Romeo (Dark Knights MC/Blood Fury MC: Crossover)

Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-Two

Unneeded? The fuck if it was unneeded.

Romeo’s growing suspicion that ol’ Roger was the source of Maddie’s stress was now confirmed. All she had to tell him was that her boss was a dick. Actually, more than a dick. He was bordering on abusive.

Romeo found that un-fucking-acceptable.

And the fuck if he would let it continue, no matter how much Maddie wanted him to stay out of it.

Fuck that shit.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Carter, but it looks like you might not be a good fit for my establishment after all. I’m going to have to ask you to leave since you can’t control yourself. I’ll refund your visit today if you’ve already paid.”

Romeo spun on the man, making him lurch back a step. Even pale slightly like the little bitch he was. “You think I ain’t in control? I’m fuckin’ in control. You wouldn’t want to see me when I lose my shit.”

Smith was the kind of pussy-ass bitch who’d press charges if Romeo even poked him with a finger.

But he certainly wouldn’t be poking the guy. He’d be hauling off and planting a fist right in her boss’s mouth. And once he was down, maybe even crushing that motherfucker’s face with one of his boots.

But Romeo was in control.

Barely.

It was time to leave before that changed and shit went sideways. He normally didn’t wear any jewelry, so cold metal cuffs were not his style.

When he turned towards Maddie, he noticed she was frozen in place. Not only that, he didn’t think she was aware she held the peach in a death grip and its juice was dripping off her fingers and onto the floor mats.

Smith must have spotted that at the same time, too.

“You made a mess, Mad. Now go get something to clean it up. This is a perfect example on why food isn’t allowed out on the floor.”

Romeo pulled in a deep breath, jerked his head to the left, then to the right to crack his neck, then forced his fingers to uncurl.

The asshole didn’t know when to shut the fuck up.

Smith was also pushing his luck by calling Maddie “Mad” after Romeo made it quite fucking clear not to do that again.

When Maddie lifted her hand, her face changed the second she saw what she did. Her eyes flicked to the floor.

“Now!” Smith barked. “Someone could slip and fall on that mess, and you know who will be getting sued? Not you.”

“Sorry.” The second she jerked into action, so did Romeo. But not to haul off and teach Smith a lesson.

Not here, not now.

When the man least expected it. When there wouldn’t be witnesses. Some would call it a “random” act of violence. Romeo would call it karma.

Smith’s time was coming.

Tick motherfucking tock.

He strode after Maddie as she headed toward the back of the building.

“Mr. Carter, you need to leave. You’re heading the wrong way.”

Romeo ignored Smith and instead called out, “Maddie!”

When she stopped and turned, she lifted her hand with the mangled peach. “I need to throw this out.”

“In a second.” Closing the gap between them, he tucked his thumb under her chin to lift her face to his and lowered his voice. “Gonna go before I end up locked in a concrete box, but want you to go, too.”

“I can’t,” she whispered. “I need this job.”

Romeo sucked on his teeth and a muscle jumped in his cheek. “If you couldn’t tell, that wasn’t me askin’ you, woman. That was me tellin’ you. So, gonna make it fuckin’ clear… you ain’t stayin’ here. Plenty of other jobs out there. Don’t gotta deal with his bullshit.”

“I told you why I stay,” she whispered more fiercely. “He’s got important connections in the industry. I only have to hold on a little longer.”

“How much longer?”

He was making a point because even Romeo knew it was a crapshoot whether this job would end up leading her to bigger and better things. Her boss was a narcissistic dickhead. That was never going to change. He was the kind of motherfucker who only did anything that would benefit himself, not others.

In the short time he’d been coming to her job, it was pretty damn clear her boss ruled his employees with fear, not respect. At first, Romeo hadn’t seen it with Maddie, but now that he had…

When she closed her eyes, his anger spiked through the roof. He understood that she was torn. She had a career goal. She thought this was the only path toward it.

The truth was, that was total bullshit. There had to be another way to get what she wanted.

And if he needed to find that alternative for her, he would. Because the fuck if she was going to continue to be verbally abused by that asshat.

Not on his watch.

Romeo stood outside of unit number twenty-two and pounded on the door.

Noises came from the other side before he heard a muffled, “Who is it?”

He sighed. “Got a peephole. Know who the fuck it is.”

“Do you have a good reason to be here?”

He shook his head. She was testing his patience. “Seriously, woman? Open the fuckin’ door. Otherwise, I’m gonna embarrass the shit outta you ’til you do.”

“By doing what?”

He leaned closer to the door and warned, “Really want to find out?”

“With you, it could be anything.”

She wasn’t wrong.

He listened carefully for the slide of a chain and the click of a deadbolt to make sure she kept her door locked.

The second she opened it, he barreled right past her and inside her place.

“Come on in,” she said dryly .

“Why don’t your place have an elevator?”

“Why doesn’t yours? And if you haven’t noticed, my apartment complex is small. I’m capable of walking up a flight of steps. Apparently, you are, too, since here you are!” She tipped her head to the side and raised both eyebrows.

With his head on a swivel, he checked out her crib. At least the parts he could see from where he stood.

From what he could tell, her apartment was tiny. “You live here alone?”

“No. With my lover.”

His head spun toward where she still stood by the now closed door. She had a damn good poker face. “He got the initials LZ?”

“You know Zeke has a room at the Angels’ church.”

“Lotta MC members keep a room at church. Don’t mean they don’t sleep elsewhere.” Or bounce from bed to bed, depending on what female they were fucking that night.

“You must’ve forgotten. We already had a discussion about Zeke.”

With his hands on his hips, he turned to face her. “Women lie.”

She frowned. “You’re calling me a liar? That’s rich.”

“Ain’t you lyin’ about havin’ a lover?”

“I was only joking.”

“Yeah. Your jokes don’t make me laugh.”

“That’s why I’m a sports physical therapist and not doing standup.”

“Gonna give me the nickel tour?”

“It’s going to cost you more than a nickel. Have to account for inflation, you know.”

He dug into his front pocket and pulled out a quarter. He flipped it in her direction. After catching it, she turned it within her fingers. “Not sure this will cover the cost of you being here.”

“Me bein’ here ain’t costin’ you nothin’.”

“Unlike you coming to my job.”

He had no idea what happened after he left Smith’s earlier because she refused to leave with him. Since he wasn’t in the mood to spend a night or ten in the slammer, he reluctantly left without her.

She headed into the small kitchen to the left of the entry. Only a half wall separated it from where he stood, and the living room situated to his right.

He followed her.

She went over to the stove. “You never said why you’re here.”

“Wouldn’t come to me, so came to you, instead.” He figured he’d hear from her once she left work. All he got was radio silence.

“Anyway… How do you know where I live?”

“Got my ways.”

“By following me?”

“No need.” He also had no need to explain where he got his info. He flared his nostrils and breathed deeply. Whatever was on the stove smelled really fucking good. “Whatcha makin’?”

Stepping closely behind her, he glanced over her shoulder at what looked like a pot of chili.

“Dinner. You know, the meal most people eat before bedtime.”

“Usually eat pussy before bedtime.”

“Like I said… Most people.”

When he whispered, “Expected you to come over to my place,” close to her neck, he grinned because he caused goosebumps to break out .

Fuck yeah. She wanted him. Even if she tried to deny it, her reaction gave her away.

“Expectations aren’t always met.”

“ Mmm .” He blew lightly on the back of her neck.

She shivered and waved a hand over her shoulder in his direction. “Stop.”

“Gonna share that with me?”

“I only made enough for one.”

“There’s enough fuckin’ food there to feed ten.”

“Maybe I’m really hungry.”

“Or maybe you just like bein’ difficult.”

She shrugged and turned. “Not sure why you’d think that?”

“What woman ain’t difficult?”

“I could say the same for men.”

“We ain’t difficult. We’re just dicks.”

“With dicks.”

He mmm ’d again and stepped back, giving her space to work.

She gave the chili a last stir, turned off the heat and moved the pot over one burner. His eyes were glued to her ass as she opened a cabinet and pulled down a bowl, placing it on the counter next to another empty one.

Then she dug out a second spoon.

Someone was going to be eating good tonight. He hoped to be that someone.

A little homemade chili followed by some pussy for dessert.

That might end up being his new favorite meal.

She spooned half of a bowl for herself and a full bowl for him. She held them both out to him. “Put these on the table.” She quickly moved out of his reach to pull some napkins from a holder, then placed them next to the bowls where he had set them across from each other.

Just like he owned the place, he headed to the fridge and opened it without even asking.

“Help yourself,” she muttered.

“Planned on it,” he answered with his back to her as he dug around, searching for beer. He didn’t have any luck.

He held up a bottle with a familiar name. Of course he knew Smirnoff made vodka, but this shit wasn’t clear, it was pink. “What’s this shit?”

“You never had hard lemonade before?”

Hard what? “Don’t need lemonade to make me hard.”

She groaned. “Don’t the Knights own a bar?”

Of course she knew his MC owned a damn bar. She’d been in it. “This shit ain’t ever bein’ served at Dick’s.”

“Shame. It might attract some new women into your establishment.”

“Then, guess I’ll get some ordered.” He twisted off the top and took a sip. He grimaced. “Women like this shit?”

She plucked the cold bottle from his fingers. “Yes, we do.”

“Got no beer?”

She shook her head.

“Whiskey?”

She shook her head again.

“Nothin’ but that piss?”

“I like that piss.” She took another long sip and placed the bottle on the table next to her bowl.

“Seein’ as you fucked me twice, figured you got good taste. Guess I was wrong.”

She tipped her head and said with a straight face, “You were wrong.”

Damn.

“Came back for seconds, though. ”

“Ever hear the saying, ‘desperate times call for desperate measures?’” She took her seat and pointed at where his bowl was on the table. “Sit and eat before it gets cold.”

He watched her spoon chili into her mouth, close her eyes and swallow it.

“Man, that’s good. I’m a damn good cook if I say so myself.”

He went back into the fridge and grabbed another bottle of the spiked pink piss.

When he turned, she was staring at him. “I thought you didn’t like it?”

“Desperate fuckin’ times call for desperate fuckin’ measures,” he repeated, yanking out the seat across from her and sinking his ass into it. His mouth watered just seeing and smelling the homemade chili.

Grabbing the spoon, he dug in. Once it hit his tastebuds, his head jerked back.

Holy shit. It was the best damn chili he ever had.

He stared at the woman across from him. She was not only hot as fuck, but she could cook?

The corners of her lips curled up slightly. “Good?”

She fucking knew it was. And was gloating about it.

He’d give her that because… Damn . He could eat that whole pot himself. Just maybe not in one sitting.

His brothers would fall over themselves to slob down some of this.

Was he sharing? Fuck no.

The sweet butts occasionally cooked for him, but he mostly ate whatever he could grab from the kitchen at Dick’s.

It had been a while since he sat down at a table and shared a meal with a woman. In fact, the last time was most likely last Christmas. Cait, Magnum’s ol’ lady, always invited him over to spend the holiday with their family .

He used to go over every year just to try to get down Ali-Cat’s pants. But now Magnum’s oldest daughter was married to that pig and had a piglet with him.

And his sergeant at arm’s younger daughter Asia was too damn young. Like jailbait young. And the fuck if he was into that.

He liked his women ripe. Just like that peach Maddie had earlier today.

Sweet and juicy.