WOLF: An Evil Dead MC Story (The Evil Dead MC Series Book 4) (2 page)

Dog was married to a classic Asian beauty with a petite figure, gorgeous face and long, silky dark hair that hung to her waist. The kind of girl most men could only fantasize about. She was also very intelligent and almost as much of a smartass as Crystal. The two of them made quite a striking pair, Red Dog with his big Viking warrior looks complete with long reddish-golden hair and beard, and Mary the petite china-doll.

He winked at her. “Yes, ma’am.”

Mack tossed the phone on the bar top with an angry clatter, huffing a string of curses.

Dog grinned and murmured before tossing back another shot, “If our ol’ ladies could hear the next five seconds after we hit end on a call, we’d never get any pussy.”

Crystal rolled her eyes at Dog and looked over at Mack. “Everything okay?”

“What do women say when they actually
are
fine? Jesus Christ. Women.”

Red Dog grinned. “Yeah, they like to get inside your head and rearrange the furniture.”

Crystal shook her head at Dog and asked Mack, “Trouble in paradise?”

“She called me a stubborn ass! I’m not stubborn. My way is just always better.”

“You know, Mack, some things just go perfectly together, like ‘I told you so’ and sleeping on the couch,” Crystal informed him with a grin.

“Fuck.”

“You finally figuring out that being right isn’t nearly as important as knowing when to shut up?” Dog grinned over at Mack.

“Christ. Just shoot me now.”

Dog grunted. “With pleasure. No one wants to listen to you whine about your miserable life. Just shut up and become bitter and resentful like the rest of us.”

Crystal looked over at Mack with his dark hair graying at the temples and his salt and pepper scruff. “Dog’s going home to his wife. And what about you?”

“I ain’t got a wife.”

“No, but Natalie’s probably waiting on your ass.”

His eyes crinkled at the corner as he grinned, and she watched his brows raise as he replied, “She’s a little pissed at me right now. But I guess that’s what I get for falling for a damned redhead.”

“Hey!” Red Dog protested. “What’s wrong with redheads?”

Crystal shook her head. “You’re so full of shit, Mack. Am I right, Dog? If she wasn’t the firecracker she is, our ‘fearless-leader’ here never would have looked twice.” Natalie was in her late forties, but she still looked like a young Ann Margret. A redhead with the temper to match. Somehow, she and Mack worked. Him with his gruff ‘I’m-in-charge-and-don’t-you-fucking-forget-it’ attitude and her with her fiery ‘straight-talking’ personality. She was classy and soft-spoken, but she also had a way with Mack that had him eating out of her hand. She was also the only one who had ever called him on his bullshit, and apparently, that was exactly what he’d needed because he’d fallen for her hard.

“Firecracker. Yup. Just like you, darlin’,” Mack agreed.

Crystal winked at him and started to walk off, but not before Mack reeled her in for a peck on her forehead. “Not that I don’t appreciate how clean you keep this place, but go on home, kid.”

She smiled as she pushed away. “You know what a type-A personality I am. I couldn’t sleep if I went home without mopping this floor.”

Mack chuckled. “You’re crazy, girl. But have at it. Whatever floats your boat, honey.”

She moved off toward the tables and began upturning the chairs and setting them on top so she could mop. When she got to the table where Cole and Crash were kicked back, she moved behind Cole and slid her arms around his neck, leaning down with her head next to his blonde one, her long dark hair falling over his shoulder and leather cut.

“Uh-oh,” Crash murmured, grinning. “She wants something, boss.”

Cole grinned back, one palm sliding over her forearm to rub back and forth. “Something I can do for you, darlin’?”

“Um-hmm,” she purred in his ear.

His grin widened and he purred back, playing along with her game, “Name it, sweetheart.”

“Move your ass, so I can mop.”

He pulled her around his chair and down on his lap so fast she squealed as he captured her in his hold. “Move
my ass
?”

“You might need to spank
her ass
for talking to you like that, VP,” Crash teased.

Crystal looked down at Cole’s smiling face. “You wouldn’t.”

His palm dropped from her waist to squeeze an ass cheek. “I might.”

She squealed and struggled to break free, laughing.

“Settle down. I’m kidding.”

Crash lifted his glass to his mouth, but spoke right before he downed the last of his drink. “She’d like it too much, anyway.”

Crystal threw her dishrag at him, hitting him in the face. “Shut-
up
!”

Both men laughed, but then Cole tightened his hold, squeezing the hand at her waist, his voice turning serious. “You doin’ okay? Wolf been giving you anymore problems?”

Her smile faded at the reminder of the man who held her heart, yet continually broke it. A man she’d fallen for the minute she’d first laid eyes on him. The energy in the room would change when he’d walk in. At least for her it would. But Wolf wasn’t looking for an ol’ lady no matter how strong the connection was between them or how good the sex was between them. He’d made that clear from the beginning. And she’d had to come to terms with it. Any relationship they’d ever had, had always been on his terms.

Wolf had a bossy, demanding, not-to-be-denied way about him that drew her like honey.

But Wolf was also a flirt who could woo and coax whatever he wanted from her. One minute the sweet-talking, cajoling charmer, who could lure, tempt, entice, and persuade his way to anything he wanted. And the next minute, the bossy, demanding badass, who didn’t hesitate in claiming, commanding, and exacting what he wanted, not asking—just taking.

It was the contradictions of these complexities of the man that kept her on her toes.

And then had come the night several months ago when he’d rubbed his latest stripper in her face and she’d attempted to make him jealous with Shane. She’d definitely gotten a reaction out of Wolf that night, just not exactly the one she’d been going for. After the men had stopped the fight that had broken out between Wolf and Shane, Mack and Cole had ordered Wolf to ‘cut her loose’.

“Crystal?” Cole nudged her out of her thoughts.

She focused back on his face, remembering his question. “No. Everything’s fine.”

“Fine, huh?”

She looked away. She could never get anything past Cole.

“You steer clear of him.”

She nodded, but her expression must have given away the sadness that seeped into her with every mention of Wolf, because she felt Cole’s hand pat her thigh.

“Consider it tough love, babe.”

“I know.”

Cole’s brows rose. “And stay away from our new prospect, Shane. At least until he gets his patch.” He grinned, softening his order. “Then you can have at him.”

Crystal rolled her eyes. He was trying to get a smile, and she rewarded him with one.

Crash stood. “Well, I’m heading home to my ol’ lady. Give me a hug, doll.”

Crystal stood up and moved into his embrace. Crash wrapped his arms around her and rocked her from side to side, murmuring against the top of her head, “You deserve to be happy, Crystal. If Wolf’s not gonna step up for you, you need to let it go.”

She nodded against his chest.

He kissed the top of her head, gave her a final squeeze, and then released her.

She moved off to the old jukebox across the room and distracted herself from all thoughts of Wolf by searching through the songs for some music to listen to while she mopped.

****

Cole watched Crash look over his shoulder at Crystal, before his eyes returned to him. “I don’t think she’s lettin’ go.”

Cole blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t think either of them are. And that’s gonna end badly, ‘cause one of them is going to end up having to leave. And we all know it’s not gonna be Wolf.”

“Man that sucks. I like Crystal.”

“We all do.”

“Well, I’m takin’ off.”

“Set your alarm. We got business to take care of in the morning.”

Crash grinned. “Why set my alarm when I can just wait until someone texts me
‘Where the hell are you?’
”

Cole shook his head. “Get out of here, Brother.”

As Crash walked out, Cole’s gaze returned to Crystal. Wolf had left about an hour ago, and Cole had a sneaking suspicion where he’d gone.

Fuck, he hoped he wasn’t right.

****

Crystal stood with her head dipped, her face illuminated by the glow of the jukebox. She flipped through the choices, but her eyes didn’t see the song titles. Instead, her mind drifted back to the first night she’d ever laid eyes on Wolf. The first time she’d ever even been on Dead property...

Six years ago…

Crystal was standing at the stove stirring the goulash in the skillet that she’d made for dinner when the backdoor opened, and her man walked in. She turned to look, her eyes sweeping over him. His jeans and tee shirt were stained with grease, and his hands were almost black. Jason had converted the three car garage out back into an automotive repair business. He was good at it, a real gearhead.

He moved to the sink and hit the pump on the industrial strength orange hand cleaner, then he began soaping his arms to the elbows. He sniffed the air.

“Goulash again?”

“Yes, Jason, goulash, again. Our grocery budget is pretty tight this month. You know tips down at the bar have been shit lately.” Crystal bartended part time at a dive bar a few blocks from where they lived.

“Maybe it’s your attitude.” He looked over at her.

She gave him a death look and slammed the wooden spoon against the pan.

“Go get cleaned up. We’re going out tonight.” He dipped his arms under the faucet all the way to his elbows, and then grabbed up a dishtowel.

“Out? Where?” She frowned.

“Marnie says there’s a party up at the clubhouse tonight. We’re going.”

Crystal didn’t have to ask what clubhouse he was talking about. She knew he was referring to the clubhouse that belonged to the biggest, baddest biker club in town. The Evil Dead MC. They weren’t some riding club. No, these guys were the real deal. Bikers. Outlaw bikers. The biggest club in San Jose, and one of the biggest in the state of California.

Marnie was Jason’s sister, and she’d recently started seeing one of the members. Well, not just one of the members. Marnie didn’t do anything halfway. No, she couldn’t be content with one of the brothers, she had to go after the big fish. The MC’s goddamned President.

And since Jason was tight with his sister, he had started going up there with her. He seemed to think he was really something now that he was hanging around with the Dead. And ever since then he’d started to think his shit didn’t stink.

Crystal rolled her eyes. She knew this was going to end up being nothing but trouble somehow, but hell if he’d listen to her. Up until now, Jason hadn’t taken Crystal with him when he went. Which was fine with her. She was smart enough to know better than to think those guys were anything to mess with. Hell no, count her out. But even as she thought the words, she had to confess that a part of her deep down was just a little bit curious.

Crystal wondered if Jason hadn’t brought her around there because he knew she was just enough of a smartass to say something to get them in trouble. If that was the case, he was wrong. Crystal knew when to keep her mouth shut. If either of them were likely to do the wrong thing, she knew it was Jason. But the club seemed to not mind having him around, since he’d been going up there for a few weeks now.

“I’m going with you?” she asked to clarify.

“I just said so, didn’t I?”

An hour later, they were pulling into the lot. The Evil Dead’s San Jose Chapter clubhouse was buried back in an old industrial park on the seedy side of town. It was the last place on the dead-end street, its parking lot backing up to a set of railroad tracks, ensuring total privacy. Crystal couldn’t image anyone coming down here, unless they had a reason.

As Jason parked, Crystal took in the place. It was an old two-story red brick building that had once housed some sort of manufacturing company. There were dirty multi-paned windows up high in the walls.

Marnie was supposed to already be here. The place was packed. Bikes, mostly. The lot was covered with them. But there were cars, too, parked off to the side of the building.

Jason parked over near the bikes, like he thought he was something special. Like just the fact that his sister was their President’s current pussy was supposed to get him special privileges.

They climbed out of the car, made their way inside and fought through the crowd of people, working their way to the bar.

Crystal stuck close to Jason’s back, her eyes taking in the place. They’d walked into a big room with a high ceiling. The place definitely had an industrial feel with brick walls and grimy multi-paned windows set up near the ceiling. There were pool tables off to the left and hard rock music was blaring. Jason led her through a sea of black leather vests, all with the three piece patches on the back proclaiming the wearer as a member of the MC.