Red Eyes MC: Books 1 - 3 Read online

  “That all sounds fine,” I said when there was a break. “I’ll let you know when I get there, okay?”

  “Perfect,” Greg said.

  I hung up and looked at Marcus, who was eyeing me curiously. “Where are you headed off to now?” he asked.

  “My grandmother died,” I explained. “And apparently as her only living relative, I need to be in Texas for the reading of the will.”

  “Shit, sorry to hear that,” Marcus said.

  I snorted. “I didn’t know the lady,” I said, shrugging. I grinned. “But hopefully the bat left me something nice.”

  “We need to see Ray,” Marcus said. “But let’s stop at the diner first and catch up. Seems like you just got back into town.”

  I snorted. “That’s because I did just get back into town,” I reminded him. “God, Ray’s going to blow when I tell him I’m headed off again.”

  “Nah, he’ll be cool. It’s not like you don’t have a reason,” Marcus said confidently, steering me toward the diner. “Let’s get something to eat, and I’ll coach you through the best ways of groveling. He’s going to be pissed at you, but maybe you can make him a bit less pissed.”

  I laughed. “Thanks,” I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes.

  4

  Belle

  Monday at the diner was mostly uneventful, as always. The place was almost empty when Will and Marcus came in late that afternoon. I was just clearing a couple tables. Nicole had disappeared to somewhere in the back. “Hey, guys, just have a seat wherever and I’ll be right over,” I called.

  I had known Will and Marcus for practically forever. We’d all grown up there in Las Cruces, and now they were both part of the Red Eyes MC that my father was president of.

  I hoped they weren’t here with bad news about the MC. My eyes shifted over to them. They both looked pretty serious, more so than usual, but maybe I was just letting my worries get the better of me.

  I carried the bucket of dirty dishes back to the sink and left it filling with water while I dried off my hands and brought the two men some menus. “It’s good to see you again,” I couldn’t help blurting out as I handed one to Will.

  He raised an eyebrow at me. “Is it?” he asked, and I thought I detected a hint of a smirk on his face.

  I blushed and ducked my chin. “Just give me a shout when you’re ready to order,” I said, scurrying off.

  God, that was embarrassing. Not that it wasn’t good to see Will again, but I shouldn’t have said that. At least I hadn’t said something even worse like, “Wow, you look good.” Which he did. He looked leaner and tanner than ever, and his dark T-shirt and jeans did nothing to hide how muscular he was. He had a couple of new tattoos on his arms, filling in whatever gaps there’d been. Even though I could tell he must have showered since his return, his hair still had a windswept quality to it. The road had definitely agreed with him.

  I tried to remember how long it had been since I’d seen him. A couple of weeks, at least. Dad had been fuming about the fact that he’d missed some of the Red Eyes’ club meetings. I had been surprised to hear that Will had just taken off like that, but there was something about that which honestly turned me on a little. He was brave, standing up to my father like that. I wished I had the guts for it. Instead, I’d never been out of New Mexico.

  I continued to watch the two of them out of the corner of my eye while I scrubbed some of the dishes. Something was definitely up. They weren’t joking the way that they usually did; there was something reserved about both of them.

  A sudden thought made my chest constrict: what if Will had decided to leave for good? What if this extended trip of his had been about looking for a new place to live, to restart his life?

  But that was silly. I knew how much he respected my father and the rest of the guys at the MC. How much he respected Marcus. Besides, what would he even do if he wasn’t part of a motorcycle club? He definitely wasn’t the sort of guy to settle down into a regular job.

  I went back over to take their orders. “How are things going around here lately, anyway?” Marcus asked, kicking out a seat with his toe.

  I raised an eyebrow but sat down in it. I shrugged. “Same as always,” I said.

  “Any new customers or just us old regulars?”

  I stared at him for a long moment. Must be something to do with the MC, but I couldn’t figure out what. Maybe some cops sniffing around or something? Finally, I shook my head. “Couple of people just passing through, but nobody that’s stuck out. What’s going on?”

  “Just some stuff with the MC; don’t worry about it,” Marcus said, shaking his head. “No one’s in trouble or anything.”

  “Good,” I said slowly, looking back and forth between them.

  “Will’s headed out on another trip tomorrow; that’s how much of a minor thing it is,” Marcus continued, grinning at the other.

  Will rolled his eyes. “It’s just a quick trip,” he said.

  Again, I felt that weird feeling in my chest. “You’re not thinking of getting out of here, are you?” I asked.

  Will laughed. “Nah,” he said. “This is home. It’s just, my grandmother died, and they’re going to read her last wishes. Apparently, that means they need me down there, me being her last living relative and all. Doubt it’ll come to much; she’s probably left whatever she had to friends or whatever since she didn’t even know me. But I figured it was better just to show up.”

  The bells above the door chimed again, and I looked back to see who it was. But of course, there was Nicole, popping out of the back to help them. She had probably seen me chatting with Will and Marcus and didn’t want to interrupt us.

  I also knew she knew that I had a crush on Will. I also knew that Will felt just as attracted to me as I did to him. Not that there was anything I could ever do about it. Dad would never approve of me dating anyone, least of all dating someone in the MC. He’d always done his best to keep me out of his business matters. The last thing he needed was for me to marry into them.

  Will was good about keeping our interactions strictly professional and never letting the rest of the gang know that he was interested in me. That, at least, made it a little easier. I could tell he understood why we could never become involved with one another—as much as I wished that things could be different.

  Nicole, on the other hand, lived to meddle. She meant well. She just didn’t want me to be lonely. But she could never understand the pressures of being the daughter of the president of a powerful motorcycle club. She just didn’t understand why I didn’t go out and party and date like she did. And she’d love nothing more than to set Will and me up together.

  With that thought in mind, I pushed out of my seat, making some lame excuse about cleaning the countertops. Then I paused. “Is there anything I should be watching out for?” I asked. “A certain type of new customer that you’d want to know about?”

  Marcus and Will exchanged a glance, and for a moment, I thought they were going to tell me what was really going on with the MC. But Marcus shook his head slightly, and Will shrugged in response.

  “Don’t worry about it,” Marcus said. “Like I said, it’s nothing big. We’re going to have a chat with Ray about all of it when Will gets back."

  “Sure,” I said easily, giving a little wave as I went back to wash those countertops. As usual, after an encounter with Will, my heart was beating a little faster, my mouth a little drier.

  I’d known him most of my life, but ever since we’d grown up and I’d realized I was attracted to him, I just felt so flustered around him. Like I wanted to impress him, to keep him thinking about me. I just didn’t seem able to shake that, even though I knew nothing was ever going to happen between us.

  I put all my restless energy into scrubbing the countertops extra vigorously.

  Nicole waited until Will and Marcus were at least out of there before nagging me about it. “You have got to ask him out,” she said, shaking her head. “God, the sexual tension between the
two of you is ridiculous.”

  I rolled my eyes. “What are you talking about?” I asked as though I didn’t know.

  Nicole groaned. “Come on, Belle. I know you’re attracted to him. You’re not very good at hiding it.” She grinned. “He is pretty attractive, too. Totally not my type, but he’s sexy.”

  “What do you mean, not your type?” I laughed, hoping that a little teasing would help to change the subject. “He’s a man, isn’t he? I thought that was your type.”

  “True,” Nicole said. “If he was the last man on earth and I just had to sleep with him, I definitely wouldn’t be complaining. But I’m not that into biker dudes. They’ve got egos up to here!”

  I shrugged. “Even if I’m interested in him—and I’m not saying I am—I could never date him. You know that. My dad would kill me.”

  “You can’t let your dad stop you from finding your true love,” Nicole said firmly.

  I snorted. “True love?” I asked. “I thought you were just trying to get me to sleep with him.”

  “Well, that too,” Nicole said. She smiled lopsidedly at me. “For what it’s worth, I think he likes you, too. You should make a move. What’s that saying, ‘it’s always better to beg forgiveness than ask permission’? Just don’t tell your dad about it until after it’s already happened. More than once, hopefully.”

  I shook my head but didn’t deign that with a response. For the rest of my shift, though, I couldn’t stop thinking about him. And not just to wonder about his impromptu trip across the country or whatever business was troubling the MC.

  No, I was thinking about how much I wanted to tug off that shirt of his, to trace my tongue across those intricate tattoos. To lie back against the bed as he covered my naked body with his, as he plunged deep inside of me. I somehow knew that despite his size and strength, he would be gentle with me, that he would take his time, that he would make sure I got what I needed from him.

  I’d known him most of my life, and even though we weren’t especially close, I trusted him innately.

  Maybe Nicole was right. Maybe I should ask him out, consequences be damned. Dad was never going to start treating me like an adult if I didn’t start acting like an adult. I might not be able to do anything about getting my own place, not yet, but at least I could do something about this.

  Anyway, I didn’t have to decide right away. Will was headed off to Texas tomorrow, so the soonest I could ask him out would be whenever he finally returned. I doubted he would be away for weeks again this time, but I didn’t know exactly when that would be; he hadn’t said. He might not know.

  I was already thinking of things we could do together, though. I wanted it to be something no-fuss and casual but something that was still clearly a date. Or maybe I should let him choose since he was the guy. I chewed at my lower lip, thinking that over.

  But I hadn’t even asked him yet, I reminded myself. Figuring out what to do on the date—we would cross that bridge when we got to it.

  I felt more settled, though, now that I had decided to ask him out. It was a solid step forward, if nothing else.

  5

  Will

  I left early on Tuesday morning so I could make it to Texas at a good hour. If we could get this will reading out of the way today, I could be back to Las Cruces the next day and Ray might not even notice I’d been gone.

  Okay, so that was maybe a bit too much to ask, but he couldn’t be too mad at me for disappearing for just a couple of days to straighten all this out, could he? It wasn’t like I had much of a choice; a lawyer calls you up, and it’s basically a summons.

  It wasn’t hard to find the lawyer’s office. Grandma’s town was a lot smaller than Las Cruces, which was saying a lot, and the law office stood out like a sore thumb amongst all the rundown taverns and feed shops.

  “It’s good to see you,” Greg said, shaking my hand. “I didn’t think you’d be here so soon.”

  I shrugged. “Figured this was important,” I said, dropping into a chair across from his. “No problems with the funeral, right? Sorry if I was supposed to show up to that, just the old lady and I didn’t exactly know one another.”

  “Nope, no problems with the funeral, and Carmen had a feeling you wouldn’t be there. That’s why she left instructions for me to call you and ask you to come down for the reading of the will.” He leaned forward, folding his hands on his desk. “She was aware of your difficulties with your father and that you were no stranger to life’s hardships.”

  I couldn’t help but snort at that. That was putting it lightly.

  I had never even gone to visit my father’s grave. For all I cared, they could have dumped his body in a ditch. The guy had been an asshole to me growing up, and I still blamed him for where I was now. If it hadn’t been for him, who knows, maybe I could have done something with my life. Instead, I’d dropped out of high school so I could get a job to help support all of my dear old dad’s bad habits, which ran the gamut from drinking to gambling to sleeping around.

  Ray had finally taken me under his wing when I was in my late teens, but by then, I was so far along the path to nowhere that there was really no turning back. And as much as I was grateful for this second chance at existence, I still just knew I could have done better if my dad hadn’t fucked up all my chances.

  Greg cleared his throat. “You grandmother wants the family fortune to be yours,” he told me. “With one caveat.”

  I stared suspiciously at him, almost expecting this to be some sort of joke. “What kind of fortune are we talking here?” I asked. “And what’s the catch?”

  “The ‘catch,’ so to speak, is that she wants to make sure you’re not going down the same path that your father did,” Greg explained, ignoring the first part of the question for now. “She wants to know that you’re settled down and committed to having a family. That you’re not going to blow the fortune on your personal vices. Otherwise, she’d rather the money go to a charity.”

  I snorted, only mildly amused by that, but I was furiously thinking about what Greg had said. I didn’t know how much money the fortune was, but every little bit counts, right? “What exactly do I have to do to prove that I’m settled down?” I asked slowly. “I’ve lived in Las Cruces my whole life. I’ve got a place there.”

  “I’m afraid that’s not quite what she’s looking for,” Greg said. “She was very specific. If you weren’t already married at the time of her death, then you needed to be married within a month of the reading of this will. The marriage certificate is the proof that she required for your claim to the fortune.”

  I stared at him for a long moment. Again, it felt like this had to be some sort of joke. Get married? I didn’t even have a girlfriend. Was this the old lady’s way of giving me one last punch from the family, all the way from the grave? Dangling some fortune in front of me, just to tell me that she didn’t trust me with it and that I couldn’t have it. That it would go to charity instead. As though I wasn’t worthy of it.

  I could feel my blood boiling, but I held my temper in check. It wasn’t Greg’s fault that my family was crazy.

  “Here,” Greg said, holding out a copy of the will to me. “It’s all in there if you want to read the specifics.”

  I scanned the page. When I saw the dollar amount of the family fortune, my eyes just about bugged out of my head. She had apparently been sitting on quite the nest egg. Again, I felt betrayed. I’d worked so hard for everything, and here she was, with thousands of dollars in the bank, and she had never once tried to help me.

  But again, it was neither here nor there now. The woman was already dead and buried.

  That amount of money, though. Christ, that could change my life. I could use the money for school. Or for a business. I could finally afford to quit working for the MC and make an honest living on my own. The opportunities were endless.

  I needed that money. But in order to get it, I would need to have a wife.

  For a moment, I considered the possibility of just f
aking it. I was sure I could find someone, especially with Ray’s help, who was capable of forging a realistic-looking marriage license. That was all Greg was asking for; he didn’t need any other sort of proof. I wouldn’t need photos or anything else.

  At least, there was nothing in the will that said that. Not that I could understand, anyway, although a lot of the language was tricky legalese. To be on the safe side, it was probably better to come up with a more realistic sham.

  I smiled at Greg and handed back the will. “Oh no,” Greg said, shaking his head. “That’s your copy; keep it.”

  “Okay,” I said, folding it up and sticking it in my pocket. I grinned at him. “I guess my fiancée and I will just have to move the date up. We weren’t planning on getting married until next year.”

  “I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do about the terms,” Greg said apologetically. “Your grandmother was very firm about it: the deadline is thirty days from the date of the will’s reading. Today.”

  “Right,” I said. “It shouldn’t be a problem. I’m sure my fiancée will understand once I explain the situation.” I cocked my head to the side. “Is that everything?”

  “It is,” Greg said. “All you have to do is bring me the marriage certificate in the next thirty days, and the money is yours.” He got up to shake my hand and then led me to the door.

  Outside I straddled my bike, pausing for a moment before I started the engine. “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. There was still plenty of time to get back to Las Cruces that evening. But my inner turmoil was pushing me to find a bar and get a drink. Or many.

  What a stupid thing to put in a will. Thirty days? Who gives someone thirty days to get married? Was that supposed to show my commitment to someone? How was I supposed to find someone for a happily-ever-after in thirty days?