Brick: Blacktop Renegades (BRMC Book 2)

by Chelsea Handcock

  “All your stuff is in there, Ryan. There’s an SUV parked out back. Consider the SUV and money, payment for everything you’ve done for the club.”

  This whole thing was pissing Ryan off. She expected it, even tried to prepare herself for it, but it still sucked.

  “You know what?” Ryan threw the envelope down on his desk. “I don’t think so. Consider the work I did for you, my parting gift. After all, the whole system failed. Maybe you were right.”

  Ryan walked out of the office, not having the first clue where she was going, but she would damn well figure out how to get out of Caine’s decrepit mausoleum on her own. As it turned out, she didn’t have to worry about it. Junior met her halfway down the hall as though he’d been waiting for her, damn it. Leaning against the wall, one foot propped up on it, his hands were crossed over his chest as if this was any day of the week, and Ryan wasn’t about to fall the hell apart.

  “You still owe me, little sister.” Ryan kept walking, turning the corner, and seeing the front door.

  “Yeah, well, I’m pretty sure no one is going to let me cook you those meals.”

  “I don’t give a shit about the food, Ryan, never did. You fought so hard for him, now you’re just letting him go so easily? They tell you what to do, and you do it? Damn, girl, I thought more of you. Guess I was wrong.”

  Ryan stopped in her tracks and whirled around to face the infuriating man. Her momma always said, sometimes, it was prudent to just walk away, and other times dumbasses needed to see you fight to get a clue.

  “You know what? Kiss my ass, Junior. You want me to stay and fight for a man who just told me all I was to him was a cheap fuck? I think I deserve my walk of shame. But I’ll tell you what. I’m not going to give up any of this, I’m just not going to do it here. If Brick wants me, he’ll be able to find me. If he doesn’t, it is his fucking loss.”

  “Good girl.” Junior gave her a genuine smile, one that changed his face, softened it somehow. “Now, for my favor.” Junior handed her a piece of folded paper. Inside, it said, Tinsley McCauley, nothing else.

  “Okay?” Ryan questioned.

  “That’s all I have. I need you to find everything you can on her, whereabouts, history, anything.”

  “Again, Junior, okay, but I need a little more like age, a place to start, known relatives. Otherwise, although the name is unique, it’s still like shooting fish in a barrel.” The smile was gone, replaced by a stern look Ryan couldn’t decipher.

  “She would be around twenty-eight, give or take a year. She was my foster sister. We were both placed in Oklahoma, and trust me, I’ve already searched her name and come up with dick. That’s why I’m calling in my favor.”

  Ryan tore the piece of paper in half and dug through her purse for a pen. Pulling it out, she wrote down a burner number and handed it to him.

  “Keep in touch,” she said as she walked toward the door.

  “Not so fast, sweetie. I’m your escort home.”

  “Junior, seriously, that’s an epically bad idea, especially if we’re trying to keep my association with the club under wraps to ‘protect’ me. Small-town people talk.”

  “True, but no one is going to see us together, sweets. I’m just going to make sure you get there, then be on my way. So, the question is, are you headed home or to your mom’s?”

  “My mom’s.” Ryan rubbed her eyes, her head starting to pound.

  “Alright, let’s hit it then.”

  Ryan walked out to the SUV parked right where Caine said it would be, with Junior’s bike sitting not too far away. Looking back, she saw Caine standing on the porch, Axel and London hanging back further in a field. They were all watching to make sure she left or saying goodbye in their own ways, but the one person she really wanted to see again wasn’t there. She opened the door and stood on the running board to get in.

  “Junior! Thank you.”

  Junior got off his bike, coming back up to her.

  “Listen to me, I don’t buy into happily ever after’s or fairy tale bullshit, but even I could see there was something more going on between you and Brick. With guys like us, that shit doesn’t sit well. You mean something to him, Ryan, or he wouldn’t have bothered sending you away. He would have fucked you and forgotten you all in the same span of time. That didn’t happen. Go home to your mom, regroup, do your hoodoo magic, and find and heal your brother. If Brick is a smart man, he’s already realizing what he let slip through his fingers and will come find you. If not, he’s a dumbass, and you don’t need him. You’re both right about one thing—you are better than that.”

  Ryan could feel the tears forming in her eyes, but when Junior, the tatted-up badass biker, tweaked her nose, she couldn’t help but laugh.

  “Now, get your ass in there, so we can get the fuck out of here. I haven’t got all day to stand around Dr. Phil-ing your ass. I need to save it for the boneheads I ride with.”

  It took three hours to get to her mother’s house, and just as Junior had said, she never saw him after they left, but she could feel him. Call it intuition or a sixth sense, but she knew he was there because she had felt safe enough to concentrate on herself and all the emotions bombarding her.

  When she pulled up her mother’s long driveway and parked the SUV in front of the double-wide trailer Tiny had bought her mom years ago, the tears started again. Seeing his window with two candles lit, she almost lost it, but when her mom came out on the porch, haloed by the light inside, she didn’t even try to stop the tears. She ran to her mom like she was a little kid, needing to feel the strength and love of her hug.

  “Oh, sweet girl, let’s get you inside, and you can decide if you want moonshine or fresh-baked cookies. Either one will fix what ails you.”

  Ryan laughed. “Momma, both sound good, but I think this right here,”—Ryan hugged her tighter—“is what I really needed.”

  “Well, then let’s get your skinny ass inside, so I can fatten you up, get you drunk, and you can tell me what really happened, instead of the bullshit story you’re trying to make up in your head right now.”

  Ryan shook her head, smiling like a loon through her tears. Damn, it had been too long since she’d spent time with her mom. Joelle Lowe didn’t mess around. She was blunt as hell, loved the ones close to her fiercely, and didn’t take bullshit from anyone.

  “How about yes on the cookies and no on the moonshine, for now?”

  “Anything you need, sweet girl, anything you need.”

  Chapter Twenty

  Rooster woke up hogtied, and his head hurt like a mother fucker. It took him several minutes to clear his head, remember what had happened, and try to figure a way out of it. He was being held in an empty warehouse. He couldn’t hear a damn thing, and the only thing he could get a good look at were stone pillars, concrete floors, and broken windows. Some time had passed, and it was already dark as pitch outside.

  Roo leveraged himself so he could at least sit up some, although it was awkward with the way he was tied. That was the other problem. Whoever had bound him had known exactly what they were doing. There wasn’t a single knot he could get his fingers on. The rope connecting his hands and feet prevented him from bringing it forward and working on it with his teeth. He knew damn well, the knife he kept in his boot and the one on his belt would both already be gone.

  None of this was good. After Ryan had told him to get the hell out of the café, he’d done just that, keeping his damn finger in the laptop so the drive could do its thing, but it had taken way too fucking long. Four guys dressed in tactical gear jumped him, not even four blocks from the café. He tried to buy time by shit-talking, still keeping the damn laptop open without drawing attention to it but ultimately had to let the fucker go, ripping the drive out and throwing it into a pile of garbage in the alley. That was when all hell broke out, and the four guys kicked his ass. At least he knew two of them hadn’t made it out.

  Rooster heard clicking and tried to maneuver himself in the direction the noise
was coming from, completely stunned when a woman came into view, running toward him. Her auburn hair was messed up and wild, flying behind and around her, the makeup on her face smeared and smudged, but it didn’t take away from her beauty. Fuck, she was gorgeous. It wasn’t until she was on him slicing the ropes that held him, he realized she also looked very familiar. Another fiery redhead popped into his head—Sedona. He had to blink a few times to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. There were only slight differences—the eye color was wrong, this woman had a small mole on her upper lip, and her face was just a little too chubby—but damn if the woman who starred nightly in his dreams didn’t have a fucking clone.

  The last rope broke free, and Roo jumped up. He wasn’t stupid. None of this was making any sense right now. Why in the hell would four men jump him and dump him in this warehouse where a little doppelganger vixen could come to his rescue? The whole damn thing screamed set up.

  “Who the fuck are you, and what in the hell is going on?”

  “We don’t have time for this.” The chick took hold of his arm and tried to pull him. “You have to leave before he gets back!”

  “Before who gets back?” Rooster held his ground. After all, information was king, but he also wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth. If he had a chance to get out of there and save his ass, he was going to take it. What this chick didn’t know was she was coming with him. Roo took hold of her arm. “Let’s go then.” As expected, she pulled back, shaking her head as fake tears filled her eyes. Yeah, total set up. What the fuck was waiting for him outside those doors?

  “Please, we don’t have any time.”

  When he didn’t let go, in a move he would have never expected, the tiny chick flipped him over her shoulder, making him land on his back, knocking the air right out of his lungs. She was on top of him before he knew it, her forearm braced against his windpipe, the fake tears and scared girl routine gone.

  “Listen, asshole, I tried to do this the nice way, but since you have chosen to be a pain in the ass about it, I will clue you in on what is going on here. My name is AGENT Cassidy Hall. I am undercover within the Perez Cartel, and you are fucking up my job. Do me a favor and get the hell out of here before I have to hide your body. This is not a trick, no one is waiting for you outside. Your bike is still where you parked about a mile from here, but if you keep giving me a hard time, you won’t have to worry about any of it because we are about to be surrounded by at least twenty cartel guys, all looking to take a piece out of you for their master. So, how about you make it easy on both of us and just do what I say.”

  Roo didn’t doubt Cassidy was telling the truth. His gut was telling him to trust her. He wasn’t a gullible man by any means, and he didn’t doubt this chick was capable of some shady shit, especially if she really was undercover within the Perez organization, but he trusted his instincts on this one. Hearing the screech of a loading dock door opening, she looked back, and he used her distraction against her, flipping Cassidy so she was the one on her back.

  “I never did like doing what I was told. Now, tell me what I need to know.” Cassidy struggled, but this time he had the upper hand.

  “I already did, asshole, and time is running out. I’m going to go out the west side of the building, and you head out the east. There’s a door I so graciously unlocked for you. Follow the alley until you hit Crescent Street, then run like hell until you get to your bike.”

  Roo leaned down and kissed her, his own distraction, then jumped up and ran like hell, yelling behind him, “Thanks, sweetheart.”

  ~~~~

  Donavan Lowe, now Durham, hid in the shadows, watching Cassie do her thing. When Roo took off, he came out, helping Cassidy up off the ground.

  “Damn, Cass, you’re losing your touch.”

  “I don’t know.” Cassidy said, brushing off her clothes, “I still got a kiss. Gave me all kinds of kinky thoughts. You never told me Rooster Clayborne was a hottie.” Donovan reached out his hand into Cassidy’s hair and pulled her forward, kissing her long and deep. Her eyes fluttered closed, and he pulled back, his lips still close.

  “Remind me to spank you later for that comment, Cass.” Cassidy blushed like he knew she would.

  “You can count on it, babe, but let’s keep playtime thoughts for later. You know this is a cluster fuck, right?” Yeah, he knew it, but he didn’t voice it.

  “You gave Roo your name. Bad move. He won’t let it go.”

  “Honestly, what’s he going to do?” Cassidy shrugged her shoulders. “Talk to Caine Masters, who will contact Tucker Masterson? I have no doubt Tuck will confirm I am exactly who I say I am and warn them off.” Donovan knew there was more to it, so he just waited Cassidy out. “The RBMC already knows agents are in play. Having him know there’s more than one might hold him back long enough, so we can finish this job.”

  “Jesus, Cass.” Fuck. Today had been a cluster fuck. First, seeing his sister, now Roo, distractions he didn’t need to have right now. His head was still messed up about the past, which had worked in his favor for the most part, but now, it was all hitting too close and had the ability to fuck with his already messed up head.

  “Are you in pain?” Cassidy brushed her hand against his right cheek. “Did seeing Rooster bring back any more memories?”

  Donovan shook his head, but not because he wasn’t in pain. Hell, his head had been pounding for hours now, but he was used to it, had put up with it for years. He almost wondered what his life would be like without the constant throbbing in his head. They started walking through the warehouse. Cassidy had lied. No cartel members were coming, but it was safer for them to split up and go their separate ways for now.

  “Roo wasn’t the only ghost from my past I saw today.” Cassidy stopped, but Donovan kept going toward a hallway. He was there before the fucker even made a sound. With a roundhouse kick, he laid the fucker out on his ass, pointing at him. “You fucked up!”

  Cassidy helped Zander “Talon” Frost, checking his face.

  Donovan was ready to hit the fucker again. He could still see Ryan’s scared eyes, the look of horror on her face when he held her by the neck, choking her. Those images would live in his nightmare for years to come, and the person responsible for it was standing in front of him. Talon brushed off the blood from his split lip with his thumb, then charged Donovan, getting right in his face.

  “I’ll give you one because I didn’t know your sister was in that damn building until after you did.”

  Right there was the problem with Talon. Pushing him back hard, Donovan punched him again, laying him out on his ass.

  “You know what your problem is, kid? You’re still trying to prove yourself to your brothers and Tuck. Guess what? It doesn’t fucking matter. You need to grow some fucking balls and do your fucking job! I choked her out, could have snapped her neck if I hadn’t recognized her fast enough. That shit is on you.” Donovan heard Cassidy’s, “Jesus, Donovan,” but he kept his focus solely on Talon. The man had a chip on his shoulder a mile long, and it was going to end up getting people killed one day.

  Talon got up, and Cassidy came forward, standing between them, just out of the way. He knew she would step in if they came to blows again, but Donovan was satisfied he’d gotten his point across. He just hoped Talon figured out his shit soon.

  “You know how all this works just as much as I do. Perez only gives part of the information. He wanted the hacker. That was the mission. He didn’t inform me or anyone allied with us about the bomb.”

  “And does he know my sister is the hacker?” That was the part that really bothered Donovan.

  “No, she’s good, man, even better than me.” Donovan raised his eyebrow because Talon, for the most part, was all bluster with some skill thrown in but still a liability. “Don’t look at me that way. Your sister is damn good, and regardless of what you think, I can acknowledge my betters. Like I said, I didn’t know it was her until the last minutes, and it was more a signature move that gave her a
way than anything.”

  “Shit!”

  “Nah, you don’t get it. There are maybe three people, including myself and Ryan, who would have figured it out. He thinks the hacker’s name is Matilda Howard.”

  “And blowing up the BRMC?”

  Talon shook his head. “Another side job. If I hadn’t tracked the money trail, we wouldn’t have even known about when we did.”

  “Damn it, he’s getting bolder. There is no way to anticipate his next move. It’s all a crapshoot and covering our asses just to make it to the next day,” Donovan growled. Cassidy stepped forward. She probably thought things had cooled down, but Donovan was still pissed.

  “Yeah, well, speaking of covering our asses, do either of you have any idea how we’re going to explain three teams not completing their mission while we’re still standing, only one slightly bruised and battered?”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Leaving Ryan behind had hurt more than Brick anticipated. The miles and miles he rode fucked him up even more. He knew it was the right thing to do, but damn. When Roo finally called him, telling him to get to an address, he did his best to push it all back, but standing on the roof of a building, staring down at a man he watched die almost a decade ago was really fucking with his head.

  “Am I really seeing who I’m seeing?”

  “Fuck, brother, either we’re both delusional, or I think we see the same ghost. I knew something was up with that chick, which is why I circled back. But damn if I expected to see this.” The two of them were quiet as they watched Tiny, Talon, and the woman disappear into the night. Neither of them moved an inch or said a word for a long while.

  “What happened?” Roo broke the silence.

  Brick gave him the breakdown—the bombing at the club, sending Ryan away, going to war, and the Olivia Scott connection—not that it mattered anymore, considering they’d just seen Tiny with their own eyes. Now, it was just semantics and trying to figure out what side the man they once called brother was on. Roo laughed, not at all what Brick was expecting from the other man.