I crushed the cigarette in my fist before I’d even lit it.
“I fucking knew it! How did this happen?” I growled and Dash breathed in deeply.
“There were a couple of them who hadn’t gone to the shootout. Our headcount was clearly wrong. They went into hiding and laid low till they could regroup.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. I knew he was only the messenger, but I couldn’t help but take out my anger on him.
“And now they have? And looking for revenge?” I growled.
Dash looked apologetic. Like it was somehow his fault. I knew all he wanted to do was help the MC, prove himself to us.
“That is what my sources seem to think,” he said.
“Do your sources know what their plan is?”
Dash shrugged.
“Not yet, but we’re working on it.”
“Hopefully you guys figure it out before they strike. We need to be fucking prepared.”
He was nodding his head in agreement.
“Do you know how many there are? What the strength of the Dark Legion is, now?” I asked him and he shook his head.
“Fuck!” I growled and kicked my bike in anger.
Dash was watching me in silence. Letting me play out my rage.
I growled and grunted for several minutes till with heaving shoulders, I was finally able to calm myself.
“I’ll have to tell the rest of the MC. At least Lewis, Girth and Abe. We need to start formulating a plan for this shit,” I hissed and Dash nodded again.
“We’re going to try our best to find out the details as soon as possible.”
I was running my hand through my hair in frustration. Eventually Dash gave me another cigarette and I sat down on a broken-down portion of a wall of the building and lit it this time.
“Shit’s going to hit the fan once Lewis finds out that we didn’t get all the Dark Legion the last time,” I said. Dash stood over me, pinching his cigarette with his fingers as he smoked.
“If we destroyed them once, we can do it again,” he said and we looked at each other and smirked.
I sat there in silence for some time, thinking.
“What’s going on with you and that chick from the diner?” Dash asked.
I looked up at him with a jerk.
I hadn’t told anyone about Kaya. I’d taken care not to let anyone see us together either. I was extra careful whenever she came over to T-Bone. It would always be either after her shift ended or right before it began, and I would take her right in the supply closet. After our first time in there, it somehow became our thing.
“You know about her?” I asked and there was a smirk on his face. He shrugged.
“I’m digging for intel remember? Yeah, I heard,” he said.
“What did you hear?”
“That there’s something going on with you and some waitress from the diner. I don’t know who she is, I wouldn’t recognize her face,” he told me.
I took another long drag of my cigarette.
This shouldn’t have bothered me as much as it did. It was worrying to realize that Dash had heard about Kaya and me. It meant that others could probably dig up this information as well. If the Dark Legion wanted and if they knew where to look, they might just discover my weak link.
“There’s nothing going on between us,” I told him.
I looked away from Dash guiltily. Even though he was a prospect and I was his mentor…he was watching me in the way that said he could figure me out.
“What?” I snapped at him, flicking the burning cigarette to the dusty ground. He shrugged his shoulders.
“You seem bothered by it. I just wanted to let you know what I’ve heard so you can be careful if you need to be,” he said.
I clenched my jaw, and I could feel a rage rising up in me. I was pissed off because my private life was out now. At the same time, I knew that Dash meant well. Secretly, I was a little glad that he knew.
“Okay, thanks man,” I mumbled and ran a hand through my hair.
He didn’t ask any more questions because he didn’t want to push me—which was definitely for the best.
But now it was me who felt like saying something.
“Her name’s Kaya, and she’s a beautiful new blonde who waitresses there,” I said. Dash was looking at me intently. He still didn’t want to ask too many questions and spook me.
“She’s come here from Perry. Perry, man. Shit! She practically ran away from home. She’s like a delicate little thing, the baby of the family. Pampered and well looked after. But she’s sweet and kind and I don’t know…”
My voice trailed. I shouldn’t even have been talking about Kaya this way. Under any other circumstance, I would have felt self-conscious and embarrassed. But somehow, I felt comfortable talking about this to Dash.
“You really like her?” he asked.
I wasn’t sure what to say to that. I couldn’t say it aloud. The last time I thought I had feelings for a girl was when I was a teenager, and it was nothing. It meant nothing.
“She’s cool,” was all I could say.
And that was all Dash needed to hear to understand.
“That’s cool,” he added and I gritted my teeth.
“But this isn’t a good time,” I replied and Dash nodded, pushing his hands into his pockets.
“With the Dark Legion rumbling and making trouble, the last thing I want is to get a girl like Kaya involved in my shit.”
“She doesn’t have to be involved. Not yet, anyway,” he said and I shook my head.
“If they find out that I’m interested in her, they could use that to their advantage. They know they can’t get to the other women in the MC. Lila, Jordan, Alexis—they all live with their men. They’re protected.”
“Kaya is the only one who lives by herself, and doesn’t have the MC’s protection,” he added and I grunted.
“What are you going to do, man?” he asked and I shrugged.
“I don’t want to tell her and scare her. Maybe I just lie low,” I said.
“What? Like, ignore her?”
I said nothing.
Ignoring Kaya after all the time we spent together would be cruel. I brought her to my place. We had breakfast together. She was expecting to hear from me soon. If I didn’t show up, or didn’t get in touch with her soon, she’d think I wasn’t interested anymore.
She would end up feeling like all the other women who were ever associated with me. Women who I needed for one purpose alone.
And Kaya was so much more than that. She deserved better.
“I don’t have any other option. I need to stay away from her to keep her safe.”
“When was the last time you saw her?”
“Four days ago.”
Dash said nothing. He was thinking the same thing I was. That if I let too much time go by, she might move on. She might start despising me. How often do you get to feel the way I did about Kaya?
“I’m sure you’ll figure it out, man,” Dash said and I nodded.
Standing up, I shook his hand.
“Thanks for being honest with me and letting me know. The other prospects wouldn’t have the balls,” I told him.
Dash smirked and gave me a mock-salute.
“I’ll keep you updated,” he said, as I jumped up on my bike again.
I was itching to go see Kaya. I wanted to hear her voice, feel her presence in my apartment. But I didn’t want to lead the Dark Legions to her.
Chapter 20
Kaya
Fixing a smile on my face, I walked over to the booth where the four guys were seated. They were looking at me like they knew me, and I couldn’t but wonder how much Oz had actually told them about me.
I decided to play it cool. If this was the way he wanted me to get to know his world and his friends—I was willing to play along. I had butterflies in my stomach. I was excited about the fact that Oz liked me enough to try and get me involved in his life.
“Good morning, boys,” I said, in my u
sual cheerful greeting voice. The four of them were staring at me, watching me intently and I blushed hard under their heavy glare.
“Mornin’ there, sweetheart,” one of them said, leaning over the table now.
“Can I get you boys some menus or do you know what you want?” I asked. The guy who’d spoken to me looked me over. His gaze lingered for an uncomfortably long time on my breasts and I cleared my throat.
“Get us some menus, darlin’,” another guy said and I looked over at him and smiled. Their stares were now beginning to make me feel uncomfortable. I tried to smile naturally, but I knew it came out fake.
I turned and went for the menu-stack and the whole time I could sense their eyes on me. And not in a way that made me feel sexy and admired like when Oz was watching me. When these men looked at me, I felt like they were undressing me with their eyes. Like they were thinking of all the nasty things they wanted to do to me.
If these were Oz’s friends, I wasn’t sure I would ever be comfortable in their presence.
I came back with the menus and they still had their manic eyes on me. Roaming all over my body, my breasts and the spot between my legs. Some of them even exchanged pleased glances and chuckles.
I wasn’t excited any longer. Nor did I have those butterflies in my stomach anymore. Now I could feel my skin crawling. I wished Oz was here so he could see for himself how his friends behaved in his absence. Was Melody right all along? Were these people too different from my world? I could never fit in.
If Oz had other ideas in mind…ideas about sharing…I felt a little sick as I stood there. But that was not how he seemed to me. He seemed like he genuinely cared. Like he was concerned for me.
“I’ll give you boys some time to decide and I’ll come back for your order,” I said, forcing myself to smile again.
“You better stay right here, darlin’,” one of them said in a gruff authoritative voice. I knew immediately that I couldn’t disobey him. I stood there, gulping, hoping this could all be over soon so I could speak to Oz.
Chapter 21
Oz
I’d just walked into T-Bone, heading straight for the bar counter to order a beer, when the doors of the bar burst open. Me, along with most of the others who were at T-Bone, turned to see who’d walked in.
When I saw Kaya standing there, I was shocked. I hadn’t seen or spoken to her in several days, and my plan was to keep my distance from her. The last thing I expected was for her to show up here. I was expecting her to get the hint. For her own sake.
I saw her standing at the door now, looking around the bar. She was still wearing the diner’s yellow checkered dress that accentuated her curvaceous figure. She had her blonde curls tied in a messy braid. Angelic curls formed a halo around her pretty face. Her green eyes were shining. She looked like she was on the verge of crying.
She definitely did not belong in a place like this.
When her eyes landed on me, she took in a deep breath. Before she could move towards me, I rushed towards her.
“Kaya! What are you doing here?” I growled.
I could sense the others’ eyes on us. She looked up at me. Her lips were quivering.
“I needed to talk to you,” she hissed. She was mad at me for some reason. I could sense that, too. I assumed it was because she hadn’t heard from me in a few days.
“You shouldn’t have come here.”
“How else was I supposed to find you? I don’t even have your phone number!” she snapped.
I reached for her, grabbing her by her arm, but she yanked it away from me.
“I don’t care what’s going on in your life. Here! With your work. Just leave me out of it!”
I squinted my eyes, staring at her in confusion. She wasn’t making any sense. Even then, I assumed she was just a woman who was hurting, upset that I didn’t call.
“Kaya, I have been busy. I can’t explain it to you now,” I said and she shook her head.
“That is not what this is about!”
“Okay, you need to come here with me. Let’s talk in private,” I said and half-turned, trying to urge her to follow me to Lewis’ office in the back.
Kaya crossed her arms over her breasts. Her beautiful scrumptious breasts.
“Another round in the supply closet? Is that what you’re gunning for?” she hissed.
I heard a few sniggers go off around us. The others were connecting the dots and enjoying themselves. This was exactly why I did my best to avoid getting involved with women.
“I’m taking you somewhere so we can talk privately. Will you follow me?” I asked her, as patiently as I could.
Kaya looked around sheepishly. She saw the men staring at her, my brothers in arms who were enjoying the drama unfolding before their eyes. Thankfully, she felt self-conscious, and nodded.
I was relieved. The last thing I wanted was to give the club any fodder to take digs at me.
She followed me to Lewis’s office and I shut the door behind her. Kaya kept her distance from me, walking over to the tiny window in the corner. The room was dark, as dimly lit as the rest of the bar. That was how Lewis liked it.
“What is this about, Kaya?” I asked her. She was still the most beautiful woman I’d seen, and I still wanted her. But for her own safety, I needed to convince her to stay away from me. At least for some time. Until I could figure out this shit with the Dark Legion.
She was looking out of the window for some time, and then finally she turned to me. I watched as she took in a deep breath.
“Your “friends” came to see me today at the diner.”
I glared at her in confusion again. She wasn’t making any sense.
Kaya glared back. She tilted her head to one side, and her voice sounded pinched as she spoke again.
“The name Dark Legion mean anything to you?”
It all became clear to me now. Anger coursed through my body as I took a step towards her, but Kaya flared her nostrils and looked angrily at me so I kept my distance.
“You need to tell me right now what is going on here. I feel like I deserve to know!”
I gulped and shook my head, running a hand through my hair.
“The less you know, Kaya, the better it is for you. The safer it is for you.”
“Safer? Are you being serious right now? Do you know what they did? They came into the diner, and pulled me down into a booth with them. These four big men who could have crushed me with their fingers if they wanted to. And one of them pointed a gun to my stomach!”
Kaya was screeching the words out. She was pale with fear, and I wanted nothing more than to hold her right now. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening. I’d tried to keep her safe but I was too late. How the fuck did the Dark Legion even know about her?
“Fuck.” I growled.
“What is going on, Oz?!” she yelled again. She was glaring at me while I rubbed a hand over my face.
“Nobody has ever pointed a gun at me before. I have never been threatened like this in my life. I think I deserve to know what’s going on, Oz! Please!”
Her voice was shaking now and I looked into her eyes. She was so precious, and I wished I’d stayed away from her from the beginning. I could see this was crazy for her, and I was the cause of it. She didn’t deserve any of it.
“Kaya, I’m sorry this happened to you. But you need to tell me exactly what they said,” I tried to keep my voice even. I didn’t want to scare her.
She gritted her teeth. I couldn’t tell if she was going to break down in tears or yell at me next. She took a deep breath to steady herself.
“They told me to let you know that if you don’t give them back the territory you took from them, they are going to come after me.”
Kaya’s lips were quivering, her cheeks were flushed red and she had tears pooling in her eyes. I wanted to hold her, pull her close to me and tell her I would do anything to keep her safe. But I could sense she didn’t want to be held, especially not by me.
My f
ists clenched.
“Those motherfuckers!”
Before I could control it, I’d rammed my fist into the wall behind me, bruising my knuckles. My actions made Kaya gasp and I turned to her.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” I started towards her again, but she took a step back.
I let out a long sigh. This wasn’t what I wanted. I didn’t want to make her afraid. I especially didn’t want to make her afraid of me.
“Who are they? what are they talking about? How do they even know about me?” she asked with a quiver in her voice. I ran a hand through my hair, hoping she’d let me hold her.
“They’re a rival club. We fought with them a year ago. They were trying to destroy us, kill us all. But we won, and we stupidly thought that they were done for good. For a year they went underground. We haven’t heard anything from them since. Until a few nights ago. They’re trying to find a weak link in our club. Something they can use against us,” I told her.
I’d hoped to keep Kaya away from all this. To keep her safe. But now I had no choice. She was smack dab in the middle of it.
“And I am the weak link,” Kaya murmured. She wasn’t crying yet. But her eyes were puffy and red now.
“I didn’t think they’d find out about you this quickly. When I realized they’re looking for revenge, I made the decision to stay away from you. That is why you haven’t seen or heard from me in a few days.”
Kaya gulped, licked her lips nervously and tried to hold her head up.
“The least you could have done, Oz, was tell me what I was getting myself involved in. I should have known what you did. What kind of dangers you were leading me into.”
She was right. She had every right to say those things to me. And all I could do was stand and stare back at her while she spoke, her mouth trembling.
“I had no idea. I’ve been so naive. I thought that the connection we have…had, was enough. I should have listened to my friend. I should have known you were going to be dangerous.”
One fat tear rolled down Kaya’s cheek now. Even though she was trying to be strong and stand her ground, I could see how difficult this was for her.
“I’m sorry. I promise you I’ll do anything I can to keep this away from you. I’m not going to let those motherfuckers come near you again. I promise,” I said. She was shaking her head lightly, as I tried to go near her again.
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