Chapter 7
Naomi
My rumbling stomach and the desire to overhear the guys’ plans won out over searching for something suitable to wear, which is how I’ve ended up feeling exposed and far more naked than I expected to feel wearing the first thing I grabbed from Gage’s wardrobe.
They look at me with mirrored expressions of skepticism and surprise. “You do?” Gage asks hopefully. At the same time, Ace condescendingly says, “You know we need more than a couple of handguns registered in your name that you own for personal protection or whatever?”
I roll my eyes. “Obviously. I’m not a total moron. These are unregistered, and there are many of them.” I hold up my hands, palms open, fingers splayed, and shrug. “But hey, if you don’t want them…”
Gage elbows Ace. “We do, don’t we, Ace?” he prompts.
Ace doesn’t become any less suspicious or arrogant as he demands to know, “How do you have a supply of guns?”
At the same time, Cash asks, “Where?” His ice-blue eyes sparkle with curiosity.
I answer them both at once. “I don’t have a supply of guns. I just know where some are stored. My brother asked me to hide them somewhere safe for him a while back. I can show you where.”
Ace remains unconvinced, and he folds his arms across his broad chest. “Whose guns are they?”
“I presume the Rusted Scythes?” I reply, feeling as if I’m stating the obvious. After all, who else would have entrusted them to Eli?
Ace clicks his fingers and points at me. “But you don’t know, do you? God knows what other shit your brother might have gotten himself into. If they belong to someone else, we could be bringing even more trouble to our door.”
“True, Prez, but what choice do we have? We need more weapons, and it’s most likely that they belong to the Rusted Scythes.
We should take them rather than risk them falling into our enemy’s hands.
We’re already about to be at war with them, so taking them seems like the most logical step,” Gage argues.
I’m glad that he sees sense and has drawn the same conclusions as me. Ace rubs his beard, thinking. “Why don’t you just speak to Eli and ask?” Cash suggests. “Surely now he’s allied with us, he’ll tell you if the guns are hot or not?”
I blink in surprise, trying to process what he’s said. “I’m sorry, did I miss something?” I look between the men, waiting for an answer.
Gage clears his throat uncomfortably. “Ace just told me now. He went to see your brother last night in the hospital.”
My eyebrows shoot up, and I hold up a hand, frowning in confusion before I look at Ace.
“And you didn’t think this was something you should’ve shared with me right away?
To let me know whether my brother was alive?
You let me worry all night that he could be dead or still suffering at the Rusted Scythes clubhouse. ”
“You didn’t seem that concerned to me,” Ace sneers, clearly referencing what happened between Gage and me.
Instinctively and without thought, my arm snaps out, slapping him sharply across the face, the sound ringing out before the room descends into stunned silence. Ace doesn’t so much as flinch. The only sign of his suppressed rage is a twitching muscle in his jaw. I’m still too angry to apologize.
“Fuck you!” I spit out, the words dripping with venom. “You have no right to judge me.”
To my surprise, when Ace speaks, his voice is softer and apologetic.
“You’re right. I should have told you sooner that your brother is okay,” he concedes, and I feel thrown off-balance by the unexpected humility.
“I didn’t get a chance. I saw him in the hospital last night.
He’s doing fine, just bruising and a couple of broken bones.
You and your brother are now under the protection of the Road Renegades.
In exchange, Eli’s gonna share his intel on the Rusted Scythes. ”
I nod my thanks but can’t quite bring myself to say the words.
However, I feel I have to tell them about Eli.
The truth. “I should warn you, Eli might be brilliant, the smartest man I know, but he’s also addicted to painkillers, and that addiction, that need, will always come first. You can’t trust him too much.
” It shames me to admit it, and I can’t meet his eye as I say it, opting to stare at the tiled linoleum floor instead.
“Yeah, I’m aware of Eli’s problems, which is why once he’s been discharged from the hospital, I’ve arranged for him to go to a secure rehab, somewhere safe where he can get clean without risk of the Rusted Scythes finding him.”
I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude.
No one has ever tried to help before. To my mortification, tears spring in my eyes, and I rapidly blink them away.
“Thank you. I appreciate that,” I say, my voice thick as if there’s something stuck in my throat.
I cough to clear it. “Do you have a way I can speak to Eli? We could call and ask him about the guns now.” Finally, I force myself to meet Ace’s eye.
Ace considers this for a moment before agreeing. “Alright. But keep it short. We can’t risk the Rusted Scythes finding out he’s communicating with us.” I nod in eager agreement. He pulls his phone from his pocket and dials, holding it to his ear for a moment until handing it over to me.
“Hello?” I ask, uncertainly.
My brother’s concerned voice replies. “Naomi, is that you? Oh, thank god, are you okay? Did they hurt you?”
Relief floods me. Eli’s alright. He’s going to be alright. No matter what he’s done to me, he’s still my brother, my only family. “No, no, they didn’t hurt me. I’m fine.” I don’t add, ‘no thanks to you’.
“Mouse, I’m so sorry.” Eli sounds genuinely repentant, but then he always is when he fucks up.
I don’t have time, and I’m not ready to forgive him yet, so I simply get straight to the point. “I know, Eli, you just focus on getting clean. Look, I need to know. Remember those guns you asked me to hide, who do they belong to?”
“Mouse, why do you need guns?” he asks anxiously.
“I don’t, but the Road Renegades do if they’re going to be able to protect me and you from the Rusted Scythes.
So, who do the guns belong to? If we take them, will it bring more trouble down on our heads, will we make a new enemy trying to protect ourselves from the existing one?
” I ask urgently, aware of Ace fidgeting, his leg bouncing, no doubt preparing to tell me to hurry up.
Eli is silent on the other end, and for a moment, I worry I’ve lost him. “You can take the guns. It should be safe—or at least safer than the alternative.”
“Thanks, Eli,” I murmur. “You take care of yourself. I’ll see you soon.”
“You too, Mouse. I love you.”
I don’t reply, forcing myself to end the call and hand the phone back before relaying what Eli said to the guys who are waiting with bated breath.
They look to each other, communicating silently.
“So, he didn’t specifically say who the guns belonged to?
” Ace clarifies, seeming frustrated as if he wished he were the one to speak to Eli and ask.
“No, but he said they were safe.” Seeing their skeptical expressions, I stubbornly insist, “I trust my brother on this. If he says they’re safe, they’re safe.”
Gage nods trustingly. “If Naomi says so, I think we should trust him.” I smile at him, grateful to have an ally.
Ace rolls his eyes but refrains from commenting. He turns to look at Cash instead. “Do we have the budget to buy some from the Russians, or the Chinese perhaps?” he asks.
“No, not without moving several assets around and pulling investments, which would take too long. Gimme a second to think.” Cash grinds his teeth and paces, stroking his chin, his brow furrowed in concentration while he tries to come up with alternative solutions.
I can tell he doesn’t like this one bit.
Clearly, he’s the kind of guy who is used to being in control, and he doesn’t want any uncertainty.
After a second, he finally admits, “I got nothing. I think this is our best option.”
Ace nods, accepting Cash’s judgment without question, and I wonder what the dynamic between the three is. Ace is the president, but he seems far more ready to listen to Cash’s advice than Gage. Is that just because Gage is in the doghouse, or is it always like this between them?
“Alright. Naomi, can you point out on a map where you hid the guns?” Ace asks.
Oh hell no.
If he thinks I’m gonna sit around and wait in the house while they try, and most likely fail to find the guns, and no doubt trash my favorite place in the process, he’s got another thing coming. “Nope. The only way you’re getting your hands on those guns is if you let me come with you.”
Ace wipes his hand down his face wearily, already seeming to understand how stubborn I can be, “You’re not gonna back down on this, are you?” he asks.
“Nope,” I reply with a triumphant grin, knowing I’ve already won.
“Fine. Cash, she can ride on the back of your bike,” Ace concedes. Clearly, he wants to keep Gage and me as far away from each other as possible.
“Oh no,” I say cheerily. “I’m riding my own bike.”
A heated debate between Ace and me ensues, he insisting that there’s no way he’s letting me ride off alone, and how it will be quicker and safer with me on Cash’s bike.
I refuse, pointing out that the more bikes the better, especially if something happens to one, and that two riders would slow us down more.
Eventually, Cash breaks up our bickering.
“We haven’t got time for this. Just let Naomi ride her bike. Besides, I’m curious to see her on that thing,” Cash adds with a slight smile that doesn’t show his teeth.
Sensing he’s outnumbered and that Gage will definitely take our side, Ace finally gives in. “Fine. But you can’t go out like that,” he says, needing to win something.
“Sure, what do you suggest I wear then? It’s not like I have anything with me, and none of you are my size,” I point out. I have to admit, I enjoy verbally sparring with him just a little bit.
“I have some stuff from an ex that should fit you upstairs,” he grunts.
I don’t know why, but something about that bothers me.
It’s kind of Ace to offer, and I’m definitely not jealous.
Ace isn’t anything to me, quite the opposite, we’ve done nothing but clash since we met.
I tell myself it’s just that everything he does irks me, nothing more.
Perhaps it’s the fact that he treats me like some fragile tiny thing, and yet he clearly dated a woman who wears a similar size to me.
Either way, I’m intrigued and grateful, so I simply say thanks and allow him to show me where it is.
The options I’m left with aren’t much better than Gage’s shirt.
I’m grateful that I at least have my favorite boots.
God knows what those fuckers did with my clothes.
There’s a pair of denim hotpants that are so short my ass cheeks are practically hanging out, a minidress better suited for the club, some skimpy lingerie, a silk negligee, and the only thing that is longer than mid-thigh is a pair of leather pants.
With a sigh, I put those on. Feeling a little mischievous and looking for ways to irritate Ace.
I spot a cool t-shirt of his, a vintage Metallica tour shirt, and put it on, tucking it into the waist of the pants.
When I return down the stairs and Ace notices, he frowns but says nothing.
Gage and Cash try to suppress their smirks.
I feel exhilarated at the thought of riding my Indian.
Any time things get too tough, when it all seems too much, and life seems too hard, I take my bike out for a long ride, just me and the open road.
It always helps to clear my mind and give me a fresh perspective.
I could sure as hell use one now. Feeling almost giddy with anticipation, I can’t hold back my grin as I taunt the guys.
“Time to find out if you boys can keep up.”
There’s a wicked glint in Ace’s eyes. He’s a man who obviously likes a challenge. Gage notices it and chuckles. “Uh oh, Naomi’s brought out Ace’s competitive side…”
“Doesn’t take much,” Cash replies. From the expression on his face, he’s a man who doesn’t back down from a challenge either. “I hope you enjoy the view of my ass during the ride, Sweetheart,” he says with a wink.
I’m caught off guard by Cash’s flirtatious tone, and my cheeks flush.
“Do I really have to be the sensible one right now?” Gage sighs.
Whatever had been causing Ace to teeter toward letting go and having some fun is gone in the blink of an eye, as if Gage had lassoed him, snapping him back into place. “Stay close, Naomi. No racing, you two,” he says sternly.
I pout. “Spoilsport.”
Ace fixes me in his steely gaze. “Don’t forget there are people out there who want us dead and want to capture and do far worse than just kill you,” Ace warns, serious again.
The truth of his words hits me, and suddenly I don’t feel so excited about leaving the safety of the house. I nod somberly and follow their lead.
Outside, I feel exposed, nervously looking around, expecting an ambush at any moment.
I can’t let myself forget why I’m here. My life depends on it.