Calling the Biker's Bluff (Dogs of Fire MC: Savannah Chapter Book 7) Read online

  He gave me the address to punch into my GPS and I frowned. “That’s in the middle of nowhere. Wasn’t that an old tobacco plantation at one point?”

  “Yeah, it’s my club.”

  “Your club?”

  “Motorcycle club. I ride with the Dogs of Fire.”

  “Oh!” I said. “Is that Dr. Brooks?”

  “Yeah, you know him?”

  “I was the nurse on-call when Olivia went into labor,” I said as I drove. “I helped deliver the twins.”

  “Fuck, so you’re not a doctor?” he deduced.

  I grimaced. “No, sorry. My brother tends to overstate my degrees when it suits him.”

  “That could have gone a lot fuckin’ worse,” he hissed. “Jesus, what kinda man puts a woman in a situation like that? Let alone his sister? Asshole.”

  I agreed whole heartedly, but he was still my brother, so I said, “Hey, that’s my brother you’re talking about.”

  “Doesn’t make him any less of an asshole.”

  I wasn’t about to get in an argument with a giant, so I pressed my lips into a thin line to keep from sticking my foot in my mouth and drove to the address I’d been given. I pulled my car up to mile high gates, and they slowly opened as I waited.

  “Drive through,” Otter directed. “They’re waiting for us.”

  I nodded and continued down the road, pulling up to a large barn just as half a dozen bikers surrounded my car. Otter pushed open his door and slid out. I followed.

  “What the fuck, Otter?”

  “I’ll explain later,” he said, and nodded to me. “You remember Shiloh?”

  Dr. Tristan Brooks turned and shook his head. “Shit, Shy, how the fuck did you get roped into this.”

  “It’s a long story.”

  “You up to assisting me with this?” he asked.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve been in trauma surgery,” I admitted. “But I can try.”

  “Follow me,” Dr. Brooks said, and led me inside.

  Otter

  I PACED THE great room waiting for Doc to finish up with Tuck. More accurately, to finish up with Shiloh. Jesus, she was beautiful. Redhead, petit, curvy. I couldn’t believe her dickhead of a brother put her in danger like that. Once I dealt with this issue, he was next on my list.

  “We’ll wait for him to wake up and go from there.”

  Hearing Doc’s voice, I made my way toward it.

  “We need to get him back to Blurr,” Shiloh said.

  “Doc and I’ll take care of that,” I said. “You’re stayin’ here for the moment.”

  “I’ve just worked four twelves and I’m surviving on very little sleep,” she countered. “Exactly how long am I expected to stay here?”

  “Until I know it’s safe,” I said. “You can bunk down in my room. The door locks.”

  “I have nothing with me. I also have a cat that needs to be fed.”

  “I’ve got scrubs,” Doc offered. “Liv’ll be here in the morning with the kids, so you’re welcome to stay as long as you need.”

  “I’ll go feed your cat after I deal with Tuck,” I offered.

  She crossed her arms and her hip popped out as she challenged me with her eyes. “Or, I can go home and feed my own cat. I can’t imagine anyone’s going to bother me.”

  “Your brother’s an asshole who dragged you into a situation that could have gotten you killed. Considerin’ the fact he did that, I can’t guarantee he didn’t let loose your address—”

  “He would never do that,” she said with a frustrated sigh.

  I closed the distance between us, leaning down to get eye-to-eye with her. “Did you think he’d drag you to an underground gambling ring where a patron got stabbed and you were expected to fix it?”

  Her button nose scrunched up and it took every ounce of my willpower not to kiss it. “You might have a point,” she grumbled.

  “So, you’re gonna give me your keys and I’m gonna feed your cat. Hear me?”

  She narrowed her eyes but didn’t move away. “Well, you’re a super bossy britches, aren’t you?”

  “You have no idea.”

  I didn’t miss her shiver, but again, she didn’t move away. “Is there a reason I can’t go with you to feed the cat?”

  “Yes. Your place might be being watched.”

  “Which means I should go home and protect Sneezles McMeasles.”

  “What the fuck is a Sneezles McMeasles?”

  “My cat. Keep up,” she sassed, still nose-to-nose with me.

  Jesus, I wanted that sassy mouth wrapped around my dick.

  “Right. Your cat,” I said, forcing myself to focus back on the subject at hand instead of her mouth. “I will bring your cat back here.”

  “You won’t live to do that.”

  “What the fuck?”

  She licked her lips. So much for not focusing on her mouth.

  “That cat will kill you, then eat your corpse. He doesn’t like strangers.”

  I closed my eyes and sighed, standing back up. “I’ll figure it out.”

  She shrugged. “It’s your funeral.”

  I held my hand out. “Keys.”

  She fished them out of her pocket and dropped them into my palm. “The house key is the blue one.”

  “Thanks,” I said, flapping my fingers. “Phone.”

  “What do you need my phone for?” she ground out.

  “I’m going to give you my number so you can text me everything I need.” I raised an eyebrow. “Like your address.”

  “Oh, you don’t know that already?” she retorted, handing it to me. “You disappoint me.”

  I forced myself not to smile as I focused on her phone, adding my contact information to it, then texting myself before handing it back. “I’ll text you when I have an update.”

  She slid the phone back in her pocket and crossed her arms. “Sneezles really is going to have issue with you in his space, Otter. I should go with you.”

  “He’s a pussy, sweetheart. I’m a master with pussies.”

  “Oh my god,” she groaned, rolling her eyes. “You are impossible.”

  I grinned. “I’ve heard that before.”

  “You two still goin’ at it?” Doc asked, walking into the room.

  I didn’t even notice he’d left.

  “No. We’re done,” I said.

  “You wanna help me take Tuck out to the truck?”

  I nodded. “Yeah.”

  Doc walked away and I met Shiloh’s eyes again. “You stay here, got it?”

  “Oh, I got it, Mr. Britches. Whether or not I’ll obey your edict, is a different story.”

  “Shiloh, don’t be difficult, okay? If you leave here, I can’t guarantee your safety.”

  “Who said it was your job to guarantee it?”

  Jesus, she was quick. I sighed. “Humor me.”

  She bit back a yawn. “I’m too tired to argue anyway.”

  I handed her a key. “My room’s on the third floor, fourth door on the right. Go get some rest. You workin’ tomorrow?”

  “No, I’m off.”

  “Okay, I won’t wake you, then.”

  “Fine,” she said with a huff, taking the key.

  I left her to help Doc with Tuck.

  * * *

  Shiloh

  I dragged myself upstairs and followed the directions Otter had given me, unlocking a door and stepping inside. I flipped on the light and was surprised it was relatively clean. The bed wasn’t made, but I had no intention of sleeping between the covers, anyway. Who knew how many women he’d been with on these sheets? I shuddered.

  Before I could contemplate Otter’s conquests, a knock came at the door and I pulled it open to find Doc standing with fresh sheets in his hands. I smiled. “Bless you.”

  “All Olivia’s doin’,” he admitted. “She figured you’d rather not sleep in Otter’s… ah… never mind.”

  “Well, tell her she’s my favorite.”

  “Need me to find a prospect to c
hange them for you?” he asked.

  “No. I’m happy to take care of that.”

  He nodded. “Holler if you need anything.”

  “I will, Doc, thanks.”

  I closed the door again, locking it, then made quick work of stripping the bed and putting fresh sheets on it. I was exhausted, but managed to strip down to just my underwear and slide into bed, falling into oblivion with thoughts of the giant biker on my mind.

  * * *

  Otter

  I dropped Tuck off at the club, managing to get Shiloh’s brother out of the building before anyone came looking for him, then I headed to her condo.

  Letting myself in, I disarmed the alarm per her instructions, and turned on the lights. I glanced around the space and found myself set upon by a grey fluffball of hissing claws. I stared down at him and he promptly sneezed.

  “Sneezles McMeasles, I presume?” He hissed then sneezed again and I couldn’t stop a smile. “You’re cute. I’ll give you that.”

  Moving through Shiloh’s space was strange, mostly because her place gave me insight into who she was, and I was liking every little nuance that made up Shiloh the nurse. She was obviously a clean freak, but her place looked lived in. Loved. It was neat, but comfortable and her favorite color was obviously blue. Dark blue, specifically.

  Her walls were covered with photos of friends and family. I may not have known who her friends were, specifically, but I could guess who was family, considering Beau was in several of her photos, along with an older couple who were probably her parents.

  Her bedroom was large, her bed was made, a laundry basket sitting on it with neatly folded clothes in it. I stepped into her bathroom and was surprised to see it wasn’t cluttered with much in the way of girly shit. I opened cabinets and found all the girly shit neatly stowed in organizers and I shook my head. Jesus, she was probably puking at the sight of my room.

  I felt like a voyeur. I was there to feed her cat, not go through her things, but I couldn’t seem to stop myself. She fascinated me. In a way no one, certainly no woman, had in a very long time.

  “Meow.”

  I dropped my head and smiled. “Hey, Sneezles.”

  “Meow.” He wove his body between my legs.

  “Are we friends now?”

  He stood on his hind legs and dug his claws into my jeans, my legs protected by my boots, and mewed again. I leaned down and stroked his head, then moved out of the bathroom, and through the rest of her home.

  Sneezles followed.

  I found his food and dumped a scoop into his bowl, then made sure his water was fresh. I decided to go the extra mile and change the litter, then took a few minutes to hang with Sneezles once he ate. Cats weren’t really my thing, but he was fuckin’ cool and he seemed to like me. What could I say? I’d always been a sucker for a pussy who liked me.

  I sat on the sofa and Sneezles jumped up beside me, sneezing as he rubbed his face against my leg. “You’re gonna piss your mama off if you keep lovin’ on me like that.”

  “Meow.” He flopped onto his back and batted at my hand.

  I ran my hand along his belly and under his chin and grinned. His purring could probably be heard outside the walls. “I gotta go, beastie,” I said, and received more purring. “Need to go check on your mama. She’ll be back in a few hours.”

  “Meow.”

  “I know.” I smiled, as I stood. “I’ll be back, though. Gonna get to know you both better.”

  Sneezles rolled, sitting up and staring at me. “Meow.”

  I patted his head again and decided to throw some of her clean clothes into a garbage bag to take with me. Then I set the alarm before locking up and heading back to the club.

  * * *

  Shiloh

  “Shiloh,” a deep voice called through the door.

  I groaned, rolling over and burrowing deeper into the mattress. Lordy, this bed was comfortable.

  “Shiloh?”

  “Go away,” I growled.

  “Babe, I grabbed some shit from your place. I’ll leave it out here.”

  I wrinkled my nose. “Otter?”

  “Yeah, who else would it be?”

  “Brad Pitt?” I retorted, hopefully. “Naked?”

  I heard his quiet laugh through the door. “No rush. Just wanted you to know you had shit out here. Go back to sleep.”

  “Don’t have to tell me twice,” I grumbled and snuggled back under the covers.

  Then his words permeated my brain and I sat up with a start. “My shit?”

  I scrambled from the bed, dragged the sheet around me and opened the door a slit, seeing a garbage bag sitting on the ground just outside. I pulled it inside, closing the door again, and going through it. These were the clean clothes that had been in the laundry basket. I frowned. He went through my things. I felt my face heat, hoping to god he didn’t look in the nightstand drawer.

  I decided to get dressed so I could find Otter, grab my keys, and head home. After splashing water on my face, I used my finger and toothpaste to brush my teeth as best I could, then ran my fingers through my hair and pulled what I could into a messy bun. My hair was shorter than I was used to. I’d just cut fourteen inches off, so it fell just below my chin in a bob. I liked it fine, but I definitely missed my long hair.

  I made Otter’s bed, pulled out a T-shirt, underwear, and yoga pants from the bag, then threw my dirty clothes in the bag with the rest of my clean. I headed downstairs, dragging the bag with me.

  “I thought you were going back to sleep,” Otter said, stalking toward me.

  “You went through my things. That kind of woke me up.”

  He smiled, taking the bag from me. “I didn’t go through your things. Much. I saw the laundry basket and figured you’d want something clean, so grabbed a stack. They were out in the open, so I assumed they were fair game.”

  “What do you mean by ‘much’?”

  “Huh?”

  “You said you didn’t go through my things. Much.” I crossed my arms. “What do you mean by that?”

  He chuckled. “Just looked enough to find the litter and feed the cat. Don’t worry, any secrets you may have are still secrets.”

  “Hmm-mm,” I hummed. “How’s my cat?”

  “Your cat’s the shit.”

  “Did you go to the right place?”

  “Of course I went to the right place,” he said. “Why?”

  I narrowed my eyes. “My cat is not the shit. My cat hates humans. Except me. What do you mean, he’s the shit?”

  “I told you. I’m the pussy whisperer.”

  I shivered. “Oh my god. Stop it.”

  He grinned. “You like it.”

  I rolled my eyes. “I’m going home now.”

  “How about I buy you breakfast first?”

  My stomach rumbled. “I guess I could eat.”

  He propped the bag against the wall and led me into the kitchen where he set a step stool next to the island. “Sit.”

  I sat on the stool and he poured me a cup of coffee, sliding sugar and cream toward me. “Got Splenda?” I asked.

  “Does it look like I’m the kinda man who’d have Splenda?” he retorted.

  “You’re the pussy king,” I sassed. “If you’re that good with women, you’d have Splenda. Or stevia, or something other than sugar.”

  He stepped into the pantry and I heard him mutter expletives under his breath as he walked out with a box of stevia in his hand.

  “Thank you, my liege,” I retorted, snagging a couple of packets, and dumping it in my coffee.

  “Bacon?”

  I stirred my coffee. “Is that a question?”

  “Considering I let the tone of my voice lift at the end, it is, in fact, a question.”

  “Bacon is bacon. Bacon is never a question. Bacon should be a food group and a part of every recipe ever created. Therefore, bacon is bacon. A forgone conclusion, shall we say.”

  Otter’s lips twitched and he peeled off six pieces of bacon, laying t
hem flat on the griddle. “Eggs and hash browns?”

  “Do we need to discuss eggs and hash browns, really? I mean, you’re making bacon, ergo, eggs and hash browns are a given.”

  “Scrambled?”

  “Over medium,” I said, taking a sip of coffee. “This coffee’s really good, Otter. Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.”

  “Can I help?” I asked.

  “Nope. You can drink your coffee and relax.”

  “I wish someone would tell me that every day,” I mused.

  He chuckled. “Don’t we all.”

  “What happened after you left last night?”

  “Took Tuck back to the club, traded him for your brother, then I went to your place.”

  “Is my brother okay?”

  “Your brother’s slicker than owl shit,” he ground out.

  “He is that,” I agreed. “I just can’t figure out why he’s messing with underground gambling. It’s not his normal… thing.”

  “What’s his normal… thing?” he asked.

  I sighed. “Honestly, I don’t know. He’s always got an angle and I’m usually the one who ends up bailing him out.”

  “Don’t like that, Shiloh.”

  “I don’t really like it either, Otter, but he’s my brother.” I took another sip of coffee.

  “He shouldn’t be putting you in that kind of danger.”

  I sighed. “I don’t disagree.”

  He studied me. “Am I gonna need to worry about you?”

  I smirked. “Absolutely not.”

  “I don’t think you’re understandin’ me.”

  “Oh, I understand you perfectly, and since this is none of your business, you most definitely don’t need to worry about me.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “Like that sass, Shiloh. Keep it up.”

  I shivered. “I’m gonna go.”

  “You’re gonna eat, then you can go.”

  “I do have food at home.”

  “You have cream for your coffee and a pantry full of shit food,” he countered. “Not a piece of fruit or a chicken breast in sight.”

  “I have been working for four days straight, I was planning on shopping today.” I frowned. “Again, none of your business, and why the hell did you go through my stuff?”

  “I had to get the cat food, remember?”

  “Did you look anywhere else?”