Ash: A Bad Boy Biker Romance (Winter Cobras MC Book 3) Read online

  “I was trying to get some help… for you.”

  “Is this your brother?” Cain raised an eyebrow at Joey and laughed softly to himself. “Going after Picardo. Not exactly the smartest man in the world.”

  “At least I have the balls to stand up for myself and not let some drug lord act like he owns this city.”

  “Joey—” I put a hand on his chest but it wasn’t enough to stop my brother from stepping forward. Cain wasn’t as amused as he was just a few seconds ago. He got up from his seat and took a step toward my brother. I looked around and noticed some of the others wearing matching kuttes all took notice of the situation.

  “You come into another man’s clubhouse and disrespect him,” Cain said. “Why am I not surprised you’d steal from Picardo?”

  “If there’s anybody who deserves it, it’s him,” Joey said. “The man’s poisoning the streets of this town and you’re just sitting back, not doing anything about it.”

  “There’s a time and place for everything. Stealing his shit and putting your own family in danger isn’t gonna do shit.”

  “Pfft… All you bikers. I don’t give a fuck if this is your clubhouse. I should take you outside and teach you a lesson.”

  “Joey!” I raised my voice to calm him down but nobody was listening to me. The club suddenly fell silent as everybody took notice. The other Devils all started to converge, one of them significantly larger than the rest of them.

  Cain put his hand up to calm the big man down. “It’s all right, Mercy. The man isn’t thinking straight. He’s got a bullseye on his back and a red dot on his head.” Cain looked at me. “If your brother here doesn’t intend on turning himself in, I suggest you find a place to hide. A place not in Ivory. Because it’ll only be a matter of time until Picardo finds you. The asshole is probably looking for you already.”

  “Joey…” I grabbed his shirt and made him look at me. “Come on… Let’s just get out of here.”

  Joey sighed softly through his nose before nodding. He kept his head down as we walked through the crowd and out of the bar. We stepped out onto the streets of Old Town. The place was as empty as I remembered it from the last time I’d been here.

  “What the hell are you doing?” I said. “The last thing you need to be doing is picking fights with MCs.”

  My brother paced back and forth, shaking his head the entire time. “I’m sorry, sis. I don’t know what got into me. I was just thinking… That was my last chance.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “If the Devils can’t do anything, there’s only one thing left for me to do.”

  He stopped pacing and looked at me. My brother was always so confident and sure of himself. Now all I saw was a younger man, vulnerable and scared.

  “I have to see Picardo for myself—”

  “You can’t do that, Joey! Once he gets his hands on you—”

  “I know what he’ll do. There isn’t anything I can do. I’m beginning to think even running won’t work.”

  “There has to be another way. Just… Just give me more time. I’ll figure this out. Ashton will figure this out. If we can’t figure anything out, then… Just a bit longer. Joey… Please…”

  He gave me a half-smirk and nodded. “Where is Ashton anyway?”

  “He’s up to something. I don’t know what. But I know him well enough to know he’ll figure a way out of this. You just have to trust him.”

  Chapter 18

  ASHTON

  There were enough buildings in Ivory you could get your privacy if you needed to. Even if you were up to something, the cops never bothered unless it had to do with civilians. Sheriff Sutton, the man in charge of the police department, did what he had to do. But he let all the clubs and gangs police themselves.

  So if Picardo wanted to pull a gun out and end Grant and me, he could do it. We wouldn’t go down without a fight but a fight was all we could put up, considering Picardo had enough money backing him that security made sure there was a gun pointed at anybody who tried to step to him.

  Grant and I hadn’t even spoken a word but the motherfucker already looked upset. The situation with Joey and his stolen car was almost resolved but you would’ve thought Picardo just got told his mother was dead.

  I stood calmly in the empty warehouse. Just one of many storage facilities in Ivory where Picardo did all kinds of business. Grant was by my side. We were quiet as Picardo stood in front of us, his hands behind his back.

  “You told me you had something important to tell me,” he said. “I’m assuming this has something to do with the location of my stolen property or the man who took it. Otherwise, I suggest you stop wasting my time.”

  I gave Grant one last look. There was some resignation in his eyes but he didn’t stop me from speaking what we’d gone over. There was no way around this now.

  “Before I tell you what you wanna know, there’s something else you need to know,” I said.

  “Spare me the unnecessary specifics.”

  “Everything I’m about to tell you is necessary…” I sighed a deep breath before continuing. “I’m with a woman. She’s special. I don’t know much about her but I know she’s special. I’m only just getting to know her.”

  Picardo raised an eye in confusion but kept his mouth shut.

  “Her name is Rose Macdonald.”

  His eyes widened. Before he could say anything, I put my hands up. “I’m not in on this. Neither is Smoke. Neither is anybody in the MC or Rose herself. Her brother did this with the men you already took care of. You have my word on that.”

  Picardo took a step forward, looking down his nose at me. I clenched my jaw. Shit, I was surprised he hadn’t snapped his fingers and given the order to have Grant and me executed.

  “She’s special,” I said. “I care about her. I’ll do anything for her. That includes making sure her brother is safe.”

  “Interesting… A man pointed a gun at you and yet you’re trying to save him.”

  “Neither one of us knew who the other one was. If I’d known, I’d have stopped him from doing what he did.”

  “But he did it. And now there’s no coming back from it.”

  “You already caught those bodies. What’s letting one man walk? Everybody knows the drugs in this town runs through the cartel. You think anybody will try to cross you after they found those bodies?”

  “Hmph.” He smirked and shook his head. “You would think that but even still, people like Joseph Macdonald do it.”

  “He’s one man. You deal with your problems. Everybody knows that.”

  “The best way of dealing with a problem is not having to deal with it at all. Every man who held you at gunpoint will die. There is no way around it. I’ll take your word that you and Cobras had nothing to do with trying to rip me off. But the longer you go without telling me where Macdonald is, the more I’ll believe you were in on it.”

  This negotiation was going to shit. That was clear. I didn’t know how much patience Picardo had but I wasn’t anxious about testing it for much longer. The fact Grant and I were still breathing meant I still had a chance. I had to take it.

  “I won’t let Rose let her brother die. He made a mistake but there must be some way to fix it without him dying. Money. Work. Something. Your reputation in this town won’t change. You’ve already done enough to make sure people know who you are and what you’re capable of.”

  Picardo kept his eyes locked on me. A sly little grin formed on his lips as he turned toward Grant. “Did you know he was planning on telling me this? You ready to die for no reason along with him?”

  Grant didn’t budge from his spot. “Ash is my brother. Dying next to him is reason enough.”

  “Hmm… You bikers and your loyalty. There’s something admirable about it, I suppose.” He turned his back to us and walked away before slowly spinning back around. “I’ll make you a deal. Get Macdonald to me so I can take his head like the others. But… if you insist on doing everything you
can to make sure he stays alive, I’ll accept your life in his place.”

  “What?” Grant said. “You can’t—”

  “You said you’d do anything to keep your woman happy. I’ll let him live. You’ll just have to take his place.” Picardo stared at me. Even if he wasn’t so focused, I knew he was telling the truth. His bluntness wasn’t exactly surprising. “That’s my offer, gentlemen. There’ll be no more discussion about it. I’ll give you a few days to think about it. The choice is yours. I suggest you be on your way. The clock is ticking.”

  Grant and I looked at one another. Neither one of us was a smooth-enough talker to try and negotiate any further. I reluctantly headed out of the warehouse with Grant right behind me.

  We stood in the parking lot next to our rides. It was a quiet night in Ivory but damn it felt like the end of the world.

  “Shit,” Grant muttered. “Looks like that’s that. Poor bastard is gonna have to take what’s coming to him.”

  “Not necessarily.”

  “What?” He furrowed his brow. “Picardo said it’s you or her brother.”

  “Exactly. There’s still a chance he can get out of this.”

  “If you die in his place! Ash, are you fucking listening to yourself? The guy robbed the head of the fucking cartel! He knew there’d be consequences. You can’t save him from this. Shit, if it was up to me, I’d be serving that motherfucker up on a silver platter right to Picardo.”

  “It’s not about Picardo or Joey or even me.”

  Grant scoffed and slowly nodded in understanding. “The girl. It’s always about the girl. I’m sure she’d be happy if her brother was still around but I think she’d shed a few tears for you.”

  “That’s the only reason I’m still considering it. But I think she’d get over it. She said it herself. We don’t know what we got. A pretty girl like her could probably get a line of men to replace me.”

  “You’re talking crazy, Ash… You’re about to give yourself up for a motherfucker who deserves what’s coming to him.”

  “Not yet. There still might be a way out of this.”

  “Well…” Grant crossed his arms and raised his eyebrows. “I’m waiting.”

  “…Shit.” I sighed a deep breath, knowing the answer I was looking for wasn’t there. I couldn’t come up with an answer if I had a million years.

  “If you’re gonna do something, Ash, you’d better do it quick. The clock’s ticking.”

  My back was against the wall. After everything I’d been through and all of the shit I’d put up with, there was nothing to get me out of this. There was only one comfort in my life right now. I figured I might as well indulge in it.

  Chapter 19

  ROSE

  I’d met all of the Cobras. Some of them were as brash as you would expect. All of them were intimidating. There wasn’t a single one you would wanna cross.

  With Ashton planning what he was, there was no point in staying away from him or his MC. And since I planned on being on my best behavior, the Bone Pit was the best place for me in Ivory.

  But it wasn’t that the Cobras kept their house in order. It wasn’t even that Ashton promised me I would be safe. It was the man sitting right next to me that made me feel more comfortable than even my boyfriend could.

  Doc was older than the other club members. The wrinkles from old age were beginning to appear. His hair was thinning a little and not as dark as what it probably used to be. His body wasn’t as muscular and his posture wasn’t as stout as the others. There was still something mildly intimidating about him. Doc was the perfect example that all a man needed was a leather kutte to get the kind of respect he was looking for.

  The older man had a smile on his face as he watched me swallow down a double shot of whiskey.

  “You’re not like the others,” he said, the grin growing on his lips.

  “The others?”

  “The other women Ash messed around with.”

  “Hmm… Men don’t usually rat out other men.”

  “I’m not ratting him out. If you’re not mature enough about knowing Ash’s slept with a lot of women in his past, you’re not the one to be with him.”

  “I got involved with Ashton knowing he wasn’t a virgin, so you don’t have to worry about me.” I chuckled at his comment and sighed.

  The Bone Pit was just beginning to fill up. There were enough patrons to make a stranger feel uncomfortable but the Cobras kept everybody in check to make sure nobody got out of line. Everybody important knew I was with Ashton, so I didn’t have to worry about any unwanted advances.

  “What exactly makes me different from the other women? Is it because I just drank my whiskey?”

  “No, that’s not it. If anything, the women Ash usually hooks up with drink a lot more than you.”

  “He’s got a thing for drunks.”

  “He’s only got a thing for drunks to the point he can fuck ‘em and not have to deal with ‘em after. That’s what makes you different. I can tell he cares about you. I’m sure you two kids have a good time but it’s more than that.”

  I thought about what Ashton was up. “If you only knew…” I signaled the bartender for another drink. I watched him fill my glass up. The entire time, I could feel Doc’s eyes on me.

  “Don’t worry about Ash. Him and Smoke have been through all kinds of shit. They made it. This whole situation with Picardo won’t be any different.”

  “Smoke… You mean Grant. Why do they call him that?”

  “Hmm… Funny you should ask that. We’ve been calling him Smoke ever since we known him. The two of them patched into the MC together. Ashton was Ash. That makes sense. Grant was always with him. Ash and Smoke go together. Seemed like a natural fit.”

  “It’d be more fitting if Ashton’s name was Fire.”

  “A man named Fire. That’s funny.”

  Doc chuckled while I held my glass up and examined it. The sting of the whiskey didn’t hurt as much as it did before, which was disappointing since I needed it to numb all of the other crap I had to deal with.

  “You really think Ash will deal with this thing with Picardo?” I asked.

  As far as I knew, Doc didn’t know the details of just how deep things went. He didn’t know about my brother’s involvement. He didn’t know Ashton was trying to save a man who probably deserved what was coming to him.

  “I know Ash. I know Picardo, too. He’s got a reputation but he’s still a man. This whole thing will blow over and everything will go back to normal.”

  “Doc… Can I ask you something? And I want you to tell me the truth.”

  He raised his eyebrows, that polite smile on his face like it’d been there the entire time. “I’m married, Rose. My wife and I don’t keep any secrets from each other. I don’t tell her all about club business but she’s not so stupid she can’t figure out what she’s up to by herself. I’m so used to telling the truth I don’t know how to lie.”

  “Right… It’s just… You have Ashton’s back, right?”

  “Of course. No question. As long as he’s wearing the patch, I’ll put my life on the line for him.”

  “But is there any line you wouldn’t cross for him? Is there something he could do that would make you forget about the patch and tell him to figure out his problem on his own?”

  Doc thought about it for a moment. His hesitation made my heart stop inside of my chest. I didn’t wanna think that Ashton was going through all of this by himself without even the support of his own MC.

  “I told you I have no choice but to be honest with you,” he said. “You might not wanna hear it but Ash’s got some blood on his hands. He’s not some violent psychotic murderer but the truth is, there were times he’s done what needed to be done. I’ve stood by his side when he did it. I don’t regret it a single time. If I’m willing to stand by him then, I’m willing to stand by him through everything else. Same for the rest of the MC.”

  He patted me on the arm and got up from his seat. “Now if yo
u’ll excuse me, my wife is expecting me.”

  “You’re already going home? The night’s just getting started.”

  “I know. The big, bad biker has a curfew to go spend time with his wife. Don’t let anybody know. It’ll hurt the club’s rep.” He gave me a wink before turning around and heading for exit. I laughed softly to myself, turning my attention back to the glass of liquor.

  I didn’t know where my brother was. I didn’t know where Ashton was. The crowd in the bar was growing but I still felt all alone. I swallowed the whiskey down in the hopes it would help me find some answers. The alcohol pulsed in my veins and burned down my throat. A gentle numbness made me chuckle again.

  In the back of my mind though, I could still picture Picardo. The way he stared at me after he threatened me and my entire family… Knowing that my brother wouldn’t be able to get out of this alive, I wondered if the image would go away.

  The entrance to the bar opened up. I turned and saw Ashton walk in with Grant right behind him. He spotted me and walked up to me quickly. I jumped out of my seat and wrapped my arms tight around him, not caring who was looking.

  “I was worried,” I sighed as I looked up into those deep blue eyes of his. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” He gave me a half-smile. Strange to think such a tender look could come from a man so intense. “I’m always fine when I’m with you.”

  “Are you sure—”

  “We have to talk. There’s something I need to tell you.”

  I tried to read what he was thinking but there was nothing. Good news. Bad news. I didn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, I wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

  Chapter 20

  ASHTON

  Rose didn’t look as distressed as she did earlier throughout the day but there was a noticeable difference from usual. Some slight bags under her eyes like she was restless. Her gorgeous red locks were a little messier. It seemed to take her more effort to smile. But that smile was enough to make me do the same. It was just a reminder of why I’d do anything for her.

  I stood in the silence of my room in the back of the clubhouse, the music from inside the bar in the distance. She sat off to the side, staring at me with the same anxiety she’d had this entire day.