Jack of Hearts (Desert Sons MC Book 1) (16 page)

“But why?”

“Why what?” he asked.

“Why do you want me to stay? Why do you care? Nic told me how you have a different woman every night. She said that me being here a week was a long-term relationship for you. So why do you want me to stay? I don’t understand… I don’t understand why you care, why you are being so nice to me.”

He looked at her while he tried to understand his motives himself. “I don’t know,” he finally said. “Nic’s right about me. I’m not proud of that, but it is the way I am. The way I was. But… you’re different somehow. I just want you to stay.”

“For how long?”

“Until you are ready to go.”

That stopped her cold. “What are you saying, Jack?” she asked.

“I don’t know! Look, my whole world was turned upside down not a half-hour ago. I don’t know what I’m going to do with these
fucking
cars. I just need something, someone, I can depend on.”  

“And that’s me?”

“Yes. In hindsight you’re the only reason this worked at all. Had it not been for you there is no way we could have pulled this off. Other than that little fib with the money, which I can understand, you haven’t lied to me.” He paused as he looked into her eyes, then decided to come clean. “Tina, I like and admire you. I like the fact that life has shit all over you, kept knocking you down, and you kept getting back up. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been after your dad died, and then your mother got all weird over it, and you were forced to basically fend for yourself. You did what you had to survive, and you did. I need some of your strength right now.” 

She looked at him and swallowed hard as she tried to reel in her emotions.
Nobody
had
ever
admired her before—not for anything positive anyway. She stepped to him and embraced him as she placed her head on his chest so she could listen to his thudding heart.

“I’ll stay,” she murmured. 

He relaxed as tension he didn’t even know he held flowed out of him at her words. He slid his arms around her. “Thank you.”

She didn’t move or respond as she smiled softly. Possibly the shittiest day of her life just got a little better. “What are we going to do?” she asked, her smile growing a bit wider at the use of the word
we
instead of
you.

Jack picked up on her wording.
“We
are going to find another buyer and sell these fucking cars. Even if we only get a million or two for them, they will be gone and this whole fucked up mess will be nothing but a bad memory.”

“How can I help?”

“You can’t. I can’t. The Sons are compartmentalized. That way if the shit hits the fan, it doesn’t drag us all down. Brett and Cheryl will be making some calls. If anyone can find a buyer, those two can.”

“They’re married?”

“No. Not even dating, why?”

“No reason. I was just wondering if they were like Marshall and Nic, Seth and Michelle.”

“Tina and Jack?” he teased.

“We’re not married,” she pointed out.

“I know. But no, they are not even an item. Cheryl is a full member of the Sons.”

“So if you have women members, why isn’t it the ‘Desert Sons and Daughters’?” she asked with a smile as she pulled out of his arms.

“The club jackets are already made up.”  

“Oh,” she said, then snickered.

***

That night, as they lay in Jack’s bed and snuggled, he was quiet. They had made love that morning, and they had been going morning and night most days. But tonight he was passive, more interested in snuggling than fucking. Tina could understand that. It was Jack’s ass that was really on the line. All the other members of the Sons had plausible deniability, but not Jack. If anyone took a fall it would be him, so she could understand his slight brooding passivity tonight. As he gently caressed her thigh and breast she smiled into the darkness. Before Jack, she thought the only reason to be in bed with a man was to fuck. But just being held in his warm embrace… there was something to be said for that as well.  

He held Tina snuggly to him. He’s wasn’t sure why, but just having her close made him feel better. If she could survive all the shit she’s been through then he could surely survive this. This was the first time in the more than five years of the Sons running this kind of business that they had been left holding the bag.
It was bound to happen sooner or later,
he mused,
but why did it have to happen on
this
deal?
He pulled her a bit tighter to him. He wanted her, but at the same time, just holding her calmed him. That is what he needed right now… some stability and calm.

Earlier in the day, all the Sons had snickered as they watched a local weekly news roundup program on the big screen in the lounge. Their heist was the lead story and pushed the rest of the week’s news off the headlines. The report valued their theft at
more
than one hundred million and the police were completely stymied. They were unable to figure out how the thieves had managed to get in and get out without being seen or heard, setting off no alarm, and left not one shred of evidence. The Sons had laughed out loud when the police spokesman expressed confidence the culprits would be apprehended soon. 

That was before the deal had gone to shit, of course. Now it wasn’t so damn funny because, given enough time, they
would
get caught. You can’t hide six blood-red antique Ferraris forever.

“Jack?” she whispered.

“Yes.”

“It’s going to be okay,” she said with confidence.

He smiled. If she believed it, then it probably would be.

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