Devil May Care (Four Horsemen MC Book 4) (2 page)

 Glancing to his left, Captain watched as Ryker glared at him, a distinct
fuck you
in his eyes. Ryker was a good guy. At one time they’d been friendly, but that had gone south once he’d started flirting with his momma. Captain couldn’t fault him for being overprotective, but now he specialized in being a full-time pain in his ass.

Well, no one said this would be easy. If he wanted easy, he’d make time with a hellion instead.

“You know what you need?” Steele asked, slipping into the chair across from him.  He squeezed a lime wedge into his Corona and tossed it aside.

“Privacy?” He pointedly focused on Eddie once more, who briskly refilled bowls of salty peanuts.

“No, a wingman,” he said, nodding towards her. “
That
is definitely some dangerous territory, my friend.”

Captain couldn’t deny a bit of truth in those words, but he didn’t discuss his love life, or lack thereof, with his brothers. “Ain’t your friend.” He lifted a brow. “I’m your president.”

While he loved the Horsemen, he had to forfeit some of its benefits. Namely the brotherhood aspect. He never allowed himself to get too close to any of them. When you had to knock heads now and then, it didn’t pay to play favorites. Sometimes, he thought about stepping down, letting someone else deal with all this shit. Probably Shepherd, his VP.

Steele was completely undaunted. “Whatever, Cap, but you still need a wingman. I mean it ain’t goin’ well. Everyone’s been sayin’ so.”

He groaned.
Holy shit.
The brothers sure loved to flap their gums. The hazard of a small town, he guessed. Nothin’ to do but talk. He narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean? Everyone?”

“The club, all the brothers, and the old ladies, too. Like I said, you need some help.”

 “No, I don’t. What I need is some fucking peace and quiet.” He made a brushing motion with his hand. “Now, toddle off.”

He leaned back in his chair, stretched out his legs, and generally made a big show of getting comfortable. “Nah, I’m good here.”

“There are two things you need to keep in mind, Steele. Number one, I’m startin’ to get tetchy. Two, I’m armed.” He dragged the Colt from the pocket of his leather cut and brandished it.

God bless Texas.
A concealed carry was perfectly fucking legal. It wouldn’t have stopped him anyway, but it's nice when the law can’t do a damned thing about it.

He laughed. “You expectin’ me to get spooked by one little bitty pistol? Marines don’t run away.” He nodded towards Eddie. “Speaking of the military, you need to get over there. Take that hill.”

“Yeah, I’ll get right on it.” Then, he shook his head. “No, no I won’t. Because I’m flying this mission solo.”

Steele coughed into his hand, with a muffled
chicken shit.

“What the fuck?” He drained his whiskey and slapped the glass back on the table.

He squared his shoulders, his spine ramrod straight. “I said. Enough with the stalking. Sack up and ask her out. I got good money ridin’ on this shit.”

“Did you guys start another goddamn pool?” The brothers loved to bet on each other’s personal lives.  Who’d get an STD, who’d be arrested next, that sort of thing.

The Marine glanced at the ceiling. “Uh, no, of course not. That would be wrong.”

“And for the record?” Captain said, jabbing a finger in Steele’s direction. “I’m not stalking her, I’m keeping an eye on...” He drifted off as she bent down to pick up a napkin from the floor.

Holy fuck, those jeans hugged every curve.
Damn, he’d have to think about it later in bed.  Prime stroke material right there.

“Her ass?” he offered.

Captain snapped out of his lust-induced trance. “Shut the fuck up.”

 “No. Not until you do something. Ask her out already. You’re startin’ to look like that French polecat.”

“Enlighten me.”

Steele frowned. “You know, the one tryin’ to fuck the
real
house cat. The cartoon?”

“
Pepe fuckin’ Le Peu?
That’s what you’re yammerin’ about? A cartoon skunk?” He dimly recalled the cartoons, where the skunk would grab the kitty and hug and kiss on it, while it tried to get away from him. Shit. Maybe he was a stalker.

 And his patience was officially at an end.

 “This ain’t your fucking business, Steele. Drop it. Now.”

But his brother didn’t back down, whether it was due to stupidity, or just balls, Captain couldn’t say. “You’ve bird-dogged her for years when she was with Joker, and she’s been available for fucking ever and you haven’t—”

He crossed his arms over his chest.  “The hell you say! I honored the club’s commandments and I’ve never fucked around with another brother’s old lady.”

 The club had a set of rules, or commandments, in place to keep everyone in line and that particular regulation was a big one. Once a brother had laid a claim on a woman she was strictly off limits. Fuck with it at your own peril.

After Joker went on the inside, he’d only flirted with Eddie. It’d been innocent, mostly. He’d had the vague hope she’d divorce the bastard, but Eddie was loyal. She’d remained married and faithful to Joker, despite everything.

Steele sighed. “Fine, you technically didn’t break a commandment, but seriously, my brother, are you gonna shit or get off the pot? Make a move on her already. It’s the worst kept secret in the club.”

“Steele?” he grated out.

“Yeah?”

“Find a new fucking topic. Or I’ll make you scrub bug guts off our bikes with your face.”

“Just sayin’,” he muttered with a shrug, either not sensing or giving a shit about his bad mood. Captain thought it was the former. The ex-Marine had some thick ass skin. And a really big mouth.

He widened his eyes. “Why are you still here?”

“Forgot to tell you something,” he said as he stood up. “Frost said he’d stop by Hades tomorrow morning for breakfast. He needs to see you.”

Dammit.

The only news Detective Frost brought them was bad. He was an old military buddy of Steele’s. Unlike most of the brothers, Steele didn’t have a record. He did the occasional bounty hunting gig on the side.  Frost let him know when some asshole slipped through the legal cracks, so the club could administer some vigilante justice.

He figured they were due for a shit storm. It had been quiet, too quiet lately. A little over a month ago, they’d raided a rival club’s whorehouse/porn studio. The Raptors had been trafficking in young women, and using them for profit. The Horsemen had freed everyone, destroyed the studio, and made off with some of the cash, and the closed circuit camera feeds.

The Raptors hadn’t retaliated yet, which was an ominous fucking sign.  Maybe Frost had some Intel on their end game.

 “I’ll be there,” Captain promised.

“Right, boss. I’ll be off, if you’re sure you don’t need any help …”

“I’m sure,” he growled.

“You wanna play a game of pool? We’ve been talkin’ about gettin’ a game together, maybe placin’ bets. Could be fun.”

“No, thanks.” Though, it sounded more fun than sittin’ here broodin’ about Frost. He generally avoided hangin’ out with the guys though.

“Have it your way, boss.” With a mock salute, Steele headed over to another table and sat down with Coyote and Axel.  Sighing, Captain rubbed the bridge of his nose. Yeah, bein’ president could be a real pain in the ass.

Eddie drifted over to him and he immediately sat up straighter in his chair. Damn, but she still made him feel like a prospect. “Everything okay?” she asked.

He shrugged. “Since when is anything ever okay with us? We’re lightning rods for trouble.”

She laughed. “So what fresh hell is this?”

“Frost is meeting me for breakfast tomorrow. He’s got some news.”

She whistled. “Damn.”

“My sentiments exactly. Why don’t you come with me? We can have breakfast together at eight.”

Maybe Steele was right, inviting her to a meet and greet was a chicken shit move. He’d never had the balls to ask her out on an actual date. He’d always been afraid she’d shoot his ass down. So, he’d settled for near dates, or fake dates. They’d done breakfast, lots of times, but always with someone else, usually Elizabeth, her son’s fiancé.

Her eyes skittered away from his. “Uh, I don’t know. I’m not much of a morning person.” She dug the cell from the pocket of her jeans and checked the time. “It’s nearly two now.”

He never backed down. Even though she seemed to be reluctant to take it further, he sensed some attraction on her part, but she never acted on it.  He’d often wondered what it was. Loyalty to her husband? Maybe the age gap between them made her nervous. Regardless, he needed to see if he could push past it. They deserved a real shot.

“I’d appreciate the moral support. Besides, you have to eat, right?”

“I guess. Who else is going to be there besides the detective?” she asked. “Shouldn’t you be inviting Shepherd?”

Of course, he should ask Shep. And, sure, Frost would be there. “Yeah, I’ll text him, but I want you there, too.”
Yep, an intimate table for four.

She picked up his empty beer bottle and placed it on her tray. “Okay. I’ll meet you there.” Then, she dashed away.

Captain couldn’t help but admire the sway of her hips as she walked.
So much for asking her on a date.

But at least he would see her in the morning–that was something to look forward to.

He grabbed his gear and headed for the door. As he passed by Steele’s table, the bastard started making clucking noises, like a goddamn chicken. Coyote and Axel looked away, but their shoulders were shaking with what he suspected was laughter.

For a moment, he pondered how good his fist might look smack dab in the middle of Steele’s face. “I swear to God, boy, you ain’t got the sense the good Lord gave a lemon.”

He frowned. “I ain’t rightly sure what citrus fruit has to do with it.”

Captain grabbed a discarded lime wedge from the table. “I could shove this up your nostril and show you.”

Steele made a face. “Shit!  I was only havin’ some fun, man.

“Well, I’m about to have my own fun if you don’t shut your yap.”

He held up his hands. “Sorry, brother.”

“No problem.” Captain stalked toward the door. “You have yourself a real good night,” he called.

Chapter Two

The next morning, Eddie woke up thirty minutes before her alarm went off.
Dammit
.
She hated when her body turned traitor and robbed her of much-needed sleep. With a groan, she pulled the covers over her head and tried to get back to sleep, but it was useless.

Managing Perdition called for a nocturnal lifestyle. When most people were getting up to go to work, she was headed to bed.  And vice-versa.  The bar usually opened around noon every day, though the staff sometimes came in a bit earlier to restock, clean, and other tasks. It didn’t close until two in the morning weekdays, and four on the weekends.

She’d never been much of a morning person to begin with, but keeping her schedule came with certain sacrifices. Namely, being a member of the waking world. So getting up for breakfast this early was a chore. She’d only had about four hours of sleep and she felt like a fucking zombie. Her eyes were gritty, as though someone had scooped sand into them. Rubbing at one, she threw her feet over the side of the bed, only to nearly collide with Ruby, her new pocket beagle puppy, a present from Elizabeth.

“Mornin’ Ruby,” she mumbled as the wiggly fur ball danced around her legs. After a quick trip to the bathroom, she poured the puppy a bowlful of chow, which she promptly devoured while Eddie waited for her coffee to brew.

She was grateful for the distraction the dog offered. Sometimes she hated being alone in this big house by herself. Since the boys had left, it felt empty. She missed the sound of their laughter, their footfalls on the stairs when they came home from school. They hadn’t lived with her for years, but their memories lingered on.

Just like Joker’s memory.

They’d bought this house together, a real fixer upper with a leaky roof and thousand other little flaws he’d spent weekends fixing. Sometimes, she felt as if she lived with Joker’s ghost, or at least the remains of what their time together had been. He'd carved out distinct places in her life she’d never been able to fill again.  Like, she didn't sleep on his side of the bed. She'd never taken over his empty dresser. There were two sinks in her bathroom, one she never used. Not to mention a basement full of woodworking tools she never touched.

She absently rubbed the wedding ring on the chain around her neck. She’d looped it through Joker’s Horsemen pendant necklace. He’d given it to her shortly after they got together. The ring hadn’t been exactly to her taste, it was yellow gold instead of white. She’d always wanted something edgy, like an emerald instead of a diamond. Maybe because her parents’ marriage had been such a mess. She’d wanted to buck tradition and do something different.

But her man had picked it out and she didn’t have the heart to tell him different. She loved the man, so she loved the ring he’d bought for her.

The way he’d looked up at her as he knelt at her feet.

Shaking off the memory, she poured herself a cupful of coffee, added both cream and sugar to it. Then, began to mentally plan her day.  Eddie always kept busy. She looked for things to do and Perdition gave her plenty— alcohol orders to complete, accounting to be done, schedules to be organized. Filling her days, stopped those intrusive thoughts. She doubted if she took the time to examine her life she’d like what she saw – how truly empty it was.

But then does anyone’s dreams ever come true? As soon as she’d graduated high school, she started applyin’ for jobs. She’d wanted to get the hell out of Kentucky. Most of the girls she went to school with, were getting married straight out of school.

Hell, some of them didn’t even wait.

But she hadn’t wanted to spend her life in Bean Station, Kentucky havin’ babies and repeating her momma’s life.  Instead, she’d answered an ad in the paper, looking for people to work in the oil fields of Texas. She’d gotten a job as a secretary and worked there until she’d gotten pregnant. Joker had been making decent money by then, so they didn’t need her income as well.