Addicted to Love (Bayou Devils MC Book 2) Read online

  Jerry doubled down and just tried to love her through it until she believed his feelings for her were true, but she never gave him the chance. One night just after my fourteenth birthday, I came home and she was throwing all his stuff out on the front lawn. I’ll never forget the look in his eyes as he packed his things that night, like his soul had just been shattered. Mom was never the same again either. She never went out on another date and she started finding her comfort in the bottom of a bottle. Just before I turned seventeen, she got drunk in the bath and drowned. Luckily for me, Jerry had been keeping tabs on us and petitioned the court to become my guardian the moment he learned about Mom’s death. As far as I know, he’s never dated again either. Even with all her faults, my mom was the only one for him.

  “Food’s on,” Jerry says, snapping me out of my thoughts as he sets the pot of spaghetti down on the table and hands me a beer.

  “Thanks.”

  He nods, gesturing to my plate as he sits down. “Dig in.”

  We’re quiet as we each dish food onto our plates and start eating.

  “All right,” he says after a few moments. “Spill.”

  “Spill what?”

  He shoots me a look and I sigh as I push the pasta around on my plate. How can he still make me feel like a damn kid sometimes? “I met someone.”

  “Ah, I see and this is bad because?”

  “It’s not bad,” I reply, shaking my head. “Just complicated.”

  He nods, indicating for me to continue.

  “Storm’s pissed at me. He’s dating her friend and he thinks it’ll screw up what they have if I mess things up with this girl.”

  “Storm will get over it. Boy’s always acted first and asked questions later.”

  I nod. “Yeah, but what if he’s right? I haven’t ever been able to commit to anyone.”

  “What about Trixie?”

  My jaw clenches and I shake my head. “Trixie was a mistake. And the exact reason this isn’t exactly a good time to be starting something with someone else.”

  He watches me quietly for a moment. “Do you regret meeting her?”

  “No.” I could never regret anything that happens with Carly.

  “Well, there’s your answer right there. Look, before I met your mom, I’d never had a serious relationship, but everything changed for me when she walked into my life. Your past doesn’t define your future, Chance.”

  I nod, mulling over his words. “Yeah, I guess you’re right. Now, I just have to convince her. She’s a little…difficult.”

  “Son,” he says, laughing, “The best things in life always are. Is this girl special?”

  “I think she is.”

  He nods, smiling warmly at me. “Then you do what it takes to make her yours and never give up. One of my biggest regrets is letting your mom walk away. Don’t end up like me.”

  I grab my beer, taking a pull as I watch him – hating the sadness in his eyes. “You ever thought about giving dating another shot, Jerry?”

  “No. Your mom… she was the one for me.”

  “Sorry,” I mutter, feeling guilty for the look in his eyes right now. He shakes his head.

  “Don’t be. Those two years I spent with her were the best of my life and I wouldn’t trade it for anything. Just don’t let your girl get away.”

  I smirk, feeling more confident. “I don’t intend to.”

  * * * *

  “Shut up, y’all!” Blaze yells out from the head of the table and a hush falls over the room as everyone turns to look at him. “Let’s run through what we’ve got going on this week.”

  I’m reminded of the story I told Carly a few days ago about how I joined the club and even though it started out rough, I know this is the right place for me. I hate to think what I’d be doing with my life without these guys and the work we do satisfies an urge in me to right some of the wrongs I endured as a child. I’ve learned so much about the way my mom thought and why she reacted the way she did to certain things. Knowing all that helped me let go of some of my anger toward her and I just wish she had lived long enough for me to help her.

  “Who’s up?” Blaze asks and Storm clears his throat as every head in the room swivels in his direction.

  “With me focused on keeping Ali safe, there’s going to be extra work for all of you. I just want to say sorry in advance.”

  Kodiak claps him on the shoulder. “Don’t sweat it, brother. We’ve got your back.”

  “Thanks,” he says, nodding at him. Blaze nods in agreement and glances down at the paper in front of him.

  “Is this list up to date, Streak?” Blaze asks and Streak glances up from his laptop.

  “Yep. You’re good to go.”

  “All right. We’ve got one protection detail and one transfer this week and from the intel we’ve received, these are both going to be high risk, so I want, at least, two of you on each job. We’ll call in others to work the PI stuff and the shop if we have to.”

  When Blaze pulled the club out of drugs and guns, he needed a way to make some money, so he started up the PI business and the motorcycle shop but I don’t think he was expecting them to explode like they did. Sometimes we were even turning away business and Blaze had to hire outside help, so we could still focus on the work we do off the books.

  “The protection detail is for a woman named Amber and Rodriguez called us in on this one.”

  That little detail grabs my attention as well as every other guy in the room. Detective Rodriguez has been working with us for a few years but it’s usually us going to him to make sure that we stay above the legal line. If he’s coming to us with something, it must be important.

  “Why doesn’t he just put officers on her?” Smith asks.

  “Amber was attacked and almost killed three nights ago and Rodriguez suspects that information is being leaked out of the department. We need to keep her safe until he can get her into a witness protection type situation.”

  “We taking her to Emma’s house?” Fuzz asks and Blaze shakes his head.

  “No, until we know why she was attacked and by whom, I don’t want to risk drawing a criminal to my family.”

  I can’t help but smile. It’s so weird to see Blaze as a family man now when he’s been alone for as long as I can remember. He and his son, Nix, were estranged for a long time but when Nix came to us for help protecting his girlfriend, Emma, a year ago, it brought them all together. Truthfully, we all became more of a family when Emma came into the picture.

  “Moose, you still friends with the guy who runs the motel?”

  “Yeah, Boss,” Moose replies, nodding his head.

  “Call him up. See if we can keep her there off the books. Tell him we’ll pay double. Now, the other transfer is going to be tricky because we only have a limited window and we have to grab Amy, the wife, and pick her two kids up from school before the husband finds out.”

  “How is that tricky?” Fuzz asks, drawing on a cigarette.

  “The husband doesn’t work regular hours and there is no telling when he’ll come home. If he comes home and his wife isn’t there, the first place he’ll go is the school, so you better hope you get there first.”

  “Can’t we just pick the kids up at the same time that we’re picking up the mom?” Smith asks.

  “Nah, the school will only release the kids to their mom or dad. Anyone else tries to pick them up and the first thing they’ll do is call the husband.”

  “We gonna have someone tailing him?” I ask, already knowing that the answer is likely no. With us spread so thin, we may not have the manpower for it.

  “I don’t think we can swing it. Just be careful and move fast.”

  I nod. “Got it. Where are we taking her?”

  Blaze glances down at his paper again. “Says here she’s got a sister in Tennessee that’ll be coming down the day after to pick them up. We’ll check them into one of the nicer hotels downtown under one of our names and they should be safe.”

  “Sounds
good, Boss,” Smith calls out and several of the guys nod in agreement.

  “Anything else?” Blaze asks, looking around the room and after no one says anything, he nods. “See y’all later then.”

  He stands and leaves the room, the rest of us trickling out after him and I grab a stool at the bar and order a beer.

  “Chance,” someone says from my right and I peek over, trying to keep the smile off my face. Knew he’d come around eventually.

  “Storm.”

  He rubs the back of his neck and glances down. “Listen, about the other day…”

  “It’s forgotten.”

  He looks up and nods before slapping me on the back. “Thanks, dude.”

  Laughing, I slide my unopened beer across the bar to him as I chuckle. “Have a beer with me.”

  He slides onto the stool next to me and I look around the room at everyone laughing and talking.

  “About Carly. If you want to date her, I’m not going to stop you. You both are adults; I’m sure you can handle it,” Storm says and I sigh.

  “Thanks, man, but even without your approval, there was no way I was gonna walk away.”

  Chapter Eight

  Carly

  “Damn,” I whisper, taking a sip of my vodka cranberry as Dalton, our regular bartender, looks on. Satisfied with my reaction, he smiles and leaves to go help other customers as I turn and scan the bar. Izzy, Ali, and I have been coming here for years and it’s our favorite place. A large circular bar sits right in the middle of the room and tables line the walls on three sides of the large space. The lights are low tonight and a remix of Sex by Cheat Codes blasts through the speakers on the little stage in the corner. Beneath that, the dance floor is packed, just a massive blob of writhing bodies as the beat directs their movements.

  Taking a deep breath, I lean back in my barstool and take another sip of my drink as the music seeps into my system and carries my stress away. You’d think after getting laid, I would be relaxed but having the best sex of my life with Chance has done the complete opposite. I am a wreck and coming out tonight is exactly what I need to let it all go.

  “There you are!” Izzy exclaims from behind me and I almost spill my drink down my top as I spin around to look at her. “I thought you stood me up.”

  “Excuse me, lady. I was here on time.”

  “So was I. I just got…distracted.” She glances away and I follow her gaze through the crowd to the door where a large man is checking IDs. Almost as if he feels her watching him, he looks up and smiles, flashing her a wink. Of course, she found a man on her way into the club. Only Izzy. “Did you know they hired a new bouncer?”

  “I can’t take you anywhere,” I tease, rolling my eyes at the way she keeps glancing over at him. The truth is Izzy and I are much more alike than anyone would ever guess but I’m discreet about my affairs. Sometimes, I envy the way Izzy just totally owns who she is. She doesn’t worry about what anyone thinks of her and if it doesn’t make her happy, she doesn’t do it. I can’t even imagine the fit my mother would throw if she ever heard me explaining my sex life to someone. Although, if I did tell anyone, I would have to explain why I prefer to keep my relationships casual and it’s something I avoid at all costs.

  “Did you get his number?”

  Her mouth drops open and she plasters her hand over her heart. “Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?”

  “You’re right. I lost my head for a moment. My apologies.” I finish my drink and just as I set my glass down, Dalton appears again as if summoned by magic.

  “Ladies,” he purrs, flashing us a naughty smile as his eyes twinkle.

  “Dalton!” Izzy all but squeals and I roll my eyes again, but a smile stretches across my face. God, she’s such a flirt.

  “What can I get for you, gorgeous?”

  “What would you recommend?” She props her chin up in her hand and bats her eyelashes at him. I can’t help but laugh as I turn to look out at the dance floor, my mind wandering to Chance. Normally, I would be seeing two or three guys at a time but as I stare out at the crowd, I don’t see a single option. And it has nothing to do with the rule Chance threw down. The truth is each guy I land on gets compared to Chance in my head and inevitably, they come up short. Since when did this happen?

  This is exactly why I’ve spent the last three days putting some distance between us. When he was in my house and in my bed, it was so easy to forget my rules and things got a little too intense. Our chemistry and the amazing sex blurred the boundaries of our relationship and we both lost sight of the fact that our arrangement is casual. We let our feelings run wild when we shouldn’t have. I just didn’t expect it to be so hard to ignore his texts and not call him back. And even worse, I actually feel bad about ignoring him. I’ve spent the last few days stressing over whether or not this is bothering him. I have to put a stop to it.

  “Would you like another?” Dalton asks, pointing to my empty glass and I nod as he grabs it off the bar and turns to mix our drinks. Izzy spins to look out at the dance floor before turning back to me.

  “You want to go dance?” she asks, wiggling in her seat and I nod.

  “Yeah,” I tell her before turning to Dalton. “Hey, can you put a hold on those drinks? We’re going to go dance.”

  He nods, offering me an easy smile and we slip off the barstools and start making our way to the dance floor, our bodies already moving to the beat. Just as we reach the edge of the group, Baby Got Back by Sir Mix-A-Lot comes on and Izzy spins to face me with an excited expression.

  “I haven’t heard this song in forever,” she practically squeals as she starts dancing and mouthing the words to me. I laugh and when the beat drops, I get swept up, too – dancing and singing along with her. She gets really into it, moving closer to me and pressing up against me as she shimmies. Throwing my head back, I laugh and she starts singing the words out loud.

  “Shake that healthy butt. Baby got back.” She smacks my ass and I shake my head. Izzy keeps singing the words as we dance and I completely forget anyone else is here. It’s almost like we’re at my apartment instead of this crowded club and I feel more of my stress melt away. Everything from my mother to Dottie and Ivy’s fight to the recent anniversary I tried so hard to forget and the check that came in the mail, I let it all go. Closing my eyes, a smile forms on my face and I feel lighter than I have in a while.

  The song bleeds into another remix – this one of Ignition by R. Kelly and Izzy squeals. “What is this? Throwback night?”

  “You don’t seem like you mind!” I yell to her and she shakes her head with a big grin on her face. Folding her arms on top of her head, she rolls her body as she closes her eyes for a moment and lets loose.

  “Oh my God, do you remember the time we had a sleepover at Ali’s and danced to this song?” she asks, opening her eyes and I nod.

  “Yeah, you guys got so freaking drunk.”

  “That’s just cause you didn’t pull your weight. You had like one glass and that was it. Everyone knows once you open the bottle of wine, you have to finish it.” She reaches out and grabs my hand, pulling me closer as we dance and I let her lead me for a moment before a feeling of uneasiness washes over me. Opening my eyes, I scan the crowd, but nothing seems out of place.

  “Hey, I’m going to go get a drink now. You staying here?” I ask Izzy and she peels her eyes open just as a man steps up behind her and starts dancing with her. She peeks over her shoulder before meeting my eyes with a grin on her face.

  “I’m going to keep dancing.”

  I laugh and nod. “Okay.”

  She spins in his arms and rubs her hips against him, effectively putting him in a trance and I laugh as I walk off the dance floor. Slipping onto the same barstool I was in before, I look out at Izzy as she puts the moves on her mystery man. Even from here, I can see the lust in his eyes and I know she’ll be having a good time tonight.

  “You ready for that drink?” Dalton asks and I turn to him, nodding.

/>   “Yes, please.”

  He taps his knuckles on the bar and nods. “Coming right up.”

  Despacito comes on and I tap the toe of my heel against the barstool as I scan the dance floor for Izzy. She’s managed to move the two of them into a quiet corner and she spins in his arms before dropping down as she swings her hips from side to side. When she sees me watching her, she winks and I grin as she spins back to face her dance partner.

  “One vodka cranberry,” Dalton says, setting my drink in front of me and I smile at him.

  “Thank you.”

  “Not a problem, gorgeous,” he says, wiping down the bar in front of him. “Why aren’t you out there dancing with her?”

  I chuckle and glance out at the dance floor as Izzy starts kissing her mystery man. “Oh, she found someone to occupy her.”

  As I turn to face the bar again, I catch sight of someone watching me from one of the tables pushed up against the wall. He’s in the back corner so most of his face is hidden in shadow and maybe that’s why his attention sends a shiver up my spine. When he catches me watching him, he grins and my pulse spikes. Just as I start to turn away, he leans forward and I recognize him instantly.

  Damian.

  A violent reaction I don’t quite understand rocks through my body, telling me to run. But why? He’s annoying and seeing him definitely makes me want to bitch out my mother but he doesn’t seem all that dangerous. Sucking in a breath, I turn back to the bar and as I grab my drink, my hand shakes.

  “You okay?” Dalton asks, his brow furrowed in concern and I force a smile to my face. I’m overreacting.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, Dalton.”