Six: Company of Sinners MC #2

by Lisa J. Hobman

  A guy could fucking hope, right?

  Chloe

  After calling in sick all week, in some stupid misplaced loyalty to a guy who now thought of me as a kid—he ruffled my fricking hair for goodness sake—I was so pissed. Not only at him but at myself too for being so easy to manipulate. I needed to get my damned head on straight and more to the point get him out of there. So when Friday came around again I figured I couldn't stay away from the club any longer. And why the hell should I anyway?

  I needed the cash and dance night was always the money spinner.

  I'd been torturing myself by listening to the disc Six had dropped though my door and each time I had, my heart had ached for something but I wasn't really sure what. He had made it quite clear that he wasn't about to cross the arbitrary line he had made for himself in the imaginary sand.

  So my resolve was firm.

  This Friday night I would be Nina once again.

  As I blow dried my hair and plastered on my first layer of make-up, I wondered if Six would be there to watch. My stomach fluttered with what seemed to be a thousand butterflies all taking flight at once and in spite of myself I hoped desperately that he would be. Partly because I felt so much safer when he was there and partly because I wanted to remind him why he had wanted me in the first place. That I wasn't some little fragile kid in need of a big brother. And if wearing make-up and hardly any clothes got his attention then so be it. Maybe that was all I was good for and I'd have to get used to it.

  As always The Fox Hub was super busy when I arrived. I scanned the room looking for my dirty-blonde haired biker but he was nowhere to be seen and my heart sank. Maybe now that he had seen the real me more than once he wouldn't show up any more. I went backstage to drop off my bag, change and add the finishing touches to my thickly plastered on make-up.

  A short while later there was a rap of knuckles on the dressing room door. “Nina, you're up.”

  As usual the dreaded words sent shivers down my spine. I took a deep breath and checked my appearance in the mirror to see that I was once again unrecognisable as quiet, unsure little Chloe. Mission accomplished. I stood and slipped my feet into the six-inch silver stilettos that made my toes hurt like hell. Tonight's nipple covers were black lace with a matching thong. The black was a stark contrast to the fake blonde of my hair and my ruby red, glitter lipstick made me look like a hooker or a porn star. I laughed humorlessly as I remembered the guy who had offered me a contract around six months earlier to star in his porn movies. I had turned him down even though the wages had been so high they would have solved all my money worries. But the romantic in me still wanted to find someone to love. And starring in porn films would no doubt make it even harder to meet my elusive Mister Right.

  The eerie piano of the night’s song rang out around the buzzing room. Nine Inch Nails' “Right Where It Belongs” was the track I had chosen. After my usual pep talk to the mirror I stepped out onto the stage, once again scanning for the man who could make me feel safe.

  But this time he was nowhere to be seen.

  Chapter Eleven

  Six

  Hearing that Loki's Legion were up on our piece of land, and that they were trying to stake some kind of claim over it, wasn't the news any of us wanted to hear. Of course, Colt wanted us to go right on up there and make sure they left under the correct assumption that they'd got things totally wrong. They had to know that the land was not—and was never going to be—theirs. Colt had overseen the land for so long now he—and the rest of our MC—considered it CoSMiC land.

  This wasn't how I was hoping to spend my evening. There was a certain sexy little bleached blonde dancer that I wanted to check on, but sadly there was no way I could be in two places at once. She appealed to me a hell of a lot more than a brawl in a field, but I had to join my crew in trying to resolve this latest war game. When we arrived up at the land, however, things were not as we had expected.

  The Loki's Legion bastards had been drinking and they were armed.

  But the worst part was they weren't alone.

  How the hell things descended into such carnage so damn quickly, I really don't know. No one had expected a young girl to be there. What the hell had Deak been thinking of letting her follow the drunken idiots out into the middle of nowhere when they were clearly intent on raising hell? In fact, I wondered if he had even known she was there. I hoped not, or he was even more of an asshole than I thought.

  And what the hell had Weasel, from our crew, been doing with my buddy Cain's gun? Come to think of it, where the fuck had Cain even been? Weasel and Cain were of a similar height and it was as if Weasel were trying to be Cain or maybe he was trying to deliberately frame him. Like it was some kind of a set up. Weasel's beanie hat was pulled far down and thanks to the darkness it wouldn't have been possible for the Legion to see that it actually wasn't Cain. Add that to the fact that Cain's gun was very distinctive—even from a distance—with its engraving and there was just enough light to glint on the surface and make the markings visible, and I knew that if any of Loki's Legion had seen it they would presume that Cain was the one who had fired the shot that killed the girl.

  Fuck!

  I had no damned idea what the hell was happening with the MC but it felt like everything was crumbling around me and the uneasy knot in my stomach was growing with every second that passed since the gunfight.

  Images of the girl crumpling to the ground after the shot rang out, rampaged around my head and turned my guts to the point where I almost lost the meager amount of food I'd consumed during the day. The blood-curdling scream of agony that rent the night air as it ripped from her throat would live in my brain forever; and I wasn't sure how the hell to deal with that. I mean, I'd seen death before. Shit, I'd killed before. But this was different. She was an innocent. Fuck. She was eighteen.

  Eighteen.

  No fucking age to die. Again I wondered why the hell they had even been there. Why had any of them been there? Nothing had been decided about the land and so the Loki's Legion crew had no damn right to stake a claim. And why take a young girl out there? Jeez.

  I gripped the handles of the bike until my fingers were almost numb. I needed a drink. The rest of the MC had gone back to the clubhouse and Colt was eager for me to go back too. He wanted us to lock down and figure out how the hell we were going to sort this whole mess of crap out. There was a good chance that Loki's Legion would go for the 'an eye for an eye' approach. And what Cain failed to realize was that there was a good chance that Rosa, his kid sister and the youngest female connected to our crew, was in grave danger for that very reason.

  I also had other things on my mind. I needed to check on Chloe. Knowing how fucking stubborn she was turning out to be, I imagined she was probably at the club seeing as Friday was her main night to dance. I wondered if she had expected me to be there. I wished I had been. At least that way I wouldn't have witnessed the hell that went down over at no-man's land.

  There were so many unanswered questions but I wanted to forget the harrowing scenes I had witnessed. Alcohol would be the best way to do that but with the situation as it was I needed my wits about me. I needed to know that if Loki's Legion decided to retaliate—which there was no real doubt about—that I'd be in a fit state to fight. Or at least to defend myself and Chloe. I cursed the night that the Legion bastard had stepped into The Fox Hub and laid his hands on her. If only he hadn't stepped out of line like that and caused me to intervene, maybe we could have dealt with the whole land situation like the adults we claimed to be.

  I pulled up outside The Fox Hub with a pounding heart, hoping and praying that my dancer was unharmed. Only problem was it was almost closing time. I questioned myself as to whether I should go ahead in and check on her but I figured I'd wait. I knew the sleaze who had tried to molest her before wasn't around seeing as he'd been out with the crew when all hell broke loose up at the piece of land that everyone was so desperate to get their grubby hands on.

  Afte
r toying with the idea of going inside to her—if she was there—I decided to wait outside on the bike. I reasoned with myself that she wouldn't take kindly to my over-possessive nature only a day after I showed up at her apartment. Although why I expected staying outside would be more acceptable I don't really know.

  Sure enough around a half hour later she left the club. Relief flooded my veins at the mere sight of her. Her black hooded sweater was zipped up tight and her head was down. But I'd know that figure and that walk anywhere. As always when she left the club she looked nothing like the made up, scantily clad bimbo she portrayed on stage. Old sneakers and yoga pants were her outfit of choice for her walk home. That way she would blend into the background like she wanted. Like she preferred. But regardless of what she wore she still stood out to me.

  I climbed off the bike and removed my helmet. “Chloe! Hey!” I called out to her as I jogged over in the hope I didn't scare her half to death. Although jumping out on her unannounced would have, so I was hedging my bets.

  She stopped and pulled down her hood. “What are you doing here?” Her tone was anything but welcoming.

  “I just came to check on you. Make sure you're okay.”

  “Yeah? Well you did that yesterday remember, Stalky? So now you see I'm fine again you can go home. Like I said I don't need a big brother.” She began to walk away from me and I reached out and grabbed her arm. She jerked her head around and her sharp intake of breath and wide eyes made me let go immediately. I didn't mean to scare her but it didn't seem to stop me from continually doing so.

  “Shit, I'm sorry, CD. I just... I want to protect you. That's all. You think of me as the big bad wolf but really I'm not. And if you think about it...I guess you're like a wolf too. You're independent as hell and stubborn as fuck and you've got a fierce bite but... like all wolves we work better in a pack...more protection. Safety in numbers you know?”

  She snorted derisively and shook her head. “I'm not an animal, Six. I'm just capable of looking after myself. And tell me this, why is it that men are continually trying to do me favors when they're the ones who'll benefit and not me?”

  Huh? I scrunched my brow and shook my head. “I...I don't know what you mean.”

  “Seriously? Well lucky for you I do know what I mean. And what I mean is just go home, Six.” She began to walk again and I followed after her.

  I had to come up with something. “Wanna go to Hank's all night café and grab a coffee?” It was a lame ass suggestion but it was all I had.

  She stopped again and swung around to face me. “For the love of all that's holy would you just stop feeling sorry for me? I'm fine. Okay? So some jerk tried to force himself on me. So what? I'm over it, okay? I appreciate you stepping in but you can just leave it now. I don't need your God damn pity.”

  She really wasn't going to make things easy on me and fuck if I wasn't getting pissed at her. “Whoa, hang on, pitying and feeling sorry for you? How the fuck am I feeling sorry for you by wanting to spend time with you?”

  She sighed and let her head fall back so she was gazing up at the stars. “Six, I threw myself at you. You turned me down. Then yesterday you almost kissed me but changed your mind at the last second and made me feel foolish. You can stop trying to make me feel better now. Stop trying to let me down gently okay? Message received loud and clear. I get it.” She connected with my eyes once again but the pain I saw in hers made me angry.

  I stepped in front of her—but not too close—reached out, placed my hands on her shoulders and squeezed gently. “Get what? And why the fuck would you think I was trying to make you feel better?”

  Her lip began to tremble and she lowered her gaze again. “Because I'm only attractive to you when I'm half naked and have all my make-up on. When I'm thrusting my tits in your face or wrapped around a pole. Look, I'm just being realistic, okay? You've seen me up close more than once now when I've just been plain old me and it's turned you off.” She shrugged. “Brett was right.”

  Who the fuck is Brett?

  I tentatively stepped closer once more and tilted her chin up with my finger. “Hey, now hang on there, woman.” I tried not to sound pissed but failed miserably. The thought that some dick had made her feel insecure made my blood boil. “I have no idea who this Brett douche is, but if he told you that you're ugly or something then he's one dumb-ass fucking prick. I don't care if you have make-up on or none at all; you're the most beautiful girl I've ever laid eyes on.” Well fuck that's out there now. “So don't ever say that I feel sorry for you, okay? Or that I'm not fucking interested 'coz you couldn't be any fucking farther from the truth.” My voice was getting louder and I was aware that I was swearing a hell of a lot but I couldn't seem to control my mouth as my hate for the shit-head Brett guy in her life dug at my insides and I continued with my barrage. “You don't live in my head, okay? So you have no damn clue how I feel about you or what you do to me with or without your face paint on. You drive me nuts and you're the stubbornest and most frustrating little bitch I've ever met but I happen to like that for some stupid reason.” Okay, Six now you're babbling all kinds of shit. Just quit it. I stopped talking for a second and she opened her mouth to retaliate so I held up my hand and stopped her. “Now before you butt in with your own snide little sarcastic comments you should know that I'm taking you home. And before you argue I'm doing it for me, so I know you're safe and I've had the fucking night from hell so you better not argue about this ‘coz if you do I swear I'll take you over my shoulder and fucking carry you home if I have to and I may even spank your ass. So go get on the fucking bike, Chloe. Now!” My chest was heaving and I was waiting for her to slap me, scream, or kick me in the balls.

  She'd have had every right.

  Chapter Twelve

  Chloe

  I stood there open mouthed as he verbally lashed out at me. Shouting and swearing right in my face. For a split second I wondered why his night had been so bad and I guess I should have been pissed off or at least angry at him for the way he was behaving. But his words were somehow the most romantic thing I had ever heard and so I quickly refocused on them. He thinks I'm beautiful? With or without make-up? Is this a joke? Is he for real? His shoulders and jaw were tensed and his whole demeanor screamed rage as he turned and stalked toward the bike across the lot.

  I was shocked to my core but touched by his concern at the same time. And his threat of spanking my ass had an even stranger effect on me. The fire in his eyes wasn't one of rage at that point but lust. And my God it turned me on. That was a definite first for me.

  I wasn't afraid, but the dichotomy of his words and actions had me frozen to the spot.

  He turned once again and glared at me. “You comin' or do I have to carry you? ‘Coz you fucking know I'll do it.”

  As if I was being pulled toward him by some invisible force my feet began to move. Once I was up close he thrust a helmet into my hands. “Put this on.”

  I stared at it with confusion and shook my head. “Wh-where's yours?”

  “Only got one. And you're wearing it. No arguments.” His pouty-faced response made me smile and I pulled my lips in to try and stop it. “Are you laughing at me Chloe dancer?”

  I didn't put the helmet on and when I lifted my gaze to his he was smiling. I nodded. “Maybe a little.”

  He scrunched his brow but his smile remained in place. “Oh you are, huh? What's so funny?”

  “You, when you're angry. You look cute...kind of like a sulky teenager.”

  He stepped toward me and slipped his hand around my waist and the heat of arousal began to creep up my skin.

  Leaning in close he whispered into my ear, “Oh do I really?”

  I nervously chewed on my lip and nodded again as the butterflies took flight once more.

  He leaned in closer still and ran his nose down mine before pulling away and locking his eyes on mine. “Hmm, I can't have you thinking of me as a teenager, now can I? I need you thinking of me as a man.” He reached his other hand
up and rubbed at his beard and I desperately wanted to feel it scratching against my skin...preferably the skin of my inner thighs. I watched as his mouth turned up at one side mischievously. “Now how could I possibly do that I wonder?”

  Before I knew what was happening he pulled me to him and crushed his lips to mine. Desire coiled deep in my belly and my muscles clenched as his tongue slipped and slid with mine in a passionate duel that he was winning without a doubt. With one hand I limply held on to the helmet he had given me and with the other I gripped the stiff leather of his biker jacket. The hand that he had slipped around my waist slowly moved down to my behind and he squeezed me there, unabashedly pressing me against the rigid erection in the front of his jeans as we kissed. My heart pounded in perfect rhythm with his and I was ready to give him anything, right there in the parking lot of The Fox Hub.

  When he ended the kiss abruptly and pulled away he raised his eyebrows questioningly. Once my lust filled fog has dissipated I swallowed hard. “O-okay...the t-teenager has definitely gone.”

  Satisfied that he had proved his point, he flung his leg over the fuel tank and sat on the bike. I tugged the helmet on and fastened the chin strap, suddenly shaking at the prospect of being pillion passenger to such a perfect and huge specimen of masculinity. He held out his hand and I gripped it as I too straddled the hunk of shining metal with legs that had turned to jelly.

  He fired up and revved the engine before pulling away in the direction of my apartment. A shiver of excitement traveled the full length of my spine as we took off. Being on the back of his bike was exhilarating and not at all what I expected. The most surprising thing was that I wasn't scared like I'd thought I'd be. The cool night air took my breath away and my nipples stood to attention under my clothing. I wasn't sure if it was the thrill or the chill but nevertheless I was very much aware of the tingling sensation around my breasts. As the minimal street lighting flashed past us at speed I found myself wishing I lived farther away so the ride could last longer.