by London Casey
The guy laughed and touched my hip. His fingers purposely snuck under my shirt. “That’s right, beautiful. You have me pegged already. So let’s make this an adventure all night. Go and surprise me.”
“You sure about that?”
“Try me,” he said.
Next thing I knew, I was taking drink orders for the entire table. From the corners of my eyes I saw the other girls working through the room. If one of them got to Duke first, I was screwed. Generally you’d want to keep serving the same guys drinks all night. That made you more money. And if you messed with anyone’s money, it wouldn’t end well. Yeah, the women would fight. I’d seen them fight over tips and men before.
I went to the bar and placed the order.
Behind me, one of the girls came up to me.
“Busy,” I said.
“It’s nice.”
“I’ve got the two middle tables. Just so you know.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’m taking the left side. Guess we’ll keep it simple.”
“That’s my plan. I already have ten guys grabbing at my ass.”
“Good for you,” she said. “Find out who has the biggest wallet and dick.”
I laughed. “Easy strategy, huh?”
“Sometimes. Sometimes you have to decide on business or pleasure.” She winked and walked away.
My drink tray was filled up and I carried it to the table. I served the drinks, had Clean-Cut-Blue-Eyes touch my lower back, going toward my ass, but I managed to wiggle away before anything else could happen.
That’s when I approached the next table.
Duke’s table.
I stood next to him as they played a hand of cards. I kept silent and let the game continue. Duke got everyone to fold and then nodded, not bothering to show his cards or say a thing. He was a stone faced guy and even when I asked what he wanted, he simply said a big glass of whiskey. He didn’t even bother to look at me. That sort of made things a little easier; I didn’t have to look into the eyes of the man I was going to poison.
Maybe the night wasn’t a complete mess after all…
**
I checked my surroundings and made my move. I was the only one standing at the bar. The glass of whisky was right in front of me. I couldn’t just pour poison into a glass right in front of everyone. So I waited for the bartenders to turn around. Grabbing the glass of whiskey I turned and slipped into the back of the room. There was a hallway where there were bathrooms and a large storage room.
That’s where I went.
In the room, I put the whiskey on a table and stared at it for a few seconds.
Do it. Quick. Pour it and don’t think about it.
I didn’t need to look guilty in anyway at all in this thing.
I reached into my top and grabbed the small vial. I twisted the cap off and my hand started to shake. I wondered what would happen if some of that stuff got on my skin. Would it burn my skin? Would it eat down to the bone and then some?
Slowly, I turned the vial upside-down, right over the glass.
It mixed with the whiskey and then I stood with the empty vial. I put the cap back on and looked around for my next move.
I had to ditch the evidence.
I spotted a drain with a checkered pattern opening. The gaps were just enough for the vial to go down. It was like I was meant to be a murderer. The vial fell and hit with a glass ping sound.
When I stood up, there was a small sense of relief that went through me.
All I needed to do now was take the drink to Duke and walk away. Then fate would take care of the rest.
I walked back to the whiskey and upon looking into the glass I couldn’t even tell there was anything in it. Hell, maybe Rocco and Gunner were just messing with me. Maybe there was no poison at all. They just wanted to see what I would do. Maybe Duke was somehow tied to Night Soul and all of this would become some kind of crazy joke on me.
I grabbed the glass, desperate to feel safe. To feel protected. To just feel okay.
I barely started to turn when a hand clamped down on my wrist, almost spilling the whiskey.
I let out a gasp.
Then I heard a voice.
“What are you drinking, darling?”
seven.
(trent)
I was good at what I had to do in life to survive. From the second my old man knocked me out the first time and I woke up in a pool of blood, I knew I had to find a way to survive on my own. I learned how to hide, how to fight, how to make a living no matter what. Anything that got in my way was eliminated. Shit, being with the MC was more or less me settling down because I knew there were two choices: prison or death.
I hung in the back room of the place, debating my next move. That was unlike me. I always took charge - swing first, ask later. But not with this woman. Christ, if Duke ended up dying because of my indecision, using my cock to think, I’d never hear the end of it. That was the kind of stuff Cash did, not me.
That’s why I was on the frontline of this.
Then she came into the room and poured the poison into Duke’s drink. I thought maybe she’d have a change of heart and do the right thing. When she finished pouring the poison, she walked to a drain and bent over, tossing the vial.
Again… who the fuck was this woman?
My hand went to my gun and my eyes went to her ass. So nice and round, no pockets on the back of the black pants so it was all ass pointing at me. I started to take the gun out of the holster when another idea came to me.
Shit, Trev was going to freak the fuck out.
I was going to freak the fuck out.
This woman - this goddamn stranger - was going to end up getting me killed.
**
“What are you drinking, darling?”
My hand was on her wrist and she turned her head to look at me. I felt her wrist shaking and I hoped she wasn’t crazy enough to try and throw the drink at me. Depending on the poison it could blind me or kill me.
Her eyes went wide, that brown and amber color still showing.
I growled and squeezed her wrist tighter.
“You,” she whispered as though she knew who I was.
“Better put that down,” I said.
“I can’t,” she whispered.
“Why?”
“I have to give it to someone.”
I made a move and slipped behind her, pinning her against the table. My cock was pressed against her back. My other hand slid around her body and touched her soft belly. My fingertips were begging for me to climb up her shirt and play with those tits of hers.
I put my mouth near her ear. “I know what you’re going to do. You don’t want to do that.”
“Do what?”
“Darling, if you want to play a guessing game, you can guess how I’m going to have no choice but to kill you. Or you can play my game and walk out of here alive.”
“What’s your game?” she asked.
Her entire body was trembling. The vibrations were driving me damn mad.
“My game is called tell Trent the truth,” I said. “What’s your name, darling?”
“Harlee.”
“Like the ride?”
“Like me,” she said. “That’s my name.”
The name fit her for some reason.
My hand pulled at her stomach tighter. “Now, I don’t want to hurt you. I’m here to kill you, darling.”
Her body started to go limp. Her hand opened and the glass hit the table and spilled. I pulled at her and turned, getting us out of the way of the mess. She was woozy and her knees gave way as I lifted her up to carry her. I put her on another table and she was then eye to eye with me.
“Don’t kill me,” she said. “I was told…”
“Don’t go ratting too fast,” I said. “I’ll ask the questions and you give me the answers. Got it?”
She nodded.
“Now, Harlee,” I said, just wanting to say her name, “Tell me who you’re here to kill.”
�
��I don’t do this for a living. Okay? I’m not a killer person…”
“A killer person,” I said.
I felt myself wanting to smile.
Goddammit, Trent, pull it together.
“Tell me his name.”
“Duke,” she said.
I nodded. “Do you like baseball?”
“Not really.”
“Good,” I said. I slipped a hand to her back again and pulled her close to me. She hesitated, and rightfully so. This chick was about to meet the monster. I just hadn’t decided which one. The monster inside me or the monster in my pants. “I fucking hate baseball. And I don’t do strikes or outs. I do life and death. So I’ll ask just once - do you want to leave here alive?”
“Yes,” she said. “Please, yes. I’ll do anything.”
I grinned. “Careful with that, darling. Don’t sell yourself too much. I’ll take what I want anyway. So here’s what we do now. You’re going-”
I was cut off by the sound of a gunshot.
All I could think about was one thing - Duke.
**
I grabbed her by the hand and pulled her toward the door. I opened it and looked out to the floor to see what was actually going on. Sure enough, there was Duke, standing up, looking ready to kill someone. I couldn’t figure out what the gunshot noise was though.
“You fucking took them!” Duke bellowed.
“Whoa, whoa,” someone said. “Let’s all take a breath. Get the outlaw some new chips…”
“Shit,” I whispered. I looked back at Harlee. “This is going to get bad.”
Before Harlee could speak, Duke turned and threw a left punch. He hit the guy so hard, the guy went up into the air and crashed to the floor, already out cold. He then flipped the entire poker table and that started nothing short of a damn riot.
I had to go get Duke out of there before he blacked out and did something bad.
“Darling, you better stay put here,” I said. “I know who you are and if you run, I will find you and trust me, you’ll regret it. Do you understand?”
“Yes,” Harlee said. I started to move and she tugged at my leather cut. “I swear, I didn’t want to hurt anyone. I came back here… I was…”
“You poured the poison into the drink,” I said. “You were going to kill my brother. You’re going to pay for that.”
Maybe I shouldn’t have been threatening Harlee if I expected her to hang around. That was a risk I took though. Whatever.
I then went into monster mode.
I ran out onto the floor and jumped at two big dudes in suits, shoulder tackling them to the ground.
I loved a good fight as much as I loved a good fuck.
eight.
(harlee)
I couldn’t believe my eyes. First off, he was really real. It was him. It was Trent. The guy from the picture. The one that stuck in my mind because of how gorgeous he looked. And yeah, he was even hotter in person. But I was witnessing the dark side of him.
I’d never seen a man so rough, sexy, and so wildly bold. He jumped off his feet and shoulder tackled two men to the ground. Tables started to flip over and punches were being thrown. Trent had control of the two guys he took down. The guy who had been flirting with me ran over and started to stomp on Trent’s neck. From the corner of my eye I saw Duke holding someone against the wall by the throat. Someone ran up to Duke and slammed a glass off the back of his head, shattering it.
I covered my mouth, no idea what I was supposed to do next.
Trent grabbed the ankle of the guy who had been flirting with me and twisted. The guy screamed and fell back against a table. Trent climbed to his feet and grabbed the guy by the tie. One punch sent the guy to the ground, out cold.
“Holy crap,” I whispered.
I could have slipped away and maybe I should have. Just bounce the hell out of there and run. Keep gassing up my tank and driving east until I found a place to live or someone catches up to me and kills me.
But I couldn’t move. I was frozen in place, trying to assess what was happening in front of me and knowing what would happen if I did actually run. Night Soul would come after me, but I was more afraid of Trent. That fear could be a good thing though. If I went with Trent and somehow had protection within his MC, they were stronger than Night Soul. Trent could…
Trent threw an elbow and hit someone. He spun and grabbed two people and slammed their faces together.
Trent and Duke were cleaning out the entire room. And I still had no idea why the hell this was happening. Then again, it was two bikers causing all the trouble. One thing I learned was that they didn’t need a reason to want to fight. Whether they won or lost the fight, it was just about actually fighting.
I started to slink back, considering bolting.
Trent then took out his gun and pointed it at whoever he wanted. That finally calmed the scene down. Duke got in one last punch and took one more guy down. He then took his gun out.
“What the fuck is happening?” Trent yelled.
“Prick was ripping me off,” Duke said. “And someone…”
“Get the fuck out of here!” someone bellowed.
Now there were more men in the room. Two guys with what looked like machine guns, running right at Trent and Duke. Before anyone could speak again, they pulled the triggers.
Bullets were flying right at Trent.
**
I opened the door and Trent looked right at me. He grabbed Duke and they made a line right at me. They barreled through the door and I hurried to shut it. I grabbed a table and slid it to block the door. Yeah, it would give us all of two extra seconds, but it was something.
“Come on, darling,” Trent said. “We have to run.”
“What the fuck is this?” Duke growled.
“This is insurance,” Trent said and grabbed my arm.
Next thing I knew I was running with the two outlaws toward the backdoor of the building. As soon as we broke into daylight, Duke picked up his speed, running to the right. Trent took me to the left.
“You have anything to change into?” he asked me.
“A bag in my car. I always keep one.”
“We’re going there and then bolting across the road to my ride. Got it?”
I nodded.
I was officially on the run with a biker. A biker that was an enemy to the bikers who had taken me in. I was a traitor. I was going to be tossed around like a pawn in a deadly game.
Yet the entire time I thought about it, I didn’t try to escape from Trent’s hold.
We ran to my car and I realized I didn’t have my keys.
Trent swung me out of the way. He hit his elbow to the driver’s window and smashed it with ease. I reached into the car and popped the trunk. He grabbed the bag, grabbed my hand, and we were on the run again.
When we got to the road I heard voices yelling behind us. I made the mistake of looking back and saw the two men coming after us. Machine guns in their hands, trying to shoot at us. I tripped over my own two feet, looking like the foolish woman in a horror movie who trips at the wrong time. My knee smashed the ground and pain shot up my leg. Trent kept going, dragging me, ordering me to my feet.
I hurried to kick up and felt a sharp pain in my knee. There was the rumble of a motorcycle and a second later, Duke came from around the building, putting himself as a shield for me and Trent.
The guy I was supposed to kill is using himself to save me…
“Move, darling!” Trent growled.
I fought through the pain and we crossed the road. Right up over what looked something like a sand dune there was another motorcycle. It was black, sleek, and matched Trent. It looked fast and sexy.
He grabbed a helmet and tossed it to me.
He started the motorcycle.
I took my bag from him and tossed it over my back and then climbed onto the ride. My hands clutched at his leather and we bolted to the road and took off, Duke at our side. I tried my best not to look forward because of how fast we w
ere going. If Trent dropped the motorcycle I would easily lose a leg and an arm. I caught myself sliding my hands more and more around his body. There wasn’t a piece of extra skin to hold onto. Everything I touched on Trent was muscle.
My cheek touched the stitching on the back of his leather cut. It was like the reaper skull that grazed his strong back was giving me a kiss on the cheek. As though it were welcoming me into a new kind of hell.
Where the bikers were bigger, stronger, meaner… and sexier.
**
As soon as Trent turned into the lot, there were a handful of bikers standing around. Two guys quickly ran forward, both of them focusing on Duke. They were obviously surprised Duke was back in one piece and alive. That made me grab onto Trent’s leather cut tighter. It was mostly dark out by then, the only light coming from a few floodlights attached to the buildings in the lot. This was the time when these guys all seemed to really come to life and want to cause trouble.
What was going to happen now?
Trent parked his motorcycle and shut it off. He turned his head and said, “Don’t fucking move until I tell you to.”
He climbed off the motorcycle and walked toward Duke. To my surprise he grabbed Duke and then grabbed Duke’s shirt. He walked Duke back a few steps before someone grabbed Trent.
“Easy, brother. At least he’s alive.”
“You don’t know what the fuck he did,” Trent said. “Let me go, Jasper. Right now.”
“We’ll talk about this later,” someone else said. “Right now, all that matters is that Duke is here, alive.”
“Prez,” Trent said. “There’s more.”
That’s when Trent nodded to me.
Prez?
He and Jasper were then staring at me. Then Duke looked at me. He raised an eyebrow.
“Wait a second,” Duke said. “She… she took my drink order but never brought me a drink.”
There were a few seconds of silence. I saw everyone looking at each other, processing. Trent stood with his face like stone. His eyes were so intense as he stared at me. Like he wanted me to trust him, no matter what happened.
