CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) (15 page)

Never
one to refuse a challenge, Shannon lifted her chin, “Fine. Surprise me. This
I’ve got to see. Do you even know anything about mixing drinks?”

The
corner of Crash’s mouth lifted, but he didn’t respond, he just moved behind the
bar and began making something. A minute later, he slid a blue drink in front
of her, his eyes meeting hers.

“What
is it?” she asked, looking down at it.

“Take
a sip,” he replied, lifting his chin toward the drink.

Green,
Wolf and Misty were sitting at the bar watching her. Cole and Red Dog walked
up, having finished helping get their kids loaded up.

Shannon
took a tentative sip. It was actually good. “What’s it called?”

Crash
grinned at her. “I named it after you. I call it the Blue-eyed Bitch.”

The
guys around the bar all started laughing.

She
glared at Crash. Her eyes dropped to the full glass in her hand, and then back
at Crash. “I’d throw it in your face, but that would only prove you right,
wouldn’t it?”

The
guys hooted even louder at her comment, and Crash smiled back at her. “Yeah,
babe. It would.”

Cole
put his arm around her from behind, and putting his mouth close to her ear, he
whispered loud enough for Crash to hear. “Don’t let him get to you, sweetheart,
he’s just trying to rile you up because he secretly likes your smart mouth.”

Crash
smirked. “Right.”

Cole
chuckled and moved away, lighting a cigarette. “Get me a beer, bartender,” he said
with a grin at Crash.

“Coming
right up, dickhead,” Crash responded and moved off to get one.

Suddenly,
Shannon felt another body press up against her back. A man with short brown
hair and brown eyes was staring down at her. “Sugar, he don’ treat you right,
you come see ol’ Cajun. I’ll treat you right,” he whispered in her ear, his deep
Louisiana accent thick, his eyes looking over the bar at Crash.

Crash
snapped, “Leave her be, Cajun or you and me are gonna have a problem.”

“So
she’s what’s been takin’ up all your time, eh, Crash?” He looked from Crash
back down to Shannon. “He’s one sorry-ass coon, him. How ‘bout you ’n me go get
us some dinner, sugar. I show you a good time.”

Before
Crash could respond, Shannon handled Cajun herself, “I’m sure that would be
just lovely, but you see I’m afraid I’ll have to turn down your dinner
invitation as I’m allergic to corndog batter.”

The
guys around the bar burst out laughing. Wolf almost spit his beer out, choking
out, “Goddamn, Crash, she’s a hoot.”

Crash
moved around the bar and shoved Cajun away. “I think the lady just declined
your dinner invitation, motherfucker.”

Cajun
raised his hands, grinning. “S’okay. I’ll be around to pick up the pieces when
you get done fuckin’ her over, son.”

The
next thing Shannon knew, Cajun was out cold on the floor from Crash’s powerful
punch to his jaw.

The
guys again roared with laughter and hoots and hollers.

“Ooh,
hoo. Damn, brother. That son-of-a-bitch went down like a sack of bricks,” Green
declared, staring down at the body sprawled out on the floor.

“He’s
out like a light,” Red Dog observed, peering down at Cajun from his barstool.

Shannon
noticed nobody made a move to help Cajun to his feet.

Crash
flexed his hand and picked up his beer. Taking a long pull, his eyes met Shannon’s
over the bottle. Hers were wide with shock. “Crash, you didn’t have to do
that.”

He
lowered the bottle, his eyes drilling into hers. “Yeah, I did, Shannon. Nobody
talks to you like that. They gotta learn. I just set the example.”

She
looked around the bar. The guys playing pool had paused to take in the show. A
few moments later, they all resumed what they were doing.

Angel,
Crystal and Mack came in from outside. Crystal looked down at Cajun out cold on
the floor, and then, her hands landing on her hips, she looked up at Mack and
said, “I’m not cleaning that up.”

The
guys burst out laughing.

Angel
sat between Cole and Shannon, and Shannon leaned over to ask her where the
restroom was.

Angel
grinned at her, “Believe me, darlin’, you don’t want to use it.”

“Yeah,
it’s pretty disgusting,” Crystal confirmed.

“Come
on, you can use the one in Cole’s room. It’s clean,” Angel offered. She turned
to Cole.

“It’s
unlocked, baby.” He pulled her in for a kiss, and then let her go.

Shannon
got up and followed Angel, who led her up the metal staircase on the other side
of the room. As they walked up it, Shannon looked down at the common room below
and noticed a lot of male eyes on her.

Angel
leaned over and whispered, “They can’t take their eyes off you, honey.”

“I
guess it’s that I’m a stranger.”

“No,
I’m pretty sure it’s the legs and ass in those short-shorts.”

“Oh,
God. Why did you make me wear this?”

“Look
at Crash.”

She
did. His eyes were on her, too. “He looks angry.”

“He
looks hungry.”

They
reached the top of the stairs, and Angel led her down a dark hallway, they
passed door after door. The top half of each door had a window of frosted glass
with old gold lettering on it. Each door held a different designation. Accounting,
Purchasing, Engineering, etc. These must have been the original offices from
when this place was a manufacturing company, Shannon surmised.

Angel
paused in front of the last door on the right. The gold lettering read, Vice
President. She opened the door, and they walked in. There was a brick wall to
her left with old multi-paned manufacturing windows set up high. A bed was
against that wall with bedside tables and lamps. On the right was a desk and
some shelving, straight ahead was another door.

“Bathroom
is through there,” Angel instructed, pointing toward that door.

“Thanks.”
Shannon moved toward it.

When
she came back out, Angel was sitting on the bed. “This is where Cole brought me
the day after he saved me.”

Shannon
sat on the bed facing her. “I remember the day I met the two of you.”

Angel
nodded. “When Cole and Crash pulled you from that van.”

Shannon
nodded back. “Yeah. But later, when they took us to that other place-”

“The
Dead Souls Clubhouse,” Angel filled in the detail. “How have you been doing
with it all?”

Shannon
shrugged. “I still get panic attacks sometimes.” She looked up at Angel. “You
talked to us that day and told us what had happened to you. I remember thinking
how strong you seemed. How are you doing with it all? You’d been through so
much more than I had to go through. I’m embarrassed I’m even struggling with it
still after all this time. You seem fine and so happy.”

“I
am, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t have issues. When I was first with Cole—well
he just made me feel so safe, like he wasn’t ever going to let anything ever hurt
me again. He got me through it by just being there for me.”

Shannon
nodded. “I could tell, even then, how much he cared for you.”

Angel
looked at her. “But then—when I got home—well, I sort of fell apart. I saw a
counselor for a while, and Natalie was there for me. She helped me a lot.” She
paused to smile. “And then I had the babies, and I didn’t have much time to
feel sorry for myself. That was probably the best therapy.” She shrugged. “And
once Cole was back in my life—I’ve never been happier.”

“Good.
I’m happy for you,” Shannon offered.

Angel
studied her. “So, you’ve had panic attacks?”

Shannon
looked down and nodded.

“Did
you get any counseling?”

Shannon
shook her head. “No. Cole swore us to secrecy. I couldn’t say I suddenly needed
a counselor. My parents would have asked what for. For an attack and abduction
that wasn’t supposed to have ever occurred?”

“I
see your point,” Angel agreed. “How are you and Crash getting along?”

“He
pretty much hates me. He thinks I’m nothing but a stuck-up, spoiled brat who
doesn’t know anything about anything.”

“I’m
sure that’s not true.”

“Oh,
it’s true. He thinks I’m a bitch. You missed it, but he just named a drink
after me. He called it a Blue-eyed Bitch.”

Angel
couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m sorry. I’m not laughing at you. But, even you
have to admit, that’s pretty funny.”

Shannon
smiled. “I suppose.”

“Have
you been a bitch to him?”

Shannon
looked away, guiltily. “Maybe.”

“Shannon,
Crash is a good man. He really is. I know if you let him, he could help you.”

“Help
me?” She looked at Angel wondering what she was talking about.

“With
the panic attacks—with feeling safe again.”

Shannon
pulled back. “I don’t think anybody can help me with that.”

“Shannon
listen to me. You’ve got to let someone in. It’s the only way. Believe me. You
can’t do this alone.”

“I
don’t know. I’ve carried it alone for so long.”

“I
know Crash. I know you can trust him, Shannon. Please, at least think about
it.”

“All
right,” she gave in, mostly to just stop talking about it.

“Now,
what’s this nonsense about you not knowing anything about anything?”

Shannon
rolled her eyes. “As far as he’s concerned I’m a useless spoiled brat.”

“What
do you mean? Tell me. I find this very interesting that you care what Crash
thinks of you. I think that’s very telling.”

“Angel,
don’t read too much into it. It just bothers me that…maybe he’s right.”

“Right?”

“Well,
I can’t cook. I can barely do laundry…”

“Sweetie,
I can help you with all that. It just takes practice.”

“Can
you teach me how to cook?”

“Of
course. I can come over one day when he’s out with the guys and teach you a
couple recipes. You can surprise and amaze him!”

“That
would be nice. I sure would love to rub it in his face.”

“Come
on. We better get back before they come looking for us.”

Crash
had turned back from watching the girls walk up the stairs, and he connected
eyes with Mack.

“Your
girl’s makin’ quite an impression.” Mack’s eyes dropped down to Cajun, who was
starting to come around.

Crash
glanced back up at the hallway they’d disappeared down and grumbled, “She’s a
goddamn fish out of water.”

Cole
took a pull on his beer and commented, “Angel thinks she’s a scared little girl
on the inside.”

Crash
replied, “Well, whatever’s scaring her on the inside, is making her a bitch on
the outside.”

Cole
chuckled.

“Yeah,
well, you’re stuck with her now,” Mack put in. “Natalie’s become her guardian
fucking angel, threatened to take my dick off if I even thought about runnin’
her ass off.”

Crash
studied the man. He wasn’t sure what his game was. One thing he knew for sure,
Mack wasn’t afraid of Natalie, not by a long shot.

“I
think she wants you, brother,” Mack observed with a grin at Crash.

Crash
about choked on his beer. “What the hell is that based on?”

Mack
shrugged. “Call it a hunch.

“She
doesn’t know me, and she sure doesn’t know what this life is all about.” He
nodded to the clubhouse. “She’s in over her head here. I need to get her home.”

“I
disagree,” Mack said, staring at him.

“What
do you mean?” Where the hell was Mack going with this?

“Oh,
not about her not knowing shit. She’s totally fuckin’ clueless. That part you
got right. But I disagree with your plan to keep it from her. I think she needs
to know exactly what a den of wolves she’s crawled into bed with. Full
disclosure. Bring her to the party Friday night,” Mack ordered.

Cole
and Crash exchanged a look. What the fuck? Crash’s eyes swung back to Mack,
“You’re shittin’ me, right?”

“What’d
I just say?”

“Mack-”

“Full
disclosure, brother. Let her see what she’s gotten herself mixed up with.”

“What
purpose is that gonna serve?” Crash asked, a bit of a bite to his words.

“Maybe
it’ll teach you boys to quit bringin’ around every goddamn stray you find.”
Mack smiled, picked up his beer and strolled out.

“What
the fuck was that about?” Crash asked, turning to Cole.

Cole
took a pull off his beer. “I’d say he’s still pissed at us for keepin’ shit
from him.”

“So,
he’s gonna drag Shannon through the gutter as payback?”