When I left Chloe's apartment I took a long ride to clear my head. By the time I got back it was getting dark and I'd had several missed calls from guys in the MC. I arrived back at the club house to find that all hell had broken loose in my absence. I wasn't sure what the fuck had gone down but what I did know was that there were some pretty pissed off bikers hurling abuse at each other in the bar. Delilah was standing there watching the whole thing unfold as she twisted her hands in front of her. Now if you knew Dee like I did you'd have been shocked too. Nothing spooked her. She was a tough cookie.
I made my way over to where she stood. “What the hell happened, Dee?”
“Oh God, Six, where the hell have you been? The shit has really hit the fan. I've tried to call you like a billion times.”
“Hey, I've told you a trillion times not to exaggerate.” I chuckled at my own joke but she just rolled her eyes and whacked my arm.
“Six, it's not funny. Loki's Legion are making a play for the land out by the freeway. They want to build a warehouse. Colt says it's some kind of retaliation for what happened with you and that moron who tried to maul the Fox you like.”
“Her name is Chl...Nina.”
“What-the-fuck-ever, Six. Shit has gotten serious.”
I didn't really get what the fuss was about. “So, Colt tells them to take a hike. It's all good.”
“God, Six don't you get it? It's not that straight forward. That area is no man's land. If Loki's crew take over it imagine what the hell that will be like. It's too close, man.”
She had a point. Colt, our club Prez, had been guardian over that land for around ten years after he struck a deal with the former President of Loki's Legion. But since the guy had retired and Deak had taken over things had changed. And not for the better.
Colt spied me standing there and began to walk toward me. His almost black hair was tied back in its usual band to expose the Company of Sinners tattoo around the front of his neck. He matched me for height but was a little leaner. To anyone else he'd be an intimidating bastard but not to me. I'd seen him at his lowest when his old lady had died of cancer four years earlier. The man almost followed her to the fucking grave and I swore at that point that love just wasn't worth the pain.
I glanced around the room looking for Cain but he was nowhere to be seen. Shit. Where was my partner in crime when I needed him?
Colt stepped up to me with a menacing glare and jabbed a thick finger in my face. “Where the fuck have you been?” Oh great. An ear bashing from Colt. My favorite thing to pass the time.
I shrugged. “Went for a ride to clear my head. Why?”
His jaw was clenched and his eyes kind of wild and staring. Dude was real pissed. “I'm guessing Dee has told you what's gone down tonight while you were off sightseeing and fucking your whores.”
I wasn't in the mood for his shit and I rolled my eyes feeling like a teenager being chastised by his Pa. “I wasn't fucking whores. Like I said, I needed to clear my head.”
“Yeah? I don't see how you needed to, seeing as it's empty up there. You're supposed to be the fucking VP of this club, Six. And thanks to you and your little fuck buddy Fox we have a situation here. It seems Loki's Legion are laying claim to the land by the freeway. We need to make moves to stop them.”
I suddenly felt drained and just wanted to go upstairs and shut out the noise. But the way he had spoken about Chloe made anger draw to the surface.
I gritted my teeth. “She's not my fuck buddy. I haven't fucked her.”
Colt lifted his bulky arms and dropped them with a slap by his sides in an exasperated shrug. “Well I'm so sorry for getting that little snippet wrong. Please won't you accept my sincere apology and pass one onto the stripper while you're at it. Now get to fucking chapel ass-hat!” He turned and stomped up the stairs.
I fucking hated sarcasm. Hated it. And Colt used it a whole lot. Who the fuck did he think he was anyway? He was only around twelve years my senior but still acted like he owned my ass.
I finally caught sight of Cain over by the door and it appeared he had just arrived too. He waved me over, a look of worry on his face. I decided Colt could wait and went to talk to my buddy.
“Hey, Cain. S'up?” I embraced him and slapped his back.
“Fuck, Six. You're never going to believe what the hell happened, dude.”
“Loki's crew and the land?”
He scrunched his brow. “Oh...so you heard? Shit, man I've been out looking for you. Colt wants you in chapel right now.”
I couldn't help laughing. “Yeah I figured that from the way he just hollered at me in front of everyone.”
I flung my arm around Cain's shoulder and we made our way up the stairs to try and figure a way out of this shitty situation. The thought of a rival club being so close to our land and our business made me uncomfortable to say the least. But I didn't want to show my concern.
♥♥♥
Chloe
Phoning in sick wasn't something that sat easily with me. But regardless of the fact that Six apparently thought of me as some sad sack pity case, he had made the whole situation with the rival MC sound serious. And the last thing I needed was to get caught up in the middle of that shit. So I faked the flu and stayed home. My girlfriend, Ellie Cassidy, from the coffee shop I used to work at had heard on the grapevine that I was sick and she came to visit.
I hadn't seen her in a while, but she was the closest thing to a best friend that I had in the area and in true best buddy style she came armed with lots of nice things which I presumed were to make me feel better.
After looking through my peep hole I opened the door to her and was greeted with a loud squeal and her red, curled locks bouncing like a giddy puppy dog. “Hey girl!” Which was rapidly followed by a knowing glare and pursed lips. “Um...You don't look sick.”
I stood there in the doorway chewing my lip and cringing as guilt washed over me. “No... I guess you should come in and I should explain, huh?”
“Damn right, girl.”
I stepped aside and she walked past me shaking her head. She placed the shopping bags full of goodies on the floor and at a glance I could see Oreo cookies, chips and a Magic Mike DVD poking out the top of one of them.
I sighed, wondering where the hell to begin to explain the shit storm that had rained down on me lately. “Okay...so it's a long story.”
“I've got all evening, babe. Fire away.” She flopped down onto the couch, tucked her hair behind her ears and smiled up at me. “Oh and seeing as you're not stacked up on meds go grab some glasses. I have wine.”
I walked over to the kitchen and returned to her a few moments later clutching two glasses and a corkscrew. She pulled a bottle of merlot from one of the bags and grabbed the corkscrew from me with a grin.
As she opened and poured the wine I began to explain what had happened at The Fox Hub with the sleazy bastard who had attacked me. She sat open mouthed and wide eyed clutching her wine glass and transfixed on me as I revisited the disturbing drama of that awful night.
She gasped and a look of horror set in place on her pretty features. “Oh my God, Chloe that's terrible. You see I told you that leaving the coffee shop was a mistake. Things like that just don't happen at Hank's. You need to leave that damn place and come back. Hank would take you back in a heartbeat. I know he would.”
Her concern for me was touching but the money I made at Hank's was nowhere near to what I made at The Fox Hub. Ellie was okay, her parents subsidized her income and she lived over their garage in a little converted apartment just large enough for her. She had her parents on her doorstep to look out for her, but I had no one to help me in that way. And there was nowhere else for me to live. Unless I wanted to live in a hovel surrounded by drug dealers. And I sure as hell did not.
“You know I can't do that, Ellie. I just can't afford to.”
She sighed deeply and then took a large gulp of her wine. “Yeah... I know. It's just... I would hate to have to work somewhere like that. And you're so much better than that place and those people.”
“Honestly, it's good there. Most of the time anyway. This was just a one off stupid incident.” I was aware, thanks to the edge of anxiety to my voice that I sounded as though I was trying to convince myself as well as my friend.
She nodded but the crease between her brows told me she wasn't exactly convinced. “So...this biker guy... The number guy... He's not creeping is he?”
I smiled as I thought back to the misunderstanding I'd had with Six. “No...nothing like that.”
“Umm, okay why have you gone beet red? Is there something you're not telling me here?”
Shaking my head, the heat in my cheeks intensified. A total giveaway. “No...nothing at all. He's just... I just...”
She placed her glass down with a jerk onto the coffee table, slopping some of the contents out. “Oh my God! You like him! The hairy ass biker!”
I frowned at her choice of words as I reached for some tissues to wipe up the spillage and was compelled to defend him. “Hey, he's not a hairy ass biker.”
If I thought her mouth and eyes couldn't widen any further, I was wrong. “You've seen his ass?”
I scrunched my face hoping to show every ounce of the incredulity I felt at her almost accusation. “No! I have not seen his ass. Shit, Ellie, what do you take me for?”
She leaned over and grabbed the wine bottle, proceeded to top up my glass and replace the contents of her own and then stared at me with eagle eyes. “Spill it woman. I need details. You're holding out on me and you clearly have the hots for this guy. Although from what you've said about him I'm at a loss as to why the hell he'd even register on your radar. How old is he anyway?”
I pursed my lips as I pondered her question. “He's maybe around twenty six...twenty seven...I don't know. It was his birthday on Friday.”
“Twenties, huh? Oh...well that's better than what I was expecting. I figured he was like forty or something.”
I snorted, almost choking on my mouthful of wine. “Ellie, you've never met him and forty isn't old.”
She giggled and I was thankful she was relaxing. “Too old for you. So come on. Describe him.”
“Well...he's tall—”
“Kinda figured that too. Gimme the good stuff.”
“He's...” I felt heart rate increase as an image of Six formed in my mind. “He's kind of like a bear.” I giggled at my own choice of description but it fit him well.
Her nose crinkled as if assaulted by a pungent odor. “A bear? Oh my gosh is he like really hairy?”
I burst out laughing and had to place my wine glass down for fear of another spill. “What is it with you and the hairy thing? No, he has a beard and long shaggy hair. And oh boy is he built. You know...muscular. His biceps...they're...I mean huge.” I gestured the thickness with my hands. “And his thighs too. But he's ripped. You can just tell he works out. He has those pecs that clothing just moulds itself to. And he has tattoos. Lots of tattoos. His eyes are a kind of caramel colour with little flecks of gold. Oh and his hair is a dirty-blonde color. And I know it's crazy but... he makes me feel safe in a way that I haven't since I was a kid.”
Realizing I had been vomiting my inner thoughts and feelings on my friend I turned to make eye contact with her again and she had a wide grin on her face. “Oh fuck. You seriously have it bad, girl.”
I shrugged off her comment and shifted my gaze to my wine glass. “What? No. No it's not like that. I mean...I mean he kissed me but then he stopped and apologized and things felt kinda awkward so I think he doesn't see me that way.”
The snort that came from Ellie right then reminded me of the pigs on my grampy’s farm when I was tiny and I turned to face her again.
Oh yeah she was laughing at me alright. “Are you kidding me? He rescued you from an attacker, brought you home and kissed you. Oh yeah...I can see why you'd think he wasn't interested.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
Heat rose in my cheeks along with my embarrassment. “Well, when you put it like that... Oh and...he calls me Chloe dancer.”
Her hand came up to cover her mouth and her eyes misted over. “Like the song?”
I raised my eyebrows in shock. “You know that song?”
She nodded. “My dad used to love Mother Love Bone in the nineties. The singer died. So sad. But that's kinda sweet. It's a sad song, you should listen to it.”
I pulled my lips in between my teeth for a moment as she peered at me questioningly. I took a deep breath. “He brought me a CD with it on. Just that one track.”
“Oh yeah. He's sooo not into you.”