Chapter 9
9
Morse
“ A MELIA, RIGHT?” ASKED an alarmingly amused male voice I’d recognize anywhere.
Fuck!
My gaze shot to the wall of monitors, praying I’d misheard, but no. In the five goddamn minutes I’d been away from my desk, the universe had figured out a new way to flip me the middle finger because Amelia had emerged from her room and was now stopping to wait for Rabbit in the hallway by the mess hall.
It was Sunday morning, and I’d been up most of the night trying to find the bastard who wanted her dead. I wasn’t ready to deal with the potential catastrophe their meeting could cause. Swearing, I sprinted out the door and down the hall, turning the corner just in time to watch Amelia thrust out her hand in greeting.
“Rabbit, right? Thank you for helping with our little situation last night.”
The fool grinned like a lunatic, ignored her hand, and went in for the hug, wrapping her so tightly she grunted.
I caught up, met the fucker’s eyes, and mouthed, I will end you . If he so much as muttered a word about gardening porn, he was done for. I wasn’t fucking around. Her life was at stake. He might be my brother, but so help me if he frightened her away from the safety of the club….
His expression was all innocence and outrage until he released her and stepped back, and a shit-eating grin gobbled up his face. He gripped her shoulders and studied her face like they were old friends. “I’ve been looking forward to meeting you for a very long time.”
That’s it. I’m gonna kill him.
Amelia’s brow wrinkled in confusion. “Come again?”
Time to intervene. I shoved the interfering asshole away and draped an arm over her shoulders, turning her in the opposite direction. My thin Megadeath T-shirt and her long-sleeved flannel provided an inadequate barrier that couldn’t keep her scent and warmth from slamming into my senses like a sucker punch. Touching her had been a mistake. Her confused gaze crashed into mine, and the world stopped spinning.
Someone cleared their throat. Oh yeah, Rabbit was still standing right there, grinning like a fucking lunatic. That snapped me out of it. I steered us toward the mess hall, flipping him off behind her back.
“Please don’t pay Rabbit any mind.” I leaned closer, immediately regretting the action because she smelled like peace and comfort. Wildflowers with a hint of vanilla. I wanted to bury my nose in her neck and inhale until her scent was all I knew. “He’s off his meds.”
And clearly, he wasn’t the only one who needed to be dosed since I couldn’t stop stealing glances at her even though I was attempting to keep my gaze fixed ahead. She was so close. So real. Here at last. Her hair was up in a bun again, and the freckle on her temple demanded my attention. I wondered what it would feel like beneath my fingertips. What it would taste like.
“You can’t talk about my mental health, asswipe,” Rabbit said. “It’s not politically correct.”
“Asswipe isn’t politically correct, either.” Grateful for his interruption, I slid my arm free, putting much-needed space between me and Amelia to turn and address him. “Is there a reason you’re following us?”
He threw his hands up in mock surrender, but there was a definite twinkle in his eye. “I’m fuckin’ trying to be nice, man. Wasp and I are heading out to grab some Dicks. Thought I’d ask if Amelia wants one.”
I shook my head at his shenanigans, dreading where this was going.
“Not the sporting goods store,” Rabbit said, raising his voice to ensure she heard him. “No, we’re talking about salty, savory Dicks. The original Dicks. The Dicks that melt in your mouth and not in your...”
Feeling it was my civil duty to stop him from finishing that sentence, I snapped, “Enough! Jesus, Rabbit.”
“What? You tellin’ me she doesn’t like Dicks…?”
“I do.” Amelia slid around me to address him, her expression amused. “Who doesn’t? It’s a family tradition. The kids and I really get down on some Dicks every year while we’re checking out local Christmas lights.”
I choked.
She’d always had a fantastic sense of humor, but I’d never seen this side of her.
“Holiday Dicks. I like it.” Rabbit waggled his eyebrows like he was having the time of his life. “You want some Dicks right now, don’t you?”
A smile tugged at her lips, but she didn’t break. “No, thanks. I’m not a Dicks for breakfast type.”
“You could always heat it up later.”
“Microwaved Dicks?” She made a face. “Gross.”
“Christ,” I swore again, and this time it was for an entirely different reason. My jeans were growing awfully uncomfortable every time she muttered that word, and they shouldn’t be. In fact, I should probably have my head examined because I couldn’t stop watching her lips. Or her tits. And holy shit, that ass. Her curves could easily justify sins and felonies.
“Yeah, microwaved Dicks would be soggy. But I bet oven-heated Dicks would be all right. Nice and toasty, even. Love myself some warm, crispy Dicks.”
“Air fryer,” she shot back.
They’d never stop if I didn’t step in, so I broke it up. “All right, that’s enough.” I met the bastard’s maniacal grin and glared him down. “Scram. Don’t you have Dicks to eat?”
He suddenly sobered. “But I need to talk to you. For real.”
I started to tell him to go jump in a lake, but the desperation in his eyes made me pause. Something was up. Rabbit could be explosive, which meant I should probably find out what had his underwear in a wad before he did something stupid.
“Fine. Wait for me at my desk.”
“Ten-four. Pleasure to meet you, my lady and fellow lover of Dicks.” He bowed at the waist to Amelia, who raised her eyebrows at the outdated gesture before dipping into an awkward curtsey.
The smile playing at the edges of her lips nearly knocked the wind out of me. She was so goddamn beautiful it hurt to look at her.
“Thanks. You too, Rabbit.”
He turned and walked down the hall, skipping. Horribly. His feet seemed to struggle with the steps, and I half expected him to trip himself. It was bizarre to see that man happy, but that’s what Elenore—and lots of therapy—had achieved. Fucker better not self-destruct and throw it all down the drain.
Spinning to face Amelia, I said, “I’m sorry to do this to you, but I need to find out what that’s about. Can you wait here a minute?”
“Uh….” Her gaze flickered to take in the room. Or, more accurately, the rowdy occupants. It was Sunday, midmorning, and the mess hall was bursting at the seams with bikers and their families. It was a lot to take in. “Sure.”
“Would you rather wait in the conference room?”
“No. I should… mingle.” Her gaze shot around. “Meet some of my new neighbors.”
“And get something to eat.”
She gave me a non-committal nod that made me want to fix a plate for her, but I couldn’t do that. No more overstepping boundaries.
“I’ll be right back.”
* * *
When I opened the surveillance room door, Rabbit was precisely where I expected to find him: rummaging through my desk. The fool had to know I’d never be stupid enough to keep anything condemning where people could discover it, but he couldn’t help himself.
Muttering, “Dumbass,” I marched in, closing the door behind me.
He had to hear me enter, but he played up his commitment to the task, riffling through a notepad in my top drawer. It took me clearing my throat before the bastard finally turned around.
“Having fun?” I asked.
He smirked. “This isn’t for entertainment; it’s duty. I’m doing this for the good of the club.”
“Oh?” I had to hear this. “How very selfless of you.”
“Fuckin’ A. It’s just that the way you keep eyes on everyone got me thinking… who’s watching you? Someone’s gotta keep you in check.”
“And you appointed yourself to this task?”
“Hell no. I’m not exactly the big brother type, and I don’t give a single fuck about the shady shit you do, but you know what they say. With great power comes great opportunity.”
I studied him. “That’s not what they say.”
“Yeah? Well, point is, you can keep all your clandestine operations to yourself, but I’m gonna need a little favor in return.”
“Jesus, Rabbit. How many times do I have to tell you you don’t have to blackmail me?”
“And let my negotiation skills go to shit? No, thank you.”
While I was trying to figure out how to explain the difference between negotiation and blackmail, he plucked a folded paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and slapped it on my desk. The handwritten name Brandon Trane II stared back at me.
Intrigued, I leaned into the mystery, picking up the paper. “Who’s this?”
“A new investor. He’s been sniffing around Elenore’s company, and after the last dickhead, I need to know if I’m gonna have to hide a body.”
“Fair enough.” I cracked a smile. “Watch yourself. You don’t want people calling you paranoid. That’s my fucking title.”
Rabbit scowled, but there was genuine concern in his eyes. “It’s not paranoia, it’s experience. Rich, entitled assholes tend to forget that investing in her company doesn’t give them access to her .”
I clapped him on the shoulder. “Your woman’s on my watchlist, brother. I’ll let you know if there’s ever a hit on her name.” I watched over all my brothers and their ol’ ladies. I’d even added the kids. Why the fuck wouldn’t I? I’d paid for the tech. Might as well keep all the people I cared about safe.
His eyebrows rose, and a genuine smile lit up his face. “Appreciate it.”
I slid into my chair and started an advanced search for Brandon Trane II. Within minutes, I knew everything but the fucker’s blood type, and those results would show up in my inbox soon enough. His personal worth was an astronomical number I couldn’t wrap my brain around, but there were no immediate red flags.
“He looks clean,” I announced, still scanning the results. “Other than a few open parking tickets, Mr. Trane appears to walk the straight and narrow. No sexual assault claims, a couple frivolous lawsuits all settled out of court… we can dive deeper, but I don’t know that it’s necessary.”
Rabbit scratched at his beard. “Is it weird that I’m disappointed?”
“Yes. That’s definitely something you should discuss with Sage.” The club’s shrink would love that.
His manic smile returned. “Will do. Traumatizing that fucker is turning out to be one of my favorite pastimes.”
“Color me surprised.” I stood, stepping toward the door. “Now, if we’re done here….”
“I like her,” he announced, changing the subject.
“Who?”
He rolled his eyes. “Your woman. She has a wicked sense of humor. And she likes Dicks.”
A peculiar list of qualifications, yet exactly what I’d expect from him. Rabbit’s blessing shouldn’t mean shit, yet it did. Still…. “She’s not my woman.”
“Pull your head out of your ass, and she could be.”
No, she couldn’t, but I didn’t bother arguing. “Gee, thanks for the pep talk.” I opened the door, gesturing for him to get the hell out.
Rabbit sauntered past me, chest puffed out as he practically broke his arm patting himself on the back. “No problem. Consider me a walking inspirational poster.”
He was something, all right.
This time, I locked the room behind me when I left.