Blood & Rust (Lock & Key #4) (25 page)

Penny’s two boys, Nate and Carter chased Becca and Jake through an obstacle course of white chairs on the newly trimmed green grass. All four kids laughed as they punched at the white, blue, and silver balloons attached to the chairs.

Butler and Dready sat on the opposite end of the dining table, talking. With a hand clamped on Dready’s massive shoulder, Butler threw back his head and laughed loudly, his body shaking. I tried to look away, but I couldn’t. My pulse knocked in my system at the sound of that winner-takes-it-all laugh of his that made you feel as if you’d missed out on something big. His cheekbones seemed more pronounced, and the slight indentations of something like dimples were visible on his face for a moment. Those soft waves of his golden hair shook—a stark contrast to Dready’s dark dreadlocked hair—as both men high-fived each other.

The devil inside me wanted nothing more than to torture me today, and I loved and hated every second of it.

Nothing like an impossible crush that just wouldn’t die.

I might as well be back in my teens with the way I reacted every time I heard Butler’s voice or his name or saw him drive up on his motorcycle. Something would jump and boil inside me and take over my judgment, my reason, my senses. Definitely my senses. I could almost feel his hot breath on my neck on these occasions, like when he’d stared at me in the church earlier. He had unlocked the hidden portal to my carnal self during those hours we had spent together at the motel.

Talking.

Laughing.

Touching.

Kissing.

Coming—Well, me, at least!

I crossed my legs and slammed the lid down on that boiling pot.

Time and time again, I felt compelled to seek him out with my eyes, my ears, whenever I knew he was around. He would match my glances with either a brief smile or a diligent gaze, which would make me mildly uncomfortable because I couldn’t tell if these looks were appreciative, friendly, or negative.

But none of that matters, does it?
This was an idle game I played with myself. Butler was in a committed relationship with Nina, and that was most certainly that. I was friendly with both of them, but I mostly kept my distance.

Alicia bumped my shoulder with hers. “I’ve put up with a lot of shit in my time, Tania.”

“I know you have.”

“At some point, the sewer gets full to capacity and should be emptied. You can’t keep plugging up the leaks.”

“Oh, totally agree. The stink becomes overwhelming.”

She laughed, and we clinked our shot glasses.

Alicia knocked back her tequila and wiped at the edge of her mouth. “Any sense of guilt or wrong Jump might have felt—and I stress the word
might
”—she let out a hard laugh—“vanished within thirty-six hours. And now, I’m the one with the problem.”

“Ah, let me guess—that you can’t get over it, right?”

“That’s right.”

“Fuck that.”

“Oh, yeah,
fuck that
, is right.”

“Maybe you should
fuck that
with a new man,” I said.

She laughed, clinking my glass with hers. “I like you, Tania. Have I told you that lately?”

The blonde who’d been passing out shots poured Jump a drink where he was holding court on a long sofa with the president of the Colorado charter of the One-Eyed Jacks.

“For the first time, I really feel like I’m at the end of the line.”

“You do whatever you need to do, Alicia.”

“For years, I put up with it. I argued, I fought for us, I even fooled around myself to even the score. None of it ever leveled the playing field though. Nothing changed, not really. I knew all this going in. Getting married to him, I knew. But, now, I see my son understanding it, and it’s confusing him. Wes is going to be eighteen soon. A man ready to go out into the world and make choices on his own. He already is really. He loves his dad, and it kills me to think that Jump is his role model when it comes to personal responsibility or relating to women. I don’t want that for my son. I don’t. That hurts more than anything else.”

“And you sticking with Jump only shows Wes that all of it is okay.”

“Not only that, but also that I’m a fucking failure as a woman, as a wife, and as a mother.”

“Come on, Alicia.”

“Think about it. All these years, my kid has watched me go from disappointment to disappointment, from artificial high to way down low and back up again. At some point, Wes has made the realization that this is the way a marriage is, that this is the way a man is. And
that
kills me. It’s fucking wrong, and I had a hand in that.”

I found Wes in the crowd of guests, eating with a couple of his friends. He was a tall teenager with chestnut hair almost touching his shoulders and deep blue eyes. He had his mother’s lean frame, coupled with his father’s height, and a sullen expression permanently stamped on his face, all of which made Wes a heart-stopper.

“Look at that now.”

I followed Alicia’s line of sight. The blonde passing out the shots lingered in front of Jump, chatting with him and another biker, while the Colorado president had his hand wrapped around her bare thigh, but her eyes were on Jump, and her smile was for Jump. As the four of them bantered and laughed, the president’s hand rose higher under her short skirt, pulling her closer.

“See, right there? That one knows what she’s doing.”

“What? Flirting?”

“Not just that. Going for the officers. You think she’s hot for Jump’s body or something?” Alicia scoffed.

How do I say,
Of course not,
without offending her?

Jump hadn’t kept up with his formerly fit, muscular self. His bulging stomach attested to that. His arm muscles were still huge, his chest pumped, his legs sturdy. His lone braid ran down his back, now flecked with lots of gray. His face was somewhat swollen and grizzled, which defined his tired, worn appearance, except for those dark eyes of his that would still flick over you with a quick, sharp assessment. Once that assessment had been made, there was no changing it, that was for sure.

But what the hell did I know? Maybe Jump was still The Man in the bedroom.

Jump suddenly got up from the sofa and strode off with another biker from the Colorado club.

Alicia shifted her weight in her chair. She certainly was no has-been/seen-better-days old lady. Her appearance was always polished. Today, her long platinum hair was pulled back in a ponytail with a slightly teased pouf at the top, her heavy eye makeup and perfect dark manicure rounded out her sleek look. Sporting spiked heeled sandals with white skinny jeans and an open-back lilac top held together with thin strips of fabric, showing off an amazing tattoo mural on her upper back, Alicia could give any twenty-something wannabe a run for her money anytime.

The Colorado president lit the shot girl’s cigarette. She flicked her mane of golden hair from her face and grinned at him as she drew deep on her inhale, a hand going to her hip.

“Some men think they can walk on water,” Alicia muttered.

Grace appeared, shaking her head at me.
A signal to change the subject fast?

“This spread looks great, by the way,” I said. “You know how to plan a party, Alicia.”

“She certainly does,” chimed in Grace.

“Huh? Oh, thanks.” Alicia touched my arm as she brushed past me.

“I’ve got to say”—I stepped closer to Grace as I admired Alicia’s sexy stride through the yard—“I’m tempted to stay because I feel a train wreck coming on, and my evil sensibility would love nothing more than to soak up that spectacle.”

Grace sighed. “Right?”

“But I will refrain.”

“Oh no. No, no, you can’t leave, not yet.”

I let out a sigh.
Come on, buy my line of shit, Grace. Make this easy for me for a change.

“Baby…” Lock embraced his wife from behind, bending his head to kiss her. His one hand stroked just underneath her breasts as they kissed deeply.

I smiled and peeled the empty plastic drink cup from her hand. That hand went to her husband’s jaw as she tilted her head back against him. Her pale pink strapless empire-style dress seemed so delicate against Lock’s all black clothing. I loved seeing them together. I loved the affection they shared, that physical and emotional need they had for each other.

Real passion. Palpable intimacy.

The blazing afternoon sun slowly seeped into the rich purply blue and burnt coral sky. Flaming tiki torches now lit the field and the music had gotten harsher and louder. Heavy metal was the order of the evening. The family dinner reception had segued into a club party with all the children having gone home to their beds. Penny and her husband, Fred and their boys had taken Becca home with them, and Jake along with baby Thunder had gone back to Grace’s with her dad and his new girlfriend. Wes and his friends had disappeared.

I scanned the crowd, entertained by the variety of tattoos, garish sexy outfits, and leather and silver on display. I hadn’t been to a club event since Grace’s wedding to Dig centuries ago. What a bash that had been. Men and women from over five different clubs had been in attendance. Tables had gotten knocked over, including the fake wedding cake. Once again, Alicia had wisely planned ahead, stashing the real cake in the kitchen and waiting until the last minute to bring it out.

There had been plenty of carousing, singing, dancing, and, yes, surreptitious fucking. As the night had worn on, it had grown much less surreptitious—present company included.

Well, kind of.

And, now, here were most of us again, still standing and still drinking at another club event on Meager soil.

Travis brought me a fresh beer and sat down beside me, stretching out his impossibly long legs.

“Thanks, Travis.”

“You bet.” He raised his bottle and took a drink, easing an arm around the back of my chair.

Travis was handsome, built, flirty, very charming, and not a One-Eyed Jack. His All-American good looks and southern accent reminded me of my mother’s TV chef crush, Tyler Florence, also from South Carolina. Travis, however, was much more alpha commando, less sweet boy next door. Either way, I was sure Rae would love it if I brought Travis home for dinner.

“The stars are amazing tonight, huh?” Travis asked, leaning in close, a whiff of spice and man enveloping me.

I followed his gaze skyward. “They are absolutely beautiful.”

“Absolutely gorgeous.” He glanced at me, his lips slowly tipping up into a grin.

A woman shrieked loudly in the distance. My stomach clenched at the unmistakable sound of pain, panic, and fear. We sat up, our heads jerking toward the sounds of the woman howling and a man cursing.

“What the hell?” muttered Travis.

We shot up from our chairs, leaving our beer bottles behind and moved in the direction of the crowd gathering.

“Get your hands off her, you fuck! Leave her alone!” a man yelled out.

My chest tightened.
That’s my brother’s voice.

I craned my head to see.

Nina twisted in Jump’s grip, like a suspended toy tangled in a knot. He had her by the hair, by the hands as he dragged her forward. She was slight, compared to Jump’s height and sheer mass.

“Let me go! Let me go!” she shouted.

Bear and Dready held Catch by the upper arms, Catch bucking against their hold.

My heart pounded in my chest, ice filled my veins. I darted toward them, pushing women and men out of my way.

“Catch!” I yelled. “What the hell is going on?”

“Put her down, dammit! What the hell are you doing?” Catch hollered at Jump, his eyes simmering. “Leave her the fuck alone!”

A crowd swarmed around us, and I pushed forward. A steely grip encircled my upper arm, pulling. “Tania!”

Lock
.

I pushed back against him. “That’s my brother!”

“Hey! Hey! Calm down.”

“What’s going on?” Jill’s voice was raised and thin.

I glanced at her over my shoulder. Her face was pale.

Boner had her by the arm. “Get back. Now.” He pulled his wife away from the fray before us.

“What the hell is the problem? What happened?” I shouted. “What the fuck are you doing?” I yelled at Jump.

I glared at my brother. “Drew?”

Catch ignored me. He only had eyes for Nina. His face exploded into a rage, his body jerking against Bear’s and Dready’s hold.

“Where’s her old man?” Jump asked, yanking at Nina’s long hair, her head pulling back.

A wall of muscle thudded against my side.
Butler
. His face was set in stone, his eyes diving from his old lady to my brother.

“Did you know he was coming here?” Butler asked me, his voice low.

“No. He’s been with Becca at my sister’s house for the past three hours. In fact, he should still be there.”

“Goddamn it, Jump! You leave Nina the fuck alone!” Catch yelled. “This is all on me! All of it!”

“All of what?” I asked.

My brother shot me a quick look.

He didn’t.

Jump’s grip on Nina only tightened. “Found the lovebirds fucking,” he announced.

My brother’s jaw tightened as his eyes trained on Nina, squirming in Jump’s grip.

He did.

Butler sucked in air.

“Oh my God.” Jill’s voice rose behind me.

A malevolent grin creased Jump’s face. He was gloating. He kicked at Nina, and she collapsed to the ground on her knees before us, like a wild beast caught at the royal hunt.

Butler lunged at Catch, his fists pummeling my brother. Cracks, pops, thuds, and grunts rocked my ears. Blood spewed from Catch’s mouth, his body sagging in Dready’s and Bear’s hold.

Butler staggered back, a bloodied hand wiping at his chin.

“How you going to deal with your mess, big man?” Jump’s voice sneered at Butler. “You gonna teach your bitch a lesson? You gonna kick her out on her ass the way she deserves?”

That was rich, coming from Jump. But I knew he had a point. Screwing around with another biker, a biker from another club, was bad. And said biker screwing around with an old lady from another club, belonging to a biker he knew and worked with, was extra, extra bad. Quadruple fucking bad.