Lorenzo “Hustler” Ricci

I took a seat at the table as Lyric vanished from my sight, moving down the stairs to the living quarters of the Anderson’s bunker. Swan and Sarah had taken me on a tour before the wedding, and I had to say, I was impressed. Mike had built himself a place that would keep his family safe through just about any disaster, and I wondered if maybe I should start looking into building one.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” Mike growled. “I thought Vance was coming to get Lyric.”

“Change of plans.”

“That’s funny, ’cause I just got a text from Vance letting me know he’s gonna be here in two hours.”

“I didn’t say he was included in that change of plans.”

“Don’t bullshit me, slick. I love that little girl and if you think I’m gonna let her leave with you without being sure of her safety, you’re fucking high.”

“Sarah called me, asked me to come get Lyric. She doesn’t like Vance, doesn’t want him being the one to bring Lyric to Austin. Says he’s a sexist, misogynistic dick who’ll fuck with her head.”

“That true?”

Not wanting to talk bad about my brother, even if I didn’t particularly like the guy, I shrugged. “If you’re asking me if Vance is a feminist, no. He has certain views on a woman’s place, and it’s barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen. I have a feeling Lyric’s had enough of those kinds of guys in her life.”

“Ain’t that the fucking truth,” Mike muttered.

I knew Mike could very well stop me from leaving with Lyric, and now that I’d held her in my arms again, been surrounded by her sweetness, I wasn’t going to let that happen. “Sarah called me because she knows I care about Lyric.”

Taking a seat across from me, Mike studied me with an intensity that made me want to shift in my seat. “You two text each other an awful lot.”

“What? How the fuck do you know that?”

“Please. You really think I’d have Sarah give Lyric a cell phone and not monitor it? Not to the point of invading her privacy, but when she starts getting messages from a strange number, I look into it.” His nostrils flared as he let out a long sigh. “Look, Lyric’s innocent. Sees the world through rose-colored glasses and believes the best in everyone she meets. I consider her my daughter, and her safety and happiness are as important to me as Sarah’s and Swan’s. But unlike my girls, Lyric is completely trusting by nature. I keep an eye on her to keep her safe from those who’d take advantage of that innocence. She’s the kind of woman who needs someone to watch out for her. Someone who doesn’t have that fuckin’ bastard Chief on his ass.”

Grimacing, Hustler rubbed the back of his neck. “I fuckin’ know that. All I’m doin’ is bringin’ her to Swan and Sarah.”

“Bullshit. I may be old, but I’m not blind. I saw the way her eyes lit up when she saw you, and I saw the look on your face when she was in your arms. You have no right messing around with her, bringing her into your shit.”

All of what Mike said was true, but that didn’t mean I liked anyone telling me what to do. “Like I said, you got nothing to worry about.”

Mike opened his mouth to argue again, but a series of chimes rang through the house and he checked his phone, then frowned. “Motherfucker. We got company. Get out there and pull your bike behind the house. I don’t want them seein’ it. Quick.”

“Who is it?”

“Looks like Pastor Middleton and Lyric’s mom, Evelyn, along with some of his men. It’s better if they don’t know either of you are here.”

I wanted to ask more questions, but his dark expression had me moving out the front door instead.

After stashing my bike behind the house, I listened to the sound of a car pulling up out front. Deciding I wanted a look at these people myself, I eased around the side of the big two-story ranch, keeping behind a large trellis covered in blooming honeysuckle. Big fat bumblebees dipped in and out of the flowers, but I paid them no mind as I crouched down and looked through the gaps in the leaves.

The first thing I noticed was the fact that Pastor Middleton drove a Jag, and not just any Jag. No, that silver beauty was top-of-the-line, and cost at least a couple hundred grand. The second thing I noticed was his escort. Three big men piled out of a brand new red truck, all of ’em wearing black pants and white buttoned-up shirts with visible gun holsters on their hips. They had the air of men who were used to violence, and I wondered why the fuck a preacher in the middle of nowhere needed armed guards.

Moving around to the side of his Jag, Pastor Middleton opened the door and a tall, elegant blonde woman in her late forties, maybe early fifties, got out. She wore a pale green cotton dress the same style as the one I’d seen Lyric wearing earlier, covering her from wrist to ankles with a row of buttons going up to her throat. I had a brief impression of wide blue eyes before she turned away from me. While her clothing was pristine, I absently noted that her long braid, also similar to the style Lyric wore, was off center and poorly done.

I couldn’t see Mike, but his authoritative voice rang out over the yard, above the sound of chickens clucking in a nearby coop. “Pastor, Evelyn, what can I do for you?”

“Lyric is missing, and we were wondering if you happen to know where she is.”

Middleton’s three men spread out behind him, not saying anything but doing their best to appear menacing.

“She’s missing?”

Pastor Middleton’s smile hardened. “She had a disagreement with her mother last night and disappeared. We can’t find her and we’re worried.”

“Nope, haven’t seen her.”

Pastor Middleton obviously waited for Mike to say something more, and when he didn’t the smile fell from his face. “Well, that’s odd ’cause her tracks led to your property before they disappeared.”

“Don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”

From my vantage point I could see behind their backs, and I stiffened when Pastor Middleton elbowed Evelyn hard enough to make her flinch.

She spoke up, her voice strangely chilly and monotone. “Mike, we know she’s here. I just want to talk to my daughter. I’m worried about her and her grandmother misses her.”

“Like I said, I haven’t seen her. Tell me, Evelyn, why did she run away? Must have been some kind of fight for her to actually leave. You’ve done some atrocious shit to that girl and she’s never taken off before.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Evelyn said, as she shifted uncomfortably, her hands twining together behind her back.

“Yeah, must’a slipped your mind all the times you locked her away in that ‘prayer room’ of yours, or all the times you beat her, or all the times you tried to crush that beautiful girl’s spirit.”

“I never—”

“Don’t give me that bullshit,” Mike snapped. “You and I both know what you’ve done. You can lie to yourself about it, but don’t fuckin’ try lyin’ to me. You resented her, resented that she looked like Melody, resented the fact that every time you saw her you were reminded that you were your husband’s second choice.”

“David loved me!” she snapped, her body rigid, as I tried to figure out what the fuck they were talking about.

“Sure he did, but not as much as he loved her.”

“You—”

Evelyn started to take a step toward Mike, but Pastor Middleton hauled her back, whispering something in her ear that calmed her down.

The front door of the house swung open and Mimi stepped out onto the porch, moving a single step in front of her husband and into my line of sight. Even though I could only see her profile, a shiver raced down my spine at the open anger and hatred on her face. For a brief moment, I wondered if I was about to see Lady Death—Mimi’s nickname from when she was an assassin—slaughter Lyric’s mother.

“Get off my land.”

Evelyn, now clinging to Pastor Middleton, sputtered out, “I want to see my daughter.”

“She’s not here.”

“Liar!”

Silver flashed in Mimi’s hand, and a moment later, a large knife was imbedded in the side of Pastor Middleton’s car, inches from where Evelyn stood.

“What the fuck!” Pastor Middleton yelled as his men began to pull their guns.

I was two seconds away from reaching for my own piece and gunning the motherfuckers down, but Mike had it covered.

His voice held absolutely no emotion as he said, “Drop your fucking guns, right the fuck now, or I swear to God I’ll kill every motherfucking one of you. Starting with the good pastor right here.”

“Drop your guns,” Middleton shouted, his face red and filled with rage as he looked over his shoulder at his men.

They did as he said, their expressions less than happy as their pieces hit the grass bordering the driveway.

“Now get the fuck out of here,” Mike growled. “And if you ever, ever come onto my property again, I’m going to make sure you’re the one who’s missing. Am I clear?”

“You’ll regret this,” Pastor Middleton spat out as he shoved Evelyn into his car.

The other men followed suit and as they sped away down the road, I wondered what the fuck had just happened.

I waited until they were out of sight, then moved out from behind the honeysuckle.

“Someone want to tell me what the fuck that was all about?”

Neither Mimi or Mike seemed surprised to see me, and Mike grimaced as he put his gun back into the holster hidden beneath his flannel shirt. “I’m not exactly sure, but something is going on over there that I don’t fuckin’ like one bit.”

Shaking my head, I joined them in the cool shadows of the porch, leaning against the railing as Mimi ran a soothing hand over her husband’s back.

“They said something about Lyric’s grandma; is she still alive? I thought Lyric wouldn’t leave until the old lady passed?”

Mimi sighed. “We’re not sure exactly what happened. Lyric gave us a story about a disagreement, but that’s just what it was—a story. That girl can’t lie to save her life, but she’s hiding something. Probably afraid if we knew the truth, we’d shut her church down.”

“You can do that?”

Mike nodded. “Her grandmother owns the land, but we own and supply the water. Cut the water off and they’d have to leave. When I bought this land, before I sold any of it off, I made sure that was part of the contract.”

I whistled. “Nice.”

Looking down at her phone, Mimi said, “Lyric’s coming. I’d rather she not know her mother was here making a scene. She has enough to deal with right now.”

“Got it.”

A second later Lyric came out the front door wearing a pair of black leggings and a long silky sky-blue shirt over a white tank top. The fabric molded to her curvy little body and I took in the swell of her hips and large breasts, the way her waist dipped in before flaring out to her rounded ass. Her long hair was still back in a braid, and her big, gorgeous eyes gazed up at me with complete trust and happiness. Something in my heart cracked wide open as she watched me and it took everything I had not to sweep her into my arms and kiss her senseless.

Part of me wanted to ride off into the sunset with her, to take her with me and never come back, but I couldn’t. Not only would I never leave my MC family behind, I couldn’t rob Lyric of her chance at a real life. Having witnessed firsthand the kind of people she grew up with, I was more determined than ever that she find her own happiness. She needed to be out on her own, to decide what she wanted, and it wasn’t me. I was an old, damaged, beat-to-shit biker while she was…everything beautiful in the world.

Mike cleared his throat. “You ready to head out, sunshine?”

Tearing her gaze from mine, Lyric beamed at him, but I could see the tension rising in her small frame. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

Hugging her close, Mimi and Mike said their goodbyes. When they were finally done, Lyric slung her backpack over her shoulder and took a deep breath. She slipped her small hand into my own and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s go.”

I led her around to the back of the house where my motorcycle was, and she let out a small squeal. “Oh, it’s so pretty! I love the design you have painted on it.”

Laughing, I rubbed my knuckles down her cheek, unable to stop myself from touching her. “Thanks. One of my brothers, Hulk, does detail work.”

“How many brothers do you have?”

“By blood? Just one. By spirit, hundreds. I consider the members of my MC my brothers and I’m blessed to have them in my life. We’re like one big family. You’ll see.”

“Do you think they’ll like me?”

Fuck, yeah, they would, and the idea bothered me. If I was planning on staying away from Lyric, one of them would no doubt swoop in and try to win her heart. While some guys liked their women wild and dangerous, others would look at this adorable little armful and want her for their own. The thought drove a knife in my belly and I growled out, “Yeah, they’ll like you.”

“Oh, okay.”

When she turned away with a wounded expression, I found myself pulling her into my arms before I could stop myself. “They’ll like you too much. I’ll have to fuckin’ beat them off with a stick.”

She wrapped her arms around my waist, her head resting against my chest. “I doubt that, but the thought is nice.”

“You doubt it? Woman, have you looked at yourself? You’re gorgeous.”

She shook her head against me, her hold tightening. “No. Swan and Sarah are beautiful, I’m just…cute.”

“Nothin’ wrong with being cute. I happen to find you adorable.”

She made a rude noise. “Yeah, that’s what every girl wants to hear. That she’s adorable, like a puppy.”

I wanted to tell her that I was entranced by her, that she’d taken over my mind and heart in a way I’d never felt before, but now wasn’t the time or the place.

Reluctantly, I let her go. “You ever ridden on a motorcycle before?”

“No.” She bit her full pink lower lip, then released it with a sigh. “I haven’t done much of anything. Hustler…I’m—I’m scared.”

“Of what?”

“Everything.”

Cupping her small face in my hands, I stroked my thumbs over her freckled cheeks. “I promise you, while I’m with you, you have nothing to be scared about. I promise. Okay?”

“Okay.”