Illusive

by Nina Levine

  “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

  While we were watching him, another guy joined the group. “No idea who he is, either,” Scott muttered. Turning to Wilder, he called him over. “I want info on who those guys are. After we deal with Slug, you take off and look into that for me.”

  “Done,” Wilder agreed before heading to his bike.

  “Jesus, this town is beginning to crawl with scum,” I said, convinced those two were deserving of that label simply because of who they were laughing and joking with.

  Scott nodded. “Sure feels like it, brother.”

  King sat on his bike looking at Scott expectantly. “Let’s go fuck some shit up, Cole,” he said. “I’ve had about enough of pussy-footing around; it’s time to get down to business.”

  And there was the King we knew. God help Slug when we found him.

  * * *

  “Jesus fuck,” Nash said, looking at the bloody scene in front of us.

  We stood in Slug’s living room, all seven of us silent as we took in his dead body. Or more to the point, his body parts that were strewn across the room.

  King whistled and turned to face Scott and me. “I don’t know what the fuck’s going down, but going by this, it’s something you need to figure out fast. I’m gonna put a call into Hyde and get him to start asking questions; see if we know anyone who knows anything.”

  “Thanks, man,” I said. Between his VP and our guys, surely someone had to know something.

  Anger clouded Scott’s face as he took one last look at the death scene. Then he directed his attention to us, a look of determination on his face now. “Wilder, you check into those guys like we discussed. J, you and Nash follow up on that drug deal Ricky’s talking about. Griff, you and I are gonna spend today visiting every fucking person Slug knew and see what we can find out.” Eyeing King, he said, “And you and Kick can either ride along with us or you can question my boys.” He paused for a moment while a darker look shadowed his face. “And if you figure out who’s been spreading that shit about your club, I want time with them before you do whatever the fuck you’ve got planned.”

  King’s lips quirked into a grin. “I like the way you think, Cole.”

  I was with King there. We’d been treading carefully with the club for too many weeks now; it was way past time to deal with misplacements of loyalty.

  5

  Sophia

  I sat in my car outside the diner I ate dinner at occasionally, and pulled the rearview mirror down so I could take a good look at my face. After a long day at work, I’d gone to the gym and spent an hour there trying to work some of the stress out of my body. I’d showered afterwards and changed into shorts and a shirt with the intention of going home, but on the way, I’d had a craving for a hamburger.

  Looking in the mirror, I decided that tonight perhaps wasn’t the night to eat out. My hair hung half dry after I’d washed it, and my face held no trace of makeup. Some days I had no problem going out without my hair or makeup done, but I wasn’t sure today was one of those days. Not only were my hormones all over the place, but I’d had a run in with one of my work colleagues today, and she’d made me feel little. I fucking hated giving people that power in my life, but some days I struggled not to. And today, I hadn’t won the battle.

  Fuck it.

  I opened the car door and stepped out. Locking the car, I began walking towards the diner. My tummy growled, eager for a hamburger because, goddamn, they were the bomb at this diner.

  Pushing through the front door, I entered and looked for an empty table. As I scanned the room, my heart fell into my stomach when I saw the guy at the back smile at me.

  Worst luck today.

  I should have just gone home.

  My ex-boyfriend, Tommy, sat at one end of the diner smiling at me as if he’d never stuck his dick in any other woman’s vagina before coming home and whispering sweet nothings about growing old with me.

  He stood and walked my way, and in my haste to avoid him, I swiftly turned and headed in the other direction.

  Shit, there are no empty tables.

  The universe is conspiring against me today.

  And then I spotted him.

  Griff.

  He sat by himself at a table near the back and was engrossed with something on his phone so he didn’t see me coming. His head snapped up, though, when I slid into the booth with him, and announced loudly, “Sorry I’m late, handsome. I got caught up at work.”

  His eyes widened right before he frowned. I didn’t give him time to speak before leaning across the table and pressing a kiss to his cheek. My hand moved to his cheek once I’d kissed him, and I let it linger there, hoping like hell my ex was taking this all in.

  Easing back into my seat, I realised Tommy now stood next to Griff’s table with a look of disbelief on his face. “Sophia,” he said before turning his attention to Griff. “And you are?” His voice held that possessive tone he’d liked to bring out whenever we’d gone out and another man had even so much as looked at me.

  What did I ever see in him?

  Griff didn’t even skip a beat. “None of your fucking business,” he replied, his eyes hard as he watched Tommy.

  Tommy scowled at him and then turned to me. “You’ve stooped so low as to date a biker now?”

  Huh? A biker?

  Griff stood. Towering over Tommy, he spoke in a low, harsh voice. “If I were you, I’d turn the fuck around and walk away before you say something I might take offence to.” His rigid body stayed rooted to the spot while he glared at Tommy, waiting for him to make his next move.

  I held my breath, wondering if perhaps I had made a bad decision to sit with Griff and act like we were together. My intention had not been to cause a problem; I’d simply wanted Tommy to leave me alone and I figured if he thought I had a new boyfriend, he would.

  Tommy held Griff’s glare for a few moments, and then he muttered something under his breath before stalking away from us. Griff watched him go and then sat again. He rested both arms on the table, either side of his plate, raised his brows at me, and said, “Care to tell me what that was all about?”

  Oh, man.

  That voice.

  It’s like liquid sex.

  He could bring me to orgasm just by speaking to me. I was sure of it.

  “Sophia?”

  Shit. I blinked and got my head back in the conversation. “Sorry about that.” I sighed, and leant my elbows on the table. And then proceeded to make a fool of myself. “I’ve had one of those days at work – you know, the ones where everything goes to shit – and then I went to the gym, and usually that helps, but tonight it didn’t. I’ve got all these knots inside and the gym should have unkinked them, and I don’t know why it didn’t. Anyway, I decided on the way home that a hamburger would help, but then I got here and realised I look like shit with no makeup and crappy hair, but I thought ‘fuck it’ and came in anyway. But then I saw my ex, and shit, it’s bad enough to see your ex, but to see him when you look like you’re not coping with the breakup – and don’t get me wrong, I am coping – but, it’s not the right time to run into an ex, you know?” I took a deep breath and waited for him to acknowledge that. When he gave me a nod, I continued, “So, I saw you, and thought if I just sat with you, he’d back off and leave me alone. Story of my life that he didn’t.” I removed my elbows from the table and sat back in my chair. He sat staring at me like I was a freak, and – oh, my God – he was probably right. Why did I just let all that shit spill out of my mouth?

  I sat in my mortification, waiting for him to say something. Anything. But he didn’t. He sat back in his chair, and watched me for a minute. It was the longest minute of my day, and I’d had some long minutes today. Finally, he said, “You don’t look like shit.”

  Cocking my head, I asked, “Out of everything I just said, that’s what you focus on?”

  He shrugged. “Seemed like the most important thing to mention at this point.” Leaning forward, he added, “Th
at, and the fact your ex is a dick. And that you can do so much better than him.”

  My belly fluttered, and I relaxed a little. “Yeah, I can,” I said softly.

  “What did you do at the gym?”

  “Huh?” I wasn’t sure what he meant.

  Gesturing with his hand, he explained, “You said you couldn’t unkink your knots at the gym. What exercise did you do?”

  “Oh, that…I did a Body Combat class.”

  “A what?”

  “It’s one of those classes with karate and kickboxing type moves. It’s supposed to be awesome to burn calories.”

  He scowled as he ran his gaze over my body. “I don’t think that’s anything you need to worry about.”

  A thrill ran through me at his words, even if I did disagree with him. I opened my mouth to speak when the waitress approached. “Can I get you something to eat?” she asked me.

  I smiled at her and nodded. “Yes, please. I’m starving. Can I please get one of your beef burgers with salad, and cheese, but hold the tomato, and add avocado. And can I have it without the barbeque sauce but add honey mustard, please?”

  She scribbled all that down, and asked, “A drink? And do you want chips, too?”

  “Oh, honey, I really do want chips with that, but hell, I know you’ll know exactly what I’m saying when I say to you that even though today is the kind of day I need chips, I am so far from needing them that I’ll have to say no. And, yes, can I please have some water?”

  She nodded at me, and said, “I hear you. Boy, do I hear you.” Looking at Griff, she muttered, “Our men have no idea how easy they have it.”

  I laughed.

  He didn’t.

  I wonder if he’s always this serious?

  “You want anything else?” she asked him as she collected his empty plate.

  He shook his head. “No, thanks.”

  A man with manners. I liked that.

  “I’ll have this out to you soon,” she said to me, and then she was gone. And I was left with Griff who was watching me with a look I couldn’t pick.

  Deciding I needed a moment, I excused myself. “I’ll be back; just gotta use the ladies,” I said, and didn’t give him a chance to say anything before heading in the direction of the bathroom. I hoped he’d still be at the table when I returned.

  Five minutes later, as I was washing my hands, I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Goodness, I needed some lipstick. But I had the issue of food. I hated eating when I had a full set of lips on. But, damn, I had a gorgeous man sitting across from me. And what woman wants to sit in front of a hot guy looking washed out?

  I rested my hands on the sink and took a deep breath. He’d already seen me without the lipstick so really, what was the point of even worrying about this? Besides, after Tommy had trashed my heart, I’d promised myself I’d never date a man again who was more concerned about my appearance than my feelings.

  Time to respect myself.

  Griff might be drop dead gorgeous, and I might be interested in him, but if he preferred a woman who always had colour on her lips, he wasn’t the man for me.

  I grabbed my bag and exited the bathroom. When I found him still sitting at the table, my heart did a little dance of happiness.

  He was on his phone as I approached, and I didn’t miss the way his eyes swept over my body, lingering on my legs, and – good God – that felt good. I sat across from him just as he ended his call.

  “Do you always wear the shortest shorts known to mankind?” he asked, placing his phone on the table.

  “What? You don’t like them?” I asked with a teasing smile. The way he’d eyed my legs led me to believe he did like them, but a little flirting never hurt anyone.

  Heat flashed in his eyes and he shifted forward in his seat. “Sweetheart, there isn’t a man alive who wouldn’t like those shorts on you.”

  His words hit my core, and I squeezed my legs together. Words failed me – not something I was used to. Thankfully, the waitress saved me when she brought some water to the table.

  I poured myself a drink and took a gulp. Griff had flustered me, and I needed a moment. Hell, it felt like I needed a lot of moments when I was around him.

  “You should try boxing,” he said, confusing me.

  “What for?” I asked, taking another gulp of water.

  “To unkink your knots. It’ll help.”

  I placed my glass on the table. “I’ve seen the punching bags at the gym; maybe I’ll give it a go tomorrow.”

  He stood, and disappointment spread through me. “Make sure you get a trainer to teach you proper technique,” he said as he grabbed his phone. “And next time, eat the chips, sweetheart. Life’s too fucking short not to eat the chips.”

  I watched as he walked out of the diner, and when I saw him head to a motorcycle, I realised what Tommy had meant earlier. He’s a biker. It was written clearly on his vest – Storm Motorcycle Club. He hadn’t been wearing that vest the other times I’d spoken to him, and I’d been so busy making a fool of myself while he sat in front of me tonight that I had failed to take it in.

  Well, shit. I’d never known a biker before. Didn’t bother me, though, especially because I’d seen the way Griff cared for his aunt. In my books, the way a person treated their family said more about them than any judgement handed down by society. I’d known people that society deemed upstanding citizens, but their behavior towards family behind closed doors painted a vastly different picture. Society’s opinion meant very little to me and could kiss my ass.

  6

  Griff

  “Drinks are off tonight,” Scott said as I drank the remainder of my coffee. We were in the clubhouse kitchen going over our plans for the day.

  “Yeah?”

  Nodding, he confirmed, “Yeah. King’s ripped through the club and pissed a lot of the guys off so there have been a lot of cancellations for tonight. I figure there’s no point doing it with just a few of us. We’ll have to wait until we weed the assholes out. Maybe then we’ll have half a chance to start rebuilding¸ without anyone working against us.”

  I rubbed the back of my neck and shoulders, trying to work the knots out that only seemed to get worse every day. “Makes sense.”

  Scott’s brow furrowed. “You look even worse than you did the other day. You okay?”

  I rinsed my mug and placed it in the dish rack. “I will be. Just got some stuff going on this week.”

  “Not that we can really afford it, but do you need some time?”

  I shook my head. “No, I’m good.”

  He watched me thoughtfully for a moment before nodding. “Let me know if that changes.” He waited for my response and at my nod, he continued. “Will you be okay without me for a few hours later today? Harlow’s got an appointment with her doctor and I want to take her. She’s happy to go on her own but it’s important to me to be there if possible.”

  “You go, brother. I’ll keep things ticking over here.”

  “Thanks.” His shoulders relaxed a little and I wondered at the reason for his level of stress over her. Last I’d heard, they were doing better.

  “Everything good with her?”

  “I suggested she talk with her doctor about her depression. I mean, fuck, I don’t know if how she is would be classified as depression, but she’s not right. And I don’t think it can hurt to talk to someone about it and find out what her options are for treatment.”

  “She took that okay?”

  “Yeah, she’s let me back in so that makes shit easier.” He scrubbed his face before changing the subject. “You hear anything from Wilder about those two guys?”

  “Not yet, but he said he’d be here soon with some information when I texted him this morning.”

  His eyes revealed his concern when he said, “We’ve gotta get to the bottom of everything, Griff. I’ve got a bad fuckin’ feeling about some of this. And I think Ricky’s tied up with it all.”

  I agreed with everything he’d said.

&
nbsp; And on top of all that, I had a bad feeling swirling in my gut about the shit from my past. I needed to deal with that, too, and fast.

  * * *

  “So, you’re telling me we’ve got nothing to worry about where those two are concerned?” Scott asked Wilder after he’d filled us in on what he’d found out about the two guys we’d seen outside the Eclipse Bar yesterday.

  Wilder nodded. “Seems to be that way. From what I’ve heard, their gig is robberies here and there, but nothing that impacts us. Arrived in town a couple of weeks ago but aren’t connected to anyone of concern.”

  “Thank Christ. We don’t need anyone else to worry about at the moment,” Scott said.

  “No luck with the restaurant fire?” Wilder asked.

  “Not a damn thing. Brisbane’s not fuckin’ talking. And Hyde hasn’t been able to uncover anything either,” Scott replied.

  Wilder frowned. “Can I do some digging today? Or do you need me on other things?”

  “You got an idea who it might be?” Scott asked.

  “No, but I know someone who might know something.”

  “Who?” Scott urged.

  Wilder fidgeted which was unusual; I’d never seen him fidget before. “I can’t say, sorry man.”

  Scott’s shoulders tensed. “Wilder, you’re a patched member of this club now. Your loyalty is expected to be one hundred percent with us, and that means if you know something, we expect you to share that with us. Regardless of who it affects.” He paused for a moment, his eyes boring into Wilder’s. When he spoke again, his voice was harder than usual. “The only people you should be worried about now are members of your club. Are you reading me?”

  Wilder stood across from him, his body now also tense, as if he was preparing for a fight. “I read you, Scott, but I’m gonna need some time, because if this person does know something, the blowback on her won’t be pretty, and I refuse to put her in that situation without preparing her for it. I will give you her name, but not yet.”