She was upset with her mother and wanted to come for a visit, but I had to tell her she couldn’t come at the moment. I couldn’t risk her being here in case Rogue pulled something. It was bad enough Shiloh was in the sights of this fucker. Ebony might not technically be my daughter—was my niece in fact—but in my mind, she would always be my little girl, and at sixteen, she was becoming a bit of a handful for Alannah and Cade. I hope they both fucking suffer, I thought.
So instead of getting the pleasure of two women, I met up with Rainn, and we ended up talking for hours about how much I missed my kids. She was always good for another point of view. Rainn helped me move past my anger and hatred for Alannah and Cade to focus more on Ebony and James and my relationship with them. Thanks to Rainn, I had been working on reconnecting with them.
The ‘Black Betty’ ringtone played on my phone, interrupting my thoughts. I didn’t recognise the number, and normally, I wouldn’t answer it with Rogue somehow getting hold of all of the club members’ numbers—even the women’s numbers.
“Mannix.”
“Hey, Beast.”
All it took were those two words for my heart to start beating again.
Rainn.
“Lady, where the hell are you? Are you safe? Why did you leave me?” I pelted out the questions one after the other, not giving her a chance to answer them. Her voice. Jesus, that sexy husky voice I loved so much. Hearing it after three weeks made me want to fall to my knees and fucking weep.
“Mannix, I’m fine, I promise,” Rainn reassured me, but I wasn’t having it. I wanted her back here where I knew for sure she was fine. Something in her tone sounded off. She sounded tired. Sad.
“Why did you just take off? Rainn, you gotta know we are all worried as hell here. Charlotte, Stella, and Mia are beside themselves. Vegas is, too, but she’s more pissed off at you. I am bloody furious with you. Now get your tight arse back here to the compound.” Was I acting like a dick? Sure. Was I sorry? Absolutely no fucking way.
“Don’t you get all high-handed with me, Mannix Steel. I had my reasons for leaving the way I did. Now answer me this, is Mia okay?”
I had to smile at her spunk, which was what made Rainn unique. She never took my shit and always threw it right back at me—twice as hard. Fuck, my dick was hard just hearing it. Her kindness towards Mia and the rest of the flock never ceased to amaze and warm me. My head dropped to my chest as I took in a deep breath.
“Yeah, Lady, Mia is fine. She was shaken up for a few days. Steel said she had a couple of rough nightmares. They got married, and he is doting on her every second of the day. I wouldn’t be surprised if she plans some sort of hit on him,” I told her, laughing. It was a sight to see my big, burly brother carrying his woman from room to room every time she wanted something. Despite her grumbling, I could tell from the soft smiles that she loved every minute of it.
“I can imagine him doing that. I’m sorry I missed the wedding. And Shiloh? Is Squirt okay?”
Damn, this woman had a heart of pure gold. “Yeah, Squirt is fine. Her cast is off, and she is still wreaking havoc on us all. She misses you, Rainn. We all do,” I told her, my voice a whisper. Rainn had a way of bringing out my softer side—she and Shiloh did.
“I miss everyone, too. Please kiss Shiloh for me. Tell her Aunty Rainn misses her so much.” I heard the hitch in her voice.
Oh fuck, my strong dancing lady didn’t cry.
“Lady—” I tried again to ask the question I needed to have an answer to, but her protest stopped me.
“Please, don’t. Don’t ask me to come back. While Rogue is looking for me, he may just leave the club alone. This is the right thing to do, Mannix.”
Was she fucking crazy? Was she using herself as bait? Like fucking hell.
“Rainn, this isn’t your problem. You can’t just up and leave without detail, without me. That bastard means business. He isn’t fucking around,” I yelled. The stubborn woman needed a spanking for even thinking she could put herself at such risk.
“I shouldn’t have called, but I needed to hear your voice. Take care of yourself, Mannix. I miss your face, Beast,” she whispered.
“Rainn. Rainn. Rainn,” I yelled into the phone, but I only heard the beep telling me she’d hung up. “Fuck no.” The guttural growl that left my throat echoed around the room. All eyes landed on me, but I was too pissed off to give a fuck that I was showing emotion. Normally, I was the chilled, funny guy with witty one-liners, and my specialty was giving my brothers a hard time about being pussy whipped.
Rainn being gone changed that, and I was done waiting. I wanted my lady back.
I shoved my phone into the inside pocket my cut and headed for the front door. “Seb, I’m heading back to the compound. Sign up the blonde and the ginger. No redheads, got it?”
Seb nodded his head, then turned to the pretty, red-haired hopeful and poured her a drink. I felt sorry for her because she did have some good moves and a stage presence that would hold the patrons’ attention along with the attention of their wallets, but I didn’t give a flying fuck. There was only one redhead who belonged up there on that pole, and pretty soon, she was going to be back on my pole, too.
———
I stalked into the main room. The ride to the compound wasn’t long enough to calm the rage inside me. I loved being on my bike, and usually, it was the best stress relief. Fucking Rainn from behind had been a favourite go-to, as well. My fists clenched.
Damn it! Why do my mind and dick always track back to her? Because you love the way her silky, tight pussy strangles your dick, you perverted shithead.
My eyes scanned the room until they landed on the one person I needed to help me find my lady. Striding over, I reached the couch the same time I reached into my pocket and pulled out my phone. Then I tossed it into Ford’s lap.
“The last call I received was from Rainn. Find her now,” I ordered, then turned on my heels and made my way to the club’s gym. At any given time of day, there was always someone working out either on the equipment or in the ring.
Someone—and I didn’t give a fuck who—was about to get the crap kicked out of them.
Chapter 4
RAINN
Good one, Rainn. Well done. Top job, you idiot.
I just had to call him yesterday, didn’t I? I needed to know if Mia had said anything. I knew she wouldn’t because Mia could keep a secret, unlike Charlotte. Christ, if Charlotte had been there, my well-kept secret would definitely be out of the bag. Bless her.
The other reason for calling him was purely a selfish reason. I just had to hear his deep, sexy rasp call me Lady. God, I loved when Mannix called me that. I had never been a ‘terms of endearment’ kind of a gal, but I had to admit when Mannix first called me that, my girlie bits flittered and fluttered. They basically wept with joy.
Girlie bits? Jesus, Rainn. Get a grip, girl. I was starting to sound like Charlotte, and I was far from anything like the sweet ballet dancer. Nope, I was the stripper with attitude, who took no shit from her biker beast. I was only sweet with my pint-sized partner in crime, Shiloh.
I was at the club the day she came home from the hospital. Six hot bikers-slash-soldiers walked in, all carrying an assortment of baby paraphernalia. Deck carried Shiloh against his chest while Darth hovered with his arms out ready to catch her like he thought Deck was going to drop her. It had taken me a full three hours before I convinced them all I had no bacteria on my hands or clothes before they let me hold her, but once I got her in my arms, she owned me.
I loved her from that second, and I could admit I was good with her. I just didn’t know if I would be good with other kids. I mean, I liked kids in general. Whenever Shiloh had friends for a sleepover, I always volunteered to do their make-up and play dress-up with them. It was a real hoot watching the giggling girls jump and muck around, but to be in charge of one solely on my own? Jesus, the thought scared the ever loving crap out of me.
Oh, lord, what had I been thinking? You
weren’t thinking, Rainn, at least not with your brain. Damn that sexy tattooed enforcer with his muscles and his sexy body covered in tattoos on every inch of his skin that I love to lick and trace with my tongue, following the trail of ink all the way down to his sexy V line of muscles that lead straight to his—
Argghh, I needed to get out and do something. Dance! Yes, that was what I needed. I needed to lose myself in some sultry, sexy music and work a pole like I was born to do. I was good at it. Mannix knew it too the day I strutted into Body and Souls and demanded that he give me an audition. I didn’t have tickets on myself, honestly—I wasn’t that person. I just had confidence and knew my appeal and assets, and I worked them.
My parents raised my siblings and me to be confident, and to approach life with a kick-arse attitude but to always be humble, appreciate our talents, and be appreciative of the good that came our way. The fact that I was an exotic dancer didn’t embarrass my parents. They were just as proud of me as they were my sister, who was a teacher, and my brothers who owned their own automotive panel beating and custom paint shop. I made good money doing what I did, and I was smart with it.
Darth got me interested in investments a few years ago and showed me how to invest wisely, so I had a very decent bank account because of it. I remember how shocked he was that I actually wanted to learn and not just have him do it for me, giving me updates along with a royalty check once or twice a year. I was raised not to depend on other people doing things for me. I could change a tyre on a car, and I knew how to do a basic service on it. I was capable of fixing a leaky tap, and I didn’t need a man to get up a ladder for me to clean the leaves out of my gutters. Would I let them? Sure, I wasn’t one of those chicks who didn’t want a man’s help, but being able to do things in the first place, so I wasn’t dependant meant a lot to me.
I raced around my bedroom and found a comfortable pair of yoga pants that still had a tight fit but a more relaxed waistband. The racerback tank top was a little tight, but it was the only clean one that wasn’t a crop style, so I went with it. I quickly dressed and headed out the door of the cottage I was renting from Jimmy. It was behind his club toward the back of the property. Far enough away from prying eyes, thanks to the shrubs and trees, but on a still night, I could still hear the dull thump, thump of the dance music playing from inside. But it was the security system I liked the most. Jimmy had asked Ford to set him up when he first bought the place, and Ford, being the best security guy out there, was more than willing to help out an old friend.
Jimmy was in the army with the guys, not in the commando team, but according to Mannix, they had crossed paths more than a few times on their deployments. Jimmy was on the rescue team that helped get Booth and his team evacuated to the relative safety of the FOB that horrible day.
I wasn’t sure when Jimmy got out of the military, but as soon as he did, he started his own place. Mannix mentioned that Booth extended an invitation to Jimmy to prospect for them, but as far as I knew, Jimmy declined because he didn’t ride or even like to.
They kept in touch though, and for that, I was grateful. I knew Jimmy and trusted him, but showing up here the way I did was risky. I mean, I would never ask him to lie to the guys about me being here, but I also didn’t want him to tell them, either, so we compromised. Jimmy promised not to ring Mannix and tell him where I was, but if Mannix were to call and ask if Jimmy had seen or heard from me, then Jimmy would tell Mannix the truth. It was as good as I was going to get, and seriously, what were the chances of Mannix ringing Jimmy and asking him if he had seen me? His strip club was a four-hour drive from the Wounded Souls’ compound. No way would Mannix think of me coming here.
I opened the side staff’s entrance door and slipped in quietly. There was no one around, and the place was eerie with everything shut off and dark, but it was always my favourite time to practice back at Body and Souls—just me, the pole, and the music—but today, I had something different in mind. I came up with the idea while watching one of my favourite classic eighties movies. Cliché as it sounded, I loved Flashdance. I had used the movie for inspiration quite a bit in the past, but I loathed emulating the chair and water scene, mainly because Tori had done it herself. She received an okay reception from the patrons, but only because it was an okay performance. I knew I could have done better and really wished I had done it back when I was able to. For now, I was happy to just practice, and dancing had always kept me in shape, which I needed now more than ever.
Chapter 5
MANNIX
She’s working at Big Jimmy’s.
The words repeated over and over in my head. Ford found Rainn from the mobile number she used. I hadn’t even called Jimmy to let him know I was coming or to ask him why the fuck he hadn’t told the club she was there. Admittedly, he had no idea about Rogue and the danger Rainn could be in by being away from the protection we offered her, but he knew she and I had a thing. And he would be answering my questions, but first, I needed to see Rainn with my own eyes, make sure she was okay before I smacked her arse then kissed the fuck out of her. It had been far too long since my lady had been in my arms.
I willed my bike to go faster, but I stayed at the speed limit, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention. As it was, my Harley already attracted too much whenever I was on it. She was one of my pride and joys—a 2007 Street Rod. It was belt driven with a water-cooled V-twin engine, and upgraded Brembo brakes. It had a top speed of two hundred and thirty kilometres per hour and was custom painted, thanks to Creed. I had given him full creativity, and fuck, he outdid himself with blood red and black gracing the tins of the bike and ghosted explosion-type flames painted on the surfaces. My main speciality in the commandoes had been explosives. I was good at it and enjoyed blowing the shit out of things. I missed it, and from time to time, when Deck needed boulders removed quickly or if he needed to have some land cleared for construction, he called on me and let me play.
I turned to my right and looked at the man himself. Deck had agreed to come with him—actually, he had insisted. I might have thrown a few things when Ford told me where Rainn had been hiding for the last three weeks. She had driven four hours away to get away from the club to keep us safe. Maybe to get Rogue off us and onto her? Putting herself in danger. No fucking way.
I gave Deck a chin lift and throttled down. The powerful 120hp engine roared as I increased my speed. Attention be damned, I needed to get to my lady.
———
“Not a bad looking place,” Deck said as we took off our helmets and hung them on our handlebars. We made good time once we said fuck the speed limit.
My head nodded as I looked over the front of the building. Jimmy had done a great job with the outside presentation of the place. No gaudy lights or cheesy poles like that fucker Shifty had done to his pathetic place. I still cringed when I remembered taking Rainn there to help Teach out when she wasn’t able to finish out her contract with the strip club owner. Every second globe had been either missing or broken, tacky faded paint on the front façade and, for some ridiculous reason, a line of gold poles set like columns. I hadn’t wanted Rainn anywhere near that place, but Teach got herself into trouble, and Booth didn’t want any repercussions coming back on her.
“Looks clean—understated,” I said in a casual tone when all I really wanted to do was take off at a sprint and claim my woman. But I held myself back, deliberately taking my time. Running to her wasn’t the only thing I was holding back from doing. Claiming Rainn was the other. Why I hadn’t yet was still unclear to me. The thought was always on my mind, but I kept pushing it back. She was perfect for me. I knew it, she knew it, and the whole club knew it.
But trusting her, giving her that part of me, was not as easy as the words you’re mine were. I didn’t want to give a woman that level of trust ever again. I didn’t want any more kids—that much I knew. Having your kids ripped away from you because some DNA said another man was their father did something to a man. Hardens him, makes him co
ld. Inside, I was cold as fucking ice.
“You gonna stare at the door all fucking day, or are we going in?” Deck asked with a smirk on his face.
I had the sudden urge to knock it off him. Deck and I liked to go toe to toe in the ring on a regular basis. He was strong, and he had a good game, but the last time we went at it, I beat the crap out of him.
“Do you want me to kick your arse again? What would Teach think of her soldier man then?” I taunted him as I moved slowly away from my bike and toward the door. Rainn was somewhere on the other side of the big red wooden door. My heart started pounding in my chest at the thought. My dick knew it too and was hardening as I thought about Rainn in those tight, next to nothing outfits she liked to wear, which I hadn’t seen in far too long. I hadn’t been inside her for far too long, and that wasn’t happening ever again.
“Prick,” Deck muttered behind me, but I could hear the humour in his tone.
He fell into step beside me as we entered the club. The first thing I noticed was how quiet it was, fucking spooky with only a dim light on. It was late afternoon, so I presumed staff would start arriving soon to get the place ready for business. It would be how things happened at Body and Souls. I could hear faint music coming from a room to my left. Deciding that was where we needed to be, I turned to move that way when Deck tapped me on the shoulder.
“Jimmy,” he said, lifting his chin to a door by the bar.
“Mannix, Deck. Good to see you,” Jimmy called out.
“Big Jimmy, long time, no see, man,” I greeted him. I might be pissed at him, but he was a good mate and a good soldier. I took his offered hand, and yes, I might have squeezed it a fraction too hard.
His Lady: The Wounded Souls Page 3
