CRASH: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Outlaw Series) (58 page)

“What do you mean?”

“Let’s just say we owe Marty a new window,” Cole explained.

“Christ, another bar fight?”

Wolf grinned. “You should have been there. He threw this poor
son-of-a-bitch through the window, and the guy didn’t stop rolling until he was
half way out in traffic.”

Green laughed. “And then he threw his barstool out after him for good
measure.”

*****

That night, Cole lie in bed with Angel cuddled up against him, his
fingers stroking up and down her arm. “He’s no better.”

“The time back home didn’t help?”

Cole shook his head. “I’ve never seen him like this, Angel. He was
always laughing, cutting up, so full of life. Always optimistic. The glass was
always half full. Always. But now, fuck, baby, I’m watching my best friend fade
away, just fucking fade away. And I don’t know how to help him.”

Angel lifted her head to look up at him, her palm cupping his face. “He
just needs time, baby. That’s all. It just takes time.”

“Yeah.”

They were quiet for a few minutes, and then Cole broke the silence. “He
needs her, babe.”

“Has he tried to contact her?”

“I don’t think so, but I’ve seen him reject some incoming calls the last
couple of days. I think maybe it’s her.”

“Maybe you could talk to him. Tell him to give it another try, give her
another chance.”

“He’s not gonna listen.”

“You should try, Cole.” When he remained silent, she pressed him.
“Promise me you’ll try.”

He nodded. “Okay, Mama. I promise.”

As it turned out, Cole didn’t have to talk Crash into contacting
Shannon. Because the next day, she made the first move.

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

Shannon stood on the street outside Crash’s loft. She pressed the
intercom button. “Crash?”

She got no answer.

She tried again. “Please, just let me come up and talk to you.”

She looked up at the building wondering if he was even home. She stood
there for a few moments wondering what else to try. He wasn’t answering her
calls. She could leave a note, but she didn’t know if he’d see it. She could go
to the clubhouse, but she had a feeling she wouldn’t be welcome, and she really
didn’t want to humiliate herself in front of all his brothers, and that’s
exactly what she figured Crash would demand. She would have to totally humble
herself in front of him. He would take nothing less. God, that’s what it was
going to come to, going to the club and apologizing, begging even, in front of
all of them.

She bit her lip, staring up at the building when she heard the sound.
The loud roar of motorcycles, blocks away still, but getting closer. Her head
twisted, her eyes searching out the source. They roared around the corner, four
of them, as the garage door behind her began to roll up. She recognized them
immediately, her eyes moving over each one. Crash. Cole. Red Dog and Wolf.

She saw the moment Crash spotted her, his leg coming down as he eased
back on the throttle and pulled up on the brakes. He rolled in off the street,
stopping at the sidewalk where she stood staring back at him. And then he
twisted the throttle and rolled on into the garage, his brothers following him
inside. She stood hesitantly in the entrance watching as he put the kickstand
down and threw his leg over the bike turning to face her as he ripped his
helmet off and threw it violently across to a corner of the garage. “Got
nothin’ to say to you, Shannon.” He lifted his chin toward the street. “Get out
of here.”

She swallowed in the face of his harshness, but she stiffened her spine
and took it. “No. We need to talk.”

“I want nothing to do with you, Shannon.” He turned toward the elevator
as the others all dismounted, staying quietly out of it.

“Crash, please. Just talk to me,” she tried again in a softer voice,
stepping further into his garage.

He turned, stalked to her and got right in her face. “You chose to
believe your miserable fuck of a father over me. We got nothin’ to talk about.
Understand? Nothing.”

Red Dog and Wolf exchanged a look, both uncomfortable witnessing the
exchange. They both liked Shannon and hated to see this. They gave her a
sympathetic look as Crash stalked away from Shannon and got on the elevator,
leaving them all standing there.

Cole’s eyes moved to her, and he shook his head.

Shannon met his look, her eyes stinging with unshed tears as the pain
caused by Crash’s words ripped through her. She begged him softly, “Cole,
please. I just want to talk to him. I need to make this right.” She gestured
toward the elevator shaft as they heard the elevator hit the second floor, and
the gate crash open. “We have something good.”

“You
had
something good,” he
corrected, and she felt the tears spill over and down her cheeks. “You fucked
it all up.
You
. Not him.”

She nodded, her head dropping, knowing the truth in his words. Had she
done so much damage that it was now beyond repair? It broke her heart as the
realization overwhelmed her that it was possible this couldn’t be fixed. She
felt her shoulders shake, as Cole advanced. He walked over, his hand going to
the back of her neck, and he pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

“Babe. Go home. Call me later.” He pulled back, looking down into her
tear-filled eyes. “Okay?”

She nodded and ran from the garage, heading to her car.

Cole watched her go, and then turned back to Red Dog and Wolf. “Give me
a minute with him?”

They both nodded, sitting back sideways on their seats.

Cole rode the elevator up. Throwing the gate open, he stalked off,
finding Crash at the refrigerator gulping down a beer. Twisting at the waist,
his eyes took in Cole. He reached inside, and a moment later a bottle of beer
was sailing through the air towards him. Cole reached up and caught it, but set
it down on the granite island unopened.

“Where’s Wolf and Dog?”

“Downstairs.”

Crash’s eyes sharpened with understanding. “Not talking about this,
Cole.”

“Yeah, you are.” Cole watched as Crash let out an exasperated breath and
leaned back against the counter.

“That an order?”

“If it needs to be.”

Crash looked off shaking his head and mumbled under his breath, “Fucking
bullshit.”

Cole stared at him, not sure how to begin.

Crash turned back to him. “What? What do you want me to say here?”

“I want you to pull your head out of your ass. You got feelings for this
woman. I’ve seen it. You’ve admitted it.”

Crash shook his head, insisting, “It’s done.”

“It’s not done. She was standing outside your door. That doesn’t say
done to me.” Crash didn’t respond, but Cole could see his words were having an
effect on him. He was getting through. “Give her another chance, brother. What
have you got to lose? You’re life’s shit without her.”

“She blames me for her father’s death. She flat out doesn’t believe in
me. What’s changed?”

“Crash, people are capable of change. I’ve seen it. Some people are
capable of changing more in one day than others are in a whole life time.”

“And you think that’s Shannon?”

“Brother, we turned her life upside down. You cut through all her
bullshit, stripped away all those barriers, got her off the pills. Hell, yeah,
I think that’s Shannon.”

Crash remained stubbornly silent, just shaking his head.

“She fucked up, brother. And she realized it. She was standing down
there willing to admit it. You too big a man to accept a fucking apology?”

Still Crash said nothing.

“Christ, you’re stubborn. You know there are damn few women, quality
women like
her
that would have
anything to do with men who live the kind of life we live. Shannon wanted you
regardless.” Cole stared at Crash wondering seriously how long the stubborn was
going to last. “She’s drop dead gorgeous, smart, sexy as hell, willing to put
up with you, and she makes us all laugh. What’s not to love? What in that
equation isn’t worth a second chance?”

“Weren’t you the one not too long ago warning me off her?”

“Yeah, well I was wrong. She’s the whole package, brother. That’s hard
to find. Don’t give up on it. Give it another shot.”

“I can’t.”

“Brother-”

Crash cut him off, jabbing his finger at him. “You lost Angel once,
Cole. You look me in the eye, and tell me you could stand to lose her again.”

They both knew the answer to that one.

Cole’s jaw clenched as if he was trying to make himself say the words,
tell Crash he could do it, when he knew it’d be a lie. “But, Crash, I wouldn’t
have her now if I didn’t take the chance and give it another shot.” When Crash
just shook his head, Cole tried again. “Crash, you have no idea how hard I had
to work to get Angel to give me another shot.”

Again
Crash shook his head. “I can’t. I can’t do it. I can’t lose her again. I can’t
lose another person right now. Don’t you get it? I can’t let her in because if
it all goes south again, I won’t survive it.”

“Brother-”

“Cole,
just let it go.”

*****

That evening, Cole and Angel were in the kitchen. She was trying to
frost a cake, and he was reaching around her, swiping at the icing with his
finger. She smacked his hand. “Cole!”

He grinned around his finger. “Hmm. Delicious.”

“At least let me finish it, then I’ll gladly cut you a slice.”

Laughing, he put his hands on her hips and kissed the side of her neck.
“You take too long. Hurry up.”

She turned with the frosting-coated butter knife in her hand and jabbed
it at him. “Go.”

He laughed, backing up, his hands in the air in surrender. His cell
phone went off, and he pulled it out of his pocket. Looking at the screen, he
put it to his ear.

“Hey, sweetheart.”

Angel immediately swiveled her head, her brows arching at the
endearment.

“It’s Shannon,” he told her.

Angel grabbed the phone out of his hand and put it to her ear.
“Shannon?”

“Hey, Angel. How are you?”

“I just baked a cake. Get your butt over here.”

“I don’t know.”

“Shannon, Cole told me about your visit today. Now, get in your car, and
get over here. Now.” She could see Cole chuckling out of the corner of her eye.

“Give it up, Shannon,” he called out. “She’s not gonna let up until you
do.”

Angel grinned at him and said into the phone, “He’s right, babe. I’m
like a dog with a bone when I get something in my head. And I’m determined
we’re going to fix this.”

Twenty minutes later, Shannon pulled down their long drive.

Cole met her at the door, holding it open for her. He gave her a hug.
“Good to see you, honey.”

She hugged him back.

Angel was next in line with a big hug. “Come on, sit down. I’ve got a
pot of coffee on.”

“Cut the cake already,” Cole said.

Angel grinned. “I made him wait. He’s been trying to get a piece since I
pulled it out of the oven.”

They all sat at the island. Well, Angel and Shannon sat, Cole stood
leaning back against the sink, shoveling cake in his mouth as soon as Angel
passed him the plate.

Angel barely waited until Shannon took a sip of coffee before she
started in. “Well, spill.”

“He won’t talk to me. I’ve called him. I’ve left messages. And today I
finally got the guts up to go see him. I don’t know what else to do.” Shannon
held her hands up.

Angel reached across the island, laying her hand over Shannon’s. “Don’t
give up on him. Cole came this close to giving up on me.” She held her hand up,
her fingers an inch apart. “And I thank God every night that he didn’t.”

“You’re lucky I didn’t. You were being one stubborn woman, babe.” Cole
paused with the fork halfway to his mouth and winked at her.

“I’m very lucky, baby.” Angel smiled back at him.

Cole set his plate in the sink and walked over to her. He put his hand
on her head and bent to kiss the top of her head. Then he dipped his mouth to
her ear and whispered, “Maybe later tonight you can get naked and show me just how
appreciative you are.”

Her hand slid to the side of his face, and she turned her head to kiss
his check. “It’s a date, honey.” She yanked his arm and pulled him down to the
chair next to her. “Now sit down, and tell us what Crash said.”

“Babe, isn’t this girl-talk. You don’t need me.”

“Yes, we do. Please tell me what he said,” Shannon begged.

Cole blew out a breath and sat back, knowing he wasn’t getting out of
this without at least a couple minutes of chick talk. “He really didn’t want to
talk about it, but he’s hurting. It’s not all you. Losing his family and all-”

Shannon interrupted. “Wait, what?”

Cole and Angel simultaneously turned to each other and asked, “You
didn’t tell her?”

Then simultaneously responded, “When would I have told her?”

Shannon looked between them. “One of you tell me.”

Cole looked at Angel and jerked his head toward Shannon. “Babe?”

Angel took a deep breath and looked at her. “You know his brother died in
Afghanistan last fall, right?”

Shannon’s eyes moved between them. “Yes, he told me. He said he didn’t
like to talk about it, though.”

Angel nodded. “Yes, he was pretty broken up about it. They were close.”

Shannon nodded, waiting.

“Well, not long after you broke up…” Angel looked down at the table,
toying with her fork. “Umm. Well, he got a call.”

“Yes?”

“His grandmother and sister were killed,” Cole finished for her.

“What?” Shannon breathed out in barely a whisper, leaning back. “How?”

“There was a house fire.”

“Oh, my God.” Shannon’s eyes filled with tears.

“That was all the family he had left. And without you, well, he’s been a
mess, babe,” Cole finished.

Shannon looked up at Cole with blurry eyes. “I need to see him, Cole.”

“Sweetheart, he doesn’t want to see you. I talked to him after you left.”

“What did he say?”

Cole just gave her a sad expression.

“Tell me, please, Cole.”

He leaned his folded arms on the granite island. “Sweetheart, I tried to
talk him into giving it a second chance.”