She stills and reaches out, sliding her fingertips over my pecs as she muses, “It’s a coincidence. But you’re too funny. Thanks for distracting me.”
I snatch her wrist and still her hand. “Not a coincidence, Violet. I had it inked the day I quit the force. I wanted a distraction, needed something but didn’t know what. I strolled by a tattoo shop and before I knew it, I was sitting in a chair getting the turtles to remind me of failure and the need to move forward in life.”
“Failure is overrated,” she whispers and her gaze slides to my lips. “It’s lessons learned. Knowledge rooted in your mind so you can do better next time.”
“We did fail to have our first kiss,” I murmur, reminding the both of us how close we got to starting something together many years ago. “I’d say it’s ‘next time’ now, so now we can do better.”
I lean forward to close the distance when a voice breaks our moment. “Chance? You in here?”
“Dammit, if your ma doesn’t rip us apart, someone else does,” Violet grumbles and it makes me chuckle.
She’s right. Back then my mother snapped, “Now is not the time, Dustin. Keep it in your pants.” And she might have been right, seeing it was the day of Violet’s mother’s funeral. Vi was upset and I had a feeling she wanted to tell me something and yet she didn’t. I comforted her and held her close. Even with the shit going on, our emotions and feelings were clear back then. Seems the years in between didn’t let them fade either.
“Bell,” I address the prospect whose voice I recognize. “How the hell did you get here so fast?”
Bell rounds the desk. “I was checking on my granny, she lives ten minutes away from this place. Kinney knew where I was so he called me. You needed help to fix the window? I know a friend who lives downtown and can handle it. And what’s with the message on the brick?”
“Call him. Make sure he sends me the invoice. I’m about to get a handle on the whole note thing, okay?”
Bell takes his phone from his pocket and walks away to make a call. I turn my attention back to Violet whose gaze is locked on the shattered window.
“Are there any animals in the back? When do you open again? Monday?” I question.
“No animals. And I pushed all appointments to next week so I had ten days to hopefully find who is doing this and end it.” A deep breath rips from her chest when she turns to face me. “I really need everything to go back to normal, Chance. I’m barely holding on to my sanity as it is.”
And for the first time she gives me an honest reaction along with the acceptance that I’m going to be the one to handle it.
And I’m going to make sure it’ll all be handled. I might have had a feeling I failed her when she suddenly left town twelve years ago, so I’m not about to fail her again. “I don’t know if I am able to do it in ten days, seeing I don’t have a clue what’s going on. But I damn well give you my word I’m going to make sure you’re going to be, and stay, safe. Okay? And just so we’re clear, I’m handling this. No running away. I’m going to be the one in charge. Understood?”
“Fine,” she snaps, showing me the firecracker side of her.
But she will realize soon enough it’s one of the sides I always liked about her. And it makes me question how much she’s changed over the years. But I guess I’m about to find out.
CHAPTER FOUR
— Violet —
“At least tell me where you’re taking me,” I demand, but he keeps his lips sealed and his eyes on the road.
I live above my clinic in a tiny apartment. Chance made me pack a bag and practically shoved me into his shiny new car and hit the road. He asked me what was going on with me but my mind is still trying to stop spinning and I didn’t know where to start. It’s why he’s keeping his lips sealed, I’m sure; tit for tat.
He’s always been a stickler for law and order. Persistent. And when he doesn’t get his way he will make sure he does, even if it takes a long time to get there. Dammit. Seems he didn’t change all that much. And I might as well give in, because this guy grew up with four sisters who are all masters in giving a person the silent treatment.
“Fine. I didn’t say anything because I don’t know where to start. Or maybe I do and with you mentioning my stepbrother, it’s all a touchy subject. Though I don’t even know if he’s connected to all of it but since he died, all of this started.” I rub my temples in an effort to take away some of the pressure building behind my eyes, and grumble, “I need a good night’s sleep to get rid of this headache.”
“Barry is dead?” Chance says and his gaze swings to me and back to the road ahead of us.
“I don’t know all the details. My bitch of an assistant knew more than me. She told me he killed someone and failed, which led to him dying in an alley. He and his father were always wrapped in dogfights. As always, he probably got himself into trouble. Not so hard to guess since I had to deal with the after-effects, and the reason why I fired my assistant because I want nothing to do with them and I steered clear of them for about twelve years.”
Chance’s knuckles turn white on the steering wheel. “Your ramblings don’t make any sense. You’re right to stay silent when I asked you to tell me what’s going on. I think it’s best we get to the clubhouse first, get some coffee, sit down, take a breath. Then we’ll go through everything, okay? ’Cause I’m getting angrier by the damn second and I have to focus on driving.”
“Clubhouse?” I question.
“It’s where I live. Along with the rest of my brothers. Two old ladies moved in recently. There are a few other people around, some sweetbutts, a few prospects,” he easily supplies, and I can feel my eyes widen when realization sets in.
“Just hang on...brothers? Sweetbutts and old ladies? You’re kidding me with this TV series lingo stuff, right?” I squeak and shake my head. “Yes, you’re kidding. You’re not a biker. You. Mr. Everything-Needs-To-Be-Right. Oh. My. Gosh. ‘I go by Chance now.’ You have a road name? Nooooo. I’m not calling you that, you idiot. Let me out of the car. Right now. Dammit all to hell. I go from a criminal stepbrother getting me into trouble to the safety of an outlaw biker! Smooth, Violet. Freaking smooth. Just kill me now.”
“You done?” he calmly asks.
I can only huff and keep my eyes forward.
“Back to the silent treatment. Fine. Like I said, we’ll discuss everything when we get to the clubhouse.”
I huff again at his calmly stated words and the asshole has the nerve to chuckle. A biker. A freaking biker. How on earth is that even possible?
“From law to outlaw. Seriously?” I blurt, unable to keep silent.
The corner of his mouth twitches and he throws a look my way. “Let’s just say I’ve learned there’s such a thing as gray. When you know there’s black and white, and have seen both sides. Been confronted with both sides, and kicked down by the very thing you thought made the world right...it kinda opens your eyes.”
“What happened? Back at my clinic, you mentioned you quit because of my stepbrother. Can you please tell me what happened? Because the Dustin I know wouldn’t back away from the truth when asked.”
“Low blow, Vi.” He shakes his head and releases a deep sigh. “Fine. You want to know what happened? Those fucking dogfights you mentioned. That’s what happened. I arrested him and was confronted with the fact that my supervisor was on Barry’s boss’ payroll. I went higher up the chain and reported them all and internal affairs looked into it.”
His jaw is working overtime, clearly he’s grinding his teeth. Showing me there’s still so much anger rooted deep, and it can only mean one thing.
“They didn’t do anything about it, did they? Those fuckers. And since you reported it...dammit, they had the nerve to judge you, didn’t they?” Anger flares up inside me at the injustice he endured.
I feel his fingers wrap around my hand, prying open my fist as he brings it up to his mouth. He kisses my knuckles and says with a gentle voice, “Don’t get angry for my sake. I’m past i
t, Vi.”
“Past it?” I say and shake my head. How could he get past such a thing? I’d be angry for decades and a few more decades after that. “They caused you to throw everything away that you’ve ever wanted.”
“I don’t see it that way any longer. I simply moved on to better things,” the man easily supplies.
His eyes are focused on the road and I take a moment to assess him. Now that I’m looking at him knowing these details, I do see it. The careless smile, his relaxed posture, the way he’s sculpted with muscle, driving a kick-ass car, all while working two jobs. Not to mention both jobs are a direct link to what he wanted his future to entail. Well some form of it.
Besides, who am I to judge? Like I mentioned to him, the whole biker thing I know from TV series and I have no clue what it all entails in real life. I should be the one to keep an open mind and not judge everything beforehand. This is Dustin. Or Chance, whatever. I still refuse to call him Chance and will only use it around those who call him that. But for me? I know him. To me, he will always be Dustin. His eyes lock with mine and he holds my gaze for a moment before they slide to the road again.
And it’s then I realize, “You really have moved on to better things.”
He just shoots me a grin and simply says, “Uh-huh. You’ll see.”
“I’m glad one of us has their life on track. Mine seems to be failing at the moment.” I hate the whiny voice is mine, even if it was a mere whisper.
“The way I see it, you’re doing great, Vi. You wanted to become a vet and you damn well did. Hell, you have your own veterinary clinic. You also reached out for help when you needed it. That’s not something you used to do when I knew you twelve years ago. Back then you never asked for help and wanted to handle everything yourself, even if it meant being dragged down with it. Like I said, you’re doing great.”
“Don’t mention the whole ‘dragged down’ thing. I’ve learned how to swim.” I roll my eyes, knowing he was there when I panicked when some asshole threw me in the water.
I couldn’t swim at the time. I’m so damn afraid of water and my mother always protected me and didn’t have the funds to get someone with enough patience to teach me how to swim. It was one of the first things I made myself do when I graduated.
I release a choppy breath. “I should have known better. Coming back here last year might not have been one of my smartest moves.”
“Why did you?” He’s right to ask and yet the explanation might seem cheesy.
“The clinic was owned by a vet who wanted to retire. Her daughter was my roommate and it’s how I knew she wanted someone to take over the clinic and since I could finish up my internship there...everything lined up. And...it was close to your sisters and I missed them. Well, Alice and I obviously stayed in contact more than the others because we went to the same college, but still. And when my dad died, I simply moved into the apartment above the clinic.” I stare out of the window, watching everything swoop by as I think things through. “I never expected to come back. As you know my mother always told me my dad never wanted me. How she saved me and skipped states to fall in love with Barry’s father.”
“All lies,” Dustin growls underneath his breath.
“Yes, all lies. You were there the day of my mother’s funeral. How my real father came for me and swooped me away from the hell I was in. I learned that day how my mother kidnapped me and went into hiding because she hated my father. I was happy to be away from Barry and his father because they were hateful. The things they did—” I swallow hard and push the memories away. “But it all changed when my dad brought me home that day. He gave me the chance to get the education I dreamed of and all the love and care that was lacking from my life. I miss him so much.”
Again my eyes burn and I don’t think I’ve ever cried as much as I have today.
“Barry and his father were cut from the same cloth. Both selfish assholes who took advantage of everyone else for personal gain. If I only would have known how bad your situation was when your mother was still alive. I would have—”
I place my hand on his thigh and give a gentle squeeze. “No one knew. Besides, what could you have done?”
“We could have gotten married. Could have ran. Whatever. You didn’t deserve to endure anything they threw at you. They were toxic people.”
I pat his leg and laugh. “Married? You’re too funny. You might have been barely eighteen, but I wasn’t.” He covers his hand with mine, the move makes my voice fill with emotion. “Well, lucky enough my father never stopped searching for me. And look at us now...I guess my asshole stepbrother left you something to handle...if you feel guilty about not helping in the past, here’s your chance.”
“Vi,” he rumbles. “I never do shit out of pity. And guilty isn’t what I feel when I’m near you.”
CHAPTER FIVE
— Chance —
The rest of the ride has been in silence, and when I park my car and grab her bag, she calmly follows me into the clubhouse. The scent of pulled pork fills the air. I swear ever since the two old ladies moved in, the whole clubhouse always smells like homemade food, no matter the day or time. Well, maybe not the morning after a party that lasted all night.
“Come on.” I place my hand at the small of her back and guide her through the main room of the clubhouse.
A low growl rumbles through my chest when I notice all the eyes of my brothers—who are sitting at the bar—are locked on Vi. Their gazes filled with interest. Horny fucks.
“Eyes and hands off,” I snap, and manage to rush her off to my room without any more words.
“Was the rudeness necessary?” Vi scolds.
I give her a glare. “Yeah, it was necessary. Or do you have any interest in spreading your legs for any of my brothers?”
The horrified look on her face calms some of the anger raging inside me.
Though the words she gives me aren’t very satisfying either when she says, “I don’t plan to spread my legs for anyone.”
“Not for anyone?” I question.
She rolls her eyes and smacks my chest. “I see some things haven’t changed. Still got your head in the gutter at every turn, huh?” Her eyes slide over my room. “There’s only one bed.”
I give her a smirk. “I know. And yes, my head is always in the gutter, especially when it comes to you.”
Her eyes narrow. “You’re crazy if you think we’re going to end up in bed together. We hardly so much as kissed twelve years ago. We’re not even friends: you’re the brother of four of my friends. You’re—”
“The one who will keep you safe and will handle whatever is going on with you. Now take a load off while I debrief Kinney, my President. Bathroom is through there, cabinets above the fridge hold food and snacks. Try to get some sleep or lie down after you’ve taken a shower. I’m not liking the black underneath your eyes. And I promise you, no one is going to hurt you here. Can you write down the name of your assistant? I’ll do some digging into Barry’s background too and we’ll go from there. Do you need an aspirin for your headache?”
She takes the pen and the piece of paper I’m holding out for her and she writes down a name before handing the stuff back to me.
“Some aspirin would be nice. Then a shower and some sleep.” The sigh she releases sounds like it’s been ripped all the way from her toes.
I tuck the paper with the name in my back pocket and without thinking I gently take her face in my hands. “Try to relax. You’re with me now, okay?”
The relief flaring up in her eyes gives me the feeling as if I’m on the top of the world as she breathes, “Okay.”
I should probably mention there is indeed only one bed the both of us will be sleeping in, but she’ll find out later anyway. And for now, I need her to relax. I place a kiss on her forehead, grab my laptop bag, and walk out of the room.
What the hell is going on? I don’t kiss women on the damn forehead. Certainly not those I want to lick in other places and bounce off my cock. Yea
h, good thing I walked away. My head is screwing with me for sure. Time to focus on the job, way safer than to question the fact Vi popping up in my life still makes my insides lurch in the most delicious of ways.
I head for my favorite place in the clubhouse—the backyard—and take a seat in one of the lounge chairs. Grabbing my laptop, I fire it up and check my mail for Vi’s report Bo sent me. I read through the report and run both Vi’s assistant and Barry’s name to see what details pop up.
I’m pulled out of my thoughts when I instinctively sense someone. I look up and see Aspen, the president’s old lady. She’s been here a few months now and the first time we met she deemed us besties.
Not so surprising since the woman is a hoot to deal with. Not to mention we have a few things in common since she used to be law enforcement. Well, maybe not exactly due to the fact that this woman used to be a government assassin.
Since I grew up with four sisters—and all their girly friends coming over—I have a completely different view on women. Maybe that’s why none carry my interest. Don’t think this puts me in the virgin category, but it doesn’t shove me in the manwhore category that’s for sure.
I’m perceptive and have personal values I would like to see in a woman I want to commit to.
A woman like Vi. She not only makes my cock hard, she triggers my mind, my body, every goddamned nerve ending for that matter.
“Hey.” Aspen pinches my shoulder. “I was talking to you but your mind is miles away. You’ve never been a daydreamer. What’s wrong? And what’s with the rumor I’m hearing? Do you have a chick stashed in your room? Spill all the gory details, Chance. We’re besties. Besties share.”
“Nosy,” I grumble and shut down my laptop.
Aspen sits down and rests her feet on a tree trunk. “Kinney ordered me to ask you about the woman. He’s the nosy one. I just came to check if you’re okay. And what do I find? You daydreaming. You, my friend, do not daydream. Now, spill.”
The Fallon Brothers: Chance Page 2