Mad Delights Page 7

  “Jesus,” Romeo muttered.

  “Oh my God. Does anyone know what happened?” Chloe asked. The tang of ash in the air filtered through her nose and mouth as it circulated on the wind.

  “No. But this can’t be a coincidence, not with what happened to Babyface and Mendoza. The Shanks were scared out of town and now it seems like we’re next.”

  The other two Men of Hell members were talking with a tall black man who had on an oxygen mask. Chloe spotted Dax against the smoldering backdrop. As she and Romeo approached, a woman in the crowd stared at them with a malicious grin on her face. Every instinct screamed that this woman had some connection to what had happened, but as Chloe took one step in her direction, the crowd shifted. The woman was gone in an instant.

  Romeo had joined his friend and watched the firemen who continued to douse the building with water. Half the building was gone by flame, but it was obvious there was no saving any of it. The Whiskey Lick Her was destroyed. Chloe stood between Romeo and Dax, slipped a hand into each of theirs, and held them tightly, sharing in the atrocity of the destruction.

  “Do you know if anyone died?” Dax asked softly.

  “I don’t know,” Romeo replied. “But look at it. How could anyone possibly have survived?”

  “I know some of the EMTs,” Chloe said. “I’ll find out for you.”

  Romeo nodded. He’d clenched his jaw so tightly, she thought she could hear his teeth grinding together. She tugged on his arm until he tore his gaze away from the scene and focused on her.

  “Everything’s going to be okay,” she told him.

  “Everything is not going to be fucking okay,” he snapped, pulling away from her and Dax. “People are dead. The business is ruined. The club can’t afford this.”

  “No,” Dax said fiercely. “We’ll find out who did this and we will make them pay.”

  “I thought I could do this,” Romeo whispered. “The club is sinking and I can’t do anything to stop it. Wheels was wrong about me.”

  “Stop it,” Dax muttered. “Yank your head out of your ass and think.”

  Romeo glared at him. “I’m wallowing in self-pity and you tell me to haul my head out of my ass? You’re a fucking dick.”

  “And you’re a pussy if you let a little setback dictate what type of president you are,” Dax retorted. “We’ll regroup, rethink. We weren’t prepared before, but now we know we’re under attack. We can even call your brother if you want.”

  “No,” Romeo said. “Lily and the baby need him. I wouldn’t ask Branch to leave them.”

  “The Red Wolves are our allies. North would be more than happy to come himself.”

  “We’ll see. What kind of president would that make me if I cried for help every time a problem arose?”

  “This is hardly a little problem,” Dax said as he gestured to the ruined building in front of them.

  Romeo nodded. “Granted. I just want to try to deal with whatever foe this is before we call in any type of cavalry.”

  “Well, we know it’s not the Shanks,” Chloe said.

  Romeo glanced at her in surprise. “We?” he questioned.

  She nodded and lifted her chin. “I came here to repay a debt. Like it or not, you need me.”

  He lifted an eyebrow. “Sorry, sweetheart, but I don’t need anyone.”

  “Then what do you need, Romeo?” she demanded. “The man I’ve read about went hunting for the man who fucked over this club. The man I’ve read about wouldn’t moan and groan about how the responsibility is too much for him. You wouldn’t have taken the patch if you thought you weren’t the right man for the job.”

  “What do you mean you’ve read about me? Just who the hell are you?”

  She lifted her chin. “I’m the person who can fund your club.”

  He blinked. “Excuse me?”

  “You don’t want the cavalry, but you need money and supplies to find out who did this, right?” she asked. “To hunt the men who killed Babyface, who burned your bar to the ground? You need weapons to raise the Men of Hell from a two-bit motorcycle club to a formidable force. Lots of weapons. And I can get them for you.”

  “How?” Dax demanded.

  He and Romeo stared at her like she was some sort of freak. It made her want to cave in herself. Hide. Of all the scenarios that had played out in her head, she’d never thought she’d encounter the crazy stare from either of them.

  “I have a source,” she hedged. She hunched her shoulders, suddenly wishing that this part of the negotiations was over.

  “Yeah?” Romeo added. “Why would you help us out? What do you want from me?”

  She took a deep breath. Finally. She met his gaze squarely. “I want you.”

  Romeo cocked his head. “What the fuck does that mean?”

  “I want you in my bed. Say…for a month.”

  Both men stared at her as if she had a screw loose. Well, according to the Psychiatric Board of California she did, but the only way she wanted to treat this tangent was with the object of her affection. Basically, she wanted to fuck her way free of her obsession.

  Dax began to laugh. “For a minute there, I thought you were serious.”

  “I am serious,” she replied. “I came to Bair to be with Romeo, and the only way to rid myself of the desire for him is to have what I want. If I have you, I get over you.”

  “Are we talking guns?” Romeo asked thoughtfully. “Ammo? AR-15s? Fully automatic weapons?”

  “Rome!” Dax snapped. “That’s not funny.”

  Romeo looked at him steadily. “I’m not trying to be funny. All we have left are rifles and 9 millimeters. I want to know what the Men of Hell get in return for her generous offer.”

  “I can get you anything you want,” she said quickly. A thrill shot through her at the thought of being so close to obtaining him. “Even a tank, although that might be hard to explain to the local authorities.”

  Romeo’s eyes widened.

  “Rome, she’s talking about buying you.”

  “I know,” Romeo said. He gestured to the burned-down shell of the Whiskey Lick Her. “I used to be a pimp, Dax. What’s the harm in becoming a whore for a little while to help the club?”

  “Because there’s something not right here,” Dax insisted. “Not right with her.”

  Anger flared in Chloe. She hated to be called out on her crazy, but fighting with Dax wouldn’t serve her purpose.

  Romeo used his one good hand to grab Dax’s cut. “You can’t tell me you don’t find her attractive. I’ve seen the lust on your face.”

  Dax looked at her. Chloe lifted her chin, refusing to show how much her nerves quivered. She didn’t want him to know how much his words hurt her. But when their eyes met, that lustful band between them stretched taut and desire flared in his dark gaze. She had only bargained for Romeo, but her body also cried out for Dax. Now she was confused.

  “Okay,” he murmured. “I admit that I do want her, but she didn’t ask for me. She wants you and I don’t know if whoring yourself out to a woman you don’t know is such a wise choice.”

  “What if I requested for you too?” Chloe asked quietly.

  Astonishment stole over Dax’s face. “You want me as part of the deal?”

  She shrugged. She hadn’t meant to say that. It had just popped out, but she didn’t retract it, curious to see what he’d say.

  Dax folded his arms. “I’d say I’d feel like second choice. That I wasn’t as good as Romeo.”

  “You could say that,” she replied. “But you’ve felt the chemistry too. I know you have. There’s something between us.”

  He didn’t say anything for a long moment. His gaze never faltered from hers. “Why don’t you start by telling me where you can get that type of weaponry. Then I’ll consider the offer.”

  She bit her lip. If she told them who she really was, would they turn away? Her family wasn’t one anybody liked to fuck with. Reputations were a very nasty burden to shed.

  “I thought
not,” he said, turning away. “Come on, Rome, we have to talk to Hook.”

  She watched them walk away, frustrated. She’d pushed too soon. Damn.

  * * * *

  Shantel dialed the number she knew by heart and waited for the other line to pick up. It rang twice before a deep male voice greeted her.

  “Is he there?”

  Shantel watched Romeo Barrigan from her concealed spot. The big man had on an arm sling and he looked to be arguing with his enforcer, Dax, and some whore. “I am,” she said.

  “How does he look?”

  “Rattled.”

  The man laughed. “Good. Perhaps killing that prospect wasn’t a waste after all. Is Boone there too?”

  She shifted her gaze but didn’t see the vice president of the Men of Hell. Instead, the enforcer walked with Romeo and they joined two others talking with the remaining whorehouse bodyguard.

  “No, he’s not here.”

  “Well, that’s okay. The next part of the plan will begin shortly. Once we eliminate both men, Bair will be ours. Good work, baby,” the man praised.

  “I didn’t do much,” she murmured.

  “You did enough. Come on home and I’ll give you a real sweet treat.”

  Shantel grinned. “On my way, lover.”

  She ended the phone call and stuffed the cell into her pocket. She’d get rid of it on her way back home to her man. With one last lingering look at the destruction she’d helped create, she walked away happily humming.

  * * * *

  “What the hell happened?” Romeo asked Hook.

  “I don’t know,” Hook replied. A cut had been bandaged on his forehead and his left wrist was wrapped up. “Drifter and I were on duty and I went outside to call my girl. The next thing I knew, something exploded. Drifter… Shit. He was in there, Romeo.” His voice cracked and he squatted in an obvious effort to hide his emotions.

  Romeo certainly didn’t blame him. Two men inside a week. What the fuck was going on?

  “Hey, Romeo,” Sheriff Wilson said behind him. He turned around and shook the cop’s hand. Wilson had been on the MOH payroll for years, looking the other way whenever they had their suppliers come to town. No doubt he’d been on the Shanks payroll too.

  “Hello, Tony,” Romeo greeted wearily.

  “Do we know what happened?”

  “Looks like a gas line popped.”

  Dax snorted. “That’s bullshit. Not with what happened to Babyface.”

  Tony cocked his head. “What happened to Babyface?”

  “Same as what happened to Mendoza,” Romeo replied.

  “Shit,” Tony whispered. “My deputies are still working that crime scene.”

  “So you know about the Shanks?”

  “Yeah. What the hell is happening in this town, Romeo?”

  Romeo shook his head. “I’m not sure.”

  “Six people died tonight,” the sheriff snapped. “From what I’ve managed to gather, two were customers, two were working girls, Candy Box and Drifter. Your people.”

  Romeo closed his eyes in despair. “The back of the Whiskey Lick Her was targeted.”

  “Yes,” the cop agreed. “There’s a shitload more casualties. I don’t know if I’ll be able to make sure this doesn’t interest the feds.”

  Romeo nodded. “I’ll find a way to compensate you.”

  “Of course you will.” Tony rested his hands on his hips and narrowed his eyes. “Does someone want to take over your trade route?”

  Romeo glanced at Dax. Yeah, that thought had crossed his mind. “If they do, I don’t know who yet.”

  “I’m still the fucking sheriff of this town. I’ve got a duty to protect the citizens.”

  “What’re you trying to say, Tony?”

  The sheriff took a step closer. “Working with you is what’s best for this town, but I can’t turn my back on this. Fix this shit, Romeo, or I’m going to have to fix you.” He flicked a look around the roped-off scene. “My condolences. When I get the full report back, I’ll send the club a copy.”

  The sheriff walked away, and only Dax’s arm on his shoulder held Romeo back from jumping the fucker, even with his injured shoulder. Being talked down to and chastised rubbed him raw, like grinding his dick on a fucking cactus.

  “Let it go,” Dax told him. “There’re other things we need to concentrate on first.”

  Romeo took a deep breath and turned to his men. “Hook, can you ride?”

  “Yeah,” Hook replied, standing.

  “Call your girl and get to the clubhouse. We’re going on lockdown. Hawg, make sure Creole Jack gets to the compound.”

  Hawg nodded and headed toward the man still sitting in the back of the ambulance.

  “What about you?” Dax asked.

  Romeo looked over at Chloe, who had walked up to the EMTs to check out the treated patients while some of them waited for a ride to the hospital. This was the worst disaster Bair had seen in a while, and the small town simply wasn’t equipped to handle the dozen or so victims.

  “I have a ride.”

  “Rome, are you sure you want to involve her even more?”

  He turned back to Dax and sighed. “What if she’s telling the truth and she can get us guns?”

  “She’s still a stalker,” Dax reminded him. “Did you forget she’s here because somewhere she read about you? Read about you where? And where the hell did she learn to shoot like that? And promising guns? That’s not normal.”

  Romeo snorted. “And what is normal? You and me will never be normal, Dax. My parents ran off and left me with a biker club. Yours weren’t much better. We run drugs for a living, paying off the local cops to look the other way. We ride bikes even in the rain. We live in a clubhouse behind concrete walls. And we like it this way. Chloe might have a few screws loose, but damned if we don’t too.”

  Dax ran a hand through his hair. “It’s my job to protect you. Protect the club.”

  “I know. I trust you with my life.” He shook his head. “But we need to start looking at the bigger picture and in what direction the Men of Hell are going. Come on, let’s get back to the compound. We need a church meeting.”

  Chapter Nine

  Just as she cleared the gates to the compound, they closed behind her with a clang and a steel wall rolled in front of the chain-link fence. Sentries posted on top of the high towers held AR-15 rifles. The garage bay doors were shut and the motorcycles had been parked safely inside. Cars and people milled about the yard, making it difficult to maneuver very far, so Chloe just stopped and put it in park.

  “Come on,” Romeo said as he exited the Mercedes.

  “What’s going on?”

  “Lockdown. Everyone’s family comes in for protection.”

  Women with kids of all ages headed into the clubhouse. She frowned. “For how long?”

  “Until the threat is neutralized,” he replied and marched after the familes.

  Chloe looked around at the members scrambling around to get everything in order. She had work in the morning and wondered how the hell she was going to get out.

  A little girl ran in front of her, tripped, and went down hard on her knees. She immediately burst into tears, and Chloe knelt beside her.

  “Aw, did you hurt your knee, sweetie?”

  The little girl looked at her with watery, big blue eyes and nodded.

  “May I see?”

  She bit her lip. “Will it hurt?”

  “Oh, no. Promise.”

  Chloe carefully rolled up the legging and saw that she hadn’t even broken the skin, only scratched it a bit.

  “You know, I have a magical Band-Aid,” she said, smiling. “It doesn’t look like much, but it’s very good at healing all boo-boos. Would you like it?”

  The little girl nodded.

  “Stay here and let me go grab my bag.”

  Chloe rose and hurried around several people to the back seat of her car, glad that she had her black medical bag. When she turned back to the little girl,
she saw that her mother had joined her on the ground. The woman’s bleach-blonde hair had been haphazardly thrown into a ponytail and she wore a Harley-Davidson T-shirt that stretched tightly over her big breasts.

  “Hi, I’m Chloe,” she said. “I was just grabbing my magic Band-Aid.”

  “I’m Trix and this is my daughter, Marisol,” the woman said, smiling. “I’m Burrito’s old lady. Are you a doctor?”

  “No, not a doctor, but I’ve studied medicine.” She knelt down and opened her bag. She grabbed a bottle of water and a Band-Aid. “This is just some water so we can wash away the icky germs, okay?”

  Marisol gave a thumbs-up.

  Chloe smiled at her and cleaned up the little scrape. “What a brave girl you are. There, see? No pain. And here’s your magical Band-Aid. Leave that on for a day or two, okay?”

  “Okay,” the girl agreed.

  “Thank you,” Trix said. She stood then picked up her daughter. “Are you coming into the clubhouse?”

  “I suppose, although I have to work in the morning. I just brought Romeo back from the Whiskey Lick Her.”

  “I can’t believe what happened,” Trix murmured as she shook her head. “This is going to hurt the club bad.”

  “In what way?”

  “Financially.” She shrugged. “Morally. Come on into the clubhouse. You’ll have to talk to Romeo about letting you leave. Lockdowns usually mean we stay here until whatever is happening is over.”

  “Yeah, he explained that, but I work in the hospital.”

  The club pussy that she’d seen the last time she was here weren’t anywhere around. The bachelor man-cave had been transformed into a huge play place for kids to run around as the wives settled in. Some cleaned, some swept, but most stood around socializing. The dire circumstances that had brought them all together didn’t seem so dire with all the women and children milling about, and Chloe felt a little out of place.

  “Hey, everyone,” Trix called out. “This is Chloe, she’s a doctor.”