My Forever Cocky Biker Encounter

by Siobhan Muir

  Neo raised his eyebrows and blinked a couple of times. “Okay. Got it. You gonna put a property tag on her?”

  I barked a laugh. “It’s a little early to do that. We’re just having a good time.” But somewhere in my gut I knew it was a lie. “Besides, I’m pretty sure she won’t let me. She’s not one to be ‘owned.’”

  Neo nodded. “Yeah, she’s definitely not my type. Too analytical.”

  “Really? Analytical is a problem for you, the guy who sits in a dark room all day and night, following little incomprehensible codes?” I chuckled. “You’re messed up, man.”

  “No argument here.” Neo turned back to his monitors. “I’ll text you if I find anything interesting.”

  “Thanks.”

  I headed back out of his lair and looked around the clubhouse. Most of the lights were off and dark shapes could be found on the arm chairs and couches. I remembered times when I’d been too drunk to drive anywhere and didn’t have my own cabin onsite. I’d crashed on those couches and hoped no one would throw up on me some time during the night. We now had barracks for the Scooters and any honeys sticking around, but people still slept in the main room.

  I skirted past them, heading for my cabin and Oriana’s gorgeous body. Making love with her had been an experience that compared with nothing else in my life. She’d been the perfect blend of sensual, erotic, bold, and innocent. Oh, she wasn’t a virgin, but knowing her background included rape, her response to my touches had been gratifying. She guarded herself and kept most people at bay. Hell, it didn’t surprise me given all the people who’d lied to her. Her supervisor, the FBI, Melrose, and me.

  I stopped in front of my cabin’s door, my gut sinking. I hadn’t lied to her, really. I just hadn’t clarified something she’d talked about. I paused at the cabin’s door.

  Loki’s not going to let her go.

  My gut did funny things at that thought. On the one hand, that was awesome. I’d be able to be with Oriana a lot more, maybe even solidify our fling into something more permanent so I could make her my old lady. But on the other hand, she’d made it clear she wouldn’t like being a prisoner, told where she could go and when. I suspected she knew that on some level, but she would be furious when she found out for sure.

  I need to tell her, to correct her misconception, but I wanted to do that as much as I wanted to drive nails through my feet. Why couldn’t I have more time with Oriana and convince her to stay on her own? Then I wouldn’t have to tell her she had no choice.

  I sighed and leaned my forehead against the door. Maybe that was the best way to do it. Court her, seduce her with kindness and sex, and convince her to choose staying with the Concrete Angels for good. Then I wouldn’t have to tell her she couldn’t leave.

  Some of my tension released and I opened the door to my cabin, navigating through the darkness with ease. I shucked my clothes as soon as I got into the bedroom, but paused before I crawled into the bed.

  Oriana slept soundly, her even breathing filling the room with a gentle rhythm. More of the tension in my shoulders melted away. I could fuckin’ get used to this. What would it be like to have a woman waiting in bed for me? My cock saluted the idea, but not as much as the heart in my chest. I wanted Oriana. I wanted her to be there, to tease me, laugh with me, and let me love her. The question was, how did I get her to want that, too?

  I stripped down to nothing and crawled into bed with my beautiful lover. She actually sighed and snuggled back against my chest as I wrapped my arms around her. That’s a good sign. I’d take the small victory and hope for more.

  Chapter Ten

  Oriana

  I rolled my head on my neck and rubbed my eyes with my hands. Damn, the numbers had started to run together and I wanted a break. You just want to spend more time with Scott between your legs. Yeah, okay, after a steady diet of hot sex with the cocky biker for the last four days and nights, I’d become a bit of an addict. I liked feeling good after sex. I liked the way he looked at me and the soft touches he gave when no one was looking.

  Hell, he did that when everyone was looking, too.

  And it didn’t bother me. I liked the attention and the effort. He was the only man who’d ever taken the time to make sure I was enjoying myself when it came to sexual pleasure. It was like finding a unicorn and I was all about his “horn.”

  But you’re not going to get out of here if you don’t solve Loki’s problem.

  I groaned and focused on the data in front of me again. I was close to figuring out where the money had gone and who’d put it there, but the pattern still eluded me. To be brutally honest, Loki’s system was as crazy as the leader himself. Reminds me of the frickin’ God of Mischief. Not many people would be able to ferret out the ways the money came in and where it went just by looking at his books. Most of it looked like a pile of cooked spaghetti.

  After spending all this time on it, though, I’d made enough connections to organize it a bit better. It still would take an expert in forensic accounting to figure it out, but at least the lines were straight, now. I hadn’t asked Loki if he wanted his system to change, but this new organization allowed me to see where things were getting ‘misplaced’ and prevent it from happening in the future.

  I just couldn’t see who’d done it in the first place.

  “Okay, Hunter. You know how this goes. Follow the money.” Hearing my own voice helped me regroup, but I still got up from my chair and headed for the kitchenette to get something to drink. “Yeah, that’s what I’ve been doing. If Loki’s money wasn’t all over the place, it’s would be easier to follow.”

  I poured myself some lemonade as I thought over the problem, letting my gaze unfocus. It had gotten hot the last couple of days and even the monsoonal rains hadn’t done much more than spit on us. The only positive was the heat kept me glued to my chair in front of the laptop.

  Follow the money. Easier to follow.

  I repeated the words in my head as I headed back to my chair, settling into it with a thump. That hadn’t been working even though it seemed logical.

  But Loki isn’t logical. I blinked. “No, he isn’t. What if it isn’t the money I need to follow?”

  I brought up the financial records and scanned them again. I knew where the money had been skimmed and when, now. I even knew the amounts, but the person doing it had remained elusive. I narrowed my eyes. Who was present each time one of the transactions go wonky?

  I snorted at my “technical term” and started a list of names for each transaction. After a while, two names stood out. Orion and Huntsman. When I’d first read them, I thought they were road names, the nicknames the members of the Concrete Angels earned for themselves. But Michael had given her their official membership list, including any contacts involved in their money ventures, and neither Orion or Huntsman came up.

  “So, who are you, really?”

  I frowned as I sat back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest. Whoever they were, they’d been smart when it came to skimming money until recently. They’d been doing it for a while from what I could see, taking small amounts that wouldn’t be noticed. But more recently, they’d gotten greedy and taken larger sums, probably hoping the disorganization would hide it. Not anymore. But who the hell would be stupid enough to take from their own crew?

  “Ugh!” I rubbed my eyes with the heels of my hands as someone knocked on my cabin door. “What?”

  Scott poked his head in, eyebrows raised. “Everything okay in here? I brought a snack of fresh peaches from the farmer’s market.” He held up a plate of sliced peaches.

  “You sliced them for me?” I tilted my head as he stepped through the door and closed it behind him.

  “Yeah, well, no. Dollhouse did the slicing, but I brought them. That should count for something, right?” He grinned as he brought them to the table. “How’s it goin’?”

  “Good. I’ve figured out when, where, and how much money has been embezzled from the Concrete Angels.”

  “Fan-fu
cking-tastic, Numbers.” He grinned, but it faded when all I did was nod. “Isn’t that enough to figure out who did it?”

  I sighed and shook my head. “No, unfortunately. Or rather, yeah with a catch.”

  “What’s the catch?”

  “I’ve figured out a couple of names, but they’re aliases. And I don’t know who they belong to.” I reached for a slice of fruit with a grimace. “You don’t happen to know who Orion and the Huntsman are, do you?”

  Scott frowned and shook his head. “Nope. That doesn’t sound familiar. But I might be able to narrow it down for you.”

  “Really?” Relief skittered across my shoulders. “How?”

  He scooted his chair over to mine so he could see the screen. “Loki keeps our organization kinda loose. None of us knows all the business of the other members. That way if we ever get caught or hounded by the cops—”

  “Or the FBI,” I added dryly.

  “—we can’t give up everything. But, a few of us, me included, know more than the average member.” He winked. “I’ve been here longer than a lot of the guys, and I’ve gotten to know who some of their contacts are. If you can show me where the money was skimmed and who Orion and the Huntsman were meeting at the time, I might be able to skirt the aliases.”

  “Okay. You better settle in, Alice, because this rabbit hole gets gnarly.”

  “As long as you got a caterpillar smokin’ the good stuff, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” He stretched his hands in front of him, cracking the knuckles. “Just remember, we’re all mad here.”

  I laughed and winked before we dug into the mass of data and pathways. I didn’t show him everything in Loki’s financial world, but I did show him the places where Orion or the Huntsman showed up. It took us well over two hours, but with Scott helping, it became clear that Orion and the Huntsman were the same person.

  “Duh.” I thumped my forehead with the heel of my palm. “Orion is the Huntsman in Greek lore. I should’ve picked up on that. The question is, who is he?”

  I shot a look at Scott, who’d gone really quiet. Eerily so. “Scott?”

  He sat staring at the screen, his jaw set. “We need to go talk to Loki.”

  “Okay, but why? Have you figured out who the embezzler is?”

  “Yeah. Bring your laptop so you can show him and Neo.” He got up.

  “Right now?” I scrambled to my feet as unease slid through me.

  “Right fuckin’ now.” Anger threaded through his voice and his hands clenched into fists.

  I saved the files I had open and put the laptop to sleep before shoving my feet into my shoes. I’d seen Scott angry before, but not furious like this. I shivered, glad I wasn’t the subject of his fury. I could defend myself against most of the members of the Concrete Angels, but that didn’t mean I wanted to get into it with them, least of all Scott.

  I grabbed the laptop and my keys as Scott ushered me out the door. He barely waited for me to lock my cabin before he hustled me into the clubhouse, his face a mask of fury. Whatever he’d figured out pissed him off something good, and I didn’t have a clue what it was. I mean, yeah, I knew embezzlement was a betrayal of trust and good faith, but this seemed more personal.

  We didn’t say anything to anyone as we headed back to Loki’s office, but Michael caught Scott’s furious expression and rose to follow us. We all reached the door to the office at the same time.

  “What’s going on, Scott?”

  “We got a federal rat in our house.” Scott scowled as he knocked on the door.

  Michael’s eyes widened and he shot a look at me. “We already knew Oriana was former FBI.”

  Scott growled. “Not her. Someone else. Someone I shoulda known.”

  Loki’s voice called us to come in and we stepped across the threshold. I don’t know what I was expecting, but a study filled with bookshelves and elegant but rough-hewn furniture wasn’t it. It looked like a place you’d meet a Sheik or King for a private audience, and I had the sense I’d been granted a rare privilege to be ushered inside.

  Loki looked up from the book he’d been reading with his feet propped up on an ornate, cushioned ottoman, and nodded to us.

  “Michael, Scott, Ms. Hunter. What brings you to my office?”

  “We found the mudfucker who’s been stealing from us.” Scott spat the words in a low roar.

  “This is good news, though, ja?” He set the book aside and gestured to one of the low tables in front of the bookshelves. “Come show me what you’ve found, Oriana.”

  I swallowed hard. “Scott identified him. I just found his tracks.”

  Loki nodded. “I’m sure. But without those tracks, Scott wouldn’t know the name. Start at the beginning and walk me through it, ja?”

  I took a deep breath and blew it out as I opened my laptop. “Okay.”

  I showed him how I’d untangled his money streams and how I followed the transactions. I also showed him how I’d changed the organization so he or another accountant could keep things straight from now on. I eyed him as I explained, but instead of being angry at my changes, he nodded with approval. Thank the Goddess for that. The last thing I wanted to do was piss off the client.

  “Once I figured out where the money was being taken, I cross referenced the incidences with who seemed to show up. And I got two names.” He shot a look at Scott, but his fury hadn’t changed. “Orion and the Huntsman. I didn’t get the reference until Scott took a look at it with me. Once we discovered the two aliases were the same person, Scott said we needed to bring it to you.”

  Loki nodded. “Who is Orion the Huntsman, Scott?”

  “It’s Roy.” The growl in Scott’s voice made me shiver with unease. “I knew there was somethin’ wrong with him, but this just proves it.”

  Loki narrowed his eyes. “How are you sure?”

  “When Oriana said the same names kept coming up on the hinky transactions, I took a look where they happened. I recognized the names of the contacts as those belonging to Roy’s accounts.” He shook his head. “I totally shoulda known it was him.”

  “Oh? Why is that?” Michael raised his eyebrows.

  “Because I got to thinkin’ about that trip Roy took to Denver and how he went all over town without his cellphone or girlfriend. He said he was meetin’ contacts, but Attila checked and none of his usual contacts saw him that weekend.” Scott scowled and shrugged. “So I had Neo check up on him.”

  “Really?” Loki gave a half-smile that made the hairs stand up on my neck. “Please call him in here. I want to hear his account.”

  Scott texted our computer guru as Loki shifted his attention back to me. “This is good work, Ms. Hunter. And I like your organization of the financial records. It will make it easier to spot thieves before they take too much.” He tilted his head. “How much did Roy get, anyway?”

  I bit my bottom lip. “Three million, four hundred, seventy-six thousand, two hundred and forty-five dollars and eighty-one cents.”

  Anger glittered in his eyes, but he snorted with laughter. “You could’ve rounded up.”

  I shook my head. “I’ve found it’s best to be honest and accurate when it comes to money.”

  He smiled. “You’re wiser than your years, Ms. Hunter.”

  “Thank you, sir.”

  Neo picked that moment to knock and enter. “You called me?”

  “Ja. Shut the door, Neo.”

  The dark-haired man took in our little tableau as he closed the door behind him. “What’s up?”

  “Scott says you tracked Roy in Denver. What did you find out?”

  Neo’s expression darkened with anger, but his voice remained steady. “Scott had the bright idea to use security cameras in the area of the hotel to track where Roy went when the cellphone didn’t pan out. It took a little while, but after a circuitous route, he ended up in a bar in Aurora.”

  “That’s not really news. Roy goes to lots of bars to make deals.” Michael crossed his arms over his chest. “What makes this one so speci
al?”

  “Let me show you.” Neo had brought his own laptop and pulled up the surveillance records he had from tracking Roy. “He never leaves. See?”

  The security footage from a bank ATM across the street showed Roy pulling up into the bar’s parking lot, parking his bike in an out-of-the way space at the back of the lot, and going inside.

  “I know that doesn’t look like much, but his bike stays there for the next three days without moving.” Neo showed the time stamps on the video he’d accessed. “That seemed weird so I went back and hacked into the bar’s security system. He didn’t talk to or sit with anyone at the bar, but he headed for the bathroom about an hour in and didn’t come out of there, either. I found the bar has a security camera out the back and that’s when I hit pay dirt.”

  He tapped a few keys and sat back to show us the footage. The man I assumed was Roy appeared with his back to the camera. It took me a moment but I could read his name on the cut’s patch along with the Concrete Angels’ emblem. He strode to a nondescript sedan parked in the camera’s view, opened the door, and slid inside after taking one last look toward the bar.

  “Wait, stop. Go back.” Unease settled into my gut as Neo raised his eyebrows but rewound the footage. “There. Can you do anything to enhance the image when he turns and faces the camera? I need to see his face.”

  “What is it, Oriana?” Scott’s brows were low but he sounded more curious than angry.

  I didn’t answer as Neo’s fingers flew over the keyboard, working his computer magic while we waited. Please don’t be right. Please be a trick of the light. But my stomach sank and curdled as the image became clearer. The pixels remained a little fuzzy, but I knew that face and those eyes.

  “Oh glory.” I stepped back and hugged my arms around myself.

  Scott stepped up next to me, all the anger replaced by concern in his expression. “What, Oriana? What do you see?”

  I met his gaze, his green eyes filled with compassion and concern. I didn’t want to lose that, or the connection I’d made with him. I didn’t want to ruin the camaraderie I’d built with Neo, Michael, Dollhouse, Karma, and the others in the Concrete Angels. But when they found out who Roy really was, all that would be ashes. His girlfriend was my supposed friend. They’d only heard about me through Roy and her. Hell, Roy had even used a version of my name as his aliases. And I’d formerly worked for his current employer.