The Tangled Series Complete Digital Boxed Set (Bad Boy Rock Star, Millionaire, and MMA Fighter Bundle) (67 page)

Chapter Ten

I wasn’t exactly sure who the blond was standing on Trevor’s porch but she certainly didn’t look thrilled to see me. And the comment about me smelling like puke – well, it was probably true, but she didn’t have to point it out. Beaten or not, she was still a bitch. 

Sighing, I turned on the light, removed my boots, and caught my first impression of Trevor’s place. From what I could tell, it was a cozy, split-level house that couldn’t have been more than ten years old. It smelled kind of nice, too. Like fresh cedar and lemon. It was a nice surprise, considering I’d expected it to smell more like cigarettes or stale beer, since he was a biker and obviously liked to party.

To the left of the front door, I noticed a pair of Nike tennis shoes, a brown pair of cowboy boots, and a set of steel-toed mountain boots sitting next to a wooden bench. I placed my own boots next to his.

Damn, he has big feet.

Smiling, I walked up the stairs, to the main level, which was obviously a bachelor pad. There was an oversized brown leather sectional, which faced a large television and  an impressive stereo and sound system. There was also a large fish tank that took up most of the other wall. Other than that, there wasn’t much thought put into the decor, save for a few candles and a painting of an older model Harley Davidson, which hung over a small fireplace. 

Intrigued by the aquarium, I walked over and stared at the colorful fish, which were obviously the saltwater kind. I leaned down and watched a group of clown-fish swim through some rocks, amazed at the sheer size of the tank. I didn’t know a lot about fish, but I knew that a large tank like this wasn’t cheap and needed a lot of maintenance. As I began examining some of the other fish, the front door opened and then seconds later, slammed shut, startling me. I straightened up and met him by the stairs. He looked like he wanted to hurt someone.

“So, is she going to be all right?” I asked, nodding toward the doorway.

He grunted and shook his head. “She was a total cunt to you and yet you still care about her welfare?”

I winced at the word “cunt.” I hated it, but for some reason, it seemed kind of fitting for her. “I don’t know. She just looked so desperate. Like she really needed help.”

“Don’t worry about her. She’ll be fine. She can go to her sister’s or her mom’s for help,” he said, climbing the steps.

“Who is she?” I asked, having a pretty good idea.

“She’s… nobody.”

“
Nobody
, who visits you in the middle of the night?” I replied.

He sighed and removed his leather jacket. “She used to be my Old Lady. Before she decided she needed to be more than that.”

I stared at his bare chest and muscular arms, wondering why in the hell she’d given all that up. “Her loss though, right?”

Trevor smiled. “That’s what I keep telling myself,” he said, walking closer to me.

I grinned.

“How are you feeling? Still sick to your stomach?”

I shrugged. “A little. I think I just need to sleep.”

He nodded.

“So, you said I could use your shower?” I asked, feeling nervous now that we were alone in his house and he was already half-naked.

“Oh, yeah,” he said, turning toward the hallway. “There’s a shower you can use right through here. I’ll show you.”

“Okay.”

I followed him to the bathroom and he turned on the light.

“Everything you need should be in there – shampoo, conditioner, soap…”

“Thanks,” I said, as he reached inside the linen closet and handed me a thick, blue towel.

He looked down at my clothes. “Oh, yeah. You’ll probably need something clean to wear. I’ll be right back,” he said, leaving me in the bathroom. He returned shortly with a pair of red boxers and a long black Harley Davidson T-shirt. “I don’t know if these will fit,” he said, nodding toward the boxers, “but the T-shirt should be comfortable enough.”

“Thanks,” I replied, taking them from him. I smiled shyly. “You’ve been so nice. I don’t even know what to say.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just glad I could help.”

“Me, too,” I said, trying not to stare at his biceps. But it was hard. Not only were they nice but his tattoos were intriguing. “What is that on your upper arm? The face with the empty eyes?”

He looked down at it. “I got that when I was sixteen. It’s supposed to represent a soulless asshole.”

“Your father?”

He chuckled. “No. Me. Back then. I was going through some things. I had a lot of anger issues. Got into a lot of fights. Did some shit I wasn’t proud of.”

“We all did.”

His eyes twinkled. “You like to make up excuses for people. You need to stop doing that.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “You think so?”

“Definitely. You’re far too nice.”

“I’ll work on it.” 

He smirked. “You have any ink?”

“Tattoos? Me?” I laughed. “No. Not that I don’t want one. Maybe someday.”

“You could start out with something small. Like a heart. Then build from there.”

“I was thinking a skull would be kind of cool. A skull with a rose.”

He grinned. “You like skulls?”

“I like flowers. I just thought the skull would make it look not so… girly.”

“Nothing wrong with being girly,” he said. “But, having a dark side can also be damn sexy. You have one of those?”

“A dark side?”

He gave me a slow grin. “Yeah.”

My cheeks turned pink. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

“I don’t think you do,” he replied. “But, to tell you the truth, it doesn’t make you any less sexy.”

I could feel my blush deepen.

He suddenly looked like he’d gotten his hand caught in the cookie jar. “Sorry. I’d better let you get into the shower so you can get some rest.”

“Thanks. Where is the guestroom?”

“It’s right next to my bedroom,” he said. “Down the hall and to the left. There should be clean sheets on it and the mattress is decent. It’s not as nice as mine, though. So, if you want, I can take the guest bed and you can have my room.”

“No. I’m sure the bed is just fine. Thanks, though.”

Nodding, he shoved his hands into his pockets. “If you change your mind and have a hard time sleeping, you can always sneak into my bed. It’s a king and I pretty much sleep like the dead. I doubt I’d even know you were there.”

I laughed. “Right. I bet you say that to all your female guests.”

He looked serious. “I know what you’ve been through tonight. There’s no way I’d take advantage of you, Adriana. I’m serious.”

I smiled. “I appreciate it. I’ll be fine though. In the guestroom.”

He nodded. “Okay. Well, I’m going to make a phone call, so when you’re done with your shower, feel free to crash. Unless you’re hungry, that is. Would you like something to eat? I was about to make a pizza before I left to pick you up.”

My stomach was empty but food just didn’t sound that appetizing. “No, thanks. I’m just going to go to bed.”

“Okay. Holler if you need anything,” he said, leaving me alone in the bathroom.

“Thanks,” I replied, shutting the door.

I turned around and looked at myself in the mirror. Sure enough, there was dried puke in my hair. Not a lot, but enough to be offensive.

He had to have seen it.

I was too tired to even care. Sighing, I turned on the water, got undressed, and slipped into the shower.

Chapter Eleven

After leaving Adriana, I walked into my bedroom, changed into a pair of sweats, and called Tank back.

“She okay?” he mumbled, answering the phone.

“Yeah. Sorry, brother. Did I wake you?”

“It’s okay. What happened?”

I told him what I knew.

“Fucker must have slipped something into her drink.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” I said. “What about Krystal? You think anything made it into hers?”

“No. She was definitely drunk, but coherent. Rode me like I was a goddamn bull. I swear, my balls are sore from all that bouncing around.”

I chuckled.

“I’m serious. The woman was insatiable tonight.”

“Okay, enough about your horny woman and your hairy balls. You’re making me sick.”

He laughed. “So, what do you want to do about this guy?”

“Teach him a fucking lesson.”

“That’s what I thought. We’ll start looking tonight. Obviously, he didn’t get laid. He’ll be sure as shit looking for someone else to molest on a Saturday night.”

“I’m counting on it.”

“What the fuck is it about this date-rape shit? Why can’t they just be fucking men and earn the pussy? It’s more fun that way anyway.”

I stretched out on my bed and stared up at the ceiling. “It’s not about the sex. I heard it’s about controlling the victim.”

“Okay, Dr. Phil.”

“Fuck off. It’s what I heard.”

He chuckled. “I’m just giving you shit. I actually heard that, too. On Oprah.”

I laughed. “You still watch that show, huh?”

“How do you think Dr. Phil got started? Oprah’s a fucking genius. Everything she touches turns to gold.”

“If your old man knew you were watching Oprah,” I said, chuckling, “he’d kick your ass.”

“Fucking tell him and I’ll kick yours.”

“Doesn’t Oprah condemn violence?”

“For you, I’m sure she’d make an exception. Anyway, back to this fucking dirt-bag. You know, he probably won’t hit the same club.”

“Probably not. We’ll get a description and spread out. I’m sure Hopper, Derby, and Jackal wouldn’t mind helping out. We can do it before the card game tomorrow.”

“Agreed. Hell, I think we should round up our
entire
posse and catch ourselves a rabbit. Feed him to the Raptor. Unless you want to just shoot the guy?”

The thought had entered my mind. “That’s letting him down too easy.”

“True.”

“So, what’s going on with Breaker?” I asked, changing the subject. “Is there going to be any kind of retribution for what happened to Jessica?”

“The Rangers are still standing behind that lying sack of shit.”

“Fuck.”

“You can say that again. The old man is spitting bullets. I’m thinking he’s just going to say ‘fuck it’ and take him out anyway.” He lowered his voice. “Don’t say anything, but I guess she was a virgin to boot.”

I groaned.

“What a way to have your cherry popped, huh?”

“No shit,” I said. “He beat the fuck out of her, too, didn’t he?”

“From what I hear, he knocked her around, pretty good. The old man is so fucking pissed. He’s not going to let this slide.”

“I don’t blame him. That pile of shit needs to be taken the fuck out. Even if he didn’t rape Jessica, he sure as shit is going to assault someone else,” I said, thinking of the way he’d been harassing Adriana earlier.

“He did it. There’s no doubt in my mind, or Pop’s.”

“So, what now?”

“He mentioned contacting The Judge.”

The Judge was a mercenary who didn’t belong to any club that I knew of. He was a discreet mother-fucker who always got the job done, no matter what it was. For a hefty price, though.

“He know how to get ahold of him?” I asked.

“Apparently. It’s his godson.”

That was a shock. “I didn’t know that.”

“You’re not supposed to.”

“Then I’ll keep it to myself.”

“I know you will, brother.”

I ran a hand over my forehead. I was beat and couldn’t wait to sleep myself. “Are we still having church tomorrow afternoon?”

“Yeah. Three o’clock.”

“Okay.”

“You like her, don’t you.”

“Who?”

Tank laughed. “What do you mean,
who
? You know who the fuck I mean. The chick. Adriana.”

I hesitated. “She’s okay.”

“You going to tap that?”

“Fuck no. She was almost raped. I’d have to be a real asshole to even try.”

“You are a real asshole,” he chided, a smile in his voice.

“Fuck off.”

“I’m just giving you shit. She’s cute. I think she was digging you earlier.”

“Doesn’t matter. She’s… different. I’m leaving her be.”

“Different. Like how?”

“She’s… a gullible suburban girl.”

He tried goading me again. “Your address is in the suburbs.”

“You know what the fuck I mean.”

“I’m seeing Krystal. They’re friends. She lives in the suburbs. I don’t see the problem.”

“Come on, Tank. You know what I’m talking about. These are both the kinds of girls that want commitment, a ring, and a piece of paper. They won’t stand for anything less.”

“I’m going to patch her and who knows… maybe someday we’ll get hitched.”

“Krystal? You really care that much for her?” I asked, surprised.

“Yeah, I do.”

“This is fucking weird,” I said, smirking. “We’re on the phone and talking about relationships. We sound like a couple of fucking chicks. I’d better get off before I start growing tits and talking about shoes.”

Tank laughed. “I hear you, brother. Okay. Catch you later.”

“Sounds good.”

I hung up the phone and was plugging it into the charger on my nightstand when I heard Adriana open the door and step out of the bathroom. I quickly got out of bed and met her in the hallway. Her hair was wrapped in a towel and her face was slightly pink.

“Feel better?” I asked.

She nodded. “What should I do with the towel?” she asked, touching her head.

“I can take it. What did you do with your clothes?”

“Oh, crap, I forgot. I left them in the bathroom,” she said, moving back inside. She bent down and scooped them up.

“Give them to me and I’ll wash them. That way they’ll be clean when you’re ready to go later.”

“You don’t have to go through all of that trouble,” she said, stepping back out of the bathroom. “Seriously. You’ve already done enough.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m sure you’re not going to want to put them back on later dirty. Although, you do look pretty comfortable in my T-shirt,” I said, my eyes trailing over her chest to her slender legs.
I should have given her a white T-shirt
, I thought. “So, uh, how do the boxers fit?”

She lifted the shirt, baring her stomach. “They’re pretty baggy,” she said, tugging at the waistband. “But, they’ll do.”

“You just don’t fill them out the way I do.”

She suddenly looked embarrassed. Adriana dropped the T-shirt. “I’m sure.”

I cleared my throat and nodded toward the guestroom. “You may as well try and get some sleep. I’m going to throw your things into the wash machine. Did you want me to wake you at a certain time?”

“Just when you want to kick me out.”

“That’s the last thing I want to do,” I replied, thinking out loud.

She laughed nervously. “Okay. Well, I guess by ten?”

“Sure,” I said, holding out my arms. “I’ll take care of the laundry and then I’m going to crash, myself.”

“Thanks again,” she said, handing me the clothes. She then touched my arm. “You’ve been so incredibly sweet to me.”

I grunted. “Just don’t tell anyone. You’ll ruin my reputation for being a soulless asshole.”

“Your secret is safe with me, Raptor,” she replied before leaning over and kissing me on the cheek.

Resisting the urge to drop everything and kiss her back properly, I turned on my heel and headed toward the laundry room. “Sleep well, Kitten.”

“Thanks. You, too,” she called back.