Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Razor sat in the clubhouse thinking about the two sides to his life and how much they intersected. He couldn’t get it out of his head that Lottie had been at The Red Door. And that she’d watched the scene with him and Shannon. Not once but twice from what he knew of.
“You’re deep in thought.” Looking up, Razor saw Vicious taking a seat next to him.
“Just thinking about shit,” he replied.
Vicious slapped Razor on the shoulder, squeezing it tight. “Be careful. You might get overwhelmed if you start thinking.”
If his brothers knew what he was thinking about, they might be shocked. “I’m fine.”
Vicious knew he needed to apologize for butting into his brother’s personal life, the problem was he wasn’t one to apologize. “You thinking about that pretty goth girl that works for you?”
He hadn’t meant to look at Vicious with a shocked expression. Was he that transparent? “I’m not thinking about Lottie.”
“Dude, you should be. “ Vicious laughed. “I’ve seen her, and she’s nothing to ignore.”
Razor continued staring at his brother, becoming agitated that he was talking about Lottie when he was married. “Does your wife know you’re lusting after her best friend?”
It was a low hit by the look on Vicious’s face, Razor realized he’d overstepped. “Man, that was a shit thing for me to say. I know how much you love Sway.”
Vicious stared at his brother, unaffected by his words. “Razor. It’s all good. We’ve both said some crappy shit lately,” he said. “Can I give you some advice?”
“Sure.”
“Ask the girl out and see if anything’s there.” Vicious shrugged. “If you don’t, you’re not going to be satisfied with anything or anyone. You’ll live wondering what if.”
Oh, there was something there. Razor hadn’t stopped thinking about the feel of her crying against his chest or the kisses they’d shared. Even after a year. “I’ll think about it.”
Watching Vicious walk away, he thought about asking Lottie out.
It didn’t matter what he wanted; she had stepped into a part of his world he kept secret.
He didn’t date. Not seriously. Not casually.
He tried many years before and found that bringing a woman into his world didn’t work.
He’d heard all the arguments from the other Dom’s at the club.
Times change. Women were more open to alternative lifestyles.
For Razor, it had to be his rules, no one else’s.
That was the way he controlled his world.
And it wasn’t something he was willing to give up.
Now he sat thinking about whether he could bend those rules to get closer to the dark-haired woman.
She had already woven her way into his work life.
Over the past year, Lottie had become a vital part of the clinic’s team.
She never said no to working extra hours.
Was always willing to cover shifts when another nurse needed off.
If he didn’t know better, he’d think she had given up on a personal life.
In the beginning, she had sauntered in three out of five days hungover. Now, she didn’t talk about going out or dating.
Rubbing a hand down his face, he decided to give a hard look at Lottie before closing the door on the idea of dating her.
Taking the beer that one of the club brothers handed him, Razor stepped out of the room to make a call.
Taking out his phone, he called the only person who could get the information he wanted.
Stepping out of the bar, Sherlock answered the call coming in. “Razor, everything good?”
“Sherlock. I need information. I’m going to give you a name.
” He was stalling. Coward. I need everything you can find on them, and I need it done quietly.
” He wanted to know where she lived before she moved into Sway’s apartment, where she worked before, and the last guy she dated before Dawson Franks.
He even wanted to know if she had family in the area.
He wanted to know everything about her life.
Sherlock didn’t need to ask. He knew Razor was tracking Lottie, but he didn’t know how obsessed Razor was becoming.
He didn’t blame the brother. Hell, he appreciated the way she walked through a room with the swing of her hips, along with her exotic-looking eyes of jade green. “Who?” he asked.
“Charlotte McDaniels,” replied Razor.
Wow! He’d been fucking right. He should shut this shit down before the brother got his ass in deeper than he meant to.
What was he saying? He didn’t care how deep Razor got into Lottie.
But wasn’t that the point, the man wanted to be deep in her.
Once he tapped that pretty bubble ass, he’d be done with his little obsession.
“You’re still looking into Sway’s best friend? ” he feigned shock.
“Yes. And I want the information, but I need you to be quiet about it. Like stealth.” It didn’t matter how Sherlock responded to the request or what the brother did or didn’t say; he knew the deal.
Sherlock probably thought he was being foolish. Maybe he was for a change. Maybe being a little obsessed with a beautiful woman, instead of just wanting to fuck her, was the something different he needed in his life.
“I got you, brother. But if I get busted, you owe me,” Sherlock said.
Razor nodded his head even though Sherlock couldn’t see him. “No problem.”
The line went silent, and Razor stood there, staring at the screen of his phone. His thumb hovered over it for a moment, but he didn’t send another message. He didn’t need to. The request had been made, and now there was no turning back.
As Razor slipped his phone back into his pocket, he thought about what he’d just set in motion. The information would come to him soon, and then he would know everything…everything about Lottie. Who she was, where she’d been, who she’d been with.
But the real question wasn’t about the past. It was about the present. About whether or not he could bend those rules he had lived by for so long. And about whether or not Lottie was someone he could actually let in.
The answer, Razor realized, was already there. He just wasn’t ready to admit it yet.