by A J Love
“You really don’t have to take me. It’s only a couple of blocks,” she says.
“Just get in.”
She lowers her eyes slightly and then jumps in. I ignore the annoyance at her looking terrified of me. That needs to change, it’s frustrating. Once inside, I turn the engine and pull out of the lot. The grocery store is left. I take a right.
Layton doesn’t say anything until we’ve been driving for ten minutes. “Where are we going?”
Her voice is quiet, reserved, and it pisses me off. “Are you scared?”
Her head nods. “Yes.”
I release a long breath. “Don’t be.” I pull over at the side of the road and turn to face her. “I’m not a fucking monster and I’m not planning to hurt you or whatever the hell you have running through your head right now. We’re going to get dinner.”
She relaxes a fraction. It’s a start. “Where?” She frowns down at herself. “I’m hardly dressed for going out.”
Glancing at her, I shake my head. Why do women always care about how they look? “You look fine. Some friends of mine are having a barbeque. We’ll stop by.”
Originally, I'd planned on bailing on the Black Rippers barbeque that Grip hassled me about all day but fuck it. I need an excuse to keep her with me, and this is as good as any. I shoot him a quick text to let him know I’ll be there soon and pull back onto the road.
I’ve only been to this compound once, but I find it easily enough. The row of Harleys isn’t exactly hard to miss. I drive through the gates, offering a quick wave at Chase who lets us in. I breathe a small sigh of relief when I watch him close the gates back up. It must be a Ripper only deal tonight. Luckily, I’ve met most of them already. Plus, Nolan will be there, so we won’t be the only non-club members, and he’ll look after Layton. Not that I’ll be taking my fucking eyes off her. Some of the guys here are animals and I’m not about to let any of them near her.
I park up and climb from the truck, heading straight around for Layton. She hasn’t moved and is still staring at the clubhouse in front. I pull open the door and look at her; nervous energy is bouncing off her in waves.
“Is this a motorcycle club? Like one of those clubs?” She asks.
I nod. “Yeah, they’re fine.”
She shakes her head. “Are you sure?”
I take her chin in my fingers and turn her face to me. “I’m sure. Do you trust me?”
Her eyes, big and blue, lock onto mine. “I think so.”
“Then let’s go.”
I take her hand and lead her from the truck and over to where I can hear the crowd and smell the fire. She tries to pull her hand back a couple of times, but I keep a tight hold of it. I want to make sure all these assholes see her with me and don’t get any ideas. She might not be mine, and I may not have the right to make any sort of claim, but I don’t give a fuck right now.
My plan goes to shit when Grip approaches us, pulling Layton into a tight hug and away from me. “I’m so glad this miserable fuck brought you along.”
Layton laughs nervously, frowning down at herself. “Sorry, I’m a mess.”
“You could never be a mess.”
This comes from Nolan who walks over looking like he’s hit the fucking lottery and pulls her into a hug, too. Why are they all touching her?
I’m assuming he’s just seen some of the MC girls from the stars in his eyes. I look over to where he came from and can see the girls hanging from half the guys there. Throwing my arm around Layton’s shoulders, I lead her in the opposite direction of them. I don’t want one of the men confusing her for a club whore and thinking they can take her home.
“We’ll catch you guys later,” I say, and head over to where Trev is with some of the guys I prefer, the older ones.
He smiles wide as we reach them, and I let go of Layton, so I can bump fists with him.
“You must be Layton,” Trev says, looking at her. “Grip has a lot to say about you.”
“Well, the first time I met her she was bent over, so,” Grip says from behind us. “I’m sure y’all understand.”
Declan, Trev’s son coughs on his beer and looks to Layton. “You were what?”
“I was cleaning the floor,” she laughs. “Completely innocent.”
“Leave the poor girl alone,” Jimmy, Trev’s friend, chuckles. “Let’s at least get a drink in her before y’all start with your nonsense.”
Declan grabs two beers from the cooler beside him and passes them to us. Layton takes a long chug of hers while we all watch as some of it drips down her chin. Damn girl is going to cause half of these older guys to have a heart attack. She has no idea just how sexy she is, especially considering the painfully thin tee she’s wearing. She’s not leaving much to the imagination, and she hasn’t a fucking clue. What on earth was I thinking bringing her here?
I wasn’t, and that’s the damn problem.
Layton curses, clearly forgetting she apparently left me a gift outside my door. I open the box, amused, and lift the curtains she’s made for me out.
“Why did you leave them out here?” I ask.
She shuffles from one foot to the other. “You weren’t home.”
Is this why she nearly went flying down the stairs earlier? No wonder she looked like a mouse caught by a cat when she bumped into me. Why is she so afraid of me?
“Thanks,” I say, leaning back against the railing beside her.
“You’re welcome.”
“So, are you working tomorrow?”
Layton nods, “Yeah. I’m in at six.”
I rub a hand over the back of my neck, hating the tension I’m getting there at the thought of her going back to that place and letting everyone see everything she has. For all I know, it doesn’t stop at them just seeing it. For all I know, they put their hands where mine have been. Shit.
“It’s not safe where you work,” I say, Grip’s warning still in my fucking head.
She smiles: small, nervous. “I know.”
“Then why the fuck do you keep going back there?” I snap.
I don’t really mean to shout at her. I’m being an asshole and ruining what’s actually been a good night. Once the awkwardness died down, the barbeque went smoothly. It helped that the guys there clued in to her being with me pretty quickly, meaning I didn’t have to throw any weight around. But now I’m acting like an ass and not exactly being forthcoming with why I’m even pushing about it in the first place. It’s got fuck all to do with it being full of assholes and everything to do with me wanting to keep her for my fucking self. Which is a dick move because I’ll never be able to give her what she needs. She won’t get rainbows and kissing in the rain with me. She’d get a temperamental jackass who’d fuck her and walk away, like I already have.
Layton turns to face me, pressing a hand against my chest. She looks up, “I wouldn’t be going back there if I didn’t need to, trust me.”
“Is this about money? Or do you just get off on the danger?”
She sighs, moving to unlock her door. “You wouldn’t understand.” She pushes the door of her apartment open. “Thank you for tonight, Kane.”
I let her go because she’s right, I don’t understand, and I’m too much of a prick to try to understand.
I push my way into my own place and slam the door shut, tossing the box of curtains across the room. I ignore the mess and head straight over to my bedroom where my bench is. After stripping off my shirt I drop onto it, raising the bar above my head. I forget everything and pump, using the workout to shut everything out. To shut her out. When the ache in my arms doesn’t work; I change into shorts, grab a bottle of water and head down the stairs for a run.
Just when I’ve finally got her out of my head, there she is again, only this time for real. And she’s not alone. I grunt and trudge up the last few steps, fighting the urge to punch the guy leaning against her doorjamb.
“Come on, Lay. You must know where she is.”
I unlock my door, taking my time as I�
�m curious and every internal alarm bell I have is ringing loud and fucking clear. She never has visitors—ever.
“I haven’t heard from her, Deke,” Layton replies. “I told Vinny the same thing.”
“Well, what the fuck? She was at the club one minute and then nowhere to be seen when the show started,” he sounds drunk. “I saw her there.”
I push open my door, not really wanting to go through it. I don’t like this guy.
“Look, I don’t know,” Layton says, quietly. “If I hear from her, I’ll let you know, but I’ve got to get to bed.”
I step into my apartment, but leave the door open a little. I might just be being paranoid, but I’d rather know she’s inside her apartment safe before I shut myself in for the night.
“Layton, please,” I hear the guy whine as I shrug into a shirt.
“I’m sorry, Zeke. Like I already told you, I don’t know where she is.”
I hear the slight squeak of her door and so I stand in the hallway waiting to hear it click shut.
It doesn’t.
Instead, I hear it bang open and what I assume is his hand slam against it.
“You know something, Layton. I’m not fucking stupid.”
I’m out of the door as he finishes his sentence and standing over his approximate 6ft frame before he can take a step further. Layton’s eyes widen, but I can see the relief in them.
“Time to go, asshole,” I say, calmly.
Asshole turns to face me, narrowing his eyes on me. “Who the fuck are you?”
“A concerned neighbor.”
“Get back into your apartment. This is private business and none of your concern.”
“Well your private business is keeping me from going to sleep, so fuck off.”
He steps up to me, burning holes through me with his eyes. I don’t move. I know full well that I could toss this little prick back down the stairs without breaking a sweat. Eventually, he takes the hint and backs off.
“This isn’t over, Layton,” he calls, as he back-steps down the stairs. “We’ll talk tomorrow at the club.”
I glare at him, hoping his stupid ass will fall.
When he’s out of sight, I look back to Layton. She’s holding onto the doorjamb as if it’s the only thing keeping her upright. I frown when I notice the red mark on her collarbone where that dick obviously hit her with the door. I’m half tempted to go down there after him and kick his punk ass, but the girl in front of me looks like she’s about to hurl.
Shit.
Her chest heaves, her breathing coming in quick pants. I step to her and pull her closer, wrapping her into my arms. She sags against me, burying her head into my chest. I let her and try to keep myself steady when her sobs hit me in the gut.
“What have you gotten yourself into, baby?” I whisper, mostly to myself.
She pulls back and shakes her head. “I don’t know.”
“Where are your keys?”
She gestures to the door. I lean around her and grab them from the back, then lead her out of the apartment. I lock her door and take her hand. “Come on,” I say. “You’re not staying there tonight.”
She follows me into my place without a word, but not without a nervous glance at the stairs. I sit her down on the sofa and grab her a bottle of water from the fridge. She unscrews the cap with shaky hands and takes a small sip. Carefully, I watch her and try to gauge how to handle this. I’m not the right person for this, not equipped to deal with whatever the fuck is going on. I don’t even know what the hell is going on. Maybe we should start there.
“Layton,” I say, sitting on the sofa beside her. “Who was that guy? And what the fuck did he want?”
“Deke,” she sniffs, “he works at the club, and he was looking for McKenna. She’s one of the girls, the one that actually brought me in. I know her from home.”
“Do you know where she is?”
She drops her head into her hands and groans. “That’s the problem. I know too much about where she is.” She raises her head. “I’m not sure you want to know. It’s bad enough that I know.”
“Tell me.”
She nods, relenting. “To understand, you have to know that Mr. Michaels has this huge rule about boyfriends or girlfriends in the club because of jealousy. The same goes for people having relationships with the people they work with. You just can’t do it.” She sighs. “They’re really strict about the whole thing.”
She brings her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. “I saw McKenna and Deke together outside of work a while back but didn’t think anything of it and shut it out. Other people’s business is theirs, right?”
I nod. Truer words were never spoken.
“Well, I was in one of the closets a few days after that getting my shoes for the night when I heard them. They were arguing, I think.” She shakes her head. “I don’t know. I was thinking about other things. But I heard them talking about how she’d been sleeping with him and she was blackmailing him or something. I don’t know the whole story, I just know that it’s bad.”
“Do they know that you know? Is that why he was there?” I ask, alarm bells still ringing.
“I don’t think so. Vinny, the guy that looks after us, asked me on the phone about her earlier too. They think because I knew her before Liquid that I know everything about her, but I don’t, not really.” She sighs heavily. “Ken’s been dropping her shit a lot lately. She’s not been showing up for her shifts, and when she has been, she’s been out of it on whatever the hell she’s taking. She’s the reason my ass is on a pole every night because she doesn’t show up.”
Layton smiles a little. “She’s always been a little wild. But she was upset that night, heartbroken and terrified.” She drops her eyes. “I told her to run. I told her to go home, and no one has seen her since.”
“Shit,” I curse, shaking my head. “You know you can’t go back there.”
“I have to. I can’t afford not to.”
“You’re not safe there,” I press.
“I’m not safe if I don’t go, either. They’ll know something is wrong.” She lowers her head again, tears dropping onto her bare legs. “I should have stayed in fucking Louisiana.”
I stand from the sofa and pull her up to me. “We’ll work this out tomorrow. You need to sleep.”
I lead her into my bedroom and sit her on the end of the bed, using my thumb to wipe her tears away. “No more crying. Get in.”
She does, shuffling over to the farthest part of the bed. I climb in after her, lying straight onto my back and staring up at the ceiling. The low hum of the air conditioning is all that can be heard.
“You can’t trust anyone there, Layton.”
“I know,” she replies, softly. “McKenna said the same thing.”
Layton
I’m a ball of nerves as I walk into the club for my shift, the drama of Deke showing up at my apartment having kept me up most of the night. That, and the way Kane kept pulling me into him.
The man is hot, and not just in looks.
Does he not realize this is fucking Texas? I was practically melting. Still, I’m grateful for him showing up. I don’t know how far Deke would have taken things if he hadn’t. He was wasted, and I’ve never seen him that way before. I don’t know what the hell McKenna was thinking by blackmailing him, she must have been out of her ever-loving mind.
I don’t look over at the bar area as I pass, and head straight into the back to the dressing room. Cassie is waiting for me with her hands on her hips and a wide smile on her face.
“Layton! We’ve got a busy one tonight. I hope you’re ready to shake what your mama gave you.”
I force a smile. “Always. What have we got?”
“A fucking armada of hot man meat are on their way in, dying to toss that cash. And, my sweet girl, they fucking have it.” She giggles excitedly. “Rick just called in and said he’s closed a deal with some people and they’re coming in with him. He only wants the best on stage ton
ight, and right now that’s you and Sash.”
Rick. He’s going to be here. For once, I don’t dread the news. Hopefully, with the boss in, Deke will back off.
“Okay, sure. I better get my ass ready then.”
“That’s the spirit,” she slaps my butt. “I’m going to put Sasha on three to start, with Cinnamon and you on one and two, and then switch you guys out at halfway so you get a break. You’ll move on to three because Lord knows Cin won’t handle it.”
She shakes her head. “I’ve even brought in Lola and Candy on and off four and five for the night in case it gets crazy.”
Cinnamon. Lola. Candy. The stage names just get more and more ridiculous. I almost feel lucky that I got Ruby.
I nod. It’s never been more important for me to make as much money as I can. My new apartment fund has now become my 'get the fuck away from this place' fund, with Kane breathing down my neck about it. He shouted and raged at me all morning when I told him I would still be coming to work today. He all but tried to lock me in his apartment at one point. I don’t know what changed yesterday, but all of a sudden, he’s all about being beside me every minute of every day. It took every persuasive bone in my body to convince him to stay away tonight.
Thinking of him, I pull out my cell to text him as I move over to the locker areas to get changed. He’d angrily punched his number into my phone earlier and made me promise to text him when I could. I tap out a quick message.
It’s Layton. I’m here, and everything is fine. Boss is in tonight, so I’ll be busy. I don’t think there will be any trouble, so relax.
He replies, I’ll pick you up. Don’t argue with me about it. What time do you get off?
I sigh, clipping the suspenders to my underwear. Around 4 usually.
He doesn’t reply, and I don’t expect him to. Kane isn’t the type to hold long conversations. I head back into the room having dressed and begin the tedious task of applying my makeup.