Bad Boys for Hire: Ryker (Bad Boys for Hire #1) (6 page)

“
S
o
, which one is Warren?” Terri tapped Jolie as her eyes adjusted to the dim light inside the bar. They had found a booth tucked near the restrooms on the side away from the bar counter.

It hadn’t been easy walking the gauntlet of biker guys, but the way they’d stared at her and her friends, making appreciative and slightly crude sounds, had stroked what was left of her ego.

Let Ryker toss away the closeness they’d felt, all because she had called him a liar for saying she was beautiful. Yes, of course, she’d wracked her brain to pinpoint the exact minute his demeanor had changed.

“He’s hanging outside having a smoke,” Jolie answered about Warren. “He’s not accepted into the club so he has to watch their bikes.”

“How’s he going to catch anyone dealing drugs if he’s outside?” Sherelle tossed back her drink. “You sure this isn’t an excuse to hang around with those biker chicks?”

“You’re always so suspicious,” Jolie said. “If he so much as touches one of those chicks, the patch holders, or full-fledged club members, will kick his ass, and he might just live if he’s lucky.”

“I don’t see the allure of being in a club. Sounds like a rough type of frat,” Sherelle said. “Conformity to the rules, pack behavior, peer pressure.”

“Yes, but you also have a sense of belonging to a clan,” Terri pointed out, remembering back when her parents used to ride. “If you’re in the club, everyone has your back, and you’re never alone. If you need something, there’s always someone to help.”

“Isn’t that what family’s for?” Sherelle shrugged, still looking unconvinced. “What I see are a bunch of insecure males who probably have tiny dicks who act like badasses but have no mind of their own. I mean, look at them. They’re all dressed alike, they all have ink, all wearing essentially the same things. Don’t even get me started on the vests. They have patches like we did in Girl Scouts.”

“Shhh …” Terri made a downward motion with her hand. “You don’t know how big a deal it is for patch holders to defend their honor.”

“All I know is there are bigger things in this world than who snubbed who, or who insulted who. World hunger, war, famine, disease.”

“I don’t know about you,” Leanna cut in. “But those dudes look plenty big to me, and I’m betting there’s no tiny dick anywhere in this bar. I mean, look at the size of those bikes.”

“Bigger bikes, smaller dicks,” Sherelle insisted. “All that vibration must numb their balls.”

At that moment, a group of bikers swaggered toward them.

“Oh, no.” Nikki patted the table. “They heard you, and now there’s going to be trouble.”

“Tall, dark, and dangerous,” Leanna said, fanning herself. “There’s four of them and five of us, but Jolie doesn’t count, since she’s engaged.”

Impossible. Terri gulped. The guys had the same brooding dark looks as Ryker, although one sported a full black beard, and the other two were grizzled with facial hair. They wore cuts, or leather vests with patches, including the 1% patch proclaiming them to be an outlaw biker gang. Hiding in back of them was—Ryker?

“Why hello there, boys.” Leanna primped her hair and jutted her boobs their direction. “Care to buy us a round of drinks?”

“Well, hello there, sexy ladies.” The lead guy with the full beard leaned over Leanna. “Drinks are on us, and we’ve a bet to settle.”

“A bet?” Terri muttered, slack jawed and unable to keep her eyes from Ryker.

He seemed to be giving her some kind of signal, blinking and shaking his head. His lips were pressed into a straight line, and he darted his eyes from the rough looking guys, probably his brothers, to her and then back at them.

Oh, yeah, she got it all right. He didn’t want her to acknowledge him to his family—didn’t want them to know he’d had anything to do with her. Jerk.

The bearded guy dragged Ryker to his side. “My brother here thinks you ladies are tourists. I say you’re biker chicks in disguise.”

“Oh, we’re definitely—” Leanna started, but Terri clamped her palm over her mouth.

“We’re tourists from Kansas,” Terri answered for her. “The hotel concierge said this place has atmosphere.”

“We love tourists, don’t we?” The bearded guy rocked on his heels. “How about you ladies go for a moonlight ride with us?”

Leanna squirmed from Terri’s grasp. “We’d love to, but there’s four of you and five of us.”

“That’s not a problem, is it?” The bearded guy laughed along with the other two.

Ryker, meanwhile, looked like he’d swallowed a prune.

Which deflated Terri’s already hurt pride even more. There was no way he’d want to be seen with her again.

“I can’t go,” Terri said. “I’m afraid of motorcycles.”

“So am I,” Nikki chimed in. “Besides, we don’t have helmets.”

Sherelle looked at her watch and yawned. “I’m jet lagged. I’m telling myself, Sher, you ain’t in Kansas anymore.”

“Oh, come on, you wusses,” Leanna said. “Jolie, you want to go, don’t you?”

“I’m not sure if I should,” Jolie said.

“How about we buy you girls a drink and then you all come with us back to the clubhouse?” the bearded guy said. “By the way, I’m Drake, and these here are my brothers, Thorn, Maddox, and Ryker.”

“Oh, we know Ry—” Leanna was cut off by a hard elbow from Terri. “Ouch.”

“We don’t know how to ride, period,” Terri finished for her. “Besides, none of us have helmets.”

“We’ll be glad to let you ladies have ours,” the brother identified as Thorn said. “We’re Wolves in Shining Armor.”

Drake snapped his fingers and called for a waitress. “Round of drinks for these lovely ladies.”

Leanna scooted further into the booth. “Here, guys, sit with us. I’m Leanna, by the way, and this is Jolie, Sherelle, Nikki and Ter—”

“Ahhh chooo!” Terri sneezed loudly. “I feel terrible, but I have to run. Ahhh chooo! I’m allergic to leather.”

“You are?” Leanna’s eyes widened. “But I thought you used to ri—”

“I ride the bus, yes, I’m definitely riding the bus.” Terri shoved her way from the booth. “Ahhh choooo!”

She thumped her way past Ryker, making sure to hit him square with her body, instead of turning sideways as normal people would when passing someone.

There, that’ll show him not to toy with her and act like she was nothing to him.

R
yker moved away
from the table without looking at any of Terri’s friends. They were gawking at him, expecting some sort of reaction from him for the way she’d bulldozed him. He had to remain calm and act as if he didn’t know her or care. There was no way he could let any of his brothers make the connection between Terri Martin, florist, and Teresa Terkel, thirteen-year-old titty-tipper, who more than likely had shown her goodies to all of them.

After pretending to chat casually with his buddy Axe, who was tending bar, he sauntered out of the exit.

The two probes were still hanging around watching his brothers’ motorcycles, but the bus stop across the street was vacant.

Terri had given them all the slip. Good job.

Meanwhile, her friends Leanna, Jolie, and Nikki had agreed to go for a ride with his brothers, leaving Sherelle to drive along behind them in her car.

Ryker couldn’t worry about these women, even though they were Terri’s friends. He could only hope they wouldn’t mention her name. Sherelle, the brightest of the bunch, seemed to have picked up some unsettling vibes, because she kept catching his eye and frowning.

He tried to warn her as best he could with motions of his finger across his neck, and to her credit, she insisted she would drive her own car, no doubt to keep her girlfriends safe.

Ryker hurried to his bike and in no time, he was outside of Terri’s apartment. He leaned into the doorbell, buzzing it long and loud. What was he going to tell Terri?

You’re in danger. My brothers want to kill you.

Right, she’d write him off as a lunatic.

His mind scrambled for a plan, but as soon as Terri opened the door, his brain turned into mush. She was the vision of a bountiful angel, and he ached to belong to her, to be the one she came home to.

“How dare you come and bother me again?” Terri jutted her chin at him. “You made it plain you didn’t want to be seen with me in front of your brothers.”

“No, I didn’t.” He forced his way into the apartment and shut the door firmly. “My brothers are dangerous. They’re still in that club. I’m sure you saw their 1% patch.”

“That’s why I got out of there as fast as I could,” Terri admitted. “Are my friends okay?”

“Probably. They seem to be playing tourist. Last I heard, they were going for a ride with them.”

Terri’s face blanched, and she rubbed her palms down over her cheeks. “Oh, no! I shouldn’t have bailed. Do you think they might be in real trouble?”

“No. You would have been in more danger, not them.”

“Me?” Terri stepped back and blinked hard. “Why me?”

“Do you remember the Metal Wolves and the Storm Demons?”

If her face was pale before, it was now positively bloodless. Her eyes widened and fear edged into them. “Your brothers are Wolves?”

“Yes.”

“And you? Are you one of them, too?”

“No, not anymore.” He stared at her, watching for any sign of recognition, not knowing how much her parents had told her.

“Who are you then? A supporter? Or a probe?”

“I’m a Marine. I’ll never go back to that life again. The problem is, there are still old scores to settle, and the Metal Wolves haven’t forgotten.”

Terri bit her lip and turned quickly so he couldn’t see her face. “I know how these clubs operate. It’s much more than a group of guys riding together for fun. It’s all for one and one for all, and hell be damned who has to pay or go to jail.”

“Then you’ve heard of my dad, Ernie Slade?”

Her eyes popped wide as she covered her mouth and recognition slowly dawned on her. “You’re that boy? The one my mother beat up?”

“Yes, all grown now. Do you think she recognized me?” Ryker caught Terri as she swayed and slumped against the entry wall.

Her breath came in pants, and she shook her head back and forth like a terrier torturing a chew toy. “No, it can’t be. Can’t be. You’re that sweet little boy.”

“I’m not so sweet and not so little.” He brought her up close, holding her steady. “Not anymore.”

She trembled against him, and then reached for his face, her fingers tentative. “I’m so sorry. So sorry for what I did.”

“You’re sorry? Why?” He stared into her watery blue eyes. “We kissed, sure, but what happened later wasn’t your fault. It was the grownups, the hotheads. Your parents, my parents, their clubs. Don’t you see? None of it was our fault. We were kids.”

“Yes, but I teased you. You were so bashful and shy. So cute though, and I was a biker brat. My dad was president of our club. I could push my way everywhere and no one would lift a hand on me.”

“You were my first kiss, Terri. It didn’t feel like teasing to me,” Ryker said, holding her tightly. “You don’t know how much I thought about you all those years.”

“Probably because my mom beat you up,” she sniffed. “I’m so sorry.”

“Did you let all the boys touch you? Did you let my brothers?” Ryker’s body stiffened. He needed to know he was special, not some cute little kid she was teasing.

“No, I didn’t let them, but they grabbed and touched.” Her voice tightened. “Not the boys in my club. They wouldn’t dare.”

“So, you went to the rallies and men harassed you and your dad didn’t do anything?” Anger roiled in Ryker’s gut. “What the hell was he doing? Pissing up a tree?”

“He and my mom didn’t know. I used to sneak off from our club because everyone watches over me. No one let me get away with anything. I wanted to do normal things like kiss a boy, hold hands, go out on a date, so whenever we went to the big rallies, I’d get lost in the crowd and talk to the boys from the other clubs. I didn’t realize what they wanted.”

“Did anyone rape you?” Ryker couldn’t help the catch in his voice.

“No, nothing that bad. Just touching, groping, tongue in mouth, grinding. They knew who my father was.”

“Terror Terkel.”

His words hung like a hushed secret between them. All he could do was stroke her hair, her shoulders, the back of her neck, letting her know he wasn’t the enemy, even though her father was responsible for his brother’s death.

Terri swallowed hard and turned away from his unwavering gaze. “How much do they know? My father’s been out of the scene. He’s crippled.”

“So, it’s true. There are rumors he’s impersonating a handicapped war veteran. We came close to uncovering his identity, but I threw away the evidence and joined the Marines.”

“Shit, Ryker. You were the hitman?” Terri recoiled from him so hard, she hit her head against the wall. “Do you hate us so much?”

“No, not me, believe me, honey.” He swept her face into his palm and tilted her to look at him. “That’s why I left. I didn’t look back. I wasn’t ever coming back. I let my family down, let the Metal Wolves down. I betrayed the informant.”

“My dad had him killed.”

“He was my uncle—my father’s baby brother.”

“Shit. Oh, shit.” Terri swiped the back of her hand over her eyes. “What are we going to do now? The Wolves are after our blood, and the Demons are making a comeback. They keep asking my father to go back in, even though he can’t ride.”

“He can’t go back. Keep him out.” Ryker shook Terri hard. “My dad’s getting out of jail in three days. We have to get out of here. We have to pack our bags and go.”

“Where? I can’t just go with you.” Terri twisted out of his grasp. “I’ve got my shop, my friends, my parents. Just answer one question. One only. Do they know who I am? Who my parents are?”

“Not yet. But if they see you around more, it might trigger a memory.”

“I can’t just disappear with you.” Terri touched the base of her neck. “The Demons will come looking for me. My father will have a bounty on you. My mom’s seen your face already.”

“I need to keep you safe, Terr. I can’t do it here where everyone knows you. If we leave, we can change our names and start a new life. We can be free of this.”

“But we’ll always be running. There’s got to be another way. I can speak to my father. Tell him to call off the feud. Maybe he can talk to yours. He can visit yours in prison before he’s released. We have what, three days?”

“It won’t work.” Ryker’s heart weighed heavy over his chest. “Your dad will expose himself and you. He’ll be hit as soon as my dad calls in a favor. And you—they’ll come after you and it won’t be pretty.”

“What can we do?” Terri grabbed his shirt. “Why did you have to come here and blow my cover? Why did you step into my life and turn it upside down?”

“Would you rather I didn’t tell you? That I ran and disappeared? I couldn’t do that to you. You were already pissed off at me for leaving. You accused me of lying when I told you my feelings. I couldn’t leave you thinking that about me.”

“But my life. You’d risk my life for my feelings?”

“No. I’ll risk my life. I’ve a plan.” It was wild. It was crazy, suicidal, but it just might work. “Take me to your dad.”

“What? Oh, no, no, no. He’ll have you killed.”

“Why? I haven’t killed anyone, at least not outside of the war on terrorism. It’s the perfect solution. When my father gets out of prison, he’s going to have to make a deal for me. Call off the feud, in exchange for his son—his youngest son.”

“No, you must run. I won’t tell, and we’ll just let this go.” Terri pushed him toward the door. “Pretend none of this happened.”

Ryker pushed her back. “You have to warn your dad.”

“Warn him about what? Your brothers don’t know.”

“So you want me to leave? That’s it? After what happened between us? Just walk away?”

“Yes.” She bit her lip hard, wincing at the pain. “Yes. You’re too good to be dragged into an MC war.”

“Too good, or is that an excuse?” He hated the pain that lanced through his heart. During his darkest days while he lay wounded in the desert, he’d thought about the angel in the barn—the sweet lips he’d kissed and the soft breasts he’d rested his head on. She’d thought of him as a man, had asked him to kiss and touch her, and when he’d looked at her with worshipping eyes, her tears had dried and a shy smile had crept to her face.

At that moment, Ryker knew what it was like to touch a person and leave them better off than before. He’d done that for her, before it all went to hell.

“Not an excuse, Ryker.” She was definitely not that girl in the barn anymore. The years had hardened her, and she was now suspicious of his motives, unable to believe he would sacrifice himself for her. “It’s what I want.”

“Fine, I’ll leave.” His heart dropped to the ground. She didn’t want him as much as he wanted her. He would have done anything and everything to keep her safe, to take her away from the danger, but she didn’t want him.

She preferred to pretend none of this had happened. That he was but a ghost from her past—no one important.

“Bye, Ryker. Take care of yourself,” she said, opening the door.

“Take care of myself? Is that what you think I want? Just to take care of me?” He shut the door, trapping her between his arms. “I’ll leave because it’s what you want, but not yet. Not until I show you what you’ll be missing.”