Page 37 of Lulu
Annabelle piped in, “So are Danny and me.”
I’d already known about Millie and Loco trying to get pregnant. “Well, here’s to future Desert Rebels.” Everyone followed suit when I raised my beer and took a drink.
Sybil saw us and came over, likely thinking that we were requesting refills on our drinks. Good timing, because I’d just finished my beer. I ordered another one and got to my feet to go use the restroom. “I’m going to the ladies’ room.”
Millie got up too. “I’ll come with you.”
We didn’t talk along the way. It was too loud to hear anything anyway. Once we were behind the bathroom door, the noise level was considerably lower. I made sure we were alone before commenting, “Lockdown didn’t last very long.” I went into one stall and Millie went into the other.
“As soon as Loco made sure I was safe, he and a couple of his brothers took right off after those men.” She giggled. “By the way, Demon wasn’t too happy that you wouldn’t come to the clubhouse.”
“Pff,I’m sure he’s already gotten over it. If I’d been worried those men were after me, I would have gone, believe me. That shit was scary!”
“Yeah, I’ve had a nightmare or two over it. Thank God I had a badass ex-club girl with me at the time.” She made a sound of disgust. “Now Loco is insisting that I learn to shoot so that I can carry a gun with me everywhere I go.”
Her tone made it sound as if it were the worst thing that could ever happen to her.
“It’s not a bad idea, honey. I promise you, if you’d had a gun that day, you would have felt a lot better knowing that you could protect yourself. We would have both been bad asses.”
We finished up at the same time and exited the stalls to go to the sink to wash our hands. I met Millie’s eyes in the mirror. “Plus, you go to a lot of places for your work where you don’t know the people. I seem to recall you had an incident once.”
“Don’t remind me.” She snorted. “I can just see it now--showing up for jobs with a gun strapped to my hip. Or maybe I can wear one of those underarm holsters.” She quieted for a minute as she reached for a paper towel to dry her hands. “Do they have rhinestone holsters?”
I shook my head at her silliness. “I’m sure we could have something custom made.” I turned toward her as I dried my hands. “Did you find out why those men were after you that day?”
Millie gave me a sly look in response.
“Don’t even pretend Loco doesn’t talk to you about shit.”
She took a deep breath and exhaled, because she knew that I was aware of what went on between those men and their women. “Those bikers were from an MC in New Mexico called the Soul Reapers. Apparently Loco, Body, Sax, and Bam Bam had a run in with them when they went to Denver on club business last year. It didn’t end well. Loco said they came here for revenge and had planned on using me for leverage.”
Leverage. They would have used Millie to get whatever it was they’d wanted, and we both knew what that could have meant for her. They would have roughed her up, maybe even sexually abused her, before returning her to Loco. The fact that the Soul Reapers had waited so long to make a move didn’t surprise me either. It was common within outlaw MCs to wait and plan shit for when the other club wasn’t expecting retaliation anymore.
The fact the club wasn’t on lockdown told me that the men who’d been after Millie that day were no longer a threat. That didn’t mean that more Soul Reapers wouldn’t show up, it just meant the Desert Rebels expected it and were ready for it. Millie probably wasn’t the only old lady who had a prospect on her, and I would have bet my bottom dollar that Loco, Cole, Danny, LD, Sax, and Oz were somewhere close by and watching.
Millie and I made our way back out to our table. My smile lit up when I saw that Lissa had joined us. She was Frenchie’s old lady, and Holly’s best friend. She was the party-girl in the group and was always up for a good time. Dressed to the nines as usual, she was what some of us lovingly referred to as a classy slut. She knew it, and wore the crown proudly. Her joining us meant that our girl’s night out was going to last longer, grow louder, and probably get us into trouble.
That was fine by me.
I was in the mood to get a little wild.
Chapter 15
Brody
The job in Florida had gone according to plan, not that I’d expected anything less. I was damned good at what I did and had been doing it for a long time. I was still on the fence about retiring, but Sanford had sweetened the pot to take this particular job since it had been originally assigned to Spider. I didn’t need the extra money, but I couldn’t deny that I enjoyed the thrill of taking out someone who deserved it.
And the crooked Politian wanna-be had certainly deserved it. The head of a trafficking ring that dealt in children would only be missed because by those who knew him to be an upstanding fuck with money and power. The public would never know the monster he’d really been, someone who kidnapped and sold innocent children to other monsters. The problem was that there would always be someone else to take his place.
I entered the quiet darkness of my house and tossed my keys onto the counter. The first thing my eyes lit on when I flipped on the light switch was Buttercup’s bed. Damn, she’d been boarded at the clinic for almost a week. That right there was why I couldn’t keep her. She needed to be with someone who was around more to take care of her. I’d have to pick her up in the morning.
I went to the cupboard and got a bottle of whiskey and a glass. I’d pushed myself to make the thirty-hour ride home in two days and was bone tired. I’d been eager to get back. Not sure why. Probably had something to do with a sassy little vet tech with curves that fit perfectly against mine. I snorted as I poured a generous shot into my glass. I didn’t want to think about whether or not Lulu had fucked anyone while I’d been gone. I’d given her the green light, so it wasn’t as if I could be pissed. Hell, I could have fucked that eager, long-legged redhead in the last bar I’d gone into, but something had held me back.
For one thing, she hadn’t turned me on.
Christ. Fucking Lulu was messing with my head.
I wondered if I called her right now if she’d be available for a booty call. My dick came to life just thinking about it, but the clock on the wall said it was too fucking late. She should be in bed asleep by now. And I wasn’t that much of a dick that I’d wake her up just for a fuck.