Derek_A Gritty Bad Boy MC Romance Page 5

  The brunette, who now had a name, Evelyn, shook her head at her friend. “Leave it, Penny. It’s all right.”

  The Hand nodded approvingly. “Someone with smarts. How sexy.”

  Evelyn bit down on her bottom lip and closed her eyes.

  Fuck him for taunting her. Fuck him for thinking he had any right to use innocent women as a shield against us. I moved up beside Sabian. “You’re a coward, you know that? A fucking coward.”

  The Hand shrugged. “If you say so. I’m just proactive regarding my self-preservation. I will do whatever it takes to stay alive. Maybe if your buddy had the same will, you wouldn’t have had to bury him.”

  White hot lances of fury shot through my veins. I heard my brothers shift uncomfortably behind me as my hands balled into fists at my sides. “Shut the fuck up.”

  The Hand rested his chin in the groove of Evelyn’s shoulder. “What are you going to do about it, tough guy? You willing to sacrifice her to get to me? Huh? You gonna waste a pretty thing like this on me? On revenge?”

  I forced myself to relax. I loosened my hands and fought down the tension in my shoulders. “No.”

  “Good,” The Hand mused. Then, he moved his back off the wall and started creeping backward to the mouth of the alley. He didn’t loosen his grip on the girl. He pulled her back with him, and she stumbled more than once in her high shoes. He shook her roughly, and she whimpered. “Don’t try any shit with me, girl.”

  The blond girl was getting to her feet. Her knees were bloody from when she’d fallen, and her palms were scraped up. But she was fierce as hell. She yelled her friend’s name and moved to go after him again. I caught her wrist and yanked her back. She screamed at me and drove her fist into my chest.

  It didn’t hurt.

  But she kept pounding desperately, so I caught both of her hands and looked her in the eye. “Enough. He’ll let her go. We have to trust that he’ll let her go.”

  The girl’s eyes were swimming with tears, but she nodded once and looked down the alley to her friend, who was inching slowly backward with The Hand. He was whispering in her ear again.

  They arrived at the mouth of the alley. The Hand stared us down. “I’ll see you boys again, I’m sure. Especially you, Moretti.”

  Then, he threw Evelyn down on the pavement and spun to run around the corner. Sabian took off at a dead sprint after him. The others followed, blowing by me in a rush of wind. All except Caleb, who stayed behind with me as I rushed to Evelyn.

  She was on her hands and knees on the pavement. She wasn’t crying like I thought she would be, but she was breathing quickly. I reached out tentatively to touch her shoulders and push her upright.

  Her brilliant green eyes locked with mine, and for a moment, I forgot about everything that had just happened. I saw a lot in those green eyes: courage, anger, fear, intelligence. She blinked at me and broke the spell.

  “Are you all right?” I asked.

  Then the blonde was there, her words coming out in a jumbled rush. She sobbed loudly and reached out to Evelyn, who was still in shock. She shook her shoulders and tried to pull her up.

  “Slow down,” I said, pushing the blonde’s hands down. What had Evelyn called her? Penny? “Penny, she needs a minute. So do you. Take some deep breaths, both of you. With me. All right?” Both of them stared blankly at me as I guided them through some deep breathing. They followed along, and soon the panic in their eyes was being replaced with exhaustion.

  That was a good sign. They were coming down from the fear.

  “Evelyn, are you all right?” I asked again.

  She had looked up sharply when I spoke her name. She ran her hands up and down her bare thighs anxiously. “I think so. He didn’t hurt me.”

  Penny threw her arms around Evelyn’s shoulders. The two girls stayed on their knees holding each other as I got to my feet and faced Caleb.

  Caleb was frowning. “This is bad, man. Real bad.”

  “I know.”

  “If they don’t catch up with him—”

  “I know,” I said again a little more harshly. We’d revealed our hand and lost the element of surprise. Any chance we had of catching the big bald bastard by surprise was spoiled. He knew we were coming for him, and he knew we meant business. If he got away, he would have time to prepare himself or worse, strike back. And we all knew the damage he was capable of inflicting. “Fuck,” I spat.

  “What do we do?” Caleb asked.

  I had no fucking clue. Ryder was off chasing the psychopath down. He was the one who would keep a level head in a situation like this and give orders, not me. All I wanted to do was go back inside and pound back shot after shot until I forgot how badly our plans had been ruined. But that wasn’t the answer.

  I looked down at the girls. “I’ll get them out of here.”

  Caleb nodded. “I’ll go inside and keep an eye out for his boys. Maybe he’ll come back. I doubt it, but you never know.”

  “Be careful,” I warned.

  Caleb smiled sheepishly as he made for the emergency door. “I can take care of myself.”

  I wanted to say, “That’s probably what Hyde thought” but thought better of it. Saying something like that would only make matters worse, and they were already pretty bad.

  Caleb disappeared inside, and I turned back to the two girls, Penny and Evelyn. “Do you two want to go home?”

  They both nodded, but I could see that they were afraid of me. I didn’t blame them. The whole shit show from their perspective would have made us all look like villains. And maybe we were.

  “Come on,” I said, tipping my head to the mouth of the alley. “I’ll drive you both home, and then you’ll never have to lay eyes on any of us ugly fuckers again.”

  Penny shook her head. “We can call a cab.”

  “All right,” I said. “Let me wait with you then.” I extended my hand to help them up. Penny stood on her own, but Evelyn accepted my help. She was unsteady on her feet and swayed on the spot. I grabbed her by the elbow to steady her, and she stumbled into my chest. I supported her until she was fine to stand on her own.

  She looked up at me with pink cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be. You just went through a lot. I’m the one who’s sorry.”

  Her brow furrowed. She looked like she was deep in thought. Then she glanced at her friend. “I think I’d like him to take us home, Penny.”

  “Are you mental?” Penny whispered redundantly. I could hear her perfectly fine.

  Evelyn shook her head. “No. He helped us. Come on. I just want to go home, and we’ll have to wait for a cab. I need to sleep.”

  Penny shot me a dark, overprotective look, the kind of look a worried best friend gives to an enemy. I respected her for that. “Fine,” she said. Then she pointed a finger at me. “But if you try any shit—”

  I held up my hands. “No shit. I just want to make sure you get home safe.”

  She narrowed her eyes but nodded, and then the three of us walked down the alley and took a right to get to my truck parked at the curb two blocks away.

  Chapter 8

  Evelyn

  The truck was big and black and mean, and it smelled like pine air fresheners inside. It was brand new with leather interior and not the sort of vehicle I’d been expecting the big guy with the beard to be driving. Penny and I climbed up into the back seat and buckled ourselves in as he slid into the driver’s seat and slammed his door closed. He started the truck up and glanced back at us. “You two cold? I can turn the heat on.”

  Penny and I both shook our heads and remained mute.

  He gave us what I think he thought was a reassuring smile, but it was more than a little unnerving. He didn’t seem like the sort who smiled often, and it looked unnatural on his face.

  When he put the truck in drive, his phone started ringing. He groaned and fished it out of his pocket. “I have to get this. Just give me a minute.” He answered the call, and I could hear the tinny voice of a man through
the speaker. He was talking fast.

  I looked in the rearview mirror. I could see the man’s furrowed brow and angry brown eyes. When the voice fell silent on the other end, he started talking. “We couldn’t have foreseen it going down this way. What the hell were we supposed to do?”

  The voice went off again.

  “Listen. I can’t talk right now. They’re in my truck.” A moment of quiet as he listened to the other person again. “No. I know. But I have to make sure they get home okay. I’ll meet you at your place after. Just give me half an hour.”

  He hung up the phone and tossed it into the passenger seat. Then, he pulled away from the curb and asked where we were driving to.

  Penny gave him her address reluctantly. He said he knew the area.

  We all sat in awkward silence as he drove. I continuously glanced up to look at his eyes in the rearview mirror. I was painfully aware of the horrifying fact that I was attracted to him. Very attracted to him. He was sexy as hell with his thick brown beard and mane of even thicker dark hair. His shoulders were broad, his arms were thick, and the way he’d held me up in the alley was … intoxicating. I could still smell him. And feel the taut muscle of his chest beneath my hands.

  I had to get my shit together. He was exactly the sort of man any girl with a brain should steer clear from. He was bad news all over. And dangerous. Not the typical dangerous “vibe” some guys gave off as part of their persona but real danger. I was pretty sure he’d been out in that alley to kill the man who had grabbed hold of me.

  In fact, I was positive he and his friends were there to kill him. And I’d foiled their plans.

  I made eye contact with him in his mirror and looked away out through my window. I willed him not to say anything. And he didn’t for a couple more minutes. When he did finally speak, his voice was warm and reassuring. “The two of you handled yourselves well out there.”

  Penny shifted uncomfortably beside me. I didn’t feel uncomfortable at all. I forced myself to meet his eyes in the mirror again. Good lord, that stare of his was incredible. It was like he was looking right into my soul, like he was laying me bare and analyzing all the dark crevices of my mind. “I thought Penny was the most frightening one out there.”

  Penny nudged my foot with hers. “Hey. Now is not the time for jokes.”

  But our driver was chuckling, and he was the one I was hoping to make laugh. The sound was like melted butter and steam. Warm and smooth. There was something seriously wrong with me. He took a right turn and said, “Your friend is right. There’s nothing funny about what happened, and I’m sorry you were both caught in the thick of it. That was not supposed to happen.”

  I wanted to ask him what was supposed to happen but thought better of it. I didn’t know him, and just being attracted to someone wasn’t enough reason to start prying.

  We pulled up in front of Penny’s apartment. When she reached to open the door, he twisted around in the driver’s seat to face us. “I know you probably won’t take me up on this because you hate my guts, but if either of you ever needs help, you can call me.” He handed me a card with his number scrawled on the back. “My name is Derek. And I mean it. If you need anything, just call that number, and I’ll come running.”

  “I bet you would,” Penny seethed.

  “I’m sorry about my friend,” I said as Penny hopped out of the truck and waited for me on the sidewalk with her arms crossed. “I think she’s just freaked out. She’s usually not this rude.”

  “She’s not rude,” he said.

  “Oh, she’s rude as hell.” I smiled.

  Derek gave me a long look. “She’s a good friend. She’s protecting you. As she should.” He looked like he wanted to say more. There was something on the tip of his tongue, but he let it go. “But really. Call me. For anything.”

  I opened my door. “I will. Thank you, Derek.”

  Derek rolled down his window as I walked around the hood of his truck. “Yo, Penny. Make sure the two of you drink a lot of water and have something to eat. You’ll feel better.”

  Penny scowled at him. “We’re perfectly capable of taking care of ourselves. You can go now.”

  Derek flashed me a white smile before driving away, and I knew as his taillights faded around the corner that I’d be seeing that smile in my dreams for weeks. Maybe longer.

  After slipping inside Penny’s apartment, we both showered and dressed in our coziest clothes. I opted for a pair of sweatpants and a loose pullover while Penny got cozy in her pink plush robe and slippers. Then, she made tea, and I whipped us up a couple sandwiches. We took our plates and our mugs out to the living room and cuddled under blankets while we ate. We barely said a word the entire time.

  When Penny was done eating, she pulled her knees to her chest and sipped her tea. “Should we call the cops and tell them what happened?”

  I’d already had this thought. “I don’t think I want to.”

  “What? Why?”

  I shrugged. My explanation wasn’t going to help convince her. “I think there was something bigger going on than what we were a part of. Getting involved would be a bad idea.”

  “Getting involved? We already got involved! That asshole held you at knifepoint, and those six meatheads just let it happen. Do you seriously not want to do anything about it?”

  I swallowed my last bite of sandwich. “I think something is already being done about it. Just not by the law. I can’t explain it properly, but I just know we should leave it alone. Trust me on this?”

  Penny groaned into her mug. “Fine.”

  “Thanks, Penny. I’m sorry.”

  She sighed. “No. I’m sorry. I should never have forced you to go out with me tonight. Look what happened. You almost got …” she trailed off and shook her head, unable to say it. “Never mind. You know what I mean. I just never thought it could have gone so wrong so fast, you know?”

  “It was fun while it lasted. Honestly. I had a good time.”

  Penny shook her head at me. “How can you say that after what happened?”

  I shrugged.

  “What the fuck, Evie? I nearly shit myself out there, and you-you held it together like it wasn’t the first time a big scary man had threatened to kill you. I thought things were going to end really badly. I thought I was going to have to call your parents and tell them you were dead, for fuck’s sake.”

  “I get it, Penny. I’m sorry, but I’m all right. See?” I put my hands on my chest. “I’m right here. And so are you. And we’re both fine. And I was scared, too, for the record.”

  Penny extracted herself from the couch one long leg at a time. “I’m going to make more tea. Do you want some?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  I sat on the couch and waited as she puttered in the kitchen. Try as I might, I couldn’t think of anything else besides Derek and that crippling smile of his. And, of course, the way his big, strong hands had effortlessly guided me to my feet, and how he had held me up, and how he had taken the time to make sure we got home safely. And his eyes. And his body—

  “Evie?”

  I glanced up at Penny who was extending a mug of steaming tea to me. “Oh. Sorry. I was lost in thought.”

  “About what?” she asked as she sat back down.

  I bit my bottom lip. Should I tell her? Would she think I was crazy? Probably. Would she judge me? Probably not. Penny had a good way of speaking her mind but never making me feel like she thought I was less than. I took a deep breath. “I’m thinking about him.”

  Penny burned her tongue on her tea and swore into the mug. Then, she looked incredulously up at me and shook her head sternly. “You need to nip those thoughts in the bud right now, girl. They’ll be your undoing. He’s not just a bad boy. He’s a grown ass dangerous man who will eat you for breakfast.”

  “I never said I wanted to date him.” I scowled.

  “I know. But I also know where these thoughts lead. Curiosity killed the cat, Evie.”

  I rolled my eyes. �
�I can’t help that I think he’s hot.”

  “They were all hot!” Penny said a little loudly. “Each and every one of them was fine as hell, but you don’t see me fawning all over them. They’re criminals, Evie. Hardened criminals. They were going to off that bald guy in the alley, for crying out loud!”

  I scowled at her. “Like I said, I didn’t say I wanted to date him. All I said was I’m attracted to him, and I can’t control that.”

  She sighed. “I’m sorry I freaked out. I’m just stressed.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “I mean it, though. Stay away from him. Throw his number out. Don’t leave it around to tempt you. He’s nothing but bad news, and you’re too smart not to know that.”

  I stared down into my tea. She was right. Again. Like always.

  Derek spelled nothing but danger and drama. He was everything I should be avoiding in my life right now. But he was everything I wanted. A little bit of risk. A little bit of something different.

  I knew why I was drawn to him. There was something in his eyes that screamed freedom. He was owned by no one. He owed this world nothing, and he did as he pleased. I craved that. I longed to be free in my own way. To not be pinned down by a boss whose pockets I filled, to not be exiled from my family because of my decision to quit law school, to not be bound to my best friend’s couch because I was dirt poor and had nowhere else to go.

  He was everything I wanted and also everything I should run from.

  But I’d told myself when I quit law school that I wasn’t going to run anymore.

  Chapter 9

  Derek

  The mood around the table on Ryder’s back deck was a lot more somber than it had been the night before when we were preparing to go after The Hand at Kadia. Now, after our failure, we were all brooding and angry.

  We were also worried and frightened, but none of us had the stones to admit it.

  The men surrounding me all had women to protect. Some had children. Caleb and I were the only ones without someone, but this wasn’t about him. Me not having someone made things easier in a normal situation, and even I was having a hard time processing the shit storm we’d just created.