by RB Hilliard
“Hannah’s okay, she just gets touchy when it comes to Steele,” Montana tossed over her shoulder. Her little nugget of information hit LuLu like a bomb. “Zoe and Shelly are super nice, though. This is the kitchen.” LuLu’s stomach threatened to revolt at the thought of Steele with that nasty woman.
The kitchen was spacious, the appliances top of the line, but like the living room, it could use some work. A fresh coat of paint and a few colorful throw rugs would spruce it right up.
Pretending as if it was the most fascinating place in the world, she airily asked, “So Hannah and Steele are a couple?”
Montana rolled her eyes. “Hannah wishes. Steele doesn’t do relationships, especially not with one of us.”
Her self-deprecating tone struck a nerve. LuLu frowned. “Why? What’s wrong with you?”
Montana stopped short and LuLu almost ran into the back of her. Her head turned and her big brown eyes caught LuLu’s surprised gaze. “Who are you, exactly?”
Good question. Who was she? A former lover? A friend? “Just an old friend of Arlan’s,” she answered nonchalantly. Montana’s head cocked sideways, her expression almost calculating, and LuLu couldn’t help but feel as if she’d given something away. “I can’t wait to see the rest of this place,” she urged.
The rest of the tour went a lot faster, especially since Montana was no longer offering up random information about Arlan and his love life. By the time they made it upstairs to her room, she’d learned that Arlan was called Steele, that the basement was off-limits, and that the man she thought she knew didn’t exist. At Montana’s encouragement, she made a list of things she would need. Thinking that Arlan would be the one to retrieve them, she added in a few ‘special’ items.
That night, as she lay on a lumpy mattress in a room not much bigger than her closet, wearing someone else’s clothes—probably Hannah’s because the top was too big and the bottoms too small—she thought about her earlier phone conversation with Meg, and all the things she wanted to say but couldn’t. She wanted so desperately to tell her about Dario. To tell her that Arlan was nothing but a lying, cheating jerk and that she was trapped in a prison of her own making—a paint-peeling, raggedy-carpeted, dingy-smelling prison—but to do so would be putting her friend in danger. In the end, she lied. She told her that Arlan had whisked her away to St. Thomas for a romantic vacation.
She wasn’t sure what she expected, but to find out that he’d been lying to her, that what they’d shared wasn’t real, hit deep. To the bone deep. So deep that she was considering risking Dario’s wrath rather than staying here. She had her phone, car keys, and purse. Maybe she wasn’t so trapped after all.
_______________
As Steele waited for Ax to track down Ink, he kicked back in his chair and stared at his office door, his thoughts on what to tell them about Luciana. He knew she was tenacious, but underneath those golden eyes and that soft exterior were some brass balls. His smile slipped when he thought of Dario and the implications of what she’d seen. Steele knew he was a problem, had called it months ago, but Jake had convinced him otherwise. Now he had to wonder, was it incompetence, or was it something else? His VP was a classic narcissist, but was it more than that? The cop worried him. Officer Gamble. Carver would know who he was. If not, he could find out. His head dropped to the back of the chair, and he blew out a breath. Getting the cops involved, even if it was his brother, was a dangerous play. The past two months had been rough. Little did he know, but the night Luciana scraped him off was just the beginning of an epic shitstorm; a shitstorm that ended with four people dead and his brother in critical care. Carver was on the mend, and for the first time in years, they were on speaking terms, but he still didn’t trust him. His brother was a selfish fuck who did nothing unless it benefited him. His thoughts wandered to his dad and how much he missed the old man.
Grizz was a natural-born leader, an extrovert who thrived off the energy of others. A man who lived and breathed for his club and his brothers. Steele had mad respect for the sacrifices he’d made, but there was a flip side to that coin. He’d also experienced firsthand the toll it had taken on his parents’ marriage and his family. He lived through the missed dinners, the missed anniversaries, birthdays, concerts, school functions, and sporting events. He stayed awake nights listening to his mom cry herself to sleep. Grizz may have been a great leader, but it was at the expense of his family. When his father fell, so had Steele’s dream of breaking away, of taking off and experiencing the world, of getting married and starting a family—of being normal.
The door opened and in walked Ax and Ink.
“Took you long enough,” he grumbled.
“Dick face wouldn’t answer his door,” Ax complained.
“Yeah, well, if you had Treena’s mouth wrapped around your c—”
Steele held up his hand, and Ink swallowed the rest of his sentence. “I know it’s late, but we’ve got a situation, and I want to get a jump on it.” He told them about Luciana’s trip to her student’s house, her encounter with Dario, and what happened after.
“Who is she?” Ink asked when he was done.
“Wrong question,” Ax said before Steele could answer. “The question is, who is she to you?” Steele knew this was coming. He was ready for it.
“I met her at Salvatore’s. Her dad knew Grizz, and they used to hang out at the bar with Donny.”
Ax smiled. “So, she’s a friend.” Steele knew that tone and didn’t like it. The thought of his playboy cousin touching his woman made his blood boil. His woman. Jesus, she wasn’t his woman. He didn’t have a woman, nor did he want one.
“Her dad died from cancer last year, and Donny took her under his wing. He doesn’t have the power to protect her, but we do.”
Ax’s eyes flicked to Ink. “Wait ‘til you see her. She’s fucking gorgeous.”
Steele’s jaw tensed. Ax knew something was up and was fucking with him. Aiming a hard look at his cousin, he said, “What is it you want to know? Did I fuck her? Am I claiming her? Is she fair game? The answer is no. She came here scared out of her mind. She needs our protection and our help. She’s not here for your pleasure. She’s not a club girl, and I need you to respect that. Do either of you have a problem with this?”
“No,” they answered in unison.
Movement outside his office caught his attention. Good, Montana had the list. He motioned her in.
“How is she?” he asked.
Brown eyes touched on his before flitting away. “She’s nice. I showed her around, and she made the list for you.” She handed it over. He wasn’t sure what to make of the girl. She was young, a scared little mouse in the midst of a pack of rabid wolves. If she didn’t grow a spine, she would get eaten alive.
“Did you have any problems?”
Her eyes flitted back to his and held. “Hannah wanted to show her around, but LuLu wouldn’t let her.”
“What do you mean she wouldn’t let her?” At his harsh tone, she took a step back, her body practically caving in on itself, which set off a million warning bells. He quickly noted Ax’s tense jaw and Ink’s clenched fists, and he knew they were dealing with much more than a case of shyness. Softening his tone, he asked, “Was Hannah rude to Luciana?”
She started to stammer. “I shouldn’t have said anything. Hannah didn’t mean anything by it. LuLu is really pretty, and Hannah gets jealous when anyone talks to you. LuLu knew I was supposed to take her around and she—”
He held up his hand and she stopped talking. “I appreciate you taking care of it. I need you to do me a favor, okay?” She nodded. “I need you to keep an eye on Luciana. You know, to make sure she feels at home and comfortable here. Can you do that for me?” She nodded again. “Great, now it’s late. Go catch some sleep.”
“Abuse?” Ax asked once she was gone.
“That’s my guess,” Steele replied.
Ink frowned. “Do you think Chopper knows?” As the girl was Chopper’s great-niece, that was a good que
stion. Steele bet he knew. In fact, he bet that was the reason Chopper had pushed so hard to bring her here. He made a note to talk to Chopper about it.
His eyes dropped to Luciana’s list. They immediately jumped to the bottom and landed on the word vibrator. Below it was lube, and below that was Preparation H. Laughter shot from his mouth.
“What?” Ax asked. Steele couldn’t speak; he was laughing so hard. He finally had to flip the list around for them to see. Both men laughed.
“I like her,” Ax stated once the laughter had died down.
“Good, because I need you on her,” Steele told him.
“Like white on rice,” Ax drawled. Steele shot him a look of warning, and he laughed.
“Is that it?” Ink asked.
Steele held up the sparkly dragonfly keychain that he’d swiped from Luciana’s purse. “No, I want you both at her house tonight. The gold key is for the front door, and the silver is to the door off of the carport. Scope the perimeter first and go in quiet because Dario may still be there.”
Ink took the keys from his hand. “What are we looking for?”
“Right now, we have the advantage. They don’t know we’re involved, and we want to keep it that way. If there’s damage, I want to know about it. Otherwise, get her things and get out.”
Ax hesitated at the door. “Are we going to bring everyone else in on this?”
As he was going to need Grover and Buck’s help with security and more intel from Jake on Dario, Steele didn’t see another alternative.
“I’ll call a meeting tomorrow.”
Chapter Nine
STEELE WALKED AX and Ink to the door and told them to call if they had any issues with Dario. On his way back to the office, he paused at the bottom of the stairs, his thoughts on Luciana. Was she okay? Was she asleep? Was she angry with him? Did she hate him? Should he look in on her? He checked his watch and sighed. It was after two in the morning, no wonder he was so tired. It would be a while before they were back with her things. If he went back to his office now, he would probably fall asleep. He could use a cup of coffee, but what he really wanted was a beer.
The floor creaked beneath his boots as he crossed the living area. It was a strange sound, an unfamiliar noise that seemed amplified by the deafening quiet of his surroundings. He felt like a ghost, a stranger in his own home, a disconnected pretender. This wasn’t anything new, but lately it had gotten worse. Bypassing the kitchen, he halted outside the brightly lit game room, where he leaned against the doorframe and thought back to happier times. Times when music and laughter echoed throughout the house until all hours of the morning. He missed those days. He missed the sound of balls clashing on the pool table. He even missed all the cursing and fighting over the stupid, fucking dart game and how he would threaten to take it away, knowing full well, he would never do it. His eyes flicked to the bar and his throat tightened as he thought of Tiny, Cupcake, and Goose. If he closed his eyes, he could see them standing there. He could hear their banter as they served beer and ogled the women. Smiling, he thought of Buck, Rider, and Ax and how they used to give those poor kids endless shit. Sledge liked to call them the three amigos. Loco thought they were three of the best prospects the club had ever seen. Steele had to agree. He should have thanked them. He should have said or done something to show his appreciation. He could still say something to Tiny and Cupcake, but for Goose, it was too late. His smile vanished at the thought of Goose and Rider. Their deaths had left a gaping hole in the club’s morale, a wound that grew deeper with each day. Buck blamed himself. He claimed that having an Ol’ lady was taking up all his time, but Steele knew the truth. In protecting his woman, he’d brought Ryan Shane to their front door, and the guilt from that was eating him alive.
Before Buck, Ax, and Rider joined the club, they worked for a man named Dooley Shane. Dooley ran an illegal parts business. He was a small man with an overinflated ego, a dickhead who got off on tormenting his employees and abusing women. Buck’s woman, Reyn, got caught in Dooley’s crosshairs. During a botched kidnapping, she was shot and almost died. When Dooley ended up dead, they thought it was over. Fast forward to five years later, and out of nowhere, Dooley’s son, Ryan, turns up carrying a big-ass grudge. He not only blamed Buck, Ax, Rider, and Reyn for his dad’s death but decided to wage war on them. The fucker almost won. Steele thought of all the casualties: Reyn’s man, Vicky, and her grandmother, Tara, Rider, Goose, and his brother, Carver, who almost didn’t make it. So many senseless deaths. Ryan may be dead and gone, but the destruction he’d caused had left its mark on the club.
“There you are. I was looking for you.” Arms circled his waist, and his lip curled. He wasn’t in the mood for Hannah tonight. Before Luciana, he’d kept his distance, but then she called it quits. That, followed by losing Rider and Goose, were crippling blows. He lost perspective. Lost himself. Using Hannah to exorcise his demons was a mistake. The bitch was a fucking viper.
He gave her hands a quick tap. “Not now. I need a beer.” She jerked back, and he ignored her pout as he moved toward the kitchen.
“I’m not wearing any panties,” she announced as he opened the fridge. Jesus, she was bold. So was Luciana, but Luciana’s bravery was an innate part of her character, whereas Hannah was simply playing a part. He’d watched her, seen her be shy for Ink, a sex kitten for Arson, and stupid for Ax. She was fourteen years younger than him, too young, and he had no business touching her. The fact that he had only highlighted his piss-poor judgment.
“I said, not now.” Clenching his jaw, he turned to find her inches away. Close enough to see the acne bumps under a too-thick coat of makeup and her false eyelashes that looked like giant spiders.
She reached for him, and he stepped back, only to find that he was trapped by the refrigerator door. “I’m a bad girl who needs daddy to spank her,” she purred, her fingers grazing over his cock. Her words struck a nerve. He wasn’t old enough to be her daddy, but he was close.
“I hate to break it to you, darlin’, but I ain’t nobody’s daddy.”
Muffled laughter erupted from the walk-in pantry, and they both froze, their eyes jerking to the closed door. The laughter faded to silence as the door slowly swung open and out stepped Luciana. Steele let out a curse, then quickly stepped sideways in order to maneuver away from Hannah’s roving hands. Talk about bad timing. He felt like a kid who’d just gotten caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
A flinty smile appeared on Luciana’s face as she held up a bag of chips and a bottle of water. “So sorry to interrupt. I was hungry, and Montana told me I was allowed in the kitchen. I’ll just take these to my room and leave you both to it.” He could feel Hannah’s eyes boring into him, but all he could see was Luciana in her oversized t-shirt and obscenely short shorts, an outfit she would never in a million years wear, but nevertheless looked sexy on her. Then again, a burlap sack would look sexy on her. Before disappearing out the door, her head turned. Golden-brown eyes glittering with humor glanced back at him as she mouthed the word, “Daddy.” She was playing it off, but he knew her. He could see the hurt beneath the humor. Her ass shook as she vanished from his sight, and he wanted to go after her, to spank her sweet butt for giving him shit. He wanted to tell her Hannah meant nothing to him, to bury his cock inside her tight pussy—to make her forgive him.
His attention snapped back to Hannah, and he scowled. He was angry. Angry with her, the situation, the fact that she wouldn’t take no for an answer, but mostly with himself.
“Where were we?” she drawled.
“Where are we?” he asked, stepping toward her. She caught the look of anger on his face and took a quick step back, but the island was blocking her way. “Where are we?” he repeated in a low, irritated tone. “We are nowhere. We fucked, Hannah. It was fun, and now it’s done. Hell, it was done a month ago when I kicked you out of my office.”
Her eyes narrowed and she did that pouty thing with her mouth that he hated. “It’s because of her, isn’t it?”<
br />
“No, it’s because of me, but just so we’re clear, it’s not your place to question me or my decisions, ever.” Realizing her mistake, she quickly dropped her gaze to the floor. “Look at me.” At his command, her head lifted, her eyes returning to his. “Is it?” he asked.
She gave him a weak, “No.”
“Is this going to be a problem?”
“No,” she quietly repeated.
Steele sighed. What did he expect? He’d been so lost in his own guilt and regret that he hadn’t been paying attention. Hannah’s insubordination was a red flag, a sign that he needed to get a grip and take back the reigns or someone else was going to get hurt. He left her with a parting thought, a warning he hoped she would heed. “You’re a sweet girl with a good heart. Don’t go looking for trouble because you’re not gonna like what you find.”
On his way back to his office, he heard a noise. It sounded like a bag of chips crinkling beneath someone’s fingers. Stepping lightly, he sped up his pace and rounded the corner in time to see Luciana creeping up the stairs. He caught the blur of her body as she hit the top step, heard the patter of her feet as she raced to her room, and the click of her door as it announced her safe arrival. The little sneak was spying on them. How much did she hear? His lips split into a smile and stayed that way all the way back to his office.
Ax and Ink returned a little after four. According to Ax, Luciana’s house had been trashed. They had just enough time to grab her things and get out before Dario returned with his men. They all three agreed on one thing. Dario wanted her dead, and he wasn’t going to stop until he accomplished his goal.
_______________
Seeing Arlan in the kitchen with that woman, watching her put her hands on him and hearing him call her darlin’, then having to pretend it didn’t matter, was an insanely hard thing for LuLu to do. She tried to walk away, but her heart wouldn’t let her. She had to see it with her own two eyes. Maybe then she would be able to accept that they were truly over. So, she stayed and watched from the darkness of the living room, her gaze riveted on Arlan’s lithe, muscular body as he stalked closer to his prey, jealousy burning through her veins with each step. Even though she couldn’t hear what they were saying, she could feel the sexual energy radiating from their bodies. Her heart leaped into her throat when his movement halted and crashed to the floor when he leaned in for the kiss. Scrunching her eyes closed, she turned and fled. She still thought of him as hers, but he wasn’t. The thought that he never had been left her feeling completely wrecked. Fighting back the tears, she scurried back to her room, where she stripped out of those awful clothes and slipped back into her own. Hurt turned to anger as she dug inside her purse for her keys.