Chapter Five
Trident
As soon as we’d gotten back into Cutler last Sunday, Viper had sent a few of us right back out the door on a run over to Tyler. Brothers first, brothers forever is the SCMC’s top rule. What the president wants, he gets is a close second. But his timing sucked. I had plans to spend the week tracking down my little runaway. I hadn’t even gotten a chance to talk to Stone in all the rushing around. Once I was on my bike ready to ride out, but waiting on the others to get their shit sorted, I use the time to shoot off a text to him.
Need you to give me Jacie’s deets. Know you have them.
It was only moments before my phone buzzed with his reply.
No can do, bro. Sorry. U need 2 get from her. Join me Fri night I sure as fuck wouldn’t risk it on some chick that meant nothing.
***
Jacie
It was with a heavy heart that I left Bridgewater for Dallas on Friday. I’d offered to cancel the trip, to stay close to home to help Taz take care of Flick and Lolly, but Flick had refused my offer, demanding I still go. She’d told me that as much as she appreciated everything I’d been doing for them, she knew how much I’d been looking forward to the trip and I needed some time away to relax before returning and working my ass off again. Because she couldn’t do housework or much of anything if she didn’t want to risk going into early labor.
Turned out Flick’s bleeding was due to her having placenta previa . Which the doctor explained meant Flick’s placenta was covering her cervix. I didn’t know much about childbirth and pregnancy, but even I could work out that was some scary shit.
They’d kept her in hospital for forty-eight hours to monitor her and the baby. Thankfully, things down below were still solid, showing no signs of dilation, and she’d stopped bleeding by the time they released her. Her doctor had told her she was fine to go home, but she needed to rest as much as possible, no lifting or any other stresses.
The goal was to keep the baby inside her for as long as possible. But she was going to be spending a whole lot more time at the hospital over the next couple months for checkups and stuff than she’d originally planned. And she wouldn’t be able to give birth naturally; she’d have to have a c-section for her and the baby’s safety. Taz had wobbled on his feet, nearly passing out when the doctor mentioned the high-risk Flick would be at of bleeding out if she went into labor naturally. I’d had to push aside my own shock and step up to steady him when he staggered and paled as close to white as I’ve ever seen his skin go.
“Neveah? Crank the radio up. We need to get the vibes going on this road trip!”
Sparrow’s sass had me smiling as Neveah, who was riding shotgun, grabbed her phone.
“I can do one better! I totally planned a playlist for the trip.”
With a small shake of my head and a chuckle, I continued to focus on the highway. After eight months, I’d gotten mostly used to being on the other side of the road. But I still preferred to be the driver. Sitting in the front passenger seat, where I’d sat to drive in Australia, still messed with my head. Thankfully my crew didn’t mind letting me drive.
While Neveah got her phone paired to the car’s system Mirabelle leaned forward.
“What time is the dinner tonight again?”
I responded with a smile. “Six-thirty. We’ll get there in plenty of time to clean up and change before then. No worries.”
While, with therapy, Mirabelle had come a long way since she’d been rescued, she was still understandably nervous around strangers, especially men.
“Do you think there will be like real mobsters there? Or just models pretending.”
Glancing in the mirror, I took in how she was chewing her lip and the concern in her gaze.
Sparrow reached over to grip her hand and give it a squeeze. The club had freed Sparrow from a mob run brothel in L.A. a few years ago. She got Mirabelle in a way no one else could.
“Not honestly sure. I mean, I can’t imagine a mobster with any sort of power lowering himself to be on the cover of a romance novel. But if either of us recognize anyone in there from our pasts, we have our Plan B.”
We all had panic buttons programed into our phones. We were to hit that sucker then wait for help to arrive. If they hadn’t seen us, we were to keep it that way. If they had, we were to remain inside the main room and stay visible. Making sure to never be alone or allow them to get too close to us. Scout had told us he’d have back up there in minutes, which meant we had club shadows. I wasn’t sure who Scout had sent, but would bet that Jazz was in the mix. None of us girls knew for sure what was between him and Sparrow since she’d never given us a straight answer whenever we’d asked, but only an idiot wouldn’t notice the heat that flared between them whenever they got near each other. The hot glances they’d throw the other one’s way at club barbecues were another giveaway.
“Right, time for fun! No more worrying.”
Neveah started her playlist and turned it up. Taylor Swift’s voice filled the car, telling us all to shake it off and we started singing along, the tension in the car fading away a little more with each new song that came on.
By the time we rolled into the hotel in Dallas, I was in the zone for the weekend. We were rolling our bags into the lobby when Neveah grabbed my arm as she sucked in a breath.
“Is that Wander? Like for real. Damn, he’s as pretty in real life as he is in photos. Not sure that’s fair.”
I glanced over and sure enough the sexy silver fox photographer, and model, was standing right there chatting with a woman who had awesome purple hair.
Sparrow came up on Neveah’s other side. “And he’s talking to Sapphire Knight. This is all so surreal.”
I nodded. This was like some crazy dream. While I’d always read a lot, I’d never been to an event like this. Never met any of the authors I read, or seen any of the models in the flesh.
“C’mon, let’s get checked in and cleaned up. Then we can come down and mingle.”
We all headed over to the counter and queued up to wait our turn.
By the time we’d gone up to our adjoining rooms and settled in, it was time to get ready for the pre-event dinner. I was sharing with Neveah, while Mirabelle and Sparrow were in the other room. We had the adjoining door open and I sat back with a smile as the three of them chatted excitedly. I wanted to be as happy as they were, but I was worried. Taking out my phone I texted Flick.
Hey sis! Arrived safe. How U feeling?
I’d feel a lot better if I knew U were out having fun instead of worrying about me.
That had me smiling.
Fine. I’ll go have some fun if I have 2. But only because you’re making me. So mean.
That earned me a heart reaction that let me know I’d gotten her smiling at least.
Sparrow sat beside me on the bed. “All well back home?”
I nodded as I turned the screen off on my phone. “Yeah. I just feel bad for leaving. Like I’m needed back there, but I’m here at a book signing. It feels so unnecessary, frivolous now.”
Sparrow wrapped her arms around my shoulders and rested her head against mine.
“Flick’s well looked after, so is Taz and Lolly. You’re not neglecting anyone by enjoying your birthday present. We all need to do things for ourselves sometimes. This trip might be for your birthday, but we’re all here a little for ourselves too. You think it doesn’t get tiring having Jazz up my butt twenty-four/seven?”
I chuckled and rolled my eyes. “Like you don’t enjoy the attention.”
Releasing me she huffed. “If he’d give me some damn attention I wouldn’t mind, but no. He just stays back and watches. Like some creepy stalker.”
Neveah joined us. “She bitching about Jazz again? We all know you love him. No point denying it.”
Sparrow’s face went red as she sputtered before speaking. “I do not! Not anymore at least. He’s a pain in my ass who prevents me from having any fun. He’s a killjoy. Not my heart’s desire.”
We all looked at her dumbfounded. She’d never said anything like this to us before. I had to wonder why she was suddenly so happy to chat about Jazz. With a hair toss, she lifted her chin defiantly, then focused her hazel eyes on me, giving me a slightly evil looking grin that left me feeling suddenly nervous.
“Plus, if rumors are to be believed, it was Jacie who got lucky last weekend. Not me. Who was it, girlfriend? No one is giving names! It’s killing me!”
I shook my head. Realizing she’d only spoken about Jazz in the hopes that it would have me spilling my secrets in return.
“Oh, I’m not about to start to kiss-and-tell when you can’t even admit to liking your guy. Now, let’s get moving and go moon over some fake bikers who aren’t creepy stalkers or a danger to our delicate selves.”
“So there was a guy? Because you could have just snuck off by yourself to hide from Taz. Girls, we gotta get on this.”
Shaking my head, I led the way to the door and out into the hallway with my giggling friends following me. Thankfully by the time we’d reached the elevator, they’d quit hassling me and we chatted about books as we went down to the first floor where the dinner was being held.
“Do you think Kristine Allen will be here tonight? Or only tomorrow?”
I shrugged at Mirabelle’s question. “No idea, babe. Guess we’ll soon find out.”
Entering the hotel restaurant, I scanned the room and quickly worked out where the MMM group was. Then I saw two men who had me nearly stumbling in shock.
“No fucking way. Not here. This was meant to be fake bikers, for fuck’s sake! Not real ones!”
Sparrow frowned over toward where I was looking. “It’s just a few of the Satan’s Cowboys. They’re friends to the Charons so it’s all good. Looks like Stone and Trident. Oh and Animal. He’s over there preening to some chicks.”
Neveah gasped. “O.M.G! Which one is it? All three of them were at the 4th of July party; weren’t they? Which one did you hook up with? Please tell me it wasn’t Animal! He’s just… no.”
She mock shuddered in a way that had me chuckling despite my inner turmoil.
“It’s not Animal.”
Dammit. There was no way I was getting out of this without having to tell my girls about Trident. And I suspected that would be the least of my problems if he spotted me.
***
Trident
“Where the fuck have you brought me?”
We’d come into downtown Dallas to some swanky hotel, parking next to Animal’s bike near the entrance to their restaurant. He’d left the clubhouse a good ten minutes before us, and as far as I knew, didn’t know we were trailing him, so it wasn’t a surprise he wasn’t outside waiting for us.
Looking inside, I could see all the bloody women that were in there. But hard to miss, considering a bunch of them were now pressed up against the glass like we were gonna put on a show for them at any moment. At least with so many ladies in the one place, I had no doubts where Animal would be.
“Fuck, Trident. Wipe that look off your face before you scare off the women. It’s a book event. Tomorrow is the main thing where they have a bunch of authors at tables selling their books and shit. Tonight’s dinner is more of a casual catch up to chat thing.”
I turned to glare at him. Was he for fucking real right now? “Seriously?”
He held his palms up in surrender, chuckling. “Hey, don’t knock it til you’ve tried it, brother! This event? It’s called MMM: Motorcycles, Mobsters and Mayhem. Trust me, these ladies read some pretty dark shit. And they do love a bad boy, especially a real live biker. Who am I to deny them?”
I really wasn’t sure I liked this new version of Stone that laughed and joked like this. Prior to his sister finding him, he wouldn’t have been caught dead anywhere near this place.
“How exactly do you know so much about all of this?”
Sick of feeling like a tiger in a zoo with so many folks staring my way, I left my bike and started toward the entrance. If Stone was forcing me to do this, I intended to get it done and over with as quickly as possible.
“Discovered it when I started watching over Animal a month or so ago. Got pulled in to join a shoot he was doing. It’s not a bad gig. There’s a heap of authors that write MC Romance and they want bikers on the covers. The more realistic, the better. And they’re happy to fucking pay for the images.”
I paused with one hand on the door.
“You’re seriously telling me, there’s books, like more than one, about bikers being romantic? And you and Animal are what? On the fucking covers? Man, you’ve both gone and lost your damn minds. It’s embarrassing. For real.”
Stone shoulder bumped me as he passed me and went inside ahead of me.
“Bastard. They’re not making us out to be a bunch of Prince Charmings. Like I said, some of these ladies read some dark shit. Lots of suspense. Kink. Criminals. Vigilante justice. And it’s fiction, for fuck’s sake. Not like I’m giving away club secrets or anything.” He shrugged a shoulder as we made our way toward the restaurant’s entrance. “It was easy work and somethin’ a bit different from the norm, and cash is always nice.”
I huffed out a laugh as I shook my head. “Whatever, brother. You do you, man.” As we entered the room, I scanned around, spotting Animal easily where he stood with his back to us, surrounded by women, young and old, fawning over him like he was some sort of rock star.
“You think he’s high again? Is he gonna cause a scene?”
Stone winced as he rubbed a palm over the back of his neck. “Of course he’s fucking high. Always is these days. He’s definitely getting worse. But from what I’ve seen and heard, he’s never caused any issues at shoots or events, so hopefully he’ll keep his shit tight here. If not, well, that’s the main reason I’m here, ain’t it?”
“And me? I’m your backup for that? Because you better not have brought me here just so I can be mauled by a bunch of horny women. Or so you could trick me somehow into allowing some random snap photos of me.”
He gave me a smirk that didn’t reassure me in the least, and if a few ladies hadn’t come over to chat with us at precisely that moment, I might have taken a swing at him for this stunt.
Asshole . He’d pay for this bullshit later, that was for sure.
“Well, hello there, ladies. How y’all doing this fine evening?”
Damn, Stone sure could turn on the charm when he wanted to. Allowing him to be the focus, I hung back, doing my best to look mean enough that no one would want to talk to me. It was working well and I was starting to relax when the hairs rose on the back of my neck. Instantly on full alert, I scanned the room, searching carefully for any threats I might have missed earlier.
When I spotted her standing with a couple of other Charon MC ladies, I cursed under my breath.
My runaway had come to me. Fucking perfect.
Stone grabbed my shoulder and leaned in to whisper near my ear.
“Told you to trust me, brother.”
Not wanting to lose her in the crowd, I only glanced at Stone for half a second. “You knew she’d be here?”
“Yeah, it was her birthday last weekend. This is her celebration. Girls’ weekend away. Although, she nearly didn’t make it when Flick ended up in hospital.”
I frowned but didn’t take my gaze off my girl. “What do you mean? What the fuck happened?”
“Flick started bleeding. She and the baby should both be fine; so long as she takes it real easy and rests a lot for the rest of her pregnancy. Jacie’s been doing a lot around the house for them. She’s a good one, Trident. You pin her down, you better not fuck it up. A lot of folks will be after you if you do.”
I gritted my teeth for a moment before I said something I shouldn’t in public. We were both speaking quietly, but it wouldn’t take much for those around us to hear what we were saying if shit got heated.
“Ain’t fucking telling you again, Stone. She’s already mine, and I’d never fucking hurt her.”
Before he could say another word, I strode away from him and toward my girl. Brushing off the few ladies who tried to snag my attention, I didn’t stop until I was standing in front of Jacie and her friends.
“Well, fancy seeing you here, my little runaway.”
One of the girls, I was pretty sure her name was Sparrow, let out a whoop.
“Oh, girl! You’ve been holding out on us! Dayumn , girl.”
I glared her way as she started fanning herself with her hand.
“What the fuck are you on about?”
Muttering under her breath something about friends and enemies, Jacie grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from them.
“Don’t worry about Sparrow. She’s just trying to rile me up.”
The daggers Jacie sent the girl’s way, along with how Sparrow had raised a brow while she grinned broadly at us proved she was more than just trying. Since Jacie was leading me where I wanted to go, toward the exit of the restaurant and away from the crowd, I wasn’t gonna say that out loud and risk stopping her.
Once we got into the lobby, she stalled out. Clearly she hadn’t planned further than escaping her friends. Twisting my wrist free of her hold, I rested my palm on her lower back and guided her toward the main doors. When we were out in the warm evening air, I kept us moving around the side of the hotel away from all the glass windows and into a garden area. Scanning around, I found a corner that would have us hidden from most people who might pass by. Thankfully, since it was early evening, when most folks had dinner, there weren’t many people around.
Backing her up against the wall, a large tree to her side, I boxed her in. One palm on the concrete beside her head while I rested the other one loosely around the base of her throat.
Wrapping one of her hands around my wrist at her neck, she pressed the other against my chest, trying to push me away. When I didn’t budge, she glared at me.
“Getting déjà vu here, T.”
Damn, her sass got to me. I couldn’t help but tease her in return.
“That right, girlie?”
Her chin went up and fire lit her eyes. “Told you before, I ain’t no girl.”
Growling, I grew serious. Without releasing her, I moved my hand, tightening my grip up higher on her neck so I could keep her face tilted up toward me.
“And I told you, that you were mine. I fucking claimed you, Jacie. You accepted that claim then fucking snuck out on me and hid . You fucking hid like a scared child.”
The muscles of her jaw tightened as she ground her teeth, and fire continued to light her gaze. I had no fucking clue why this woman and her sassy bitchiness drew me in like it did. But I couldn’t deny that I was completely hooked on her.
“Maybe I should just remind you of what you’ll lose if you keep running off.”
Crashing my lips against hers, I devoured her mouth, thrusting my tongue in when she opened to moan. I continued to kiss her as I moved my body in closer, until I was pressed against her, my leg between hers. With a shudder, she dug her nails into my shoulders and ground down on my thigh.