“Aren’t you supposed to be the guys that protect women? Real nice mouth you got there,” she said sarcastically. I gave her a look.
“The whole reason you’re here is for your own protection. If you wanted a different knight in shining armor, you should have told your brother,” I said. “This is your room. I live in that apartment building right there. If you need anything, I’m number thirteen.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t,” she replied. She unlocked the door and stalked inside.
“Don’t go anywhere. That’s your one rule,” I said. “Trust me, I don’t think you want to go against him.”
She gave me another look, and I pulled a piece of paper out of my pocket, handing it to her. “And there’s my phone number, if you need anything. And just so we’re clear, there’s going to be one of my guys posted out here at all times. So if you think of running, don’t.”
She snatched the paper out of my hand and gave me another look of defiance, so I shrugged and turned to go. I was surprised when she called out to me. “Oh and Trip?”
“Yeah?” I asked as I turned slightly.
“Cutter isn’t in charge of me any more than you are! I’d really appreciate it if you giant toddlers would keep me out of your bullshit.” She didn’t wait for me to answer before slamming the door. I shook my head as I turned away, but there was no hiding the smile that played at the corners of my lips.
She was as feisty as the night she’d cracked me over the head with a beer bottle and I couldn’t help but like it. I parked my truck in the back lot of the complex and shook my head as I pulled the keys from the ignition and slid out of the driver’s seat. I was still in disbelief as I headed inside the building.
Ever since that night at the bar, I’d had that girl on my mind. It took a few days for the goose egg to go down, and each time I brushed it with even the tips of my fingers, I thought about her. The fierceness with which she looked at me. The challenge in her eyes.
Now, seeing her in person, I couldn’t help but laugh. She was every bit what I’d expect from a woman who had hit me over the head with a bottle like that. Spunky, feisty, not afraid to be heard.
The entire drive up from Barstow she argued with me, making it clear she wasn’t going to do a single thing I said, and she didn’t care how her brother or I felt about it. Even telling me her brother wasn’t in charge of her was comical. Something that a teenager full of angst would say, not a grown woman.
But still, that body, that spirit. There was so much there I couldn’t get enough of. She was the embodiment of perfection in my mind, and I got hard just thinking about her. I had never expected I would see her again. Now, she was under my protection.
Why the fuck does she have to be Cutter’s sister? God dammit! How the hell does that even happen? How does something so ugly and something so perfect come out of the same parents?
Oh God, the things I wanted to do to her! But Cutter would kill me if he found out. Then again, my job was to protect her, not seduce her. And I knew that getting involved with someone under your protection could lead you to take your eyes off the prize and make mistakes. With the cartel involved, I couldn’t afford any mistakes.
I needed to have a stern conversation with my dick and tell him to calm the fuck down. He would not be getting wet inside that mouthy little thing next door anytime soon. I pulled off my clothes and climbed into bed, checking my phone before shutting off the lamp. I didn’t think I was going to hear from Meg. Hell, she made it clear where she wanted me to go. But I thought I’d check anyway.
I closed my eyes, trying to get the image of her sitting next to me in the truck out of my mind. She was so hot, it wasn’t fair. Her attitude only added to her perfection, though she drove me insane for the entire hour and fifteen minutes it had taken us to get from her house to the hotel room door.
Yet, that didn’t change what I wanted to do to her, or the fact I wanted to get to know her as much as I could. There was no telling how long this war was going to last for Cutter, or how it would end.
I didn’t want Megan to be stuck in that hotel room the entire time, though I didn’t think she would want to be out in public with me, either. There were so many thoughts that ran through my brain, it was hard to shut them off to go to sleep.
God knew if I had much to do with that woman, I’d need rest. And I was up for the challenge.
10
Megan
I tried to ignore the knocking on my door. I was still in bed, not caring what time it was, where I was, or who I was. I had had a difficult time sleeping most of the night, not because of the fact I was in a hotel away from home and didn’t want to be. Not because I wasn’t going to get up and go to school and see the kids.
But because of him.
Trip. I had only seen him for a brief moment before he had been swept back into the crowd, but it had been enough for me to get a good look at him. And damn, was he hot. I had been so caught up in the heat of the moment, I had forgotten about him as soon as he was pulled away from me.
But since then, he had crossed my mind several times. It wasn’t fair for a single individual to be so damn fine. It was even less fair for him to be part of an MC. I hated MCs with all that I had in me. In my mind, they were the entire reason kids were dropping out of school and getting into drugs, crime, and violence.
I didn’t care if he thought he was better. He had mentioned several times in the ride up from Barstow that he didn’t have anything to do with drugs, and that he did everything in his power to keep guns off the streets as well.
But I didn’t buy it. I saw the way he looked at me. I couldn’t deny the instant attraction that was between us from the moment our eyes met. It was hot and heavy and damn near palpable.
I knew what it was. Trip was feral. I could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t selfish like my brother. He didn’t have that same sinister attitude that radiated out of Cutter. No, there was something about him that was so unapologetically free, and I wanted it for myself.
I wanted to know that that felt like. I wanted to know what he felt like. But I didn’t want anything to do with the club or any of the other people who were putting my kids in danger. They deserved a better chance at life, and people like Trip and Cutter were the reasons they didn’t choose to take it.
Hell, this whole damn mess was because of my brother and his club. And it wasn’t any secret he and the Avenging Angels had been having problems for over a year. I didn’t know for sure why, and I didn’t care.
I just knew I wanted nothing to do with it.
Another sharp knock at the door finally got me out of bed. I stomped over to the door, threw the bolt and whipped it open, one hand on my hip and a scowl on my face.
“What do you want?” I snapped.
“Come on, get up. We’re going to work,” Trip replied.
“We?” I asked with raised eyebrows. “Who’s we?”
He looked around the parking lot, then back at me. “You and me.”
“I’m not going with you,” I spat.
“Yes, you are,” he said.
“No, I’m not.”
“Look, Sweetheart,” he sighed. “I’m not sure how much Cutter told you, but he and I have an agreement worked out. I’m going to keep an eye on you and he’s going to keep his shit out of my town. I have to work today, and if I’m going to uphold my end of the bargain, you’re coming with me.”
“It’s not my problem what you have worked – Hey!” Trip pushed past me into the hotel room. “Get out!”
“I’m not leaving without you,” he replied.
“Get out or I’m going to call security!” I snapped.
“Nice try, but security knows me. You do that, and you’re going to have to come stay with me,” he said. I stared at him. He was impossible. And ungodly hot. I hated him for standing up to me the way that he was, but there was also something about it that turned me on.
He clearly respected me, but he wasn’t going to let me walk all over him. He
was in control of this situation, and I knew it. It drove me crazy, and I had the passing thought of shoving him onto the bed and seeing how far I could take things.
“What do you do for work?” I asked, changing my tactics to hopefully catch him off guard.
“I run a mechanic shop,” he said.
“And you want me to hang out there all day?” I asked, my eyes growing wide.
“You have your laptop. Why not sit in the office and send off emails to your school or whatever it is you do?” he asked.
I folded my arms. It wasn’t a bad idea, but I didn’t like the tone he used.
“I don’t send emails to school, I prepare forms for the kids. I work hard to keep them off the streets you know. If I can get them to stay away from the life you live, I’ve done a good job,” I snapped.
“You realize that it comes down to them, right?” he asked. He caught me off guard with that, and I couldn’t help but take the bait.
“Come again?”
“The kids. Those kids are all on the brink of adulthood, and they are months away from getting to make their own decisions. Most of them have already made those decisions, they’re just biding their time until they can get away with it,” he shrugged.
I gave him another look, and he held up his hand. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m sure you feel great doing what you’re doing, and you might help out a kid who’s on the fence. But you’re not going to solve the drug and gang problem on your own. You aren’t Michelle Pfeiffer, and this isn’t Dangerous Minds.”
My heart skipped a beat as fury pumped through my veins. Part of me wondered if he was just trying to piss me off, another part of me wondered if he was right. But I wasn’t going to let him sway me. I knew what I was doing was worth it no matter how much he wanted to discourage me.
“You know what?” I said suddenly. “I’ve changed my mind.”
He looked at me with raised eyebrows. “I’m going to change into something more presentable, and I’ll go sit at your mechanic shop with you, but I don’t need or want any more of your unsolicited opinions,” I said.
“Fair enough,” he walked back to the door. “I’ll be out here. Be ready in fifteen.”
“It’ll be ten,” I said. He didn’t answer as he stepped out, and I wanted to burst out laughing. These self-proclaimed tough guys thought they had all the answers in life, but they didn’t know what they were talking about. If Trip or Cutter or anyone else could see the work that I put into those kids, and the good that came of it, they would realize that I did change lives.
I was going to continue working as much as I could from here in Ridgecrest, but it was only going to be temporary. I would be going home soon, if I had anything to say about it. And when I did, I would throw myself even further into my work and prove to all of them that I could make a change.
And they could all eat crow.
“Thank you, and you have a good day,” Trip handed a customer a receipt and the young woman headed out the door. I was seated at one of the waiting tables in the corner, staring at the screen of my computer. I wasn’t going to even acknowledge any of the men who were coming through the shop.
I didn’t care what they thought about me, and I didn’t care to meet any of the customers, either. As far as I was concerned, I had been torn from where I was needed most, and I was going to only focus on that.
“She sure works hard, maybe you should ask her if she wants to work here,” a blonde guy with blue eyes walked up to the counter. I knew he was talking about me, but he was talking to Trip. Also covered in tattoos, I couldn’t help but notice he was also good looking.
Damn, do they put that as a requirement to get into these things? Stop it. Don’t let them fool you with their muscular arms and tattoos. Stay strong and get the hell out as soon as you can.
“Good luck with that. It was hard enough for me to get her to come here and just work on her own shit. I couldn’t imagine if I asked her to work for me,” Trip replied.
“You know I’m right here,” I said, looking up from the laptop. “I can hear everything you’re saying.”
“She speaks!” the blonde said. Trip laughed.
“Couldn’t get her to shut up yesterday.”
“Look, I don’t know what game the two of you are playing, but if you’re going to talk about me, then you might as well include me in the conversation, or take it where I can’t hear you,” I said.
“Are we hurting your feelings?” Trip asked. He turned to his friend. “She’s making it her mission in life to make sure no one else joins a gang or MC.”
“Really?” the blonde looked back at me. “How’s that going?”
“I’ve never had a kid turn on me yet,” I lied. I knew some that I’d talked to had gone on to live the life I’d tried to keep them from, but I wasn’t going to admit that to either of these men. They could fuck off for all I cared.
“That’s impressive,” the blonde said.
“Yeah, Gunner, she eats sunshine and shits rainbows, didn’t you know?” Trip cut in before I had the chance to respond.
“Fuck off!” I snapped. “You know nothing about my kids or the work that I’ve done. So why don’t you shut the hell up and go on about your own business.”
Both men exchanged a glance, and I could see them hiding smirks. I wanted to throw my laptop at them, but Trip spoke. He was once again talking to the man he’d just called Gunner. “Told you she was feisty.”
He laughed, and before I could say anything else, they disappeared back inside the shop. I shook my head, my cheeks burning. I wasn’t sure if I was blushing, or they were flushed with anger, but I was pissed. I continued to work on the form in front of me, though with less vigor.
I tried my hardest to get more work done but after a half hour staring at the same damn form, I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. I felt so stupid for letting them get to me. I was smarter than that.
What the fuck did I care about what some assholes named Trip and Gunner thought about me or my work? What the fuck kind of names were Trip and Gunner anyway? Asshole’s names, that’s what kind.
I huffed a breath and closed my computer. If I was going to survive this whole ordeal, I was going to have to have a lot thicker skin than I had right now.
11
Trip
“Okay, we aren’t going to Barstow, and you don’t want to be here, so where do you want to go?” I asked.
It was Friday once again. Meg had been up in Ridgecrest for a week, and she was being a little easier to get along with than she had been when she first arrived. A little.
She had been coming to the shop with me daily, working on her laptop while we worked in the back. I didn’t care she was up there, and by the end of the week, she was less abrasive with the guys. Most of them anyway. There were still a couple she didn’t get along with. But hell, I had a hard time getting on with Brutus every so often myself.
“You don’t need to take me out at all. I’m fine eating what I got at the store,” she said.
“I want to take you out. You’ve been doing nothing but sit in that hotel room, at the park beside the hotel, or at the shop all week. Don’t you have cabin fever by now?” I asked.
She hesitated. I had a feeling she did, and that she didn’t want to admit it. However, I wasn’t going to let her go out on her own, not with the agreement I had with Cutter. Though I didn’t like the man and thought quite little of him, a pact was a pact, and that’s what we had.
“It’s not a date,” she said.
“I didn’t say it was,” I replied. “You are the one who keeps bringing up the date word.”
She blushed, and I wanted to smirk. It was clear she was attracted to me. I caught her stealing glances all week. Though, I had to admit, I was doing the same thing. She was a hot little number, and I couldn’t get past how sassy she was. I loved that about her.
I’d never before met a woman who could keep up with my attitude. And she was right there with me. Hell, there were even times
when she was the one with the bigger ego than I had. If that was even possible.
“Fine. I want to get as close to Barstow as you’ll allow,” she said. She gave me a defiant look, challenging me to argue. I sighed. It was something I could work with. I’d take her a couple of towns south of Ridgecrest, but we weren’t going to go very close to Barstow.
That was where a lot of the fighting was centered – there and further south, closer to the border. I wasn’t going to let her go that direction. But hell, there were a few places we could go in between.
“About halfway is all I’m going to say,” I said. “I’ll take you there.”
“Great,” she tossed her hair over her shoulder. We were sitting in the parking lot at the shop, both in my truck. I’d been taking her to work on my bike, but since I knew I wanted to take her out after, I’d opted for the truck that morning. She had asked several times why we were in it during the ride to work, but I was good at evading questions.
“Great,” I said. “Pick a place and we’ll go. Do you need to get anything from your room first?”
“No,” she shook her head. “This is as nice as I’m going to look when I’m with you.”
“You look great,” I replied without hesitation. The words just rolled off my tongue naturally. Of course, I meant them, and I didn’t think anything of it, but out of the corner of my eye I saw her jaw drop. She clearly didn’t think I was willing to give her any compliments, and she didn’t know what to say.
She recovered quickly, however, and motioned to the street. “Just drive. By the time we get on the freeway I’ll know where I want to go.”
“Great,” I said. I put the car on the road, and we drove in silence. It was strange for her to be so quiet. She was usually either talking about how much work she was missing back in Barstow or asking too many questions about the shop. I was careful with the information I gave her about my club. Even though I was insanely attracted to her, she was still Cutter’s sister.
Protecting Her: An Enemies to Lovers Romance Page 6