Bash, Volume II Read online

  He handed me a small earpiece. “I’ll be in my car a block away. This is a radio receiver, so I can talk to you. You aren’t used to having someone in your ear, so I’ll be quiet unless it’s important. The flesh tone helps keep people from noticing it, but you should still wear your hair down over it.”

  We played around with the setup a little, he left, and I fixed my hair and makeup, changed into different jeans and another t-shirt, and called Thomas to invite him over for a burger and fried potatoes.

  And I texted Bash, because he’d asked me to.

  I invited Thomas over for burgers. I’ll let you know when he leaves. If you’re tempted to come over before I let you know, please call Brain, first.

  I wasn’t sure I should text him I was recording the conversation, so this seemed the safest way to assure him — and his wolf — we’d just be talking.

  The first thing Thomas said when he walked in was, “Brain was here?”

  “Shit,” Brain said in my head. “He may have someone watching you, or watching him, who’s also watching you. Tell him you couldn’t get online with your laptop and I came by to fix it for you.”

  Thomas seemed to accept my explanation easily enough, and we managed small talk for a few minutes before he put his arms around me from behind as I cooked.

  I hadn’t expected him to get frisky, with his injuries, but he still apparently thought casual touching was okay.

  “I think it’s best if we backed up, some,” I told him. “As much as I hate the way the cliché sounds, I’m hoping we can just be friends.”

  He put his mouth to my ear, close enough his breath tickled as he lowered his voice to say, “I think you liked what I could do to you in bed a little too much to just be friends, Angelica.”

  I shook my head, leaned into him a second, and then pulled away. “Yeah, I did, but…” I met his gaze and said, “Fuck.”

  He visibly flinched, and then said my name in a reproaching tone, as if he were reprimanding me.

  “That’s part of the problem,” I told him. “My mom taught me there’s a time and place for just about everything. She didn’t want me cussing around her, any teachers, or any of my friends’ parents. She knew I cussed around Dad when she wasn’t around, and she was fine with it. The point wasn’t to teach me it’s wrong, but to make me think about my audience. The lesson served me well in school, and up north, and now when I’m at work. However, I want to be able to be myself at home and around my true friends, and that means letting loose with my mouth.” I shook my head. “You want to change who I am, Thomas. It isn’t going to work.”

  “Did you know one of the detectives in Atlanta is convinced the MC down there is a club full of werewolves?”

  I laughed. “Detective Appian. Yeah, he’s a little crazy. To be honest, the club has fun with it — the guys enjoy fucking with him about it, and inventing new ways to convince him he’s right. Hell, it kills him the club owns so much private property in another county, where he has no jurisdiction.” The local sheriff had actually arrested him for trespassing once, and Appian had gotten into a ton of trouble for it with his superiors in the Atlanta PD.

  “Why does the club own the property? It’s quite valuable.”

  “The land was purchased in the fifties or sixties by the men who started the club,” I told him, making sure I only told him stuff I knew was public knowledge, and peppering in as many cusswords as I could, without making it look like I was trying. “I know it’s worth a shitload now, but I’m not privy to their meetings so I don’t know the logic behind keeping versus selling. We do make damned good use of it, though. I rode my dirt bike there when I was a kid, and we went there a lot in the summer to swim. We camp, and rock climb. There are running trails and walking trails. It’s our land. Our home.”

  Brain wasn’t saying anything in my ear, so I assumed I was doing okay.

  “If you knew your dad was doing bad things, would you turn him in?”

  “Don’t answer the question,” Brain said in my ear. “Ask him if his father always obeys the speed limit.”

  Relieved at the confirmation Brain was still with me, I followed his advice, and Thomas shook his head and rolled his eyes at the question. “Going five miles over the speed limit isn’t the same as dealing in guns without serial numbers, or prostitution, or beating the snot out of people simply because you can.”

  “So, if you found out your dad visited a prostitute, you’d have him arrested?”

  “Visited? No. But if he was pimping young girls out as whores, then yeah, I’d run a sting on him in a heartbeat.” He’d had to force himself to say whore instead of prostitute, and it came out sounding wrong. I took this to mean my cussing campaign was bothering him, which should be a good thing.

  “Isn’t that a little hypocritical? It’s okay to buy but not sell? So, if your best friend bought weed, it’d be okay, but if he were growing it, you’d arrange for a fucking arrest warrant?”

  “You didn’t act surprised when I told you Bash is a pimp,” he said, changing the subject.

  “Answer my question, Thomas. You view the buyers as innocent and the sellers as the bad guys?”

  “None are innocent, but if the sellers didn’t exist, the buyers wouldn’t be tempted.”

  “And if the buyers didn’t exist, there’d be no reason for the sellers to set up their networks.”

  “So, you’re admitting the RTMC has networks?”

  “I keep fucking telling you, I don’t know shit about club business. As far as I know, their income is from the bike shop and bar.” I nodded towards the refrigerator. “Get the mayo and mustard out, put it on the table, please?”

  I put the burgers and fried potatoes on plates and carried them to the table. I’d already put a bun on each plate, along with lettuce, onion slices, and forks. We both already had our drinks, so we should be good to go.

  We were silent as we built our burgers and then took the first couple of bites.

  “These are really good,” he said, sounding surprised. I nodded, but didn’t explain the RTMC had bought into one of the slaughterhouses outside of town, so we got a good deal on fresh, grass-fed beef.

  “You and Brain are close?” he asked.

  “Yeah. He helped me with my homework when I was in high school. He’s seeing someone now, and I’m happy for him.”

  “So, which of the MC did you have a crush on when you were in high school?”

  I laughed. “My dad made sure everyone knew I was off limits. I didn’t lose my virginity until I went away to college. The entire MC was intent on keeping me all innocent and shit. None of the guys in high school had the nerve to kiss me, much less do more. My dad scared the shit out of all of them. I was everyone’s damned friend.”

  “And yet, Sloane Bishop had the balls to talk you into sneaking out to see him. Big college football player? No wonder he turned up missing.”

  I looked at the table a few seconds, deciding how best to handle him. Brain didn’t speak up, and going on the offense seemed my best plan of action.

  “That day was the worst day of my life, and I’ve been asked to relive and recount it a hundred times. Multiple police officers and detectives, lawyers in fancy suits, my dad, Sloane’s dad… ‘Where were you at three o’clock? Lead me through your day after that.’ And it always ends the same way — with the officers telling me my mom was killed, and Brain and Bash there for me, taking care of me as best they could. The ol’ladies coming over to check on me, bring food, talk to me. So, if you don’t mind, District Attorney Pickering, I’d just as soon not get the third degree over it yet another god-damned fucking time.”

  “Do you really think they’re going to let you date anyone, now that you’re back? I can stand up to them because my position makes me untouchable. How many men do you think will be willing to face off against them for the privilege of dating you, Angelica?”

  I sighed and set my burger down instead of taking my next bite. I kept my voice soft as I told him, “The things
you showed me were beautiful, Thomas. I’d wanted someone to spank me, and more, but I’d never had the nerve to bring it up. I’d also never imagined it could be so intimate, and how close I’d feel to you, afterwards. Between that, and you standing up to three of the most bad-assed bikers around without showing fear, it’s really a shame we aren’t going to work out.”

  “You’re really going to throw me away because of the cussing thing?”

  “That’s a big part of it, but if it were the only issue I’d probably try to come to some kind of compromise.” I shrugged. “You think my dad and my biker family are second class citizens. They’re my family, Thomas. We might be able to put all of that on the back burner for a fling, but if it turns into more than a fling it’ll be a deal breaker, and can only lead to heartbreak for both of us. Maybe I’m being an ostrich with her head in the sand, but I don’t see them as the evil villains you seem to think they are.”

  He sighed, looked out my picture window at the Tennessee River a few moments, and finally looked back to me to say, “I feel protective of you. Something inside me wants to save you from them. You’ve been on the inside all your life, and you can’t see how they look to the rest of the world.”

  I sat back and gave him what I was sure was a smart-assed smirk, but I couldn’t make it anything else as I said, “I’m the one who protected you from the Disciples, not the other way around. My daddy taught me to defend myself, and Duke’s had me in the clubhouse workout room sparring with me since I’ve been back, to make sure I didn’t lose my edge while I was away at school. What kind of protection do you think you can give me?”

  “You’re friends with criminals! It’s only a matter of time before they land in jail, and I don’t want to see you go down with them!”

  “What part of ‘I’m not involved in club business’ are you not understanding?”

  He shook his head. “If there’d been a raid while you were staying there, you’d have been taken in along with everyone else.”

  “Yeah, my mom got taken in once on a raid, and was home in a few hours. Dad came home the next day. Nothing came of any of it. All charges were dropped against them both.”

  Fifteen minutes later, his words were beginning to sound like threats. “If you get taken in and you’re my girlfriend, my subordinates will have to sign off on letting you go since I’ll have ties to you, but they will, because I’m their boss. If you and I don’t have a relationship, it’s me who signs off, and if you break it off with me because of your criminal friends then it’s gonna lead me to believe you’re as guilty as them, and I’ll hold you as long as I legally can, and throw every charge at you with an ounce of a possibility of sticking.”

  “Careful,” came Brain in my ear, his voice deceptively soft. He was as pissed as me, but he wasn’t ranting and raving, and I shouldn’t either.

  We’d long since finished eating, and I stood and gathered our plates. “We’re done here, Thomas. Whether we become friends or enemies is entirely up to you. I prefer friends, but I can work with being your enemy, if you so choose.” I settled the dishes in the sink without making them bang and clang, wanting to show my mega-self-control. “Here’s my promise to you: Neither I, nor anyone from the RTMC, will threaten you with physical violence. However, if you come after me, or them, for personal reasons, we’ll destroy you politically.”

  “Excellent. Now get rid of him,” said Brain.

  I walked past Thomas to go to the door, and he grabbed my arm.

  “Let go of me.”

  “You don’t make a threat like that and get away with it.” I could smell his pain, the way his chest muscles hurt from the effort of holding me, but it didn’t show on his face or in his eyes.

  “It’s time for you to go, Pickering. We’re done here.”

  He didn’t let go of my arm, but his demeanor changed. I’d startled him by calling him by his last name, and I told him, “Thomas is the man who made me fall in love with him a little bit with his eyes, his lips, and his fucking belt. Pickering is the District Attorney trying to keep me from breaking up with him by threatening to cause me legal problems if I’m not his girlfriend. Get out of my apartment, Pickering.”

  He dropped his arm, but didn’t move. “I’m sorry. That came out wrong.”

  “Don’t try to convince me you said something else. Just go, before you dig a fucking deeper hole.” I walked to my door and opened it, standing beside it so I was clear I expected him to walk through and get the fuck out.

  He stopped a foot inside. “I’m not giving up on us, yet. I’ll give you time to cool off and then we can talk again.”

  “I’m calm. I put the dishes in the sink without breaking them, and you’re still standing, and your nose is still all straight on your face like it’s supposed to be. No temper here, no reason to need to calm down. You want to be friends, great. You want to be enemies? Not what I’d choose, but it won’t be the end of the world.”

  He stood still and looked at me, his expression neutral, probably his courtroom poker face, and I added. “Two steps and you’re out. I’ve asked you to leave multiple times and you’re still here.”

  “Don’t let me find out you’re fucking one of them.”

  He left, and I closed the door behind him as softly as possible, not wanting to let him say I lost my temper even a little.

  “For the record, I arranged for this recording because Thomas Pickering scares me — not physically, but legally. I now see my instincts were right, and I’m worried he’ll abuse the power afforded him by the voters of Hamilton County, so I’ll be hanging onto multiple copies of this recording as proof of his verbal legal threats against me.”

  I heard a slight click, and Brain said, “Okay the recording’s off. Unplug the charger and both cameras will be turned off. I’m turning the picture frame off from here, and I’ll get it back later. I don’t want to come in now, as it’ll arouse suspicion. Stay put, but keep sharp. Call me if you need me, or just plug the charger in and I’ll know right away, and can see and hear whatever is happening.”

  I unplugged the charger, and put the picture frame in my sweater drawer, tucked between the sweaters. I trusted Brain, but I’d still be happy when it was out of the house. Which got me to thinking. I grabbed my phone and went out on the balcony.

  “You okay?” Brain asked as he answered.

  “How can I be sure he didn’t put a bug in my apartment? They’re so tiny, how would I know?”

  “I’ll arrange to arrive with Bash tonight so it looks like we came together. I’ll do a sweep, and will get the picture frame while I’m there.” Brain was always so patient with me. Even now, when I was probably being silly, he didn’t seem the least exasperated with me.

  “Thanks, Brain. I appreciate it.”

  “Not a problem. We need to stay on our toes with him, and making sure he can’t hear whatever happens in your apartment is smart.”

  Chapter Five

  Bash

  I heard a Harley, and recognized Brain’s engine as he slowed and pulled into the parking lot.

  “You got a minute?” he asked as he came in and sat in one of my chairs, his long legs stretched out in front of him.

  I held up a finger as I listened to Bobcat on the phone, and then told him, “Okay, teach him some manners, but don’t go alone. Gonzo isn’t too far away — if he can free up some time, take him. Otherwise let Duke know I said you need backup, and why. It’ll be nice if you can take Tiny or Dozer.”

  We were using Brain’s new encryption app, so we could talk without anyone overhearing, but I was still careful about what I said. Teach him some manners was code for mess him up a little, but not so much he’ll need a doctor. Our girl wasn’t physically hurt, but her clothes were ripped and she was crying, and the john hadn’t negotiated for a girl who liked it rough.

  I disconnected and nodded to Brain, who said, “Angelica asked me to put recording equipment in, so she’d have a record of her conversation with Pickering. I think you need to hear
it now so you can get pissed off and get over it before you see her. Dozer and Tiny can’t help Bobcat because they’re in the parking lot in a cage — my insurance you don’t go beat the hell out of the District Attorney before you can calm down enough to see reason.”

  My temper flared to life, but I remained seated as I told Brain, “If he hurt her, nothing any of you can do will keep me from killin’ him.”

  “She’s fine, and she more than held her own with him. Just listen, then we’ll talk.”

  By the time the recording ended, a red film had settled over my eyes. Tiny and Dozer were in the office, standing on either side of the closed door. I couldn’t take all three of them, and we all knew it. I had my gun, but I smelled theirs as well and they were just as fast as me.

  No one said anything for several long moments, and Brain finally said, “Talk to me, Bash.”

  “I’m gonna take a trip to Ringgold before I go to Angelica’s.”

  “Thought you were going to try to get to her house before dark. Make sure she’s safe.”

  “I need to fight someone. If I see Pickering in the parking lot, it’ll be his face if I don’t beat on someone else, first.”

  “Let’s go out back,” Brain said with a smirk. “I’ll volunteer Tiny’s face.”

  Tiny chuckled. “I’ll swap punches, but you don’t get any free ones.”

  “Swapping punches won’t help. Need to beat the shit out of someone.” The fights in Ringgold are only open to shifters, and the manager knew what I was capable of. If I walked in, he’d put me with someone who could handle me. Or, alternatively, someone who could heal from having their skull bashed in, just in case they couldn’t handle me.