Forbidden (Motorcycle Club Romance): Trista and Blaze 1 (Fallen Idols Motorcycle Club) (3 page)

FIVE

I emerged out of the dark warehouse, lowering my sunglasses onto my eyes, and I strolled across the yard to get on my bike. As I glanced over my shoulder, a black town car parked about a block away, and watched us. Stolen car parts were one thing, but hanging around my territory could get you shot. I walked past my bike, and pulled out a cigarette, as I moved towards shipping containers. I could stand behind them, and scope out whoever was surveying us. Watching the enemy was easier than getting found out. I leaned against the container, inhaling a drawl out of my favorite brand, when a hand slipped across my mouth, and pulled me back. I immediately dropped my cigarette, and attempted to stamp on my assailant’s foot, but when I turned around, I was met with a familiar face.

“Shit! What the hell are you doing?”

Chen Li, vice president for the Red Dragons, stood in front of me. We'd been in business with them for over a decade, but they didn't usually come down to the shop. Ryder’s little favor was even odd for our arrangement. If Chen was here, there was trouble.

“Saving your ass, girly. You think you can just stand and spy on some car, and think they won’t blow your head off in a second?”

I stood tall. “I wanted them to know that they'd been seen.”

“You think they'd be parked right there if they didn't want to be seen? Those aren’t some thugs, Trista. It's the damned Feds.”

My mouth dropped open. “What the hell are the Feds doing here?”

Chen ran his hands through his short hair. He was the only one in the Red Dragons with a buzz cut; he had cancer as a kid, and it never grew back completely. “I don't know, but this isn't good for business. I assume that it’s Victor Velasquez, or whatever the hell his name is. Whoever it is, it means trouble, and we have to keep a low profile.”

I shook my head. None of this made sense. None of the Feds had it out for us, not since we bankrolled a couple of them two years ago during a sting operation. We were free and clear, and no one wanted to go to jail. Why were they suddenly looking into us now?

“What the hell are you doing here anyway, Chen? This isn’t your side of the dock.” It was known that the Red Dragons also ran a smuggling operation south of here. We were in business with them, but we were strictly cars, back and forth to China. Whatever they did outside of that wasn’t our concern. Chen was one of our main contacts, but that didn't mean he came to the warehouse. We always met on neutral ground, to keep eyes off the place.

“I'm looking for Rogue. Got some business to discuss, and he didn't answer my call this morning. And you know what happens when someone doesn't answer my calls…”

I nodded. “You come looking. I understand. What do you need to discuss with Rogue? He hardly even comes down here anymore; this is a smooth operation.”

“Is it really? Because, yesterday, the shipments didn't come in.”

Stolen parts and now missing shipments? Jesus, we were in some serious shit.

“What shipment? What's missing?”

He shook his head. “This concerns me even more.”

I squinted at him. “The Feds? We can get rid of them, don’t worry.”

“It's not that, Trista. It's the fact that you didn't even know the two cars went missing. They never made it on a boat, so someone on your side has been talking. And the Feds being here only supports that.”

“A rat? No, a Fallen Idol would never rat! We got more loyalty than anybody you've ever worked with. And you know that!”

He raised his eyebrows, glaring. “I don't know who you got with you, Trista, but someone's been talking. And they're selling your shit right from underneath you.”

I couldn't believe him. He knew how we operated, and he knew that my people would never talk. “Well, here's what we’re going to do. You go back home, and listen on the streets. Tell me if somebody's driving around in one of your cars. I’ll check my guys, and be sure that no one's gotten an influx of cash in the past week. And when both of us come up empty, we’ll take a look at some of the rivals.”

He rolled his eyes at me. “Las Almas hasn’t got anything to do with this. They're not in the car trade, sweetheart. You know all they do is run drugs. Not that you have a handle on that either these days.”

I pushed him up against the wall, and held my arm against his throat. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

He wouldn't push me back. He knew better than try something with a girl, especially one that was carrying. “Las Almas is running drugs in Brooks Landing.”

I backed off. “And how the hell would you know that? You don't run through our territory? And their people know to stay away from us.”

He smirked at me. “You know pussy talks better than anything else. One of the Dragon ladies says she’s buying over there all the time. You know who her supplier has to be. And she's not the only one.”

Shit! If there was one thing we hated worse than people stealing from us, it was the goddamned Mexicans selling on our turf. Brooks Landing took care of us, and they loved us because we took care of them. We kept them safe. We made sure the streets didn’t run with blood or drugs. If Las Almas was dealing in our neighborhoods, they were going to feel the heat on their home ground. We’d take it to Pineview if we had to.

I let him go. “I gotta deal with this shit. Rogue will call you to set up a meet. We'll figure out what the hell is going on. I promise you.”

I turned to walk away, but Chen grabbed my hand, and pulled me back close to him. “Have you thought any more about my proposition?” His back was to the wall, and I was on top of him.

I smiled at him innocently. “What proposition would that be?”

He lifted my chin up with his forefinger, so that I was staring into his almond eyes. “I can't wait much longer. I'm highly sought after.”

“Well, it's fun to know that I've caught the biggest prize at the fair.” I pushed my lips onto his, relishing the control I had over him. In only a moment, it was over. I turned and strutted away, never looking behind me.

I put on my helmet, and started up my Harley. Quickly, I glanced at the black town car. They were far enough away that they didn’t hear our secrets, but I didn’t feel good that they were looking into us.

Checking the rearview mirror, I saw Chen walking back to his Escalade. Our business arrangement was more important than my nighttime relationships. But, if I was going to keep either of them intact, I had to figure out where those cars were. And then I would deal with Las Almas.

SIX

When I got back to the club, Mama was sitting outside on the bench eating her lunch. She always had her lunch outside. I think it gave her some sort of sense of normalcy in her life. Just like other office workers, even though our business was nothing like theirs.

“Mama, what you got today?”

She held up half of her sandwich to me. “Ham and cheese. Want some?”

“Sure.” I sat down, took my half, and dug in. I hadn't had any breakfast, too much to deal with today.

“What's going on, baby? You look stressed.” Her eyes wrinkled at the edges, showing her age, and maybe her worry. I hadn’t been the easiest child to raise. I had always assumed that’s why I was an only child.

“I don't know, Mama. I was just down at the warehouse, and we’re missing some stuff. And then I saw Chen, and he said that two of our deliveries hadn’t made it to port. And on top of all that other shit, Las Almas is dealing in Brooks Landing.”

She crumpled her napkin, throwing it down. “Shit! What makes them think that they can come over here? Don't they know what Rogue will do to them?”

I shrugged. “You'd think that after all this time, they'd realize that we’re not family.”

“Damn straight. Blood doesn't matter in this case.”

I shook my head. “I don't know why they ever thought it did.”

She sucked in a breath. “I mean, back in the old days, there wasn't beef. Before your dad and I got together, before the Fallen Idols, we were okay. Not friendly, but okay. We’d do jobs for one another; keep the streets clean. But then when your father and I got together, shit went down. And it's been that way ever since. My brother and I have barely spoken since the night that I came to live with your father.”

“You mean the night Dad got shot?” Rogue had a serious scar on the front and back of his shoulder where a bullet had gone straight through. Somehow, it had been the last time he got shot, and that was nearly twenty-five years ago, right before I came into the picture. I was the whole reason my parents got together. A one-night stand had turned into a decades-long marriage that was deeper than any blood bond.

“Yup. That was the end. Right before you became a prospect, there was a truce made with them. The agreement was, no more bloodshed as long as they stay the hell out of Brooks Landing, right? So that's what I don't get. Why would Isidro suddenly want to start that war again? He knows how we feel about drugs.”

“Maybe he thinks we’re distracted? Or cocky.” She knew I was referring to my father. It had been too long since he had gotten a taste of the action. It was like that bullet wound warded off any other injuries. He had been too lucky for too long, and he was getting sloppy. The missing shipment was evidence of that. But I couldn't tell Mama any of that; it was club business, and she was just an old lady. That was the difference between her and I. She never wanted me to be involved, but it wasn't her choice. As soon as I turned eighteen, I told my father I wanted to prospect. I would be the only female rider on the West Coast in an all-male MC. At first, Dad tried to convince me that I should go join one of the lady clubs, but they were too squeaky clean for me. I wanted to be in on the jobs. I'd grown up an outlaw, and I wanted it to stay that way. Fallen Idols were my family, and I wasn’t going to turn my back on them and go straight for some all-girl club. It took two different churches for them to approve me to prospect. But I proved my worth from the beginning, and I'd gotten the respect that I needed ever since.

Mama took another bite of her sandwich before adding, “Did you say you saw Chen? It must be really be important if he came to the docks.”

“He said he tried to call Rogue, but he didn't call him back. You know how the Red Dragons are. They’ll come find your ass if they can’t get a hold of you. Probably wanted to make sure he wasn't dead.”

She smiled. “Are you sure he wasn't just checking up on you?”

I sighed. “Mama, I told you. It's not gonna happen between us. A half Latina and a Chinese kid? You're crazy. Both the clubs would cut us out in a second.”

She shrugged her shoulders, her tan skin glistening in the afternoon sun. “I don't know about that. Like all that medieval shit. Creating a bond between clubs; it could be good for business.”

I finished my sandwich. “You don't worry about business, Mama. You just keep this place running smoothly. That reminds me. Did you hire a new mechanic? We've been swamped since I took Axel down to the warehouse.”

“Yeah honey, I did. Nice young kid, I think, a new prospect.”

“Blaze?”

She nodded. “Yeah, he’s got good skills. A lot like his father.”

I shook my head. “What do you think his mom is gonna say about all this? Even though his dad died for this club, she went and took those kids away from us. He doesn't belong here Mama; he's not one of us anymore.”

She smiled out of the corner of her mouth. “You sounded like your father just then. He said the same thing.”

I crossed my arms. “He should. He knows as well as I do that when you leave, you’re out. Another reason that Chen and I will never happen. I would never do anything to jeopardize my family. That kid, he's not my family.”

“You're right, he's not. But he's a man who's looking for a life. And we help those people out.”

She grabbed her brown paper bag, and laid a light kiss on my cheek before walking away, leaving me to think about what had happened already today. It would be nice to just have one easy day in the club, but that's not how this life worked. I sat waiting for a few more minutes until Rogue pulled up on his bike with a couple of the other guys. As soon as he took off his helmet, I made my way over to them. “Chen was at the docks. We need to talk. He wants to set up a meet.”

He nodded. “All right. I'll make the call. But we got church first. Call the other guys, and make sure they're here in an hour. We have a new prospect.” He looked across the parking lot, and into the garage where Blaze stood in a mechanics uniform. He had cut the sleeves off, exposing his thick arms. For a brief moment I allowed myself to fall back into last night, with those rough hands on my skin. It sent tingles down my body, and into my core. I shook off the feeling of lust he gave me. I didn't want to enjoy looking at him, but I couldn't help myself. He glanced over, and our eyes met for a brief second. Flashes of him pushing me up against the sedan he was working on, pulling off my clothes and chewing on my lower lip raced through my mind. He looked at me surprised. My secret was about to be out.

But as I gazed into his eyes there was something about him that made me want to know more. Do more. Feel more. But the other part of me knew that he wasn't right for the club. You don't leave family, that’s just how it was. Sure, his mom had made the decision for him because he was little. But to only shown up now? Besides, he was older than me. He could've come to find us years ago, and he chose not to.

No, it didn’t matter how amazingly sculpted his arms were, how piercing his eyes were, or how good he was in bed. There was something in his gaze that I just couldn't trust, no matter how much the rest of him turned me on.