Meeting Danger (Danger #1) Read Online Free PDF

wasn’t able to write down the instructions for recipes, she had done drawings to remind herself of ingredients needed. Crude markings signified how many cups or spoonsful went into each dish.
    But she didn’t bother writing anything down for the gnocchi. The recipe looked complicated, and it wasn’t something Butch would appreciate anyway.
    With a sigh, she switched off the television and walked into the kitchen. It never failed to embarrass her that she couldn’t read, and it didn’t help that Butch constantly used that fact to imply that she was stupid—just like the other day with the shelf. He might not actually say the word, but it was clear enough what he thought.
    And in a way he was right; she was twenty-two. No matter her background or circumstances, she should have found a way to learn to read and write by now.
    Autumn’s mother had taught her at home rather than sending her to school. Even though she’d only been six at the time, Autumn could still remember the lessons clearly. But then her mother had gotten sick. For weeks her mother had stayed in bed, gradually losing her strength until she’d finally passed away.
    Autumn shook her head, forcing aside the dull ache that always came from thinking about her mother. Wondering about how different her life might have been had her mother lived never did any good; she’d learned that much.
    Determined to make the best of things, she took in a deep breath, opened the refrigerator, and pulled out a package of ground beef.
    An hour later, Butch strode through the door, sniffing at the aroma of garlic and spices that hung in the air.
    “What’s that?” he asked. “Spaghetti?”
    Autumn nodded, giving the sauce she’d made a stir.
    Butch grunted before heading into the bedroom. Minutes later, having changed into a clean pair of jeans, he was back. He took a seat at the table, and Autumn set a plate of spaghetti in front of him.
    As he picked up his fork, he said, “We’re going down to the bar tonight.”
    Surprised, she froze. “You and me?”
    “Do you see anyone else here?” he said with a snort while swirling the pasta around his fork.
    Autumn glanced at him as she sat down. Nights out with Butch were rare. Usually he went out with the “brothers”—the members of his club—or with other women. She wasn’t naive; that happened often.
    Maybe Butch’s friend Hale had asked about her; Autumn had become friends with his wife, Kristen.
    She picked up her fork. “Will Kristen be there?”
    Butch shrugged as he reached for a piece of garlic toast. “Not a clue.”
    • • •
    Autumn followed Butch inside the bar. As he strode over to join Viking and Deck, who’d racked up a game of pool, she took a seat at the table they’d claimed.
    Denise, one of the bar’s waitresses, wore her usual scowl as she stepped up to Butch. “What can I get you?”
    Without bothering to look up as he lined up a shot, he said, “Get us a pitcher of beer, will you?”
    Her face hardened at the dismissal in his tone. She shot a sharp glance at Autumn before turning and heading back to the bar.
    With no one to talk to, Autumn watched the pool game. Deck, an older man in his fifties with slicked-back dark hair and both arms covered with tattoo sleeves, was running the table. Butch stood to the side, gripping his pool cue tightly as he glared at Deck, who was leaning over the table to make a bank shot.
    Butch’s second-in-command, Viking, was a big guy, well over six feet tall, with carrot-red hair and big, bushy beard. Of all the brothers in Butch’s chapter, he was probably the nicest, from what Autumn could tell, but Butch insisted they give Autumn a wide berth. She was off-limits, and Butch made sure they all knew it.
    Her gaze moved across the room, and her excitement rose when she saw Hale Lewis walk in. With his towering height and imposing build, he filled the doorway. She sat up straighter, hoping to catch a glimpse of Kristen, but his wife wasn’t with