Chapter 14
PD
I spat blood from my cut lip at Uhlig’s fancy fucking desk, and he didn’t flinch, only grinned and slid his sunglasses back on.
I’d started out this adventure worried—hell, even scared for a hot minute—but around about the time I’d taken a punch from Uhlig while both my arms were literally tied behind my fucking back, I’d begun to hate him as much as the fucking cops.
“You’re a coward,” I hissed. My brain was close to shutting down, the way it had the time I’d mopped the floor with Barnes and trashed the bar at the clubhouse.
He’d learned to shut his fucking mouth about my business.
Uhlig would need a harsher lesson for anything to sink through his thick skull. My fingers twitched.
Uhlig shrugged. “I prefer to think of it as strategic planning. It’s not my fault if you’re lacking in that department.”
The flunky who had Uhlig’s back, a meaty bear in a suit, flicked ashes from his cigar in my direction, though he was nowhere near enough to burn me. It was a subtle warning that he could shove directly up his ass. I’d make him eat that cigar.
“PD, why were you in the area?” King sounded bored, but I knew that tone. He could go either way—think this was all funny as fuck or try to cut out Uhlig’s heart—and whatever I said might send him careening off a cliff. He didn’t take his eyes off Uhlig. Part of me wanted blood, but Will was here.
“We don’t owe them an explanation.” I spit more blood on the floor, and Will’s warm, solid arm tightened around me, making this all bearable. I held back on the slew of names I wanted to call Uhlig and his army of fuckheads.
Will bared his teeth in a way that sent alarm bells ringing in my head.
I didn’t mind if he wanted to try to rip one of these fucker’s heads off, but I leaned against him hard because, more than likely, he would end up the worse for wear if he made the attempt.
Part of me was pissed off with King for allowing Will in here, but the rest of me was just glad to have him close.
Plus, maybe he needed this. I couldn’t keep him from danger forever, not if he was still a King.
Uhlig’s smug smile slipped a bit as King casually crossed his legs and lounged in his seat, though his expression was still pleasant.
“Hmm.” King swung around in his chair and gave me an assessing look. “You know—” He slapped his thighs and stood up. “—PD is onto something. We don’t owe you any explanations about where we go in this goddamned city. Our city.”
Will chuckled, a deep evil laugh that reminded me I used to call him Rook more often than not.
Uhlig scowled, but the man at his back seemed unimpressed.
I topped King’s comment off with a nice middle-finger salute in Uhlig’s direction.
The dickhead shot to his feet. “Someone stole a lot of my fucking money. They were on bikes and organized. They took out good men who will be a pain in the fucking ass to replace. I would blame the Harlots because, frankly, they’re better than you, but it wasn’t women who hit the truck.”
“Ouch. And?” King snorted and flashed him that smile of his that had been dropping underwear for decades.
“And they were on bikes,” Uhlig growled.
“They do sell motorcycles to anyone with cash.” I spit a few more drops of blood onto the floor for good measure. “Dumbass.”
“Can you please keep your dogs on a fucking leash?” Uhlig barked at King.
King rolled his eyes. “You’re the one who let him off it. You could’ve picked up the fucking phone. I know you have my number. You’re the one who wanted to make some sort of fucking point, as if we haven’t been pissing on each other’s boots for years.”
Uhlig actually growled, and the guy at his back chuckled as if he didn’t care about his life.
Will shocked the shit out of me by lunging toward the desk. Guns were drawn and aimed in his direction, and my heart nearly popped like confetti. I dove for him and wrapped my arms around him, dug in my heels, and threw my weight back.
King stood up with a hand out in our direction, but he was still staring at Uhlig. He crossed his arms and cocked his hip, leaning it against the gleaming wooden desk. “Sounds like you need our help. You know, there’s a significant finder’s fee on jobs like this?”
Uhlig took off his sunglasses and jabbed them in King’s direction. “If it wasn’t you, then you should be worried. We aren’t the only organization that moves money in this city.”
For a few seconds, King stared him down, then let his shoulders relax.
He tugged out a pack of cigarettes and went through the whole rigamarole of tapping the box, unwrapping plastic, which he threw on Uhlig’s desk while the man’s left eye twitched.
Took one out. Grinned while he lit up. I’d never really noticed how good King was at winding someone up without doing much of anything.
When he had his cigarette lit, he blew smoke at Uhlig, who only blinked and scowled.
“You didn’t actually think it was the Kings.
If it had been us, none of our boys would’ve been within a damned mile of the hit.
You thought you would make some accusations, throw around your weight, and try to get me to lick your boots.
The Kings don’t bow to anyone, fuck you very much.
” He took another drag from his cigarette.
Uhlig continued to give King the stink eye.
“Twenty percent finder’s fee. Whoever locates your stash gets themselves a fat reward.”
“That’s a rip-off.” Uhlig’s lip curled.
King wagged his cigarette up and down with his teeth. “Would’ve been fifteen if you hadn’t roughed up PD. You need to learn to play nicer with your friends.” King wandered over and planted a kiss on my temple.
Will huffed and poked at his chest with two fingers. His irritated little scowl sent a zing of pleasure through me. We both knew King was hamming it up for Uhlig, but was Will still jealous? I squeezed him close.
Uhlig turned around and glared at the big guy in a suit who worked for him.
He shrugged. “They do have the manpower. Better than a whole shipment being lost.”
About a minute ticked by as Uhlig twirled his glasses while he pursed his lips. On anyone else, I would call that expression a pout, but he was too bloodthirsty. “Fine.”
King turned toward the door, and I was surprised when Jester came up on my other side and helped Will walk me out.
The longer I was on my feet, though, the easier it was to move.
They’d had my ankles tied too fucking tight to the chair, so my feet still had some pins and needles in them that were working themselves out.
I’d been able to ignore it while I was worried one of us would get shot, but now that the tension was cranking down, the aches and pains were singing loud and clear.
My jaw ached like a bitch. Maybe one of my molars had gotten cracked, but I wouldn’t be able to tell for a couple of days.
“Pleasure doing business with you,” King called over his shoulder. He turned and flicked his cigarette butt into Uhlig’s office, and I got the joy of watching pure rage wash across the gremlin’s face. What an asshole.
Uhlig stormed toward him but stopped short of ordering his men to end us. “If I find out you had anything to do with this—”
“If I wanted you out of New Gothenburg, you’d already be dead.” King blew him a kiss, and that was our cue to get the fuck out of Dodge. No good would come from lingering.
Once we were outside, I was stunned to see all the bikes gleaming in the afternoon sunshine. “Jesus, you brought an army.”
“Well, yeah. We weren’t going to let Uhlig take you apart and sell you off for pieces.
He’s a serious risk,” King said quietly, shaking his head.
He scratched his nose and got a faraway expression, clearly deep in thought.
The sunlight glinted in his hair and highlighted the bits of silver that were starting to creep upward.
King walked over to his bike and slapped the seat, getting the attention of everyone around him.
“Spread the word, boys! There’s a pot of gold sitting out there somewhere. The casino lost an entire fucking truckload of cash.”
Catcalls went up.
“Talk about a white whale.” Charley Hughes laughed.
King grinned. “Anyone who finds it gets ten percent. Club dues are ten percent. The rest goes back to Uhlig. Call it in, and we’ll come help you sort it out. Uhlig’s going to want the boys who did it, too. We’ll toss them in for free.”
Will frowned. “But King, you told Uhlig—”
“That’s not info for everyone,” King said smoothly, shaking his head as he widened his eyes at Will in mild exasperation.
“Right.” Will nodded but his face flushed.
“It’s fine.” I slid against Will, figuring our club brothers wouldn’t give a shit if we hugged it out. He wrapped me up in a ginger embrace, his body flush to mine, and I wasn’t sure if it was because he was hurting or he was worried I would be. I wanted more, but I would settle for this.
“Aw, PD with the PDA.” Barber chuckled, the fucking idiot. “Smoochies!”
“Fuck you,” Will yelled back, without missing a beat. “Just because you gotta pay Quain to do it.”
“Hey!”
Grinning, I buried my face against the soft skin of Will’s neck behind his beard and inhaled his musk. For a little while there, I’d worried I’d never get this again.
“Leaving angry never works out the way we plan. Maybe we should stop doing that?” My heart stitched itself back together when he nodded.
Bikes rumbled behind us as engines started, a soothing sound that reminded me we had people at our back, ready to help us.
“I know I need to do better.”
“Fuck that. We’re both hotheads,” I muttered.
He chuckled and nodded.
When he leaned back to look at me, I couldn’t help myself.
His perfect brown eyes were so full of love and worry.
I couldn’t stand to hold on to any of the anger from earlier.
I brushed my lips across his, and then we were just kissing.
No one was drinking or dancing or distracted.
We were the center of attention. I moaned when Will flicked his tongue against mine and leaned into the comfort of having him hot and alive and in my arms.
So, I guess this was entirely public knowledge now? It made me feel good that he didn’t care who saw us. I didn’t even realize that had been a worry until something inside me unclenched. And then, I remembered the text about the tattoo from Jake.
He hadn’t said as much, but Jake always told people not to get names inked on their body.
So, Will was really committed to this. To us. If I’d ever doubted him, the last of my worries were wiped away as he ignored the blood flaking on my chin to seal his lips firmly over mine.
“Let’s go home,” I whispered against his mouth.
He nodded. “Can you ride? Where’s your bike?”
Frowning, I glanced around as a few more of our guys set out, motors roaring. “In the city. You didn’t drive here, did you?” I didn’t want to restart the fight again so soon, but damn it all.
“No. I rode with Jester and Barber.” Will huffed.
“The way I see it, I owe you cash. Lots of it. And we have more of a chance than anyone of finding that money because you caught a look at what happened, maybe remember those bikes if you think about it? And we’re among the first to know, so we have a head start.
By tonight the info will have filtered out to everyone who has anything to do with the club.
By the time the associate riders and everyone we fucking know hears about it, there could be a couple hundred people out there searching for this fucking money. ”
There was fire in Rook’s eyes, and he seemed so much like his old self.
I’d always known all we had was right now while living the club life, but the last couple of weeks had really driven that home.
I couldn’t wait for Rook to be his old self, because that wasn’t coming back, and I couldn’t wait for him to be all better, because that wasn’t happening, either.
All I could do was love and support the man in front of me, the man I loved more than life.
I shook out my shoulders. “Fuck it. Fine. Let’s get out there. We’ll stop back for my bike. I should probably clean up a little, too, so I don’t scare the citizens.”
Rook scowled but gave my hip a squeeze. “Deal.”
I grabbed his hand and clung to it. We probably wouldn’t really talk about the fight we’d had, but fuck it. I’d rather be tearing up the world in the name of the Kings of Men with Rook than sitting somewhere eating my heart out over my feelings.
Besides, he loved me and I knew it. I loved him, and I fucking knew that, too. We just had to figure out how to stop pissing each other off. This life and each other were what we were made for.
“Let’s ride out!” King called. “Barber, if you take a whiz on Uhlig’s car, I’m letting him keep your dick.”
“Aw, Prez!”
I didn’t even bother glancing their way, but Will caught my eye, and we shared a laugh. Yeah, we would get through this, and fuck, maybe we’d even make a quick buck.