CHAPTER SIX
There were three motels in Pedlam. Rafe picked the farthest one out of town
and the one where she had a backdoor and a forest to disappear into—if needed.
The front clerk was a horny teenager who salivated when Rafe dropped her bag on
the counter.
Inwardly, Rafe was bored. Outwardly, Rafe smiled and got the room that she
wanted.
After she hit the shower, Rafe hit the sheets and set her inner alarm clock.
It worked, like it'd been trained and her eyes opened to see her clock read 6:30
in the morning. She'd gotten three and a half hours of sleep.
It was enough.
She stopped once and that was for an emergency cup of coffee. As she loped
across the gas station's dimly lit parking lot, she reached for her phone. She
dialed Coolay's number and tucked it between her neck and head as she opened the
door and set her coffee in the cupholder.
"You hang up on me and then screen my call. Now you expect me just to answer
to your cheerful self?" Coolay grumbled as his greeting.
Rafe grinned when she heard the sounds of munching on the other end.
"M & Ms for breakfast? Really, Cools?"
"Shut up. I don't owe you proper phone etiquette. You hung up on me, you
whore."
She'd been called worse in the last twenty four hours, but she still
chuckled, "That's the second time I've been called that in four hours. I must be
a whore then."
Coolay was quiet.
Rafe's grin widened when she heard, "Shut up. You're not a whore. I didn't
mean it that way."
"Save it, Coolay. I've got a favor to ask."
"No! No, no, no. And another no. You're not part of the team, which I
hate—but you won't take my favors into consideration and come back in to get
deprogrammed. So…no favor. No way, whore."
"Coolay." Rafe sighed. She leaned forward and started the engine. As she slid
away from the gas station, she continued, "I'm working my own thing. I can't
come in, but once I'm done—I promise. I will come in and go through the
de-programming program. I'll let the freaks wipe my brain. Happy now?"
"Much." He said tightly.
"Now…can I ask for a favor?"
"No. Yes. I'll consider it."
"Coolay. I'm on a time crunch. The faster you help me…the faster I get back
in."
There was silence on the other end.
Rafe watched the passing trees and saw a small sign for The Musket Hole
tucked behind a clump of oak trees. It read three miles ahead.
"Cools." She prompted.
"Fine. What is it?"
"I need the current location on a Ray Perry."
She heard his fingers tapping at the keyboard, but he still grumbled, "Why
the hell are you looking for this guy? Why the hell are you even out there?
And…what a joyous surprise, his address is in some freakish place called
Sunshine. I thought you were in Pedlam."
"I am." Rafe frowned, "but…what's the address?"
"1089 Terrace Lane Sunshine. You need the zip code?"
"No. I'll take it from here. Thanks, Coolay."
There was a disgruntled ahem, but Rafe ignored it and murmured, "I miss
you."
"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
Rafe considered it, shook her head, but… "Can you get me my bio?"
Coolay hung up and Rafe was left with the dial tone as her answer.
She hung up and said dryly, "Guess not."
Sunshine? That was the fourth town in the area. It was straight south of
Rawley, southeast from Pedlam, and southwest from Red Valley.
Rafe considered what it might mean for a Pedlam cub whose address wasn't
Pedlam, but she caught sight of the Musket Hole and pushed that information
aside—for the time being.
The Musket Hole was another rundown building to match the décor of Pedlam,
but it had a certain appeal to the place. It had eight windows, one graying
door, and a rusty doorknob. Rafe parked her car underneath a clump of birch
trees and studied the layout.
The parking lot was gravel. A chipped sidewalk led the way to the lone door.
And there was a slight slump in the doorframe. Rafe saw through the windows—two
booths were full of Panthers. They sat on the south side of the café and three
booths were full on the north side. They looked like civilians.
Rafe checked the cars in the lot. They held Pedlam markers so she knew they
weren't Red Valley Panthers inside.
No one should be on the look out for her so…Rafe felt her stomach grumble and
figured, 'I'll go in for food first. Food, coffee, and maybe some orange juice.
Then I'll figure it out.'
Jace was the genius when it came to planning. He planned an entire chessboard
ahead of everyone else. Of the rest of their team, Carl was the next best at
planning. Rafe never needed to plan. She was there for the shooting and the
fighting. That's where she excelled. The rest held their own, but Rafe was the
best at pulling the trigger.
Jace did it, but there had been times when he hesitated and Rafe hadn't.
And as she walked inside the Musket Hole, her blood was humming, but her eyes
were swift and efficient. Either way, she kept her gun hidden as she donned her
black buttoned shirt again. This morning, she wore a white camisole. The jeans
and boots were the same—like always.
'You can't be predictable. When they know your move, you're dead.' Jace's
words never instilled inside of Rafe's thick skull.
She was predictable in her dress, in her attitude, and in her marksmanship.
And that—was what kept her alive.
Rafe eyed the rusting doorknob in disdain, but a breeze lifted it free. Rafe
grabbed it quickly and opened it without touching the handle. There was just
something about rust—she hated rust.
As she moved inside, conversations dulled at the sight of her.
That was another thing predictable about her.
She was noticeable. She always had been, which is why Jace kept her in the
background until the shooting started. If she was undercover, Rafe was going to
be herself and that was always noticeable.
"What can I get you, honey?"
Rafe eyed the middle-aged waitress and thought, 'They're always so friendly.
Why are they so fucking friendly?'
Unlike Carla, this lady was plump with no make-up and she chewed gum. Her
hair was swept back in a bun and she looked like she could've owned the place.
Her nametag read 'Lila'.
Rafe glanced around the small interior. She saw one empty booth on the
civilian side. It was right next to the main entrance. There were two empty
booths behind where the Panthers sat.
So Rafe said, "I want a booth…as far away from people as possible."
Lila frowned for a second and then shrugged, "Okay. Follow me."
She led Rafe past the Panthers and in the farthest booth. It was next to the
kitchen door. As Rafe sat, she glanced inside as another waiter moved through
and saw the back door.
Lila placed a menu on the table and asked, "You want coffee? You look like a
coffee girl."
Rafe picked up the menu and said dryly, "I'm a coffee girl."
"You younguns always are. I can tell when you've stayed up all night—doing
whatever you was doing. So," Lila placed a round hand on her cushioned hip and
asked, "what'll you have for food?"
Rafe glanced towards the Panther's booths. They still hadn't gotten their
food so she ordered, "I'll have some eggs and toast—easy over on the eggs."
"We only got white toast. No wheat."
"White's fine." Rafe handed the menu back and Lila left after she filled
Rafe's coffee cup and moved to refill the cups at the Panther's booths.
Rafe let loose a long breath and glanced around the café for a second time.
There were eight Panthers stuffed inside the two booths, but none of them stuck
out as a leader or royalty. Most of them had shaved heads. They all kept the
same panther tattoo that circled their necks and all of them had bruises over
their faces.
There were two skinny guys. One looked like his shaved hair might've been
blonde. The other looked like he had black hair. Another two were average size
with no distinguishing marks and the last four were all heavy-set. One only had
a beer belly, but the other three all resembled sumo-wrestlers.
As Lila brought out their food, Rafe watched with a twisted smirk as they all
ordered the same food.
Two plates of pancakes, one plate of scrambled eggs, and another plate of
sausage. And that was for one of them. She set the excess food on the booth
behind them.
They didn't take lessons from Jace. He ordered meat, vegetables, and nothing
with grease.
When the door swung open, Rafe lifted her coffee cup to her mouth as her eyes
looked up—and then she froze.
The two Panthers that she'd been waiting for had arrived.
The first guy was blonde and built like a cement truck. As the Panthers all
stood and greeted him with handshakes and clasped fists to his back, Rafe
identified the cement truck as Kip.
He was the official leader, according to Hedge.
And the second guy was Cole Kilborn.
Rafe swallowed and lowered her cup.
He was tall, over six feet, and he had a trim build similar to a soccer
player's. His hair was kept short in a buzz cut, but it didn't hide the light
brown coloring that seemed to set off his hazel eyes.
His eyes pierced hers as he stood and waited for Kip to sit. They chose the
booth right in front of her and as Kip took the seat with his back to her, Rafe
was left to stare down Cole, who sat facing her.
Her eyes never wavered. Neither did his. And Rafe thought, 'Well…fuck.'
She'd itched her scratch a few days ago, but apparently she needed to itch it
again. Rafe felt the signals of lust swirling in her depths. As she wet her lips
and watched as his gaze traveled the same path, she knew Cole Kilborn felt the
same.
'I can make this work.' Rafe sat back and grinned to herself as she mapped
out a rough plan, one that consisted of sex, sweat, and interrogation.
Lila swept back out and greeted the two arrivals with a warm smile and a slow
drawl, "Well, hell, boys. Welcome to breakfast."
Cole leaned back and switched his gaze to Lila.
Rafe actually felt a weight lift off her as he turned away and smiled back,
charmingly, "Hi, Lila. How are you this morning?"
"Oh." Lila beamed and took a moment. She pretended to fan herself and then
pinched Cole's cheek, "Cole Kilborn, you are too much. I'm an old lady, but I
still feel my heart a fluttering when your smile turns my way."
"And me?" Kip asked in a deep baritone.
Lila oomphed and aahed, "Of course, Kip. You've coming to these parts since
you were a cub. You and Jace, the two of you made my mornings troublesome at
times."
Rafe's eyes sharpened at her boss' name.
"We didn't mean no disrespect." Kip said smoothly and leaned back to rest an
well-muscled arm on his booth.
"The two of you were perfect gentlemen. It was the trouble that followed the
two of you around. That and Jace's boy—he always knew to find his brother
here."
"Yeah…" Kip remarked, considering, "they busted heads quite a bit."
"Here. They busted heads here." Lila said promptly, "but I never held it
against him. Hell—how could I? Jace was like a son to me. I miss that boy.
What's he up to these days?"
"He fell in love, Lila."
Rafe's cheeks felt like cement. Her fingers curled into the counter, but her
eyes and ears remained sharp.
"He did not. That boy will never fall in love."
'Or he shouldn't.'
"He did and he's left the Panthers. He's with her now."
Lila tsk tsked and shook her head, "That boy don't know love. He wasn't never
showed it when he grew up. His momma took off and got herself a new family.
Something like that stays with a boy. Breaks my heart at times."
Cole, who had glanced between the two, flashed a grin and said, "We know how
to love, Lila. Don't you worry."
"Oh." Lila shook her head in mock disbelief, but it wasn't hard to see the
soft spot she had for him. Rafe watched as she reached out and patted his cheek
once again before she asked with a pen at the ready, "Same for you boys?"
"The usual." Cole nodded.
Kip agreed, "The usual. Thanks, Lila."
Lila turned to leave, but stopped at Rafe's table and asked, "How about you?
You doing okay?"
"Fine." Rafe said tightly, but softened it with a grateful smile.
Lila seemed to have a soft spot for anyone that morning. She patted Rafe on
the arm and moved back into the kitchen.
Rafe sucked in a surprised breath as the older woman's hand was removed from
her arm. She'd never been touched—not like that and not by a woman.
When she looked back up, she froze like a deer in headlights.
Cole had gone back to watching her. His eyes seemed to pierce right through
her and Rafe knew that he'd seen the momentary chink in her wall. He'd seen her
reaction to Lila's touch, but Rafe reassured herself.
'He don't know.' He didn't know what it meant to her and he didn't know
her.
Rafe sat back and waited for her food. The Panthers kept to themselves. It
was surprising because while she sat a booth away, the ten Panthers were softly
monotone when it came to their conversations. Either way, Cole only lifted his
gaze from her when he was directly spoken to and Kip turned once to see who held
Cole's fascination.
A normal girl would've felt intimidated and probably uncomfortable. Rafe sat
in a lone booth, tucked away behind three booths of males—let alone
Panthers.
She was under the keen attention of one of them and not a word had been
spoken between the two.
That was a normal girl.
Rafe wasn't normal.
And when her phone peeled again, she checked the name and let loose with a
curse as she strode out of the café for privacy.
She flipped it open when she swung out the door and asked shortly, "What do
you want, Carl?"
She'd known him for eight years. She'd slept beside him, cried once beside
him, and even pissed beside him. So she knew Carl wasn't calling for a nice
catch-up chat.
"Are you serious? That's how you fucking greet me, Rafe?" Carl's even toned
voice grated against her nerves. "My little brother has been filling my ear with
a lot of outrageous things, Rafe. Why don't you fill me in before I blow the lid
and send Boss your way."
"Really, Carl?" Rafe barked out, but when the sound of revving engines caught
her ear, she turned quickly and saw the incoming motorcycles.
They were Panthers and they weren't Pedlam.
"Fuck. I have to go." And she hung up swiftly.
The bikes caught sight of her before she could hide and instantly swung into
the parking lot.
Not good.
Rafe bolted towards her car and managed to release her trunk and the hidden
panel. She already had her 9mm on her, but she grabbed another 38 Colt and swung
wide when the first shout rang out.
Four Panthers rushed her, but Rafe fell down and let two hit her trunk
instead. The other two managed to evade their own rush at her car and right
themselves. As they did, Rafe had rolled to a stand behind them. She flipped
both guns in the air and caught the butts in her hands. She clasped them against
one of the Panthers and he dropped solidly to the ground.
She managed to turn, but was caught by a fist to her face. She went down, but
Rafe flipped in the air and used her boot heel to catch the guy in the face.
She wasn't one for those karate kicks, but she knew how to use the twists and
turns for her advantage. Jace taught her the best and she had just landed back
on her feet when the front door of the Musket House was thrown open and the
Pedlam Panthers reigned out.
They caught and held back the four Red Valley Panthers while Cole and Kip
stood in the cross-fire.
Rafe waited with the café to her back. The other four stood with their backs
to her car.
Rafe sighed and slid both guns against her back, underneath her jeans
waistband to keep them in place. As Kip turned and regarded her, her hands were
held open and weapon-less.
Cole hid a grin, but he remained quiet.
And Kip's eyes lingered on the beaded rope that Rafe had left wrapped around
her left arm.
He pointed to it and asked, "Where'd that come from?"
And Rafe returned, just as smoothly, "None of your business."
His eyes didn't move for a beat and for that moment—Rafe felt as if the gig
was up, Kip instantly knew about her connection to Jace—but then he turned back
towards the Red Valley Pack and grated out, "What the hell are you doing? You
don't attack women. It's a goddamn rule for the brotherhood."
She recognized a few of them from Carla's Cats, but the tag on his leather
jacket that read Knot gave it away when he sneered in return and pointed, "She
busted up two of ours. She ain't no woman that I know of."
"What are you talking about?" Kip turned his back towards Rafe, but Cole
shifted and faced her. They watched each other's back. Rafe recognized the
slight movement, it was another routine installed from Jace.
She saw the natural ease of the movement and knew the guys did it
instinctually now. It told her how joined and fluid they were around the
other.
"I don't know. She was looking for someone—that's what Rooney said. When he
wouldn't tell her, she went all haywire on him. She broke his damn nose."
The other three Red Valley Panthers objected at the Pedlam holds. They
strained to get free, but the Pedlam Panthers kept them in check. When one of
the guys let loose with a punch, Kip and Cole instantly joined the fray.
Kip shoved the Red Valley Panther to the side while Cole took hold of the
other two and flipped them on the ground.
Rafe watched in appreciation. The guy knew how to move. That was good.
She wet her lips and knew she'd have to scratch her itch real soon.
"You keep your boys under control, Knot." Cole commanded. He waited, but
neither of them made a move again. They waited, at least until their standing
leader gave the go-ahead.
"They don't like to be told what to do. Your boys were holding them awfully
tight." Knot sneered. He folded his arms and his frown made him look as if he
was pouting.
The tension between the two packs was evident, but Rafe was content to watch
how it played out.
Kip tried the diplomatic stance again. He thrust out his arm, as if to keep
the Red Valley Panthers at bay and asked, "Okay—how did this happen again?"
"We don't have to explain ourselves to you." One of the others growled.
Knot sent him a fierce frown and he was reminded to shut up, but Knot turned
back and said, "He's right, Kip. We don't have to explain ourselves to you. This
happened on our territory. She needs to come back and face Lodo."
"We all know what'll happen if she makes it back there. Lodo will rip her to
shreds and that's only if you guys actually take her the whole way." Cole
stepped up. He turned so his back faced Rafe.
Kip appraised the movement. Hell, everyone did. Cole had just taken a
protective stance.
"Come on, Cole. This ain't got nothing to do with you guys. You were just
here. That's luck on her side."
Kip grinned, "I think it's luck on your side. She looked like she was
handling her own." The blonde leader turned and skimmed Rafe's defiant figure
again. His eyes lingered on the phoenix emblem that rested against the curve of
her palm. He looked back and grated out, "Besides—this is Pedlam. And she's one
of ours so you don't get her."
There was a collective shock that rang around the group.
Even Rafe was taken aback, but her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she made
sure to place her hands on her hip—where she could grasp her guns, if
needed.
"That's—" Knot started to protest, but he'd been backed in a corner. Call the
leader of the Pedlam Panthers a liar and the entire pack would declare war. Let
him get away with it and Rooney wouldn't be avenged. Either way—Knot knew he'd
need to step delicately or his own life might get called into question.
There were three motels in Pedlam. Rafe picked the farthest one out of town
and the one where she had a backdoor and a forest to disappear into—if needed.
The front clerk was a horny teenager who salivated when Rafe dropped her bag on
the counter.
Inwardly, Rafe was bored. Outwardly, Rafe smiled and got the room that she
wanted.
After she hit the shower, Rafe hit the sheets and set her inner alarm clock.
It worked, like it'd been trained and her eyes opened to see her clock read 6:30
in the morning. She'd gotten three and a half hours of sleep.
It was enough.
She stopped once and that was for an emergency cup of coffee. As she loped
across the gas station's dimly lit parking lot, she reached for her phone. She
dialed Coolay's number and tucked it between her neck and head as she opened the
door and set her coffee in the cupholder.
"You hang up on me and then screen my call. Now you expect me just to answer
to your cheerful self?" Coolay grumbled as his greeting.
Rafe grinned when she heard the sounds of munching on the other end.
"M & Ms for breakfast? Really, Cools?"
"Shut up. I don't owe you proper phone etiquette. You hung up on me, you
whore."
She'd been called worse in the last twenty four hours, but she still
chuckled, "That's the second time I've been called that in four hours. I must be
a whore then."
Coolay was quiet.
Rafe's grin widened when she heard, "Shut up. You're not a whore. I didn't
mean it that way."
"Save it, Coolay. I've got a favor to ask."
"No! No, no, no. And another no. You're not part of the team, which I
hate—but you won't take my favors into consideration and come back in to get
deprogrammed. So…no favor. No way, whore."
"Coolay." Rafe sighed. She leaned forward and started the engine. As she slid
away from the gas station, she continued, "I'm working my own thing. I can't
come in, but once I'm done—I promise. I will come in and go through the
de-programming program. I'll let the freaks wipe my brain. Happy now?"
"Much." He said tightly.
"Now…can I ask for a favor?"
"No. Yes. I'll consider it."
"Coolay. I'm on a time crunch. The faster you help me…the faster I get back
in."
There was silence on the other end.
Rafe watched the passing trees and saw a small sign for The Musket Hole
tucked behind a clump of oak trees. It read three miles ahead.
"Cools." She prompted.
"Fine. What is it?"
"I need the current location on a Ray Perry."
She heard his fingers tapping at the keyboard, but he still grumbled, "Why
the hell are you looking for this guy? Why the hell are you even out there?
And…what a joyous surprise, his address is in some freakish place called
Sunshine. I thought you were in Pedlam."
"I am." Rafe frowned, "but…what's the address?"
"1089 Terrace Lane Sunshine. You need the zip code?"
"No. I'll take it from here. Thanks, Coolay."
There was a disgruntled ahem, but Rafe ignored it and murmured, "I miss
you."
"Is there anything else, Your Highness?"
Rafe considered it, shook her head, but… "Can you get me my bio?"
Coolay hung up and Rafe was left with the dial tone as her answer.
She hung up and said dryly, "Guess not."
Sunshine? That was the fourth town in the area. It was straight south of
Rawley, southeast from Pedlam, and southwest from Red Valley.
Rafe considered what it might mean for a Pedlam cub whose address wasn't
Pedlam, but she caught sight of the Musket Hole and pushed that information
aside—for the time being.
The Musket Hole was another rundown building to match the décor of Pedlam,
but it had a certain appeal to the place. It had eight windows, one graying
door, and a rusty doorknob. Rafe parked her car underneath a clump of birch
trees and studied the layout.
The parking lot was gravel. A chipped sidewalk led the way to the lone door.
And there was a slight slump in the doorframe. Rafe saw through the windows—two
booths were full of Panthers. They sat on the south side of the café and three
booths were full on the north side. They looked like civilians.
Rafe checked the cars in the lot. They held Pedlam markers so she knew they
weren't Red Valley Panthers inside.
No one should be on the look out for her so…Rafe felt her stomach grumble and
figured, 'I'll go in for food first. Food, coffee, and maybe some orange juice.
Then I'll figure it out.'
Jace was the genius when it came to planning. He planned an entire chessboard
ahead of everyone else. Of the rest of their team, Carl was the next best at
planning. Rafe never needed to plan. She was there for the shooting and the
fighting. That's where she excelled. The rest held their own, but Rafe was the
best at pulling the trigger.
Jace did it, but there had been times when he hesitated and Rafe hadn't.
And as she walked inside the Musket Hole, her blood was humming, but her eyes
were swift and efficient. Either way, she kept her gun hidden as she donned her
black buttoned shirt again. This morning, she wore a white camisole. The jeans
and boots were the same—like always.
'You can't be predictable. When they know your move, you're dead.' Jace's
words never instilled inside of Rafe's thick skull.
She was predictable in her dress, in her attitude, and in her marksmanship.
And that—was what kept her alive.
Rafe eyed the rusting doorknob in disdain, but a breeze lifted it free. Rafe
grabbed it quickly and opened it without touching the handle. There was just
something about rust—she hated rust.
As she moved inside, conversations dulled at the sight of her.
That was another thing predictable about her.
She was noticeable. She always had been, which is why Jace kept her in the
background until the shooting started. If she was undercover, Rafe was going to
be herself and that was always noticeable.
"What can I get you, honey?"
Rafe eyed the middle-aged waitress and thought, 'They're always so friendly.
Why are they so fucking friendly?'
Unlike Carla, this lady was plump with no make-up and she chewed gum. Her
hair was swept back in a bun and she looked like she could've owned the place.
Her nametag read 'Lila'.
Rafe glanced around the small interior. She saw one empty booth on the
civilian side. It was right next to the main entrance. There were two empty
booths behind where the Panthers sat.
So Rafe said, "I want a booth…as far away from people as possible."
Lila frowned for a second and then shrugged, "Okay. Follow me."
She led Rafe past the Panthers and in the farthest booth. It was next to the
kitchen door. As Rafe sat, she glanced inside as another waiter moved through
and saw the back door.
Lila placed a menu on the table and asked, "You want coffee? You look like a
coffee girl."
Rafe picked up the menu and said dryly, "I'm a coffee girl."
"You younguns always are. I can tell when you've stayed up all night—doing
whatever you was doing. So," Lila placed a round hand on her cushioned hip and
asked, "what'll you have for food?"
Rafe glanced towards the Panther's booths. They still hadn't gotten their
food so she ordered, "I'll have some eggs and toast—easy over on the eggs."
"We only got white toast. No wheat."
"White's fine." Rafe handed the menu back and Lila left after she filled
Rafe's coffee cup and moved to refill the cups at the Panther's booths.
Rafe let loose a long breath and glanced around the café for a second time.
There were eight Panthers stuffed inside the two booths, but none of them stuck
out as a leader or royalty. Most of them had shaved heads. They all kept the
same panther tattoo that circled their necks and all of them had bruises over
their faces.
There were two skinny guys. One looked like his shaved hair might've been
blonde. The other looked like he had black hair. Another two were average size
with no distinguishing marks and the last four were all heavy-set. One only had
a beer belly, but the other three all resembled sumo-wrestlers.
As Lila brought out their food, Rafe watched with a twisted smirk as they all
ordered the same food.
Two plates of pancakes, one plate of scrambled eggs, and another plate of
sausage. And that was for one of them. She set the excess food on the booth
behind them.
They didn't take lessons from Jace. He ordered meat, vegetables, and nothing
with grease.
When the door swung open, Rafe lifted her coffee cup to her mouth as her eyes
looked up—and then she froze.
The two Panthers that she'd been waiting for had arrived.
The first guy was blonde and built like a cement truck. As the Panthers all
stood and greeted him with handshakes and clasped fists to his back, Rafe
identified the cement truck as Kip.
He was the official leader, according to Hedge.
And the second guy was Cole Kilborn.
Rafe swallowed and lowered her cup.
He was tall, over six feet, and he had a trim build similar to a soccer
player's. His hair was kept short in a buzz cut, but it didn't hide the light
brown coloring that seemed to set off his hazel eyes.
His eyes pierced hers as he stood and waited for Kip to sit. They chose the
booth right in front of her and as Kip took the seat with his back to her, Rafe
was left to stare down Cole, who sat facing her.
Her eyes never wavered. Neither did his. And Rafe thought, 'Well…fuck.'
She'd itched her scratch a few days ago, but apparently she needed to itch it
again. Rafe felt the signals of lust swirling in her depths. As she wet her lips
and watched as his gaze traveled the same path, she knew Cole Kilborn felt the
same.
'I can make this work.' Rafe sat back and grinned to herself as she mapped
out a rough plan, one that consisted of sex, sweat, and interrogation.
Lila swept back out and greeted the two arrivals with a warm smile and a slow
drawl, "Well, hell, boys. Welcome to breakfast."
Cole leaned back and switched his gaze to Lila.
Rafe actually felt a weight lift off her as he turned away and smiled back,
charmingly, "Hi, Lila. How are you this morning?"
"Oh." Lila beamed and took a moment. She pretended to fan herself and then
pinched Cole's cheek, "Cole Kilborn, you are too much. I'm an old lady, but I
still feel my heart a fluttering when your smile turns my way."
"And me?" Kip asked in a deep baritone.
Lila oomphed and aahed, "Of course, Kip. You've coming to these parts since
you were a cub. You and Jace, the two of you made my mornings troublesome at
times."
Rafe's eyes sharpened at her boss' name.
"We didn't mean no disrespect." Kip said smoothly and leaned back to rest an
well-muscled arm on his booth.
"The two of you were perfect gentlemen. It was the trouble that followed the
two of you around. That and Jace's boy—he always knew to find his brother
here."
"Yeah…" Kip remarked, considering, "they busted heads quite a bit."
"Here. They busted heads here." Lila said promptly, "but I never held it
against him. Hell—how could I? Jace was like a son to me. I miss that boy.
What's he up to these days?"
"He fell in love, Lila."
Rafe's cheeks felt like cement. Her fingers curled into the counter, but her
eyes and ears remained sharp.
"He did not. That boy will never fall in love."
'Or he shouldn't.'
"He did and he's left the Panthers. He's with her now."
Lila tsk tsked and shook her head, "That boy don't know love. He wasn't never
showed it when he grew up. His momma took off and got herself a new family.
Something like that stays with a boy. Breaks my heart at times."
Cole, who had glanced between the two, flashed a grin and said, "We know how
to love, Lila. Don't you worry."
"Oh." Lila shook her head in mock disbelief, but it wasn't hard to see the
soft spot she had for him. Rafe watched as she reached out and patted his cheek
once again before she asked with a pen at the ready, "Same for you boys?"
"The usual." Cole nodded.
Kip agreed, "The usual. Thanks, Lila."
Lila turned to leave, but stopped at Rafe's table and asked, "How about you?
You doing okay?"
"Fine." Rafe said tightly, but softened it with a grateful smile.
Lila seemed to have a soft spot for anyone that morning. She patted Rafe on
the arm and moved back into the kitchen.
Rafe sucked in a surprised breath as the older woman's hand was removed from
her arm. She'd never been touched—not like that and not by a woman.
When she looked back up, she froze like a deer in headlights.
Cole had gone back to watching her. His eyes seemed to pierce right through
her and Rafe knew that he'd seen the momentary chink in her wall. He'd seen her
reaction to Lila's touch, but Rafe reassured herself.
'He don't know.' He didn't know what it meant to her and he didn't know
her.
Rafe sat back and waited for her food. The Panthers kept to themselves. It
was surprising because while she sat a booth away, the ten Panthers were softly
monotone when it came to their conversations. Either way, Cole only lifted his
gaze from her when he was directly spoken to and Kip turned once to see who held
Cole's fascination.
A normal girl would've felt intimidated and probably uncomfortable. Rafe sat
in a lone booth, tucked away behind three booths of males—let alone
Panthers.
She was under the keen attention of one of them and not a word had been
spoken between the two.
That was a normal girl.
Rafe wasn't normal.
And when her phone peeled again, she checked the name and let loose with a
curse as she strode out of the café for privacy.
She flipped it open when she swung out the door and asked shortly, "What do
you want, Carl?"
She'd known him for eight years. She'd slept beside him, cried once beside
him, and even pissed beside him. So she knew Carl wasn't calling for a nice
catch-up chat.
"Are you serious? That's how you fucking greet me, Rafe?" Carl's even toned
voice grated against her nerves. "My little brother has been filling my ear with
a lot of outrageous things, Rafe. Why don't you fill me in before I blow the lid
and send Boss your way."
"Really, Carl?" Rafe barked out, but when the sound of revving engines caught
her ear, she turned quickly and saw the incoming motorcycles.
They were Panthers and they weren't Pedlam.
"Fuck. I have to go." And she hung up swiftly.
The bikes caught sight of her before she could hide and instantly swung into
the parking lot.
Not good.
Rafe bolted towards her car and managed to release her trunk and the hidden
panel. She already had her 9mm on her, but she grabbed another 38 Colt and swung
wide when the first shout rang out.
Four Panthers rushed her, but Rafe fell down and let two hit her trunk
instead. The other two managed to evade their own rush at her car and right
themselves. As they did, Rafe had rolled to a stand behind them. She flipped
both guns in the air and caught the butts in her hands. She clasped them against
one of the Panthers and he dropped solidly to the ground.
She managed to turn, but was caught by a fist to her face. She went down, but
Rafe flipped in the air and used her boot heel to catch the guy in the face.
She wasn't one for those karate kicks, but she knew how to use the twists and
turns for her advantage. Jace taught her the best and she had just landed back
on her feet when the front door of the Musket House was thrown open and the
Pedlam Panthers reigned out.
They caught and held back the four Red Valley Panthers while Cole and Kip
stood in the cross-fire.
Rafe waited with the café to her back. The other four stood with their backs
to her car.
Rafe sighed and slid both guns against her back, underneath her jeans
waistband to keep them in place. As Kip turned and regarded her, her hands were
held open and weapon-less.
Cole hid a grin, but he remained quiet.
And Kip's eyes lingered on the beaded rope that Rafe had left wrapped around
her left arm.
He pointed to it and asked, "Where'd that come from?"
And Rafe returned, just as smoothly, "None of your business."
His eyes didn't move for a beat and for that moment—Rafe felt as if the gig
was up, Kip instantly knew about her connection to Jace—but then he turned back
towards the Red Valley Pack and grated out, "What the hell are you doing? You
don't attack women. It's a goddamn rule for the brotherhood."
She recognized a few of them from Carla's Cats, but the tag on his leather
jacket that read Knot gave it away when he sneered in return and pointed, "She
busted up two of ours. She ain't no woman that I know of."
"What are you talking about?" Kip turned his back towards Rafe, but Cole
shifted and faced her. They watched each other's back. Rafe recognized the
slight movement, it was another routine installed from Jace.
She saw the natural ease of the movement and knew the guys did it
instinctually now. It told her how joined and fluid they were around the
other.
"I don't know. She was looking for someone—that's what Rooney said. When he
wouldn't tell her, she went all haywire on him. She broke his damn nose."
The other three Red Valley Panthers objected at the Pedlam holds. They
strained to get free, but the Pedlam Panthers kept them in check. When one of
the guys let loose with a punch, Kip and Cole instantly joined the fray.
Kip shoved the Red Valley Panther to the side while Cole took hold of the
other two and flipped them on the ground.
Rafe watched in appreciation. The guy knew how to move. That was good.
She wet her lips and knew she'd have to scratch her itch real soon.
"You keep your boys under control, Knot." Cole commanded. He waited, but
neither of them made a move again. They waited, at least until their standing
leader gave the go-ahead.
"They don't like to be told what to do. Your boys were holding them awfully
tight." Knot sneered. He folded his arms and his frown made him look as if he
was pouting.
The tension between the two packs was evident, but Rafe was content to watch
how it played out.
Kip tried the diplomatic stance again. He thrust out his arm, as if to keep
the Red Valley Panthers at bay and asked, "Okay—how did this happen again?"
"We don't have to explain ourselves to you." One of the others growled.
Knot sent him a fierce frown and he was reminded to shut up, but Knot turned
back and said, "He's right, Kip. We don't have to explain ourselves to you. This
happened on our territory. She needs to come back and face Lodo."
"We all know what'll happen if she makes it back there. Lodo will rip her to
shreds and that's only if you guys actually take her the whole way." Cole
stepped up. He turned so his back faced Rafe.
Kip appraised the movement. Hell, everyone did. Cole had just taken a
protective stance.
"Come on, Cole. This ain't got nothing to do with you guys. You were just
here. That's luck on her side."
Kip grinned, "I think it's luck on your side. She looked like she was
handling her own." The blonde leader turned and skimmed Rafe's defiant figure
again. His eyes lingered on the phoenix emblem that rested against the curve of
her palm. He looked back and grated out, "Besides—this is Pedlam. And she's one
of ours so you don't get her."
There was a collective shock that rang around the group.
Even Rafe was taken aback, but her eyes narrowed in suspicion and she made
sure to place her hands on her hip—where she could grasp her guns, if
needed.
"That's—" Knot started to protest, but he'd been backed in a corner. Call the
leader of the Pedlam Panthers a liar and the entire pack would declare war. Let
him get away with it and Rooney wouldn't be avenged. Either way—Knot knew he'd
need to step delicately or his own life might get called into question.