Bad Boys for Hire: Ryker (Bad Boys for Hire #1) (10 page)

T
he next two
days passed swiftly. Ryker went to his job from nine to six, and Terri fretted at the flower shop about her date with Dr. Fiske. Her mother had bought her a new dress, and she was busy making her own “gift”, a teddy bear bouquet with balloons and orange spray painted carnations. Yes, her mother had ordered roses, but no way was Terri going to spring for roses for her dreaded date with the man with the decidedly not golden fingers. Yuck.

Ryker was spending every night with her, parking his bike several blocks away and sneaking into her apartment under the cover of darkness. However, he insisted she keep her date with Dr. Fiske so that she was out of the way when he and his family celebrated his father’s release from jail.

The bells chimed and she looked up to find her mother with a garment bag. “I picked up the dress for you. Dr. Fiske is going to be wowed by you.”

“Thanks, Mom, I do appreciate it.” Terri yawned as she tied a ribbon to the teddy bear. Obviously, she and Ryker had burned up the sheets every night, and she was behind on her sleep. “I’m almost finished with the gift from Dr. Fiske to me. Would you like to take it with you to the country club?”

“What’s this? Carnations? I thought I ordered orange roses.” Her mother plucked a spray painted carnation and bent it in half.

“If Dr. Fiske would pay for it,” Terri grumbled. “It’s bad enough that I have to make my own bouquet, but that I have to pay for it, too? I’m not you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Her mother snapped another carnation and tossed it on the floor.

“It means I don’t buy my own gifts for a man to give to me like you do with Dad.”

“Your father is handicapped, in case you’ve forgotten.” Her mother bared her teeth and snarled. “All thanks to those Wolves you’ve been hanging around.”

A bolt of cold fear shot through Terri’s gut. “What Wolves? I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

“Don’t think I don’t know what’s going on. I haven’t said anything because I figured you’d come to your senses. Dr. Fiske is a good man, the best I came up with so far.”

Terri heaved a sigh and tried to straighten the broken flower stem. “If he’s so great, why can’t he ask me out himself and order his own flowers? Did you also pay for the symphony tickets?”

Two bright spots of red on her mother’s face gave her away. “Not exactly. Your dad and I have something to do tonight, and we have season tickets we couldn’t use.”

Terri slammed the counter with her fist. “I knew it. You practically begged his mother to order him to take me on a date, as if I had nothing else to do.”

“You usually don’t.” Her mother’s eyes narrowed. “At least anything worthwhile. Beggars can’t be choosers.”

“Excuse me? Did you call me a beggar?” Terri shoved the unfinished bouquet at her mother. “I happen to have another date tonight and I’m not going out with Dr. Fiske. He can see the symphony by himself.”

“We’ll see about that.” Her mother opened her purse and extracted her cell phone. “I told you to stay away from that biker guy, but it seems you’ve been with him every night. Don’t think I don’t have eyes and ears.”

The bottom dropped from Terri’s stomach, and she craned her neck to see what her mother was up to.

A picture of her riding on Ryker’s bike was clearly displayed on the cell phone screen. It was captured as they had exited the
Romeo and Juliet
show.

“We went to a show, so what?” Terri feigned disinterest. There was no way her parents could have known what had gone on in the boxed seat. Besides, she was twenty-nine, going on thirty. She didn’t have to answer to them.

Her mother hunched over the counter and glared at her. “He’s that boy, Ryker Slade, and he’s dangerous to you. How can you be so stupid to go out with him? He’s setting you up for the slaughter.”

“No, he’s protecting me,” Terri countered, suddenly wishing she were married to Ryker. Then she’d really have something to throw in her mother’s face. “He and I are good friends.”

“He’s using you to get back at us.” Her mother’s jowls shook and the skin under her chin wiggled like turkey wattles. “It’s all part of the revenge the Slades have been plotting for years.”

“I’ve heard all about it from him,” Terri said. “If so, why hasn’t he killed me while he had the chance?”

“Because he wants to degrade you first. Don’t think your father and I don’t know about his nightly visits, sneaking around like an alley cat. But we’re going to get him first.” Her mother rubbed her hands together as a murderous gleam lit her face.

“You’re joking,” Terri said. Her heart twisted inside her chest and she swallowed bile. “Can’t you and Dad end this feud before everyone gets hurt? Hasn’t there been enough death?”

“It’ll end when every Slade is six feet under, starting with Ryker.”

“But Mom, there are more of them than there are us. Ryker has three brothers and his dad just got out of jail today. Our best bet is to remain hidden.”

“Great job hiding when he knows all about you,” her mother hissed. “You’re putting all of us in danger. You know your father’s a cripple and he can’t defend himself.”

“Ryker would never hurt us. In fact, he’s going to hire someone to tell his father I’m already dead.”

Her mother threw her head back and laughed. “That’s because he’s planning on having you dead. He’ll bring you to his father as a peace offering—to finish off what he didn’t do five years ago.”

“And you think this is funny?” Terri cocked her head and blinked at her mother. “If you’re really worried about me, you’d be calling the police, or we’d be taking on new identities, leaving the state, instead of planning this stupid date with Dr. Fiske.”

“Everything’s under control,” her mother said. “You go on your merry little date with the good doctor, and we’ll take care of everything.”

“What do you mean? You’re going to order a hit on Ryker?” Terri grabbed her mother’s arm. “Tell me.”

“We’re not doing anything stupid like that,” Mom said.

“Yes, you would.” Terri stepped from behind the counter. “I have to warn him. Get out of my way.”

Smack. Terri’s face stung from the sharp slap her mother delivered.

“Stop acting like a hysterical chicken,” her mother yelled. “It’s all under your control. You stop seeing Ryker and keep dating Dr. Fiske, and we will have no need to touch the Slades. They’re a bunch of low life trash anyway—not of any concern. The Demons have been horning into their businesses and in many cases, we own the buildings they’re leasing. We’ve extended loans to their stores. We’ve bought their mortgages. We also know of their dirty dealings. We have enough to put them all away for good—all except Ryker who’s record is squeaky clean—until tonight.”

“What’s going down tonight?” Terri’s heart froze.

“Nothing you should be concerned about.” Mom picked up another carnation. “Your job is to get these flowers done and get dressed in time for dinner at the club.”

“No. I have to help Ryker. If you and Dad set a trap for him, I have to warn him.”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk,” her mother clucked her tongue. “Do you think we’d be so stupid to come and tell you if we had something up our sleeves?”

“Not stupid, Mom, but sly. You’re setting him up to take the fall, and I’m not going to stand by and let you.” Terri walked to the front door and switched off the “Open” sign.

When she turned back to her mother, her eyes opened in shock. She backed up, but she wasn’t fast enough to avoid the syringe her mother plunged into her upper arm.

The world spun and her head felt fuzzy. She was barely aware of her knees buckling as she slumped to the floor right beside the broken carnation.

R
yker recoiled
from the punch his father landed on his gut. For a moment, the noise and mass of people in Club Rachelle receded as Ryker’s vision pinpointed on his old man.

He had definitely aged during his time in jail, and he was missing a tooth, but his biceps still bulged and he still had that nasty gleam in his eye, as if he were sizing up everyone he met.

The punch hurt, but Ryker wasn’t going to let anyone know. He nodded and said, “Good seeing you, too, Pops.”

“It’s about time you man up,” his father said. “I get out of jail and you’re still wearing a milk mustache.”

“Don’t be so hard on him,” Drake said, clapping his father on the back. “Ryker’s been killing people. How many you got?”

“That was in the military, and I don’t keep count.” Ryker turned away from the wall of brothers. “It’s not like I have time to notch my machine gun.”

He avoided all thought of the enemy he had killed. It was part of the job, and when a man was shooting at his direction, he was justified to shoot back.

“Then you won’t have any trouble taking out the Storm Demons.” His father looked around the bar. “Not that they have the guts to show up here.”

“Actually, this bar is neutral,” Ryker said. “You’ll be surprised who hangs around here.”

“You mean you’ve seen a Demon and you let them walk?” Ryker’s father puffed up like a fighting cock.

“Like I said, you’ll be surprised. Maybe not a Demon, but definitely there are guys we shoot pool with who knew of them—or whatever’s left of them.”

“Why? How many are left?” Pops rolled up his sleeves.

“None that I know of. I’ve been tracking that girl you wanted me to stalk, you remember her? Teresa Terkel,” Ryker said in a loud voice, hoping Ken, the guy he’d hired from Bad Boys for Hire, would be paying attention. “But she seemed to have disappeared into thin air.”

“You should have shot her when you had her in your sights.” The old man slammed his fist onto the bar counter. “What’s wrong with you?”

“Hey, I only heard she was dating one of the Storm Demons, but poof, she seemed to have vanished,” Ryker said, sighing. “Teresa Terkel, Storm Goddess. If only I knew what happened to her.”

This time, he backed away from the bar and bumped into Ken, the hired bad boy, who wasn’t doing his job.

“Teresa Terkel, Storm Goddess?” His father’s laughter cackled. “You always did have a thing for her. Too bad her parents hate us so much. Couldn’t stomach watching you paw her precious puppies.”

“It’s moot now. I just wish I knew what happened to her.” Ryker elbowed the blond man sitting on the barstool next to him. What a mistake to hire Ken, the surfer dude, for this job. He should have stuck to his guns and asked for a certified biker Bad Boy. Except that damn romance convention was in town and there were none available.

“Did you say Storm Goddess?” Ken slurred and sloshed his beer mug, spilling beer on his lap. “My Teresa Terkel?”

Ryker jumped as if startled. “You knew her? Whatever happened to her?”

Ken set his beer down and pinched the bridge of his nose. He shook his head slowly. “She’s gone.”

“Hell, we knew that,” Pops cut in. “Where did she go?”

“She’s dead.” Ken coughed and sniffed, rubbing the back of his eyes. “About a year ago, now.”

“Ah, man, I’m so sorry.” Ryker patted Ken’s shoulder. “We shouldn’t have been talking so loud.”

“Nah, it’s okay,” Ken said. “I’ve been grieving for her so much, I need to get over it. My therapist says I should talk about it.”

“Shit yeah,” Ryker’s father said. “So, tell us, where was she living? How about her parents?”

“All dead,” Ken said. “One minute we were going to get married. The next, they’re dead.”

Pops whistled long and loud. “That’s quite a blow.”

“I’m telling you, it was tragic.” Ken’s voice slurred louder, and he hiccupped a sob. “There I was, standing in front of the waterfall to get married. Well, you know the Storm Goddess and how her daddy’s in a wheelchair?”

By now, Ryker’s brothers and half the other patrons in the bar were huddled around, listening to Ken tell his story.

“Yeah, serves him right for starting that war against us,” Ryker’s father growled. “Don’t keep us waiting. What happened?”

Ken bowed his head and snuffled, pretending that he couldn’t continue.

“Hey, bartender,” Drake yelled. “Give his guy another beer.”

A drink was quickly procured and Ken knocked it back, his throat wobbling as he swallowed the ale. He set the frosted mug down with a thump.

“They drove off the cliff. All three of them. The mother was driving the motorcycle with Teresa sitting on the passenger seat and her father cramped in a sidecar. I can still picture them, coming down the aisle on a Harley Road King, puttering along. My beautiful bride all in white, her veil and gown fluttering in the wind.”

“Why didn’t they stop in front of the altar?” Ryker prompted.

“No one knows.” Ken sniffed and wiped his eyes. “Instead of slowing down, she sped up, like the throttle was stuck, or she forgot how to brake. The last I saw of my beautiful bride was her veil flying high off her head as the bike sailed over the cliff, landing in the spray of the waterfall.”

“Wow, is this on the internet?” Ryker’s father exclaimed. “Look at what I miss while in the pen.”

“No one captured it,” Ken said. “It was in a remote area in South America, and the officials had stolen all of our cameras and phones. Oh, how I wish I had pictures of my dear, departed bride.”

Ryker put his arm over Ken’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for you, man. Is there anything you still have of hers? She must have made quite an impression on you.”

“She did.” Ken opened his jacket and withdrew a crumpled leather vest. “I carry this everywhere I go, close to my heart.”

Ryker’s father sucked in a breath and held out his hand. “May I see it?”

“Sure, it’s her club vest.” He unfolded it and dangled it for everyone to see.

Sure enough, the patches in the front identified her as “Storm Princess,” along with the chapter tag and the club logo of the Storm Demons.

Instinctively, all the men observed a moment of silence at the sight of the vest. Usually, the owner of the vest, or cut, was buried in it. Even though Teresa Terkel was only a woman, the vest was still important to her, especially since she had been the daughter of the Club President.

A gunshot blew out a light above their heads. Immediately, Ryker reached for his gun and so did all of his brothers.

“Give me that cut,” a man’s voice yelled. “That’s Storm Demon property.”

“No, it’s all I have of my dear, departed Storm Goddess,” Ken said, still playing his role.

“Then take my bullet.” A large, bearded man wearing the Storm Demon patch pointed his gun at Ken.

“Take it then,” Ken quickly said. He threw the cut at the bearded man and ducked.

The man held his gun steady, pointing it at Ryker. “When’s the last time you checked on your old lady?”

Shouts and hollers erupted in the bar.

“Old lady? You?” Pops slammed a fist into his back. “A Storm Demon?”

“No, I have no one.” Ryker held his hands up. “I’ve never met this man before.”

“Something’s gone down at Love Me Flowers. I think you better check it out.” The bearded man kept his gun trained on Ryker, oblivious to Axe Salvadori, the owner of Club Rachelle, sneaking up from behind him.

The club owner hammered the big man with a bottle of whiskey, breaking it over his head, and the man went down.

Ryker ran out the door and made for his bike. Love Me Flowers was Terri’s flower shop. How could his brothers and father have ordered a hit on her while they were here celebrating? Maybe they had used their prospects to do the dirty work.

His heart thumping like a wrecking ball, he sped toward Terri’s shop. Behind him rose the roar of other Harleys, but he had no time for evasive techniques. Terri was in trouble.

Just the fact a Storm Demon braved going into the Club Rachelle surrounded by all the Metal Wolves meant it had to be dire.

He skidded to a stop in front of the shop and kicked his kickstand, dismounting at the same time. The shop door was wide open, but no one was behind the counter.

“Terri, Terri,” he yelled, running through the curtains to the back room. It was empty. Where could she have gone?

His brothers, father, and even a few prospects barged in after him, filling the small interior with burly bodies and heavy boots.

“Your old lady’s name is Terri?” Drake asked. “Hey, isn’t she that blond broad? The one with the fat ass?”

“Shut it.” Ryker shoved him aside and went to have a look at the cash register to see if she’d been robbed.

A note dangled.
Come down Old La Honda road to the barn behind the shooting range. Your old lady awaits your hand in marriage. Be there tonight at eight with your entire family, or you won’t see her ever again.

“What the hell?” Drake snatched the note. “This sounds like a setup.”

“Sound like an opportunity,” Pops said. “I say you better fess up now. Who’s your old lady? She might be the one setting this up.”

“Look, if it’s a set up, the last thing you all should do is barge in there,” Ryker said, disengaging from them. His pulse was skyrocketing and sweat streamed down his back, but he had to remain calm. “My girlfriend is into drama. She’s not a part of the motorcycle scene, so you all are over-imagining. Let me handle it.”

“Oh, no, you’re a Wolf and we Wolves hunt in a pack,” Maddox said, yanking the note from Ryker. “I say we ride, but be prepared for an ambush.”

Ryker wasn’t going to stand around and argue like old ladies. He shoved everyone aside and stormed out the door. They were going to follow him anyways, and if Terri’s father had a trap set up for them, then so be it.

Terri was already in trouble, and her only chance was for him to sacrifice his life for her. Maybe then, his family would see how stupid this feud was.

Maybe then, Terri’s father would finally see the stupidity of continuing the feud. Either way, he had to save Terri—trap or no trap.