CHAPTER NINE
CAPONE
I pull into the lot with Tara on the back of my bike and instantly spot the convoy of bikes parked in front of the clubhouse. Ink, Hawk, and the prospects are the only guys who call this place home during the week, the rest of the brothers have apartments or houses of their own. But aside from the usual squatters, Ghost, and Shady are both here tonight too, along with Torque, Leftie, and Wiz.
It’s a full fucking house and that sounds an alarm.
I swing my Harley in line with the other bikes and kill the engine. Balancing the bike between my legs, Tara loosens her arm around me. I don’t have to look toward the clubhouse to know the guys meandering around the picnic table outside all have their eyes pinned to me, watching as my precious cargo climbs off my bike.
“It looks like everyone is here,” Tara comments.
I don’t think I’ll ever grow tired of the sight of her pulling my helmet from her head and shaking out her hair. Unfortunately, that sight comes with a strong desire to run my fingers through the silky strands. Something I’d be doing if I didn’t have a fucking audience.
Truth be told, I’ve been struggling to keep my hands to myself since I touched her thigh, and the battle only intensified after her leg gave out at my parents’ house. Feeling her up in front of my entire family was not on my bingo card. As innocent as my intentions were, touching her—letting my hands roam up her legs—well, it was a giant mistake because now it’s all I want to do.
If she were someone else’s daughter and age was just a number, my hands would be permanently glued to her body.
“There’s my favorite girl.”
At the sound of Shady’s voice we both turn and find him walking toward us. Tara hands me the helmet and takes off for him, throwing her arms around his neck as soon as she reaches him. He’s her uncle, it’s only natural he gets to hug her. I shouldn’t be fucking jealous and yet I am. How’s that for fucked in the head?
Tearing my gaze away from them, I hang my helmet on the handlebars before dismounting and making my way to the back of the bike to retrieve Tara’s bags.
Shady breaks the embrace but keeps her at arm’s length, “Your mom and dad are inside. But you might want to give them a minute.”
Tara’s brows furrow. “Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, girl, everything is good. They’re just doing what they do.”
I don’t know if Tara is hip to what that means but I am. Holly and Maverick are either duking it out or fucking their brains out—neither of which I’m sure their daughter wants to be privy to. Tara’s eyes lock with mine before she takes the bags from me, flashing me that killer smile.
“Thanks.”
I shove my hands into my pockets and give her a curt nod before sliding my gaze to Shady. I don’t know what’s expected of me at this point and I feel the longer I stand here with his eyes on me, the more likely he’ll see through my bullshit and realize I like his niece.
I like looking at her.
I like touching her.
I like having her around—period.
End of story.
“Holly says you took Tara to your niece’s birthday party.”
“Uh…yeah. She helped me pick out a gift for her. Seemed only right I fed her afterward.”
“Capone’s mom is a great cook,” Tara chirps. My gaze involuntarily darts to her, and she winks at me. “And his Nonna makes the best tiramisu I’ve ever had.” Her grin widens and she playfully smacks her uncle’s shoulder. “She offered Capone her engagement ring. If she has her wish, we’ll be married by the end of the year,” she adds, cheekily.
The girl wants me dead. There is no other explanation.
“She’s kidding,” I blurt. “No one’s getting married.”
“Yet,” she taunts with a wink.
“You’re a menace,” I growl.
“Don’t pretend like you don’t like it, Gianluca.”
If her uncle wasn’t standing two feet in front of me, glaring at me, I’d show her just how much I fucking like it, and I’d be creative with my efforts. Instead, I meet Shady’s death glare.
“You got her?”
I can feel Tara’s stare burning through me, but I ignore it. I need to get out of here before I fuck myself and I don’t mean that in a literal sense.
“Got somewhere you need to be?” Shady questions, raising an eyebrow.
“Actually, I do.”
Swallowing thickly, I brave a glance at Tara. Her smile is gone and I’m perfectly fine with that. In fact, I’d be totally okay with her never smiling at me again. It’s way too dangerous and it provokes filthy fucking thoughts. “I’ll see you around.”
Her brows pinch together, but she quickly recovers, plastering a saccharine smile to her lips. Fake as it is, it still punches me in the gut and rattles my bones.
It’s too late.
I’ve already fucked myself.
I can’t look at her and not recall how her tits felt against my back. I fear what’s going to happen if I keep spending time with her. It’s only a matter of time before I start wondering how she tastes and then I’ll really lose my shit because I’ll remember Mark doesn’t have to wonder.
I hate that kid.
Taking a baseball bat to his windows still isn’t off the table either.
Might even wrap it with barbwire and take it to his face. Cut him real good.
“No school tomorrow, so maybe you can go back to lizard watching. Although, I do plan on going to the gym with Sadie. Maybe go see a movie. Should I keep you posted on my whereabouts?”
If her father wasn’t such a liar, my services wouldn’t be needed tomorrow. With her not going to school, it’s highly unlikely she’ll run into Mark, but since everyone thinks I’m following her around because of some invisible threat, I’ll probably have to see her at some point.
I grit my teeth. “I’ll ask Maverick what he wants me to do.”
Hawk and Ink walk up to us, temporarily evicting my ass from the hot seat.
“It’s about time you showed your face around here. Where the fuck have you been all day?” Hawk questions.
“Who gives a shit where he’s been,” Ink interjects, throwing an arm around my shoulders. “All that matters is where he’s going.” Grinning, he turns to me. “We’re headed to Sally’s. You coming with us?”
“Why don’t you tell him why we’re really going over to Sally’s?” Hawk taunts.
Dropping his arm from my shoulders, Ink grunts. “Ghost is right, you’re worse than a gossiping bitch.”
Ignoring his jab, Hawk turns his eyes to me. “Ink over here is finally going to pull the trigger and make a move on Emmy.”
I don’t know why Hawk is acting like this is something new. It’s no secret that Ink has had a thing for the head bartender over at Sally’s. He parks his ass there four times a week and she’s always hanging around the clubhouse. At first they tried to hide it. She’d trail along with her cousin, Birdie, who also happens to be Ghost’s girl, but then Ghost and Birdie got a place of their own and Emmy couldn’t use her blind cousin as her crutch anymore.
Ink scoffs. “Shows you how much you know. I’ve been making moves on Emmy since Ghost made Birdie his ol’ lady. I’m just letting you tag along tonight because they hired a couple of new girls and with any luck one of them will hop on your dick. Maybe then you’ll stop paying attention to mine.”
As soon as the words leave his mouth, he inwardly cringes, and his eyes slide to Tara.
“And that is our cue to leave,” Shady says. “Let’s go Tara.”
“Sorry Tara,” Ink mutters.
She’s too busy glaring at me to acknowledge him.
“Ta?” Shady questions, his eyes bouncing from me to his precious niece. Any minute now the big brute is going to send his fist flying in my direction. I can feel it coming.
Tara squares her shoulders back and glances up at Shady, looping her arm through his just the way she did mine earlier. I hate that too.
“Have fun guys.” Then she finally turns to me, her smile faltering. “Thanks again for the ride.”
Her words are cold.
Her eyes sharp as lasers.
Hyper aware that Shady’s eyes are pinned to me, I simply nod. A second later, she’s walking away from me, dragging Shady with her.
“So are you coming with us or what?” he asks. “You can tell us all about your new babysitting gig.”
If I wasn’t completely focused on Tara, I’d tell him to fuck off somewhere. She takes another few steps, and her limp returns. Shady stops midstride, lowering his gaze to her legs, but she brushes him off with a wave of her hand.
I’m no fucking doctor, and I’m definitely not a hypochondriac either, but something isn’t right.
“Earth to Capone,” Ink calls.
I scrub a hand over my face before returning my attention to the two men eyeing me suspiciously. I don’t know what company I’ll make in the state I’m in, but I might actually lose my fucking shit if I stick around here.
“Get me the fuck out of here,” I say gruffly.
I don’t wait for them to respond or even follow me; I just turn and stalk toward my bike. My gaze lands on the helmet dangling from the handlebars. There is no way I’m putting that thing on my head, not after she wore it.
I’ll take my chances and leave my fate in the Devil’s hands.
“So let me get this straight, you helped her cut out of school and accompanied her to the mall, then instead of taking her home, you took her to your parents’ house to celebrate your niece’s birthday.”
I knock back the shot—my third since I parked my ass on the stool. I thought coming here guaranteed me a break from Tara, but she seems to be the topic of conversation since we got here.
Slamming the empty glass onto the bar, I glare at Hawk. “Can we not talk about this? Where the hell is Ink?”
Hawk tips his chin toward the other end of the bar where Ink sits with Emmy perched on his lap, his mouth on her neck.
Great. I guess I’m not getting a refill anytime soon.
“You know what you need?” Hawk questions, drawing my attention back to him.
I quirk an eyebrow. “A lobotomy?”
“Probably,” he agrees, throwing his arm around my shoulders. With his free hand, he grabs my chin and jerks it in the direction of the two new girls Emmy hired. It’s the first time I actually pay them any mind and while they’re pretty enough—the brunette especially—my dick doesn’t so much as twitch.
“Pick one. Hell, take both if that’s your kink.”
I swat Hawk’s hand away from my face and jerk out of his grip, staring at him warily. Hawk isn’t one to pass up pussy. The whole reason he wanted me to come out tonight was so that I’d be his wingman, and now he’s offering up both chicks? Either he’s onto me, or he’s got a secret of his own.
“If I take both doesn’t that defeat the purpose of you so anxiously coming out tonight?”
Reaching for his beer, he shrugs a shoulder.
“My cock ain’t hurtin’ brother. I’ve got a couple of broads on speed dial and with Ink so preoccupied with Em these days Cherry is just itching to hop on my dick.” He takes a swallow of his beer, then lowers the bottle and angles his head. “Come to think of it, she’d probably take a ride on yours too if you’re into gingers.”
I shudder at the thought.
Back in the day, Cherry and the rest of her porn star posse would hang around and regularly service any brother in need. Cherry mostly stayed on Ink’s dick, but her friends were on rotation. I never got in on that action, mainly because those fucking women got more mileage than my fucking Harley. Don’t get me wrong, I like no strings attached sex as much as the next guy, but I don’t need to be worrying if the woman I’m fucking is rehearsing for her next cum shot film.
That’s a hard no from me.
“Thanks, but I’m good, brother.”
He drains the rest of his beer, setting the empty bottle on top of the bar. Then he turns to me, his blue eyes quietly assessing me.
“What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Something is up with you and it’s deeper than Maverick saddling you with looking out for Tara.”
It’s not like I can tell him the truth, that I’m all kinds of twisted because I suddenly find myself attracted to her. He’ll think I’m a fucking pervert, and at this point, I’m not sure he’d be wrong. So, I do what any self-respecting asshole would do, and I keep lying through my teeth. I blame my foul mood on the fact that me shadowing Tara shows how little Maverick thinks I’m capable of.
“You got it all wrong,” he argues. “He’s trusting his daughter to you, Capone. That is the ultimate show of respect.”
“He’s not trusting me to take a bullet for her, Hawk. He’s got me spying on her, making sure that little cocksucker doesn’t try to get back with her—which, in case you were wondering, doesn’t appear to be an issue. He’s already got a new piece of ass.”
Bastard.
I glance back at the two new bartenders, hoping one of them will catch my eye and refill my glass since Emmy and Ink are all but dry humping at the other end of the bar.
“But you would, wouldn’t you?”
I look back at Hawk.
“What?”
“You’d take a bullet for her.”
The reply flies past my lips in an instant.
“I’d take ten.” I stare at him, swallowing past the lump in my throat. “You would too.”
Any Knight would.
It’s what we do.
It’s who we are.
Hawk swipes a hand over his face.
“Yeah. I guess you’re right,” he says, then he lifts his gaze back to me. “But I’d be doing it out of duty.”
I quirk an eyebrow.
“And I wouldn’t?”
He cocks his head to the side.
“I’m not sure.”
“You’re insane, man.”
He nods. “Maybe, or maybe I’m thinking there were a bunch of us in the woods that night and only one of us had to urge to slash that little fuck’s tires. I ain’t blind, brother. Tara’s hot. You see it too and the more time you spend with her, the harder it’s gonna be to contain any other urges.”
“She’s seventeen,” I sneer.
“And that’s what scares me. Bro, Holly was young when Maverick dug his claws into her too. He’d get over the age thing if you played your hand right. But you’re so disgusted with the fact you’re attracted to her, that you can’t think straight.”
“What? I’m not attracted to her.”
“Dude, you could be in the back office fucking both those girls or at the very least, you could have one of them suck your cock, but instead you’re sitting out here drinking yourself silly.”
He ain’t wrong.
Any other day, I’d already be pulling up my zipper.
He slaps a hand to my back.
“The crime ain’t in the attraction, brother. It’s in the execution.”
They’re wise words.
Too bad I let them go in one ear and out the other.