Blade

by Hope Stone

  Sixteen

  Blade

  I’d never known a more infuriatingly unreasonable woman in my whole life.

  To say that Kat’s reaction was unexpected would be an understatement. It had never occurred to me to mention that I was a prospect for Outlaw Souls, and her attitude toward the club was baffling.

  Clearly, she’d been fed a line of bullshit about us and wasn’t willing to listen to reason.

  Fine, I told myself. Her loss.

  I spent the day stewing over the argument we’d had this morning and trying to ignore the tension in the air. I kept my curtain pulled around my work station all day, and she did the same. The atmosphere of the shop had changed so quickly.

  I skipped lunch since I was in the middle of a tattoo on a woman’s lower back around noon, so I was starving by the time I left the shop at the end of the night. I hopped on my bike while Kat and Piper walked across the parking lot to their cars and Brie locked up the building. I was the first one out of the parking lot, and I headed straight to Tiny’s diner. It was caddy-corner to the Blue Dog, so it was no surprise to walk in and see other Outlaw Souls there. I nodded at Yoda and Ryder, who were sitting across from each other in a booth, but I sat alone at a table in the back. I didn’t feel much like socializing tonight.

  I knew that it was pointless to think about Kat. I barely knew her, but it was a bitter disappointment that things were over so quickly. If nothing else, she was good in bed, and I would have liked to go another couple rounds.

  Fuck it.

  I was just going around in circles here. The fact was that we had discovered an insurmountable difference between us; Kat had even called us enemies.

  I was facing the door, so I saw when a group of women entered the restaurant. One of them had long dark hair, and it reminded me of Kat so much that I made myself look away. God, I was acting like a lovesick teenager. It was ridiculous. Kat was just a good lay, I told myself firmly, still avoiding looking at the woman that could have been her sister with all their similarities. I felt a presence approaching and looked up, expecting the waitress. Instead, I saw Ryder there.

  “Got a minute?” he asked.

  “Sure,” I said unenthusiastically.

  Ryder sat across from me. “You all right?”

  No. “Yeah, I’m tight. What’s up?”

  “Swole talked to Cecilia Groves.”

  “Already? That was fast.”

  “I guess Cecilia attends a weekly yoga class at the fitness center, so Swole conveniently ran into her today. Anyway, she has given us permission to search the property.”

  “She must have been pretty upset about the death of her husband at the hands of the mob.”

  “She was, but you know how strong women can be. They compartmentalize that shit. Right now, she wants the stash off the land for the safety of her and her kid.”

  “When do we start?”

  “Two days. Hawk will have his hands on a few metal detectors by then.”

  “Count me in.”

  “Good.” He racked his knuckles on the table twice and stood. “I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “My tattoo?”

  “Oh, yeah.” I nodded. “Right. See you tomorrow.”

  I had forgotten all about that. Now Ryder was going to be in the shop with Kat, who apparently hated us.

  This was going to be interesting.

  “What’s that?” Kat asked with an annoyed look on her face for no good reason. It was first thing in the morning, and I had just walked into the tattoo shop carrying a flat white box.

  “Donuts,” I said with a big grin. I knew that she had a sweet tooth but wouldn’t want to eat something that I’d brought in. Basically, I was fucking with her. “Want one?”

  “I do,” Piper chimed in. I held the box out to her, and she selected a jelly-filled one.

  “Brie, do you want a donut?” I called out to her at the front counter.

  “Always,” she said, coming in to grab a classic glazed one.

  I turned back to Kat to see her glowering at me. “See, I didn’t poison them, no matter what you think of me. Do you want one, Kitten?”

  “Don’t call me that,” she hissed.

  She looked pissed now. I had been trying to get under her skin, to get a rise out of her because I was angry about yesterday, but I had a feeling that using my nickname for her had been a step too far. I hadn’t even meant to say it, it just slipped out. Grabbing a maple bar out of the box, I shoved half of it into my mouth before tossing the box onto the counter in her workspace.

  “Help yourself,” I said through a mouthful of pastry.

  I went into my section and sat on the stool, but I didn’t close the curtains, not today. I wasn’t going to let her anger at me keep me hidden while I was here. Apparently, she had the same idea because her curtains stayed open as well, and we were both forced to act like the other person didn’t exist. It was awkward, but I blamed Kat for it. She was the one that was angry just because I was an Outlaw Soul. I didn’t like her connection to Las Balas, and it probably wasn’t a good idea to keep seeing each other, but I wasn’t the one being an asshole here.

  Kat didn’t touch the damn donuts, which drove me crazy. I knew she wanted one. Why did she have to be so stubborn?

  I had a client come in not long after that, and I gave him my full attention, hoping that a good distraction would make this situation better. His tattoo was a cross on his shoulder with angel wings behind it stretching out on either side. As I worked, we made small talk, and I discovered that he was a rider, as well. It made the time go quicker as we found that common ground, and I told him all about my Sporster and the work that Trainer had done on it.

  When I was finished, the customer paid Brie and left. The second the door closed behind him, Kat scoffed.

  “So, are you trying to get new recruits for Outlaw Souls or something?”

  I sighed, already sick of this game. “What are you talking about?”

  “Just the way you were talking to that guy, going on and on about bikes and riding, mentioning that other guy. I recognize his name. I know he’s a member, too.”

  “Trainer’s our Road Captain and a hell of a good guy.”

  “Says you.”

  “Says his wife and kids.”

  Something in Kat’s face softened for just a moment, but it was gone so quickly that I started to question if I imagined it.

  “Whatever,” she rolled her eyes. “I’m taking a break.”

  Grabbing her purse, she stood and walked out the back door of the tattoo shop. I hesitated for a second before deciding that I wasn’t done talking and followed her. To my surprise, I found her leaning up against the side of the building, lighting up a cigarette.

  “I didn’t know you smoked,” I said, earning myself another glare.

  “I don’t,” she replied while exhaling a cloud of smoke.

  “Could have fooled me.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I quit a month ago. You’re witnessing a relapse. Hell, you’re causing it.”

  “Don’t you think you might be overreacting?”

  “You know what bothers me? You act like I’m the only one with a problem.”

  “No, we both have a problem.” The sound of a motorcycle drew my attention to the street, and I realized that Ryder was here. “And I have a feeling it’s about to get worse.”

  “Who is that?”

  “Ryder.”

  “Ryder Hernandez? The president of the Outlaw Souls?”

  “The one and only.” I reached over, took the cigarette from her hand, and took a puff.

  Kat snatched it away from me, shaking her head.

  “What’s he doing here? Has he come to threaten me?”

  “What? Of course not. Jesus, what kind of people do you think we are?”

  Kat didn’t answer, just tossed her cigarette butt on the ground and crushed it with the heel of her boot.

  “He’s here for a tattoo.
”

  “Then let’s get in there.”

  I pulled open the door, letting Kat walk in ahead of me. She plopped herself down on her stool while I headed to the front, just as Ryder walked in.

  “Hey, man,” I greeted him. “Come on back.”

  Piper had her curtain pulled, and I knew that she was giving a tattoo to a woman that wanted a tribal design that started on her back and wrapped around her ribcage, right under her breasts. It was going to take a while, but it sounded like it would be an impressive piece.

  Kat didn’t have a customer right now, so she was playing on her phone. Or at least pretending to be. I had a feeling that her ears were wide open.

  “Thanks for fitting me in. I’m so damn busy these days, but I had time today.”

  Ryder took off his jacket, and I carefully hung it up for him. It was part of the club rules that the patch could never touch the ground, so I needed to make sure that didn’t happen. He took a seat in the chair and held his arm on the armrest so that I could reach the area where he wanted the tattoo.

  “Well, you should probably appoint someone to be your vice president. That would help with the club matters.”

  “You asking for the spot?”

  “Hell no,” I said, taking a seat on the stool. “I haven’t been in the club long enough for that.”

  Ryder smiled as he leaned back in the chair and got comfortable. “You’re right about that, but down the road? I could see you working your way up into an officer position. You’ve got the right stuff.”

  From her spot ten feet away, Kat made a huffing noise that I thought was supposed to indicate disbelief. Or maybe humor. I ignored it, but Ryder looked over. I saw him eyeing Kat curiously for a moment, and a completely stupid feeling of possession came over me.

  “Anyway,” I drew his attention back to me. “I did a mock-up of what we discussed. Is this what you had in mind?”

  I showed him a page in my sketchbook of a skeletal head in black and white clutching a blood-red rose between its teeth.

  “That’s it,” Ryder confirmed. “Maybe just a little smaller, because I want it here.”

  He pointed to a spot just below the crease of his elbow. I grabbed a pen and drew the outline on his skin.

  “That looks great,” he said when I was done.

  “Okay. Relax, and we’ll get started.”

  Ryder was unphased by the tattoo gun. He relaxed back into the seat and even closed his eyes for a while. I almost thought he might be asleep until he spoke.

  “Meet at the Blue Dog tomorrow night at seven,” he said. “We could only get four metal—”

  “Maybe we should talk about that later,” I interrupted him. I glanced over at Kat, and she was sitting perfectly still. I didn’t want to think that she’d run and tell her dad or brother what we were up to, but her behavior the last couple of days made me think that she would. If nothing else, just to spite me.

  Ryder’s eyes followed mine, and he once again scrutinized Kat. She must have felt his eyes on her because she looked up with narrowed eyes.

  “What?”

  “Do I know you?” Ryder asked. “You look familiar to me. I just can’t place you.”

  “I’m Kat Maddox.”

  “Maddox? As in Clint Maddox?”

  “That’s my father.”

  I saw the hardening of the lines in Ryder’s face. He obviously knew that her dad was in Las Balas. Kat must have thought that he would do something to her despite our conversation outside because her next words were defensive.

  “Don’t even think about laying a hand on me, though. You’ll bring down a lot of trouble on yourself.”

  “I wouldn’t,” Ryder said, but he sounded pretty damn unhappy. “We have a code of honor. Las Balas are the ones that go after families. They did it to me.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  I almost felt sorry for her.

  “That’s your problem,” I told her. “You won’t even consider that you’re wrong.”

  “My dad isn’t a bad guy,” she said, and for once, I could hear doubt in her voice.

  “Neither am I,” I said, and Ryder looked at me questioningly. I didn’t think now was the time to elaborate on my relationship with Kat, but I knew I’d need to fill him in later. As much as it felt like a private thing, I knew that it wasn’t anymore. It could affect the club.

  Kat huffed before getting up and walking to the front of the shop. After a moment, I heard her talking to Brie like nothing was wrong. She had just been trying to get away from me.

  It was amazing how different this job felt now. Working closely with Kat didn’t feel like such a blessing anymore. It was more like being trapped in a cage with a wild animal that was likely to bite my head off at any moment.

  I went back to working on Ryder’s tattoo, and he watched my work in silence. In the end, the tattoo turned out great, but I couldn’t say if it was worth the headache.

  Seventeen

  Kat

  “Come out with me,” I insisted as Piper and I were leaving for the day. The shop was technically closed even though Blade was still finishing up a tattoo with a client. So, the two of us were taking off while Blade and Brie stayed behind.

  “What did you have in mind?” she asked as we both waved goodbye to Brie. Piper had bid Blade a good night while I said nothing.

  “Let’s go to the Copper Bar again. I liked that place. And maybe you’ll get lucky enough to find a man worth bringing home again.”

  “Or maybe you will,” she said.

  I pulled open the door of the shop and let her walk through first. I couldn’t imagine finding anyone to take home tonight. My mind strayed to the hot night I’d spent with Blade. His big hands knew exactly how to touch me to bring out all the pleasure I needed, and his full lips set me on fire.

  Damn it. I didn’t want to find him physically attractive anymore, but it turned out that it was something I couldn’t just turn off.

  “We’ll take my car,” Piper suggested.

  “Sure,” I agreed.

  I didn’t care either way. I just needed a stiff drink. Maybe it would help keep me from giving in and smoking again. I really did attribute my falling off the wagon to Blade. Knowing that I had to work so closely with him was stressing me out. I was trying to cling to my anger with him to keep myself from focusing on how much I was still attracted to him. Sitting ten feet away from each other for most of the day was not making that easy.

  “So, today was…interesting,” Piper said once we were inside of her car. The door of the shop opened just as we were leaving the parking lot, and Blade’s customer walked out.

  “That’s one way to put it.”

  “Help me understand what’s going on here. You guys aren’t the Capulets and the Montagues, you know.”

  “That doesn’t mean we aren’t enemies,” I sighed. “I’m choosing a side in a war between these two clubs. I’m backing Las Balas.”

  “Why? We both know how secretive they are. We don’t really know what they get up to.”

  “Because my dad’s in the club,” I said, avoiding her eyes. If anyone knew about the strained relationship I had with the man, it was Piper.

  “And someone has to be the bad guy in this story. You don’t want it to be him.” It wasn’t a question.

  “He’s not always a good guy. I know that,” I said. “But I’ve heard that Outlaw Souls kill people. They don’t just attack Las Balas, they are a plague in La Playa with their drug running and the other shit they get up to. My dad always told me growing up that they were like a gang terrorizing the town. Blade can be as charming as he wants, but if he is a part of that, I don’t want anything to do with him.”

  The truth was, I felt conflicted, but it was easier to shun Blade than to turn my back on everything I’d ever known. It was driving me crazy to be near him, and I turned that into anger. I could deal with anger, but this needy desire that I still harbored for the guy was another story.

  Piper took u
s by her apartment before we went to the bar so that she could change into something more suited for picking up men. I wasn’t worried about that, but she shoved a little black dress into my hands and insisted I put it on. I agreed, pulling it over my head, and checking myself out in the mirror, I saw it fell down about mid-thigh and looked good with my boots. I liked it.

  When we went to the Copper Bar, it was busier than I expected for a Tuesday night. The parking lot was half-full, and we walked inside to see that there was a large group of people that had pushed a bunch of tables together. They seemed to be celebrating something, and most of them were men.

  I went straight to the bar, ordering a shot and a Long Island iced tea. I tossed back the tequila, not bothering with the lime chaser. Piper ordered herself a drink beside me, sticking to beer.

  “Starting off kind of strong, aren’t you?” She asked.

  “I’m here to drink.”

  “Then, allow me to buy that for you,” said a man’s voice from behind me.

  I swiveled the barstool around to see a tall man with wavy blonde hair and blue eyes standing there. He looked like a representation of the perfectly typical white, American man. He was probably the quarterback of his high school football team and homecoming king. He just gave off that vibe.

  Not my type, but if I could avoid handing over my cash, I would. Besides, I wanted to go home with someone tonight to get this need for Blade out of my system, and the guy that looked nothing like him was probably a good candidate.

  “Thanks,” I said with a smile. “I’m Kat.”

  “David.” He held out his hand, and I shook it. There was no electricity between us, but I didn’t have to have that with every guy I slept with, right?

  “You with the party?” I asked.

  “Yeah, it’s my friend’s birthday, so we figured we’d grab a few drinks.”

  He spoke as if they were stepping outside the box by coming here. I wondered if it was because it was a seedy bar or if the day of the week was the issue.

  “So, that’s why you’re here, buying me drinks?” I asked with a flirty smile. “Figured you’d take a walk on the wild side to celebrate this special occasion?”