She smirked. Leave it him to make light of the situation. “I’d like that.” He took her bags from her and placed them into the saddlebag and she climbed on behind him. Arms wrapped around his waist, she wondered what he was up to, when they pulled onto her street and into her driveway.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“You’ll see.” He helped her get off the bike and they made their way into the house.
“Oh my god! What did you do?” Her house was pristine. The clean, crisp scent of cleaning products and sunshine tickled her nose. She stepped in the house and spun in a circle, taking it all in. There were replacement things here and there but all fit her tastes.
“How?”
“Prospects…and the girls, Evonne and Hil picked replacement items while Joey kept you company this weekend.”
“I knew those two were up to something when they left early.” A profound surge of gratitude swept through her. “Thank you.”
“It was the least I could do. Fucker should’ve never gotten to you in the first place.” His jaw turned to granite and she caressed it with the backs of her fingers.
“You’re not god—you don’t control everything.”
“No, but I take care of my own. He’s fucking with that. Which means he’s toying with my manhood. Only person allowed to do that is you.” She smiled. His tiny turn of phrases were poetry to her ears. Every admission made her feel closer to him. “Come on, baby. Let’s check out your new pad.”
After putting the inevitable off for thirty minutes, they retreated to her couch with beer, wine and pizza.
“Wait, are you trying to tell me that pussy had underlings?” Shooter asked.
She shook her head. “Best I can tell, he’s referring to his fellow club owners. I have no clue who they actually are. He was a man with a lot of friends, and he kept me out of the loop. Probably because I would have run off screaming if I knew what he had in mind for me. Their threats scare the shit out of me, because unlike most people they can back them up. I saw the extent of Peter’s power back then. I can only imagine it’s grown by leaps and bounds.”
“What kind of things did you see?”
“Traffic tickets dismissed and wiped from the system, competition bowing out when it wasn’t in their nature. I thought back then they were intimidated by him and figured they were going to lose. Now? Who knows what the hell he did to the poor people.”
“Well he’s about to be dethroned and put out of commission.”
“Shooter, you should take him seriously.”
“Trust me, I am.” His voice lowered and filled with gravel and grit. The unflappable front he put up masked his true feelings. The closed expression frozen on his face scared her. This was the Shooter a person feared meeting in a dark alley.
“What do we do next?”
The muscles in his neck corded and he turned to her. “I think it’s best if I don’t tell you that. I do have some questions. What do you think means the most to him?”
“Control followed closely by his image, wealth and power.” She frowned.
“What?” Shooter took her hand.
“He doesn’t understand no. He walks away. Not the other way around. That’s really what this is about now.”
“You don’t think he’ll stop, do you? Be honest.”
“No,” she whispered. “I don’t.”
He nodded. “I’m worried about that, but right now it’s speculation. Whatever happens, we’ll deal with it when it comes.”
* * * * *
Shooter pulled the t-shirt over his head and placed a hand on Juliette’s bare back. He shook her gently.
“Baby, I’m headed out. Hawk’s going to camp out here while I take care of a few things.”
“Mm-kay.”