I HELD TRIXIE tight to my body as she slept, both arms locked around her for fear she’d leave again. I wasn’t going to let her go anywhere ever.
I’d been a fucking mess when I woke up to find her gone. Pissed didn’t cut it. I almost punched Boner, Stiff, and Bosco. Then, when I couldn’t find her for fucking hours and hours, I really lost it.
Dawg finally got a lock on her cell phone. That’s how we found her at the hotel. I’d had to bribe the clerk to look up someone who only paid in cash. I knew she didn’t use a card because I checked. I was pretty proud of her for that. She was pretty fucking smart when it came to not being found. That was good and bad.
I dropped hard information on her, not knowing what she’d do. Not that I thought for a second she’d go to the cops. No, that didn’t cross my mind. My concern was for her. I wanted to be the one to hold her though all of this. Comfort her. Love her.
Boner being fucking right again, I needed to lay everything out on the table with her. I hoped it all didn’t blow up in my face.
She moved her hand up and down my arm. Shit, I thought she was sleeping.
“I wanna talk to the Colonel.”
“Don’t think that’s a good idea, Trixie.” I kissed the back of her head, knowing despite my words, she would talk to him. She was too strong of a woman not to. “But, if you want to, I’m there with you.”
Her head turned toward me. “Why?”
“Because he’s not gonna be too happy that I told you.”
She turned fully in my arms.
“Normally, the only people who know club business are in the club. This situation rides me differently. It happened so long ago, you’re involved, and I want you as my woman, so I’m letting you in on it. When we struck the deal, it was under the assumption no one other than the club would know. Now you do, and I don’t know how he’s gonna take that.” I included Trixie in the deal with the Colonel to be absolutely certain he wouldn’t hurt her. I always wanted her protected, and that hadn’t changed.
“I have to, Cade. I have to talk to him, find out if he’s still doing it, if I can stop it.” Her words came out fast. I had to stop her.
“One thing is a definite. You cannot get involved with that business. Ever.”
She started again, and I squeezed her.
“Those fuckers don’t play around, Trixie. You get involved with it, they’ll try to take you away from me. That’s not happening.”
Just the thought of those fuckers getting their hands on her sent ice through my veins. I worked so damn hard to shield her from this life, not wanting any of it to touch her.
Her eyes lost a little of the determination. “I still feel like I need to talk to him. You have to understand that.”
I did, but I didn’t like it one bit.
“With me there.”
“Fine. I’m still on the fence with you, though. I …” She shook her head into the pillow. “This is going to be hard for me.”
“We’ll work it out.”
Done talking, I kissed her, and it only took moments for her body to give in. I had a raging hard-on, but I wouldn’t push for sex. I just needed to kiss her so she’d know I wasn’t full of shit. I needed to be connected to her in the simplest of ways.
It seemed like everything came full circle. My younger days were filled with want for her and my future. I couldn’t have them both, so I gave up one for the other. Well, I’d be damned if I gave her up a second time.
I pulled away, looking deep into her eyes. “You’re gonna trust me, Trixie. I’m gonna do everything in my damn power to make it happen.”
“COULD YOU JUST leave for a while?” Trixie asked from her desk in her office.
Although she said she had shit to catch up on, I wasn’t quite ready to let her out of my sight yet. It’d been a day since I brought her home from the hotel, and I stayed on her the entire time or had one of my boys do it. Leaving her right now wasn’t an option. Therefore, I put Boner in charge of the shop, having him filter things through me yet taking care of the day-to-day shit.
“Nah.” I stretched out on the leather couch in the far corner of her office. “I’m comfortable.”
“Whatever,” she grumbled. “I’m not gonna run.”
“I know.” Because I’d be here so she wouldn’t. I couldn’t go through the hell of having her disappear again. No fucking way.
“Hovering over me is not going to win you any points in the trust department.”
I sucked in deep. “Babe, I know. Just give me some time, and then shit’ll go back to normal.” Whatever in the fuck normal was. “Anyway, in a few hours, I have church at the clubhouse. I’ll have to leave you here for a while.” Damn if that didn’t eat at my gut.
“I have Ike,” she retorted.
“You mean the guy I took out?”
She shrugged. “He’s been told to shoot first and ask questions later.”
“Good.” I’d still have one of my guys on her, too.
FOUR HOURS LATER, Trixie threw down her pen and yawned. “I’m gonna call him,” she said just as I started to drift off. It snapped my attention to alert.
“I advise you don’t.” It was a long shot, but I rolled with it.
She picked up her cell, her hand slightly trembling as she pushed some buttons.
I sat up from the couch and ran my fingers through my hair. Fucking hell.
“It’s Trixie … Can you come to my office tomorrow at three? … Because I need to talk to you … No, I can’t. I have to work … Okay, then the next day? … Alright, at five. I’ll be here.” She swiped the phone off, leaning back in her chair with a heavy sigh.
“When?” I asked, even though I just heard.
“Two days. He’ll be here at five.”
“Alright.” Fuck, I didn’t want her to see that dick.
“You know, I always knew the Colonel was an asshole, but this”—she waved her hand in the air—“I just don’t get. I mean, I don’t get how anyone could do it. My father dealt in numbers. Numbers on the cards, money … not selling women.” She shook her head. “At least, that’s what I thought. Damn, I was a fool.”
I moved to her, sitting on the edge of her desk. “You, Trixie, are anything but a fool. You were meant to stay clear of all of this business and would have …” I trailed off, not liking where my words were going.
“If I hadn’t come to you about Nanette,” she finished.
“Yeah.”
“Why is that, Cade? If you felt this way about me, why did I have to come to you?”
I moved in front of her, and her legs spread, letting me in. “Because, Trixie, I’m no good for you. I’m an asshole who gets what he wants. I’m demanding as fuck in bed. My club is my soul. You deserve better than all this shit I’m throwing at you. I knew it then, and I know it now.”
She tilted her head, but before she could say anything, I continued, “I’m a selfish bastard, though. As soon as I saw you back in my club, I knew I couldn’t let you go a second time. That’s why, plain and simple. You believe in fate?”
“I guess.” Her eyes gleamed from the lights in the room, giving the green a shine.
“That’s what this is. Fate stepping in, taking over, and I’m holding on.”
She dropped her chin to her chest. Using my index finger, I lifted so she met my eyes.
“It’s gonna be okay.” I’d damn well do anything and everything I could to make sure of that.
AFTER HAVING A conversation with Ike about staying close to Trixie, I rushed to the club. I was going to be fucking late, something I didn’t do.
It was time to give Fox his money, and I needed to get a vote on it before I handed it over. Fuck, it was my mom, and I felt like an asshole, but Fox could cause us some serious trouble. I didn’t need that shit. I’d told Mom to stay away from his table, but she hadn’t listened.
I entered the clubhouse to find the guys standing around.
“About time,” Bosco chided.
“Got held up. Let’s start.” I tossed my phone on the table outside the door before entering the room.
The smell of smoke and years of decisions billowed through the air. Our symbol—the skull with Vipers on either side of it—was painted on the far wall. The other had pictures of good times we’d had in the club. In the center sat three large, square tables that we pushed together to make one long table with padded chairs around it.
I took my seat at the head as the guys piled in. Boner sat to my left, Stiff to my right, and Dawg next to him with everyone else sitting scattered.
I slammed the gavel down, and we went through all the shit with the garage and numbers first. Most of that was to the point.
“One more vote we need to do.” I looked around the table, meeting each man head-on. “My mother is four k in the hole with Fox. He knows she doesn’t have that kind of money and would come to me for it. If I pay it, we’re on his radar, and when it happens again, we’ll be expected to pay. If I don’t pay, he puts my mom out on the streets to work it off.” I shook my head. “We need to vote if I should give her the money.” Fuck, I hated this, hated she put me in this position.
“All those in favor of me giving her the money, say yes and raise your hand.” Everyone’s hand in the room flew up. Every. Single. Fucking. One.
I looked down at the table. My brothers were going to take this full-out, head-on if it came to that. Hopefully, my mother would get her shit together, though.
“Vote is yes. Approved.”
“We gotta talk about the Colonel and Trixie,” Bosco said, cracking his big knuckles. “What’s going on with that?”
“She and I are meeting with him in a couple of days.” Nothing more needed to be said, because I didn’t have anything else to give them.
He nodded.
I slammed the gavel back down. “Adjourned.”