Page 7

Saige

Club Myst.I really didn’t want to be here tonight. But we promised Poppy and Lilly that we would hang out with them one night, as a late celebration of all of our birthdays. Poppy and Lilly are twins, very wild, and I know that they only hung out with us in school, and now because of who we are and the MC. Poppy wants to be a Charmer, working at the Vipers Pit strip club. She wants to be able to get ahold of a ranking brother and become an old lady, just like all the whores do, and thinks that I am going to help her with that, as if. Lilly, she is a little bit more laid back, but not much. The outfits that they are wearing tonight leave nothing to the imagination, and I know that some of the strippers at the Pit have worn more.

Pyro is already three sheets to the wind, and we haveonly been here a little over an hour. The club is pumping. Lights bouncing off the walls, the music loud and thumping, the dance floor packed. We’re sitting up in the VIP lounge where Pyro just keeps downing shots. How the hell does he think he is going to get back to the clubhouse like that? He sure isn’t driving. He is being loud and crude, making comments that are making my stomach turn. I am so thankful that I drove my cage with Sloane riding with me. She didn’t want to ride the bike with Loki wearing a miniskirt and six-inch heels. They are out on the dance floor swaying to the music. I danced a little when we got here, but now I am sitting just watching everyone else. I’m so ready to go home, take a bath, just relax with my kindle. I went and one clicked a lot of books by several authors that I love. Most of them write MC romance. I look up, breaking from my thoughts when I feel someone sit beside me.

Pyro is leaning up against me. “Saige, you’re so beautiful. I’m really glad I got to be here with you. Why don’t we go dance, baby?” He is running his hand up and down my arm, the other is draped around my shoulder.

“No thanks, Pyro. I just don’t feel up to it right now. In fact, I think I’m going to head out in a few minutes. I just want to let Loki and Sloane know.” I try pulling away from him. He grabs a hold of my neck, forcing me to look at him. He smirks at me, pulling me to him and triesto kiss me. He licks my lips, but I don’t give him what he wants. It isn’t until he grips my breast, squeezing really hard, that my mouth opens to scream at him, but he sticks his tongue in my mouth. I swear it’s like he is trying to lick my tonsils. I am gagging as he’s doing this, I finally get my arm up and smack him hard.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing, Pyro? You donottouch me and try to force yourself on me like that! I will cut your damn balls off if you try something like that ever again!” I push him away from me and stand up.

I go to leave when he grabs my arm, “I’m not going anywhere, Saige, I’ve wanted and waited for you, for such a long time. I thought you felt the same! But you will not leave and make a fool of me! You’re mine!”

“Let me go right now. This is your only warning,” I say. He goes to say something else when Poppy and Lilly come back from the dance floor.

“Are we interrupting something? A little lover’s quarrel?” Poppy asks. I pull my arm from Pyro’s grasp.

“No, not hardly, Poppy. I was just coming down to tell y’all bye. Hope y’all enjoy the rest of the night.”

“Oh well if not a lover’s quarrel….” She goes over and drapes herself on Pyro, licking the side of his face. I take off, not wanting to see or hear what happens next. I make it down to Loki and Sloane and I tell them what happened.

Loki is so pissed off now, “Are you shitting me? Let me go have a talk with him. He won’t put his hands on you again, I can guarantee that!”

“No, it’s fine. I took care of it. I just want to go home. Are you okay with that?” He looks at me and nods. Sloane hugs me, then I walk out of Myst, taking a deep breath before I walk to my truck. I see Tires and Cotton leaning against it. I’m not one bit surprised, they’ve always followed me. Both look pissed, and Tires reaches for my arm, looking for bruises.

“Look, I’m fine, bubba. I just want to go home, soak in the tub, read a book. Please just let me go,” I plead with my brother. He finally leans in and kisses my forehead.

“Drive safe. We’ll follow you home.” I hug him and get in the truck. I don’t look back as I drive off.

Five

Cotton

“Tires, where is Stone?”

He looks up at me from the bike he is working on, taking his mask off. “I don’t know, man. What’s going on?”

“We need to call an emergency church. Get on the phone vine.” He nods and starts calling people. I go into the front part of the garage to see Saige on the phone talking to a customer. I make a motion with my hand for her to hurry, get off the phone.

“I can assure you that your bike will be ready by the end of the month, Mr. Howard. I just had a customer walk in, so I really must go. You have a great day. Bye, hun. Okay, Cotton, what’s going on, not that I really don’t appreciate the help of getting off the phone with him.” She smiles at me.

I can’t help but to smile back, “We need to call an emergency church. We need to go. Did you ride out here?”

“No, I walked actually.” I hear Tires start up his bike and take off.

“Mind riding back with me? Will be quicker.”

“Okay.” We lock up the garage and go to my bike. I get on and lean it a little so that she can get on behind me. I give her my helmet. Saige puts her arms around my waist and her head on my shoulder. I am in heaven. Damn if I don’t get hard. I can’t stop the little shiver that runs through me and I hope that she doesn’t feel it. “You okay?” she asks. I nod as we take off. She tightens her arms around me a little and I feel a shiver run through her. Glad to know I’m not the only one affected. When we pull up to the clubhouse gate, a prospect lets us in and we park beside Tire’s bike.

Saige slowly gets off the bike, handing me my helmet. “Cotton, before we go in, I need to thank you. I haven’t had a chance to really thank you in person for my necklace you got me, then for what you did for me the other night. You don’t know how much that means to me. If you hadn’t helped me, it would have gotten so much worse.” Saige hugs me and again I am enveloped by her scent. I could drown in her. I hug her back, when she loosens up on the hug and starts to back away, I lookdown and see a mischievous grin on her face. She tiptoes up, kisses me on the mouth and walks away. So, she wants to play. I love to play. I start to follow her inside to church.

Stone is already at the head of the table. Cruz is to his right; I sit to the left. Saige is beside me. Loki beside his dad. Tires is on the other side of Saige. We wait for everyone to get inside before Stone starts. “Okay, sorry to drag everyone in here in the middle of the work day, but this seems to be pretty damn important. So Cotton, take the floor.”

I look around at everyone. “Y’all may remember a gang that we have had a run in with a few times, Ghosts of Darkness. They have been seen in town a few times the past couple of days. They are causing havoc, breaking into places, vandalism, spreading word that they are coming for us. They’re still pissed that their last Pres and Sargent of Arms went to prison, where both were murdered by rival gangs. The new Pres from what little I have learned is the son of the old one. I’ve had Tech looking into all the cameras from town, including the traffic cams, to see if we can see where they are going or coming from, but so far, nothing.” I turn to look at Saige then back to Stone, silently conveying that she may be in danger. He gives me a chin lift, so I know he got it.

Stone looks at everyone before saying, “Okay, Tech, stayon the computer and cameras. Do whatever it is that you do. The rest of you, stay vigilant. We know what they’re like, what they’ll do. The last time we tangled with them, we had a couple get shot while we were busting up a sex trafficking ring. These are some sick sons of bitches, and if they want to come at us, they are more than welcome. But this club’ll continue to fight for what is right. For now, we’re going to go on a soft lockdown until we figure out what’s going on. If the women go out, I always want at least two patched members with them. Saige, that includes you. You go nowhere unless Tires, Cotton, or Loki are one of the patched with you. You got me, girl?”

Saige looks up, and nods yes to her dad. I look around the room. No one seems shocked by this. It’s always been this way during a lockdown, but the look on Pyro’s face, man, if looks could kill. I just stare back at him with a smirk on my face until he looks away. His black eye and busted lip look good on him, courtesy of Loki.