It wasn’t as if she hadn’t had to set men straight before. It seemed in every town one man would ask her out or hang around the Coffee Shack trying to ease his way into her life. Usually, a gentle persuasion pushed her admirer away. At the most, she set the guy up on a date with another woman in town and happily watched him go forth and admire her.
Rain was different. She had a feeling he took pleasure in unsettling her. Half the time, she couldn’t even figure out if he admired her for standing up to him or hated her for not backing down. She no more needed to think about a man or the way he kissed than she wanted him in her life.
Although lately, she wondered if it would be better to let go and enjoy a man sexually — no connection, just a one-night stand. Maybe that would get these feelings out of her system and let her sleep easier at night, and not wish for things to be different.
But her past was never going away no matter how many ideas she came up with to change that fact or how far she ran. She stepped out of the cabin. She could only keep trying to stay ahead of the darkness and be happy.
Going by all the engine noises on the other side of the building, she expected to find the bar packed to capacity. She’d go over and order dinner, have a couple drinks, and chat with the waitresses. Shoot, maybe she’d top the night off with a tequila shooter, since she only had to walk a few feet to go home.
The next two days were her only days off. She’d have fun and relax. Whatever she did, she would not think about Rain one second.
Rain not only fuddled her mind, he’d taken her flying. He’d shocked her, scared her, and turned her insides out when he’d kissed her.
Boosted by rebelling against everything Rain demanded from her, she’d go against his rules of staying away from Cactus Cove and ignore him completely. She grinned as she swung through the back door, her determination growing. She would show him how serious she was about not being any man’s woman.
Her heels clicked against the hardwood floor, and her senses tingled. No music played, and the clink of bottles and glasses against the wooden counter and tables she expected to hear was missing. She slowed down and hesitantly peeked into the bar, expecting everyone to be solely focused on her sneaking into the room.
Yet the crowd she’d expected to see turned out to be an empty room. She frowned. Something was wrong.
Cue sticks lay scattered atop the pool tables. Drinks, only half-empty, sat abandoned on the tables. She moved into the room and gazed around. The empty bar evidence that everyone had left in a rush. There were purses hung on the back of chairs and helmets laying on the floor. A few chairs lay tipped over, and someone’s untouched Rueben sandwich lay on the floor beside a mess of fries.
“Hello?” She walked over, leaned against the bar, and stood on her toes, trying to see through the opening into the kitchen.
Where could everyone be? She set her purse on the counter and hurried to the front door, afraid something bad was happening in the world. Outside, she blew out her breath, hoping her heart would slow down. She’d found where everyone had gone.
Biker after biker stood in a line, creating a sea of leather, surrounding the front of the building. She followed the barricade of Bantorus vests, looking for Rain. Not that she sought him out, but he always seemed to show up and take control of the situation when a crowd gathered. Whatever was going on, she could bet the twenty dollars she planned to spend tonight that he had something to do with the excitement she could feel in the air.
Engines roared, and the men blocked any view of the parking lot. She frowned. Her truck and the Coffee Shack sat out on the corner. She hoped a scene wasn’t going on near her business. It cost a lot to replace a window. Almost two hundred dollars, she knew. She’d barely had enough money to leave California after paying for the repair.
Torque caught her eye. He frowned at her. Not letting his grumpy mood stop her from getting answers, she approached him.
“Hell, Rain’s gonna shit seeing you here.” Torque glanced behind him and hauled her back on the sidewalk.
“Stop pushing me.” She slapped at his hand, coming to a sudden stop when he let go of her. “Geez, what is your problem?”
“You.” Torque shook his head. “You’re asking for trouble coming out here when Rain ordered you to stay away. You do not want to piss him off.”
“That’s his problem. Maybe you should pay for some anger management classes for your friend. There’s nothing he can say or do that proves I have to listen to him. He can’t stop me.” Tori peered behind him. “What are all those riders doing?”
A group of men on motorcycles, wearing an array of leather and concert T-shirts, rolled toward Cactus Cove. She caught her lower lip between her teeth. Unlike the bikers she’d met hanging around the bar, these men seemed downright scary and unapproachable.
“I’m warning you, Tori. Go inside.” Torque gripped her upper arms and shook her. “Don’t make me tell Rain you’re outside.”
“Come on … ” She shrugged him off. “Rain has no say in where I am. He’s a bully.”
“You’re his woman.”
She snorted. “I’m no one’s woman or girlfriend. You can tell Rain to cram his stupid ideas in his tailpipe and take off. I’ve got a permit saying I’m allowed to be here.”
To prove how serious she was, she looked in the opposite direction and caught sight of Rain approaching the new arrivals. She stiffened. Torque mumbled something, but she ignored him. “What’s he doing?”
“Defending what’s his.” Torque guided her onto the sidewalk and blocked her view. “Go inside now.”
Planning to do no such thing, she turned around and walked away from Torque. She hurried closer to the line of bikers. Determined to find out what was going on that was so secretive, she found an opening between two men.
Rain, outfitted in black jeans and leather vest sans shirt, stood before a group of freaky men on motorcycles. Comparing him to the other bikers was a joke. He owned sexy and tough. She suspected he cast a bit of fear in the riders, because a few hopped off their bikes. His hair blew around his shoulders. With his back toward her, she could only go by the stiffness in his body to know he wasn’t happy. She’d seen him posture at her before.
A rider broke out of the crowd. Rain lifted his arm. She gasped and covered her mouth. Rain held a two-foot, metal pipe in his hand.
The bystanders moved forward, and the shoulders of the men seemed to grow wider, blocking her view. Rain exchanged words with the other man, but she couldn’t make out the verbal assault from this far away.
She turned her head to the right, searching for someone who would go put a stop to Rain’s getting hurt, and spotted Taylor rushing toward her. She let her friend pull her toward the front door.
She held Taylor’s hand. “What’s going on?”
“Girl, you should not be here. Rain is not going to be happy.” Taylor frowned. “Go back inside and stay there. When it’s safe, I’ll walk you to your cabin. If you’re lucky, he won’t find out you snuck over here.”
“Safe?” Her whole body went cold. “Rain was telling the truth?”
“You have no idea … Of course he wasn’t lying.” Taylor’s attention went back to what was going down in the parking lot.
“Then tell me.”
Taylor shook her head without looking at Tori. “Can’t. Rain would kill me.”
“Taylor, that’s not funny. If he hurts you, I’ll help — ”
“Get it through your head. You’re his woman. He’s got everyone watching your back.” Taylor put her arm around her and opened the door. “Now go back in the hallway and stay away — ”
Boom!
Taylor pushed her inside. She backed up and bumped into a table when another gunshot went off. She ran down the hallway in a blind panic, losing her heels. Another gunshot sent her scurrying into Rain’s office. She shut the door and crawled under his desk. Drawing her legs to her chest, she wrapped her arms around her knees and buried her head.
Please, don’t find me. Please, don’t find me
…
Chapter Six
Tonight’s confrontation with Lagsturns added more trouble to Rain’s plate. He slipped the pipe back under the cash register. They’d harassed him long enough. He refused to ignore the latest act. Paybacks were a bitch.
He slid the key in the cash register, turned it on, and motioned for Bruce. “Drinks all around. Everyone earned a night.”
“Right on, boss.” Bruce pulled two mugs out from under the bar. “Bar’s open, Bantorus riders.”
Riled and looking for a fight, every member of the motorcycle club soon had a drink in their fist instead of a Lagsturns. He strolled over, plugged in the jukebox, popped two dollars’ worth of quarters into the machine, and got the music started.
The faster he calmed everyone down, the better he’d feel, and he could think about his next move. The Bantorus members were his responsibility. He wanted each of his brothers to back off and let him handle Sanchez and his men before someone got hurt or arrested.
The crap the Lagsturns had thrown at them tonight wouldn’t go down under his watch. Their leader, Sanchez, had a personal vendetta against him, but Rain would knock him down again if they forced his hand. Last time, Sanchez had used Crystal in an attempt to destroy him.
No woman played him.
He’d enjoyed the few months of wild sex, but Crystal and Sanchez had underestimated him. He’d never lose his heart to a woman who needed attention and prodding just to get up in the morning. High maintenance and a waste of his time, Crystal wasn’t worth his energy. Crystal always seemed more concerned about what other people thought, instead of listening to what he was telling her.
She ignored his rules and the laws of the club — one of the reasons why she stayed in girlfriend status. Any woman who wanted to ride on the back of his bike needed to listen if she wanted his protection. He’d stopped talking to her long before he found out the truth that Crystal was working for Sanchez. This time he’d be ready.
Taylor approached him. “Hey, boss?”
“Yeah?”
“Can I talk with you? Privately?” Taylor clutched her hands in front of her.
“You okay?” He hooked his hand around the back of her neck and brought her closer. “They hurt you?”
“No. I’m good.”
He nodded. “Give me five, and I’ll talk.”
“Thanks, boss.” Taylor moved off and returned to clearing tables.
During tomorrow’s meeting, he’d have to discuss what he expected to go down. Set the rules. Lagsturns came for him, and he’d end their attempt to take him down before they touched any member of the Bantorus club.
“Rain.” Torque motioned for him.
His backup man searched the room without meeting his eyes. A sense of foreboding filled him. Usually nothing riled Torque. Rain trusted him with everything.
Rain kicked a chair out of the way and wound his way across the room. Near the hallway, he slapped his hand down on his friend’s shoulder. “Torque.”
“We got a problem.” Torque turned his head away from the others. “Your woman showed up during Lagsturns’ visit. I sent her away and when we came in, I went out and checked the cabin. She ain’t there, boss.”
He rushed Torque and pinned him against the wall before the man could utter another word. His forearm pressed against Torque’s chest, nailing him to the spot. “I gave you one job. One damn job, and you lost my woman?”
“Boss, I told her to leave. Things were getting ugly and I had your back,” Torque said.
Rain pushed off Torque. Sanchez had one way to step over the line, and taking who Rain had declared as his was asking for retaliation.
“Get Ronny, Slade, and Jedman and scour the area. I’m riding in,” Rain said.
“You’ll need backup.” Torque grunted as Rain backhanded Torque’s chest in frustration.
“You’re shitting me. Sixty-nine of us here and one woman slips out from under our fingertips. You better hope to find her, or your ass is going to ground.” He stomped to the door.
Taylor jumped in front of him, blocking his way. “Boss. It’s important.”
“Not now.” He lifted her off her feet, set her aside, and pushed through the door.
He’d tear Sanchez apart. Nobody messed with a Bantorus woman. When he stamped someone, she stayed his property, no one else’s.
Damn, trouble. Where the hell did they take you?
His classic restored Harley Davidson sat in the front spot of the parking lot. He threw his leg over the seat, and pushed the bike upright.
If anything happened to her, he’d crush anyone involved. He’d do anything to keep her safe. He’d allow no one to touch her, and that included the Lagsturns.
“Rain.” Taylor ran in his direction. “Wait.”
“Dammit.” He kicked the stand down, got off, and stalked over to her. “You want kicked out? Don’t push me now. Whatever is going on inside can wait.”
“Please.” She shook her head. “It’s about Tori.”
He flinched. “What do you know?”
“She witnessed what happened tonight.” Taylor lowered her voice. “I tried to get her to go away — ”
“Shit.” He glanced behind him.
Too classy to understand the inner workings of Pitnam and the rivalry with the Lagsturns, Tori had probably assumed the worst. He closed his eyes briefly and pushed away how much her opinion about him mattered. It was better that she realized that the best thing she could do was hit the road and never look back.
“Rain.” Taylor grabbed a handful of his vest. “I shoved her inside when they started shooting. They would’ve had to go through us to get her.”
He whirled around. “She’s here?”
“I don’t know.” She wrung her hands. “I wanted to make sure the rest of the guys were okay. I’m sorry. I know — ”
“Does no one understand that she’s my woman?” He inhaled deeply. “Get inside. Find Ronny. Tell them to look around the bar. Inside. Outside. I won’t take the chance that they slipped past us. Call my cell if you find her.”
She nodded “Sure. Okay, boss.”
“You find her. Call. Stay with her and don’t let her out of your sight. Hear?” He left her without giving her time to answer.
“What are you going to do?” asked Taylor.
He answered her quickly. “If she’s out there, I’m going to find her.”