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

Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty-Five

Maddie received a text from a number she didn’t recognize: Got a job 4 u 2day if u need scratch.

While she could certainly use the money, she had no idea who was texting her. Most likely it was some scammer.

Who’s this? she asked, thinking she’d never get a response back if it was.

Sig. New phone. Lost old one.

Since when did people get a different phone number when they bought a new phone? That was so 90s.

But she had to remember that these were bikers and some, if not most, didn’t give a shit about the latest technology. They also didn’t care about transferring phone numbers. They could just as easily send out a mass text with their new number. Maddie was confident she wasn’t on that Fury list.

Sig probably needed her to watch the kids. They had rescued Autumn’s three young half-siblings from a cult and taken them in to raise as their own.

Since coming home, Maddie sent out countless resumes without a lot of positive response back. It probably didn’t help that she didn’t have a good reference when it came to Roger Smith. While she waited to score an interview from at least one, the Fury members and their ol’ ladies had been tossing odd jobs her way to keep her busy and put a little cash in her pocket.

So far, she’d helped out at the club-owned motel, Dutch’s garage, ran some errands for Justice Bail Bonds, babysat and even helped out one very busy night at Crazy Pete’s Bar.

What time do you need me? she sent back to the club’s VP.

ASAP was his answer.

She glanced at the time and sighed. She had plans with her younger sister Josie, but if Sig and Red needed help, then Maddie wanted to help. That was the good part of belonging to an MC. Everyone was considered family and assisted each other whenever possible.

Okay, I’ll head to your place in a few.

Before she could text Josie to cancel their plans, she got another text from Sig. Not at the house.

She frowned at that unexpected news. Why wouldn’t he want her to watch the kids at their house?

Then where?

The seconds ticked away while she waited for his answer.

The Co-Z Inn.

The what? A motel? she asked. Her frown deepened.

Since she never heard of it, she did a quick Google search to find out where it was located.

It made no sense. Why the hell would Sig take the kids to a motel in Parsington?

House got bugs. Being fumigated.

Then why wouldn’t they stay at The Grove Inn here in Manning Grove? Could it be booked solid ?

It was going to take her a good twenty-five minutes, if not more, to get there.

With another sigh, she asked, Room number?

15.

Be there soon.

She couldn’t imagine that run-down town of Parsington was considered any sort of “destination” for tourists to visit. At least the quaint town of Manning Grove attracted people visiting the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon and in fall they came for the brilliant colors of the autumn leaves.

Only three vehicles were parked in front of rooms at The Co-Z Inn. Not one of them was Sig’s sled, or his family’s SUV.

Huh.

In fact, she didn’t recognize the car in front of room fifteen, either. That made the fine hairs on the back of her neck stand up.

Was this some sort of set up? Was she about to be kidnapped? Or worse?

Standing outside of her Highlander, she left the driver’s door open—in case she had to bolt—and glanced around. She then decided to text Sig to make sure she wasn’t walking into trouble.

I’m here. Come outside.

She wouldn’t even knock on the door until she knew it was definitely Sig and the kids. She knew better after the Fury had to deal for years with the dangerous whack jobs that lived up on Hillbilly Hill.

Door’s unlocked.

She wasn’t falling for that. No way .

She quickly texted back, You don’t come out, I’m leaving, and you’ll have to find someone else to babysit.

With her heart pounding in her throat, she was beginning to believe this really was some sort of trap.

She should go. But before she did, she found Sig’s original phone number and called him. It went straight to voicemail. She texted him next just to be sure that losing his cell phone was true.

After climbing back into her Toyota, she locked the doors while waiting to see if she got a response and stared at the motel door to see if he would appear.

When the door opened, her breath seized.

When a man stepped out, her heart skipped a beat.

That was not Sig.

Not unless he changed his race, grew a longer beard, and gained fifty pounds.

What the hell?

It was a trap! One set up by Romeo.

Son of a bitch! Now her pulse was racing for a different reason. If she was smart, it was one she needed to ignore.

Her brain told her the man was trouble. Her heart told her it didn’t matter.

The heart wanted what the heart wanted, right?

Wrong!

She needed her common sense to be stronger than her desire.

When Romeo hobbled a few steps out of the motel room using a crutch, she noticed he had casts on both his left arm and right leg. Pressing fingers to her lips, she whispered, “Holy shit.”

What the hell happened? Did he crash his sled?

He stopped where the concrete sidewalk met the macadam parking lot and waited .

She remained frozen in her seat as a flurry of emotions barreled through her.

Anger.

Excitement.

Confusion.

Empathy.

And…

No.

Shut up, heart!

She should leave. The injured man waiting for her blew up her career and not in a good way. A career that required years of education so she could work hard at it for a year and a half while putting up with a bully boss. It only took Romeo having “a word” with Roger for him to destroy that career in minutes.

Romeo thought he knew better than her.

He didn’t listen and leave it alone like she asked.

Despite her annoyance, she gritted her teeth and climbed back out of her vehicle to approach him as his dark eyes tracked her every step.

She stopped directly in front of him and raised her chin. “You tricked me.”

“You wouldn’t have come if I didn’t.”

No, she wouldn’t have. “Were you in an accident?”

“No.”

“What happened?”

He tipped his head toward the open motel room door.

Yes, it was a trap. He wanted to get her alone and convince her to forgive him. She steeled her heart because she wasn’t ready to do that.

Hell , she might never be ready.

She was unemployed, desperate for a new job and had been forced to move back home because of it. Because of him .

Her eyes sliced from Romeo to the motel room and back.

She shook her head. “No. You don’t get a pass on this, Rome. I don’t care if you were hit by a bus.” That was a lie, but he didn’t need to know that.

“Damn,” he whispered.

“You blew up my life, now you want me to forgive you? Just like that?” She snapped her fingers.

“Ain’t askin’ for forgiveness. Askin’ for you to step inside so we got privacy.”

Bullshit. He wanted to get her alone so he could tug on her heartstrings. “I don’t think I need to hear anything you have to say. You’ve said enough already. To Roger.”

When her phone dinged, she glanced at it. Sig texted her back: WTF U talkn about?

At least that proved Sig wasn’t in on it. If he was, she’d never forgive him, either. “I wonder how Sig would feel knowing you pretended to be him?”

Romeo jerked his chin toward the cell phone in her hand. “That him?”

“Yes. Should I tell him you tricked me?”

“Only if you wanna make my life more of a fuckin’ shit show than it is right now.”

“Why should I care? You did it to me.”

He sighed, dropped his head, and squeezed his forehead. “Don’t gotta forgive me, Maddie. Just askin’ for you to hear me out.”

“You didn’t hear me . If you did, you would’ve left well enough alone.”

“Yeah,” he admitted softly.

“Is that an apology?” Not that an apology would fix what he broke, but it would at least show remorse.

His chest slowly rose and fell. “Fucked up and regret it.”

Her eyebrows rose. “Is that a sorry? ”

“No. Ain’t sorry. Once you hear me out, you’ll know why.”

She flung out a hand. “So talk.”

He shook his head. “Not out here.”

“I don’t think anyone is going to overhear you, Rome. This place is a deserted dump.” When she glanced around to make her point, she noticed something she missed upon arriving.

And that could’ve been dangerous if it had been someone wanting to hurt her.

“Who’s in the car?” Whoever it was, was slumped down in the seat, making him hard to spot.

“Prospect.”

Of course. In the condition he was in, he couldn’t drive himself. Or ride his sled. But at least he didn’t have some sweet butt as his travel companion.

“You’re going to make him wait in the car?”

“He ain’t a dog or crotch fruit. He’ll fuckin’ live.”

She rolled her lips inward to fight her reaction for a second before quickly slapping the steel back around her heart. He’d need a torch to break through. “Why did you come up here if you’re not here to apologize?”

“Wanna explain.”

“You could’ve done that with a phone call.”

“You don’t fuckin’ answer your fuckin’ goddamn phone!” he yelled before visibly reining in his impatience.

“Then you could’ve written a letter.”

“Jesus fuckin’ Christ,” he muttered.

“And included a check for all the financial hardship I’m now going through. Apparently, you’re aware of that since you used it to lure me here.”

“For fuck’s sake, Maddie. You wanna go somewhere else, we can do that. It ain’t like I’m gonna hit on you. I’m pretty fuckin’ useless right now.” He swept his unbroken arm up and down his body.

She considered his injuries. At least the ones she could see. He was right. He would be harmless and unable to talk her into bed with him.

She glanced at the open motel room again. Maybe she wouldn’t be kidnapped but she reminded herself it was still a trap.

One she was about to fall into.

“Fine. I can’t wait to hear what you have to say.” She met his eyes and warned, “It better be worth it.”

When she headed into the room, she heard the thump of the crutch and some muffled grunts as he followed behind her.

As soon as he made his way over the threshold, he shut the door and leaned back against it. His expression was tense, and his lips pressed together.

Was he in pain?

Damn shame, that.