High Voltage (10 page)

“He works too hard already, and I worry taking on
Common Bend will keep him from snuggling with me at night.”

“Not funny,” he growls.

“You started it.”

Dino sighs. “Yeah, I did, but you were supposed to
be offended and say you found Hayes repulsive. Do I need to give you a script
to follow?”

“Couldn’t hurt,” I tease while grabbing my gun
holster. “I guess we should visit my boyfriend and see what kind of mess he
made.”

“Don’t look at him.”

Laughing, I strap my gun under my jacket. “Heaven
forbid.”

“I don’t want him looking at you either.”

“Then you better flirt with him so he has something
else to focus on.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Dino says, disappearing into the
bathroom.

While waiting for him to clean up, I check my phone
for messages. Restless, I text Ruby to see if she’s still safe.

She replies cryptically, “Bikers in my house isn’t
my idea of safe. No cops at least.”

“Do you need help?” I text back.

Ruby only texts, “LOL.”

I don’t know why she finds my offer funny, but
figure I’ll learn soon enough when Cooper’s guys meet with the Serrated
Brotherhood’s guys. Imagining all of the dick measuring I’ll soon witness, I
realize I’m in for a long few days.

~ Dino ~

The Big Baby Roars

A
rriving at Hayes office, we find the brunette temp
from our last visit missing. A blonde woman sits at the front desk, and I doubt
she’ll survive the rest of the day. She flinches every time Hayes yells at
someone in the back room, and the asshole screams like a tantruming toddler.
Hell, I suspect she’ll run for her life within an hour.

The woman pretends to care if we have an
appointment. Minka ignores the temp and walks to the back room. I give the
chick a smile, but she only grimaces at the sound of Hayes yelling again.

Hurrying after Minka, I don’t want her alone with
Hayes. Not because he’s pissed. She can handle his giant ass in a fight. I’m
more worried about him deciding that fucking a sexy assassin will distract from
his problems.

Minka is already sitting in a chair when I walk
into the room. Hayes is still on the phone. His back is to us, but he clearly
knows Minka’s arrived because his yelling is a few decibels lower. I frown at
his attempt to show her respect.

Sitting next to Minka, I glance around Hayes’s
office. He has a million sticky notes on the walls and his desk. Everything in
the room is stacked on more mess. The guy needs a maid, receptionist, and mommy
to clean up all of this bullshit. Too bad he’s awful and can’t keep anyone
around. I bet even his mom hit the road after spending an hour with him.

“Fix it,” Hayes says and then hangs up.

The giant idiot turns around and leans back in his
long-suffering chair.

“What the fuck were you two fucks doing while Black
shot up my town?”

“Sleeping, probably,” Minka says.

Reaching for her hand, I add, “Fucking is more
likely.”

Minka smacks away my hand. I want to be angry since
I’m trying to make a fucking point with Hayes. Instead, I laugh because of
Minka’s expression. The chick can’t wrap her head around my need to claim her.
Does
she not know how the world works?

“Your office looks fine,” Minka says.

“It’s a big concrete hunk. My house is a fucking
house, darling.”

“Don’t call her that,” I grunt.

Minka rolls her eyes, but I catch her smiling too.
Hayes is less amused.

“Is it possible for you to stop thinking with your
dick for a few minutes, playboy?”

“Thinking with my heart is what you mean. Why are
you whining like a bitch anyway? Didn’t you already hit Black back?”

“Yeah, but I want him dead. I want them all dead.”

“How exactly did you hit him back?” Minka asks.

Hayes lights a cigar and shrugs. “Can’t really
say.”

“Because you think we’re narcs ready to snitch you
out?” Minka asks, teasing the stupid assface.

Hayes gives her a dirty look, but he’s rather smug
about his revenge. “Black’s boys are always banging whores at the trailer park.
Even after they hit me, one of them had to get some pussy. I wonder if there's
pussy in hell.”

“Good for you. How’s the whore he was plowing when
you got your revenge?” Minka asks, and I smile at her good heart hidden under
her badass exterior.

“Her pussy is free to fuck paying customers and
make money to feed her kids. I’d say she’s happy.”

Tapping Minka’s foot with mine, I want her focused
on me rather than the idiot stinking up the room with his cigar.

“So, Black hits you, and you hit him. Now, what?” I
ask. “I’m sure you know Johansson is sending a few of his club buddies to meet
with that other club.”

“Bikers like to have meetings,” Hayes says,
shrugging.

“Are you done with your revenge?” Minka asks.
“That’s what Anthony is getting at. Or do we need to worry about getting hit in
the crossfire.”

“Hey, if you fuckers had handled Black right off, I
wouldn’t have woken up to my house getting pumped full of bullets.”

“Did they destroy your yard trolls, big guy?” When
Hayes glares at me, I laugh. “Shit, you actually have yard trolls, don’t you?”

Before Hayes can call me something derogatory,
Minka interrupts, “We’re hampered by the fact that Black is a cop. Killing him
and his main people would draw heat to this area. We all know that. That’s why
you didn’t just kill him yourself before we got here. The Hickory Creek club
has the same problem. They want to take Common Bend but can’t get rid of Black
without worrying about the state noticing all of the dead cops. Now, killing
him is no skin off our asses. We don’t live here and won’t be around when the
state authorities show up to ask questions. You don’t have that luxury.”

Hayes considers Minka’s point. She forces him to
think with his brain rather than his ego. The fact is, we could kill Black and
his people by the end of the day and leave Hayes and the bikers to worry about
the mess. I would have done that the first day if not for Rafael. I’d have done
it the second day if not for Minka. At this point, I’m ready to finish the job
and return to Houston with my woman.

“What is it exactly you want me to do?” Hayes asks
Minka.

“Nothing. I want you to sit here and do nothing.
I’m assuming you didn’t leave the dead deputy somewhere he can be autopsied and
questions can be asked.”

“You assume correctly.”

“Let us talk with Johansson’s men and see what the
Hickory Creek club is planning. Unless your help is necessary to finish off
Black, why get your hands dirtier? It’s not like you’ll grab Common Bend right
now.”

“Never say never.”

“It’s a mess right now. The meth organization is
broken, and who knows how many people Black’s removed. If you’re going to steal
something, why take a piece of shit? I’d personally wait until it’s a
functioning criminal enterprise again before I grabbed control, but then again,
I’m not a fucking idiot so…”

Hayes smiles at Minka for too long, and I kick his
desk to distract him. His glare finds mine, and I’m ready to throw down. I’d
love to shove that cigar up his ass. Before violence breaks out, Minka stands
up and heads for the door.

“Anthony and I will let you know if you have
anything to worry about.”

“And I would trust you why?”

“Because you saved our lives at the hotel. We owe
you. The Hickory Creek club is nothing to us, and Johansson has tied our hands
the entire time.”

Whether Hayes believes Minka or not, he nods at her
comment. I catch him giving me a dirty look when I stand up. Flipping him off,
I follow after Minka.

“There are worse jobs,” I hear Minka tell the temp.

“I guess.”

Minka walks outside where I find her studying the
row of bullet holes across the front of the building. Hayes wasn’t kidding
about the office being a concrete lump.

“What a whiner,” Minka says.

“Hayes has small balls.”

“I meant the temp receptionist. Imagine being that
prostitute doing a cop for free because he’s your boss and then having Hayes
show up and kill him. The best part of her day is fucking ugly men so she can
pay her bills. Meanwhile, the whiner inside doesn’t like hearing Hayes yell.
Fuck, he isn’t even yelling at her.”

I wrap my arm around her shoulders. “You’re sweet
as sugar when you get wound up over other people’s problems.”

Minka gives me a little smile. “I have feelings and
care about people. Not all the time or anything, but I care on a regular
basis.”

“I know you do.”

“Don’t you?”

“I care about those I care about. I’m not as sweet
as you, Apples.”

Her hand grazes where my buttoned shirt rests open
and plays with my chest hairs. “You have other qualities, I guess.”

“You guess?” I tease, opening the SUV door for her.

“I don’t want your ego getting any bigger on my
account.”

“Too late. I saw your face when I made you come
this morning.”

“I saw yours when you came too. That’s why I know
I’m the fucking boss,” she says and laughs. “I thought you’d pass out.”

“You and me both.”

Joining her in the car, I don’t want to meet with
bikers. I only want to take Minka somewhere alone and ask her questions about
her life. I want to know what she likes and hates. I want to know everything
there is to know about my woman.

~ Minka ~

So Much Testosterone

D
ino and I find an Italian place in Hickory Creek
that serves spaghetti with big juicy meatballs. I enjoy lunch, but he’s in
heaven. When he smiles so big over something as small as a good sauce, I can’t
help falling even deeper into the rabbit hole.

What would life with Dino even look like?
I try to imagine a future with him while he
discusses good pasta with the restaurant’s chef.

Earlier, Dino again talked about kids. He says his
mom wants grandkids and would watch them all the time.
Where in the hell
does he figure we’ll live?
No way in fucking hell will I move to New Jersey!

I like my job, but working in security, let alone
as an assassin, doesn’t mix with being a mom. Troy cut back his hours once he
fell in love with Darla. My old security co-worker Saskia quit altogether and
now plays house with her man. Rafael rarely comes into the office and will be
around less as Harlow’s pregnancy progresses. Everyone settles down, but I
don’t know if I can.

“I need to make you spaghetti when we get back to Houston,” Dino says, and I realize he’s talking to me again. “If you’re a good girl, I’ll
give you my mom’s secret sauce recipe.”

“I don’t like cooking.”

“Don’t worry. I like it fine, and I like eating out
too. I’m an easy-going guy.”

“How easy-going? Would you be okay with no kids or
one way off in the future?”

“Are you scared of childbirth?”

“I’m not particularly thrilled about something
large ripping out of my vagina, no, but that’s not why I don’t want kids.”

“It’s ’cause of your mom. I know.”

“No, you don’t. It’s because I like being
independent.”

Dino stops twirling pasta on his fork and frowns at
me. “Don’t you like kids?”

“They’re fine, I guess.” When Dino just stares at
me, I ask, “If that’s a deal-breaker, we might as well break it now.”

“Apples, you’re going to be a great mom,” he says.
“Just not right now.”

“I’m nearly thirty. If I do it, I don’t want to be
using a walker when I go into labor.”

“Then don’t wait that long.”

“But I don’t want to do it now.”

“And you don’t think there’s a span of time between
this very second and when you’re tooling around with your walker?”

Agitated, I lean back in the chair and cross my
arms. “I’m not your mom.”

“Good thing since I’m planning to fuck you after
lunch.”

“I’m not going to be satisfied playing wife and
mom.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.”

“You’ve been thinking about this for how long? A
day? An hour? Since we sat down for lunch? Why are you making such a big deal
out of something that ain’t a priority?”

“I don’t want you thinking things will happen that
won’t happen.”

“And you think I won’t fall in love with you if you
tell me, in this restaurant, that you won’t want to give me a couple of kids in
a few years? Too late, doll.”

His words punch me in the gut. “You’re not in love
with me.”

“I might be. I play things close to the vest.”

I can’t help laughing at his smug expression. “Love
isn’t a choice.”

“If it was, would I pick a woman always busting my
balls?”

“No, probably not.”

Dino winks at me. “You need to stop worrying about
far-off things and start worrying about the meeting with those bikers tonight.”

“What’s there to worry about?”

“I don’t want you looking at them, and I don’t want
them looking at you. That’s gonna make keeping up a conversation tricky.”

“I look at who I want,” I say, digging into my
lasagna.

“You probably shouldn’t talk to them either. I’ll
do the talking while you stare at the ceiling and think happy thoughts. No,
look behind us to make sure we aren’t jumped. I don’t want your skills going to
waste.”

“You need to find a way to reel in your caveman
bullshit. At least when we’re working.”

“Yeah, I don’t see that happening. I guess you’ll
need to reel in your Helen Reddy bullshit.” When I don’t understand, he gives
me a sly smile. “Google it. I’ll wait.”

I pull out my phone, google the name, and then flip
him off. “I
am
a woman, and you
will
hear me roar.”

“Only in bed, Apples. Learn your place.”

Dino is already ducking by the time he finishes
talking. I throw my roll at him while he laughs.

“Learn
your
place, dickhead,” I growl,
laughing at his amused expression. “No way will this work between you and me.”

“Don’t be scared. Change is good.”

“I’m not changing for you.”

“Sure, and I’m not changing for you either. We’ll
stay exactly the same until we die of old age in Florida.”

“I hate Florida.”

“So do I, but I was making a point.”

“Well, okay then.”

We share a smile before I return to worrying about
how much I want Dino yet don’t want the future I imagine with him.

Finishing the plate of spaghetti, he wipes his
mouth. “We better get back to the hotel so I can work off these carbs.”

I stand up and throw cash down for the bill. “I
guess that means you’ll be on top. Works for me.”

Walking out, I don’t wait for Dino, but he’s on my
ass within seconds. His arm wraps around my shoulders, and he leans in to smell
my hair.

“Apples,” he murmurs.

“Peaches, actually.”

“All fruit smells the same to me, but your hair
could smell like dog shit and I’d still have a raging hard-on.”

Stopping at the SUV, I lean against the door.
“Looking so fine, I bet you never once had to come up with a decent pickup
line, have you? It’s all been sexy smiles and crappy come-ons.”

“I got you in bed, didn’t I?”

“That you did,” I say, kissing him quickly before
he can lengthen it out into a public make-out session.

Dino takes me to the hotel where we partake in
vigorous afternoon sex. I show off my limber legs and hips when he bends me
like Beckham during our fuck-a-thon.

“I think I broke something,” Dino mutters when we
arrive downstairs to meet with the bikers.

“You’re welcome,” I whisper, slapping his ass.

“Nice limp.”

We share satisfied smiles before our expressions
shift into professional ass-kicker mode.

Vaughn and Judd wait for us in the empty breakfast
area. They have a third guy with them, and he lacks volume control.

“Indoor voices,” I say, crossing my arms.

The loud guy takes a minute to get the joke before
laughing. “I tell my Scarlet that all the time.”

“Does she mention glass houses or black kettles?”

Vaughn grins. “He won’t get those references. This
is Tucker Johansson, and Cooper hit him in the head too many times.”

When I nod at this information, Tucker makes the
mistake of smiling too big at me. Dino moves so quickly that he already has the
Johansson idiot flat on his back before anyone can react.

“Hey,” Tucker mutters. “What the hell?”

“Don’t look at my woman.”

Vaughn starts laughing while Judd just rolls his
eyes.

“We’re all married men,” Judd tells Dino. “Put your
dick back in its holster, bud.”

Raising his hands, Dino nods. “Fair enough.”

Tucker takes a still-laughing Vaughn’s hand. Once
pulled to his feet, the idiot shakes out his shoulders.

“You’re lucky I’m in a good mood.”

“Or what?” Dino pushes.

I pat my guy’s shoulder. “Let it go. Tucker has a
lot of pressure on him. You know, with Hayes and the other biker club both
wanting to steal Reapers’ territory.”

Tucker frowns like he wasn’t aware he ought to be
worried. Judd doesn’t like what I said either. Vaughn’s still amused by Dino’s
smack down.

“Let’s go somewhere more private,” Judd says, all
business-like now.

“There’s a conference room.”

“We saw a bar on the drive into town. They serve
food.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“We are.”

“Then go eat and come back so we can talk.”

“What’s the problem, princess?” Tucker asks.

Dino pulls his gun before everyone else, but we’re
all pointing weapons seconds later.

“We don’t work for you,” I say to Judd while my gun
focuses on Tucker. “We also don’t want to be seen in public with you in White
Horse. We obviously can’t go to Hickory Creek or Common Bend either, and I’m
not looking to make a road trip.”

Vaughn lowers his gun. “This is stupid. We aren’t
gonna shoot each other.”

“I might,” Dino mutters.

Judd follows Vaughn by lowering his weapon while
Tucker waits for me to stop aiming at him. Once I slide my gun into the
holster, Dino and Tucker return theirs as well.

Giving everyone a big smile, Vaughn says, “We’re
all friends here.”

“Not really,” Dino replies immediately.

Dino wears a frown that makes him look really sexy,
and I wish he’d stop. I don’t need the distraction.

“Why can’t we be seen together in White Horse?”
Vaughn asks.

“I told you Hayes wants Reapers’ territory.”

“So? That ain’t nothing new.”

“Yeah, but we’ve been making nice with the asshole.
Staying neutral, get it? Taking you boys on a dinner date doesn’t make us look
very neutral.”

“You’re not neutral, though,” Judd nearly growls.

“Don’t do that,” I say. “I can’t stand when men
growl at me. I always get the urge to smack the growling fucker with a rolled
up newspaper.”

“The mouth on this one,” Tucker says and instantly
gets into a glaring match with Dino.

“We work with Rafael,” I say, ignoring the tension.
“He’s friendly with Cooper, but he was in the employment of the men in Memphis. Keeping those particular men happy is our concern.”

Dino wraps an arm around me again. “Them, not
Cooper or Hayes, and certainly not the twats in Hickory Creek. So you go eat,
and we’ll meet you later.”

I allow Dino to guide me out of the room and back
to the elevators.

“That could have gone better,” he says.

“I thought it went great. They respect us now. Now
we don’t have to worry about them using us as human shields if the meeting with
the Hickory Creek club goes to shit.”

“You’re so smart,” he whispers, kissing my
forehead.

“I really liked when you knocked down Tucker even
though we could have gotten killed.”

“I need to buy you some bling. A big fucking ring
or tiara with my name on it so men know to stop flirting with you.”

Laughing, I wrap my arms around his waist. “I’d be
lying if I said I didn’t always want a tiara. How do I put my stamp on you?”

We walk out of the elevator and return to the room.
“Hey, Rafael got a tat of Harlow when they hooked up.”

“I can do that.”

“If I’m wearing a bunch of gaudy bling with your
name on it, then I’ll need my face tatted on your face. Something really
obvious.”

“So you can look at yourself when we fuck,” Dino
says, shaking his head. “So vain.”

Laughing again, I wish I didn’t suffer from fucking
sickness, or I would climb him again. Instead, my entire body needs a break
from sex. I even want to puke a little from remembering our last go-round.

Dino stretches out on the bed, and I think he’s
exhausted from all the fucking too. He watches me, though, and his gaze
whispers for me to join him. Even fucked out, he wants me close.