Dearest Biker MC The Complete Series Box Set Page 50

  They were a big family, and I wanted to be part of something like that again. My brothers were gone; my mother was gone. I didn’t have anyone in life but Spencer. And, after the conversation I’d had with Aaron, I wasn’t even sure I had him.

  I felt so lost and alone in the world, nursing my drink sitting among the laughing, talking men. I was glad to be there with Spencer and not at home alone, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I should try to say something.

  But then, this wasn’t my family. It was his.

  I was the outsider. I was always the outsider.

  15

  Spencer

  Zach walked over to me, a drink in his hand. Through the years he and I had butted heads more often than we saw eye to eye, but things had been getting better between us. I could respect him as a leader if he could pull his head out of his ass and act like one.

  But, he’d spent so much time being the punk of the group it was hard for me to take him seriously. I was trying harder these days. Carl wasn’t that old by any means, but there was no telling when Zach was going to take the role of president in the MC, and I didn’t want to be on shaky terms with him when he did.

  “I was talking to my dad, and he thinks the best thing to do would be to try to draw this guy out. If he approached the MC before, there’s no reason to think that he might not do it again,” he said.

  “What do you want us to do?”

  “Head around town. Let’s spread out in pairs and take our post at the different bars and taverns. I’m sure that’s where he’d be hanging out,” Zach said. “If he makes a move, then we can, too.”

  I nodded. That was as good a plan as any if we were going to draw this guy back out. I wasn’t sure what Zach had in mind for making a move, but I wasn’t going to worry about it right now. Right now, I just wanted to get through this sting and not have to worry about a murder ending up on our heads.

  For all we knew, this guy could have moved on. Or, he might still be in town, waiting to make the hit himself. Or, he might have found someone else to do the job for him. Either way, we needed to get the situation under control.

  “I’ll take Aaron with me,” I said. I didn’t exactly want to hang out with him, but at the same time, I knew he would drive anyone else crazy. Nathan would refuse to go with him, and both Adam and Zach would likely punch him in the face before the end of the evening.

  Carl likely wasn’t involved in the plan. But if he was, he’d take Adam. The two of them were tight. I didn’t care. I’d take Aaron and drop Brooke back off at home, then we’d get through the rest of the night. I’d do my best not to kill him in the process.

  “What’s going on?” Brooke asked when I walked up to her once more.

  “We’re going to split up and take the different bars around town. I thought you might want to go home,” I suggested. “I’m going to take Aaron with me, so if you would rather not come along, I get it.”

  She shook her head. “I’d love to stay out with you guys.”

  From the looks of how she had been sitting at the bar on her own most of the might, I wasn’t so sure she meant it. Then again, she might not want to go home alone. I wasn’t sure how long before we’d be before calling it a night, and that would be a while for her to be on her own.

  “Are you sure?” I asked. “It’s no trouble.”

  “I’m having a good time. It’s been so long since I’ve been able to socialize like this, I really want to stay out with you, if you don’t mind,” she said.

  “You realize we’re on a sting. It might be dangerous,” I warned. “I can’t promise I’ll be able to get you out of there if things start to go down with this guy.”

  She put her arms around me. “I trust you to keep me safe.”

  I shook my head. There was no reasoning with her. If she wanted to go, then she was going, and it really was as simple as that. I knew there was no way I’d be able to tell her no. Hell, the thought of being out at the bar with her did sound like a good time.

  Sure, we’d be working, but that didn’t mean we couldn’t have a couple of drinks and shoot the shit, as well.

  “Alright,” I said. “I’m going to find Aaron, and we’re going to get out of here.”

  She nodded as I turned. It wasn’t hard finding Aaron in a bar. He was either at the bar, or he was hitting on some shy girl who was hanging around in the corner of the room. He would rarely approach the boisterous ones, usually giving them to me when he was my wingman.

  But tonight, I didn’t need a wingman. I was with Brooke, and I wanted her to have a good time out on the town. She was right. It had been so long since she’d last socialized with the complete freedom to do what she wanted, and I wanted to be the one to give that to her again.

  She looked so pretty, sitting on her own over at the bar like she was. It was nice to hear that she wanted to come out with the two of us, even if Aaron had been a little pushy the day before.

  As I suspected, I grabbed Aaron from hitting over by the bathrooms, insisting that we had to get going.

  “Where?” he asked with a sigh. “I thought we were done with the meeting.”

  “We’re going to split up. Zach told me Carl wants us to try to draw this guy out,” I informed him. “So you can’t be a drunk idiot tonight. We’ve got to work.”

  “I’m never a drunk idiot,” he said coldly as we headed back to the bar to get Brooke. She was finishing the rest of her drink as we walked up, and I paid the tab before we left. I wasn’t sure what her tolerance would be these days. If she had been in prison, odds were she hadn’t been doing a lot of drinking.

  “Can you manage to hang onto me on the way to the tavern?” I asked.

  “I’m fine,” she assured me quickly. “I know how to hold my liquor.”

  “Okay,” I said. “But I don’t want you falling off the back. If you feel like you’re losing your balance, say something.”

  “She’s fine, damn,” Aaron said. “Let the girl get on the bike and let’s get going.”

  I rolled my eyes. If I was honest with myself, he was the one I should be worried about. He was managing the bike with some decency, but I worried a cop was going to show up and pull him over. We had to get to the tavern soon, and even then, I wasn’t sure how he was going to get out of there.

  “How’d you get your keys back?” I asked.

  “Zach was tired of holding onto them,” he said with a shrug. “It’s nice to be mobile again.”

  “You better be careful, or you’re going to find yourself in jail with a DUI over your head,” I warned.

  “I’m not drunk,” he said. I wasn’t so sure, but we got on the bikes, anyway. He did seem less drunk than he had been recently, but I didn’t want to hold my breath. The tavern was just down the street, and it wasn’t going to take us long to get there.

  We walked through the door, and I headed to the bar. I wanted to treat Brooke to another drink if she was able. She seemed more than happy to settle in with the vodka cranberry on the barstool, but it wasn’t long before she turned her attention to the dance floor.

  “We should go dance!” she said happily.

  “I don’t think so,” I said simply. She put her drink on the bar and took my hand.

  “Come on! It’ll be fun! I miss dancing so much! You couldn’t do it in prison without being torn apart by the other inmates, so I eventually just gave up on trying, you know?”

  “He can’t dance,” Aaron said with a laugh. “You get him out there, and he’s going to look like the biggest idiot in the room.”

  “I’m not seeing you out there, either,” I shot back. I was slightly embarrassed he’d revealed my secret, but at the same time, I was going to hold my ground.

  “It’s easy,” Brooke said with a grin. “Come on, we’ll go together.”

  “I hate to say it, but he’s right. Dancing has never really been my thing,” I admitted. “I’m not sure you want to see me out on the floor.”

  “I don’t mind,” she said quickly.
“I just want to get out there, and I want you to come with me.”

  The smile she gave me was quickly causing my confidence to wane. I did want to go out with her. I wanted to do anything that would make her smile or laugh. But, we also had a job to do, and I didn’t want to shirk on that. If we were at the tavern to find this mysterious guy, then we needed to pay attention to what was going on around us.

  “We’ve got to work,” I said softly. “I wish I could go out there with you, but we’re keeping our eyes peeled for that guy, remember?”

  Brooke’s face fell, and my heart nearly broke at the sight of it. I hated disappointing her, and I wanted to do anything to keep her from being sad. But, I also didn’t want to skip out on what we were supposed to be doing. If Zach found out that the man had been here and we were too busy dancing to notice him, I knew it would throw another wrench in our camaraderie.

  “Go for it,” Aaron suddenly cut in. “We don’t need two of us sitting here and looking around the room like we’re lost. Just get out there for a few minutes, and I’ll keep an eye out for any hitman.”

  I looked at him. “You sure?”

  “Go for it. I’d like to see you out there,” he said with a laugh. I shook my head. It still didn’t seem like the greatest idea, but we didn’t have to tell Brooke twice. She grabbed my hand and yanked me out to the floor, immediately throwing herself into her dance.

  She didn’t have any moves in particular, but I loved seeing her shake her body in front of me. And, I was in pure heaven when she started grinding on me. I would do anything I could to be around her. At least, anything I could get away with doing. I was still slightly worried about the man we were supposed to be watching for, but it was difficult to think about him or really anything else with Brooke pressed up against me.

  I glanced back over toward the bar and my heart sank. Aaron had abandoned his post and was now flirting with a bachelorette party. They were doing shots, and all the women in the group looked pretty wasted.

  He didn’t need that kind of influence, that was for damn sure. So, I excused myself from Brooke for a minute to go remind him of what he was supposed to be doing.

  “This is only going to take a second,” I assured her.

  “Okay,” she said. “Hurry back.”

  I cut through the crowd heading for the party, taking Aaron by the arm as soon as I reached them. “You are supposed to be watching for our hitman, remember?”

  “I am!” he argued. “Relax, it’s all good.”

  “Who’s your hot friend?” one of the women in the party asked. “Does he want to hang out with us, too?”

  “Neither of us can stay, ladies,” I told her. “We’re here looking for someone.”

  “Oh come on!” she said. “Come on, I’m going to get married in the morning. I want to have some fun with some hot guys one last time!”

  “You heard the girl,” one of her friends cut in. “Sit!”

  “I can’t,” I argued. But, she and another of her friends pushed me into one of the chairs. I looked to Aaron for help, but he was just laughing and shaking his head. God, there were times I wanted to punch that guy in the face – and now was one of those times.

  “The bride wants to give you a lap dance! It’s her last time to do it before she ties the knot, you should be honored you were picked!” one of the women drawled.

  “If you will excuse me, I really don’t want one,” I argued. “I’m looking for someone, and I don’t have time for this.”

  “Oh, you’ll like it,” the woman I assumed was the bride cooed. I tried to get up out of the chair, but with the two women on either side and Aaron refusing to help, I was stuck.

  I didn’t want to be rude to them, but I also didn’t want the lap dance. The last person I wanted to see that happen was out on the dance floor, and she could head over at any second.

  All I knew was I had to get out of there.

  16

  Brooke

  I looked around the bar when the song ended, wondering where Spencer went. He said he was going to be right back, but clearly, he wasn’t. There were still people milling about, and it was hard to spot faces in the dark light.

  But then I did.

  He was sitting at the other end of the bar getting a lap dance from some woman covered in penis paraphernalia. My heart sank. I tried not to think about what Aaron had told me at the last bar, but I felt sick to my stomach. It was hard to see his face, but I was sure he was enjoying it.

  Hell, he was sitting there, wasn’t he?

  I didn’t know who that woman was, but if he was willing to practically fuck her in public right in front of me, I felt I knew where I stood with him. I was just the girl that he’d taken pity on and saved. I had been vulnerable enough to sleep with him, and the thought now made me sick.

  He clearly had taken advantage of the state of mind I’d found myself in, and he was now moving on. I headed out the door to get some air. I didn’t know what to do, but I wasn’t going to sit in the bar and watch that display. Hell, I was sorry I’d even come out with him in the first place now.

  If he was going to act that way, I didn’t want to see it. I didn’t even want to go back to his house with him, either. I just wanted him to go away and leave me alone.

  What did you think was going to happen? Of course, he wasn’t going to stay with you. Hell, he wasn’t even yours to begin with. You were just someone who was convenient at the time.

  You should get out of here altogether, really. There’s no need for you to stay here and be treated this way. You only attract douche bags, and now you’re practically stuck with one. Why don’t you do what Tanya said and give her sister a call?

  You know you could get a hold of her, and it would be better sleeping on a futon in her basement than it would be sleeping in a guest room with Spencer fucking someone else just down the hall.

  The idea was tempting, that was for sure. I could head out that very night. I’d get on a bus and find that woman. It wasn’t the smartest idea in the world, but it wasn’t my worst idea, either. Hell, it would be a great way to sort out some of the confusion and stress in my life.

  I was just about to head back into the bar and tell Spencer I was ready to go, when I was grabbed from behind. It had been so sudden and so rough, I didn’t have the chance to scream.

  Not that I would have been able to, anyway. The man who grabbed me was strong, and I couldn’t fight him off. He pulled me around the side of the bar so quickly, no one going in or coming out was able to see the attack. With his hand clamped over my mouth, there wasn’t any way I could get a noise out, either.

  I tried kicking myself free of his grasp, pulling myself out of his arms. I didn’t know what I’d do, but getting out of the situation seemed like the best option. Hell, I didn’t know who this guy was, and I didn’t know what he was doing, but I didn’t want to find out.

  Memories flashed through my mind, and I nearly threw up. I wasn’t going to let him take advantage of me, whoever it was, that was for damn sure. I didn’t care how much I had to struggle to get free of his grasp.

  But then, he suddenly shoved me up against the wall. He let go of my mouth, but seeing his face was enough to make me freeze.

  It was Hanserd.

  “Thought you could get away from me, did you? You’d just conveniently screw me over and get yourself a deal to get out of prison, leaving behind nothing but suspicious looks and hardship for me when you left,” he sneered.

  “What are you talking about? You walked!” I gasped. “They didn’t do a damn thing to you! I was the one who got thrown out of there like I was nothing, and I’ve had to live with what you did to me every since then!”

  “Any girl in that fucking prison would have been lucky to be in your shoes. You just happen to be the one who got the lucky straw,” he said with a laugh. “Do you know how many times I’ve been with inmates in that prison? More than I could count!”

  “You’ve been raping girls for that long?” I asked, h
orror in my voice.

  “No, not raping. Like I said, any woman in that prison would be lucky to be with me, and they would all give their left foot to make it happen,” he said with a sadistic smile. “Of course, it’s hard to find anyone in that place I’ve wanted to fuck for a while now.”

  “You’re a monster.” I tried to push him away from me, but he shoved me back against the wall, hard. I saw stars as my head rattled with the force, and I wished I could find my voice enough to scream.

  There would be no getting out of this – just like there hadn’t been any getting out of what he did to me in the showers that night. I could struggle all I wanted, but I wasn’t strong enough to get him off me. And, he knew it. He would take what he wanted from me again, leaving me with the shame and embarrassment.

  “Call me what you want,” he said. “But you’re going to pay for what you did to me. I nearly lost my career because of you, and I’ve wanted you dead ever since!”

  “So what, you’re going to kill me? How are you going to get away with that if you didn’t even get away with raping me in the showers?” I was trying to sound a lot tougher than I felt, hoping against hope someone would come around the corner and see what was going on.

  If Hanserd was already afraid of losing his career, maybe the fact that he was attacking me a second time would be enough to get him fired. Then again, what would stop him from coming after me again? I could smell the alcohol on his breath, and I knew he would finish what he started here.

  Maybe no one would be able to get him off me, either. His body was like a rock, and he wasn’t afraid to get violent with anyone who stood in his way. Hell, the fact that he had thrown my head against the wall twice was enough to prove that.

  “Maybe. I’m pissed off enough to. Hell, I could make it look like an accident. It wouldn’t be the first time in my life I’ve had to take care of problems that way. And if you think that you got away with something ratting me out, you’ve got another thing coming,” he said.

  I stared at him. I wanted there to be defiance in my look, but I knew it was nothing but fear. Hell, I could feel the tears running down my cheeks, and my lower lip quivered. I wanted to beg him to let me go, but I knew that wouldn’t do me any good, either.