CHAPTER 17
Max
I woke up with Harper sprawled out on the bed next to me, and the minute I laid eyes on her, I had to have her. Her eyes remained closed as I eased up on all fours, and even though I felt guilty for waking her, I couldn’t help myself. I hovered over her for a moment, appraising her gorgeous body, and watched as her beautiful, full lips curled into a smile. I slid my hands under her and reached for her lace panties, easing them down her long, sexy legs. “Good morning, beautiful.”
She never opened her eyes as she replied, “Good morning, handsome.”
I lowered my head between her legs, and with my mouth just inches from her, I asked, “Did you sleep well?”
“Umm-hmmm.”
I brushed my tongue across her and watched with a sense of satisfaction as her back arched off of the bed. “Do you have any idea what you do to me?”
Her eyes opened as she looked at me, shaking her head no.
I eased my fingers deep inside her, massaging the spot that drove her wild. “I can’t get you out of my head. With every breath I take, you’re right there with me.”
A pleasured moan vibrated through her chest as I started to move my fingers faster and harder, and her breath quickened as I covered her with my mouth. With the sounds of her soft whimpers echoing through the room, I placed my hands on her thighs, holding her in place as I continued to work her over with my mouth. Her taste had my cock throbbing with an uncontrollable need to be inside her, and when I couldn’t wait any longer, I quickly removed my boxers and settled myself between her legs.
I placed my mouth close to her ear and whispered, “You’re mine, Harper Campbell, and I’m going to spend the rest of my life making up for the time we lost … Every hour … Every minute … Every fucking second.”
Without saying a word, she pressed her lips to mine in a possessive, demanding kiss as she wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me towards her. We spent the better part of the morning in bed making love and talking, and we would’ve stayed longer if my phone hadn’t started ringing. I forced myself out of bed and took the call from Big.
“Any news?”
“I’m working on it. Wondered if you could get something for me?”
“Sure. What do you need?” I asked.
“Can you go by Frankie’s and get the freight log for the past couple of weeks?”
“Yeah, I can do that. Any particular reason why you need it?”
“Just checking into a few things,” Big replied.
“Okay. I’ll head over there now to get it. Where are you going to be?”
“I’m out with Josie right now, but we’ll be heading home in a couple of hours. Could you put it in my mailbox, and I’ll grab it when I get back?”
“You got it.”
As soon as I hung up the phone, I turned to Harper and asked, “You up for getting out for a bit? I’ve got something I need to take care of, then we could grab something to eat when I’m done.”
“Sure. Just let me take a quick shower.”
Giving her a playful smile, I agreed. “Sounds good. I’ll join you.”
Our shower took a little longer than expected, but it was worth it. We were just about to walk out the front door when I noticed another small square package sitting on her doorstep. She reached down and picked it up, studying it for a moment before she said, “It must be another gift from Claudia. I’ll open it when we get back.”
I nodded and watched her take it inside. Once she was done, we got in the car and headed towards town. It was a beautiful day, and Harper was quiet as she stared out the window and took in the scenery. When we pulled up to Frankie’s warehouse, she had a puzzled look on her face.
“Is this where you work?”
“Not exactly. My boss does some work through them,” I answered as I pulled around back to the dock and parked. Just as I was about to get out, Derrick, the loading manager, started walking towards my car. He’d worked there for years, and I’d always found him to be a hard worker, never complaining about anything. As he approached, I rolled down my window and said, “Morning, Derrick. How’s it going?”
“Hey, man. Doing good, I guess. You know how it is. Work is work. Just out here trying to make a dollar.” He peered inside and gave Harper a smile. “Who you got in there with ya?”
“Just a friend of mine.”
“Must be some kind of friend.” He snickered. “Never seen you with a pretty lady like this before.”
“Hi, Derrick.” She leaned forward and smiled. “I’m Harper.”
“Nice to meet you, Harper. You new in town?”
“Yes and no. I’m really just visiting.”
“Is that right? Well, I hope you’re having yourself a good time here.”
“I am. I’ve been staying out in one of the cabins out at Whiskey Creek. It’s really beautiful.”
“It sure is. Maybe you’ll decide to stay awhile.”
Derrick had always been friendly, and he could talk your ear off if you let him. Before he got carried away, I looked at him and said, “I need a favor … I need the freight log for the past couple of weeks. Do you think you could get that for me?”
A curious look crossed his face as he said, “Yeah. No problem. I’ll go grab it.”
“Thanks, Derrick.”
He went back into the building, and a few minutes later, he returned with the log in his hand. As he offered it to me, he asked, “Any particular reason why you’d be needing this?”
“Not sure yet. Just checking some things out.”
“Okay. Just let me know if you have any questions.”
“Will do. I appreciate your help.” I put the car in reverse as I said, “Enjoy your Sunday and don’t work too hard.”
We left there, and I drove out to Big’s. I put the paperwork in his mailbox, and as we pulled out of his driveway, I asked, “Do mind if I run by my place?”
While I’d taken a shower, I was still wearing the same clothes I’d had on the day before, and I was hoping to put on something more comfortable. “Sure. I’d like that.”
As I started driving towards my condo, I found myself becoming nervous about Harper seeing it. I’d never considered myself a condo type of guy, especially considering where I’d grown up. I’d only moved there because Nitro not only owned the place, but he also lived on the top floor in the penthouse apartment. Considering the kind of work I did, it made sense for me live close by. Over the years, I’d never really had company—my sister stayed with me for a couple of weeks, and Tristen and Nitro stopped by, but they never stayed for long. For all I knew, the place wasn’t all that great. Hell, I’d spent two years sleeping on dirt. After that, anything was a step up, but I just wasn’t so sure she’d think so. I wasn’t much on decorating, and on top of that, it had been days since I’d been home for more than a few hours. I had no idea if the maid had been there. I led her upstairs to my condo and as I opened the door, I let out a small sigh of relief when I noticed that the carpets had been vacuumed.
Harper walked in and paused at the kitchen, before heading into the living room. All of the condos had basically the same set up, especially in the kitchen, so it was nothing out of the ordinary. My living room, on the other hand, was a bit different. It was very manly with dark gray upholstery on the sofa and chairs, and black furniture around the room, including a large flat-screen that was mounted to the wall. I glanced over to Harper, trying to check her expression, but her back was to me. My nerves were a bit rattled, but they quickly settled when she finally turned to face me and I could see her beautiful smile. “It’s amazing, Max.”
“You like it?”
“Are you kidding? I love it. I’d always hoped you’d have a place like this.” She ran her hand over the back of my oversized chair as she walked over to the painting that hung over the fireplace. I’d never been one for art, but when I saw it, I knew I had to have it. It was a picture of fall-colored trees that outline an old, winding road, and as she stood there staring at it, I wondered if she knew why I’d bought it. After several seconds, she finally said, “It’s so beautiful … It kind of reminds me of the road that leads up to my parents’ house.”
Remembering the warm feeling I got every time I drove up under those old oak trees, I walked up behind her and wrapped my arms around her waist. “It’s the road that led me to you.”
There was no missing the emotion in her eyes as she turned to face me. “You really are my goose, aren’t you?”
“Yeah.
I really am,” I told her and quickly pressed my lips against hers. “Are you ready to see the rest?”
She nodded and followed me down the hall to my bedroom. Again, it was fairly masculine with all the dark color tones, but she seemed to like it. She walked over to look at the picture frames on my dresser. Anna Kate had brought them to me when she came for her last visit. “I can’t believe that your little sister already has two kids.”
“Yeah. Her husband is older, so they decided to start having kids right away. Thomas just turned one, and Bree is almost three.”
“Her kids are just adorable.” She picked up the second frame and studied it for a moment before saying, “This is a really great picture of your folks.”
“Yeah. It was taken a long time ago.”
There was a slight hesitation in her voice when she asked, “How are they doing these days?”
“Mom’s still working too much, and Dad is still driving her nuts. But after his heart attack, he finally quit drinking. So, there’s that. And he’s been volunteering down at the Veteran’s Center. I think he’s trying.”
“I’m really glad to hear that. I know it hasn’t always been easy with him, but you must be pleased to see that he’s trying to do better.”
“I am.” My stomach growled, and when I looked over at the clock, I noticed that it was after twelve. I started towards my closet and called, “I’ll change clothes, and then we can go grab something to eat.”
“Okay. Sounds good to me. I’ll wait for you in the kitchen.”
I walked into the closet and changed and after I did, I threw some clothes into a duffle bag, thinking I could just keep it in my trunk in case I needed it. Once I was done, I headed back into the living room and found Harper waiting by the door. “Hungry?”
“Yes! I’m starving, so I’m probably going to chow down. You might want to prepare yourself.”
Laughing, I told her, “Consider me prepared.”
After we ate a big lunch, we decided to do a little sightseeing and drove out to Cape Flattery. As we drove along the trails, we talked about anything and everything, and when she mentioned her disappointment with the ending of Lost , I surprised her by saying, “I haven’t seen it.”
“What? After watching for so long, you didn’t watch the ending?”
“I just couldn’t … not without you.”
“Well, now I feel bad. I mean … it sucked not being able to talk to you about it, but I had to know how it ended.” She laughed. “But you’ve gotta see the ending. It’s crazy.”
“Okay. I’ll watch it.”
“I know you will, because we’re watching it as soon as we get back to the cabin.” She teased.
“Only if you’ve got popcorn.”
“I’m sure I can scrounge some up.”
“Then, it’s a deal.”
It was almost dark by the time we started back towards her place. It had been a good day, and I was looking forward to having an even better night with her. I could see that she felt the same way when I saw that spark of excitement in her eyes as she got out of the car. When we stopped on her front steps, she reached into her purse for her keys and went to unlock the door, only to find that it was already open. “I thought I locked it.”
“Wait here,” I told her as I went inside to check things out. I was concerned that someone might have broken in, but as I looked around, nothing seemed to be out of place. I had an uneasy feeling, but I just couldn’t put my finger on why. I was about to check the security feed on my phone, when Harper walked in. “I told you to wait outside.”
“I think I know what happened.” She walked over to the small package we’d found on the front steps earlier that morning. As she picked it up, she said, “I must’ve forgotten to lock it when I brought this back inside.”
Before I had a chance to respond, my phone started to ring. Harper put the box back down on the table and made herself busy while I tended to my call. As soon as I answered, Nitro said, “Just heard from Big. I’m headed over to Frankie’s. Meet me there.”
“On my way.”
Harper’s voice was filled with disappointment when she said, “Let me guess. You’ve got to go.”
“Sorry, babe.”
“Will it take long?”
“No way to know.” I walked over to her and kissed her on the forehead. “But I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“Hold on.” She walked over to her purse, and then came back over to me with a set of keys in her hand. “Just in case it’s late when you get back.”
As I started for the door, I turned to her and said, “I really enjoyed today. I’ve missed having days like this with you.”
“Well, there’s plenty more coming your way.” She smiled.
“Lock up, and I’ll be back soon.”
As unhappy as I was to be leaving Harper again, I was eager to hear what Big had uncovered. Thankfully, it didn’t take me long to get to the warehouse. Since it was the weekend, traffic was light, and when I got to Frankie’s, most of the guys had already left. Pulling around back, I spotted Nitro’s car, but there was no sign of him. I headed inside, and as soon as I stepped through the door, I could hear Nitro’s voice.
I’d heard that tone before and knew he was ready to blow. “This is the end of the line, Frankie. You don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“You’ve got no say in this, Nitro. This place is mine!” Frankie shouted.
When I walked into Frankie’s office, Nitro was inches away from Frankie, and that little vein on the side of his neck was pulsing with fury. “It’s taken you exactly two months to fuck up everything your father worked for.”
“It’s not my fault that those motherfuckers stole the load, Nitro. There was no way I could know what they were planning. You can’t blame that shit on me.”
“Of course, it’s on you. It’s all on you. And the way I see it, you’ve got two choices. Step down and walk away with a shit load of money in your pocket, or find yourself six feet under. The choice is yours.”
Nitro wasn’t a man to make idle threats, and Frankie knew it. If he was smart, he’d tuck his tail between his fucking legs and walk out that door. Unfortunately, Frankie could be a little slow. Unable to contain himself, he stepped towards Nitro with his fists in the air and shouted, “I’ll kill you before I let you take what’s mine.”
Before Frankie reached Nitro, I lunged forward, grabbed him by the throat and slammed him against the wall. “Wrong fucking move, Frankie. You just took a step closer to the grave, brother. Is that what you want?”
His eyes dropped to the ground. “No.”
“Then, what’s it going to be?” Nitro growled.
A defeated look crossed Frankie’s face as his body fell limp against the wall. He looked around his office, and for a moment, I thought the poor sonofabitch was going to cry. Eventually, he let out a sigh and asked, “Who’s gonna take over the place?”
“Doesn’t fucking matter, Frankie. I’m waiting for your answer,” Nitro pushed.
“Fine.” Frankie stood up and started walking towards the door. “I’ll sell, but don’t come running to me when it all goes to shit.”
Once he was gone, I gave Nitro a second to settle down before I said, “That went better than I expected.” He gave me a disgruntled look and asked, “What’s the news from Big.”
He crossed his arms as he leaned against Frankie’s desk. “Turns out that the Blades have an ongoing dispute with a local rival gang, the Hoods. They got word about the shipment and decided to swipe it as a form of retaliation.”
“So, what are we going to do about it?”
“Nothing.” His phone started to vibrate in his pocket. Ignoring it, he said, “We’re going to let the Blades deal with them.”
“And our shipment?”
“We’ll just cut our losses on this one.” I was surprised by Nitro’s response. Not only had the Hoods stolen from us, but the Blades had tortured and killed one of our drivers. I figured he’d want to make them pay, but in the long run, I knew he was right. There was little to be gained by going after either of them. Besides, by the time they were done with each other, there’d be little left for us to go after. Nitro gave me a stern look as he said, “We just need to make sure this shit doesn’t happen again.”
Trust wasn’t easy to come by, so there were only a few people in the warehouse that knew Frankie was distributing illegal goods. That trust had been broken, it was time to find out who it was. “First thing we’ve gotta do is find out who tipped off the Hoods.”
“Exactly. It has to be someone on the inside … Not only did they know exactly when the truck was leaving, but they also knew exactly where the shit was hidden.”
“So, how do we find out who it is?”
“Big’s getting close. He’ll find him, and when he does, I want his fucking head,” he growled as he stood up and started towards the door. “First thing tomorrow, I want you to get with Jay. It’s time to find out if he’s got what it takes to take the reins.”
“And if he’s our rat?”
“Then, we’ll deal with him and give Ryder a go.” He opened the door and as he started into the hall, he looked back at me. “Tomorrow starts a new day, brother. Rest up.”
I wasn’t surprised that Nitro decided to buy out Frankie. Having full control of the land distribution would be a big step for the business, but it meant making big changes, working long hours and taking on new roles for all of us. When I thought about how that would affect things with Harper and me, I wasn’t so sure I liked the idea. I wanted to spend more time with her, not less. The time was coming for me to make a decision about my future—our future. It was time for me to put my priorities in order, once and for all.