Chapter 8
Bear
N o wonder Carl called her “ Rose .” She was prickly as hell. My quip barely dented her composure. Which was disconcerting. She’d already picked up on my tells. It took Jackson all of a month to figure them out. Wolf ? Hell , I don’t know if he figured all of them out yet.
Most of the guys in the club had given up on understanding me long ago. If I didn’t want to be read, they had a hard time with it. Barely an hour with Roishin , and she’d seen through my sexist comment for what it was. A way to rile her up.
And she chose non-violence. Which made sense, given my size and the number of times I’d threatened her tonight. Yet , instead of flinching in fear, my last threat barely registered on her radar. An eye dip to the knife I’d covered, and she plowed right on.
If it had been anyone other than Skinner with me? They’d have taken offense. Skinner was smart enough to see through it and warn me.
Was I going to listen?
Hell no.
The more I found out about this woman, the more I liked her.
And that was a huge problem. My phone buzzed as I pointed out the particular important sections of the house.
Bathroom , food, bedrooms… I had three. “ Pick one,” I said and checked to see who was calling.
“ I gotta take this.” I ran my fingers across my lips reminding her to shut up.
“ Hey , Jackson . What’s up?”
The noise in the background meant he was at one of the bars or the clubhouse outside Atlanta . There was another stop planned in Tallahassee before he, Hollywood , and Griz came back. Kate was smart to stay home. Those clubs were too close to rival territories to be safe.
“ My wife tells me you’re playing hooky tonight.”
I glanced at Roishin and said to both of them, “ Hang on a minute.”
I walked down the stairs and out the back and didn’t stop until I was deep in the woods that flanked the running path. “ Sorry , had ears eavesdropping.”
“ Kate said you had a woman with you.”
“ Yeah , about that…” I really should tell him everything. But what could I say on the phone?
“ Kate said she wasn’t wearing a shit ton of makeup like you usually snatch up. Where’d you find her?”
I cleared my throat. “ Carl’s .”
There was a pause on the other end. Jackson was so quiet, I could hear Griz yapping in the background. Finally , he said, “ Fill me in.”
“ He got a ride home today from a cop.”
More silence.
“ I went over to chat and met his girl. And … uh, weirdest thing, she came home with me.” That wasn’t the whole truth, but I really couldn’t say all of it over the phone, so I said what I could, “ Carl wanted it that way.”
Jackson sucked in a breath. “ He’s playing you.”
“ No shit. Skinner said the same thing.”
His voice skipped into innuendo zone. “ She any good?”
“ I don’t fucking know.”
“ Come on, man. Give me something. Ass shape, tit size, something…”
“ You’re married now, bro,” I reminded him.
“ So ?”
Wow . If Kate heard him talking like that… “ Kate’s going to have your nuts.”
“ I don’t need ’em. Got Zoe , and Kate and I definitely shouldn’t make another one like her. Seriously , is Carl’s girl ugly or pretty?”
I hesitated.
“ Woof ?” Jackson laughed.
“ No ,” I protested.
His mirth ceased. “ What do you mean, no ?”
How could I tell him? “ She’s … interesting. Pretty , yeah, but not… you know, caked makeup, pushup bras, and all that stuff that makes ’em prettier.”
“ That’s what Kate said. She isn’t your usual type.”
“ Exactly .” I did have a type. Brass , bold, loud, brightly patterned, and easy to scrape off. I’d never picked anyone like Roishin , and never would. She was too soft, delicate, small…and too vulnerable against a monster like me.
I gave Jackson more to chew on. “ Listen , you’re right, he’s playing games, but I think Carl’s also playing a game with her.
He pushed her on me, and it wasn’t her idea.
Now , I know you know I’m not that kind of man but I had to pretend I was because she was bruised and scared as shit.
I needed to get her out of there. But maybe he’s testing me?
Maybe he thinks I’m weak enough to take the bait, or he’s trying to get dirt?
You know him better than I do, what’s his game? ”
Jackson gave it a moment of thought. “ You’re right, he never does anything without a reason, and that man can twist reasons out of smoke.
If I were you, I’d watch my back. She might be the one to stick a knife in it.
Or , Carl is using her to create a reason to make you fall. And by proxy, all of us.”
He didn’t give me time to talk before he rambled on. “ You’re going to have to pretend this was her idea, and get that girl on board, fast. Say she’s scraped Carl off for you and get her to sell it. You’ll know if she’s faking this for him or not soon enough.”
I rubbed my ear because there is no way he said what I think he said. “ You’re kidding me, right?”
“ No . If he’s trying to make up a false accusation, and she’s in on it, or even if she isn’t, you could get in serious shit.
You’re right to think it’s a trap; you’d be fucked either way.
Right now, it’s really close to… how to put it?
” He trailed off an I heard the unspoken “on an unsecured line” part of his thoughts.
“ Trafficking ?” I offered.
“ Damn it, Bear .”
I laughed. “ That ain’t what this is. She’s been opening up since I got her away. When I was there, she was quieter than a mouse, but this lady’s got hellfire in her veins.”
“ I thought you said she wasn’t your type?”
“ She ain’t.” Immediately my mind flashed the memory of her naked legs and that hair whipping around in the storm. I pressed the heel of my free hand against my junk to remind it to settle down.
Jackson laughed long and loud. Griz rumbled in the background, asking what was so funny.
“ Bear’s met his match.”
Aw , fuck. I’d never hear the end of this now. “ Go fuck yourself.”
Jackson laughed harder. Griz must have said something to make him wheeze.
“ What’s her name?”
I told him and gave him the rundown on the name changes Hickey found. Then added, “ Why shouldn’t I just set her up with Ma or something?”
There was a minute before Jackson sobered enough to answer.
“ Well , first off, Ma ain’t exactly a good influence on women.
It took her all of two hours to teach Zoe and Kate how to shoot.
Second , knowing Carl ? He’s got you watched.
And if you start passing off this Roishin to someone else, he’s gonna know you wussed out.
Worse ? he’s likely to pick up his vendetta with Ma . And none of us wants that to happen.
“ Also , I’d hate to think what our enemies would do with the knowledge we’re taking in strays. I ain’t exactly on solid ground right now, Bear .”
Shit . Especially with him brushing up against two major factions where he was. “ Okay . Aside from that, gimme one good reason why it should be me. Why not Cutty or Poke ?” They were better with women than I was.
“ Because both of them would stick their dicks in it without thinking twice or being careful about it. And that, Bear , is a trap. One I know you know how to escape. And if this woman is both dumb enough and smart enough to be with Carl , still be in one piece, and not buried in some basement somewhere, then I need someone smart on this. And face it, Bear , you’re the only single smartass capable of that right now. Griz is here with me.”
Fucker . “ I’m telling Kate you asked about Roishin’s ass.”
“ Do that, and I’m making a coat out of you when I get back.”
“ That’s if Kate doesn’t kill you first.” I laughed because this new, married Jackson was so much easier to rile than the single one.
“ Listen , just give me some juicy fodder for when I call Kate back and have phone sex.”
“ I’m not doing that. Find your own spank material.”
He laughed. “ See ? She’s safe with you, Bear .
Safer than with anyone else. You may pretend you have no morals whatsoever, but you’re an honorable man.
I wouldn’t have you any other way. So , I’m begging you, fake it…
for the cops Carl’s going to sic on you, for the ol’ ladies who’ll sic Wolf’s woman on you, and I don’t need to remind you that Tits will skewer your ass if she finds out you made a deal for this woman, and lastly, do it for the club.
We don’t need the heat right now. You have got to make it look like you’re legitimately dating her or some shit.
And make sure she’s treated better than any of your priors, got it? ”
I couldn’t argue with a direct order like that.
“ I ain’t seducing her.”
“ No one said you had to do that. Just turn on the charm. Be nice. Women appreciate nice.”
Griz’s mutter was loud. “ Bear ain’t got charm, and he certainly ain’t nice.” There was more I didn’t hear, but it made more than one person on the other end laugh at my expense.
“ Fuck off, all of you.” I hung up. Jackson had a full trip to get over the slight. It served him right for not taking me with him. If he had, none of this would have happened.
Or at least not to me.
I walked inside, and caught Roishin staring at my altar. Her hand hovered over my little statue of Thor resting on his hammer. It was a replica of a marble carving from the 19 th century. Sprout’s wife found it online and bought it for me.
“ What are you doing?”
Roishin snatched her hand back. “ I was admiring your altar. Thor ?” She indicated the statue and the red candle.
I nodded. It didn’t look like she’d touched anything, but I checked just the same. The last thing I needed was for some witch to fondle my junk and screw up the energy of it.
As I straightened the bottle of Trappist Ale , I spoke, “ Since you recognized it for what it is, and because of those marks you drew back in the shop, I’m guessing you’re pagan. And likely a witch. Did you have an altar? Maybe you can set one up somewhere in here.”
Her silence was curious.
“ Roishin ?”
She swallowed, and her eyes were haunted. “ I had one, at my apartment. But it’s all gone.”
Carl . She didn’t even have to say his name, and I knew that sanctimonious son of a bitch did something.
“ How long ago was this?”
“ Barely a month,” she whispered, head hung low.
“ Any chance you can get it back?”
Her head barely moved, but the side-to-side motion ignited my fury.
“ He fucked with it, didn’t he?”
She turned away and I might have caught her wiping an eye, but she rallied. “ I think I’ll sleep on the couch in the basement.”
That wasn’t a bedroom. It wasn’t even set up as a proper room. All my exercise gear was down there. “ Why ?”
“ Because if someone breaks in, the last place they’ll go digging around in is the basement, and if they do, they’ll trip over your barbells, and I’ll hear them.”
“ You ain’t sleeping in no basement.”
Her head tilted, jaw set. “ It’s my choice, isn’t it?”
Ah , there she was, that hellcat daring me to lay down the law again.
I smiled. Jackson had shit for brains. He thought everything could be solved by sex.
“ I vow it is.” I laid a hand on Thor’s head and expanded.
“ On my honor as a warrior, and as a servant of the mighty God of Thunder , I swear your choices will be your own. The only thing I ask in return is that you respect my ways, my people, and my decisions.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“ No .”
I tried again. “ On my honor, you can sleep where you want in this house. Be it in the basement, or at my side, I will not take that decision from you.”
“ At your side?”
Maybe some things could be solved Jackson’s way? I resisted the urge to picture her naked form again. But I could at least be honest, right? “ If you want to. I wouldn’t turn it down.” I raked my eyes down her body.
She hesitated. “ What’s the catch?”
“ No catch. However? —”
“ Oh , here we go…”
I smiled my not nice grin. “ Carl’s going to try to cause trouble.”
“ Duh . Do ducks quack?”
Ignoring her sarcasm, I plowed on. “ The more people who see us together, and see you willingly with me, the better.”
Her mouth hung open slightly. “ Do you want me to paw at you in public?”
Put that way, no . “ I want you to make it look like this is your idea to stay here.” Her mutinous face wasn’t showing conviction. “ Because when Carl starts pulling his bullshit, who’s going to pay?”
Her shoulders slumped. “ You’re right. Carl might not take a direct approach if he suspects something.” She walked over and knelt at my feet.
I took a step back, stunned.
She held both hands out, palms up. “ On my word, by the life in my blood, and with the spirits of hearth and home as witness, I vow to be convincingly willing in public.”
That was sincere enough for me. “ Accepted .” My stomach growled. The fragrance of baked bread still clung to her skin, and I could smell it. “ Are you hungry?”
This fake relationship would start as normal as it could. I’d make her dinner. Tomorrow ? Maybe take her shopping?
I shuddered. That wasn’t my style. Everyone knew it wasn’t. I’d have to figure something out, fast. Because Jackson was right. Carl would be watching.