Heart of Steel

by Cathleen Cole

  “Can’t wait to see who you invited,” Riggs smirked at me, his words stopping me in my tracks.

  “I didn’t invite her, Gunnar did.”

  Riggs rolled his eyes. “Because you told him to.”

  Cade slid a knowing look at Riggs before speaking to me. “If she doesn’t belong to you, then you won’t mind if the rest of us take a shot at her?” He flipped open a switchblade and used the tip to clean under his nails.

  I spun back around and slammed my hands on the surface of the island. “Hands off,” I snarled. Now all three men had smug looks on their faces. The four of us had been friends forever. I’d never speak this way to Cade or Riggs in front of the rest of the group. I had to set an example for the rest of the members. But in private? They were just my dick head brother and his friend who had hung out at our place twenty-four hours a day. Gunnar’s grin had me snarling at him. We’d been best friends forever but there were times he needed to show the proper respect to me, as his Sgt. Shoving off the counter, I left the room, gritting my teeth while their laughter followed me out of the room.

  I heard a pair of boots on the stairs behind me and huffed out an annoyed breath when I looked back and saw my brother following me. I ignored him at first, but I knew he wasn’t going to leave me alone. It was rare that Riggs wanted to talk, but when he did, he always said what he needed to.

  “What?”

  “Who is she?”

  I grunted a non-committal answer. I reached the door to my room within the clubhouse and tried to shut it in my brother’s face, but he just propped a massive shoulder on the frame. Riggs crossed his arms over his chest and waited.

  “Just some girl I met yesterday morning.”

  He cocked a brow at me but said nothing. I wasn’t sure how to explain why this particular girl was stuck in my head and was creating such a restless, predatory feeling inside of me. All I knew was that when she’d been running away yesterday something inside of me had been triggered and I’d wanted to chase her, toss her down, and fuck her. More than that, I knew once I caught her, I wouldn’t let her go.

  “What Cade said…”

  “He was fucking with you.”

  “Still, let the others know that she’s mine. Anyone puts their hands on her, and I’ll cut them off.”

  Our eyes locked. “Fuck.” Riggs rubbed his hand over the stubble that lined his jaw. “Yeah alright, little brother. I’ll make sure the guys understand.”

  We nodded at each other and he pushed off the door frame and walked down the hall as I went inside. I’d just told him, without as many words, that I was claiming this woman as my own. A woman I knew nothing about. It didn’t matter because I now knew the only thing I needed to. It had been nagging me since yesterday but hadn’t clicked until Cade had goaded me and until my brother had prodded me.

  Whoever she was, she belonged to me.

  Chapter 7

  Remi

  I dropped my bag at the door of our house and walked over to flop onto the couch on my back. Today had been busy but had gone smoothly. It’d been hard to concentrate, knowing that tonight we were supposed to be meeting up with the bikers from yesterday. I still had plans to try to talk some sense into Bridget, but I wanted to grab a shower, then settle in to work on my homework.

  Bridget jogged down the stairs. “Hey! I’m glad you’re home! Now you have a few hours at least, to shower and change.” Bridget looked at me expectantly.

  I frowned at her. “What?”

  “The party. It starts at ten.” She glanced at the clock.

  I gave her an incredulous look. “Seriously, Bridget? What makes you think it’s a good idea to go to a party at their place? Those guys are dangerous.”

  She laughed. “Of course, they are. They’re one-percenters.”

  I frowned at her in confusion. “What does that mean?”

  “It means their club is part of the one percent who delve into illegal shit. Most MCs are just guys who want to ride bikes. The one-percenters live a whole different lifestyle.”

  “Was that guy you dated in high school, Todd? Travis? Tim? Whatever, was he in one of those one percent clubs?” I asked her in shock. Her dad had thrown a conniption fit when she’d brought the guy home, but consorting with a known felon? It literally would have put her politically-minded father in the grave.

  “Todd. No, he was way too strait-laced to ever be involved in anything illegal.” She laughed and pulled out a compact with a mirror to check her makeup.

  “Look.” She set it down. “Just come with me tonight. If we don’t have fun, I’ll never ask you to do anything like this again.”

  I narrowed my eyes at her. “Bullshit, you’ll ask again.” She blinked at me innocently. I sighed but knew I had already lost.

  “Bridge, I really, really don’t think this a good idea.”

  “Noted. Now, let’s go find you something to wear so that you can get ready.”

  “It’s four-thirty, Bridget.” I stared at her incredulously. “It’s not going to take me five and a half hours to get ready.”

  She wrinkled her nose at me, managing to look like an adorable bunny. “Maybe if you took five and a half hours, you would be able to keep a guy around.”

  I threw my hands up in the air. “For fuck’s sake. Yes, because that’s what’s important to me right now. I’m a twenty-one-year-old in danger of becoming a cat lady because I don’t have a boyfriend.” I glowered at her. “I am taking more than a full load of classes this semester, so I can hopefully graduate a year early. Not to mention, I have Mackenzie’s to deal with. I don’t have time for a guy.”

  Bridget winced at the mention of my dad’s company. I sighed as the ache started up in my chest. I’d lost him almost a year ago, and I still felt like I was drowning. Sure, I had my uncle, but it wasn’t the same without my dad. He’d always been my rock. He’d been so proud when I’d gotten into the University of Texas. That pride and the love he had for Mackenzie’s was the only thing that finally made me pull myself out of the deep well of despair I’d found myself in and kept me moving forward.

  Uncle Caleb was ready for me to fully take over, he’d been showing me the ropes along the way. But I wanted to finish my business degree. Dad had wanted that too. Besides, a twenty-one-year-old kid in charge of a multi-million-dollar company? It was ridiculous. But it was my life and now it was up to me to keep dad’s business running. I’d need to work hard to impress the truckers who drove for us.

  I was hoping since Uncle Caleb was staying on as the manager, even after I started running the show full time, that the transition would go smoothly. I’d known these truckers for most of my life. I hoped they weren’t going to object to me being their new boss.

  “I’ll help you pick out what to wear tonight.” Bridget’s eyes brightened.

  Hell no! The last time I fell for that, she’d had me in a skirt and three-inch heels. I almost broke my neck.

  “I can dress myself.”

  Bridget rolled her eyes. “Will you please make an effort?”

  “They’re bikers, Bridge. I doubt there will be anyone there in Louis Vuitton.” Bridget’s love of fashion had rubbed off on me enough to pull that brand name out of my head. The girl had so many designer names in her closet, even I knew who some of them were. She sighed but gave up, wandering into the kitchen for a drink. I grabbed my bag and escaped up the stairs and into my room before she realized I left.

  Chapter 8

  Remi

  I tossed my bag onto my bed. Glancing at the clock, I let my gaze bounce between my bed and the bathroom. Shower or homework first? Shower, I decided. I started shucking off my clothes as I crossed the room. Leaving the trail of clothes from my room to my attached bathroom, I turned on the water to a blistering temperature.

  I soaped up my hair once I’d hopped into the shower and thought back to yesterday. The biker with the gray eyes was downright frightening but he was incredibly sexy too. It was a lethal combination. He wasn’t as pretty as the guy
Bridget was into, but the rough and rugged look worked for him. I wasn’t one to get rattled easily, but I’d never been around guys like that. He worried me even more than Gunnar, and I couldn’t quite figure out why. It’s not like I expected these guys to attack us. They were just unsettling. Maybe that’s why he was so appealing.

  I let the hot water pound over my body and leaned my head to the side to rest on the tiled wall. Things had changed so much in the last year. I was just trying to keep up. I wanted to bail on tonight, but if I did Bridget would still go. I couldn’t let her go by herself. I shut off the water and dried off and got dressed. I sat down to get as much homework done before Bridget dragged me off to this party.

  Chapter 9

  Remi

  I pulled my car into the dirt lot and shut it off. “We’re going to die,” I said, only half-joking, as I stared out the window. The complex was lit up. There was an enormous building sitting off to our left. The fence line went on forever and past the building was a dark forest.

  “Shut up. You’re being dramatic.” She rolled her eyes at me. “This is going to be fun!” She hopped out of the car.

  So much fun, I mouthed sarcastically as I slowly got out of the driver’s side.

  A long, low whistle drew my attention as a guy walked up. He had to be around our age, maybe a year or two older. He had on black jeans, a black t-shirt, and a black leather vest that had a patch on it that said prospect. I knew from Bridget — she had gone over some of her knowledge of MCs with me on the way over — that it meant he was trying to become a part of the club.

  “Nice ride. I’m Bass.” He eyed my car appreciatively as he introduced himself. His name made sense. His voice was deep and vibrated like the bass that was coming out of the speakers currently screaming from inside the clubhouse. The guy should have his own radio show with a sexy voice like that. It wrapped around a girl and made her think naughty thoughts. His handsome face helped with that too.

  The cherry red 1969 Camaro Z28 pretty much always got this reaction from guys. Not that the reaction was the reason I would forever keep it, or why I drove it. It was my dad’s car. He bought it when I was fourteen and he was desperate to connect with his increasingly independent teenage daughter. We’d restored it together and had so much fun doing it.

  “Thanks,” I told him as I watched as a few other men passed by and eyeballed my car before their gazes raked up and down me and Bridget. “I’m Remi,” I said, holding my hand out to him. He grinned and gripped my hand. He had dark brown hair, blue eyes, and an easy smile. I was really surprised that Bridget was still scanning the crowd instead of taking notice of the hottie in front of us. I liked how at ease I felt around him, instantly.

  “You two meeting someone here?” He looked between us curiously. I caught a spark of interest in his blue eyes when he looked at Bridget, but she was restlessly scanning the crowd, looking for Gunnar.

  “Yeah, we’re…” I broke off when Bridget about yanked my arm from its socket.

  “Let’s go!” Bridget pulled me along with her.

  “Sorry!” I shouted back at him as we moved away far quicker than I thought she could in heels.

  “Jesus, Bridge. You really have forgotten all those fancy etiquette classes your mom made you take, haven’t you?” I laughed when she snorted at me. But then I glanced back at my car warily as we walked away. “You don’t think anyone is going to steal the Camaro, do you?”

  She didn’t bother to answer. She hurried forward and pushed through a throng of bikers who were standing around in a circle. They were all yelling and whooping at whatever they were watching. Bridget shoved forward and disappeared into the crowd, leaving me on the outside.

  “Um, excuse me,” I yelled and tapped a man’s shoulder. The nearest three bikers pinned me with irritated looks at first once they noticed me. When they realized it was a female talking to them, they moved aside with filthy grins. I hurried past, but not before someone grabbed my ass. “Gross,” I muttered and pushed through until I found Bridget.

  We were standing at the edge of a circle that had been drawn in the dirt. I watched in shock as the two guys in the ring beat the shit out of each other. They didn’t have gloves or shirts on, just jeans and boots. The bigger fighter caught the smaller guy in the face and blood sprayed across the dirt. His eyes rolled back into his head and he crumpled into a heap on the ground.

  Everyone around us was either cheering or booing, depending on who they’d bet on. Bridget’s wide eyes met mine, and she opened her mouth. Before she could say anything, an arm went around each of our shoulders. I cringed at the tall blonde guy who tucked me up under his arm and started toward the clubhouse.

  “Hey, baby. Let’s head inside.” He didn’t give me a chance to respond, he just started pulling me along with him. The guy’s breath wafted into my face and my eyes stung. The fumes coming off him were enough to get me drunk. I looked over and saw Bridget stumble a little in the dirt. The red-headed guy walking with her caught her and kept moving propelling her forward. Those high heels were giving her problems out here. I had been wrong earlier, there was someone at this party with Louis Vuitton’s on.

  I shook my head at Bridget’s expensive shoes and her short skirt. Bridget didn’t sleep around; she didn’t need to. She was gorgeous, rich, and popular — the men waited for her. But she did enjoy showing off her… assets. I tried to pull away from the biker, but his arm just tightened until he almost had me in a headlock. I decided it would just be better to go along. The crowd that had been watching the fight was filing back into the building.

  As we approached, I let out a strangled noise when I noticed what was happening on the porch. Bridget let out a high-pitched, nervous giggle, and the guys ‘escorting’ us gave us lecherous grins. Sitting halfway out of the shadows, a guy was on a long bench with a woman kneeling between his legs, giving him a blow job. The guy looked over at us and raised his beer in a salute. Everyone around us laughed and went inside.

  Well, fuck me, I thought and was dragged inside by a tattooed arm.

  Chapter 10

  Remi

  The blare of the music made my ears ring. It poured out of a stereo sitting along a wall near a table that had bottles of hard alcohol on it. Next to those were rows of coolers. Bodies were pressed together and gyrated on the makeshift dance floor. A couch had been shoved into a corner, and a bunch of chairs and stools formed a U around the dancers.

  Men in cuts walked past, talking, drinking, and eyeballing the women. Most of the women had skirts on as short or shorter than Bridget’s and bras were being worn in lieu of shirts.

  Oops, I guess I’m overdressed.

  I had on my typical jean shorts, tank, and white Adidas. It didn’t matter though. I didn’t want to dress up for these guys anyway, and I wouldn’t be caught dead in any of the outfits the women wore.

  I was tired of being dragged along by this guy. We were moving toward a set of stairs that headed to the next floor.

  That can’t be good. I caught Bridget’s eye and made a motion. She nodded, and we both heaved our elbows back as hard as we could into the guys’ stomachs. I was instantly grateful for Sergio and those self-defense classes we were taking. This was the exact move Sergio showed our group last night. As soon as they doubled over, we bolted. Well, I ran. Bridget clip-clopped her way across the floor in her heels. I looked back at her and couldn’t help but laugh. She looked ridiculous.

  Behind her I saw the guys coming after us, their faces thunderous. My gaze shot back to her face when her blue eyes widened. I didn’t have time to wonder what the problem was because I plowed directly into a heavily muscled body. Strong hands caught my shoulders as I rebounded backward off the guy. I would have landed on my ass if he hadn’t grabbed me. Bridget tried to stop but the bottoms of her heels slid as she put on the brakes. She crashed into me, shoving me into him further.

  His body was like concrete. Bridget was bent over, gripping my hips, and had all her weight on me. I was pinned
. My face was dangerously close to his neck, if I stuck my tongue out, I’d be licking that deliciously tanned skin. Not that I wanted to do that. I closed my eyes and inhaled the smell of motor oil combined with something citrusy before I yanked my head back and looked up. A cold feeling settled in my stomach as gray eyes glared down at me. It was the second biker from yesterday. I glanced over and watched as the two guys we’d elbowed caught up and started yelling, or slurring since most of their words were running together.

  Finally, Bridget’s weight was off of me and I stumbled backward, away from the guy I’d just run into. My backward momentum was halted when he wrapped a hand around my wrist. I looked up at his face, but he was looking over at the drunks. I tugged my arm, trying to break his grip, but he just tightened it without even looking at me.

  Following his gaze, I saw Gunnar had gotten into the face of the guy who had been walking Bridget inside. Between the music and the voices of the people gathering around us to watch, I couldn’t hear what they were saying. Their body language was telling a pretty good story, though. They looked like they were about to come to blows.

  Sure enough, Gunnar cracked his knuckles right into the guy’s face. My gasp was swallowed up by the roar of the crowd. The guy who had been pulling me along had gotten smart and backed off. He was standing with the spectators, but when I met his gaze, his eyes flashed furiously at me. I swallowed; my mouth had gone dry because the look he shot me was filled with hate.

  Someone crashed into my shoulder hard enough that I almost lost my balance. The hand holding my wrist tightened again and gray eyes reeled me in toward his body. His arm moved from my wrist and wrapped over my shoulder and down across my back, his hand ending up on my left hip as he tucked me up against his side. He took a drink from a beer bottle as he continued to watch the fight.