Curly (Hell's Handlers MC Florida Chapter 1)

The whir of the blender sounded from inside. Another drink or two should help calm her nerves. Hopefully, it could turn off the incessant spinning of her brain as well.

What was Curly doing at that moment?

Was he safely far enough away from the dog fight?

Were the rest of the guys safe?

Were they gathering useful information?

Hordes of questions had been driving her insane all evening.

An earlier text from Curly let her know that the dog fight was taking place right at the farm. It was so close yet might as well have been on another planet.

Not being on the front lines was killing her. Worry for the guys’ safety combined with straight-up curiosity had been eating at her insides all day. She’d invited Nancy for a night swim and hang out to keep her mind occupied, but every lull in the conversation led her right back to stressing.

“Um, what the fuck is this?” Nancy’s stormed out of the house with a fistful of papers and a dark expression.

Oh, shit. A wave of dread washed over her.

She’d had stashed the notes from Prick in her junk drawer and completely forgot about that when she offered the bug cream to Nancy. “Um…it’s nothing. I’ll take them.”

Nancy came to a halt next to Brooke’s lounge chair. “Seriously, Brooke,” she said, shaking the papers in front of Brooke’s face. “What the fuck are these? Don’t you dare say it’s nothing. Is someone threatening you?”

She hadn’t told Nance or David anything about how she’d been investigating the dog fights or how she got busted snooping around Prick’s property. And she certainly hadn’t mentioned involving Curly or the new MC. But the jig was up, and she had to come clean. At least about some of it. She’d omit Curly and the MC’s role from the story. Last thing she wanted was to make trouble for them for helping her.

She sat up straight and ran a hand through her damp hair. “Okay, um, sit down, and I’ll tell you what it is.”

“I don’t think I can sit. Seriously. What the fuck, Brooke? Why haven’t you told David or me about this? Why haven’t you called the cops?”

“Please sit. I promise I’ll tell you.”

With a huff, Nancy flopped down on her lounge chair. The backyard lights illuminated the fierce frown on her face.

“I was pretty convinced the injured dogs were coming from the farm that borders my property.”

“Okay…David mentioned that theory to me. And to the police.”

Brooke snorted. He’d wasted energy on that task. “The cops aren’t interested in helping, so I went out there to do a little investigative work myself.”

“What?” Nancy sprang to her feet. “You went by yourself?”

With a wince, she nodded.

“Are you out of your mind? Why the hell didn’t you ask David to go with you? Shit, Brooke.”

Brooke inclined her head.

Sighing, Nancy nodded. “Because my rule-following husband would have tried to talk you out of it. Damnit, Brooke, you are too independent for your own good. There’s independent, then there’s just plain stupid. Can you guess which one you were?”

She lifted her hands. “I get it, Nance. I’m well aware it wasn’t my most intelligent idea.”

“So what happened?” her friend asked as she slowly sat back down.

“The guy who owns the farm caught me trying to peek in the barn. His name is Prick, and he’s a real shithead.”

Nancy pinched the bridge of her nose. “Keep talking. I’m trying not to strangle you.”

Brooke couldn’t help it, she huffed out a small laugh.

“I’m sorry? Is this funny?” Nancy asked. “Because I fail to see what is so humorous about my friend putting herself in harm’s way.”

Duly chastised, Brooke shook her head. “No. It’s not funny. I realize now how unsafe and foolish it was. Anyway, Curly was there because he and Prick have a bit of an…ugly history.” Another understatement, but she refused to divulge Curly’s private business to Nancy. “Anyway, he defused the situation, but Prick now knows I’m determined to put an end to his dogfighting ring.”

“And he’s been leaving you threatening messages.”

She hadn’t phrased it as a question, but Brooke said, “Yes,” anyway. “At least I think it’s him. There isn’t anyone else who’d want to scare me. I’ve found five notes all nailed to the kennel door.”

Nancy’s eyes widened. “Jesus, Brooke, he’s coming in your yard?”

“Sometime in the night. I got cameras, but he destroyed them.”

“What is Curly saying about all this? What is he doing about it? I can’t imagine he’s the type to idly sit by while his woman is threatened.”

Brooke pursed her lips. It wasn’t the time to point out yet again that she wasn’t his woman. What a stupid possessive statement of ownership.

“Oh, my God, you haven’t told him either, have you?” Nancy threaded her fingers through her hair, pulling at the strands as she sat there with her mouth open. “What the hell is wrong with you?”