Bad Boy's Baby: Wicked Angels MC (15 page)

The little garden was starting to bloom and I sat down on the concrete bench. Chill soaked through my black jeans and I shifted uncomfortably. It was a narrow bench and as Tristan sat down next to me, I felt his muscular thigh press against mine. We didn’t talk, but he pulled out a cigarette and lit it with his tan hands, taking a deep drag and sending plumes of smoke across the garden.

“Why did you drive by my parents’ house?” I couldn’t look at Tristan as I asked the question. “Were you trying to make me feel bad?”

Tristan chuckled, but it was a humorless sound. “Nothing like that,” he said after a beat. “I didn’t want to make you feel anything, but it’s a pretty drive.” He sucked in air and stretched again. “I mean, honestly, Jenny. Sometimes I forget that you lived there, all those years ago. It’s been a long time.”

I felt like he’d punched me in the gut. “Oh,” was all I could manage in response. Part of me wanted not to believe him; after all, it would be a great lie to hurt me. But deep down, I knew he remembered. The look in his eye when he’d first recognized me spoke volumes louder than any remark he could toss out casually.

“I mean, did you forget it?” Tristan turned to me. His sunglasses were covering his dark blue eyes but his tone was serious. “It was a long time ago, Jenny.”

“It seems like a lifetime ago,” I admitted. “I don’t really think about it anymore. It’s useless to get hooked into the past.”

Tristan sucked air into his mouth through his teeth, an odd kind of whistling sound. “That’s easy for you to say,” he said softly. “Some of us didn’t run like you did.”

My head snapped up.
Me, run? What the fuck is he talking about? He’s the one who left me, dammit! He never showed up again, not after that disastrous birthday.

Before I could answer, he stood up and walked towards the edge of the parking lot. “I need to get going,” he said. “Where the hell is the damn prospect?”

As if on cue, another motorcycle roared into the parking lot. I recognized Patches, the young, round-faced biker. He grinned at me when he saw me; unlike some of the other Angels, Patches always seemed happy to see me. I had a feeling women like me didn’t hang around often. I was a novelty, that was all.

“Hi, Patches,” I said, trying to keep my tone both neutral and friendly. “How are you?”

“Great,” he said. “I get to hang out at the library with a pretty lady.” He pronounced library like ‘liberry’ but I couldn’t help grinning anyway. After all of the tension with Tristan, it was nice to be around someone who didn’t make a secret out of enjoying my company.

“Hopefully it won’t be too exciting,” I mumbled under my breath. Tristan was already walking back to his bike and climbing on. All of the momentary happiness I’d felt at seeing Patches disappeared and was replaced with emptiness.

It’s true, he doesn’t think about you at all,
I thought sadly as Tristan roared out of the library’s parking lot.
Just forget about him and go back to your life. You know he doesn’t want you around. He‘s not going to want to be a dad to Phin. You should just give up.

“Jenny, are you okay?” Patches was looking at me with a curious expression on his wide face. “You look sad.”

“I feel sad,” I said. My voice sounded pathetic and I winced. Straightening up, I looked him in his guileless brown eyes. “But I’ll be fine. Everything is going to be fine.”

Patches didn’t say anything else as I strode into the library with purpose. Suddenly, all eyes were on me. In my moment of moping, I’d forgotten about the slutty outfit I’d put on before work. Now, wearing skintight black jeans seemed like a horrible idea. But it was too late, I was already here. A nervous smile pasted itself on my face as I walked behind the counter and checked my little mailbox. It was empty. Even though it had seemed like weeks since I’d worked, it startled me to realize that it had actually only been a couple of days.

“Jenny, you look nice,” one of the other librarians said. He was an older guy named Toby, with a pink scalp showing through his thinning brown hair. He smiled at me and I felt another touch of self-consciousness. There was nothing creepy or leering about his gaze, but I still felt embarrassed. Normally, I didn’t draw any attention to myself at work. It made me uncomfortable. I didn’t want people judging me for being a single mom and for dressing attractively. I knew that it was outdated and sexist, but Centreville was a small town. I knew how easily people would start talking, and I didn’t want Phin to grow up with any kind of bad reputation. Also, I didn’t want any word getting back to my parents. Ever since they’d kicked me out, I’d tried to maintain a low profile. I was afraid, of what, I wasn’t exactly sure. But I had a feeling that if they resurfaced, it wouldn’t be good for me or for Phin. At best, I saw them tentatively apologizing. At worst…I didn’t know. I didn’t even like to think about that.

“Thank you,” I said, dipping my head. “Have the past couple days been okay?” A blush came over me when I remembered how Tristan and I had spent a torrid night just a few days ago. I arched my back involuntarily, thinking of his lips and teeth on my sensitive skin. Shivering, I blinked and stared at my shoes. Damn Tristan, he always had control of my body, even when he wasn’t physically near me. He’d changed something inside of me all those years ago, and it would never be the same.

“We missed you,” Toby said. He smiled at me again and I blushed again, more deeply this time. It was almost like he could read the sex on my face. “You’ll be back from now on?”

“I hope so,” I said. “Sorry, it was a personal crisis.” Inwardly, I cursed at myself but I didn’t know what else I could say. I didn’t exactly have a lot of respect for other librarians who called out at the drop of a hat. I had to save all of my sick time and vacation time for when Phin actually got sick. Last year I’d come in with a hundred-degree fever for three days in a row because I couldn’t have afforded the time off.
Toby nodded. “I understand,” he said. “We all have those sometimes.” He stared at me and I felt a rush of irritation pass through me. I was obviously in the middle of something rough and he couldn’t even stop checking me out! Were all men like this, just useless pigs led around by their cocks? I frowned. I didn’t want to believe that. Daddy hadn’t been like that. Tristan hadn’t been like that either. But now, after what had happened between us, I wasn’t so sure. Maybe he didn’t really love me after all. Maybe he was just using me for my body, and to make himself feel more important.

“Jenny, just let me know when you’re ready to catch up the events,” Toby said. He smiled at me and I felt the same irritation, only stronger this time. “We have a lot to talk about. You know that we got approved for the new speaker series?” He made his hand into a fist and swung it cheerily through the air. I almost laughed; despite his strong pose, he was about the farthest possible thing from intimidating that I’d ever seen. Hell, Phin was more intimidating and he hadn’t even hit puberty yet.
That’s what always gets you in trouble,
I thought.
You can’t stay away from those bad boys, no matter how tough they are. No matter how much they hurt you. You always have a weakness for guys from the wrong side of the tracks
.

“Later,” I said absentmindedly. “I have to rifle through some papers first.” I held up the stack on the desk. “It looks like no one processed these late fees.”

Toby actually blushed. “I’m sorry,” he said apologetically. “I know I should have taken care of those, but you know, I’m just so bad at math.” He shifted his weight from one foot to the other and I couldn’t help but feel a trace of disgust at his aging, soft body. He wasn’t muscular like Tristan, and he had the charisma of a dead walrus. I couldn’t believe that before Tristan had come charging back into my life, I’d actually contemplated going out with Toby.

I was relieved when he left me alone. Patches settled in the corner of the library with a motorcycle magazine on his lap. He kept a hand tucked in his jacket and I knew that his fingers were wrapped around the trigger of his gun. I felt safe when he was around, and before long, it felt like almost no time had passed since I’d worked. I’d missed the quiet of the library, the smell of old paper. It was soothing and comforting to me, even though I couldn’t get Tristan out of the back of my mind. Tristan and his sexy body and the way he’d left without a second glance. I shuddered. What was going to happen when all of this settled? Would another ten years pass before I saw him again?

Stop thinking about him right now,
I ordered myself.
You know that isn’t going to help anything. There’s nothing you can do to change what’s going on, and there’s nothing you can do to change Tristan. It would be better for everyone if you realized that right now
.

Morning turned into afternoon and I was busy helping patrons find the books they wanted. A popular sci-fi series had just released a new book, and I set up a waiting list, patiently explaining to some high school kids that they’d have to wait a couple of weeks.

“Why don’t you have an e-reader lending program?” One of them frowned at me. “Most libraries do. This is the twenty-first century, after all.”

I chuckled. “But Centreville is a small town,” I reminded the kid. “You know we don’t always have a big budget for those things.” When his face fell, I felt guilty. “But you know, I’ll say something to the board about it the next time we meet,” I added. “You never know; it might work out.”

By late afternoon, my feet ached. I told Toby I was going to take a small break. When he nodded, I gratefully dashed into the atrium. It was a sunny, open space where people in the community would post ads for yard sales and the like. It was especially warm after the sun had been hitting it for hours, and I closed my eyes and breathed in. Something brushed against my arm but I didn’t open my eyes. I thought it was Patches, coming to make sure I was okay.
Just a minute or two and then I’ll go back in
, I thought.
He can wait just another couple of seconds.

But before I could react, something grabbed me and tugged me off to the side. I stumbled, opening my eyes at the last second. It wasn’t Patches, it was Randy, one of the scumbags who’d grabbed me before. I opened my mouth to yelp and he clapped a hand over me before I could make a sound. Dragging me over to the corner of the atrium, he pulled a knife out of his jacket and pressed the blade against my throat. I could feel the edge of the steel against my skin and I whimpered as Randy shoved the cold metal hard against me.

“Don’t make a sound, girly,” Randy said. He was breathing heavily and he pressed his body against mine. I could feel that he had an erection. Disgust swam through my body and I tried to twist away but Randy was stronger. “You wear that just for me, baby? You look so damn yummy in that.”

“I didn’t do anything for you,” I managed to spit.

Anger flashed in Randy’s eyes and he jabbed the knifepoint into my neck. I felt it break the skin; a trickle of blood ran down my chest.

“You better tell your boyfriend to stop poking around,” Randy said in a heavy voice. His breath smelled like stale tobacco and rot and I flinched. “Did you know he made a little visit to the police station?”

I opened my eyes wide. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said, my voice shaking. I took a deep breath and tried to steel my nerves. “I don’t know what he does.”

“Well, you better make it your business,” Randy said. He pressed the blade into my neck and I whimpered. “Because if he doesn’t stop, you’re gonna be the next crime scene. You got that?”

Chills ran down my body. “I understand,” I said softly.

I thought Randy was going to reach out and grab me but he pulled the knife back and tucked it in his jacket. I stood there shaking as he walked out of the library, whistling confidently. Even though I felt like I was rooted to the spot, I forced my legs to move and walk back into the library. When I looked in the corner, I saw no sign of Patches. It was like he’d vanished.

“Oh, my god,” Toby said. He came up to me in a hurry with a wad of tissues clutched in his skinny fingers. “Jenny! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said. My heart was pounding at the inside of my chest. “Can you give me a ride home?”

“Sure,” Toby said. “Can you wait a few minutes?”

I shook my head. “No,” I said. “It has to be now.”

Tony sensed the urgency in my voice. He promised that he’d be right back as he dashed off behind the front desk. As I waited, I knew that I had to call Tristan. He had to know about this, and soon.