“Who are you?”
I turned, coming face to face with a monster. My mouth opened in a silent scream as a hulking man with skull makeup approached, his eyes sunken dark holes as his mouth twisted into a vicious grin. Frightened, cold, tired, and unable to think clearly, I backed up and smacked into the biker who brought me here. An arm snaked around my waist as I heard his growl rumble within his broad chest.
“Leave her alone.”
“I think you better explain, brother.”
The two men faced off as I trembled with fear, my legs threatening to give out and send my body tumbling ungracefully to the floor.
“She’s with me. End of discussion.”
The biker grabbed my hand and led me from the room quickly, not bothering to engage anyone else in conversation. I didn’t catch what he was grumbling about with the loud music but heard his clear displeasure.
We moved down a long hall that branched off in several directions and held a row of doors. He paused at one and pulled a key from his pocket, unlocking the door before we entered. A light was flipped on and he turned, staring at me for a long minute before speaking.
“Get out of those wet clothes. I’ll be back soon. Don’t leave for any reason. I mean it.”
Did the man ever do anything but order others around?
I never had a chance to reply as he stomped from the room and slammed it shut, turning the key as he locked it from the outside. Even though I knew this was for safety more than anything else, I was still frustrated.
Damn biker.
Chapter 5 – Bodie
“What the fuck was that?” I snarled, shoving Rael in the chest as soon as I made it back to the bar. Just because he was the enforcer of the club didn’t mean he had to stick his nose in my business. He scared Sasha. I didn’t like the fear that had been evident in her eyes.
A rumbling roar echoed in his chest and the two of us slammed into the bar as he retaliated, knocking over glasses of booze as my brothers scattered and moved out of the way.
“You challenging me?”
“Fuck yeah,” I answered, more than ready to burn off some of my anger.
“Knock it off, you fuckers.” Grim stood with his usual mixture of humor and annoyance. “Get in the chapel. Now. It’s time for church.”
Several grunts and a few snorts of humor could be heard around the room.
Lucky pulled me aside, ticking his head toward Rael as he reluctantly moved away. “What’s up, brother? You seem wound up tight.”
Lucky was my cousin Daniel. He joined a few years back. Lucky was one of few I confided in about Suraya and all that shit six months ago. When the Scorpions attacked the Blacktop and Grim’s Trish was nearly killed, the carnage that unleashed left me in a fit of rage, consumed by bloodlust after I found Suraya’s dead body on the ground at Acid’s feet. He killed her to prove a point. It was personal.
Cracking my neck, I inhaled deeply to avoid the change, my Reaper ready to rise to the surface and take over. I didn’t let him lead right now but one day soon I would. Acid would know pain and suffering the likes of which he’d never heard of before that moment. I would ensure he remembered my name and the vicious way I stripped him down long before he had the decency to die.
“I’m good,” I finally replied, moving away from the bar.
We followed Grim into the chapel, shutting the door behind us with a click. As we all took our assigned seats, my gaze swept over my brothers and their tough, no-nonsense expressions. Grim picked up the gavel and banged it loud enough to make sure we were all paying attention.
“Church is in session.”
Looking across the table, I found Rael watching me. I honestly didn’t know what the fuck Rael and I had against one another. It wasn’t one incident that stood out among the rest or a few words that cemented our mutual annoyance. Maybe it was the fact that the enforcer position belonged to my old man before me. Or maybe it was due to the fact that Rael didn’t have the same history with the club that I did. But titles were just that, titles. At least to me.
I knew my place in this MC and it was by Grim’s side. Always. I loved and trusted my brothers – even Rael – and my loyalty was concrete no matter how much we bickered in person. Sure, he pissed me off. Cocky, unpredictable, and just fuckin’ crazy. He was worse lately, too.
If I was honest, I knew I’d also changed which only made matters worse. Since all that shit six months ago, I’d gone rogue. I was a wildcard. That didn’t sit well with the guy in charge of the club’s safety and I had to give him credit for making sure I understood that.
Our eyes met and he licked the blood from his bottom lip before grinning evilly.
Crazy fucker.