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  So, I’d put up with his bullshit for a while longer, waiting for him to pull his head out of his ass and knock it off.

  Either way, I wasn’t going to put up with his antics tonight. I had Brooke in the house, and with how fragile she was right now, the last thing she needed to deal with was a drunk Aaron. He could be crude and hard to get along with on a good day – it only got worse when he was in the bottle.

  “You didn’t tell me you were being a hero,” he said.

  “You were drunk,” I replied crassly. “I don’t tell you a lot of shit when you’re drunk.”

  “Now, is that any way to be talking to your best friend?” he asked. “I’m hurt.”

  “You should be. Get your head out of your ass and your mouth off the bottle and we’ll talk again,” I said.

  “I just want to meet her,” Aaron pushed his way into my house, and I had to fight to keep from shoving him right back out.

  “No, she’s not up for visitors.”

  “Come on, she looked like she wanted to meet me!” he argued. He was still making his way to the kitchen, and I put my arm against the wall, stopping him.

  “I don’t have time for your shit today, Aaron. Get out!” I snapped.

  “I just want to say hi,” he whined. He tried to push past me again, but I grabbed him by the collar and started for the door. It wouldn’t be the first time I threw him out on the street, and I always felt bad doing it. But, I had to do what was best for Brooke.

  And right now, this was best.

  “Wait, wait, wait!” he cried out. He held up his hands before I threw him out the door. “I came to tell you something. That’s why I’m here.”

  I stopped. Though he was becoming a joke in the MC, and a drunk on top of it, he was the number one person I turned to when I wanted information. He’d worked as an informant in the military, and it was a skill he’d carried with him into civilian life. Even the bottle didn’t seem enough to be able to drown that one skill out of him.

  And, I had a feeling it was the entire reason Carl still kept him around.

  “What?” I asked. “You’ve got two minutes before I slam this door in your face, so you better get talking.”

  “You’re going to like it,” he said. “Really. Zach still has my keys so I had to walk all the way out here to tell you.”

  I suddenly remembered Zach taking his keys when Aaron showed up at the garage drunk the other day. He’d told Aaron at the time that he could come get them when he was sober. Either he didn’t have the guts to face Zach, or he hadn’t been sober since then.

  I wasn’t sure which would be worse, and I really didn’t want to think about it. I made a note in the back of my mind to catch Aaron sober one of these days and really put the fear of God into him. He couldn’t go on like this for much longer, or Carl was bound to kick him out.

  “Okay, this isn’t going to take long,” he said.

  “Spit it out!” I snapped. He was damn annoying when he was drunk, and I was about ready to just forget the whole thing.

  “It came from The Enemies,” he said.

  “What did?”

  “The message,” he replied.

  “Aaron, I swear to God! If you don’t start making sense starting now, I’m going to throw you out of this door and slam it behind you!” I snapped.

  He took a deep breath and held up his hand, then took another deep breath. I knew he was trying, but I still wanted to punch him right in the face. After a second to collect his thoughts, he spoke again.

  “I was in the bar the other day with Zach and Adam,” he said. I wished those two wouldn’t continue to drink with him, but I didn’t have any control over what they did. So, I just nodded.

  “And?”

  “A guy from The Enemies walked up to us,” Aaron said. “I think it was Vance.”

  I’d met Vance a couple times. He was Vanessa’s twin brother. One day, he might even be Zach’s brother-in-law. As the son of Marcus, the president of The Enemies, I knew he was more likely than Vanessa to end up the president himself one day.

  We’d never liked Vance before. But after Zach and Vanessa got together, things changed, and he was doing his part to keep the peace between the MCs. I could tolerate the man, though it was rare for him to come onto our turf.

  Hell, it was rare for him to even be in his own hometown. He lived down in San Francisco, working as some wealthy businessman as far as I knew. I didn’t know a whole lot about the situation, but I knew that Vance only came up occasionally, and that was when there was something going on.

  “What did he say?” I asked.

  “He said that they had been approached for a hit,” Aaron said.

  “Really?” I tried not to show how interested I was. It made a little too much sense considering the fact Brooke had nearly been run down earlier that day by a rogue vehicle. I didn’t want to jump to any conclusions. Maybe there wasn’t any connection between the two. “Is that all?”

  “He said that the people who approached them said that they had a bit of a problem up here, and they wanted to hire The Enemies to take care of things, if you know what I mean,” Aaron said.

  I nodded. “And, what did Zach say?” I knew he wasn’t about to take a hit job, but I wasn’t so sure about Vance. Zach trusted The Enemies a lot more than I did, and I wasn’t afraid to admit it. Hell, I’d tell Vanessa to her face that I thought she was very nice as a person, but I still didn’t trust anything her father or brother said.

  Knowing that the group had been approached to take out a hit job made me uneasy, even if Vance had come over to tell Zach about it.

  “He asked for more information, obviously. The man didn’t give a lot. Once Vance heard that he was going to be hired for a hit, he told the man that he wasn’t interested. I guess The Enemies are shaping up as far as that goes,” Aaron said with a shrug. “Vance said he tried to get more information out of the man, but a cop entered the bar before he could, and the guy got nervous and left.”

  “Unless the reason is because he didn’t want to take out the person who was on the list,” I mused. I didn’t know Vance very well, but I had a feeling even he wouldn’t want to get involved in a murder if he was in the business world. There was a lot of his personal life on the line.

  “I didn’t get that impression. I think The Enemies are really trying to clean up their act, you know,” Aaron said. “Maybe we can actually have some sort of relationship with them.”

  “If only others would clean up their acts, too,” I said. I gave him a look and he shrugged. Sighing, I shook my head. “Did Zach say he was going to get in touch with Carl, or is one of us going to have to do that?”

  “He did, and he said to plan on going to a meeting tomorrow night,” Aaron said. “Down at the normal spot.”

  I nodded. We often met at the bar when it was a bigger meeting. It would be a nice enough place I could bring Brooke along with me. I didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone, especially knowing someone was clearly out to get her.

  “What’s for dinner? That smells amazing. Mind if I join?” he asked.

  “Yes, I mind a lot. You showed up at the worst possible time, and you are interrupting. Thank you for the information, I’m going to talk to Zach about it,” I said. “Goodbye.”

  “Come on, man, I walked all the way out here!” he said. But, I shut the door in his face. I didn’t care if he walked around the world. He had to get that drinking under control, especially if I was going to let him come in and eat dinner uninvited.

  I headed back out to the kitchen and sat down at the table. Brooke was sitting with her hands folded in her lap, and she looked nervous.

  “Sorry about that. He’s a friend of mine and a member of the MC. He had some information he thought I might want to know,” I said.

  “I heard part of it,” she replied. “I wasn’t trying to listen in, but when he came close to the door, I couldn’t help it.”

  “I know,” I said. “He’s been having a bit of an issue
with alcohol lately. He’s got a lot of PTSD from what happened when he was in the military, and we’re hoping he gets his head on straight soon.”

  “I hope so,” she replied. “He seemed nice enough.”

  “He’s great when he’s not drunk,” I assured her. “Wouldn’t hurt a fly. We’re just going to have to get him to put down the bottle and deal with the shit life’s throwing his way.”

  Brooke nodded. “Is he going to be alright out there?”

  I shrugged again. “He’s managed okay so far. I’m sure he’s going to be fine. It’s not that far to get back into town, and he’s done it before.”

  “I hope I’m not causing you too much trouble,” she said. I knew it was going to bother her, but I also didn’t want her to think that any of this was her fault. She had been a victim in prison. Whether she had gotten herself locked up or not, she didn’t deserve what had happened to her, and I still wanted to kill that guard with my own two hands.

  “Don’t worry. I’m going to talk to our president and his son. The MC is behind me, and that means they’re behind you. No one is going to hurt you, I promise.” I reached over and gave her hand a squeeze, and she smiled.

  “Let’s forget about all that tonight,” I said, changing the subject. “For the first time in my life, I’ve made lasagna, and I want to enjoy it.”

  Brooke laughed. “Me, too.”

  14

  Brooke

  I held onto Spencer as we headed for the spot. I wasn’t quite sure where the spot was exactly, but he didn’t want to leave me alone in the house and I didn’t want to be left.

  We pulled into the parking lot of a bar, and Spencer put his bike in one of the parking spaces. “Here we are.”

  “This is where you guys always have your meetings?” I asked in surprise. “I was expecting something a little more remote.”

  Spencer chuckled. “More or less. We meet in the back room. Carl, our president, often reserves the room for us when we have these meetings so we aren’t disturbed.”

  I nodded. There were several other Harleys already parked in other spaces, and I felt nervous. I wasn’t sure what to expect, and it did bother me that this was something of a gang. Hell, I knew what they were doing, though we really hadn’t talked about it much.

  Going after a guy who was going to kill someone. It didn’t sound like anything I wanted to be part of, and I hoped I’d be able to fade into the background. Spencer led the way to the bar, and I did my best to keep up with his long strides. The place was crowded on a Saturday night, but he clearly knew where he was going.

  He walked right to the back, heading into another room that was off to the side. There were several rooms like that one, but the men were already gathering around the table in this room. I felt out of place immediately.

  Spencer pulled out a chair for me, then he sat down alongside. There were a lot of hot men gathered in that room, but Spencer was definitely the hottest in my book. He looked to be older than several of the other members. Hell, there was one man who looked to be little more than a kid.

  They laughed and chatted with each other before one of the oldest in the group rose, getting the attention of everyone else.

  “If we’re all here, then we should begin,” he said. The men fell silent, watching him. It didn’t take me long to figure that was Carl. But, there was another man present, too. He didn’t have the same seal on his vest that these men had. I figured he had to be from a rival MC.

  “Vance has brought some disturbing news,” Carl said. “And, I want you all to pay attention.”

  He gave the man in the different vest a nod, and he stepped forward. “We’ve been solicited to do a hit.”

  My stomach twisted. I didn’t like the sound of this one bit. They were after someone who wanted someone else dead, and that bothered me. Not that they were serving their own twisted form of justice, but because this man was on their shit list for wanting to murder.

  There had been a time in my life when I’d nearly killed a man, too. He had to spend nearly a month in ICU from the wound, and I’d never really forgiven myself for it. Sure, I might have been acting out of desperation, arguably with the best intentions. But, that didn’t change the fact that I’d nearly murdered someone.

  If it hadn’t been for the crime that was committed against me in prison, I would still be rotting in that cell. The thought sent chills down my spine. I was really only half listening to the meeting the men were having. Though I wanted to know what was going on, it was hard for me to really pay attention with my own thoughts swirling through my brain.

  “So are we going to act on sight then?” one of the other members asked. I wished I knew more names. This one looked a lot like the president of the group. There was a strong resemblance in their face and bone structure. I wondered if he was the man’s son.

  I’d have to ask Spencer later who all the men were and whether they had different ranks in the club. I didn’t have a clue how MCs operated, but I found myself interested. I’d never want to join one. At least, I couldn’t see myself joining this group, but they still seemed remarkably organized for being a bunch of bikers in a bar.

  “We’re going to wait and see what we need to do,” Carl said. “I’m not going to pull the trigger on anyone until we get more information.”

  “That’s smart,” the kid of the group said. I was pretty sure I’d heard someone address him as Nathan. “We don’t to get caught up in a crime that gets any of us locked up.”

  I cringed on the inside and was grateful I didn’t have to say anything. I didn’t want any of these men to know what I’d done, and I had a feeling if they found out, they’d be pissed. Especially Spencer. And the thought of him being pissed off at me was enough to make me taste bile.

  “Alright. Then we’re all in agreement. We’re going to keep an eye on the situation and see how things develop, and we’ll decide how we take it from there,” the president said. “Is there anything else we need to talk about before we call the meeting adjourned?”

  Several of the me around the table exchanged glances with each other, then the leader’s lookalike shook his head. “I think that’s going to do it for us.”

  “Is there anything else you want to add?” Carl turned to the man in the different vest, and he also shook his head.

  “I think it’s time for a drink,” he laughed.

  “Agreed!” Aaron said. He was the only one whose name I knew from the night before. I didn’t know if he’d want to talk to me. He didn’t seem to pay any attention to me when we walked in, despite the fact he had been so adamant about wanting to meet me when he showed up at the house the night before.

  I wasn’t going to engage with him first. Hell, I was too nervous to talk to any of these men. I was here because Spencer wanted it, that was all. If he was ready to leave right after we had the meeting, I would have been more than happy with that.

  There was something about social situations that made me feel nervous. I didn’t know how to act in them anymore. I had spent so long looking over my shoulder and not trusting anyone, it was hard to break out of that mindset, even if these men were good friends of Spencer.

  Hell, the way he was acting made me think of them as more than just his friends. They were brothers, that was obvious from the moment the meeting was called off and the conversations started.

  He was laughing and talking with all of them, putting his hand on shoulders, sharing jokes. It was nice to see that side of him. I knew he was a good man. Hell, the way he’d treated me had proven that long before we came to this meeting. But, it was still nice to see the way he interacted with the other people in his life.

  Spencer bought me a drink, and we settled in at the bar. He was wandering around and talking to the other members of the MC, but I planted myself on the stool with no intention of moving.

  I wanted to be friendly enough, but I was filled with a lot of self-doubt and nerves. I didn’t know what to say, and they didn’t seem to really want to engag
e with me, either. I tried not to think about it too much. Perhaps I could get one of them to talk to me if I started the conversation.

  But there was no way in hell that was going to happen.

  Now that the meeting was over, there wasn’t any need for us to be in the back room any longer. With the anxiety that was swirling around in my head, I wasn’t sure if it was better or worse being out among the rest of the crowd.

  “Hey,” a voice said suddenly. I turned to see Aaron walking toward me. “I wanted to apologize about yesterday. I thought you were one of the skanks Spencer takes home with him from the bar. I can see now you’re better than that, and I shouldn’t have treated you that way.”

  I nodded, but I couldn’t keep my face from falling. I didn’t like hearing the fact that he brought home bar skanks. Not one bit. I had felt special staying with him. Now, my mind was filled with doubt. Maybe he really did just want to help me and send me on my way.

  It was hard for me to think about.

  Aaron must have noticed my face falling because he was quick to try to fix what he’d said. “Don’t worry. He doesn’t take home nearly as many skanks with him as I do.”

  He winked at me, but his words didn’t make me feel any better. I didn’t care what he did with his life. But I did want to be special to Spencer. I wanted to be the only one he wanted in life. Of course, telling me that he brought home skanks likely wasn’t the conversation he wanted to have, but I was still a little hurt that he hadn’t told me.

  Spencer came back over to me soon enough, however, sitting down at the bar next to me. I noticed he wasn’t talking to any of the women in the bar that night. Not besides the bartender, anyway.

  Aaron was soon taken by one of the other MC members, and he settled in to have a conversation with them. It was nice to see how much all the members of the MC got along with each other. It wasn’t at all like I expected, and though I didn’t feel included in the group, I was amazed to see how close they were with each other.