Worth The Battle (Heaven Hill Series) (9 page)

“D
o you need me to take your spot on the run tonight?”

Layne looked up from where he sat hunched over the hood of the car he was working on. Black Cherry in color, it belonged to a local friend of the club, Cash Montgomery. “I’m sorry, what?”

“Do you need me to take your spot on the run tonight?” Jagger asked again, wiping off his hands with one of the rags they kept lying around the shop.

“Why would I need you to do that?”

Jagger felt like he was talking to an elementary school kid. “You’ve got a woman here with you. I figured you might want to hang out with her? After all, she did come here from California.” The ‘duh’ hung in the air, unsaid.

Sighing, Layne shook his head. “No, I had that commitment before she came. I’ll see it through.”

“The guys will understand if you need the night off. It’s not like any of us haven’t done it before, my friend.”

This was so odd for Layne. He had never had to clear his schedule with someone else since he had been welcomed into the club. He wasn’t used to it and wasn’t at all sure he liked it. “Can she hang with you and B?”

“It’s cool with me, man, but you might wanna check with her. She and B seemed to be hitting it off pretty well earlier. I daresay B was possibly corrupting her a little bit.”

A small smile tilted up the side of Layne’s mouth. “Maybe B will take her to
Wet Wanda’s
.”

The two shared a chuckle. “Seriously though, it’s cool with me if you want me to keep an eye on her, but you do need to make sure it’s okay with her. If there’s one thing I’ve learned since becoming part of a couple—women don’t like you to make decisions for them.”

“I’m not part of a couple,” Layne argued.

“Maybe not, but for the sake of argument, just listen to me.”

Layne again sighed before he pulled his phone out of his pocket and dialed Jessica’s number.

“What are you going to do tonight while Layne’s on his run?” Bianca asked the other woman as they made their way back to the clubhouse.

This time, Jessica was prepared for the crazy way Bianca drove, and she was enjoying herself. “Run?”

“Yeah,” she answered, checking to the left and right as they came to a stop sign. “It’s how they make most of their money.”

“You mean illegal money?”

“First rule around here, Jess. We don’t ask questions. The only reason I know about any of this stuff is because the guys did a lot of talking where I used to work at
Wet Wanda’s
. Let’s just say what they help transport could hurt others. Either way, don’t ask about it. I just assumed Layne had told you that he wouldn’t be around tonight. He’s scheduled to go to Louisville.”

Well, that was perfect wasn’t it? She’d invited herself into his dorm room and into his life. Not once had she thought about what he may have going on. “I never really thought about it to be honest with you. He didn’t even tell me he was going on this run.”

“Can’t say I’m surprised.” Bianca glanced over. “Layne’s pretty quiet, and he’s not used to having to check in with anybody.”

“He doesn’t have to check in with me,” she argued. “It’s never been like that with the two of us.”

“C’mon, you came to Bowling Green because you wanted to be near him. Because you felt safe with him. It’s
never
been that way with him? Not even a little bit?”

Jessica was saved from answering the question when her phone rang, the call coming from Layne. She held up a finger and answered.

“Hey, what did you need?”

His voice was hurried on the other end, like he wanted to get her off the phone quickly. “I have to go on a run tonight. I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you earlier, but I don’t feel right getting someone else to take my place. Would you mind hanging out with Jagger and B tonight?”

Her stomach gave a roll, and she wasn’t sure why. He couldn’t put his life on hold just because she showed up here out of the blue, but a part of her had wanted him to. “If it’s okay with them, then it’s okay with me.”

“Jagger’s good with it, so I’m sure Bianca will be too. I’ll come get you tonight when I’m done.” He hung up before she could say anything else.

She glanced at the phone before sitting it down in her lap. “Guess I’m hanging out with you tonight—if that’s okay. I hope you and Jagger didn’t have plans.”

Bianca laughed. “No plans, unless you wanted to go to a strip club?” The grin on her face was mischievous, and Jessica couldn’t help but wonder about this place she’d heard about.

“How seedy is it?”

“It’s seedy, I’m not gonna lie to you. It was like home to me for a long time though. There’s good people there, but it’s not for everybody.”

Something about Layne pawning her off on other people had Jessica wanting to live a little. Here in this place where no one knew her name and didn’t readily know that she was a Hollywood starlet, she realized she could let her hair down. Maybe have that group of core friends that she’d missed as she’d become more and more famous. “I wanna go,” she said on impulse.

“Awesome, I’ll see if Roni and Meredith wanna come with us. I don’t think Denise would be up to it since she just gave birth, but we’ll see.”

Glancing out the car window, Jessica watched the scenery whiz by. Just because she’d put herself in a bad situation didn’t mean she had to stay in it.

“I can’t believe she’s coming with us.” Bianca grinned at Jagger as she stepped into the living room of their apartment.

“Why wouldn’t she?” he asked, not looking up from the game he played on his phone. “It’s either she hang out with us or she sits in Layne’s dorm room alone. He’s kind of a dumbass if you ask me.”

“She doesn’t really know us,” Bianca argued.

“Doesn’t matter. If I was her, I’d rather go to a strip club too,” he mumbled, moving his phone to the left and right before he groaned. “Fuck!”

“Would you stop playing that game?”

For the first time, he glanced up, noticing the clothes that covered her body. “Nice damn dress.” His eyes looked her up and down once before he went over and kissed her lips softly. “Am I gonna have to fight a bunch of men off tonight?”

She rolled her eyes. “With Jessica here? I’m sure they won’t even give the rest of us a second glance.”

“You might not be a movie star, but you’re hot, babe,” he told her as he grabbed his keys and helped her out of the apartment and down the stairs.

“Thanks.” She kissed him again when they got to the car. “You always know how to make me feel wanted.”

His eyebrows jacked up and down. “I can make you feel wanted one more time before we leave if you want.”

“Jagger,” she groaned, smacking his stomach. “Not now.

“Can’t blame a guy for trying.”

Jessica sat in Layne’s dorm room, chewing on her bottom lip, completely unsure of herself. Had this been California and one of the clubs or premieres she went to there, she would know exactly how to dress. Here, in this little town, she wasn’t sure what to expect. Would anyone recognize her? If they did, would they make a big deal about it? She didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but she was very nervous, and Layne wasn’t here to calm her fears. He’d left a couple hours ago with nothing more than a ‘see ya later’.

She was seconds away from calling Bianca and telling her that she’d decided not to do this when there was a knock at the door.

“Be right there,” she said to the person on the other side as she stuck her feet in the shoes she’d decided to wear for the night. Walking quickly over to the door, she flung it open and was greeted by Meredith.

“Damn girl, you look hot! You sure Layne’s not gonna be there?”

“He told me he wasn’t.” She ran her hands down the leather leggings she wore. “Is it too much?”

“Not at all, but you do look like a hot biker bitch,” Meredith giggled. “Is he coming to pick you up on his bike when he gets back in town?”

“I have no idea,” she mumbled. There was a part of her that didn’t want to tell the other woman that he’d barely said ten words to her when he’d walked in from the shop earlier. “He just told me he’d see me later when he came to pick me up.”

“I bet he rides his bike. Have you ridden on his bike with him yet?”

The former reporter was full of questions, and it made Jessica a little leery. Not that she thought Meredith would tell someone where she was or inadvertently spill some information, inquisitive people just made her nervous now. “Not yet. Should that be something I look forward to?”

“It’s my favorite place to be with Tyler besides next to him in bed. There’s something about riding on the back of the bike, your arms wrapped around your big strong man as he maneuvers the bike where he wants it to go.” She shivered. “You’ll understand as soon as you ride with Layne. Trust me.”

For the first time since she’d showed up here, Jessica was jealous. She wanted to know what those feelings felt like. She wanted to share those things with Layne. Not wanting to depress herself, she plastered a smile on her face. “Are we ready?”

“If you are.” Meredith grabbed her hand and led her out of Layne’s dorm. “Jagger’s gonna drive us over in Tyler’s truck, and then he’ll be there in case the guys don’t get back in time to take us home.”

“Why wouldn’t they get home in time?” She was so unused to this life, had so many questions that she wasn’t sure she’d ever find all the answers.

“Sometimes runs don’t go as planned.”

The look on Meredith’s face made her wonder what that meant. “As in, they run into traffic on the way?”

“That’s one way to put it,” she mumbled.

“No, I’d really like to know. I’m here and in this for now, I’d like to know Layne’s day-to-day life. He’s so closed off about it.”

Meredith wasn’t sure if she should get into this with Jessica. Layne was very private. He might not want his business shared, but if she was here, then she was a part of this life. “Sometimes they meet up with a rival gang, and they gotta get the hell outta dodge, if you know what I mean.

Jessica wasn’t exactly sure she knew, but her imagination ran rampant. “That happens a lot?”

“Sometimes,” Meredith sighed. “Look, if you want to know more, you’re gonna have to ask Layne. I don’t know what he wants you to know and what he doesn’t want you to know. The last thing I want to do is betray his friendship or lie to you, so I think this is a conversation the two of you need to have.”

“That’s fair,” Jessica nodded. “And I appreciate that you’re looking out for him. Something tells me he hasn’t had a whole lot of that in the last few years.”

A moment passed between the two of them. They came to an understanding before Meredith grinned. “Let’s get this show on the road. We’re about to show you how Kentucky girls party.”

“A lot different than California girls,” Jessica giggled as they made their way to the main room.

Jagger stood there, keys in hand. “Your chariot awaits, my ladies.”

They laughed again as they made their way outside and climbed into the truck beside Bianca. Jessica knew if anything—these new friends of hers were going to show her the kind of time she’d only before written about.

Chapter Nine