“The spaghetti’s my favorite, but I get pizza sometimes. The pizza’s really good. I like cheese. That’s my favorite.”
“That’s my favorite, too.”
“J likes pepperoni, and so does Ty. They can eat an extra-large by themselves, really fast.”
The waitress stopped at their table and asked if they wanted anything to drink.
“Della, Sprite?”
She nodded. Trig ordered a Sprite and a beer, for himself.
“Allie? Still drinking beer?” Army asked.
She nodded.
Shit. Beautiful, classy, drove a muscle car, and drank beer? He was so fucking screwed.
Army ordered two beers. The waitress left to retrieve their drinks.
“So, Allie, what’re your plans for tomorrow?”
“Need to get some shopping done. I wasn’t thinking clearly when I packed. I need a suit for interviews.”
“Let me arrange to have your stuff shipped here.”
She shook her head. “New beginning… Besides, that stuff is useless to me here. I kind of get the feeling this town’s more low key than the city.”
The waitress returned with their drinks and garlic bread, and then they ordered two extra-large pizzas half-cheese, half-pepperoni.
“I have to go to the restroom,” Della announced.
He cringed inwardly. He loved taking his niece out to dinner, the movies, anywhere really. He loved spending time with her. She was beautiful, sweet, and reminded him of his sister, but he hated this part. She was too little to head into the women’s bathroom alone, and he hated taking her into the men’s.
“I have to go too. Mind if I come with you?”
Damn. Allie must’ve read his mind.
Della nodded. He stood and helped Della out then watched them go.
“Don’t worry. Allie’s good with kids.”
His gaze shot to Army, sitting across from him. “Not worried, brother. In fact, I’m relieved.”
Army quirked a brow.
“You have a daughter one day. You take her out alone, she’s young like Della is, and she needs to go to the bathroom, you’ll know what I mean.”
Army smiled and shook his head. “Hadn’t even thought of that.”
“Allie looks better.”
“Yeah. Don’t know if I should trust it though. She hides shit, and I got this feeling in my gut there’s something she’s not telling me.”
His brother noticed, and it hadn’t even taken a day. “What’d you think it is?” When the question went unanswered, he asked, “That bad?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to say it ’cause I hope to God I’m wrong.”
Fuck. She had run, and where he came from women only ran from men for one reason. The thought it happened to Allie turned his stomach.
The girls returned, and the waitress came by with their food. They ate, drank, and talked. Allie mostly talked to Della and Army. She only looked in his direction twice. Only then had he allowed himself to glance her way.
Torture of the worst kind, ignoring her and ignoring how he felt, but he had no other choice. No one could ever know. Didn’t mean he didn’t notice shit. He noticed how she took a sip of her beer, her lips on the rim of the bottle, how she managed to still look classy and so fucking sexy it made his cock twitch. He noticed how she listened to his niece like she was the only one at the table, how she laughed softly with guarded eyes, and how she looked at Army like he was her fucking savior.
All of it made him want her more. He wanted her in a way he’d never wanted another woman, for more than a night, for more than sex. He wanted her for keeps.
Fuck.
No other choice. He
had
to keep his distance. She was too fucking good for him, and off limits.
Chapter Six
Allie had managed to get through the past three days with little effort.
Sunday, her brother drove her to the mall. She bought a black skirt suit and black heels to match. She also purchased several leggings, a pair of sneakers, and workout shirts. He drove her to the grocery store where she purchased necessities: shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and so on.
Monday, since her Camaro was in the process of being shipped, she’d borrowed her brother’s SUV to pick up a newspaper and search for job listings. She’d also borrowed his laptop, checked listings online, sent off her resume, and lined up three interviews Tuesday and another Friday.
Now with three interviews down, she felt good, like she was on her way to getting her life back on track. With a master’s in Accounting and three years of experience at a large company, she was confident in her abilities and certain she’d get offers from at least two of the jobs she interviewed for. She wouldn’t make near as much money, but she didn’t need to make so much. Living costs in a small town were nowhere near what they were in New York City.
In no time, she’d have a job, and she’d find a place of her own. She hadn’t mentioned this to Tyler yet. He had this crazy idea she should live with him. He was in the process of remodeling his house and claimed there was plenty of room for her.
On a high, she decided to go for a run. She hadn’t run for more than a week, and her body craved the exercise. After changing into a pair of leggings, sports bra, shirt, and sneakers, she headed downstairs. Passing the living room, she spotted Cuss and Dash, sitting on the couch, the television on full blast. Her gaze gravitated to the picture on the screen. Hard not to considering it was a 70” flat screen TV.
Dash and Cuss shifted on the couch, turning to her. Their eyes wide, their mouths hung open. “Hey, Classy, ain’t that you?” Cuss asked.
Yes, it was a picture of her smiling. Under it, the caption read, “Accountant from Holden Holdings, LLC. Missing.”
Her stomach turned. The room around her spun, bile rising in the back of her throat. She really hoped she wouldn’t barf in front of bikers. Completely freaking humiliating, worse than crying.
“Fuck, brother, she looks like she’s gonna retch.”
She swallowed, attempting to ignore the nausea and wiped the sweat beading on her forehead with the back of her hand.
Shit. Fuck. Totally warranted.
A man came on the screen, her cheating ex-fiancé, Wyatt.
“When did you notice your fiancée was missing?” a reporter, off camera, asked.
Such a good actor, his brows creased, expression of worry etched across his face, like he loved her, like he hadn’t cheated multiple times, like he hadn’t beat the love she had for him out of her. “She’s been gone since Saturday. She’s my world, my rock, and I’m scared to death something has happened to her.”
His world? His rock? She knew his plan. It didn’t take a genius to guess. She’d have to fly to New York and sort out the mess he made, and then he and her father would try to get her to stay. If that didn’t work, they’d make her.
She fisted her hands until the sting of her nails biting into her palms began to hurt. The sudden urge to scream ripped through her. She couldn’t. It wasn’t how she’d been taught to deal with her problems.
“Doll, you engaged?” Bud asked. He and several others had since walked into the room.
Her gaze sliced to his. “No, I’m not engaged,” she snapped. “I broke things off because he cheated. I caught him with
three
different women.”
She lost it, and it was the reason why everyone was now looking at her like she’d grown another head. She hated getting so emotional, hated more she showed it. Her father hated it, too. Every time her mother got emotional, he got angry and walked out, so she’d taught herself to hold all her “womanly emotions” in check, all the time.
A strand of hair came undone. She pulled it back into her ponytail. “Fucking asshole thinks he can control me. I’ll show him,” she mumbled under her breath. Turning on her heel, she ran into the kitchen, picked up the phone, and dialed information for the number to the New York City Police Department. They transferred her a moment later.
“Detective Mason.”
“Detective, my name is Alyssa Holden, and I’m calling to inform you I am
not
missing. I know exactly where I am and so does my father.” She heard chuckling behind her and ignored it.
“Are you telling me your father lied to police?”
“I’m telling you he knows I left and why I left, and I’m twenty-five, which means I can disappear if I want.”
“Ms. Holden, your fiancé filed the report. Is there a reason why you left without telling him?”
“Detective Mason,” her voice laced in fury. “He is not my fiancé. Before I left, I broke off the engagement. Not that it is any of your business, but my ex-fiancé cheated, reason why I broke off the engagement, and it’s also the reason why I don’t have to tell him I left or why I left.”
“Right, Ms. Holden. I need you to come in, in person, so I can see you for myself.”
She rolled her eyes even though she knew chances were she’d have no choice. “Right, I’ll be there in a day or two, and please call off the media storm.”
He chuckled.
She slammed the phone down on the receiver. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath. Warranted, she didn’t want to go to New York. She didn’t want to see Wyatt or her father, but now, she had no choice.
Turning, she spotted the maelstrom of bikers and froze. How much they’d heard of her conversation, she had no idea. In the middle, stood the man she hadn’t been able to forget since she set eyes on him, rekindling that now familiar feeling in her gut.
His dark eyes deadlocked on hers, the muscle in his jaw jumping. Angry, but what else was new? Not too far-fetched to assume why. Men didn’t like emotional women. Men didn’t like dealing with drama. She’d created a scene and put them in the middle of it.
Why she cared what this biker thought and paid no mind to any of the others, who obviously found it amusing considering the wide smiles on their faces, was beyond her. Still too angry and wrapped up in what Wyatt had the nerve to do, she didn’t put much thought into it.
Still, her cheeks flushed. She lifted her chin and strode toward them. She had no choice. It was the only way out.
They made way for her, everyone except Jace. She side-stepped to move past him, pausing in front of Bud. “Sorry I snapped at you.” She then walked out, intent on doing what she’d planned—running.
It helped.
It always helped.
****
“Brother,” he greeted Army, phone to his ear. Trig tried to keep his cool, but it was hard. They had a situation, and it wasn’t good. “It’s Allie.”
“What happened?”
“Don’t know the whole story. What I do know is someone reported her missing, and she’s on the news.”
Army let out a curse.
Exactly his thought. Compared to his brothers, he didn’t find any of this funny. He’d bet his life her dickhead father in cahoots with her cheating ex-fiancé were trying to manipulate her, and it worked. From what he overheard, she planned on heading to the city, giving them the opportunity to spew shit about how sorry they were, how everything would change. Maybe then, she’d give it another go and stay where she obviously didn’t want to be.
“Where is she?”
“From the looks of it, she went for a run.”
“Shit. I’m on a guard, but I’ll be there by the time she gets back. Don’t let her leave.”
“What’re you gonna do?” He bit the side of his mouth, knowing he shouldn’t have asked. He couldn’t let on he cared.
“No other option. Gonna go to New York.”
About to hang up, Army said, “Thanks for the heads-up, bro.”
“No problem.” Ending the call, Trig headed outside the garage and waited. He wouldn’t chase her, figuring she needed to run like he needed to ride. He’d let her have it, but when she returned, he’d be there, and he wouldn’t let her out of his sight.
****
Allie was exhausted, drenched in sweat, and it felt great. She’d needed a run for days, and after Wyatt’s infuriating stunt, she needed it more.
As she headed into the garage, she pulled up the bottom of her shirt and wiped the sweat off her face. Taking a deep breath to slow her heartbeat, she looked up and found Jace only feet away, wearing a black wife beater under his cut, and jeans hanging low on his waist. Her stomach clenched at the sight; he looked so good. Her gaze drifted to his, his on her stomach, undisguised lust written on his face.
Her cheeks flamed.
His gaze shot to hers and hardened. Like it was her fault he caught a glimpse of her bare stomach. Like it was her fault he liked what he saw. Like he hated he liked what he saw.
He took a step, schooled his features, and then he casually asked, “Good run?”
Damn, he was good. He so easily disguised what he felt, what she caught a glimpse of.
“Yeah.”
He crossed his arms over his chest. “Your brother’s on his way.”
She didn’t know why he told her. She said nothing.
“He wants to talk to you.”
Talk to her? About what? Oh, God. Jace told her brother about her tantrum! Why else would Jace be waiting for her? Why else would her brother want to talk to her?
“You told him?” she asked, abashed, her face heating. “Why would you… I’m allowed to have feelings, you know.” She believed it. She just didn’t think she was entitled to show them, but instinctively, she defended herself. “I know I lost it, but I’m entitled to feel. Just because—”
“What’re you talkin’ about, Allie?”
The way he said her name with his deep voice made a shudder run though her. She fought to ignore it, and then she fought to remember why she should be angry.
“What’re you talkin’ about, Allie?” His voice grew harsher.
Why did that make her shiver? “I’m losing my mind,” she mumbled under her breath.
He closed the feet between them until he was so close she had to tilt her head back to look at him. “I’m talkin’ to you.”
“I know, but I have a lot on my mind right now, and I was side-tracked for a second. And I’m not sure I want to talk to you after you called my brother to tell on me.”
He leaned toward her. A breath away, she lost track of thought because his lips were so close she could almost taste them. Powerlessly, her gaze gravitated to them.
He clenched his jaw, swallowed then mumbled a barely coherent, “Fuck.”
She snapped out of her trance. Her gaze went back to his.
“It had to be done.”