Hard (24 page)

Lindy stared at Bridget a moment before reaching behind her for her purse, pulling her phone out and dialing.

Treble slicked his hair back as he waited for Stiles to unlock the door to SkinMusic. “I think we need to move to fucking Arizona where it never rains,” he said as he stepped into the kitchen behind Stiles.

“Yeah, but it’s hotter than seven hells there.”

“Yeah, but it’s a dry heat, unlike around here.”

“So is an oven.”

Treble chuckled as he followed Stiles into his house. SkinMusic was closer to Racers than his coach, so they decided to crash there for the night because of the rain and stop by his RV to pack and lock up on the way out of town tomorrow. Hopefully the rain would have moved out by then and they’d have nice weather for the ride. With any luck, by this time tomorrow he and Stiles would be finding out the kinds of sin the Divas of Sin liked.

Treble watched as Style flipped on the lights and looked his work area over. “I’m not looking forward to having to move all this shit again.”

“It won’t be that bad. You moved everything here with one truck.”

“Easy for you to say. For you to move, all you have to do is sit down in the driver’s seat.”

“That’s because I’m a fucking genius.”

Stiles snorted. “So imagine how smart you would be if you actually thought with your big head.”

“Hey! I resemble that remark!”

Stiles shook his head at Treble’s mangled syntax. “Having to pack all this shit up is bad enough. What’s worse is having to find a new place and then setting up again. I like living where I work because it makes my commute easy, but it’s so much easier just to rent a storefront.”

“Maybe the next place will be the final stop.”

“That’s what we said about here.”

“I know. I’m sorry, man.”

“Not your fault. It’s just one of those things.” Stiles looked at Treble and forced a smile. “Maybe Gitty will let me stay with her until I can get settled.”

Treble laughed. “That’s the spirit. You can get a head start on pissing off all the women.”

“Yeah. I need it to compete with you.”

Before he could answer, Treble’s phone began to ring. He had just pulled it from his pocket when Stiles began to ring. He looked at his phone. “Lindy.”

“Bridget,” Stiles replied still pulling his from his pocket, the ringtone telling him who it was.

The two men looked at each other a moment, then Treble punched the button to accept the call. “What?”

“Treble, thank god! Is Stiles with you?”

“Stiles? Yeah, why?”

“Good. Where are you?”

“We’re at SkinMusic, why?”

“Good. Don’t move! Bridget and I are coming over.”

“Lindy—” he began but she was already gone.

He looked at his phone a moment then pocketed it. “Bridget and Lindy are on their way over.”

“Fuck. Just what I need.” Stiles muttered.

“You want to beat it? We can crash at the coach.”

Stiles looked at Treble for a moment. “No. Fuck it. We’ll just have it out right here.”

“You want me to handle it?”

“No. It’s over and I don’t give a shit anymore. Who knows, maybe she will take you back to her place to get her fix.”

“I wouldn’t do that to you, brother,” Treble said quietly.

Stiles grimace, knowing he was out of line. “I know. Sorry, brother. That was uncalled for.”

“It’s okay. I know you’re hurting right now. You want me to go?”

“No. I want you to stay. When this is over I’m going to need a drink and I need you to make sure I’m ready to ride in the morning.”

“You got it, brother, you got it.”

CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR

“Can’t you go any faster?” Bridget complained, her toes beating a ditty on the floor of Lindy’s car.

“And if I kill us in a car wreck, how long until we get there then?”

“I’m afraid he will leave.”

“If he does, then he doesn’t love you.”

Bridget squinted through the rain and on-coming headlights, struggling to control her impatience. It was good that Lindy was driving, otherwise she would probable drive too fast and have an accident. She really needed to learn to control her impulses better, to try to be more like Lindy.

“Around back,” Bridget said as Lindy turned into SkinMusic. The moment the car stopped, Bridget bailed out and ran to the door, knocking on it furiously. “Stiles here?” she gasped when Treble opened the door.

“Up front,” he replied, stepping aside to allow her to enter, holding the door for Lindy as she approached.

“Hi,” she said meekly as she stepped into the kitchen. He didn’t say anything as he pushed the door shut behind her. “Is there someplace we can talk?”

“I think you made it pretty clear there is nothing left to talk about.”

“Treble, please. I’m sorry for what I said and how I acted. I was wrong.”

“That seems to be something that runs in your family.”

She bit down on her annoyance, realizing she probably deserved that. “I said I was sorry. Can we talk, please?”

He looked at her in annoyance for a moment. “This way,” he said, turning his back to her, not caring if she followed or not.

“Why are you here?” Stiles asked as Bridget hurried into the parlor.

“I told him. I broke it off,” she said as she coasted to as stop, keeping her distance but hoping beyond hope that he would still want her.

“You told Terry?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“I told you. Because I want to be with you, to be your old lady.”

“What changed your mind?”

That stung, but she refused to back down. “Nothing changed my mind. It is what I always wanted, since our weekend in the mountains.”

“You had a funny way of showing it.”

“I know. I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

He looked at her, taking a measure of her. “Tell me why, Bridget. Why did you break it off now? Why now and not three months ago? Why not last week, like you promised?”

“I don’t know!” she cried, her blood running cold. She was losing him. “I was stupid! Is that what you want me to say? Do you want me to beg? I will, Stiles, if that is what it takes to convince you that I love you. I will throw myself at your feet and beg you to take me back.” She had been so relieved that she had finally found him that her excitement had pushed her guilt aside for the moment. But fear was beginning to replace her excitement.
After all I have done, am I going to lose him, too?

“I talked to Bridget,” Lindy said after she followed Treble into the small but cozy living room.

“I guessed. You two seem to be pretty good at not being able to make up your mind.”

“That’s not fair!”

“Sorry, sweetheart. I told you before I pretty much say what I think and if you don’t like it, that’s your problem.”

“If you had been honest with me, maybe I wouldn’t have been so shocked at what the Black Aces do.”

Treble paused, wondering what she was talking about and how much she knew. “We’re just a motorcycle club.”

“Uh-huh. How did you sleep Friday night?”

“I slept fine, why?” he asked as a weight formed in his stomach.
Maybe Stiles is right and it’s time to get the hell out of Dodge.

“I heard, Treble. I heard everything that happened on that bridge.”

“What do you think you heard?”
She knew! But how?

“You called me. I know what you did.”

“I don’t know what you are talking about.”

“Bullshit,” she spat. “You butt dialed me and I heard it all. The man begging for his life…and what happened after that.”

There was no point in denying it anymore. They had never been tagged before, but the Aces agreed that if one of them had to take a fall, they would protect the club and their brothers. “What are you going to do?”

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nothing. I’m keeping your secret.”

“Why? What do you want?”

“I want you back. I talked to Bridget. Did you know she knows, too? She does. She knows about the bridge, and the kids with the knife, and the plumber and probably a lot more.”

“How?”

“Stiles told her.”

“Stiles?”

“He trusted her. You can trust me. I didn’t understand before. When I heard the…accident…I didn’t know what to think. But I talked to Bridget and she explained it to me. I understand now.”

“What do you understand?”

“I understand why you do what you do.”

“And you will keep our secret if I come back to you?” He felt stupid and slow, but he was still reeling from finding out that Lindy not only knew about the Aces, but she had heard the whole thing as it went down.

“No. I will keep your secret, full stop. But you asked me what I wanted. I want you back and to have another chance with you.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I will be sad, and disappointed, but I will still keep your secret.”

“No,” Stiles said. “You don’t have to beg. But you have to explain to me why the sudden change. Help me understand.”

“I talked to Lindy. I asked her to come and talk to me after work today, to beat some sense into me and talk me out of running away with you. I wanted her to rail at me for being stupid and tell me to end it with you and beg forgiveness from Terry. But she didn’t.” She paused and then smiled slightly. “Well, actually, she did call me stupid, but not for the reason I expected. She told me to leave Terry to be with you.”

“Lindy? The steady, practical, level-headed Willis sister?”

“I know. I was surprised, too. But her argument made sense. She pointed out that it wasn’t fair to
Terry
to marry him if I didn’t love him and that he deserved better. She’s right. He does. He’s a good man and he deserves someone who can love him with all her heart.”

“And that’s not you?”

“No. My heart belongs to another.”

“And your family?”

“They don’t know about you.” She saw him frown so she hurried on, her words coming out in a rush. “They know I love someone else, and that I have been sleeping with you, but I didn’t tell them anything about you. I couldn’t; my dad all but threw me out of the house before I had the chance. But I will. I’m not afraid anymore. This is who I am and if they don’t like it, that’s their problem.”

“Why do I feel like this is more of your stalling?”

“It’s not! Compared to what I’ve already told them, that I was sleeping with another man while engaged to Terry, the fact that you are the member of a motorcycle club and a tattoo artist is nothing. Dad will calm down and then I will tell him and Mom. They can either accept you or not, but either way I want to be with you. I won’t risk losing you again.”

“And if they don’t?”

“Then they don’t. But if that is their choice, they won’t be seeing as much of me.”

“You would choose me over them?”

She swallowed. “I hope it doesn’t come to that, but yes. If I have to choose between the man I love and my family…I will choose the man I love. I will still have Lindy. She stood up for me with Mom and Dad.” She looked at Stiles as her eyes filled with tears. “You won’t force me to choose, will you?”

He watched as her eyes became shiny with unshed tears and he felt the walls that he was building around his heart crumble. “No. I won’t force you to choose. I hope your parents won’t either.”

Her face twisted as she fought against her tears. She had so nearly ruined everything. “So will you take me back? Please? I’m sorry for how I treated you and I would like another chance if you can find a way to forgive me.”

Stiles smiled slightly and opened his arms. She stepped into his embrace and began to weep softly as his arms closed around her to hold her snuggly. He tipped his head against hers, saying nothing as the bonds they shared reformed, stronger and more resilient than ever before.

Treble watched Lindy, trying to determine if she meant what she said. “I’m not going to change who I am. Can you accept that?”

“I don’t want you to change. I like you just as you are.”

“And what we do doesn’t bother you?”

“Some, but so long as I’m comfortable that what you are doing is to help people, then I’m okay with it.”

“And if you’re not sure?”

Lindy thought about it a moment. “Then we’ll have to talk. After that? I don’t know. Let’s not let it get to that point.”

Treble stared at her as he thought about her words. They could be taken as a threat, but her tone was soft, consolatory and non-threatening. He often worried that someday the Aces would go too far or make a mistake. They all did, and that was why it had to be a unanimous vote before they took a contract and on their course of action. Perhaps it wouldn’t be a bad idea to have another person, someone one step removed from what they did, watching over their shoulder to pull them back if they started to lose their way.

“Treble?” Lindy asked softly.

“I’m thinking. You and Bridget are the first ones outside the Aces to know. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”

“If Stiles takes her back, she will be a, what do you call it, an old lady? Doesn’t that count for something?”

“Some, I guess. We’ve never had old ladies before. But what about you?”

She swallowed, steeling herself to make the leap. She was tired of being the calm, steady one. She wanted to live a little and embrace life like Bridget. “I…wouldn’t mind having the chance to see if I wanted to become your old lady.”

“And if you decide you don’t? What then?”

“Then I don’t. I’ve given you my word. Your secret is safe with me, and I trust Bridget’s judgment. If she is comfortable with what you do, then I won’t question it.”

Treble looked at Lindy. She was a strong one, stating what she wanted but not asking him to take her back. He liked that she knew her own mind and was comfortable with her decisions. It struck him how much like Stiles she was in that regard, and he wondered if that was why she was so damned appealing, taking the best parts of his best friend and wrapping them in a far more eye-pleasing package.

“You want to get out of here?” he asked, breaking into a smile.

An easy smile came to her lips. “I thought you would never ask.”

Lindy and Treble stepped into the hall and saw Stiles and Bridget standing still and quiet. Their warm embrace and the contentment on Bridget’s face screamed love and Lindy felt herself tearing up for Bridget. As hard as it was for her, she had made the right decision and Lindy was glad she was happy.