SOULLESS (Black Thorns, #2) (16 page)

Smiter rushes into my office.

His eyes dart to me immediately. Pure shock.

I gesture with my eyes to the door. He gets it and pushes it back into place so it ain’t wide open no more. Last thing I need is any more of the boys seeing this; me in some submissive state. That ain’t gonna fly for any real man, let alone their club Prez.

He runs over to me and unties the shirt wrapped ‘round my mouth, then pulls out the gag. Makes me cough and choke like a deep throating whore, cuz of the sudden relief of pressure and my sharp intake of air.

I feel his hands on one of the cuffs. “Please tell me you got the keys to these. Don’t look like normal cuffs. What the fuck?”

“They ain’t,” I tell him when I finally manage to stop choking. “Key’s in my room. Right bedside table. Top drawer.”

He don’t need to be told twice. He sprints outta the room, making sure to shut the door behind him. Don’t take more than a minute for him to come back in with the key.
And
a spare shirt. Fucking awesome guy.

He gets ‘em off quick then hands me the key. I pocket it in my jeans, then take the shirt from him and pull it on. “Fuck,” I breathe. “Thanks, brother.”

“Rox do this?” he asks, putting two and two together.

I snatch my cut up off the floor and shrug it on. “Yeah. Nobody hears ‘bout this. You feel me?”

He nods. “Got it. To the grave, Ax.”

I slam my hands into my desk, the rage that’d been ripping through me for the last few hours non-stop, finally exploding outta me as I knock the massive, heavy thing over. I thrust my foot into the two chairs nearby, kicking ‘em both into the damn wall.

“Stupid fucking headstrong woman!”

“What’s going on, Ax? Why’d she do this?”

“She took off.”

“What? No. She can’t. I’ll go check the perimeter. We woulda seen her leave through the gates.”

“She woulda gone through the rear exit.”

His eyes go wide. “Woulda had to go on foot then. No road to ride on. That’s miles and miles to Reirdon Falls town center.”

“Yeah, well. She’s fucking pigheaded, ain’t she?”

He nods and blows out a breath. “Yeah, she is.”

I lean on the edge of the toppled desk and run my fingers through my hair. “Shit.”

“Why’d she leave?”

“To sort this Kent situation out by herself. The whole damn list actually.”

“What?” he gasps.

Before I can get another word out, Dealer barges into my office. He eyes the messed up door and then looks at me and asks, “Where is she?”

“Gone.”

“You let her leave?” he yells.

“Let her? You think anyone
lets
her do shit? She fucked me over.”

“How?” he asks, his eyes darting ‘round my office, tryin’ to figure it out.

“Don’t matter. She just did, all right? She’s gone after Kent.”

He starts freaking out then, shaking his head wildly and then kicking shit. The wall. The chairs. “I didn’t think she’d…considering…she ain’t in no condition to do this....”

“No condition?” Smiter says. “That food poisoning thing? She was wolfing down popcorn not long ago. That ain’t an issue no more.”

“It ain’t food poisoning!”

My eyes narrow. “What?” I fume. “That’s what you told me, Dealer.”

I’m shocked a second later when he tries to meet my gaze, but he can’t. He can’t look me in the eye. That ain’t good at all. “What the fuck is it then?” I demand, getting real worried, cuz of his reaction.

“Shit,” I hear Smiter breathe.

I glance at him and see some sort of realization on his face. “What?” I eye Dealer. “What the fuck’s going on?”

Dealer takes a step towards me and finally looks right at me as he says, “She’s pregnant, Ax. Roxana’s pregnant.”

Fuck. She’s what? I can’t…I can’t fucking breathe.

“We’ll get her back, Ax,” Smiter says, tryin’ to comfort me.

“I’m gonna head back to Brockford and see if she’s passed through,” Dealer adds.

When I don’t respond, Dealer takes a step towards me. “Ax? You hear me?”

I hold up my hand. “Get out.”

“No. We gotta move on this now.”

“Now! Get out! Right the fuck now!” I bellow, completely losing my shit.

They’re barely out the door before I snap and start trashing my office.

“Fuck!” I roar. “Fucking hell!”

Chapter 18

~Ax~

I swing my leg over my bike, dismounting. I bring my hand to my aching shoulder. I managed to ride the distance from the clubhouse to Brockford with the boys, in spite of this damn injury, thanks to some painkillers that Smiter hooked me up with. Damn thing’s still aching, though, and it’s been a bitch to ride with. Half the journey I was riding one-handed.

I watch Dealer and Smiter both get off their bikes as well. As I pull out a smoke and take a long drag, Dealer’s eyes widen at something behind me. Smiter’s too busy staring at the strip joint in front of us,
Temptress.
Looks like he’s fixated on it. I dunno why. It ain’t like we all ain’t done that shit a thousand times before.

“Jesus,” Dealer exclaims.

“What?” I ask, turning to see what he’s looking at.

Whoa. A crazy-ass fire. Thick black smoke’s coming from one of the buildings in the distance over by Brockford’s industrial district. It looks real bad.

“That’s Riley’s place,” Dealer tells me. “The lumber yard.”

“What? You sure?”

“Yeah. I been working here long enough to recognize what’s what. It’s his place all right.” He looks hopeful as he says, “Maybe he was inside.”

“One less asshole on the list to worry ‘bout. You good to check it out?”

He nods. “Yeah. Call me the second you get any word on Roxana.”

“You got it,” I say as I watch him hurry to his bike. In the next moment, he’s gunning it and roaring away.

I turn my attention to Smiter who’s still staring obsessively at
Temptress.
Walking over to him, I ask, “You that hard up for pussy, cuz of the lockdown?”

“Ain’t that,” he grunts back at me.

“What then?”

“I…uh…me and Halle…”

“The owner?”

“Yeah, her. We…”

“Hell, no, Smiter. You fucked her?”

“Yeah.”

“I swear to God, if she don’t cooperate cuz of that, I’ll kick your ass. I gotta find Rox, man!”

He steps back and runs his hand over his skin head and over the eagle’s wing tat snaking up his neck, all anxious and shit. “I know. I’m sorry. I told you I didn’t wanna come down here.”

“I need you. Me and Dealer don’t got the
sensitive
, calm thing with Rox that you got going with her. When we find her, you’re the best bet for convincing her to come back with us. Dealer’s too fucking blunt and we all know I got the temper issue, right?”

He nods slowly. “Yeah. Okay. I hear you.”

“Good. Now, how’d you leave it with her?”

He screws up his face as he tells me, “A fuck ‘n’ chuck. You know my M.O., Ax.”

Jesus. “Fine. Tell me some shit ‘bout her. I need an in.”

He thinks for a moment. “She’s got a biker fetish. She—”

I hold up my hand. “That’ll do,” I say, starting for the door.

He calls out after me, “What? What you gonna do?”

Seriously? “What you think?” I say, as I drop my smoke and stub it out with the heel of my boot.

He looks real uncomfortable and that ain’t a look I’m used to seeing on Smiter one bit.

“Smiter?”

“She’s…she’s mine.”

Didn’t see that coming. Smiter making a claim? “Yours?” I ask, not sure I’m hearing him right.

“Maybe. I mean, I ain’t…laid down the law there and she dunno it yet, but—”

I grin. “But you got your eye on her?”

“Yeah.”

I slap his shoulder and bring him in for a quick hug. “I’m glad, brother. Been a long time coming.”

His history when it comes to women is so damn tragic that he really deserves this. Some happiness. Smiter’s a good guy, but he’s been messed up for a long time, cuz of losing the woman he loved a few years back. I can’t even imagine. It’s my worst fear right there and a fear Rox is making way worse with her stupid damn actions!

I pull back and tell him, “Won’t be long.”

“Wait! Ax! What you gonna do?”

I roll my eyes. Really? “Relax. Nothing. I got enough problems with the last woman I claimed as mine, yeah? The woman who ain’t even technically mine right now, but who I’ve just knocked up…again…and just got fucking cuffed to my office by. Yeah? So, I got enough shit going on without me going after some other broad. Just gonna
convince
her to tell me what I wanna know.”

He nods. “Okay.”

Ain’t like him to be so quiet ‘bout shit, but I get that just claiming a woman after all these years is a lot to get his head ‘round. Probably be a long while, too, ‘til this
Halle
actually even knows that he wants her. He’ll take his sweet time with it. Could be months yet before he even makes a move and seals the deal with her.

“Stay out here. Won’t be long.”

He don’t say nothing, just keeps staring into space.

“Smiter? You gonna be okay?”

“What?” he asks, his eyes darting to mine. “What, Prez?”

“You good while I do this?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I’m good.”

“All right.”

With that, I take one last look back at him and then walk into
Temptress.

The place is dead. Just a couple of guys parked on stools up at the bar drinking. Guess the
entertainment
don’t happen this time of day at this club.

I’m ‘bout to make my way over to the bar and the blonde bartender I see sauntering ‘round behind it, when I hear heels clicking behind me. I turn to see a goddamn model making her way over to me. Bleach-blonde curls and all curves in a red mini-dress that barely covers anything. Her eyes light up as she takes in my cut.

“Halle,” she says, extending her hand.

So, this is Smiter’s girl? Damn.

She ain’t nothing on Rox, though.

And suddenly, my idea of getting the intel I need through my usual persuasive tactics with women, is sickening to me. All I can picture in my mind is the image of Rox pregnant and me with my arms ‘round her, loving her. Protecting her.

Shit. I can’t fucking do this now. Argh!

“Roxana James. You know where she’s at?” I blurt out. Great.

“Who’s asking?” she says, smirking coyly.

“The father of her unborn kid.” Okay, guess I’m going for the real blunt approach then.

Her eyes go wide then and a small gasp escapes her. “My girl’s pregnant?”

“Yeah. Took off before telling me. Thinks she’s helping me out, but she’s just putting herself in danger. So, you know anything, need you to tell me, yeah?”

She looks me up and down, checking me out
and
sizing me up all at once. She’s smart. “You’re Ax.”

“Yeah.”

She smiles then. “Rox was so damn smitten with you.” She winks at me. “I can see why. Hot damn. You’re easy on the eyes, aren’t you, baby?”

She steps into me and grips my cut. Her fingers slide down the length of the leather and she leans into my ear and whispers, “If she hadn’t already snapped you up and if I didn’t already have my eye on your Sergeant-at-Arms, I’d be all over you, baby.” She pulls back slowly, her eyes searching mine.

Damn, she’s good. Using her intense sexuality as a manipulation tactic while she tries to feel me out. If I weren’t so far gone with Rox, it might actually be doing something.

“You’re good, sweetheart,” I say, smirking right back at her.

She grins and steps back, knowing I’m seeing right through her.

“I need to be,” she says, gesturing ‘round the club.

“Yeah, I get that.”

“You want something from me, then I want something in return.”

Fine. “Name it.”

***

I walk outta the strip club to find Smiter pacing up and down like a goddamn maniac.

“Hey! Chill!” I call as I approach.

He stops suddenly and turns to me. “How’d it go?” he asks, anxiously.

“Relax. She told me what I wanted to know.”

“How? What did you do?”

“Jesus, Smiter. I
asked
.”

“And she just told you?”

“Yeah. For a
price
.”

“A price?”

I pull a cocktail napkin outta my back pocket and shove it at him. He opens it to the number and the bright pink lipstick kiss she marked it with.