She placed her head on his chest. “Why is this happening to me?”
He couldn’t remain silent and let her keep blaming herself. “You know we don’t talk business with our women, but I can’t let you take the fall for this. Mayhem has something Stant wants, and you were the smoke screen to distract us while they came in and took it.”
“What?”
Shooter nodded. ”What do I tell my mother?” she whispered.
“Tell her I’m taking you away on a couples’ vacation. We won a trip to a cruise, whatever it is you need to.”
She took a deep breath. “We’re really doing this.”
“Yeah baby, we are. Prez wants us gone tonight.” He studied her cautiously. “ I gotta be honest, I expected more of a protest.”
“I’m tired, Shooter. Tired of looking over my shoulder and trying to anticipate his next move. If this is how we get rid of him…then that’s what we’ll do.”
“That’s my girl.” He placed a kiss on her forehead,
proud of the progress she’d made. She’s facing down her demons, when are you going to face down yours? His thoughts veered to the unreturned voicemails on his phone. Later. He pushed the issue away and refocused his attention on the problem at hand.
“Where will we go?” she whispered.
“Anywhere you want.”
Chapter Sixteen
A knock came on the door. Juliette glanced up from the box she was packing and frowned. She’d been enjoying the peace and quiet. With Peter in jail things had settled into normal. They’d made the decision to move in together and she was in the process of moving out of her place.
She loved their friends, but that many people crammed into a tiny space for two days straight was headache inducing. Probably one of the M.C.s who forgot something. She set the newspaper aside and rose. A glance through the peephole made her heart race. He had close-cut brown hair with spots of gray at his temples. His eyes were dark green and the laugh lines and crow’s-feet made her think he laughed a lot. He rapped on the door again and shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. He looked familiar but she couldn’t place him. He doesn’t have a cut, so I probably didn’t see him with Mayhem. He clenched his jaw and a light bulb went off in her brain. He looks like Shooter.
Shooter had been closed-lipped about his family. She knew his parents were dead, but he had a brother. This must be him. Oh my god, maybe something happened. They’d been so caught up in her own drama there’d been no time for much else. Guilt gnawed at her belly. She opened the door, keeping the chain lock on top hooked.
“Can I help you?”
The man blinked and took a step back. “Oh… I-I’m sorry maybe I have the wrong place. Does Daniel Nash live here?” His brow wrinkled and she bit back a laugh. She’d seen that same expression on Shooter’s face a million times before.
“No, you have the right place. May I ask who you are?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess he didn’t tell you about me, huh?” His face fell. “I’m his older brother, Joel. I came out here from Ohio.”
She wanted to believe him, but a part of her still worried Peter would come for her in some way. “Can I see some identification?”
His eyebrows flew up. “Yeah, sure. Wow. You guys do things a lot different in the big cities.” He shook his head and dug into his back pocket pulling out a worn leather wallet. Quickly he removed the card and handed it to her.
“Joel Alexander Nash.” She rubbed the card, turning it this way and that to make sure it had the holographic markings that proved it was legit. Finding the shimmering symbols, she relaxed and handed it back. “Sorry, a woman can never be too careful these days.”
“Unfortunately I have to agree with you. I have a wife and a daughter who’s about ten. The things on the news make me want to keep them in the house and warn people off with a shotgun.”
She laughed. “Yeah, you sound like your brother.” Closing the door, she removed the chain lock and opened it. “He’s running an errand but he should be back soon. Would you like to wait? We’re in the middle of moving, so the house is mostly empty. But I can at least offer you a beverage.”
“Oh no, I’m fine. Thank you for the offer. Are you his…lady?”
“Oh my god, I’ve been so rude.” She closed the door behind him and offered her hand. “I’m his girlfriend, Juliette.”
“Nice to meet you Juliette.” The toothpaste-white smile he flashed her turned him from handsome to gorgeous. This family has some amazing genes.
“Does he know you’re coming? He didn’t mention it to me.” They stood in the middle of the living room surrounded by boxes.
“Uh no.” Joel shook his head. “This is a total surprise.”