“Why not?” she said aloud as she reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of make-up wipes. As she smoothed the cloth over her face and removed any last trace of pink, she instantly felt better. She smiled at her reflection, shoved the rest of her belongings back into her purse and got out of there before Marv came looking for her.
Out the back, Destiny and Steel were smoking together and Steel’s eyes lit up when Candy stepped out with her bag slung over her shoulder.
“Much better,” he said, exhaling a plume of smoke up into the dark. “Shall we?”
Candy nodded, slipped her hand into his and then they turned and walked back to the front of the building. His bike was still standing proudly in the parking lot, and as he helped her onto it, she realized that she had never been on a bike before, and she had no idea what to expect.
“Don’t go too fast,” she blurted out defensively, hoping he would take her safety seriously. But Steel just smirked and started the engine.
She didn’t know where he was going to take her, or why she felt so comfortable going with him considering they had only just met, but there was something about him that made her feel safe. She wrapped her arms around his waist, and as he pulled out of the parking lot and hit the highway, she screamed with excitement. The wind whipped through her hair and the speed took her breath away.
The stars twinkled brightly above their heads, and as she breathed in his intoxicating cologne, she admitted to herself that she had missed being close to a man. It had been such a long time since she had felt really wanted, and even after working at Red X with all of those lustful eyes on her, she hadn’t ever felt the pull like she did in that moment.
Steel pulled off the highway and onto Main Street. They thundered through the deserted town and out of the other side. Candy knew that the bikers all lived and worked on the other side of town, a side that not many people ventured to, but she hadn’t bargained for him taking her there. Her nerves began to mount.
“Where are we going?” she asked.
“For a drink,” he replied.
They rounded a corner, and in the distance the deep red lights of The Bleeding Bullet came into view. Candy leaned forward and took it all in. The swarms of cop cars, the heavy music, the half-naked women, and the rows of bikes all lined up with big, burly, dangerous men sitting astride them.
“If you think Red X is depraved…wait until you see this,” Steel said with a wicked grin.
A fight broke out in the street and the cops jumped in with batons. Candy gasped and squeezed Steel tighter. She had no idea what she was doing. After everything she had been through, what was she playing at letting herself get into this kind of situation?
Steel parked the bike and lifted Candy off by the waist. She smiled at him as he looked down at her, and she swept a strand of hair behind her ear.
“Come on,” he said as he took her hand and led her towards the entrance. “There’s something I want you to see…”
7.
After working in a place like Red X, Candy didn’t think there was much that could shock her. But as she walked through the doors of The Bleeding Bullet that night, she knew instantly that was about to change.
Her mouth gaped open as she moved into the throng of people and went deeper into what she could only describe as a den of iniquity. Women were draped all over the bikers, straddling them and kissing them feverishly as if it were their last night on earth. She saw them dancing on tables, flashing their underwear and crawling beneath to pleasure the men they had in their sights. Candy gasped and looked away. Nothing like that ever happened in Red X. The girls may take their clothes off for cash…but that was as far as it went.
Steel squeezed her hand tightly and led her towards the bar. As the sea of faces parted, her eyes locked with someone familiar and Candy felt her heart flood with joy.
It was Lexi.
“Oh my God!” she beamed as she dropped Steel’s hand and ran towards her. The girls wrapped their arms around one and other and Lexi squeezed her tight.
“How are you, stranger?” Lexi asked.
King was sitting by her at the bar and Lexi was working. She had a new ring in her nose and her hair was spiked up black, but Candy had never seen her looking so happy.
“I’m good,” Candy smiled. “Well, I am now.”
She looked up at Steel and felt the warm rush flood her again.
“I heard what’s been happening,” Lexi said seriously as she took hold of Candy’s hand. “You’ve got to get out of there.”
Her eyes were serious and full of warning, and Candy shook her head with confusion. “What do you mean?” she asked warily.
King and Steel looked at one and other, and Lexi picked up a bottle of whiskey and four short, fat tumblers before she motioned towards the back of the room.
“We need to talk to you,” she said. “Come on.”
She followed them to the very back of The Bleeding Bullet to a private room, guarded by a rope and long velvet curtains. Steel sat Candy down and wrapped a protective arm around her shoulder, and King took charge of the whiskey bottle, pouring each of them a couple of inches to knock back in one.
“The club…” King said, “is fucked.”
Candy felt herself tense and she looked from King to Lexi and then from Lexi to Steel.
“What? How?” she asked.
“The Iron Riders,” Steel said as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and clamped a smoke between his teeth. “Marv’s in debt to them and they’re going to wipe the floor with him.”
“The who?” Candy asked, confused.
“The Iron Riders,” King knocked back his glass of whiskey. “The MC from Ironhill…”
Candy kept looking at them all, not understanding in the slightest what any of them were talking about.
“Our rival club,” Steel said as he squeezed her shoulder. “They’re making all kinds of threats.”
“Oh,” Candy caught on. “But why?”
“Our scores go back decades,” King said, pouring himself another glass. “But now tensions are higher than they’ve ever been…” he trailed off and looked at Lexi, who lowered her eyes.
“My dad,” she said. “He’s always managed to keep the peace, but now he’s sick…and…well, no one knows what’s going to happen…”
“Why does Red X have anything to do with this?” Candy asked.
“Because Marv has been in debt to us both for as long as I can remember,” King sneered. “And now we both want to take what’s ours.”
“But it can’t be both of yours…?” Candy was still playing dumb.
“Exactly,” Steel sucked in on his cigarette. “So now we’re at war… Fighting over who’s going to take control of the club…”
“Over Red X?” Candy laughed. “Have you seen that shithole? Why do either of you even want it?”
King and Steel both laughed, and Lexi’s eyes glinted with affection.
“Because,” King said. “Money… Principle… Power… This is our town. It’s Slate Spring’s patch, not Ironhill’s.”
Candy nodded in agreement and picked up her glass. She sipped it down quickly to calm her nerves, and the warmth spread throughout her.
“But I haven’t seen anyone from this other gang hanging around,” Candy said genuinely. “Wouldn’t it be obvious?”
Steel shifted uneasily in his seat and turned her to face him.
“You’re being used, babe,” he said sadly. “The girl… She’s using you to gain information.”
For a moment she didn’t have a clue what he was talking about, but when it hit her, the anger raged through her.
“Destiny?” she asked with disbelief. “Destiny is…what? A spy?”
King nodded his head, and Lexi leaned forward and took hold of Candy’s hands.
“I know it sounds crazy,” Lexi said. “But we’ve been watching her. She’s working for them.”
Candy nodded and rubbed her eyes.
“She even told me she was
from Ironhill,” she laughed. “But I didn’t think anything of it…”
“Well, why would you?” Lexi sympathized.
“It’s nothing you could have prevented,” King assured her. “But that girl has been in Red X playing dumb for weeks now, and god knows how much information she’s learned about us and our practices from what Marv or anyone else may have said… She’s reporting it all back to the Iron Riders, and now we’re at a disadvantage. Plus, she’ll know more than she’s letting on about the workings of the place and exactly how to hit Marv where it hurts.”
Candy shook her head and bit her bottom lip. How had she been so blind? Even though she hadn’t known anything about this motorcycle club rivalry, she had always prided herself on being a good judge of character and being able to assess a situation. But Destiny had completely fooled her. She had tricked her into being her friend and used her in more ways than one. She got Candy to do work for her, to hold her hand when she was supposedly nervous… And all the time she was spying and no doubt using all of the information or anything Candy said about Marv to feed back to the Iron Riders. She felt sick and betrayed.
“Man, I feel so stupid,” Candy dropped her head into her hands.
“Candy, it’s not your fault,” Lexi reiterated. “You weren’t to know anything about this… Why would you have any reason to suspect she wasn’t genuine?”
Candy shrugged and rubbed her eyes.
“Plus, you’ve only been in Slate Springs a few months. It’s not like you know everyone and everything about the place.”
“None of us would have even known if King and I hadn’t come in there the other night and seen her… Did you not notice how she hid down out of sight?” Steel said as he wrapped his arm around her again.
Candy thought back to the confrontation and how King and Steel had burst through the doors with their shotguns. They had been face to face with Destiny and she had run behind the bar and hid down by Candy’s feet.
“Of course,” she said. “She didn’t want you to recognize her.”
“Exactly,” King said. “But it was too late… I’d seen her over in Ironhill a few months back, draping herself all over one of their top dogs.”
“Fucking bitch,” Steel dragged on the cigarette and exhaled loudly.
“So what do I do now?” Candy asked. “I mean, I can’t just avoid the place.” She looked up at Steel, and he took hold of her and stared at her dead in the eyes…
“That’s exactly what you do,” he said seriously. “Don’t go anywhere near there.”
“But… I work…” Candy began.
“No,” Lexi said. “Something big is about to go down… And if you’re anywhere near Red X, you could get hurt.”
Candy swallowed and reached out for the whiskey bottle. Now she really needed it. She downed another shot and exhaled.
“Okay,” she said. “So I guess I am officially unemployed.”
“Not quite,” Steel said. “We’ll win the fight,” he brushed her hair behind her ears, “and then the club will be ours.”
“But what if you don’t?” she asked.
King shook his head and wrapped his arm protectively around Lexi.
“We always win,” he said sternly. “Just God help anyone who tries to get in our way.”
Candy sat back on the couch and let her head fall back. After the shots, she was feeling woozy and all of the information was swimming around in her mind, making her feel even worse.
“I think I need to get home,” she said.
Lexi helped her to her feet, and Steel wrapped a protective arm around her.
“Come on,” he said as the four of them made their way to the entrance of the bar.
“Steel will look after you,” Lexi said as she hugged Candy goodbye and held onto her gently by the shoulders. “I know they look a little scary, but deep down, they are good men.”
Candy nodded.
“He’ll take you home, and if Marv comes anywhere near you, he’ll be there to sort it out.”
“So what do I do? Do I just stay at home?” Candy asked exasperated.
“No,” Lexi laughed. “Enjoy your time off. And just stay away from that two-faced bitch Destiny. Who knows what else she may drag you into?”
The girls hugged goodbye again, and then Steel took hold of Candy’s hand. As he led her out of the bar and down the steps to the sidewalk, she looked back and shuddered.
Her life had been completely turned upside down, yet again.
Why could nothing ever just be simple?
They walked through the crowds, and when Steel got to his bike, he lifted her onto it and climbed on in front of her. As he revved the engine, some of the men around them cheered and raised their arms in the air. Candy gripped onto him tightly and nuzzled into him. All she wanted was to be back in the safety of her little home, cuddled up in bed without a care in the world.
They pulled up onto her driveway, and Steel helped her down from the back of the bike.
“Thank you,” Candy smiled shyly as he took hold of her hand and held it roughly between his.
“We meant what we said tonight,” he said. “Don’t go back to the club. It’s dangerous.”
Candy nodded and couldn’t help but feel overcome with happiness at how great it felt to have someone care for her again.
“I’m going to wait around for a while,” Steel said as he touched her cheek. “Make sure no one’s hanging around.”
“Do you think there would be?” Candy asked with shock.
Steel shrugged and smirked.
Candy slapped him playfully on the shoulder and blushed.
“I just want to make sure you’re safe,” he said.
“I really do appreciate it,” she smiled.
They looked at each other for a moment and Candy knew that she was going to find it unbelievably difficult not to invite him in, but she just wasn’t ready.
Steel leaned forward and kissed her. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and his touch was so powerful and strong that it took her breath away. She ran her fingers through his hair and pushed her body up against his. She could feel the solid ripple of his bulging muscles against her taut stomach, and he groaned as his desire stirred within him.
“Steel,” she panted as she looked up at him, her head a mess of want and fear.
He brushed his finger lightly across her lips, and then he turned and stepped back to his bike.
“You better get inside,” he said. “I’ll be back first thing in the morning.”
Candy nodded and smiled at him before she turned and walked back towards the house.
As she let herself in and locked the door and all of the bolts behind her, her heart was racing. It had taken all of her willpower to walk away from him, and now he was still only on the other side of the door. All she wanted to do was to pull it open and call for him to come for her.
“No,” she whispered. “You can’t…”
She turned off the lights and wandered into her bedroom. She could see his silhouette on the other side of the curtain, and as she climbed into bed and hugged her pillow against her chest, she imagined it was him.
“He’s waiting to make sure you’re safe,” she said to herself. “It feels good to have someone who cares.”
She smiled and closed her eyes.
She didn’t know how much time had passed, or even if she had been asleep at all, but sometime in the early hours of the morning, she heard the growl of the bike engine and him pulling off down the street.
8.
The sun shone through the cracks in the curtains, and Candy pulled the covers up over her eyes. Her mouth was bone dry, her head ached and all she could taste was the whiskey. She rubbed her temples and sighed.
“Why?” she said aloud.
She had only downed two shots, but it had been enough to curse her with a hangover.
She climbed out of bed with her eyes still practically sealed shut, and she groped her way out of her room and into the hallway. In
the darkness of the corridor, she dared to open her eyes and made her way towards the kitchen, desperate for something to drink.
She pulled open the refrigerator and grasped for a bottle of water. She unscrewed the cap and held it to her lips before glugging down as much as she could. She sat at the table, holding onto the bottle and rubbing her forehead, wishing that at least some part of the previous evening had all been a strange dream. But she knew in her heart that it hadn’t.
The club was in trouble. Marv was on his way out, and one of the bike gangs was going to claim it… The question was, who?
She swallowed and bit her lip.
Steel.
He was like no one she had ever met before and now he was all she could think about. She remembered the way he had held her close, had protected her and insisted that she stay safe. It had felt so good, and yet the whole prospect terrified her.
What if I fall in love? she thought.
What if he hurts me?
What if I’m putting myself in danger?
Her insecurities were mounting, even though barely anything had happened between them. She was replaying every undesirable scenario through her head just to prepare herself for what could be.
It had all gone so wrong with Simon. She had been so wrong about him… What if she was wrong about Steel, too?
Just as she was about to drag herself back to bed, she heard the roar of a bike engine coming down the street. Her heart skipped and she ran over to the window. She could see him. He had kept his promise and was coming back to make sure she was alright. Candy turned and caught sight of herself in the mirror and ran quickly into the bedroom.
Her hair was sticking up on end and her mascara was in blotchy black lines under her eyes. She wiped away as much of the previous night’s make-up as she could and quickly ran a comb through her long blonde locks. She spritzed on some perfume and pulled her little black robe tightly around herself and tied it at the waist before she checked the mirror again and smiled.
There was a knock at the door. She had managed it just in time. Candy breathed in deeply and walked to the front of the house, her heart was pounding with anticipation of what it would be like to see him again.
BULL: MC ROMANCE (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 6) Page 137