by Nina Levine
“Who did you leave with?”
“No one.”
Nitro moved out of the way, allowing King to invade my personal space. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, but his body language and eyes were a menacing presence. I knew what he was doing; it wasn’t like I’d never dealt with a man like King before. Finally, he said, “Good.”
“Can I go now?”
Something caused him to snap. His hand wrapped around my throat and he squeezed hard until I almost choked. His fingers dug in, blocking my ability to breathe and causing me pain. When he had me gasping for air, he leaned close and hissed, “I’m not a fan of your smartass mouth, Tatum. Nitro’s gonna take you home and you’re gonna show him around your house so he knows every inch of it. By the time he leaves, he’ll know every point of entry. And if you so much as look at me the wrong fucking way, I’ll send him over to do what I wanted to do in the first place.” He applied a little more pressure, until just as I thought I would pass out, he let go. “Do we have an understanding?”
I gasped for air, sucking in huge wheezing breaths while staring at King with hate. When my breathing finally stabilised, I snarled, “We have an understanding, but you do that shit to me again and you won’t just have Billy to deal with. You think I’m a fucking stripper? I’m not.” I held up my hands. “Now fucking undo these and take me home.”
Fucking bikers.
King’s body tensed and he clenched his fists by his side. He wouldn’t hit me, though. Billy would have been out of his mind looking for me last night; he would have made it crystal clear to King to let me go. And King had to know that Billy didn’t like it when those close to him were hurt. Everyone in Sydney knew that.
“Get her out of my sight, Nitro,” he spat before stalking out of the room.
I watched him leave, more than happy to see the back of him. When I turned to face Nitro again, I found him watching me with an expression I couldn’t put my finger on.
“What?” I snapped.
Whatever he’d been thinking was replaced with his standard anger at me. Reaching for my hands, he ignored my question and muttered, “Thank fuck this is over.”
Fuck yes.
I felt exactly the same.
* * *
Walking into my kitchen, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. It was good to be home, but most of the tension in my body remained. Until Nitro left it wouldn’t shift.
His hand curved over my shoulder causing my survival instincts to ratchet up another notch. “Time to show me around, Vegas.”
I turned, shrugging out of his grip even though the movement killed like a bitch, and glared at him. “Don’t touch me again.” Jerking my chin, I added, “Show yourself around. I have calls to make.”
Without waiting for his reply, I grabbed my phone out of my bag. Swiping to see how many calls I’d missed, I squinted through swollen eyes and discovered sixteen missed calls from Billy. “Fuck,” I muttered. He really was desperate to get me back.
Nitro watched me for a few moments. He didn’t utter another word and he didn’t move, but still he managed to knot me with more unease. I had no idea what he was thinking or what he was likely to do. I guessed that was exactly how he liked things to be. It was something I understood, because it was how I operated in my life, too. Being an open book hadn’t worked out for me. All it had left me with was betrayal, divorce and no fucking job, so I kept a tight lid on shit these days.
When he finally left the kitchen, I placed my hands on the counter and spent a few minutes taking some deep breaths. God knew, I needed them, even if each one was pure torture. In the space of twelve hours, my life had taken another detour, not one I relished. Having the President of the fucking Storm MC threaten me wasn’t something to take lightly. As much as I had Billy and some others in my corner, this town was renowned for turning people against each other.
Maybe it was time to get out. Besides my cousin, Monroe, I didn’t have anyone left who I cared for enough to stick around. Leaving this city was something I’d thought a lot about since Randall had screwed me over, and now that Chris’s death had been avenged, maybe it was finally time to disappear.
“Three bedrooms, one bathroom, one toilet, a kitchen, lounge room, dining room, and laundry all with bars on every window,” Nitro said, entering the kitchen again. “Nine rooms locked up tight, along with security cameras on each entry and throughout the house, triple deadlocks on the front and back doors, Crimsafe doors and windows, a gun, and two knives stashed in the house… you don’t fuck around with security, do you?”
I met his gaze, determined not to flinch away from him again. “There’re some assholes in this town, so no, I don’t fuck around with it.”
He moved closer to me, only stopping when our bodies almost touched. “Getting in your home might prove harder than usual for me, but take heed of King’s threat. He knows where you live and he knows who you work for.” He dipped his face to mine. “We can find you if we want to. Keep your mouth shut and don’t ever mention the Storm MC, and shit will be good between us.”
His eyes bored into mine while his order settled between us.
Placing my hand on his chest, I pushed him away. “If I never see or hear about you or your club again, it’ll make me the happiest woman on this planet.”
His nostrils flared and he made a growling noise deep in his chest. “We have a deal then.” With that, he swept one last menacing glance over me before turning and exiting my kitchen.
The sound of the front door closing a moment later, and his bike roaring to life kicked me into gear. Ten minutes later, I had every door and window locked tight. Watching from the front window in my lounge room, I scanned the street making sure no one was out there. You could never be too careful. Not in the line of work I was in.
Once I was sure of my safety, I collapsed onto the couch. My heart beat faster as I remembered the events of the previous night.
The biker.
His hands on me.
His fingers inside me.
The beating he gave me while he got off.
His cum on my ass.
Disgust prickled my skin while the memories came at me relentlessly. I wrapped my arms around my body, needing to feel like I was capable of consoling myself. There was no one else there to hug me; I had to look after myself.
I’d been stupid to go to that hotel room. I knew that, but nothing would have kept me from it. That man murdered my brother. My twin. The one person who loved me to the moon and back, no questions asked.
I shivered as the cold winter air blanketed me. Trying to block the memories, I closed my eyes.
I was so tired.
And my body hurt like a bitch.
I had to be strong; I always was. But in that moment, I clung to the tiny amount of strength I had left. It would be so easy to surrender to the pain, the grief and the exhaustion.
Tears wet my cheeks and for once, I allowed them to.
I didn’t hold them back and I didn’t deny the sadness swallowing me.
But I only gave myself that moment to feel it. And once I’d let the memories, thoughts and emotions roll through me, I wiped those tears away and sat up straight. Dwelling in the shit of life wasn’t productive. Either you checked out or you checked in, and I chose the latter. Which meant I had places to be and people to see.
This life isn’t for the weak, Tatum.
You made your bed and now you need to lie in it.
Time to get to work.
7
Nitro
“Bring Down The City” by Massive
“You made it clear to her not to open her mouth?” King asked when I arrived at the clubhouse later that morning. I’d found him at the bar and had pulled up a seat next to him to discuss Tatum.
“Yeah. She’s not gonna talk, King.” I didn’t know what Tatum was messed up with, but I’d wager a bet she was almost as deep in shit as we were. Working for Billy guaranteed it. She’d be dead the minute she so much as parted her lips, and it wou
ldn’t be us pulling the trigger.
He nodded as he swept his gaze around the clubhouse bar. The boys had started arriving for Church, and I knew King was keeping track of everyone because he made a point to always know who was in the clubhouse at all times. “Lotta shit going down, so I need you to stay on top of her. First sign of trouble, you deal with it.” Turning his attention back to me, he said, “I just got word that Silver Hell paid a visit to Eric Bones early this morning.”
“And?” We’d expected that.
“They trashed one of his clubs and roughed him and some of his girls up. I need you and Devil to check in on him after Church, and make sure he’s still on board. Max and Calvin have signalled their support, and Kick’s checking in with Stu. Bones, though, is the one I’m unsure of.”
“Will do.” We had some of the most powerful men in Sydney behind us and I’d make sure Bones didn’t forget where his support was best put.
King’s attention shifted to Brittany behind the bar. She placed two drinks in front of us. “Rum is the best way to start a day, don’t you think?”
King didn’t hesitate. He drained his glass in two gulps. “Today, it’s the only way.” He nodded at mine. “Drink up, brother, we’ve got Church to get through.”
I watched as he left, and then threw back some rum. Gritting my teeth as it went down, I eyed Brittany. She watched me with a concerned look. “What?”
“King’s on edge. I’ve never seen him like that before,” she said.
I drank the rest of the rum and stood. Handing her the glass, I said, “King’s always on edge. He usually just hides it better.”
She leaned across the bar. “Shit’s getting a little too real around here, Nitro. I’m not sure I can hang around much longer.”
I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why?”
She ran her fingers through her hair. “Someone slashed my tyres yesterday. That’s three things now that they’ve done to try to scare me, and it’s working. I know you said the club would keep me safe, but I’m worried.” Her voice wobbled as she looked at me with wide eyes full of fear.
I stared at her. She had no grit and we didn’t need any weak links. People like Brittany only put everyone else at risk. “We’ll find someone to replace you.”
She frowned. “I didn’t mean I wanted out completely. Maybe I could just take some time off while you guys sort it out.”
“No.”
Her lips flattened. “So just like that you’ll replace me? After everything I’ve done for the club, you’ll just send me on my way without a backwards glance?”
“Everything you’ve done for the club? You poured beers and ran the bar, which you were paid for.”
“I did way more than just make drinks and you know it,” she snapped.
“What the fuck else did you do, Brittany? Suck some dick and try to fuck your way onto the back of a bike? That was your choice.”
Her face scrunched up in anger. “You’re an asshole, you know that? I can’t believe I thought that underneath it all, you had some good inside of you.”
My body tensed, my own anger surfacing. I should have known better than to fuck someone who was so close to my daily life. “I can have someone here to replace you in an hour. You want me to make that call?”
She flinched. And then, straightening her shoulders, she said, “No, I’ll finish out this week and then I’ll leave.”
I rested my hand on the bar and leaned towards her. “No, you’ll finish up today. We’ll pay you for the week, but you won’t step foot inside this clubhouse after today.”
As I walked away from her, I eyed Kick entering the building. When he reached me, I said, “We need to replace Brittany. Today. You got anyone?”
He nodded, always a yes man. “I can find someone.”
“And organise for Jacko to pay Brittany for the week.”
“What’s going on? Jacko’s gonna ask why, so I need to know what to tell him.” He was right. Our treasurer never paid bills without verifying them first.
“She’s weak, Kick, and she’ll burn us if anyone gets to her. I’m not willing to take a chance on that. The stakes are too fucking high and we’ve all paid a price. I won’t pay again.”
He nodded. “Consider it done.”
I’d never make this mistake again. Brittany had fucked other club members besides me, but it had been clear in her eyes just then that she wanted more from me. Sex would never be about something more for me. Not when trust was a necessary part of that equation. I trusted a handful of people in life and I wasn’t looking to add to that small group.
* * *
King’s lip curled up as he snarled at our newest patched member during Church, “Are you with us or not, Slider? Because if you’re not, you need to get up and walk out of here now.”
Slider threw him a filthy look. “I’m with you, but—”
King slammed his fist down on the heavy wooden table as anger flared in his eyes. “There’s no room for buts. We all agreed upon our course of action before last night, and I for one am fucking committed to it. Silver Hell will be decimated. Now, are you fucking with us or not?”
Slider clenched his jaw before giving King one firm nod. “I’m with you.”
King shoved his fingers through his hair and blew out a harsh breath. “Right, now that’s settled, this is where we stand at last count. Seven of their club members were taken out last night, including their VP and Sergeant-at-Arms”—he glanced at me—“and the motherfucker who has been fucking with our families.”
Conversation broke out at that news; it was what everyone had been waiting to hear. We’d all had family members suffer at the hands of Silver Hell.
“And their strip club?” Skull asked, breaking through the noise of everyone talking.
King nodded. “Hyde and Devil were successful there. It’s out of action for awhile.”
Hyde’s face lit up. “Watching it burn to the ground was the highlight of my week.”
King continued, “Next up is to hit them hard where it will hurt the most after the loss of that club. Bronze and his boys will raid their other clubs and find drugs, which should close them down. They’ll be in a world of financial hurt after that, but we need to be ready for the unexpected. Dragon will come after us with everything he has, so I want you to keep your ears to the ground and bring me anything you hear.” He lifted his chin at me, indicating that as Sergeant-at-Arms, it was my turn to take over.
Shifting so I could rest my arms on the table, I said, “Our plan hasn’t changed. I’ve given each of you the information you need to carry out the next step. You need something, you come to me.” I turned to Kick. “How did you go with that security footage from the casino?” I’d texted him the previous night asking him to take care of wiping all traces of me from the casino.
“All done,” he said.
“Thanks, brother.”
As I sat back, King asked, “Any questions before we get to work?” When none were forthcoming, he ended the meeting and everyone filed out.
Although the first round of attacks had gone to plan, the mood was anything but celebratory—we had a long way to go before that.
8
Tatum
“Sucker For Pain” by Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Imagine Dragons
Billy took one look at me when I entered his office the afternoon after Nitro dropped me at home and swore. “Those motherfuckers will pay for this!”
I held up my hand as I took the seat across from him at his desk. “Storm didn’t do this to me, Billy. It was the Silver Hell biker they killed who did it.”
He ran his eyes over my body, taking in the bruises that had settled into place on my arms and face. The ones on my back and legs were covered by my clothes. They were nastier and I was glad he couldn’t see them. Meeting my gaze, he said¸ “Fuck, Tatum, did you go to the hospital? Is anything broken?”
I shook my head. “Maybe a rib or two, but other than that it just looks bad. Nothing some painkillers and time won�
�t fix.”
He threw his pen down and leaned back in his chair. “You’re always so damn practical. It’s what I fucking love about you, but this time I’m taking charge and calling the doctor in to check on you.” At my scowl, he held up his hand and shook his head. “Don’t argue with me. I’ll have him here within the hour. In the meantime, you can start figuring out a way to get Posey off some drug charges brought against her last night. Fucking dumb bitch.”
I pursed my lips. “Don’t talk about the girls like that, Billy, they pay your fucking bills.”
“They also give me more headaches than I care for. Sort it out, Tatum, because otherwise she’s gone. I don’t need her problems on top of all the other shit we’re trying to deal with.”
I stood. “Is she here?”
He nodded. “Yes. And once you’ve fixed that, I need you to work out the scheduling issues they’re having before we go over the licencing for the new club.” Reaching for his phone, he added, “I’ll text you when the doc arrives.”
His concern meant something. It wasn’t often Billy Jones cared about someone enough to call a doctor for them. But gushing displays of emotion and thanks weren’t something either of us was good at or known for, so I simply nodded. “Thanks, Billy.”
As I turned to leave, he called out, “Six years, Tatum.”
I frowned as I glanced back at him. “Six years, what?”
Moving to where I stood, he came close and ran his finger down my cheek, so lightly I could hardly feel it. “It’s been six years since you smashed your car into mine. Six years since that day you told me to go fuck myself when I accused you of driving like an idiot.”
I had no idea where he was heading with this. “And what, Billy? You’re not going all fucking sentimental on me, are you?”
The hard glint in his eyes that he was known for remained when he spoke again, as did the hard tone he usually took, and yet there was something undeniably caring in his words. “I was fucking worried about you last night. Don’t do that shit again.”