Chapter Seventeen Babe

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: BABE

As angry as I am with Min, I listen for her footsteps behind me. I wouldn't put it past the assholes to come back around to grab her. While I lead us back to where we parked our bikes, I can feel her eyes on me. I don't know who I'm more angry at, Min or myself. She's the first woman I've ever craved and the first woman to treat me with indifference. I'm not handling it well. I should probably just stop thinking of her as anything more than a business partner, but then I'd have to give up sex altogether. She's the only woman I want now.

Chrome stands with Cicely and by the shake of her head and the furious expression on his face, he isn't getting the answer he wants from her. I know exactly how he feels.

"He got away," I tell Chrome when we reach them. "What's going on?"

"I'm trying to talk Cicely into staying at the clubhouse until we find these guys, but she won't agree," Chrome says, scowling at the woman.

"I'll be safe in my apartment," Cicely insists. "I have the next three days off."

"Perfect. You can spend the next three days hanging out at my clubhouse, where I can keep you safe," Chrome insists.

Cicely rolls her eyes.

"You would be safer away from here and your apartment," Min says. "They know who you are, so it wouldn't be hard for them to find out where you live."

Cicely's shoulders slump in defeat. "Maybe I can stay at a hotel."

"I booked a hotel room that I'm not using," Min offers. She glances at me when I stiffen. "Or at least I wasn't. Why don't we go to your place so you can pack a bag and we can stay there?"

Cicely nods in agreement. I glance at Chrome and see he's about as happy as I am over Min's offer.

"Good. I'll ride with you to your apartment," Min says. "Are you guys following?"

We both nod as the women turn and head deeper into the parking lot.

"I don't like them staying at the hotel," Chrome grumbles.

"Me, either," I reply. "But at least Cicely is packing a bag. Let's follow them and talk sense into them once we reach her apartment."

As we ride behind the women, I can't help but wonder why Min booked a hotel room without telling me. I knew she was worried about staying at the clubhouse, but I thought we'd worked through her concerns. Guess I was wrong. Guess I've been wrong about several things where Min's concerned.

We follow Cicely into the parking lot of an apartment building that's not strong on security. The parking lot is open to everyone. Anyone could park here and grab her between the car and the front door. She uses her key to unlock the front door. There isn't even a doorman. I could have grabbed her and absconded with her a half a dozen times by the time she gets the door opened. Chrome and I both look at the lock as we pass through and shake our head at its flimsiness. Hell, the door's made of glass. Anyone could break it and unlock the door from the outside. I can feel Chrome's anger rising. Mine is close behind. Her apartment door isn't much better. The door is not solid enough to keep out anyone intent on entering.

"Did you intentionally find the least secure apartment building in the city?" Chrome demands. I flinch as Cicely turns an icy stare his way.

"Maybe you should wait downstairs," Cicely suggests, dismissing Chrome with a flick of her head before disappearing down the hall.

Min smirks but says nothing.

"Why did you book a hotel room?" I demand. "Were you going to tell me or just disappear?"

Min frowns at me. "I booked it after talking to the cops at the hospital. We originally wanted to keep the Demon Dawgs out of the narrative, so I came up with a reason to explain why I was in the area. They asked me where I was staying. I couldn't very well tell them I was staying at the clubhouse and keep our affiliation a secret, could I?"

"Oh," I respond stupidly. And yeah, I feel stupid.

"What is your problem today? If you're having second thoughts about us being partners, then say so."

"I'm not the one with a problem," I hiss back.

"The only problem I have is your attitude," Min snaps, turning away from me to follow Cicely.

"We're both not making points today," Chrome comments.

I chuckle. "No. But we still need to convince them both to come back to the clubhouse. I have a bad feeling about leaving them at the hotel."

Chrome nods in agreement.

When Cicely comes out carrying a small suitcase, he moves to take it from her, but she doesn't relent. "I can carry it."

"I know you can, but you shouldn't have to. Please, let me carry it for you. Look, I'm sorry for my comment about your apartment. But, seriously, this place is not secure. I could have handled it better."

"Yes, you could have. You're right, it isn't as secure as I'd like, but it's what I can afford. So, I make do."

"You shouldn't have to make do. You should be safe. Please reconsider and come back to the clubhouse instead of going to the hotel."

"Okay," Cicely says, which shocks Chrome and myself. We both figured we'd have a battle on our hands. "Min explained how much more secure the clubhouse is than the hotel. She also said that if I stay at the hotel, you'll assign one of your men to guard me and that leaves you one less person for hunting down the assholes who are after me. Staying at the clubhouse makes sense, so yes, I'll go with you."

I glance at Min, but she ignores me. Fuck.

"She's right," Chrome says, recovering himself. "I thought you'd argue with me. Thanks, Min."

Min nods and leads the way outside. I stand next to her in the hallway as we wait for Cicely to lock her door.

"Thanks," I say to her. She doesn't glance my way, but nods to let me know she heard me. She leads the way back downstairs and back into the parking lot. When she turns away from my bike and towards Cicely's car, I grab her arm and turn her to face me. "We should talk."

"Yes, we should," Min replies cooly. "But not here and not now. We need to focus our attention on getting Cicely to safety and then capturing Blankenship and Billings. Then we can talk about ending our partnership."

She slides into the passenger seat when Cicely unlocks the door. I want to rip the door open and pull her out, but I don't. She's right about one thing. We need to get Cicely to safety. But she's mistaken if she thinks we'll be shelving our conversation past that point. Not to mention, she's out of her mind if she thinks we're ending our partnership.

Chrome watches me as I hop on my bike and rev it up. He likely sees the pissed off expression on my face, but I'm grateful he says nothing about it. Instead, he pulls ahead of Cicely and leaves me to bring up the rear.

At the clubhouse, Chrome takes charge of Cicely. He grabs her suitcase and leads her inside, leaving Min and me behind. Min moves toward the door, but I grab her arm and hold her back.

She yanks her arm out of my grip and glares at me. "What the fuck is your problem? Quit grabbing me. The next time you do, I'll take you down. Don't think I can't do it."

"You already did, and you didn't have to make a move," I shout back.

"What the fuck does that mean?"

"Do I mean anything to you? Or am I just a meal ticket?"

"What the fuck? I don't know what has your panties in a bunch, but you're not making any sense. How are you my meal ticket? I can pay my own way. I haven't asked you for money!"

I run my hand through my hair to calm myself. She has me so riled up that I'm not making any sense. "Why did you want to go into a partnership with me?"

"Because I thought we'd make a good team. I thought you respected me and my skills. But I guess I was wrong. Once we're back in San Diego, we can sever the partnership. I'll figure something out. Unless you just want to end it now? I'd like to bring the other two down, but if you want me to go back to San Diego today, then I will."

"It's that easy for you?" I ask, not believing that she's letting go without a fight.

"Is what easy for me? Ending our partnership? No, I was excited about it. I thought we made a good team. But, obviously, I was wrong. Let's just move on."

"You're unbelievable," I mutter, turning away from her.

"What do you want from me, Babe?"

"I want you to want me as much as I want you!" I shout. "But obviously you don't give a shit about me. Fine, go back to San Diego." I turn and stomp inside the clubhouse without giving her another glance. She's already broken me into pieces. If I saw the pity on her face, I'd likely shatter.