Bad Biker Stepbrother 3 (6 page)

“And...”

“And the answer is yes, I think your boyfriend, from the sounds of him, would try to wipe the floor with me...he may even succeed, I don’t know. And no, I don’t think I could really get the girl.” Jake pulls Mia up so he can look into her eyes. His are full of concern and the sapphire blue has darkened with emotion.

“Why do you think you couldn’t get me?” Mia asks, but she knows why. In a different lifetime, she may have looked at Jake twice. He was fun, loved to joke and he oozed sex appeal. He may have made her a little nervous at first, but she would have eventually dated him. But that is a different lifetime, and she was a different woman now. Damon had made her different and she couldn’t erase the signature he had branded into her soul. She was Damon’s completely.

Which is why this was so hard. The fighting was tearing her apart, but she was going to fight for what she believed in. She wanted to work here; she wanted to be independent.

“I can see how much you love Damon,” Jake says simply. “I can’t compete with that and, frankly, I don’t want to.”

He goes silent, and he pulls Mia against his chest as he rubs her back. They sit together as she calms herself down and feels her tears drying on her face. Finally, taking a shuddering breath, Mia pulls away from Jake and gives him a weak smile. “Thank you.”

“For what,” he grins, expelling any awkwardness that she was feeling. That is why her friendship with Jake was becoming to mean so much to her...he was easy, uncomplicated, there when she needed him, and gone when she wasn’t. She just wished Damon and her could have a relationship that was as uncomplicated as her friendship with Jake.

“For being there when I needed to cry. I feel so silly for getting upset over a phone call. It wasn’t even that big of a fight.”

“Don’t worry about it. Any argument can seem like a big deal...but you should talk to Damon,” he says, his smile slipping a little.

Looking towards the door, Jake finally turns back to Mia and says, “Look, this really isn’t my business...and I would miss you a lot if you left...but I don’t think you should work here. Find a job at a bookstore or tutoring kids for the summer. You’re a teacher, right...or you want to be, so teach. Don’t waste it dealing with drunks.”

Mia opens her mouth to argue, but what he is saying makes a lot of sense. To be honest, she didn’t really like the job, but she liked the people she worked with. Maybe, for the sake of her relationship, she should look at getting a different job. If it was teaching, Damon couldn’t get upset with her.

Nodding, Mia says, “Okay, I will think about it, but if I do try to find a different job, it will be for me...not for Damon or you.”

Jake laughs, “That’s the spirit.”

He stands up and extends his hand out to her. Hoisting her from the couch, Mia laughs at the exaggerated face he gives her...as though he has to strain to lift her weight from the couch. She fake punches his chest.

“What did you come in here to ask me, anyway?”

Jake raises an eyebrow in confusion and then his eyes light up, “Oh, there’s somebody asking for you in the bar. Tony asked me to come and get you.”

Damon! It could only be him, but was he here to support her or to drag her out the door kicking and screaming. Hesitating, Mia says, “Okay, tell him I’ll be out in a few minutes. I just want to go and wash my face before I go back into public.”

“Oh, I agree, you look horrible...all splotchy and...” His words are lost as Mia growls at him and throws a couch pillow at him. He ducks behind the office door and closes it behind him. She can hear his laughter as he makes his way down the hallway.

Chapter Six

Feeling a lot better after her talk with Jake and a splash of cold water on her face, Mia stops dead when she enters the bar and sees it full of people. She wasn’t expecting it to be this packed so early—the throng of bodies blocking the fresh ocean breeze that was coming in through the open patio doors. It was stifling in here.

Searching the room, Mia can’t see any sign of Damon so she heads behind the bar to help Jake cover it. When she gets close, Jake nods his head in the direction of a man at the far side of the bar.

His back is turned to her, but his leather jacket is familiar, as is the long, gray hair that is tied into a ponytail at the nape of his neck. He is a wide man, muscular, and something about him makes a chill run down her spine.

As she draws close, it is like he can sense her presence. His body stiffens like a wolf that has caught the scent of his prey. He literally sniffs the air before he turns towards her. Gray eyes sweep over her and leave her feeling slimy as a crooked smile tugs at the side of his mouth. Scars run across his left cheek and leave his lips puckered on that side of his mouth. He looks like he has been through hell and back and his dead eyes confirm that he has seen a lot of things...things that would leave anyone insane.

Mia stops, every part of her telling her to flee...to get away from this man, but she knows if she runs, he will be excited by the chase. Steeling her back, she walks up to him, “Can I help you?” she says with only a slight quiver to her voice.

“Hello, darling,” he purrs, ignoring her question. “I was hoping to see your beautiful face tonight.”

Mia cocks her head to the side and realizes that she has seen him before. He was with the group of men the other day. The ones who had terrified her when she had to wait on them. Swallowing down her fear, Mia says, “Well, you saw me. What can I get you?”

He laughs, and it is a grating sound that is without mirth. Mia clenches her fists behind the bar. She wishes she could just walk away, but Tony would have a huge problem with her ignoring a customer. “Bring me what you have on tap,” he says with a grin.

Mia shudders. The grin doesn’t reach his eyes and there is definitely a predatory look about him. “We have six beers on tap.”

“Then surprise me, darling. I like surprises, don’t you?”

“No, not really,” she says. “How about a Bud?”

“Surprise me.” He caresses the words as his eyes run over her body again. He licks his lips and she knows he isn’t anticipating the taste of the beer. She shudders at the feeling of violation that she gets from his look.

“Sure thing.” She walks away from the guy and heads toward the taps.

Filling a pint, she jumps as Jake whispers in her ear, “So what did he want?” He nods towards the biker.

“A beer,” she says and shrugs her shoulders. “Why?”

“That’s the guy that was asking for you. Asked by name, as well. Do you know him?” Jake gives the guy a long, hard look before as he mixes a few drinks for some drunk girls at the end of the bar.

“No,” a sense of dread fills Mia and she shrugs it off. He must have heard her name when he was in the last time. That’s all it is. No other reason for him to know it or know her...
except Damon
, her mind whispers to her. He could be someone looking for Damon, but then what could he want with him.

Her minds flashes back to a broken Damon lying in the hospital bed. He had been so close to death. Maybe this guy is here to finish the job...kill him so he wasn’t a threat to the gang. Her breath catches in her throat and she is blinded by fear for a second before the beer splashes over her hands.

“Hey,” Jake says as he rescues the pint from her hands and stops the flow of the tap, “Tony will lose it if he sees you wasting beer.”

Mia blinks in an effort to rid the fear that is slowly causing her to panic. She grabs a cloth and starts dabbing the beer that has fallen onto the floor. “I’m sorry,” she murmurs.

Jake looks at her, concern clear in his eyes, before he looks back at the biker who is staring at them both. He sets the beer aside and picks up a fresh pint, filling it with a professional ease that has somehow been lost by her. He gives her a reassuring smile and says, “Go wash your hands and then cover my end of the bar. I will take your end and the biker.”

“I can’t...”

“You can and you will,” Jake interrupts her. “The guy has obviously gotten to you so I will deal with him. If he tries to talk to you again, I will get him bounced.”

Mia nods and her gaze flicks to the biker. He is glaring at her and Jake, and she can’t help but see the murder in his eyes. She’s seen that look before. Saw it when the two men had broken into her apartment and fired two shots into her bed. This man was a killer, and he had no remorse about it.

Taking a calming breath, Mia focuses on Jake and drinks in his reassuring smile. He squeezes her arm before he turns and delivers the beer to the biker and Mia watches, his calm flooding her veins. She can’t help the worry that is still plaguing her, but at least she can ignore the biker. When he realizes he won’t have access to her, maybe he will leave.

Turning to the crowd of people waiting for their drinks, Mia starts filling the orders that are threatening to overwhelm the bartenders. The biker and his dead eyes forgotten...at least for the moment.

****

Mia stretches and rubs the sore spot at the small of her back. It has been a long night and really busy, but it is almost over. Glancing at the clock, she sighs...only an hour until the bar closes and then they can lock up and leave. She will be home, in her bed, within two hours.

Jake walks up behind her and places his hands on her shoulders. He kneads the sore muscles, and Mia sighs into him. “That feels so good. Is it always this busy?” she asks.

Jake says, “Yeah, every time I work nights it is this busy. It’s a popular bar. But the tips are amazing. I usually make about a thousand a night.”

“Really!” Mia gasps. “I haven’t even looked at my tips for the night. If you can make that kind of money, why do you work the afternoons with me?”

Jake kisses the back of her head and Mia blushes, “Because then I wouldn’t get to work with a gorgeous woman who makes me smile.”

Mia laughs, “All the women make you smile. I doubt I have that much of a draw.”

He turns her around and gazes down in her eyes. “Maybe,” he grins, “but I don’t enjoy teasing them half as much as I enjoy teasing you.”

He winks and then lets her go. Turning to the bar, he takes an order from a cute brunette that has been trying to get his attention all night. As he starts mixing the drinks, he turns back to Mia. “Look, everything is winding down, so I can deal with the remaining orders. If I need your help, I’ll call, and I will split whatever tips I get with you. Why don’t you start cleaning up the bar so we can kick out of here as soon as we close?”

Mia smiles, “Are you sure?” she asks. It would be great to get started on clean up so she could get home even earlier, but she didn’t want to leave Jake to handle all the orders. Despite the bar starting to wind down, it was still packed.

“Yeah, I’m sure. I want to get out of here as much as you do.”

Giving him a grateful look, Mia grabs a cloth and starts tidying up the bar area. Grabbing the empties off of the bar, she begins to sort them into the appropriate bins. She focuses on the work, but she has the niggling feeling that someone is watching her. Glancing up, she sees the biker drinking in the corner of the bar as he watches her.

Grinding her teeth, she tries to ignore him, just like she has done all night. Despite the fact that Jake had handled his order every time he came to the bar, Mia had felt the man’s eyes on her all night. He had watched her as she served and occasionally, he would smile and lift his glass to her.

She had avoided his dead gaze, but it hadn’t stopped the fear that niggled at her the whole evening. He was here to do harm...she knew it...but she couldn’t leave the bar to escape him. She had tried calling Damon on every break, but he hadn’t answered her calls.

She needed to talk to him, to tell him about the biker and get him to come and pick her up. With him not calling, her nerves were on edge with worry. Did someone find him? Was the biker here to gloat about Damon dying? Or was he just so angry with her that he ignored her calls?

“So, you’re Mia, right?”

The voice cuts through her thoughts and turns her worry into fear. She looks up and grimaces at the biker. “Yes, that is what my name tag says. And you are?”

She braces herself, praying that she doesn’t look like a terrified prey, “Hank,” he grins. “I’m surprised your boyfriend hasn’t mentioned me.”

Mia shakes her head. Has Damon ever mentioned a Hank? “My boyfriend?” she asks, playing dumb.

“Yeah, your boyfriend. You are Damon’s girl, aren’t you?”

Staring into his eyes, Mia knew there was no reason to lie. This man knows her, and he knows Damon. Turning back to clearing tables, Mia says, “Yes, I dated Damon.”

His smile deepens and he slides into a seat at the table she is clearing. The girls usually took care of this, but tonight had been too busy to keep up on the cleaning. “Glad I found the right Mia. Of course, I knew that I had the right one since it’s a pretty uncommon name. And I have a picture of you.”

He pulls out a photo of her and Damon. They were cuddling on the beach near their house. She remembered the day well. They had spent the day exploring the tidal pools before they had curled up together on the beach. It had been a wonderful day, but now it felt tainted by the fact that they had been followed. Would all of their life be tainted like this? How far did they have to run?

Mia turns away from the table and moves to another one. She shoots a desperate glance towards Jake, but he was swarmed by a crowd of his fans. About a dozen women and three men were gathered around his end of the bar. Hank stands up and follows her.

“You know, it was complete coincidence that we got that photo. Just some biker who spotted you guys heading to the beach. The problem is he couldn’t find you to follow you home,” Hank says.

Mia ignores him, her hands shaking as panic lances through her. At least they don’t know where she lives—
Oh God! Please say they don’t know where we live,
she prays silently.

“Then I was sent down here...you know, to catch up with an old friend.” He sneers at her as he runs his finger down her arm. Mia shivers under the assault and it hints at the damage he wants to do to her. “I tried to pick up the trail, but nothing...”