by Sophia Gray
“What?”
“Nothing,” he said, looking at his cards. But a little smile played over his mouth.
“I mean it,” I said. “What?”
“It’s just that, ya know, you’re all ‘let’s not kill them, whatever.’ Then this girl comes along and you wanna start taking lives.” He wasn’t complaining. He was grinning at me. I told myself to have a talk with him later on about keeping certain things to himself.
Randy and Joe got in a bluff war, and I let myself zone out for a minute while they faced off. Axel was right, the son of a bitch. Just hours earlier, before the shit with Erica went down, I went off on Onyx when he said we needed to start building an attack plan. I reminded him I was at the head of the club, not him, and I was disappointed in the way he was changing his opinion on me. I relied on him to have my back with the other guys. I couldn’t have him flip-flopping.
I remembered Axel being there when I went off. And now here I was, threatening to kill a guy from the Wolves. For what? Because he had menaced a woman? I couldn’t pretend it was about the man he killed since I didn’t even know who he killed. Onyx was the only one of my men who I hadn’t seen since I got back. If it had been him the Wolf stabbed, Erica would have remembered him. Onyx was hard to forget. So if it wasn’t one of my own, I couldn’t threaten revenge.
Why did I want to kill him, then? Because I wanted to protect her.
Shit. When did that happen?
I remembered her on the ground, looking like a cornered animal. She was so scared. I could almost see the pulse in her throat, under the thin, pale skin. Her eyes were huge and round. She had needed my protection, and I gave it to her. What was wrong with that?
But now, why was she still here? I wasn’t stupid. I could get the photos off a memory card, if the only problem was getting the card out of the camera. It was more than that. I wanted her around. I wanted to keep her under my wing, so I could be sure she was safe. The camera was just an excuse.
That was inconvenient.
I couldn’t let her go. She’d be murdered in minutes if she left and they saw her. No chance they would let her live. I had to take care of her, because she couldn’t take care of herself. Simple as that.
So what if I kept thinking about how beautiful she was? How impossible it was not to get turned on by the way she looked when she exploded in anger? How much I wanted to rip that damned sweatshirt off her body and see what was underneath? I wanted to ride her, make her whimper and beg for me. I wanted her to scream so loud I’d have to hold a hand over her mouth to keep the police from showing up.
That was on my mind, too. It was all there, making me tired and confused and irritated and hard as a rock under the poker table.
The hand was over. Joe won by out-bluffing Randy. Randy got up and stuck his head out the door to call for his “good luck charms.” I knew who that meant. Tyler and Samantha. I’d had them both, and they were both pretty good. Not the best, but good. And they were sweet girls. I remembered some skanks running around with the club in my early days.
They came in and each took a spot on one of Randy’s knees.
I couldn’t help myself. As I dealt the next hand, I asked, “So how’s our guest doing out there?”
“She’s good,” Samantha said. “Nice girl. Working hard to get the card out, but no luck.”
“She said something about wanting to slit her wrists. I think she was joking, but you can never be too sure with shit like that,” Tyler added.
“Thanks,” I said. “I’ll remember that.” She couldn’t have meant it. She only meant she was frustrated and pissed to be here, and maybe a little scared. Maybe very scared. She needed to be.
We played a few more hands, with me losing more and more money every time. I got sick of it after a while and threw my cards down. “I give the fuck up,” I said, laughing. “This just ain’t my night.” Another member, Austin, took my place. I sat back and watched, nursing another beer.
I didn’t dare go back out there. I would start talking with her and we would start getting to know each other. That couldn’t happen. I couldn’t let it. I had to be the smart one.
I wanted her. I’d wanted women before. This was no different.
When was the first time I got laid? I thought back, going through girls in my head. I was fourteen and she was the older sister of a friend. We had all gone down to the public pool, then gone back to his house. She was there with friends of hers and went home afterward, too. We hung out in the basement, playing video games, until it was just the three of us. Me, him, and her.
I had a huge crush on her. All of us did. She was sixteen and one of the prettiest girls in the neighborhood. Plus, she was older, which made her even more mysterious and sexy to us. She kept looking at me and laughing, and touching my arm. I was so nervous and shook up by her, I must have blushed all day long.
He got up to go to the bathroom, leaving me with his sister. She didn’t say a word. She just came over to me, sat in my lap, and pulled down the top of her suit. All I had to do was look at her tits and I was hard as a rock. She pulled my dick out of my shorts, pulled her bottoms to the side, and fucked me right there.
It only took a half a minute, maybe less. She couldn’t have gotten anything out of it. By the time my buddy was back downstairs, it was like nothing happened.
Over the years, I learned a few things, like how to control myself and that there was more to sex than just fucking. Sometimes fucking was good. Just a real quick screw somewhere. There was a time and place for it. But more than that, I liked to take my time and really do it right.
I imagined doing it with Erica. How would she sound? What would she taste like? What would it feel like when I slid inside her?
When I thought about her that way, and then thought about somebody else hurting her, it made me mad enough to kill. She was mine.
No, she’s not, I told myself. She’s not mine. She’ll never be mine. And that’s the way it should be.
But it wasn’t how I wanted it to be.
Brett came in with a tray of beers. “Thought you boys might get thirsty,” she said with a smile. From the sounds all around me, it was appreciated.
“How is she?” I murmured when she passed by.
“Well enough,” she said. “Having a good time. Drinking a little. Hanging out with Onyx and me.”
Oh, shit. Onyx. I got up from my seat and went straight to the bar.
I hadn’t prepared her for him, or him for her. What would they think about each other? Sure enough, as soon as he saw me, Onyx’s eyes narrowed.
“Hey, man,” I said, clapping him on the back like it was nothing.
“Hey,” he said, very quiet. He was a pretty tame, calm guy for the most part, but this was too much even for him.
“I guess you two have met?” I asked, looking at the both of them.
Onyx nodded.
Erica looked scared shitless. Most people reacted that way when they first met my VP and best friend. His scars did that.
“I’m gonna go deal myself in on the next hand,” he said. He got up from his stool and walked to the room where the game was goin on.
“You’ll do great,” I said. “Everybody’s bombed.”
He nodded, waving a hand over his shoulder to signal he heard me.
I turned to Erica. “I don’t think I handled that very well,” she whispered. Her eyes filled with tears.
“Why are you crying? He’s not a bad guy,” I said.
“No, but he surprised me. What happened to him?”
I sighed and sat down next to her. “He was in a fire when he was a kid. Part of his face had burns on it—that’s where the scars come from.” Half of Onyx’s face, from above the left ear to below his chin, was scarred. He shaved his head since hair didn’t grow over the scars anyway. “I’m sorry it freaked you out.”
“I was just startled, and I’m afraid I made him feel bad. It took a minute for me to get used to it.”
“It happens,” I said.
“He’s used to it. He knows. But you didn’t mean to do anything to make him feel bad. Once you get used to seeing him around, you won’t even notice anymore.”
She nodded, not saying what I knew she had to be thinking. She wouldn’t be around long enough to get used to him. I hoped for her sake that she wasn’t. For mine, too. It was exhausting, trying to keep an eye on her.
But when I thought about how she started to cry when she thought she hurt Onyx’s feelings, I couldn’t be too annoyed with her. She was a good person, with a good heart. Plus, she was a little drunk, so she was feeling more sensitive than usual.
“I heard you’re having fun out here.” I nodded at the camera. “I guess that’s forgotten for now.”
“I couldn’t do shit with it,” she said, slurring a little. I tried not to laugh, but a little came out. She was cute when she got drunk. “I didn’t mean to drink so much, but it seemed like a good idea. I want another one.”
“Sure, when Brett comes back,” I said. “Maybe you should be drinking some water, too.” She was so small, I couldn’t imagine her being able to handle much more. I got the feeling she didn’t do much drinking in the first place.
“You’re right, you’re right.” She slapped a hand down on my shoulder. “But it’s easy to get them mixed up, ’cuz they’re both clear.”
I laughed, getting up. “All right. I’ll pour you a tall water so you can tell them apart.” I went behind the bar and pulled down a pint glass, filling it to the top. I felt her watching me, and when I pushed the glass her way, her chin was in her hand. She was staring.
“What? Do I have a booger in my nose?”
“Ew, no. I was actually just thinking how handsome you are. You know you are, right?”
I shook my head. “No.”
“Liar.”
“I’m not lying. I don’t think about it.”
“But I bet you have a lot of girlfriends, huh?”
I shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. Why do you wanna know?” I liked her this way, lubed up, no inhibitions.
She hiccupped. “Because. I think you’re interesting.”
“Thanks. So are you.” I leaned toward her, to see what she would do. “And you know what else? You’re pretty.”
“Psssh. Get outta here.” She pressed her hand against my face, pushing me away. I caught her hand, laughing, and noticed how small it was when compared to mine.
I looked up at her, and for one second she wasn’t drunk. She was very clear and sober, and she was looking into my eyes. Then she laughed.
“Your hands are cold.” She pulled her hand away and took a long drink of water. Good. I wasn’t sure what was happening before then. I didn’t like the way she made it feel like we were the only two people in the room who mattered, especially when there was a room full of my men just a few yards away. She was making things too complicated, and I was letting her do it.
Chapter Eight
I went to the office when Brett came back to the bar, leaving the girls to their drinking. “Watch her,” I said. “Not much more, you know? All we need is for her to end up with alcohol poisoning.” Brett nodded, and I turned away.
That was the least of my worries when it came to Erica. I knew she would be okay—Brett wasn’t stupid. Maybe a little flakey, but not stupid.
I wondered what was going on in my head surrounding this girl. That was my problem. Why did she have this weird hold on me? I should have dumped her ass on a chair in the office and told her to get the pictures and left it at that. But no, I had to talk to her and flirt with her and like her. Why did she have to make me like her? It would have been so much easier if she was a troll, or the stuck-up bitch I assumed she was when we first met.
Just then, Onyx came in. “It was like shooting fish in a barrel,” he said, laughing. “I couldn’t take advantage of them anymore.”
“You’re a sweet guy,” I said with a smile. Then my mood fell again, and my face with it. “She told you what happened?”
“Miss Erica Quentin, as she introduced herself?” Onyx chuckled, sitting across from the desk and putting his feet up. “Yeah. She told me everything. But her version was a little…slurred.”
I rolled my eyes and told him what happened, according to what she said, and then what went down when I got there. “I brought her here. I didn’t know what else to do. When he came to, I know he had to go back to his own HQ. I hated the thought of leaving her out there. Besides, when she pulls the memory card, who knows what we’ll find? She might be worth a lot to the club.”
“You’re so full of shit, it’s pathetic,” Onyx said. He had a way of cutting through bullshit in a few words.
“What?”
“You heard me. You’re full of it. I know you mean what you’re saying, because it’s what you’re telling yourself. But it’s not the full story. I’ve known you too long.” He narrowed his eyes at me. “You’re into her.”
“Cut the shit.”
“You cut the shit,” he challenged. “There’s nothing wrong with being into her. She’s cute—she might even be hot, if she tried. What’s wrong with that?”
I rolled my eyes. “Now’s not the time, that’s what’s wrong. I have too much focus on.”
He yawned. “If you say so.” He wasn’t normally like this, picking at me, trying to break me down. His smile told me he was joking, though, so I was willing to let it go.
“Think what you want. But try to tell me she’s not valuable.”
“Oh, she’s valuable. Like you said, she probably got something good on that camera. I wanna know who got killed, too. But I saw the way you looked at her.” He grinned. “Your damsel in distress thing is—”
I heard voices shouting outside the door, in the lounge. I wondered if a hand of poker had led to a fight.
But no. Angelo was there. He’d been out that night, and from the way he looked, he’d seen something that shook him to the core.
“What is it?”
“Wolves.” He was panting for breath. “Three of ’em. On their bikes, about a block from here. Watching. Could have been more in the other direction. I was in such a hurry to get in here, I didn’t wanna take the chance of checking.”
“Shit.” I mulled it over, thought about the options. “Get yourself a drink. I’m glad you made it back safe.” I turned to Onyx, sitting on a stool at the bar. His face was unreadable as always. “What do you think?”
“You’re the boss,” he said, sounding cool and calm. We could have been talking about the toppings to order on a pizza. I could always count on him being able to keep his head. “It’s your call. I’ll back you, whatever you wanna do.”
“They’re not gonna like it.”
“It’s for their own good,” he said. It was amazing the way I knew he knew what I was saying without having to say it out loud. I nodded, then turned to the rest of the room.
“Is everyone here?” I looked at Onyx. He got up to take a head count.
“What are you going to do?” Brett asked. I felt Erica’s bleary eyes on me.
“We’re gonna go into lockdown.”
Brett snapped to attention, getting the other girls together. She knew what to do in this situation. The girls made sure the beds had fresh sheets and pillows, and that the bathrooms were stocked, then they came back down to check the kitchen situation.
Brett and Onyx returned to me at the same time.
“We have plenty of food to last us up to three days,” she reported. “And all the rooms upstairs are ready.”
“All the guys are here,” Onyx confirmed.
I nodded. “Get them all out here.” He rounded everyone up, and soon two dozen people surrounded me. Including Erica, still sitting at the bar with a bewildered look on her face.
I couldn’t worry about her at the moment. I looked over the group.
“Guys, we’re in lockdown,” I said. “Call your women, let them know you won’t be home tonight. If they have a problem with it, they can talk to me. Meanwhile, bedrooms and fac
ilities are stocked and ready, kitchen’s in good shape, and you know we have plenty of booze. We’re in good shape here. It’s safer for us to stay put while the Wolves are watching so closely. I don’t want anyone in or out for any reason, unless I’m with them. Understood?”
Everyone nodded.
Everyone except Erica. Well, she knew she wasn’t going anywhere, so I didn’t care much if she agreed or not.
###
It was a tense night. Maybe we all saw this coming after what happened with our guys. It was part of the process, the ongoing war between our clubs. I wouldn’t lose another one of my men.