“Wait, that was Bailey?”Ruby, the prez’s daughter, asks as she walks over to Kitten, the entire group of old ladies following her.
That name has my steps faltering. I need to know ifshe’sinvolved. Even if I’m still a few feet away, I listen closely to what’s being said.
“Yeah. That asshole she was seeing just proved that he reallyisan asshole, and not just because I didn’t like how he saw the club.”
I’ve never felt a need to kill before. Never saw the pleasure in it, no matter how much another person wronged me or a brother. Would I do it?HaveI done it? The answer is the same as that dumb question about if bears shit in the woods. It doesn’t excite me, but I do what needs to be done. To protect my brothers and my club.
And my woman.
Bailey has had a hold on me since the second I laid eyes on her. Sure, she was threatening us and saying we were below standards, but the way she said it and how she never showed fear while facing off against a group of Hounds had me rock hard from the moment she spoke.
Hearing that she’s not only on a date but one who left her has me itching for the first time to cause harm to another and smile about it.
“Where is she?” I don’t care that I’m talking over others. Don’t care that I somehow missed something that resulted in the prez holding his daughter. I zoned out, and that ain’t good. But it proves something to me that I’ve tried to ignore for a while. I might have known Bailey meant something to me, but till this very minute, I wasn’t sure. But I get it now. My head, heart, and dick are all in sync.
Bailey isours.
I watch Kitten as she looks to her man, for what, I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. Either she tells me what I want to know or I’ll hack into the cell tower and pinpoint where the call came in from. I ain’t just a tatted-up face who knows how to handle their weapon, after all. I can do some serious shit if given three minutes and access to a computer.
“East of Topeka. At a nightclub somewhere off I-70. Think she was walking for a while, ’cause she couldn’t get a signal on her cell for a bit till she got to the club. Or I think that’s what she said. The reception was spotty at best, and the noise of the club drowned some of it out. But I know she’s stranded.”
“What’s the name?” I growl, then cast a glance at Flint to make sure he ain’t about to deck me for taking such a tone with his old lady. But he’s just smiling back at me like this convo was bound to happen. And maybe it was. No secret that I’ve had a hard-on for the woman from the start. If I wasn’t putting my foot in my mouth each time I tried to give her a fucking compliment, it would be obvious to anyone that my eyes never left her when she was around.
“Tied Up and Tied Down.”
“Fuck,” I hiss as I turn quickly to go to my bike.
Bailey might not be a virgin, but I don’t think she’s into BDSM like that club promotes. Of course, the thought of her getting tied to a St. Andrews cross or down on a spanking bench gets me granite hard, and I grunt as I straddle my bike. I refuse to adjust myself, my self-inflicted punishment as I’m getting turned on while she’s God knows where with God knows who.
She made it clear from day one that she can take care of herself. But after the night she probably had, I doubt she has the energy to deal with the clientele at the club she’s at. Not that I don’t think she can stick up for herself and say no. Girl’s got enough confidence that’s so fucking sexy, it oozes off her, making her a challenge, and I’ve got no doubt that I’m not the only one who sees the beauty of her full figure. She ain’t a size two, and I love that about her. So many curves that make me want to trace them with my tongue. So much creamy flesh that I want to compare against my own tatted skin.
I’ve slowly been covering every part of my body in art. I love the feel of the needle against my skin, the images I look at daily. Some just make me smile; others remind me of things I can never forget. And while I love all the colors I’ve got, I just know Bailey has virgin skin. I crave to see it. I yearn to touch it.
And if any bastard even thinks about breathing on what’s mine just because she’s in the wrong place without me there to watch her back, they’ll feel the entire impact of why they named me after an alligator. ’Cause I’ll get my pound of flesh, and then some.
And then I’ll take a bite of Bailey’s ass and drag her back to my den to enjoy her over and over again.
My phone rings, and I answer with my Bluetooth helmet as I speed down the highway, not even checking to see who it is. Half expect it to be Law, telling me that my brothers are on the way, along with a few others. As I was racing to get on my bike, I saw Ruby heading to her own vehicle. If she’s leading the charge, then I know it’s a race to get to Bailey first.
Bailey might not know it, but she’s Hounds property. Her best friend’s in the club, and she’s basically an extension of us with how involved she was in helping Kitten get her memories back.
“Yeah.”
“Time’s up. You got your woman?”
I almost swerve at my dad’s voice on the line. We might be close, but not usually two-calls-in-the-same-night close.
Not sure if he’s adding “fucking psychic” to his résumé or if someone tipped him off. The entire club knows I’m close to him. Hell, the club even interviewed him before I pledged. Needed to find out about as many skeletons in my closet as possible before I even stepped into the club as a prospect.
Or… he could just be drunk and playing a game with me. He’s done it before, thinking he’s funny as hell. But this time I ain’t laughing.
“Funny you should mention that….”
I chuckle at his silence till he tells me to explain. I guess I should tell him thanks the next time I see him. While neither of us really talk feelings, he sure has a lot to say after I tell him everything. Which keeps me focused enough to get to the club in one piece and not ride like a freaking lunatic to get to Bailey as fast as possible.
I hang up with my dad for the second time as I pull into a semi-packed parking lot. I don’t see her car, even though I knew she probably didn’t have hers here, based on what Kitten said. Then again, I’d rather Kitten get it wrong, making me look like an ass for showing up when I’m not needed, than for Bailey to ever truly need someone to help her.
She’s badass, and I don’t want to take that away from her. I don’t wantanyoneto take that away from her.
