“Yeah. You will.”
I watch her push her way through the crowd, and then I turn and take another look around the clubhouse. This is going to be my life for the next few – what? Days? Weeks? Months? I guess that one’s up to me.
Chapter Three
Skye
The yard out back of the house Gabriel and his team have set me up in on a neat and seemingly friendly suburban street is small and relatively tidy, but it’s a little sparse. A low fence separates my outside space from next door’s, and a wall of thick bushy privet hedges affords some privacy at the back of the yard; it’s quite pretty, really. And with a few more pots and shrubs I think I could make it even prettier, maybe get myself a small table and a couple of chairs so I can sit out in the sun. And then I realize there’s no point in me trying to make this any nicer or prettier than it already is because I’m not here to stay, am I? I don’t intend to be here more than a few days, so doing anything to this place, it’d be a waste of time.
I take another look around and, for some reason, my eyes go straight to a potted cactus that’s standing on its own in the corner of the yard and I crouch down in front of it, reaching out to touch it, knowing it’s probably going to prick me but I can’t stop myself from running my fingers over the small but harsh spikes. And I watch as a tiny speck of blood slowly appears on my finger, and I cock my head as that speck turns into a thin trickle, a few drops falling onto the concrete.
“They can really sting, y’know. Those bitches.”
I almost lose my balance in my haste to stand up, and I swing around to see a figure standing there in front of me, a slightly amused expression on his face.
“Jesus! You scared the fucking life out of me!”
I back up against the wall and ball my hand into a fist behind my back, and then I look at him again, and I recognize him instantly this time. Theo Blane. I don’t even know where he came from, but I’m guessing he’s scaled that low fence from next door… he lives next door? Did Gabriel know that? Of course he did. And he should’ve fucking told me.
“Hey, look, I’m sorry.”
His expression is genuinely apologetic, and I relax just a touch, but I’m still wary. I might know who this guy is, and it might be my job to get close to him, but I’ve been caught off guard a little here, and I need to catch up. So I stay where I am and keep that fist balled behind my back. I don’t think he’s going to try anything, I don’t think he’s the type, but if he does I want to make sure I can end it in a heartbeat.
“I’m sorry, really, I am. I didn’t mean to startle you, I didn’t, I just… I saw this place had a new occupant, so,” He shrugs, “I thought I’d come and introduce myself. Y’know, be all neighborly and everything. I’m Theo, and I live right next door.’” He jerks his head in the direction of the neighboring property. “But, I don’t think this is the first time we’ve met, is it?”
“No. No, it isn’t.”
Those ice-blue eyes of his seem to stare right into me, and I feel myself shiver slightly because now, in broad daylight, I can see just how blue they actually are. That color, it’s almost unreal.
He holds out his hand, but I don’t take it, even though I get the feeling he really is only trying to be friendly. I’m just a touch wary, that’s all. I’m still trying to get my head around what I’m supposed to be doing here, and I quickly drop my hand when I realize I’ve been absent-mindedly fiddling with that angel-wings pendant around my neck. I’m going to have to stop doing that.
“I won’t bite. I promise.”
I narrow my eyes as I continue look at him, but I stay silent.
“Not unless you want me to.”
He lowers his hand when he senses I’m not going to touch him, and he’s got that right. I’m not going to touch him. Not yet. But it doesn’t stop him from talking.
“You got a name?”
I can’t tear my eyes away from his. They really are so, so blue, I don’t think I’ve ever seen a color so pure or so beautiful. And I can’t describe him as anything other than handsome, so when you put that together with those make-believe eyes – he’s like no other man I’ve ever seen before. And then he suddenly drops his gaze and focuses on the sleeve tattoos that cover both my arms.
“You had those long?”
“Got my first at sixteen.”
He raises an eyebrow, a slight smirk playing at the corners of his mouth. “Sixteen, huh? You must’ve had pretty liberal parents.”
“I think you already know I’ve got some background in the biker world. Otherwise why else would I have showed up alone at the Soldiers’ clubhouse last night? Not many women have the balls to do that, right?”
He says nothing in reply to what I’ve just said, about turning up at the clubhouse alone. He just looks at me, and as he slides his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans I can’t help but notice the way they hang low on his hips.
“You still haven’t told me your name.”
“You ever thought that might be because I don’t want you to know?”
Of course I want him to know, so, maybe I should stop playing so hard to get. This isn’t real life, I have a job to do here. And that job is to encourage his attention, not deflect it.
“Hey, I’m only trying to be friendly. That’s what neighbors do, right?”
“Yeah. I suppose. So, are you a Soldier then?”
He narrows his eyes slightly, but there’s a hint of a smile there on his handsome face. “You won’t answer my questions but it’s OK for you to fire some at me, huh?”
Yeah. I really need to start pulling him in not pushing him away. I need to start focusing.
“You’re not from around here, are you?” he asks, although I think even he knows that’s a rhetorical question.
“You spotted that, huh?”
He drops his gaze but I don’t take my eyes off him. And then he slowly raises his head and my eyes lock with his. “Just trying to make conversation. That’s all.”
I move away from the wall and go over to the few small pots of brightly colored flowers over on the other side of the yard, crouching down to pull a handful of the dead heads off. “I don’t feel much like talking.” I stand up, scrunching the dry, dead leaves and flowers up in my fist. But he doesn’t move, he just stands there and looks at me and I feel a small flicker of nerves start to burn away inside of me, which I really need to control. We always knew this had to move pretty quickly, but I don’t think I realized just how quickly it could all start to happen.
“The Soldiers, they’re having a bit of a get together tonight. A club party. We’re patching in a couple of new members so, y’know, there’ll be another barbecue and more beer and… I’m guessing you like barbecue? And beer?”
I can’t help laughing. “Yeah. I do.”
“You wanna come?”
“To your club’s party? With you?”
He shrugs, and I smile. I’m playing the game now, doing my job.
“I’m not asking you out on a date, if that’s what you’re worried about. I’m just asking if you want to hang out, grab a few drinks, maybe get to know each other a little better, y’know? If we’re gonna be neighbors. Might be nice if we could get along.”
I cross my arms and look at him, narrowing my eyes slightly.
“I mean, we both got something in common, obviously.”
“We have?”
I move a little closer to him, because I’m getting nothing but friendly vibes from this man. He isn’t who he’s pretending to be, and I have to remember that.
“Yeah… we’re both new to this MC, to the Soldiers of Darkness.”
“We are? I’m not a part of it at all, at the minute.”
“Do you want to be?”
I smile again, and I take another couple of steps forward. “I guess that all depends.”
“On what?”
“On how tonight goes.”
His face breaks into a slow smirk. “OK. Well, I guess I got something to work towards
then, huh?”
I lean back against the wall and throw him a look that gives nothing away.
“So, you gonna tell me your name? Or am I gonna have to guess?”
“Skye. My name’s Skye.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you. Skye.”
He smiles, and then he jumps back over the fence into his own yard and I can’t help but smile, too.
Yeah. I can do this.
Of course I can.
Like I said before, I have no choice…
Theo
The second I saw her last night, it was obvious she had the air of someone who knows this world. It’s familiar to her. And she’s pretty, too, which is always a bonus – actually, no. She’s more than pretty, she’s beautiful. Talking to her just now, with her blonde hair piled up messily on top of her head, minimal make-up, an oversized shirt hanging out of her torn jeans, she was still beautiful. And I don’t see any harm in getting to know my neighbor. I might not be intending to stay here any longer than I have to – like I said, I won’t have a choice but to get out of this town, out of this country once we spring Dom free. But while I’m here I might as well enjoy myself. And I’ve been a good boy, since I got here. There’s been temptation, women throwing themselves at me, but I just haven’t been interested. I guess my mind was on other things. Until Skye appeared from out of nowhere, someone who could, maybe, make these endless days of waiting more bearable. I got myself one hot-as-hell neighbor, and I want her. It’s the first time I’ve felt my cock react to any woman since I got here, and I’ve got to listen to that. Nobody said I had to be some kind of saint while I wait for this shit to kick off. Surely I deserve a bit of fun?
Yeah. I want her.
And I know it’ll only be a matter of time before she wants me, too…
Gabriel
“You should’ve told me he was living next door.”
“It works better if it comes as a surprise.”
She turns to face me, her eyes wide as she gives me a slightly withering look. “Oh, really?”
“Really.”
We’re sitting in my car – a beat-up, inconspicuous Toyota – about five miles outside of town in an area of wasteland far from any prying eyes.
“You did it on purpose, right? Putting me in that house, right next door to him. How’d you manage that, huh?”
“We’re the FBI. We can manage anything.”
She looks straight out ahead, although there isn’t really all that much to look at. Just miles of desert and dust.
“You’re doing good, Skye. OK?”
“This is the easy bit though. Right?” She turns her head to face me again. “Gaining Izzi’s friendship, Theo already making moves to come on to me…”
I drop my gaze and focus on my hands gripping the steering wheel. “You’re gonna do this, Skye. And then you get your freedom.”
“You’re making it sound easy again.”
I raise my head to look at her but she’s still staring straight out ahead. “Just try to get them talking. Open up to them…”
“With the lies you told me to tell?”
“With the story we gave you. Start gaining their trust… Skye, Theo isn’t one of them. This world is alien to him. His brother, he was familiar with it all, and even though he wasn’t a biker either, he knew a lot of men who were. He knew Mack Slayer. He did work, for Mack Slayer, something that saw him go down for five years because he refused to name any names. He refused to grass any of them up. And we think it’s happened again. Only, this time it isn’t Mack Slayer he’s covering for.”
She turns her head to look back at me. “You think he’s covering for Theo?”
“Yes. We do.”
“You think Theo shot that man? The man who tried to rape his girlfriend?”
I shrug, because that’s the theory. But we have no proof. “The fingerprints on the gun – Dom’s gun – they were Dom’s. Nothing points to Theo, but it just feels strange. Why would Dom defend Theo’s girlfriend to such an extent…?”
“He’s his brother. He might have just been looking out for him.”
“Possibly. But it still doesn’t feel right… I need you to talk to him, Skye. To Theo. Try and get him to open up. He’s not one of them, he’s a regular guy who got involved in some deep shit and we just need to put those pieces together, find out why he’s there, under Mack Slayer’s wing. But the fact Slayer owes Dominic Blane… You’re meeting Theo tonight, right? At the clubhouse?”
She nods and pulls her feet up onto the seat, hugging her knees to her chest, resting her chin on them, her head cocked slightly to one side as she looks at me. “You married?”
“That’s none of your business.”
She drops her gaze. “Can’t see a ring.”
“That means nothing. Not all married men wear them.”
She stays silent for a couple of beats. “How old are you?”
I laugh, I can’t help it. “How old do you think I am?”
“I dunno.” She shrugs. “Mid-forties?”
I don’t say anything else. She doesn’t need to know any of this shit.
“You like your job, Special Agent Franks?”
“It’s better than sitting on my ass all day doing nothing.”
“You’re not real big on talking, are you?”
“Not about myself, no.”
“There a reason for that?”
“The reason is that it’s completely irrelevant to what’s going on here. When we meet up it’s to talk about what’s happening with you. What’s going on in my life has nothing to do with that.”
“Whoa. OK. You can flip down that defensive shield, I was only trying to be friendly. And you were the one who said we should at least try and keep this relationship friendly, remember?”
“Semi-friendly.”
“Doesn’t that just translate as we talk about what you want to talk about?”
“Which is the job you’re doing for me.”
I look at my watch. It’s early evening, and she needs to be back home in time to meet Theo.
“We’d better be getting back.”
I start the engine and she drops her legs and fastens her seatbelt, sits back and stares out of the window, her head turned slightly away from me. I don’t mean to alienate her, I just don’t think my private life is in any way her business. But hers is mine. That’s just the messed up way this all works now.
I know all about her.
She knows nothing about me.
That’s the way it’s staying.
Chapter Four
Skye
He knows how to ride a Harley. Or he’s learned pretty fast. But that’s a question I can’t ask him yet. I’m intrigued, though. Given what he used to be, he seems to have slotted into this life pretty easily. Either that or he’s a damn good actor.
I climb off the bike and pull off my half-helmet, laying it down on the leather seat as I shake out my hair.
“Come on,” he says, holding out his hand.
I look down at it, then up at him, and I frown slightly.
“You don’t have to, but, y’know, we’re talking holding hands here, I’m not asking you to marry me.”
I throw him a half smile. “I’m not looking for any kind of relationship, Theo…” I have to nip that kind of shit in the bud before it even starts, that can’t happen.
“Neither am I. But what I am looking for is someone to have fun with.”
“And, after talking to me for five minutes, you think I can be that person, huh?”
His mouth twists up into a pretty sexy smirk. “Yeah. You seem OK.”
“OK?” I laugh. “Am I supposed to take that as a compliment?”
He pulls his hand back and leans against his bike, crossing his arms. “You just seem – I dunno, different, to the other women who hang around here. I feel like I can be with you and not always have to put on an…”
He stops talking and drops his gaze. He was about to say put on an act, that was obvious, kno
wing what I know about him. But he doesn’t know I know that, so he’s stopped himself from saying too much. And when he looks back up at me his smile is still there but it’s a little weaker now. He almost gave something away there, so I’m guessing he’s, maybe, going to be on his guard a bit more.
“I like you. All right?”
“Yeah. I like you, too. And I’d like you even more if you bought me a drink.”
This time it’s me who holds out my hand. I need to make him feel comfortable because, very soon, he’s going to say too much again. And this time he won’t stop himself. I’ll make sure of that.
Theo
I don’t know where she came from, or why she’s here, I just know that I felt something, when I spoke to her this morning. When I saw her again tonight. And it’s not just the fact she’s beautiful and smart and funny, there’s something there, beneath the surface, something that intrigues me. She’s interesting. I really want to get to know her, but at the same time I know that’s a dangerous thing to do. Because I’m not staying. My time here is limited and I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t want to get hurt. That wouldn’t be fair on either of us. But something casual, yeah. If she’s up for that, I’m more than willing to spend some time with her while I’m here. While I’m waiting for everything to come together.
“Who’s the girl?”
I turn to see Mack join me at the bar. “My new neighbor.”
Mack raises his eyebrows. “You got a new neighbor? Since when?”
“Since yesterday.”
“That property’s been empty for a while now…”
He trails off, his gaze focused on Skye as she talks to a couple of the club girls, her arms gesticulating wildly as she laughs out loud at something one of them says to her.
“You banging her?”
“Jesus, Mack, come on.”
He turns to face me, grinning widely. “Come on – what? Hey, listen, if I wasn’t a married man I’d be on her so fast you wouldn’t see shit for dust. And she lives next door to you? Man, you got hot new pussy right there on your freakin’ doorstep! You’d be crazy to leave that alone.”
Bound (Soldiers of Darkness MC Book 3) Page 4
