Chapter Twenty-Four
WITH NO CAROLINE TO run back to, I hung with Grease and Micro for the entire evening, sinking a couple of beers, and eating pizza with them when one of the prospects showed up with it.
The latest ones were definitely shaping up better than the last. At least we weren’t seeing the gate left open most days and nights now.
“You think Has-Been will come up here to do our tats?” Grease asked idly as he waved away the last slice of meat explosion pizza.
“Seriously? You’re going to bring him all the way here, to do something Rocket could do anytime?”
He shrugged, wiping his fingers on a paper towel.
“I just don’t trust that fucker. He’s got an attitude problem, and he’s been beefing with me ever since he came here.”
Micro nodded. “I mean, he was edgy with me at first too. I know he had some shit going on back at the old club, like with a woman, but he’s been here over eight months. When’s he going to just chill? He used to be cool back when I was in the other chapter. Until her.”
“What did she actually do?” I asked, wondering if anyone had the whole story, but they both shrugged.
“I mean, I heard there was a faked pregnancy or something. I dunno.”
Micro glared at Grease then, which just widened the smirk on his face.
“Yeah, you loved throwing that in his face that last time you guys scrapped.”
“He still needs to get his ass handed to him for real. I went easy on him because he was drunk. Always fucking drunk.”
Micro glanced at me.
“Has he been causing any problems at your place? Drinking or whatever?”
I shook my head, but I was relieved that I’d been wrong about him in that respect.
“He’s been fully committed to working, and fitting in with me. I’ve seen a side of him I didn’t know he had, to be honest. He’s serious about his art, and he’s damn good at it.”
“But he was late today.”
I flipped Grease off, because he knew the fucking reason, didn’t he? And I believed Rocket when he said nothing short of that would make him late, and that he’d never let me down.
“He couldn’t help that. He didn’t expect his ride to conk out on him. Plus he had to wait for recovery service.”
“And he couldn’t have called you or something, so you knew he wasn’t there to open up?”
I glared at Grease, because his beef with Rocket was really starting to piss me off.
“It wasn’t his job to open up! He’s been there early every fucking day, even though I open up.
I always have, and I always will. That responsibility wasn’t on his shoulders, it was on mine.
And I was fucking late too. Seriously, you need to get your head out of your ass with him, man.
I can’t have you two winding each other up every fucking day. ”
Grease shrugged, reminding me of a fucking teenager, and I should know, I fucking helped raise one.
“He’s still a prick.”
I jerked my thumb in his direction as I turned to Micro.
“I think Lissa needs to do relationship counselling for those two.”
“Fuck you. He started it, by calling me a mafia bitch or whatever, I mean, he risked fucking outing me to the whole club.”
“Okay, okay. That’s enough. Grease, look, man. I know you love the life, but that means you have to make an effort with the pricks as well. I know it’s hard, but you know what? He’s patched in. He’s a member too.”
“He can get fucked, and so can you. I’m not backing down now. It’s the principle of the thing, innit.”
Nice. Micro suddenly smirked, his eyes darting at me for a moment, before he spoke.
“I mean, it’d be a shame if the two of you get paired up on the rebuild, right? We’re gonna have to buddy people up, and you two need to learn to work together-”
“Put me with him, and he’ll end up buried under it. Look, I get it, you want us all to get along, but President or not, you don’t get to talk to me like I’m a kid, and you don’t get to enforce friendship with a guy who’s a bigger cunt than my old boss.”
Ouch. Grease’s eyes darted up to the ceiling, like he was looking for something.
“Still no cameras, right?”
I burst out laughing. “Aw he’s scared of the big man.”
“The point I was making, you pair of fucking assholes, is that Rocket can get on his fucking knees to beg for my forgiveness, and that’s the only way I’ll even consider it. Guessing he doesn’t have the balls to do that though.”
“Does it take balls? I guess you’d know, right, Grease?”
“You fucker. I knew you were listening that night. Look, we were about to die, and we wanted to try everything, and I won’t fucking apologise for that!”
I looked from him to Micro and back. What the hell had I missed, and when?
“She not still wearing the pants then?”
“Get fucked, I’m not telling you a damn thing.”
Micro grinned. “That’s a yes. Good on her. You need a strong woman, after all.”
He glanced at his desk phone as it rang, and frowned. Nobody calls the damn thing, after all. Only Reacher or the fucking Don, and Reacher mostly rang mobile phones anyway.
“Ignore it,” Grease snapped, and Micro groaned.
“I can’t, man. It might be urgent. What if Soph needs me or something?”
He answered it on speaker, and gestured at us to shut it.
“Yeah?”
“Is this the club president?”
“What club?”
The guy sniffed a little, sounding like a pissy fuck already.
“You know exactly what club, just like I do, Micro. Would you like me to list your real name, the club’s details, and every other little fucking detail I have at my disposal? Spoiler alert, I know everything.”
Grease reached over and tapped the mute button.
“I know that voice. I mean, I’ve heard Ice doing impressions of the fucker.”
Micro sighed, jabbing the button again.
“Since you know everything, you clearly know who you’re talking to. Do me the same courtesy, will ya?”
Another sniff.
“My name is Nige Kingsley, and I’m calling to arrange a discussion with the Bennetts, even though I’m not their fucking secretary, and I have more important things to do.”
Who the fuck were the Bennetts? Bennett what?
Grease groaned and dragged his hands down his face.
“Not those pricks.”
“I can still hear you.”
Shit. I leaned over and jabbed the button this time.
“Who the fuck are the Bennetts?”
Grease sighed. “They owned that shithole club that the Don had his meet in, you know the day I took a bullet for him.”
Oh. “And why the hell is he calling us?”
Micro jabbed the button again, glaring at me.
“You two keep your fingers off my fucking button.”
“I don’t need to hear what you people are doing to each other while I’m on the phone,” this Nige guy sniped, “the Bennetts are looking for assistance with a little situation, and the asshole Luca said you were the people to talk to. Specifically someone called ‘Grease’.”
“That cunt!”
The guy sniffed again. “Charming. Anyway, they need protection for someone, VIPs, and they want the best. Luca says that’s you, Grease, since I’m guessing you’re the man with the delightful turn of phrase.”
Grease reached for the button again, and Micro slapped his hand away.
“Prick. Look, I’m not doing shit for anyone. You want mafia help, that’s Luca. That prick shouldn’t be sending-”
“I was led to believe you run a security consultancy. That’s who we need. I’m about to give you an address. Be there at nine tonight. The Bennetts will be waiting.”
He rattled off an address, which was closer to the Wiltshire chapter, and hung up on us.
What the fuck.
Caroline
IT WAS A LONG night at mum’s with V, especially after she seemed to sober up without vomiting anywhere, and became distraught instead.
Ted really had broken her heart, and it made me wonder if men really were as bad as she said.
I mean, until I spent more time with Harley, hadn’t I pretty much declared myself untouchable by everyone, men or otherwise?
What was it about Harley that made me feel differently?
“Do you want to stay over, kiddo?” I nodded, and fetched some bedding, so I could curl up on mum’s sofa and sleep.
It was too late to head back home, and I had spare clothes and things here, even if they were in the ‘small bedroom’, aka my bedroom if I needed it.
It would be V’s room while she got herself sorted again, but I had a feeling she’d be desperate to get on with her life once she realised Ted didn’t deserve to derail her life’s plans.
I stared at my phone for ages after they both went to bed, wanting to message Harley, but also worrying that it was too late at night, and I might wake him.
It was almost midnight, and all I wanted was to know if he was missing me. Pathetic huh? I was missing him like we’d been together forever, when it’d been one damn night.
Harley: Hope I’m not waking you, but I wanted to say goodnight.
It was like he could feel how hard I was thinking about him, wasn’t it?
Me: Nope. Finding it hard to sleep. I’m on mum’s sofa for the night.
He probably didn’t want me messaging him for ages right now, but it felt like he’d extended a lifeline I didn’t realise I needed. It was… it felt intimate. Everything with us did now. The one thing that’d scared me for so long was the same thing I now craved. But only with him.
Harley: Are you okay there, or do you need to be rescued?
Damn. I really wanted the rescue, but only because I’d get to see him.
Me: It’s probably best if you don’t although I’d love that. Mum wants to meet you. I’m sorry. That’s weird, right?
I imagined him staring at his phone and groaning at the thought of meeting my mother, the whole meet-the-parents thing that normal people did. Was Harley normal in that respect? Was he willing, or would he make excuses? Which did I want him to do?
Harley: I’m sure that can be arranged. Do I need to dress up nice, or does she know I’m a slobby biker guy?
Slobby? Harley? Never. He never looked slobby. He wore those jeans like… well, like a second skin, and when he wore his biker waistcoat, or cut, as I’d learned they were called, he looked incredibly sexy.
Me: She knows who you are, Harley. I’d rather you dress however you’re comfortable, but…
I sent it by accident and he replied instantly, like I’d been edging him for the rest of my sentence.
Harley: But?
Me: I think you look sexy in your biker clothes.
Oh my god. I sent that. I really just sent it! He’d think I was some sex starved predator! Or was I? Was that what was going on here?
Me: I’m sorry, my fingers slipped
Dammit! I just sent that in a panic, because I was trying to send it before he could reply, and I hadn’t even finished my sentence!
His little dots had stopped dancing, and then they started afresh. Oh god, what must he think of me?
Harley: Kinda wondering how your fingers just slipped and… uh… where you were slipping them…
I stared at his message for far too long, blinking rapidly as I suddenly grasped his meaning. Oh my god! He thought I was touching myself! He thought… he thought I was doing that while we were chatting.
Me: Oh my god!
Me: I’d never do that.
Me: I’m sorry.
Me: Oh my god.
Harley: Breathe, baby. I’m just messing with ya. I’m sorry, that was mean, but you’re so cute when you get flustered like that. Could’ve used my phone as a vibrator right then.
Oh goddd! My cheeks were scarlet, I could literally feel the heat emanating from them, but suddenly I was giggling too. Harley was such a tease. He knew I’d be blushing, because he knew exactly how I reacted to things like this.
Me: OMG stop!
Harley: How much are you blushing right now, baby? So sweet when you blush. It makes me want to kiss you, but then most things do.
He was making me feel squirmy and aroused, right here on my mum’s sofa! Maybe he was a ‘bad man’ after all. I giggled as I typed a response.
Me: Even when I come out with ridiculous things I didn’t mean to say? Even then?
Harley: Especially then. It’s when you blush the sweetest.
Me: I miss you, that’s weird, right?
Harley: Nope. Missing you too. If you were home, I’d be right beside you, keeping you safe while you sleep.
I wanted that so much. He made me want things I’d never wanted before. A man in my bed? Me?
Harley: You’re coming back tomorrow, right? To finish the job for Rocket?
Me: Yes. I may be a little late if V’s too hung over, but I’ll be there.
Harley: Aw have you been drinking too? I bet you’re adorable when you’re tipsy.
That definitely wasn’t the word I’d use.
Me: I don’t drink, Harley, I’m bad enough sober.
I pictured him chuckling as he read my message. I felt like I could almost hear him. I was reaching a level of obsession at this point, I think.
Harley: I’ll have coffee waiting for you, baby. I’ll miss sleeping beside you, but I’m going to let you get some rest. You’ll need it.
He dropped a few devil faces after his message, and set me off giggling again.