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Kissing the Bad Boy
Trapped with the Bad Boy
Daddin’ Ain’t Easy
Silas: A Scrooged Christmas
Wanting More
Mama Didn’t Raise No Fool
Tangle My Tinsel
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Coming Soon
About the Author
Dive into the 1st chapter of Downshift
Chapter One
Whatever you say...
Lynn
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I vigorously brushed my teeth with a dollop of Zephyr’s toothpaste on the tip of my finger while I avoided making eye contact with myself in the mirror.
Lord have mercy. How in the hell did I get myself into this situation?
I hacked a wad of spit into the sink and rinsed my hand in the running water. Because you drank half a bottle of whiskey, Lynn, and then you let your lady bits do the talking.
Most people would tell you if you talked to yourself, and then you answered yourself that you’re crazy.
And they were fucking right.
I was crazy for sleeping with Zephyr last night, and now I had tipped way over the edge of crazy by having a conversation with myself.
“Leaving?”
I clutched my hand to my chest and spun from the sink. “Cheese and crackers!” I yelped.
Zephyr ran his fingers through his messy hair and looked at me with only one eye open. “Come again, darlin’?” he drawled.
Do not look at his chest, Lynn. Eye contact only. That was a hell of a lot easier said than done. I hadn’t fallen into Zephyr’s bed after taking just one glance at him. No, I had been eyeing him up for a while. Ever since he had walked into my office with Queenie and Sledge, I hadn’t been able to get the man’s piercing green eyes, chiseled jaw, shaggy hair, and tattoos out of my mind. And during the handful of times I’d been around him after that, I had to squelch my need to know how many and where all of his tattoos actually were.
I now knew. Oh Lord, did I know. My tongue had traced the outline of the skull on his chest while his fingers had been buried in my hair.
Was it hot in here? I waved my hand in my face and tried to think about the three loads of laundry and sink full of dishes I had waiting for me at my place.
“I need to go.”
Zephyr leaned against the door frame of the bathroom and opened both eyes. “It’s early as shit on Sunday. Where do you need to go?” His voice was gravelly and low.
I could listen to him talk all day and never get sick of it.
“I have things I need to do, and I have a meeting with a patient this afternoon.” That whole sentence was a damn lie. “And I need to check in on my dad.” That last bit was true. Not that I was actually looking forward to it, but it needed to be done.
“You have work shit on a Sunday?”
My eyes darted down to his hand that scratched at his stomach. How in the hell was he so sexy doing something so mundane?
“Lynn,” he called.
I dragged my focus from his stomach up to his eyes. “Yes?” I blinked rapidly and hoped he hadn’t caught me staring at his abs.
“You really need to work today?”
“No.” Before I could remember to lie, the word was out of my mouth. “I mean yes. Yes, I have to work today. Lots of work. No rest for the weary. Work, work, work.” I clamped my lips shut and fought back the words that wanted to continue to babble out of my mouth.
“Uh, okay.” He pushed off the jamb. “Let me get dressed, and I’ll give you a ride.”
“No,” I shouted much louder than I needed to. I cleared my throat. “I don’t need a ride.”
“You drove here last night?” he asked.
I gnawed on my bottom lip. “Yeah, of course.” I didn’t even believe myself.
Zephyr chuckled. “Give me two minutes, and we’ll be out the door.”
“You don’t need to give me a ride, Zephyr.” My cheeks heated at the thought of Zephyr and the ride he had given me last night. “Erm, I mean you don’t have to drive me home.”
There, that sounded less sexual. Everything seemed sexual when it came to Zephyr. Jesus. I needed to give myself a lobotomy if I was going to keep thinking like this.
“It’s not a big deal.” He turned his back to me, ambled over to the foot of the bed, and bent to rummage through the pile of clothes. Clothes I had torn off him not even seven hours ago. He tugged on a pair of jeans and grabbed his shirt from last night to pull it over his head.
“You don’t have to give me a ride home, Zephyr. I can get a ride from...” My mind went blank when he reached up and ran his fingers through his hair again. I snapped my eyes shut and tried to concentrate. “Cab company.”
That still wasn’t what I was trying to say, but it was better than just staring at him like a dog in heat.
“Cab company?” I heard him laugh. “You really think there is a cab company in Whitmore?”
Well, no. I had lived here my whole life and knew that. “Uber!” I shouted. That was the word I had been trying to think of. I opened my eyes and pulled my phone from my pocket. “I’ll get an Uber.”
Zephyr snatched my phone from my hand, and I tipped my head back. He stood directly in front of me, and he shoved my phone in his back pocket. “I’m giving you a ride home, Lynn. You’re not going to get into the back of some stranger’s car.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s safe, Zephyr. Go back to bed.” I needed to get away from him. But first, I needed to get my phone from his pocket. “Now give me back my phone,” I demanded.
He stepped back and shook his head. “Not happening.”
Uh, what? “What do you mean not happening? That’s my phone.”
He sat on the edge of the bed and put on his boots. “You let me take you home, and then I’ll give it back to you.”
“Or you just give it back to me right now.” That seemed like a much better idea to me.
He finished tying his boots and stood. Then he grabbed the leather cut he had tossed over the desk chair and put it on. “Let’s go.”
“You’re not giving me a ride, Zephyr.” I tried—and failed—not to think of the ride he had given me earlier...again. Focus, Lynn.
“You want your phone back...you’ll let me take you home.”
“I don’t know why you are so determined to give me a ride home.” Didn’t we have a one-night stand? We do the dirty, and then we go our separate ways. Wasn’t that how this worked? I figured for sure that was how it was going to go with Zephyr. Bad boy bikers were all about the wham-bam thank you ma’am thing, right? Maybe Zephyr didn’t get that memo.
“Because you have no way to get home, Lynn.”
I rolled my eyes. “I have a phone and a mace keychain. I’m good to go.”
My phone was filled with contacts. People I could call to come pick me up. Except for Dad and Glenna. I could not rely on those two to help me out. So, Robyn or Queenie? I really wished when I talked to myself that I didn’t say such hard truths.
Queenie was more than likely somewhere in the clubhouse cuddled up with Sledge and Gunner, and I didn’t want to bother Robyn. I also didn’t want her to pick me up because I knew she would bug me for all of the details from my night with Zephyr. Details I wasn’t interested in giving up.
“But I didn’t see you calling anyone before I took your phone,” he drawled.
Ugh. The man was infuriating because he was right. “Fine. You can give me a ride home, but as soon as we get there, you give me back my phone, and you leave.”
He held up his hands. “Fine. If that’s how you want it. You can hide whatever you want from me.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” I insisted. Not like I would actually tell him if I was. And I was.
“Let’s go. We can grab breakfast on the way.”
I snatched my purse from the floor next to the bed and hitched it over my shoulder. “We are not stopping to get breakfast. You are taking me home, and then, you are leaving.”
He moved to the door and held it open. “Let’s go, Lynn.” That sexy, smoldering smile slide across his lips. The same smile he had given me last night.
That smile could crumble cities and melt panties.
It had melted mine off.
“Straight home, Zephyr,” I snapped.
A deep chuckle rumbled from his chest. “Whatever you say, darlin’. Whatever you say.”
*
Chapter Two
Go away...
Zephyr
“Take it.”
She curled her lips and glared at the bag. “No.”
“It’s yours, take it.”
“I didn’t ask for it,” she insisted. “I told you I just wanted to come home. Stopping for breakfast burritos was not what I wanted.”
I leaned down and set the bag on the sidewalk in front of her feet. “Well, sometimes we don’t know exactly what we want, yeah?”
“I’m the therapist here, Zephyr,” she snapped.
I chuckled. “Yeah, not like you can tell by looking at you.”
The first time I had met Lynn, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut and told her she didn’t look like any shrink I had ever met before. That was a damn fact.
Her purple hair and the number of tattoos on her skin didn’t meet expectations for the average shrink look. Hell, I was even more surprised when I got her clothes off last night. Beneath her shirt and pants, she was colorful as fuck.
She tipped her head to me. “Thank you. I’ll take that as a compliment. Blowing up society’s bullshit mold for therapists makes me giddy.”
“Well, you’re doing a damn good job of it, darlin’.” The only way you would know what Lynn did for a living was to actually step into her office.
Her eyes darted down the street. A large, old Cadillac motored down the road and turned into Lynn’s driveway.
“Thanks for the ride,” she snapped. “Now leave.” She snatched the bag from the curb and jogged up the driveway behind the car.
“You okay?” I called. Her demeanor had changed the second she laid her eyes on the car. Sure, she was being sassy about the burritos and wanting me to leave, but this was different.
“I’m fine. Please leave,” she pleaded.
I wasn’t ready to leave yet. Not until I knew that Lynn was okay.
The driver’s side door of the car swung open with a chorus of cuss words. The voice was male, deep, and gruff. “Lynn!”
“Coming, Daddy,” she hollered. She hurried over to the open door and helped the man out.
“Get my cane from the floor, would you?” the man asked.
Lynn helped him stand up and then leaned into the car to retrieve the cane. “I didn’t know you were coming over today. I planned on coming to you after lunch.”
The man huffed and grabbed the cane from her hand. “I needed some things from the grocery store, so I figured I might as well stop by to see you.”
Lynn glanced in my direction.
That was her mistake.
The man, her dad, hadn’t seen me before.
Now, he had.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
Lynn cleared her throat. “Uh, just someone who gave me a ride.”
“Ride from where?” he questioned. “It’s not even nine o’clock in the morning.”
“Uh, my car wouldn’t start.”
Her dad turned and looked at the car he had parked behind. “I’m getting old, Lynn, but you’re gonna have to explain this shit to me a little bit. Your car is here, but you weren’t.”
“Uh, well,” she stammered. “I needed to run to the store, and since my car wouldn’t start, I had to call for a ride.”
I smirked. Lame.
Her dad turned toward me. “Thanks for giving her a ride home from the clubhouse,” he yelled.
“No problem,” I drawled. Maybe he had seen me when he pulled up. Hell, he had to have looked pretty closely for him to notice I was with the club.
Lynn sputtered and struggled to get out a full sentence.
“You want coffee?” her father asked me.
Lynn gasped. “No!” she shouted.
“I could go for a cup.” I knocked down the kickstand and stood from the bike. “I got an extra breakfast burrito if you want one.”
Her dad raised his cane in the air. “Fucking deal, kid,” he hollered. “Lynn, roll up your tongue off the sidewalk and help me fire up the coffee maker.” He strolled toward the front door while Lynn stood there sputtering.
Lynn beelined back to me with a scowl on her face. “What are you doing?” she hissed. “I told you to leave, and instead, you and my dad make plans to have coffee?” Her eyes were wide, and her nostrils flared. “Are you insane?”
I grabbed the bag of burritos from her hand. “Last I checked, no.”
“Then why are you coming into my house?”
I shrugged. “Is it really that big of a deal, darlin’? Your dad invited me in. It would have been rude to tell him no.”
She stepped toward me and had to tip her head back to keep her eyes connected to mine. “You’re a crude, rude, badass biker. You don’t go into girl’s houses to meet their dads.”
I shrugged. “Well, no, not normally. Though, I have to admit, I’ve never been given a chance before today. Besides, he seems pretty cool.” He didn’t turn up his nose at the fact that I was part of the Kings of Vengeance. Her dad went up a few notches with that.
Lynn dragged her fingers through her hair. “This is not how this goes. You and I do not sleep together, and then you meet my dad.” She wagged her finger in my face. “Why didn’t you tell him no?”
“We went over this already,” I drawled.
“And I told you that you’re rude, crude, and badass. You should have told him no and then roared off on your bike.”
“If I’m that, then what are you?” I asked. “You like the fact that you break the stereotype for a shrink, yet you’re standing here throwing out the typical bullshit people think about bikers.” Double standard much?
“It’s not a stereotype if it’s true,” she seethed. “If you would have said I was an awkward, foul-mouthed therapist who’s a badass, I would have agreed with you.”
“Awkward, foul-mouthed, and badass. That’s quite the combination.” I smirked.
“It’s a heavy load to carry, but I think I pull it off well.” She nodded toward my bike. “Now hop back on your bike, and I’ll tell Dad you had some biker emergency and had to leave.”
I stepped around her. “Now, now, Lynn. I don’t want you to lie to your dad. A cup of coffee and a breakfast burrito won’t hurt anything.”
She growled behind me. “I don’t understand why you are doing what you’re doing, Zephyr,” she murmured. “And I normally always know why people do the things that they do.”
A smile spread across my lips. “Does that make me special since you can’t figure me out?” I reached the front door and pulled it open.
Lynn breezed past me. “As if,” she muttered. She spun on her heel just inside the door. Her eyes connected with mine, and she shoved her finger into my chest. “One cup of coffee, and then you are gone, Zephyr. I have enough going on in my life that I don’t need you strutting in and mucking everything up.”
With her standing inside while I was still on the porch, we were the same height. My eyes locked with hers, and I leaned toward her. “You having a bee up your butt about me coming inside makes me want to come in even more so that I can see what you got going on.”
She narrowed her eyes. “There’s nothing going on in here.”
“I’ll be the judge of that, darlin’.”
She huffed. “Please, do come in, Zephyr.” She stepped to the side and swept out her arm. “Let me get you that cup of coffee.” Her words were forced, and I knew I was the last person on earth she wanted to invite in.
But why?
I stepped into her house, and she shut the door behind me.
“Lynn,” her dad bellowed. “You got the creamer I like?”
Lynn sighed and dropped her purse on a small table by the door. “It should be in the door, Dad. You’re the only one who drinks it,” she advised.
After fighting to get into her house, I didn’t know what to do. I had stepped into her little world, and it wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be.
It was like I had been catapulted back into the seventies with the shag carpet, dull yellow walls, and pea-green furniture with plastic covers on it. The only sign of living in the present was the flat-screen TV hung on the wall opposite the couch. The matching end tables and coffee table even screamed the decade before I was alive.
Lynn walked into the kitchen and motioned for me to follow her.
I was abruptly kicked into the present. I looked over my shoulder at the ugly seventies living room and then back into the very modern kitchen.
Lynn’s dad chuckled. “House is like a damn time machine, huh?”
“Uh, that’s about right,” I muttered.
Lynn opened the fridge and pulled out a bottle of creamer. “I’m remodeling.”
“For the past year,” her dad mumbled.
Lynn rolled her eyes and set the container of creamer in front of her dad. “Well, since I’m doing it all myself, and I work about ninety million hours a week, it’s a bit slow going, huh, Dad?”
“You’ll get it done,” he replied assuringly. He grabbed the carafe from under the coffee machine and filled it with water from the tap.
Lynn moved to me and snagged the plastic bag from my hand. “How do you take your coffee?” she asked me.
“Uh, black.” I was trying to figure out why Lynn hadn’t wanted me to come into the house. Sure, it was kind of weird that I was meeting her dad, but it wasn’t that big of a deal.
“Just like you, Lynnie,” her dad laughed.
Lynn rolled her eyes. “You mean like more normal people in the world?” she drawled. “Someone who also likes the taste of coffee, not creamer.”
Her dad waved a hand toward her. “You don’t know what you’re missing.” He grabbed the bottle of creamer and held it up toward the ceiling. “Gives you a nice, sweet kick.”
Lynn reached up into one of the cabinets and pulled out a stack of coffee filters. “All I want is a kick of caffeine.” She slid a filter into the coffee maker, added three heaping spoonfuls of grounds, and slapped the basket closed. “You leave room for creamer, which means you don’t have as much coffee in your cup.”
“That’s why I have three cups when you only have two. I get my caffeine just like you do; mine just has some more flavor to it.” Her dad grabbed the bag with the burritos and motioned for me to sit down at the table.
I sat and leaned back in my chair, still feeling a little bit out of place, but the show Lynn and her dad were putting on with bickering was making it feel like home.
“What’s your name?” he asked me.
“Uh, Zephyr.”
He glanced up at me. “That’s different.”
I shrugged. It was. “Yup.”
“Suppose it’s better than the other hundred Tank’s or some other common road name, huh?” he laughed.
“Yeah, I guess when you think about it like that.” He was right about Tank being a common road name, but there were a hundred other road names out there that were just as common. I had lucked out with Zephyr. At the time it was given to me, I hadn’t thought so, but now, I liked it. It was a part of me.
Lynn stepped up to the table and grabbed the plastic bag. “Let’s eat. The coffee will be ready in a minute.” She grabbed a burrito out of the bag and slapped it down on the table in front of me.
“If I didn’t know better, I would think you were trying to rush me out of here,” I chuckled.
Lynn glared at me. “I would never do that,” she mumbled. She grabbed another burrito and handed it to her dad. “They might be too spicy for you. Just pick off the jalapenos.”
He grunted and unwrapped the burrito. “Girl, I’m not some baby.”
Lynn set the other burrito on the table and balled up the plastic bag. “I’m not calling you a baby, Dad. I just know that you don’t really like spicy.”
He tsked and waved his hand at her. “Don’t worry about me; just work on getting the coffee done.”
Lynn rolled her eyes and turned back to the coffee pot.
Her dad eyed her closely. When she reached up in the cabinet, her dad quickly unrolled his burrito, and his eyes bugged out at the number of jalapeños.
Lynn had been right about there being a lot.
He quickly flicked them off and then brushed them in his hands. He looked around anxiously but couldn’t find a place to toss them.
I shot out my hand and tipped my head for him to give them to me. He dropped them in my hand, and I managed to pop them in my mouth. Her dad rolled back up his burrito and took a huge bite just as Lynn turned around.
“Good?” she asked him.
He nodded eagerly. “Best I’ve ever had. Has a nice kick to it.”
Lynn tipped her head to the side. “Wow, I’m amazed you like it, Dad. Maybe this means I can add a little bit of spice to my food when I’m cooking.”
Her dad nodded. “Bring it on, honey.”
She laughed and turned back to the coffee pot as it sputtered.
I chewed the mouthful of peppers and felt them burn going down my throat. I didn’t mind spice at all, but I didn’t regularly pop a handful of jalapenos into my mouth—especially not this early in the morning. I coughed and tried to clear my throat.
Lynn turned with two cups in her hand. She looked down at my burrito that was still in the wrapper. “Uh, are you eating air?” she laughed.
I swallowed and smiled. “Just my gum.” I stuck out my tongue. “That’s now gone.”
“Strange,” she mumbled. She set a cup in front of me and one in front of her dad.
“Creamer,” her dad ordered.
“For Pete’s sake, Walter. I’m bringing it,” she grumbled.
“Don’t call me Walter, girl.”
Lynn slammed the creamer in front of Walter. “Don’t call me girl.”
He huffed and grabbed the bottle of creamer. “Never heard of a child calling their dad by his real name.”
Lynn rolled her eyes. “I’m twenty-nine years old, Walter. It’s not like I’m five years old calling you it.”
He poured a long glug of creamer into his coffee. “You can call me Walter when I’m dead.”
Lynn sat down in the chair next to me and unwrapped her burrito. “You’re too ornery to die. God doesn’t want to put up with you up there.”
Walter scoffed. “My luck, I’ll be stuck terrorizing the Devil.”
Lynn took a big bite and motioned to me. “Are you going to eat, or are you full from Dad’s peppers?”
My jaw dropped, and Walter let out a holler.
“How did you know?” I asked.
Lynn rolled her eyes. “Give me a little bit of credit, will you?” she laughed. “I’ve gotten that burrito before, and they do not skimp on the jalapeños. I knew there was no way in hell that Dad would be able to eat even one bite without steam coming out of his ears.” She wagged her finger at Walter. “I ought to make you my chipotle nachos and force you to eat them for lying to me.”
Walter shook his head. “Ain’t happening, girlie. I’m not touching anything you make that has even a hint of spice in it. You like to have your mouth burn like hell when you eat.”
Lynn took a huge bite of her burrito. A huge jalapeño hung from her mouth, and she slurped it into her mouth. “I like flavor.”
I chuckled and finally unwrapped my burrito. “If I would have known you knew he gave me his peppers, I wouldn’t have shot-gunned them.”
Lynn laughed. “Serves you right.”
I took a huge bite and was thankful I had something more in my mouth than just jalapeños this time.
“How long have you been in the club?” Walter asked.
“The Kings? Since it started.”
“What did you do before? The Kings of Vengeance haven’t been around for that long.”
I shrugged. “A little bit of everything. I was part of another club, but things didn’t work. Did the nomad thing for a few years.”
“Nomad?” Lynn asked. “What does that mean?”
“He’s a gypsy,” Walter muttered. “Now that’s living life. Going wherever you want, whenever you want. I wish I could have done that.”
Lynn dropped her burrito onto the wrapper. “Yeah, too bad you couldn’t have done that instead of raising Steph and me.”
Walter scoffed. “You know that the hell I mean, Lynn.”
She folded her arms over her chest but didn’t say anything more.
“I uh, got a call from one of my friends about the Kings, and that’s how I’m here now.” The air between Lynn and Walter had shifted. There was something I didn’t know about.
“You plan on sticking around for a while?” Walter asked.
I nodded and took a sip of my coffee. “That’s the plan. The urge to get back on the road hasn’t hit, and I don’t think it will.”
Walter nodded. “Good.”
Lynn rolled her eyes. “And why is that good?”
Walter shrugged. “You wake up on the wrong side of the bed, Lynn? You’re much more prickly than you normally are.”
Yeah. That wasn’t the best thing Walter could have said.
Lynn calmly put her hands on the table and slowly pushed her chair back. “You know what? I didn’t sleep well last night. I’m going to excuse myself and leave you to entertain Zephyr since you were the one who invited him in.” She stood, grabbed her burrito and cup, and nodded to me. “Have a good life, Zephyr.”
She turned on her heel and headed down the hallway in a huff until she disappeared into an open door and slammed it behind her.
Well, that took one hell of a turn.
“She’s a feisty one,” Walter laughed. “Suppose that’s partly my fault.”
I shoveled a huge bite into my mouth and washed it down with coffee. “You don’t say?”
What else could I say? I had wanted to come in to spend more time with Lynn, and now, I was having breakfast with just her dad.
Walter sighed. “I wasn’t the greatest dad for a few years. Lynn took up the reins and helped raise her sister during that time.”
“Sister?” I asked.
Walter nodded. “Yeah. Steph is nine years younger than Lynn. Their mom died while giving birth to Steph. None of us took it well.”
I could tell there was a whole hell of a lot more behind that statement. “We all just do the best we can, right?”
Walter nodded. “You always been into riding?” he asked, changing the subject.
I was thankful for the redirect and dove headfirst into the new topic.
Half an hour later, Lynn still hadn’t come out of her room. I managed to excuse my way out and walked back to my bike. I swung my leg over and started it up, then pulled my phone from my pocket and groaned when I saw it was barely eleven.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered. This was why I didn’t wake up so goddamn early. Too much fucking time in the day, which made you either be productive or lazy as hell.
I pulled out a cigarette and popped it into the corner of my mouth. After lighting the end, I glanced at Lynn’s house. A curtain on one of the windows moved to the side, and I caught a glimpse of Lynn’s face before she dropped the curtain back into place.
I knew she wasn’t back in her room sleeping, but the fact that she decided to leave me at the table with her dad surprised me. She either really didn’t want to be around me, or what her dad had said really pissed her off.
It might have been a combination of the two, but something told me Lynn had some issues with her dad that never really got resolved.
After I knocked up the kickstand, I rocketed off the curb and headed back to the clubhouse.
Lynn had said we were supposed to have one night, and that was it.
I took a left toward the clubhouse and smiled.
Too bad that wasn’t what I wanted.
*
Chapter Three
Sleep...
Lynn
“You can come out now.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m sleeping.” God, I really wish I was sleeping.
Dad cleared his throat. “I came here because I need help setting up my meds, Lynn. I guess I’ll just skip taking my pills.”
And people said women were dramatic. I rolled over on my back and opened my eyes. “I’ll be there in a minute, Dad.”
“Good.”
I listened to him amble back down the hallway to the kitchen and sighed.
Of all of the days for Dad to decide he would come to me to set up his pills, it had to be today. For the past eight years, every Sunday at eleven o’clock, I got in my car, stopped at Frank’s Deli for two pastrami on rye, and then went to his place to set up his pills and have lunch.
The one morning in eight years where a man brings me home, Dad has to pull up before Zephyr can even start up his bike.
None of this would have happened if he would have just let me find my own way home.
I threw my arm over my eyes and held back a scream.
It also wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t slept with Zephyr last night.
I wondered if everyone else was this rude to themselves when they talked to themselves. Most people don’t talk to themselves and then answer.
“Ugh,” I moaned. I rolled off the bed and stood.
It was one night, and it wasn’t going to happen again.
Hell, who even knew if I would ever see Zephyr again. I only saw him because of Queenie, and it wasn’t like we normally hung out. She had invited Robyn and me to Brick’s prison release party to be nice. As far as I knew, there weren’t going to be any other parties like that.
I grabbed a hair tie off my nightstand and piled my hair on top of my head.
Last night was enough excitement to last me for a decade.
Back to old Lynn.
Work, help Dad, and sleep. That was what I did, and that was what I was going to go back to doing. No more hanging out at MC clubhouses and making rash decisions after drinking a bottle of whiskey.
“I was wondering if I was going to have to yell for you again.” Dad sat at the kitchen table with his pill containers in front of him and his pillbox with the little compartments flipped open.
“And give you a reason to give me shit for something?” I plopped down in the chair next to him and grabbed the pillbox. “Have a good visit with your new friend?”
Dad scoffed. “Pretty sure that man is your friend, Lynn.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed a bottle of pills. “Not friends, Dad. He’s just someone who knows someone I know.”
“Isn’t that how we all know people?”
I popped open the bottle of pills and started filling each little compartment. I could fill Dad’s pillbox in my sleep. “Are we really going to talk about this? If we are, you can leave and come pick up your pillbox later.”
Dad chuckled. “This Zephyr must be under your skin. Funny how I have never heard of the guy.”
“You haven’t heard of him because there wasn’t anything to tell.” I finished dropping one pill in the morning slot of each day and screwed the lid back on the bottle.
“Come on, Lynn. This is the first guy you’ve ever brought home.”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed another bottle of pills. “It’s actually not the first guy I’ve brought home, Dad. Though to you, it might seem like it is because all of the other guys I brought home, you were either too drunk or just not around to remember.” I shouldn’t throw that in his face, but dammit, knowing what the right thing was and then actually doing the right thing was hard as hell. I could talk about supporting someone’s recovery ‘til I was blue in the face, but when it was about my own dad, I was petty and did everything I shouldn’t.
“I remember the guys Steph brought home, but not yours,” he murmured.
I dropped two of the pills from the bottle into the lunchtime compartment on Sunday. “And the ones you remember aren’t even around anymore, but you at least remember something about Steph growing up.” Not like any of the guys I had dated were around anymore, but it was just another thing to annoy me that Dad remembered about Steph and couldn’t about me.
“Are we going to do this today?” he drawled.
I scoffed and finished filling the lunch slot with the pills, then snapped the lid onto the bottle and grabbed the next one. “I don’t know what you are talking about, Dad.”
That was a lie. I knew what he was talking about. We hadn’t argued about his twelve-year addiction to booze and pills for at least six months. Normally, we were able to go about six or seven months without a word about it. Then we would have a blowup and I would go back to acting like nothing was wrong or bothering me.
It was a fucked-up cycle that I wanted to break, but I just couldn’t get over it. Again, I knew exactly what I needed to do and say to get over it, but I just couldn’t fucking do it. Some therapist I was.
“I’m sorry for what I did, Lynn. I’ll keep saying it ‘til the day you can accept it.”
“You don’t need to apologize again, Dad.” I grabbed the next bottle and twisted off the lid. “My problem isn’t your problem to deal with. I need to get over it.” Again, easier said than done.
“Anything that has to do with you has to do with me.”
If only he had felt that way all those years ago. He had missed out on a huge chunk of me growing up because he hadn’t been able to handle Mom’s death without a bottle in his hand or pills in his mouth.
I had raised Steph. For the first twelve years of her life, I had been the one who was always there for her. Not our mom or dad. Not like it was Mom’s fault that she wasn’t there, but if things would have gone differently the day Steph was born, I firmly believed my life would have been vastly altered and better.
“You’re going to need your metformin refilled this week. I’ll call the pharmacy and get it filled.” I dropped a pill in each morning and supper time slot. “If Steph can’t get to the pharmacy to pick it up, let me know, and I’ll grab it on my way home from work.”
“I can get them.”
I didn’t say anything. Of course, Dad would get it because Steph would be too busy doing whatever the hell it was she did.
Growing up, Steph and I had been super close, but once Dad got sober, the fact I took on the mother role for her didn’t sit well anymore. Once I saw that Dad was back on track, I moved out, and Steph and I grew farther and farther apart. Now that she was twenty, living in her own loft, I only saw her on holidays or birthdays. I should be the bigger person and try to bridge the gap between us, but I was sick of being the bigger person. Everyone else got to be petty and think of only themselves. Maybe it was my turn to start acting like that.
As if I could be that selfish. I was always thinking of everyone else and never about myself.
“You know I don’t like you driving around. I can get them.”
Dad sat back in his chair and huffed. “Pretty sure I just drove myself here with no problem.”
I rolled my eyes. “I wonder how many scared children in crosswalks and scuffed parked cars you left in your wake?”
He wagged his fingers at me. “How many times do I have to tell you that parked car was not there when I looked?”
I shook some pills into my hand. “Because parked cars appear out of nowhere all of the time.”
“They do, just like kids run into the road without looking where they are going.” He folded his arms over his chest. “Even the officer knew I wasn’t at fault that time. Besides, I was quick enough to avoid hitting the kid and just cracked one of those huge flower pots they have over at the park.”
“A flower pot that is almost a hundred feet off the road, Dad. It was like you swerved to avoid the kid and decided you would just keep driving on the playground.”
“The brake stuck.”
He was so defensive because he knew I was right. I had talked to the officer. He had told me I might want to see if Dad was even capable of being behind the wheel anymore.
“If the brake was stuck, you would have stopped!” I couldn’t tell you how many times Dad and I had gone back and forth about this. Four months ago, he had been driving to the DMV to renew his license and had a run-in with a ten-year-old, the kid's mother, and a huge flower pot. Since then, I hated the idea of him driving. He was well into his seventies, and his reflexes were nowhere near what they used to be. His vision either.
“It was stuck to where I couldn’t press it!” he shouted back.
I held up my hand. “We are not going to go over this again. I’m going to finish up your pills, and then, you are going home. I’m getting a headache and need a nap.”
“Maybe you shouldn’t be staying out all night with a biker, and you wouldn’t be needing a nap.”
And this was when Dad pissed me off. He couldn’t stand to be my dad when I actually needed him to be, so when he decided he would take it upon himself to actually act like a parent now, it really ground my gears.
I glared at him and forcefully dropped the pills in my hand in their correct slot. “Because I’m always out, right, Dad? Drinking and hanging out with friends ‘til five in the morning? Disappearing for days to leave my kids all alone?” I pursed my lips. “I think you must be confusing your younger years with me.”
“Low blow, Lynn,” he growled.
It was, and it felt great to say it. “Yeah, it sure is, Dad.” I quickly finished the rest of his pills and snapped the compartment shut. Then I gathered all the pill bottles and dropped them into the plastic grocery bag he had brought them over in. “You’re good for another week. I’ll grab your prescription on my way home from work on Tuesday.” I stood and held out the bag to him.
He grabbed the pillbox and slowly stood. “I’ve said sorry time and time again, Lynn. I can’t go back in time and change things.”
He couldn’t, and neither could I. Years of resentment were pent up in me, and I had no idea how to get rid of it. “I’ll be over Tuesday night. I’ll bring lo mien and egg rolls.”
That would give me two days to bury back my anger, and things would go back to normal. In the end, I may be pissed as hell at him for being a shit dad for the first twenty years of my life, but he was still my father.
He grabbed the plastic bag. “I’ll see if Steph can make it for dinner, and I’ll get the food delivered.”
I nodded stiffly. She wouldn’t be there. He asked her to come over every Sunday, and every Sunday, she had something else to do. At this point, I would be shocked if she actually showed up. “Sounds good.”
He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. “Don’t work too hard this week, Lynn. Save some time for yourself. You can’t save everyone.”
I didn’t say anything. If I did, it would only make the fight we just had even worse. “Let me know when you get home.”
He nodded sadly. “Love you, Lynn.”
“You, too.”
He sighed and ambled toward the front door. “One day, you’re gonna say it, Lynn. I just hope I’m alive to hear it,” he shouted. The door clicked shut behind him, and I sucked in a breath.
I closed my eyes and willed the tears to remain at bay.
I loved Dad. Never stopped. Even on the days where he disappeared without a word and then popped back in as if he hadn’t abandoned his children, I loved him.
I just couldn’t make myself say it to his face.
That was how I punished him for the twelve years where he wanted to be anywhere but with Steph and me.
Maybe when he was twelve years sober, I would tell him I loved him. Tit for tat, right?
I opened my eyes, and the tears rained down my cheeks.
That was the thing I hated about love.
You couldn’t turn it off. No matter how much someone hurt you and you knew you shouldn’t love them, you couldn’t stop.
“He’s changed, Lynn,” I whispered to the empty kitchen. I wiped my tears from my cheeks and sniffled. “But would it stay that way?” I replied.
I turned off the kitchen light, leaving the remnants of breakfast with Zephyr and Dad on the kitchen table to clean up later.
Sleep was the only thing I wanted right now.
If I was sleeping, I didn’t have to worry about Dad or Steph. I didn’t have to try to fix the problems between the three of us. And I also didn’t have to try to dissect every second of last night with Zephyr.
I didn’t have to think about anything, and that was what I wanted.
I shuffled to my bedroom and flopped down on the bed.
When I woke up, I could worry about all of those things.
God, I hope we sleep for a year.
“Me, too,” I whispered to the dark.
Me, too.
*
Chapter Four
Creaming the twinkie...
Zephyr
“You fucking awake?”
I looked up from the ground. “Yeah.”
“Well, you wanna look a little fucking lively here?” Dyno grumbled. “We need to measure the front parlor and see if we’ll need to knock down a wall for the coat check and security room.
“Let’s go.” I climbed the steps of the funeral home and turned at the top. “You coming? I don’t know shit about any of this.”
He gave me shit about not being awake, and now he was still standing next to our bikes.
Dyno shook his head. “You fuckers. None of you guys know anything and expect me to tell you how to do everything. Might as well do all of the shit myself.”
“Have we even officially bought the place?” I asked. “Seems like we should make sure the deal is good and done before we start making plans to rip down walls.”
Dyno climbed the steps and put his hand on my shoulder. “Quinn is signing the papers as we speak, brother. Nice try getting out of this, though.” He pulled a set of keys from his pocket and jingled them. “You and I are going to start ripping down walls before the ink dries on the paperwork.”
“Don’t you have better things to do on a Monday morning? Hell, you have an ol’ lady. Maybe you should try to spend some more time with her.”
He stuck the key in the lock and opened the door. “Fancy is working.”
“Well, hell, this is your chance to stay at the clubhouse and do whatever you want. Don’t have to worry about Fancy asking you what you’re doing or asking you to fix shit.”
Dyno chuckled and motioned for me to walk in. “How about you don’t worry about Fancy and me, and you get your ass in there to do some work.”
A roar of motorcycles pulling into the parking lot of the funeral home filled the air.
I glanced at the three motorcycles and smiled. “Looks like we have some help.”
Dyno shook his head and groaned. “Fucking ridiculous.”
Core, Sledge, and Brick parked their bikes and moved to the bottom of the steps.
“You know,” Brick laughed, “I thought you guys were just pulling my leg when you said the strip club was going to be in an old funeral home.”
Core folded his arms over his chest. “I wish it was a fucking joke.”
He was the one who was completely against us remodeling the funeral home. Only, the more that he acted like he didn’t want to be there, the more Quinn and Dyno were going to make him be there. Core hadn’t picked up on that yet.
“You know anything about remodeling or building?” Dyno asked Brick.
Brick shrugged. “I know enough. I worked some odd jobs before going to prison.” Brick folded his arms over his chest. “Quinn told me you were in charge of the remodeling, though.”
Dyno nodded. “I am, but I’m going to need a hell of a lot of help.”
Brick tipped his head back and looked up at the funeral home. “Yeah, I would say you’re going to need help. You might even need to get your head checked for thinking that this is a good idea.”
“See!” Core grunted. “Brick has only been here for two days, and even he thinks this isn’t a good idea.”
Brick shook his head. “I didn’t say it wasn’t a good idea. I’m just saying that this seems like a big project, and everyone is going to need to be all-hands-on-deck for this to work.”
Core wrinkled his nose. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t just say that and assume you’re on my side of thinking this isn’t a good idea.” He folded his arms over his chest and glared at Brick.
Sledge hit Core’s shoulder. “You think you can suck it up and not be a bitch about us making the funeral home into the club?”
Core side-eyed Sledge. “The first sign of that place being haunted, and I am out. I don’t fucking care if I look like a pussy bitch or not. I can handle anything except for dead zombie shit.”
Sledge shrugged. “Whatever, brother. I guess you’re gonna have to deal with that dead zombie shit seeing as this place in the future home of Skinz.”
We all moved into the funeral home and surveyed the large wall that separated the front parlor from the main living area.
“Fucking hell, this place is huge.” Brick’s eyes moved all around the room. “You gonna put a stage in?”
Dyno nodded. “Yup. We’ll have a stage with about a ten-foot runaway at the end that will extend into the seating. It’ll feel like the girls are really close to the customers, without feeling like they aren’t safe. We’ll have guys stationed at all points of the stage.” Dyno nodded to the opposite side of the room. “We’re going to put the bar there, and then right where we are standing will be the check-in, coat check, and security area.”
“What’s upstairs?” Brick asked.
Dyno turned to the stairs and pointed up and to the right. “Dressing room for the girls.” He pointed up and to the left. “And also private rooms.”
Brick nodded. “Sounds like a solid plan.”
Core rubbed his hands together. “The thing I want to be a part of is the hiring.”
“Pull your weight with renovating, and maybe that will happen,” Dyno laughed.
“As if any of you guys want to interview girls.” Core elbowed Brick. “Their ol’ ladies won’t let them.”
Brick shrugged. “You do have a point there, Core. We wouldn’t want you guys to piss off your women. I mean, it’s the least we could do.”
Dyno pulled out a tape measure and tossed it to Core. “Measure this fucking wall and stop acting like a pussy about renovating this place, and the interviews are all yours.”
Core smiled wide. “Fuck yeah.”
“I better be in on those interviews, too,” I added. “Last I checked, I don’t have an ol’ lady.”
Core pulled out the end of the tape measure and handed the other end to Brick. “You sure about that? I heard Kimber talking to Quinn this morning about the pretty shrink.”
I folded my arms over my chest and leaned against the wall. “And?”
“And, Kimber said she saw you and the shrink take off on your bike pretty early yesterday morning.”
“And?” I drawled again. I wasn’t giving Core a crumb of information about Lynn and me. Wasn’t any of his business.
“And...I don’t fucking know anymore. That’s all I know,” Core huffed. He reached the end of the wall and looked at the tape measure. “Seventeen and a half feet,” he replied.
Dyno pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket and scribbled on it. “Now measure the wall on this side. I think over there will work, but I want to know this one, too.”
I didn’t have a clue what Dyno was talking about. I could swing a hammer and do whatever he told me to, but all this planning and shit was not my thing.
“I know I’m new around here, but what I think Core is trying to say is that you and the shrink are bumping uglies.” Brick leaned against the wall and folded his arms over his chest.
“Playing hide the salami,” Sledge laughed.
I rolled my eyes.
Brick snapped his fingers. “Creaming the twinkie.”
Core smiled even wider. “Launching the meat missile.”
“Taking the bald gnome for a stroll in the forest,” Dyno suggested.
Core opened his mouth and instantly closed it.
Brick scratched his head and squinted. “Uh, that’s pretty detailed.”
Core closed one eye and pursed his lips. “So you’re saying your dick is the gnome and the shrink’s...”
“Yes,” Dyno grunted. “Christ's sake. You guys have the worst imagination. Shit isn’t funny when it has to be explained.” He shook his head and pointed to the wall he wanted Core to measure.
“So just tell us if you’re hitting it with the shrink,” Sledge laughed. “You do that, and these idiots will stop thinking of weird ways to say having sex.”
“Nobody’s fucking business.” I shrugged. “Nothing to report.”
Core moved to the second wall, and Brick took the other end of it. “This wall is twenty-one feet.” He let go of the tape measure, and it slung back to Brick. “And I don’t know if you’re telling the truth or not, Zephyr. You say it’s none of our business, but then you say there isn’t anything to report.”
Sledge tapped his finger on his chin. “Would you actually report to us if there was something to tell, or is there something to tell but you’re not going to tell us because it isn’t any of our business?”
I pushed off the wall and grabbed the tape measure from Brick. “Yes.”
“Yes, what?” Core barked. “What the hell are you yessing?”
Dyno and Sledge laughed.
“I think he’s telling you he ain’t gonna tell you shit about the shrink.” Dyno tucked the piece of paper into his pocket.
Core pointed at me. “So, there is something to tell.”
Sledge slapped Core on the back. “Give it up, brother. He’s not going to tell you shit, just like Dyno and I wouldn’t tell you shit about our ol’ ladies.”
“She’s your ol’ lady?” Core gasped.
Oh, for fuck’s sake. This was getting ridiculous. “Nothing happened with the shrink, Core. She passed out, I let her sleep in my bed, and then I took her home in the morning when she woke up and freaked out. End of story.”
Core eyed me warily. “Part of me doesn’t believe you.”
I shrugged. That wasn’t my problem. I mean, yeah, I lied through my fucking teeth about Lynn and me, but I wasn’t going to tell him the truth. “So, are we knocking down a wall or what?” I asked Core.
Core shook his head. “Not today. I need to go over the plans again. I’m thinking we’ll be building more than tearing down shit.”
That was surprising. I thought for sure we would be knocking the funeral home down to the studs. “I can swing a hammer. Just tell me where.”
“Now that is the kind of enthusiasm I expect from you peckerheads.” Dyno smirked. “Though I bet I know where your eagerness about this is coming from.”
He sure as hell did because he would have acted the same way if Core had asked him about Fancy. I didn’t wanna fucking talk about it, and I would do anything to change the topic.
The only difference was Lynn wasn’t my ol’ lady. Hell, I didn’t even know when I would actually see her again. It wasn’t like she had a direct connection to the club. Sure, she hung out with the other ol’ ladies, but that was only for parties or stupid Book Club shit. And even then, she wasn’t always at those. Kimber and the girls called Book Club at the drop of a hat, and it was pretty much for whoever was sitting there.
I shrugged and tossed the tape measure to Dyno. “I’m just doing my part.”
Dyno snatched the tape measure out of the air and shoved it in his pocket. “Well, in that case, I’ll make sure to let Quinn know you want to work on the club every day instead of working on exterminating the Devil’s Rebels.”
I cringed and tipped my head to the side. I wasn’t sure which one I really wanted to do. They both had good and bad things about them. “How about I split my time between the two?” I laughed.
“Whatever you say, Zephyr.” Dyno turned toward the stairs. “Now, let’s go upstairs and see what’s happening there.”
We spent the rest of the day measuring and remeasuring shit all while Dyno tried to figure out what layout he wanted for the club.
The mundane work left me plenty of time to think about Lynn and wonder if I should head over to her house to make sure she was okay. I could have just called her, but I didn’t have her phone number, and I didn’t want to have to ask one of the girls for it.
I could always call her at work, but I didn’t want to bother her when she was busy.
By the time we finished at the funeral home, I didn’t know what the hell I wanted to do.
Drop in on Lynn unexpectedly, or try calling her tomorrow at work?
I was sure she would be annoyed if I just dropped in on her, but she could easily ignore me and just hang up the phone if I called her.
It had only been a day since I had seen her. Maybe I needed to give her some more time before I called or dropped in unexpectantly.
I cranked up my bike and pointed my wheels toward the clubhouse.
One more day, and then, I would stop by.
Just to make sure she was fine.
That’s all it was.
*
Chapter Five
Curve ball...
Lynn
“You have a visitor.”
I stared at the messy pile of papers on my desk. “You mean my next appointment.”
Jeanie, my secretary, cleared her throat. “Uh, well, no. He said he doesn’t have an appointment and that he’ll wait for however long it takes for you to see him.”
“What?” I squawked. What in the hell was Jeanie smoking out front?
“He was here when Queenie came the first time.”
“Sledge?” I guessed. “What the hell is he doing here?”
“Are you Sledge?” Jeanie asked.
A low, muffled voice spoke, but I couldn’t make out what he said.
“Oh,” Jeanie gasped. “He’s not Sledge, but he told me not to tell you anything else.”
What in the ever-living-fuck was going on out front? “I’m coming out there,” I grumbled.
Hopefully, I’m wrong about who is out front. Today was not the day I wanted to deal with Zephyr dropping in on me at work. I had four more appointments, and I still had to go to the pharmacy and then Dad's for dinner. Plus, I still wasn’t over my last temper tantrum I had on Sunday, so between now and me knocking on Dad’s door, I needed to get over it.
I pulled the hair tie from my hair and combed my fingers through it. Sure, I didn’t want Zephyr here, but that didn’t mean I had to look like cow dung when I told him to get lost. Now, if only I had an extra shirt to change into. This morning when I had been going over my calendar for the day, I had managed to miss my mouth and dribble down the front of my shirt. Most of it wiped off with a wet napkin, but I still had two stubborn spots that weren’t going anywhere.
On my way out, I caught my reflection in the glass of my door and shrugged. I sure as hell wasn’t going to win any beauty contests, but at least I wasn’t going to scare anyone if they looked at me.
Remind me why we are trying to look nice for Zephyr?
I didn’t have the time to talk to myself about this. What I needed was to get Zephyr out of here and get ready for my next appointment.
“Hey,” I yelled when I pushed open the door that connected to the waiting area. Zephyr leaned against the check-in area while Jeanie sat on the other side of the desk, looking absolutely smitten with him.
I tamped down the ting of possessiveness I had toward Zephyr.
He is not ours. We cannot be jealous of him.
Not like I had anything to worry about with Jeanie. She was fifteen years older than me, and she had been married for over twenty years to the sweetest guy.
“You got a second?” Zephyr asked.
I nodded and held open the door. “Sure thing.” I glanced at Jeanie. “Let my next appointment know I’ll be right with them.”
Jeanie looked down at the computer. “Robert isn’t even here yet. You’ve got probably ten minutes.”
Why did she have to say that in front of Zephyr? My plan had been to tell him I was very busy and that he needed to leave right away. Now he knew I had ten minutes. I led the way to my office and entered without holding the door open for him. Even though I was walking in front of him, his delicious, manly scent swirled around me. He smelled like freedom, leather, and fresh air.
Freedom? Explain that more.
I really was a dick to myself.
Zephyr stepped into my office, and I closed the door behind him. “You can sit in either chair,” I instructed.
He sat down in the chair closest to me and leaned back. I plopped down in my chair and tried to get a grip. This man had seen me naked. Him sitting across from me shouldn’t be an issue at all. I took a deep breath and instantly thought about him in nothing but his birthday suit.
Oh, Jesus. That wasn’t helping.
“You doing okay?” Zephyr drawled.
I nodded my head vigorously. “Yeah, totally. Doing amazing.” My inner shrink rolled her eyes at the blatant lie. I really couldn’t fool myself.
“You and dad good?”
I nodded again. “Yeah,” I gasped. “Never better.” More lies.
“He seemed like a good guy. He was pretty worried about you, though.”
My eyes wanted to roll, but I didn’t allow them to. “Yeah, he’s always thinking about me and wants to make sure I’m okay.” At least for the last eight years, he had. I didn’t want to go into the twelve years before that. Those twelve years I just couldn’t get over.
He tipped his head to the side. “Something ain’t right, darlin’.”
I grabbed a stack of papers on my desk and tried to straighten them. “Oh, yeah? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Well, things didn’t seem that great when you stormed off the other day. Just kind of surprised by you saying that everything is great.”
I shrugged and dropped the papers on the desk. “Everything is fine.” I sat back in my chair and tried to act like I wasn’t pissed off at Dad and just wanted to drink ten bottles of wine to dull the world. “How about you? Things going good with the club?” Deflect and redirect.
Zephyr shrugged. “Same shit, different day. Got some things going on, but nothing worth talking about, Doc.”
I rolled my eyes. “Maybe you should talk about them,” I suggested. Anything to stop Zephyr from talking about what a great dad Walter was.
He pointed his finger at me and clicked his tongue. “You’re not gonna ‘shrink me,’ Lynn. Nice try.”
I rolled my eyes. “Asking how you are doing is not shrinking you,” I grumbled. I was totally trying to “shrink” him. It was my job, after all.
He sat back in his chair and kicked his legs out in front of him. “You got plans tonight?”
“Yeah.”
He smirked. “Do you, or are you lying?”
I rolled my eyes. “I have to pick up a prescription for my dad and then drop it off.”
“That’ll take you twenty minutes, darlin’.”
I wrinkled my nose. “And then I’m having dinner with my dad. My sister might make an appearance, but hell didn’t freeze over today, so she won’t be there.”
“There’s a whole other story behind what you just said.”
I glanced to the side. I had said too much. I shouldn’t have even mentioned Steph. “Just stupid sister stuff. Nothing exciting.”
“How about you meet me at your house after work, we go get your dad’s pills, and then we go to his house?” he suggested.
Say what? “Uh, I don’t know...What?”
Why in the heck would Zephyr even suggest that? Was hanging out in awkward situations a sort of kink for him? I wasn’t one to judge how someone got their rocks off, but if Zephyr was into that, boy, did I have buckets of family bullshit.
“You’re telling me things are great with you and your dad, but you sure don’t sound like it. And then you mentioned your sister coming over but only if hell froze over.” He shrugged. “Sounds like maybe you could use some backup tonight.”
“Backup?” I parroted. “I’m going to my dad’s, not robbing a bank.”
“How about I’m more of a buffer? Things are rocky with you and your dad, so if I’m there, he’ll be more focused on me, and you won’t have to stress over whatever it is that stresses you out.”
I tipped my head back. “Uh.”
Yeah, I didn’t know what to say to that offer. It made sense, but how did he know that I needed that? Sure, I had dropped subtle hints that things weren’t all puppies and rainbows with Dad, but Zephyr was a guy. Guys didn’t pay attention to details like that.
Zephyr stood. “What time are you done?”
“Done?” I whispered. I was still trying to wrap my head around what Zephyr had said. Was he going to be a buffer between Dad and me?
“With work, darlin’? I can pick you up from here or meet you at your house if you want.”
I tipped my head back, and my eyes connected with his. “I don’t even know what you’re talking about right now, Zephyr. Why are you even offering to do this? You don’t even know me.”
He shrugged. “I know enough about you, Lynn.”
A few random meetings and one night of hot sex. Zephyr knew more about the shape of my body than he did anything else about me. “You’re crazy.”
That was all I could think. What kind of man offered to go to someone’s dad’s house so he could basically be a wall? A crazy one. Case in point—Zephyr.
“You wouldn’t be the first one to tell me that,” he chuckled. “What time do you get off work, Lynn?” he repeated.
“Uh, I don’t know.” I didn’t, not really. It all depended on how long my appointments took. I pushed a stack of papers to the side and looked at my calendar. “My last appointment is at four forty-five.” I bit my lip and looked up at Zephyr. “Possibly five-thirty? It all depends on my much my patient needs from me.”
Zephyr nodded. “Got it, darlin’.” He moved to the door. “I’ll see ya later.”
“Uh, okay?” My head spun. What was going on? “I really don’t know what time I’ll be done, Zephyr.”
A smile spread across his lips. “Don’t stress about it, Lynn. I’ll be waiting for you, no matter how long it takes.” He opened the door and slipped out of my office.
The door clicked closed behind him, and I blinked.
What in the fucking hell had just happened?
He’d wait for me no matter how long it took?
I sat back in my chair and sighed.
Well, blow me over with a feather. I had just seen a side of Zephyr I would never have thought existed.
Jeanie’s voice echoed through my phone. “Lynn, Robert is here.”
I grabbed the receiver and put it to my ear. “Send him back,” I chirped.
Right now, I couldn’t think about Zephyr and what he was up to.
I had Robert and three more people I needed to help figure out their lives. Maybe when I got off work, I could try to figure out just the hell was going on with mine.
It was headed in an unexpected direction, and I was confused as hell about how I had managed to find a sexy biker who wanted to be a buffer between my family and me.
Man, life sure could throw you a curveball.
A handsome, gorgeous biker curveball...
*
Chapter Six
You waited...
Zephyr
It was half-past six, and Lynn hadn’t surfaced from work.
I was parked right in front of the front door to catch her, and I had even gone in when I had gotten here at five to let Jeanie know I was here for Lynn.
Nothing.
I pulled a cigarette from my pocket and tucked it in the corner of my mouth. The front door opened, and a guy in ripped jeans and a white shirt jogged down the steps. I eyed him closely as he looked from side to side. This was probably the guy who had been holding up Lynn. Though I’m sure Lynn wasn’t the only shrink in the place.
The guy made eye contact with me and tipped his head. “Can I bum one from you?”
I nodded and pulled a cigarette from my pack. “You need a light?” I handed him the cigarette.
He grabbed the cigarette. “Yeah. If you don’t mind.”
He had bummed a cigarette from me, so I figured if he didn’t have his own cigarette, he wouldn’t have a light. I handed him my lighter.
“You waiting for someone?” he asked.
I inclined my head toward the building. “Waiting for my girl.”
The words were out of my mouth before I could even think about them. My girl? It must be my subconscious knowing something that I didn’t want to admit.
The guy handed me back my lighter and tipped his chin to me. “Thanks, bruh. I’ll see you around.” He ambled down the street toward the bar.
Five minutes later, Lynn popped her head out the front door. “Wow, you really are here,” she laughed. She held open the door, and Jeanie walked out.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Jeanie called to Lynn.
Lynn pulled the door shut behind her and stuck her key in the lock. “Bye, Jeanie!”
Jeanie gave me a sheepish smile and headed in the opposite direction the guy had walked.
“You really didn’t have to wait for me,” Lynn argued. She jogged down the steps and stopped in front of me.
“Said I would.” If I said I was going to do something, I did it.
“You can still back out of this. I won’t hold it against you.”
I shook my head and grabbed a helmet off the seat of my bike. “Not wanting to back out. I don’t offer to do something if I don’t want to do it.”
She grabbed the helmet and sighed. “I don’t think you actually know what you agreed to do.” She laughed softly and looked up at me. “If Steph shows up, you’re going to have a front-row seat to the circus.”
I grabbed the helmet from her and plopped it on her head. “Nice try, but you’re not going to talk me out of taking you to your dad’s, Lynn.” I grabbed the straps and clipped them together. “Get your ass on the bike, and let’s go.”
She shook her head but moved to the bike. “If you’re driving, I’m totally going to buy a bottle of wine when I pick up Dad’s prescription.”
I chuckled and swung my leg over the bike. “Whatever you want, darlin’. You worked hard today, so that means you get to play hard.”
She slipped on behind me and rested her hands on my waist. “I’m not going to argue with that logic, Zephyr.”
I started up the bike and glanced over my shoulder at her. “You’re in a pretty good mood for working so late.”
She smiled wide. “It probably has something to with the fact I love being on the back of a motorcycle. It takes me back to another time.”
“You used to ride?”. When I had given Lynn a ride home, I could tell that she was comfortable being on the back of the bike.
She nodded. “Had my own bike for a few years.”
“What happened?”
She laughed. “Damn thing was thirty years old, and it was breaking down on me every other day. It was cheaper for me to get a car instead of fixing the bike.”
That sucked.
I would have to be dead to never ride again. I would spend my last penny to keep my bike on the road. “What pharmacy?” I asked.
“The one on Birch.”
I turned forward, knocked up the kickstand, and glanced over my shoulder for traffic. I pulled onto the road, and Lynn wrapped her arms around my waist.
Lynn on the back of my bike felt good. It felt so good that by the time we had picked up the prescription for her dad and then pulled up to his apartment, I wanted to just toss the pills to him and keep riding.
Lynn slid off the bike and looked up at the apartment.
Something told me Lynn wouldn’t have argued with me doing that for one second.
Things weren’t as great as she said they were, and I was going to figure out just what the hell was going on.
*
Chapter Seven
Surprise...
Lynn
“Lynn.”
I bit my lip and dropped my eyes to the ground.
“Darlin’,” Zephyr whispered.
“Maybe we can just throw the pills at him and get back on the road?” Being on the back of Zephyr’s motorcycle was way better than spending the evening with Dad.
Zephyr chuckled and shook his head. “As much as I would like that, I think we actually need to go in.”
I sighed and looked up at him.
How had I gotten here? How on earth did I wind up standing in front of Dad’s apartment with Zephyr standing next to me?
“He’s gonna wonder what you’re doing here.” Same as I was.
Zephyr shrugged. “Just helping you out, darlin’.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m very much capable of bringing my dad his pills and eating dinner with him.”
“You’re capable of doing it, but there’s no reason why you have to do it by yourself.”
I tipped my head to the side. “Stop shrinking me, Zephyr.” I was the one who was supposed to have words of encouragement and be the wise one.
“It just seems like common sense to me. If there is someone who is willing to help you, let them.”
“So you’re saying I should just shut up and get my ass in the apartment?”
He chuckled low. “Yeah.”
I turned on my heel and stomped up the steps to the apartment complex. “For the record, I would like to state that this was your chance to run.”
I reached for the door, but Zephyr’s hand was there before mine. “You’re kind of stuck to me like glue.”
He pulled open the door and motioned for me to go in. “Just helping you.”
I huffed and walked in. Typically, I was the one who was always helping. It was weird as hell to have someone there to help me. Especially when I didn’t need it. Or at least, I didn’t think I needed it.
Zephyr followed behind me as I climbed two flights of stairs. I tried not to think about the fact that my ass was basically in his face the whole time. I was a member of the big-butt club thanks to my addiction to pistachio ice cream and those oatmeal cream pie thingies.
“What floor is he on?” Zephyr asked.
“Second,” I mumbled. “I wanted him to get a place on the first floor, but they were all taken. I get my cardio in whenever I come here since they don’t have an elevator.” Low-income housing for the elderly wasn’t quite up to having an elevator. At least, not the places in Whitmore.
“You helped him get his place?” Zephyr asked.
I managed to climb the last few stairs without panting heavily. “Yeah. When he got...” I cleared my throat. “When he needed a new place, I helped him.”
He also had nothing left in his life after getting out of rehab for the fifth time, and I had to beg and plead with the landlord of this place to get him an apartment. And also put my name on the lease.
“Must have missed that trophy you have for being the best daughter,” Zephyr drawled.
“Hardly,” I muttered. It was a good thing no one could read my mind because they would find out a hell of a lot of things they would have never thought about me. “If you want to leave anytime, just go ahead. I can always steal Dad’s car to get home.”
I stopped in front of Dad’s door and raised my hand to knock.
Zephyr grabbed my hand and turned me to face him. “I don’t know what you think about me, but it sure isn’t a lot if you think I’m just going to split on you at the drop of a hat.”
He dropped my hand and sighed. Zephyr looked defeated, and I was the reason he felt that way.
“I didn’t mean it like that.”
His eyes connected with mine. “Then what the hell did you mean? You’re giving me every chance to leave, and I keep telling you no. I’m not leaving, Lynn.”
“I just mean things are weird with my dad right now, and I would totally understand if you want to leave. I don’t want you to have to go through this mess. You don’t need to go through this mess.” ‘Cause God knew things were a mess right now. Mainly in my head.
“How about you let me decide what I want to go through, yeah?”
I shook my head. “It’s your possible awkward evening.” I shrugged and turned back to the door. I raised my hand, but the door swung open before my knuckles even hit the door.
“Lynn,” Dad called. “You’re here.” He held open the door wide, and his eyes moved to Zephyr. “And you brought your boyfriend with you.”
“He’s not—”
Zephyr cut me off. “Good to see you again, Walt.” He held out his hand to Dad and they shook. “I hope we’re not too late for dinner. Lynn had to work late tonight.”
Zephyr moved around me and stepped into the apartment.
“If I would have known you were coming, I would have ordered more. I only got enough for Lynn, Steph, and I.”
I stepped in and closed the door behind me. “I’m not that hungry, and I doubt Steph will be here.” I pulled Dad’s prescription from my pocket and moved into the small kitchen.
Dad made his way to the dining room table where a bag of Chinese takeout sat. “You don’t know that. I left a message on her machine.”
I rolled my eyes. As if leaving a message on her voicemail meant Steph was actually going to grace me with her presence. “Did she call you back?” I grabbed his pillbox and flipped open the one slot I didn’t fill.
“Well, no, but you know she is busy with her important job,” Dad defended her.
I popped open the bottle and dropped in a pill. “Yeah, working the cash register at the gas station is super important.”
Zephyr smothered a laugh with the back of his hand.
Don’t get me wrong. I wasn’t making fun of the fact that Steph worked at a gas station; it was the fact that she acted like she was the Queen of Sheba who didn’t have thirty seconds in her day to call Dad.
“Is she still taking classes?” I questioned. I snapped the container shut and dropped the bottle of pills with the others.
“She decided to take this semester off.”
I dropped my chin to my chest and sighed. What in the hell was Steph thinking? She was less than a year away from being an RN, and she decided to take a semester off?
“You’re kidding.” I turned to Dad and folded my arms over my chest. It looked like Zephyr was going to have to deal with my family mess right off the bat.
Dad shrugged and sat down at the table. “It’s just a semester, Lynn. She said she wanted to take a break for a second before she gets an RN job.”
I grabbed a stack of plates from the cabinet and set them on the table. “She’s dumb,” I grunted. “She has the world at her feet right now, and instead of finishing school, she’s taking a semester off to work at a shithole gas station.”
“Did you go to school?” Dad asked Zephyr.
My eyes snapped to Zephyr.
“Uh, well, no. I wasn’t really the smart kind. I was happy to have graduated high school.” He pulled out a chair next to Dad and sat down. “If I had the smarts, I would have gone to college.”
Well, that was an okay answer. All except for the part where he said he wasn’t smart. I knew that higher education wasn’t for everyone. Graduating high school and jumping into the job pool was more than okay. But that didn’t mean the people who skipped college weren’t smart. “You’re smart.”
Zephyr looked up at me. “If you say so, darlin’.”
I rolled my eyes. “You are. Trust me.”
“Because you went to school and have a college degree?” Zephyr chuckled.
I pointed my finger at him. “This isn’t about you. It’s about my sister making bad decisions because she’s afraid.”
“Afraid of what?” Zephyr asked.
Dad shrugged and started pulled containers from the bag of food. “She’s young. She has her whole life in front of her to work. One semester isn’t going to hurt.”
I wasn’t going to argue with Dad about this. Hell, Steph didn’t want me to be a part of her life, so I didn’t need to stress myself over what she was or wasn’t doing. I grabbed an eggroll and plopped down in the chair next to Zephyr. “Anything exciting going on around here?”
Dad may live in lower-income apartments, but that didn’t mean there wasn’t much happening.
“Marg from two doors down has a mixer thing on Friday. We’re supposed to wear clothes from the seventies.” Dad opened the two containers of lo mien and stabbed forks into them. “I’m going to go to the thrift store and see what I can find to wear.”
“You don’t have anything in your closet?” I watched Zephyr grab a plate and spill a bunch of noodles onto a plate.
“Nah.” Dad shook his head.
“You want me to come with you?” I asked.
Zephyr looked up from his plate at me. “Lynn.”
I reared back. “Uh, what?”
“You’re pretty busy with work lately,” Zephyr reminded me.
I rolled my eyes. “I’m always busy with work, Zephyr.”
Zephyr shook his head and forked a huge mound of noodles into his mouth. “I can go to the thrift store with you, Walt. I’m sure I can get a couple of the girls to come with, too.”
“Girls?” Dad asked.
“What?” I gasped. “You’re not taking my dad to the thrift store,” I protested.
“It’s not like I’m taking him to grab a fifth of whiskey and head to the strip club, Lynn,” Zephyr laughed.
I glared at him. What in the hell was Zephyr trying to prove? I was busy, but that didn’t mean he had to step in and do everything with Dad. We had spent one night together, and now he thought he could just take over my life?
“You don’t need to take time out of your day to take Dad to the thrift store. I can take him when I get off of work, or I can even take him on my lunch break.” I would just have to move a couple of appointments around on Thursday and then work until eight.
“It’s not a big deal. I don’t have much going on this week,” Zephyr explained. “And I have a feeling the girls would get a kick out of dressing your dad up for a seventies party.”
I shook my head. “I really doubt that is a good time for Kimber and the girls.”
Dad laughed loudly. “You had me at girls coming along. Pick me up at eleven on Thursday, and we can grab lunch on the way.”
Zephyr nodded. “Sounds like a plan, Walt.”
I had absolutely no control over any of this. “Why am I even talking?”
Zephyr reached out and patted his hand on mine. “I got this for you, darlin’.”
I looked at his hand and blinked. I didn’t know what to say besides being a bitch and telling him I didn’t need his help. Except I did need his help, and if I actually stopped for a second and thought about it, Zephyr taking Dad to the thrift store would actually help me a lot. “Are you sure?”
Zephyr shrugged. “Yeah. I can take your dad by the project the club is working on after.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Project?” I had heard about one of the club's projects at a funeral home. A funeral home they were turning into a strip club.
“Calm down, Lynn. We’re still doing the demo. Your dad won’t see anything that would corrupt him.” Zephyr chuckled and winked at Dad.
Dad let out a full belly laugh. “Boy, back in my day, I would have been the one doing the corrupting. I’ve seen it all.”
I shoved my eggroll in my mouth and growled. That was the damn truth. While Dad was out seeing it all, I was at home taking care of Steph.
A knock sounded on the door.
My eyes connected with Zephyr’s.
No way.
Dad stood and ambled over to the door. “I bet that’s Steph.”
My breath caught when he opened the door and my sister stood there.
Her hair hung loose around her shoulders, and she was wearing black leggings and an oversized sweatshirt. She looked exactly like Steph, but there was something different.
Her eyes darted around the room and landed on me. Her hands fidgeted, and she bit her bottom lip. Her pupils were dilated and her eyes bloodshot.
Steph was high as a fucking kite.
“Hello, Daddy,” she drawled. “Am I too late for dinner?”
Zephyr’s hand enveloped mine and squeezed.
I felt the warmth of his hand, but I couldn’t take my eyes off Steph.
My baby sister, who I had raised because our dad was either too high or drunk to even care for himself, swayed in the doorway. She reached out and put her hand on the jamb. “Is no one going to even say hello?”
I was frozen.
The world moved around me while I struggled to even breathe
Dad stepped to the side and held open the door. “Uh, come on it, honey.” His words were breathy, and I could tell he was in shock. At least, I thought he was in shock.
The thing I had always feared was happening right before my eyes.
The addict father was looking back at his addict daughter.
“You have company,” Steph chirped. Her bloodshot eyes moved to Zephyr, and a smile spread across her lips. “A present for me.”
Rage ran through me. She had the nerve to show up to Dad’s high off her ass and then thought that Zephyr was a present for her.
“Oh, Steph,” Dad laughed. “That’s Zephyr. He’s a friend of Lynn’s.”
Steph laughed. “Right, Daddy. Like Lynn would be with someone like Zephyr.”
What in the hell was that supposed to mean? Wouldn’t I be with someone as handsome as Zephyr? If she was insinuating that I wouldn’t be with Zephyr simply by the way he looked, then Steph truly didn’t know me.
Zephyr moved closer to me and laid his arm over my shoulders. “Stay with me, darlin’,” he whispered in my ear.
I turned, and my eyes connected with his. His voice was the thing that moved me from the stupor of my sister waltzing in. “Huh?”
His hand cradled my chin. “I’m gonna kiss you.”
I blinked slowly. “Huh?”
A smirk spread across his lips. “Some shit I don’t know about is going on right now, but I have a feeling a kiss would distract you.” His lips were on mine, and the world melted away for five seconds. The anger, rage, and disappointment faded. His lips were some magic force that made everything better.
Dad cleared his throat, and Zephyr’s mouth left mine.
“As if that is going to last,” Steph blabbed.
“Breathe, Lynn,” Zephyr whispered against my lips. “I’m right here.”
I leaned back in my chair and sighed. “Okay.”
“Knock it off, Steph,” Dad scolded.
I looked at Zephyr for one last second and then turned my attention to Dad and Steph.
It was crazy how much they looked like each other. Steph was a dead ringer for Dad when he used to come home after a three-day bender. She hated when he was like that, and now, here she stood, doing the thing she hated.
“I don’t know why you’re yelling at me,” she slurred. “I was invited here, wasn’t I?”
I rolled my eyes. “Hi, Steph.”
Steph rolled her eyes in return. “Is there any food left for me? I haven’t eaten all day.”
“Did you drive here?” I asked.
Steph plopped down in Dad’s chair and grabbed an eggroll. “I got dropped off by a friend.”
Her friend who probably helped her get high.
Zephyr stood and offered his chair to my dad. My heart skipped a beat at the chivalrous gesture.
Dad sat in the chair, and Zephyr stood behind me. He laid his hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently. “You want a drink, darlin’?”
“I’ll have a coke, thanks.” Steph fluttered her eyes at Zephyr and licked her lips.
“Eat some food, Steph,” Dad gruffed.
I scooted my chair back and shot up from my chair. “I can get my own drink,” I chirped. I grabbed Zephyr’s hand. “But you can come with me. The ice might give me a problem.”
The kitchen wasn’t far away, but it was not right next to Steph. I pulled Zephyr behind me and marched to the fridge. Zephyr stood in front of it and opened the door. It partially blocked my view of Steph and Dad.
“You wanna clue me in on just what is going on here, darlin’?” Zephyr asked quietly. “I can sense shit is not good right now.”
That was a damn understatement.
I took a deep breath and scooted closer into the fridge, which also put me closer to Zephyr. “I don’t think I can condense everything down for you, but the gist is my dad was an addict for years when I was younger. I raised my sister, who now hates me for reasons I kind of understand, but I kind of don’t.” My eyes darted in the direction of the table. “I haven’t seen my sister for months, and she just waltzed in high off her butt.” I looked up at Zephyr. “Those are the highlights of my train wreck life.”
Zephyr chuckled and tucked a stray piece of hair behind my ear. “Hardly a train wreck, darlin’.”
“There’s a lot more, Zephyr, but I don’t think we should hold the refrigerator that long. I just hit on the high points.”
“So, you wanna get out of here or try to ride this out?”
Run, motherfucker! I closed my eyes and tried not to scream that out loud.
“Lynn,” Zephyr whispered.
I cracked open one eye. “We should probably stay and try to figure out what is going on. To say I’m shocked that my sister is high right now is an understatement. For twelve years, we both watched our dad ruin his life and our life with drugs. For Steph to be doing drugs, something has to be going on.” At least, I hoped something was going on. Somewhere Steph had gotten lost, and as much as we didn’t get along anymore, I had to try to help her.
“I’ll let you take the lead, darlin’, but if things get out of hand, I’m stepping in.”
My eyes bugged out. “What do you mean out of hand? It’s my sister. How bad can get this?” It was pretty stupid of me to think nothing bad was going to happen. Daily, I sat front and center before addicts, recovering addicts, and their families. If shit didn’t go sideways, I knew we weren’t making any headway. “I take that back. Things are going to go sideways. Just...I don’t know.” I had become an alcohol and drug counselor because I wanted to help people who were like Dad. I didn’t think my sister would be just like my father. “Maybe this is her first time, and it’s a fluke.”
Zephyr’s lips pressed into a thin line. “Darlin’.”
One word, and I knew what he was saying.
“So this probably isn’t her first time, and she needs help.”
He nodded. “Yeah, and I think that means she’s going to need someone to help her who isn’t you.”
I reared back. “What?”
“You trying to air-condition the house with the fridge open?” Dad crowed from the table.
“We’ll talk about this later,” Zephyr whispered.
I stepped back, and he shut the door.
“You’re darn right we will,” I snapped. Who was he to tell me that I shouldn’t be the one to help Steph? Helping people was my damn job.
“I’m not the one you should be mad at right now, Lynn,” he drawled.
Well, he was right, but whatever. If I wanted to be mad at him, I could. I stuck my tongue out at him and flounced back to my chair.
“Must not have been too thirsty,” Dad snickered.
I heard Zephyr open the fridge again, and then he set a bottle of water in front of me. A beer or the bottle of wine I thought of buying would have been much better right now, but I didn’t get the wine and beer was a no-go at Dad’s. Steph took a huge bite of her eggroll and chewed on it like a cow with a hunk of grass in its mouth.
“You look different,” she drawled. Her eyes were on me, and she looked me up and down.
When Steph had walked in the door, my appetite had wavered, but now, watching her chew with her mouth full, it was completely gone. “Not really.”
Steph shrugged. “Must be those fifteen pounds you gained since I last saw you.”
“Steph,” Dad scolded. “What in the hell is wrong with you?”
Zephyr laid his hand on my shoulder and squeezed gently.
I tipped my head to the side and felt myself break just a little bit. “Not my fault I buy steak instead of meth, Steph.”
Zephyr struggled not to laugh, and Dad’s jaw dropped.
“You are such a bitch, Lynn,” Steph growled.
I shrugged and leaned back in my chair. Maybe Zephyr was right. I wasn’t the right person to handle Steph. All I wanted to do was slap her fucking face off and never see her again.
When Dad was using drugs, I felt hopeless. Watching Steph do the same thing was just infuriating.
“And you’re an addict,” I snapped. “Are you really for real right now walking through the door high off your ass, and we’re just supposed to act like nothing is happening?”
“Lynn,” Dad interrupted.
My eyes darted to him. “What, Dad? What in the hell do you have to say to me right now? You’re a recovering drug addict, and your daughter has the nerve to walk in her acting like a junkie, and you’re going to yell at me?”
“Just calm down,” Dad said.
My eyes connected with his, and it hit me. He knew. He knew Steph was using drugs. “You knew about this?”
His eyes dropped to the table.
“You knew Steph was using drugs, and you haven’t done anything?” What in the ever-living hell was going on?
“He didn’t know,” Steph drawled. “And I’m not using drugs.”
I rolled my eyes. “You seem to forget I spend my day with addicts, Steph. I know when someone is using.”
“Holier than thou, Lynn.” Steph waved her hands in the air. “Knows fucking everything and is better than everyone.”
Zephyr moved to my side.
“Knock it off, Steph,” I warned.
“Or what, Lynn? What are you going to do if I don’t knock it off?” Steph pushed off the table and stood up. “What in the hell are you going to do!” she screamed.
Zephyr grabbed my chair, scooted me back, and put himself between Steph and me.
“Steph, stop doing this,” Dad pleaded.
“Do what?” Steph shouted. “Why can Lynn say and do whatever she wants, and I have to keep my mouth shut?”
I stood and tried to step around Zephyr.
He stuck his arm out and held me behind him. “I never did anything to you, Steph. I did everything I could to make sure you had a good life, and you have the nerve to stand here and talk to me like this.”
Steph rolled her eyes. “You think you have all of the answers, Lynn, but you don’t know jack shit about me. None of you do.”
“Maybe if you came around more, we would know you,” I retorted. How was Steph going to try to make me look like the bad person in all of this?
“I think maybe it’s time for us to leave,” Zephyr interrupted.
“Bullshit,” Steph spat. “You have your boyfriend fighting your battles for you now, Lynn?”
I tried again to step around Zephyr, but he held me behind him. “Let’s go, darlin’.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” I insisted. “Not while Steph is here. My dad can’t be around someone like her.”
“Someone like his daughter, you mean?” Steph shouted. “I’m his daughter, too, Lynn.”
“You’re high, Steph. You shouldn’t be here.” What the hell was Steph thinking?
Zephyr pulled out his phone and pressed a few buttons.
“I’ll leave when you leave,” Steph growled.
“And just how are you going to leave when you got dropped off?” Jesus. Steph was being ridiculous.
“I’ll take Daddy’s car.”
I cringed at her calling him daddy. “And then how are you going to get his car back to him, Steph? You aren’t freaking thinking.”
“Yo,” Zephyr muttered into his phone. “I need some help.” He rattled off Dad’s address. Someone on the other end of the phone grunted, “Be there in ten,” and the call ended.
Zephyr shoved his phone back in his pocket. “Finish your dinner. Your ride will be here in ten minutes.” He pointed to Steph. “They’ll take you home.”
“What?” Steph and I shouted in unison.
Dad stayed seated at the table; his head bounced back and forth between the three of us.
“We’re leaving, and Steph is leaving, too,” Zephyr ordered. “Quinn, one of the guys, will be here in ten,” he repeated.
I rolled my eyes. “Why did you involve the club in this?”
“Because God knows I can’t handle the two of you on my own,” Zephyr mumbled.
Dad grabbed his glass of water and raised it to Zephyr. “Cheers to that. These two are a handful.”
“You don’t need to handle me,” I growled.
“Me, either!” Steph added.
Zephyr pointed at Steph. “Sit your ass down and eat. You now have eight minutes.”
Steph plopped down in the chair and folded her arms over her chest. “Whatever.” She grabbed her fork and shoveled a mound of rice into her mouth.
Zephyr turned to face me. “You wanna wait here or by my bike?”
I pursed my lips. “I’m not leaving my dad with Steph. Not when she is like this.”
“Not like this is the first time,” she mumbled around a mouthful of food.
Zephyr took a deep breath. “Seven minutes, darlin’, and then, we’re out of here.”
He was taking control of the situation, and I had to admit that I was okay with it. For once, I didn’t have to be the one trying to fix shit.
“You’re stupid, Steph,” I retorted. That might have been a little too much.
“Darlin’,” Zephyr chuckled.
“And we’re taking eggrolls home with us.” And now I was stepping into petty territory.
By the time I had five eggrolls in a baggie and had glared at Steph for a solid two minutes, a knock sounded on the door. Zephyr opened it, and I was thankful it was one of the guys and not one of Steph’s stoner friends. The last time the door had opened, my night had gone from good to bad.
Brick and Quinn stood in the open door.
Quinn laughed. “What the hell are you doing in an elderly apartment?”
Zephyr held open the door and motioned for them to come in. “It’s a long story, brother. I just need your help getting Lynn’s sister home. I got the bike.”
Quinn nodded to me, and Brick gave me a two-finger salute. Not exactly the way I wanted to see them again, but whatever. It was nice of them to come so quickly to help Zephyr with just one phone call. I assume that was one of the perks of being a member of the Kings of Vengeance.
Steph froze mid-chew and wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “Where the hell did you find these gorgeous guys, and how are they friends with you?”
I rolled my eyes and grabbed my purse. “They’re both taken, Steph.” Well, I didn’t think Brick was since he just got out of prison, but I was doing him a favor by running Steph off. “Grab your stuff, and let’s go,” I ordered.
Steph narrowed her eyes at me and finished chewing. “You’re not going to tell me what to do.”
I threw up my hands in the air. “Fine. I’m leaving. Do whatever you want with your life, Steph. I obviously can’t talk to you when you’re like this.” I snatched the bag of eggrolls off the counter and stormed out of the apartment.
“I’ll call you tomorrow, Lynn,” Dad returned.
I didn’t reply. I didn’t want to talk to him tomorrow. I didn’t want to talk to anyone.
I jogged down the three flights of stairs, stomping on each step, and burst out the front door of the building.
“Gah!” I shouted into the night sky. What in the hell was going on? Everything was falling apart, and I had no idea how to stop it or make it better.
I paced up and down the walkway from the parking lot to the apartment, trying not to scream again.
“You’re gonna burn a hole in the sidewalk,” Zephyr laughed.
I spun around and clutched my hand to my chest. “Jesus, you scared the hell out of me.” It had been shitty of me to leave Zephyr up there, but I couldn’t stand another minute being in the same room as Steph. My head told me all of the things I needed to do or say, but my heart said “fuck that” and made me run.
“Sorry, darlin’.”
“I’m sorry I ran out. I just couldn’t take it anymore.”
Zephyr shrugged and put his hand in his pocket. “You held it together better than I would have. That line about buying steak instead of meth was fucking golden, though.”
I sighed and tipped my head back. “Jesus. I should not have said that. Can you imagine if I said that to my patients at work? I wouldn’t have a job anymore.”
“This isn’t your work, Lynn. That up there was your life, and you reacted the way you needed to. Steph probably won’t even remember it.”
But I would. “I don’t know what to do, Zephyr. I thought I was over dealing with addiction in my life. For eight years, my dad has been clean, and now I have to deal with Steph doing this?” I closed my eyes and felt the tears rise to the surface. “And now all I’m doing is talking about myself when I should be focusing on Steph and getting her help.”
What a fucking whirlwind I was on.
Zephyr’s arms closed around me and pulled me to his chest. “Darlin’, you gotta take a breath. I can’t keep up with you.”
“Try being in my brain,” I muttered into his chest.
He squeezed me tight, and I finally took a deep breath.
“As much as I’m digging you being in my arms, I think we need to get out of here. Quinn said he’s giving us a couple of minutes head start, so you didn’t have to see Steph again.”
“Good Lord,” I muttered. “And now I’m sad that I need a head start, so I don’t see my sister.”
“Stop thinking about it. Quinn and Brick are taking care of her, and your dad seems like he is fine.”
But was he fine? Was my sister fine? Who was to say that as soon as Quinn and Brick dropped Steph off that she wouldn’t get high again? “Take me home, Zephyr. I need a drink and a tranquilizer.”
Zephyr laced his fingers with mine and pulled me toward his bike. “Let’s skip the tranquilizer, darlin’. I’m pretty sure you don’t need that.”
I glanced around the parking lot but didn’t see any other motorcycles. “Where did Quinn and Brick park?”
Zephyr chuckled and inclined his head toward a huge van. “Right there. They brought the creeper van to take Steph home.”
“Oh, God,” I laughed. “I can bet you Steph thought she was going to plaster herself to either Quinn or Brick. I wish I could see her face when she lays eyes on that van.” I was pretty sure Steph would shit herself when they tell her to get in the back.
“You can ask Quinn and Brick about it later.” Zephyr threw his leg over his bike and motioned for me to climb on behind him.
“They better be descriptive with their words, Zephyr. I want to be able to feel her disappointment when they tell me.” I slid on behind him and laid my hands on his waist.
“They’re guys, Lynn. I wouldn’t expect a lot.” He cranked up the bike and knocked up the kickstand.
We roared out of the parking lot and headed in the direction of my house. The sky was dark, and the stars were starting to come out. Riding on the back of a bike at night was one of the most beautiful things. Well, minus the occasional bug pegging you in the face.
Zephyr reached a hand back and laid it on my thigh. “You wanna take the long way home, darlin’?”
The warmth of his hand radiated through my jeans, and I scooted forward a bit. “Whatever you want,” I shouted back.
My life was a hot mess right now, but none of that seemed to matter when I was on the back of Zephyr’s bike.
We could drive until we ran out of gas, and I wouldn’t mind one bit.
*
Chapter Eight
Knock knock...
Zephyr
“What are we doing here?”
I knocked down the kickstand and killed the engine. “I need a drink, and I bet you don’t have anything stronger than beer at your house.”
“I have amaretto and vanilla vodka.”
I slid off the bike and shook my head. “Girl shit.”
Lynn rolled her eyes. “It’ll get you drunk, and it actually tastes good.”
I grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bike. We were in and out of the liquor store in five minutes. I knew exactly what I wanted, grabbed it, paid, and then we were back on the bike.
An hour later, after driving the country roads around Whitmore, we pulled into Lynn’s driveway.
“I would definitely say that was the long way.” Lynn slid off the bike and stretched her arms over her head.
I stood and grabbed the bottle of whiskey from the saddlebag. “Sometimes, all you need to do is just ride.” I couldn’t tell you how many times I had just driven around to clear my head. It worked every time.
“And you felt that was what I needed?” Lynn laughed.
I shrugged. “It didn’t hurt, did it?” She could have told me to turn around at any time. It wasn’t like she was being held hostage. Hell, the longer we rode, the closer she got to me. Our bodies fit together like pieces of a puzzle.
She grabbed her ass and laughed. “Ask me tomorrow. My butt is not used to riding.” She nodded to the bottle in my hand. “Are you assuming you’re coming in for a drink?”
“I was hoping.” Hell, I was hoping I wouldn’t even have to ask.
She giggled and headed toward the front door. “Well, seeing as you saved me tonight, I guess I could invite you in for a drink.” She rummaged around in her purse and pulled out her keys.
My eyes were trained on her ass, and I watched the rhythmic sway of her hips.
“Are you looking at my ass, Zephyr?” she questioned.
“Yeah.” The word was out of my mouth before I could even think. “I mean, no.”
Her laughter floated around me. “You’re a putz, Zephyr.” She unlocked the front door and walked in. “Bring your bottle of booze in and shut the door behind you.”
That was the invitation I was hoping for.
Lynn flopped down on the couch and waved her hand toward the kitchen. “I’m too exhausted to entertain you and be a good hostess. You know where the glasses are.”
I chuckled and headed to the kitchen. “Make sure you get those eggrolls out of your purse. I don’t think you want to find them in there in the morning.”
Lynn held up her purse. “Got them right here. Make sure you grab the sweet and sour from the fridge on your way back.”
“You got it, darlin’.”
“And a plate,” she added.
“Do you want a drink?” I asked.
“Uh,” she mumbled. “A girly one, or one of your manly ones?”
I set the bottle of whiskey on the counter and grabbed two glasses from the cabinet. “Whichever one you want.” I didn’t care what she drank as long as it was what she wanted.
“It was a shit night. Give me the strong shit.”
I chuckled and grabbed a few ice cubes from the freezer. “Coming right up.” I made two drinks and walked into the living room with the glasses and a plate with the sweet and sour sauce tucked under my arm. “Grab something.”
Lynn reached up and grabbed the drinks. “This is going to make me cringe, isn’t it?” She sniffed the dark brown liquid and wrinkled her nose.
I set the plate and sauce on the coffee table. “It’ll fog your mind enough to where you won’t even remember what happened.”
“So you’re trying to get me blackout drunk, huh?” She handed me a glass and clinked hers against it. “I’m down with that.”
I watched as she took a sip and instantly gagged. “So smooth,” she gasped. She set her glass on the table and shoved an eggroll into her mouth. “I bet that will put hair on my chest.”
“I’ll check later,” I drawled. I grabbed an eggroll and sat back on the couch.
“We’ll see,” Lynn mumbled.
She didn’t know it, but I didn’t plan on leaving tonight. I had watched Lynn firsthand the past few days, and she was spreading herself way too thin. She was doing everything for everyone, and no one was doing anything for her.
That was going to change.
“So, you wanna tell me the story of your dad or watch TV?” She had a choice because I didn’t want to stress her out any more than she already was. If she didn’t want to talk tonight, there was always tomorrow.
Lynn grabbed the bottle of sweet and sour and squirted a blob onto the plate. “I told you the story with my dad.”
“You gave me the twenty-second condensed story, Lynn. I wanna hear the rest.”
She rolled her eyes and grabbed the plate. She dropped her eggroll onto it and sat back on the couch. She kicked her feet up on the coffee table and sighed. “If I say I want to watch TV, are you going to be mad at me?”
I chuckled, finished my eggroll, and took a sip of my drink. “You’re the boss, darlin’. We can do whatever you want.”
She scoffed. “Your laidbackness is surprising.”
“Laidbackness? You just make that word up?”
Lynn laughed. “Yes.” She grabbed her glass and took a timid sip. “If you want to talk about my dad, I’m going to need to drink this glass.”
“If that’s the case, we’ll end up talking about him next week if you drink it that slow.”
She side-eyed me. “If I drink this any quicker, I am going to grow hair on my chest.” She reached over and grabbed the TV remote. “We’re watching TV and not talking about my dad or sister for the rest of the night. My brain needs a rest.”
“If that’s what you want.” If she wanted to watch TV, that’s what we would do. If she wanted me to see if she was growing hair on her chest from the whiskey, we could do that, too.
She flipped through the channels before she landed on some cop show. “I love this show.”
I had no idea what it was. I never really watched TV unless someone else had it on in the common room of the clubhouse. “Whatever you want, darlin’.”
She glanced at me. “You tell me that a lot.”
“Something tells me that you didn’t hear it very often before.”
She scoffed and laid her head back. “Oh, I’ve heard it before, but it’s normally coming out of my mouth.”
I leaned forward and unlaced my boots. “Then I guess it’s time I say it to you.”
“You planning on staying?” she asked.
I toed off my boots and set them on the side of the couch. “Yeah.”
She sipped her drink and, this time, she didn’t cringe. “I suppose that’s okay.”
I chuckled and grabbed another eggroll from the plate. All the drama from the night seemed to finally settled, and I realized I hadn’t eaten since breakfast.
“Do you want a pizza or something?” she asked. “I’m pretty sure I could eat all of these eggrolls and still be hungry.”
I pulled out my phone. “Yeah. What do you want on it?”
“Oh, uh,” she stuttered. “I wasn’t trying to imply you needed to order.”
I shook my head and laughed. “I’m gonna tell you right now, Lynn. You don’t need to take care of me. I’m not here for you to bend over backward and stress you out.”
“Then why are you here?” she whispered.
I looked up from my phone, and my eyes connected with hers. “‘Cause it feels right being here.”
“Oh,” she gasped.
“Now, what do you want on the pizza?” I asked again. “And don’t tell me whatever you want because I’ll eat anything. Don’t worry about me, just think about what you want.”
She worried her bottom lip with her teeth. “Uh, well, Pizza Stop has a chicken, bacon, and ranch that is amazing.”
“Chicken, bacon, ranch it is, then.”
She tried to reach for my phone, but I moved it away.
“But if that doesn’t sound good to you, then we can get something else,” she rambled. “I eat anything, too.”
I shook my head and connected the call to Pizza Stop. “You need to knock that shit off, Lynn.”
She sat back and folded her arms over her chest. “What does that mean?”
I held up a finger. “Yeah. Can I get a large chicken, bacon, and ranch?” I rattled off the address when they confirmed they could deliver and ended the call.
“Can we go back to what shit you think I need to knock off?” she asked again.
I shook my head and dropped my phone on the coffee table. “The shit where you think that you need to sacrifice what you want to make other people happy.”
“I do not do that,” she insisted.
Yeah, she did. All the fucking time. If I hadn’t been there last night, I’m sure once she had gotten past the anger of her sister showing up, Lynn would have offered her the world if it would have made Steph happy.
“Ya do, and the fact that you don’t even know you’re doing it pisses me off even more because you’ve obviously been doing it your whole life. Which also means your dad and sister have been taking advantage of you forever.” And that was the fucking truth.
“No, they haven’t,” she snapped.
“How many years did you raise your sister while your dad was gone?”
“He wasn’t gone,” she replied defensively.
I leveled my gaze at her. I didn’t know the whole story, but I could fill in the blanks. Lynn’s dad was an addict for years which left Lynn to raise her sister, and now it looked like her sister was going to repeat history and make Lynn’s life hell. That shit was not going to happen as long as I was around.
“All I’m saying is you can help your family, but you also need to take care of yourself, Lynn. I’ve been around you for a couple of days, and I can already see that you spread yourself too thin. Between work, your dad, and your sister, you don’t have time for anything else. Yourself included.”
She rolled her eyes. “So you’re going to make sure I take care of myself.”
I shook my head and kicked my feet up on the coffee table. “That and I’m also going to take care of you.”
She huffed. “I don’t need to be taken care of, Zephyr. I am perfectly capable.”
“Capable of taking care of everyone else, yes. I’ve watched it.”
“It’s my job.”
“Yeah, but as soon as you step foot in this house, you’re gonna stop it.”
She grabbed the remote and turned up the volume. “I can’t stop helping my dad, Zephyr. You’re ridiculous.”
I snatched the remote from her hand and turned off the TV. “You’re right, but that doesn’t mean you have to do it yourself. I have plenty of time in the day to spend with your dad. Maybe getting him out of the house will be good for him. He can help at the clubhouse or even with the strip club.”
“My dad isn’t some spring chicken that can be building walls and riding around with you all day.”
I chuckled. “Darlin’, you’re painting your dad to be some invalid. From what I’ve seen of him, he can drive and basically take care of himself. He’s more than able to spend a few hours with me at the clubhouse.”
“Why?”
Here was the fucking why question again. I was getting tired of being asked why I wanted to do something. I grabbed her hand and hauled her into my lap. Her ass landed on my legs, and she braced a hand on my chest.
“What are you doing?” she gasped.
“Taking fucking control.”
“Why?”
That. Fucking. Word.
I grabbed her behind the neck and pressed my lips to hers. She melted into my touch and curled her fingers into my shirt. Moaning into my mouth, she pressed her chest into me.
“You asking me why I’m nice to you?” I asked against her lips.
She panted lightly and nodded.
“I’m being nice because you fucking deserve it.”
“Not because you just want in my pants again?”
I pressed another kiss to her lips. “I mean, if that happens, I’m not going to say no.”
“I sort of have a problem saying no to you, Zephyr.” She licked her lips, and her eyes connected with mine.
“I don’t see that as being a problem. You can say no to everyone else, but I hope you’ll say yes to me.”
“And just what are you asking right now?”
“My lips are on yours, and my hands are in your hair. Just what do you think I’m asking?”
Her eyes dropped to my lips. “I hope you’re asking if you can get in my pants.” Her eyes darted to mine. “Because the answer is yes.”
“Bingo, darlin’.” I shifted her body in my lap and positioned her knees on each side of my hips. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine. My hands roamed over her back and bunched up her t-shirt. I pulled it over her head and tossed it on the floor.
“Tonight, the only thing you can think about is you and me. Tomorrow, I’ll help you figure out everything else.”
She bobbed her head and pressed a kiss to my neck. “I can handle that.”
My hands glided down her back, and I cupped her ass. “Let’s move this to the bedroom, darlin’.”
“I like when you call me that,” she whispered. She traced her fingers around my lips and smiled. “Makes me feel delicate when I’m anything but delicate.”
I pressed a kiss to her fingertip then leaned forward and stood with her wrapped around me. “You’re delicate, Lynn.”
She laughed and stared at my lips. “I don’t think that word means what you think it does.”
I stalked to the stairs. “Your room up here?”
“Yup. Let me down.”
I tightened my grip and climbed the stairs.
“Zephyr,” she protested. “You can’t carry me up the stairs. I’m too heavy.”
Lynn was far from heavy. She was fucking perfect. “Which door?” There was a short hallway with two doors on the right and one on the left.
“Uh, second door on the right.”
I stalked down the hallway and kicked open the door. She reached in and flipped on the light.
“The seventies didn’t throw up in here?” I drawled.
She slapped me on the shoulder. “I’m gonna start thinking that you don’t like my house.”
“Not really a fan of the seventies, darlin’.” Her house was nice, but it needed a bit of updating to suit my taste.
She rolled her eyes. “Well, I’m working on bringing it a bit out of the seventies and into this decade. I just don’t seem to have the time these days.”
“Well, starting tomorrow, you’re gonna have more time.” I was going to make fucking sure that Lynn had time for herself and whatever she wanted to do. People had been taking from her for far too long, and that shit was going to stop.
She leaned forward and rested her forehead against mine. “I feel like I’m going to wake up any second, and you’re gonna disappear.”
I moved to the bed and laid her down. “I’m not going anywhere, darlin’.”
She reached up and trailed her fingers down my cheek. “Good.”
I sat back and tossed my shirt over my head.
Her hands moved over my chest, and her eyes filled with lust. “You’re beautiful, Zephyr,” she whispered. “I want to touch your whole body at once.” Her fingers popped the button of my jeans, and she peeled them open. “I think I’ll start here.”
She splayed her hand on the tattoo that disappeared into my jeans and smiled.
“Whatever you want, darlin’.” As long as Lynn was touching me, I didn’t care where it was.
“I love this tattoo,” she whispered. Her finger trailed over the brightly colored tribal work that started on my stomach and drifted down my right hip.
That was now my favorite tattoo. Anything Lynn loved, I loved, too. As long as she kept touching me.
She worked my jeans down my hips and tugged them ‘til my dick popped out and bobbed in front of her. She wrapped her hand around it and tipped her head back to look at me. She licked her lips and stroked me.
“Fucking hell, Lynn,” I grunted.
“You like that?” she whispered.
I fucking loved it. “Does my dick make you wet, darlin’?” I growled.
She nodded. “Yes,” she hissed. “I like knowing I’m the reason why you’re rock hard.”
I reached up and cupped my hand to her neck. She stroked my dick harder, and I pushed my fingertips into the side of her neck. I pressed my thumb to her mouth, and she opened for me. “Suck,” I ordered.
She wrapped her lips around my thumb and sucked hard.
A hard hand tightened around my dick, and her other hand cupped my balls. She moved up onto her knees, and her eyes connected with mine.
“So fucking beautiful,” I moaned.
I dropped my hand, and she pressed her lips to mine. My hands moved to the waistband of her pants, and I pushed them down in one swift tug. I cupped her pussy and parted her wet lips. “Is this for me?” I growled.
My fingers brushed against her clit, and she moaned loudly.
“Yes, it’s yours,” she gasped. Her hand faltered on my dick, and she closed her eyes.
“Eyes open, and don’t let your hand stop moving,” I ordered.
Her eyes snapped open, and her hand stroked my dick up and down.
With each stroke, my fingers moved against her clit. “Do you want me, Lynn?” I growled.
“Darlin’,” she whispered. “Call me darlin’.”
I growled deep and pressed my lips to hers. We fell back onto the bed, a tangle of arms and legs. I kicked off my pants the rest of the way and managed to remove Lynn’s. My hands fumbled with the clasp of her bra, but I finally got it off and sailed it across the room.
“You like throwing my clothes,” she laughed.
I laughed and trailed kisses across her collarbone. “They’re in the way. The further away they are, the more likely you are to stay naked.”
“Good reasoning,” she giggled. She arched her back and pressed her breasts up to me.
I rolled her nipple between my fingers while my tongue snaked around the other.
“Oh, God,” she moaned.
Lynn was so responsive. The other night when we were together, I thought maybe it was because of the booze, but she was much soberer right now, and she was reacting the same. It was like one touch, and her body was on fire for me.
Lynn was doing crazy things to my ego.
Her hands delved into my hair, and she tugged gently. “I can’t wait,” she whispered. “I need you.”
I didn’t need to hear another word.
Lynn spread her legs, and I fell between them. My dick slipped between the lips of her pussy, and a guttural moan ripped from my mouth. This was fucking perfect.
The walls of her pussy squeezed around me as I slipped in and out. She wrapped her arms around my neck and pressed her lips to mine. Our tongues danced together while our bodies became one.
“Faster,” she pleaded. “Don’t stop.”
Nothing could make me stop. “Never.”
“Zephyr.” My name fells from her lips, and her eyes closed.
I buried my face in her neck and fought back the urge to explode right then and there. “Come for me, darlin’. I can’t take much more.”
Five minutes in, and I was ready to go off like a fifteen-year-old having sex for the first time.
Lynn cocked her legs open wide and dug her heels into the bed. “Take me, Zephyr,” she gasped.
A moan ripped from her lips, and she scored her nails down my back. The walls of her pussy squeezed the fuck out of my dick, and her body convulsed beneath me. I fell over the edge and emptied my balls deep inside her. I collapsed on top of her but felt her body shake.
“Why are you laughing?” I asked.
She snorted and ran her fingers down my back. “Because right when you came, someone knocked on the front door.”
“What?” Who in the hell would be knocking on the front door? And how in the hell did I not hear it.
“The pizza,” Lynn laughed. “It’s at the door.”
“Oh, fuck.” I rolled off Lynn and off the bed. “Where the hell are my pants?” I couldn’t remember if I took them off here or in the living room.
Lynn sat up and pulled the blanket over her chest. “Well, you were into throwing our clothes everywhere, so I really don’t know.”
A knock sounded on the door again.
“Fuck it.” If I didn’t answer the door, he was going to leave.
“What are you doing?” Lynn asked.
I stalked out of the bedroom, naked as fuck, and headed to the front door. “Getting you your pizza before they leave.”
“You’re naked!”
Oh, I fucking knew I was naked. The pizza delivery guy was about to get an eye full. “Keep your ass in that bed, woman. I’m eating pizza off your ass.”
Her laughter floated from the bedroom. “How are you going to pay for it?”
“Fuck.”
“There’s a fifty in a cup by the fridge.” Lynn could barely talk because she was laughing so hard.
I stepped into the kitchen, spotted the cup with money, and grabbed a fifty. “I’m paying you back.”
“I would hope so,” she giggled. “A man should pay for the pizza if he plans to eat it off someone’s ass.”
I swung open the front door and kept my lower half behind it. “Sup?”
The pizza guy spun around with the pizza in her hand. “Whoa, dude. I was just about to leave.”
“I was busy.” I thrust the fifty toward him and grabbed the box. “Keep the change.”
The kid grabbed the bill, and his jaw dropped. “Dude, it’s only eighteen dollars.”
I swung the door shut in his face and flipped the lock. “Keep it,” I called to him.
“Sweet!” he bellowed from the other side of the door.
I flipped off the lights in the living room and kitchen and headed back to the bedroom.
“Did you just tip that kid over one hundred percent?” Lynn laughed.
“Did you really think I was going to wait around while he got change?”
Lynn grabbed the pizza box, and I climbed back in bed.
“I shut down the house.”
She opened the pizza box and moaned. “This looks amazing.” She grabbed a slice and took a huge bite. “And what do you mean you shut down the house?”
“Shut off the lights and locked the door.”
She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand. “That must be biker speak, huh? Also, you think you’re staying the night?”
I grabbed a slice and laid back on the pillows. “Yeah.”
“What happened to whatever I want?” she asked.
“This is what you want.”
She rolled her eyes and laid down on her stomach beside me. She took another bite of her pizza and smiled. “Well, you’re right.”
I fucking knew it. “You assuming the position for me to eat pizza off your ass?”
A laugh bubbled from her lips. “I mean, you did say that you wanted to.”
I sat up and slapped her bare ass. “Let’s get to it then, darlin’.”
“Is this the biker life I’ve heard about before? I mean, I didn’t think eating pizza off someone’s ass was part of it.”
I leaned over and pressed a kiss to her ass. “Just hold on, darlin’, there’s a whole hell of a lot to the biker life.”
*
Chapter Nine
Your hunk is waiting...
Lynn
“Your eleven o’clock is here.”
I jumped in my chair and grabbed the receiver of the phone. “Eleven?” I mumbled. How in the hell was it already eleven? Maybe because you just slept for the last hour at your desk?
“Yes, Lynn,” Jeanie laughed. “Justin is here.”
“Uh, send him back.” I dropped the receiver and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. Sleeping at your desk was not the best idea. I had a rare open hour, and I obviously was tired because the last thing I had remembered was grabbing a stack of papers from my drawer.
I looked down and saw the stack scattered on the floor. Great place to put that, Lynn.
Last night had really wrecked me for today.
Zephyr and I didn’t manage to fall asleep until well after three o’clock this morning, and the only reason we had fallen asleep was because we were both exhausted. I had woken up groggy and grumpy when my alarm had sounded, and I was still pretty groggy. The grumpiness had vanished once Zephyr’s arms had wrapped around me and he pressed a kiss to my cheek.
I had quickly gotten dressed while Zephyr headed to the kitchen. Once I stepped into the hallway, the smell of coffee hit my nose, along with the savory aroma of bacon.
Zephyr had cooked me breakfast. I couldn’t tell you the last time anyone had cooked me breakfast. That right there put a huge gold star next to Zephyr’s name.
Nice to Dad, even when he didn’t need to be. Gold star.
Amazing in bed. Gold star.
Cooked me breakfast and made coffee. Gold star.
Those gold stars next to his name were making me want Zephyr to always be around.
A knock sounded on the door, and I again jumped because I was a groggy loser. “Come in,” I called.
Justin peeked his head in the office with a loopy smile on his lips.
He was sober.
Thank God.
I always worried about when I met with patients if they were actually going to show up sober. I couldn’t tell you how many times I had dealt with a patient who relapsed right in front of me. The only thing I could do is get them back on track and try all over again.
Sobriety was a slippery thing to get your hands around and hold on to. I was the one who helped people put some glue on their hands and help them cling to it.
“Hey, Justin,” I chirped.
He sheepishly walked in and shut the door behind him. I had been seeing Justin for the last six months for his addiction to heroin. He was doing amazing at staying clean and on track.
We talked for half an hour when Jeanie buzzed again. “You have a visitor,” she stated.
I picked up the receiver and smiled at Justin. “Just one second.”
“Your hunk is here,” Jeanie laughed. “Again. And this time, he says he has lunch for you.”
Oh, Zephyr. “Uh, okay. I’m almost done with Justin. I’ll come out when we’re done.”
I hung up the phone and couldn’t hold back my smile. “Sorry about that. I didn’t know I was having lunch delivered.”
“Do you need me to leave?” Justin asked.
I shook my head. “No, no. Of course not. We have about thirty minutes left, Justin.”
Justin sighed and sat back in his chair. He had been holding his breath after he asked the question.
“Everything okay?” I asked.
“Oh yeah, yeah. I was just worried that my time with you was going to be over too soon.”
I tipped my head to the side and tried not to cringe at his words. That was a bit creepy, but Justin was sort of a different guy.
We talked some more and planned when our next meeting would be. Justin was nearing the end of his need to meet with me weekly, and when I had mentioned that to him, he didn’t seem happy about moving to bi-monthly or even monthly meetings.
“You’re doing amazing, Justin. I think it’s time you really step out on your own and see how you do. I’ll still be here if you need me.” It had to be scary to spread your wings when your addiction could easily knock you down. “If you need to talk, you can always call me, and I’ll answer.”
I reached into my drawer and pulled out one of my cards with my cell phone number on it. I didn’t freely hand them out, but I gave them to those patients who might need that extra support. Justin seemed to be falling into that category. This seemed to settle him, and he eagerly took the card.
“What did you order for lunch?” Justin asked when we finished his meeting.
I opened my office door and laughed. “I really don’t know. It’s a surprise.” I never really talked about my personal life with patients, but that was mostly because I didn’t have anything that was worthy enough to talk about.
Justin glanced back at me as we walked down the hallway to the reception area. “Oh, that’s odd.”
The past few days had been odd. Completely opposite from the past few years. I wasn’t ready to explain that to Justin. I was still processing it all.
Justin opened the door to the reception area and came face to face with Zephyr.
The difference between the two men was rather shocking.
While Zephyr was tall, muscled, and tattooed, Justin was also tall but pencil-thin with tattoo-free skin. Zephyr’s facial features looked like they had been chiseled from stone, while Justin looked like any guy you would see walking down the street.
“Got time for lunch?” Zephyr asked. He didn’t even look at Justin, who had faltered when he saw Zephyr.
Justin looked back at me, shock all over his face.
I plastered a smile on my lips. “I’ll see you in two weeks, Justin,” I finished. I wasn’t about to introduce these two.
Justin nodded meekly and beelined out of the office.
“He sure is a strange one,” Jeanie muttered quietly.
“Stop,” I scolded. Thankfully no one else was in the waiting room, and Zephyr didn’t care what Jeanie said. “He’s just shy.”
“I’ll hold your calls for a bit.” Jeanie winked and answered the ringing phone.
I rolled my eyes and motioned for Zephyr to follow me. I felt his eyes on me as we walked down the hallway. Mostly, I felt his eyes on my butt. Hopefully, he didn’t plan on eating whatever lunch he brought off of my ass. Last night was enough of that. At least, for a while.
I opened my office door and held it open for him. “What did you bring for lunch?” It couldn’t be anything big because he wouldn’t have been able to carry it on his bike.
He set a brown paper bag on my desk and turned toward me. “Not even a hello for me? You must be starving from last night’s activities.”
I rolled my eyes and closed the door. I didn’t need any patients or anyone who worked at the clinic to hear Zephyr and me. “Hello. What did you bring me to eat?”
Maybe I was a bit hungry. And cranky.
“Burgers from Tom’s.”
My mouth watered at the thought of a greasy and cheesy Tom’s burger. “Fries?”
Zephyr laughed. “Yeah, darlin’. You can’t go to Tom’s without getting fries.”
My smile fell. “I made you wait out front for half an hour.” The food was going to be cold and soggy.
Zephyr shrugged and reached his hand out to me. “I had it delivered, Lynn. It just got here two minutes ago.”
I put my hand in his, and he pulled me to him. “Have I ever told you that you’re brilliant?”
Zephyr chuckled and shook his head. He pressed a kiss to my lips and smiled. “No. Maybe you should tell me again.”
I wound my arms around his neck and pressed my body against his. “You’re brilliant, Zephyr.” I guess it didn’t really take much to make me happy. A hot burger and fries, and I was a happy girl.
“You got a lock on that door?” he whispered against my lips.
I shook my head. “No, so keep your hands above my waist, mister.”
“Mister?” Zephyr chuckled. He pressed his lips to the side of my neck, and I tipped my head to the side to give him better access.
“Yes. I’m at work, so I need to be professional.” A gasp escaped my lips when his teeth brushed against my skin.
“I won’t take you right here, but you’re mine tonight,” he growled. “Come to the clubhouse when you get off work.”
“Is that a demand or request?” I asked. I was going to come either way, but a request was better than him demanding I come to the clubhouse.
“It’s me asking you to come to the clubhouse when you get off work.” He trailed kisses up my neck and over my cheek. His lips connected with mine, and it felt so right. Even in the middle of my workday, with tons of stuff I needed to do before the end of the day, Zephyr made everything feel okay. He melted away the world with one kiss.
“I guess I can come over since you asked so nicely.”
A smile curled on his lips. “That’s my girl.” He pulled away and grabbed the bag of burgers.
I took a second to drop back to reality. I know I had told Zephyr to tone it down since I was at work, but he could have kissed me a little bit longer. “Did Quinn mention anything about my sister to you?”
Zephyr shook his head. “I asked him how it went, and he said she was a little too touchy, but everything was fine. He pawned her off onto Brick for the most part.”
I laughed. “I’m sure Kimber appreciated that.”
I wouldn’t want to get on Kimber’s bad side. She was sweet as hell, but I always knew that behind the sweet was a wicked kind of bitch you didn’t want to mess with. Those, in my opinion, were the best kind of people.
“Got church this afternoon, so maybe I’ll hear more about it then.” He pulled a huge burger from the bag and set it on the desk. “I got you a double because I didn’t know how hungry you would be. If you can’t finish it, I can.”
He pulled an even bigger burger from the bag and set it on the edge of the desk.
“What did you get?” I sat behind the desk and started to unwrap my burger.
Zephyr pulled out a huge sack of fries and dropped the empty bag on the floor. “A triple.”
“Good Lord,” I laughed. “I’m going to have to roll you out of here before my next appointment.”
He shrugged and unwrapped his burger. “I’m hungry. I was pretty busy last night.” He winked at me and took a huge bite.
“Oh?” I laughed. “Well, then you better refuel because I have a feeling you’re going to be just as busy tonight.”
“Let’s fucking hope so,” he drawled.
We were halfway through our burgers when Zephyr brought up my dad.
“I figure I’ll take him to the thrift store to get his shit, and then he can come out to the construction site for the strip club.”
I sighed and set down my burger. “You really think that is a good idea, Zephyr?”
“I don’t see why it isn’t. It gets him out of the house, and you don’t have to be the one taking him.” Zephyr cleared his throat. “Which I don’t get why you don’t want him driving, but I’m gonna trust you that he shouldn’t be behind the wheel.”
I laughed and shook my head. “I’ll let you drive with him one time, and you’ll see exactly why it’s better if you do the driving.” Dad was a menace behind the wheel. Maybe it was better for Zephyr to see firsthand what I was talking about.
“Well, since Kimber, Petra, and Queenie are coming with tomorrow, I’ll let him drive some other time. I’m pretty sure the guys won’t appreciate me letting Walter drive with their women in the car.”
I tapped my nose. “Good thinking. It would be even better if you just let me take Dad to the thrift store tomorrow. I can do it on my lunch.”
Zephyr shook his head. “Nope. I already told the girls, and they are keyed up to outfit your dad for the party.”
Jesus. “Well, fine, but you don’t need to take him to the strip club, Zephyr.” He didn’t need to take time out of his day to take care of my dad.
He wiped his mouth with a napkin, and his eyes connected with mine. “I don’t understand why you are so hellbent on your dad not coming to the clubhouse or the strip club.”
I didn’t know exactly why either. It really just came down to the fact that I didn’t want me or my dad to be a burden on Zephyr. I didn’t know what exactly we were doing, but I didn’t think it included him taking care of my dad. “You just don’t have to do this.” I waved my hand at the food on the table. “Any of this. None of this is anything you have to be doing.”
I had told him before that I didn’t need his help, but he wasn’t getting it.
“I know, Lynn.”
“Then why are you doing it?”
He shook his head and picked up his burger. “I’m gonna give you the same answer I did before.”
“And what is that?” I snapped.
“Because I fucking want to,” he thundered.
I sat back in my chair. “That isn’t a good enough answer.”
He took a huge bite and watched me as he chewed. He wiped his mouth and then swallowed. “Are you trying to shrink me again, Lynn?”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m trying to figure out why the hell you want anything to do with me or my crazy family.” He had seen with his own eyes last night the crazy that came with me. If I could, I would run the other way just like he should.
“Are we really gonna waste your lunchtime talking about this?”
“Don’t ignore my question, Zephyr,” I snapped
He set his burger down again and grabbed a napkin. He methodically wiped his hands and then his mouth. He raised from his chair and slowly walked around my desk.
“What are you doing?” I demanded.
He grabbed my chair and swiveled it around to face him. He leaned down, placed his hands on the armrests, and was face to face with me. “Stop fucking asking me what I’m doing or why I’m doing it. Got it?” He didn’t let me reply. “I’m a grown fucking man who knows what he wants who doesn’t need to be asked fifty times a day why he is doing it.”
“I just—”
He shook his head and cut me off. “I’m here because I want to be here. If there comes a time I don’t want to be here, or I don’t want to do shit for you, I won’t. I don’t need you reminding me all of the time that I can leave. It makes it seem like you don’t appreciate me and the time I want to give you.”
“But you don’t have to,” I insisted. That was what I was trying to tell him. He didn’t need to be doing any of this.
His hand shot off the armrest and grabbed the back of my neck. He tipped my head back and leaned closer. “I want to be here. I want to help your dad. I want you.”
“But...”
His eyes ignited, and his nostril flared. “If you tell me I don’t have to, I am going to bend you over this desk and fuck you until you get it through your head.”
“There’s no lock,” I whispered.
His eyes dropped to my lips. “Try me, and see if I care that there isn’t a lock.”
I gulped and licked my lips. Part of me wanted to say it, tell him he didn’t have to be here, just to see if he would follow through with his threat.
His deliciously sexy threat.
“Uh, if I tell you those...uh words...tonight, will you, uh, do what you say then?” I didn’t even know if that made sense. Zephyr’s words had fried every brain cell I had.
“Every time you tell me I don’t have to help you or that I don’t need to do something, I’m gonna fuck you until you think.” He pressed a kiss to my lips. “That is a promise you can count on, darlin’.”
His eyes were warm pools of desire staring back at me.
“Uh, I’m good with that,” I whispered.
His arm wound around my waist, and he lifted me from the chair. I wrapped my arms around his neck, and his hands grabbed my ass. “I’m not going anywhere, Lynn. Stop trying to push me away.”
“How did I get so lucky to get you?” I asked, truly shocked.
“I could say the same about you, darlin’. The difference between us is I know not to question a good thing. Fucking embrace that shit and don’t let it go.”
“Okay,” I whispered. That really was the only thing I could do. I had to stop questioning why Zephyr wanted me and just take it. Take whatever he wanted to give me, and all I had to do was give it back to him. “You know, this goes both ways, right? If you need me to do anything for you, I can.”
Granted, I didn’t know what I could do for him, but whatever it was, I could.
“I just want your thick ass in my bed and your mouth wrapped around my cock tonight.”
Well, then. “Uh, I can do both of those things.”
A sexy smile spread across his lips. “Fucking deal, darlin’.”
By the time I got back to eating my burger, it was ice cold, and all of the fries were soggy.
It was okay, though. I got about fifty more kisses from Zephyr, and those were way better than a greasy burger from Tom’s.
*
Chapter Ten
Let’s make a deal...
Zephyr
“Fucking keeping secrets from us.”
I rolled my eyes and sat down in my chair next to Rhino. “Didn’t know I needed to tell you guys everything going on in my life.”
“See,” Rhino laughed, “the reason you need to is because you’re doing shit without the whole club watching you. I didn’t tell you guys everything that was going on with Petra because the shit was right in front of your face.”
I sat back in my chair and raised my arms over my head. “Sounds like your problem, not mine.”
“Don’t worry,” Dyno called. “Lynn’s coming over to the clubhouse tonight, so you know the girls are going to get everything out of her then. We’ll know everything by morning.”
Quinn walked into the room and sat at the head of the table. “What will we know by morning?”
“What Zephyr has been doing,” Brick laughed. “Though we kind of got a glimpse of that last night.”
Quinn leaned back in his chair and looked at me. “You got yourself into some crazy there, brother.”
I shrugged. “Nothing I can’t handle. Problem I had last night was I didn’t have a way to get Lynn’s sister out of there.”
Quinn nodded. “Well, I guess that is why we’re here, huh? Ready to help each other whenever we need to.”
“So, what’s the deal with the sister?” I asked. “I know you, so I know you asked her questions more than how her night was going.”
Quinn smiled. “Well, I mean, we are working on figuring out this meth scene moving into Whitmore. Steph was just high enough to let us know where she had been getting her drugs.”
I sighed. “I figured it wasn’t a one-off of her being high, but for Lynn’s sake, I was hoping it was.”
Brick shook his head. “Not her first time, but I don’t think she’s too far down the hole. She kept babbling on about Lynn being the perfect daughter. Sounds like some sibling bullshit.”
That lined up with what Lynn had told me.
“So who did she say she was getting her drugs from?” Sledge asked.
Quinn ran a hand through his hair. “She only had the name Wrigley. One of her friends put her onto him.”
“Shut the fuck up.” Core pushed back from the table.
Quinn turned to Core. “You wanna expand on the shut the fuck up?”
Core pounded his fist on the table. “Fucking knew a guy who worked for C who was named Wrigley. Took any job he could get but wound up moving out of state. I bet his dumbass is back and is working for the Devil’s Rebels.”
“You got a way to get in touch with him?” Quinn asked.
Core shrugged. “I can reach out and see what happens. I can’t exactly hide that I’m part of the Kings, but I could try to spin it in my favor.”
Dyno pointed at Core. “Now that is the type of shit I want to hear coming out of your mouth.”
“See what you can do. If anything, we can always talk to Steph more and see about riding along when she tries to score next.”
“You really think we should be encouraging Lynn’s sister to do drugs to find out who her dealer is?” Lynn would be pissed as hell to know that we were possibly going to use Steph.
“We’re not going to inject the shit into her, brother. Have a little faith in me.” Quinn inclined his head toward Dyno. “What’s the status on the strip club?”
“Going pretty good. Got about three more days of demo, and then we can start making the place what I have planned.” Dyno nodded to Point and Brick. “Those two have been a big help.”
“Hey,” Core sputtered. “I’ve been there every day you have.”
Dyno folded his arms over his chest. “Offering to do every supply run or lunch run isn’t that big of a help, brother.”
I chuckled. “You’re still scared of a fucking funeral home?”
“What the hell happened to a minute ago when you thought I was doing amazing things for the club?” Core protested. “And besides, I’m not much help when it comes to that demo stuff.”
Sledge slapped Core on the back. “Come on, brother. There’s something therapeutic about grabbing a crowbar and smashing the fuck out of a wall.”
Core shook his head. “I much prefer smashing the hell out of a bottle of whiskey and finding a warm bed to land in.”
“Well,” Quinn snickered. “I think we all much prefer that, but sometimes we have to do the shitty stuff to be able to have the fun.”
“Amen to that,” Rhino chided.
“So, now that you’re in there and seeing how things are going, what’s your open date for the club?” Quinn asked Dyno.
Dyno shrugged. “Three months. Possibly two and a half if I get a fuck-ton more help.”
“You sure we shouldn’t try to hire some of this out?” Quinn asked.
Dyno shook his head. “As long as I can dedicate all of my time to the club, we’ll be fine. The plumbing might be a bitch, but I can handle it.”
Quinn tipped his chin to Dyno. “You’re calling the shots on all of this. It’s great that you can do it all, but if you need more help, just let me know.”
Dyno clicked his tongue and pointed at Quinn. “I got it covered, bossman.”
“Core finds Wrigley, and the rest of you help Dyno as much as you can,” Quinn ordered. “The sooner we get the strip club open, the sooner we can start paying back the Royal Bastards. I hate having shit hanging over us.”
“At least the Bastards are pretty cool,” Sledge pointed out.
That was true, but it still sucked owing them money.
“Did you ever call Monk about Barracuda dropping in last month?” Rhino asked.
Quinn nodded. “Yeah. I mentioned it to him. They’re still trying to figure out who it was that killed Barracuda’s, ol’ lady.”
“I bet you five hundred bucks it was those asshole Devil’s Rebels,” Point grunted.
“More than likely. Monk mentioned they were digging up an old beef that Barracuda and Menace had. They’re thinking it’s an old grudge coming out.” Quinn shook his head. “Whatever or whoever it is, I can tell you I am glad that we are not on the wrong side of the Bastards.”
“Well, maybe we can take care of the Devil’s Rebels, and the Bastards will thank us by forgetting about the money we borrowed,” Core suggested.
Dyno and Quinn busted out laughing. “We take out the Devil’s Rebels, and all the Bastards are going to do is say thanks and ask when the next payment will be coming.”
Even I knew the likely hood of the Bastards forgetting about the loan was a big fat zero.
Brick jumped out of his chair and hollered. “What in the fuck!”
Rhino looked under the table and laughed. “Come here, Hulk.” He hoisted the small gray kitten in his arms and set him on the table.
“Why in the hell does that thing like me so much?” Brick growled.
Rhino shrugged. “Probably because he knows you don’t like him, so he’s gonna make you like him.”
Hulk strutted over to Brick and reared back on his hind legs. He planted his front paws on Brick’s leg and stretched. Brick curled his lip and mumbled, “I like you, now leave me alone.” He stepped back, and Hulk landed back on the table.
“Well, let’s call this meeting over. Can’t really beat Brick jumping up like a little girl over a cat.” Quinn rapped his knuckles on the table. “Let’s all get our asses over to the strip club whenever we can, yeah?”
We all grunted or nodded.
“Me finding Wrigley might take some time,” Core spoke.
Quinn shook his head and walked out of church. Core followed behind him, rambling on about how hard it might be to find Wrigley.
Dyno scrubbed his hand down his face. “Core is going to be the fucking death of me.”
“I’ll be out tomorrow after I take Lynn’s dad to the thrift store. I planned on bringing him out to see what we’re doing.”
Dyno laughed. “Can he swing a hammer?”
I shrugged. “I mean, I’m sure he can.” I wouldn’t mention to Lynn that Dyno would probably put her dad to work tomorrow.
“Man,” Rhino chuckled. “Hanging out with her dad now, huh? I think you’re gonna have the record for moving the fastest.”
I shrugged again and stood. “There a fucking timeline or something I need to follow?”
Lynn and I moved at our own pace, and I didn’t care how fast or slow people thought it was. For all my life, I had done things based on how it felt. I wasn’t about to change now. It felt right to be with Lynn, so that was what I was going to do.
Rhino held up his hands defensively. “Hey, I’m not judging, brother. Just simply saying.”
“Give him a break,” Sledge laughed. “We all fell like fucking dominos when we met our ol’ ladies.”
“Yeah,” Rhino agreed, “but that’s what makes it so fun to give Zephyr shit about it.”
I walked out of church and headed to the common room. “You guys can give me all the shit you want; just keep your mouths shut when Lynn is around. She’s coming over after work, so you guys can make yourselves scarce.” God knew I was already dealing with enough shit with Lynn and her family, so I didn’t need these assholes to hassle her about whatever it was we were doing.
Today at lunch, she had asked me for the last time why I wanted to help her and be around her. I wanted to help because I wanted to, and I wanted to be with her because she felt like home and was fucking gorgeous.
“You know the second the girls get wind that Lynn is coming over, they’re gonna have a fucking Book Club, and they’ll all be three sheets to the wind by seven.” Dyno clapped me on the shoulder. “Kimber is going to be the only sober one, but that’s not gonna really matter because even sober, she’s a fucking nut.”
“Who said my name?”
I turned and glared at Brick, Rhino, Sledge, and Dyno. “Keep your mouths shut,” I growled.
Kimber and Fancy were sitting on the couch watching something on the TV.
“I did, doll,” Dyno replied. He winked at me and turned to the couch. “Lynn is coming over after work. You guys should have a Book Club tonight.”
Why that bastard.
Kimber shot up from the couch and pulled out her phone from her pocket. “I’ll let the girls know. We should invite Robyn, too. Hopefully she isn’t working.”
“I’ll check the bar. I think last Book Club, you guys finished off the Malibu.” Kimber rolled off the couch and shuffled over to the bar. “You guys are lushes when it’s Book Club,” she grumbled.
“Uh, girlfriend, you’re the biggest lush of us all. The only reason why you’re noticing it now is because of that baby you’re carrying around.” Fancy typed on her phone and smiled. “I’ll ask Petra to grab a bottle of Malibu on the way over.”
“Better make it two,” Dyno laughed.
Fancy flipped him off. “As if you don’t reap the benefits of Book Club.”
Dyno shrugged and plopped down on the couch. “I guess I can’t argue with you on that one.”
“So, you gonna punch him now or later?” Sledge chuckled.
I leaned against the bar and folded my arms over my chest. “I’ll get him back,” I muttered.
The plans I had for Lynn tonight were now bumped back at least three hours thanks to Book Club.
Brick moved behind the bar and snagged a bottle of whiskey. He grabbed two shot glasses and set one next to me. “Might as well start drinking now, brother. It’s gonna be a long night.”
*
Chapter Eleven
Book Club...
Lynn
I was drunk.
Druuuuuunk.
I pushed my empty glass away and leaned back in my chair.
“You look like you’re going to puke,” Kimber laughed.
She could laugh. She was the only sober one in the room.
“I more than likely should have not been drank that last...drink.” Yup, I was drunk. That made no sense at all.
Robyn clinked her glass against the empty one I had pushed away. “I think you need a refill,” she slurred. “Let me get you one.”
I put my hand on her shoulder and shook my head. “I am two drunks over my limit.” I shook my head again. “Drinks, not drunks. Though I am drunk.”
Zephyr’s low chuckle sounded from the couch.
All night, I had been having fun with the girls while he sat on the couch watching me and laughing at my drunk ass.
“I’ll have one more,” Fancy hollered from the floor.
I leaned to the side and looked down at her. “You want me to drop another pretzel in your mouth?”
Fancy shook her head. “I’m stuffed, though if there are any Oreos left, you can drop one of those.”
“Do not drop a whole Oreo in her mouth,” Dyno warned.
I scoffed and grabbed an Oreo. “As if I would do that.” I bit off half the cookie and dropped the other half down to Fancy. It bounced off her chin and landed on her boobs.
“Boob cookie,” Fancy laughed. She popped it into her mouth and moaned. “Do that again.”
“What in the hell are you two doing?” Petra laughed. “And how do I get it on it?” She pointed to Kimber. “I’m gonna lay on the floor, and you’re gonna drop cookies into my mouth. Like a mama bird does.”
Kimber tipped her head to the side. “Uh, I don’t think you mean that because I’m pretty sure the mama bird chews the food before she drops it into the baby bird’s mouth.”
Petra cringed. “Uh, yeah. Don’t do that.” She waved her hand. “You know want, I’ll just grab a cookie and put it in my own mouth.”
“Best idea I’ve heard all night,” Rhino chuckled.
“How about I tell another joke?” Kimber suggested.
“Yes!” Queenie gushed. “Encore!” She pounded on the table and cheered loudly.
“If you wake up Hunter, Queenie, your ass is going in there,” Sledge threatened.
Queenie waved her hand at him. “As if it’s a burden to take care of Hunter.”
Kimber cleared her throat. “My uncle named his dogs Rolex and Timex.” She looked around the room. “They’re his watch dogs.”
“Oh, my God,” Quinn groaned. “Can’t you find better jokes?”
Fancy wheezed with laughter, while I couldn’t help but laugh.
“Another one,” I ordered. These were the lamest jokes, but being this drunk, they were hilarious.
“If two vegans get into a fight, is it still considered a beef?”
Deedra moaned and shook her head. “That one was lame.”
Fancy waved her hand in the air. “It was okay. It doesn’t get my old grandpa wheeze laugh though.”
Kimber pinched the bridge of her nose. “All right. Just hold on.”
“It’s like she’s summoning the god of bad dad jokes,” Queenie whispered.
“God knows she needs the help,” Point muttered.
She raised her hands in the air. “Okay. This is the last one, and it is the best one ever.”
“Hit me with it, sister,” Robyn sang. “Make me pee my pants.”
“Oh, God,” Dyno moaned. “Please do not do that. I am not cleaning that shit up.”
Kimber took a deep breath and closed her eyes. “What do you call a naughty lamb dressed up like a skeleton for Halloween?”
I repeated the joke in my head and tried to figure it out. I should have stopped drinking if I wanted to actually get the punchlines to these jokes.
“A chicken,” Petra hollered from the kitchen.
“How in the hell did you come up with chicken?” Rhino laughed. “It’s a sheep.”
Petra walked out of the kitchen with a bag of chips. “I don’t know. I didn’t even hear the joke.”
“Then why the hell did you say chicken?” he asked.
Petra flopped onto the couch next to him, and Hulk jumped into her lap. “Because it seemed like the right answer.” She ran her hand over Hulk, and he purred loudly.
“Say it again,” I slurred. Maybe if I heard it one more time, I would be able to figure it out.
“What do you call a naughty lamb dressed up like a skeleton for Halloween?” Kimber repeated.
I thought about it again, but I couldn’t get chicken out of my head. Damn, Petra.
“Just say the answer,” Quinn drawled. “You’re gonna have that baby before they figure it out.”
“Baaaad to the bone,” Kimber shouted. “Get it? Baaaad to the bone?”
All of the guys groaned, but I couldn’t help but laugh my ass off.
Fancy slapped her hand on the floor and giggled. “Yeah, that was the best one tonight.”
Zephyr stood and walked over to me. “Then you guys better end on the best joke.” He held out his hand to me. “Let’s go to bed, darlin’.”
I looked down at Fancy. “I love when he calls me darlin’. Makes me feel all squishy.”
Fancy laughed. “Cheers to feeling squishy, though you need to keep us better updated because we didn’t know you guys were going to bed.”
“Zephyr just said it out loud.” I mean, she was lying down right there. “Maybe we should get your hearing checked.” I put my had in Zephyr’s, and he hoisted me from the chair.
He put his arm around my shoulders and sighed. “Darlin’, she means she didn’t know you and were together.”
“We’re together?” I hiccupped.
“You got a King coming to your bed more than once, honey, then yes, you’re together,” Kimber drawled.
“She’s too drunk to process the fact she got herself a King,” Fancy laughed. “She’ll figure it out soon enough.”
I laid my hand on Zephyr’s chest and tipped my head back to look at him. “Are we together?”
Zephyr smirked. “We’re whatever you want to be as long as you’re in my bed in thirty seconds with your clothes off and your ass in the air.”
“Fucking smooth,” Brick cheered. “I need to remember that line.”
I blinked slowly and tried focus on what Zephyr said. “Yes.”
Fancy cackled on the floor. “Honey, it wasn’t a yes or no question.”
I closed my eyes and faceplanted into Zephyr’s chest. “Take me to bed, drunk, I’m Zephyr.”
Rhino’s voice penetrated my brain fog. “Brother, you better get her to bed now before she passes out on you and your plans for the rest of the night are her snoring like a freight train.”
“We’ll see y’all in the morning,” Zephyr shouted.
The world shifted, and then, he hoisted me up into his arms. “I can walk,” I protested.
Zephyr’s chest rumbled with a laughter and we moved. I kept my eyes closed and relaxed into him.
“You’re so...” I didn’t know what I was trying to say. Zephyr was a lot of things, and I was trying to find the one perfect one for him. “Everything.”
“I’m so everything?” he mumbled.
I opened my eyes, patted his chest, and nodded. “Yes.”
He looked down at me with laughter in his eyes. “I guess I’ll accept that.”
“I’m sure there is a better word, but my brain is a bit foggy right now.”
He opened a door and stepped in. Then he reached for the switch on the wall, and the room was washed with light. “Too foggy for me to fuck you?” he asked.
“I mean, you’re probably going to have to do most of the work, but I’m totally okay with that.” I would be a fool to say no to this man. Some guys wouldn’t even ask, they would just take it.
“I need to hear yes or no come out of your mouth, darlin’.” He laid me on the bed and moved back to the door.
I propped myself up on my elbows and watched as he shut the door and turned the lock. “How did I get so lucky?”
Zephyr turned his gaze on me, and I realized I had just said that out loud.
“I was supposed to say that in my head,” I laughed nervously.
“I’m the lucky one, darlin.” He pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it on the floor.
“We need to get you a hamper,” I mumbled. “You have a thing about just throwing your clothes on the floor.”
He popped open the button his jeans. “And your clothes, too.”
“Yes, mine, too.”
He dropped his pants, and they puddled at his feet.
I flopped back on the bed and sighed. “You cannot do that to me when I’m drunk. Give a girl some warning when you don’t have underwear on.” A naked Zephyr should be illegal. “Hey.” I struggled back up on my elbows and blew a piece of hair out of my face. “Why are you Zephyr?”
“What?” he asked. He looked down at his dick. “That is what you ask me when I’m naked?”
I waved my hand at him. “It’s just a side question. Why do they call you Zephyr?” I had been wanting to know how he had gotten that name since the first time I heard it. “We’re still gonna get it on.”
Zephyr chuckled and stalked over to the bed. “Uh, because that’s what my birth certificate says.” He planted a knee on the bed and moved over me.
My jaw dropped, and I pressed a hand to his chest. “Shut up.”
“Can we get back to what we were about to do?”
I shook my head. “Eventually.” I had to gather my thoughts because while I was drunk, I still needed to make sure that I was understanding this correctly. “Are you saying your parents named you Zephyr.”
He nodded and leaned in to press a kiss to my cheek. “Yes, darlin’.”
“Like, your mom pushed you out and your dad said Zephyr.”
He chuckled and shook his head. “I mean, I was there, but I don’t really remember how it happened. Though I can tell you my dad wasn’t there. It was just my mom and her sister.”
I frowned. “Where was your dad?”
“I don’t know where he is now, darlin’, and we didn’t know where he was when I was born.” His lips moved down my neck. “Can we get back to what I had planned for tonight?”
“Here I thought it was some biker name that had a story behind it.”
Zephyr laughed. “Darlin, my name literally means ‘a breeze.’ How the hell did you think there was a badass biker story behind that?”
I shrugged. “Well, I knew what the word meant, but I was thinking you were more like hurricane winds.”
He shook his head and pushed me back onto the bed. “It’s my real name, and my mom called me that because she liked it. She called me ‘Z’ all of the time, though.”
I reached up and brushed my fingers over his cheek. “I like Zephyr, and I like Z.”
He pressed a kiss to my palm. “That’s good, because it really is my name.”
“But why didn’t you get a biker name?” I asked.
“It’s called a road name, darlin’, and I didn’t get one for the same exact reason why you thought Zephyr was my road name.”
“They all think it’s a road name, too?” I laughed.
“Bingo.” A smile spread across his lips. “Now can I fuck you?”
I raised my arms over my head. “Permission to come aboard.”
Zephyr choked and buried his face in my neck. “You’re a fucking trip, Lynn.”
And Zephyr was everything.
Everything I never knew I wanted, and everything I wasn’t going to let go of.
He was my everything.
That was quick, but it felt right.
*
Chapter Twelve
The 70s called...
Zephyr
“Try this one.”
“No, try this one.”
Walter’s arms were full of clothes, shoes, and even a black curly wig. “Uh, I think this might be enough,” he laughed. “At least to try on first.”
“Then let’s get you into the dressing room,” Queenie laughed. “I can’t wait to see what those plaid pants look like on you.”
Kimber shook her head. “I think we need to go with more of a hippie look.”
Walter looked at me and Brick for help. He literally had three girls fighting over him while they tried to dress him. It sounded like a fantasy come true, but I could tell Walter was a little overwhelmed.
“Why don’t you just let him try on what you gave him, and then we’ll go from there,” I suggested.
Brick and I were sitting in two chairs by the dressing room while Walter and the girls were at the end of the clothing aisle.
“Yeah,” Brick agreed. “He needs clothes for one night, not for the rest of his life.”
Kimber raised her middle finger and stuck her tongue out. “I’m pretty sure you asked us to come along because you couldn’t do this, Zephyr, so just let us handle this.”
Brick chuckled and shook his head. “Quinn has his hands full with that one.”
“They all have their hands full,” I laughed.
“You better be lumping yourself in with that.” Brick tilted his head toward Walter. “You’re spending the day with your father-in-law.”
I scoffed. “I don’t know if I would call him that.”
Brick kicked his feet out in front of him and folded his arms over his chest. “You randomly take elderly guys shopping all of the time?”
I rolled my eyes. “Well, no, but I think you’re jumping the gun by calling him my father-in-law.”
“It’s not jumping the gun if it feels right.”
I glanced at him. “Am I supposed to take advice from a guy who just did a five-year stint in prison? I’m pretty sure you’re a little rusty when it comes to dating.”
Brick shrugged. “Maybe, but I know shit can change in the blink of an eye, brother. If it feels right, fucking hold on and don’t let it go.”
“You talking from experience?” None of us really knew much about Brick except that he and Quinn had been friends for years before Brick was locked up.
“Talking about a different lifetime, brother. A life that wasn’t meant for me.” Brick flipped his sunglasses over his eyes. “That’s all I’m saying.”
“Is it bright in here?” Petra chided.
Brick flipped her off.
I scoffed and laughed. “You know she’s gonna tell Rhino, right?” Not like Rhino would be pissed, but we couldn’t do anything without the girls telling everyone.
Brick shrugged. “Whatever.”
He had a load of shit his was carrying, but he didn’t want to tell anyone about it. At least not me. Though he did seem to give glimpses into what it could possibly be.
Kimber ushered Walter into the dressing room, and basically madness ensued for the next half an hour. They tossed clothes over the door when they found something they wanted him to try on, and then a minute later, they were tossed back when Walter gruffed, “Hell no.”
“You think you could find some shit you like, Walt?” Brick asked. “We still gotta get lunch and then head to the strip club.”
Walter opened the door and stepped out in the most hideous outfit I had ever seen.
“I think this is it,” he preened. He stepped forward, did a spin, and then propped his hand on his hip. “What do you think?”
I couldn’t find a single word to say.
Kimber, Petra, and Queenie didn’t know what to say either.
Walter wore the black wig on his head, huge coke-bottle glasses on his face, a lime green button-down shirt with belled sleeves, and yellow plaid pants. Over the lime green shirt, he had layered on a tan, leather vest and two long necklaces.
“I mean,” Kimber sputtered. “If you like it.”
That was a pretty diplomatic answer.
He had taken everything the girls had thrown at him and made his own outfit.
“You know what,” Queenie chirped. “I think it’s great. It totally has your own spin on it, which is what it should be. You’re totally going to catch Marg’s eye.”
“Whoa,” I laughed. “We’re trying to catch a woman with this getup?”
Walter gripped the lapels of his vest and smiled huge. “Yeah, I think this is going to do the trick.”
It was a trick, all right.
“So we’re done?” Brick asked. He twirled his finger in the air. “Wrap this shit up and let’s get on the road.” He stood and headed for the front door.
Walter clapped his hands. “It’s settled then. Let’s go.” He walked back into the dressing room and closed the door behind him.
“That was awful,” Petra whispered.
“I mean,” Kimber drawled. “Some of the clothes from the seventies were pretty bad. He’ll fit right in at the party.”
I didn’t think anyone could fit in with that outfit.
“He seems to like it, and that’s all that matters, right?” Queenie chirped. “Maybe that might be just the thing to catch Marg’s eye, right?”
Walter tossed the clothes and wig over the top of the door, and I headed to the register with the pile. By the time I paid, Walter and the girls were headed out the front door to the van. We stopped and got sandwiches for lunch, and we brought enough to feed the guys at the strip club.
“Wow,” Walter gasped. “You weren’t kidding when you said this place use to be a funeral home.”
“Did you really think that was something we would lie about?” Kimber laughed.
I parked the van out front, and we all piled out.
Dyno walked out the front door with Rhino and Sledge behind him.
“Hey, baby daddy. Where’s our baby?” Queenie clucked.
Sledge laughed and hitched his thumb behind him. “Fancy has him. Last I saw, he was passed out on her.”
Queenie and the girls climbed the front steps and headed inside.
“How many of you guys are there?” Walter asked.
I slapped him on the back and laughed. “Quite a few.”
“Shoot,” Walter laughed.
“We’re all family here, Walter. The more, the better.”
He turned and his eyes connected with mine. “You’re right about that. And if these people are your family, then that means they’ll be Lynn’s family, too.”
I nodded. “Yeah, that’s for sure.”
He sighed and looked up at the building. “She deserves only good in her life, Zephyr. For too long, I gave her so much bad. I was too selfish and didn’t think of her or Steph.”
“But you fixed it, Walter. You know what you fucked up, and now, you’re being there for Lynn and Steph.”
“Steph is doing drugs, and Lynn can barely stand to be around me,” Walter mumbled. “I don’t know if you could say things are fixed.”
I chuckled and grabbed the last bag of sandwiches. “Well, life is never perfect.” I closed the door to the van. “If it was perfect, that would be boring, right?”
Walter moved toward the front steps. “I’m pretty sure some boring in my life would be welcome.”
“Lynn will come around, Walt.” At least, I hoped she would. I understood what Lynn felt when it came to her dad. For years, he had made bad choices, and now that he was sober, she was expected to pretend like the past never happened. “You’re just gonna have to give her time.”
“I know. It’s just going to be time with her.” He glanced over at me. “Steph is the one I’m afraid I might not have enough time with.”
“You know she was using before she came over the other night.”
Walter’s eyes dropped to the ground. “I had a feeling she was. I didn’t know for sure though until I opened the door.”
“You talked to her since that night?”
Walter shook his head. “Nah. I tried to call her this morning before you came over, but she didn’t answer.”
“She take a break from school because of the drugs?”
“I don’t know, Zephyr. I don’t know a lot of things because I don’t think I’m worthy enough to ask questions. I wasn’t their dad for twelve years and now I don’t know how to be a dad. Steph told me she was taking a break from school, and I tried to tell her it wasn’t a good idea. She went off on me and everything she said was true. I don’t have a right to know anything.”
“Yeah, well, you know what, Walt? I say you may have fucked up in the past, but that doesn’t mean you’ve fucked up for the rest of your life. You’re still their dad, and nothing is going to change that.” I knew Lynn still loved him; she was just struggling a bit. Now Steph, well, I wasn’t too sure about what was going on there.
Walter sighed. “I’m not going anywhere, Zephyr. I just wish this didn’t have to be so hard.” He ambled up the steps and through the front door.
Hard was what life was. It was all about how you handled it.
Walter, Lynn, and Steph had made it through some pretty rocky shit, and now, they had to figure out how to live in the present.
That was also going to be hard.
*
Lynn
––––––––
“A wig?”
Zephyr nodded and turned off the light. “Yeah, darlin’. A wig.”
“Who gave him that?” I laughed.
“I think it was Queenie, but honestly, it could have been any of them. It was a whirlwind of cloths while they grabbed shit from the racks.” He grabbed my hand and pulled me down the hallway to the bedroom.
“Is it weird that I want to go over to Dad’s tomorrow and see what he looks like?”
Zephyr scoffed. “The image of your dad in that outfit will forever be burned in my brain. I’m sure it will be burned in Marg’s brain, too.”
“Oh yeah?” I wasn’t too sure why Zephyr was mentioning Marg. I mean, the party was at her place, but I didn’t think Zephyr would remember her name.
“Uh, yeah.” Zephyr grabbed the remote to the TV and turned it on. “You wanna watch a movie or something?”
I grabbed the remote and tucked it under my ass. “Yes, but not until you tell me why you’re mentioning Marg.”
Zephyr cringed.
“What aren’t you telling me, Zephyr?” He had one day with Dad and he already had secrets from me?
“It’s nothing, Lynn.”
“Uh, what is nothing?”
He cleared his throat. “Uh, well, he might like her.” He pinched his finger to his thumb. “A little bit.”
“Marg? From two doors down?” I sat back in the pillows, shocked. “Really?”
Zephyr nodded. “Yeah. Uh, are you good, darlin’?”
I was. I was a little shocked that Dad liked someone, but I was good. I mean, after all, he was in his seventies . The man could do whatever he wanted. “How come you know this and I don’t?”
Zephyr laid back in the pillows. “I wasn’t even the first one to know it. The girls found it out.”
Of course. I wasn’t at all surprised about that. It’s not a shock Kimber and the girls would get the dirt out of Dad. “So, did you at least make sure he’s going to look good for her?”
Zephyr chuckled. “Uh, well, he thinks he looks good. I’m not too sure about it, though. Even Kimber cringed when she saw him.”
I slapped him on the chest. “Zephyr, how could you dress my dad bad when he has a date?”
He rubbed his chest. “Darlin’, I don’t think it’s a date. There are going to be other people there. Like, everyone in the apartment complex is going to be there. Hopefully Marg doesn’t even see him.”
“You’re awful, Zephyr,” I laughed. “I figured since you were taking him you would make sure he looked good.”
“Well, he looks good for a hippie pimp.” He grabbed my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm. “I’m kind of surprised that you’re more than okay with your dad and Marg.”
I shrugged and snuggled into him. “He’s a grown man, Zephyr.” Dad liking someone was something I didn’t need to add to my list of worries. “Who is going to be dressed like a hippie pimp thanks to you.”
“Pimping ain’t easy, darlin’.”
I groaned and reached for the remote. “Put on a movie and let’s not talk about this anymore. I had a long day and I just want to watch mindless TV.” It had been group meeting day, and it was a clusterfuck. I had an plethora of new people seeking counseling who didn’t know where they were supposed be or even if they were in the right place. Cluster. Fuck.
“Anything I can help with?” Zephyr asked
I sighed and couldn’t help but smile. There weren’t many people in this world who would immediately ask how they could help when someone else has a bad day. “Help clone me so I can be in two places at one?” I laughed. “That could help. While I was trying to wrangle all the new people into the right rooms, one of my patients who I thought was doing well, came in.”
“Were they supposed to come in?”
I shook my head and sighed. “No. He seems to be struggling, and I can’t really figure out why. I’m supposed to help him, but it’s hard to help when I can’t figure out what they need help with.”
Zephyr pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “You’re too good, darlin’.”
“I can say the same about you,” I whispered. My long day weighed down on me, and exhaustion hit. “I think I’m going to fall asleep.”
Zephyr’s body shook beneath me. “Sleep, Lynn.”
I relaxed into his arms and did just that.
*
Chapter Thirteen
Vengeance...
Zephyr
“Bro, your woman’s sister is a straight-up bitch.”
I grabbed a beer from the fridge and popped the top. “Is that so?” The ten-minute run-in I had with Steph had given me that vibe, too.
Core grabbed the beer in my hand and chugged half of it. “Quinn asked me to talk to her again and see if she would tell me anything more about who she has been scoring from.”
I opened the fridge. “You take this beer out of my hand, I’m gonna punch you in the dick.”
Core sighed and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. “I deserve a beer after dealing with this fucking cat and mouse game.”
“I’m assuming you must have found Wrigley if you’re playing a cat and mouse game.” Again, I popped the top of my beer, but this time, I took a step back from Core so he didn’t steal it.
“Had him and now he’s fucking disappeared.”
“Church!’ Quinn bellowed.
I glanced at the clock on the wall. “You know what this is about? I was going to head over to the strip club to get some stuff done before Lynn got off work.”
“It’s about the sister and Wrigley.” Core finished his beer and tossed the empty can into the garbage. “Shit is getting more and more twisted to where I can’t figure out which way is up.”
Oh great. That was the last thing I wanted us to have to deal with right now. What we needed was a bright red neon lit arrow pointing us in the direction of who we needed to shut down. “Let’s just hope we need to put our heads together and we’ll figure this shit out, yeah?”
We headed to church, and I sat in my usual chair.
Quinn and Dyno were seated at the head of the table, and they both looked pissed. Yeah, this was not going to be a good meeting.
The rest of the guys filed in, and Point shut the door behind him.
“I hate when it looks like someone pissed in your cornflakes,” Point mumbled.
Quinn laid his hands on the table and sighed. “We’re finding more out about the Devil’s Rebels taking over.”
“That’s good, right?” Rhino asked.
Dyno shook his head. “Not really seeing as what we’re finding out is that this isn’t going to be a walk in the park. We’re gonna have to take a whole fucking club out.”
Sledge laughed. “Uh, we’ve totally done this before. What the hell is the problem?”
Quinn scrubbed his hands down his face. “The problem we have is we have absolutely no in with them. We don’t know their routine or anyone inside.”
“Come on,” I drawled. “We can figure that shit out, right? Find out where their club is and then start surveilling.” It wouldn’t be easy, but like what I had been preaching to pretty much everyone lately, life wasn’t meant to be fucking easy.
“What about this Wrigley guy?” Point asked. “Can’t we use him to get us the in with the Rebels?”
“Well,” Quinn drawled. “We could have gone that route, but since Core talked to him, we haven’t been able to find him.”
“You think the Rebels made him disappear?” I asked.
Quinn rapped his knuckles on the table. “Fuck if I know, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they did. We know when they found out about Joseph possibly ratting, they knocked him out fucking quick.”
“And if they find out that we found out about Wrigley from Steph, she might be six-feet under pretty fucking quick, too.” I sat back in my chair and sighed. This was exactly what I didn’t want to happen. I wanted to help Lynn by taking some of the stress off of her, and now, I might have added a fucking ton.
“Nothing is going to happen to Steph,” Quinn reassured me. “We’re just gonna have to keep an eye on her until we get this shit figured out.”
“You don’t think we’re already spread pretty fucking thin?” Dyno growled. “We need to get the strip club up and running, stomp out the Devil’s Rebels, and now babysit another chick?”
Brick raised his hand. “I’ll keep any eye on her. She’s not going to know about it, though. Spending half an hour in the van with that chick was enough to last me a lifetime.”
“So what the hell are you going to do?” I asked.
“Don’t worry about,” Brick drawled. “I know what the hell I’m doing.”
“And I’m just supposed to take you at your word when I don’t even know you?” I motioned my arm around the table. “None of us fucking know you, but we’re just supposed to welcome you with open arms.”
“Zephyr,” Quinn growled. “Knock it the fuck off. I vouch for Brick. If he says he’s going to make sure Steph stays safe, then that is what he is going to do.”
I slammed my hand on the table. “We need to just find out where these fuckers are, blow them all up. No more of this fucking pussy footing around. Find them, kill them all.”
I was done with people being killed or kidnapped. This all had to stop. I didn’t know how the hell we were going to do it, but it needed to happen.
“Why don’t we talk to the Royal Bastards?” Core suggested. “They’re having problems with the Devil’s Rebel, too, right?”
“You really think the Bastards are going to help us when their president is gone rogue and they have their own shit happening to them?” Dyno asked.
“They will help us, because in the end, we all get the result we want. The Devil’s Rebels gone and shit goes back to normal.” Core leaned forward and rested his arms on the table. “Separate we can’t seem to get our hands on Menace and his guys.”
“But together we can squash them like the fucking cockroaches that they are,” Point growled. “They killed Barracuda’s ol’ lady, a kid who was trying to get himself out from under them, and now, they’re probably gunning for Wrigley and Steph.”
All of this needed to stop. “Call them, Quinn,” I grunted. “We want our town back? Let’s fucking take it.”
Quinn slowly looked around the table. “You sure this is what you guys want? Once we get the Bastards fully in this, we won’t be able to stop. We push this ball, it’s gonna go careening down taking out anyone who gets in its way.”
This was the only way.
“Let’s vote,” Dyno grunted.
One by one, we all raised our hands in favor of teaming up with the Royal Bastards to once and for all take out the Devil’s Rebels.
Quinn chuckled and pounded his fist on the table. “All right. Let’s show the Devil’s Rebels what we’re good at. Vengeance.”
*
Chapter Fourteen
Just wow...
Lynn
“Dad.”
Zephyr smothered a laugh with the back of his hand.
“What?” Dad growled.
“You cannot be serious right now.” Dad looked like the seventies had thrown up all over him. And in not a good way. “The wig is just...” I didn’t even have a word for that wig. “Did you at least sanitize it before you put it on your head?”
Dad patted the offensive black, curly wig. “I sprayed it with some Febreze.”
And this was why I needed to keep an eye on him. “You’re gonna have hives or lice by the end of the night.”
Zephyr and I had managed to make it over to Dad’s before he left for his seventies party so I could see the train wreck in person.
“But at least his hair will smell like a springtime breeze,” Zephyr chuckled.
I pointed a finger at him. “Just you wait. You’re next.”
Zephyr held up his hands and flopped onto the couch. “Darlin’, I’ll be sitting right here waiting for my tongue lashing.”
“Oh, God,” I groaned.
Dad stepped to the door. “I’m gonna get on out of here. Just lock the door behind you after your tongue lashing.” He stepped out but then popped his head back in. “Put a blanket down on the couch, yeah? I used the last of the Febreze on my wig.” He laughed loud and shut the door behind him.
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried not to scream.
“Come sit, darlin’.” Zephyr patted the couch next to him. “You look like you had a long day.”
That was again, an understatement. The past two days had completely kicked my ass. I plopped down a full couch cushion away from him, and then flopped my head into his lap. “I would like to sleep for the next three days.”
Zephyr chuckled and brushed my hair from my face. “Well, unless you took off of work tomorrow, I can’t help you. But on Saturday and Sunday, I can try my hardest to keep you in bed the whole weekend.”
I laughed and reached up to trace his smile. “I don’t think there will be much sleeping, though.”
He shrugged. “You’re not wrong, darlin’.” He leaned down and pressed a kiss to my lips. “But I promise you won’t think about work or anything else for a second.”
That was exactly what I needed. Between work and worrying about Steph, I was completely wiped out. “Maybe we can run away to some deserted island and live there,” I suggested.
“What’s going on at work that has you stressed out, darlin?”
I sighed and closed my eyes. “I don’t know. It really isn’t much crazier than it normally is. It just is like everything is happening at once, and I can’t give everything the right attention so it feels like I’m falling behind on everything.”
“Isn’t there someone at the clinic that can help you? Maybe try to take on some of your workload?” he suggested.
I opened my eyes. “There are four other counselors but they’re all as swamped as I am. I really just need to suck it up, and right now, I just feel like complaining about it.” I knew I could handle everything at work, it was just going to take more of myself to get it done.
“Then complain away, darlin’. I’m just here to listen.”
I didn’t want to talk about it, though. Nothing was going to fix it other than just dealing with it. “How about we get out of here and we go for a ride?” I suggested. “Maybe I could drive?”
Zephyr chuckled and pressed a kiss to my lips. “I’m good with going for a ride, but I’m not too sure about me riding bitch behind you.”
“What is it that you always say to me?” I tapped my finger to my chin and smile. “Whatever I want, right?”
“So now you’re going to use that against me?” he laughed.
I nodded and pouted out my bottom lip. “Please?”
*
Zephyr
This sucked and was also amazing at the same time.
It was neat as hell that Lynn liked to drive, but it sucked big time riding bitch.
She made the turn toward the clubhouse, and I squeezed her leg. “What the hell are you doing?” I hollered over the whirl of the wind.
“I thought we could stay the night at the clubhouse tonight,” she called.
I was fine with that, but I was not fucking fine rolling up to the clubhouse riding bitch on my own motorcycle. “Pull over.”
Her laugh carried over the wind, and she shook her head. “No.”
Well, hell. I hoped none of the guys were outside and we could roll in without any of them knowing that Lynn was driving.
Again, sexy as hell that Lynn knew how to drive a motorcycle, but if she wanted to drive, I was going to have to get her own motorcycle for her.
She pulled in next to Quinn’s bike and killed the engine. “Yeah, I forgot how much I love to drive,” she laughed.
I slid off the back of the bike quickly, just in case any of the guys came out.
“Where are you going?” she giggled. “You didn’t like riding behind me?”
I flipped her off. “I’m cool with you driving as long as I don’t have to ride bitch. We’re getting you your own bike. Don’t fucking argue with me about it.”
She shrugged and slid off the bike. “I mean, you don’t have to, but if you’re really hell bent on getting me a bike, I’m not going to say no.”
“Well, that was a lot easier than I thought it would be.”
Lynn grabbed the front of my shirt and pulled me to her. “Well, sexy, I love to ride, and if you want to buy me a bike, I am not going to say no.”
“Is that so?” I knocked her hand away and wrapped my fingers around her neck. She gasped and her eyes flared with desire.
“Why does this turn me on?” she whispered.
I squeezed my fingers, and a moan fell from her lips. It turned me on, too. Having her surrender to me without a thought. I was in control, but so was she. She was giving me permission to hold her like this. To feel her pulse beneath my fingers.
She tipped her head back and pressed her body against mine.
“Because you always are in control, but with me, you don’t have to be.” I pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’m in control, and you know I’ll never let anything happen to you.”
“Now who is shrinking who?” she whispered. She leaned up and pressed her lips against mine. “Maybe you could come help me at work so I could have a break.”
I chuckled and shook my head. “You’re the only one I’m interested in figuring out what you’re thinking and feeling.” Lynn was the only one I cared about. The only one I knew who I would turn myself inside out just to see her smile.
“Well, you’re doing a damn good job. Even if we’ve only been together for a week.”
I slid my hand to the back of her head and laid my other hand on her waist. She wrapped her arms around my neck and delved her fingers into my hair.
“Time doesn’t matter, darlin’.”
She laughed and shook her head. “Time does matter most of the time, Zephyr.”
“Well, it may, but for this—you and me—it doesn’t matter. I knew when I saw you that you were going to change my life. Didn’t know exactly how, but I knew it was going to happen.”
“And you even met my crazy family,” she laughed, “and you haven’t run for the hills.”
I pressed a kiss to her lips and pulled back. “Not running, darlin’. Hit me with all of your crazy family drama, and I’ll still be here.”
She followed me to the front door and sighed. “Let’s just hope there isn’t any more drama and life just slips into a comfortable pace of working and then being with you.”
I glanced over my shoulder at her. I should tell her about Steph. How we were having to keep an eye on her because we inadvertently put her on the Devil’s Rebels radar. We were fixing it, though, and telling her would only stress her out about something she couldn’t do anything about. “Smooth sailing from here on out, darlin’.”
If only I wasn’t lying straight to her face.
*
Chapter Fifteen
Lunch and a baby...
Lynn
“Hey, Justin.” I pasted a smile on my lips even though I was exhausted from the group meeting earlier. I knew I was here to help, but goddamn, sometimes I wanted to tell these people that they needed to help themselves.
“Hi, Lynn,” he replied meekly. He sat down in the chair opposite me and fiddled with the zipper on his coat.
“How have you been the past two weeks?” Please God, let him say that everything was fine. I could tell that he was sober, but sometimes, actually being sober was half the battle.
Justin shrugged. “I guess okay. I was late to work the other day, and I was afraid I was going to get fired, but I didn’t.”
I nodded and grabbed a scrap piece of paper. “Why were you late?” Not like I was actually organized and had grabbed Justin’s file.
His eyes dropped to the floor. “I overslept and I know that’s bad. I woke up when my alarm went off, but then I fell back asleep.”
I looked up from my paper and set down my pen. “Justin, you know oversleeping isn’t something that only recovering addicts do, right? Millions of people oversleep or are late to something every day. That doesn’t make them bad.”
“But I shouldn’t be doing things like that. I do that, and then I’m going to do something else bad, and before you know it, I’ll be using again.”
I hated this part. An addict recovers and they think one bad thing is going to make them relapse. “That’s only going to happen if you let it happen. You recognize that oversleeping was not good, so what are you going to do about it now?”
“I now set three alarms, and I don’t let myself fall back asleep. I hop out of bed right now,” he explained.
I splayed my hands out in front of me. “There you go. You solved that problem on your own, Justin.”
“But what if I miss those three alarms? I’ll be late to work, and then I’ll lose my job which means I won’t have a place to live.”
“You have to take things one at a time, Justin, and know that you are the one who is in control.”
I managed to help Justin realize he wasn’t a bad person for being late to work. He also mentioned to me that he was only five minutes late. I worked with a lot of people who were in recovery, and I felt Justin had a firm had on his recovery and now he just needed to trust himself.
After we talked and made plans to meet again in two weeks, I walked him to the reception area.
He opened the connecting door, and I was surprised to see Queenie with Deedra holding Gunner.
Jeanie motioned toward them. “I was just about to call back to you. These two are here to see you.”
I told Justin I would see him in two weeks and if he needed me, he should call the number on the card I had given him at his last visit. He meekly nodded when it looked like he wanted to say something more, but didn’t.
“Girl,” Queenie crowed. “We brought you lunch.” She held up a brown paper bag with a huge grease stain on the side.
My mouth watered at the familiar Tom’s bag. “You two showing up with burgers and a cute baby is exactly what I need right now.” I led them back to my office and grabbed Gunner from Deedra.
Queenie moved the two chairs in front of my desk off to the side and pulled a blanket out of the diaper bag she had slung over her shoulder. “We’re having a picnic because I want to eat, and Gunner can do tummy time.”
Whatever worked for them. “As long as there is a burger in that bag with my name on it, I don’t care where we sit.”
Deedra dropped onto the floor and started pulling food from the bag. “We were at the strip club to see how things were coming and Zephyr mentioned you like Tom’s.”
“He just mentioned that out of nowhere?” I laughed. I sat down on the floor with my legs tucked under me and held Gunner. I know Queenie had said he need tummy time, but he could do with me holding him for a little bit.
“Well,” Queenie drawled. “He actually told Dyno he was going to take off to bring you lunch and that did not go over well with Dyno.” Queenie pointed between herself and Deedra. “So Dee and I volunteered to bring you lunch so World War III didn’t break out.”
I rolled my eyes and smiled at Gunner. “Uncle Zephyr is a bit crazy, isn’t he?” I cooed. Zephyr was always trying to take care of me even when I didn’t need it. If Queenie and Deedra hadn’t brought lunch, I would have just grabbed a sandwich from the place down the street. I didn’t want him pissing off the club by always leaving when they needed him.
Deedra set a sack of fries on the blanket. “But in Zephyr’s defense, Dyno was not in a good mood with anyone. Point told me Dyno had chucked a hammer at Core’s head right before we got there.”
“Oh, God,” I gasped. “Is Core all right?”
Queenie scoffed. “Please. Core could probably use a good knock to the side of his head most days, and Dyno couldn’t hit the broad side of a barn when he’s pissed off.”
“True that,” Deedra laughed.
Queenie plopped onto the floor next to me, and I couldn’t help but laugh. This was not how I had expected my day to go. A floor picnic with Queenie, Deedra, and Gunner was exactly what I needed.
I was halfway through my burger when Gunner let out a squeal and clapped his hands together.
“Ugh,” Queenie groaned. “He’s gonna poop.”
“What?” I laughed. “How could you know that? He’s just wiggling around like a happy little baby.”
Queenie held her hand out to me. “I bet you fifty bucks that kid is going to fill his pants within five minutes.”
I didn’t really know too much about babies, but that seemed like a bet that was in my favor. Five minutes wasn’t that long.
I shook her hand. “Bet.”
Deedra shook her head. “Girl, you shouldn’t have bet against her. She creepily knows and can tell you when Gunner is going to poop. It’s like she has mom brain.”
“Well, seeing as I spend pretty much every second with the little dude, I think it’s safe to say that I do know the kid like the back of my hand.” Queenie winked and pulled her phone from her pocket. “I’m gonna set a timer.”
This was some serious business. And maybe some stinky business.
“So, how are you and Zephyr doing?” Deedra asked.
I shrugged and dunked a fry in ketchup. “Good. He’s great.”
“That doesn’t sound so convincing,” Queenie laughed. She laid her phone on the blanket and took a bite of her burger. “Don’t tell me there is trouble in paradise already.”
I shook my head. “There isn’t. None at all.”
“So, I don’t see the problem,” Deedra laughed.
“It’s just that things are really great. Like, really great, and it’s just worrying me.” Yeah, that sounded pretty lame. Things were great so I was worried. Face palm.
“They’re so great that you’re waiting for the shit to hit the fan and blow everything to smithereens?” she guessed.
I dropped my chin to my chest. “Oh, my God, yes. How dumb is that?” I groaned.
“Sounds pretty human to me,” Deedra chuckled. “The thing of it is, when you have one of the Kings of Vengeance by your side, things won’t get bad, at least not that bad. They’ll be there to pick you up and brush you off.”
“Zephyr has been helping so much with my dad, and I just feel like he’s doing so much for me but I’m not really doing anything for him.” I knew I needed to deal with my sister, but I had basically brushed that under the rug because I couldn’t handle it right. If I mentioned it to Zephyr, he would take care of that for me, too. And again, what would I do for him?
“If Zephyr is anything like Point, then he doesn’t want anything from you other than your time.” Deedra popped the last bite of her burger in her mouth. “All these guys want is our time. Took me four years of separation to figure that out. Thank God Point didn’t move on before I could figure it out.”
I knew she was right, but it just felt like I should be giving Zephyr more. “I just...” I shrugged. “I don’t know. I just don’t know,” I laughed.
Queenie patted me on the shoulder. “Girl, we all get it. Honestly. Just enjoy the ride. You guys are still pretty new. Stay in that honeymoon stage for as long as you can because God knows it’s over before you even know it.” She picked up Gunner from the floor and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Because things change in the blink of an eye and you realize things are even better than they were before.”
“Not like you’ll get a baby in the blink of an eye like Queenie, but something like that could happen,” Deedra laughed.
“You’re a putz, Dee,” Queenie laughed. “All I’m saying is hold on tight, doll. Life is good now, and it’s going to get better.”
I smiled and nodded. “You’re right.”
At least, I hoped she was.
*
Chapter Sixteen
So she likes you...
Zephyr
“You ready to go?”
Walter nodded and pulled the door shut behind him. “I was up late last night, but I’m ready.”
“Oh yeah?” I chuckled.
He led the way down the hallway to the stairwell. “Marg invited me over for dinner and then we watched a movie.”
“That mean things are going well between the two of you?” I asked.
“I think so. She asked me to bring over the wig next time.”
My step faltered on the stairs. “Uh, come again?”
“I don’t know what the hell she wants that thing for either, but if she wants it, I’ll bring it over.”
“Maybe she wants to do a little role playing with you,” I chuckled. Or maybe burn the damn thing.
“You know, I was thinking the same thing. During the party, she did try to run her fingers through it.”
I tried not to gag. I didn’t think anyone would want to even touch that thing. “Well, you gonna bring it over?”
We made it to the bottom of the stairs and walked out the front door. Over at the strip club, we were going to start hanging drywall, and Walter was going to help. Well, as much as he could, but it was just good for him to get out. Almost every other day, he had been coming over to help, and all of the guys appreciated it.
“I mean, hell, why the hell not, right?” Walter shrugged. “I mean, if the damn thing will get me into Marg’s bedroom, then I’ll wear the thing for the rest of my life.”
I slapped him on the back and couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s the fucking spirit, Walt.”
We made it over to the strip club and got to work right away. Things were really starting to take shape. Ninety percent of the old walls had been torn down, and new walls were all constructed. The stage had been framed, and Dyno was working on laying the new floor.
Upstairs, the walls of the dressing room were going to be the first to get drywall. Dyno had told us we were going to start at the top and work our way down. Most of us had been indifferent to the actual work on the strip club, but the further along we got, the more pride we took in what we were doing.
Core, of all people, was the one who was right by Dyno’s side doing everything he could to help. A complete one eighty from the guy he was when the club started.
We were all changing, though.
We were building the foundation for the rest of our lives.
“Yo,” Core shouted from the basement.
“Yeah?” Dyno answered.
“What the hell is this down here?” he hollered.
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Dyno demanded. So, maybe Dyno was a little testy with us, but for the most part, things were going great.
I moved to the basement stairs and saw Core halfway up them. “What?” I asked him.
He pointed down the stairs. “The fucking casket is still down here. I thought Rhino and Sledge were getting rid of it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know, brother. Maybe they got sidetracked with something else.”
“Well, I’m not fucking doing work down here if it’s down here,” Core called.
Dyno moved next to me. “Are you fucking kidding me? I thought we were done with this pussy-ass bullshit?” he demanded. “If you don’t want the fucking thing down there, then pull on your big girl panties and haul it out.”
“I can’t lift that thing by myself, and your cheap ass hasn’t fixed the elevator yet,” he protested.
Dyno nudged me. “Go down there and help him.”
I wrinkled my brow. “What? How about you get Rhino and Sledge to do it?”
“Because they’re upstairs working on the drywall. Since you decided to get here half an hour after we did, you can go down there and help Core.” Dyno nodded down the stairs. “Get a move on it. I want to get into the basement later today and work on shit.”
This was some true bullshit. Rhino and Sledge didn’t do what they were told to and now I had to pick up their slack. Bull. Shit.
“You better pull your fucking weight, Core,” I grunted. I walked down the stairs and over to the casket that was sitting on the floor in the corner.
“I don’t understand why the fucking thing was left here.” Core stood over it and propped his hands on his hips. “Who just leaves a casket somewhere?”
I didn’t know the answer, but I didn’t want to stand around all day trying to figure it out. “I’ll take this end. You take that end.” I nodded to the end by the wall. “We should be able to just carry it up the stairs.” It was empty after all. It shouldn’t be that heavy.
Core moved to the other end of the casket and took a deep breath. “This is some bullshit right here,” he growled. “I’m doing every damn thing I can, and I still get stuck doing shit.”
He crouched down and grabbed the handles on each side. I did the same, but I didn’t lift when he did. He hauled the casket up, and it tipped, the lid popping off.
“Ahhhhhhhh!!” Core staggered backward and dropped the casket with a thud.
Rhino rolled out, laughing his ass off.
“What the fuck!” Core shouted.
Laughter sounded from upstairs.
“You’re face,” Rhino wheezed. “You looked like you were going to shit your pants.”
Core collapsed to the floor with his hand clutched to his chest. “What the fuck,” he panted. “What the fuck?”
“Yeah, that was fucking hilarious,” Dyno chuckled. He jogged down the stairs with Sledge, Quinn, Point, and Brick behind him.
“Did you get a picture?” Brick asked Rhino.
Rhino looked down at the phone he had in his hand. “Oh, my God,” he laughed. “You really did look like you were shitting your pants.”
Core leaned his head back and rested it against the cement wall. “I’m gonna kill each and every one of you,” he growled. “You could have given me a heart attack with that shit.”
“Everything okay down there?” Walter hollered.
“We did it, Walt,” Sledge replied. “Scared the living shit out of Core.”
A loud laugh burst from Walter. “I told you! You guys had that casket sitting down there just taking up space. Needed to use it to our advantage.”
“You planned this?” Core roared. “You’re supposed to be the sweet old guy.”
“Wrong,” Walter yelled.
Core pointed his finger at me. “You brought him here.”
I shrugged. I had, but I didn’t know they had been planning this. I was going to have a talk with Walter on the way home, because I’m pretty sure I had looked like I was going to shit my pants, too. Thankfully, Core had been the target of the prank and not me. “I didn’t know Rhino was going to pop out of there either.” Something had just told me to not lift when Core had.
Rhino climbed off the ground and dusted off his pants. “I was in there for fifteen minutes before you came down. I thought I was going to suffocate in there.”
Quinn laughed. “That is on me. I knew I was supposed to tell Core to go down there, but I had to wait until Zephyr got here. I knew if I went down there to help him, I would have messed up the joke.”
Core cradled his head in his hands. “I hate all of you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Dyno chuckled. “Just think of it as initiation. You’re really one of us now.”
Rhino nodded to Sledge. “Now we can take this thing to the dumpster.”
Sledge grabbed one end, and Rhino grabbed the other. “This was totally worth it. He screamed like a little girl,” Sledge laughed.
Point held up his phone and hit play. Core’s scream sounded and everyone burst into laughter again.
Core raised his middle finger in the air. “Fuck. You. All,” he thundered.
Sledge and Rhino carried the casket up the stairs with Quinn, Point, Dyno, and Brick following them.
I walked over to Core and held my hand out to him.
He put his hand in mine, and I helped him off the ground.
“You really did scream pretty loud,” I chuckled.
“You’re the only one I’m not pissed off at right now. Why don’t you save your jokes for later?” he growled. He brushed off his pants and stood up straight. “Since you didn’t know what was happening, now you’re going to be the one to help me get revenge on all of those fuckers.”
I held up my hands. “I’m not looking to start a war with the guys.”
God knew they would fight back with some other prank. After all, this one was pretty damn good so I knew if they did another prank, it was going to be epic.
“They scared the shit out of you, too,” Core grumbled.
They had, but I could take a fucking joke. That shit was funny as hell.
“You’re helping me, so start thinking of how we can get back at them. We’re gonna make each and every one of them shit their pants.”
I chuckled and agreed. If Core wanted a little revenge, I guess I could help him out. The trick was going to be actually figuring out something that would surprise or scare them.
This was going to be interesting.
*
Chapter Seventeen
Where the hell...
Lynn
He wasn’t answering his phone.
I dropped the receiver into the cradle and grabbed it again. I dialed Dad’s phone number, but again, it rang and rang until the answering machine picked up.
It was half past four on a Friday afternoon, and he wasn’t picking up the phone. My mind raced with all the possibilities of why he wouldn’t be able to answer, but the one that kept coming around that something bad had happened.
He fell.
He had a heart attack.
He was dead.
I hung up the phone and dropped my head to the desk. Shit.
I could call Zephyr and ask him to check on Dad, but I didn’t want to bother him. It could be that Dad had fallen asleep and wasn’t hearing the phone ring. He could be at Marg’s for an early dinner.
Or, he’s Dad.
Fuck.
I grabbed my purse and headed out the door. I had one more patient for the day, but this was an emergency. There was no way I was going to be able to sit through trying to talk through someone’s problems when I had one of my own.
“I gotta go, Jeanie.” I dug in my purse and pulled out my keys. “I can’t get in touch with my dad, and I’m afraid something happened to him.” Dad had basically abused his body for twelve years, and even though he made it through those twelve years, they might have caught up with him now.
“Oh, gosh,” Jeanie gasped. “You go ahead and get out of here. I’ll see if May or Tim can cover for you.”
My mind had already checked out of work, and I just waved my hand at her. “Do whatever.”
I ran out of the office and down the street where I had parked my car. I struggled to get the keys in the ignition and took a calming breath before I did anything.
Just breath, Lynn. Everything is okay.
I shifted into drive and pulled into traffic.
Traffic that was barely moving.
I slammed my hand on the steering wheel and willed the cars in front of me to get the hell out of my way.
By the time I made it to Dad’s, it was past five and my nerves were shot. I had tried to call him five more times, but he never answered. I hustled my ass up the two flights of stairs and was panting when I finally knocked on his door. Four times. I knocked, but the door never swung open. I shoved my key into the lock and threw open the door.
“Daddy!” I shouted. “Dad!” The apartment was empty, and there weren’t any signs that he was here. I ran back down the stairs and searched the parking lot for his car. And there it was, two rows back and to the right where it usually sat.
What the hell was going on? Where was he?
I ran my fingers through my hair and tried to think. As much as I didn’t want to ask Zephyr for help, I didn’t have a choice. Just as I pulled my phone from my pocket, I spotted the club’s creeper van pull up to the front door of the apartment building and watched Dad get out.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I whispered.
Dad leaned into the van and spoke to Zephyr.
“Hey,” I called. “Where in the hell were you?” I ran over to Dad and grabbed his arm.
“Lynn,” he sang. “What are you doing here?”
“What am I doing here?” I asked. “I think the better question is why in the hell weren’t you here?” I demanded.
Dad motioned to Zephyr. “I was helping out at the strip club. We were hanging drywall all day.”
That would explain why Dad was covered in white dust and his hands were dirty. But that didn’t explain why he hadn’t told me he wasn’t going to be home. “I tried calling you and you didn’t answer the phone. I left work early because I was terrified something had happened to you.”
“Uh, I’m gonna go park,” Zephyr muttered.
I turned and glared at him. “You do that.”
I slammed the door to the van and watched him drive to the nearest parking spot.
“Lynn,” Dad chided. “Why are you so mad?”
I held up a finger and tried to calm myself. I was still riding on the high of fear and worry. Now that he was standing in front of me, nothing wrong with him, I was mad. Mad that I had worried so much while he was off running around with Zephyr.
“Darlin’,” Zephyr snapped. I spun on my heel and watched he walk the last few steps to me.
“Why didn’t you tell me you were taking my dad today?” I demanded.
Zephyr reared back a step. “Uh, I don’t know. Probably the same reason why I didn’t tell you the last few times he’s helped out at the clubhouse?”
“This isn’t the first time?” I demanded.
“Lynn,” Dad interjected. “I’ve been helping our Zephyr and the boys for the past two weeks.”
“Since when?” I snapped. For the past two weeks. “Why didn’t know about this?” We could skate over my dumb question before that.
“Because I didn’t think it was a big deal.” Zephyr reached for my hand and but I stepped back.
“He is my father, Zephyr. I have a right to know where he is.”
Zephyr held up his hands. “Whoa, there, darlin’. I never said that you didn’t have a right to know. I just didn’t think it was something you needed to be notified about.”
I turned to Dad. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
Dad glanced at Zephyr and then back at me. “I got the same answer Zephyr had. I didn’t think it was something I need to tell you about.”
“And what would you have done if something happened to you? I wouldn’t have even known where to look for you.”
Dad tipped his head to the side. “I was safe, Lynn. Nothing happened to me.”
“But what if it did?” I yelled.
Zephyr took a step toward me. “Lynn, you need to calm down. I’m sorry we worried you, but nothing is wrong.”
“What is wrong is that you keep telling me to calm down and making decisions for me. I’m the one who has been taking care of my dad for the past twenty-one years, and you think you can just swoop in and save the day.” I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to gather my thoughts so they made sense.
“I’m not trying to save the day, Lynn. I was just trying to get your dad out of the house and keep him out of your hair,” Zephyr explained.
“I don’t need him out of my hair, Zephyr. I need him sitting in his apartment so I know where he is all of the time and I don’t have to worry about him.”
“Lynn, I don’t need you worrying about me all of the time,” Dad gruffed. “I’m not some child you have to watch.”
“Excuse me for not being able to shift gears from raising your child, then raising you, to now not even needing to worry about you, apparently.”
Zephyr grabbed my hand. “Darlin, we’re sorry. I was just trying to keep your dad busy while you were working.”
Ugh. What he was saying made sense, but I was still mad that I wasn’t informed of what they were doing. I had gone years making the decisions and knowing what everyone was up to, and now, I had no clue about what was going on anywhere.
Dad was running around with the Kings of Vengeance, and Steph was taking a break from college and getting high.
I had buried my head in the sand about Steph. I knew what I needed to do with her, but it was too hard to do. She wanted to be a grown-up, then she was going to have to figure things out on her own. I couldn’t handle a repeat of what I had done for Dad for twelve years. I couldn’t bail her out and take care of her like I had him.
Then why are you so mad that your dad is actually taking care of himself? I hated when my head was so reasonable, but my damn feelings couldn’t comprehend it.
“Why don’t we go inside and talk about this?” Dad suggested. “Marg was going to come over for dinner, but I can tell her to come another night.”
I shook my head and tugged at my hair. “No, you don’t need to cancel your plans.” I didn’t want to go in. I actually didn’t know what the hell I wanted, but I knew that wasn’t it.
“She’s not coming over until six, so we have time to talk.”
“No.” I didn’t want to talk. Or at least, I didn’t want to talk this over and over. I needed to just get out what I felt, and move on. “I’m mad because I’m always in the loop, and now, I’m not. Not that I need to know where you are every second, but...” Ugh, I didn’t know what the but was. Zephyr was doing me a favor by having dad help out at the club and just keeping him busy. “I guess I’m mad because I wasn’t part of,” I motioned between Zephyr and Dad, “this.”
Was I jealous of my dad? Uh, no, Lynn.
“I guess I’m just saying I want to be in the loop, okay?” I still wasn’t crystal clear about what I felt, but I honestly couldn’t get it out any better.
Zephyr nodded. “We can do that, darlin’.”
“I mean, yeah,” Dad agreed. “No reason why we can’t let you know when I’m helping out at the clubhouse.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. Who would have thought that I would hook up with a club member and Dad would wind up helping them build their strip club?
There was one other thing, though. Something that had been bugging me, but it had to do with Zephyr. I sighed and tipped my head back. “I think that’s all, Dad. I’m sorry I got mad.”
Dad shook his head and wrapped me up in a hug. “You don’t have to be sorry for caring about me, Lynn. I’m lucky to have you.” He stepped back and braced his hands on my arms. “My whole life, I’ve been lucky to have you. I think it’s time I start paying you back for sticking with me through the hell I put you through.”
He had said those same words to me before, but they felt different this time. Maybe I was different this time.
“I’m gonna hold you to that, Dad.”
A smile crossed his lips. “I hope so, Lynn-bug.”
My heart soared at the nickname he used to call me before Mom died. I hadn’t heard it for over twenty years. He hugged me again, nodded to Zephyr, and walked into the apartment building.
“Lynn,” Zephyr whispered.
And now I had to deal with Zephyr. “We should probably just talk right here.”
He looked around. “You sure? We can go in the van if you want.”
The van was a little more private than standing in the parking lot. “Fine.”
I followed Zephyr over to the van and hopped in the passenger seat.
“This is quite the change from your bike,” I mumbled.
Zephyr chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not my first choice, but I’m not gonna have your dad ride on the back of my bike.”
The visual of Dad riding on the back of Zephyr’s bike was hilarious. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure the guys would give you just as much shit about that as they would if they found out I drove you around the other night.”
Zephyr reached out and cradled my cheek in his hand. “Darlin’, what is bothering you?” he asked. “It’s something more than you being mad that your dad has been helping out at the strip club.”
I sat back and laid my head on the seat. “I don’t know, Zephyr,” I sighed. “I hear you when you tell me that you want to just help me, but then I don’t know what to give you. Kimber told me the only thing you want from me is my time, but that doesn’t seem like a fair trade at all. I get everything, and you get nothing.”
“Lynn.”
I shook my head. “I haven’t had that in my life before, Zephyr. No one has ever just wanted to be with me. It’s always been more of what they wanted from me. Hell, I gave up my childhood to raise Steph. I gave up so much that I don’t know how to do anything else, and then you come along and tell me you don’t want anything but me.” I turned my head, and my eyes connected with his. “Who does that?” I had gotten in the van ready to rip him a new asshole and demand to know who he thought he was. Where did he get the nerve to think he could treat me like that? “Where do you get off being so amazing?”
“God dammit, Lynn,” he whispered. His arm looped around my waist, and he pulled me onto his lap. My knees landed on each side of him, and I straddled his waist. He braced my face with his hands and rested his forehead against mine. “You carry around the weight of the world on your shoulders between your work and your family. I just want to be the person who can take that burden off you. I don’t want you to think that you have to do anything but just be you when you’re with me.”
A lone tear streaked down my cheek. “I’ve never felt I’ve had to, Zephyr. Never once did you make me feel like I needed to give you something.” I closed my eyes. “I don’t know what to do with that.”
His body shook under me.
I cracked open one eye. “Are you laughing right now?” I poured my soul out to him and he just laughs.
He pressed a kiss to my lips. “I sure the hell am. Only you would tell me you don’t know how to act when I’m nice to you.”
I closed my eye. “Well, when you say it like that, I sound dumb.”
He wrapped his arms tightly around me and pulled me flush against his chest. “Far from dumb, darlin’. You’ve got a big heart, and you just want to help.”
I sighed and pressed my lips to his. “I was so mad at you, Zephyr, and now I’m sitting in your creeper van, straddling your lap, and wondering if anyone can see us.”
“See us?” he laughed.
I nodded. “We fought, and now, we need to make up.” I sat back and pulled my shirt over my head.
“Oh,” Zephyr groaned. “You’re a few steps ahead of me, darlin’.” His hands played on my bare waist and a smirk tilted his lips. “But I think we’re on the same page now.” He buried his face in my breasts, and I delved my fingers into his hair.
I sat back, and my ass hit the horn on the steering wheel.
“Holy fuck,” I gasped and jumped out of Zephyr’s lap, landing in a heap on the floor. A topless heap.
Zephyr busted out laughing and tried to pull me off the floor.
“No,” I wheezed. “Just leave me here.”
Zephyr gasped for air and finally got a handle. “You’re the second person today who has had the shit scared out of them right in front of me.”
I managed to get off the floor and pulled my shirt back over my head. “Yeah, well, I hope that was entertaining. I’m obviously not meant for being sexy.” Shoot me now.
“Maybe that was our sign we need to take this back to your place,” he suggested.
Yeah, he was probably right. “In that case, I’ll see you there.” I opened the door to get out, but Zephyr hauled me back in before my feet touched the ground.
“Zephyr,” I gasped. “I’m rather embarrassed right now, and I would just like to sulk back to my car.”
“In a second, darlin’.” His lips pressed against mine, and I melted into him. My embarrassment disappeared and once again, it was just me and Zephyr.
*
Chapter Eighteen
Cold pizza...
Zephyr
“Do you think I should reach out to Steph?”
I glanced at Lynn who was perched on the top of the kitchen counter.
We had just gone two rounds in the bedroom, and we were waiting for pizza to be delivered. I was in a pretty good fucking mood, and then she had to bring up Steph. The one thing I didn’t want to talk about because then I would either need to tell her about what the Kings were using her for, or lie straight to her face.
I leaned on the counter opposite Lynn and sighed.
“What’s with the long face?”
Yeah, I wasn’t about to lie to Lynn. Not after the shitstorm we had managed to wade through earlier. “You know how Quinn and Brick took your sister home a couple of weeks ago when she showed up to your dad’s?”
Lynn nodded. “Yeah. I heard she tried to hit on Quinn, which is just hilarious.”
If only that was all I had to say. “Well, the club is looking to get the meth out of town, and we realized Steph was our in that we needed.”
Lynn tipped her head to the side. “Um, in?”
Yeah, this is where things were about to go sideways. “We used Steph to get to her dealer with hopes that he would lead us to Menace.”
She blinked slowly. “Excuse me? What do you mean you used her?”
“Uh, well, the next time when she went to go score, Core went with her.”
She pointed her finger back and forth in the air. “So Core went with my sister when she went to buy drugs so Core could talk to her dealer.” She swallowed and I could tell she was trying not to get mad. “Did she end up buying drugs?”
“Uh, well, yeah.”
She closed her eyes. “Zephyr,” she whispered.
“But she didn’t keep them. Core took them and then dropped her back off at her place.”
She opened her eyes. “Seriously?”
I nodded. “Yeah. And, as of right now, she doesn’t have a dealer because the one she had has suddenly disappeared.”
She tipped her head to the side. “I’m seeing the tiny sliver of silver lining in this, Zephyr. She didn’t get to keep the drugs?” She was taking this much better than I had thought she would. Except there was one more piece of information.
“Yup.”
“Well, there’s more.”
She dropped her chin to her chest. “Is the more going to make me mad?”
I shrugged. “I really don’t know, darlin’. I mean, we’re taking care of it, but I don’t want to lie to you.”
“Hit me with it,” she drawled. She held up a finger. “First, pour me a drink. I think I’m going to need it.”
I grabbed the bottle of whiskey I had bought and poured her two fingers worth into a glass. She took the glass and held it with both of her hands.
“So, you remember Joseph? Deedra’s informant who ended up getting killed?”
Lynn nodded. “Yeah, of course. It was all over the news.”
“Well, we’re sure that the people who killed Joseph, are the same ones who made Steph’s dealer disappear because they found out he talked to Core.”
“So, he’s...dead?”
I sighed. “We don’t know that for sure, but it’ a good guess. Anyone who seems to know anything they shouldn’t about the Devil’s Rebels winds up dead.”
“Wait.”
Lynn was picking up what I was laying down.
“Are they going to think that Steph ratted on them because she brought Core with her to buy drugs?”
“We already have a guy on her, making sure she stays safe.”
Lynn closed her eyes. “Good Lord, Zephyr.”
“Now, we don’t even know for sure that they are going to try to go after Steph, Lynn. We’re being cautious and making sure that doesn’t happen.”
“You’ve taken the stress off me before I even know that there is stress,” she whispered.
I closed the distance between us and wrapped her in my arms. “I wanted to tell you, darlin’, but I knew you would have stressed out even if I told you not to.”
She sighed and buried her face in my neck. “Can you stop being right all of the time? It’s getting to be a little annoying.”
“You should probably just get used to it, darlin’. I don’t plan on going anywhere unless you’re with me.”
She tipped her head back and pressed a kiss to my lips. “So, you’re keeping Steph safe, and I don’t need to worry about her?”
I nodded. “Yeah. She doesn’t know Brick is trailing her, but he said she hasn’t made a move to find a new guy to get drugs from.”
“So, this is maybe a blessing in disguise?” she suggested.
“Definitely.” There was no way in hell Brick would stand by and watch Steph find another dealer.
“And this could also mean that maybe Steph wasn’t too far gone into the drugs since she isn’t trying to score from somewhere else.”
I nodded and trailed my fingers down her cheek. “You’re taking this much better than I thought you would.”
She pressed her forehead against mine. “I guess I’m leaning into the fact that you’ll never do anything to hurt me.”
“About fucking time,” I drawled. “You lived on the edge of your own sanity for so long, that it’s time you let someone step to the edge for you.”
“And that person is you, huh?” she laughed. “I never would have thought my knight in shining armor rode a Harley and wore leather.”
“And I never thought my girl would have purple hair and just as many tattoos as I do, but here I am in your kitchen waiting on a pizza.”
She looked down at her arms and laughed. “You have way more than I do. Or at least, they cover more expanse than mine do.” She put her hands on the waistband of my jeans. “This one is my favorite, though.”
“Yeah, I kind of picked up on that. Your hands always seem to linger over it.”
She licked her lips and tugged my waistband down. “Can you blame a girl?”
A knock sounded on the door. “Hold that thought, darlin’.” I pulled up my boxers and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Pizza is here, and I don’t feel like answering the door naked again.”
A giggle escaped her lips. “I’ll try to control myself.” She raised her hands in the air and wiggled her fingers. “Though I can’t promise how long that will last.”
I grabbed my wallet and pulled out a twenty. “You good with cold pizza?” I asked.
“Uh, well, I guess, but if the pizza is cold, I don’t think you should pay for it.”
I shook my head. “I’m sure it’ll be piping hot, darlin’, but you and I aren’t going to get to it for about an hour.”
Realization dawned on her face. “Oh,” she gasped.
I winked and nodded to the bedroom. “You got about a minute head start while I pay for the pizza.”
Lynn hopped off the counter and pulled her t-shirt over her head. “I won’t need the minute. I’ll be ready and waiting.” She took off up the stairs with her hips swinging and her bare ass showing.
God dammit, I loved that woman.
*
Chapter Nineteen
Starting over...
Lynn
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
I cleared my throat. I had been the one to call Steph, so now I had to talk. “How are you?”
I could hear Steph’s irritation. “I’m fine, Lynn. Why are you calling?”
Why was I calling? I want my sister back. “I was, uh, just calling to see how you are.” There, that wasn’t so hard.
“I’m fine.”
Okay, well, maybe it would be a little hard. “How’s work been?”
“Lynn, what do you want? I don’t have time for some small talk shit.”
I rolled my eyes. That was Steph. While I would bend over backward for just about anyone, she would do anything to be a selfish bitch.
“I want to talk, Steph. I want us to go back to how we use to be with each other.” I didn’t know why that was so hard to understand or why she didn’t want it too.
“Why?”
Sweet Jesus. “Because you’re my damn sister, and I don’t want to lose you over some stupid shit.” There. Maybe a little too harsh, but that was what she got when she kept asking me why.
“Is Dad making you do this?” she asked.
I looked over at Dad, who wore a smug look on his face sitting at the kitchen table with Zephyr. “No, though when I told him I was calling you, he didn’t tell me not to.”
“Of course, he didn’t,” Steph muttered. “He was always bugging me about calling you.”
“And you didn’t.” The words were out of my mouth before I could stop them. I didn’t call Steph to argue, but it was so easy to say something snarky or bitchy.
“Just like you didn’t,” she shot back.
This phone call was going to end the same way things always did when I talked to Steph, and I didn’t want that to happen. Not anymore.
“I’m sorry, Steph. I’m sorry for everything. The things I know I did, and the things I didn’t know I did, but they hurt your feelings.”
“Is that your shrink degree talking, or you?”
I rolled my eyes. “I little bit of both.”
She sighed. “I’m sick of fighting. I know this may be surprising to you, but it’s pretty tiring being a bitch all of the time.”
“My God,” I laughed. “And it’s tiring acting like I need to fix everyone all of the time.” I sighed and glanced at Zephyr. “How about we both stop and just get back to being sisters?” That’s all I wanted.
“You think it’s going to be that easy?” Steph drawled. “I’ve pretended to hate you for a while now.”
I closed my eyes and dropped my chin to my chest. “It might be hard, but I think you can stop being a bitch, Steph.”
“Only if you stop acting like you have to fix everyone.”
Zephyr’s eyes connected with mine. That was going to be a hard thing for me to do, but Zephyr was helping me. He was showing me I didn’t have to live so close to edge of losing myself to help everyone else.
“You got a deal, Steph.”
*
Chapter Twenty
He needs me...
Zephyr
“Lynn,” I muttered. “Your phone is ringing.”
She rolled over and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. “Hello?”
It was two in the morning, and a phone call at this time was never good.
I sat up and leaned back on my elbows.
“Justin?” she asked.
Who in the fuck was Justin, and why was he calling in the middle of the night?
“I can’t understand you. You have to slow down.” Lynn swung her legs out from under the covers and stood. “Where are you?” She turned on the lights and rummaged around in her dresser drawer.
Was she getting dressed?
“Lynn,” I interrupted. “What is going on?”
She held up her hand to silence me. “Just tell me where you are, and I’ll come to you.”
Yeah, that wasn’t fucking happening. I rolled out of bed and pulled on my pants. At least, she wasn’t going anywhere without me.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “Give me fifteen minutes and I’ll be right there, okay?” She grabbed a shirt and tried to put it on with one arm. “Just don’t do anything until I get there. Call me back if you need to, but I need to get dressed, yeah?”
She hung up the phone and tossed it on the bed. When he whirled toward the closet, I caught her by the arm.
“You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?”
She waved her hand at me. “Work. That was one of my patients. He needs me.”
“Lynn, it’s the middle of the fucking night.”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “I know, but he called me, Zephyr.”
“What is wrong?” I demanded.
“It sounds like he’s using again. I told him he could call me whenever, and he did. It sounds like he is having a bad trip.”
I pulled her a step closer. “Do you really think I’m going to let you leave here and go help a guy who is high off his ass?” She thought she was just going to run out of here like it was no big deal?
“It’s my job, Zephyr,” she insisted. She tried to twist out of my hold, but I tightened my grip.
I shook my head. “No, this is not your job. I know I’m not the smartest guy, but I can bet that this is not part of your job. That the other counselors aren’t running to their patients in the middle of the night.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You don’t know that.”
“I fucking do. You are not going to handle this guy.” I reached for my phone and pressed three numbers.
“Who are you calling?” she demanded.
“The fucking police, which is what you should have done.”
“You can’t do this, Zephyr. Justin trusts me.”
I shook my head. “You remember that conversation we’ve had quite a few times where you need to stop thinking you need to fix or save everyone?”
“This is different,” she insisted.
I agreed, it was. This time, this person needed more help than Lynn could give him. “What are you going to do if he overdoses? You’re a therapist, Lynn, not a paramedic or doctor. Stop and think for a second.”
“I’ll call the police on the way over there.”
I shook my head and hit the send button on the call. “I’m calling the police now, and you can meet the ambulance at the hospital if you feel that you need to see him.” It was a compromise. That was the best she was going to get out of me.
The call connected to the 9-1-1 dispatcher. I put it on speaker and motioned for Lynn to talk. She had all the information. She growled but replied “hello” and relayed all of the information to the operator while she held her middle finger in my face.
I ended the call and tossed the phone on the bed. “You are not in charge of fixing people, Lynn. Especially someone who is a stranger to you. Eight to five, you are there for these people. Any time after that, you are off limits.”
“I have to be there for these people, because no one else will be there for them”
Fucking hell. This was going to be a constant theme between Lynn and me. “This is the last fucking time this happens. I will take your phone away from you if I have to.”
She pulled away from me and folded her arms over her chest. “I’d like to see you try that,” she snapped.
“Get dressed so we can go to the hospital. We can argue about this on the way there.”
She tapped her foot on the floor. “We’re not arguing.”
“Yeah, we are. So we’re gonna argue on the way to the hospital, you’re gonna check on this Justin guy, and then we’re gonna come home to make up.”
“Is that so?”
I pulled her into my arms and pressed a kiss to her lips. “Yeah, darlin’. That’s the only way I’m gonna let you keep livin’ on the edge.”
She wound her arms around my neck and sighed. “Fine. I guess I’m okay with that as long as you’re on that edge with me.”
“Not going anywhere, darlin’. It’s you and me.”
‘Til my last breath, it was Lynn and me.
*
Chapter Twenty-One
Whatever you say...
Lynn
“I need to have this baby.”
Fancy pressed her hand to Kimber’s forehead. “Are you delirious or something?” she asked. “You’re barely four months.”
Kimber groaned and knocked her hand away. “I either want to puke all of the time or eat everything in sight which then makes me want to puke all of the time.”
I cringed. “That sounds like vicious cycle.” I would love to have a baby, but not now. I wanted to enjoy my time with Zephyr before we brought a little baby into the world. I was gonna be selfish for a little bit.
Kimber moaned. “You have no idea. I want to knee Quinn in the nuts for doing this to me.”
“It’ll all be worth it in the end,” Deedra drawled. “Just think, you’re gonna have a cute little baby that looks like a mix of you and Quinn.”
“Besides, I bet your next pregnancy will be better,” Petra laughed.
Kimber waved her hand in the air. “Oh, hell no, girl. You are not going to put the pregnancy juju on me while I’m still pregnant with this one.”
“Well, Quinn can’t keep his hands off of you, so I wouldn’t be surprised if you pop up pregnant again.” Fancy sat back and kicked her feet up on the coffee table. “This one will be a boy, and then next one will be a girl.”
“Quinn and., and Kimberlini,” Queenie laughed.
“Kimberlini?” I cocked my head to the side. “Please tell me that is not your real name.”
Kimber rolled her eyes. “No, thank God, it is not. Queenie has decided if I’m having a girl, she should be called Kimberlini.” Kimber pointed at Queenie. “That shit is not happening.”
“I like Bianca,” Deedra suggested.
Fancy rubbed her hands together. “Oh, what about Gemma?”
“No,” Kimber shouted. “You know I hate that name solely based on the fact I hate Gemma from Sons of Anarchy. That name will never happen.” She slid her finger across her neck. “Never.”
“Well,” I laughed, “I guess we should scratch that one off the list, Fancy.”
Fancy laughed. “I only said that because I knew she would freak out.” Fancy patted Kimber’s legs. “That’s what friends are for, right?”
Deedra raised her hand. “Can we do Book Club?”
“No,” Kimber groaned. “Not until I pop this baby out. It’s not fair that you guys get to have fun, and I have to sip water and act like I’m having fun.”
I closed my eyes and laid my head back.
“Hey,” Petra teased. “No falling asleep.”
I was tired. So tired.
Last night after I had gotten the phone call from Justin, Zephyr had kept his word and drove me to the hospital. Justin was not happy at all that I had called the police instead of coming myself, but in the end, it needed to happen.
He didn’t overdose, but he really was having a bad trip that I wouldn’t have been able to help with. Now, Justin was going to be back on the road to recovery, and hopefully, this time it would stick.
“I was out late working and I really just want to take a nap,” I moaned. Zephyr had told me I could have stayed home and slept, but I had insisted I wanted to come with him to the clubhouse. I now regretted that decision.
“Girl, how late were you out? You’re a therapist,” Queenie laughed.
“I’m a therapist who spread herself too thin, and now Zephyr is helping me to thicken up.” I closed my eyes and groaned. “You know what I mean.”
“That Zephyr seems to really be in with you, huh?” Deedra asked. “You finally accept the fact that he just wants your time?”
“Well,” I drawled, “he does want my time, but I’m pretty sure he likes my body, too.”
Kimber and Fancy hooted with laughter.
“Yes, girl. Welcome to the ol’ lady life,” Kimber crowed.
“We totally need to get patches or something.” Fancy jumped up from the couch. “We are getting jackets with our names embroidered on them,” she declared.
“I am game for that, but we should probably run this past Quinn,” Kimber laughed. “I’m all for blazing out our path with Book Club and whatnot, but we should maybe ask the guys.”
“Ask the guys what?” Quinn growled.
The guys filed into the common room and spread out between the bar, pool table, and couch. Quinn sat down next to Kimber and leaned over to press a kiss to her stomach. He was rather intimidating, but when he was with Kimber, he was like a different guy. He treated her with love and kindness.
All of the guys were like that. They were intimidating, but put them with their women, and they acted completely different.
“You haven’t passed out yet?” Zephyr sat down next to me and put his arm over my shoulders. He pressed a kiss to the side of my head, and I snuggled into his side.
“I was just about to before you guys came back in.” I smothered a yawn with my hand. “What were you guys doing outside?”
“Brick came by.”
My head perked up. “Brick? Did he have anything to say about Steph? If he was here, who was watching Steph?” I was really trying not to worry about Steph, but it was easier said than done.
“Nothing to tell. She’s just going to work and that’s it. Says she gets a lot of fast food delivered, but that’s about it.”
Well, I guess that was good. “Who was watching her when he was here?”
“Core relieved him for a bit. Someone always has eyes on her, darlin’. I promise nothing is going to happen to her.”
I really hoped he was right. “I trust you, Zephyr. You know it’s hard me to not control everything.”
He chuckled and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. “I know, darlin’. You’ll just keep me on my toes asking questions all of the time.”
I pinch his side. “I will not ask questions.”
He grunted.
“At least not all of the time.” Only when I needed to. Which, might be more often than he would like, but that was beside the point. “Remember, you just want my time. So, my time might include me asking you questions. Over and over.”
“And that right there is why I’m gonna stick around. You give me your time and sass, and I’ll give you everything I have.”
Again, that did not seem like a fair deal, but that was Zephyr’s problem. “Does that everything include my own motorcycle?” I batted my eyelashes and pouted out my lips. I wanted a motorcycle and I was going to get one. As much as I liked driving Zephyr’s bike, my own would be so much better.
“Jesus,” Zephyr laughed. “We go from you not wanting my help, to now demanding a motorcycle. You move fast, darlin’. But, like I said before, I like it.”
“Is that a yes?” I purred.
He pressed a hard kiss to my lips and smiled. “Whatever you say, darlin’. Whatever you say.”
*
Chapter Twenty-Two
It’s Detective Kaye...
Brick
Watching paint dry was more exciting than watching Lynn’s sister.
All she did was work, go to the grocery store, and get food delivered. Quinn could have at least put me on a chick who did more than work and eat.
Fried chicken.
Pizza.
Subs.
Even cake one time.
This chick wasn’t doing drugs, but she was addicted to eating some goodass food.
Every time she got food delivered, it made me crave the shit, which then meant I had to have the delivery guy come back with my order.
I was starting to spend my hour or two long break at the gym trying to work off whatever junk food I had eaten. The one good thing about being in prison that I always had time to work out, because there wasn’t anything else to do.
It was after nine o’clock and I knew nothing was going to happen tonight. This chick was so much on a schedule that I could call it down to the minute when the lights would go out. I leaned my seat back and rested my head against the headrest.
Another night of complete boredom was almost in the books. Every day, I hoped it would be the last I would be stuck following Steph, but the days just kept coming. At this point, I would welcome one of the Devil’s Rebels guys to try something just to shake things up.
Quinn hadn’t heard back from the Royal Bastards yet, so we were basically sitting around with our thumbs up our ass until we heard from them. Core was still trying to find Wrigley again, but that lead had gone dead. Probably literally.
The Devil’s Rebels had no problem killing people who got in their way, and I’m fairly certain they had gotten wind about Wrigley talking to Core. The next person to go could possibly be Steph if they found out we had gotten Wrigley’s name from her.
I reached for the energy drink I grabbed during the hour break Core had given me and popped the top. I was going to fucking need it tonight. I had set up sensors on Steph’s doors and windows for when I did fall asleep, but I tried like hell to stay awake for as long as I could. Typical from two until seven I slept, and then my alarm clock woke me up. So far the sensors on Steph’s place hadn’t been tripped at all.
A knock sounded on my window, and I jumped in my seat.
Jesus Christ. Maybe I was getting a little too comfortable seeing as I didn’t even notice anyone approach the car.
I rolled down the window and came face to face with my past.
“Officer Kaye,” I drawled. The last person in this world I would have expected to see knocking on my window was Kaye Crew.
She leaned in and rested her elbows on the window frame. “It’s Detective Kaye now, Jax.”
“Congrats.” Kaye was always headed for detective. I wasn’t surprised at all that she had made it.
“You wanna tell me what you’re up to?” she asked.
I shrugged and took a sip of my drink. “Not much.”
“You’ve been up to not much for a few days now,” she retorted.
She had been watching me. Or at least someone had been. “Not sure how you would know that, detective.”
A smirk spread across her lips. “I have my ways, Jax. Now, tell me what you are up to,” she demanded.
I shrugged. “Nothing.” As if I was going to tell her what I was doing and what the club was up to.
“Is that your final answer?” Her eyes connected with mine. A piercing blue that could burn holes through you. And also could burn with undisguisable passion.
“To that question? Yes.”
“Then I’m gonna need you to step out of the car, Jax.”
I scoffed. “You wanna tell me why?” I was just sitting in my car minding my own business. What I was doing had nothing to do Kaye or the Whitmore police department. No laws broken here.
“Because you’re under arrest, Jax. Step out of the car and put your hands behind your back.”
Son. Of. A. Bitch.
––––––––
The End
Coming Soon
Monk
Royal Bastards MC, book 3
April 27th
Changing Lanes
Devil’s Knights 2nd Gen, book 4