Page 18 of Fang (Lotus MC: San Antonio #2)

H and in hand, Fang leads me out of his room. My heart races as we make our way down the hall. To say that my introduction into club life has been less than stellar would be an understatement, but for Fang, I’m willing to give it a try again.

Fang scans the crowd and then leads me across the room where a couple of men and a woman sit on some couches and chairs. They look like they are hanging out while the party goes on around them. When the woman turns her head and looks at me, I bite my cheek to stop myself from cursing out loud.

Great. He’s taking me right to the woman who thought I was here to sex up the brothers.

Her eyes widen when she sees my hand securely in his.

Yeah, I’m just as surprised as you, girlfriend.

“How’s it going?” Fang asks as he takes a seat on the couch.

He pulls me down with him and wraps his arms around my waist. I’m half sitting on the couch and half on him, but it’s not uncomfortable.

“The travelers are rowdier than I would like,” a man with a pres patch says. “Who’s this?” he asks, nodding toward me.

“Oh shit, you two haven’t met yet. Cami, this is my pres Savage and his old lady Bailey.” He points to the other two guys that are next to us. “You know Loyal, or have at least seen him around the club, and this is Tiny. Guys, this is my girl, Cami.”

“Nice to meet you,” Savage says.

Tiny tips his chin toward me but doesn’t say anything.

“Hey, Cami, good to see you again,” Loyal says.

“You too,” I tell him before turning to look at everyone else. “Nice to meet you guys.”

“I am so sorry,” Bailey blurts out.

Fang’s arms tighten around me. “What are you sorry for?”

Bailey cringes, but before she can tell him what happened, I cut in.

“Nothing, just a slight miscommunication when I was looking for you. It was no big deal. Water under the bridge,” I say, looking right at her.

Her shoulders drop, and she smiles.

“Are you sure?” Fang asks quietly.

“Positive,” I tell him as I lean further into him.

“Hey, do you guys need a drink or are you good?” a guy asks as he walks up.

“I could use a beer,” Fang tells him before looking at me. “You want anything?”

“I’m good,” I tell him as the others tell the guy their orders.

“Hey, can you actually bring a bottle of water with you too when you come back?” Fang asks him when everyone is done.

“You got it,” the guy says before he walks off.

I can’t help but wonder why he offered to get us drinks. Is he a bartender for the night or something?

“He’s a prospect. We have guys who do all sorts of things to try and earn their way into the club,” Tiny says, catching me off guard. His voice is deeper than I thought it would be.

“Gotcha.” As I look at him, I can’t help but feel like I recognize him from somewhere. “Have we met before?”

He shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so.”

“Sorry, you just look familiar,” I say, making everyone laugh.

“Probably because he looks like that one actor on that TV show that takes place in that beach town on the East Coast,” Loyal says between fits of laughter.

“The Outer Banks. He looks like that guy, Chase something.” Bailey gasps.

The tops of Tiny’s cheeks are tinged red.

Aww, I didn’t know a biker could be embarrassed.

Once the laughter dies down, the conversation shifts back to me.

“How’s school going?” Loyal asks, pulling my attention toward him.

“Good,” I tell him, surprised that he knows I’m taking classes.

“What are you going for?” Bailey asks.

“I’m a hospitality major.”

“Nice, does that mean you plan to work at a restaurant or a hotel?” she asks.

“Yeah, that’s the plan. Right now I don’t have a preference which, but I’m sure I will narrow it down the deeper I get into the program.”

Cursing has us looking over at the pool table. I watch as a guy slams his pool cue down on the table before storming off.

“Someone’s a sore loser,” Loyal mutters, only loud enough for our group to hear.

“Is it always like this?” I ask without thinking.

“On some level, yes, but usually not this bad,” Fang tells me.

“We have a lot of people here right now that are passing through from other chapters. It will calm down soon,” Savage says.

“Hopefully. Otherwise I might lose my shit,” Bailey says as she glares at the guy.

“So what do you guys do, besides the club stuff, I mean?” I blurt out.

Loyal tips his head from side to side. “A little of this, a little of that. I go wherever I’m needed.”

Bailey tips her chin toward Tiny. “This guy and I are PIs.”

“Wait, really? That’s so cool.”

“Trust me, it sounds more glamorous than it is. Once you’ve seen one cheating spouse, you’ve seen them all,” Tiny says plainly.

“Hey, it’s not always cheating spouses!” Bailey protests.

“I’d wager that ninety-five percent of our clients are just that,” Tiny tells her, making her roll her eyes.

My eyes drift to Savage, and find him already looking at me.

“What about you?” I ask.

“I keep this place from falling down around us,” Savage says.

I nod, even though I have no idea what that means.

The prospect comes back and hands out the drinks. “Sorry about the wait, I had to run down to the basement to grab a new case of bottles.”

“All good. Thank you,” Savage says.

I don’t know why, but his manners surprise me. I know that says more about me than him, but I just wasn’t expecting it.

The conversation shifts, and the mood lightens further as the party rages around us. Before I know it, I find myself smiling and having a good time.

Maybe I was wrong, and this could be my scene after all. Well, not the Neanderthals, but everything else.

As the night goes on, Cami becomes more comfortable with my brothers and Bailey.

She laughs more often and isn’t afraid to throw a quick quip.

The lurking suspicion in Savage’s eyes dissipates, and when he nods at me when no one is looking, I know I have his silent approval.

Not that I needed it, but it’s still nice to have.

The only thing that is putting a damper on my good mood is the out-of-towners. The later it gets, the rowdier they become. Every time they get a little too physical or loud, Cami flinches. When one of them shatters a beer bottle, I’ve had enough, and so have the others.

“Okay, time to step in,” Savage mutters.

I stand, pulling Cami with me. “Come on, let me take you to my room before I help these guys.”

Before we can take two steps, a fight breaks out right in front of us. I don’t miss the way Cami buries her face into my back and whimpers. In fact it pisses me right the fuck off.

I look over at Savage and see him protecting Bailey.

“Bailey,” I say, getting her attention.

Before I can even ask her to do anything, she’s on the move.

“Got her. We’ll be in the office,” Bailey says as she grabs Cami.

I watch as she all but drags Cami behind her, going the opposite way of the fight. It takes everything in me not to follow them and make sure they stay safe.

“Come on, Bails has got her. Let’s fucking deal with this,” Savage says as he slaps my shoulder.

Savage, Loyal, Tiny, and I wade into the fight. While trying to get my hands on the prospect, I get elbowed in the face, making my head jerk back.

Goddammit.

“Knock it off!”I yell.

The prospect goes limp in my arms, letting me drag him out of the fight. Next to me, Loyal punches a motherfucker in the face, laying him out cold.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry. He grabbed me, and I reacted without thinking,” the prospect tells me.

“We know you didn’t start it. You’re fine,” I tell him.

A whistle cuts through the air, making everyone freeze.

“No more!” Savage says harshly.

I let him go and turn to face Savage. Behind him, Tiny is holding Biggy in a chokehold. One that isn’t very tight, I’m guessing by the way the dude is resisting.

Savage turns to face Biggy’s buddies. “I don’t know how you guys do things in Mendo, but this isn’t how we operate here.”

“He meant no disrespect,” one of the guys, Peeper, says.

Before he’s even done speaking, Savage is shaking his head.

“Nah, that’s exactly what he meant. We let you guys in and gave you safe passage, and in return you destroy our clubhouse, start fights with our members, and fuck with our women?

You know that goes against the brotherhood and is grounds for banning. ”

“Goddammit,” one of the guys hisses.

He shoots Biggy a scolding look. Something about his reaction piques my interest. I wonder why he doesn’t want to be banned from the area.

I’ll have to ask Dex to look into him.

“I understand.” Peeper nods.

“I’ll be calling your pres as well. I don’t know if this is how he does shit in his chapter, but it’s unacceptable.” Savage turns away from the outsiders. “As for my guys, you know that if a fight breaks out, it’s immediately supposed to go outside to the ring.”

“We didn’t start it,” Kermit mutters.

Savage shoots him a glare. “Party’s over. Everyone who’s not a member of my chapter, get the fuck out. If you’re one of mine, start cleaning the fuck up.”

“Should I call the cleaning lady? Wait what’s her name again?” Brazz asks.

“No, we will do it ourselves. Now get out!” Savage roars.

The girls who were here to party scatter like roaches, heading for the door.

“Give him to me. I’ll make sure he leaves without an issue,” Peeper says as he approaches Tiny.

I watch as Tiny tightens his arm around Biggy’s neck. He leans down and whispers something in his ear before letting him go.

Biggy starts coughing as soon as he’s free. “Fuck this. I hope you know you’ll regret this,” Biggy says when he finds his voice.

Peeper goes to grab him, but Biggy pulls his arm away and heads for the door.

The one who looks pissed over the prospect of being banned lingers.

“You got something you want to say, Sneakers?” Savage asks.

Sneakers, that’s his name. I’ll have to pass it along to Dex.

He shakes his head. “Not right now.”

“Good. Then get the fuck out,” Loyal tells him.

Only when I hear the sound of bikes tearing away from the clubhouse do I relax.

“Jesus Christ, what a shit show,” Savage mutters as he comes to stand next to me.

Tiny steps up on my other side.

“What did you whisper in his ear before you released him?”

A tiny smirk crosses his face. “Just reminded him this is our territory, is all.”

“I don’t believe you,” Loyal says as he comes up to join us.

Tiny shrugs.

“Is it safe to come out now?” Viv yells, making us all turn toward the bar.

“Viv, where are you?” Savage asks.

A hand shoots up, barely visible from the bar. “Behind the ice chest.”

“I got her,” Tiny mutters as he stops that way.

Shaking my head, I look around. The guys are already making a dent in cleaning up the room. It’s nowhere near clean, but it’s better.

“I guess I should grab a trash bag and jump in.”

Savage shakes his head. “Nah, let’s go make sure the girls are good.”

Shit, Cami.

Turning, I head toward the office. The walk down the hall feels never-ending as I worry.

Is she okay? Did what happen cause her to have a panic attack? Is this too much for her?