Soldiers of Chaos- Chaos Abounds: Book 1 in the Soldiers of Chaos series (7 page)

She felt like shit she hoped the guys from the alleyway felt worse than her speaking of which. "What happened to those guys?"  "They're being taken care of Miss Jones don’t you worry about that” the other guy in the suit was now hovering over her with a gentle smile on his face. He looked like he was in his early forties and while his face was square and angular giving off a harsh vibe his eyes were kind. Nikki noticed the cord going from his ear down into the collar of his suit. What was this guy? Secret service or something? The guy’s laughter rang out across the room. Shit did she say that out loud? “Not quite Ma’am. Not quite.” “Roger” Mister Green Eyes tone was one of exasperation. “Right that’s my queue. I hope you feel better Miss Jones.” Then Roger disappeared leaving her alone with those green eyes and that growly voice. Nikki could feel the heavy silence in the room pressing against her. “Here" something was thrust into her hand "You need to take these." She opened her eyes to find two small tablets in the palm of her hand. Her head was killing her but there was no way she could ride back home if she was anymore incapacitated, actually she was pretty sure she couldn't ride home anyway. Maybe she'd just order a pick up from one of the boys someone other than Tex and Trace. She shook her head at Mr Green Eyes and attempted to sit up "No I can't. My ride's out in the lot. I just need to get home and rest."

He pushed against her shoulders forcing her back to the couch and taking the tablets out of her hands. A very exasperated sounding growl left his lips. "You will lie down and you will take the medicine. You are in no fit state to drive anywhere. You have already caused me enough trouble and I certainly don't want today’s news headlines reading woman gets attacked by Mint bouncer then nearly dies in car crash after owner lets her drive under the influence of alcohol and a concussion." Owner, the mint's owner, wait Marcus Cole was playing nursemaid to her. Shit she was in trouble. "That's a rather wordy headline." He glared at her harder and opened a bottle of water "Open." She followed his command opening her mouth and he popped first one pill then the other into her mouth chasing it by feeding her the water from the bottle. She was already feeling drowsy again from the effort of trying to get up and knew it wouldn't be long before she was out cold. No, she definitely wouldn’t be riding home which reminded her "By the way it's ride not drive." He looked at her like she was crazy "What?" "Before, you said drive. Don't drive I ride." He still looked confused "Never mind." With that she sunk back into oblivion only this time she took those green eyes with her.

It was light when Nikki woke next. Her head was sore and fuzzy, her stomach hurt and her limbs ached when she stretched. She reached behind her head and winced when her fingers found the cut in the middle of her skull. She felt like shit but it was no worse than she deserved and in fact it was far less. Last night had not gone the way she’d intended although at this stage she wasn’t sure she gave a fuck either way. So Marcus Cole had come to her rescue. She didn't know if she should be grateful or pissed off. Those green eyes of his had stuck with her in her sleep if you could call it that, rumbling around in her head but it was the first night she had since the shooting that she hadn’t relived it in her sleep. It had to have been all that alcohol or the pills or the knock to the head. Fact was now she was back to reality which is the last place she wanted to be. She sat up slowly placing her bare feet on the floor. Nikki breathed through a wave of pain her head between her hands. As she brought her head up she spotted the pain killers and glass of water on the coffee table. She thought about leaving them there so she could wallow in her suffering longer but she wouldn’t be able to ride and there was no way in hell she was leaving her bike here. After downing the pills she glanced around taking in the massive space that was what she assumed to be Marcus Cole's home, apartment, giant god damn luxurious penthouse. Their whole house would fit in his main living space.

From her spot on the giant latte coloured sectional she looked out across a dark glossy wood floor to a wall of windows which overlooked the city. The view would be damned amazing if she could be bothered standing up to look at it. Off to her right was beautiful white grand piano, there for looks she was sure. She turned towards the left, a staircase led up to an interior landing which no doubt held bedrooms and a hallway opened back behind that. A large kitchen with white cabinets and dark wood panelled walls, the appliances were giant and all black and stainless steel. Behind where she sat was a dining area with an elegant, but entirely too huge for one person, white dining set. Large double doors sat between the kitchen and dining area. The front door and her exit. Nikki listened to the space around her for signs of life but could hear nothing except her own breathing. She stood slowly and moved awkwardly across the space to the windows. She'd been right. The view was breath-taking. The city spread out below her and far in the distance the mountain range that separated her home town from the rest of the country was misted by clouds. At least she knew she was still in the Mint. It was overcast outside muting the light making it difficult to tell what time it was. Maybe she could sneak a peek around the rest of Marcus's penthouse before she escaped out the door. She definitely did not want to run into him right now he'd made it pretty clear last night that if it weren't for the potentially bad publicity she wouldn't have been where she was right now.

She started towards the hallway behind the stairs. Maybe it was her own dark secrets that drew her to the black door at the end in the same way she was drawn to that darkness in Marcus Cole's eyes. Her hand closed over the door knob and she twisted it but nothing happened. She jiggled it a few more times. Damn it. Locked. She had the brief urge to peek through the keyhole or try to pick the lock when a sound that was distinct to a phone vibrating on a hard surface reached her. She dashed back into the room on tiptoes trying not to make any noise. Scooping her phone up off the table she saw a multitude of missed calls from Trace and Tex. There was a couple from her friend Jess and one from an unknown number. She opened up the message from Jess saying Tex had called looking for her making all sorts of noise threatening her if she was lying about Nikki's whereabouts. Great. She checked the ones from Trace. He begged her to message or call him and let him know she was ok. They got worse as the night had progressed obviously they'd figured out she wasn't with the girls. Then in the early hours of the morning Tex had started calling and threatening to send the whole club out scouting for her. If he had she was in bigger shit than she could handle. It was their own damn fault she was a fucking adult for Christ sakes she didn't need babysitting and she didn't have to report in every five seconds. Despite those facts she knew she was in for a fight and with her head the way it is she wasn't looking forward to that.

A noise from upstairs brought her out of her silent contemplation. She had been sure the place was empty but a lone voice came drifting down to her. It was his voice deep and growly and from the sounds of it seriously pissed. "No I don't want to meet with him....... Look I've already got one uninvited guest in my house I do not need another...... I don't care how you do it but you will stop him." Uninvited guest? Fuck him. It’s not like she asked for him to come and play knight in shining armour she was doing just fine without him. It was seriously time to get the fuck out of there. Nikki collected her boots from next to the couch choosing to carry them, after all a silent escape was a successful escape. She made it through the main doors and stood waiting for the elevator. The doors opened to reveal Roger. “Leaving so soon Miss Jones?” he frowned slightly, concerned perhaps. “Yes well I wouldn’t want to inconvenience Mister Cole any further, apparently one uninvited guest is one too many.” She stepped around Roger and into the empty car. “Oh you heard that. I’m sure he meant no offense Miss Jones. Can I at least offer you a ride home?” She shook her head “No thanks. There’s no way in hell I’m leaving my ride out in that lot.” “If you’re sure?” Nikki nodded in response. He leaned in and scanned a card in a slot on the elevator keypad. Must be card access only. He pressed the lobby button for her. “See you later Miss Jones.” The door closed between them ending the conversation. She took the short ride down to put on her boots trying her best to avoid looking in any of the mirrored surfaces inside the lift. Head down she moved quickly out of the elevator through the lobby to the car park. She located her bike and an immense sense of relief flooded through her. She went straight for the saddlebags to retrieve her jacket, face scarf, glasses and helmet then straddled her awesome beast. She still felt like shit and knew the ride would kill her but there was no way she was calling through a pick up given her current location, condition and the carry on from the boys. Her bike roared to life and as she took off out of the car park she couldn’t help risking a glance back up to the penthouse apartment. Marcus fucking Cole.

Tex pulled up to th
eir house to check it for the tenth time. He stopped his bike in the driveway to make for a quicker exit when he found it empty. He was going to kill her, if she wasn't already dead and she better be. Mind you if she was dead, a shudder travelled down his spine, that didn't bare thinking about. He didn't think he'd survive if anything were to happen to her, it was his and Trace's job to protect her. He'd been in love with Nikki from the very first moment he saw her and he was sure the same could be said of Trace. They'd been close since they were kids, inseparable. It was the three of them and the rest of the world. Both he and Trace felt like they had some claim on her. He knew in his bones that she belonged to them. He just didn’t know if she felt it. Sometimes he'd see it in her eyes when she looked at either of them but then she'd go and sleep with someone else and they'd all be back at square one. This had been going on since Nikki was about sixteen. This back and forth bullshit between him and Trace and then she'd move on to someone else. It wasn't her fault. The pair of them didn't make it easy for her. When she was with one the other would unwittingly make her feel guilty and she'd end it and move on. It was an on-going circle that never looked to have an end till the cop came along and then it almost did end. But no, he couldn't have that, he'd dragged her back into this circle of bullshit 'cause he couldn't live without her. And now look where they were. She'd been attacked by those sick fucks that Bridges sent. Fucking Bridges, if he ever got hold of that asshole he'd tear him to pieces for what he did to her. They'd tried several avenues of enquiry and got nothing but a giant fucking wall of silence. All they knew was no one had ever seen the guy and there was a damn long chain of people to go through to get to him. And their only source of info was the Crows that Reaper took care of or the guys that Nikki killed.

Since that night she'd been closed off to them. She'd shut down and that scared him. Nikki had always been her own person. She did what she wanted when she wanted. She'd always been upfront with him and Trace about what she was up to and where she was going, whether it was out of habit from when she was younger or because she honestly felt the need to keep them in the loop. Now it was different though she hid things from them, she only talked shop and she avoided them for long periods of time. She'd also been waking up screaming in the middle of the night then brushing him and Trace off if they tried to comfort her. She'd get drunk, often, far too often. She was antsy and couldn't sit still for long unless she had a drink in her hand. She looked like she was itching to get out of her own skin. They were scared to put her back on protection in case she went too far. It was only a matter of time before she snapped and they were watching her closely and waiting for it. She was getting skittish too. Always trying to sneak off when they weren't looking. She seemed alright yesterday. Brodie said she'd even joked around with him a bit. So they'd backed off given her a little space and what happened? She'd given them the slip first opportunity she'd gotten. All that crap about going out with her mates. After a few phone calls he and Trace figured out that was a crock. Now they had no fucking idea where she was and she wasn’t answering her fucking phone.

He entered the house to the faint sound of running water. He knew it wasn't Trace he was scouting around a couple of places and murderers and burglars usually don't shower at the crime scene before a crime. He followed the sound down the hall through Nikki's bedroom to her ensuite stepping over discarded clothing as he went. If she was fine enough to manage undressing and a shower she was fine enough for the ass kicking she had coming and he was going to throttle her. As he stepped into the doorway the sight before him stopped him in his tracks. The shower had no curtain leaving Nikki's body on full display as she stood under the hot water. From where he stood Tex had a perfect side view of her very sexy and very naked form. Frozen to the spot his dick slowly came to life as he watched her soap her body. She was beautiful, sexy, commanding, she always had been. Even with the scars her body was exquisite. He could never get enough of looking at her, touching her, being around her. She was also tough, witty and did not take shit from anyone. That's one of the reasons she rolled with them. She didn't let anyone walk all over her and she had a habit of standing up for those weaker than her. She hated bullies. She'd get into fights at school when she was younger always sticking up for someone and she was ruthless about it. If she was teaching you a lesson you only had to be taught once and you knew. Made her perfect for the protection they ran for the girls. At the same time as all this she could also be sweet, kind and loved to make people laugh. Which also made her great for protection, the girls trusted her and they respected her. Everyone respected her, the brothers, the old ladies, the other MC kids even the club ass. Nikki turned her back to him her hand moving into her hair. The fragmented scar on the back of her thigh from the bullet brought back images of her broken body from that night. Tex caught sight of some scrape marks on her shoulder and heard her wince as her fingers moved over her scalp. She was hurt. Anger swelled inside him swift and monstrous "Who hurt you?"

Nikki visibly jumped catching herself with a hand on the wall before she slipped and fell. She turned to face him "Shit Tex you scared the crap out of me." She watched as his eyes caught on the bruise forming on her stomach. He glared at her intensely making her want to cringe. "I asked a question. Who hurt you?" He grumbled ignoring her statement. "It's nothing Tex. I'm fine now. Just a small cut on the back of my head and a couple of scrapes and bruises. But I'm good." A growl erupted from his chest and his eyes flared with anger "I didn't ask if you were fine. One last time Nikki. Who. Hurt. You." Oh shit she was in big trouble she should've called for a pick up. "Someone who thought yes to him meant yes to him and his three friends. Obviously he was mistaken and he is now well aware of that fact." Tex's body went entirely rigid his voice came out a whisper "Did they?" Did they what? Oh he thought "No! God no. They didn't get the chance to do anything really. Some guy stepped in and sorted them out. The only reason I even got hurt was cos I fell and someone caught me with a boot but I did break the assholes nose before that." She smiled to herself the memory of the satisfying crunch his nose had made when she broke it coming back to her. It’s a shame she didn’t get to make that asshole suffer more, she could’ve. She halted that thought immediately. Anyway wherever he was now at least he was nursing a broken nose. Actually where did they go? She probably should've asked Green Eyes a few more questions before she bailed from his apartment at least then she'd know if she had to keep her eyes open for the guy. Speaking of Green Eyes. An image of Marcus Cole's other worldly green eyes flashed through her mind. A shiver passed through her body and her mind went walkabout. There was something about those eyes something dark, something that called to her on unconscious level.

"Nikki!!" She jumped again snapping out of her little reverie. "You didn't call" he ground out between his gritted teeth. "Can't make phone calls when you’re unconscious Tex" she winced as she tried to gently wash her hair. "Unconscious?" "Yeah Tex, unconscious. As in not awake, aware of and responding to one's environment as in, I bashed my head on the bitumen and became unconscious." Nikki made an impatient face at him, the one that said he was stupid, and the one he really hated. Bad idea. He crossed the distance between them and stood just outside the shower the look on his face spelled anger. "I know what unconscious means Nikki and now I know the how but what I really want to know is the where and who." She glared at him as she considered how to answer that question. Vaguely would probably be best. "I went in to town for a drink and a dance Ok? I just needed a little break from the incapable invalid routine you boys have had me operating on and the guy's never told me their name's, any of them, plus I don’t remember a hell of a lot. Unconscious remember?" Tex remained tight lipped as he stood before her. His hand went to her waist and squeezed hard reminding her of the fact she was naked. Shit.

Her eyes went back to his face and she watched as his gaze went from fury to fire of another kind. His tongue snaked out caressing his bottom lip and her insides lit immediately. He always had this effect on her. With one look she'd be ready to drop her panties although right now panties weren’t an issue. He leaned in close and she couldn't help but move that little bit closer to him. Her wet front was now pressed firmly against his fully clothed body. She wanted to rip all his clothes off drag him into the shower and mount him. He brushed his nose against hers his mouth millimetres from her own. He drew in a few breaths against her lips a quiet groan leaving his throat. The sound went straight to her clit causing it to throb. "You're lying" he whispered against her lips, her lust fogged mind didn't quite register "but if that's the way you wanna play it." A rush of cool air swept into the void between them as he stepped away from her. Her body screamed out for his touch and Nikki couldn't help the look of confusion and disappointment that appeared on her face. She tried to cover it with indifference but she was way too late and she knew it from the smug look on his face. Her phone vibrated on the bathroom cabinet and Tex nabbed it flipping it open a smile beginning to form. "Hey Trace……. Yeah…… I'll let her explain……See you in five." Fuck. Just what she needed "You couldn't have warned him off so I could get a bit of shut eye in before shit came down on my head." Tex shook his head at her his semi smile going into full cheeky grin mode. She was gonna kill him and she made sure to communicate that through her glare. "Now I have to change out of this wet shit and you better get your shit together before Trace gets here" Tex slid his shirt over his head. Nikki's eyes ran hungrily over his chest and abs, the man was a god. She got in thirty seconds of ogling time, just enough to remind her body of what she was missing out on before he turned and walked away still grinning. Bastard.

Nikki turned the water off and towel dried herself and her hair as best as she could. She avoided the mirror she didn’t recognize herself anymore and it wasn’t the scars, although they served as an ugly enough reminder in and of themselves, it was her eyes. They held many things all of them dark and ugly and that both frightened and thrilled her. She didn’t know if the others could see it in her. Tex and Trace they looked at her different but not in fear or disgust but with sorrow, regret and concern. Some of the other brothers looked at her like that, some looked at her with pride. Reaper, her father, looked at her like he’d never really noticed her before. He watched her from a distance whenever he was around. She could feel it and she didn’t know what to make of it. She was too fucked up to really spare too much thought for it anyway. She was still tired and she so did not have the energy to deal with Trace. She pulled out a pair of boy leg panties and a cami throwing them on then sliding into her bed. It felt good to be clean and lying down in her own comfy bed bit better than the couch she slept on last night although not that much better. She closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep thinking about those green eyes and the darkness hidden in them.

Nikki felt her bed shift dragging her out of the dream she’d been immersed in. It was intense, a strange overwhelming swirl of pain, fear, vengeance, violence and green eyes. An arm went round her waist and fingers began sifting through her hair shifting her out of her dream. She winced when those fingers found the cut on the back of her head. "Baby Girl" Trace whispered then pushed her hair back into place pulling her into his body. He'd climbed under the sheets with her still clothed she could feel his cotton shirt against her bare shoulders and his jeans against her legs. He kissed the back of her shoulder and tucked his head behind hers his mouth at her ear. "You ok beautiful?" He kissed her neck just below her ear. The pain from her dream lingered and she felt on the verge of tears as she considered the answer to that question. She'd seen her mother butchered, nearly shared the same fate, been shot and cut, killed two men and almost been gang raped. She was not fucking ok, she would never be ok. She nodded keeping her eyes closed tight in an effort to stop the tears. "Nikki" he breathed again the sorrow and guilt in his voice clear as day. She shook her head to tell him he couldn't and shouldn't go there. He didn't listen.

Trace turned her to her back gently both his hands came up to her face tilting it up so he could see her. She kept her eyes squeezed shut, if she didn't look at him she wouldn't have to see the emotion in his eyes and she wouldn't have to feel that shit out loud. "Nikki. Look at me baby" he said in his soft voice. Nikki shook her head again. Trace's lips touched her forehead, each cheek, her nose then finally came to rest against hers. "Open them up for me baby." She knew what he meant but she parted her lips instead of opening her eyes and Trace didn't miss a trick. He sighed but slipped his tongue slowly into her mouth gently sliding it over hers. She let the moment take her over and her body relaxed into his her hands sliding up into his hair. Her chest ached badly and she knew Trace's medicine was gonna make her burn and break, exactly what she didn't want. Her body reacted to his touch in spite of the intense emotions crushing her and anyway she couldn’t tell him no anymore than she could tell Tex. They had history, the three of them, a long complicated intertwined history. Tex was that bad boy that fuelled all women’s sexual fantasies, rough, straight talking and sexy as sin, he was lust personified. Trace he was the good guy, as good as it got in her world anyway, sweet talking class clown, with a smile that would make a girl melt and who had always treated her like she was precious. She had been a sucker for both more than once in her life.