BikersLibrarian (16 page)

He thrust once, twice and she came apart, taking him with
her. Her cries of ecstasy and his moans echoed in the shower as the memory
embedded in his heart. Spent, he eased out, turned the shower head back on and
rinsed them off.

“You stay here.” He stepped out, grabbed a towel and wrapped
her up, gently drying her skin. With the words out in the open their dynamic
shifted somehow. Suddenly they were more. It made him want to grin like a
fucking idiot. He wrapped the towel around her, placed one around her waist and
carried her over to the bed. He sank down, placing her on his chest. Trailing
his fingers down her arms, he focused on the sound of her breathing. Steady and
slow.

“Baby, I have to tell you something I know you won’t like.”

She lifted her upper body off his chest and met his gaze,
bracing her forearms against his chest.

“I don’t like the sound of that at all, Shooter.”

“I didn’t expect you to. We have to leave.”

“And go to your apartment?”

“No, baby.” He shook his head. “We have to leave town.”

“Right now?” Her wounded expression tore at his heart. She
had her world turned upside down and she could barely regain her footing before
it was flipped again.

“Yes.”

She took a deep breath. “For how long?”

“Until Stant has his preliminaries and he’s at least
monitored.”

“Who knows how long that’ll take?”

She moved to leave and he wrapped his arms around her waist,
locking her into position. “Let me go.”

“Not until you listen to me. This is to keep you safe. You
saw how easily he can get to you. I can’t watch you all the time and I’d die
before anything happened to you. Please, do this for me. I’d lose my shit if
anything happened to you, baby.” He’d take her by force if he had to, but it’d
make for a long trip.

“I’ll lose everything, my house, my car and my job.”

“None of it’s worth your life, baby. I got your car and your
house. I’m pretty sure we can come up with something for your job. We have the
power to pull strings on this to get it processed. It’s not going to be longer
than a month, maybe two at most.”

“I can’t ask you to do that.” Her voice shook.

“You don’t even have to ask. I’m doing it. You want to repay
me? Follow my directions.”

She placed her head on his chest. “Why is this happening to
me?”

He couldn’t remain silent and let her keep blaming herself.
“You know we don’t talk business with our women, but I can’t let you take the
fall for this. Mayhem has something Stant wants, and you were the smoke screen
to distract us while they came in and took it.”

“What?”

Shooter nodded. ”What do I tell my mother?” she whispered.

“Tell her I’m taking you away on a couples’ vacation. We won
a trip to a cruise, whatever it is you need to.”

She took a deep breath. “We’re really doing this.”

“Yeah baby, we are. Prez wants us gone tonight.” He studied
her cautiously. “ I gotta be honest, I expected more of a protest.”

“I’m tired, Shooter. Tired of looking over my shoulder and
trying to anticipate his next move. If this is how we get rid of him…then
that’s what we’ll do.”

“That’s my girl.” He placed a kiss on her forehead, proud of
the progress she’d made.
She’s facing down her demons, when are you going to
face down yours?
His thoughts veered to the unreturned voicemails on his
phone.
Later.
He pushed the issue away and refocused his attention on the
problem at hand.

“Where will we go?” she whispered.

“Anywhere you want.”

A knock came on the door. Juliette glanced up from the box
she was packing and frowned. She’d been enjoying the peace and quiet. With
Peter in jail things had settled into normal. They’d made the decision to move
in together and she was in the process of moving out of her place.

She loved their friends, but that many people crammed into a
tiny space for two days straight was headache inducing.
Probably one of the
M.C.s who forgot something.
She set the newspaper aside and rose. A glance
through the peephole made her heart race. He had close-cut brown hair with
spots of gray at his temples. His eyes were dark green and the laugh lines and
crow’s-feet made her think he laughed a lot. He rapped on the door again and
shoved his hands into the pockets of his worn jeans. He looked familiar but she
couldn’t place him.
He doesn’t have a cut, so I probably didn’t see him with
Mayhem.
He clenched his jaw and a light bulb went off in her brain.
He
looks like Shooter.

Shooter had been closed-lipped about his family. She knew
his parents were dead, but he had a brother.
This must be him. Oh my god,
maybe something happened.
They’d been so caught up in her own drama there’d
been no time for much else. Guilt gnawed at her belly. She opened the door,
keeping the chain lock on top hooked.

“Can I help you?”

The man blinked and took a step back. “Oh… I-I’m sorry maybe
I have the wrong place. Does Daniel Nash live here?” His brow wrinkled and she
bit back a laugh. She’d seen that same expression on Shooter’s face a million
times before.

“No, you have the right place. May I ask who you are?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I guess he didn’t tell you about me, huh?”
His face fell. “I’m his older brother, Joel. I came out here from Ohio.”

She wanted to believe him, but a part of her still worried
Peter would come for her in some way. “Can I see some identification?”

His eyebrows flew up. “Yeah, sure. Wow. You guys do things a
lot different in the big cities.” He shook his head and dug into his back
pocket pulling out a worn leather wallet. Quickly he removed the card and
handed it to her.

“Joel Alexander Nash.” She rubbed the card, turning it this
way and that to make sure it had the holographic markings that proved it was
legit. Finding the shimmering symbols, she relaxed and handed it back. “Sorry,
a woman can never be too careful these days.”

“Unfortunately I have to agree with you. I have a wife and a
daughter who’s about ten. The things on the news make me want to keep them in
the house and warn people off with a shotgun.”

She laughed. “Yeah, you sound like your brother.” Closing
the door, she removed the chain lock and opened it. “He’s running an errand but
he should be back soon. Would you like to wait? We’re in the middle of moving,
so the house is mostly empty. But I can at least offer you a beverage.”

“Oh no, I’m fine. Thank you for the offer. Are you
his…lady?”

“Oh my god, I’ve been so rude.” She closed the door behind
him and offered her hand. “I’m his girlfriend, Juliette.”

“Nice to meet you Juliette.” The toothpaste-white smile he
flashed her turned him from handsome to gorgeous.
This family has some
amazing genes.

“Does he know you’re coming? He didn’t mention it to me.”
They stood in the middle of the living room surrounded by boxes.

“Uh no.” Joel shook his head. “This is a total surprise.”

“Is everything okay? Should I call him and tell him to come
back right now?”

“No, please don’t panic him. I can wait.”

“O-okay.” She shifted her weight.
Why haven’t I heard
about him before? Maybe I don’t know Shooter as well as I thought I did.
The thought made her heart ache. He’d seen her at her rawest. She’d bared her
soul, cried in his arms and turned to him in her darkest hour. If she could
stand up to her mother in his defense, why couldn’t he tell her about his
family?

“What brings you out this way?”

“I’ve been trying to catch up with him for a while and it
hasn’t worked out. I figured the most direct approach would be the best
solution.”

“Part of that is my fault.” She cringed. “There’s been a lot
going on.” She longed for something to do to keep herself busy. “Are you sure I
can’t get you something to eat or drink? I was going to start on dinner.”

“Don’t mind me. I know I’m an unexpected guest. I appreciate
the hospitality.”

“Come on, I’ll get you a beer. We’re just having pizza,
nothing complicated, but you’re welcome to join us.”

A sad expression lined his face and he glanced down at the
floor. “We’ll see.”

What happened between these two?
The question hovered
on the tip of her tongue.
Did they fight last time they were together?
She
didn’t have a sibling of her own, but she’d been around her friends enough to
know they got in to it from time to time. Shaking her head, she walked into the
kitchen with him trailing behind her. He leaned against the wall with his hands
in his pockets.

“Anything I can do to help?”

“Sure, if you want to wash your hands you can make the
salad.” She patted her hands dry with a dishtowel and pulled the pizza out of
the freezer.

“I can do that.” He offered her an easy smile.

“So tell me some Shooter stories. He couldn’t have always
been this bad-ass.”

Joel threw back his head back and laughed. His eyes lit up
and he grinned. “No, he had a very awkward phase from sixth grade to ninth. All
gangly limbs, acne and un-coolness. He was on the chess team for Christ’s
sake.”

“What?” She closed the door to the oven and turned around.
“Really?”

“Oh yeah, I’m sure by now you’ve figured out he’s smart as a
whip. But it’s more than street smarts. The kid has a 130 IQ.”

Her jaw dropped.

“Yeah, he hides it well.”

“Evil genius,” she mumbled.

Joel snorted, and they both launched into a fresh fit of
laughter.

“What the fuck is going on here?”

Juliette jumped. “Hey babe, your brother came by to visit.”

“I can see that.” Shooter’s jaw ticked. “You just let him
into our house?”

“Uh, yeah, he’s your brother.” Juliette glanced from Joel to
Shooter. “I don’t understand.”

“You let her think things were okay between us? That’s
bullshit.” The door slammed and Shooter strode across the room. If looks could
kill, Joel would be dead on the spot. Shooter’s eyes smoldered with anger and
possessiveness. “Step away from him.”

“What?” she whispered.

“Now.” Shooter’s clipped voice made her take a step to the
right.

“This is unnecessary,” Joel said.

“Like I trust your word.” Shooter wrapped an arm around her
waist and pulled her to his side.

“When are we going to get past this? I know I was wrong.
I’ve apologized a million times over.” Joel ran his hands through his hair.

“Where does it say apologies have to be accepted?”

“You’re being fucking ridiculous.” Joel exhaled. “Look, can
we not do this in front of her?”

“No, I want to know what’s going on,” Juliette said. “I
think I’ve been in the dark long enough.”

“Jesus, you didn’t tell her yet?” The disbelief in Joel’s
words wounded her.

“What haven’t you told me, Shooter?”

“There you go again, showing up and fucking up my shit,”
Shooter said, glaring at Joel.

“This shit is on you.” Joel pointed to him. “If you don’t
tell her I will.”

“Shooter?” Juliette glanced up at him feeling her heart
break.

“I came home on leave from the Marine Corps and found my
fiancée and high school sweetheart fucking my brother in our bed.”

She gasped. “Oh my god. I am so sorry.”

“Yeah, to make things even better, he married her.”

“I love her. Don’t make it sound like it was to spite you.”
Joel’s chest heaved. A vein throbbed in the side of his neck. “It was a long
time ago. Why do you keep hanging on to it? You act like you have no family,
but we’re still here. You haven’t even seen Brittany since Mom and Dad’s
funeral.”

“I have a new family now. One who knows the true meaning of
loyalty.”

“I fucked up one time, Daniel.” He held up a finger. “One
time and you just cut me out of your life. I can’t believe you’re still hung up
on Angelina. Not after all this time.”

The words cut Juliette deep. What other reason did he have
for keeping his distance? She wasn’t the love of his life, because Angelina
held that spot. Shooter lived and died for family and the people he cared
about. It was clear from the potent anger he still loved his brother. Did the
same hold true for Angelina?

“Are you fucking kidding me? Why would I still be longing
after someone who could do that while I was being shot at and wondering if I’d
make it home?”

“Then what is it?” Joel stepped forward. “We’re family.
Neither of us is getting any younger and I want my baby brother back, man.
Look, I know showing up was drastic, but you won’t return my calls. “ Joey
turned to look at Juliette. “I’m sorry for coming in and causing drama.” He dug
in his back pocket and pulled out a white card. “This is the hotel I’m staying
at. I’ll be there for the rest of the week if you decide to change your mind so
we can hash this out.”

Shooter ignored the card. Juliette took it and flashed him a
sympathetic look. He’d been wrong for what he’d done, but he was trying to make
it right. Silence filled the space as Joel left, closing the door behind him.
Juliette pulled away from Shooter and locked the door. Turning, she leaned
against the wood.

“Why didn’t you tell me about what happened, Shooter?”

“Because it happened a long time and has nothing to do with
us.”

She shook her head. “Yes, it does.”

“Why?”

“Do you still love her?”

“Fuck no. Everything I’ve said to you is true.” He ran the
back of his knuckles down the side of her face. “I love you, there’s no one
else.”

“Then why did you keep such a huge part of your life from
me? Why won’t you forgive him? You’re all about family.”

“Baby when he did that he stopped being my family, don’t you
understand that?” He leaned against the door, blocking her in with his large
frame.

“He wants to fix it, Shooter. Holding on to this anger can’t
be good. I have a small family, I’d kill for more.”

He frowned. “You have more with me, Mayhem and your girls.”

“It’s not the same and you know it.” She shook her head as
tears welled in her eyes. The betrayal hurt. “I never doubted you were always
up front with me and now… Well, I don’t know what to think.”

“I’ve never lied to you. Don’t let him put a wedge between
us.”

“You’ve seen me at my worst. I fought demons for you. Why
didn’t you do the same?” She swallowed, refusing to cry in front of him. “I
need a minute. Some space.” She shook her head to clear it. “I’m going to go
back to my place.”

“Baby, no.”

She covered his mouth with her finger. “I’m not so much mad
as hurt, Shooter. This doesn’t match the man I’ve come to love. He’s strong,
honest, fearless and does everything for his family. This challenges that. I
need to digest it.”

His nostrils flared. “It’s one thing.”

“Yes, one very life-altering thing.” She lowered her hand
and stepped away from him. Love meant overcoming your past to move forward a
better person with the one you loved. If he couldn’t get past this she had to question
how he really felt. If she could walk through the hell of her past, he at least
had to step up to the plate. With a heavy heart, she went over to the counter,
grabbed her purse and walked back. His jaw flexed, but he remained silent as he
opened the door and watched her leave. Her heart broke with every step she took
away from the man who’d become her home.
Please, love me enough to fight for
me. I need you to be the man I thought you were and not an illusion. I’ve had
enough of false identities to last a lifetime.

Shooter felt like he was suffocating. A life without
Juliette wasn’t an option. He wanted to drag her back and keep her here with
him. But he knew he’d fucked up. She hated secrets, and after what she’d been
through with Peter, he couldn’t blame her.
I should’ve come clean a long
time ago.
Her words haunted him.
This doesn’t fit with the man I’ve come
to love.
He didn’t have to think about his next move. He had to make this
shit right. The ring he’d taken to carrying around burned a hole in his pocket.
The past had no place with his future. He walked over and grabbed the card
Juliette had left on the counter and set out.

He pulled up in front of the mid-grade hotel and parked. His
face heated, and his stomach churned. When he didn’t hold on to the anger he
was left with the hurt. His chest burned and he gripped the handlebars,
mentally psyching himself. The door opened and Joel appeared. Standing, he got
off his bike and walked over. Joel allowed him to enter and shut the door
behind him. The beige walls threatened to close in on him as he made his way
over to the table and chairs and set down.

“I’m here for Juliette. She deserves to know without a
shadow of a doubt she’s number one. I don’t have any designs on Angelina if
that’s what you’re worried about. What we had was puppy love. But that first
time is potent, and you were my big brother. That’s what’s been tearing me up
this whole time. I needed you. I was coming away from a world of chaos, death
and blood. I needed you.” He glanced up into his brother’s glossy eyes. “I
needed you and you let me down in the worst possible way. I promised myself
after that I’d never put myself in a position where I could be hurt. It’s how I
dealt with it, a quick patch over the wound to allow me to function. When
you’re in the military Uncle Sam owns your soul. There’s no time to get lost in
your head because you need to perform.