Strip You Bare

by Maisey Yates

  Which was what he wanted. So he had no idea why he felt a pang of disappointment at the thought.

  Well, he did. Because he was simple. Because he was enjoying the pussy he had here a lot more than any he had on the West Coast. That was all it took apparently. To make a place that had seemed unbearable appear preferable.

  Nice to know that at thirty-two he was still being led around by his dick.

  It was early, and the Priory had that calm-before-the-storm atmosphere to it. Groups gathering for ghost tours, and bachelorette parties gearing up to begin what would end as a walk of riotous shame. Customers were on only their first or second hurricane, so the alcohol haze wasn’t quite thick enough for them to start making the really bad decisions just yet.

  Back in the day he’d loved making himself available to be one of the bad decisions. In that way, at least he had advanced some. A quick screw with a drunk chick in a bathroom stall had a lot less appeal these days.

  He was fucking old.

  He looked around the dimly lit room and saw Ajax leaning against the bar, Sophie behind it, her forearms rested on the roughhewn surface with the history of a lot of good bar fights scratched deep into the wood. Travis and Billie were standing at the bar too, and across from them were Blue and Alice.

  His arm was wrapped around her slim waist, holding her hard against his body. He looked like he was protecting her from something, his large hand splayed over her stomach, his grip clearly possessive.

  “What’s going on?” He approached the group, conscious of the strange dynamic he walked in on.

  “Big-ass news from the Ministry,” Ajax said. “Though Blade still says they weren’t part of this, Blue still believes him. I’m starting to think it’s bullshit.”

  The expression on Blue’s face was feral, and Alice’s matched. “Blade didn’t know. No one knew. Don’t go starting the wrong war, Ajax. Not now.”

  “Don’t pretend it’s the wrong fucking war just because your bitch has a Ministry tattoo.”

  Blue released his hold on Alice, making a move toward Ajax. “You watch your fucking mouth, you prick. You might be president, but don’t forget who I am and what I can do. Don’t forget who she belongs to.”

  “I’m in the mood to kill someone, Blue, so you’re welcome to volunteer as first blood.”

  Blue advanced on Ajax, and Alice grabbed ahold of her man’s jacket. “Hey,” she said. “Calm the fuck down, Leon.” She looked at Ajax. “You going to question my loyalty now, Ajax?” Alice asked, stepping out of Leon’s hold. “I helped you. I helped you get this far. I loved Priest, and you know that.” She directed her attention to Sophie. “The rest of them didn’t know.”

  “You want to fill me in?”

  “You want to start acting like you’re part of this?” Travis asked.

  “Rich coming from you, Cash.” Travis hadn’t wanted to be back here any more than Micah had in the beginning. Suddenly, the presence of Billie had changed that and Travis had gone full bayou again.

  “Don’t push it, Prince,” Travis said. “Not now.”

  “They got Gator to talk. Something involving a wrench. Blade is a sick fuck, I’ll give him that,” Ajax said. “They say it’s Blue’s family.”

  “What?” Micah asked.

  “In between all the begging for mercy, the pansy-ass turncoats said they were working for Delacroix. Acting on his orders. They killed Priest on Delacroix’s dime.”

  “You didn’t kill them, did you, Ajax?”

  “Not yet,” the other man said, his eyes glittering. “Only because I still need more information.”

  “Priest must have had something on them,” Micah said. “Why else would we have a Delacroix property? There isn’t another reason, not really. And Delacroix must have wanted Priest dead for a reason.”

  “You’re going to have to find out what that reason is. I have no problem going in shooting up the old family manor.”

  “I would have a problem with that,” Leon said, crossing his arms over his chest, staring Ajax down. “No one is more aware than I am that my family is a den of snakes. But Sarah doesn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of this.”

  Rage burned in Micah’s chest. “Damn straight. If you catch an innocent woman in the crosshairs of this . . .”

  “Collateral damage,” Ajax said, his voice rough.

  “Ajax,” Sophie said, putting a hand on his shoulder. “We have time to figure this out. There doesn’t have to be collateral damage. He was my fucking father. Don’t forget that.”

  Micah could see that Ajax wasn’t thrilled with Sophie’s attempt at placating him. But he could also see the other man turning her words over in his head. She was right. Time wasn’t of the essence here.

  “What did they do with the men who confessed?” Micah asked.

  “They’re still being held at the Ministry clubhouse,” Alice said.

  “Assuming one of the other Ministry bitches hasn’t gone to tell Delacroix what’s going on, that’s just fine. And we don’t have to worry about time. But that requires putting my trust in a club that has given me very few reasons to trust them,” Ajax said.

  “So, what?” Alice exploded. “You going to go over there and kill everybody? You can’t do that. You’ll get yourself killed for a start. And then you won’t be any good to anyone. Not only that, don’t forget those men protected me for a long time. I was a Deacons girl in their territory and Blade never let anyone touch me. Why would he suddenly go after Priest? Especially not after everything . . . We’ve been through this already. You won’t even have to deal with the traitors. Anyone acting without Blade’s orders will be dealt with.”

  “How much are you willing to stake on that, Alice?”

  “Don’t threaten my property, Ajax,” Leon said, his voice barely more than a growl.

  “Shut up, Blue,” Alice said. “Everything,” she directed the word to Ajax. “Blade had nothing to do with this and I’m confident in that. Trust him.”

  “I trust one person,” Ajax said. “Everyone else is out of luck.”

  “Trust them for now,” Sophie said. “Micah is already in the Delacroix mansion. He has access to a Delacroix. There are easier ways to get this than starting a firefight on the main drag.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Sophie,” Ajax said. “Starting a firefight would be easy. This is just cleaner.”

  “It might also be the only thing that gets you what you want.” Sophie’s tone was determined. “You don’t want to kill innocent people. You want to kill the one who’s responsible. So find the person who’s responsible.”

  Micah watched as Ajax weighed Sophie’s words. Then Ajax turned his attention back to Leon. “You’re the only connection that we have to the Delacroix. What did you do? You piss them off?”

  “I’m no more of a connection to a Delacroix than Prince is,” Leon said. “I haven’t spoken to a member of my family since I left when I was sixteen.”

  “You sure about that?”

  “Yes,” Blue said. “I’ve been in exile in some godforsaken swamp. I feel obligated to protect Sarah. I feel obligated to defend them if they are innocent. But that’s the beginning and end of my connection. It’s blood. I have to honor blood as much as I can. But there’s a limit to it. The Deacons are deeper than that. They’re the family I chose. Don’t question my loyalty.”

  Ajax shook his head slowly. “I don’t.”

  “Sarah doesn’t know anything,” Micah said. “She feels protective of her grandfather. Didn’t want me busting into his home and asking a whole bunch of questions about how we came into possession of the mansion. Considering how fragile he is. Because of how much he’s lost,” Micah said, looking at Blue as he spoke.

  “Does she consider me a loss?” Blue asked. “She’s probably the only one.”

  “She’d never heard of the Deacons, and she said she’s pretty sure you’re dead. You’re right about one thing, Blue. She’s sheltered as hell. Doesn’t even know enough to be inti
midated.”

  “You might have to push her, Prince,” Ajax said.

  “There’s nowhere to push her.”

  “So she says. She might be a good actress.”

  “She’s not,” Micah responded.

  Ajax arched a brow. “Really? This sounds a lot like dick logic to me.”

  Micah could feel Blue’s gaze boring into the side of his head. He turned to face the man he once considered a brother. “Yeah. I’m fucking your cousin. She seems to enjoy it, though.”

  Blue’s fist connected with his face before Micah could even respond to the threat. “Shit!” He straightened, holding his jaw, his vision blurring.

  “I told you to keep it in your pants, Prince,” Leon said, his voice rough.

  “I think I told you to keep your dick away from her too,” Ajax said.

  “Why? Because it’s fine for the rest of you to fuck around with the most convenient warm body but not for me?”

  “Because we don’t know what the connection is,” Ajax said. “And you’re defending her when you should be suspicious of her, now that we’re finding out the Delacroix family was involved in ordering Priest’s death. If you weren’t screwing her, this wouldn’t be a problem.”

  “It’s not a problem. I’ll do what I have to do.”

  “If I let you walk out of here,” Leon said.

  “You will.” The command came from Ajax. “Doesn’t do me any good to have the two of you fighting over a woman. It’s not like she means anything to you, Blue. Or you, Prince. If you can still get your job done, I don’t care where you’re sticking it.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Micah said again. And it didn’t. He wouldn’t believe Sarah knew anything whether he was sleeping with her or not. Ajax and Leon hadn’t met her, so they didn’t know. Didn’t know how soft she was. Soft but strong. And most definitely not involved in anything as nefarious as a murder plot. He had a feeling he had been at the center of every single one of Sarah’s most radical rebellions.

  “See that it doesn’t. Your connection right here is the only thing that’s keeping me from going over to the Ministry and busting skulls. So do your job, and do it well.”

  “You forget. I have a pretty big incentive to get this finished. I want to leave. I’m not going to stay here and join this fucked-up justice league. I’ll get the information we need. We can do it without shooting up any old estates. And we’ll know for sure if we need to litter the Quarter with bodies before we actually do it.”

  He turned away and started walking back toward the door of the Priory. “Don’t disappoint me.”

  “I’m not going to lose any sleep over disappointing you, Ajax.”

  “You might lose an eye over disappointing me, Prince.”

  Micah said nothing. Instead he held up his hand, extending his middle finger as he made his way back out to the street.

  He sucked in a deep breath, the thick, warm air coating the inside of his throat. Sarah was still asleep back at the mansion, very likely. She had no idea that her family was involved somehow in the death of his mentor. Had no idea that she had a group of angry bikers hungry for the blood of someone responsible, all looking in her direction.

  He couldn’t ignore the fact that when things went down, it was entirely possible Sarah would end up standing in the crosshairs. He was beginning to wonder if he was the one who might have to stand in between her and the men he had once known as brothers.

  He stopped, looking back at the Priory, then looking ahead toward where the Delacroix mansion loomed. He kept his focus straight ahead and walked back to the mansion. Back to Sarah.

  Chapter 11

  When he got to the mansion, he felt her absence immediately. He wasn’t sure why, what kind of magic her presence possessed that he could sense the lack of it, he only knew he did.

  He made his way up the stairs and jerked the bedroom door open, but it was empty.

  It was empty, with the Ministry knowing there was a Delacroix connection. Empty with Ajax sporting a vengeance boner that was indiscriminate.

  He swore and walked out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind him and making his way straight back down the stairs. He didn’t know where she was, but his first guess would be her apartment. It was a short walk across the Quarter. Stepping from Bourbon to Royal was almost like stepping into another world. If Bourbon Street was what you found beneath the skirt of a whore, Royal Street was her smiling, painted face. Neither was all that respectable, but one could at least fake it.

  He moved through the streets quickly, ignoring the acid zombies that started to roam the street this time of night, lurking in the alleys, fighting dragons only they could see. The gas lanterns flickered above him, casting pools of ghostly orange light down on the pavement. It was easy to see why people who didn’t believe in the supernatural became more flexible when they entered the city.

  Micah didn’t spend a lot of time dwelling on the supernatural. Anything you couldn’t stop with a bullet was something he didn’t like to think about.

  He approached the townhouse Sarah lived in. Pink with white trim, and the same wrought iron details found on most buildings in the Quarter. He needed a key to get into the courtyard, or he could scale the gate. Micah was fine with scaling the gate. It was how he’d gotten in the first time. He reached up and gripped the top of the iron fencing, braced his boot in the center of the vertical slab, and pulled upward, resting his other boot on the top of the gate before launching himself over and down into the small garden area. He straightened and walked toward the door with Sarah’s number on it.

  That was easy to get into as well. A small entryway led to a narrow staircase, and he followed it to her front door. He debated the merit of knocking. It struck him then how funny it was that just letting himself in seemed more logical than requesting entry. In San Francisco he would never dream of treating a woman that way. Of invading her personal space like that. Not so much because he cared, but because he had learned the customs of his adopted home. He’d learned, more or less, how to be a normal man, rather than the half-feral beast he was here.

  No doubt about it, sometimes he missed the beast.

  Still, he raised his hand and knocked.

  “Just a second,” he heard Sarah’s voice, coming through the door, going straight through him like melted honey. He could sense her pressing her body against the door, looking through the peephole. He could hardly wait to have her again. After he yelled at her for being an idiot and going out by herself. Or maybe that could wait.

  He heard her undo the lock, and a second later she opened the door. “Hello,” she said, a cool expression on her face, her manicured hand planted firmly on her hip.

  “Hi.”

  “I wasn’t expecting you,” she said.

  “I wasn’t expecting you to have left the mansion. I hope you didn’t walk here.”

  “My driver took me.”

  He pushed past her and into the living room. “That is the only thing that’s saving you from getting your ass spanked.”

  She blinked and slammed the front door behind her, turning the lock. “Oh really?”

  “We’ve been through this. This isn’t whatever fantasy you have of what motorcycle clubs are. You’re in the middle of what could be a potential war.”

  “I take it you didn’t leave me in bed just to prove a point?” She crossed her arms beneath her breasts, her dark eyes glittering fiercely.

  “Is that what you thought?”

  “I didn’t know what to think. I woke up and you were gone. It isn’t like I have your phone number.”

  “I had a meeting.”

  She uncrossed her arms. “And I assume it wasn’t for your”—she raised her hands making air quotes with her fingers—“business”—she let her arms fall back down at her sides—“but something to do with the other biker guys.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Do you really have business in San Francisco? What do you do?”

  “How did this turn into
a getting-to-know-you conversation?”

  “Well, I’ve had sex with you twice, and now you’re in my house again. You know where I live, you know my family. You know that I just broke up with my fiancé. Also that I was a virgin. I think I should know something about you. So that way when you disappear off into the night I might know what I should do with myself. Should I wait for you to get back? Should I run home?”

  “Always stay where I can get to you,” he said, a surge of protectiveness overtaking him. “I was pretty fucking pissed you took off after that first time. And not just because I wanted you again.”

  “I was hardly going to get hurt going across the Quarter. You forget, I’ve lived here most of my life.”

  “But you only see part of it,” he said. “I lived on the street here. I grew up running drugs in the back alleys, dealing with hookers, criminals. I was saved by the bad guys. It was the Deacons who took me in. Took me away from my drunk of a father. Saved me from getting stabbed on the street, from bleeding out into the gutters. You’re not going to impress me by saying you grew up here. You walked above the streets, sugar. You’ve got gold underneath your feet, keeping you from getting too dirty as you pass through. I’ve been down below. That’s where I grew up. You’ve never even seen all this city has in it. You think it’s all jazz music and architecture? There are wars waged out there every day. So stay where I can get to you.”

  The color in her cheeks had dulled slightly, her lips growing pale. “Micah . . . I’m not in specific danger, am I? I’ve accepted your general looming because . . . well, I’m attracted to you. Let’s be honest. But I’m getting concerned.”

  He closed the distance between them, putting his hand on her cheek. “No, baby. There’s just . . . shady shit happening right now. But I’m with you. And when I’m not . . . this will be over. You won’t have to worry. But for as long as you need me, I’m here.”

  “Is this more pretending? More of you playing like you’re protecting me, when you’re just hanging around because they ordered you to?”

  “No.” As he said the word, he realized just how deeply he meant it. “I’m going to protect you.” Above the mission. If Ajax heard him say that, it could cost him the skin on his back. And no, that didn’t mean he would protect her emotions. He would have to get to her grandfather somehow. Would have to dig deeper into the connection between the Delacroix family and the Ministry. But physically? If shit went down, his first act would be to remove Sarah.