Tempting Trouble (Highway Reapers Motorcycle Club Book 1) (8 page)

CHAPTER EIGHT

Ella was a basket case, and she didn’t want her bad vibe to cloud over onto Tyson, because this was a life or death situation. His life or death to be specific, and that was something she didn’t want to be involved in, but she was, and there were so many emotions inside her it was making her sick to her stomach. She was feeling guilty because Tyson thought she was this sweet honest person, and that’s the way she wanted to be seen. That’s what she wanted to be about, but she didn’t know what would happen when he found out how she was involved with the people who were trying to find him. He probably wouldn’t believe that she’d had no idea whose cock was sinking into her that first night, and she could see how that would be hard to swallow.

He was leading them back to the seats they vacated before she’d just had to taste his cock. She wanted to make pleasant memories with him so that maybe when this fiasco was complete, he’d give her a chance to explain herself. To talk about it now was pointless because she knew he had to be going through some things himself. She hoped that he was happy that he had someone by his side, because there was nowhere else she wanted to be at this moment.

“It’s almost time,” he said, and she wished she could reply because it felt like her heart was in her throat so she just nodded and gave what she hoped was a pleasant smile. Inside she felt brittle and hollow because she couldn’t believe that she’d let herself get back to this again. The lying, the betrayal, and all the other shit was unnecessary and ugly. When she was in prison, she’d sworn she was going to walk the straight and narrow… that meant none of this bullshit.

The time was moving fast and going slow at the same time, and Ella tried to think of possibilities that would get everything to be the way it was supposed to be—Tyson safe from harm and debt free, and her with money in her hands, but it just didn’t seem likely. She looked over at him, and his eyes were trained on her face. He was good at reading people, but he didn’t know her well enough to figure out that she was all messed up right now. Oh he knew she was having a problem, and she knew he thought it was about all this drama that he was going through, and he was right, but it was her involvement in his downfall that was fucking her up completely.

He grabbed her hand. “The race is getting ready to start.”

She watched all the horses line up in all of their gear while she hoped and prayed harder than she ever had in her life. “Which one is ours?”

He quickly turned his head toward her and studied her face like he was surprised she’d claimed the horse as their wager instead of just his. “It’s the one in green, and her name is Speedy.”

“Well let’s hope she lives up to her name.”

The gun was fired, and the horses took off in a scramble. She could see the horses were all in a dead heat until they hit the first curve. Then Speedy took off in the lead, and Ella could barely contain herself as she jumped out of her seat and clutched her fingers into tight balls just hoping that this would actually work. Coming into the home stretch the wide strides of Speedy somehow got tangled up in something, and she fell down in a spectacularly horrid fashion. The rest of the horses quickly sped by her as she and the jockey lay on the ground.

That was it. The race was over, and it hadn’t gone the way that either of them had wanted. She had no words for this, and she didn’t know what to do next. The death warrant was in her hands, but maybe if she could get him to get out of town before anything irreversible could happen, it would buy him a little time. They may be upset but he’d be alive and at that point that’s all that mattered.

“How about you get out of town for a while? Maybe go to the east coast and work on your craft?”

He looked dejected but not defeated, and she knew that he probably thought he could work on a few more of his plans here. Little did he know they were coming for him tonight, and if she didn’t get him out of here they were probably both doomed.

“I’m not leaving Ella. The Reapers won’t catch me for a while, and I’m sure I can have their money by then. Plus we just met, and I plan on being around long enough for you to get tired of me.” The smile didn’t reach his eyes, and she knew he was trying to keep the despair from touching her but that was going to be impossible.

“Let’s go home and think about what to do next,” she said as they stood up and walked among the rest of the losers trying to get out of the place that had sucked all but their life’s blood from them.

“Sure,” he said looking at her with a gentle fondness in his eyes that she didn’t deserve, “let’s go home.”

They held hands on the way out, and she felt like such a fraud. The feeling was starting to overwhelm her, and she felt trapped. Not by Tyson, but by her whole life. From the family who gave no shits about her when she left at 15 years old to the like-minded kids who had helped her survive on the street until she’d found an old shack of an apartment that was given to her by an elderly grandmother type who just wanted to see her off the street. She had always been a taker, but now something had changed and she just wanted to be the good person most people thought she was on sight.

“Tyson?”

“If this is about what’s been bothering you today, why don’t we just let it go until tomorrow? It’s been a rough day, and we both could use a meal and a bit of rest.” His indulgent smile was almost her undoing, but the buzzing in her pocket told her that she’d gotten a text, and she feared that her time was running out.

Pulling out the cell phone with limited minutes and even more limited texts, she touched the screen to find out what Bruce had to say now. There wasn’t anyone else who’d texted her but him since she was fresh from the joint and not many people had her phone number.

Time is up. I placed a tracker in your jacket just in case you got lucky and didn’t tell me, but we’re on our way over to the apartment where you’re staying. A little birdy told me you may have gotten lucky. Bruce

She had to tell Tyson what was going on because he was leading them back to the house and was going to walk into a trap.

“Let’s sit down on this bench.” Ella had to get this out because she knew one thing: this wouldn’t be something she could explain after the fact. It was either now or never. She was happy that she didn’t bring the little jacket that she’d unknowingly been wearing as a tracking device, but it was right inside Tyson’s apartment, and Bruce and whoever else knew right where to go.

He looked tired and worn out, but it appeared he was going to oblige her request to sit down outside in the park. Leading them to a seat that wasn’t visible from the street, he turned toward her and she loved how he gave her his full attention. It made her feel like he thought what she had to say mattered.

“There are some things that I didn’t tell you, and I have to come clean today.” She was happy that it was coming out better than the jumbled mess it felt like inside.

“Sure, Ella. What is it?”

She took a few deep breaths and wasn’t sure she wanted this to come out of her mouth. This could be the end of something she truly thought was special. Maybe she could just get him to run away with her, and they could figure the rest out on the way.

“Let’s just leave the area… right now.” She knew he was going to have to have a comeback to that, but a deep belly laugh wasn’t what she was expecting.

“Honey. I get that you are afraid for me, but I’ll be fine. They don’t know where I am, and there is no way they can get to me until I show myself to them.”

“This area isn’t the most secure. What if someone has spotted you and followed you to your home? What if they are waiting for you when you get back?”

“That’s a lot of what if’s and if that happened, I’d have to take my chances. It’s not going to happen. I have a grid that’s pretty impenetrable. I’m good, honestly.”

“This is going to come as a surprise to you but do you remember when I told you I was in prison?”

“Yes. How could I forget that?”

“It was because I was buying coke from a dealer on Main Street but we got busted by the cops. The guy planted the rest of the drugs that he had on me, and I got charged with a felony drug conviction of possession with the intent to sell.”

He didn’t say anything; he just nodded, watched her, and listened to her tell her story, never rushing her or acting like he didn’t have the time to hear it.

“The group that was responsible was the Highway Reapers.” She looked at him to see if anything was getting through, and the slightly widened eyes and soft nose flare told her he was getting a glimpse of the writing on the wall. He let go of her hand and sat back away from her just a little bit. For some reason that hurt, but she could understand it.

“Go on,” he said, but this wasn’t the helpful voice of her lover; he sounded more like the battle lines had been drawn, and she was on the wrong side of them.

“A little more than 48 hours ago a friend of mine had asked me to go to lunch, and I was leery. I had already been in jail for something I didn’t do, but I couldn’t find a job, and I thought I could listen to his speech and maybe get a free meal out of it.”

He was watching her so intently she could imagine what he looked like when he was the one that was judge and jury for the poor suckers that had defaulted on their loan from The Reapers. She watched him closely to see if there was any of the fun loving guy who’d just been there a minute ago.

“I’m not going to ‘What’s next’ you all through this tale. If you want to tell me what happened, then fine, if not I think this is the end of the road for us.” There was no give in that voice, and she knew that she’d probably do well not to even tell him what was going on, because he wasn’t going to care.

“This is hard, Tyson, for a lot of reasons. The first one is I didn’t even know who you were when I sat next to you. When they told me I had to find a guy for them, they gave me a general description and a few places where you might be.”

“What was the name of this friend of yours?”

“Bruce.”

“You’re telling me you’re the person they used to bring me in?” He stood up and paced around a bit and she was at a loss of what to say.

“Yes, but—” She wanted to tell him the rest, but it didn’t look like she was going to get a chance to get that all out.

He stopped and turned to her. “How much did they give you to do this? The Reapers are getting very crafty getting women to become hookers to reel the bastards in.”

“Tyson, I wasn’t paid to sleep with you. Like I said, I didn’t know who you were when we met. You said your name was Sonny.”

The smile he gave her wasn’t filled with joy, and it wasn’t pretty; it was a look of disgust that she doubted she’d ever forget.

“I know this is hard to believe, but when I found out you were the person I’d been hired to find, I did everything I could to work and plan for you to get the money. It was dishonest of me to keep that very large tidbit away from you, but I didn’t have a choice, and I’d hoped you’d get the money, and it would all be over.”

“How much did they promise you, and how much did they give you as front money?”

“What?”

“That’s what that call was about this morning, wasn’t it? They gave you some money, and if you don’t turn me in, you are going to be next on their list.”

“That’s exactly what was said.”

“Why did you tell me now? You are fresh out of prison with no money to your name; I’m sure the drop is going to be soon. Why tell me at all?”

“I didn’t think it would come to this. I thought we’d get out of this.”

“You don’t need to play games anymore, Ella. Honesty is good for the soul, and you should be feeling pretty light.” He walked over to her, and she didn’t know what he was going to do, but he didn’t look all touchy feely like they’d been before she opened her mouth. He put his hand softly under her chin and gripped her cheeks with his thumb on one side and his fingers on the other. “I thought you were so honest and truthful, you did well; you played one of the best.”

He dropped his hand and started to walk away, but she followed him.