Joker: Death Dealers MC Read online

  Prologue - Everly

  The bell over the bakery door rings making me look up from my conversation. Walking through the door has got to be the hottest guy I’ve ever seen. Tight black t-shirt over rippling arms, shoulders worth drooling over and a beard that would leave marks in all the right places. The clearing of a throat makes me look back to my best friend Brenna, who is looking at me with a smirk on her face.

  “What are you smirking at?”

  “Oh nothing Ev, just the drool that’s rolling down your chin from that hunk of sex that just walked through the door.”

  “Oh shut up, are you leaving yet?!” I say with exasperation. She’s always giving me shit, but then again I give it right back.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah, I’m going. See you later?”

  “Yup, later. Love ya.”

  “Love you too.”

  She walks out the door with a laugh. When I turn back to look after the next customer, there he is, and I don’t even know what to say. I just stare.

  “Hey Red. Are you able to help me or are you just going to stare at me?”

  “Oh my God, I am so sorry. How can I help you?”

  “Well first thing you can do is get me a black coffee and the second thing you can do is let me take you home for the night after you’re done your shift.” He says this to me with a sexy little smirk on his face and I can’t believe it. Seriously, is this guy for real? I’ve never seen him before in my life and yes, I was staring, but what makes him think I’m that easy?

  “Excuse me? Are you kidding me right now? You walk into my bakery, don’t even know my name, and you are propositioning me? Or is that word too big for you?”

  He just keeps smirking like I didn’t just call him out. “Oh darlin’ I know all about big things and that word isn’t the only big thing I know all about.”

  I could feel myself blushing, one of the downsides to being a ginger and having pale skin.

  “Well as for your first request, your coffee will be $2.00 and for the second, you can forget it. I’m not one of those girls I’m sure you’re used to, looking the way you look, so you can take your coffee and leave.”

  With a laugh he throws a five on the counter, grabs his coffee and turns to leave the building. Before he opens the door he stops and turns, “Oh Red, I don’t give up that easily. I’ll be back, don’t you worry.”

  Chapter 1 - Everly

  It’s been one week, and every day at the same time, the sex God walks through the door, orders a black coffee, and asks if I’ve changed my mind.

  I hate to say it, but his persistence is getting to me. He comes in, tells me a little bit about himself, and leaves. I’ve learned that he’s a part of a motorcycle club called The Death Dealers, he’s a former Navy SEAL, and he has something called a road name, which is Joker. I haven’t found out why he’s called that yet, but I’m just dying to find out. I try not to engage him, I know he’s not good for me, but every night I go home and my dreams are intense. I wake up every morning and feel like I’ve run a marathon with all of the different sexual positions he puts me in, all night long.

  Today is Sunday, my day off. I have my manager, Jenn, running the store. As I drive towards brunch with Brenna my car starts sputtering and smoke starts to rise through the hood. Son of a bitch! I’ve known for months I was going to have to get this thing fixed, but I just kept putting it off.

  Once I pull over to the side of the road I call Brenna.

  She answers on the first ring. “Hey, are you there yet? It’s going to be busy and we might have to wait for a table if we’re late.”

  “Sorry, no, I’m not going to be able to make it. My stupid bitch of a car has decided that enough is enough and has died on me. I’m going to have to call for a tow.”

  “Shit, okay. Are you okay? Do you need me to come get you?”

  “No I’m good. I’m going to call AAA and then I’ll call my brother to come and get me.”

  I have to say that even though we don’t always get along, my brother Liam is always there for me. He’s a few years older than me and seems to feel that it’s his responsibility to take care of me, even though I’m a grown ass woman who owns a business, a home, and can take care of myself. I love him though so I put up with it.

  “Okay great, if you can’t get him on the phone give me a call and I’ll come get you. Don’t forget to be safe around the tow truck driver.”

  “Don’t be such a worry wart, I’ll be fine. I’ll call you when I get home. Love ya.”

  “Love ya too. Talk to you soon.”

  I hang up from Brenna and have to dig through my purse for my AAA card. I call the number on the back of the card and am told that a tow truck will be there to pick me up in 60 to 90 minutes. Obviously it’s been a busy break down day.

  Living in California we’re lucky that we don’t have a lot of rain, but the unfortunate part of living in California is I’m now sweating through my clothes and there’s no breeze through my open windows. I decide to get out of the car and sit behind it on the ground, the only shade to be found. It’s not the most comfortable seat, but hopefully I won’t be here for long. Pulling my phone out I call my brother, but he doesn’t answer. I try my sister-in-law, Abbie, but there’s no answer there either.

  After what feels like forever with no one coming, I hear it, the familiar sound of a motorcycle coming down the road. My heart starts to beat a million miles a minute worrying that it will be Joker, but even more worried that it’s some stranger. By the time I get up from the ground the sound has gotten much closer and finally stopped right in front of my car. Looking up, I’m not sure if I’m relieved it’s Joker or nervous it’s him. He just does something to me. I don’t know if I’ll be able to turn him down much longer.

  “Hey Red, you got a problem?”

  “No I’m good, just waiting for a tow.”

  “What’s wrong? Why don’t you let me have a look?” He said while walking to the driver’s side door, leaning in to pop the hood.

  I walked up behind him and tried to reach around him to close the hood. “No, I’m okay thanks I’m just going to wait for the tow truck driver to show up and get me. Thanks though, you can go. I’ll see you at the bakery tomorrow.”

  Joker turned around, stopping me from getting to the car. “Seriously, do you dislike me that much? I’m not going to do anything or say anything you don’t want to hear. I’m just going to take a look and see if I can do something about it.”

  “I guess, do you know anything about cars?”

  With a chuckle he turns back around and starts to look over my car. His humor makes me roll my eyes, but I walk over to stand beside him, even though it all looks alien to me. I know what kinds of cars I like, and could never afford, but that’s about all I know about cars.

  “Well, it looks like one of your hoses has come loose and you’re leaking fluid. If it’s smoking we should probably get it into a garage to fix, shouldn’t be too expensive.”

  “Oh thank God, I was freaking out thinking it was going to cost me way more than the car is worth.”

  “Yeah, well from the look under your hood it looks like it’s going to start costing a lot soon. You should look at getting something newer and safer.” Joker says while backing out from under the hood and slamming it closed.

  “That’s easier said than done Joker, not everyone has the option of just buying themselves a new car when they want to or even when it’s needed.”

  “Calm yourself woman, I’m just giving you a suggestion. How long ‘til the tow truck arrives?”

  With a groan I look at my watch and realize it’s only actually been 20 minutes since I spoke with AAA, even though it feels like hours. I guess that’s what happens when you’re melting o
n the side of the road.

  “They told me 60 to 90 minutes 20 minutes ago.”

  He nods, pulls out his flip phone, sticks his finger up to me indicating I should wait and walks away. I’m not sure what he’s doing, but if it gets me out of this heat I’m all for it. He isn’t on the phone for long, closing the phone and walking back to me once his conversation is over. “Someone will be here for the car in 15 minutes. Grab what you need, lock it up and let’s go. I’ll give you a ride home.”

  “Are you out of your mind? I’m not just going to leave my car on the side of the road and I sure as hell am not going to get on the back of that bike with you!” I throw my hands up in the air and start pacing back and forth in agitation. I’ve never been on a bike before, and just the thought of being that close to him scared me, more than being on the bike did.

  “Awww Red, are you a chicken?”

  I stopped pacing and turned to him with a look of disdain. “No, I’m not a chicken, but I don’t even know your real name, where you live, or what you do for a living, so why would I feel safe riding on a bike with someone I barely know?”

  “Seriously?! I’ve seen you every day for a week. Have I ever given you reason not to trust me?”

  “No, I guess not. You promise you’ll take me straight home?”

  This made him smirk at me, again. It was sexy as hell, but it was starting to piss me off because he knew it was sexy and that it worked on me. “If that’s what you want of course I will, but you know you’re always welcome to change your mind and come to my place” he says with a wink.

  I just shake my head and hold my hand out for his helmet. I may be crazy to get on the back of his bike, but I’m not going to break my head if we have an accident. Once he passed the helmet over I put it on and looked at him expectantly saying “So, how do I do this? I’ve never been on one of these death machines before.”

  He threw his head back with a laugh. I’m glad he finds me so amusing. “Death machine? Are you kidding? I’d never let anything happen to you. Just hold onto my shoulder, throw your leg over, and get on. Watch out for the pipes, they get hot and I don’t want you to burn yourself, and make sure to hold onto me so that you don’t fall off. Lean with me at every curve and turn.”

  “Okay, but I’m just warning you, I’m not the most graceful person so no comments or laughing.”

  “Sure, sure Red, just get on.”

  I put the helmet on, put my hand on his shoulder and kicked my leg over. I thought it would be like getting on a bicycle, but it definitely wasn’t. When I sat down I must have sat too close to him because I heard him suddenly grunt. “Oh my God, are you okay? Did I hurt you?”

  “No Red you’re good. Just scoot closer to me and wrap your arms around my waist.”

  I do as he says, but he pulls me closer and holds onto my hands with one of his while he turns the bike on. All of a sudden I feel vibrations below me. Just being around him has started to get me wet and I don’t think this is going to be a good thing. I haven’t had a good orgasm that I didn’t give myself with the help of B.O.B. in a very long time and I think this may be a problem.

  “Ready?”

  “I guess….”

  All of a sudden we are pulling away from the side of the road and I squeeze my eyes shut. I push my legs as close to him as I can to tame down the vibrations that are coursing through me, but it doesn’t work.

  When we’ve been driving for a bit I open my eyes and notice that we are in my neighbourhood. How the hell does he know where I live?! I tap him on the shoulder and yell in his ear “How do you know where you’re going?!!” He just smiles and keeps driving. Seconds later we pull into my driveway and I jump off. I’m really starting to freak out.

  “Seriously how the hell do you know where I live?!”

  “Calm down Red, I know where you live because I’ve seen you come and go from your house.” He says while sitting there as calm as can be on the bike like he’s not some psycho stalker.

  “WHAT?!?! Are you serious?! Are you following me? Stalking me?!”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa woman, what the hell?! Of course I’m not following or stalking you. I just moved into the neighbourhood last weekend and happened to see you come and go every day. I’m up early going for a run when you leave in the morning and usually when you come home I’ve just gotten home from work.”

  “Jesus, you had me scared there for a minute. How come I’ve not noticed you before?” I knew the house down the street was sold, but how could I not have noticed him moving in?

  “You seem to be preoccupied and you don’t seem to spend any time doing anything other than going to work and back.”

  “Okay, okay. I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions. Thanks for the ride.”

  “No problem Red, I’ll give you a ride any time” he says with a leer and a laugh. I just roll my eyes and laugh at him. “Okay, well thanks again and I’ll see you tomorrow at the bakery.”

  “That you will Red, that you will.”

  He started up his bike and started walking it back out onto the street when I realized I had no idea who was picking up my car and where it was being taken. Running after him, I start waving my hands and running after him. “Wait, wait, wait!”

  He stops and waits for me to catch up to him.

  “Miss me already Red?”

  God he’s cocky. “Ha, ha very funny! You didn’t tell me where to call about my car so I can know what’s wrong with it and where to pick it up.”

  “Oh yeah, I guess we haven’t gotten to that part of you getting to know me. I own a garage and one of my guys was coming to get it. I should probably get your keys too so that we can start working on your car right away.”

  I just gape at him until I realize I haven’t said anything. “Oh, okay, well then. Thanks? I really appreciate it.” I dig through my purse and pull out my keys, handing them over to Joker along with my business card so that he has my contact information. “Let me know how much I owe you and when I can pick it up.”

  He nods and rolls away as I watch him go, not going back to my place until he’s around the corner. I just don’t know what it is about this guy, but I have a feeling I’m going to find out and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or if my heart is going to be broken at the end of this.

  Chapter 2 – Joker

  I walk into the Death Dealers MC’s garage, Dealers Auto Repair and, as per usual, business is booming. I walk up to the counter where one of the club’s prospects, Griff, is helping one of our regular customers. Since the garage is one of the MC’s many businesses, all of our employees are members. One of the prerequisites to get into the Death Dealers MC is that you need to be a current or former member of the Military. Griff was in the Army Rangers, but he recently got out on a medical discharge.

  I come up beside Griff and see the work order for Red’s car. The customer pays her bill and walks out with a wink and a wave.

  “So Prospect, what’s the deal with the 1987 Mustang that was just towed in? What’s wrong with it and how long’s it going to take to finish it up?”

  Griff finishes what he’s doing with the payment and turns to face me. “Hey Joker, it looks like it was the coolant bypass hose coming loose that was the problem. It’s a quick and easy fix, should be done by the end of day.”

  “Fantastic, let me know when it’s done and I can get it back to the owner.”

  “Owner? Who’s the owner anyway, there was no name on the work order.”

  “Don’t worry about who the owner is, just let me know when it’s ready so I can get it back to her.”

  Griff’s mouth curls up at the side. He’s enjoying this too much. “Her? Oh does Joker have a new lady?”

  “Just get to work Prospect.”

  With Griff’s laughter following me I head into my office to try to get some paperwork done. I have to admit, it’s going to be hard. It’s been getting harder and harder ever since I first laid eyes on Everly Bell. Little does she know, I noticed her when I first moved
into her neighbourhood and couldn’t take my eyes off of her. I just happened to notice her when I was walking past her bakery so I had to walk in and see if I could get in her pants. She’s definitely not that kind of girl, but a guy’s got to try his luck, right? It’s been interesting getting to know her, but it’s making me want her more and more every day and having her on the back of my bike was just about my undoing. I’ve never had a woman on the back of my bike, I’ve been saving that for if I ever got an old lady. I have to admit it felt good and right though.

  As I finally try to get down to getting some paperwork done there’s a knock on the door jam. I look up and leaning against the door, with a smirk on his face, is none other than my best friend and MC Club President, Grayson “Beast” Peters.