Destroying the Biker Page 15

  “We need to talk.”

  I swallowed. “About what?”

  “Things.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’d rather not tonight. I’m really tired.”

  “It won’t take long.”

  Sighing, I gave in and opened the door. We both walked in and I switched on the lights.

  “Sorry, my maid took the day off,” I said dryly, realizing that I’d forgotten to make the bed and my clothes were still strewn everywhere. I started picking them up.

  “Don’t worry about it,” he said, grabbing my wrist. “Ava.”

  My heart stopped.

  How in the hell?

  Trying to remain calm, I forced a smile to my face. “Excuse me?”

  “Let me try again—Ava Rhodes. Does that name ring a bell?”

  I thought about denying who I was, but knew he wasn’t stupid. I also knew that even if he had figured out my name, it didn’t mean he knew anything else. Especially that I was related to Andrew.

  “Yes. That’s my real name. How did you find out?”

  “It doesn’t matter. Why did you lie to me?” he asked angrily.

  “I don’t know. I guess I panicked,” I said, my mind whirling with excuses to give him.

  He frowned. “Why? Did you think I was some kind of a threat to you?”

  “No. Not you. Look, I wasn’t lying when I said I wanted to leave my past behind,” I replied hoping he’d believe me. “I… I had some problems come up and decided to drop everything and just… leave.”

  “Leave where? Florida?”

  I laughed harshly. “Wow, you really did your homework. Yes, Florida.”

  “What kind of problems?”

  I rubbed my temple. “Personal things. I’d prefer not to get into them with you.”

  His face turned red with anger. “You’d prefer…” Jayce ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “You’ve been lying to me about who you really are, while I’ve been honest with you about everything. I trusted you. The least you can do is tell me what the fuck is going on.”

  “There’s nothing to really tell. I had some problems with this guy and didn’t want him to find me,” I said, spinning another story.

  “What guy?”

  “An actor,” I said, picturing how Hunter Calloway had pissed me off in Vegas. “This guy tried raping me and I—”

  “He what?” snarled Jayce. “Who? Did you call the police?”

  “No, because he didn’t get away with it. I stopped him before anything happened.”

  “Who is the asshole?”

  Jayce looked like a raging bull, ready to kill someone. I would have been flattered and amused if I wasn’t so furious about what I’d learned from Len.

  “His name was Hunter. Anyway, I needed to get away for a while and that’s why I came out here. To clear my head and figure out what I wanted to do. I’m sorry I lied. I shouldn’t have.”

  His eyes searched mine. “What else is there?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Bullshit. Tell me who you really are. I deserve to know.”

  “I already told you about the real me,” I said, wishing he’d leave. “I just gave you the wrong name and occupation. Everything else we discussed is true.”

  “The stories about your foster parents?”

  “Real. You can’t make that shit up,” I said quietly.

  He sighed.

  “Can we talk more about this tomorrow?” I asked. “I’m exhausted, Jayce.”

  He just stared at me.

  “Listen, I promise you I didn’t lie about my childhood. It was a nightmare from hell and… I don’t just tell everyone about my past. I told you, though.”

  He sighed.

  “Can we talk more about this tomorrow? Please?.”

  He nodded reluctantly.

  “Look, I’m sorry I lied. I wasn’t expecting us to start dating and I didn’t know how to tell you the truth without looking like a nutcase,” I said. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”

  Jayce sighed.

  “Let’s have dinner tomorrow night.”

  “How about breakfast?” he asked.

  “Don’t you have to go out of town?”

  “No. Not anymore.”

  I was planning on going to the cops in the morning. At least I had Len on tape confirming that Tarot had killed my brother. Hopefully, he’d be behind bars before the sun went down.

  “I’m getting my hair and nails done tomorrow,” I lied.

  He looked at my nails, which were nothing special. “Okay. Dinner works. Unless you’re planning on skipping town, Ava?”

  I smiled. “No. I’m not going anywhere.”

  “I have to admit, I prefer your real name.”

  I smiled.

  Jayce walked over to me. He slid his hands around my waist, drew me closer, and started kissing me.

  Furious, I had to keep from shoving him away.

  This man, who was as handsome as sin, with his boyish smile and passionate kisses, was disarming me by the second. I was more pissed off at myself than anyone for enjoying his touch. He was an amazing artist and probably a very talented lover. More than anything, however, he was an accomplice to murder. My brother’s. For that… I would never forgive the jerk. But, I would make sure that along with Tarot, Jayce would also pay.

  Chapter 39

  Jayce

  AFTER I LEFT Ava’s motel room, I still felt like things were unsettled and didn’t know whether or not to trust her fully. As I walked by her car, I had to wonder why she was driving such a pile of shit, too. The vehicle couldn’t have been worth more than a grand and something told me that a female stuntwoman could afford better. Of course, if she was running away from someone and trying to keep a low cover, it was definitely a good idea.

  As I got on my bike and then headed home, I thought about the story with Hunter and decided to ask Magpie if she could find out anything about him. If the guy was real, and had tried raping Ava, he should be dealt with. The very idea that someone might have tried forcing her into sex made my blood boil.

  When I reached my apartment complex, I checked my phone and found a text from Tarot. He wanted me to get in touch with him. I dialed his number and he answered right away.

  “Phoenix called me about your girl. Her name really is Ava Rhodes, isn’t it?” he asked in a low voice.

  “Yeah,” I replied. “She admitted it to me back at her motel.”

  I told him the story she gave me and he listened quietly.

  “So, what do you think?” I asked, pacing back and forth in my apartment.

  “Honestly, it feels pretty legit to me,” he replied. “My gut is telling me it happened. Some douchebag tried throwing his weight and power around, to try and take advantage of her.”

  “Son-of-a-bitch,” I growled. “I’d like to find the guy beat the living daylights out of the motherfucker.”

  “I don’t blame you. There’s something else that I should tell you.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I think Ava is somehow connected to Blade. You know how she was asking about him and everything?”

  That was damn troubling. “Yeah.”

  “At first, I thought maybe she was FBI, poking around for answers. She’s obviously not. But there is some correlation between the two of them. I’m just not seeing it yet.”

  “You don’t think they were together, do you?” I asked, feeling sick to my stomach at the thought. As angry as I’d been about Ava’s lies, I still wanted to be with her. And it wasn’t just for the sex, which probably wouldn’t happen anytime soon anyway. I was drawn to her unlike any other woman I’d met before.

  “I don’t know, brother. I don’t know.”

  I sighed. “What do you think I should do?”

  “You’re really hung up on her, aren’t you?”

  “Yeah,” I admitted.

  He let out a ragged sigh. “If I were in your shoes, this is what I’d do…”

  Chapter 40

  A
va

  I HAD A hard time sleeping. I kept expecting someone to come pounding at my door, especially now that Jayce had my full name.

  And where in the hell had he gotten it anyway?

  If they found out my identity, they could trace it back to my birthmother, and eventually learn that Andrew and I were related.

  This was definitely bad.

  After tossing and turning for the better part of the night, I got up early, made a pot of coffee, and then proceeded to call the St. Paul Police Department.

  “Hello, I was wondering who I could speak to regarding a murder?” I asked the person who answered the phone.

  “Ma’am, did you see someone get killed?” the man replied.

  “No, but I know someone was. I also know who did it.” I began telling the guy about the Gold Vipers and he immediately transferred me to a unit that apparently handled street gangs.

  “Detective Olson,” a man answered briskly.

  I cleared my throat and asked to speak to someone about the Gold Vipers.

  “You can talk to me,” he replied, sounding a little more enthusiastic. “What did you say your name was?”

  I was about to tell him, but suddenly my paranoia kicked in.

  What if he Gold Vipers were paying off some of the police?

  I wouldn’t know until it was too late.

  “I’d prefer not to tell you. I do have some information on a murder that occurred last year.”

  “Which one is that?” he asked.

  I told him about the one involving a guy named Blade.

  “Andrew Bordellini…. Oh, yeah. That case was closed,” he replied. “We know who shot the assailant. It was done in self-defense.”

  “Andrew was actually the victim,” I said, trying to remain calm. “He was framed and then murdered by Dominic Savage, otherwise known as Tarot. In fact, I have it on tape that he killed Andrew Bordellini.”

  “Wait a second, he admitted it?”

  “No. But, one of his club mates told me he killed him.”

  “So, you have him on tape?”

  “Yes.”

  The man sighed. “First of all, the tape would probably be inadmissible in court, especially since it’s not a confession. Second of all, the woman’s neighbor, who admitted to the shooting, is a retired cop. He confessed to killing Bordellini.”

  “He lied.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am, but unless you get Tarot to admit that he killed Andrew Bordellini on tape or video, we can’t help you.”

  “So, Tarot is going to get away with murder?” I replied angrily.

  “Let’s be frank here. Andrew Bordellini was by no means a choir boy. He had a rap sheet a mile long.”

  “For what kind of charges?” I asked, feeling a lump in my throat.

  “I don’t rightly remember. Let’s just say that he wasn’t a stand-up guy.”

  “Maybe not, but he didn’t deserve what he got.”

  “I don’t know. Some would say he did,” he said, a smile in his voice. “The world is always a better place when a criminal gets his wings. Or in this case, his horns.”

  Clenching my teeth, I growled, hung up on the asshole, and threw my phone onto the bed. No wonder the Gold Vipers got away with murder. The police treated them like vigilantes.

  Knowing that I wasn’t going to get any help legally, I thought about going to the press with my information. It might force the police into taking action. But, I knew that doing something like that would not only put me in danger, but also Millie. I couldn’t risk it.

  Sighing, I knew that there was no other choice. I’d have to do what I came out there to do—avenge Andrew’s death by myself.

  I took a shower and put on a pair of black shorts and a gray long-sleeved T-shirt. I pulled my hair back into a ponytail and grabbed a baseball cap. After finishing up in the bathroom, I packed up my belongings and was about to check out of the motel, when there was a knock on the door. I checked the peephole and saw that it was a delivery man holding flowers. I opened the door.

  “Ava Rhodes?”

  I nodded.

  He smiled and handed me a stunning arrangement of multicolored flowers. “These are for you.”

  “Thank you,” I said, staring at them in confusion.

  After the delivery guy left, I looked at the card.

  Ava,

  Like these flowers, your beauty is radiant and stems from within, regardless of anything else. I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight and I hope you feel the same.

  Jayce

  They were beautiful and I would have melted had I not known what I now did. If anything, the flowers depressed me and made me feel empty inside. It figured that the one guy I’d started to have real feelings for was an accomplice to murder. Instead of putting them in water, I threw them in the garbage and checked out of the motel.

  As I started the engine of my car, I still wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do. After blindly driving around for twenty minutes, I pointed the Malibu toward Tarot and Peyton’s place. I needed to get this over with. There was no point in wasting any more time or money.

  I drove down their street, and it appeared they were both home. I parked farther up the block and shut off my car. After sitting quietly for several minutes, I managed to find the nerve to call Peyton and get things rolling. She answered on the second ring.

  “Hi, it’s… me. I just wanted to say thank you for taking the time to show me those houses yesterday,” I said, biting my nail nervously.

  “No problem. Did you want to look at any more?” she asked, a smile in her voice.

  “Actually, I really liked the last one and was wondering if we could check it out again?” I replied, an idea forming in my head.

  “Sure. I could call the realtor and ask if we could do it today?”

  “That would be great.”

  I would wait for her to leave and then shoot her bastard of a fiancé. Afterward, I would meet her at the other house as quickly as possible, my alibi set. Besides, I was quite certain Tarot had plenty of enemies. His murder would look like some kind of retribution. Which, it really was.

  “I was just about to take Ruby to her dance lesson. It will have to be later in the afternoon, though.”

  “No problem. I’ll be free.”

  Shit.

  I closed my eyes. How could I have forgotten about Ruby? She was just an innocent child, about to lose her father. By my hand.

  Didn’t that make me just as bad as the Gold Vipers?

  But again, if he raised her, what kind of person would she grow up to be?

  “Okay. I’ll call you back and let you know what I find out.”

  “Sounds good. Thanks.”

  My plan was changing. If there was one thing I knew, I couldn’t kill Tarot in front of Ruby. It would have to be now, while he was home alone.

  “No problem,” I said, eyeing my purse.

  We hung up and I waited for Peyton to leave with the little girl. When I saw their car pull out of the driveway, I moved mine over to the next block. Then, I shut off the engine, grabbed my purse, and quickly walked back to their house with my baseball cap pulled down. Trembling, I unzipped my purse, put my hand on the gun, and knocked on the door.

  Chapter 41

  Tarot

  WHEN I OPENED the door, I was surprised to see Ava Rhodes standing on my doorstep. The moment our eyes met, I saw turmoil in hers and felt a rush of apprehension.

  “Hey,” I said, eyeballing her purse. She held it close, like she was afraid to let it go, with her hand inside. “What’s up?”

  “We need to talk. Can I come in?” she asked in a shaky voice.

  I stood back, letting her in. As she stepped into the foyer, I felt an incredible urge to grab her handbag. One so strong that I couldn’t ignore it.

  “Hey!” she hollered, as I yanked it from her and slammed the door shut. “Give me that back!”

  I blocked her from leaving and opened up the purse. Inside I found a revolver. I pull
ed it out and looked at her.

  “What in the hell were you planning on doing with this?” I snapped.

  “It’s for protection,” she said, looking guilty as hell.

  I checked the gun and noticed that it was loaded. “Why do you think you need protection from me?”

  “I didn’t think anything like that,” she said, not looking in my eyes directly.

  She lied.

  “Sit down,” I ordered, nodding to the sofa.

  Ava didn’t move.

  “Sit down!” I snapped.

  She flinched and then quickly did what I asked.

  I pulled out her wallet and looked at her license. Her name was definitely Ava Rhodes and she lived in Miami, Florida. What I didn’t understand was why she was in my house with a loaded gun. I’d never met the woman before Hollywood had introduced us.

  “You just called Peyton about looking at a house. I overheard her tell you that she was leaving to take Ruby to her dance class. So, you are obviously here to see me,” I deduced out loud, trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

  She didn’t say anything.

  I sighed. “This has something to do with Blade, doesn’t it?”

  Her eyes gave away that it did. “Blade?” she repeated, as if it was the first time she’d heard the name.

  I began pacing back and forth in front of the sofa. “Yes. You’re here because of him.” I stopped. “Why?”

  She bit her lower lip but remained quiet.

  “Who is he to you?”

  Her eyes filled with tears and she looked away.

  “Ava, believe it or not, I want to help you,” I said, not seeing a killer, but a broken woman on my sofa. “Tell me, why are you here?”

  Ava looked up at me again. “You killed him,” she said hoarsely. Tears began to stream down her cheeks as she screamed at me, “He was my brother! The only blood relative who meant something to me… and you fucking killed him!”

  I was stunned. I certainly hadn’t seen that coming. I’d thought that maybe the two had been dating or married, and that she was a grieving widow.