Leather Cult Leader: What?
Me: I HATE texting.Did you forget that?
Leather Cult Leader: Nope.Just wanted to annoy the piss out of you is all.Did it?
Me: Like a charm, brother.
Leather Cult Leader: See.I told you Cleveland would be better for you this time around.
Me: It really isn’t.Still kinda smells like dirty socks and the people aren’t any nicer than they were when I left this popsicle stand behind in my dust.
Leather Cult Leader: Sorry about that.Erm.Love ya, dork.
Me: Love you, too!
A small smile graced my lips.I’d grown accustomed to hearing him say it, but his awkwardness made it hilarious to me.There was only one text remaining, and the sender clearly wasn’t Isaac.My gut told me not to open it, but I had to.
Unknown: You didn’t listen.I tried to warn you.Now look at you.You’re wet and you fucking slept outside.That’s not smart.You need to be smart.Didn’t your biker teach you better than that?
Pure rage blinded me when I read the last three sentences.What type of coward rode around for hours to find someone when they clearly knew where they were at?Apparently Shane, that was who.I hauled myself off the ground and onto my feet fast and was fully aware of where I was going before I reached my car.It was true I didn’t know one Royal Bastard in Cleveland, or, at least, I didn’t think I did until last night, but I was about to get uncomfortably close to several of them if they didn’t tell me where that spineless jerk was.
CHAPTER14
TEXTS & PROTECTION
SAC
“Listen, fuckstick, I don’t know who in the hell you think you are, but you’re not coming in my fucking clubhouse demanding things,” Wiley all but yelled through the clubhouse, and my eyes shot open.
It was too early to deal with a dumbass with a death wish, but here we were.I sprang out of bed, my feet landing in the jeans I’d discarded the night before, and I jerked them on.Wiley was about to school some stupid asshole and teach him exactly how he got his road name.The fucker was on the shorter side, but I’d seen him take down three men in a matter of seconds before.It was equally impressive and intimidating—not that I would ever tell him that.
My hand reached for the doorknob just as Wiley spoke again, “The fuck?Did you just pinch me?I don’t want to hit a woman, but I will if you even think about touching me again!”
The threat was a woman?And she just pinched him?I vibrated with silent laughter.Of course, I would still make sure Wiley didn’t get killed, but if the only thing she brought as self-defense was her fingernails, I doubted his life was in much danger.
I slowly pushed the door open but took my good ol’ time getting into the hallway.I wanted to see if he pinched her back but didn’t want to risk the interruption if she saw me.After a couple of seconds of silence passed between them, I really started to wonder if she hadn’t pulled a gun on him and had it firmly pressed against his temple.
“Did you seriously call me a f-stick?How original!I guess I expected too much from someone whose brain has been washed by a leather cult.I don’t have time for you or youreloquentvocabulary.I said either you tell me where he is or move out of my flippin’ way, tiny!”the woman shouted, and I about had a heart attack from the shock alone.If Wiley didn’t kill her for insulting his height, he definitely would for referring to our brotherhood as a leather cult.
I ran down the hallway in record time, and as soon as I saw the woman in question, my body froze in place.There was no logical explanation as to why she was here.I wanted to run around Wiley, pull her into my arms, and never let her go again.This wasn’t a pleasant visit, though.Corine Lacey Clark had been my best friend for over twenty-five years.Even though we hadn’t been on speaking terms for the biggest part of that, I still considered her my best friend.No one was ever able to fill the shoes she once had.The answer as to why was simple; no one was her.
“Tiny, huh?I’ll show you fucking tiny,” had just came out of Wiley’s mouth and his hand was dangerously close to his piece.
“Wiley!Don’t,” I warned, praying I didn’t have to explain to him why she was here and clearly pissed because I couldn’t.I didn’t have any answers for him.He probably had just as much of an idea as I did on that subject.Okay.That was a lie.My brother didn’t know her.I did.
“You!”she fumed, pointing her finger directly at me and taking a step closer to me.Wiley’s eyes widened and darted between Cor and me.I nodded at him, giving him confirmation that she was okay and he shouldn’t kill her, praying he got the hint.
“Hi,” I breathlessly said, not giving a damn how mad she was.I cared, obviously, but was shook to my core to be this close to her after so much time.
“Don’t ‘hi’ me, you damned spineless tube snake!”she seethed, patting Wiley on the shoulder as she stepped around him.My muscles tensed, waiting for Wiley to strike back, but he didn’t.Cor was pissed, so there was no doubt in my mind she would go blow for blow with Wiley.She grew up wrestling with three boys and used to pack one hell of a punch.The only time I had ever heard her cuss was when she was furious.When she got like this, there was no reasoning with her.She was one of those people that once she was mad, she stayed that way.
“Okay.Hello, little dove,” I quickly said, biting the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing in her face.
Her features softened for a split second, and then they hardened again.She continued her warpath straight toward me, pushing her fingertip forcefully into the middle of my chest.
She coughed out a sarcastic laugh.“Don’t you dare use that name,” she spat out with venomous hatred, poking me with her finger again.
“Why not?It’s yours.”I was pushing my luck, but I didn’t give a shit.She was here, and I didn’t have to drag Sledge back out to help me search for her.She found me.So even though she was clearly upset, her actually being here was a small win for me.
