Bad Boys for Hire: Ryker (Bad Boys for Hire #1) (8 page)

R
yker stepped
into the lobby of Martin Transport, a full service distribution and logistics company headed by Tyrell Martin, the cleaned up version of Terror Terkel.

He’d passed the initial screening interview for a position of operations foreman by using one of Axe’s many false identities.

“Jason McGuire here for Mr. Martin,” Ryker said, handing his cover letter to the receptionist.

“He’s expecting you,” the receptionist said with a smile. She tapped a message into a chat window on her computer and deactivated the locks on the double doors leading to her boss’s office.

Ryker gave her a polite nod of thanks and followed her as she announced him. He had already walked through metal detectors and he wasn’t armed, but he didn’t foresee a problem with the man who was a paraplegic.

Terri’s father turned his wheelchair away from his desk and toward the doorway as Ryker stepped in.

He certainly didn’t look at all like a former motorcycle club president. He was clean shaven, balding, with a round face, double chin, and a paunch spilling over his thin and stiff legs. But looks could be deceiving, and being in a wheelchair didn’t make him any less dangerous.

“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Martin,” Ryker said, bending to shake.

“Please, call me Ty,” the man said with a congenial voice while giving Ryker a hearty shake. “So, Mr. McGuire, my managers tell me you’re back from the Middle East.”

“Yes, and glad to be back. I supervised the transport and logistics of our supplies. I definitely know my stuff.” Ryker took the seat Ty Martin indicated.

“I’m sure you do.” Mr. Martin’s eyes made a tour of Ryker’s face, giving him a thorough scrutiny. “My managers have already vetted you. What I want to see is if you’re an honorable man. Can you keep confidences? Can I trust you?”

“Yes to all.” Ryker leaned forward in his seat. “Especially with the life of your daughter, Terri Martin, or Teresa Terkel.”

The older man’s face paled and he reached for a button.

Ryker put his hand out and stopped him. “Please, hear me out and turn off any video or audio recorders.”

“Who are you?” Mr. Martin’s formerly cherubic face hardened into a doughy stiffness. “You’re a Slade, aren’t you? I thought you looked familiar.”

“I’m Ryker, the youngest. Turn off the recording, unless you trust your men one hundred percent. I bet no one knows the details of your past.”

“Say no more. I’ll turn off the feed.” Terri’s father frowned as he clicked on his laptop. “Now, I can kill you.”

“I know,” Ryker said. “But I reckon I’m worth more to you alive than dead. My father’s getting out of prison on Friday, and if I’m dead, there’s no stopping my family from coming after you. You had my uncle killed. You shot my eldest brother.”

“Your father blew up half of my family.” A vein bulged dangerously in the other man’s forehead.

“You started it by burning down our garage.”

“You tried to rape my daughter.”

“That’s not true. I was a ten year old boy, and she invited me to kiss her, but this isn’t what I’m here to talk about.” Ryker stood and crouched over the other man.

Beads of sweat formed on Terri’s father’s forehead as he tried to move his hand underneath his desk, where he no doubt had a gun hidden.

“Like I said,” Ryker reiterated. “I wouldn’t kill me if I were you. I’m not here to kill you either or I would have done it already. I would have done it five years ago.”

“Then what are you doing here?”

“Bargaining for the life of your daughter, Terri. I want you to promise me you will not hit any of my family, and in exchange, I will be your hostage.”

“Hostage? Like how?”

“I pledge that if any member of the Metal Wolves, including my family and any supporters were to harm Terri in any way, shape, or form, then I will turn myself in to be killed.”

“What’s stopping me from having your entire family killed first? Starting with you?” The former motorcycle club president narrowed his eyes. “I think you miscalculated by coming here. You have balls, I’ll concede. But you’re stupid. I have men surrounding your family. I know about your father’s release. The only missing piece is you. I didn’t know where you were, and now I know. The only way my family will ever be safe is to eliminate all of you at the same time, so there’s no one left to take vengeance. I can kill you now, and give the order for Friday.”

“How do you know my brothers and mother don’t have your wife and daughter surrounded? We might also know who you are, and your disguise is wearing thin.” Ryker crossed his arms to look smug. “You let me handle my family, and in return, you call a truce, on your word of honor as a man.”

“No, you’re lying.” Mr. Martin reached under his desk and produced a gun. “If your brothers and mother knew who we were, they would have already done the deed. They had no reason to wait for your father’s release from prison.”

He clicked the safety and cocked the gun at Ryker.

“You do that, and you’ll never see your daughter again.” Ryker lowered his voice to a growl.

Palpable fear crossed Mr. Martin’s face as he swallowed hard. “Where is my daughter? What have you done to her?”

“I’ve made love to her, and I’m going to protect her, but if you touch a hair of my head, your daughter is not going to want to see you ever again. She will never forgive you for killing the man she’s pledged herself to.”

“Bastard.” Mr. Martin’s hand shook, but he lowered the gun. “You took advantage of my Terri. I will never ever accept her with the likes of you. No Storm Demon will ever accept a Metal Wolf into our fold.”

“Wolves mate for life, and as long as I make Terri happy, I suggest you keep your threats and bluster to yourself.” Ryker backed himself to the door. “We Wolves outnumber you. Don’t do anything stupid.”

Mr. Martin gritted his teeth and glared at Ryker as he backed to the door. “You start tomorrow. Be here at eight for orientation.”

T
erri spent
the rest of the day on pins and needles, jerking her head every time a customer stepped through the door. Her assistant had come down with the flu, which meant Terri was alone at the shop. She would have loved to have Ryker help her, and even though he wanted to stick by her twenty-four seven, she knew she was pushing her luck.

It was only a matter of time before either her mother figured out who he was or one of his brothers would have him followed and suspect her of being Terror Terkel’s daughter.

The front door chimed, and in stepped her mother.

“I knew I’d find you here,” Mom said. Her lips were painted in a garish purple, and her sense of style could only be described as loud and obnoxious with colors that clashed.

“Where else would I be?” Terri straightened the sales pamphlets on the counter. “How may I help you?”

“Oh, let’s not pretend I didn’t catch you with that motorcycle punk last night.” Mom pointed a sharp, glittery fingernail at Terri. “How many times have I told you, guys who ride are dangerous?”

“Like Dad was? When he rode with the Demons?”

“Shush.” Her mother waved her hand and glanced around the empty store. “You’re never supposed to bring up the past. Your father’s a retired Marine. Injured during the Gulf War—the first Gulf War.”

“You think I’ve forgotten all the trouble we got in?” Terri leaned across the counter. “Besides, not all guys who ride are into that stuff—you know, meth, smuggling, theft. How do I know Dad’s still not involved? Kind of convenient how he has a transport and logistics company.”

“What’s gotten into you?” Mom pressed that slash of her mouth into a thick line of disapproval.

“Nothing. Only I’m going to be too busy Friday to go on that date with Dr. Fiske.”

“That’s actually what I came to see you about. Why don’t you close up early, seeing as you have no customers, and go shopping? A man like Dr. Fiske would appreciate a woman in designer clothes.”

“Did you not hear a thing I said?” Terri raised her voice. “I’m not going on the date this Friday.”

“Why? Is a proctologist not good enough for you? A florist?”

“I’m not exactly eager to hold hands with a guy who spends his entire day digging around assholes.” Terri rolled her eyes bigtime and chortled annoyingly.

Her mother narrowed her eyes, lowering lids heavy with iridescent eye shadow. “The biker punk came back, didn’t he?”

Terri felt like telling the truth. She wanted to say,
What if he did?
But everything was too precarious, and she couldn’t let her parents know Ryker was back in town.

“No, Mom, I’m just very tired, that’s all. I had a large delivery of funeral flowers yesterday, and there’s a shortage of Easter lilies, so I have to contact suppliers and get myself on the short list for Easter.”

“Then that’s settled. You contact those suppliers and then go dress shopping.”

“Why don’t you go buy something for me? You have my measurements.” Terri got out from behind the counter and walked toward the workroom. “I’ve got bouquets to make, centerpieces to arrange …”

She skidded to a stop and suppressed a gasp.

Ryker was crouched under the workbench with a finger over his lips. He had to have heard everything about her upcoming date with Dr. Fiske, proctologist, because he could barely contain his laughter.

Terri whirled around and hustled to block her mother’s view. “Mom, here. Choose anything you want out of the cooler. A wildflower centerpiece? How about a bunch of daisies? I’ll even write up a card from Dad and have them delivered to the country club in time for tea. How about that?”

“Well …” Her mother’s beady eyes rolled around as she computed which women would be present at the club and how big of a bouquet was required to impress them. “I guess I could take a dozen long stemmed roses. Ty has been ever so sweet lately, and your birthday is coming up. He never forgets the thirty-six hour labor I went through to have you. While everyone’s giving you gifts just for being born, I was the one who suffered and labored so many, many horrible hours.”

“Yes, Mom, you did.” Terri patted her arm. “Let me choose the best roses for you. Make sure to act surprised.”

“I will, definitely, oh, and while I’m here, let me put in an order for Dr. Fiske. Stella says he’s very forgetful, and we wouldn’t want him to be embarrassed when he forgets to bring flowers on your first date.”

“Why bother?” Terri huffed. “I’m not going.”

“Oh, yes, you will. I think a bouquet of orange roses and a teddy bear will do the trick.” She proceeded to tear off an order form and fill it out for the man no one wanted to be fingered by. Ugh. Just the thought of what lay hidden underneath Dr. Fiske’s fingernails was enough to make her see brown.

Fortunately, her mother hummed a tune, satisfied that she would get a surprise delivery of long stemmed roses in front of her friends. After slobbering purple lipstick on Terri’s cheek and running her motherly fingers through Terri’s hair, her mother exclaimed she was late for a committee meeting and waddled out the front door.

A low chuckle rolled behind Terri, and she was caught up in Ryker’s arms as he dragged her back behind the curtain.

“How’d you get here? Did she see you?”

“Shhh … after I kiss you first.” He caught her lips and melted her with a luscious one.

Terri felt the tension disintegrate as she softened in Ryker’s arms. He was here with her—still alive, hot, passionate with his heart beating and his blood pulsing through his body. Maybe they would be able to keep their relationship secret while they figured out how to diffuse the parents from both sides.

She took her time savoring his lips, the firm tang of the stubble across the top and the biting edge of his teeth, combined with the loving rapture of his tongue put her in a state of bliss. She could go on and on just kissing him, running her fingers through his hair and rubbing her full, pendulous breasts against his hard muscular chest.

But arousal flooded her veins, and wetness pooled between her legs. It had been a long day filling orders, making bouquets, and calling around for supplies. She deserved a reward from the stress that had her chest tight and her throat dry.

As if reading her mind, Ryker lifted her onto the work bench and spread her legs, parking himself between them.

“How was your day?” She barely breathed, hoping he had good news about a job he said he was interviewing for.

“Wonderful,” he replied. “I got a job. Start first thing tomorrow morning.”

“Squeee!” Terri raised her hand for a high five. “That’s fantastic. Where?”

“Operations manager for a distribution company. Not a big one, but the owner’s also a veteran, so he understood how all my experience was military and not civilian and that even though I hadn’t had the exact job titles, the skills are transferable.”

“I’m so happy for you.” She gave him a tight squeeze. “This calls for a celebration.”

“It sure does, but first, I want to know all about this date with the butt doctor. Where’s he taking you?”

“Symphony.” Terri sighed. “I’m not going.”

“You should go,” Ryker said, brushing a kiss on her forehead. “It’ll keep you off the radar while I deal with my dad’s homecoming.”

Terri’s hairs froze at the mention of Ryker’s father. “What will you do? Do you think he’ll come after me?”

“Yes and no,” Ryker said, rubbing his nose. “Axe says he might be able to fake your death notice. Too bad your former name’s so uncommon, Terkel, but all we have to do is find a woman around your age who died, and say it’s you.”

“And he’ll believe it? That easily?”

“Sure, or even better, we find someone on the missing person’s list. He’s got a friend who’ll claim to have been your boyfriend right before you went missing. All we need is something of yours that will convince my dad that the person who went missing is actually you.”

“Maybe you can take a lock of my hair?”

“No, that won’t work, because they’re not exactly going to do DNA tests on it. How about a high school yearbook? Or an elementary school report card or a picture from when you were thirteen?”

“I have a jacket with Storm Demon patches. It even has my road name on it. How well can we trust this guy?”

“He’s an actor, and he doesn’t know why he’s playing the role. Axe hired him from Bad Boys for Hire. We’re taking my father to Club Rachelle, and this guy’s going to overhear us talking about Terror Terkel, wondering where he is these days. He’ll happen to be sitting next to us and mention that he used to date you, but unfortunately, you either died or went missing.”

“It’s better if I died. Otherwise, they’ll keep looking for me,” Terri said, relief flooding over her. “Do you think it’ll work? That this will be over?”

“If they buy it, yes.” Ryker palmed both sides of her head and stroked her hair. “Then, when they meet you, they won’t suspect a thing. Except you’ll have to keep your parents away from us. That part I haven’t figured out.”

“That’ll be easy,” Terri snorted. “They don’t want anything to do with people who ride. My mother’s a country club snob.”

“I heard all about her little trick of having flowers sent to herself.” Ryker shook his head, looking fully amused.

“Oh, wait. I better get those roses packed and delivered.” Terri glanced at the wall clock. “Tea time’s starting soon.”

“I can’t believe they take tea time at the club. This isn’t England.”

“I’m good with whatever’s keeping her occupied. As long as she’s at the club, she isn’t here breathing down my neck.”

“Good.” Ryker brushed his hands over Terri’s breasts as he wrapped his arms around her from the back. “Why don’t you let me breathe down your neck while you prepare those roses?”