The flight and arrival went as planned. Mia and Carter meet them on the tarmac and all parties left to do their appointed tasks. Bas exchanged numbers with both Carter and Mia just in case something unexpected happened and they needed to get a hold of him. None of them expected problems, but being prepared was the name of the game.
Currently Bas was sitting on a barstool in a lovely place called the Bearded Frog, sipping on an icy cold bottle of beer and waiting for his brothers to show up. It was a little out of the way bar that the MC frequented often. It was a typical biker bar with low lights, loud music, and the place smelled of sweat, piss, beer, and puke. The interior was dingy and well worn. The bar surface was scratched and scuffed, and the stools barely held his weight. But the booze was strong, and the beer was cold. What more could a man ask for in an establishment?
Well, Bas sought a couple of things. He wanted to get as much information as possible on Shelby Thomas before he started his surveillance. The problem was, between his time driving down here and now waiting on his brothers, he had nothing but time to think. The distance from Alpha Team was helping his state of mind, but he was still in a quagmire about what to do about his bear.
He genuinely wanted Peyton to be happy. She had more than earned a happy life after everything Judy Carlton had put her through, and Bas knew that Wyatt was the best man for her. Now if he could just get his beast on board, his life would be a whole lot easier. Coming to hang out with his human brothers was a little bittersweet too. He had that blood connection and cared for all of them, but as children they were never allowed to be close. His dad, the bastard that he was, kept Bas separate from them, allowing their mother to take them away, leaving him with said asshole. It was the way of the Shifter world. Trying to form bonds as adults sucked a bit, but there was nothing that could change that now. They were always accommodating and never expected much from him, allowing him to show up when he pleased and part ways in the same fashion.
His blood brothers were all bad asses in their own right, having served the country and getting out only to decide that everyone else’s version of normal wasn’t for them. They decided that joining the Ruthless Bastards, but still serving in the way that they could by being mercenaries was what they sought in life. Bas respected that, and although their lives were very different, they were also the same. His brothers had their club, and he had Alpha Team. Mostly they were all looking for connection and family, and each of them had found it in different ways. One thing he knew for sure, if any of them needed him he would be there in a heartbeat. Bas hoped they felt the same about him.
Bas’ frustration with himself, his bear, and his family, both blooded and chosen, were weighing on him heavily. He craved a mate of his own if only to satiate his bear, but doubted any woman would ever be able to put up with his overbearing nature. The distance from the base was helping, but it was only putting a band-aid on a much bigger problem. Bas had limited time to come up a way to control his bear around his sister and Wyatt, and he had absolutely no idea how to make that happen.
Still caught up in his contemplation, Bas smiled when he heard the telltale signs of his brother’s arrival. The rumble of the massive Harley rattled the windows in the run down, little bar. Bas couldn't have held off the grin plastered on his face if he tried. He was excited to be reuniting with his brothers for the first time in way too long. Bas turned the barstool so that it was facing the door and waited for the three jokers to come through the door.
When only Link, the eldest of his three brothers, and his President Tuck walked through the door, Bas was puzzled. This didn’t bode well. Link smiled and walked his way. Bas stood and could not help the bear hug he graced upon his younger brother.
"Yo man, it’s good to see you,” Bas said before letting Link go.
Link slapped him on the shoulder saying, "Yeah man, it's been too long. Got some information for you. Why don’t we take this back to the office? “motioning him to follow.
"Sounds good man,” Bas responded as he followed his younger brother.
It was funny to think about it, but he and Link looked nothing alike, with the exception maybe in their build. That came from their old man. They all had it; big and bulky. However, nothing else about them was even remotely similar.
Link was all dark and broody with dark brown hair on the verge of being black with gray and hazel eyes. His skin tone showed the natural tan of his mother’s heritage. Bas himself had sandy blond hair and blue, green hazel eyes. He also only had a tan in the summer time. Weird how they could be related so closely but look so completely different. The other two Frost boys were equally as different. Collin was white blond with green eyes, and Zander sported reddish hair and blue eyes. His skin tone was even lighter than Bas'. Damn, he had really missed his brothers more than he realized.
Bas had wanted to ask about their other two brothers and where they were, but Link was on the move and Bas followed. Link stopped in front of a door, pulling out his keys to unlock it. Bas figured it was an office and apparently one his brothers had complete access to. After opening the door, Link walked into the room and sat behind the large metal desk. The room was small and cluttered. Bas didn't wait for an invitation or instruction and took a seat in one of the two positions in front of the desk. Link pulled a file out of the drawer and pushed it in Bas' direction across the surface of the desk.
"Listen man, that chick you had me check into is a real piece of work,” Link stated. “I don’t know what NAC wants with her, but we may have a conflict of interest here."
"Dude, you know I can’t go into it, but I am here on a strictly recon mission."
Bas knew his brother would understand. They had both been in the military, and each had obligations and secrets currently to their respective teams or club. Link didn’t discuss Club business, and Bas wasn’t about to discuss what was going with NAC and The Holly Group. That crap was a shit storm waiting to happen, and he would do everything in his power to keep it from ever darkening his brother's doorstep.
"Yeah well, that might be hard to do come morning,” Link confessed. “It seems this Shelby is serious trouble. The chick has a penance for using people, typical broad, but she likes to go to the extreme. In the four months, she has been in town, she has managed to con a couple of high school kids into maxing out their parents’ credit cards with promises of certain favors, if you know what I mean. One of them being the son of one of the local Sheriff’s Deputies, and he is all kinds of pissed off.”
"Fuck, you have got to be kidding me. That chick is twenty-five, who the hell does that?" Bas questioned.
"Who the hell knows why fucked-up people do the shit they do. We could debate that question till we die and still not have a solid answer,” Link joked. “That isn't the worst of it, though. The girl I mentioned to you on the phone that is working for Tuck, she is the chick’s cousin and apparently, your person of interest is using her name to perpetrate these acts. The deputy confronted Pixie, her real name is Skylar Thomas, on the street a couple of days ago, and not in a nice way if you get my meaning".
"We can’t have this shit leak back onto the Club, man. Pix assured Tuck that she would take care of it and promised to have his bike done and shot of town. She called him earlier today and is meeting him here soon to turn over the keys to his new bike. That’s why I didn’t have you come to the clubhouse. I thought you would like a chance to either talk to the chick or follow her. I’m pretty sure after she hands over the keys to Tuck, both broads will be leaving town asap."
Link continued, “From what Tuck says, Pixie is good people. I met her a while back, and I feel the same. She has an excellent reputation, not only in business, but also with other Clubs. Damn, even I want one of her bikes. You have to understand though, Pixie is different than most of the broads that hang around here. She is super reserved and doesn’t interact with the guys or the Clubs a whole lot. She is a loner. The only exception to that is the time she spends with her cousin, and from what I can tell, that isn't all that much. From what I could find out, she hasn’t spent much time outside of the shop. Doesn’t even stay with your chick in the apartment Tuck set them up with."
“From what I can tell, she has been staying in the shop, only making short runs for parts and visiting the cousin about once a week, never for more than a couple of minutes. I called a couple of buddies of mine that she had done bikes for and the story is pretty much the same each time. The Shelby chick runs rabid, and Pixie works her ass off then moves on, dragging the cousin along. No one has any complaints about Pixie, but the same can’t be said for Shelby."
"Here is the other thing, Tuck has some connection to Pixie. I don’t know what it is and I didn’t ask. When I told him you were looking into Shelby, he was all right with it as long as Pixie was kept out of whatever was going on. He said you could talk to her, but beyond that, it’s a no go. She is Club and that means she is ours to take care of at any cost."
"Shit man, I don’t even know what to say,” Bas responded. “I’m just here to observe and report back. Your chick is safe from NAC and me. We have no interest in her other than her relationship with our target. I don’t want to piss off Tuck or your club." Leaning his head back to relieve some of the tension in his neck, he said, "Listen, this was supposed to be a simple in and out. At this point I don’t see any sense in talking with your chick. Shit, I'm not even going to be talking with the one I was sent here to watch. My orders are little to no contact. Is Tuck going to have a problem with me following her, just to get a lead on the cousin?"
"No man, I think that will be okay,” Link assured. “Pixie has an excellent reputation with the Clubs. She keeps her head down and her nose clean. Your chick, on the other hand, is the real problem. We can’t have her shit coming back and biting us in the ass. The Club can’t afford to have eyes on them."
"Yeah, I get it, and the chick isn’t mine in anyway shape or form. Shelby Thomas is a job, plain and straight. You know how this shit goes. But if what you are saying is true, it looks like my plans could be changing. Fuck man, I was looking forward to kicking back with you guys for a couple of days."
"Yeah, the free booze and pussy had nothing to do with that disappointment, right?" Link teased.
"Well shit, not much free and easy in my neck of the woods. I have to come out and play with the big boys every once in a while," Bas joked around.
Laughing Link said, "Whatever, guess it’s going to have wait. But don’t worry; I’ll make sure to go a few rounds with the Puppets in your honor. Give you something to think about when you’re stuck in a cage, drinking shit gas station coffee, and chasing ass you don’t even really want to in the first place."
Groaning Bas said, "Yeah, you suck, fucker. Damn it, you got anything else I can use? Any idea where they will head next?"
"Shelby has a reputation herself, and it is far from good. She is a user in epic proportions, mainly of the male variety, but she doesn’t seem to be all that picky. Her MO is to find an easy mark and bilking the sorry ass dry, all the while keeping two or three others waiting in the wings. Beyond that, she is a partier. Booze, drugs, sex, and money seem to be the only other constant in the chick’s life besides the using."
"Fuck, I looked into her and was coming up with some of that on my own, but damn. Listen, I need to contact Jacks first, but maybe I can take the chick off your hands. I could deposit her ass at an NAC facility that is close by and get the information I need by other means. Your Club going to have a problem if I pluck her off the street?"
“I will talk to Tuck, but I’m pretty sure he would be all right with it,” Link said. “The cousin, probably not so much, but we might be able to help out with her."
"Yeah, I’m not looking for problems here. But it sounds like this Pixie chick might be better off if I took Shelby off her hands for a while."
"You never know, brother. Chicks have a fucked-up way of thinking," Link said, getting up from the desk. Coming around and sitting on the edge of the desk right in front of Bas, he said, " So, what’s going on with you, big brother? It looks like you have some heavy shit weighing on your mind."
"Fuck, nothing and just about everything," Bas laughed. " Even if I was at liberty to talk about it, which I am not, you know I wouldn’t."
"Dude, I get it with the stuff that we do. It causes all kinds of messed up shit to hit our brain. I just want to let you know that if you ever need to talk about that shit or just get lost here for a while, I have your back."
"Thanks, man, but until I get this case done, I’m kind of stuck,” Bas admitted. “Plus, talking that shit out doesn't help. Now, on the other hand, having a conversation about that free booze and pussy you brought up earlier, I could totally get behind that kind of communication."
"Yeah, I get that." Link said, getting up heading for the door.
Bas stood up and followed his brother. Link got him in ways ordinary people wouldn’t. There would always be secrets between them, but it didn’t deter their relationship in any way. He also knew the man had his back; no questions asked. That meant a lot to Bas.
"Dude, we have a new Puppet. And let me tell you, she can do things with her tongue and mouth that puts a vacuum cleaner to shame. I don’t know if you are quite up to the challenge of Tabby because, damn dude, I can’t have you embarrassing the family by blowing it in under three minutes. But it is abso-fucking-lutely a ride you should give a test run if you have time before all this other shit hits the fan."
"Whatever, fucker. Zander called me awhile back telling me about the fall of the mighty Lincoln Frost,” Bas teased. “Couldn’t get the bastard to stop laughing long enough to tell me what was going on. He had to text me that shit. Heard you lasted all of two minutes, man. I don’t think you have to worry about me embarrassing the family name."
"Yeah, well I guess we won’t have to worry about the family name when I beat the shit out of the youngest in the line, now will we?"
"Aw, Link, did Zan hit a nerve?" Bas was laughing so hard at the disgruntled look on Link’s face. Fuck, it was good to be around his brother again.
"Whatever, shut the fuck up Bas." Link sucker punched Bas in the stomach, but Bas was laughing so hard he hardly noticed the hit. He did, however, have to lean forward from laughing so hard.
Just then, his bear hit him hard. Bas cringed because of the shredding the bastard was giving him on his insides. Lifting his head and looking out into the bar, he expected to find an enemy or some kind of danger to have set off the bear. The electric current running through his body was raising the hair on the back of his neck and arms. His animal might be on the verge of going rogue, but it was still a creature of instinct, and so was Bas. Scanning the room, his breath was taken away by something entirely different from what he had been expecting.
Standing just inside the doorway was a little sprite of a woman. She couldn’t have been more than five and a half feet tall, maybe shorter, but damn, the curves on her were drool worthy. She wasn’t stick thin like a lot of women nowadays. Bas thought that was exactly what a man wanted; her curves were all in the right places, and she was cute in that girl next-door kind of way. Fresh and free, not overly done up, but kind of wholesome in a way but with just a little bit of an edge. The kind of girl you want to take back and introduce to people, not just bang and run.
Fuck, his mind was messed up. When had he ever thought of not just banging a girl? This was the wholesome girl next door for that matter. What the hell? Letting his senses out, not because he wanted to but because his beast was forcing the issue, Bas got a nose full of gross bar surroundings. Searching further, his senses were smacked with a honeysuckle and vanilla scent that made him want to drool. Damn, that smelled awesome. It was oozing right off of the girl, drawing him in and making his mouth water for a taste.
Bas let his eyes wander to her body. It was probably a good thing the woman wasn’t paying him any attention because he was sure he looked like some kind of creeper. Shit, she was damn near perfect. She had tits, hips, and an ass that begged to be held so she could be ridden hard. The thought of doing just that while he fucked her from behind, making her scream out his name, gave him instant wood.
She wasn’t his usual type. Bas generally liked bigger, sturdier women that could take what he had to offer; a night of rough down and dirty fucking. But this chick was drawing him like a moth to a flame, and he was more than willing to give her a try. If he had to be softer more gentle then he would accept, that at the moment, he would do just about anything to get inside of her.
Dark, chestnut brown hair with streaks of blue, purple, and green weaved into the mix. That hair was all bunched up into some kind of weird twisty bun thing on the top of her head; it looked messy but planned. Bas wanted to see that hair flowing down the sprite’s shoulders. Better yet, he would like it in a ponytail instead of the bun. That way he could grip the silky looking mass in his hand while she went down on his cock. The vision brought Bas’ perusal of his target to her face, more specifically her lips. They did not disappoint, full and plump; perfect for the thoughts he was having. He knew exactly where he wanted those lips.
Adjusting his now rock hard cock, the growl that inadvertently ripped from his throat should have surprised him, or at least concerned him, but he was too focused on his prize. Screw Shelby Thomas, the woman standing there was going to be his, at least for tonight. Bas would deal with all the other shit tomorrow.
Funny thing was, his bear was completely on board with the idea as well, even driving him to advance on the woman. Bas got hit with a longing he had never experienced before, a longing that had his bear rumbling to break free. Damn, if he hadn’t just been hanging with his brother and only had the chance to drink half of his beer earlier, he would have thought someone had drugged him. That was the only thing that could explain these strange feelings Bas was having.
Sebastian Frost never did anything impulsively like grab the tiny woman and fuck her in front of everyone in the room. He planned, calculated, and then planned again, until he knew he was in total control; he needed it. His bear needed it. Control was the only thing that kept order. Control kept everyone safe and alive. So where was that control when he needed it most as he was stalking across the bar ready to claim the prize in front of him?
Gone. That’s where, because as soon as Tuck touched her, everything in Bas went ballistic and his only thoughts were feral. His bear was screaming in his head that the woman was his and no one should be touching her. Bas was doing his best to force his beast back, but his instincts were taking over. He wanted the other man away from the woman, and that was going to happen even if he had to rip Tuck apart.