Outcasts MC (Complete Series), page 82
Jake grimaced, looking uncomfortable, but he didn’t cry out. “Is this about the money?” he asked. “My dad not paying you enough? I know where his checkbook is. And the code to his safe. What do you want? How much?”
I laughed and shook my head. “That’s a tempting offer,” I told the idiot. “But this isn’t about money. Or at least, it’s not about the money that your dad has.” I leaned in closer, jabbing my finger at the boy’s chest. “This is about that stupid stunt you pulled the other day. The money you tried to steal from the fruit stand. Money which you obviously didn’t need.”
Jake’s eyes widened, and for the first time, I could see the flicker of understanding in his eyes as he put the two things together and recognized me. But he was trussed up like a pig, and anyway, it wasn’t like he’d been able to do much against me the first time he had seen me.
He struggled against the blanket strips as I marched him out of the house and toward our car. “Seriously, what do you want?” he asked, a hint of panic in his voice this time. “Did my dad specifically hire you guys?”
I laughed. “Of course not,” I said. “I believe your dad when he says he just wants to make sure you don’t get yourself killed. But I also believe that you’re a troublemaker and that you deserve what you’ve got coming to you.”
I could practically hear Jake swallow. “Where are you taking me?” he asked, his voice coming out as more of a whine this time. What a little brat.
I didn’t answer, just pushed him down into the back seat of the car, making sure he would be out of sight of anyone we passed as we drove through town. Devon leaned across the hood of the car as I headed toward the driver’s seat, though.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” he asked, sounding worried. Suddenly, I wished that I hadn’t brought him with me for this. I probably should have left him back at the clubhouse. Not because I thought he was going to chicken out or tell Otis about this, but it would have been good to keep him away from this so that if Otis did somehow find out about it, none of the blame could fall on Devon.
Regardless, I was sure we weren’t going to get caught. Who was going to tell on us? Sure, Mr. Thompson might stop paying us if it became clear we weren’t doing our job to protect his son, but he knew his son had it coming to him. And he wasn’t the kind of guy to believe his son even if Jake did tell him we were the ones who had tied him up and kidnapped him.
Anyway, I was sure that if Otis knew the whole story, he would be on our side. Just like Logan had been when we first beat up Jake. After all, without the local businesses, there wouldn’t be much work for the Outcasts in this area. We were just looking out for the club’s best interests. Looking out for the local business owners.
We got in the car, and I drove toward those abandoned warehouses. There was no one in the area, just as planned. We got out of the car, and I dragged Jake inside. I could practically smell his fear by now. He didn’t know what we were going to do to him. But he couldn’t seem to shut up.
“Look, is this about something you think I did to your girlfriend? Because I’m telling you, I didn’t do anything to her. I don’t know what she said, but I just asked her for the money from the register, and she gave it to me. I didn’t even pull a fucking gun on her or anything. I’m sorry if she got scared.”
I gave Jake a little shake. “Shut the fuck up,” I growled. Then, belatedly: “And Holly’s not my girlfriend.”
I shouldn’t have used her name, and I knew it the second the words were out of my mouth. I could see the suddenly speculative look that Devon gave me. I was going to need to have a talk with him later. He wouldn’t let it rest.
I didn’t know what I was going to tell him. She was just some girl. But Devon, of all people, would know just how unusual it was for me to spend this much time with a woman. And if he found out I was going over there for dinner that night, he would be sure that it meant something more.
Did it mean something more? Holly had made a point of saying she didn’t invite just anyone over to her place. So why was she inviting me over there? But then again, it was probably just because that was the most convenient way for us to have a quickie. She didn’t have to worry about going out to dinner and being seen in town with me, and she could kick me out once the dishes were clean.
I put Holly out of my mind for now, though, focusing my attention on Jake. I pushed him down on the ground, watching with satisfaction as he stumbled with his ankles tied and face-planted. I waited until he had wriggled himself around so that he could look up at me.
“I don’t like you,” I said succinctly. “You’re a rich dirtbag stealing from people who can’t afford it. And you weren’t even okay with leaving the fruit stand alone after you failed to rob them the first time. Instead, you’re still casing the place, trying to find a way back in.” I paused. “If I had my way, I’d kill you. But I’m not going to do that, because for some reason, your father seems to want you alive.”
“Then what are you going to do?” Jake asked, but all the challenge was gone from his voice. He sounded terrified, and that only fed my glee. “I swear, you’re wrong. I haven’t been back to the fruit stand since Thursday. I haven’t even left the house. You can ask my father. I mean, he hasn’t been there all day. I guess. Um. But…” He trailed off, seeming to realize exactly how pathetic he sounded. “What are you going to do with me?”
“I think we’re going to leave you right here,” I said, squatting down next to him. “Don’t worry, though—we’ll make sure that daddy finds you before dinnertime.” I paused. “But you understand that we need to make sure that you don’t talk about this with anyone.”
“I won’t talk,” Jake whimpered. “I swear I won’t!”
“I’m not sure that your word is good enough,” I said, shaking my head. “And anyway, you know what the punishment is for thievery?” I pulled out the knife I had brought in my jacket, flipping it open and examining the long sawtooth blade. I had never used it for this before, but I knew from hunting excursions in the past that it would go through bone almost as easily as a normal knife cut through butter.
Jake turned chalk-white, and for a moment, I thought he might faint. I grabbed his arms and jerked them toward me. Just a finger, his pinky finger on his left hand. It wouldn’t be enough to really handicap him, and it was nowhere near as much as he deserved, but it would be enough to remind him of what had happened, every time he looked down.
And I had no doubt that he would never tell anyone who had done it. Because then we could come back again and kill him next time.
I pressed the cold blade against his skin. But before I could cut, the door to the warehouse swung open. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” a voice growled.
I spun around, expecting maybe Jake’s father or the police. Instead, it was Otis who stood there, his arms folded across his chest and his eyes narrowed, looking menacing.
Oh fuck.
20
Holly
I knew I should be relaxing as the beautician finished up my manicure, but I couldn’t help glancing at the clock yet again. There were still hours to go until the time that Nate had agreed to come over. Even if he was early, I had plenty of time for my nails to dry, and then hours for me to get home, get changed, and start cooking.
But nervousness warred with impatience in my gut, and I couldn’t keep from watching the minutes tick away. Marie was bound to notice at some point. In fact, I was surprised that she hadn’t said anything already.
This time, though, she gave me a knowing smile. “You’re going out on a date tonight?” she asked.
I blushed and shrugged. “Sort of,” I admitted.
“What do you mean, ‘sort of?’” Marie asked, sounding confused. “You either are, or you aren’t.” She paused. “Unless this is one of those weird group dates or something. In which case, why am I not invited?” She was just teasing, but she managed to look so affronted that I had to laugh.
“It’s not a group date,” I assured her. “Or else you’d be right there by my side.” I shrugged. “It’s just that I’m not ‘going out’ on a date.” I took a deep breath. “I invited Nate over to dinner at my place.”
Marie’s eyes only widened slightly, but it was enough. “Wow,” she said. “You must really like this guy.”
“No,” I said immediately. “I mean, I do like him. He’s a nice guy. And damned sexy too. But it’s just casual.”
“I have never known you to invite someone over to your house for dinner casually,” Marie pointed out.
“I know,” I said. “And I don’t want to send him the wrong message or anything. I just…I don’t know. I don’t think he’s the kind of guy who’s going to make too much of this, and I like the idea of having him over for dinner. Not because I’m looking for domestic bliss or anything. But you know, eating by myself every night is kind of lonely, and I think that maybe if I had a little company for dinner, then maybe I’d actually, you know, cook every once in a while, rather than just heating things up in the microwave.”
Marie snorted. “All right, fair enough,” she said. Her eyes twinkled as she looked over at me. “Not only that, but it’s convenient having him over at your place, isn’t it? The bed’s right upstairs.”
I giggled. “Well, yeah, that was also a consideration,” I said.
“So what are you going to cook?”
“I honestly haven’t figured it out yet,” I admitted. “I was thinking maybe a chicken parmesan, but I don’t know if that sends the wrong message? Like, is that too fancy? I don’t want him thinking this is a big deal.”
“Hmm,” Marie said, sounding thoughtful. “Yeah, I could see where that might send the wrong message. Italian fine dining is more, like, an anniversary dinner, don’t you think?”
“Exactly.” I sighed. “I just don’t know what to do.”
“But you’ve already got the chicken breasts?” Marie asked. “Because why not just, like, grill those up and make some sort of sandwich or something? If he’s like any guy I know, he’ll probably appreciate that more anyway. Especially if you throw a couple beers on the table as well and forego the wine.”
I had to laugh at that. “You’re right, of course,” I said.
“So I know things are casual, but are you, like, dating him or something?” Marie asked.
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I was sure that he wasn’t the dating kind of guy. And that I wasn’t interested in dating anyone. But things are just easy with him. I like hanging out with him.”
“I know you’re going to hate me for saying it, but it sounds like you really like him,” Marie said, giving me a knowing smile.
I sighed but shrugged. “Maybe I do,” I said.
The truth was that I hadn’t been able to quit thinking about him since Thursday when he had run after that thief. Or really, since Thursday when he had waltzed into the fruit stand. He might have been an asshole to me then, but there was something so interesting about him, something I hadn’t been able to ignore. Or maybe it actually dated back to when he had walked out of his building on Thursday morning. When I had seen him there with his motorcycle, there was something dangerous and sexy and interesting about that too.
Whatever it was, I hadn’t been able to quit thinking about him. And I liked that he seemed to respect the fact that I needed to focus on work when I was at work. He had shown up after work on Friday, and he had let me be the one to call him this weekend. I might have taken it as him not being interested in me in that way, but then again, he had been the one holding me close after sex on Friday night. He had been the one who was inexplicably tender with me.
And there was something that I liked about that. Maybe I had read him wrong to start with. Maybe he was looking for something more. As long as it didn’t interfere with my work, why not explore this with him?
After all, if love didn’t exist, then I didn’t have to worry about getting in over my head. Sure, losing him might hurt when he was finally out of my life for good. But if there was no such thing as love, then there was no such thing as having my heart broken. And that meant that no matter how much it hurt, I would get through it. There was no risk to having a little fun with him for now.
That was why I had finally invited him over to dinner at my place. I still wasn’t sure if I was going to let him stay the night with me. But I wanted to know that I did like him, that if he was willing to keep things casual with me, then I wanted to keep seeing him. That I wanted more than a quick fuck, maybe, but something less than a full-blown relationship. Something easy.
Things felt right for now, as far as I was concerned. I was excited to see him that night.
“Well, if you want to overanalyze any part of tonight, you know where to find me tomorrow,” Marie said, winking at me.
I laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind,” I said. “But I don’t think there’ll be any overanalyzing. He’s a pretty blunt guy, from what I’ve seen so far. And he’s not the kind of guy to lie to me either.”
Marie sighed wistfully. “How is it that with all the guys I’ve been out with, I have yet to find a guy who tells me what he’s thinking, and you’ve got that with the first guy you’ve shown any interest in?” she asked.
I laughed. “Maybe you need to take a page from my book,” I told her.
Marie shook her head. “I could never do that,” she said, grinning. “I don’t know how you managed to go years without a man in your life, but I wouldn’t know what to do with myself.”
I giggled. “Yeah, I can’t even imagine that,” I said.
We waited for our nails to dry. Marie gave me a hug as we were leaving the nail salon. “Just give me a call if you need anything,” she said, and I promised I would.
But dinner came together easily, and I didn’t let myself worry too much about what I was wearing, just pulling on dark jeans and one of my nicer flannel shirts, one that I knew brought out the color in my eyes.
I glanced at my phone, surprised to find I was running a little behind schedule once I had pulled my hair up into a ponytail. I headed out into the living room, but I knew that I hadn’t heard the doorbell ring or a knock on the door. Still, I peered through the peephole, wondering if maybe I’d somehow missed it.
There was no one there, though, and there were no missed messages on my phone. I frowned. Maybe this was the first of the annoying quirks: a guy who could never be bothered to be on time.
But as the minutes ticked away, I started to feel worse and worse. Nate still wasn’t there, and there was still no message from him on my phone. Had I misunderstood something on the phone earlier? Had I asked him to come over some other day? But no, I was sure I had asked him over for tonight, and I was sure that he had agreed to be there.
I thought about calling him, but what the hell could I say? “Dinner is on the table; where are you?” That sounded stupid. If he didn’t want to be here, if he didn’t care about missing it, then what the hell did it matter to me? I didn’t need him to spell it out for me; he just wasn’t interested.
Finally, at seven-thirty, I had to face the fact that he wasn’t coming. I dumped the chicken sandwiches down the garbage disposal and shut off my phone, trying to pretend that I wasn’t disappointed. I should never have let myself get like this in the first place. I should never have gotten my hopes up.
Guys like Nate weren’t boyfriend material. And anyway, I wasn’t looking for a boyfriend.
21
Nate
I stared at Otis, wondering what the hell he was doing there at the warehouse. Then, I noticed Logan standing behind him, frowning as well. Suddenly, all the pieces clicked into place. This had been a setup. Logan must have told Otis about what had happened on Thursday. That was why Otis had given us this client in the first place.
And then he had followed us or had us followed. He wanted to catch us in the act of screwing up.
I should have known that things here in Greenboro weren’t going to be any better than things in San Diego. How the fuck did you work for a president who didn’t even trust you? A guy who just wanted to see you fail?
I was disgusted that I had fallen into the trap so easily. I should have asked more questions. I should have figured things out. Of course, Otis wasn’t going to let some punks from another chapter walk in and take over some high-paying client like Mr. Thompson. Not when we knew that Otis didn’t trust us.
How could I have been so naïve?
“So is this how you do things in the Greenboro chapter?” I asked in disgust, but I was more disgusted with myself than with any trap that Otis had set.
“Is this how you do things in the San Diego chapter?” Otis asked, gesturing toward Jake, who was still bound on the ground.
I scowled, tempted to tell Otis just what Jake had done. But then again, if Logan was standing there with him, I had to assume that Otis already knew.
“I gave you this client because I knew you had already had a run-in with him,” Otis said, as though confirming what I was already thinking. “I wanted to see how you would handle it.”
“You were just waiting for me to fuck up, you mean,” I said bitterly.
Otis shook his head, though. “I was waiting to see the point where you realized what the consequences of this could be,” he said quietly. He glanced down at Jake. “Sure, you could hurt him. Cut his finger off, kill him, whatever you wanted to do. It would be easy. I’m sure you know how to make a man vanish if you did want to kill him.” He glanced over at Devon. “But you’re not the only one involved here, whatever you decided to do.”
I glanced over at Devon as well. I knew I never should have brought him with me. I wished there was some way to rationalize it, but I hadn’t needed Devon to have my back. I knew that Jake wouldn’t put up too much of a struggle. I had already taken him down once, after all.
There had been a part of me, though, that was sure that as long as Devon was there, I wasn’t doing anything too out of line. Devon had always been the better one of the two of us. If he was still there, then that meant that he wasn’t too worried about what I was doing. Right?
