by Jayne Blue
“Cash?” I said and nearly choked. “In one night?”
“Yeah,” she said. “It’s not a promise. But yeah. We clean up. Fight nights at the Den are legendary. We take reservations sometimes up to a year in advance.”
“Wow,” I said. “I mean ... wow. Thank you.”
“No problem,” she said. “I just hope you can hang.”
I left it at that. I’d only made a little over fifty today. If I could save just a bit more, then I could start thinking about getting a car of my own.
I waved goodbye to Shannon and clocked out. Torch was nowhere in sight. I still had a good hour of daylight. If I hurried, I’d make the bus stop.
I only got as far as the end of the sidewalk when Torch pulled up beside me, his Harley humming.
“You headed out?” he asked.
“Uh, yeah.”
Torch wasn’t alone. Joker, E.J., and two of the prospects rode in with him. Joker gave Torch an expectant look.
I adjusted my purse on my shoulder. “Torch, I appreciate it, but I …”
He put a hand up. “Tell Colt I’ll be back later,” he said.
Joker lowered his sunglasses and eyed me. There was no judgment in his gaze, exactly, but I could tell Torch’s declaration came as a surprise. It made me uncomfortable.
Torch handed me a helmet. “Climb on.”
The others rode on ahead. I did as Torch asked.
“This really isn’t necessary,” I said. “I hate imposing on you.”
“How well do you know your way around Lincolnshire?” he asked, brushing off my concerns.
“What? I mean, pretty good, I guess?”
“You come here. You go to your uncle’s. Your apartment. Where else?”
“I don’t know what you mean?”
“Hold on,” he said. “I want to show you something.”
With that, Torch revved his engine. The power of it shook me to my core. We sped out of the parking lot. The wind took my breath right out of me.
Torch took a different way than he usually did, heading east toward the river. The sun began to set. In the distance, I could see the bridge rising tall and majestic, its lights twinkling then changing colors.
Torch went down a one-way street, out to the docks. Uncle George had driven me out here just once, the first week I came to town. But that had been in the morning. Now, with the lights blinking and reflecting off the water, the view was breathtaking.
I don’t know how fast Torch was going, but it felt like we’d taken flight. It struck me how clean the downtown area was. I hadn’t expected it. My father always told me how Lincolnshire was an “armpit town.”
But it wasn’t like that at all. It was beautiful.
Torch rode to a grassy knoll just past the boardwalk. From here, we had an unobstructed view of the bridge and the churning river beneath it. Torch cut the engine.
Without him prompting me, I took off the helmet and dismounted. I walked down the embankment, spying a small iron bench.
“Wow,” I said as I sat down. A breeze picked up. I crossed my arms in front of me.
“What do you think?” he asked.
Torch stood behind me. I had to crane my neck to meet his eyes.
“It’s so pretty,” I said. “I mean, it looks like a mini New York City almost. Except cleaner. And better smelling.”
Torch smiled, his white teeth gleaming in the darkness.
“I’ve never been,” he said.
“To New York City? Really?”
His smile dropped and he took on a faraway look. “I’ve never really been out of Lincolnshire.”
He came around the bench and sat down beside me.
“Well,” I said. “You should go. Just to see it. At least once, anyway.”
“No thanks,” he said.
“You’d like it. There’s so much to see and do. I think everybody should go at least once,” I said.
“I like it just fine in Lincolnshire,” he said.
“You know,” I said. “My uncle says Lincolnshire is a place you pass through, not end up.”
Torch stiffened beside me.
“No, no,” I said. “Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.”
He looked at me. “How did you mean it?”
I felt like a jerk. God. I had that sense again like Torch and I were just two different species. I found his opinion of me mattered deeply. And that would have made my mother laugh as well. At the moment, I felt nothing but hate for her.
“You were born here?” I asked.
Torch looked down. “Yeah. Dexter Street. Right over there.”
He pointed across the water. I saw a row of small houses on the opposite bank.
“You lived on the water?” I asked. “That must have been nice as a boy.”
He tilted his head. “It was a shit hole. Still is. I had to fish out there if I wanted to eat. Things are better now. Cleaner. But I still wouldn’t feed anything I caught from the Maumee River to a dog.”
I couldn’t fathom it. “Where were your parents?” I asked. I knew I was prying, but I had the strong sense Torch wanted to talk about it.
“Gone,” he said. “I lived with an aunt for a while. That was her house. She wasn’t around a lot either. And then ... she died. I was maybe seven, I think.”
“Did you have any brothers or sisters?”
“Don’t know,” he said. “Heard a rumor my old man had another family. But I also heard rumors he wasn’t really my old man.”
“What happened to your mom?” I asked.
“Dead,” he said. “She was a junkie. So was he. They all were.”
“Torch, I’m so sorry. That must have been so hard for you.”
It hurt to think of Torch as a young, scared little boy wondering where his next meal might come from. I wanted to reach back through time to help him.
“The club is your family now,” I said.
“The club is everything I am,” he answered. “I’d be worse than dead without them. Amy’s old man, Ace. When I was twelve or thirteen, I did odd jobs for him. He was the former V.P. He was going to give me a job when I got out. He died though.”
Torch’s voice trailed off.
“Got out of where?” I asked.
He kept his gaze fixed on the water. A beat passed, and I knew he wasn’t going to answer.
“What was it like?” he asked.
“What was what like?”
“Having everything you ever needed?”
I looked down. “My parents had money. That’s not the same thing as having everything.”
Torch let out a bitter laugh. “Sure.”
“It’s not,” I said. “I’m not that much of an asshole to sit here and compare my childhood with yours. But if it was so great where I come from, I’d still be there.”
Something dark flashed through Torch’s eyes as he regarded me. I can’t help it. It ignited a deep desire inside of me. He was dangerous. I could feel it. And yet, I just wanted to get closer.
“Are you sorry?” I asked. “That I came here?”
“Are you?”
I took a breath. “No. I mean, most of the time I don’t know what I’m doing here. It’s crazy. I know what everyone thinks. Hell, even my parents think it. But this isn’t me sowing some kind of wild oats. I’m not rebelling. I’m not trying to find myself. Well, maybe a little bit that last thing. It’s just ... more about ... taking control. Deciding things for myself for the first time in my life.”
Torch reached for me and brushed a hair out of my eyes. “What is it that you think you want?”
Maybe he meant it as an innocent question. Small talk. I don’t know. But the moment he said it, fire sparked in my heart. I didn’t have all the answers, but I knew one thing. I wanted him.
I leaned in and kissed him.
My heart racing, I pulled back. I could feel the blush rising in my cheeks. What had I just done?
Torch’s eyes smoldered with lust. Oh God. Heat pooled at my center. My whole body
trembled.
A beat passed. Then another.
Then Torch moved in. His hand slid around my neck. His fingers laced through my hair. He tilted my head back and kissed me again. It was nothing like mine. His was rough. Deep. Devouring. Possessive.
It lit me on fire.
I groaned. Pulsing need tore through me.
I wanted. I craved.
I sank into the kiss, arching my back as Torch got even closer. My hand slid between his thighs on instinct.
I couldn’t think. I couldn’t breathe. I could only ... want.
“Oh,” I whispered when he let me up for air. “Oh God.”
Then he kissed me again. I shifted my weight. Torch guided me, sliding one of his hands under my thigh. Before I knew it I was on his lap, straddling him on the bench. It put my face slightly higher than his.
I opened my eyes. Though I could barely think straight, Torch was in control. He stared at me with those intense, dark eyes of his. A question flickered through them. A challenge.
Yes. I rose to accept it.
His hands curved up my hips. Then his thumbs slid over my nipples. I threw my head back and groaned. I started grinding my hips against him. Two layers of denim, his jeans and mine, kept us apart. But I could feel his rock-hard erection. I knew he could feel my heat and wetness.
It was so good. So raw. So wicked.
Maybe I was a lie. Maybe this was my way to rebel. I don’t know. I just know my whole life, I’d never wanted anything as much as I wanted Torch inside of me.
I didn’t even know his real name.
I pulled my tank top up over my head. I cupped Torch’s face with my hands and kissed him hard. I ground against him. Torch held me steady.
I was ready to go all the way. Oh. I was so ready.
But Torch’s phone rang. I froze. His eyes glistened. The sky had grown pitch-black.
He looked at his phone. I could see from my angle it was Colt. I knew he couldn’t ignore it.
Awkwardly, I slid off him and found my shirt. Now that I had a chance to breathe, embarrassment flooded through me. I’d been willing to fuck Torch and lose my virginity right here in the middle of a public park.
What the hell had come over me?
Torch got a hold of himself far faster than I did. He walked away from the bench and turned his back to me. He said a few words to Colt then clicked off the phone.
When he looked at me, I already knew what he was going to say.
“I should get home,” I said, running a hand through my hair.
“Yeah,” he said. “I’m sorry.”
I found an awkward smile. “Sure. I mean, of course.”
Then I followed Torch up the hill. My legs shook as I mounted the bike behind him. Without so much as a word about what just happened, he kicked the bike to life and we roared back up the embankment.
Chapter Eleven
Torch
I didn’t see Sydney for three nights after that. Friday night was fight night. All the girls came in early to set up. As far as the crew, it would be all hands on deck.
When Colt called us in for a meeting, I assumed he had logistics he wanted us to work out for security. It was supposed to be hush-hush, but one of our former MMA champions, Bodie “The Body” Cutler, was coming in with a group of friends.
We met in the upstairs conference room behind the bar. This was where Bodie and his posse would party. From here, we had a full view of the bar through a one-way mirror.
“Everything in place for tonight?” Colt asked Brax.
“You know it,” he said. “Cutler and his guys should be here by eight. We’ve given him the okay to sign some autographs, then he’s up here for the duration.”
“Good,” Colt said. “I better not hear he’s trying to charge for that shit. The autographs or the selfies. Not in my yard.”
“Won’t be a problem,” Brax said. “That’s a promise.”
“We got enough out on the floor?” he said to Kellan. I looked out the one-way glass. I caught a glimpse of Sydney walking in, and my heart seized up. Damn. I’d come so close to fucking her the other night. I could have. I wanted to. I still wasn’t sure what stopped me. No, that wasn’t true. She wasn’t ready for the monster. She was still the beauty, and I was the beast.
Colt saw her the same time I did. He shot a look at Kellan. Though we all had a stake in the bar, lately, Kellan handled personnel.
“You sure she’s ready?”
Colt gestured toward Sydney. One of the other girls came up to her and started giving her the rundown of who she’d be serving tonight. They had her in the back of the bar. It was the least busy section, but she’d work her ass off like everybody else.
“It was Shannon’s call,” Kellan said. “I trust her judgment.”
“You sure about that?” Colt asked.
“She’s cool,” I answered. It earned me hard looks from just about everyone. I’d spoken up too damn soon. A knee-jerk reaction almost.
“I just mean Shannon knows what she’s doing. And Sydney catches on quick.”
“Anything you wanna tell me about that?” Colt asked.
“Like?”
“Like, am I gonna have an issue with my lawyer because you’re tapping his niece? Normally, I wouldn’t give a shit. But you know we’re on a razor’s edge right now. Things are calm enough with Chief Davis. But I don’t want George Bailey getting his balls in a twist over some family bullshit that could be avoided.”
“You’ve got nothing to worry about,” I said. Colt hadn’t come out and said I couldn’t step on the gas with Sydney. But his meaning was clear. Don’t do anything to fuck shit up.
“There’s another thing,” Colt said. “Torch, this is gonna involve you maybe the most.”
“Oh?” I said. I had to tear my eyes away from the window and Sydney.
“There’s been some trouble up in Traverse City,” he said. “One of our delivery drivers got popped for having a suspended license. Then another truck came in short.”
“You think somebody’s been stealing?” I asked.
“Not sure,” Colt said. “It’s just the kind of thing that is going to take some hands-on fixing.”
“You got it,” I said. “When do you want me to leave?”
“Not you,” Colt said. “It’s a little tricky. We’re on friendly terms with the Red Brigands across the lake. But it’s time for me to have a sit-down with their prez. And I want a show of force. Just in case. Kellan, Brax, and I are making a road trip.”
Joker cleared his throat. “And I’m taking E.J. down to Cleveland next week to supervise a new gym opening.”
I knew what it meant, and a lump formed in my throat. My prez was calling on me to keep things under control here in Lincolnshire.
“I understand,” I said.
“I’m not expecting any trouble while we’re all gone,” he said. “Which is usually when it happens. I know it’s nothing you can’t handle, Torch. When we get back, there are more things we need to discuss. You’ve proven yourself worthy of that patch ten times over. Now I want to talk about setting you up permanently.”
My own revenue stream for the club. That’s what he meant. I’d worked for it since the second I started hanging around the club. Six years. I came from nothing. Less than nothing. Now Colt was talking about offering me the world.
I couldn’t answer. I had no words. Colt smiled. So did Brax and Kellan.
I didn’t even have a chance to say thank you properly. Colt’s phone buzzed with a text. He nodded.
“Cutler’s here. There’s already a crowd forming at the entrance to the parking lot.”
“Damn,” Brax said. “You know it had to be his people to tip them off.”
“Yeah,” Colt said. “Cutler’s still a good kid, but some of his buddies are assholes.”
“I’ll take care of it,” Brax said. “We’re covered.”
“All right,” Colt said. “Meeting adjourned. Let’s go down there and make some money.”
<
br /> The rest of the guys filed out. I hung back for a second, waiting for Colt. It turns out I did know what to say. I just didn’t want an audience.
I went to him. “I can’t ... I mean ... thank you.”
Colt smiled and slapped me on the back. “Wherever we go from here, you earned it, man. The sky’s the limit. You really impressed me with the craft beer brand rollout. The numbers I’m getting back so far are big, Torch. I think you’re about to make me a very rich man. Yourself too.”
We stood shoulder to shoulder, looking out at the bar. The place was really starting to fill up. I couldn’t help it. My eyes went to the back corner, where Sydney was starting to take drink orders.
“She’s trouble,” he said. “You get that, right?”
“Not so far, man. I swear it.”
“Don’t,” he said. “I’m the last person who’s going to tell you where to dip your wick. I’m just gonna warn you ... if that’s all you’re planning to do, that might be a problem.”
“I got this,” I said.
Colt slapped me even harder on the back. “Sheeit. I’d love it if just for once, the men in this club could find some nice, small-town chick to settle down with that wouldn’t have me watching my wallet.”
“I mean it, Prez. I got this.”
“Yeah,” he said. The band started playing. Mallory was just doing a short set tonight. Then it was all about the fights.
Colt and I headed down with the rest of the crew right as Bodie Cutler and his gang started filing in. Clara, one of our best waitresses, would handle bottle service for them. I saw Bodie himself eyefuck her as she walked in.
I took my perch at the far end of the bar. I had a beer in front of me but no plans to drink it. It was just for show. The entire club would stay sober tonight.
The undercard fight started, and the crowd grew. From my vantage point, I couldn’t really see Sydney anymore. Her tables would be by the bartender further away from me.
I heard familiar laughter to my right, and George Bailey himself slid up to the bar. I shot a look to one of the probies who’d taken the seat beside me. He got up and cleared the stool for George.