Chapter Fourteen
A Couple of Days Later
Petal pulled up in her freshly wheeled car outside of Tanya’s house. She should have known Warden would be scary and they might not have a worker at the end of it. Tanya had already called to quit. They hadn’t replaced her, nor put out the advertisement to hire a new waitress. She was hoping to convince Tanya to come back, but she knew that was going to be a long stretch. Tanya wouldn’t take any of her calls.
She’d already stopped by the DIY store and saw that the shop was closed for the day. Leanna would be at nursery, as she knew that was where Tanya placed her throughout the day. She knew Tanya hated putting Leanna in nursery, but it would be good for her to get some practice in before school started.
Climbing out of her car, she looked up and down the street, which was a nice family street. She noticed several curtains were twitching. Sliding her sunglasses up into her hair, she walked up the garden path, and she didn’t need to ring the doorbell as Tanya answered.
“I suggest you turn around and leave,”
Tanya said, leaning against the doorframe, arms folded across her chest.
Petal shoved her hands into her pockets and wrinkled her nose. “Yeah, I can’t do that. I figure I should come and talk to you and hopefully mend some bridges.”
“I don’t need to be lied to. Whatever game that club is playing, I want no part of it.”
“What game?”
Petal asked. “I get you being pissed at them for suspecting you of running your mouth or selling out the club. The fact of the matter is, it happened. Someone did go running and it nearly got me and Kim killed.”
Tanya frowned and stared at her.
Petal laughed. “I know I’m here right now looking all great and whatnot, but trust me, I’ve got a fucking bruise here.”
She pointed at the side of her face. “And I was also punched in the gut. My knees are cut to shit because they made us kneel on the ground, and I’m pretty sure there was broken glass.”
Tanya stepped a little closer and the sun must have been obstructing her view. She winced. “Shit, wow, okay. Ugh, are you all right? Do you need me to call the cops?”
“That is the last thing I need you to do. I was hoping we could talk, and maybe work this out?”
Petal asked.
“I don’t want any trouble.”
“Trust me, I’m not looking for trouble. You’re a damn good waitress, and seeing as you worked the job before, you know the ropes. We could really use someone with your expertise, and Rosalie is getting larger by the day. She is going to need to start taking it easy, and I don’t want to train anyone else.”
Tanya sighed. “Come in. I don’t want people knowing our business, and in case you didn’t notice, I’ve got a nosy neighborhood.”
“I had noticed that. I didn’t want to say anything as it might seem rude, but you do have a lot of nosy neighbors.”
Tanya laughed and Petal stepped inside the other woman’s house.
She looked to Tanya and held her hands out. “I’m sorry, for Warden and for everyone. I hope Leanna was fine.”
“It’s … not fine. My daughter was scared.”
“They won’t do it again, and Kim asked me to invite you and Leanna over to the clubhouse for dinner. It’s like a summer barbeque thing, and she wants to apologize herself.”
Kim had wanted to go with her, but Petal figured the less active club members the better, and seeing as her only attachment to the club was Rosalie, she was the best option. Rosalie always wanted to come, and she had told her the same thing.
“I don’t know.”
“It should be fun. I’m assuming it is going to be fun. They won’t try to hurt you, and I think they’re hoping to make it up to Leanna. Warden’s not happy. He freaked out, didn’t think the traitor was so close to home. I have no idea how much of this I’m supposed to be telling you.”
Tanya laughed. “Are you okay?”
“Me, I’m fine. I mean, I think that had to be one of the scariest moments of my life, and I did get shot about a year ago. I nearly died, but I didn’t see that one coming. This, I saw coming, and wow, yeah, that was freaky. I have never felt anything like that.”
She closed her eyes and pushed those thoughts and feelings to the back of her mind. She didn’t want to think about it. She didn’t want to even know about it. “Anyway, let’s not talk about me and instead talk about you. So, you’re invited to the barbeque and I will warn you, if you come, and that is entirely up to you, I’d go out for the day, take Leanna, because Kim wants to apologize and make it all better. You know.”
Tanya laughed. “I barely know this woman.”
“But Kim knows what a monster Warden can be, and they don’t keep secrets from one another, at least I am assuming they don’t. They might, I don’t know.”
They walked through to the kitchen and Tanya pulled out a seat for her to take.
Petal slid into it, pulling her sunglasses from her hair.
“So, what do you say, will you come to the barbeque?”
“I don’t know. I’ve got Leanna to think about, and I’m not even involved with the club and look what happened. I can’t risk that. I have a baby to think about.”
“You’re pregnant?”
“No. I’m talking about Leanna.”
“Yes, yes, I get that.”
She laughed. “I totally get that.”
She pressed her lips together. All children were still babies to their parents. “Look, I’m not saying this is easy, it’s not, but if you are still looking for a job, and I know there’s not a lot of what you’re looking for out there, it’s open for you.”
Tanya slid a drink in front of her and Petal took it, lifting it to her lips and blowing across the surface. Silence fell between them but it wasn’t uncomfortable. She saw Tanya was thinking.
“I know. I’ve looked and there are not a lot of jobs.”
“How come you’ve never pursued your whole electrician thing?”
Petal asked.
“I don’t know. Well, I did do it for awhile but the guys and the jobs, when I turned up, no one was happy I was a woman. They had someone check my work, which was costing them double, and with Leanna it was just easier to get a steady job at the DIY store, and now at the diner.”
Petal looked toward Tanya. “Do you like electronics?”
“Yes and no. I like being able to fix my stuff, and I also have this weird thing that when I learn something new, I want to be qualified to do it. Does that make sense?”
She smiled. “That sounds awesome.”
Tanya reached across the counter and pulled out a book that had notes sticking out from every angle. “And that is why I am also leaning to plumb. I got a leak underneath the sink, and the cost of some of these plumbers is outrageous, and they were taking too long. Some of them were more interested in flirting, so I borrowed a book from the library, fixed it myself, and now I am taking a course in plumbing.”
“This is cool,”
Petal said, flicking through the book, none of it making any sense. “My dad tends to fix everything.”
“Yeah, well, when you don’t have parents around and you’re tired of being ripped off, you go for the next best thing.”
Petal took a sip of her coffee. “I’m looking at going back to college.”
“Oh, yeah, have you picked your course or what you want to learn?”
“Well, seeing as I’m part owner of the diner and help run it, I wanted to take some kind of business course, you know, to see.”
“Well, the local college has all kinds of short-run courses where you can test your hand at different lessons. Hold on, let me grab the catalogue for you.”
Tanya left the kitchen and was gone for a couple of minutes. Petal watched as she came in carrying a booklet with the college logo on it.
“Here you go. Have a look at that. It has all the courses, from tester courses to longer-run semester courses. It’s actually a good college. They also do evening classes, and the teachers are solid as well. They don’t make you feel dumb. You know, like back in high school.”
“Ah, yes, I had a few of those.”
“Did you have Miss Dawson for Math?”
Tanya asked.
“Yes, I did, and because I couldn’t do simple math in a short time, she made sure the whole class knew about it,”
Petal said.
“I wonder if she is still teaching at the old high school. I guess one day I’m going to find out when Leanna goes there. Just watch her try and bad-mouth or say some nasty stuff. I will give her a piece of my mind.”
“Now, that I would pay to see.”
She looked toward Tanya and waited. “So, does this mean you’ll give us all another chance and come to Kim’s party?”
Tanya rolled her eyes, then pursed her lips until she finally shrugged. “You know what, why not? Sure, whatever.”
Petal laughed. “You won’t regret it. They’re not a bad bunch to know. Trust me, I say this from experience.”
“I just don’t want my daughter getting hurt. That is all that matters.”
“The club won’t hurt your daughter, or you.”
****
Dirty was not used to the Evil Fuckers MC being on the run. He didn’t know if this was because Daemon had been a lunatic, or Predator was a coward. He knew he could insult them but the truth was, under Daemon, they had been crazy. There was nothing they wouldn’t do. They had no rules, no boundaries, it was what made them one of their scariest enemies.
Running away, going into hiding made no sense to Dirty.
They had checked out Predator’s home, and the piece of shit had been a bad investment. The house was condemned, and there was no point in even striking a match to see it go up in flames. One good windstorm would see the end of it, and if not, at least a good snowstorm.
Either way, they didn’t have anything there, other than some beds, along with used food wrappings. So the Evil Fuckers MC had stayed there long enough to have found Raine.
Fritz had checked all the information on Raine and she’d sold them out for five grand. That was it. The woman didn’t even need the money, and now she was dead because of it. None of the brothers mourned her passing. It was her time to fucking die. Traitors die. There are no second chances.
Glancing across the backyard of the clubhouse, Dirty watched as Petal stood with Tanya, playing her part in being a mediator. The poor kid, Leanna, had been so afraid, but it hadn’t taken long for Rosalie to play with the little girl, and for Kim to win her over with a couple of toys that had been brought for her.
As for the guys, he knew all of them were feeling it. The last little girl they had at the clubhouse had been Hannah, Warden and Kim’s daughter, who had been shot down and killed on Daemon’s order. The shots had been meant for Colt.
Slowly, he watched as Tanya was able to relax, and Leanna began to giggle and play with the doll that Kim picked out.
If Tanya had any doubt about the severity of the situation, the black eyes Kim and Petal still sported was all the evidence she needed. Also, the way Warden was when his wife was present. She had tamed that monster. If anything ever truly happened to Kim, he didn’t want to have to be around to clean up the mess. Warden would be a nightmare, no doubt about it.
Sipping his beer, which would be the only one he had, he couldn’t keep his gaze from Petal. She looked better. She still hadn’t put on all the weight she lost, but he watched as she ate a burger and finished it within a few bites. Her appetite was returning.
“You might need a tissue,”
Myth said, coming to stand beside him.
“Shut up.”
“Do you want me to tell Petal she needs to start eating like a lady?”
“You better not,”
Dirty said.
Myth chuckled. “We both know if I said anything, she’d kick me in the balls.”
“I do believe that.”
They both stood in silence. Dirty couldn’t take his gaze away from Petal and that fucking bruise. When he got his hands on Predator, if he was able to get there before Warden, he was going to hurt that son of a bitch. There would be nothing left of him. He intended to butcher him.
“Do you think Predator is the key player?”
Myth asked.
“No,”
Dirty said. “For a man who goes all in with an investment like that house, there is no way he is pulling the strings. Someone else is in charge, but they’re allowing Predator to be seen.”
“Do you think it is someone outside the Evil Fuckers MC?”
“It’s a hunch, but I don’t know. Fritz is doing everything he can to see if there are any links between our enemies and the Evil Fuckers. We’ll see who was willing to help them, and then we pay them a visit. Either way, we cut them off until they have nothing left.”
Myth nodded.
“Are you going to keep drooling, or are you going to talk to Petal?”
Myth asked.
“Shut up.”
He would keep drooling, allow Tanya to get more comfortable, and then he had a plan.
Food kept coming, and there was no rush. Tanya and Leanna stayed throughout the afternoon, and as it got to late evening and Leanna was trying to find a place to sleep, Tanya began to leave. She said her goodbyes and Petal was the one to walk them to her car.
“So, what do you think?”
Petal asked.
He’d followed, keeping to the shadows, giving them enough space to talk, but for him to be able to hear.
“I’ll be at work tomorrow,”
Tanya said. “It’s not bad, and I’ve got no complaints. I get it. You and Kim, I don’t know how you’re not so angry.”
“Oh, trust me, we are angry. There is no reason to take it out on anyone else.”
Tanya climbed into her car and wound down the window. “You’re a good person, Petal.”
“Thanks.”
He knew that was the brush-off. Petal didn’t agree, but he was starting to like Tanya. Providing she didn’t cause Petal any other issues, he didn’t see any problem with her at all.
Tanya pulled out of the parking lot, and he waited.
“You don’t have to stay in the shadows,”
Petal said. “That’s what a stalker does.”
She spun around to see him.
“How did you know?” he asked.
“The reflection in the mirror wasn’t hard to see.”
Petal laughed. “So, you’re following me?”
“It’s not much of a follow.”
“You’ve been staring at me all day.”
“Noticed that, huh?” he asked.
“Kind of hard not to when every time I look up and see you, you’re staring right back at me.”
He winked at her. “Busted.”
Petal laughed. “You were not even trying to deny it or hide it.”
“True. Actually, I’ve got a present for you.”
“A present?”
“Yeah.”
He held his hand out for her. “All you’ve got to do is take my hand.”
She looked at his hand and frowned. “This is not going to be one of those things where I take your hand and you fart, is it?”
He burst out laughing, he just couldn’t help it. “No, trust me, I don’t need to fart. I want to take you somewhere.”
Petal put her hand in his and he had to wonder if she felt it too—that feeling as it coursed through her body? Did it feel good to her?
He didn’t know if she felt anything.
Damn it. Even his cock had started to thicken. He was losing his mind over this woman and the only fucking reason he had lost her was because of his own words and actions. He’d messed up big time.
Pushing all that negative shit to the back of his mind, he began to walk with her back around the clubhouse, but passing everyone who was now making out. Tanya and Leanna left, and the clothes came off. He didn’t even need to head inside to the main clubhouse to find them all having an orgy or something. There was a time he would have been all for it, but not anymore. He just wanted to spend some time with his woman.
Petal didn’t pull back or try to break contact with him. She held his hand, and they walked side by side, going to where he’d set everything up for target practice. The guys always came back here to practice. It was their own built-in range, that also had a lot of empty beer bottles and cans. Anything they could get their hands on. Also, Warden didn’t like to waste money, so this was their way of recycling. He’d already arranged several beer bottles up on the wall.
“What is all this?”
she asked.
“Simple, I’ve got a couple of guns, and I’m going to teach you how to load, aim, and shoot. Also, we’re going to go through every single detail of taking care of your gun, and then, at the end of it, you’re going to have your own.”
“My own?”
Petal asked, looking a little too nervous.
“Yeah, you want to be able to protect yourself. You need something small and compact so you can sneak it into your pants or something. Don’t worry, we’ll get to everything. First, I want you to try a few different guns, and then you’re going to take aim and shoot. We’ll talk position.”
“Why?”
Petal asked. “If I’m in a situation like … just, I don’t need a position. I need to learn to shoot from any angle. My arms were tied behind my back and there was nothing I could do to stop it.”
“Which is why we’re going to work on it. You’ve got to trust me, okay?”
Petal nodded. There was a second’s hesitation but he had to live with that. He’d done it.
“Now, come here.”
She walked over to him, and he slid his hands on her hips and drew her closer. Feeling her body close to his was a fucking dream. He wanted to press his face against her hair, to breathe her in, to do something that would let her know how much he wanted her. Instead, he held her body steady, getting control of himself as he moved her into the right position. He wanted to stroke her body, slide his hands beneath her shirt, feel soft skin, but he stayed focused.
“Hold your arms out, and just look down your finger at each target.”
He’d have to turn the floodlight on when it finally got dark, but for now they had enough afternoon sun to practice.
“Then do I shoot? Pew, pew, pew.”
She made a soft noise as she took aim and he couldn’t help but laugh as she also moved her arms down the aisle.
“Why not bang, bang, bang?”
he asked, extending his arms past her.
“Because my gun will go pew, pew, pew.”
She laughed.
He smiled.
“Okay. Do you see the bottles?” he asked.
“Yep, and it looks to me like you guys have a smidge of a drinking problem.”
“I’m not the only one that drinks, and besides, these have been collected over the past week.”
“You guys haven’t heard of hot chocolate or coffee?”
Dirty tried to contain his laughter. “Sure, you go ahead and tell the guys they need to cut down on their beer and drink coffee and hot chocolate. Will you allow them to have marshmallows?”
he couldn’t help but tease.
“Absolutely not. They are much too sweet and only good boys and girls can have marshmallows.”
She was adorable. He missed this, just talking with her. She was like a different person.
They took aim down her fingers, and no matter what, she continued to pew, pew, pew. It was time to put a real gun in her hands, and there were a few to pick. He knew Warden had gotten to train Kim, and Colt was training Rosalie to handle a gun. Now it was his time to show Petal. Someone might have to show Tanya, but he had a feeling she would already know. It was just something about her that said she liked to be prepared.
Handing her a small handgun he’d loaded, he placed it in her hands.
“It’s loaded and ready. No safety, just ready to take aim.”
Petal nodded. “Just to shoot.”
“Yes, shoot. Look down your barrel, take aim, and then when you’re ready, fire.”
Seconds passed. Dirty didn’t pressure her to fire. He waited patiently.
Then, he saw Petal take a deep breath and aim, this time as she fired, there was no pew, and as the gun shot its first bullet, she closed her eyes. The sound and the slight shock took her by surprise. She didn’t hit the bottle.
“It’s okay, you can do it again.”
“I didn’t get the target!”
He saw Petal glare, and this time she took aim and shot a second time, and a third. She kept firing until the gun was empty and there was nothing inside. She handed him back the gun, and without a word he reloaded.
This time, as she took aim, she waited several seconds and then started to fire. After two more shots, she dropped her arms.
“Are you kidding me? How is this so difficult? The targets are not even moving. It makes no sense to me.”
“It takes practice.”
She handed him the gun. “Prove it. Show me this gun can take out a target.”
Dirty took the gun and aimed, shooting the target furthest away without flinching. He held the gun out to her.
“Practice.”
Petal glared at him and then held her position, taking aim and firing. She didn’t get it the first time, or even the second, but the fourth. On the fourth shot, the sound of glass smashing was like sweet music to his ears.
Petal let out a little cry. “Oh, my, I did it. Do you see that? I did it.”
She threw herself at him, and Dirty held her in his arms. He knew he was not going to stop until she was finally his.