CHAPTER NINE
Still torqued from bugging my girlfriend’s apartment, I need to do something constructive.
And if it sparks off trouble, I really don’t give a fuck.
My first stop’s the bank.
My next stop is the Wolf Knights MC clubhouse.
In the past, Whisper’s talked enough about the club for me to know Merlin spends most of his days here.
On a weekday afternoon, the parking lot’s deserted except for two trucks and three Harleys.
I knock at the back door all polite-like.
The door swings open and the brunette who tried to climb me like a fucking tree the last time I was here greets me. Her lips curl into a smirk that looks more deranged than seductive.
“Hello, Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes Biker.” She sets one hand on her hip, drawing my attention to her nearly non-existent leather shorts. “Change your mind?”
“No,” I answer with what little patience I have. “I need to speak to Merlin.”
She gives me a once over—more business than personal this time—then opens the door wider.
“He’s in his office,” she says, pointing to a partially open door a few feet away. I follow her the short distance, almost knocking her over when she stops dead in front of me. “Merlin? There’s someone here to see you.”
“Teller?” Merlin stands. “Thanks, Mady,” he says, dismissing the girl. “What’s on your mind?” he asks, coming closer. His steps are short, almost hesitant.
Aw, is he scared of me?
He should be.
He glances at Whisper and Hudson who both shrug.
Whisper watches me with narrowed eyes. Even if he and Merlin aren’t gettin’ along right now, doesn’t mean he’s going to back me if this goes badly.
“Need to have a word with you,” I explain.
Merlin gives me an indifferent shrug. “So, speak.”
“It’s a personal matter.”
That finally prompts him to order Whisper and Hudson to leave the office.
“You got something to tell me about my niece?” he asks once they’re gone.
“You could say that.” I pull the thick envelope of cash out of my pocket and hold it out in front of me. “This is to pay off the rest of Charlotte’s debt.”
He frowns and snaps the envelope out of my hand. “She told you?”
“Yeah, she told me the whole story.”
Merlin raises his chin, shooting a cold glare at me. “I suggest you adjust your tone when you address me.”
I stare back, harder and colder until Merlin flinches and gives in. “I don’t know what she told you—”
“Yes, you do.” I lower my voice and take a step closer. “Your niece. Your own flesh and blood. What the fuck’s wrong with you?”
He flinches again but tries to appear indifferent. “You know how it is.”
“No, I really don’t. Explain to me how you let your niece get raped in your clubhouse and refused to find the fucker and gut him.”
I swear he pales as he steps back.
“Mind your own business.”
“Charlotte is my business.” I watch him carefully for a few seconds, thinking over what I’m about to say. “She’s my old lady now. Mine. Get used to it.”
His expression locks into cold, hard anger, fists balling up at his sides. Unfortunately for him, it doesn’t intimidate me one bit. “You need to drop this. It doesn’t concern you.”
“You’re dead wrong. Everything about her is my concern.”
“Christ, Teller, it was fucking years ago.”
“Why don’t we find someone to rape you and in seven years let me know how you’re feeling about it.”
That only seems to make him angrier. “Find it hard to believe your club’s willing to back you up.”
“That’s my problem.”
“She’s disloyal anyway.”
“She’s disloyal? Why the fuck should she be loyal to you?”
“I’m her fuckin’ uncle, that’s why!” he shouts. “Her father was my little brother.”
“Yeah, bet he’d be real grateful to know how you took care of his girl.”
“You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.”
“Was she drugged and raped in this clubhouse or not?”
He clamps his lips shut, so I fire off another question. “Did she come to you for help and you blew her off or not?”
Ignoring both questions, he asks, “You tell Rock, her crazy, drug-addled version of what happened?”
I don’t even bother responding to his attempt to discredit Charlotte. “This ain’t about either of our clubs, and you know it.”
He steps closer and lifts his hand. I think he’s planning to poke me in the chest, but he takes one look at the glacial expression I’m wearing and stops. “You wanna take her on so bad? She’s all yours. Have fun explaining why her brother’s homeless.”
“What’s Carter got to do with this?”
“I’m fucking sick and tired of carrying that kid, and now that Cindy’s gone, I don’t have to. He can get the fuck out of that house.”
“His mother’s house. Because he was taking care of her,” I remind him.
“Guess you don’t know everything. It’s my house. I let her live there because I knew she couldn’t fuckin’ keep a roof over her head otherwise and I promised my brother I’d do that.”
“You’re gonna kick your own nephew out of his house? Right after his mom died?”
“He’s a fuckin’ pussy who’s never gonna be useful to anyone.”
While Carter might not be MC material, he’s a good kid. Hearing Merlin run him down makes me want to punch him in the mouth even more than I already did.
“You do what you gotta do, Merlin.” I step back. “Tell me something, do you know who hurt Charlotte that night?”
He shakes his head, refusing to look me in the eye. “No. Don’t believe the way she told it either,” he says with zero conviction. “Never did.”
“Yeah, well I do.” I step closer getting up in his face. “You wanna know why Loco’s so fuckin’ afraid of me, Merlin?” I taunt in a voice just above a whisper. “I know that’s been driving you crazy.”
His jaw clenches, neck seizing with tension. “He’s fuckin’ nuts, that’s why.”
“He ain’t that crazy. No, he saw what happened to a certain snake who hurt a woman I cared about.” I pause and glance down at my hands. “Well, what was left of him.”
“That why Charlotte’s so bent on suckin’ your dick? ’Cause you promised to get justice for her or some bullshit?”
I’m so done with this asshole and issue my final warning. “One way or another, I’m going to find out who hurt her. You better fuckin’ pray that you didn’t have anything to do with it.”
Merlin’s face darkens. “Don’t you fuckin’ threaten me.”
“It’s not a threat. I protect what’s mine.”
He stalks over to the closed office door and throws it open. “I think we’re done here.”
“Yeah. We are.”
Once I’m in my truck, I head straight to Charlotte’s to give her a head’s up about all the shit that’s about to go down.
I don’t make it that far. I’m crossing the Empire City line when my phone rings. I press the button on my steering wheel and the call comes over Bluetooth. Charlotte’s anxious voice fills the truck. “Marcel, where are you?”
“On my way to your place. What’s wrong?” I’m not sure why I ask, I can guess what’s coming.
“My brother called. He said Chuck stopped by and told him he has twenty-four hours to get his shit and get out of Mom’s house. Said to ask you why.”
“Fuck.” That fucker moved faster than I expected.
“I’ll explain when I get there.”
“Marcel,” she says, drawing out my name. “What did you do?”
I take the exit that leads me into downtown Empire. “I’m almost there, Charlotte.”
“Park in back. I left my car on the street.”
“Thanks, Sunshine.”
Her soft laughter soothes me.
Fifteen minutes later, I’m about to knock on her door, when she throws it open.
“What’s going on?”
No way am I starting this conversation without kissing her first. I wrap my arms around her, pulling her against my chest. “First, kiss me.”
She tips her head back, a hint of a smile playing over her lips. Her arms wind around my neck and I lean down, pressing my lips to hers, taking time to taste her, tell her with my body how much I missed her.
Before I explain I’m the reason her brother’s now homeless.
Painfully conscious of the cameras in her apartment, a knot of guilt tightens my stomach.
A soft sigh eases out of her when we part. She rubs the back of her hand over my cheek. “What happened?”
“I paid off your loan to Merlin.”
All softness vanishes. “Oh, Jesus Christ. I told you to let it go.”
“Fuck that shit.”
“I’m not some…gold digger who expects you to pay my bills.”
“Trust me, I know you’re not. It’s not about that and you know it.”
“Fine, how’d my brother get dragged into this?”
“Your uncle said some shit and I made it clear that you’re my old lady. Let him know how I felt about the way he treated you.”
She exhales a heavy sigh. “Marcel—”
“Someone needed to stand up for you, Charlotte. Even if it’s too many years too late.”
“Thank you,” she says, her voice a rough whisper.
“He said if I was taking on responsibility for you, I could have Carter too.”
“Shit.” She bites her lip. “He wasn’t planning to stay there much longer, but still.”
“I’m sorry. I swear I never thought he’d get caught up in this. All I could think about was paying your uncle off.”
“You really didn’t have to do that, but thank you.”
“I’ll help Carter out any way I can.”
“He’s going to stay here for a few days. It’ll be okay.” She looks up at me again. “Your old lady, huh? There’s a title I never thought I’d want.”
I fit my hands over her hips. “But now you do?”
“Maybe.”
“What can I do to convince you?”
“Kiss me?”
Holding her face in my hands so she knows there’s no escaping, I kiss her with everything I’m feeling.
The whole time aware Z could be watching us.