Good Girls Do It Well (A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance) (18 page)

“What the fuck Stone? Why are these shit stains here? I thought prospects weren’t even allowed to know about this place.”

“Settle down Beast. You know we have to stretch the rules when certain situations go down. I had the pigs banging my door down last. Scared the piss out of my old lady. Womp and Bluto, too. Fuck, they took Bluto to the slammer when they ran his name and found some old warrants. They didn’t fuck with the prospects though because they have no clue who they are.”

“So you’re telling me I’m supposed to put my freedom in the hands of two lackeys who may not know their dicks from a hole in the wall? Fuck me!”

“What I’m telling you is that there are no other options. If you want to get the hell out of dodge, you’ve got to do this shit right. We have one shot at this. One! If you get caught, you’re probably going to be locked up for life or worse. What’s going to happen is you’re going to follow my orders! You guys are going to leave as soon as the sun goes down. After that, it’s up to these guys not to get caught.”

“Jesus Christ! Where are we going anyway?”

“Galveston, Texas.”

“Galveston? What the fuck Stone?” I punched the table. “How do you expect me to make it all the way to Galveston? That’s over 1,200 miles! Are you outta your mind?”

“It’s the best shot we’ve got Beast. Do you think this is what I want to do? You want to get out of the country don’t you? There are huge fucking cruise ships leaving from Galveston all the time. All you have to do is sneak on one and lay low until you’re in South America or Mexico or wherever the fuck you want to get off.”

“A cruise ship? You want me to just sneak onto a cruise ship? Like it’s just that easy? I’m fucked. I’m so fucked!” I wiped the sweat from my brow. It was pouring down my face like a hooker sitting in church.

“Like I said, it’s the only shot you have. Go get some sleep in the back room and I’ll come back before you leave.”

I didn’t even know what else to say at this point. I knew Stone was right. I know that I don’t have many options, but damn. A cruise ship? A motherfucking cruise ship! After what happened at the World Trade Center, they take their security shit seriously. They check everyone who gets on those things. I have no clue how I’m supposed to sneak onto a fucking cruise ship. I’ll worry about that shit later. Right now, I know I need to get some rest. There’s a long fucking trip ahead of me.

§

I woke to the sounds of motorcycle engines as Stone and the prospects arrived to get me out of here. I glanced at the clock and couldn’t believe how long I’d actually slept. It was a hard sleep, precisely the kind I needed to get ready for the trip.

“Okay Beast, you’re going to be in good hands with the prospects. They’re both eager to earn their bottom rockers with the club. This is their test of loyalty to the organization. Executing the plan will go a long way when it comes to being voted in. Of course, for any of that to be a consideration they have to get you there in one piece and get you there without getting your ass caught.”

I looked over at the prospects; they had disgusting, shit eating grins on their faces. They have no idea about any of this. Those pansies have no idea how hard this shit is going to be. They were standing there with all the confidence in the world and it pissed me off. They haven’t earned any of this and it makes me want to punch them both in the mouth. Regardless, they are my only way out of town and knocking their asses out wouldn’t do any good. I figure this is as good a time as any to address them.

“Prospects, we’re ready to roll. Just know that I love this club and I will be back. Anything that happens along the way will be dealt with. If there is any disrespect, there will be consequences. Even though I’m taking off, I’m still a fully patched member. Stone can correct me if I’m wrong, but I’m assuming my Sargent at Arms post will be waiting for me when I get back.”

Stone nodded in agreement.

“All I’m saying is that neither of you prospects want to be on my bad side. If we’re all ready, let’s get a move on.”

I walked up to Stone and shook his hand. There was a bit sadness in the air, but there is no fucking way I’m going to show any kind of emotion. The Coyotes have been my family for the last six years and to wonder if I’m ever going to see any of them again is starting to stress me out. I didn’t say anything. I looked at Stone and he gave me another nod. It was his way of saying everything was going to be okay. I wished I believed it.

Outside, the sun had set and the bikes were running. When I walked out the door, I strode up to the lead Harley and tapped the prospect on the shoulder.

“What’s my name, Prospect?”

“Beast,” he stuttered. “Your name is Beast.” He looked like he was going to shit his pants.

“Right, so why are you calling me a bitch?”

“What?” his eyes widened. “I didn’t call you a bitch. I didn’t say anything.”

“Fair enough. Let me ask this a different way. Do you think I’m a bitch?”

“No, not at all. I have nothing but respect for you.”

“I see. If you have all this respect for me, why in the fuck do you think I’m gonna sit in the bitch seat? Get your ass back there. I’m in charge bitch!”

§

I’m absolutely fucking amazed that we made it to Texas without getting busted. These two dickheads couldn’t have been less prepared if they tried. We got about four hours out of the desert before they realized that neither of them had any cash. Of course, they didn’t bother telling me so I could figure something out. No, these assholes thought it would be a good idea to rob a convenience store to fund the rest of our trip. How stupid can they be? Are they oblivious to the heat that’s already on me? We still had more than 9 hours left in our trip and now the pigs were going to be on the lookout for bikers who committed an armed robbery. Fortunately, we didn’t get stopped but I still wanted to punch ‘em right in the throat.

After I ditched the prospects once we arrived, everything was up to me, which is the way I like it. I had them give me the money from the robbery, leaving them just enough for gas and grub on the way home. I figured that since I was about a quarter mile from the port, I should go ahead and get some supplies before I try to board the ship. I slipped into a convenience store and put my head down, not wanting to draw any unnecessary attention to myself. I bought some food and smokes, just enough to last me a few days. As I was checking out, I got the feeling that the girl behind the register was eyeballing me. All I wanted to do was ask her what the fuck she’s looking at, but that’s just asking for trouble. With supplies in hand, there is only one thing left to worry about: figuring out how to slip past security and board the big ass cruise ship. It’s my one shot at getting out of the states and avoiding a long prison sentence. If I fuck it up and get caught, it’s over for me.

CHAPTER 2

PAIGE

Ever since I was a little girl, there were only two things I dreamed about. First was meeting my Prince Charming. I always wanted to find the perfect man who would sweep me off my feet and make me his wife. This, I later found out, would prove more difficult than I
’
d ever expect in my existence. The other thing I wanted to do was travel. There was nothing that excited me more than home and seeing a multitude of exotic locations. I was able to make the marriage thing happen. I met what I believed to be the man of my dreams. Unfortunately, my prince became not so charming shortly after we were married. Instead, he turned into a toad
—
or jackass is more like it. All the promises he made about the fun and adventures we would have were thrown to the wayside. He had plenty of money so he insisted that I quit my job so he could take care of me. I didn’t want to, but he talked me into it. That was exactly what he wanted. Once I was at home, he became exceedingly controlling—and greedy with the money, basically cutting me off from cash other than what was needed for the household. But that’s over now. It’s been over for almost a year and I was finally going to get the vacation I’ve always wanted. Before I left, I had lunch with my best friend, Brandy.

“I can’t believe I’m finally getting to go on this cruise! After all the hell that Jeremy put me through, this vacation is very much needed. Just me, six nights at sea, beautiful beaches and probably a good amount of alcohol.”

“You’re so luck Paige. I wish I could go on a cruise. Of course, with two kids and no money, that’s just a pipe dream. You’ve got it made.”

“Hey, I had to go through a lot of crap and dealt with way too much of Jeremy’s shit to make this happen. He didn’t make any of this easy. The divorce should have been easy, but he made it drag out for eight months. It took me almost a full year to be where I could even do this. It was a lot of hard work. Hell, the arguing between the lawyers alone would be enough cause for anyone to go on a vacation!”

“That’s true. If anyone deserves a break from it all, it’s you. Where is your cruise going anyway?”

“I’ll take a flight to Texas in the morning and get on the ship. From there, I’ll travel to Roatan, Honduras, Belize City, Belize, Cozumel, Mexico, and back to Galveston.”

“What does Jeremy think about you going?”

“He’s pissed. He says it’s bullshit that he gets to fund a cruise for me. I’ve told him that if he hadn’t made me quit my job, the judge wouldn’t have awarded me any alimony. I gave him two of the cars, the condo and most of what was in the bank account. All I kept was my car and the house. I was entitled to half, but I let him have what he wanted. He made out like a bandit.”

“I’m just glad you get to have some time for yourself. The way he kept you cooped up in the house all the time, I’m sure you’re more than ready to get out for a little bit. You better bring me something back.”

“You know I will. How about some real Caribbean rum?”

“That’s what I’m talking about! Medicine to deal with the kids!”

§

I’m a stickler for details. Before I left the house, I triple checked to make sure I had everything I was supposed to have. I have my driver’s license, my birth certificate, my passport, and social security card. I know that it’s overkill, but I wanted to make sure I had more than what was required so there wouldn’t be any unexpected problems. After the hour-long drive from the airport to the port, I went through my purse to fish everything out. My ticket was nowhere to be found. I don’t know if it I dropped it on the table next to the front door or if it fell out along the way. I’m sure I had it when I was getting all my paperwork together.
This is just great! First vacation I’ve had in a long time and I lose one of the most important things I need—my ticket!

I was so embarrassed when I got up to the agent and had to explain my predicament to her.

“I don’t know what happened. I could have sworn that I had my boarding information when I left the house but now it’s just gone,” my face flushed with embarrassment. I could practically feel the heat radiating from my cheeks to my forehead.

“Ma’am, you were instructed to bring all the required documentation for a reason,” the hefty woman said, obviously annoyed. “Let me see what you have. I’ll figure out if there’s anything I can do for you.”

She took the documentation that I brought with me and punched some things into her computer. After looking up at me with disdain, she walked to an older woman in the back and started speaking to her. The original agent made no secret that the conversation was about my situation as she kept pointing in my direction. After what seemed like an eternity, she returned to the counter.

“Well Miss Wheeler, it looks like it’s your lucky day. I didn’t think there was anything we could do for you but my supervisor said we can bend the rules. Since we can see that you have a booking with us, we’re going to let you board the ship.”

“Oh good, thank you so much,” relief began to wash over me as my body relaxed.

“Don’t get too excited yet Miss Wheeler. I’m able to see that you have a booking but without your information, I can’t see exactly what you booked. This is a full ship so I can’t risk putting you in a cabin that someone else reserved. We’re going to have to put you in one of our overflow cabins. It’s the best I can do. Take this over to security and they’ll get you boarded,” she looked to the left of me and yelled, “Next!”

Standing in awe, I looked at her as if she were crazy. I’d paid damn good money for what I’d reserved.
Now they want to put me in an overflow cabin?
The woman glared at me.