by L. Wilder
When I got to the club, it was late and things were already rolling. Customers were streaming in through the front door, and the bar was hopping with each of the waitresses filling their table’s orders. I spotted Parker walking away from the bar with a tray full of drinks, but I didn’t go straight over. Instead, I walked over to one of the back tables where Hawk was sitting with Delilah and her best friend, Krissy.
“Hey, brother.” Hawk slapped my shoulder as soon as I sat down. “Where you been?”
“Over at the clubhouse talking to Viper and Axel.”
“That talk have anything to do with Aubrey?”
“Yeah.” I couldn’t get into it all with Delilah and Krissy sitting there, so I simply said, “I’m gonna need you and Country to fill in for me for a few days. Maybe longer.”
“You going somewhere?”
“I am.” Again, I couldn’t tell him what was up, so I nodded my head in Delilah’s direction, giving Hawk the signal. “Marlowe should be able to handle the nightly receipts and basic inventory, but I’ll need you to check in with her now and then to make sure she’s got everything covered.”
“Shouldn’t be a problem.” His brows furrowed with concern. “Viper know about you leaving?”
“He does.” I leaned over to him and said, “He can fill you in on all the details later.”
Marlowe came over from the bar with a round of drinks. She handed the girls theirs first, and although neither of us had ordered one, she placed a couple of beers down in front of Hawk and me. Marlowe smiled as she said, “You both look like you could use a drink.”
“Definitely, thanks.” I grabbed one of the beers and took a long pull, then turned to her and said, “I was just telling Hawk that I’ll be needing you to cover for me for the next few days. You gonna be okay with that?”
“Absolutely. Is everything okay?”
“It will be. Just let Hawk know if you need a hand with anything.”
“Sure thing.” Marlowe turned her attention back to the girls. “I’ll come hang out with you guys as soon as I get my break.”
“Great,” Delilah replied. “We’ll be here.”
When Marlowe walked back to the bar, I stood up and said, “I better get to the office. I have a few things to take care of before we head out.”
“We?” Hawk asked. “That means Aubrey’s going with you?”
“Yeah. Like I said, talk to Viper. He’ll fill you in.”
“Got it.” When I turned to leave, Hawk called out to me, “Yo, Menace?”
“Yeah?”
“Be careful, brother.”
I gave him a nod, then headed to my office. As soon as I got to my desk, I started prepping for our trip to Billy’s, making sure I had everything covered so Marlowe could take over while I was gone. There was a lot to get done, so it was almost last call by the time I’d finished. Once I had everything wrapped up, I headed out to the bar and found Parker helping Marlowe with the final wipe-downs of all the counters and tables. “Hey, you almost ready to go?”
“Go where?”
“To your place to grab your things.”
“And why would I do that?” she sassed.
I couldn’t really blame Parker for being aggravated with me. I hadn’t talked to her since I left her apartment earlier that morning, which probably wasn’t the best idea considering how the night before had played out. Not only had we had sex, she’d shared her past and her fears of the future with me. That and the fact I’d gotten Country to go by and pick her up for work was enough to piss off any woman. Unfortunately, I didn’t have the time nor the patience to smooth things over, so I said, “Can we just pretend that you aren’t ticked at me right now and that you’ll go grab your stuff so we can leave?”
“Nope, sure can’t.” She continued to wipe down a table as she grumbled, “I mean, I’d like to, but I don’t have an on-and-off switch like some people do.”
“An on-and-off switch?”
“Oh, yeah. There are some people who are all hot and fiery one second, then cold and distant the next. You never really know what you’re gonna get.” She shrugged. “An on-and-off switch.”
Parker glared at me, leaving no question as to who she was talking about. I let out an exasperated breath and growled, “We don’t have time for this bullshit. We need to go, and we need to go now.”
Shaken by my harsh tone, she dropped the rag she was using to wipe down the tables, and without another word, went to the back to grab her things. Once she’d returned with her bags, she followed me out to my bike and didn’t say a word as I shoved them into my saddlebags. I got on my bike and waited as she took my spare helmet, slipped it on, then hopped on behind me—all while remaining completely silent. Parker was mad before, but now she was downright pissed. I could’ve said something to ease the tension between us, but I was too fucking stubborn for that. Without saying so much as a word, I started the engine and pulled out of Stilettos’ parking lot. Seconds later, we were on the main road and headed to Parker’s apartment. When we pulled into the lot, I was pleased to see Shotgun was waiting there with Locke.
As soon as I’d parked, Parker got off my bike and charged inside her apartment, slamming the door behind her. Yep. She was still pissed. I sat there for a moment, letting the aggravation roll off me before I dismounted; then, I pulled her things out of my saddlebags and stepped over to the SUV to speak with Shotgun. “Thanks for bringing the truck over.”
“No problem, brother.” After they both got out, Shotgun snickered. “Is it just me, or has your girl got her panties all in a twist?”
“Yeah, but she’ll get over it soon enough.” Since we’d be traveling across state lines, I’d arranged for them to bring over one of the club’s SUVs. I handed Shotgun my keys, and he offered me the ones to the truck. He would ride my bike back to the clubhouse, and Locke would drive Parker’s car. I didn’t have her keys, so I told him, “Hold on a sec. I need to go in and grab her keys.”
“Sure thing.”
I ran inside, and when I put down Parker’s things from my bike, I was pleased to see that her luggage was still packed and by the front door. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a cold look on her face. Ignoring her irritated mood, I said, “I need the keys to your car.”
“Why?”
“So Locke can drive it over to the clubhouse.”
I was expecting her to give me flack about it, but instead, she reached into her purse and grabbed the keys. As she tossed them over to me, she announced, “The ignition is a little testy, so you’ll need to tell him to wiggle it a little.”
“Wiggle it, huh?”
“If he wants it to start,” she sassed.
I should’ve been annoyed that she was being so short with me, but I liked that she had a little bite to her. I chose to disregard her little pout and simply walked out of the kitchen. I carried the keys over to Locke and said, “There’s some give to the ignition. Have one of the guys check it out and see what they can do to fix it while we’re gone.”
“You got it, brother.”
Shotgun stepped over to us. “Just let us know if you need anything while you’re gone.”
“You know I will.”
He gave me a brotherly slap on my bicep, then turned and headed over to my bike. I stood there watching as he and Locke pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared out into the flow of traffic. I went back inside and found Parker sitting in the same spot at the kitchen table. As I bent down and started collecting her luggage, I asked, “Is this all of it?”
“Yep.” When I started walking to the door, she asked, “Are we going to your room at the clubhouse?”
“No.”
“Then, where are we going?”
“My place.”
“But I thought—”
“We’re going to my place, but only for tonight,” I explained. “Tomorrow, we’ll be going to Billy’s.”
“Wait... Who’s Billy?”
“The man who is going to put an end to a
ll your troubles.”
Maybe it was curiosity or just plain fear, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she simply stood up, grabbed the rest of her bags, and followed me outside. We locked the door, then made our way out to the truck. After we tossed her things in the back, she walked over to the passenger side door and got in. Again, she said nothing as she buckled her seatbelt and stared out the front window. I got in next to her and started the truck. I’d just backed out of the driveway when Parker muttered, “You know, just because we had sex doesn’t mean you have to do all this. It was just sex. It wasn’t a big deal. You can just take me to my car, and we...”
“I’m doing all this because I want to—not because I have to.” I tightened my grip on the steering wheel, then added, “And as far as the sex goes, it was fucking incredible, but it can’t happen again.”
“Ohh-kayy?” A puff of air slipped through her lips. “I didn’t realize it was such an issue, but if you don’t want to, we certainly don’t have to.”
“Didn’t say I didn’t want to. I said it couldn’t happen again.”
“Same difference, but whatever.”
There was no way I could explain how bad I wanted to fuck her again. Hell, it was all I could do to keep myself from pulling that fucking truck over and having her right then and there. That was the problem. I needed to keep my head in the fucking game, not on getting in her fucking pants again. It was the only way I’d be able to keep her alive. I didn’t bother saying anything more. There wasn’t any point dwelling on something neither of us could change.
When we pulled up to my place, I got out and started collecting Parker’s things. She, on the other hand, remained in the SUV. I closed the back, and when I came back around, she turned to me with a gaping mouth. “This is your house?”
“Yeah.” I chuckled at her reaction. “You seem surprised.”
“Just a little.” She got out of the truck and closed the door, then stood frozen at the front of the truck as she studied my two-story colonial with its wrap-around porch. I’d had a decent amount of work done on the place, but it still needed a good bit more—a fresh coat of paint for starters. Parker didn’t seem to notice the areas that were peeling or the untouched yard as we climbed up the front steps. “It’s really nice, Menace. Like really, really nice.”
As I unlocked the front door, I asked her, “What? You expected me to live in a dive or something?”
“No, not at all. It’s just really beautiful... and big.” Parker was all wide-eyed as she stepped inside the house and took a quick glance around. “Do you live here alone?”
“Yep.” She followed me as I carried her things down the hallway to the guest room. I dropped her things on the bed, then turned to her and said, “We’ll head out at seven in the morning.”
“Why so early?”
“We have a stop to make on the way.” As I continued out of the room, I told her, “Let me know if you need anything.”
Without saying anything more, I forced myself out of the room and closed the door behind me. It wasn’t easy. I wanted nothing more than to throw her on the bed and spend the night fucking her senseless, but I swallowed back that all-consuming need and continued down the hall to my room. After I packed a bag, I took a shower and got into bed. We had a long day ahead. I needed to get some sleep, but every time I closed my eyes, I saw her—arching her back and moaning my name, begging for more as I fucked her over and over again. Knowing Parker was just a few feet away wasn’t helping matters. Hell, my cock stood at attention as I lay there and stared up at the fucking ceiling. Damn, it was going to be a long fucking night.
Parker
When I told Menace the truth about my past, I thought he’d freak out and send me on my way, especially after he’d heard about the Brants, but he didn’t. To my surprise, he seemed even more adamant about helping me. I thought I’d found my knight in shining armor, but when we pulled up to the federal prison, I was beginning to think I had this thing with Menace all wrong.
Acting like it was no big deal, Menace pulled up to the guard at the gate and announced, “We’re here to see Dalton James.”
“Name?”
“I’m Jared Hughes, and this is Aubrey Cash.”
“You got identification?”
“We do.” Menace grabbed his wallet and pulled out his driver’s license, then waited as I did the same. I was more than a little nervous about giving the guard my fake ID, but Menace had left me no choice. “Here ya go.”
I held my breath as the guard gave them the once over, then offered them back to Menace. “You can pull through.”
Without responding, Menace buzzed up his window and drove through the gate, then parked in the front lot beside the entrance. When he shut off the ignition, I turned to him and asked, “What are we doing here?”
“I got someone I need to see.”
“Yeah, I figured that much.” It was moments like these when I wanted to ring Menace’s neck. He knew exactly what I was asking, but he was skirting around the answer. So, I pushed, “Who is Dalton James?”
“He’s one of my brothers.”
“One of your brothers is in jail?”
“Yeah, but it’s not like what you might think.”
“Then, what’s it like?”
As we headed inside, Menace told me about Dalton and his sister, and how she’d called him after her boyfriend attacked her. There was no missing the anguish in Menace’s voice as he gave me the details of what ensued after Dalton and the boyfriend got into a heated exchange. He described how they’d fought and fought hard. A grimace crossed his face as he told me about the final blow that sent the boyfriend sailing. He ended up hitting his head on the edge of the coffee table, killing him instantly. By the time we reached security, Menace went on about the trial and explained how he’d gone to see Dalton as often as possible. Hearing him talk was the distraction I needed to keep from freaking out over the numerous armed guards. It seemed like it took an eternity for them to get through all the paperwork and IDs, but we finally made our way into the visiting area.
We hadn’t been sitting there long when one of the prisoners started walking in our direction. By the way Menace told the story, I was expecting Dalton to be an average Joe kind of guy, but there was nothing average coming in our direction. This guy was huge with muscles bulging from the short sleeves of his orange jumpsuit and fierce green eyes that pierced straight through you. He was a force to behold, making me feel more than a little intimidated when he sat down at the table and glared at me like I was encroaching on his territory. “Who’s this?”
“Her name is Aubrey. She’s… uh... a friend of mine.”
“Oh yeah?” His eyes skirted over me as he said, “Never known you to have any friends who looked like her.”
“First time for everything.” Menace glanced over to me for a moment, then turned his attention back to Dalton. He motioned his hand over to Dalton’s bicep, where a skull with flames tattoo marked his skin. The red, swollen skin made it obvious that it was fresh and quite possibly infected. “I see you got yourself some new ink.”
“Figured it was time.” Dalton lifted his arm, revealing the different tattoos that marked his skin. “Got one for every year I’ve been in here.”
Menace replied with a hint of sarcasm, “Glad you’ve found something to occupy your time.”
“Do what I gotta do. You gonna tell me why you two are here or what?”
“You ever heard anything about a guy named Rossi,” Menace answered. “He’s connected to the Italian mafia.”
“Can’t say that I have, but I could ask around.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
He leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table as he studied Menace for a moment. “Something going on I need to know about?”
“Just taking care of a situation with Aubrey. Nothing for you to be concerned about.” Menace looked over to me before he continued, “We’ve got it covered.”
Maybe it was because there wasn
’t much Dalton could do to help while he was behind bars or that they wouldn’t or couldn’t talk about it in front of me, but Menace didn’t tell Dalton the story behind Rossi and me—or his plan of taking me to see this Billy guy. Instead, he simply said, “Just wanted to stop by and let ya know that we’re gonna be leaving town for a few days.”
“You know I don’t like that shit. This got something to do with that Rossi fella?”
“Yeah, but like I said, nothing to be concerned about.”
“If you say so.”
“You need anything before we head out?”
“A ticket out of here would be great. Otherwise, I’m good.”
I took another glance around the room, and my chest tightened when I realized we were completely surrounded by men in orange. It was impossible not to worry that I’d gotten myself into an even bigger mess than I was already in. I’d been running from criminals for months, and now I landed myself right into the thick of them. It was enough to make me wonder if I should get up and run out of there, but then it hit me. Maybe, just maybe, fighting fire with fire was the only way to survive this ordeal with Rossi. Since Menace and the brothers were going out of their way to help me, I thought it was only fair that I tried to do the same for him. I could tell by the way he spoke that he and his brothers thought a lot of Dalton, so I looked over to him. “Mind if I ask you a question?”
“Okay. What’s on your mind?”
“Do you have a date set for your parole hearing?”
“Why ya ask?”
“Just curious.”
“Well, if you must know, my case goes up to the parole board in a couple of months, but I’m not holding my breath for an actual hearing. These motherfuckers aren’t gonna let me outta here any time soon.”
“Have you done your part to show that you’re ready to be reintegrated into society? Have you gotten into any trouble while you’ve been here? Did you take any classes or get counseling?
“My father was a lawyer. I worked at his office in the summers while I was going to college, and I picked up on a couple of things.”