Chapter 5 Brick

S hocked, I still couldn’t process it. Hesh’s daughter all grown up. In my truck. And a fucking knockout too.

It never occurred to me that Ginger could be Ginny. Fifteen years had gone by, and what had stuck in my mind was the skinny, copper-haired girl who used to stare at me with such innocence and admiration.

Now, those same green eyes held sorrow and pain with the memory of her father’s death. I wished I could take it all away for her. Give her something of the past to remember Hesh by. She’d lost him way too young.

It pissed me off. Now, more than ever, I wanted to hunt down Butcher. That had to wait until I returned Ginny home. Once she was safe, I’d call Judge and let him know what had gone down. Titan and Dagger had my back on this. I just needed to convince my pres. After bumping into Ginny, it seemed fate was stepping in and paving the way for justice.

Her pretty eyes, framed by dark lashes, stole my concentration. Would it be wrong to kiss her? Right here, in my truck?

Too bad I didn’t bring any mistletoe. It actually shocked me that my mother didn’t think of it.

“Ginny.”

“Yeah, Brick?”

“We should get back on the road.”

She nodded. “Good call.”

A bit reluctant, I resumed the trip toward Las Vegas.

The snow hit a lull during the drive. It was bitterly cold out but warm in my truck. Around us, a blanket of solid white streaked by the windows from the headlights as I picked up speed. The break in the weather meant I could get Ginny home faster. A part of me didn’t want to rush this.

I shoved my feelings and wishes aside. Getting her home for Christmas took precedence.

“We got lucky,” she observed. “Maybe I’ll make it home before midnight.”

“Maybe,” I agreed. “I’m sure your uncle, cousin, and mother will be thrilled to see you. How is Ciara?”

“Mom’s great. She’s stays busy.”

“That’s good.” I cleared my throat, unsure why I felt awkward. Maybe it had to do with the fact that I wanted to fuck Hesh’s daughter. Or that she was so goddamn tempting. Forbidden. Off-limits. Hesh would have kicked my ass if he were here. “So, uh, what do you do for a living? I know you graduated from college. Science major, right?”

“Yes, with a minor in biology. I work for a pharmaceutical company.”

“Drugs?”

She snickered. “Not the street kind.” A shrug lifted her slender shoulders. “I want to help people heal and hopefully cure diseases that plague society. We may never cure cancer, but I don’t think we should stop trying.”

Wow. Ginny was beautiful, brilliant, kind, and wanted to make a difference. Hesh would have been in awe of her. I kinda was myself.

“How did you end up at the airport in Denver? Vacation?”

She frowned. “Yes and no. I went on a ski trip to Aspen. It would have been fun, but my boyfriend decided to stick his dick in a snow bunny he met on the slopes.”

Asshole.

“What a dick.”

“Oh, I agree. I found them in our hotel room. Right in the bed we slept in. I was so pissed.”

How the fuck could that prick cheat on Ginny?

“Fuck him. His loss.” My gain. There wouldn’t be any more boyfriends in the picture. Not with me around. I’d see to that.

The possessive thought should have shocked me. It didn’t. I wanted Ginny, and I wasn’t gonna hesitate to make a move as soon as I could.

“Wanna know the weird part?” She took a bite of sugar cookie, chewing after she asked.

“Tell me.”

“I’m not that upset. Mad that he cheated? Sure. Betrayed? Yeah. But hurt? No.”

“Maybe there wasn’t much there.”

Ginny finished her cookie, taking a couple of sips of hot cocoa as she thought it over. “You know, I think you’re right. We dated for almost six months but didn’t talk much if you know what I mean.”

Yeah, I did. They fucked. A lot.

I hated the knowledge that she’d been with a cocksucker who used and cheated on her. Even more agitated that another man had been where I wanted to bury myself, deep inside her, fucking her until she came all over my cock.

I had the sudden need to drive him and any other guy she’d been with from her mind forever. I wanted her sweaty and naked and satisfied beneath me, and I knew one time would never be enough.

Ginny wasn’t a woman I picked up from the bar, took home, and forgot her name the next morning. She wasn’t a club girl or a hanger-on. She was ol’ lady material. The ride-or-die type that stood by your side. The kind you put a ring on her finger and pledged to love, honor, and cherish.

Oh, wow. She’s the one.

My heart did a funny stutter in my chest, and I squeezed the steering wheel tight before I loosened my grip.

Hesh, if you’re out there listening, I’ll do right by Ginny. I swear it.

Ginny reached for a slice of ham, added a slice of cheddar cheese, and made a sandwich with the fresh bread my mother included. “You hungry?”

“Yeah,” I admitted, noticing the rumble in my stomach. I hadn’t eaten much today. The plan had been Christmas Eve dinner with my mother. Damn. I wouldn’t get any lasagna soup.

“Oh! Your mom packed something else. There’re two bowls in here.” She lifted the lid off the first and inhaled. “This smells amazing.”

I glanced at the container, thrilled that my ma had snuck it in when I wasn’t looking. “Her lasagna soup. It’s my favorite.”

Ginny nodded, snapping the lid back on. “Pull over.”

“I don’t want to delay the trip any longer for you.”

“But you need to eat. Pull over and have some of this delicious soup and a sandwich.”

Well, when she put it like that. . . I had to listen.

I found a spot to park and eagerly dug in when she handed over one of the bowls. We enjoyed the soup with the ham sandwiches Ginny made. By the time we added dessert from the container my ma packed, I was stuffed. There wasn’t much left, but a couple of water bottles and a little of the hot chocolate.

“Best meal I’ve had in a long while,” I admitted, using a napkin to dab at my beard and clean off my hands.

“Your mom is a fantastic cook. I need to get that recipe for the lasagna soup.”

“Do you like to cook?” I asked before merging onto the highway again and resuming our trip.

In the rearview, I caught headlights approaching fast. They didn’t slow down until they were almost on top of us. I frowned as the black truck revved its engine.

Ginny said something, but I was too distracted to understand.

“Sorry, Sweetheart. Say that again.”

“The person behind us is persistent.”

“Yeah. We’re gonna let them pass us. The roads are still shit, and I don’t wanna risk going into a ditch or wrecking my truck.”

“Smart.” She turned her head, staring out the back window. “They’re not going around us.”

“Give them a minute. They’ll get bored soon and speed around us,” I assured her.

The truck didn’t move, following us closely for another few miles until the driver slammed on the brakes, swerved behind us, and lurched to a stop. Right in the middle of the road, the lights faded in my rearview mirror as I pressed on the gas.

Something about this didn’t feel right. I sensed danger, and red flags went off in my head. Protect Ginny. Get as far away as possible.

“That was odd,” Ginny observed.

“Agreed. We’re gonna put some distance between us and that truck.”

Her teeth nibbled on her bottom lip. “I couldn’t see the driver with the lights, but something about that truck seemed familiar.”

My body stiffened. On instant alert, I watched for any sign of the black truck. “What do you mean?”

“The grill on the front has a giant skull. I’ve seen it before.” She swallowed hard. “Just one other time, but it’s unique enough that I remember it.”

Fuck! I noticed the skull, too, but I didn’t think it had any significance until now.

“Baby, I need you to remember when and where you saw it.”

“Right before I lost my dad. In early December fifteen years ago.” Ginny clenched her hands in her lap. “That truck pulled up outside and parked. I never saw who drove it, but my dad seemed pissed. He ordered me to my room and told my mother to call him if she ever saw it again.”

“Do you know if she did?”

“Mom never mentioned it.”

Good. Maybe it was nothing more than coincidence. I could try to believe that. The problem was, in my world, there weren’t many coincidences. If whoever drove that truck pissed off Hesh and he died because of it, Ginny and her family were in danger. It was a leap to get there, but not a big one.

The Crimson

“I need you to hold the wheel while I send a couple of texts. It’s important, but I don’t want to pull over.”

Not now. I couldn’t risk her safety like that.

Ginny’s eyes widened. “Okay.”

She held the steering wheel as I kept my foot on the gas, speeding down the highway.

I fired off a text to Dagger, telling him to fill in Judge on everything and that I was on the road, heading back to Vegas, but I wasn’t sure if I would reach my destination without trouble.

That prickling I usually got on the back of my neck persisted, and it usually alerted me before shit went down. That skull on the front of the black truck reminded me of the same skull on the back of the Crimson Skulls MC cuts—their logo.

Fuck. I had to get to Las Vegas as fast as possible. The sooner I got Ginny home and my club filled in, the faster we could investigate this threat. I couldn’t shake the idea that the Crimson Skulls never really broke up. They just hunkered down, grew their numbers, and waited for the right moment to exact their revenge. That war we thought we ended? Maybe it never stopped.

The thought terrified me because an enemy as ruthless as the Crimson Skulls would murder everyone I loved and cared about, and they wouldn’t stop until every member of the club was dead.

Headlights appeared in my rearview mirror again, and I knew it was the black truck before I could confirm it.

Son of a bitch!

“What’s the matter?” Ginny asked, turning her head to stare at me. “You’re growling.”

Yeah, I might have cursed aloud instead of in my head. We were being followed—more than that. I’d say intimidated and hunted, not that I’d let that happen. I was an old dog with plenty of tricks. One fucking truck and a rival MC member weren’t gonna stop me from gaining the upper hand.

I’d fight to the death to protect Ginny.

When you pushed a rabid dog into a corner, you had better run before it attacked. There would be no mercy.

“Babe, gonna need you to duck down and keep that pretty head of red hair hidden as much as possible.”

She paled. “Why?”

“We’re being followed.”