Chapter 2
2
PHOENIX
“Y ou realize there’s a wedding happening, right?” Maverick asked, after poking his head into my office. He was the vice president of my motorcycle club, the Iron Rogues.
My eyes continued to scan the spreadsheet open on my laptop as I answered, “Yeah. Just wanted to double-check this real quick. The deadline is tomorrow and?—”
“The Mendoza contract?” he interrupted.
I nodded and jotted a note to myself on a sticky pad, then stuck it to my computer screen.
Maverick grunted. “Fucking hell. Get your neurotic ass outta this office and ready to party, asshole. You’ve been over the budget for that project at least twenty times.”
“Wait. I need him for just a sec,” a female voice cut in.
A murderous scowl enveloped Maverick’s face as he turned to look at his old lady, Molly. At least he wasn’t directing that glare at me. I liked my head just fine without any bullet holes in it.
“You need who?” he growled.
Molly rolled her eyes and patted his chest over his leather cut. “I didn’t mean it like that.”
His expression didn’t lighten. “Baby, that pretty little ass is gonna be wearing my handprint for days if you don’t tell me what I want to hear.”
She sighed. “Relax, babe. I only need you, Maverick. And you damn well know it. Now, may I speak to Phoenix for a second without you killing him and carrying me off to your cave?”
He crossed his arms over his chest, glowering at her while he lifted his chin toward me.
“Thanks,” she said with an overly sweet smile that had Maverick rolling his eyes this time.
“I know you don’t have much time, but someone here needs to speak with you, and it’s pretty urgent.”
My mouth curved into a frown. I didn’t know what could be so important that it couldn’t wait until after the wedding.
Molly wouldn’t have brought them to me for something trivial, though, so I gestured for her to continue. She turned to speak to someone out in the hall, not stopping as she walked inside. “Come on in. Don’t worry, these guys are all bluster.”
I shot an incredulous look at my VP, who just sighed. Usually, Molly wouldn’t say shit like that. Having grown up the daughter of an MC president, she knew how important it was for us to maintain a ruthless reputation.
Then I spotted the person who followed her, and my breath froze in my lungs.
She was on the taller side, but still at least six inches shorter than my six-foot-two. Despite her slender frame, she had delicate curves in all the right places. A purple T-shirt clung to her chest, and faded jeans hugged her legs like a second skin. Her tits weren’t big, but they were fucking perfect for my hands. And the curve of her hips was just right for holding while I buried myself inside her from behind. Even though I hadn’t gotten a glimpse yet, I had no doubt her ass was just as amazing as the rest of her.
Long red hair tumbled down her back, and soft bangs covered her forehead. The color made her pale skin look creamy and emphasized the adorable sprinkle of freckles over her nose and the apples of her cheeks.
Intelligent green eyes—the color of pine trees in the rain—studied me. Her heart-shaped pink lips pursed, and a flush stained her cheeks. I wasn’t sure if the blush was from the snap of annoyance in her gaze or the heat she was trying to hide.
My body roared to life, surprising me since I couldn’t remember the last time a woman had caught my interest. And I couldn't help feeling a little smug at the obvious signs that she was just as affected by me as I was by her.
“You’re Phoenix?” she asked, in a melodic voice that caused warmth to bloom in my chest.
“Beck,” I replied gruffly.
If Maverick’s and Molly’s stunned expressions were anything to go by, they were just as shocked by my response as I was. We didn’t invite anyone to use our real names…unless it was women we were related to or intended to claim.
“Pardon?” the woman asked, blinking in confusion. “I’m sorry, Molly called you Phoenix, so I assumed…”
“Phoenix is my road name,” I grunted. “You call me Beck.”
“Well,” Maverick said after clearing his throat. “We’ll leave you two to…talk.”
He ended his comment with a grin, and I shot him a withering glance before returning my attention to the woman in front of me.
She watched them leave, then turned her inquisitive eyes back to me. “I’m Lindsay. Um, Lindsay Goss. I volunteer at Juniper Grove. I came to talk to you about the center’s finances.”
I leaned back in my chair, folding my arms, my gaze steady. “Go on.”
She shifted on her feet nervously, then seemed to gather her courage and met my stare head-on. I felt ribbons of pride curling around my heart, and my dick twitched because it was sexy as fuck.
“I think someone’s stealing from you,” she said bluntly. “Sort of. I mean, not you exactly—but from the donations you guys send to the center.” Her green eyes snapped with fire. “I can’t understand how you’ve missed it, unless you’ve suddenly lost all that legendary financial brilliance I’ve heard about.”
My brow lifted, but I didn’t bite. Her sass made me want to smile, but I didn’t want her to think I wasn’t taking her suspicions seriously. “You’ve seen something?”
She put her hands on her hips, her eyes narrowed. “I’ve seen enough. The numbers aren’t adding up. Budgets for programs are supposedly approved, but the supply closets are practically empty. Maintenance work orders are submitted, and the expenses logged, but nothing gets fixed. Field trips are mysteriously canceled—breaking promises made to the children. And don’t even get me started on the state of the pantry!”
I nodded slowly, already mentally pulling apart the structure we’d set up. Frustration built inside me with every word she spoke. Even though I hadn't been hands-on with the center in years, it was extremely important to me. To the entire club. And if someone was fucking with it, depriving those kids of a safe place and decent meals and snacks, they were gonna pay.
However, I wasn’t one to be easily riled, so I remained calm and queried, “You have any documentation?”
Anything she’d found would be useful in speeding up the process.
She crossed her arms, mirroring me. “I have some notes from people I’ve talked to. And I took some screenshots of anything budgetary I could get eyes on. I’m not a forensic accountant, but I’m also not an idiot. I double-checked everything before I marched into the wedding and nearly ruined your friend’s special day.”
“Hunter will survive,” I murmured, my mind split between the problem at hand and the gorgeous woman I was quickly coming to think of as mine. “He’s got his girl. You’re worth the interruption.”
Surprise flickered in her expression, and pink bloomed on her cheeks, but she kept going. “I tried asking the manager about stuff I noticed that hasn’t been done, but he blew me off.” She shrugged. “I don’t know anyone on the board, and I doubt they would take my calls. Maybe I’m wrong and paranoid?—”
“Relax, baby. I believe you,” I quickly jumped in to reassure her.
Drumming my fingers on the edge of the desk, I explained, “We’ve donated to Juniper Grove for years. Quietly, consistently. But I let the board handle allocation. Stayed mostly hands-off because it was so well run in the past. Clearly, that was a mistake.”
“Clearly,” she echoed with an adorable huff. Her eyes narrowed on me again, her stare probing. “Now you can fix it.”
I met her gaze, letting her see I was taking every word seriously. “I will.”
Lindsay’s arms dropped to her sides, and she exhaled slowly in a small show of relief.
“Need to head out back,” I told her, not bothering to hide my reluctance. “Wedding’s startin’ in a few.”
She nodded and turned, but stopped when I ordered, “Don’t go back to the center.”
Twisting back to face me, she blinked. “Excuse me?”
“You said it yourself, baby…they’re dodgin’ questions. Don’t know how deep this goes. Someone’s skimming off the top, and they figure out you’ve been poking around, they might see you as a threat.”
Stubbornness glinted in her pretty eyes, and her mouth parted. I could see she was about to argue, but I didn’t let her.
“Not saying this to scare you,” I said evenly. “Just makin’ sure you understand how serious this is. People do stupid shit when they’re cornered. Until I’ve traced the flow of every dollar and figured out who the fuck is involved, stay away from Juniper Grove. Understood?”
“And if I don’t?” she challenged, tilting her head and causing her red tresses to spill over her shoulder.
I didn’t outwardly smile. “Then we’ll have to have this conversation again, and I won’t be as subtle next time.”
Her mouth opened, then shut again, and she nodded.
Good girl .
“I’ll contact you as soon as I know more,” I said, standing and walking around my desk. My hands balled into fists at my side to avoid touching her. But I lost the fight and trailed a finger across her bottom lip. Her tiny gasp had my dick hardening to stone. “From now on, consider yourself under the protection of the Iron Rogues. Under my protection.”
She arched her brow. “I didn’t realize I needed protecting.”
“Neither did any of the other old ladies,” I muttered. “But their men knew better.”
“I…” She trailed off as her eyes met my heated gaze.
Cupping her shoulders, I turned her around to face the door, then put my hand on the small of her back. I guided her down the hall and through the lounge until we reached the front entrance to the clubhouse.
“I’ll see you very soon, baby,” I told her, my voice low and smooth. My lips pressed tight to hold back my smile when she shivered. Reluctantly, I held the door open for her. She stepped through, then paused and looked up at me.
“Thank you for taking this seriously. The center means a lot to me.”
I wanted to unpack that statement, but someone called my name with an impatient tone. Fuck. “Of course,” I grunted. “I’ll call you soon.”
She frowned. “I didn’t give you my number.”
This time, I let the smile curve my lips.
“Talk soon, baby.” Then I nudged her to get going and watched until she was safely in her car.
As I strolled through the clubhouse to the back exit, my mind was filled with thoughts of red curls, pine-green eyes, and a voice that heated my blood.
“Heard some sweet thing got a hold of your balls, Phoenix,” Hunter drawled when I walked past him, reminding me of a conversation we’d had recently. I’d given him shit over being pussy-whipped, and he’d warned me that sooner or later, some sweet thing was gonna own my balls—and I’d be beggin’ her to squeeze.
I flipped him off, but one corner of my mouth hiked up. Yeah, Lindsay definitely owned me. And it wasn’t gonna be long before she knew who she belonged to.