Hot as Hades (11 page)

“Sorry. I’m a bit on edge tonight.” Her heart galloped wildly in her chest.

 He looked slightly windblown and irritatingly sexy. His hair fell down below his ears, so different from the jarheads she’d grown accustomed to. Instead of being spit-shined, his boots were road-dusted.

He sat down on a nearby weightlifting bench and removed the six-pack tucked under his arm. He offered her one and she took it gratefully.

 “Find out anything useful tonight?” he asked.

She shook her head. “No. You?”

“Fuck no.”

 “I didn’t get any new Intel, but I think I might have a lead. Did you see the suit guy the other night?” she asked.

“Yeah, I noticed him.”

 “He asked me to go for a drink and I’m going to take him up on it, see if he’s noticed anything, since he hangs out there all the time.”

His head jerked to the side. “He asked you on a date?”

She raised a brow at his tone. “I’m going to pump him for information and that’s it.”

“Long as it’s the only thing you pump him for,” he muttered, but the sudden stiffness in his shoulders eased a bit. “You know, that was some fucked up shit tonight,” he mused.

“You mean this isn’t old hat for you?” She popped the top of the beer and sat cross-legged on the floor across from him. “I thought all bikers had crazy parties.”

He took a swig of the beer. “Yeah, sure we rock star with the best of ‘em. A pussyfest isn’t a big deal, but the girls were high and paid to be the
entertainment
.” His mouth twisted. “And the drugs? That’s some nasty shit. The Horsemen do a little weed and some moonshine, but nothing hardcore.”

 “Yeah, not my scene either.”

She thought of Junior and his disturbing plans. Thankfully, she had tomorrow night off, so it gave her a bit of a reprieve. She briefly contemplated telling Cowboy, but ultimately decided against it. His chivalrous streak could sabotage the mission.

 “I’m sorry that dickhead grabbed you,” he said suddenly, referring to Unlucky. “I couldn’t think of a way to intervene without raising a red flag. But after we get what we came for? I’m going to put a serious hurt on him.”

She snorted. “Get in line. He vaulted to the top of my shit list.” The list grew longer every day—Rock, Junior, Unlucky.

 “After tonight, I’m rethinking this plan. I’m there at the bar with you, but if something bad goes down, I can’t protect you.”

“Not a problem, because I don’t need protection.”

She’d agreed to help, not to be treated like somebody’s wife or girlfriend. Marines don’t need to be sheltered or defended. “Cowboy, we watch each other’s backs, but you don’t need to guard me.”

“Looked like it me,” he said coolly.

“I handled Unlucky just fine.”

“Unlucky?”

“The jerk that harassed me tonight. He has shamrock tats, so I call him Unlucky. Anyway, the movie we’re in is
Speed
, not
The Bodyguard.
Remember when Keanu’s partner is about to be carted off by the bomber?”

“Yeah,” he said, with a brisk nod. “He ends up shooting his buddy to keep him from being taken hostage.”

“Exactly!” she said. “
That
is something a partner would do.”

He cocked a brow. “Are you asking me to shoot you, Wildcat?”

“Only as a last option.”

And no, she wasn’t kidding. She meant every word.

“It won’t ever come to that. I won’t let anything happen to you on my watch,” he said solemnly. “Tonight you had a really close fucking call and there is no telling what other kinds of nasty shit these sick fucks are into.”

“I can take whatever the bastards dish out.”

“You could get seriously hurt, Daisy. Letting me help, doesn’t mean you're weak.”

She snorted and gave Cowboy her patented ‘bitch please’ face. “What does it mean then?

“It means you are worth defending.” He sighed, spreading his hands. “Look, I get how much you love your sister.”

“If you did, you wouldn’t be asking me to back off.”

That
seemed to hit home with him. She could finally see some understanding in his eyes.

 “Fine, you and I are partners, I’m not your bodyguard, but if we have another incident like the one today? We’re gonna have another serious discussion about your involvement in this operation. Got it?”

She stared at him, unwilling to make any promise she couldn’t keep.

“Got it?” he prompted again.

“Fine got it,” she bit out. “Whatever.” Then, she turned and attacked the bag again.

She expected him to go, but Cowboy didn’t leave, just watched her strike the bag. After a bit, he stood up and stripped off his shirt. “Let’s spar. I think you need the tension release.”

She turned away from him, refused to contemplate his golden chest, having no desire to be knocked out of her fury by an onslaught of annoying lust. Especially lust she couldn’t quench.

 “I’m fine,” she said. “I’ll see you later.”

 “Come on,” he goaded. “You aren’t afraid are you?”

“As if.” she turned on him and fluttered her eyelashes like a southern belle. “Are you sure,
you
want to spar with me? I’m a girl, you know. You might hurt me,” she mocked in a high, dainty Scarlett O’Hara voice.

He laughed without humor and touched his side. “Wildcat, I still got a nasty bruise on my ribs from your elbow.” And sure enough, when she checked, he did have a faint purple splotch on his side. “I think you can hold your own. You up for a match?”

She shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

He didn’t bother putting on boxing gloves, just taped up his hands and she moved into a fighting stance once more. Hands raised, she protected her face and kept her legs slightly bent. They circled one another.

She struck at him and he blocked her attack with his arm. Then, she tried one more and he fended her off yet again. She bounced back on her heels and continued to dance around him, lashing out occasionally. While she grew even more heated, he seemed absolutely unfazed. He calmly defended himself, but didn’t strike her in return.

It only pissed her off.

She got low, swung her leg out, trying to sideswipe him, knock him on his ass, but the bastard jumped out of the way. This time, he lunged at her, throwing her off balance and she nearly stumbled, but lurched to the bench and caught herself. She turned to glower at him.

“Why are you so angry tonight?” He searched her face. “Did something else happen?”

“No!”

Then, he invaded her space and put her on the offensive, driving her towards the wall. Eventually he pinned her against it.

She curled her fist to pop him under the jaw, but he seized her wrist and slapped it back against the bricks and held it there, without much effort.

“Let me go!”

“I wanted to help you work off some of the anger, not fight you.”

 “Release me,” she snarled.

“Not until you chill the fuck out, Wildcat,” he snapped.

Then, the mood shifted as his gaze drifted to her mouth. He got closer, bracketing her with his body, occupying her space.

 “Stop struggling.” He said that
oh so quietly.
His mouth hovered over hers. “Give in, let me lead.”

Warmth pooled between her thighs, and suddenly her breasts ached, feeling swollen and heavy. He pushed his nose into the curve of her neck and inhaled. Then he made a rumbling male sound of appreciation in the back of his throat.

 He traced her pounding pulse with the tip of his tongue, before he bit down slightly, just holding her skin between his teeth, making her shudder.

 “All those men staring at you, wanting you, but you feel like mine.” With a groan, he lifted her shirt, and rolled the edge of her sports bra up, until her breasts spilled into his big hands. “
These
definitely feel like mine.” The nipples hardened as he tweaked them. “Tonight, those dickheads got to see what belongs to me. Know what I wanted to do?”

She had to clear her throat, before she could speak and God help her, she was mesmerized. “What?” she asked.

He kissed one of her nipples, before drawing it in his hot mouth and sucking, all the while staring up at her, pinning her eyes with his own.

Daisy thought her knees might buckle, but he kept her upright.

 “Claim you. Put my name on you. I need to be inside you.” His voice had gone guttural, and rough. “I want to fuck you. I’ll go crazy if I don’t.” Daisy could feel the hard length of him, pressed up against her belly, hot and ready.

I have to stop this. Think about Rose!

 “We can’t do this, Cowboy,” she breathed.

He pressed his forehead against hers and shut his eyes. “I know, but I can’t think of a fucking reason why not, just now.”

“I can.” She swallowed hard. It was the only thing she wanted more than Cowboy, to find Rose. So, she forced herself to say something that’d shut this whole thing down. “What if you and I become fuck buddies and then I have to sleep with a Raptor to keep my cover?”

That did it.

 He reared back from her, anger replacing the lust. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

She dragged her clothing back into place. “Cowboy, how long do you think I can work there without acting like the other dancers? I have to blend in. They’ll get suspicious if I never hook up with anyone.”

 She had no idea they did the whole public orgy thing, but she’d go along with the freak show if it meant getting Rose back.

 “Tell me you aren’t seriously considering letting one of those bastards stick his dick in you!”

“I’m saying I’ll do
anything
I have to in order to get her back,” Daisy said slowly.

 “Even whore yourself out to the bikers who took her?”

 “It isn’t like that! I’m a Marine and I will do anything to complete my mission. No matter what the cost.”

He didn’t say anything, but his eyes spoke volumes. She couldn’t even begin to sort through it all.

“
My
body,
my
rules. You and I are partners. Nothing more.”

“Un-fucking-believable,” he grated out. He stalked towards the exit and then turned to glower at her. “Enjoy bedding down with the enemy, soldier.”

Cowboy slammed the door shut.

Chapter Nine

 Daisy woke up, just before noon. She hadn’t been able to crash until around five, too keyed up from her fight with Cowboy. After getting up, taking a shower, and making some truly horrible coffee in the small pot in her room, she’d trudged to the vending machine for food.

 She’d thought about going to the diner, but decided against it, figuring she’d run into Cowboy again. She didn’t particularly want a public argument in front of his MC brothers and she had a feeling that’s what would happen.

After polishing off some cookies, she kept busy by going through her files. She had quite a collection, nearly a hundred newspaper clippings altogether. Daisy had gathered general information on motorcycle gangs from law enforcement websites, and she’d been amused to discover the FBI referred to them as OMGs, apparently shorthand for Outlaw Motorcycle Gangs.

She’d gotten a copy of her sister’s missing person’s report and she also had a couple of notebooks filled with details on Rose’s last couple of days before she disappeared, information gleaned from Stephanie, as well as her college friends.

She hadn’t been able to get a photo of Rock, not even on her sister’s social media websites, which raised a few flags. What college girl didn’t upload selfies taken with her new boyfriend? Daisy thought maybe Rock had asked Rose not to take pictures. She’d been forced to rely on Rose’s friends’ descriptions of the man. Other than referring him to as dark-haired and eyed, their descriptors focused mostly on vague biker attributes: rode a Harley, wore a leather vest, and what the club logo looked like.

The other info she had, focused exclusively on the Raptors. Some of the articles featured members arrested for possession or assault, or members being killed in suspected drug deals gone bad. She also had clippings about brothers on trial for murder, though none of them had “turned rat” or offered up information on their club in order to secure a lesser sentence.

That kind of loyalty didn’t bode well for her plan. She hoped she could find a weak link in this group.

Around seven, she decided to go for a drive because she needed to clear her head. Daisy considered the Silverado her baby, and it was the only thing she owned, other than clothing and weapons. She’d had to save up for a year to afford it and had stored the truck at a Marine buddy’s place while she’d gone back to Afghanistan for yet another tour.

After a leisurely drive through Hell, she found herself at Inferno Firearms. The sign featured blazing handguns surrounded by a circle of fire. She’d never been able to resist a gun store. Daisy hadn’t been unarmed since before she’d joined the Marines.

It wouldn’t hurt to ogle the guns a bit, would it?

Inside, she found every weapon imaginable. Inferno had long walnut display cases full of knives, Tasers, and all the guns she could want.

 At the counter, another Horsemen stood and while he wasn’t her type, she’d classify him as smokin’ hot, like all the rest. They really do grow ‘em bigger and badder in this part of Texas.

He had short, spiked black hair, and a neatly trimmed beard with warm hazel eyes. He wore a black tank top under his cut. One bared bicep featured a star tattoo and several words were inked inside the shape:
Freedom
,
integrity
, and
tolerance
. The other bicep had the club’s insignia.

Behind him, he had a nice selection of rifles. In particular, she liked the look of the bolt-action Winchester.
Damn fine gun.

He winked at her. “Welcome to Inferno Firearms. Can I help you?”

“I’m only having a little look see,” she said. “Love the store. You’ve got some really nice merchandise.” She gave him a firm handshake. “My name is Daisy.”

“I’m Steele, nice to meet you.” Recognition flared in his big blue eyes. “Hold up, you’re working with Cowboy, right?”