Chapter 9

Meredith sat in the same chair she had been sitting in for hours. Overnight and into early morning, she had watched Denise all but move out. Liam Walker and a few other members of Heaven Hill were loading suitcases into Denise's car and standing around looking menacing. Tyler Blackfoot, the best friend and handsome Native American, had stalked like a shadow watching over the group. What had happened? Was Denise an old lady now? It was obvious that Liam had offered protection of some sort, otherwise the club wouldn't have had a show of force like that. Did the window the men had boarded up figure into any of this?

"What am I missing?" she questioned herself, biting the nail of her index finger.

She wanted to expose the illegal activities of the club. That kind of story would do amazing things for her career. And it would get part of the criminal element out of Bowling Green. The last thing she wanted to do was ruin what had become a friendship with Denise. However, in her heart she knew that Denise was the key to breaking them. Meredith didn't want to use her, but realized she would if she had to. That didn't sit well with her, never in her career had she used someone she was close with. She could almost taste the praise that her boss would give her, and she craved that approval. It just didn't feel as victorious as she had assumed it would.

The last motorcycle and Denise's car had left roughly forty five minutes before. Maybe she could go look around, see if they had left any clues. She put on her running shoes and grabbed her iPhone before walking out the door. She stopped in her driveway to stretch like she normally did before a run and then casually jogged down the street. As she got to Denise's house, she walked up the front porch and tried the door.

"Son of a bitch, they left it unlocked," she breathed, glancing around to make sure no one was watching.

Once inside, she let her eyes adjust to the darkness before scanning the room. It was obvious that they had left in a hurry but care had also been used to pack certain things. She made her way to the room where the window had been boarded up. On the dresser in the corner she found a brick with Bosnian writing on it.

"Bingo."

She couldn't read Bosnian but knew a few people who could. Using her iPhone, she took pictures of it from different angles as well as a picture of the window that it had obviously come through.

"I don't think so." The voice was deep and authoritative with a slight southern accent that caused her skin to prickle with awareness.

It belonged to Tyler Blackfoot. He wasn't supposed to be here, there were no bikes outside. She turned around, hand on her hip. "What are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same question. Give me the phone," he motioned with his hand. The man was larger than life and beautiful really, but right now he was annoying her.

"I live in the neighborhood, I was worried."

He smirked, white teeth showing against his tan skin. "But you don't live in this house do you? Give me the phone," he said again.

"It's my property."

"And you are trespassing. Do you know how much I'd love to call the cops on you and then take your picture as you come out of jail?"

Her eyes widened. "You wouldn't. The door was unlocked."

"Try me. Anyway, just because it was unlocked doesn't mean you should be coming in here uninvited."

Sighing, she handed over the phone to him. "I could give you a tip about the Vojnik," she smiled seductively.

"I'm listening," he muttered as he ran back through the pictures that she had taken.

Putting her hand on her hip, she stuck it out and focused on him. When she noticed that his eyes were on her, she pushed her chest out slightly. "I heard they're planning to intercept your drug shipment next week."

He laughed. "You're cute, but if you wanna seduce me, you're gonna have to do a little more than stick your tits out. About the other thing, which shipment?"

That pissed her off. She was cute. People told her she was cute all the time, yet he acted like she was begging him to throw her on the ground and take her. His question confused her as well. "There's more than one shipment? How many of these do you guys get every week?" she asked, her brain working overtime.

He shrugged, the leather he wore over his shoulders creaking with the movement. "I dunno, Ms. Rager. You tell me. How many are there in any given week?"

It was then she realized he was playing her. Taking the information she was giving but not giving her anything in return. Heat reddened her cheeks, and she held her hand out for her phone.

"You got what you wanted, give me my phone back."

He pressed a few buttons and smiled at her before placing it back in the palm of her hand. "I like you, so I'm gonna be nice. You're stickin' your nose into things you don't understand here. Your curiosity is goin' to get someone killed. Do you want someone's blood on your hands? Because it's goin' to be there if you don't back off. Don't make me warn you again. Next time I won't be so nice."

Turning her around by the shoulders, he pushed her out of the front door and locked it as she stumbled out onto the front porch. He knew without a doubt that she would be back, but he hoped that next time she was a little bit smarter.

Fuming, Meredith made her way back down to her duplex.

"Ugh. That man."

Grabbing her phone out of her pocket, she tried to make a phone call only for it to tell her that her passcode was incorrect. Again she tried, knowing that she had input the correct one. Realization dawned after the fourth try. Seething, she marched back over to the house and beat on the door until it opened.

"Can I help you?" he asked, laughing as he saw the look on her face.

"Change it back."

"I'm not sure I know what you mean?"

"You, Tyler Blackfoot, are a bastard. Change my damn passcode back. You've put me in my place, and I get it."

He grabbed the phone from her hand and did as she asked. "Games aren't that fun to play are they? Remember that when dealing with the club, Ms. Rager."

* * *

"Damnit." Liam shouted as he threw his phone down on the bed that they had just made up with fresh sheets for Mandy at his house.

"What?" Denise asked, looking up at him in alarm.

His heart ached as he looked at her. It had been a long twenty-four hours, and it showed on her face. A large bruise marred her cheekbone, her nose was still red and swollen, her eyes had blackened, and you could still see bits of dried blood on her scalp.

"Club business," he answered, his voice clipped.

"Is that all I'm allowed to know?" she asked, folding her arms over her chest. She wasn't sure how well this would work for her. Being by yourself meant you were never kept in the dark – having someone else calling the shots would take some getting used to.

"That's all you get to know. I gotta go, but I'll be back in a little while. Make yourselves at home. There's plenty of food."

As he reached the bedroom door, he turned abruptly and came back to stand in front of her. Looking up at him, she was afraid to move. Tenderly, he cupped her cheek with the palm of his hand and swept his large thumb over the bruise that had appeared.

"Get some sleep. Things will look way different when you wake up. Roni will make sure that the kids are taken care of. Just rest," he whispered. More than anything, he wanted to comfort her. To explain that this wasn't how things always went. Maybe lean in and give her a gentle kiss on the lips, show her another side of himself, but he knew this wasn't the time.

The moment was too intimate for her, too soon after everything that had happened. She stepped out of his personal space and shook her head slightly as if to clear it.

"I can't, I have to work tonight."

His eyes hardened. "Not anymore. I'm gonna take care of you for a while. Roni already called and told them you quit."

She flushed angrily. She had never had to consult with anyone about her decisions before, and now others were making decisions for her that she didn't even agree with.

"Think about what you say before you speak," he warned her.

Was it really worth it to go to war with him? She questioned. Deciding she was too tired to put up a fight, she answered. "Just go do what you have to. I'll be here when you get back, hopefully with a few hours sleep under my belt. Maybe then we can talk about this like mature adults."

He nodded in agreement. Before leaving, he gave into his desire. He leaned down and brushed a soft kiss against the bruise on her cheek. "I really am sorry that happened. I should have stopped it before it started."

"I know." And she really did. "Go do what you have to do."

She walked him to the front door of the house. Her eyes followed him as he got on his bike and started it up. As he revved the engine, he looked back at her and raised his hand in a wave. Denise could see the smirk on his face and her heart sped up.

This was dangerous in so many ways. She was in so deep, she didn't even know if there would ever be a way out, didn't know now if she even wanted a way out. That's what scared her the most. How quickly she seemed to have accepted this. Only the future would tell her if she had made the right decision or not.