"I gotta get this," Liam apologized. He hated that the club was interrupting this moment, but this was his life. Her life now, if she would have it. It was a wakeup call that she would have to face sooner rather than later.She understood, so she nodded, but damn did she resent that phone. Rolling over, she pulled the covers tightly around her body and listened. He hung up and turned so that he spooned her from behind, nuzzling his lips in the crook of her neck."We gotta go," his voice was still deep and slow with the relaxation of their previous activities."We?" she asked, closing her eyes. Denise wanted to soak up whatever time she had to enjoy this. It had been so long since she allowed herself to enjoy the closeness of another human being, and she didn't want it to end."Meredith is awake and she's not being very forthcoming with the information that we need. Dad seems to think that you may be able to talk to her."Allowing herself a moment, she snuggled up to him, shiv
"Rooster, you got nothin' on me," William appealed to the young man he'd known since birth. "What you have is a bunch of circumstantial bullshit.""Pretty good bullshit though, even you gotta admit that. We have Tyler Blackfoot at Meredith's house hours before the newscast. What she said implicated your club in the death of a prominent citizen."Grinning, William interrupted, "We are Harley enthusiasts.""You wanna talk about some bullshit? That's the biggest load I've heard in a while. You're fingerprints are all over this, William.""Then show me. Where are they? What can you pin on me? Because if you can't, then cut my ass loose."Rooster got up from his chair and walked over to the door. "You know what? I think we might have some more questions for you. I can legally hold you for twenty-four hours, and I think that's what I'm going to do. Maybe I can even dig up an old warrant.""Fuck you, Rooster.""My name is Officer Hancock, don't forget it."William smirked. "Do
The smell of hairspray caused Denise to cough as she finished her hair. She was trying desperately to make it look how the hairstylist had made it look. Taking her hands to it, she artfully mussed it, smiling at the end result. She had never been good at hair or cosmetics, but tonight she wanted to be. Unlike most nights, she had also taken great care with her makeup, hoping that Liam took notice.Walking over to the bed, she glanced at the outfit she'd laid out for herself. Sparkles had convinced her she was wearing clothes two sizes too big, and she had to admit Sparkles had been right. Smoothing her hands down the shirt she wore, she blew out a nervous breath."What the hell, Denise. You only live once right?" she whispered to herself. This was the time to make the changes she had wanted to make for years. Liam was giving her that option, and she knew that she'd be crazy not to take this opportunity and run with it.* * *Liam sat on the couch in his living room, twiddling h
"So I talked to Mom last night. To see what she had to say about Richard."Liam groaned. He really didn't want to talk about club business, especially not after the amazing night he'd had with his lady. However, he knew this was important. There had to be a reason that Richard was looking into framing the club, and he needed to know why."Do tell.""According to her, there was a power struggle at one point between him and Dad. During that power struggle, Mom says that she and Richard got close. What she meant by that, I don't know. She wouldn't go any deeper into it than that. She did tell me that Richard wanted to break off into his own charter, and Dad wouldn't approve it. They had a protection run for Jeffrey Norris. Apparently he was skimming off the top of the books for the city and buying black market electronics. He would in turn sell them on the street for a straight profit. That money then came back into the drug trade. Mom thinks that Jeffrey and Richard had a back-end
Denise sighed deeply; it had been a very long day. She and Mandy had decided to completely clean the house they had been calling home, and her body was screaming. It was obvious to her she needed to start a workout program once her body allowed her to actually bend her arms after this. Of course Mandy hadn't felt anything, she'd run off with Andrew as soon as the sun had gone down. They had started having bonfires at night with other club kids and some of the younger club members. It had bothered her at first, but now she realized just how much she enjoyed her peaceful nights. She also loved that her kids had met others who lived this life and who understood it. The development of her kids was the most important thing to her, and in the past few days she realized just how much of a home they had made here. Their independence gave her independence, and that was a great gift that she had not counted on when she started this."Oh shower, how I love you," she moaned, letting the hot wate
"As alone as we can be with a clubhouse full of people around," she quipped."I wish we were completely alone. Just you, me, and the kids. I don't want all this other stuff, I don't need it right now. It stresses me out," he admitted. His eyes were jumpy and darted back and forth between her and the door.Understanding dawned on her when she realized this was his coping mechanism. He wanted to bury himself in her life to escape from his. Not deal with his Mom or any of the drama that whole situation brought. She had to get his mind on something else. Sex would never be the answer to any of their problems. "Besides, before we get some alone time I need to check on my kids, and I want to check on Meredith."He groaned, knowing that she was right. They each had responsibilities, and it wouldn't do to throw them to the wayside. After seeing his mother, he felt vulnerable. He hadn't been prepared to see her that soon, hadn't expected the anger that came so quickly. In retrospect he sh
Meredith closed her eyes as the doctor performed a rape kit on her. She tried to transport herself to a time where she felt safe and secure. She realized it'd been a long time since she had felt that way for any long stretch, but it surprised her to realize she'd felt that way with Tyler every time they had been around one another.The doctor raised her head from between Meredith's spread thighs and snapped her gloves off. Straightening up, she grabbed a digital camera. "I'm done, Meredith. Now let me get some pictures of your injuries."It was obvious she was trying to be careful with her patient, but Meredith still felt as if she were on display. She tried not to wonder where this woman had gotten her MD, and it bothered her a bit that Tyler had greeted the woman with a hug. He didn't greet people with hugs, and it had struck her as odd. The look that had passed between him and Ashley, the doctor, had made her inexplicably jealous. It spoke of nights spent together and secret lia
Richard Joyce knew he had to do something. Bookies were this close to putting out hits on him, but one in particular was willing to deal. He wanted a piece of property located on Highway 185 that belonged to the club. If he could get his hands on that land, he knew he would be able to wipe his slate clean and perhaps live another year. A plan had developed in his head. He could give the bookie a small piece of the land and then take the rest to sell for a profit. The overage would allow him to set up residence elsewhere and stay alive. He had to get this taken care of and the sooner the better. The bank would know sooner rather than later that he'd begun to skim off the top. Prominent citizens of Bowling Green were bound to start noticing their bank accounts becoming smaller. Amounts taken out weren't exorbitant, but Richard knew that many of them kept a close watch on their accounts. His game was about to be up, and he knew it. Something had to happen, and it had to be now. When this