“Veronica is with you? How? This is not your business—”
“It is when she shows up this morning, bloody, pounding on the front door.” I didn’t want to consider what this girl meant to Dare.
“Red, can you take her to your place let her shower and stuff? We’ll be at least an hour before we can get there.”
“Got it.” I was about to hang up when he said, “Close the shop at least until four, I know we got evening stuff.”
“Got it,” I repeated.
This made me less than comfortable. I didn’t want to know about the club or club life, but I did what Dare said and took her upstairs. She welcomed the idea of the shower. I gave her some of my clothes before she went to the bathroom. Hers looked as if they’d seen better days. Then I went to the kitchen and baked. I loved to bake and tried to always have some kind of fresh-baked goodies around, but today I was baking to take my mind off the beaten-up girl, Dare and things I knew I’d never have answers about.
After the shower, I showed her to my bed and she gratefully crawled in and was asleep in seconds. I wondered how long she’d been awake. There were times growing up I only slept away from home, because nothing was worse than being slapped awake.
She slept while I baked brownies and cookies. I was considering a cake when someone finally knocked on my door three hours, not one, later. I opened the door and Jericho, Dare and a third guy I didn’t know walked in.
“Where is she?” Dare asked.
“Where’s your furniture?” the guy I didn’t know asked.
“She’s in my bed asleep, about two hours now, I think.”
“I’ll get her and take her to my place.” The rude guy headed right for my bedroom.
How did he know where the bedroom was?
“Thanks, Bear.”
“You know, she’ll try and find him by tomorrow at the latest.” I spoke to the room. Unfortunately, runaways had lots of experience being abused and having abused friends.
Jericho nodded. “That’s why we’re late. Her old man is gone, and I mean gone as in never coming back.”
I shivered, sure he meant they’d killed him.
Dare smacked him on the back of the head. “We sent him with friends of ours south of the border. Too much candy for him to ever turn back.”
I grunted. “We staying closed?”
Dare turned to me. “Nope. We’ll open at five.” He glanced around my place. “What smells so good?”
“Cookies and brownies I baked. You want some?”
Before the words were out of my mouth, they both headed toward my kitchen and helped themselves to the goodies on my counter.
“You’re a helluva cook,” Dare said while chewing.
Just then the third guy came through carrying Veronica. He walked out the door without a word. Now that guy scared me, Jericho creeped me out, but Dare didn’t do either. He just made me want to do wicked things with him.
It was almost like a daydream with the surreal way they’d showed up and left all in just a few minutes.
After I cleaned up my baking mess, I changed clothes again for work and headed to the shop loaded down with my baked treats, because apparently bikers had a sweet tooth. I flipped the sign and turned on the lights. Zayn and Rock showed up with bags under their eyes about fifteen minutes later. None of us were in a chatty mood today although they perked up at the chocolate and confiscated both containers of goodies, taking them to the workroom. We had three clients before Dare rushed in at five to seven. Joe, his client, sat in one of the chairs waiting. Dare gave the nod, which Joe returned. “Sorry, bro, give me ten minutes to set up and come on back.” He didn’t even glance my way as he hurried down the hall.
Why would he? He’d been doing lord knows what, probably without sleep, and I obsessed over whether he flirted with me. Of course, now he’d have crises or something occupying him, now that I’d finally decided I wanted him in my bed, like as soon as possible.
After the conversation with Rachel, I’d decided to go for it—casual sex all the way. Then when everyone canceled last night, and the girl showed up at our shop this morning, I’d rethought my idea of even that little involvement with a biker. However, seeing his boyish grin when I’d said cookies, well that did me in. A man who smiled about cookies and was sexier than sexy—there’s no way I could resist.
“Thanks for the sweets.” Zayn waved to me. “Dare sent Rock and me home, we’re beat.”
“So you’re going home to bed on a Saturday night?” I couldn’t help teasing him.
“Well, eventually.” He winked and left.
I got ahead on the paperwork since we didn’t have any appointments after Dare’s guy. I also updated my inventory charts and then I had nothing to do. This was a long appointment, and it left too much time for me to imagine what Dare would say. What if he said no? I had after all.