“You got it.”
He headed out to his bike and was surprised Lord, Stump, and Reaper followed him.
“What are you guys doing?” he asked.
“Do you think you’re the only one going to have the fun giving a message not to fuck with the Straight to Hell MC?” Lord asked.
“Yeah, let’s go and fuck with some assholes,” Reaper said.
Stump climbed on his bike.
“You’ve got the whole backing of the club, Brick. You’re not alone,” Lord said.
He breathed deep. He wasn’t going to cry like a fucking pussy. But, right now was a reminder of why he was so fucking loyal to his club. They were a family.
“Let’s do this.” He straddled his bike, turned it on, and allowed the engine to purr to life. It felt so fucking good hearing the sound.
This was his life, and he wanted Callie to become part of it.
They took off, heading toward the address he’d gotten from Stitch. It was where he’d find Jeff. The fucker lived in a really nice house in a decent neighborhood, and he had a feeling Skull Nation MC had a lot to do with that.
They pulled up to the country house. For a guy who owned a hardware store, he certainly had a nice place. Brick knew deep down something else was going on here. The hardware store and lumber yard wasn’t even a chain. It was a single store in a town barely on the map. He needed to look into Jeff.
Brick climbed off his bike as Jeff came to the front door.
“I suggest you think twice about whatever it is you’re going to do. I’m protected,” he said.
Interesting.
He didn’t stop moving forward. Jeff had a bat in his hand.
“Do you want me to use this?”
Please do.
“Do you think I’m going to let you get away with hurting my woman?” he asked.
Jeff paled. “You need to leave.”
“And you need to learn not to mess with my business.” He drove his fist into the guy’s face.
Callie had asked him not to mess with her boss. Well, she wasn’t going back to work, regardless. He’d take care of her and all of her plans.
****
Hunger hit Callie hard and she rubbed at her stomach.
Brick said he’d bring food back, but she was starting to feel a little sick, and with the medication she’d been given, they had told her to eat. Now she was in pain, hungry, and achy. She wouldn’t take any medication without food.
Settling down onto the bed, she felt the comfort of the mattress beneath her. It was a nice bed. It smelled like Brick.
She smiled to herself, giving it a little bounce as she did.
There was no risk of bed bugs or rodents here, or even cockroaches. She released a shiver just thinking about her place. No matter how hard she cleaned or decorated, her place seemed to always have a problem, from the damp to the bugs.
Tucking her hair behind her ears, she lay back and snuggled up to a pillow. It didn’t smell like him, and seeing as she was alone, she reached for his pillow, pressing it against her face and breathing in.
This smelled like him, and she couldn’t wipe the smile off her face.
Smoothing out the fabric, she breathed a sigh of relief. She’d already kicked her shoes off and taken a shower. Her hair was dry, and she was bored.
Hungry. Bored. Tired.
But the doctor’s orders said to rest, so she had to get used to this for a little while.
How had she found herself in the Straight to Hell MC’s clubhouse? She promised herself years ago she’d never get mixed into this kind of crowd.
The memory of her life before her grandmother had taken her bombarded her. The cops making late-night visits. The way they treated them like trash. She hated all of it.
Her grandmother had shown her another life, even though modest, with the warning to stay on the straight and narrow.
She ran fingers through her hair. Would her grandmother like Brick? He wasn’t like her parents, or even her two brothers.
With her face pressed into Brick’s pillow, she breathed in deeply, only to panic, releasing a squeal, when the door opened.
She quickly looked to see Brick struggling with a large box of food.
His gaze was averted, and she quickly put his pillow back, hoping he hadn’t caught her breathing in his scent like a crazy person. What kind of woman sniffed a guy’s pillow? She was going crazy.
He kicked the door closed and turned toward her.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said.
“Hey.” His compliments always took her by surprise. She wasn’t used to men finding her attractive. “Did you finish running your errands?”
“Yep. All done.” He put the food on the bed. “You know, anytime you want the real thing, I’m right here.”
“Real thing?”
He winked at her as he looked at the pillow.
She immediately covered her face. “You saw that?”