Chapter 9
Lynch
“We had some trouble last night.”
The brothers were gathered in the kitchen, having breakfast, when Viper asked Shotgun, “What kind of trouble?”
“Candy and Misty were attacked when they got home.” They were two of our best strippers.
Both were single and lived in an apartment several miles away from Stilettos.
Shotgun’s face was marked with anguish as he continued, “Beat all to hell, and there’s a good chance Misty was raped.
They’re both at the hospital now getting checked out. ”
“Why am I just hearing about this?”
“Just found out myself, Prez.”
“Fuck.” Fury pulsed through the vein in Viper’s neck. “Any idea who did it?”
“Not yet, but we’re working on it.” Shotgun grimaced. “There’s more.”
“Lisa had a wreck last night. She was on her way home when her car flipped over the median.”
“How is she?”
Lisa was our head bartender and had worked for us for years. We all thought a lot of her, so it pained us to hear Shotgun say, “Not great. Shattered elbow and dislocated jaw, but she survived.” He glanced down at his watch, then said, “She should be going into surgery any minute.”
“No way all this shit is a fucking coincidence.” I could literally feel the tension radiating from Viper’s body as he stepped back and crossed his arms. “Someone’s sending us a message, no doubt about that, but I’ve got no clue who it might be.”
“Yeah, but it’s just a matter of time,” Hawk tried to reassure him. “We’ll find out who and shut ’em down.”
“We’re out of fucking time.” Viper’s tone grew fierce as he roared, “Our girls are off-limits!”
“Shows just how fucked up these guys really are,” Axel replied.
“Well, I’m done with the bullshit.” Viper thought for a moment, then ordered, “I want all the women and children brought in for lockdown, and that includes every woman on our payroll. I want them all under our full supervision, and they don’t go anywhere without a brother on ’em.”
“You got it, Prez.”
“I expect you boys to watch your backs and take no unnecessary risks. Gonna need you to double up on shifts at the club and keep a close watch on things—make sure nothing else goes down. Understood?”
Hawk nodded, then we all immediately headed out to the parking lot.
Once we were outside, I started over to my bike but stopped when I heard Locke call out, “Yo, Lynch. Wait up!”
As he made his way over to me, I asked, “Whatcha need, brother?”
“I have something for ya.”
He reached in his back pocket and pulled out a small white envelope with my name on it. As I took it from his hand, I asked, “What’s this?”
“See for yourself.”
I opened the envelope and found two checks inside with a small handwritten note that simply said Thank You and nothing more. “What the fuck?”
“I don’t know, man.” He gave me a half-hearted shrug. “Haleigh brought it by Stilettos last night.”
“And you didn’t give it back?”
“I didn’t know you wanted me to. Besides, I was just doing what she asked... She said she didn’t feel right keeping your money.”
“Appreciate you getting it to me.”
“No problem.” A smirk crossed Locke’s face. “That Haleigh is something else.”
“You talked to her?”
The morning we’d met, Haleigh seemed pretty standoffish, so I was surprised when he answered, “Yeah, we had a couple of drinks last night, and she ended up giving me her number.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yeah, I’m thinking I might call her when all this bullshit around here settles down.”
“That might take a while.”
“I was thinking the same thing.” He motioned his head over to Hawk and Widow, then said, “We’re about to head over to the hospital to check in on Lisa and the girls if you wanna come.”
“Yeah, I’ll meet y’all there. I’ve got something I need to take care of first.”
“Sounds good.”
Without saying anything more, I shoved the envelope in my back pocket, then started my engine.
I whipped out of the parking lot and out onto the main road.
I didn’t really have a plan or even a single rational thought coursing through my head as I drove towards Raelyn’s place.
I hoped by the time I got there, I would know what I was going to do.
I didn’t.
I pulled up to her place, parked, and walked up to her door.
I didn’t want to get into a back-and-forth over the money, so I took the envelope out of my pocket and folded it once more.
Not wanting anyone walking by to see it, I did my best to wedge it between the door and the facing.
I’d just gotten it in place when the door flew open, and Raelyn stepped outside—almost plowing right into me.
“Lynch!” She gasped with narrowed eyes. “What are you doing here?”
“I’m giving this back.” I reached down and picked up the envelope, then handed it to her. “I told ya I didn’t expect y’all to pay me back.”
“Yes, well, neither of us thought it was right to keep it. It’s a lot of money, and we—”
“It’s just money, Rae.”
“And it’s yours. Not mine.”
She tried to hand it back to me, but I wouldn’t accept it. Instead, I told her, “I’m not taking that money, Rae, so stop acting like a stubborn child and just keep it.”
“Me? You’re the one who’s being a stubborn child!” She glared daggers at me as she snapped, “Now, just take the damn money!”
“Nope, not happening.”
“Seriously, Lynch. I’m over this. Just take it,” she demanded.
I should’ve been appreciative that they thought to pay me back, but I wasn’t. Instead, I was pissed, and with every word Raelyn spoke, the madder I became. I didn’t know why, and at that moment, I didn’t care. I just was.
My words were laced with anger as I growled, “You’re clearly used to getting what you want, but this time it isn’t happening.”
With that, I turned and started back to my bike. I’d only taken a few steps when she shouted, “You don’t know anything about me!”
“You’re right. I don’t.” I whipped around and looked her dead in the eye. “Maybe I would know more if you hadn’t walked out on me.”
“I didn’t walk out on you.”
“Oh? Then, what do you call that stunt from the other night ’cause it sure as hell looked like you walked out to me.”
“Well, looks can be deceiving.”
“Bullshit.” I took a step forward, towering over her as I growled, “We both know you bolted, but the question is why?”
“Maybe I wasn’t having a good time,” she sassed. “Maybe I didn’t feel a connection between us and saw no point in staying.”
I hadn’t forgotten all the flirting, the teasing back and forth, and certainly not the kisses we’d shared. Needless to say, I was thrown by her response. “You’re really saying you felt no connection? Seriously?”
“Yeah, there were no sparks or tingles. It was just so-so.” She couldn’t even look at me. “It was kind of like hanging out with my brother.”
“Your brother, huh?”
“Mm-hmm.” Raelyn nodded as she bit her bottom lip.
I knew she was lying. It was written all over her face, so I was left with only one option—I had to prove her wrong.
Without warning, I slipped my arm around her waist and pulled her close, then bent down and captured her mouth in a kiss.
She didn’t resist.
She didn’t pull back or ask me to stop.
Instead, her soft, full lips opened with a moan, giving me deeper access. Her hand roamed across my chest, then slowly continued up to the nape of my neck as her fingers tangled in my hair. Having Raelyn so close was fucking with my head, and I was finding it difficult to keep my dick in check.
I fisted her long, dark hair and gave it a firm tug, forcing her head back. She gasped as I delved deeper into her mouth, kissing her with all the need pulsing through my veins. She inched even closer, shifting her hips against me, and I knew I had to stop before we got carried away.
Besides, I’d made my point.
I eased back, breaking free from our embrace, and as she looked up at me with her lust-filled eyes and flushed cheeks, I asked, “What was it that you were saying about feeling no sparks? ’Cause I certainly felt ’em.”
Her eyes were locked on mine as she admitted, “I felt them, too.”
“Then, you’ve got a decision to make.”
“Oh, and what’s that?”
“You know.” I turned and made my way back to the parking lot. “And you also know where to find me once you do.”
As I got on my bike, I glanced back at Raelyn and found her standing where I’d left her, and she still had the same dazed expression on her face. I wanted to think that it was a good sign—that I might actually see her again, but sadly, I wasn’t so sure.
I wanted nothing more than to go back and give her one more kiss to remember me by, but time wasn’t on my side. Locke and the others were expecting me at the hospital, so I gave her a quick nod, started the engine, and forced myself to pull out of the parking lot.
I was thankful for the ride over to the hospital.
It gave me some time to clear my head, which was needed more than I realized.
When I arrived, Hawk and Widow were in the waiting room with Locke, and they all looked on the verge of losing it.
I walked over to them and asked Widow, “Everything all right?”
“No, it isn’t.” He shook his head and sighed. “We just checked in on Candy and Misty.”
“Oh? How are they making it?”
“Not so good.” Anguish marked his face as he continued, “The doctor just confirmed Shotgun’s suspicions. Misty was raped, and whoever’s responsible did a real number on her.”
“Motherfucker.” Both Candy and Misty were sweet girls who never fucked with anyone. Neither of them deserved to be put through this kind of hell. “Is she going to be okay?”
“Physically, yes—a few weeks, and she’ll be back on her feet, but mentally, it’s going to take a lot longer than that.”
“Damn it. They have any idea who attacked them?”
“Not a clue, but we’ll find ’em.”
“And we’ll make them pay for this shit,” Hawk announced. “Lisa made it out of surgery... She seems to be doing okay and is resting now.”
“I’ll check in on her later and see if she needs anything.”
“Sounds good.”
After leaving the hospital, I went by my place to grab a few things.
Once I had everything together, I locked up, stowed my things in both saddlebags, then headed over to Stilettos for my shift.
When I pulled into the parking lot, I wasn’t surprised that the place was already packed.
It was the weekend. Folks were looking to let off some steam, and Stilettos was the perfect place for them to do it.
After I parked, I inhaled a deep breath and tried to mentally prepare for the night ahead, then got off my bike and headed inside. I’d barely made it through the door before Country called out to me, “Lynch! You’re up front with me tonight.”
I nodded, then started making my way through the crowd. As soon as I got over to him, I asked, “Things going okay?”
“’Bout as well as you’d expect.” He motioned his head towards the stage. “We got a group up front that’s already winding up. We’ll need to keep a close eye on ’em.”
“Them and everyone else.”
“No doubt.” Concern marked his face. “You make it over to the hospital?”
“Yeah, I just came from there.”
“So, you heard about Misty?”
“I did.” I shook my head. “I didn’t get a chance to see her, but it sounds like she’s in pretty rough shape.”
“I heard the same. What kind of asshole does that shit to a woman?”
“No idea, but when we find him—and I do mean when, there will be hell to pay.”
I glanced around the room, and with every new face, I wondered if they had anything to do with the attack on our girls. It was something all of us would be thinking until we found who’d hurt them, which would make for a long, stressful night.
Country and I had been standing at our post for over an hour when Widow came over to me and announced, “There’s someone here to see you.”
“What?” I hadn’t seen anyone unusual come through the door, so I immediately asked, “Who?”
“Go see for yourself.” He motioned his head over to the entrance. “She’s waiting outside by your bike.”
I glanced over to Country, making sure he was good for me to go, and just as I expected, he smiled and said, “If you’re looking for an escort, you’re gonna need to find someone else. I got better shit to do.”
“Just hold down the fort until I get back.”
“You got it, Romeo.”
I knew responding would just give him more ammunition to use against me, so I ignored Country and walked through the front door.
I’d just started out to the parking lot when I spotted Raelyn standing at my bike.
When I made it over to her, I gave her a quick once over and wasn’t surprised to find that she looked absolutely phenomenal. “I was told you needed to see me.”
“I do.” Her eyes were fixed on mine. “I thought about what you said.”
“I’ve said lots of things, Raelyn. You’re gonna have to be more specific.”
“Seriously?” She huffed. “You want to play games right here in the middle of the parking lot?”
“Games really aren’t my thing.” I took a step closer. “I’m just looking for a little clarification.”
“Fine.” She lowered her eyes to the ground. “You said I needed to make a decision.”
“I did.”
“Well, I made one.”
“Okay, and what exactly have you decided?”
“I think we should try going out again.”
“You think so?”
“I do.” She pursed her lips, then added, “I just need to know if you still feel the same way.”
“I don’t know.” I dropped my hands to her waist and pulled her close. “Depends on whether or not you’ll be able to follow my rule.”
“Your rule?”
“Yeah, it might be a tough one for you.”
“What is it?”
“No walking out on me.”
A soft smile swept across her lips as she replied, “I think I can handle that.”
“You sure about that?” I brought a hand up to her face, then trailed my thumb across her lower lip. I could feel the heat of her breath against my finger when she softly exhaled. “’Cause this is one rule that cannot be broken.”
“Mm-hmm.” She nodded. “I’m sure.”
“I’m going to hold you to that.”
“You won’t have to. I’m not going anywhere.”
I wanted to believe that was true, but there was something in her eyes that told me she wasn’t done running—which meant I had to give her a good reason to stay.
With that thought in mind, I lowered my mouth to hers. A slight moan slipped through her lips as she wound her arms around my neck. When she stepped closer, my hands drifted down her back and over the curves of her ass, and I thought how unbelievably perfect she felt in my arms.
I wanted to devour her right there on the spot, but then I remembered we weren’t alone.
I immediately pulled back, but when I looked into her beautiful eyes, I couldn’t stop myself from leaning in for another.
When she opened for me, I savored the soft caress of her lips and the hitch of her breath.
Damn, there was no denying it.
This woman was my kryptonite.