Two Tricks (Hidden Empire Book 1)

by Elizabeth Knight

  “What the fuck is it with you assholes and dragging me around like a sack of potatoes! Put me down right now, Eagle, or I swear to god I will make you crash your bike!” I yelled, punching hard against his lower back, trying to hit his kidney.

  A hand smacked against my ass, the sound of it echoing through the trees. “Watch what you say. I already owe you punishment for leaving my room a mess, don’t make me add to it.”

  Ignoring his warning, I wiggled around, grabbing his boxers to try and give him a wedgie from hell when two more hits on my ass in quick succession left a burn on my skin, which stopped me.

  “I can do this all day, it’s up to you when I stop,” Eagle commented as he continued on his way back to his bike.

  I pushed up to see Wes standing by the ATV, eyes wide in shock and trying not to laugh. Oh, that fucker was going to pay for not helping me. See if he gets as much as a hand job from me any time soon, the unhelpful bastard. We broke through the trees onto a small side road that was more well used and wasn’t as rough as the one leading to the cabin. Pulling me off his shoulder, Eagle dropped me unceremoniously onto the ground, causing me to sputter as I got to my feet.

  “Are you trying to do everything in your power to piss me the fuck off? Because if you are, you’re doing a great job!” I fumed.

  Eagle rounded on me, grabbing me once again by the throat. “It seems that there has been a slight miscommunication in all this. You might work for Two Tricks, but you are ours. The Phantom Saints leadership has claimed you. So yeah, I’m fucking pissed that I’m going to bring you back home and then you’re going to get in your car and leave for who the fuck knows how long. I won’t know what you’re doing, if you’re eating, if you’re drinking too much, or getting into trouble!”

  Bewildered, I gaped at Eagle, trying to understand what he just said. Then anger washed over me in a tidal wave as his words hit home. How the fuck did they get it into their heads that I was theirs, of all things? I didn’t remember signing up for that job.

  Roaring at him, I reached out and grabbed his throat, gripping it far tighter than he was mine. “I. Belong. To. No one! I told you from day one that I was not part of your crew. My loyalties are to myself and no one else. I will not be forced into this, because you made the decision without even TELLING me! This woman cannot be bought or sold like a piece of meat, so get that thought out of your goddamn head this instant.”

  We both glared at each other, everyone around us completely silent as they watched to see what would happen next. A flash of pride shown in Eagle’s eyes before he removed his hand from my neck. When I felt confident that he wasn’t going to make another move against me, I pulled my hand away, seeing a perfect impression of my hand on his throat with little crescent moons from my nails biting in.

  “We will talk about this later,” Eagle said, walking over to his bike.

  I let out a huff, amazed at the sheer hard-headedness of this man. “I’m not riding back with you. Pick someone else.”

  “Fine, you’ll ride with Picasso then,” he answered without even looking back at me.

  I narrowed my eyes, feeling like that was far too easy of a compromise. Turning, I looked at Picasso as he frowned at his brother’s back, then shifted to me. Jerking his head for me to get on, I took a deep breath and swung my leg over the seat. Once comfortable, I grabbed onto the belt loops on his hips, not feeling welcome to wrap my arms around his waist. Oddly, I felt more comfortable sitting bitch for someone who didn’t actually care for me all that much.

  I couldn’t place my finger on why, but the man who made me an egg in a hole hadn’t shown up since. He was far more closed off and untrusting. It couldn’t just be the whole brother complex thing, because other than today, I hadn’t truly meant harm to Eagle. The man was an artist, and I knew from personal experience that we were all fickle bitches. He either needed to get laid or spend the day locked in his art space for a day to get whatever had crawled up his ass to mellow the fuck out.

  The feeling of Dax’s chest glued to my back as we drove back to the compound made my skin tingle at the contact. This spitfire of a woman was wreaking havoc in my world, and I loved it and hated it, all at the same time. I was the only one out of the leadership that hadn’t ever had a serious relationship before. My brother and the Phantom Saints were my top priority in the world, and no one had given me a reason to change my thinking. That is, until this tornado landed in our house, tossing everything into chaos. She didn’t care about our carefully laid out rules and the way we did things. Nope, she did what she wanted, damn the consequences.

  I thought for sure Eagle would kill her the first time he found her in his room, soaking in his bathtub, no less. The last thing I expected was to hear the sounds of Dax screaming out in pleasure instead of pain. Seeing how fast everyone else was becoming enamored with this spitfire, I knew I needed to figure out who she really was, so I volunteered to keep an eye on her that first day. That had whole-heartedly been a mistake. Now I craved her touch, her attention, anything to get those silvery-blue eyes to look at me.

  So what did I do? I pushed her away, of course.

  Hearing her reject our claim on her made me feel more confident in keeping her at arm’s length. Our family was known to fall hard and fast when we decided on someone, and it was already happening with Eagle. Out of the group, one of us needed to keep a level head and remember the big picture.

  If we were going to survive against the Mad Dogs, we needed Two Tricks’ help, and if he wasn’t willing to give it then we would just have to take it from him. I was a little less certain that Dax would be swayed to our side after the confrontation that just happened, but there was no telling if she would change her mind or not. We couldn’t leave this to chance—it was too important.

  Pulling into the compound, I drove right up to the house and parked beside the garage that I had turned into my room/studio. Dax popped off my bike before I could even put the kickstand down, hands on her hips as she watched the others park their bikes in the large garage attached to the clubhouse.

  “I thought you said you had a whole group of your guys waiting off a little ways in case you needed backup,” Dax called, cocking a hip in irritation.

  Eagle just grinned at her, pleased that she noticed it was a lie after she believed him. “Good thing I didn’t need them in the long run.”

  “God, I can’t wait to get out of here and back to my normal life,” Dax sighed, turning on her heel and marching up the steps.

  Eagle’s face turned into a storm cloud of anger at her words. He moved to charge after her, but I stepped in front of him, bringing him to a halt.

  “Eagle, if you want her to ever come back, you need to ease back just a bit,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a squeeze. “She is a spitfire who doesn’t like to be caged, and that’s all we represent to her right now.”

  My brother looked at me with a cocked eyebrow. “What’s this? Have you finally taken the stick out of your ass about her?”

  Frowning, I shoved him back as he laughed at me. “Fuck you, Eagle. One of us has to keep an eye on the prize.”

  “Oh, no need for you to worry about that—I’ve got both trained on her ass at all times,” Cognac said as he walked past us.

  “I’m surrounded by idiots,” I groaned.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna need you not to lump me in with this sorry-ass crew of idiots. I have no problem thinking with my brain and not my dick, thank you very much,” Sprocket pointed out, joining our conversation. “Those two dipshits are in a league of their own, though,” he added, nodding his head at Cognac and Void, who were shoving each other out of the way to get in the house first.

  “Truthfully though, we should all be impressed that she got Void of all people to show a soft side. He doesn’t typically do anything sweet or gentle—I mean, he won’t even fuck a woman in the pussy because he wants to make sure they don’t get pregnant on him,” Eagle shared.

  I scrunched my face up and
shook my head, not really wanting to picture Void fucking. “Why the fuck do you even know that?” I asked but held up a hand when he went to answer. “Nevermind, I don’t want to know.”

  “So what’s the real plan?” Sprocket asked, pulling our attention from the house.

  “I’m going back with her,” I blurted out.

  “Really…” Eagle said, brows creased.

  I rubbed my shoulder where the Saints symbol was tattooed, knowing this was the right move. “Look, even with the tracker on her, we have no idea what she is really doing. We are taking a big risk letting Westy work on our system. Think about it—we have him here and I go with her, each holding the other accountable. He means a lot to her, probably her one weakness, and I’m the same for you. It’s a fair trade.”

  “I’m not the one you need to convince there, Picasso—she is. If she’ll take you, then I won’t stop you, but this might not go the way you think it should. What are you going to do if she says ‘fuck off, no deal at all’?” Eagle asked.

  “Like I said, we have the one person who is her weakness, and if she has to hate me forever, then I am willing to take that burden so our people will be safe. She isn’t more important than the two hundred people we are protecting,” I answered.

  “Fuck. And they say I’m the cold-hearted bastard out of the two of us. Alright, I’ll back you on this, but just know that if we lose the deal and have no protection for our people, that’s on you,” Eagle stated, giving me a nod before heading off to the house.

  Sprocket stepped in front of me, forcing me to look him in the eye. “Explain your reasoning to her just like you did to Eagle. Under all the walls she has built up, protecting people close to her is something that is important to her and that she respects in others. The question she asked was to gauge our loyalty to our members—somewhere along the way, someone wasn’t loyal to her or one of her people, and it cost them in a way she couldn’t forgive. Let down the wall of ice for her to get how much this means to you and the lengths you’ll go, and she will give in.”

  As he walked back to the house, what he said hit home. He was right—the way she protected Weston was exactly what I’d done for Eagle. The loyalty that people had to her wasn’t just because they were scared of her, but also because she kept them safe. Any neighborhood the Hidden Empire controlled had significantly less crime, and businesses thrived. Thinking back to our conversation at the cabin, I realized it wasn’t until after Void told his story that she’d been willing to talk to Two Tricks. We had been going about this the wrong way the whole time.

  Now armed with this information, it was time to put it into action. I wasn’t going to let her leave the compound without me, come hell or high water.

  I showed Wes the room that I’d been staying in, figuring that’s where they would have him sleep. The other guys stayed downstairs, hanging out in the living room like nothing unusual had happened today.

  “Is there anything in here that you want to take back with you?” Wes asked as he looked around for anything that showed I had even been here.

  “Eagle eye hates messes, so if I leave anything out, he seems to pick it up and put it away. Truthfully, I didn’t think there was anyone that could be worse than you when it came to being a neat freak. I wonder what he did with the mess I left in his room through,” I rambled, then shrugged my shoulders. “Do we need to go get your bike? I don’t suppose you packed for a few days’ stay in a biker gang’s compound. Seems like I will have to bring you back some stuff if you really plan on doing this.”

  Wes just sat on the bed and watched me as I paced the room. “My bike is stashed somewhere safe. I’m sure I can get one of the guys to take me to it. As for the clothes, I would be grateful for you to bring me back some.”

  I nodded absently, continuing my pacing and started plucking at my bottom lip. Wes grabbed my arm and pulled me into a hug, trapping my hands against his chest.

  “Talk to me, shortcake,” Wes said into my ear. “It’s me and you until the end. No matter what you decide to do, I will support you one hundred percent.”

  Deciding to give into the support he was offering, I snuggled into his hold and rested my head under his chin. “If Devin had been a part of this crew, do you think he would still be alive?”

  Hearing Void’s story made all the feelings about my brother come rushing back. They had been locked away for so many years that I believed I was over it, but clearly that wasn’t the case.

  “There’s no way to know that. Devin was never as street smart as you are. He trusted people too easily and was talked into all kinds of situations that could have gotten him into trouble. It’s not your fault either because you weren’t there. He still would have married Kimber and ended up in the Blackjax. I will say the same thing I have said for years—not every MC is the same. You’ve spent time here—are they what you thought they would be?” Wes challenged.

  “Why do you care so much that I change my mind about MCs?” I questioned.

  Wes pulled me back so he could look me in the eyes. “I don’t give a shit about how you feel about MCs. What I care about is you. The anger you have focused on them isn’t healthy, and if you don’t eventually let it go, it will eat you alive. Believe it or not, you’ve changed in the short time you’ve been here. Something inside of you has softened.” Catching my expression, he explained further. “I don’t mean weak—you could never be weak. You’ve let them get a glimpse of who you are, the side of Dax that only Harper and I have seen.”

  “Now you’re just spouting a bunch of bullshit,” I said, shoving him back and heading for the door. “I’ll make sure to get you clothes tomorrow. I’d share mine, but I don’t think they will fit.”

  “Very funny. I’ll see if the guys can loan me some sweatpants or something. If they can pay my fee, I’m sure they can figure something out,” Wes said, chuckling as we headed back downstairs.

  “Yo, Eagle, I’m gonna need my cell phone back. And my car keys,” I called once I caught sight of him at the pool table.

  Eagle smirked at me and nodded his head in Picasso’s direction. “Sure thing. He’s got them for you already.”

  I walked over to Picasso and noticed the saddle bags that were at his feet. “Going on a trip?”

  “Yeah, back to your place.” He looked me dead in the eye, waiting for me to challenge him.

  I tossed my head back and laughed. “You must be outta your goddamn mind if you think I’m letting you, the asshole who shocked me, come with.”

  “Think about it. Weston is staying here to work on our system. If I go with you, it keeps things fair.”

  “Nope, sorry, that still isn’t gonna do it for me. Try again,” I snapped, crossing my arms.

  Picasso sighed, running his hands through his hair. “Look, I know you don’t think very highly of us MCs, but the threat to all the people living here is real. My job as a leader of this crew is to make sure I do whatever it takes to keep them safe. Our members have wives and kids that don’t deserve to live in fear. How can I look them in the eye if I don’t do everything possible to keep them safe?”

  His words were a slap in the face, and I couldn’t help but be impressed with this side of him.

  “You can come on two conditions—one, Weston has to agree to you coming to our house, and two, you are not going to meet with Two Tricks. I will deal with that matter on my own, along with whatever other business I need to handle as enforcer.”

  “If someone can spot me clothes for tomorrow until Dax comes back with some for me, then I’m cool with it,” Wes said. “You’re letting me stay in your home, it’s only fair that I do the same. After all, we are hoping for a partnership, right?” Wes added, grinning at me.

  God, he could be such a smug bastard sometimes.

  “Ready?” I asked, holding out my hand for my things, which he gave me right away.

  “Yup, let me show you where we stashed your ride,” Picasso said, hoisting his saddle bags over his shoulder.

 
I followed him out the door until I was dragged back by Weston, of all people. “Did you really think you could just leave without saying goodbye?”

  Confused, I just scrunched my face at him. “Bye?”

  Weston cupped my face, tilting my head up, and gave me a kiss so intense I was breathless when he let me come up for air. “See you later, shortcake.”

  A grin tugged at my lips as Eagle shoved Weston out of the way and came in for his own goodbye kiss. “Keep each other safe, you hear me?”

  “I’ll make sure Picasso is the safest person in L.A. as long as Weston is looked after as well,” I countered.

  “What matters to you, little hellcat, matters to me. He’ll be fine,” Eagle said, his thumb brushing my cheek. “Be back for dinner tomorrow. We are having a cookout to celebrate our new friendship.”

  “Tricks hasn’t agreed yet, Eagle. Don’t go putting all your bullets in one gun,” I warned.

  Eagle just smiled at me, then gave Picasso a bro hug as the other three came to say goodbye.

  “Seriously, guys, I’m just leaving for the day—apparently I need to be back for dinner. There’s no need to get all sappy about it.” I groaned when Cognac scooped me up in a hug and twirled me around like a kid, then gave me a peck on the lips.

  “Where’s the fun in that? I like watching you squirm under all this attention—makes you seem more girly,” Cognac teased, dodging my punch.

  Sprocket gave me a side hug and kissed me on the forehead with a wink. “Don’t have too much fun without us.”

  “No fear of that. I have old stick-in-the-mud coming with me,” I said, gesturing to Picasso.

  “Hey! I know how to have fun,” he grumbled.

  “I’ll believe it when I see it, buddy.” I smirked then let out a squeak when someone bit the shell of my ear.

  Looking up, I saw Void standing behind me with his hands resting on my hips. “Little demon, if you think you can run from us because we are giving you some freedom, that would be a mistake. I will hunt you down no matter where you hide, no matter how long it takes.”