WOLF: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Evil Dead MC Series Book 4) (10 page)

“I thought you had to leave.” Her eyes moved to the pack he’d tossed on the bed. He’d been stuffing a change of clothes in it earlier.

He smiled up at her and smacked her lightly on the ass. “I do, so shut up and let’s get busy, woman.”

Shannon grinned down at him. “Yes, sir.”

****

Later that morning, after Crash had left, Shannon sat at the kitchen island, drinking coffee with Angel, who had come over to cheer her up. She stared at the calendar that she had taped to the refrigerator. The one she used to keep track of her cycle. And then she frowned as her eyes focused in on Saturday’s date, and she straightened.

“This weekend is Crystal’s birthday. Have you talked to her?”

“Not in a while,” Angel replied sipping her coffee. “She’s working as a receptionist at a tattoo shop in Grand Junction, Colorado.”

“Oh, really? How is she doing?”

Angel shrugged. “After she lost the baby, she was kind of depressed for a while. She always put on a brave front when I talked to her, but I knew she was hurting. I should have gone out there and visited her then, but Brayden was sick with those ear infections and, well, I just never went.”

Shannon nodded. “I can only imagine how she felt losing the baby.”

“She wasn’t very far along, but still, it hit her pretty hard.”

“I miss her. It’s hard when she’s so far away.”

“We should go see her,” Angel suggested.

Shannon thought a moment, and then said with a sly smile, “I’ve got a better idea.”

“What’s that?”

“The boys are all out of town this weekend. Crash said they’d be gone at least three days.” The wheels started turning.

“Yes. So?” Angel cocked her head at Shannon. “You’re getting that look in your eyes. What are you planning?”

“I need to be cheered up. All this trying at baby-making has taken its toll. And since I’m not pregnant, I’m going to drink this weekend. So, I was thinking…”

“Yes?”

“With the boys out of town, maybe this is the perfect opportunity for a girl’s weekend. And since its Crystal’s birthday…”

“Yeah?”

“I’m thinking Vegas.”

“Vegas? I don’t know, Shannon. I’m not sure I can swing that. Vegas can get expensive.”

“My treat. I’ll pay for everyone’s rooms. And I bet I can get the company jet. Even with my father gone, my mother is still on the Board of Directors. I’m sure she’d let us use it. You, me, Mary, Crystal and maybe Natalie if she wants to go.”

“You’re serious?”

“Absolutely. Who can you get to watch the kids?”

“I don’t know. If Natalie comes, I’ll need a sitter for TJ, Melissa and Brayden. And Mary will need someone to watch Billy.”

“How about Mary’s mother?”

“Mama Wu?” Angel frowned, thinking. “The kids do love her. Maybe she’ll do it.”

“Good. It’s all set.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. You’re forgetting one important roadblock. The guys will kill us.”

“They won’t be here. They don’t ever have to know.”

“I can’t lie.”

“Okay, fine. We just won’t tell them until we get there.”

“I don’t know, Shannon.”

“Don’t you want to cheer up Crystal for her birthday?”

“Yes, of course. Okay, fine. But what if she says no?”

Shannon bit her lip, thinking. “She’ll probably use work as an excuse. So…we’ll just have to circumvent that.”

“How?”

“We’ll call her boss first and talk him into letting her have the weekend off.”

Angel grinned. “You are so devious.”

“Not devious. Just good at removing roadblocks.”

“Um hmm. What about that big two-hundred pound roadblock you call a husband? What are you going to do when he flips his freaking lid over this?”

“You know what they say. Better to apologize later, than ask permission first.”

“Oh, is that what they say?” Angel grinned, but still looked unconvinced.

Shannon pouted. “Come on. You know they’ll never let us go. We have to just do it and beg for mercy later. Where’s your sense of adventure?”

“It’s overshadowed by my sense of self-preservation. And by the way,
mercy
isn’t going to be high on those boys’ lists when they get a hold of us.”

“Come on. Those boys
live
for adventure. We deserve a little ourselves. And hey, it might shake things up a bit. Nothing like really good make-up sex. Am I right?”

“Make-up sex
is
pretty good.” Angel bit her lip, considering. “Of course we might get our asses spanked first.”

“Win-win,” Shannon gave her a look that said it was a no-brainer.

Angel rolled her eyes. “Okay, I’m in.”

Shannon held her hand up for a high five, and Angel smacked her hand, then she reached for her phone. “What’s the name of the tattoo place?”

Angel thought a moment, biting her lip again. “Umm.”

Shannon’s shoulders dropped. “Please tell me you remember.”

“I’m thinking. I know he’s some big-shot famous guy.”

“Famous?”

“Famous in the tattoo world. He’s like a super-star or something. Crystal told me he was contacted by some network producers trying to work a deal for a show about him. That channel that does the biographies of interesting up-and-coming people did a piece on him. He’s supposed to be really good. He’s even got a coffee-table book out with photographs of some of his best work. And I think there’s a line of prints you can buy, too.”

“Hmm. Sounds cool. Now if we only
knew his name
.” Shannon gave Angel a look.

“I’m thinking. I’m thinking.”

“Think faster.”

“He’s Irish, I remember that.” Angel snapped her fingers. “Oh…what’s the name of that famous Irish Whiskey?”

Shannon frowned. “Jameson?”

“That’s it! Jameson. Jameson O’
something
.”

Shannon huffed out a breath, her hands landing on her hips. “O’
something
?”

“Arg. I can’t think of it. But, it’s him and his three brothers. I remember Crystal telling me that much. Wait. That’s it.”

“What’s it?”

“Him and his brothers…that’s the name of the place,
Brothers Ink
.”

Shannon rolled her eyes and looked the number up on her phone.

CHAPTER SIX

Crystal stood at the reception counter in the tattoo shop she worked at. She’d been there three months, and the place was starting to feel like home. Maybe not in the same way that the clubhouse had, but she had to put that behind her and stop thinking about it.

The shop was a two story brick building on Main Street in Grand Junction. The building itself dated from the turn of the century, but it had been gutted down to the gleaming wood floors and exposed brick walls and totally remodeled, but still leaving that old character that fit so well in the Colorado town. A huge chrome sculpture of a buffalo sat in the entrance.

The shop belonged to a man named, Jameson O’Rourke and his three brothers, Max, Liam and Rory, hence the name,
Brothers Ink
. They were all extremely talented, but Jameson was the star. He was a very gifted, brilliant artist. A real star at what he did. This shop was where he’d gotten his start, but now there was talk of him moving to L.A. or some other place for bigger and better things.

Crystal had been hired to work the reception desk. She stood staring out the large front window, her fingers drumming on the counter. The three inches of beaded bracelets that stacked up her wrists clicking against the Formica, restlessness rumbling inside her. Her birthday was coming this weekend, and she missed her friends. She missed them terribly. Trying to start a new life in a new city where she knew no one, was hard. Sometimes she questioned the insanity of the decision. When she’d left San Jose, she’d just driven, just gotten in her car and driven until she’d found herself in this town. She’d liked the rustic look of the place and stayed a few days, trying to decide what to do with her life, how to start over, even questioning her decision to leave at all. There were so many times on the drive that she’d felt like turning the car around.

Her thoughts took her back to Wolf. She remembered a birthday she’d had when she’d first started working the bar at the clubhouse. She’d been alone one afternoon, setting up for another Friday night, when Wolf had come in and taken a seat at the end of the bar. She’d looked over and smiled.

“Hey, Wolf. Can I get you a beer?”

He’d nodded.

When she’d brought it over to him, he’d had a cupcake sitting in front of him. She’d frowned at him, eyeing it as she’d slid the beer on the bar. He’d given her a sly grin as he’d stuck a candle in it and pulled a lighter from his pocket and flicked it. His eyes connected with hers as he brought the flame to the candle and lit it. Then he’d pushed the cupcake toward her.

“Happy Birthday, Crystal.”

She’d sucked her lips in and felt her eyes start to sting with tears. No one at the club knew it was her birthday. And she’d meant to keep it that way, letting it pass quietly. But then she’d stared down at that cupcake, and she’d realized how nice it was when someone knew, when someone cared enough to do something like that to let you know you mattered. She’d whispered, “How did you know?”

He’d winked at her. “I have my ways.”

She’d frowned at him.

He’d shrugged. “I do security setups. I run backgrounds on every potential prospect…
and
every employee.” He’d waggled his brows. “I know everything about you, babe. Down to your bra size.”

She’d stared at him, and then a smile had broken out on her face. “Oh, really?”

He’d grinned. “Really, babe. Now you gonna make a wish and blow out your candle?”

The phone rang in the tattoo shop, shaking her from her memories.

She picked up the receiver. “Good morning,
Brothers Ink
. How may I help you?”

“Crystal?”

She frowned. “Shannon?”

“How are you?”

“I’m great. God, it’s so good to hear from you. How are you?”

“Good. Angel and I were sitting here having coffee, and we just realized it’s your birthday this weekend.”

“Oh, God, don’t bring that up.”

“What’s the matter? Not wanting to turn thirty?” Shannon teased.

“I’m staying twenty-nine forever.”

“Sorry, kid. It doesn’t work that way.”

“Rats.”

“So, anyway, we’ve decided a girl’s weekend is in order.”

“You’re coming here?”

“No. We were thinking bigger.”

“Bigger?”

“Vegas, baby.”

“Vegas? Are you insane?”

“Nope. I already made reservations. And don’t worry about the cost. It’s on us. Your birthday present.”

Crystal bit her lip. “I appreciate the thought, but I can’t. I have to work this weekend. Pretty much every weekend.”

“No excuses. You’re coming.”

“Really, Shannon, my boss would never let me off.” Crystal noticed someone out of the corner of her eye and turned to see the man himself standing with his arms folded looking at her. And he wasn’t happy.

Shannon’s voice sounded in her ear. “That’s why we already asked him. I’m betting he just walked over to your desk, didn’t he?”

“Yup.”

She heard both Shannon and Angel giggling through the phone. “Pack your bags, sugar. He said yes. Oh, and by the way, he was a little pissed you didn’t mention your birthday.”

“I hate you.”

“You love me.”

“I’ve got to go.”

Shannon giggled. “I bet you do. See you tomorrow night. I just emailed you all the info.”

Crystal quickly said her goodbyes and hung up the receiver, her eyes on her boss. “Sorry about that. Did you want something?”

“Were you going to tell me?”

“Tell you? Tell you what?” Crystal played dumb. He looked pissed. At her. Oh, God, what had Shannon done, going straight to her boss like that? Crystal wanted to crawl under the desk in embarrassment. Not only had Shannon called him, but then he comes out and catches her on a personal call. Shit. But it had been the only one since she’d been here. He couldn’t possibly be upset about that, could he? Although, she had to admit, he had a temper, a true Irish temper. She’d seen it on occasion, but in all the months she’d worked here, he’d never turned it on
her
. In fact, he’d never been anything but nice to her.

His brows rose. “Were you going to tell me that it’s your birthday Saturday?”

She swallowed. “They shouldn’t have called you. I’m so sorry.”

“Your girl, Shannon, she told me you were turning thirty, and they want to treat you to a girl’s weekend. She seemed sure that you’d make excuses for not being able to go. Work, specifically.”

“We work every weekend. It’s when you’re the busiest. I couldn’t possibly go. And she shouldn’t have called you. I’m sorry about that.” Crystal frowned. “Is that who that last call I put through to you was? She used a Texas accent. That little fraud.”

“Don’t change the subject.” He glared at her.

She huffed out a breath. “No. I wasn’t going to tell you. Why would I? It’s not exactly something I’m looking forward to. Thirty. Woo hoo. I’m so excited.” She twirled her finger in the air.

A slow grin formed on his face. “What’s wrong with turning thirty? Things just get better, Ace.” He winked. “I’m thirty-eight. You sayin’ I’ve lost my sex appeal?”

Her eyes skated down him as he stood with his muscular arms folded, leaned back against the L-shaped end of the counter, his legs crossed at his booted ankles. He certainly hadn’t lost it. He was tall and built with a long dark blonde ponytail and pretty blue eyes. From the expensive boots he wore, to the watch on his wrist, he was head-to-toe GQ. Ralph Lauren had nothing on him. Except maybe the tattoos that ran up his forearms, revealed by the expensive denim shirt he wore rolled up at the sleeves. No, Jameson O’Rourke had
not
lost his sex appeal.

But he wasn’t really Crystal’s type. Maybe he was just a little too polished, which was strange for the profession he chose. But since he viewed what he did as an art form, she guessed it made sense. The shop was lined with framed art. All of it his.

“No, of course not. You haven’t lost your sex appeal.”

He grinned. “Maybe this isn’t an appropriate conversation to have with your boss.”

“Pretty sure not.” Crystal rolled her eyes.

He nodded toward the phone. “They must be pretty good friends to go to all this trouble.”

“They are, but I can’t leave the shop. Not for a whole weekend.”

He lifted his chin toward her work area. “Wrap up whatever you were doing, and get out of here.”

She frowned. “What?”

“Go. Get out of here. You’ve got a bag to pack. And if I know women, you’ve got shopping to do before your trip.”

“I
can’t go
.”

“The hell you can’t.”

“Jameson…”

He turned and ambled off, saying over his shoulder. “You’re still here in an hour, you’re fired.”

“
Fired?
” Crystal whined at his retreating back.

He kept walking. “Happy Birthday, Ace.”