Golden Trail (The 'Burg #3)(155)

“Yo,” Ryker said to them as they stared up at him.

“Uh…” one mumbled and, in the face of all that was Ryker, the blonde who showed Rocky’s apartment didn’t have it together enough to speak.

Ryker’s eyes cut to Layne. “She on the back of my bike or in your truck?”

“I’ll go with Josie,” Rocky snapped.

“Truck,” Layne clipped.

Rocky glared.

Ryker led her firmly to the passenger side of Layne’s truck. Layne bleeped the locks and looked back at Josie who was folding herself in her car. She bit her lip and looked up at him before she closed her door. Layne turned, nodded to the women who were looking back and forth between the four of them appearing both confused and slightly freaked out but Layne ignored that and walked to his SUV. Ryker was “helping” Rocky into her seat while she now glared at him. When she cleared the door, Ryker shut it, turned his head to Layne and grinned his ugly grin.

“Where do we meet?” Ryker muttered when Layne got close.

“Rocky lives here, unit E, apartment three.”

Ryker nodded, rounded the back of the Suburban and headed to his bike. Layne rounded the hood and got in the driver’s side.

“How’d you know?” Rocky snapped the minute he cleared the frame and he knew she was pissed.

He slammed his door and turned to her, resting his forearm on the wheel and locking eyes with her.

Yep, definitely pissed.

“Sweetcheeks, advice,” he stated. “Take the two minutes you got while we drive back to your place to shut down that attitude. Yeah?”

She leaned in and hissed, “Layne! You can’t just –”

“Shut it down,” Layne repeated.

“I don’t believe you!” she shot back and his hand snaked out, hooked her around the back of the neck and he pulled her to him as he leaned in.

“Shut it down,” he growled. “You do not know what you’re doin’. I do this shit for a living, I know what I’m doin’. I do not need you runnin’ wild, actin’ like a nut, gettin’ yourself into trouble. You let me handle this.”

“I was trying to help,” she bit out.

“If there’s a time you can help, I’ll tell you when that time is and what you’ll be doin’. You do not go off on your own draggin’ your best friend into this shit. You got caught, she got caught, you’d both be arrested.”

“My brother’s a cop, Layne,” she reminded him.

“Yeah, sweetcheeks, but just because your brother’s a cop doesn’t mean you have comprehensive immunity to do any f**kin’ thing you want. You do the crime, he can’t do shit for you and, by the way, breaking and entering is a crime.”

“I didn’t break, I just jimmied and entered,” she returned.

Layne let her go, looked to the gearshift and took in a deep breath.

“Layne –”

His head shot up, he pierced her with a look and she clamped her mouth shut.

Then Layne asked, “How much does Josie know?”

Rocky’s eyes slid to the dashboard but her face stayed turned to him.

“Roc,” he prompted and her eyes slid back.

“I let her in on the whole operation,” she whispered.

“Fuck,” he clipped low.

“She was the one who talked to me about it!” Rocky defended herself hotly. “She’s heard things about TJ Gaines too. She saw us at church on Sunday and she figured we were up to something and she’s been calling, like, every day to find out what’s going on. She guessed and offered to help. I couldn’t say no.”

“Yeah,” Layne replied quietly. “Yeah, you could say no.”

“She’s my best friend!” Rocky cried.

“Well, that’s good. Least she’d be there to have your back when some rough chick in lockdown made the move to make you her bitch and you’d be able to return the favor.”

Rocky rolled her eyes. “That would hardly –”

“Sweetcheeks,” Layne growled, she shut up and glared at him but didn’t say more.

The silence lengthened as they went into stare down.

Layne didn’t have time for it so he broke it by saying softly, “You earned a spanking with this shit, baby.” He watched her lids lower and her mouth get soft and he liked it but he was too pissed to let it penetrate so he went on. “No, Roc, seriously, this shit means I’m gonna tan your ass.”

Her soft look disappeared and she whispered, “You do that, Layne, we have problems.”

“Sweetcheeks, we already have problems,” he pointed out the obvious, turned to the wheel, slid in his key and started the truck.

Rocky was silent as he backed out of his spot and drove to her apartment. Josie’s Jeep was in one of Rocky’s slots, Roc’s Merc in another and Layne pulled in between them. Ryker’s Harley was not in sight which likely meant that, since he’d breached The Brendel’s outer fortress, he was scouting the lay of the land.

Rocky was out of the SUV before he switched it off and she was hoofing it across the street toward the stairs. Josie was standing at the top, waiting for them. Layne took his time following his woman and he did this in an effort at gathering patience. Rocky and Josie were both in the apartment by the time he entered.