Whisky on My Mind (6 page)

Each time she tried to bring it up in conversation, Bella either changed the subject or cut her off…sometimes rudely. It hurt to be continually pushed away. She’d thought that maybe it was because of Sawyer and the fact her life had changed so much from what it had been like before Bella had left, but somehow she felt it was something more and it scared her to see her friend fading away before her eyes.

They no longer even hung out to watch movies at night
; Bella spent most of the day locked in her room. At first Whisky had tried to get her to go out for coffee or a walk, but was met with a “no” each time. She’d even swallowed her dislike of girly shopping and asked Bella to come with her to pick out a new wardrobe, but she didn’t bat so much as an eyelid of interest. That’s when she knew something was
very
wrong. Bella
never
passed up an opportunity to shop for fashion. Ever.

As
Whisky walked through the leafy grounds on her way to class mid-week, she heard her name and stopped, turning to find one of Bella’s classmates hurrying toward her. “Hi, Danielle.”

“I’m so glad I saw you, Sky.”

Danielle was a slim, attractive redhead, who’d hung around with Bella and Whisky often over the years. She was a little reserved, compared to Bella, but then, most people could be described as reserved compared to Bella, she thought drolly. Today, though, the red head was looking more anxious than reserved and Whisky studied her face cautiously. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m just a little worried about Bella… Is she okay?”

“She’s fine…as far as I know…why?”

“
I thought she must be sick or something…I’ve been trying to reach her all week and she hasn’t been to class. It’s not like her to not turn up. She has to attend the last few weeks of class or she won’t graduate.”

“She hasn’t been to class?”

“You didn’t know?”

“I’m not at the apartment much
these days,” Whisky said, too distracted by the news of Bella’s absence to bother going into detail about her living arrangements. “I’m not sure what’s going on, but I’ll find out and let you know.”

“Thanks, Sky. Call me, okay?”

“I will.”
She gave a vague wave before turning around and heading for the apartment. 

Bella had been back over a week now. It wasn’t like her not to show up for her class.

Damn it, she’d been so damn distracted with everything else going on with the club and trying to get this loan that she’d ignored her friend. She should have been paying more attention. She knew something wasn’t quite right with Bella ever since she’d gotten home, but she’d let it go, figuring it was just readjusting to being back after twelve months abroad.

Automatically checking the mail box on her way upstairs, Whisky withdrew what looked like a weeks’ worth of mail, including a large manila envelope addressed to Bella and postmarked Paris, France.

The apartment was quiet when she let herself in and looked around at the messy kitchen. There were a few dishes left in the sink unwashed from quite a few days ago, judging by the concrete hardened food scraps which remained on the plates. Whisky was just finishing the washing up when Bella emerged from her bedroom. She frowned as she took in her friend’s attire consisting of worn sweat pants and a faded t-shirt that had become too big and slipped off one shoulder when she moved. It looked like she hadn’t washed her hair in days and she obviously hadn’t removed her mascara since last time she even bothered to put some on because it was smudged beneath her eyes like she was a football player in war paint, ready to run onto the field.

“So the grunge look is really in this season?” Whisky asked, dropping her gaze back to the bowl she was washing.

Bella didn’t answer, just pulled the fridge door open with a little extra force than what had been necessary and pulled out a bottle of wine.

“Need a glass? Or are you planning on drinking straight from the bottle?”

“Bottle’s fine,” Bella snarled, turning to head back to her bedroom.

“Something came for you in the mail today…it’s okay
, I understand making that whole two flights of stairs is a huge inconvenience for you, so I brought it up when I got home.”

Bella paused,
then turned around, her expression wary as her gaze fell on the small stack of mail in the center of the table as though it were a poisonous snake instead of a harmless envelope.

“It’s from Paris. Maybe it’s something to do with a job?”
Whisky prodded, exasperated by her lack of ability to show any kind of enthusiasm about anything.

At her words, Bella seemed to pale, but quickly moved across the room and picked up the envelope.

“What’s going on, Bella?” she asked, watching her once vibrant friend look like a wrung out ragdoll. “I ran into Danielle today. She said you haven’t been to class since you got back. What’s with that?”

“It’s none of Danielle’s business.” There was no venom in her voice, just a listlessness that somehow carried far more concern than yelling would have.

“She’s worried about you.
I’m
worried about you.”

“Really?
You’ve taken time away from your busy schedule to worry about me? That’s nice. But not necessary. I’m fine.”

“Bella!”
Damn it, she knew exactly where to plunge that knife for maximum guilt penetration. “I’m here now. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I didn’t ask you to be here and the only problem I have is too man
y people butting into my life.”

“This is not you.”

“What would you know? You’re so caught up in your own drama you can’t even see straight anymore. How dare you walk in here and suddenly decide you can spare me five minutes of your precious time. When and if I need your help, I’ll ask for it…till then, go back and wait for Sawyer to tell you what to do like a good little biker groupie.”

A biker groupie?
She did not just say that.
Whisky stared at Bella’s back as she walked away,  hearing the  bedroom door down the hallway slam shut once more.

“Fine!” she called after her, tossing the cloth into the sink and grabbing her bag on her way out the front door, which she slammed just as loudly and for good measure.

Chapter 5

Sawyer walked into the bar and immediately his eyes searched for the one thing he’d been counting down the last few miles on the road to see. As soon as he spotted her, rushing around the room clearing tables, he felt his body relax and knew that all was right in his universe once more. He gave a silent grunt at that. In reality, pretty much nothing was right in his universe at the moment…except Whisky, but she made the other shit in his life he was responsible for somehow easier to handle.

Sometimes he resented the club and that in turn made him feel guilty. The club was his family. The club was his legacy and one that he was supposed to take care of. He was responsible for making sure things ran smoothly.

He’d done a crap-assed job of it lately.

No matter how many spot fires he tried to put out—there was always one more popping up somewhere else.

Christ, he was tired. He tried not to dwell too much on that. They were all tired. All the crap falling down on them lately had created a damn tsunami effect. He had the Switchblades waiting for an opportunity to strike while their guard was down—lurking in the shadows like a pack of damn hyenas. The problem was he couldn’t be everywhere at once and the Black Mustangs were being spread thin on the ground. Somehow the Switchblades had managed to boost their numbers while they’d been in prison—recruiting a small army to swell their ranks. Word was, internally the club had undergone a major leadership shakeup and the new blood in the club was determined to move in on the Black Mustangs’ territory.

Sawyer ran a hand through his hair and swore as he let out a long breath. He wasn’t sure how much longer he could go on like this. The Mustangs had built up a sizable empire and he was proud that they could hold their heads up and say it was all legit, but he knew that if he wanted to keep the Switchblades at bay, the time was rapidly approaching
when they may have to step back into some murky areas if they wanted to keep hold of their businesses.

Only two days ago a truck of supplies due for his warehouse up state had been hijacked and the cargo stolen. He knew it was the Switchblades—they’d left a little message with the truck driver. The delivery of sex toys and clothing was a big seller in his adult shops and while it was insured—it was the whole principle of the matter. The Switchblades had given him a clear and loud message—if you think
you’re good enough, come and get your stuff.

He’d spent the last two days staking out the Switchblades club house. He knew exactly where their merchandise was. It went against the grain to stand by and do nothing, but the alternative was basically an act of war. A war they were decidedly undermanned and under
-gunned to take on. They were due to put the decision to a vote in the morning.

His gaze rested once more on Whisky and that unease returned tenfold. She wasn’t going to like it if the club took up arms again. Hell, no one was going to like it. He’d rather not get mixed up in any of that shit again himself if he could help it—but things were not looking good for a peaceful solution. The Switchblades were backing him into a corner.

He wanted to tell her what was going on but he told himself he was protecting her by keeping her out of it…deep down he knew it was also because he was terrified she’d walk away if she thought he was falling back into something illegal.

Christ, what a mess, he swore again, this time under his breath as he took a seat at the end of the bar wearily.

Dog took a seat beside him, looking as tired as Sawyer felt. “It’s all gonna’ work out,” the older biker said in his deep, two-pack-a-day, rusty voice.

“I don’t know, man. We’re
gettin’ hit from all sides at the moment and I don’t know if we can hold them off much longer.”

“Maybe we need to call in a few favors.”

Sawyer shook his head. “Johnny would be rollin’ in his grave if he heard that.”

“Johnny’s not here, brother. We may not have any choice.”

Sawyer’s gaze once more strayed toward Whisky.

“This affects her too. If the Switchblades start
movin’ in none of us are going to be safe—including our families,” Dog said, following Sawyer’s gaze, and a chill of premonition went through him.

****

Whisky sat on the end of the bed and watched Sawyer step into the bathroom. She let her gaze roam over the large black horse on his back with the Black Mustang insignia designed around it. He removed his t-shirt and tossed it on the floor, the remainder of his clothing following and she watched his muscles ripple as he leaned sideways to turn on the taps.

He’d barely waited until they’d made it to their bedroom
before moving her back against the wall and pulling at their clothing until he could slide smoothly inside her. His movements were powerful, making love to her with a silent desperation that caught her off guard. It was over way too soon, and it left them both out of breath.

“Baby?” she’d asked, lifting his face with her hands so she could see his face.

Sawyer took her hands in his, shaking his head before kissed them lightly. “I’m sorry about that, I couldn’t help it—I really missed you.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” He sent her a lopsided grin before lowering his head to kiss her a little more slowly. “I’ll make it up to you as soon as I have a shower. I promise.”

Something was wrong. She knew it. He’d been withdrawn and quieter than usual when he’d gotten back tonight. He’d handed the keys over to Yvette and told her to lock up tonight, before taking Whisky by the hand and hustling her out of the club and back here to their apartment.

It had to be club business—it was the only thing that ever made him like this. He’d been going away a lot more than usual too, and that had begun to worry her.

She heard the shower turn off and looked up when she saw him standing in doorway, a towel wrapped
low around his waist as he used another to dry his head and face. She couldn’t help the sharp sting of wanton desire that shot right to her center as she took in his wide naked chest. She would never get enough of this man. “How did your trip go?” she asked, and saw him hesitate briefly before turning away to hang up his towel.