by K E Osborn
Letting out a relieved exhale, Neon steps back to me. I wrap my arms around him tight, holding onto him, and he leans into me. “You okay?”
I dip my chin as the Heathens ride out in formation from the parking lot, laying down rubber and flicking up crap as they go.
I turn to Zero and shake my head. “I am so sor—”
“We need to get everyone back to the clubhouse. I need eyes on the club at all times. There’s a threat to the club… and we can’t be sure it’s not imminent. In the meantime, Oakley, you need to lay low. We don’t want another run-in with Rage. We’re already on his radar. I don’t fucking need Defiance and the Heathens going to war over this shit.”
My stomach sinks through the ground, straight down to the pits of hell.
I caused all this.
I should have stayed away from Rage the first time I saw him. I knew that bastard was bad news. I could tell. Now, I’ve brought trouble to a club that’s only trying to help me. The best thing I can do for Defiance now is to keep my head down and stay under the radar as Zero has asked.
The last thing I want is to cause any more trouble.
As it is, Rage has his sights set on Neon, and I do not want him to be dragged into this mess.
Because Neon has done nothing but protect me.
Look after and care about me since the start of all this bullshit.
It’s only right, I do the same for him.
For the club.
OAKLEY
After what happened at the go-kart track, the girls are grilling me—hard.
They want to know everything about me. I guess if they saw the connection between Neon and me, they want to make sure I’m a good fit for him. I wonder if they do this to all the women coming into the club.
“So, you don’t find being a woman with all those men at the racing track a little… I don’t know… Intimidating?” Cherry asks.
“I did, but I soon learned if I wanted to make it, if I wanted to stand out on the quarter-mile, I needed to put the fact I’m a female aside and just race my race and not let the fact I’m out there beside men get to me. I do my best, which is often better than their best.”
They all snicker. “I love you’re not afraid to say that you kick their damn asses. It’s not ego so much as confidence,” Sunshine stipulates.
“Exactly, I’m not trying to boost myself by saying I’m better, my stats show that. I am just saying I’ve proven that I’m good at what I do, so why should I apologize because I am a woman?”
“I love that so much. You’re kind of inspiring,” Cherry chimes.
My chest squeezes. The First Lady of this club is telling me I’m inspiring. No, she is inspiring, after everything she’s been through to get to where she is. Neon told me on the way home from the track, how Zero found her beaten and bloody—her ex-husband cop, the culprit. Zero rescued her in true white-knight fashion. Their love story is inspirational.
“I’m simply following in my family footsteps. I’ve been taught how to ride and to do things right. I’m not inspirational, just hard-working.”
Prinie sits forward, placing her hands on the table in a fist like she means business. “Okay, now to some more serious shit. Let’s discuss Rage. I’ve been with Defiance all my life, so I know the Heathens well enough, and I’ve heard about Rage. Why would someone so confident in herself need to stay with a man like him?”
I honestly don’t have a solid answer for her.
I sink in on myself feeling like a fucking idiot for staying.
So, I tell her the truth. “For my family. In the end, anyway. The whole thing started as a one-night stand with Rage, but he kept coming back…” I sigh, “… and I was young and stupid. The bad-boy curse and all that. But once he took me deeper into the club and showed me what they were capable of, the money side of things, I knew I had to make a choice.” I exhale shaking my head in regret. “I had to leave quickly because men like them don’t fuck around once you start seeing the shit they’re into. Problem was… my father got into something deep and needed the cash. Being in the fold of the Heathens, being a part of them, meant I knew how to get my hands on that kind of money. So, I had to tough it out. For my father. But it also means I knew what the Heathens are capable of. What Rage is capable of. It’s why I tried to make my plan foolproof, but it didn’t work out that way. I should’ve known better…”
They all sink back into their chairs like they’re contemplating what I’ve just said. Cherry sits forward with a completely serious expression on her face. “I guess what we really want to know is… what’s Rage like in bed?”
We all burst out laughing as the pressure eases between us, especially after the Heathens showing up like they did. Anything could have happened.
I grimace. “All take and no give.”
“Pfft, figures,” Prinie mocks as we giggle some more at Rage’s expense.
“I bet Neon’s good in bed,” Sunshine blurts out.
My eyes widen.
“Oh, yeah, I bet he’s packing, too. I mean, have you seen when he’s wearing his workout track pants?” Cherry boasts.
Heat flushes across my face—I’m sure I am turning beet red.
“Aren’t you all in relationships?” I ask.
“Yeah, but we have to talk him up for you,” Prinie urges.
I let out a small snicker. “Okay, well, there’s no need. Neon and I are finding our way. No need to add fuel to that fire.”
Sunshine’s eyes widen brightly. “So, there is a fire… deep, deep in your loins?”
The other girls giggle as I stand from the seat with a smirk. “Okay, I think we’re done here.”
“Pour some sugar on meee,” Cherry starts singing the Def Leppard lyrics.
I turn, quickly walking away with a giggle in my throat but not letting it escape. “Oh my God!” I murmur under my breath, needing to find an out of that conversation super-fast. I race off to the bar, still hearing the giggling of the girls behind me. Giving the bar a tap, Nessie slides me over a shot. I’m not even sure what it is, but I throw it back anyway. It burns all the way down as I let out a heavy breath, then turn back to Nessie. “Thank you, I needed that after today and whatever that just was.”
“A grilling from the old ladies can get intense. I was watching, wondering when I would be needed. I had the tequila on standby.”
“You knew I’d need a drink?”
“Didn’t know so much, but those women over there are hugely protective of these men. Everyone loves Neon, so any woman coming in here with Neon in their crosshairs is gonna need to be vetted.”
I narrow my eyes on her. “Is that what they were doing? Vetting me?”
Nessie slides another shot across the bar. “I’d say so, hon.”
“Shit.” I pick up the shot, throwing it back.
I need to find Neon.
“Thanks for the drinks, Nessie. What do I owe you?”
She drops her shoulders like she’s impressed. “Well, I’ll be. No one’s ever asked before…” She smiles. “No, honey, you don’t owe me anything. Drink and food here don’t cost you anything. It’s all paid for by the club.”
“Well, thank you, I appreciate that. If you ever need me to do anything, Nessie, please let me know.”
“Of course, you enjoy your time while you’re here.”
“Do you happen to know where Neon is?”
She puckers her lips like she’s thinking. “Actually, I haven’t seen him since y’all got back. He might be with Zero. You could try starting there.”
I tap the bar. “Thanks. You’ve been a godsend.”
She winks at me as I move to go in search of Zero and Neon. Making my way out to the fire pit, a couple of brothers stand around drinking, the older guy, Fox, is by the grill cleaning it, but there’s no Zero and no Neon. I slump my shoulders as I head back inside when Zero walks through the main room like he’s on a mission, so I scamper off to meet him halfway.
“Zero!” I call out, making a few p
eople in close proximity turn to me, including Zero.
He stops, staring at me. “Everything okay?”
I come to a stop right in front of him. “Sorry to bother you, but Nessie said you might know where Neon is? I can’t seem to find him.”
Zero nods matter-of-factly. “He’s probably in his den.”
“His what now?” I jerk my head back.
Zero grabs my elbow, then walks with me over to the other side of the main room. He starts typing a code on this pin-pad thing, then a huge cement door unlocks. Zero pulls open the door, urging me inside, so I duck my head around. Neon’s in front of a huge desk, computer screens line the walls, green coding is running up and down them sporadically. The rest of the room is like a hacker’s cave, it’s like something you’d see in The Matrix. This place is so freaking cool.
Neon sits, headphones on, a deep concentration on his face—I can see his reflection in the screens that line the wall in front of him—as he types on the keyboard in front of him.
He places his hand up as if to halt us from entering.
We stop moving.
I have to admit, he’s pretty fucking sexy right now as he types frantically, following something on the screen. He hits the enter key, then spins, giving us a small smile while yanking his headphones off his head. “Sorry, after what happened today, I was trying to track Rage’s cell. His tech team has done a great job of hiding the location frequency. They’re good… I’m better.” The smirk he gives us is contagious.
Zero lifts his chin. “You know where he is?”
“I know where his cell is, so now I’m able to hear his calls. I’m recording everything incoming and outgoing.”
“How’d you do that?” I ask.
“He has an app on his phone, a game with a backend that’s easy to manipulate. I can just tap into it and circumnavigate—” He stops, taking in my confused stare. “There’s a reason bikers shouldn’t download apps to their cells without the tech’s approval. It just shows his aptitude.”
“Gotta say… all this high-tech talk is fascinating.”
“Finally, someone who appreciates you for the geek you are.” Zero chuckles.
Neon scowls. “And you call yourself my best friend.”
“Asher’s my best friend. Neon? He’s a freaking nerd.”
“Asshole!” Neon scoffs.
Zero gently pushes me forward, so I’m further inside Neon’s man cave. “Behave, children,” he warns, then closes the door behind us.
The lighting here is dim, but this place is incredibly fascinating. It’s like some kind of super lair. “So, Asher, huh?”
“Nicolette, hey?”
I laugh as we repeat the same way we were introduced to each other, just with our first names this time. “I like it. It suits you.”
“Nic suits you, too, but I think Oakley is definitely your signature.”
I move over to the edge of his desk, sit and glance back at the giant screens with coding running up and down them. “So, I’m guessing you spend most of your time in here, then?”
“Yeah, this is what I do for the club.”
Shifting closer, my leg right next to him, he stays seated in his desk chair. His eyes shift to my thigh for the briefest of moments as I fling my hair over my shoulder.
“And you enjoy… as Zero put it… being a nerd?”
He smirks. “I’ve done a lot of work and training to get to the level I’m at. Sure, the guys give me shit for it, but they’d be lost without me.”
“That’s not what I asked, Neon.”
“I enjoy it, for the most part. Sometimes, it’s stressful, especially when a job is time-sensitive. This club counts on me. I have to get shit right.”
“Can I ask you something?” He nods. “Do you honestly see a way out of this mess with me and Rage?”
Neon grabs my leg, sliding my body across the bench in front of him. He rolls his chair forward placing his hands on my hips holding me in position, the move domineering. His chocolate eyes bore into mine as he glares at me. “Don’t do that.”
I blink rapidly in confusion. “Do what?”
“Give up before we’ve had a chance to figure this out. I’m not letting Rage near you again, Oakley.” My skin prickles in goosebumps, that chill running through me once more at his touch.
“I don’t understand why you want to come up to bat for me like this?”
A slow smile crosses his face. “Up to bat… you like baseball?”
“I do, but don’t change the subject.”
“Don’t tell me you’re a Rangers girl!”
“When the Astros won the World Series in 2005, I converted.”
His face glows like he’s radiating from a wonderful memory. “Zero and I were there for that. Man, we were young back then, just some punk-ass kids who loved the game.”
My eyes widen. “You’ve been friends that long?”
“Since elementary school.”
“I’m glad you’re still friends.”
“I’m glad we can still be friends. If you barracked for the Rangers, I might have had to send you packing.”
I snort. “You’re not good with emotional shit, are you?”
He furrows his brows, obviously confused. “What do you mean?”
“You’re avoiding telling me why you’re fighting for me. Instead, you’re making jokes about everything else. You are deflecting.”
Neon stands, we’re so fucking close. He’s positioned between my legs as I sit on his desk. He looks down at me. “I’m not deflecting.”
I move my hands up to sit on his waist, stopping him from escaping this moment between us. “Then tell me what you’re doing, Neon.”
“I’m trying to keep my mind off the one thing I can’t stop thinking about.”
The atmosphere in the den changes, the energy surges, pulsating around us. It’s like all the oxygen in this small space has been vaporized, making it harder to breathe.
“What’s that?” I almost whisper.
His hand comes down sliding my hair behind my ear. “Kissing you.”
My stomach flips, and my clit throbs with need as my fingers dig into his waist. “Then I suggest you stop thinking and start acting.”
He doesn’t hesitate. His hand thrusts into the back of my hair, the other shoots down to my ass, pulling me toward him. My legs wrap around his waist as our lips slam together. The second they touch, my body ignites, my insides bursting with giddiness as his tongue possessively dances with mine. His rock-hard cock presses firmly against the seam of my jeans—I can feel everything. My hands rush to his back, my fingers clenching against the leather of his cut, which is so fucking manly compared to the denim of Rage’s cut. Neon’s kiss is so sensual, I’m seeing stars, lost in the moment, caught between lust and euphoria.
Our tongues entwine, our bodies rocking together, the fever taking it up a notch, the heat between us rising to a level where if we don’t cool this down soon, we’re going to have to take it further. A low groan rumbles from his chest, the tone so fucking primal and sexy, it kicks me into gear. My hands fall down between us to reach for his belt. I start unbuckling frantically, when suddenly a beeping starts in the room.
Neon stops kissing me, quickly fixating on the door as a red light appears above the frame. He inhales sharply backing away from me, frantically doing up his belt as the door opens to Zero walking in. I try to fight back my smile as Neon is trying to rearrange his giant erection—there’s no hiding that.
Zero blinks from me to Neon then back to me, then he clears his throat. “Well, fuck! I, ahh… need to chat with Neon for a moment.”
I bob my head. “Of course, I’m only distracting him from working, anyway. I’ll talk to you later?”
Neon nods as I turn for the door.
Zero smirks as I go to leave. “Your lip gloss is smudged all over your face.”
Quickly wiping at my lips, I say, “Thanks, pres.”
He continues to grin as I walk out.
; Taking a long centering breath, I think, holy shit.
I’ve never been kissed like that before.
Damn, I hope we get to do that again.
And again.
And again.
NEON
As Oakley leaves, Zero closes the den door behind him, and I already know he’s going to start in on me. He spins, the biggest grin on his face when he walks over and slaps my shoulder. “You ol’ dog. Were you gonna give her one in here if I hadn’t have come in?”
I run my hand over my short, shaved scalp. “Fuck, I don’t know… it got heated. I’m not sure where it was going.”
Zero rests his ass back on the desk, folding his arms over his chest in a more serious stance. “You like her?”
I spin my chair around facing my computers, so I don’t have to observe his judgmental gaze. “I hardly know her.”
“Yeah, right! Just remember she has a target on her back. Without knowing how to fix it, maybe don’t get too attached… if you hear what I’m putting down.”
A sinking feeling floods my senses. No matter how much I don’t want to face this, Oakley is a dead woman walking.
“I hear you.”
“Right… I’ve been in talks with River about getting our factory ready for production of the Snow White press. Because Cherry and you were in charge when you were making the smaller batches out of the pharmacy, I want you and Cherry to head the Slavers taking over. Show them how it’s done and help get everything set up.”
“Shouldn’t be too difficult with River there telling them to do as we say.”
“The Slavers are following River’s lead. Half the team didn’t like how his father was running shit, so they were happy when River killed him and took over. Those who weren’t happy, River showed them the door… the six-feet-under door. We should have full cooperation from all parties now.”
“When are we starting?”
“ASAP. I’ll send you and Cherry down with Kevlar and Sunshine to make sure everything is tip-top, and we’ll go from there.”
The Next Day
Cherry, Kevlar, Sunshine, and I are packed into Kevlar’s truck as we make our way over to the Slaver’s warehouse.