“I’ll see you up front.” I snap my gloves off and lead Tatum out of the room.
We pass Echo’s door, and even if it’s closed, I hear her needle buzzing. I feel her mind thinking. I drown in the scent of lavender.
She’s hiding, hoping it’s enough to keep me away. It isn’t.
Tonight, this ends.
The Twisted Kings compound is a shitshow. Bleeding with sex and drugs. The beat of the music vibrates the floors, and my boots stick to spilled booze.
If there’s someone who knows how to throw a party, it’s Kane. And tonight, him and Blaze, his Vice President,are at the bar enjoying every debauch perk of running the most ruthless motorcycle club in California.
The bar is decorated bloody for their annual Valentine’s Day party. Bleeding hearts, naked cupids dancing around. It smells like pot, violence, and sex. All things that got me going a few months ago. Now, there’s only one thing that does. And she’s dressed up like pure fucking sin and talking to a biker who looks like he wants to get a taste of her.
Most of the time, Echo walks around in shorts and baggy T-shirts. Cute, edgy, simple. But every so often her dark side comes out. And tonight, the full force of it hits me when the crowd parts, and I spot her.
Her hair is tied up in pigtails, one blonde, one black. They’re curled and flipping around like she’s some twisted version of Harley Quinn. She’s in a skintight leather dress that hits so high up her legs that the bows on the backs of them are on full display. In the front, it dips so low between her breasts it shows off the rose she has inked above her belly button. And at the top of the black leather is a lacy design that weaves up around her neck, tying to a thick black choker.
I’m tempted to chain this girl to a fucking leash just for testing my patience.
“You made it.” Sage slaps me on the shoulder and hands me a beer, his eyes following my stare to Echo. “Nice outfit, right? Sometimes I forget Echo is actually hot. Too bad she’s fucking your brother, or I’d be tempted to bend her over.”
I punch him in the arm.
“What was that for?” He rubs it, grinning. “Something you’d like to share with the class, Crew?”
Fucking Sage.
I don’t know how he does it, given the dude’s incapable of caring about anyone but himself, but he has this way of reading through everyone’s bullshit. And I have no doubt I’ve revealed too much with one glance as my gaze moves back to where Echo’s standing too close to some guy I’m tempted to teach a lesson.
“So?” Sage knocks my arm. “Care to tell me what the fuck’s going on with you and Echo? You care an awful lot about the chick dating your brother.”
“Shut the fuck up.” I take a sip of my beer.
Sage chuckles, taking a drink of his own, and thankfully letting it go. Even if I’m sure he sees that I can’t take my eyes off her. Smiling, laughing, bubbling with every word and those damn pigtails flipping around.
“Crew.” A voice pops up on my left, and I look to see Mandi and her Barbie-doll friend smiling at me. They’re in matching red lace dresses with their tits practically spilling out the top. And the way Mandi’s lips purse with her smile tells me I could probably have one—if not both—of them sucking my cock.
The thought has never been less appealing.
I tip my chin up, acknowledging them and taking another sip of my beer. But Sage doesn’t hesitate.
“Ladies.” He steps around me.
Usually, the fact that he can be a major cock block bothers me, but tonight, it’s welcome. At least if Mandi and her friend are distracted by whatever it is chicks findappealing about Sage, they won’t notice I’m not the least bit interested.
But while Mandi’s friend takes the bait and wraps herself around Sage’s arm, Mandi doesn’t take her eyes off me.
“You dipped out too soon the other night.” Her red claws graze my forearm. “I tried to find you after the fight, and they said you were already gone.”
“I had shit to do.” I chug my beer now, my skin crawling at her touch.
Over Mandi’s shoulder, Echo’s eyes meet mine with jealousy raging in her sparkly, golden ones. She schools her expression and tries to bury it, but her cheeks get rosy, giving her away.
Too bad the girl doesn’t bow down when challenged. Instead, Echo leans closer to the biker, giving him her full attention just to piss me off.
Perfect.
All I need is one excuse.
