He leans forward, his eyes sparkling as he watches me. “You earned it though too, didn’t you?”
“Fuck you,” I grind out.
He doesn’t even flinch. Instead, his lips curl up into a grin. “I like you, Leighton. I think you’re going to fit in quite nicely here, that is, if you decide to stay. I can get that money to you, easily and without issue. You want it, it’s yours.”
Standing from the chair, I take a step back, stumbling slightly before I straighten myself. “I said, fuck you, and I meant it. I don’t want that money. I don’t want anything to do with it. I highly doubt I’ll fit in nicely here. My life, everything about me is temporary and even then, I don’t want that dirty fucking money.”
Spinning around, I stomp away and go back into Mountain’s room. Locking the door behind me, I sink down to my ass, lifting my knees up and pinch my eyes closed.
Money. Money. Sex. Money. Money.
That’s all that matters, and I hate it—all of it.
MOUNTAIN
I watch as the product is loaded onto the truck. Missing. A whole fucking pallet of shit is missing. I don’t know what the fuck is happening down in Tijuana, but we can’t have this. We’re supposed to have this shit under control. We have too many mattresses, not enough product, and I have to leave first thing in the morning.
Fuck.
Shaking my head, I take my phone out of my pocket and find the contact’s name. It rings, and rings, until finally right before it goes to voicemail he picks up.
“We got a problem, hombre,” I inform.
There’s a moment of silence and I think he’s ended the call, but he hasn’t. “No problem,” he says. “I’ll be there by tonight. Just got a bit delayed in transit.”
“How?” I demand.
“Doesn’t matter. Just know, she’ll be there with your delivery.”
“She?” I ask.
There’s another long moment of silence. I wait, knowing that he hasn’t left this time, but is just making me fucking wait for him to continue speaking. Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I wonder how he has a woman working for him and who the fuck it is?
“Next time I’m sending someone to pick it up, I don’t know what kind of shit you’re trying to pull, but I won’t have it,” I growl.
“No shit, Wilder. Just came up a little short, you’ll have it in time.”
“You do this shit again and we’re done. I’ll find someone else,” I snap.
He snorts. “You won’t, but okay. Message received.”
“You have yet to receive a message from me.”
I end the call and spin around, making my way out of the warehouse. I walk into the bar and see Dragon bellied up, which is unusual for him these days. Glancing around the room, I look for Leighton. I don’t see her anywhere, so I assume she’s in my room.
Making my way up to the bar, I sink down next to Dragon. “We got a fuckin’ problem,” I grind out.
“Yeah?” he asks, continuing to look straight ahead.
“Yeah,” I grunt.
“Have anything to do with your girl?” he asks, finally. Turning to look over at me, a grin plastered on his face.
Shaking my head, I let out a grunt. “You don’t need to worry about her. This is about our missing product. My contact is sending a woman from Tijuana. Don’t know her or anything about her. All I know is that she’ll be here before I leave in the morning.”
“He give you a good reason?”
I shrug a shoulder. “Depends on what you mean by good,” I mutter. “Said he came up a little short and had to send the rest later.”
Dragon nods his head, shifting his gaze from me to the beer in his hand. I watch as he takes a pull, setting it down on the bar top. Slowly he stands to his feet, then faces me again. He looks seriously fucking pissed and I am a little worried about him, about what has him this way. It can’t just be the product, there has to be something more to it.
“Dragon?” I ask.
He shakes his head once, all of that irritation that was present in his face disappears. “You can handle it, brother. I know that you can,” he says, lifting his hand and wrapping his fingers around my shoulder with a squeeze and a small shake. “Your girl is up in your room. She’s sweet, better keep her close.”
“How? You’re sending me away for a month,” I clip.
His lips twitch into a small smile, it’s barely visible beneath his beard. “Only know one way to keep a woman like that tethered.”
“Not marrying her,” I grunt. “Not branding her either, not anytime soon.”
He lets out a loud laugh, it’s a fucking belly laugh where he throws his head back, and I narrow my eyes on him at the sight, knowing he’s about to give me some shit that I do not want to hear, but he thinks is just hysterically hilarious.
“Knock her up,” he says, his lips full-on fucking smiling at his words. “Marriage,” he mutters with a laugh as if he’s saying it to himself.
My entire body jerks. Fuck. I told her to go to the doctor, but I haven’t pulled out since the first time I was inside of her, and I’ve come inside of her a hell of a lot over the past few days. Shit. Dragon’s eyes widen and he lets out a boom of laughter as he turns and walks away from me, shaking his head the entire time.
I stay frozen in my spot, wondering if I’ve just gotten another woman pregnant, again.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Chapter Fourteen
MOUNTAIN
I don’t go into my room and look for Leighton. Instead, I turn toward the bar and demand a bottle of Jack from the prospect tending bar. He doesn’t even blink as he reaches for the bottle and passes it across the bar to me. Taking it from his hand, I turn around and walk outside.
Slipping around the back of the clubhouse, I find a picnic table and climb up, sitting on the top as I rest my feet on the bench and unscrew the lid. I don’t bother setting it down, instead, I toss it down to the ground.
Lifting the glass bottle to my lips, I down a huge gulp. Closing my eyes, I let out a hiss as it burns going down my throat. Shaking my head, I wonder what the fuck I’m doing and why. I don’t know Leighton, yet I’ve taken her in. I’ve fucked her unprotected. I’ve practically branded her at this point.
Why?
Because she comes from money? Because I dragged her out of that house when I probably should have just ended her right then and there? Because she’s the sexiest thing I’ve ever laid eyes on, best lay I’ve had too? These are not reasons to make a woman yours, let alone plant your seed inside of her.
My phone rings when I’m a third into the bottle and I grunt as I fumble for it and slide my thumb across the screen.
“Mountain,” I slur.
“Got a woman in a truck here, says it’s a delivery?”
Standing, I sway as I shake my head to get my bearings again. “Yeah, guide her to the warehouse. Nowhere else. I’ll take care of her.”
Reaching for my gun, I carry my bottle in one hand, my gun in the other, and make my way toward the warehouse to greet this mysterious woman. This is the one and only time this shit is happening. Next time, I don’t care how spread thin we are, I’m sending my own men down there to retrieve the shit.