It seemed silly to ask Jessica if she was okay, obviously she wasn't, but Bianca couldn't stop herself. "Wanna tell me what went on back there?" The tone she used was one that most people used with hurt animals or small children. Bianca was worried that it wouldn't take much more to scare Jessica off for good.Jessica inhaled deeply, wondering what exactly she wanted to tell the other woman. Granted, they had become friends, better friends than she'd probably ever had in Hollywood, but it wasn't easy for her to let others in. It came from years of keeping things to herself, of not ever letting anyone get too close. It was something she figured she would struggle with for the rest of her life—opening up to others and knowing exactly when they were really her friend. "I don't know, it's stupid," she sighed, running her hand through her hair. It was a nervous gesture, one that many people had tried to make her get rid of."No, it's not. Anything that upsets you isn't stupid. And trust
The side of town that Heaven Hill was heading to was one that was unfamiliar to Layne. Sure, he had driven his bike through the Olde Stone area, but it was a gated community. He had never been able to time it just right so that he could get inside. He watched as Rooster pulled up to the keypad and punched in a set of numbers. The gates opened easily, and he motioned for them to follow him inside. Rooster—there were something that struck him as odd about there being a lawman on this bust. He wondered just what side of the law Rooster had decided to play. Since the incident at the school with Bianca, Rooster had been hanging around more and more at the clubhouse, and he had a feeling that Liam was trying to figure out just what in the fuck Rooster wanted to do too. It seemed as if he was at a transition point in his life.The houses were huge as they drove down roads that were laid out in what would have been a maze if they hadn't been following someone. He wasn't sure if he could get
Get himself together? Who the fuck was he kidding? They had come here to figure out just how in the hell someone knew that Jessica was in town. Layne allowed himself five minutes. Five long minutes of pacing, muttering, breathing heavily, playing with his cell phone, and then running his fingers through his hair. Five minutes was all he could make himself stay outside when he knew that the rest of his brothers were questioning someone—who might hold the key as to why Jessica had been targeted.Squaring his shoulders, he went back in."I want to know what you know and why this guy was slinking around your house, trying to take my boys out," Liam was saying as he stood over two men.They must have found their contact, and it was easy to figure out which one was the one he'd almost completely decimated. Blood still poured from the guy's nose, and one eye was swollen shut. He kept quiet as he took a post at the back of the room in between Jagger and Steele."He hasn't talked yet
The next morning, Layne woke up with a mission. He quietly let himself out of his dorm and successfully walked himself out of the clubhouse without a lot of people seeing him. Late last night, he had texted Doc Jones and let her know that he needed to talk to her. That it was important. She had immediately texted him back and told him that she could see him first thing in the morning. That had been all he needed to hear. He knew that he needed to see the Doc before he even saw Jessica again, he needed to get his head wrapped around all the fucked up shit that was going on inside it.The ride to the old farmhouse was relaxing. He really did love the ride and the scenery that lead out to the office she used. It calmed him down; just liked he had hoped it would. Before long, he was pulling onto the gravel drive. Before he had even fully parked and gotten off the bike, the front door to the house was open, and the Doc stood on the front porch."Mornin', Layne," she called out, a cup of
"Sorry, didn't mean to get so emotional," he told her, wiping his cheeks up too."Me neither, I really thought the two of us were just going to have a conversation," she laughed."That was a conversation I think I needed," he admitted.Doc Jones glanced at the room where she did most of her listening. "Do you want to take it in there, or do you want to sit out there? Either one is fine with me, wherever you feel most comfortable. I think we may have made a breakthrough with you."He did too, but he was scared to say anything. Sometimes giving voice to your fears or your successes made them go away, in his mind. Layne only nodded slightly. "I think I might like to sit out there.""Then that's what we'll do.""You mind if I get some more orange juice?""Help yourself," she told him, watching closely as he got up from the chair. It wasn't very often that she could see a weakness in this man, but when he got up, he favored one leg. She remembered reading in the files she had
Was it too much to ask for a sinkhole to open up right where they sat? Maybe a tornado to come whooshing by and take that notebook right out of Layne's hands. Jessica was pretty sure that no one had ever died of utter humiliation and embarrassment, but she was looking to take that title. It felt like hours as she heard Layne flip through the pages of the notebook. At several parts, she heard him clear his throat lowly. The sound very deep and masculine. She wanted to open her eyes and see if her words affected him, but there was another part of her that was flat scared to death. After what felt like a good ten years, she heard him set the notebook down. "Wow," he breathed.Her eyes slowly opened. It took a moment for them to adjust to the bright light of the hot summer day. The sun in Kentucky was even brighter, more potent, than the sun in California. They stared at each other for long seconds."So." He pursed his lips, a grin tilting up the left side of his mouth. "You writ
"Have you found out anything about this Jackson Wright?"Steele looked up from his computer at the sound of Tyler's voice. He rolled his head around on his neck to loosen up some of the tight muscles there. "A little.""Do share." Tyler had a seat next to him and turned to face the other man, giving him his full attention.Turning his laptop so that Tyler could see it, Steele took the sucker he absent-mindedly sucked on out of his mouth and set it on the wrapper beside him. "He's Jessica's ex-boyfriend.""Really? So was this revenge?""I'm thinking so. I've gone through his financials with a fine-tooth comb…he needs money in a big way. I can't prove it, but I know that asshole stole those pictures and the writings from her house.""What does he have to do with the Vojnik though?"Steele rolled his chair over to the side and grabbed some papers off the printer. "I don't think it's him, I think it's her—indirectly."Tyler sat up straighter, his eyebrows coming together. "
"Where are we going?" Jessica asked Layne as the two of them sped along the road towards Bowling Green. She had become very familiar with this road, with its twists and turns and hills, but there was no one she felt safer to ride with on it than him."Someplace where we can be alone."That made her heart speed up. The only other place the two of them had always been alone had been a hotel room. Something inside of her knew that Bowling Green, Kentucky probably did not have hotel rooms that you could rent for the hour. Well, unless they were attached to Wet Wanda's, so she hoped he meant somewhere a little nicer."You got quiet. Is that okay?" he asked, reaching over and taking her hand in his."It is," she nodded, glancing back out at the scenery as it passed. He was content to let her sit quietly beside him as he drove them through the back roads that would take them to Bowling Green. He wondered what she was thinking, but something told him that maybe he didn't want to kno