A small, sad smile formed on my lips.
My Cooper would save me. He always did.
13
STEEL
My phone vibrated in my pocket. I forgot I put it on silent when we had our meeting in the war room. Reaching into the inside pocket of my cut, I looked at the caller ID and saw it was Vegas calling me. She was on duty at the Bar and Grill today with Mia. They were both pulling doubles today. Thankfully, my two best bar backs were coming back from Bali tomorrow, then some of the extra shifts and pressure would be taken off the girls’ shoulders.
“Hey, sweetheart, what’s up?”
“Steel, we have a big problem,” Vegas said, sounding frantic, and my senses went on alert.
“Julie, what’s going on?” My first thought was of Mia, which was new and strange but also felt right that she would be the first thing to come to mind.
“Mia is being arrested.”
What in the fuck?
“Say that again,” I said, an edge to my voice. There was no way my beauty could ever do anything to warrant being arrested. Looking over to where Booth, Mannix, and Deck were standing, I gave them a look to let them know something was going down. After our years together in the army and the commandos, we were still attuned to one another. My brothers both strode over to me, waiting for me to tell them what was going on. They didn’t interrupt or demand to know—they knew how to wait out things until the time was right. Taking my phone from my ear, I quickly hit the speakerphone option. Three pairs of ears were better than one, I always said.
“They said something about her selling liquor to underage patrons. It’s bullshit, Steel. None of us would ever do that. They say they have evidence of it happening here all the time.”
I was barely hanging on to my temper. There was no way in hell any of my staff would sell to anyone without proper and real ID. We trained our workers extensively on looking for fake shit. And Mia? Absolutely, no fucking way. She was strict as fuck on that shit, and I was about to say something to that effect when I heard Vegas shout.
“Hey, is that necessary? Mia weighs next to nothing, and she isn’t going to run. Be careful with her.” I heard an audible female whimper and the distinct sound of metal cuffs clicking shut. Jesus fuck, they cuffed her?
“Julie, what is happening? Are they hurting her? Is she okay? Let me talk to her.” I threw out question after question. I felt so fucking helpless standing here, listening to half of what was going on with my woman.
“Steel, you have to get down to the police station. They are taking her there now, and one of the officers is Stella’s stepbrother Michael. He looks creepy as fuck. He keeps looking at Mia and licking his lips.”
Booth instantly tensed at the mention of that fucker Michael. After Stella confessed about the beatings she endured at the hands of her two stepbrothers, Booth had been waiting to get his hands on them. The bastards were hiding behind their uniforms and their positions in the force. Now might be that fucking moment.
“Stay at the bar, Julie. Darth is on his way.” I nodded at Darth, who was listening along with the others, and he gave me a chin lift, and then took off at a jog towards the front door. He didn’t need to be told and didn’t bother to waste time to ask questions.
“Hurry, Steel. I just watched that arsehole shove Mia into the back of the police car and climb in behind her. There is something not right here, Steel. One of the other guys mentioned you guys in particular. Said something about not wanting Mia to complain to her friends at the club. How does a total stranger know about the club? Or that Mia knows you all.” Vegas was smart. During her years with the club, she had learnt a thing or two. We didn’t keep everything in a cone of silence like some MC’s did.
We wanted our girls to be street smart and observant, now more than ever, but my main concern was Mia. If that cunt Michael put one hand on Mia, I would fuck him up. There wouldn’t be much left of him for Booth to go at, that much I could guarantee. I might be a prick for leaving her this morning without a word, and I might still be a bit fuzzy on what we were, but I did know that Mia was mine, and there wasn’t anything I wouldn’t do to protect what was mine.
“Hang tight, sweetheart. Wait for Darth, then close up for the day and get back here pronto.”
Booth nodded his head in agreement. This would be another expensive loss for the Bar and Grill and the club, but at the end of the day, the safety of our staff and friends was much more important than money. We made a decent living from the handful of businesses we operated, so one night wouldn’t break the bank.
Disconnecting the call, I looked towards my pres. I knew what I was going to do. In two seconds, I was going to run out of the compound, jump on my bike, and speed to the police station to my beauty. But I had to wait for Booth’s orders, the soldier in me too ingrained in my DNA.
“Steel, I’m with you. Deck, call Jason and see if he can meet us there, then stay here and keep the compound locked down. Mannix, get over to the strip club and shut it up, then get Rainn back here. Also, Deck, get on the phone and call Seb at the range. Get him to lock that shit up tighter than Fort Knox. Take no chances, brothers, and take a prospect with you, Mannix, and don’t ride alone.” Booth barked out the orders before heading for his suite of rooms. “Get going, Steel. I won’t be far behind you,” he yelled over his shoulder. I knew he was going to Stella. She had gone to lie down only ten minutes ago. The mention of Michael’s name had obviously stirred shit up in Booth’s head, and seeing his wife would calm some of it down.
Taking off at a sprint, I pushed my way through the huge wooden double doors of the compound and made my way to the parking area. Not even the ache in my leg halted my speed. I needed to get to Mia.
There was nothing more important than my beauty right now. She had better be okay because if they hurt her or mistreat her in any way, I knew I wouldn’t be able to stay calm or in control. Nope.
Wasn’t happening.
————
Four fucking hours!
That was how long we had been sitting in these fucking uncomfortable tiny plastic chairs, waiting for the wheels to turn to get Mia out. Booth called the club’s solicitor, and he had been in the interview room, presumably with Mia, since we got here. I had no clue because no would tell me a fucking thing.
Deck called earlier and told us Jason was on duty and knew Mia had been brought in. Through his call with Deck, Jason relayed that he would do everything he could to make sure she was safe. He fucking better. While sitting there waiting, I imagined all sorts of fucked-up shit that could happen to her.
Fuck, she had to be scared out of her mind. Mia was so tiny, so sweet and trusting. She didn’t belong in an interview room with that fucker Michael.
“Steel.” Booth growled as he got up out of his seat next to me.
I looked up at him and saw he was looking at the far door where Jason was coming out with Mia. Oh, thank fucking God.
As I got to my feet and rushed to her, my heart leapt when her eyes met mine. She pushed away from Jason, then rushed to me. When her tiny body crashed into mine, my arms went around her instantly, and I held her tightly against me. I breathed easy for the first time since I got the call from Vegas. Mia was in my arms and holding me like I was her lifeline.
“Jason, what the hell is going on?” Booth demanded, his narrowed gaze on Deck’s brother.
“Truthfully? Bullshit! The people who made the complaints were the two arseholes you threw out of the Bar and Grill, Steel.”
Fuck. This happened because of me. Mia was arrested because of my actions with those punks. Guilt swamped me as I looked over Mia’s head at Booth. With just a look, he understood, and his head was already shaking in disagreement.
“Don’t even go there, VP. Those idiots got what any one of us would have dished out. You have dealt with other customers exactly the same way before, so stop taking on the guilt,” Booth ordered, his voice stern.
Jason nodded his head in agreement.
�
��He’s right, Steel. There is more to this than meets the eye. This feels too staged, too flimsy. When they were questioned by another detective without Michael in the room, they stumbled in their stories and forgot details they had already told in their initial statement.” Jason smiled tenderly at Mia. “This little lady has no reason to worry. No charges are forthcoming, so she is free to go.”
I felt Mia sag with relief against me. This must have hit her hard. Her work ethic was too important to her, and her job as a representative of my business meant too much to her.
Kissing the top of her head, I took a few seconds to keep Mia in my arms for a bit longer. The reality was, I didn’t want to let her go, ever.
“Thank you, Jason, for everything you did for me in there. Can I really go?”
“Yes, sweetie, you can go. Do you want me to drive you home?” Jason asked, and I had to hold myself back from beating him to a bloody pulp. I could feel my teeth grinding together at the endearment and the offer to drive her home. Like fuck he will. Can’t he see her in my arms? Can’t he see her holding onto me?
“I got her, thanks, Johnston. Your job here is done.” I growled, glowering at Officer Prick.
“Steel,” Mia admonished me. Lifting her head from my chest, she gave Jason a sweet smile. “Thank you again, Jason, but I think I will go with Steel,” she told him, then pulled out of my arms and leaned over to hug him.
Jason grinned at me as he hugged Mia back. The smug prick was deliberately pushing my buttons. I had known him just as long as I had known Deck, and he had always enjoyed pissing us off. Deck, Mannix, Booth and I were close from the very start while Jason always stood on the outside of our circle wanting in, but we never did let him in. When Creed and Darth came along and joined our group, and then we all enlisted at the same time, Jason took off on his own and eventually became a cop. His competitiveness with Deck finally came to a head when he moved in on Zoe and won her from Deck.
“Come on, Steel. I want to get back to my wife, and you need to get Mia home,” Booth urged, giving Jason a chin lift and a warning glare.
Reaching out, I slipped Mia’s hand in mine and gently pulled her back to me. I missed her warmth the second she pulled out of my arms, and I wanted that feeling back. I tucked her under my arm and turned us, then guided her to follow Booth down the hall, glancing over my shoulder to smirk at Jason. I received a one-finger salute in return, but he sported a huge, knowing smile. Yeah, yeah, Officer Prick, another member of the Wounded Souls just fell.
Fell pretty fucking hard.
14
Mia
I didn’t know what was worse––being arrested and interviewed like I was already guilty or standing in the room where Steel used to have sex with my sister.
I knew it was stupid and irrational and petty, but there was no way I was sleeping in that bed. Just looking at it made me want to lose the salad wrap Stella made me eat when Steel, Booth, and I got back from the station. The men of the club all welcomed me back with hugs and words of support and thanks. I nearly burst into tears right there in the kitchen as the love washed over me and warmed me. But then Steel had taken my hand and brought me to his rooms, and suddenly, I didn’t feel all that warm and loved. Surely, he knew this would be difficult for me. Surely, he wasn’t so uncaring that he would expect me to sleep or have sex with him in the same bed my sister had been in.
“She has never been in my bed.”
I jumped, letting out a squeak of surprise as Steel startled me when he spoke. Turning around, I ignored my rapidly beating heart and scoffed at him.
“There is no need to lie, Steel. I can go sleep on the couch out in the main room. Everyone will settle soon, so sleeping out there won’t be so bad,” I suggested, my shoulders shrugging as if it were no big deal
Steel’s lips thinned as his eyes narrowed.
“When have I ever lied to you, Mia? Tell me one time when I have looked at you and told you a barefaced lie,” he demanded, his arms crossed over his chest. He looked pissed off and hurt.
I immediately felt like crap. He was right. He never had. He had hurt me, humiliated me, and torn my heart out more times than I could count, but he had never lied to me.
“I am sorry. That was totally uncalled for. You have never lied to me,” I admitted in a quiet voice.
His eyes softened slightly as a small smile played on his sensual lips.
“And I have no intention of starting now. Callie never slept in here. She had sex with me in here, yes. Up against the door or the wall, but then she would leave the room and stay in the room Tori had here at the club.” Steel seemed embarrassed to admit how much of a bitch my sibling really was.
And she was a bitch. Making him have sex with her standing up when she knew he would have trouble holding her up the whole time during whatever it was they did. I was definitely not going there. No way. I wanted Steel. I wanted to try to build something with him. For heaven’s sake, there was a chance I might be carrying our child. I couldn’t let Callie come between us. Of course, Steel had to want it, too.
“And you will not be sleeping on the damned couch,” he said with a low growl as he stalked towards me and picked me up in his arms. His brute strength was impressive despite his amputation.
Wrapping my arms around his neck, I held on tight. I loved being in his arms last night in bed and today at the police station. Anytime he wanted to hold me was okay with me, but I wanted––no, needed to know where his head was on the subject of us. Before I said anything about what might be growing inside me, I wanted to know that Callie was his past.
“Steel, where are you with your feelings for my sister?” I hated the words the second they came out of my mouth. I wanted to take them back and never utter her name again.
Dropping his forehead to mine, Steel let out a long and tired sigh. I hated that he was so tired. He’d waited at the police station for hours while I was being held for questioning. His leg had to be feeling the impact of those uncomfortable chairs.
“Let’s lie down, okay? I am too fucking exhausted to be too proud to admit I am in pain right now.”
I instantly released my legs from around his waist and made him lower me to the ground. The man could be so stubborn sometimes.
“Only if you take off your clothes and the prosthesis,” I bargained. I would not let him put me in the same category as those awful women from his past––and especially my sister.
Steel stared at me for what felt like hours but was only seconds. His eyes were the most intense shade of green I had ever seen.
Closing my eyes, I allowed myself a brief second to imagine a little boy with the same pretty green eyes.
“Mia, open those sweet chocolate eyes,” Steel commanded in a low rumble.
Of course, I complied straightaway. He had that effect on me. I wanted to do his bidding, but I also needed to be kicked out of the women’s movement with that thought.
“Beauty, I have never taken it off in front of anyone except my brother.” His ravaged declaration hit me smack bang in my heart. I didn’t know if that was his intention, but I didn’t care at that point. If we were going to move forward as a couple, he needed to give me that trust. Otherwise, there was no us.
Sighing deeply, I closed in on him and pushed myself against his expansive and very impressive tee-covered chest. As my hands rested on his pecs, I felt the warmth he radiated under hands.
“Stud, today has been a very exhausting day, and all I want to do is close my eyes and sleep. Do you trust me, Steel?” I held my breath as his hands came up and covered mine.
“With my life,” he answered, and my heart soared.
That was what I wanted, his trust. But there was still a lingering doubt about how much he meant that declaration. Standing on my tiptoes, I pressed a gentle kiss to his chin. I wanted more, I wanted to suck his tongue into my mouth and have a repeat performance of last night, but this was not the time for mind-boggling sex. This was for Steel to learn that I was not about just lo
oks, his or mine. Not about the outward appearance, not about the perfection. I was here, warts and all, imperfections, small breasts, and silly slogan T-shirts. I wanted him to understand I was here for him. One hundred percent. Always.
I untangled our hands and gave him a small, reassuring pat on his chest before turning away from him. Going to his chest of drawers, I opened them until I found his tees. After grabbing the first one, I continued on my way to his en-suite. Before closing the door, I looked over my shoulder at Steel to see him standing in the same spot with his hands still resting on his chest just staring at me. I hoped he recognised what I was giving him—the respect to remove his device without an audience gawking at him. I was rewarded with a small smile and a nod of his head. Turning back, I gently closed the door, the snick of the latch the only noise in the room. Going to the mirror, I leaned my hands on the vanity and moved in closer to look at my reflection.
“Okay, then, one step closer to your happily ever after,” I whispered to my reflection, totally forgetting that he never answered my question about his feelings for my sister.
15
STEEL
I stood still until I heard the shower turn on.
I was in awe of what Mia just gave me. That petite, beautiful, sweet woman just gave me a way to get myself back again. She was asking me to trust her, and fuck, I wanted to. I ached with it, to be able to have a woman in my arms, free of jeans or pants, to lie naked with her, holding her close to me. Last night had been close to the perfect night. I still left my jeans on, but she was naked and warm, sated in my arms.
That was what I wanted.
Intimacy.
I wanted more than just sex, more than just getting off and having a good time. I wanted holding hands, walking arm in arm, and fucking dancing. When was the last time I danced with a female who wasn’t four years old?
Mia was offering me that. Right here, right now. All I had to do was reach out and grab it.
His Beauty_The Wounded Souls Page 8