Loving War (16 page)

Chapter 16

KODE

“Any word on finding Mercer?” I ask the private detective I’ve hired.

“He’s hiding good, but I’ll find him. He hasn’t contacted any of his family or his pre-prison friends in a few months, but he has to be staying with someone. Did something happen to make him take precautions? Because he’s definitely been covering his ass since before the warrant for his arrest was issued.”

I curse while pulling up at the restaurant. The cab is also rolling up, depositing Tria at the front door, and I watch as she blows me a kiss and gives me a wink before going in. Maybe I should just fold. If she doesn’t give in by Saturday, I will. Even though I’m enjoying the spirit of this game.

Who am I kidding? I’m ready for this asinine game to be over with.

“My fist collided with his face a few months ago after he ran Tria off the road. He left her alone for a while, apparently taking time to cover his ass and keep us from finding him again. Keep digging and keep me informed.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll see if I can’t backdate that. If you could send me the exact date, that will help with my search.”

I make a note to do so before hanging up, and then I climb out of the car. Tria left a few minutes before me, and the cab driver was hitting on her the second she walked out. She’s dressed to kill, but it’s only to slay me.

Corbin walks out just as I near the entrance, and he nods for me to follow him. Curious, I do as he silently beckons.

“What’s with the cloak-and-dagger exit?” I ask as he leads me around to the side where no one’s at.

He sighs while running a hand through his hair.

“Wren’s mom called and asked Rain if she would take Edward’s boxes to him. Apparently he still had work files in his study at their house. You know Rain’s history with her father, so I was hoping you could ask Tria to do it instead.”

Immediately, I feel defensive. “Yeah, well, Tria’s relationship with him isn’t any better than Rain’s.”

“She was daddy’s girl for eighteen years. Rain has never had a relationship—”

“Exactly,” I bite out. “She loved him, was close to him, and then he cut her out of his life because he’s a coward that can’t face someone after he disappoints them.”

“You’re seriously suggesting that Rain go instead of Tria? You’ve been dating Tria for a few weeks, but Rain has been like our sister for years.”

My anger starts to burn under my skin, radiating off me in waves that has Corbin taking notice.

“Rain has plenty of people defending her and looking out for her. Tria has me. Get me the address. I’ll take him his fucking stuff since he can’t even find the balls to go get it himself.”

Corbin takes a step back, obviously surprised by my anger, which only pisses me off more. Did he really think I’d just put this off on Tria without any concern as to how she’d feel about it?

“Dude, sorry. Didn’t realize things were that bad between them. It’s no big deal. I’m sure Dane will do it.”

“No. I’ll do it. Don’t mention this to Tria, because it’ll just put her in a sad mood. She’s got enough shit to deal with since Mercer is being a pain in the ass.”

Corbin nods slowly. “I’ll tell the others not to mention it.”

After running my hand through my hair, I walk away from him and head into the restaurant. Tria’s eyes meet mine immediately, and her smile forces me to put on a mask, denying my anger the right to surface. Edward has two great daughters that he can’t appreciate because he’s too busy wallowing in the miserable bed he made for himself.

“Where’d you two disappear to?” Maverick asks as he sips on his beer, eyeing us like we’ve got a secret to tell.

“Just had some business to sort out,” Corbin says, using a tone that tells Maverick something is up but to drop it.

Maverick heeds the silent warning and flips the subject. Corbin sits next to the empty chair that is next to Tria, and I sit between them, playing it cool for the crowd.

“Kode, you should probably change with Corbin,” Dane says, frowning when he sees me next to the girl that is driving me crazy in too many ways.

Tria bites back a grin before using her menu to cover it, trying to act as though she’s not secretly enjoying my brother’s disapproval. Corbin snickers before taking a sip of his beer, and I ignore Dane while ordering a drink for myself. Before I even think about it, I’m ordering one for Tria, too, which earns a few eyebrow raises.

I shrug it off, pretending as though I didn’t just slip up. Tria doesn’t acknowledge it. She engages in a conversation with Rain about one of her new books, and we all groan when they start talking about the mushy stuff.

Even though it’s not an actual date, it’s nice to be sitting beside her in public. The only way it could be better would be if I could just kiss her without causing a few heart attacks. I’m sure there’d also be a few hell-froze-over comments in there, too.

By the time we finish eating—and drinking profusely—the table starts getting louder, and Tria turns to me, keeping her voice low.

“Are you okay? You’ve been quiet.”

She’s the only one who has noticed that anything is wrong. Other than Corbin, but only because he knows what’s wrong.

“I’m fine. Just bored. You could help out with that if you’d just give in and do to me what you were doing to that popsicle.”

She laughs while shaking her head, but Maverick interrupts every conversation as the alcohol takes over.

“Alright, time to do something real. Dane and Rain are getting married. Ruby is coming back, which means Corbin will be spending less and less time with us, and Kode is already missing most of the time these days. It’s time we finally get those tattoos.”

Corbin glares at Maverick, and the rest of us shake our heads in protest.

“Who’s Ruby?” Tria muses, but no one can answer before Maverick continues with his relentless charge.

“We agreed to do this forever ago. Sterling tattoos. Now. Tonight. Before everyone continues to drift apart. Call it a bonding ritual. I rented a limo, and it should be outside by now.”

“You can’t get tattoos if you’ve been drinking,” Tria points out, sounding soberer than the lot of us.

“You’re not
supposed
to. But it’s not like we’re going to bleed to death getting a Sterling tattoo. Come on,” Maverick begs.

“Hell no,” I say in objection. “There’s no way in hell I’m going to go get something permanently tattooed on my body after I’ve been drinking.”

***

TRIA

“I can’t believe you talked us into this,” Kode growls while straddling the tattoo chair as the guy buzzes away on his back.

I stifle a laugh when he glares at Maverick who is absolutely beaming while staring down at his arm where “STERLING” is proudly displayed in an Old-English font.

My eyes keep trailing back over to the shirtless man who has done all he can to stay close to me tonight. It actually looks sexy to see his surname being written between his shoulder blades. It’s a cliché that actually works.

“I should have gotten it on my ass,” Dale says loudly, wincing while they tattoo down his chest to his hipbone on his left side in a vertical line.

“You’d mess up that pretty ass?” Corbin jokes, eliciting heckles from everyone else.

Dale flips them off while rolling his eyes and leaning back. Dane is next to him, getting his own tattoo.

Rain is across from us, wincing as she looks down at her exposed hip. A bald man with a dragon tattooed across his scalp is working quickly to get the name forever inked on her right hip.

“Dane Sterling, you have to marry me now,” she says, prompting him to laugh as they buzz away on his chest. Wow. He’s built damn well, too.

“Baby, you’re stuck with me for life. Now there’s proof.” He winks at her, which earns him her goofy grin.

“Ah, hell, Rain,” Maverick says as he stands up, making room for Corbin to sit down, “you’ve been a Sterling since you were a kid.”

Rain grins over at him, and my heart clenches. I would have killed to have this sort of connection with anyone.

“You can get a Sterling tattoo, too,” Kode says, winking at me.

Fortunately, with all the buzzing and chatter going on, no one overhears him. Even though I’m actually starting not to give a damn. Rain and Dane can just get over it. Kode isn’t trying to get Rain’s attention. I know that without a doubt, because all of his attention stays centered on me. It’s the first time I’ve ever felt so special to anyone.

“Little early to be staking that sort of claim,” I playfully quip, enjoying the sound of his rumbled laughter.

“I agree,” Corbin chimes in, the only one who is close enough to hear. “But I foresee it happening eventually.”

My face heats red, and Kode continues laughing while the tattoo artist remains stoic. Corbin tugs his shirt off when the guy is finally ready to start on his permanent marking, and my head tilts when I see the name etched across his shoulder. He’s also got several other tattoos, which I wasn’t expecting. But the name of the girl I heard mentioned earlier is proudly displayed in an extravagant font.

“Who is Ruby?” I ask again, hoping to get an answer this time.

Corbin looks up, and he motions around the shop. “She owns this place. It’s one of her many shops. It’s not open for business yet, but she called in the staff for a trial run on us.”

“Are you two dating?”

Kode laughs, apparently finding humor in that question.

“Nah. We’re friends.”

“But you’ve got her name tattooed on you?”

Corbin tilts his head, looking down at it as his lips curl into a smile. “It was a triple dare.”

That rouses my curiosity even more. “You’re serious?”

“Can’t deny a triple dare,” Corbin says with his bigger grin.

Kode’s laughter grows, and the guy tattooing him warns him to be still or have a permanent mistake on his back.

“They have a weird friendship,” Kode says as his laughter tapers off.

“She has my name tattooed on her, too, so it levels out.”

“Oh, so you’re like Rain and Dane. Secretly in love with each other for years but not brave enough to act on it.”

Corbin and Kode both tense up for some reason. Corbin is the one to break the uncomfortable silence.

“No, we dated. Three times when we were younger. It never worked out for us, so we just stay friends.”

“Why didn’t it work out?”

Kode’s head pops up, his eyes trained on Corbin like he’s just as curious as I am. Corbin looks like he swallowed something sour.

“Long story,” he grumbles, his face turning the brightest shade of red I’ve ever seen.

“What the hell, man?” Kode asks with a mocking grin. “Why are you so red right now?”

“Keep on and I’ll ask questions about secrets you two want to keep.”

Kode and I immediately shift the subject just as Dale walks over to display his work of art. Unlike the others, he looks more militant than a sexy, laid-back playboy.

“Remind me to kill Maverick for this tomorrow,” he announces.

Laughter resumes, and everyone finishes up with their bonding ritual that will be forever branded on their skin and in their minds. I feel like an outsider looking in, but it’s fun to watch.

As they all pay for their new ink, I head back out to the limo. Kode is quickly joining me before anyone else, and he leans over to place a kiss on my forehead, refraining from losing his cool and giving in. That’s fine. I’m going to give in this weekend if he doesn’t cave by then.

“This was actually pretty nice,” he says while wrapping an arm around my shoulders.

I lean into him, smiling as I feel his abs through his shirt. “You going to give in so I can claw up your pretty new tattoo?”

He groans while tugging at my head to tilt my face up to meet his, and he kisses me just on the tip of my nose.

“Not yet,” he murmurs while grinning that wicked smile of his.

He scoots away just as Corbin climbs in, rolling his eyes at us while taking the seat by Kode.

“You know, whenever you two decide to end this little game of yours, give me a warning.”

Kode tilts his head, apparently as confused as I am by that request. “Why?”

“Because it’s scorching hot to be around you two with all this pent-up nonsense. I can only imagine how heated it’s going to get when you unleash on each other. You’re going to burn the whole fucking city down.”

Chapter 17

KODE

“I hate Maverick,” I tell Dane over the phone as I leave Silk. I had Eleanor meet me with all of Edward’s files instead of going to her house where people might see me and ask questions. I don’t want Rain or Dane knowing what I’m doing, because then they’d want to know why.

Rain wouldn’t mind so much, but Dane would assume I was stepping on his toes and trying to get Rain’s attention. Since Dane needed me to meet his alcohol supplier while he was in a meeting, I decided just to have Eleanor meet me here.

“I hate him, too,” Dane groans.

Eleanor pulls out of the parking lot as I finish arranging the last of the boxes in the trunk. Just as I shut the lid, the face of the son of the bitch I hate the most is staring at me.

Pete Fucking Mercer.

His smug grin turns up as he leans up against the wall of the club, standing in the alleyway between Silk and a storage building, the same spot where I beat his ass a few months ago.

I don’t hesitate to stalk toward him, ready to end this fucking game.

“Dane, call the cops. Pete Mercer is at Silk.”

“Shit, Kode. Don’t do anything—”

I hang up on him to stay focused on what matters, and slip my phone into my pocket. Pete backs up farther, his smirk etching up. If I wasn’t in a blind rage and zeroed in on destroying his face, I might have stopped to pay better attention to the fact that we’re now deep into the pit of the alley, almost to the beach gate that connects to the two buildings.

“You’re not the Sterling I expected to find, but you’re sure as hell the one I’d rather have.”

His sinister tone doesn’t intimidate me, but the thudding of feet behind me puts me on alert. I turn around to see four guys who look like they love steroids a little too much.

“Oh, look. Turns out you’re not the only one with friends.”

Ah, hell. I shouldn’t have been stupid enough to get this deep. I turn back around just in time to get sucker punched by Pete, but I barely flinch before sending a punch of my own.

Arms try to wrap around me, but I’m swinging and connecting rapidly, my brutal training sessions with Jax finally paying off. One hit connects solidly with a face and breaks a nose, and then I turn and land another one across a jaw that has teeth crunching.

But five on one turns out to be shitty odds, and this time when arms wrap around me, they manage to hold me back as a bloody-mouth Pete steps forward with fury blazing in his eyes.

“Rich, pampered pricks like you shouldn’t fuck with guys like me, Sterling.”

A hard punch connects with my gut, the blow powerful enough to send my body in a reflexive curl, but the strong bastards holding me just lift me back up. Pete’s face isn’t as fucked up as I was hoping it would be, but I still manage to laugh.

“This rich, pampered prick kicked your ass all by himself. I didn’t need a bunch of gorillas holding you back to do it. I merely had an audience.”

Pete scowls and pulls his fist back. I stare, waiting without blinking, ready to take the hit without giving him the satisfaction of seeing me flinch.

“Hands in the air! Hands in the air!” foreign voices yell. I figured they’d react quickly after getting a call from Dane Sterling.

I smile as curses are spewed, and Pete tries to run through the back gate. Unfortunately for him, there are two cops with guns drawn on the other side of that gate, their commanding voices threatening him as he slowly raises his hands in defeat.

“You, too! Hands in the air!” a cop yells at me, and I comply, smiling the whole damn time.

“My name is Kode Sterling. This is my brother’s club. I was jumped while trying to leave, and I want to press charges.”

“You motherfucker!” Pete roars. “This asshole jumped me months ago! If he’s pressing charges, then so am I!”

He can say that all he wants. Pete’s face has healed up nicely during these months, and Dane shredded the footage of that night long ago to cover our asses.

I frown when I see my phone has been trampled on the ground. That’ll have to go on my never-ending list of things to do—buy a new damn phone. Then I’ll have to wait on them to finish swapping all my info—

Cold steel on my wrists snaps me out of my inner reverie. I’m being cuffed like all the others, and the cop behind me leads me to the car to start making calls. He takes my wallet to search for ID, and when he feels satisfied that I’m telling the truth, he moves behind me to remove the cuffs.

“We’ll need the video surveillance to corroborate your story.”

I grin while nodding. “I’ll call my brother so that it’s all legit. He’ll come—” Dane pulls up, jumping out of the car with Rain and his sister, Britt, on his heels “—right now.”

The cop turns as Dane rushes over, and Rain runs to my side to investigate my injuries. Fortunately for me, they’re nowhere nearly as bad as they could have been if the police hadn’t shown up when they did. Five on one never ends well for the
one.
Not even I’m that badass.

“Any idea who these men are?” a cop asks me.

“Just the bald one that was running his mouth. That’s Pete Mercer. You’ll find he has a warrant out for his arrest for violating a restraining order held by Tria Noles.”

The cop calls in the information I just gave him, while Rain curses me for getting into a fight. I can’t wait to tell Tria that Pete is going back to jail. He just got caught jumping a Sterling in Sterling Shore. Big fucking mistake.