“Raven? We have a body that came in a few minutes ago. Do you want me to go ahead and set up for the autopsy?”
“Yes, please do.” I was still trying to get my morning fix of caffeine. Staying out all night with the MC was starting to catch up to me. Pouring myself another cup, I watched her wheel the body into the lab through the blinds that separated my office from the exam room. Guess it’s time to get to work.
“You busy tonight?” It felt awkward asking her if she had plans since we hadn’t really talked in the last couple of weeks.
“I gotta hot date with Netflix.” She looked up at me. “Am I pathetic or what?”
“No, why do you say that?”
“I’ve lived here almost six months and haven’t really made any friends. You’ve got friends coming out of the woodwork and hang out with the bad boys, having fun all the time. I wish I was more like you.”
“It’s not as fun as it seems.” I lied, not wanting to make her feel bad. The look on her face told me she knew I was full of shit. “I mean yeah it’s fun, but it’s not all cracked up to be what you think it would be.”
“Right. I know how horrible it would be hanging out drinking with a motorcycle club. Spare me.”
“You think I could come over and hang out with you tonight? We can have some girl time and talk.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, fine. I was thinkin’ that we haven’t hung out together in a while is all.”
No sooner than we finished up the autopsy on our latest corpse, Matty came sauntering into the lab like he owned the damn place. Shoving his hands into his belt loops and standing tall, he started his usual spiel.
“Afternoon, ladies.” He tipped his hat as if we were in awe, mesmerized by him. “How’s your day going?”
“Fine.” My reply was a little flat, but nothing that would tip off my newfound feelings for him.
“You having a bad day, Raven?”
Shit. Maybe it was a little too obvious. “No, just tired. We’ve been busy lately.”
“I’d imagine.” He stepped closer. A little too close. “You know, I couldn’t help but notice a motorcycle in your driveway the other day. That wouldn’t have been Chaos’s bike, would it?”
“What difference does it matter? You’re not my keeper.” What the fuck is he doing? Stalking me?
“Lookin’ out for you. You’re a good girl, Raven. Don’t let those guys pull you in. They’re not worth it.”
“Actually, Raven’s been hanging out with me,” Amber chimed in. “We have plans tonight, if you must know.”
“Good Lord, don’t let her pull you in with those guys, too.”
“I’ve never even met a biker, let alone hang out with one.”
The look on her face said she was hoping that would change soon. “Matty, is there something we can help you with today?”
“Nothing in particular. Just thought I’d stop by and see what you’ve been up to. I’d hate to miss any chances with you if you’re on the market.”
“I’m not on any market!” I snapped.
“That’s right. I forgot. I’m too much of a good guy to interest you.”
“The world needs good guys and bad guys, and so do women.”
“Uh-huh, and uh, if this ‘bad guy’ breaks your heart, I’ll break his legs.” He tipped his hat again. Fucking pathetic. “Ladies, you have a good day.”
I don’t know what it was about him, but he had me rattled. It might have been the fact that he was basically saying he was too good for me and calling Troy a loser. Who gives a fuck what he thinks? I couldn’t care less what came out of his mouth. You’d think after hitting on me for so long, he’d finally get the hint. Guess I was wrong. Amber helped me finish up our backlog of paperwork and spray down the lab before we left for the evening. It felt good to have her on my side, even if she didn’t know what my side was. At least she was being loyal to me—more than I could say for Matty.
Following Amber back to her place, I sent Chaos a text letting him know that I was hanging out with a friend. We ordered pizza and pigged out on the couch while watching, “American Horror Story”. Sitting there watching TV with her, I started feeling guilty. I’d been ditching her a lot ever since I’d started hanging out with Troy and the MC.
“You remember that day in the lab when I started to tell you something but didn’t?”
“Yeah?”
“You can’t tell Matty any of this, and I’d appreciate if you didn’t say anything to our supervisor either.”
“Okay…”
“I’ve been spending time hanging out at the Lords’ clubhouse.” She gasped. “Shut up and listen. Their enforcer—Troy—the one Matty’s got a hard-on for? We used to be…a thing, a long time ago. He did some time in prison, not long before the murders started happening. I think Matty’s hellbent on putting him behind bars, but I’m convinced he’s innocent.”
“Why are you hanging out with those guys? Matty says…”
“Matty says a lot of shit,” I interrupted her. “You can’t believe everything he says.” I was starting to sound more like Chaos by the minute.
I started giving her the basic outline of Matty before she met him—what he was like in school, how he hung out with the MC, how he sold them out and how I think he’s blaming Chaos for the murders to get revenge. Listening intently, her mouth hung open as she held on to every word I told her.
“I still don’t get it,” she shrugged. “Why do you care?”
“There’s something about him that’s dangerous and sexy as hell. Besides, he’s an old friend. I can’t let him get hung out to dry like that, not if he didn’t do anything.”
I wasn’t willing to admit to her that he was an old flame. Or was he? The passion we still have together coupled with the tension I feel when I’m with him, I’d have to say he is a current flame—even though I’m not quite sure where we stand. Catching him in bed with that club whore felt like a stake driving through my heart. Yeah, I played it cool, but deep down, my heart sank to the pit of my stomach, hatred coursed through my veins and it took every ounce of strength I had not to cry. But I’d never cry in front of him. He’d see it as a sign of weakness. I wanted him to know—or at least think—that I was as strong as him, if not stronger. Ever since I found out what Princess was up to, I’m glad I haven’t seen her. Maybe she’s learned her damn lesson. From what Chaos said, Duke wasn’t too happy with her, and neither was he. But I still have my doubts, especially since we still aren’t officially anything.
It’s weird. I never dreamed of being an old lady in a biker club before, but I was finding myself wanting it more and more. When you’re owned by one of the biggest bad asses in town, everyone knows it and respects you. I wanted that slut, Princess, to know that she needed to respect me, but the truth is, Troy has always loved his freedom. Gawd, I’d hate to even begin to imagine how many women he’s been with. Probably more than I could count. With his massive tattooed body, dark eyes, long hair and dangerous looks, how can you tame a man like him?
“Hello? Is anybody home?” Amber clapped her hands, pulling me back down to planet Earth.
“Yeah, I was just thinkin’.”
“About that hunk of yours? Girl, you got it bad. Why don’t you two become a couple and get it over already?”
Ha! Like I hadn’t asked myself that question a million times. “Easier said than done.”
“Do you think…oh, never mind.”
Her cheerful expression turned blank as her face flushed. “What? Do I think what?”
“Well, do you think you could maybe take me with you one time to hang out with the club?”
I laughed. “You mean come to the clubhouse? It’s not that exciting, but sure. I don’t think you’re gonna find the type of guy you’re looking for, but what do I know.”
“Thanks!” She jumped off the couch and hugged me.
“Okay, first thing’s first. Don’t do that shit. Those assholes will expect some lesbian love aff
air right there on the pool tables if they see you hugging me and shit. And second, you gotta ditch these baggy jeans and loose t-shirts.”
Her jaw dropped as she examined herself. “You really think they’d….make us….do it?”
“For fuck’s sake! No, Amber, it was a joke. Let’s go check out your closet.”
After examining her wardrobe, it was evident that she needed to do some shopping. Not an ounce of leather or lace, nor did she have anything tight or revealing. “Where’d you grow up? In a convent?”
“No! It was an all girl’s home!”
Shit! I was only fucking with her. “Sorry. I’ve got some clothes you can borrow.”
“When can we go?” she hopped from foot to foot.
“Hm, I don’t know. I haven’t heard from Chaos since yesterday. They’ve been handling a lot of club business lately.” Look at me, talking like a pro. I hated those fucking words, but here I was throwing them at her like saying the sky is blue. “But the weekend’s coming up, they’ll most likely have a party or BBQ.”
“This is so cool! I can’t wait to go.”
§
On my lunch break, I pulled out my phone and saw I had a text from Chaos. Something must be going down because I hadn’t heard from him in a couple of days and he said that he wanted to talk to me. I called him back while I was alone in my office.
“What’s up?”
“I want you to come to the clubhouse tonight. We’re having church at 8.”
“Should I come after it’s over?”
“No, I want you to be here before it starts. I’m going to introduce you to the House of Lords and the rest of the MCs that are going to be there.”
“I don’t understand. Why do you need me there?”
“Shit’s getting ready to go down and I need you to keep your ears open.”
My breath caught in my throat, I tried swallowing before I dared to ask him my next question. “What does that mean?”
“You’re a pretty girl, Raven. I want you to come mingle with some of the guys, see if any of ‘em act funny or say anything around you. They’re not gonna talk shit around a brother who’s not in their club.”
“And that’s where I come in?”
“Yeah, exactly. Wear one of those sexy outfits. The more they drink and the more you flirt, the more they might talk around you.”
“What’s going on Chaos? You’re scaring me.”
“We’re going to meet up with the Chargers and Warriors. From what Duke’s heard, they have some rivalry between the two of them, but both of them are cool with us—or so we think. Prez wants to get all the brothers together again and see if any of the heat’s died down between ‘em. We think that someone’s trying to start a war with us, but we’re not sure which MC it is.”
I thought hard for a moment. This shit was starting to scare me and take me a little too far from my comfort zone. Flirting with danger? Yeah, I’d flirted with him and it landed me in his bed—willingly. Last time I was there and didn’t flirt with anyone, it almost put me in someone else’s bed—unwillingly. “I don’t know about this, I need some time to think.”
“Raven, you don’t have time to think. I told you before, I’ll be your protection. I know you’re probably worried about shit going down again, but you’re there with me. I got your back, babe.”
“Can I bring a friend?”
“What? We don’t let just anyone around the House of Lords. The Commons is where everyone goes—if we let them in at all.”
“Please? Consider this a personal favor—I do you a square and you repay the favor.”
“Who is it?” he growled, annoyed.
“Amber from work, she’s been…”
“Yeah, yeah, all right. But it’ll be up to you to make sure she keeps her mouth shut about anything she sees and hears, and I’m not her bodyguard.”
“I’ll let her know, we’ll be there after work.”
Chapter 8: Chaos
Out in the garage working on my bike, I saw the prez coming towards me. The old man looked like he was on a mission, cigarette hanging out of his mouth and his chest was puffed up. His emerald eyes looked fierce, squinting in the sunlight.
“’Sup, prez?” Climbing off the floor, I wiped the grease off my hands before reaching for a smoke in my shirt pocket.
“Heard you were talkin’ about bringin’ that crypt keeper to the House of Lords tonight?”
His brows were furrowed, his lips curled when he said, “cyrpt keeper”.
“Yeah?”
“Listen son, I don’t think it’s a wise idea to have her comin’ in there. You’ve been in this club long enough to know that only members and sometimes old ladies come in there. It’s also no secret that she talks to that Sergeant a lot and is giving him evidence to build against us.”
“Prez, no disrespect, but I know what I’m doin’ here. The club didn’t vote me in to be the enforcer for no reason.”
I knew he had a point, but he doesn’t know Raven the way I do. She’d never let that asshole cop send me up the river. If anything, she was trying to help figure out who was behind all of this.
“That crypt keeper of yours has also caused some trouble around here, which I’m not fond of. And some of the men have come to me, they’re not all that forgiving of her either. You have no idea how much I had to explain to Dalton what went down and make amends with him. If his club’s the one that’s setting us up, it fuels the fire to give him more reason to pin these murders on us and keep the body count climbing.”
“She’s not going to cause any problems,” I clenched my teeth. “That ‘crypt keeper’, as you like to call her, is here to help us. Not only is she not giving that asshole Matt evidence to build against us, she’s trying to insert herself in the middle of these pending charges to help clear my name and our club’s name.”
“You better make damn sure you know what the fuck you’re doing. Think with this head,” he tapped my forehead, “and not with your dick! If I get any inkling of a doubt that she’s here to cause any harm, I’ll handle her myself. I was more than forgiving when I let that shit slide that one night, but I’m not a fucking door mat.”
“Fuck this! I’m tellin’ you, I got this shit in the bag. She’s only here to help us.”
“Yeah? Well you make sure you keep her close, but don’t pull her too much in the loop because I don’t trust her and that fucking cop. When it all comes out in the wash, we’re gonna handle whoever is smearing our name through the mud, not the fucking pigs.”
“Whatever you say, prez.” I dropped back down on my knee to finish putting my bike back together.
Tonight wasn’t the night to fuck with me or put doubts in my mind, and that’s exactly what the fucking prez was doing to me. But I kept telling myself the same spiel I’d given him, she was here to help us, not sink us. It was no secret that Raven had it bad for me. I could tell by the look in her twinkling hazel eyes, the way she fluttered her sultry lashes and the way she held onto my every word. When we’d first hooked up, all she did was talk about Matty-this and Matty-that, but now any time his name was mentioned, her lip curled and those sexy eyes of hers rolled back in her head with annoyance. I knew I could trust her and the club would have to trust me. It probably wasn’t the best decision I’d made telling her that she could bring a friend, but sometimes that’s the price you pay for a sex goddess like her. And if it landed me another dirty alley blow job like the other day, then so fucking be it.
Raven’s silver Honda was pulling in as I finished up working on my bike. Approaching her car, she and her friend got out. God damn! I know I’d told her to wear something sexy, but fuck. There was no way I was going to make it through church without sampling some of her goods. Her dress was so fucking low-cut that I could almost picture her nipples popping out of it as it snugly held her cleavage in place. And the dress barely covered the bottom of her ass cheeks. The friend she brought with her wasn’t too bad either. A cute, wide-eyed, enthusiastic brunette with
a baby face—the kind my guys like to cum all over after a good blow job.
“Hey, babe,” I said kissing her cheek. “What’s your friend’s name?” I couldn’t wait for the guys to see this piece of fresh ass. Her tits weren’t too big, more palm-sized than anything, but her bubbly rump made up for what she lacked up top. She looked a little too eager to be here, but that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“This is my friend, Amber. We work together.”
“Follow me. I’ve gotta talk to the guys real quick but you two can go ahead and get yourselves some drinks.”
Strutting into the House of Commons, Princess had her ass firmly planted on one of the barstools, sipping a cocktail. Fuck me. She better not try to start shit right now. The last fucking thing I need is for her to start shit before church gets underway. Eying her up and down, I looked over at Raven and her friend. They were still busy talking and laughing, too busy to notice Princess. But then she caught Raven’s eye and she saw her. Shit!
CHAOS (A Lords of Sin MC Novel) (Motorcycle Club Bad Boy Romance) Page 8