by Debra Kayn
"Do you want me to call Roar for you?" She glanced over at the men. They were already deep in their drinks, and probably bar hopped before hitting The Fire Ring.
Coco tilted her head. "Why would you call him?"
"I thought it would make you feel better to have him here while you serve the customers." She finished the first order and started on the second one. "Though Elling is by the door. He's good about watching the room and keeping everyone in line."
"Wait." Coco lifted the first tray. "Go back a second to Roar. I heard a weird...something in your voice."
Lizzy approached the counter. "What about Roar?"
Put on the spot, Dinah could only be honest. She hadn't broached the subject before, because other people's private life was none of her business.
"I asked her if she wanted me to call Roar and see if he could be here while she served Table Seven and Eight." She looked back and forth between the two women and caught them looking at each other with no expression. "If I misspoke, I'm sor—"
They both cracked up, coming together and leaning on each other. Putting the last glass on the second tray, she wrinkled her nose. She'd stepped over the line.
"Oh, my God. That's the best thing I've heard all night." Coco wiped the corner of her eye. "Roar..."
Lizzy slapped Coco, making her laugh harder. Picking up the last tray, Dinah walked around the counter to step away from the other women. She'd deliver the drinks herself while they entertained themselves at her expense.
Coco followed her and pushed her through handing out the drinks and excusing them both before the men had time to hassle them.
Walking back to the counter, Dinah said, "I'm sorry if I offended you."
"Girl, you did no such thing." Coco led her over to Lizzy. "We've joked that people were going to think we had a sister wives thing going on with Roar. We know how it looks, but I only rent a room in their house."
"Okay." She wanted to drop the subject.
"Coco and I rented the house together for five years before I met Roar. It made sense for him to move in with me. He's always at the clubhouse, so our living arrangement works for everyone." Lizzy squeezed Dinah's arms. "I'm sorry if we made you uncomfortable. We've made all three of us living together the butt of our jokes since the beginning and have been waiting for someone to assume the wrong thing—you've actually made our night. The truth is Coco is my best friend. That's it."
Dinah pressed her hand to her chest. "I'm embarrassed."
"Don't be. Seriously." Coco walked backward to cover her tables. "I won twenty dollars off our bet that someone would ask and Lizzy thought too many people around here knew us that they wouldn't ask. I've been waiting for someone who didn't know, so thank you. I'll even buy you lunch with my winnings soon."
Dinah shook her head. Those girls were crazy.
And, she really liked them. Making friends wasn't something she'd planned on when Brage kidnapped her.
Chapter 28
A patrol car rode past Barge. He parked against the curb. Slag had enough members surrounding a four-block area around the Bantorus Body Shop to keep the crew breaking in safe.
He called Elling. "All clear."
"Give us ten minutes." The call disconnected.
He slid the phone back in his pocket. The crews he'd assigned around the town of Pitnam were strategically placed. There was one police officer to cover southside streets. As long as there were no problems, no other law enforcement would be called in to assist. It was the responsibility of the Slag crews to make sure the cop got distracted if he got too close.
There were six other Slag members hanging around Cactus Cove out of sight, making sure no Bantorus Motorcycle Club members got a crazy idea to ride over to the body shop at the time Slag was stealing the money from the safe.
Keeping his motorcycle running, he waited for news from any of the crews. It was imperative they not get caught. Bantorus had put out a verbal warning in the past banning Slag from getting off I-5. If caught, all-out war would be called between every chapter of the two MCs.
While they wanted to draw attention, they wanted no blowback to the Slag Seattle Chapter.
A white four-door car turned down the street. He lit a cigarette, giving the impression of a man on a bike, enjoying a smoke. There were thirty thousand people living in the town of Pitnam. Big enough, it was useless to guess how many were the ears and eyes for Bantorus Motorcycle Club.
The vehicle continued on, driving out of sight. Brage's phone vibrated, and he retrieved the cell.
"Yeah?" He looked all around.
"No-go. We're riding away. Meet us on the on-ramp," said Elling.
Brage disconnected the call without replying. The job had failed. There would be no extra cash to send to Norway or butter the Slag pot tonight.
He flicked the coal off his cigarette, tossed the butt to the curb, and called Viktor before riding off. There would be no celebration on their return to the clubhouse. Instead, the men would drink away their loss.
Marcus and Rune joined him on Alpine Street. Together, they rode toward the on-ramp finding the others waiting for them.
He pulled up beside Roar. "What went wrong?"
"Nothing there. No cash. The safe was empty," said Roar over the rumble of the motorcycle engines.
They'd had two men periodically watching the activities surrounding Cactus Cove and the body shop. Bantorus hadn't changed their schedule since Slag broke-in the last time.
"Something is wrong." He stood on the foot pegs of his motorcycle and looked out over the Slag members.
All the men were accounted for, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he'd missed a detail. For nothing to be in the safe, Bantorus must've known they were coming.
"What are you thinking?" asked Roar.
He dropped to the seat. "Just a feel—"
Shouts went up. Engine's revved. Alerted to something happening, he jerked his neck back and found the Slag members scattering. Only then, loud pops from gunfire came through the noise.
He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled, calling the others to surround Roar and ride out. Their main priority was getting their president to safety with the least amount of injuries. He pulled forward, circling around the members, making sure nobody was left behind and pushed them onto the interstate.
The feeling that something wasn't right had come too late. Bantorus Motorcycle Club had known they were coming. They'd walked right into a trap.
More headlights appeared in his side mirror. Single lights.
He passed the Slag members, signaling them to speed up. They needed no other warning that they were being followed.
Concentrating on traffic and reaching Roar, he cut in front of a semi, leaning into crossing two lanes. At ninety-eight miles per hour, he reached the front of the group.
Roar waved him off, knowing what the message was. Together they stayed ahead of Bantorus.
Going through Woodland, the Bantorus members exited, dropping off. Slag kept going. Only when they'd reached the outskirts of Vancouver when they were forced to slow their speed, could Brage get a good look at the members.
They were all alive. No visible injuries. No blood coated their vests.
Twenty minutes later, they crossed over the Columbia River Bridge and entered Portland. Within the city limits, they rode in pairs and kept to the speed limit all the way to the clubhouse.
Dag opened the gate. Roar rode in, followed by Brage. The rest of the Slag members on the ride rolled to a stop in the alley, one after another.
Brage tore off his helmet and walked down the line of bikers. "Is anyone injured?"
"Good here," said Glenn.
Viktor peeled off his gloves. "Nobody on my crew."
"Jesus Christ." Elling smacked Aron on the shoulder. "Look at your damn helmet."
Aron undid the D-ring. Brage stepped closer. There was a crack along the shell.
"Too close, brother." Elling cupped Aron's neck with his hand and bumped his head i
nto his. "Too damn close."
"Ja." Aron stared down at the helmet.
Brage walked back to Roar's side and filled him in. "If Bantorus wanted to take one of us out, they wouldn't have missed."
"Agreed." Roar stepped out to the middle of the alley. "Everyone is off for the night. We'll get together tomorrow and discuss what went fucking wrong."
Brage pulled out a cigarette. He needed to check on Dinah, but she'd notice right away that something bothered him. Tonight could've been worse.
The Slag members lives were his responsibility. He inhaled and blew the smoke out violently. If he would've lost one of them, their death would be on him.
He paced back and forth. Sometimes, the risks he put the others through were too high. Half the men had a woman at home. Some of them had kids. One mistake could take them away from that.
It'd never bothered him to take the hazards of being the vice president. It was an honor. But he found himself thinking about Dinah.
Would she have missed him if Bantorus would've shot him dead?
He tossed the cigarette and strode across the alley. There was no doubt in his head that he wasn't finished with Dinah yet. Opening the door to the back of the bar, he strode inside. He wanted to make sure she'd miss him if he never came back.
Chapter 29
Brage chuckled against Dinah's lips. The vibration tickled her, and she pushed at his shoulders until he rolled off her, taking her with him until she could breathe again.
"Did I wear you out?" She propped her head up on her hand and trailed her finger along the tattoo on his chest.
"Exhausted me, babe." He inhaled deeply.
"You were quiet last night when you got back from your ride." She put her head down on his chest. "Everything okay?"
"Mhm." His arm tightened around her. "I've got a lot on my mind."
"Want to talk about it?"
Several seconds went by. Dinah kissed his skin. He wouldn't confide in her if the things that distracted him had to do with club business and she understood and respected his choices. During the time she'd lived at the clubhouse, she had come to realize that it wasn't only a lifestyle he participated in, Slag MC was his family.
For Brage, family meant taking care of all three hundred of the members.
"Okay, if you don't want to talk, I'll talk for you." She flopped onto her back and looked up at the ceiling.
He remained quiet.
She cleared her throat. "How'd work go last night, babe?" Laughing at her imitation of his deep voice, she changed the tone back to normal. "Oh, you know, busy. I made a fool of myself when I hinted that Coco and Lizzy both belonged to Roar and they were involved in a three-some."
The bed shook with Brage's stifled laughter. Encouraged, she glanced at him. He lifted his arm and rested his forearm on his forehead, cutting her off from seeing his face.
"Oh, I didn't tell you about their relationship, babe?" she said deeply, answering for him.
He rolled toward her and wrapped his arms around her, dragging her body onto his. She smiled down into his face. His gaze softened, and she sighed. He was such a beautiful man. All hard edges, perfectly in place.
"You doing all the talking gives me time to do all the fucking." His deep voice much sexier than hers warmed her despite having sex minutes ago.
She wiggled. "Really? You're going to go at it again right now?"
"Ja." He rubbed her hip. "After I take a breather."
She laughed softly. "You're such a stud. I noticed that the first night we met."
"I know you did."
She slapped his chest. "Your ego..."
He fingered the hair out of her eyes. She stared into his blue eyes, amazed that she found him. Or, he found her. However their one-night stand happened, or who made the moves first, she couldn't imagine not knowing him.
"Why hasn't any woman ever snapped you up?" she asked quietly.
His brows shrugged instead of his shoulders. "Don't know what to say to that."
"Have you ever had a serious relationship where you thought it was going to be long term?" Her heart beat faster.
A small part of her didn't want to know about his life before she stepped into it. He was quite a bit older than her and had many more years of experience. But a bigger part of her wanted to know every detail about him.
"I've lived a hard life." He pulled her down and kissed the end of her nose. "I've worked my way up within Slag, and I've never had any desire to give a woman more attention than I could afford to take away from the club."
"You're a player," she stated, reading between the lines.
"Ja. I've probably been called that a time or two."
"There's a lot to be said for one-night stands and keeping things simple." She kissed him quickly and slipped off him. "Are you hungry?"
The conversation became too uncomfortable. She wanted to know if he ever thought of having a relationship with her, considering she'd been living with him for a while and they got along great.
Maybe she mistook how wonderful he was to live with for him just doing his job. He'd proven to her that he put Slag first. That was the reason why he'd kidnapped her and kept her in his bedroom, only later to give her the freedom to wander around.
She fastened her jeans. In some ways, he still kept her under guard. He knew she couldn't step a foot in any direction without one of the members snitching on her.
While he'd told her she had the freedom to come and go if she made sure he or one of the members was along, she wondered how true that statement was. Had their relationship moved into trusting each other?
"Babe?"
She finished tying her shoe. "Yeah?"
"I said, 'A sandwich sounded good,'" he said.
"Sorry. I was thinking to myself and didn't hear you." She stepped to the door. "I'll make us both one, and bring them up here if you want."
"I'll come down in a few."
She walked back to him and kissed him. "Okay."
Leaving the room, she walked downstairs. Her mind wouldn't let go of the hope that he was keeping her here because he wanted her, not because she wasn't free to go.
She strolled across the room and out the front door. The Slag members outside, enjoying the nice weather, turned in her direction and then went back to what they were doing. She kept going toward the gate.
Dag lifted his chin at her approach. She gave him a small wave and stopped in front of him.
"I'm going for a walk," she said.
He pulled his cell phone out. "I'll check with Brage."
"No need. He said I could go." While he hadn't mentioned it lately, he had told her before that she was free to go as long as she told someone—and she was telling the prospect.
Dag opened the gate. "It's going to get hot."
"I won't be long." Adrenaline spurred her forward, and she walked the familiar path to the rental house Moroad paid for.
The sun beat down on her bare shoulders. Breathing hard, she slowed her walk, realizing she was racing away. As if the faster she left, the sooner she'd get her answer, she looked over her shoulder.
Nobody followed.
She stepped over the railroad track, looking both ways as she navigated the other rails. Brage hadn't come after her.
Trying to wrap her head around what his absence meant to her, she found herself standing in the yard of the rental house. It looked the same as when she'd lived there. Barren, rundown, and depressing, the house was an oddball within the city limits because of its location next to the train tracks.
Moroad Motorcycle Club probably stopped paying rent on it after finding out she wouldn't and couldn't help them.
She looked back at the clubhouse. Would Brage really let her walk away?
Her pulse thrummed loudly in her ears. Emotions clogged her throat. She swallowed, wanting to go back.
She wasn't ready to be on her own. Having never had someone care about her day to day living the way Brage had, she enjoyed being a part of his life. What would
she do without him?
There was no question on if she could survive without him. She'd done it before, and she could do it again, but she didn't want to leave him.
He made her happy. She wasn't finished finding out more about him and his odd traditions. She wanted to sweat in the sauna with him and eat funny tasting cheese. She wanted to stay in bed with him and tease him until he laughed out loud. A laugh she'd memorized and held deep in her memories because she never wanted to forget how she felt when it happened.
A low rumble of a motorcycle broke into her headspace. She turned and found Brage stopping on the other side of the tracks. Elation filled her, and she wrapped her arms around her middle to contain the joy at knowing he came for her. He followed. It no longer mattered in what content he wanted her to stay with him but that he wasn't going to let her go.
Unable to hold her happiness in, she ran toward him, jumping over the rails, and skidded to a stop on the gravel in front of his Harley. He got off his motorcycle and grabbed her to him, squeezing her hard, reminding her of who she wanted.
He held her face against his chest. She buried herself in his beard, the size of him.
"You promised you wouldn't leave." His gravelly voice washed through her.
"Would you have missed me?" she asked against his chest.
He tilted her face up. His high cheekbones, heavy brow etched in frustration accented the pain in his blue eyes. "I miss you when your hands aren't on me. Hell, babe, I miss you when your thoughts drift away from me."
She shook her head. "That's impossible because I'm always thinking about you."
"Dinah..." He stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "This is more than I planned."
She nodded. "I know."
"Don't walk away from me," he whispered.
He gave her no promises, no timeline for how long he wanted her, and no guarantees. His words were honest and heartfelt. That was good enough for her. It was all she needed in her life at the moment.
"I won't." She spread her fingers out on his chest.
A train whistle blasted the air around them. She jerked her gaze down the track. An engine came barreling in their direction.
