CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) Read online

  Cole’s radar immediately went up. “She does?”

  “Yes, and Cole, listen to her, okay?”

  Now he really was starting to get a bad feeling. “Put her on,” he said, his voice low and commanding. A moment later, Shannon’s voice came on the line.

  “Cole?” She sounded shaky.

  “Shannon, what’s going on?”

  “I need your help.”

  “With what?”

  “Umm…”

  “Spit it out, Shannon.”

  “My ex-boyfriend is stalking me.”

  Concern for Angel knifed through him. “He following you?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe.” Cole could imagine her checking her rearview mirrors.

  “And you led him to my wife’s place of work? What the fuck, babe?”

  “I didn’t think he’d get suspicious of me going to a Porsche dealership. I’ve been thinking of trading in my Mercedes. But I think he’s tracking my phone calls. I didn’t want a call to you to show up on my phone. This was the only way I could think of to contact you.”

  “And what am I supposed to do for you? If this guy is bothering you, you should go to the police, Shannon.”

  “I can’t. He said he’d hurt me if I do.”

  “Again, Shannon, not sure what you want me to do for you.” The last thing he wanted was to take on her problems, especially if it meant putting his family on this guy’s radar.

  “Please, Cole. Could you just meet me? Let me explain?”

  Cole huffed out a breath. He could hear Shannon breaking down in sobs. A moment later, Angel was back on the line.

  “Cole, please. At least meet with her. She’s a wreck, baby.”

  He swore under his breath. “All right, fine. I’ll meet with her. But I’m not promising anything more.”

  “Thank you, baby.”

  “Angel, listen to me carefully. You tell her to meet me at Marty’s, 4pm tomorrow. She’ll remember the place. Tell her if she’s worried he’s tracking her, he’s probably tracking the GPS on her car. Her phone, too. She’s got to dump both of them.”

  “They can do that?”

  “Yeah, babe. As the saying goes, ‘there’s an App for that’.”

  “All right, I’ll tell her.”

  “If she really wants to get away from this guy, she’s gonna have to disappear for a while. Tell her to get as much cash as she can out of the bank without raising suspicions. For her, I’m betting that’s a lot.”

  “Okay. Anything else?”

  “Yeah, Mama. Get your sweet ass back to the dealership, and stay there. She needs to leave. And no more test drives today. Got me?”

  “Okay, honey. Love you.”

  “Love you, too, Mama. Gotta go.”

  “Bye.”

  Cole disconnected the phone and pitched it on the table.

  Crash raised his eyebrows. “Problems?”

  “I knew that goddamn money would have strings attached!”

  *****

  Cole walked into his and Angel’s bedroom and sat on the bed to pull his boots off. He was beat. It had been a long day.

  Angel walked out of the master bathroom, rubbing lotion on her hands. His eyes roved over her. She had already changed into her nightgown. A sexy little floral baby-doll with a cute little bow under her tits. It was one of his favorites.

  “I didn’t hear your bike.”

  He stood, pulling his cut off and tossing it on the chair in the corner. Then he slipped the shoulder-holster off, wrapped the straps and stepped over to the walk-in closet. “I coasted down the drive. It’s late, and I didn’t want to wake the kids.” He opened the safe on the top shelf and locked the weapon inside, safely out of the reach of his kids. He walked back out of the closet. Angel was now seated at her dressing table, brushing out her long honey-blonde hair.

  He walked over to her, sliding his hand along the bare skin of her shoulder.

  “Cole, you have to help her,” she said out-of-the-blue, meeting his eyes in the mirror.

  He blew out a breath. Here it comes, he thought. “Wondered how long it’d take you to bring it up. Two-point-five seconds. That’s a new record, babe. And not even a kiss, first.” He stood behind her, his crotch against her back. She tilted her head up to look at him. He dipped his head to look down at her beautiful green eyes and trailed the tips of his fingers gently up the front of her throat.

  She grabbed his hand and gave a tug, pulling him down for a kiss. “Missed you, honey,” she whispered as his head lifted.

  “Missed you, too, Mama.”

  “Can we talk about this now?”

  “Nope,” he replied, straightening back up and running his fingers through her hair.

  She set the brush down and twisted in her seat, looking up at him. Totally ignoring his response, she started in. “Cole, she gave us all that money. It changed our lives. How can you turn your back on her?”

  “Angel, I didn’t ask for that money. I didn’t want it. And I sure as hell never should have taken it.”

  “Cole, you can’t mean that.”

  “Can’t I? That money had strings, baby. And now what? She pulls those strings and I jump? Fuck, no.” He stepped away, pulling his tee over his head and tossing it to the floor.

  “But, Cole, she was so scared. You didn’t see her.”

  “I remember her being a tough little cookie. Gave me more trouble than the other five combined that day.”

  “That was just an act. A defense mechanism. She was a scared little girl on the inside. She just didn’t want you to see it. Same as I didn’t.”

  Cole remembered that day.

  He and Crash, along with several other MC brothers, had made a play to take down a guy with a particularly vile source of income, human trafficking. They’d set up a meet with the guy, planning to kill him. When he’d shown up at the meet, unbeknownst to the guys, he’d had a cargo van full of inventory.

  Cole still remembered how much it had shocked the shit out of both him and Crash, when Ling had thrown back the rear doors, and they’d found themselves face-to-face with six young girls, bound and gagged. Shannon had been one of them.

  She had been full of sass and attitude that day, not wanting to cooperate. He’d been afraid she’d go to the police with the tale, and lead them straight to his MC, even though they’d had nothing to do with Ling’s operation. He’d put the fear of God into her that day, convincing her it was in her best interest to forget all about it, go home, and keep her mouth shut.

  They’d saved those girls that day and got them back home safely. It had been a risk getting involved in that mess, but he’d done it. And the reason he’d done it was payback for what Ling had done to Angel. She’d been one of Ling’s victims the week before. He still remembered the first time he’d laid eyes on her. She’d been in handcuffs, beaten and scared, and in the hands of an MC member of another club. Cole had gotten her out of there that night, and in saving her, he’d made her a promise that he’d take care of the men that had hurt her.

  Years later, he’d come across Shannon and had a drink with her. She’d let him know how grateful she’d been and that she knew he’d saved her life that day, years ago. Come to find out, Shannon came from a wealthy family, and she’d insisted on rewarding him for what he’d done for her that day.

  She’d finally convinced him to take the monetary reward she offered. Money that had helped his family. Money that had made a lot of things possible in his life. Money that he now regretted taking.

  Cole watched as his wife rose from her dressing table and walked over to him. Her hands reached for his belt and unbuckled it. Then she sank to her knees, opening his jeans. His hand slid into her silky hair, fisting and tugging gently, until she looked up at him. “Don’t.”

  Her hands stilled.

  He reached down and pulled her to her feet. “Don’t you get down on your knees for this, for her.”

  “Cole-”

  “I mean it, Angel. You do not use that shit as curr
ency.”

  “I’m not. I-”

  “Aren’t you? You want me to help her. I’ll do what I can, but it’ll be my decision. I told her I’d meet with her tomorrow. I’ll see what she has to say. But, I’m telling you straight up, Angel, that shit does not touch you and the kids. Whatever mess she’s in, she is not gonna lead it straight to our doorstep.”

  “All right, Cole.”

  He reached up and cupped her cheek. “I know you got a soft spot for this. It isn’t lost on me that you got shared history. What happened to her and what happened to you, but baby, you gotta trust me on this.”

  “All right, honey.”

  “I love you. You know that, don’t you?”

  She nodded. “I love you, too.”

  “I’ll do what I can, baby.”

  “I know you will.”

  He pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head.

  She whispered into his chest, “Now, can I finished what I started, honey?”

  His chest shook with the rumble of his laughter.

  CHAPTER TWO

  Cole, Crash, and Red Dog rolled up to Marty’s bar for the meet with Shannon. They parked their bikes in the lot to the side of the building. Marty’s was a storefront neighborhood joint. Its plate-glass window and entrance faced the street. Resting their bikes on their kickstands, they dismounted.

  Crash pushed his shades up on his head and glanced around the parking lot and street. “Don’t see a Mercedes.”

  “Nope, and that’s a good thing. She better not fucking drive that car here. I’m hoping she’s smarter than that.”

  Crash snorted. “Right.”

  They walked in and glanced around, letting their eyes adjust to the dim light. Marty was behind the bar that ran along the right wall, wrapping in a curve at the front. A line of booths ran along the left wall. A pool table was in the very back.

  “Cole. Crash. Dog. How’re you boys doing?” Marty asked, wiping down the bar.

  “Good, Marty. And you?” Cole asked.

  “Can’t complain.” He tossed three coasters on the bar top in front of them. “So, what can I get you?”

  “Bourbon,” Cole replied.

  “Same,” Crash added, leaning his forearms on the bar.

  “Yeah,” Dog agreed.

  Marty reached behind him and grabbed a bottle off a glass shelf that sat in front of the giant ornately carved oak mirror, which looked like it came out of the turn of the century. He set cut-glass short tumblers down on the coasters and tipped up the bottle, filling each glass with the amber liquor.

  “Not real busy,” Cole observed.

  Marty shook his head. “Nope. This time of day, all I get in are the painters and drywall installers. Apparently, they knock off early.” He nodded toward the four guys in the back at the pool table. “They’ve been here since two.”

  Cole nodded. “Mind if I close the place for about half an hour? Meeting someone here in about fifteen minutes.” He slapped a fifty dollar bill on the bar top. “Make it worth your while.”

  Marty’s eyes fell to the bill. “Yeah, sure. You want me to run ‘em off?” He nodded toward the men at the pool table in back.

  “Yeah, thanks. I’ll get the front door.”

  Crash watched as Cole walked over to the front door and flipped the open sign to the closed side. He paused, one hand on the doorframe, watching the street. Hearing the backdoor open, he twisted, looking over his shoulder. Crash followed the line of his gaze. The four drywall guys were walking out. Marty locked the door, turned and nodded. Cole returned his attention to the street, dipping his head to look through the glass.

  Crash wondered why Cole was even bothering with this girl, but then he figured Angel had something to do with that. Crash had to admit, this girl had brains. She was smart enough to use Angel to get Cole to do her bidding. And by the tension around Cole’s mouth, Crash figured Cole knew her angle, and he wasn’t too happy about it. Crash walked over, handing him his glass. “Here you go, brother.”

  He watched as Cole took it and downed a sip, his eyes scanning the street. Red Dog joined them at the plate-glass window. They watched the workers’ crew-cab pickup pull out of the lot to the right.

  “Last time I met Shannon here, she was early. I figure she’ll be here any minute. When she gets here, I want you to keep an eye on the street,” he instructed, turning to Dog. “She’s worried this guy is following her.”

  Dog nodded. “Right.”

  Crash scoped out the street. “It’ll be easy to spot him from here. There’s no parking on the street. He’d either have to pull in here, or that chicken place over there.” He nodded to the fast food place across the street and half a block down.

  “Yeah.” Cole’s eyes went to the chicken place. It was almost deserted. Only two cars were in the lot. A moment later, Cole was straightening, his body coming alert as his eyes tracked a cab pulling into the lot. “Here she is.”

  Crash’s eyes moved to the cab and watched as a tall slim blonde stepped out. He’d met her briefly, years ago, but he barely remembered what she looked like. He’d remembered she was a knockout blonde, but he hadn’t really been able to place her features when Cole had told him about this meet. He thought she’d been about twenty then, which put her around twenty-six now.

  Cole opened the door for her as she approached the entrance lugging a wheeled overnight bag with her.

  Crash was stunned by her beauty as he took in the whole package.

  She had on a short-sleeved sweater dress in a soft cashmere that hugged her slender curves and fell about four inches short of her knee. It was the color of buckskin and set off the beautiful blonde color of her hair that fell to the tip of her breast. The V-neck dipped just low enough to show a bit of cleavage while still being classy. His eyes skated down the length of her long shapely legs set off perfectly by the nude colored four inch stiletto pumps she wore. An obviously expensive slouchy handbag of soft, supple golden leather was slung over her shoulder. As his eyes ran over her, Crash had a hard time deciding which was her best feature, her legs, her tits or her ass.

  And then she pulled off her designer sunglasses, and Crash was lost in her crystal blue eyes. And there was no doubt in his mind. Those eyes were by far her best feature. They were large, tilted at a seductive angle and set off by perfectly arched brows. He had to admit, if he was her ex-boyfriend, he’d have a hard time letting this gorgeous woman go, too.

  “Holy fuck,” Crash heard Red Dog whisper from behind him. He gave Dog a swift elbow to the solar plexus and heard an “Umph” just as Shannon’s gaze swung to him. If he’d thought her eyes were beautiful before, it was nothing to how stunning they were when they looked straight into his. Of course, the effect was kind of ruined when she rolled her eyes as if dismissing the men with Cole and returned her attention to him.

  Cole closed the door and threw the bolt. “Shannon.”

  “Cole, thank you for seeing me.”

  He nodded, then ducked his head and glanced out the window. “So, if this ex of yours was following you, what kind of car would he be in?”

  Her eyes moved from Cole, to the window and back. “I was careful. I left my car at one side of the mall and called a cab to pick me up on the other side. I don’t think he followed me.”

  Crash watched Cole’s head drop, and his eyes bore into her. It was a look that had put the fear of God into more than one man. “Shannon, what car?” he repeated.

  Her chin came up, and her head tilted to the side in an arrogant pose, as if she wasn’t going to let him intimidate her. But Crash also saw her swallow before she replied, and he’d bet Cole had picked up on the telltale sign as well.

  “Probably a black SUV.”

  Cole’s gaze swung to Dog, who nodded and moved to the window to take up watch. Then he lifted his chin at Crash, signaling for him to follow Cole. He turned back to Shannon. “You dump your phone, too?” he asked, leading her to a booth.

  She nodded, wheeling her bag b
ehind her and sliding into the booth. “I left it in my car.”

  “Good.” Cole slid onto the seat opposite Shannon.

  Crash pulled up a barstool and leaned his ass back against it, his arms folded. From this position, he towered over Shannon, and a smile pulled at his mouth as she slid a glance up at him. It was easy to see, she didn’t like having to look up at him.

  Cole nodded toward the bag on the floor. “Babe, tell me you didn’t pack a bag before you left the house. That’d be a major red flag.”

  “Give me some credit, please.”

  Cole raised his eyebrows, waiting for an explanation.

  She huffed out a breath. “I picked up the bag and some necessities at the mall. If I’m going to hide out, I’ll need a few things.”

  Crash looked over at Cole and asked with a grin, “Is this what they mean by ‘high-maintenance’?”

  Cole grinned back. “Yeah, I think she’d be the definition.”

  If looks could kill, Crash thought as Shannon swung an icy glare his way.

  “Which mall?” Cole asked, drawing her attention back to him.

  “Santana Row.”

  Crash let out a whistle. “High class.”

  “I wasn’t speaking to you, was I?” Shannon sneered at him.

  “Look, bitch-” Crash came off his barstool, his arms unfolding as he stepped toward her.

  Cole stopped him with a raised hand and a look. Then his eyes returned to her. “Watch it, Shannon. You’re the one asking for a favor here. I can walk out that door.”

  “Can we talk, just the two of us?” she asked, giving Crash a glare.

  “No,” Cole replied.

  “Bet that’s not a word you’re used to, is it, Princess?” Crash taunted with a smirk.

  Her chin came up, and Crash could practically see her eyes ice over with a glacial freeze. He grinned, enjoying putting her in her place. “It’s a word you’re gonna be hearing a fuck of a lot in the near future. So, get used to it, sweetheart.”

  “Let’s cut to the chase. Tell me what we’re dealing with here, Shannon. And I’ll decide if I can help you or not. When did you breakup with this guy?”