Soldiers of Chaos- Chaos Abounds: Book 1 in the Soldiers of Chaos series (24 page)

Trace was leaning against Nikki's closed bedroom door watching this shit play out between Nikki and Tex. He'd not pushed her. This whole time he'd taken a back seat figuring she'd come around when she was ready. He'd been where she was. His own mother was a junkie whore. She'd put the fix before him time and time again. She'd left him cold, hungry and alone over and over because her need for the needle overwhelmed her. He'd had to survive on his own. He had to scab and steal to put food in his own belly. Until one day he stole from the wrong man, or rather the right man, his father. The guy had no idea he existed until that point and when he realized the state his kid was living in he took him out of there. He'd had no idea about raising a kid but that's when Rose stepped in. He'd loved and hated his mother and not always in equal measure but when she died he'd felt the same guilt he could see Nikki suffering from. He'd gone on a self-destructive binge but he'd come back because he could see how much he was hurting his family but most of all how he was hurting Nikki. So he didn't push. But not Tex. He couldn't help but push and the more he pushed the further away she was gonna run. That was Tex's way. He pushed and demanded and coerced till he got what he wanted. Trace preferred a softer approach. It was the way they loved her too. Tex loved her like a damn speeding train without fear, without hesitation but without thought for his actions. Trace he loved her slowly, leisurely and always with thought for her emotions. And she loved them both. He'd known from the time they were young she would never, could never choose between them. So they'd let her run off to Alex. It still killed him that she was going to leave them but he would've let her go. If you love something set it free and all that crap. He was taking the same tact here. Trace wanted her back just as much as Tex did. But this was not the right way to do it. Adding to the emotional turmoil she was already experiencing was not gonna turn her from the path.

Tex confronting her about the marks on her body hadn’t yielded any surprises for him. Trace had already put things together. The cuff marks, her walking funny, the fact she didn't want Tex to look at her body the other day, then the large bruise on her shoulder he was sure had been a bite mark. She was letting someone do that to her.  Then Tex dropped to his knees and begged her, he could see a mix of shock, guilt and despair on her face. Tex's hands gripping her thighs brought her robe up and he glimpsed the marks on the back of her leg. His breath stopped. This was more serious than he thought. Nikki's desperate voice twisted his gut "I need this. I need what he does for me." They were all fucked. He had to say something, do something. He shifted forward slightly and she looked up at him. "You might think you need it Nikki but you don't." Tex's head whipped round at the sound of his voice like he'd forgotten Trace had entered the room. "I've been where you are. When my mum died I blamed myself. I could've done more, I could've saved her. But what burned most was that at the same time that I wished I could've saved her I was glad she was dead and I didn't have to deal with her ever again. If I'd stayed I'd probably be dead right along with her and then I never would've met Tex and I never would've met you. Through that whole time I was in self-destruct mode you never once lectured me, you never once turned away from me, you let me do what I needed to do but you let me know that no matter what it was when I came back you'd be waiting for me with open arms." Tex let go of her and stepped back. "You're going to realise, just like I did, at the end of this thing that you are punishing yourself for nothing. No one can save someone who doesn't want to save themselves. I know right now you feel like you are drowning in a sea all alone but I'm telling you the life raft is right there baby girl, all you have to do is reach out and grab it." He watched her face as a million different emotions flickered across them. He willed her with his mind to reach out open her arms to them, either of them. Nikki's eyes flicked to Tex who was now standing tall, strong like a man who could and would carry the burden for her. Then they moved back to Trace and he could see the tidal wave of emotional fatigue that threatened to crush her. She reached an arm out to Trace and he sighed with relief as he stepped forward. Then her other arm went out to Tex and both of them crushed her between them.

Nikki was warm, a little too warm.
She tried to shift but something heavy was lying across her torso and her legs. She opened her eyes blinking as the orange light of the late evening sun burned into the room. She looked down at her body. Two arms lay across her torso and two sets of legs were tangled with hers. What the fuck? She looked left. Tex's blonde hair was flopped over one eye and the other visible one was shut. His mouth was open slightly; his breathing steady and his face was beautifully soft and content. The body on her left shifted. She turned her head slowly. Trace was also fast asleep his head tucked close to hers his chin just resting against her upper arm. His mouth was slightly curved into an almost smile. Her eyes went back to Tex and the bandages on his shoulder. There was a dark patch of dried blood in the middle of the bandage but it wasn’t heavy and there was no leakage. The guy had taken a bullet because of her and she was well aware of the fact that it could’ve been worse. She felt the guilt wash over her anew. She hated knowing that her actions had caused him to bleed and she was not gonna let that happen again. Trace’s arm tightened over her body distracting her from her thoughts. She glanced down realising she was still in her robe and nothing else. The damn thing was twisted round her body. One breast was nearly exposed and the bottom hung open to the point where she was nearly showing her sex. Tex's naked legs were wound round one of hers and he was nearly in the same position, his towel barely covering what was a rather significant morning or evening glory. Trace shifted again bringing his lower half more in contact with hers. This left her in no doubt that he too was sporting a serious hard on; at least he was wearing clothes even if it was just a pair of jeans. Here she was jammed between two hot, half naked bikers with bodies to die for, no wonder she was hot and getting hotter by the second. She looked between the two of them. Trace's sleek body, his flat stomach with its six-pack and that sexy v that ran right to his sweet spot. Tex's well-muscled body, wide shoulders and strong legs. It was enough to make any woman hot all over. A shiver of arousal went through her.

"Hhhhmmmmm I think she likes this Trace." Her eyes flew to Tex's face. The bastard had his eyes open a devilish grin plastered across his face. He'd obviously watched her ogle him and Trace. "She always was a kinky little thing" the amusement in Trace's voice was clear. She looked towards him to see that trade mark hundred watt smile. "How would you know if I was a kinky little thing? You and I only ever did the standards." Trace's face looked a little hurt and Nikki instantly felt bad "Although with you, even the standards were mind blowing." That put the smile back his face. "What can I say I'm a talented man and guys talk" he gestured between him and Tex. "Talk?" They both leaned in closer to her rolling their hips into her body. Her breath hitched, her heart began to pound and her already heated skin got hotter. "Yeah Ace Talk." These two were enjoying this way too much. "You're telling me you two have been passing notes about me." "I wouldn't call it passing notes. I'd call it sharing tips." Sharing tips. Assholes. "That's why last time you did that exact same thing with your tongue that he does. And you with the bloody show. How long has this shit been going on?" One hand moved up, the other down and two sets of hungry eyes devoured her body. The way this was going she would spontaneously combust. "Long enough to know exactly what you want" Tex growled into her ear. "What you need" Trace breathed into the other. Holy fuck.

A pair of lips hit her neck and another went for her mouth. Oh god that felt good. Someone's chin bumped the bruise on her shoulder throwing her back into reality. She still had Cole's marks on her body. This was not gonna happen. "Stop it you two. You're as bad as one another" she said sitting up and slapping at their persistent hands. She scrambled off the bed and stood there chest heaving as she tried to get her heart rate and breathing back under control. She stared at the pair of them half naked on her bed with hard ons and matching sexy grins. Jesus Christ. A girl could dream right but there's no way in hell that shit was happening in reality. "Standing there like that isn't really helping Ace." She looked down to see her robe had come open when she'd disentangled herself from them. It's not like they hadn't seen it all before. She gathered the robe together and closed it around her. They looked at her like kids who'd lost their candy. "For fuck sake will you two cut that shit out. You both need a nice cold shower. We've got shit to handle and this" she gestured between the three of them "can wait." This was not something she was prepared to work through right now.

"You ain't got shit to handle. After this morning, you are back on lock down Ace and not the lax kind of lockdown where a prospect follows you everywhere and you get to go to work, the kind of lockdown where you don't leave the compound at all. You don't get to work in the office or in the shop. Me and, or Trace stick with you every minute of your day. You'll be lucky if King lets you leave your bloody room." She couldn't fucking win. "I'm gonna go mad in here." "Between Tex and I I'm sure we can find a way to keep you entertained." The wink Trace gave her sent another shiver of arousal through her. She was sure they could but she wasn’t sure if she was ready for that kinda entertainment. She shook her head at them "I'm not that bored yet." She began pulling clothes out of her draws. "I'm getting dressed and I'm going to chat with King. If he knew what game you two were playing he wouldn't let me be locked up with you." A knock sounded at the door and Tex got off the bed to answer it. He opened the door wide and King raised an eyebrow as he looked from Tex in his towel to Trace lounging on her bed no shirt on to her standing around in just a robe. "Did I interrupt something?" The amusement on his face made her want to roll her eyes. Both her, Trace and Tex answered at the same time and she was the only one who answered in the negative. King laughed "Right well we need to chat. Get dressed the lot of you I'll see you in Church." He shook his head and wandered away some of the other brothers filing down the hall winking and sniggering like school girls behind him. Fucking great. Now she was Melanie. "Both of you get out now!" "Sorry Baby girl you know the rules one or both of us with you at all times." "Right well you" pointing at Tex "go get some clothes on and fetch him a fucking shirt, you can wait outside the bathroom door while I get changed and there is no negotiation on that." She opened the bathroom door and disappeared inside to the sound of the boys laughing. Bastards.

After dressing she entered the boardroom with Trace and Tex annoyingly close beside her. She ignored the smiles going around the room and plonked herself in a chair at the edge of the space. Sure she wanted to yell at them that nothing happened but there was no point if she showed weakness they'd just exploit it further. "Hey Nikki when you’re done with those two me and Rock will take a turn yeah?" Both Tex and Trace stared Case and Rock down like they wanted to kill them. "Please. If it takes these two just to handle me you and Rock haven't got a hope in hell of getting near this. Plus last I heard your piddly little 4 inches wasn't satisfying anyone." A roar of laughter moved round the table and Case actually smiled at her. Tex and Trace relaxed and shit moved on. King started the meeting and everyone turned their attention to him, all except one. She could feel his eyes blazing into her. She looked directly at Reaper meeting his gaze straight on. He was regarding her with an odd mix of anger, curiosity and pride. She couldn't understand it. It wasn't the gag she just made and it certainly had nothing to do with the situation her, Trace and Tex were in. There was something going on with her father that she just couldn't figure out. He'd showed no remorse for his hand in what had happened to Sheila or her. He'd showed no interest in seeking revenge and had in fact voted against taking any action to right that wrong by going after Bridges. He didn't seem bothered about the whole Lenny situation except that it was interfering with club shit. The man was cold, always had been, but he was going from cold to arctic and sketchy. It was beginning to concern her although no one else seemed to notice. Maybe it was the uneasy feeling she got from those looks of his. She needed to keep an eye on him. Right now though it would have to go on the back burner there was other shit that needed her attention.

"Now this shit that happened this morning we gonna take heat from that?" King's voice rattled her out of her thoughts. "Unlikely. We skipped out before the cops got near us. No traffic and there was no one on those streets that early." King looked at her "Just in case, you still got a line on that cop if we need it?" She nodded in the affirmative although these days she didn't know what lengths Alex would still go to for her. "You get a look at the driver? Was it our boy?" "Yes" she stated before the boys could answer. "We don't know that for sure" Trace countered. "I do and I also know that Camaro he was driving was stolen from a house on Trigg Street." Both the boys stared at her. "Think he's lurking round there somewhere?" She shook her head at King "No idea but I know who might." King nodded "Can you handle that?" "Yeah I can sort that out." "But you do it from within these walls." He tapped the table hard with his finger. King eyeballed all the brothers then came back to her. "Let it be known you are on full lockdown darlin'. Anyone of these boys sees you trying to head out of those gates they have my permission to drag you back using bodily force and I have a feeling more than a few of them would enjoy that." The smirks going round the table told her that was true. He pointed to Tex and Trace "After last time I want one or both of you on her at all times." That got a round of sniggers that annoyed the fuck out of Nikki and the snarl that left her surprised not only them but her. "For fuck’s sake. Is this a room full of grown men or high school girls?" Silence filled the room. "This shit has gone on long enough we need to end this and end it soon." That was something she agreed with whole heartedly. King called an end to the meeting and they all rolled out. Case and Rock caught Nikki in the doorway and jammed her in between them "Change your mind there Ace." She rubbed up against them running her hands down to both their crotches. "Hhhhhhmmm maybe. Now if I could only find those tiny dicks of yours." She then shoved Case into the door frame with a swift little elbow to the ribs and Rock a knee to the thigh. Another round of laughter had her rolling her eyes at the lot of them. Tex and Trace looked far less amused "Ignore them. They're just being shit stirring pricks." She knew if she didn't say anything the pair of them would step in and beat Case and Rock's asses. She was already on lockdown she didn't need to appear any weaker in front of the brothers.