Chapter 22

TWENTY-TWO

GNAW

This motherfuckerreally thinks he's going to get my woman, get his foot into Sal's bar, and take money from the club, all at the same time. He thinks he's going to do all of this and continue breathing.

That's going to be a hard fucking no. Will not be happening. Tilting my head to the side, I watch him while I smoke my cigarette. He doesn't say anything, his attention on me, but it's clear that he's trying to figure out his next play.

Whatever that is—he will not win.

"You're not getting Sal's. We're going to fight, so you may as well save your men's lives, your women, too, and just go back to Louisiana. And stay there," I say, making sure that my tone is not only calm, but almost too calm—bored sounding, even.

"And for whatever reason do you believe that I will not succeed?" Talon asks.

"We've already killed a houseful of your men and taken your skin. I think it's safe to say that we're ahead of you. So, either we squash all this right now, or we declare war."

My words are indeed threatening, and it should make him feel… like I'm questioning his ability as a leader, because that is exactly what the fuck I'm doing. He doesn't say anything immediately. He's thinking. I can tell by the way he presses his lips together.

He's still standing in front of me, and I wonder how long this little meeting is going to last. I'm ready to take my gun out and start a war right fucking here. Instead of doing that, my twitching fingers reach for another cigarette.

Lighting the smoke, I keep myself busy, but it isn't going to work for long. "Dennis is being held upstairs. I'll trade a woman of mine for him, as a show of good faith and to keep things from going too far."

I want him to say no because I'm ready to absolutely kill this motherfucker. I don't want Dennis. I want Kyle. But then again, I have a feeling that if Dennis is one of the traitors, he's going to have a lot to say in an effort to save his own skin.

"We'll do that trade," Atomic states. "I want to see Dennis now, though."

Talon jerks his chin upward, then he shifts his attention to me and arches a brow. Atomic continues to speak. He doesn't wait for any sort of response from Talon. "And you won't be able to choose the woman. It will just be one from the bunch."

There is silence. It's a lingering silence. Then Talon lets out a chuckle. "As you fucking wish," he hisses.

Atomic follows Talon upstairs. I choose this time to make my way outside. Heading toward the van, I pause when I see Clink and Guts with their heads together, murmuring something to one another.

What the fuck?

Clink lifts his head, his eyes find mine, and he jerks his chin toward me. I open my mouth to ask him what the fuck is going on because clearly, there is something happening. Clink doesn't wait for me to say a fucking word. Instead, he marches in my direction, closing the distance between us.

"We got her out. She's in the van with those other bitches," he grinds. "I don't know if we were seen on any surveillance, but I don't think we should wait around here much longer."

"You got Kyle?" I ask, needing to hear the words to be sure. I need to know that she's out, that she's safe.

Clink's lips twitch into a smirk. "We got Kyle," he rasps. "But I don't think we should hang around here any longer. What's happening next?"

Sliding my tongue out, I glide it across my bottom lip. "I promised him a girl to trade for Dennis," I murmur.

Clink shakes his head slowly, but it's Guts who speaks first. "I think we should get the fuck out of here. Dennis or no Dennis, we got something a lot fucking bigger, and I don't want to see anything happen."

I agree with him. It won't take long for Talon to realize that Kyle is gone if he hasn't checked on her already. It seems as if he's alone in that house, but I know he has to have men everywhere. No way is he actually alone. A man like him wouldn't do all of this by himself.

There are others… somewhere. And I have a feeling that Kyle's ex is somewhere in that house, too. I want him. I want him on his knees in front of me. I'm going to end the sonofabitch, but I need him to look into my eyes when I do it. I want him to know exactly who I am and what I'm doing when I end him.

I want him to look into my eyes and beg for mercy. I won't give him mercy, but I want to hear him beg for it anyway.

As much as I want to get in that driver's seat of the van and drive away, I can't leave Atomic and King behind in that house. They're my brothers. I wouldn't do that, not even to save my own woman.

"Take them, get them the fuck out of here and to the clubhouse. Leave one of the women behind. If I don't make good on this promise, then the club is possibly fucked. We're trying to keep from going to war."

"But we're already there," Clink states.

I hum. "Yeah, but Talon and the Southern Mafia don't know that yet."

Jerking my chin, I walk to the back of the van. I want to open it up and reach inside, but I know that if I see her, I'm going to want to kiss and fuck her right then and there, no matter who is watching. We don't have time for that right now. So, I stand to the side and wait for Clink to grab one.

He does it so fast—reaches into the van, pulls out a girl, and slams the door back shut again. I don't even know if the other girls realized what's happened, because before I can blink, Guts and Clink are in the van and speeding away.

The girl trembles in her too-short dress, her eyes wide as she stares at me. "Ready to go back home?" I ask.

She licks her lips, her gaze connected to mine, but doesn't speak. Reaching out, I grasp her bicep firmly but not tightly. I don't want to hurt her. This is a business transaction and nothing more.

I move back into the house. I want to get this shit done and over with so I can examine every part of Kyle's body to ensure she is safe and unharmed in every way.

Then I'm going to kiss every square inch of her body. Then I'm going to make her come over and over until she completely passes out.

Dennis is standing in the middle of the living room, Talon behind him. I shove the girl in front of me, keeping my fingers firmly grasped around her bicep as I hold her in place. My gaze focuses on Talon's as I wait for him to speak.

I can tell this isn't the girl he wanted me to bring, but he also didn't get a fucking say in anything, not that we would let him anyway.

Because fuck him.

Talon takes a step forward, then moves between Dennis and us, standing in front of the girl. I watch as he lifts his hand, wraps his fingers around the front of her throat, and squeezes gently as he stares into her eyes.

"Who do you belong to?" he asks.

We all watch the exchange in silence and wait for her to answer. "Always you, my love."

"Good," he growls. "Dennis may leave," he says, then lifts his gaze, his eyes finding Atomic's. "This is just the beginning. We have much to discuss."

"Indeed," Atomic agrees. "We have much to discuss."

Talon's gaze shifts back to the girl, and he releases her throat then takes a few steps backward. "You can all leave," he murmurs, his attention only on the girl.

He's speaking to us, but nobody exists, not really. This girl is the only thing in the world right now. I watch as she sinks to her knees and places her palms on the floor.

She's on all fours and begins to crawl toward him. But he doesn't stay in one spot waiting for her. Instead, he takes one step backward, then another, and begins to walk up the stairs.

It's definitely time for me to leave.

Once he goes upstairs, he's going to notice that Kyle isn't there, and I know that's when shit is going to get real. Jerking my chin to Dennis, I turn and walk out of the door. Atomic and King follow.

We climb onto our bikes, and Dennis is pushed into the cab of the waiting pickup truck. Thankfully, we had Rim bring it in case we needed it. Thank fuck we did. Rim starts the engine as the rest of us make our way out of the driveway.

It's time to go to my woman.

Now.

KYLE

The van stops,and the doors are thrown open. I expect to see Rider standing on the other side, but he's not there. Instead, it's the two men who were driving, wearing identical uniforms to his.

I watch as the girls file out of the back, one by one, in a single file line. They follow behind one of the guys as he guides them to a place where they have obviously been before. They know where they're going, and they do it quietly.

The man standing in front of me holds out his hand, palm facing up, as he watches me. "I'm Clink," he states. I'm friends with Gnaw. You're safe here."

He's speaking to me quietly, and I know it's probably taking everything inside of him to be so soft-spoken, but he's doing it. He is treating me like a scared animal, and he should. I am freaking terrified.

Crawling on my hands and knees, I make my way to the van door and place my hand in his. He curls his fingers around my hand and gently guides me out of the van. My feet are firmly planted on the ground before I lift my gaze to meet his.

"Thank you," I whisper.

He chuckles and gives me a wink. "It's all good, babe. Got some people who want to meet you inside, though. Let's head on in."

I don't ask him what that means. He squeezes my hand, then releases it as he walks toward a brick building in the middle of an empty lot. I don't know where I am, or what's happening, but for whatever reason, this feels right.

For a moment, I think about asking him if he can take me to the motel, but I don't think there's anywhere else I'd like to be right now. This is where I belong. Clink opens the door to the building and stands to the side to allow me to pass.

I open my mouth to thank him, but the words die on my tongue as I step into the room. It's a bar—and not just any bar. It's not like Sal's or anywhere else I've worked. This is the biker-ist of biker bars.

But as my gaze scans the room, it stops on something that seems out of place. It's two women standing in front of a… dessert table?

And not just any dessert table. It's covered in what appears to be gorgeous fluffy frosted cupcakes, cream-filled cookies, and brownies. My stomach flips and flops, growling loudly at the sight of it all.

I didn't eat the full burger and fries Talon left for me, and I sure as shit did not drink the soda he left me just in case it was drugged. The two women lift their gazes to mine. Their lips turn up into a huge smile, and I watch as they lift their hands and wave.

Taking a step toward them, I feel my legs shaking, my thighs trembling. I wonder if my knees are going to give out. But the two girls hurry toward me and wrap their arms around me in a hug before I fall flat on my face.

"We're so sorry we haven't met you sooner," one of them says as they both take steps backward. "I'm Shawn, and this is Ryan. We're so excited to finally get to know you."

"She needs to sit down," Ryan murmurs.

She's heavily pregnant, and gorgeous. In fact, they're both stunning, and I feel a bit out of place. I'm not as pretty as they are and obviously not as talented either, but they are staring at me as if I'm special.

I don't get the feeling that they think I'm strange. Rather, they're enamored by me. Which is the strange part, because I'm just white trash with a whole lot of drama. Shawn takes my hand and guides me over to the dessert table before she sits me down on a chair.

"You need to eat. You look exhausted and hungry. I know it's a lot of sweets, but we can make something else, too. We're just so happy to have you back and safe."

"I'm confused," I confess.

Shawn laughs softly, but it's Ryan who pulls a chair up next to me and sinks down with a grunt, then a sigh.

"I'm sure you are," she says, reaching out and wrapping her fingers around my wrist, flexing gently. "These men only have two speeds," she begins. "Lightning fast and slow as molasses. Although, I have to admit, I've only seen the lightning-fast ones."

Shawn giggles, then picks up a cupcake and hands it to me. It looks amazing. Reaching for the treat, I bring it to my lips and start to open my mouth when she speaks. "Lightning fast," she says. "You're one of us now, Kyle. An old lady."

Those words cause me to pause.

Old lady.

I understand them, the meaning behind them, more or less, anyway. That makes me his woman, his girlfriend of sorts.

I'm not sure how I should be feeling about that, probably scared or maybe even angry. I haven't even fully gotten rid of Xavier, and here I am, attaching myself to another man, but I do know how I actually feel.

I can't claim that it's love. Yet.

But the lust is there, and it is raging.