CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) (21 page)

“Lucky
for me you can’t tell time, asshole.” Wolf disconnected with a smile as Crash
let loose some more choice profanities.

A
couple minutes later the gate rolled slowly up. Wolf grinned and whispered,
“Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your sweet hair.” Then he rolled inside, shut his
bike off and climbed off. As he was pulling the small rectangular seat out of
his saddle bag, a feminine voice floated down the elevator shaft.

“Hello?”

Wolf
walked over to it. Glancing up, he shouted, “Hey, darlin’. It’s Wolf. Cole sent
me over with a seat for you.” He was about to explain that he was going to
leave it against the wall when the elevator started descending.

Shit.

Crash
was gonna kill him. The elevator stopped in front of him. He stared at it for
only half a second before he climbed on and ascended to the second level. When
it rattled to a stop, and he threw open the gate, Shannon was standing there, her
hands in the back pockets of her low cut jeans.

“Hi,”
she said, shyly.

“Hey.”
His let his eyes rove over her. Goddamn, she was gorgeous. He held the seat out
to her. “Here you go.” She took it, turning it over to look at the funny
suction cups on each corner and frowned. A grin pulled at the corner of his
mouth. God, she was adorable. “It sticks to his rear fender.”

“It
sticks?” Her eyes lifted to his.

“Don’t
worry, darlin’. You won’t fall off. It’ll hold.”

One
brow shot up, and a smile pulled at her mouth. “Are you sure?”

He
grinned. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

She
smiled. “Thanks for bringing it over. That was very thoughtful of you.”

Wolf
was torn between letting her think he’d thought of it, or telling her the
truth. He figured Angel would say something so he’d better be straight up with
her. “Wish I could take credit for it, but Angel tore Cole a new one when she
saw you ride away on the fender yesterday. Insisted he take care of it.”

“Really?
And how did you get stuck with the job?”

He
shrugged and winked. “I just happened to be in the right place at the right
time.”

“Right.
Well, thank you for bringing it. Would you like a cup of coffee?”

He
nodded. “Sure, I’ll take a cup.”

He
moved to the island and sat. She brought him over a cup and sat next to him
with her own cup. He took a sip, his eyes catching hers over the rim. “Not bad.
You’re improving,” he complimented her coffee-making skills with a grin and a
wink.

She
laughed. “Was it really that bad?”

“Yeah,
darlin’. It was pretty bad.” They both laughed.

“God,
I’m so embarrassed.” She put her face in her hand.

He
reached over and pulled it down. “Babe, when a woman looks like you do, last
thing a man cares about is how well she can make a cup of coffee.”

She
laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

His
gaze slid over her. “You and Crash getting along?”

She
shrugged. “He tolerates me, I think.”

“Really?
Can’t say that’d be a chore.”

“You
are
a flirt, aren’t you? Crash warned
me about you.”

“Oh,
did he now?”

“Um
hmm.”

“So,
you holding up okay?”

Her
grin faded. “Does everyone know my story?”

He
watched her expression change. “Darlin’, relax. A couple of us know the story.
Crazy ex stalking you, right?”

She
nodded.

“You
still worried about him?”

She
shrugged. “Sort of.”

“Shannon,
he’s not gonna get anywhere near you while you’re with the club. You need to
believe that.”

“And
when I’m here? Alone?”

“You
worried about bein’ alone here?”

She
shrugged again. “Maybe.”

“Babe.
This place is like Fort Knox. Nobody’s getting in unless you let them in. I
installed the security system myself.” She nodded, but it wasn’t convincing. He
put his hand to her chin, lifting it to meet his gaze. “Shannon, what is it?”

She
turned, pulling her chin free. “Nothing. I’m sure you’re right.”

“Crash
isn’t going to let anything happen to you. He’s a good guy, Shannon.”

She
smiled. “You’re his brother. You have to say that, right? That’s the bro code,
isn’t it?”

“Bull
shit. Ain’t no code says I gotta sing his praises. What I should be tellin’ you
is what a jerk he is and what an awesome guy I am,” he teased.

“Oh,
I see.” She laughed.

“I
could stay with you, if you don’t want to be here alone,” he offered, knowing
Cole and Crash would both have his ass if he didn’t show back up at the club
soon. But, damn, she’d be worth the beating.

“Thank
you for the offer, but you’re right, I’m sure I’m safe here. I’m just being
silly.”

He
shook his head. “One thing I’ve learned, if your gut is telling you something,
babe, it’s best to listen to it. Is there something you’re not telling me?”

“No,
of course not.”

Wolf
could see her beginning to get agitated. Something was going on. “You sure?”

“Yes.
I’m sure.”

She
slid off her bar stool. He figured that was his cue to leave, so he stood as
well. “I should be getting back then.”

She
nodded. “Yes.”

He
walked to the elevator, but stopped and turned back to her before stepping on.
“If anything happens…anything scares you, you call Crash, understand?”

“Of
course. Thanks again for bringing the seat over.”

He
stepped on and shut the gate. “You’re welcome, Shannon.”

*****

About
an hour after Wolf left, Angel and Crystal showed up. Angel pulled her car off
the street at Crash’s door, blocking the sidewalk. Getting out they walked up
to the steel door. Angel knew the guys were all at the clubhouse, and therefore
Shannon was here alone. Flipping up a hidden cover she exposed the intercom
access. Pressing the button, she leaned in and said, “Shannon, its Angel and
Crystal. Open the door.”

A
few moments later the door rolled up, and Angel pulled her car inside. Getting
out, she saw the elevator was already coming down. She reached in the backseat
for a paper grocery bag, and they headed to the elevator.

Shannon
was standing waiting for them when they reached the second floor. “Hey, girl.
Thought we’d come by and see how you were doing.”

Shannon
gave her a hug, crushing the bag between them. “Thank God you’re here. I’ve been
searching the internet for recipes, and I don’t know what the hell half of them
are talking about. Caramelize, dredge, par-boil. Who talks like that? ‘Simmer
until done’. What does that mean? How am I supposed to know if it’s done?” Her
eyes moved to Crystal.

Crystal
raised her hands. “Don’t look at me, I’m just along for the ride.”

Angel
noticed the panicked tone and laughed. “Settle down, honey. I’ve got it all in
the bag here.” She held up the paper bag in her arms.

“What’s
that?”

“Dinner.
I brought everything you need to knock Crash’s socks off.”

“Thank
you. You really are an Angel! What are we making?”

“My
recipe for Stuffed Shells. It’s one of Crash’s favorites. We can make it, slip
the pan in the fridge, and you can bake it right before he gets home. We’ll
throw together a salad and some garlic bread. He’ll love it. I guarantee it.”
Angel headed to the kitchen and began unpacking the ingredients.

“So,
he’s had your cooking before?” Shannon followed her.

“Of
course. He’s been over for dinner many times.”

“Has
he…ever brought anyone?”

Angel
turned at Shannon’s hesitant question. “He’s never brought one to our home, but
I’ve seen him with women before, Shannon. He’s not a monk. He was even married
for a short time. That was long before I met him, and he really doesn’t talk
about it. At least not to me.”

“Imagine
that,” Crystal put in with a smirk. “Someone else who won’t spill their guts to
you.”

Angel
gave Crystal a teasing glare and turned back to Shannon. “But, if you’re asking
if there’s anyone special in Crash’s life at the moment, the answer is no.”

“At
least, not until you showed up,” Crystal teased Shannon, grabbing a mushroom
from the package Angel set on the counter and popping it into her mouth. Angel
smacked her hand and returned to unpacking her bag.

 
“I don’t really know where you get the idea he
likes me. He can’t seem to stand me. We got into it this morning, as a matter
of fact. He told me I was nothing but the maid. Said that was the deal I’d
signed up for.”

Crystal
immediately tried to change the subject, knowing what a bombshell Shannon had
just dropped. She opened the fridge, peering inside. “I could really go for a
Bloody Mary. Crash got any booze?”

Angel
ignored Crystal, stopped what she was doing and looked at Shannon. “Deal? What
deal? Did you make some kind of a deal?” She watched Shannon shrug and bite her
lip.

“Maybe.”

“Oh-oh,”
Crystal warned Shannon and tried to stop her from further pissing Angel off,
signaling with a slashing motion across her throat for Shannon to stop talking.

Angel
turned to look at Crystal, who was standing behind her. Crystal immediately
stopped the motion, trying not to get caught in the act. Angel frowned, and
turning back to Shannon, she pressed, “What deal, Shannon?”

“Cole
told me that in exchange for Crash’s protection that I had to cook and clean
for him. And do his laundry.” Shannon frowned. “I think that was everything.”

“
Cole
told you?” Angel asked with a
raised brow. “What else did
Cole
tell
you?”

Crystal
dropped her head, shaking it. “Iksnay. Iksnay.”

Shannon
bit her lip again. “He said I needed to lose the attitude.”

“He
did, did he?” Angel stared at the counter, thinking about just what she was
going to say to her husband about this when he got home tonight. She turned
back to Shannon. “And you agreed to this arrangement I take it.”

Shannon
shrugged. “There really wasn’t any choice. It was that or they were walking out
the door.”

“Hmm.
Maybe we should add a little something extra to this recipe,” Angel suggested,
slamming the pasta on the counter.

“The
boys already think I put rat-poison in the coffee. Please don’t make this
worse,” Shannon begged.

“Okay,
fine. Maybe I’ll reserve that for Cole’s dinner,” Angel said.

“Oh,
please don’t. He’s been nice to me, really. I made the deal, and I really haven’t
kept up my end of it.” She glanced around at the messy loft.

Angel
put her hand on her hip, and then took in the loft. “Well, I guess we need to
get this place cleaned up then.”

Crystal
snorted. “Rub a lamp.”

The
girls burst out laughing.

Later
after Angel had helped Shannon with the recipe, and they had it all prepared
and in the fridge, they straightened up the loft, talking as they worked.

“So,
what should I wear to this party Friday night?” Shannon asked.

Crystal
and Angel exchanged looks, with Crystal saying, “You dressed her last time.
This time it’s my turn.”

Surprisingly
Angel shrugged, not putting up a fight. “Fine. You’ve actually been to these
parties, so you’d know more than me what to dress her in.”

A
sneaky grin formed on Crystal’s face. “I know just the outfit. I saw it on this
website that sells hot biker chick stuff. It was perfect.”

“What
was it, exactly?” Shannon asked suspiciously.

Crystal
glanced around. “Does Crash have a computer?”

Shannon
pointed over to the end table. “There’s his laptop. He said I could use it, but
no internet shopping. He didn’t want them to trace my credit card purchases.”

“Let
me at least show it to you,” Crystal insisted. She picked up the laptop and
within a minute had the website pulled up. She turned the screen toward Angel
and Shannon showing them the outfit.

“Wow,”
Angel whispered. “That’s hot.”

“I
couldn’t wear that,” Shannon exclaimed, shaking her head.

“Sure
you can. You’ve got the perfect body type. You’re tall and lean and curvy. Just
imagine what Crash will think when he sees you in it.”

Angel
ran over to her purse and came back holding her credit card up. “I think a
little payback is in order. Cole can pay for this, considering your
deal
and all.”

“Angel,
you couldn’t,” Shannon argued.

“Oh,
can’t I? Watch me.”