Lucky's Choice
Page 26
“Lucky”—Willa paused beside him—“I appreciate you keeping them from taking the children, but it’s going to be a mess to explain when we don’t—”
“Go home, Willa. We’ll talk when I get there.”
Willa nodded weakly, too tired to argue. “Okay.” Shifting Caroline’s weight, she left, relieved the children were docile and silent as she placed them in the car.
She was backing out of the parking space when her eyes were caught by Leanne’s.
“I’m sorry, Willa. Sissy made me promise not to tell anyone where she was going.”
“Promises are meant to be pledges of trust between two people. When those promises can hurt someone, it’s you who must decide if honoring it is worth the consequences.”
Leanne lowered her head. “I really didn’t think she would go through with it. She was trying to find that good-looking biker she’s seen around town.”
Willa didn’t have to ask. She remembered the girl being fascinated with the biker the night of her escapade with Jace and Cal.
“Thank God she didn’t find him.”
* * *
Viper picked the stapler up from the reception desk, throwing it at the wall.
“Dammit!” Viper snarled at Sissy.
“I kept my mouth shut. I told you I wouldn’t tell, and I didn’t.” Sissy backed away from the furious president.
Knox came out of his office. “They leave?”
“For now,” Lucky grimly answered.
“You find her hiding inside Rosey’s?”
Viper grimly nodded his head. “Jenna sneaked her in the back door.”
“Fuck.” Knox looked like he was going to follow his leader’s example and throw something.
“She’s been pissed at the club since Lucky stopped seeing her and told the brothers not to touch her.” Viper continued, “It didn’t help that King fired her when he heard she hit Willa. Nothing’s worse than a slut with a grudge.”
Sissy backed a step away at Viper’s anger. The girl certainly didn’t look her age, dressed in the short, black skirt and the tight, green top she was wearing.
“None of the other brothers recognized her?”
“The bar was too crowded with all the brothers from Ohio wanting to stop by and see Mick.”
“Shit.” Knox’s expletive was what the rest of them were all thinking. “Did any of the brothers touch her?”
“No, thank fuck. We found her hiding in the back room.”
“Jenna?”
“Lied about it at first then finally owned up to giving her a couple of beers.”
“Mick could lose his license if it gets around town.” Knox scraped his fingers along his shaved head.
“That’s not all,” Viper seethed. “Jenna decided to tell her about the clubhouse when Moon and Rider were talking about Lucky’s night.”
Lucky kept his face composed. His anger at Jenna had seethed when Sissy had confirmed she had heard about Raci, Stori, and Ember. Jenna had even told Sissy he used knives. The slut hadn’t cared that she was talking to a seventeen-year-old child.
Knox leaned against the tall counter. “Mick fire her?”
“Told her to get the fuck out of his bar and not come back. Mick trusted Jenna; she had worked for him for a long time. He even rehired her when she came begging for her old job back.”
“We’re fucked. There won’t be a person in town who doesn’t know about the club by the time Jenna and Sissy get done running their mouths.” Knox shot a dirty look at Sissy, a warning to keep her trap shut.
“No, we’re not,” Lucky finally spoke up. “None of us touched her, and Mick didn’t intentionally serve her liquor. I don’t really give a fuck about anyone finding out about me using knives. I’m not a pastor anymore. The problem is Jenna told her names of women she had seen at the club.”
Marriages could be destroyed if a few of the names were dropped. Not only that, but Winter, Lily, Diamond, Beth, and Rachel would be embarrassed publicly, and the brothers didn’t want their women hurt.
Lucky wouldn’t mince words in front of the girl. They were fortunate Knox had called with the information to find her when he did. Sissy would have sneaked out and exposed several people there who sure as fuck wouldn’t want their presence made public.
“She’s going to keep her mouth shut,” Lucky promised.
“Remember, Moon promised I could join your club when I get older,” Sissy reminded the men.
Viper stiffened. No one lived after they tried to intimidate the club, but it went against club rules to harm an innocent. Despite the girl showing she was already a hardened bitch, her age held their hands.
Knox threw Viper a surprised look. “But Moon—”
Lucky imperceptibly shook his head at the brother. He knew Viper had no intention of letting Sissy join. She would be quickly disillusioned about the fun in the club. By the time the women members were done with her, she would be too frightened to look at a man wearing leather.
“What about Jenna?” Knox asked instead of finishing what he had been about to say.
“She’s decided it’s in her best interest to leave town. I gave her a week.” Lucky had been furious with Jenna, and the woman had known him well enough to agree to leave Treepoint.
“You know what you’re doing?”
Viper’s direct question had Lucky wondering the same thing. He had reacted without thinking when he had seen the Wests take the younger girls from Willa’s arms.
“When has he ever had a fucking clue?” Shade gibed.
Lucky ignored Shade. “Go inside Knox’s office and wait for him,” Lucky directed Sissy. Her resentful behavior was the last straw. “Knock it off! Change the attitude, or the closest you’ll ever get to The Last Riders’ clubhouse is the parking lot!”
“That isn’t fair,” she protested.
“Do you want fair, or do you want to join The Last Riders? Moon promised you could try to join, but Jenna told you how the club works, that you have to get the votes to be a member. You think you’ll get any of the brothers to lay a hand on you with that attitude? Why do you think Jenna never became a member?”
Her silence spoke for itself.
“Every time you piss me off, I’ll add another year to your wait. Moon told you that you could join when you’re nineteen, but if you mess up, you’ll be old and grey before you get your ass through the door.”
Sissy’s hands clenched, but her mouth snapped shut. Turning around, she went into Knox’s office and slammed the door.
“Someone please remind me she’s a kid.” Shade’s sarcasm had the brothers eyeing him cautiously.
“We’re responsible for her behavior. It’s because of us that her mother is dead.” Lucky hated to believe the girl who had just left the room was as nasty-tempered as her deceased relatives.
“You mean me, not us. I was the one who pulled the trigger that killed her mother.” Remorse had never been Shade’s strongest personality trait.
“Go home, Willa. We’ll talk when I get there.”
Willa nodded weakly, too tired to argue. “Okay.” Shifting Caroline’s weight, she left, relieved the children were docile and silent as she placed them in the car.
She was backing out of the parking space when her eyes were caught by Leanne’s.
“I’m sorry, Willa. Sissy made me promise not to tell anyone where she was going.”
“Promises are meant to be pledges of trust between two people. When those promises can hurt someone, it’s you who must decide if honoring it is worth the consequences.”
Leanne lowered her head. “I really didn’t think she would go through with it. She was trying to find that good-looking biker she’s seen around town.”
Willa didn’t have to ask. She remembered the girl being fascinated with the biker the night of her escapade with Jace and Cal.
“Thank God she didn’t find him.”
* * *
Viper picked the stapler up from the reception desk, throwing it at the wall.
“Dammit!” Viper snarled at Sissy.
“I kept my mouth shut. I told you I wouldn’t tell, and I didn’t.” Sissy backed away from the furious president.
Knox came out of his office. “They leave?”
“For now,” Lucky grimly answered.
“You find her hiding inside Rosey’s?”
Viper grimly nodded his head. “Jenna sneaked her in the back door.”
“Fuck.” Knox looked like he was going to follow his leader’s example and throw something.
“She’s been pissed at the club since Lucky stopped seeing her and told the brothers not to touch her.” Viper continued, “It didn’t help that King fired her when he heard she hit Willa. Nothing’s worse than a slut with a grudge.”
Sissy backed a step away at Viper’s anger. The girl certainly didn’t look her age, dressed in the short, black skirt and the tight, green top she was wearing.
“None of the other brothers recognized her?”
“The bar was too crowded with all the brothers from Ohio wanting to stop by and see Mick.”
“Shit.” Knox’s expletive was what the rest of them were all thinking. “Did any of the brothers touch her?”
“No, thank fuck. We found her hiding in the back room.”
“Jenna?”
“Lied about it at first then finally owned up to giving her a couple of beers.”
“Mick could lose his license if it gets around town.” Knox scraped his fingers along his shaved head.
“That’s not all,” Viper seethed. “Jenna decided to tell her about the clubhouse when Moon and Rider were talking about Lucky’s night.”
Lucky kept his face composed. His anger at Jenna had seethed when Sissy had confirmed she had heard about Raci, Stori, and Ember. Jenna had even told Sissy he used knives. The slut hadn’t cared that she was talking to a seventeen-year-old child.
Knox leaned against the tall counter. “Mick fire her?”
“Told her to get the fuck out of his bar and not come back. Mick trusted Jenna; she had worked for him for a long time. He even rehired her when she came begging for her old job back.”
“We’re fucked. There won’t be a person in town who doesn’t know about the club by the time Jenna and Sissy get done running their mouths.” Knox shot a dirty look at Sissy, a warning to keep her trap shut.
“No, we’re not,” Lucky finally spoke up. “None of us touched her, and Mick didn’t intentionally serve her liquor. I don’t really give a fuck about anyone finding out about me using knives. I’m not a pastor anymore. The problem is Jenna told her names of women she had seen at the club.”
Marriages could be destroyed if a few of the names were dropped. Not only that, but Winter, Lily, Diamond, Beth, and Rachel would be embarrassed publicly, and the brothers didn’t want their women hurt.
Lucky wouldn’t mince words in front of the girl. They were fortunate Knox had called with the information to find her when he did. Sissy would have sneaked out and exposed several people there who sure as fuck wouldn’t want their presence made public.
“She’s going to keep her mouth shut,” Lucky promised.
“Remember, Moon promised I could join your club when I get older,” Sissy reminded the men.
Viper stiffened. No one lived after they tried to intimidate the club, but it went against club rules to harm an innocent. Despite the girl showing she was already a hardened bitch, her age held their hands.
Knox threw Viper a surprised look. “But Moon—”
Lucky imperceptibly shook his head at the brother. He knew Viper had no intention of letting Sissy join. She would be quickly disillusioned about the fun in the club. By the time the women members were done with her, she would be too frightened to look at a man wearing leather.
“What about Jenna?” Knox asked instead of finishing what he had been about to say.
“She’s decided it’s in her best interest to leave town. I gave her a week.” Lucky had been furious with Jenna, and the woman had known him well enough to agree to leave Treepoint.
“You know what you’re doing?”
Viper’s direct question had Lucky wondering the same thing. He had reacted without thinking when he had seen the Wests take the younger girls from Willa’s arms.
“When has he ever had a fucking clue?” Shade gibed.
Lucky ignored Shade. “Go inside Knox’s office and wait for him,” Lucky directed Sissy. Her resentful behavior was the last straw. “Knock it off! Change the attitude, or the closest you’ll ever get to The Last Riders’ clubhouse is the parking lot!”
“That isn’t fair,” she protested.
“Do you want fair, or do you want to join The Last Riders? Moon promised you could try to join, but Jenna told you how the club works, that you have to get the votes to be a member. You think you’ll get any of the brothers to lay a hand on you with that attitude? Why do you think Jenna never became a member?”
Her silence spoke for itself.
“Every time you piss me off, I’ll add another year to your wait. Moon told you that you could join when you’re nineteen, but if you mess up, you’ll be old and grey before you get your ass through the door.”
Sissy’s hands clenched, but her mouth snapped shut. Turning around, she went into Knox’s office and slammed the door.
“Someone please remind me she’s a kid.” Shade’s sarcasm had the brothers eyeing him cautiously.
“We’re responsible for her behavior. It’s because of us that her mother is dead.” Lucky hated to believe the girl who had just left the room was as nasty-tempered as her deceased relatives.
“You mean me, not us. I was the one who pulled the trigger that killed her mother.” Remorse had never been Shade’s strongest personality trait.
