“Hoss…” Tank shook his head and looked at me. “Once he gets his mind on something, he can’t let it go.”
“I’m just trying to help the kid. You’re pouring tequila down his throat, fucking him up. I’ll get him fucked. A perfect end to a perfect night, if you ask me.”
I chuckled.
“I don’t know. She works with Jessica. It’s not like she’s here to get laid. Hell, for all we know she could have a husband waiting for her at home,” Tank said.
“I didn’t see a ring on her finger,” Hoss said.
“It’s probably a bad idea,” I replied as Tank slid over the shot of tequila. “Although, a few more of these, though, and I’ll forget why it’s a bad idea.”
“Speaking of bad ideas,” mumbled Tank, looking past me.
“Hey,” said Candace, stopping next to us. She shook her dark brown bangs out of her face and gave Tank a pouty look. “You have any tequila left for me?”
“Sure, darlin’,” he replied, grabbing another shot glass from under the bar.
Smiling, she turned to me. “By the way, let me introduce myself.” She held out her hand. “The name is Candace. Some people call me Candi.”
I had to admit, she had a nice rack and was definitely a looker, but she also looked too made up and fake for my tastes. Especially with all of the caked-on makeup. Admittedly, her plum-colored glossy lips were a little intriguing to my dick.
I shook her hand. “Graham.”
“Here you go,” Tank said, sliding over the shot glass. “I imagine you want a lime and some salt?”
“Nah. I can take anything hard… straight,” she replied with a wicked gleam in her eyes. “
The guys around us chuckled.
Candace raised the shot glass. “A toast to Graham. May we see a lot more of him.”
Nodding, I raised my shot and we tossed them back together.
“Whew,” she said, shuddering as she set the empty shot glass down. “Now that hit the spot.”
“What about your other spot, sweetheart?” Hoss asked with a lecherous grin.
She looked over at me and bit the lower corner of her lip. “Oh, Hossy baby, I’m working on filling that one, too.”
Chapter 6
Chloe
THANKS,” JORDAN SAID, sitting down next to Jessica and his plate of food.
“You’re welcome. What did Raptor have to say?” she asked.
Jordan picked up a breadstick. “He and Adriana just pulled into the parking lot.”
“Cool,” she replied. “He must be excited to meet Graham.”
“Yeah. Apparently, they already met at Sal’s. Not as brothers, though,” he said.
“Wow, small world,” she replied.
“Yeah.”
A few seconds later, Raptor and his wife stepped into the clubhouse and Jordan stood up.
“I’ll be back in a few,” he said.
“Babe, why don’t you finish your food? Tank can introduce them,” Jessica replied.
“Like I said before, I need to talk to the both of them.”
Her eyes narrowed. “What about?”
“It’s private. I’ll fill you in later,” he replied.
Jessica nodded. “Okay. No problem. Could you send Adriana over?”
“Will do,” he replied and then headed toward the bar.
“You’re going to love Adriana. She’s a sweetie,” Jessica said before taking a bite of salad.
I glanced over at Graham again and noticed that a woman with long dark hair was hanging on him. Oddly enough, I felt a twinge of jealousy, which made hardly any sense. Sure, he was handsome and had obviously been checking me out, but there was no way in hell I’d get involved with someone like him.
“Looks like Graham’s getting laid tonight,” Jessica said dryly, also noticing. “Candace certainly doesn’t waste any time.”
“Who is she?”
“I think she’s a Sweet-butt,” Jessica replied, her nose wrinkling. “I know she strips, too.”
That made sense. She looked like a porn star, fake boobs and all. “What’s a Sweet-butt?”
“Someone who parties with the club and is an easy lay,” she replied. “Another reason I’m glad that Jordan isn’t a member. I mean, I know he’d never cheat on me. I just don’t need to have my husband surrounded by women like her.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t want it either,” I replied, nauseated by the way she was hanging on him.
“Oh, here comes Adriana,” Jessica said, smiling. She stood up and threw her arms around her friend as soon as she arrived at the table. Adriana looked a lot like the actress, Eva Longoria. “Hey, girl. How’ve you been?”
“Busy. Tired,” she replied, smiling. “The holidays are always crazy. You know how it is.”
“Do I ever. By the way, this is Chloe. We work together at the hospital.”
“Nice to meet you,” she said and then yawned, which made the both of us yawn as well. She laughed. “I’m sorry. I’m making everyone yawn.”
“I think we’re both tired from working today anyway, so no big deal,” Jessica replied. She patted the chair next to her. “Sit down.”
“Let me grab some food first,” Adriana said, staring at our plates. “Wow, Olive Garden?”
“Yeah,” Jessica replied.
“Tank’s favorite place. I should have known. I’ll be right back,” she replied.
I watched Adriana walk toward the food and then stop at the table full of guys I’d noticed earlier. She chatted for a few seconds and then went to the buffet.
“So, she’s your sister-in-law and her husband is the vice-president of the Gold Vipers?” I said.
Jessica nodded. “Yep.”
“She doesn’t look like I would have imagined her to,” I replied, glancing over at Adriana’s husband, who was now talking with Graham. Raptor reminded me of the guy who played Thor, in the Marvel movies. Muscular, blonde, with an engaging smile. Very good looking. In fact, there definitely was some resemblance to Graham in his facial features.
“And how was that?” Jessica asked, smiling.
“I don’t know. I guess I imagined her to look like a tough cookie or a real bad ass, you know?” I replied. I wanted to say like a ‘biker bitch’ but I didn’t know if that was offensive or not there.
“Believe me, looks are deceiving,” she replied. “I’m sure Raptor would be the first to tell you, too.”
From the confident way that Adriana walked through the tough biker crowd, smiling and even giving some of the guys shit, I believed it.
Chapter 7
Graham
CANDACE WAS COMING along strong by the time Raptor showed up, even offering to give me a ride after the party. I’d never had a woman try so hard with me before. Although I was now as hard as a rock, I didn’t want to fuck her. Maybe it was because her slutty attitude reminded me of Bonnie’s. Regardless, there was no way I was sticking my dick inside of the chick.
“’Excuse me,” I said, stepping around her to greet Raptor, who was all smiles. Looking at him, I had to admit that I saw a resemblance between us. One I probably would have never picked up if I hadn’t known about Mavis though.
“Hey, little brother,” he said, opening up his arms. Before I knew what was happening, he was giving me a hug. “Glad you’re here.”
“Me, too,” I answered, feeling an unexpected burst of happiness. I’d been wondering all along whether or not it was all a big mistake and that maybe I really wasn’t Mavis’s long, lost son. But, standing face-to-face with Raptor I couldn’t deny that there was a striking resemblance.
“I wish I would have known about you earlier,” he said, studying my face. “Damn, Mavis. I can’t believe that after everything, she still kept you from us.”
“She sounds like she had a lot of problems,” I said, not knowing what else to say.
“You don’t know the half of it,” Hoss muttered, sipping on his beer.
“Yeah. Unfortunately, drugs messed her up pretty badly,”
Raptor said.
“Here, brother,” Tank said, handing him a beer. “Got a fresh cold one for you.”
“Thanks,” he replied. “So, Graham, tell me about the family who raised you. Were they decent people?”
Before I could say anything, Jordan appeared by our side. “Sorry to interrupt, but I need to talk to both of you. Can we use your office, Tank?”
“Yeah, sure,” he replied, studying him closely. “Something going on?”
“We’ll talk later,” Jordan said, eyeing the others.
Understanding, Tank nodded.
Raptor grabbed his beer and we followed Jordan through the clubhouse and into the office. Inside was a desk full of paperwork, a laptop computer that had seen better days, and a nudie calendar, dated a few years earlier.
“I think he needs to change his calendar,” I said, chuckling.
“That was his old man’s,” Raptor said. “He leaves it up as a tribute to him.”
Jordan closed the door behind us.
“What’s this about?” Raptor asked, sitting down on the edge of Tank’s desk. “Is something wrong?”
“There might be,” Jordan replied, walking over to us. He looked at me. “That dirt-bag you beat the shit out of, I just learned that he was found dead about an hour ago.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Seth?”
He nodded.
I smiled. “Karma finally got him. Good.”
“Unfortunately, it’s not good because someone’s trying to set you up to take the fall for his death. Actually, I should say they’re trying to set the Gold Vipers up.”
Raptor’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”
“I got a call from a friend of mine, who works CSI. Apparently, someone carved a ‘G’ and a ‘V’ on his chest.
“You’re fucking kidding me,” Raptor said, looking pissed.
“No. So, I gotta ask you – was this a ‘HIT’ ordered by the club?” Jordan asked.
“Hell, no,” Raptor said. “If it was, do you think our guys would be stupid enough to leave a calling card like that?”
“I had hoped not. I thought it was an idiotic move,” he replied with a grim smile.
“Seth is a drug dealer. Maybe it was a deal gone bad?” I suggested.
“He’s pretty small fry, as far as drug dealers go. I’m pretty sure that it’s someone trying to frame the club,” Jordan replied. “Someone who found out about Graham’s relationship with it and decided to use the opportunity to strike back.”
“Yeah, and I’m sure everyone on the streets knows about it by now,” Raptor replied. “Why haven’t the cops showed up here yet?”
“I’m sure they will soon,” Jordan replied.
“We need to let Tank know,” Raptor said, taking out his phone. He sent him a text.
“On another note, how are things going?” Jordan asked me. “I saw you guys laughing and joking around. You seemed to be fitting in pretty well.”
“Yeah. The guys are great. I’m just so sorry this is happening now,” I replied.
Raptor looked up from his phone. “It’s not your fault. Someone is always trying to fuck the Gold Vipers.”
I sighed. “Well, whatever it’s worth, I’m grateful for everything you’ve done for me. Bailing me out of jail. Bringing me here. I just hope that it wasn’t all for naught.”
“What do you mean?” asked Raptor.
I looked at both of them. “I hope we’re related. I don’t have any other family right now and to find out that you two might be my brothers… that’s pretty fucking cool. But the truth is, we don’t know for sure. Not without a DNA test.”
Raptor waved his hand. “We’ll have it done but I don’t need a test. Our mugs are way too similar, brother. If I were to dye my hair black, I bet we’d be splitting images of each other.” He stared at me hard. “I guess you look a little like Jordan, too. But you and I have the looks that kill.”
Jordan grinned and shook his head.
“How old are you guys?” I asked, wondering.
“I’m thirty-two,” Raptor said. “Jordan, you’ve got to be closing in on forty soon, right?”
“Yeah, don’t remind me. June.”
“So, you’re twenty-seven?” Raptor asked me.
“Yeah,” I replied. “November 11th was my birthday.”
“Happy belated,” Jordan said, looking down at his, thin leather gloves. I remembered Hoss talking about the acid and wondered how bad his scars were.
“We have a lot of making up to do, little brother,” Raptor said, grinning. “First and foremost though, you interested in joining the club?”
“The Gold Vipers?” I replied, imagining myself riding with them and wearing their patches. It was a different world, I’d been told. Exciting and dangerous. They were both respected and feared by a lot of people. The idea of joining their club was entertaining. “Honestly, I never thought I’d be in a biker club, but I’m liking what I see out there. Everyone seems cool.”
“They are cool. We’re like one big happy family,” he replied. “Seriously, I think you’d have a lot of fun, although it does take commitment. You’ll be doing a lot of riding and will be required to do shit that’s not always fun, especially being a Prospect.”
“Illegal?” I asked.
“I’m going to be honest,” Raptor said. “There might be times when you’re asked to do something that could get you in trouble with the law. I can tell you this, though, you will probably get a DUI before you get arrested for whatever you might be asked to do from us. We take care of our members and if the risk is too great, you won’t be involved. I can personally guarantee that.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
He reached over and patted me on the shoulder. “I’d like to sponsor you. I’m sure we can get you voted in as a Prospect right away, too.”
I grinned. “Sweet.”
“What about you?” Raptor asked Jordan. “You change your mind yet?”
Grunting, Jordan shook his head. “It’s not my thing. I’ve told you this several times.”
“Marriage and kids weren’t either. And now look at you,” he grinned. “A gorgeous wife. Two kids. A picket fence. Hell, you even have one of those soccer-mom vans.”
“It’s a crossover,” he grumbled.
Raptor chuckled.
Tank walked into the office and saw the scowl on Jordan’s face. “What’s going on?”
“He’s pouting about his mini-van,” Raptor goaded.
Tank, who had a toothpick in his mouth, took it out and grinned. “Hey, it’s a good front, right Judge?”
Jordan looked at him but didn’t say anything.
“Judge, huh? Is that your road name?” I asked Jordan.
“No, and whatever you do, don’t ever call me that,” he replied, giving Tank a dirty look.
“Sorry. I thought you’d be telling him,” Tank said, sitting down behind the desk.
“Tell me what?” I asked.
“Nothing. Let’s just drop the subject,” he replied.
“And like he said, don’t call him that,” Tank said.
“No problem,” I replied, wondering what that was all about.
Tank sat back in his chair. “So, why am I back here?”
Raptor told him what we’d learned.
Tank sighed. “Fuck. Can’t they just let it rest?” he muttered, running a hand over his face.
“They?” Raptor asked.
“It sounds like the fucking Blood Angels. Remember when they carved something into that guy in Minnesota… what the hell is his name again?” Tank said, tapping his fingers on the desk.
“Stan?” Raptor said.
“Yeah, that dude. They probably think we’re responsible for killing their prez and decided to stir some shit up for us,” he said.
“Who are the Blood Angels?” I asked.
“A rival club. I thought they’d dis-banned though,” Raptor said.
“That doesn’t mean some of them don’t want revenge,” said
Tank.
“True,” Raptor replied.
“It could also be one of the Devil’s Rangers,” Jordan said.
Tank pulled out his cell phone. “I’m calling Dom. He might have an answer for us.”
“Who’s that?” I asked, my head spinning from what I was hearing. Club presidents being assassinated. Rival clubs wanting to frame the Gold Vipers. Did I really want to involve myself?
“Dom is the V.P. of our St. Paul Chapter,” Raptor explained. He lowered his voice. “He’s also psychic.”
I definitely didn’t believe in that shit, but from the looks on Tank and Raptor’s faces, they did.
“So, Graham… You still interested in joining the club?” Jordan asked with a smirk.
Chapter 8
Chloe
AS THE NIGHT wore on, the crowd in the clubhouse became pretty rowdy, especially the guys which wasn’t really a surprise. Arm-wrestling broke out, as did drinking games, poker, and even a karaoke contest. Apparently, even bad-assed bikers enjoyed getting drunk and making fools out of themselves in front of a mic every once in a while. It was all in good fun, however, and I actually really enjoyed myself.
“So, Chloe… do you have a boyfriend?” Adriana asked, smiling at me over her drink. The three of us were feeling pretty good, especially after drinking a round of kamikaze shots, which one of the bikers had brought over. A guy named Tail, who was super sweet and not at all bad looking. I’d learned that he used to be a real man-whore until he met Lauren, his wife. With his bedroom eyes and drop-dead good looks, I could see why.
“Not right now,” I replied, noticing the way her eyes were sparkling. “Why?”
“See the guy arm-wrestling over by the pool tables,” she said, nodding toward two burly looking men staring at each with red faces. “The one with the short blonde hair and goatee? He was asking.”
The man she was talking about looked like he was in his late thirties, and had huge arms covered in snake tattoos. I’d noticed him over by the buffet earlier, checking me out. He wasn’t bad looking, but loud and a little too obnoxious.
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