Petros (Royal Bastards MC)

by Esther E. Schmidt

  I spin on my heels and head for the bathroom. Turning on the tap, I let the water flow before I bend over to take some sips into my mouth and spit them out. I wet my hands and splash some on my face. When I feel like myself again, I head back into the room—act as if Petros isn’t there—and grab my bag. I place it on the bed and take out everything I need.

  Good thing I’ve got a change of clothes in my monstrosity of a bag, along with a brush. I slip into the bathroom again to change into clean clothes and tame my hair enough to put it into a braid.

  If we’re traveling I don’t want to have it in my face or getting all knotted. Stalking out, I glance around to find my bag, noticing it isn’t in the spot where I left it. I shove everything back into my bag and glance at Petros who’s glaring at me with his thick arms crossed in front of his leather cut.

  “What?” I snap, irritated at the way he’s glaring at me. In my opinion, he doesn’t have any reason to scrutinize me.

  “I could ask you the same question,” he snaps back.

  Irritated, I throw the same words back he gave me a moment before. “You could, though you shouldn’t always expect me to answer.” I take my phone out of the charger and throw it in my bag. The charger too, I’m stealing it from the asshole, serves him right.

  Petros shakes his head. “Real mature.”

  That’s the moment I decide to shut up and ignore him for as long as I can. Asshole. As long as I can turns out to be a full twenty minutes before he ushers me out the door and into the main room of the clubhouse.

  I let my gaze eat up every inch of space and admire some of the stuff on the walls. Like headshots, and some I recognize from who I saw earlier around the table when we were in the room they call church.

  There are seven bikers outside when Petros guides me out in front of him. And when I say guides me out? I really mean places his hand between my shoulder blades and every now and then grabs my shirt to shove me into a particular direction. I repeat; asshole. Ugh. How much can one man rub you the wrong way? If he’d only rub me the right way…

  My mind trails off to when he was playing with my pussy underneath the table and stopped before I could come. Dammit. Maybe I’m sexually frustrated? Yes. A whole new angle thrown into the mix. Great, as if I didn’t have enough issues tainting my life.

  Biker after biker is straddling their bike while I stand and admire them. Helix stalks up to us. “She on the back of your bike or what?”

  “Fuck, no,” Petros snaps. “You know damn well no stray pussy will ever warm the back of my bike.”

  “As if I wanted to sit on that thing,” I mutter, annoyance skyrockets in my veins but it is a kick to my heart, ego, whatever, though I know I shouldn’t take it personally.

  It might sound stupid but when you’ve been growing up with an ass and thighs too big for other people’s standards, the comments thrown at your head harden you. It also gave me the ability to plaster a fake smile on my face and mock myself since others wouldn’t hesitate to do it for me.

  And I do just that; smile and say, “Pretty sure my fat ass wouldn’t even fit on it.”

  Helix winces and the next thing I know Petros is leaning into my personal space, his nose touching mine as he growls, “If I ever hear you say shit like that again I will fucking redden your ass on the fucking spot. Am I making myself clear?”

  I have to swallow at the harshness of his tone, my heart is beating rapidly inside my chest. “I don’t…don’t…I…I don’t understand,” I stutter.

  What is it with this man? One second he doesn’t care at all, the next emotions fire hot between us, until they aren’t. He’s clear I don’t mean anything to him and now this remark? I don’t understand him, though I doubt I ever will, because he gives me whiplash with all this back and forth shit.

  “Helix, fuckin’ explain before I lose my shit right here, right now,” Petros snaps while his eyes carry a load of crazy I can’t even start to understand either.

  Helix chuckles. “What the man is sayin’ is what you call fat is in his eyes the curves he likes to feel and let his eyes feast on. He doesn’t like you disrespecting yourself or those perfect curves.”

  Petros’ head swings toward Helix and he shoves him against the shoulder. “Only the last fucking sentence would have done the trick, asshole.”

  “Hey, I ain’t the asshole here, I gave the woman some truth to soften the blows you gave her.” Helix shrugs and his eyes land on mine. “You’re in the cage with me. I pulled the short end of the stick and have to leave my bike at home.”

  I quickly follow Helix to a large black SUV; he holds the passenger door open and waits for me to hop in before he stalks around the front. Petros grabs him by his cut, leans in and says something. Petros locks eyes with me and narrows them before he turns and heads for his bike. I wonder what that was all about.

  Helix gets behind the wheel and mutters, “That man has some serious issues.”

  It makes me giggle and say, “Everybody’s got issues, otherwise life would be boring. Hey, I have a few of my own, wanna hear?”

  The roaring of bikes draws my attention. I glance around to see all of them line up in pairs and head out. Helix follows them, leaving enough distance in between.

  “Pretty sure I know some of your issues, but if you got others I don’t know about? Sure. Just don’t start about any feminine shit. We’ve got some serious distance to cover and I wouldn’t think twice about pulling over to gag you and throw you in the back. Understood?”

  “Jeez,” I mutter, “here I thought Petros ate all the ‘I wanna be an asshole when I grow up’ cookies.”

  Helix’s barks of laughter fill the car. A smile tugs at my lips though a sadness fills my chest. All I’ve ever done is work and like I mentioned…I’m not a person with a huge friend group but to see these bikers together and the way Helix and Petros interact clearly shows a long and deep respect and understanding.

  Well, from what I’ve seen anyway. But I guess even within such a group…rotten apples emerge. Or I assume with what I overheard about Sadie and Hart. Though it’s not the same as what my dad did to me, it all comes down to betrayal that cuts deep. Once we’re on the highway, I notice a tiny blue car and I make a mental note to check how much one of those cost.

  I need to buy a new car and I’ve been putting it off for months. It’s time to think of myself for a change and with all the money I’ve saved up, I could start a business for myself. An accounting company for instance.

  I was always running my father’s business completely on my own when my father would be out of town. Ugh. Out of town to see his other family, one he liked more than the one he formed with my mother. My mother who’s now dead because of him. I drift off into a well of self-pity again.

  “Hey,” Helix quips. “Why the long face?”

  I let my head lean on the side window and close my eyes for a bit while I answer Helix. “How can I go from thinking about buying myself a new car to maybe starting my own business to reminding myself how my father got my mother killed and then dumped me to be with his real family? Dammit, I get so tired about thinking and hearing myself say how he…no, you know what?” I flash my eyes open and give him a fierce look. “From now on I’m cutting him out of my life as easily as he did to us. Shit. There is no us, there’s only me. Is it a bad thing to hope I won’t ever see him again? Because I really don’t want to; he’s dead to me.”

  “You’re really sayin’ this while we’re heading to the hotel we hope he’s stayin’ in?” Helix snickers. “But don’t worry, doll. If you want, I can make sure you’re out of sight so you won’t have to see him.”

  “Wouldn’t mind seeing some justice done for my mother, though,” I mutter and my eye catches the cute blue car again in the mirror.

  “Yeah, I don’t think Prez will want you in on that shit. Any other requests I need to handle for ya?” Helix asks and it draws my attention back to him.

  “Any chance you can check on my friend Cassie? She left for A
laska for her job and I haven’t heard anything from her since.” I sigh and reach for my bag to snatch my phone and check my messages for the zillionth time, but there’s still no peep from her.

  “Ah, so that’s the reason Prez made me contact our Alaska Chapter to make sure they follow up on the email he sent them. You’ll hear as soon as we know something,” Helix affirms me.

  Now I know why my bag wasn’t where I left it when I went in and out of the bathroom. “Sneaky asshole,” I grumble. “Why can’t he just be nice and tell me instead of sneaking into my bag and getting the info on Cassie?”

  “Wait…Cassie’s a chick, right?”

  “And what is it with you bikers with the whole ‘does this person have a cock or a pussy’ issue when even the name hints at the person being a damn girl?” I sigh and throw my hands in the air in frustration. “Ugh. Yes, Cassie, short for Cassandra, is a woman. She’s my best friend. My only friend. The both of us drink cocktails and throw knives every Friday. Except, I guess the whole Friday night knife throwing routine is on hold since she’s out of town for at least the next few weeks, or however long it will take her to finish her job there. I really miss throwing my knives, it’s a great way to relieve some pumped-up stress.”

  “Wait…you and Cassie throw knives? Together? As in every Friday on a regular basis?”

  I flash him a huge grin. “You just wait and I’ll be sure to show you how good my aim is.”

  “Prez likes to throw knives too, you should challenge him if you say you’re good at that shit.” Helix flashes me a huge grin in return.

  I roll my eyes at the memory of what happened in Petros’ room. “Prez is an asshole and I will never tell him because he wouldn’t even let me touch his knives. I got all excited when he placed them on the bed but before I got close, he had already snatched up my wrist in a punishing grip.”

  “What can I say, the man is itchy about anyone touching what’s his.” Helix shrugs.

  He might shrug but it makes me think back on the stuff I overheard. Not to mention I’m a woman, one who Petros took for leverage. The man has trust issues and has every right to have them.

  From the corner of my eye I see the blue car switch lanes and follow us as we take the exit. That’s strange. We’ve been driving for quite some time now, which means… “We’re being followed.”

  Chapter Seven

  ***Petros***

  “Prez,” Helix’s voice fills my helmet.

  I have no idea why he’s calling me but the first thing that comes to mind is, “You ready to rip your ears off? Or is she giving you the silent treatment like she tried to give me?”

  Fuck. I didn’t mean to snap at her at every turn. It’s also the reason I didn’t want her warming my back. Her pussy tight against me, hands around my waist and near my cock. Nah, she’s been occupying my mind more than I like, and I needed the space between us to clear my head. Yet it didn’t help shit cause all I think about is still only her and her wicked ways.

  “She is actually very nice company if the other person isn’t acting like an asshole. And she noticed a car has been following us ever since we left. And by the way…she is still giving you the silent treatment,” Kinsey says in a very annoyed tone.

  I’m having a hard time keeping my laughter at bay, but I should have known Helix would have the call on speaker since he’s driving and so am I.

  “VP, did you get a look who’s in the car? It could only be one of Boone’s guys, right?” I ask, ignoring Kinsey and I’m very much aware it will piss her off more.

  “Pretty sure it’s Iron Grims keeping track of our every move,” Helix sighs, affirming the same thing I’m thinking.

  Kinsey snorts. “Then maybe you should call Boone and tell him how you found my father. Then you can both face my dad and make sure Boone stands in the line of fire. Something about two birds, one stone. Shit. I watch too many movies. Ignore me, I’m reading a part of my book out loud. You know, the fiction kind with crazy characters and fluffy bikers doing weird shit all the time. Shutting up now.”

  Now I actually do laugh but in the meantime her words process and I have to say…

  “I kinda,” Helix starts but I cut him off.

  “Yeah, me too. Make it happen,” I tell him and cut the call off.

  We ride for another two hours before gathering at a spot where we’re waiting on Boone. I sent two of my guys to the hotel to check if Alvin is where we think he is, I hope to hear from them within the hour. In the meantime, we’ve discussed Kinsey’s suggestion and forged a plan to execute.

  All while Kinsey’s sitting in the car. Most times she’s glancing out the side window, but every now and then she shoots a glare my way. How do I know this little fact? Because my eyes have barely strayed from her. I can’t seem to help myself, even if I fight it. It’s as if she’s crawled underneath my skin and every time I scratch she sinks deeper and is already flowing through my veins. Fuck.

  I can either ignore how she makes me feel; solve this shit and cut her loose. Or keep her. And if I do keep her, it’ll bring more difficulties, and I hate dealing with difficulties. I swore I’d never take an Old Lady. A woman only gives pleasure to your cock as long as they’re not tying you down.

  I’ve seen some of my brothers deal with their wives first-hand. Raging bitches seething about stray pussy hanging around their men or needing to know everything they do or where they will be every second of the damn day. Not to mention the expectations. Like I said; complications and difficulties I hate to deal with.

  But her—the one glaring at me—knowing she has the tightest, sweetest pussy, hottest mouth, and either taking my cock or fire up words…I haven’t met a woman like her in all my fucked-up life, and maybe that’s exactly it. Reason enough to see how shit goes instead of fixating on keeping or cutting loose.

  The roar of bikes approaching draws my attention. “Heads up guys, company.”

  I count fifteen bikes and for a second I regret not taking more brothers or asking for some backup from the nearest Royal Bastards Chapter. But we need to let this play out the way Kinsey suggested. Play nice until we take ‘em out. Meaning this is all show and tell.

  I see Kinsey’s head whip back and forth between the bikers of Iron Grims MC parking their bikes and me. Panic settling in her eyes. I slowly shake my head to let her know to stay put; I got this.

  That funny feeling hits my chest again when she visibly sighs with relief, nods and gives me a timid smile. Dammit. No damn words exchanged and she understands what I need from her. Not even two damn days in each other’s presence.

  Two damn days. What a fucking connection. I never had that, not even a fragment of it with Sadie. I mentally snort, the only connection I had with that bitch was when we fucked and even the mere thought now sickens me. No, I’ve thought about it before and I know for damn sure now; Kinsey is in a league of her own. In-fucking-comparable and unique.

  I regretfully pull my gaze away from her to face Boone. His eyes however are locked on Kinsey. “Eyes off,” I snap, successfully drawing his attention.

  He points at the car. “You got us the daughter for leverage, nice going there. I have to admit…I didn’t expect you to throw us a bone or even suggest handling this together. Appreciate it though.”

  “She’s not part of anything. She’s my property seeing you already killed her mother. Now, to get straight to business, I expect an update…” My phone vibrates in my jeans pocket and I take it out to check. “I just received confirmation Alvin is still at the hotel. My guys are strategically placed to keep an eye out. We expect him to book two hookers who will accompany him to his room. It’s the fucker’s routine and the reason he always spends two nights in this hotel. I suggest we stay close and take him somewhere on a lonely road tomorrow morning to make sure there aren’t any eyes on him or any of us. Agreed?”

  Boone stays quiet for a moment and rubs a hand over his mouth. “All of this sounds too good to be true, so excuse me for being skeptical here, but wh
at exactly did you have in mind after we take this guy? Because you and I both know the asshole doesn’t have the cash on him.” Boone’s gaze slides to Kinsey. “Maybe the chick can pay off daddy’s debt in one of the whorehouses of Iron Grims. I’ll give you a sweet deal if you let me handle it. I’ll even end Alvin for you too so you can go home right now.”

  My blood reached boiling point when Boone voiced the words about Kinsey paying off her father’s debt, and I’m trying damn fucking hard not to lose my shit. My fingers slide over my left leg where three of my throwing knives are tucked away safely. It would be so fucking easy to take one and hit him straight in the eye.

  “I hate repeating myself, asshole. The woman isn’t yours to claim, she’s my damn property. Be fucking glad I called you to be in on catching this fucker. Besides, I’m pretty damn sure he’s got the cash since he’s got a second family stashed away. He always fucks whores on his way to them, pretty sure he’ll call the same number to ask for company this time since the idiot even booked those costs as business expenses. This guy is predictable and sticks to the same routine. As I said, we’ll wait till the fucker hits the road and that’s where we can easily take him. Seeing you killed the one wife, which sent him running to the other, I say we have a nice little chat with the guy. And who fucking knows…maybe he has a couple of other daughters we can put to work as you suggested. ‘Cause you sure as fuck ain’t touching the one I took.”

  His whole demeanor screams he’s liking the idea and yet his attention goes back to the car. Kinsey isn’t shying away, instead she’s shooting imaginary daggers at Boone. A smile slides on my face the way she isn’t some chick trembling with fear, instead I’m standing here planning on killing the fucker in front of me with a plan she suggested.