Page 21 of Toxic Biker

“I want to kill the fuckers who beat on Lacey’s door and were following us.”

“Get the feeds from her apartment. You know that place has to have security cameras,” Blow suggests.

I’m an idiot and should’ve thought of that sooner. I was too blinded by the thought of getting inside her pussy, I wasn’t seeing things clearly. I should’ve involved my brothers from the start with my plan instead of attempting to handle it all on my own.

“I’m talking masks on, storming the place, with guns blazing. You all are down for that? It will be dangerous; we could get shot. I can’t ask this from you guys.” We should be hashing this out in Church like Ripper said, but I’m too pissed to think about that right now.

“Shut the fuck up,” Ripper rumbles. “Of course we’re with you, this is what we do for the club and for each other. If anyone isn’t on board, they wouldn’t be wearing our patch.” He’s a good president.

The brothers echo his statement, solidifying the plan to cause a little havoc in these cartel assholes’ lives. House nods towards the back where our rooms are, saying, “Go to her, brother. She’ll need you right now. She’s scared.”

“I don’t know what to say to make it better for her.”

“Tell her that if he’s alive, you’ll bring him home. That if he’s dead, you’ll avenge him. But mostly, just tell her you love her.”

My frame stiffens all over again at his words, my chest growing tight. I glance around at each face to see the brothers lacking their teasing, shit-talking expressions. They’re serious, and obviously okay with what he’s just said aloud. They did vote her in on being my ol’ lady, but did they do it because they know I want to protect her, or because they believe I’m in love with her? How could they tell before I started to come to terms with it myself?

“Hold your woman,” Whiskey orders, and my throat feels a bit more dryer than normal.

They all know I love her, and they aren’t trying to talk me out of it or give me any shit over it. But what should I have expected? They’re my brothers and any true friend should want you to be happy, to find love, to discover your forever and the reason for you to keep breathing in this shithole place called life.

Slamming down the next shot I’m offered, I set the empty glass on the bar top and take my leave. Tomorrow will be a busy day of plotting and planning, so I know I need to attempt to get some rest. I doubt sleep will come easy with everything on my mind, but the liquor should help on that front.

Chapter 10

Everyone in life is going to hurt you; you just have to figure out which people are worth the pain. - Bob Marley

Lacey

I wake up to find him gone again. I swear if he keeps this up, he’s going to give me a complex. Does he never sleep? He wasn’t in here when I fell asleep. The crying made everything blurry when I’d come back here, falling into his bed only to sob some more that he essentially sent me to bed. I couldn’t help my emotions, Lord, I tried to suppress them, but it seemed like everything hit me at once when I heard him say Seth could be dead. In the back of my mind, it was a whisper, but I never put any thought behind it. I blindly believed that even if bad guys held my brother that somehow, we’d find him and get him back.

My phone rings, drawing me out of my morning fog. It’s my father. I’m still angry and disappointed in him, so I deny the call. Climbing out of bed, I head for the bathroom and my phone lights up, ringing again. This time, it’s my mother, no doubt my father told her I sent him straight to voicemail and now she’s doing damage control. I deny her call too. I’d shut my phone off completely if there wasn’t some fool’s part of me hoping Seth will get to his cell somehow and give me an address to come and pick him up at.

Like me jetting off would go over well with Asher after everything last night. He made it more than clear in the bar that whoever’s doing this is extremely dangerous. Hurrying through a shortened version of my morning routine, I toss my hair on top of my head in a bun and hop in the shower. Quickly scrub my body, then dry off, steal some toothpaste, a new T-shirt, and tug on my yoga pants. I’m cleaned up with fresh breath and on my way to poke around and find Asher in less than twenty minutes.

The clubhouse is quiet as I make my perusal through the hall to the bar. This time, instead of quiet voices, I’m greeted with complete silence. Checking my phone, I realize it’s noon and I slept longer than I have in who knows how long. Not only did I get to sleep in, but being in Asher’s bed, I seem to sleep much deeper than I typically do too.

I stop by the multiple bathrooms that are also empty. Then the kitchen. There are snacks, closed bags of chips, multiple twelve packs of sodas, cases of water bottles, along with various other items covering the counters. It looks like someone went shopping and failed to put everything away. I’d help, but I don’t want to annoy anyone if this stuff has a specific place it all goes.

Poking my head into the next doorway, I’m greeted with double washing machines and dryers. There’s a scuffed up yellow mop bucket, along with five bottles of bleach. Clearly, they’ve never heard that some vinegar will do the trick and won’t kill you in the process. It’s empty, so I peek through the window of the kitchen, peering out into the back land to find no one there either.

Well, this is different. This place is typically bustling with people, or at least it has been since I arrived a few days ago. Crazy to think that much time has passed already, although knowing Asher for as long as I have, it’s like we haven’t skipped a beat, and I feel more comfortable with him now than ever.

I make myself a cup of coffee and note that someone must be around because it smells fresh. After I stir in some organic pure cane sugar, organic heavy cream, and add a splash of homemade vanilla simple syrup, I take a sip and moan a little to myself at the rich flavor. I’m guessing I owe my thanks for this sweet set up to Baker. Asher warned me not to eat any treats coming directly from the man himself or I’ll be floating in the clouds, but something tells me he also has a hand in everything coffee related in the kitchen as well. Oh God, I wonder if this coffee is marijuana infused or something? I supposed the vanilla syrup could be too. I guess I’ll find out in about twenty minutes if it’s the case or not and I end up tripping all day from some powerful coffee mixture.

With my cup in hand, I stroll back down the hall, noticing a door open at the end of an adjacent hall. It must’ve been closed the past times I’ve walked through here because I never noticed it before. “Hello?” I call out and freeze when I hear movement from inside.

Whiskey and Baker pop their heads out the doorway and I move towards them. “Morning, hun,” Baker greets.

“Darlin’,” Whiskey rasps, and if I wasn’t so crazy for his brother, I’d be looking twice at Whiskey. He has that sexy daddy vibe going for him and while normally it’s not my thing, for him, I’d make it mine. Baker, on the other hand, is a mountain of a man, not so much big and tall, but wide and cheery. He’s got big cheeks to match his belly and has worn a smile each time I’ve seen him.

“Have either of you seen Plague recently?” I mentally pat myself on my back for remembering to use his road name with his brothers. However, I think after I yelled at him last night about being Asher to me, I think he’s chilled out over it and realized he can change his name to other people, but he’ll always hold the same place in my heart.

They glance at each other, then at the floor and wall, avoiding me. “Uh, yeah, earlier,” Whiskey rasps while Baker bops his head, silently agreeing.

“Okay…So, do you know where he is? He’s not in the bar like yesterday.”

They clear their throats and Baker perks up, muttering about having to check something he forgot in the kitchen, and instantly my stomach drops. There’s something they know that they obviously don’t want me to, but I’m not dropping it. The robust man skirts around me, hurrying down the direction I just came from.

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