Riding Danger (BBW Biker Romance) (2 page)

Eli smiled and extended a hand, his Haitian French accent just thick enough that Jace had to listen hard to understand him.

“It is good doing business with you again, my friend. I’m sure you’ll find the delivery to be more than satisfactory, yes?”

Jace offered a hesitant smile and nodded. “We’ll see when the truck’s unloaded.”

He signaled to the men that it was time to start unloading and watched them carefully as Rafe and Donnie checked the inventory to make sure nothing was missing. Once everything had been thoroughly checked, the men climbed back into the truck and Eli followed Jace to the temporary office set up for these sorts of exchanges. With his body shielding the combination lock, Jace opened the safe and pulled out the cash that had been set aside for the transaction. He threw it on the desk and waited while Eli eagerly counted the bills.

With a nod of satisfaction, Eli smiled at him again. “You are good business, my friend. When is the next run?”

Clearing his throat, Jace scratched the back of his neck. “I’m not sure, Eli. See, the guy who calls the shots hasn’t been overly enthusiastic about this whole thing and the service we’re getting in this business relationship, so I don’t know if he’s going to want to continue doing business with you and your guys.” It was a lie and it was certainly risky, but if he could get the middleman up in arms and concerned about the possibility of Alec turning tail and canceling the agreement, maybe he could break the trust built between the supplier and their club, which would put an end to the gun-running for good.

Concerned, Eli crossed his arms over his chest. “That would be an unwise move, my friend. I tell you, the men who have the merchandise, they don’t take kindly to broken contracts. And I understand your boss has a long-term agreement with the man who puts the supplies out there for you, my friend. I think you should honor the agreement for as long as it stands. For the sake of your club.”

Jace grinned, his gaze never leaving Eli’s face, unflinching. “I’ll be sure to pass on the message, Eli, but like you, I don’t call the shots...my friend,” he added, using the middleman’s term before escorting him out of the office and back to his truck.

After they pulled away and the other men sorted the piles for redistribution, Jace pulled out his cell and sent a short message to Alec to let him know the transaction was complete. He didn’t leave until all the other men were gone.

As he locked up the warehouse and set the alarm, he looked around and growled. This place was a dump, but Alec had insisted they needed a base of operations where no one would come asking questions about their meetings with a bunch of Haitians in a delivery truck. Certainly, between this looking like a legitimate warehouse on the outside and the fact that the cops in this part of Dallas were typically busy with drunk drivers leaving the strip clubs and vagrants begging for money, it was probably the safest option for such an incredibly dangerous set-up.

But Jace was less worried about law enforcement and more concerned with the rival motorcycle clubs, several of which were known for small-time arms dealing. Sooner than later they would find out what Alec had gotten them into, and they would come for blood to reclaim their territory and their major source of income.

Satisfied that his brothers had gotten out safe, Jace lit a cigarette and leaned against the side of the locked building, fingering the keys to his bike that rested in his pocket. He wasn’t sure why, but he had a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He would blame it on the fact that he’d just finished a dirty deal, one he had no intention of repeating if he could find a way to get his club out of the game. But that wouldn’t cause the hair on the back of his neck to stand up as if he was being watched. He squinted through his sunglasses, looking around one last time, and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

Wanting to get the hell out of there, he squashed his cigarette and revved the engine on his bike, preparing to hit the road. But just as he started for the edge of the parking lot, the rumble from behind him stopped him cold, and he turned to see three large men on bikes headed straight for him. He wasn’t sure which club it was, but he knew they weren’t one of his. Not waiting until they were close enough for him to see the insignia they wore, he gunned his bike and took off, trying to put some space between them. Suddenly, he heard a thunderous roar, and a sharp, searing pain hit his side. He didn’t need to reach down to know the bullet had burned straight into him, and he could feel the heat of his blood soaking through his clothes as he rounded the corner.

Before he could get out of range, several more shots were fired and another struck home, grazing his shoulder and eliciting a foul curse from him as he gunned straight for the highway on-ramp, a shooting pain causing him to wince. With the quick loss of blood, his best chance now was to get to the nearest emergency room and get inside before they caught back up with him and finished the job.

Dammit, he was going to tear Alec apart as soon as he got back to the club. This situation was completely out of control and he was done with putting his club in danger in the name of greed. Whatever it took, this was coming to an end.

Speeding down the road and not even caring when he saw the flashing lights of police cars behind him, he headed toward Parkland, the hospital that asked the fewest questions and was closest to where he was. He was losing blood fast and knew that if he didn’t get there soon, he never would.

A
s Carrie leaned over the counter at the nurse’s station, she was so bubbly with excitement that Piper thought she might spill over. “What on earth are you so giddy about?” she asked, slightly amused.

“Well, Tami was talking about this biker club where she and her friends were hanging out last night. Sounds like they had a lot of fun. Anyway, they just transferred a double gunshot wound from upstairs, and he’s just down the hall. Tami went in there and came out bright red in the face because he’s the one she was all dreamy-eyed about last night. She couldn’t tend to his bloody hip because they tore his jeans off.”

The story was outrageous. Piper bit her lip. “I’ll include him in my rounds. Tell Tami that she can take Mr. Colfax in 415.”

“I’d be more than happy to handle the biker, Piper. He’s drop dead gorgeous.” Carrie looked like she wanted a lot more left in her hands than just his medical care, and that was the last thing Piper needed to worry about managing right now.

“No, it’s okay. I got it.” She picked up his chart and walked towards room 440, where a Mr. Jace Dawson lay in wait. Knocking and entering, she stopped abruptly, eyes roaming over his tanned skin and gorgeous, dark features. While the man in the bed was a little haggard, looking like he needed sleep and a good shave, the angles of his face were sharp and alluring, and his mussed brown hair set off those perfectly brilliant eyes, a dark shade of grey, the color of the sea just before a storm. He lay there, shirtless, the hair on his chest doing nothing to hide the hard muscles underneath, trim and cut to perfection.

It was enough to send a powerful wave of uncontrollable desire through her body, and she let out a quiet whoosh of air between clenched teeth.

The man glanced over the room and his eyes landed on her. The intensity of his gaze was more than enough to make her pulse quicken and she blinked, evading the danger of getting lost in the perfection of his chiseled, masculine face. “Mr. Dawson?”

Jace stared at the nurse who’d just entered the room and somehow knew she was going to be trouble. Not that he cared. She was a sight to see, even with her long chestnut hair pulled back into a tight bun at the base of her neck and the scrubs that tried to hide perky breasts and a firm, round backside. Her glittering green eyes were filled with questions, and Jace really didn’t want to answer any of them.

With a nod, he responded, “Yes, ma’am.”

Piper narrowed her gaze at him. If this was a biker, he was certainly a charming one. Trying not to let her nerves – or her misplaced attraction to him – cloud her judgment or prevent her from doing her job, she moved toward the bed, setting down the chart and taking an assessment. He had a bandage on his left shoulder and, according to the chart, a total of twenty-nine stitches on his upper right hip.

“My name is Piper Reece, and I’ll be your nurse today. I understand you were shot?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he answered, keeping it short. He wasn’t going to give her anything she didn’t ask for.

Pursing her lips at his short answer, Piper crossed her arms over her chest and eyed him carefully. “Mr. Dawson, how exactly did you get those bullet wounds?”

With a heavy sigh, he repeated the same story he’d given when he’d first arrived at the emergency room, which he knew was noted in his file.

“I was running an errand downtown, and I was caught in the middle of a drive-by shooting. I have terrible luck, that’s all. I’m just glad they didn’t hit anything vital and didn’t damage my bike.”

He seemed to be trying to make light of the situation, but there was something off about his story. The strain in his voice was obvious as he told it. Piper wasn’t sure she believed him, but it wasn’t really her job to investigate. She was the medical consultant who would look after him in between doctor visits, and it was likely that he’d be out of here by tomorrow.

“Okay,” she said, backing off. “So, does everything feel alright? I’m sure there’s a bit of discomfort, but on a scale of one to ten, how bad is your pain?”

He shrugged and winced, forgetting about his shoulder. “They shot me up with morphine, so right now it’s about a two. I’m pretty sure it’ll be tolerable without the pain meds though, so whenever the doctor gets tired of looking at me, I’m ready to get out of here.”

“I’ll let the doctor know, Mr. Dawson. In the meantime, is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?”

Jace couldn’t help but chuckle. There were many things that he’d love to ask her to do to make him more comfortable, but he thought better of it and instead, he let his head fall back to the pillow, blowing air through his lips.

“No, thank you, ma’am. I haven’t spent much time in the hospital since I was a kid, but I assume these little red call buttons work the same way they always have. I’ll let you know if I need anything.”

“Very well. Try to get some rest, Mr. Dawson. You’ll heal faster.” She left the room, her face flushed and her heart beating wildly in her chest. The man in the room behind her was a dangerous biker associated with some sort of gang, and while he claimed he got caught in the crossfire of some random shooting, something about that didn’t sit right with her. There was more to the story, and she wanted to scold herself for the fact that, instead of being frightened, she was intrigued and curious. She was acting way too much like Carrie right now, and it made her feel careless and irresponsible.

Sighing, she returned to the nurse’s station, logged the notes, and went back to what she’d been doing before. But she couldn’t seem to concentrate and when two men in suits arrived, she looked up, her heart seizing.

Offering them a shaky smile, she greeted them cautiously. “May I help you?”

The taller of the two nodded. “Yes, ma’am, my name is Paul Resner and this is Jason Morris. We’re looking for a Jace Dawson. We were told he’d been moved to this floor?”

Swallowing hard, her trepidation running rampant, Piper nodded. “Yes. He’s just down the hall, room 440.”

They simply nodded as they made their way down the corridor without another word.

Anxious, she looked around for Carrie, but she was nowhere in sight. 
What on earth is going on?
she thought.  Picking up his file, she made her way down the hallway, posted herself just outside the door to Dawson’s room, and listened in.

A
lec Stone snarled into the phone. “If you threaten me again, you dirty Haitian pig, you’re going to find every member of your family missing before you can even blink.”

But the man on the other end of the line wasn’t fazed by the threats. “My middleman tells me you are backing out of the deal. We had an agreement. Six million dollars in guns and ammo. That’s what you agreed to. You fail, you see no more sunrises, my friend. This is business, not a threat. And next time don’t send your boy to carry your message or we’ll make him the first sacrifice of a broken agreement. You understand?”

Swallowing a roar, Stone countered, “I want the damn guns, you blackened fuck. I have no plans to back out of the agreement. Set up the next delivery and I’ll meet you personally with the money.”

“Two weeks, my friend. I set up for two weeks, and if this falls through, you and your club...it’s over.” He hung up the phone and Alec cursed, throwing his glass against the wall and watching it shatter as it fell to the floor, droplets of whiskey spraying all over.

Patty, his long-time girlfriend, came up behind him, running her long manicured nails through his hair. “What’s the matter, darling?”

He grunted but closed his eyes, enjoying the feel of her fingers massaging his scalp the way she’d done for the last twenty years. “I’m going to kill him,” he grumbled.

“Oh honey, don’t overreact.” She kissed his neck and moved to sit on the leather couch across from him.  “You always take care of business, my love...and you’ll take care of this, too.”

But Alec wasn’t overreacting this time. His trust had been broken, and in this business, that couldn’t be left unpunished. Otherwise, others would turn their backs on him and before too long he would find himself constantly watching over his shoulder for the moment when the club turned against him and he found himself running for his life.

No, he had to take care of this now... no matter how far he had to go to make his point crystal clear. Alec Stone was the leader, and he would not be disrespected.

“No, Patty, I’m calling this one.” Pulling out his cell phone again, he scrolled through the contacts until he found Ron’s number, the perfect guy for the job. Ron was someone who was as hungry for money as Alec and who had never been a big fan of Jace’s.