
Macy smirked. “Another baby shower?”
Kiara nodded. “I swear she keeps getting knocked up just to have the office parties.”
Macy laughed. “Anything else?”
Kiara gazed up at the ceiling, pondering. “Renee in Customer Service is on probation after telling some customer to suck it. In all fairness to her, she thought he was on mute.” Kiara chuckled. “Bryant from Finance has gone AWOL.” She paused, and Macy felt the blood drain from her face. “Oh, and Lenny from the night crew has a petition going around to offer gluten-free options in the vending machine. Isn’t the sole purpose of those machines to have a shit ton of sugar, gluten, and crap in them?”
Macy eyed her carefully as her heart raced against her chest. “The finance guy went AWOL?”
“Yeah,” She shook her head. “Heard from Carol he left a voicemail saying he was quitting and gave a PO Box for them to send his check. Really strange but—” She shrugged. “People are weird, right?”
Macy simply nodded, and half listened while Kiara continued on about something. She couldn’t even concentrate on what she was saying. Her head was filled with Bryant. And Rourke.
****
“Have a nice day.”
Rourke glanced over his shoulder and nodded at the older waitress behind the counter. It was taking some time for the residents of Ghosttown to warm up to them, but the diner employees were certainly welcoming. It might have had to do with the club’s business at the small establishment and the fact they tipped well.
The group had emerged from the small diner after lunch. They had gotten a good amount done in the morning and were headed back to the clubhouse to oversee renovations.
Rourke was the last man out and started toward his bike. He skidded to a stop when Saint halted in front of him.
“Problem?” Rourke asked.
Saint didn’t answer. Rourke leaned forward to see what had the VP so intrigued. Across the short street, he watched an old guy standing over a tiny-framed girl. He was clearly trying to intimidate her. She backed up a step, and he followed forward. Rourke would give him another chance to back up before he stepped in. They were under strict orders to lay low when in Ghosttown.
Construction had started, and as promised, the permits had been expedited. A few members, including Trax and Saint, had already started work on their homes, but there was a buzz in town about the new residents. Kase was hoping for a smooth transition into the town, which meant no unnecessary attention brought on by the members.
Rourke angled his head to see past Saint, who had made a step forward. Just enough of a glance to see who the girl was when she held out her hands and scanned the immediate area. It wasn’t a young girl as he assumed. It was the mayor, Bailey.
“Motherfucker,” Saint hissed and hurried across the street. Rourke followed heavy on his heels.
“I miss something, man?” Rourke hadn’t seen any sudden moves but whatever Saint saw he didn’t like. Pissing off a man like Saint had consequences, and they never boded well for the one on the receiving end.
Rourke stepped up on the curb, stopping directly beside Saint, who was five feet behind the tiny mayor. She held out her hands, clueless of the presence behind her. The man currently in her face hadn’t seemed to notice them. Yet.
“Mr. Collins, I understand you’re upset, and of course, you are more than welcome to bring it up at the next meeting but even as Mayor, I cannot, nor would I, give you the authority to set up animal traps for Ms. Donaldson’s cat.”
“The animal is messing with my sprinkler, saw it with my own goddamn eyes.”
“But you can’t set up a death trap for her cat.”
He moved forward and shouted in her face. “It’s my fucking property.”
Bailey flinched and stepped back the same time Saint stepped forward. They were now two feet away, and the old man was fully aware of their presence. Rourke was intimidating as fuck, but the old man’s eyes were glued with fear, planted on Saint.
Saint didn’t say a word, but Rourke smirked when the old man stepped back and fumbled with his words. “I’ll bring the cat… I-I mean the meeting…about the cat.”
“Are you okay, Mr. Collins?”
Rourke held back a snicker. The old man was seconds away from shitting his pants. Served the fucker right coming after a woman.
The old man cleared his throat and glanced at Saint, then Rourke, who purposely scowled, then to Bailey. “I’ll come to the meeting.” He turned and rushed to his car, taking another glance over his shoulder. Whatever he was getting from Saint sent him into a quick jog.
Bailey sighed and turned. She froze in her spot when faced with him and Saint. It wasn’t the usual reaction they received from a woman her age. Again, the term ‘woman’ might be a stretch for Bailey. He’d called bullshit on her reported age, the whole club agreed. Twenty-five? No fucking way.
Rourke stepped in closer to Saint, angling his view to see his profile. The brother was hard to read to outsiders. Saint was quiet and calm in most situations, even the dangerous ones. To only a select few, like himself, he knew Saint, knew who he was, and what he was capable of. If someone like the mayor knew the truth, she’d be running scared. But to her credit, she seemed at ease with just a hint of surprise by their presence.
Her lips curled. “Hi.” Her gaze was locked on Saint, but he didn’t respond.
“You all right?” Rourke asked.
It took a few seconds, but she ripped her gaze from Saint, landing on Rourke.
She nodded, seemingly unfazed. “I’m fine.”
He glanced over at Saint, reached out, giving him a short tap on his shoulder. “Let’s go, man, she’s good.”
Saint nodded and turned. Rourke met his steps as they crossed the street.
“You came over to check on me?”
Rourke stopped in mid-step. He glanced up at Saint, and they both turned back around to face Bailey, who was now standing five feet away. Her gaze shifted between both men but landed on Saint, and she took another step forward off the curb. Saint remained silent.
Rourke nodded, gaining her attention. “Wanted to make sure he wasn’t fucking with ya.”
She widen
ed her eyes, and her brows lifted to her hairline. “Really?”
Neither man answered, but Rourke was amused by the glint in her eye.
“What would you have done if he was fu…uh, messing with me?” Her fumbled words had Rourke tightening his lips to keep from laughing.
Saint growled. “We would have fucked with him.”
Rourke concealed his surprise that Saint had answered and been brutally honest with her. The man rarely spoke to begin with, and cursing was never how Saint had to get his point across. Saint said something, people listened. Been that way since Rourke met him.
Bailey tilted her head, taking another step closer. “So, you came over to help me?”
Saint jerked his chin. “If you needed it.”
The corners of her mouth curled. “Well, thanks.” She smiled warmly, her gaze remaining on Saint. “That was really sweet of you.”
Rourke glanced over at Saint. He couldn’t remember a time when someone referred to either of them as sweet. It was fucking ridiculous and hilarious, and he wondered if Saint would correct her, but instead, he watched his brother’s face soften and the corner of his mouth curl slightly. What the fuck?
“But umm…” Bailey surged forward and stopped in front of Saint. “Mr. Collins? He’s just wound really tight, so when anything, and I mean anything, gets under his skin, he unleashes. But he’s harmless, I swear.” She giggled, glancing over to Rourke. “We call him the town crier.” She gazed up to the sky as though she was talking to herself. “Well, not to his face, of course.” She shrugged and faced Saint again. “That would be rude, but let’s just say you mention to anyone in town the town crier, they’ll know exactly who you’re talking about.” She smiled again, this time showing off her gleaming white teeth.
Rourke had zero interest in any woman other than Macy, but he could admit Bailey was beautiful. And if he had to guess, Saint would agree. He hadn’t seen Saint with many women over the years, and the few he brought around, didn’t stay for long. Unlike most brothers, he didn’t stay at the clubhouse, certainly never fucked around in front of any brothers, and when he did have a woman there, he was never overly affectionate.
He tapped Saint’s arm and started to retreat to Kase and the boys.
“Later.”
He noticed Saint hesitated before falling in line with him, giving her their backs.
“We haven’t met.”
He furrowed his brows and turned again with Saint.
“What?” he said.
She stepped closer to them, smiling. She reached out her hand. “We haven’t met. I’m Bailey Preston.”
Rourke side eyed Saint who was staring intently at the mayor. He reached, shaking her hand. “Rourke.”
“It’s nice to meet you.”
Rourke nodded and pulled his hand away.
She smiled over at Saint. “And you’re Saint. We met at the town meeting.”
Rourke clamped his lips to batten down his own smile. Just the way she said his brother’s name with a breathy hitch in her tone gave her away. Saint was tense, his jaw clenched, and he jerked his chin.
“I remember.”
“Thanks again.” She lifted her hand in a very girly wave and turned, walking back to her car. All the while, Rourke stood, waiting on Saint who was watching her every move.
Rourke snorted. “Let’s go, man. Gonna catch shit from Kase ya keep staring at her.”
Saint slowly angled his head to Rourke. “I don’t take shit from Kase.” It was true, he didn’t, and Rourke would bet Kase wouldn’t say a word, but he laughed anyway.
They started across the street. It was only then did he realize, Kase, Gage, and Dobbs were seated on their bikes watching them. Rourke peered around the sidewalks and muttered, “Fuck.” It seemed they had gained the attention of a few passersby also.
He made his way to his bike, wedged between Gage and Saint and mounted his Harley.
“Care to fucking share?” Kase asked.
Rourke waited for Saint to speak. He didn’t. Unlike the rest of them, he wasn’t concerned with pissing off Kase and hearing him bitch. If Saint didn’t want to answer, Saint didn’t fucking answer.
Rourke leaned forward past Saint. “Just checking on her, she’s good. Fucking old man giving her shit, something about a cat or something, but it’s all good.”
Kase furrowed his brows, shifting his gaze to Saint, his jaw hardening. “Got a thing for our new mayor, brother?”
“Thought you said she was off limits,” Dobbs piped in from next to Kase.
Kase remained fixated on Saint when he answered. “I did.”
Rourke watched Saint suck in a breath and slowly angle his head to Kase, not saying a word. Those two had been close longer than Rourke had been around. It wasn’t rare to witness them have an exchange in silence. He understood it, he had a similar relationship with Gage and Trax. With the back of Saint’s head facing him, he couldn’t see his expression, but he could see Kase’s. He raised his brows, and the corner of his mouth jutted up. Whatever Kase was getting from Saint amused him.
And within a flash, it was over. Kase turned his head at the same time Saint stared straight, engines roared, and they were filing down the street. A few random onlookers glanced over at them, but it was the small redhead who caught his eye. Bailey stood near her car, watching them approach. As they passed, he noticed Saint’s head shift in her direction and remain on her until they turned the corner.
Rourke smirked.
Chapter Fifteen
She’d been in bed when she heard his bike pull in. It was after one in the morning. It wasn’t her plan to wait up for him, but sleeping was not an option. She decided not to mention it to Cheyenne during dinner though her best friend could tell something was off with her. Macy chalked it up to going back to work after a long week off. Cheyenne bought her story and didn’t push.
She sat up and stared at the open door. The small light in the kitchen flickered on, and she heard him open the door to the fridge. His footsteps were soft as he moved around the kitchen. He was probably trying not to wake her. Little did he know, she wouldn’t be getting any sleep until she spoke to him.
All day she had played over the possibilities in her head. Nothing made sense. She remembered enough from their one date, Bryant saying he’d done well in finance, he liked his boss and was hoping to move up in the company. Nothing he said indicated he was thinking of leaving, especially without notice. Who does that?
She waited another few minutes, but Rourke never came into the room. When she heard the TV turn on, she decided to get out of bed. She walked through the bedroom and out into the living room.
Rourke was on the couch with a bowl of leftovers.
“Hi,” she whispered.
He jerked his head. “Fuck. Did I wake ya?”
She smiled and shook her head. She moved into the room and noticed he cautiously watched her. He knew something was off, and rather than finesse her way into the conversation, she just blurted it out.
“Bryant quit.” She leaned against the wall, staring at Rourke. His expression fell somewhere between annoyed and bored.
“Just quit. No explanation, no two weeks’ notice. Nothing.” She paused, waiting for a reaction. She got nothing.
She’d have to be a complete, naïve moron to think Rourke didn’t have anything to do with it. When he remained silent, she continued.
“He did it over the phone.” She raised her brows. “He’s a grown man, who quit his well-paying job, via voicemail. Got anything ya wanna share with me?”
Rourke lifted his beer to his lips, taking a sip without urgency. “No.”
“Rourke…” She sighed. She was fully prepared to let everything go. Going to the police wasn’t an option. Macy was ready to move on with her life with Rourke and leave the Bryant situation in the past. Why couldn’t he?
His brows furrowed and his lips tightened. “Do you have any fucking idea, the restraint it took not to fucking beat that motherfucker into hi
s own grave?” His tone was lethal.
Their talk had gone from zero to a hundred in five seconds. Her mouth fell open. She’d seen him pissed off, but nothing compared to what she was seeing now. A fight with Rourke was the last thing she wanted tonight. She pushed off the wall but only got as far as two steps when his glare pinned her in her spot.
“You asked me not to kill? I didn’t kill him. You asked me not to beat the shit outta him? Didn’t do that either.” His jaw clenched, and his fist was balled so tight his knuckles were white. So much anger and rage radiated from him.
Until this moment, she hadn’t fully comprehended how hard it must have been for Rourke to respect her wishes. But she was getting an understanding now. Without even touching him, she knew his body was a tense timebomb about to explode.
“I know,” she whispered.
“But you can’t fucking ask me to let it go. You pissed I stepped in when you told me not to?” He shrugged. “Tough shit, Mace. That asshole is lucky I let him live, and that’s the God’s honest truth. But there is no chance he ever gets near you.” He leaned forward resting his elbows on his knees with a sharp scowl. “He quit because I told him if he didn’t, I would kill him. And he moved because he enjoys breathing without the assistance of a breathing tube. Till his last breath, he is not to be within a thousand miles of you.”
She widened her eyes in disbelief. “He moved?”
“Yeah, he fucking moved. When given the choice, he chose to live ten states away than being buried ten feet under.”
“Rou…”
“No,” he snapped and pointed his finger at her. His hand shook in obvious fury. She clamped her lips. “I don’t give a shit what ya think. Not about this. You asked me not to kill him, not to hurt him, and I didn’t. That’s where I stop listening to you, ya hear me?”
He slammed his bottle on the table, and his lips pursed. “Gave him the out to quit his job and move outta state and he took it. And I’m gonna spend the rest of my life tracking his ass, so he never gets anywhere near you.” He slowly lifted his gaze to her. “And if you have a problem with how I’m handling it, then leave. Walk out the door, Mace. Not gonna change anything with him. I’m still gonna watch him until he dies. ’Cause you being pissed at me don’t mean shit. You safe? I need that.”