Page 27 of Haze (Serpents of Chaos MC #2)

LU

With my bag on my arm, I walk down to the clubhouse parking lot, finding Haze on his bike with both feet planted on the ground. He’s on the phone, and when I get closer, I overhear his conversation.

“Yeah? Aspen? Are you okay?”

I don’t know what she says, but his face drops. “Don’t cry, tell me what’s going on.” He pauses and then tells her, “Okay, I’ll be there. I’ll leave now.”

He turns to me. “I’m sorry, baby. Aspen is really upset and wants to see me.”

We were about to go check out the bakery together, but I guess we could do that another time. “Okay, ride safe,” I say, kissing him.

“I’ll be back soon. I love you. Stay in the clubhouse,” he orders, and I step back as he revs his engine and rides off.

I watch him leave, then decide I still want to do what I had planned or at least go out for lunch. I can wait to see the renovations with Haze when he gets back.

“Where’s Haze?” Lore asks, walking toward me with his usual swagger.

“He had an emergency with Aspen. What are you doing now? I had plans, but Haze left, and I know he won’t want me to go anywhere alone.”

Lore studies me for a moment, running his hand over his beard. “Yeah, you are definitely not leaving here alone. Does it bother you?”

“What?” I ask, frowning.

“That Haze has a hero complex and can’t say no.”

“I mean, that’s his sister. I get it.” I still, considering his words. “Is it annoying? Yes.”

“Why do you think Daisy tried to pin the baby on Haze out of everyone?” he replies, crossing his arms over his chest. “Haze will be there. He’s got a hero complex. And yeah, there’s the whole record deal thing.”

“I wonder who the actual father is,” I mumble, and Lore smirks, wrapping his arm around me. “Not me, thank fuck. And I’m never touching Daisy again, that’s for sure.”

“Because you don’t date women with kids?” I ask, repeating his damn slogan that he says all the time.

“Exactly.” He grins, his index finger gently bopping my nose. “We’ll find out who the father is soon enough. I’ll go and get the truck and take you wherever you want to go.”

“Thanks, Lore.”

Thirty minutes later, we’re having lunch at this new Vietnamese restaurant. We’ve ordered a lot, but I’m pretty sure Lore will finish everything I don’t.

The waitress bats her eyelashes at Lore and bites her lower lip as she stares at him.

Rolling my eyes, I wait for her to leave before saying, “Wow, can’t take you bikers anywhere.”

“What?” he asks, leaning his arm along the booth. “She was cute. Think you could stay out of trouble for thirty minutes so I can give her a quickie?”

“Probably not.” I smirk. “You know you don’t have to fuck anything with a vagina, right? Sometimes it’s okay to have other hobbies.”

“Shouldn’t you do what you’re good at, though?” he replies, taking a bite out of one of the spring rolls.

“You’re a heartbreaker,” I fire back, trying to keep the judgment out of my tone and failing.

“I heard some gossip about you from the strippers. You let them stay the night, make them feel special, then bam !” I slam my hand down on the table.

“You move onto the next before they can even wash your cum out of their mouths.”

He starts to choke, and I watch him.

He should know how all the women he gets head from feel.

“I’m not like Ghost,” he says after he swallows some water and gets his laughter under control. “I do repeats. I’ll spend the night with whoever I feel like. It’s really not that deep.”

“Not that deep, hey?”

“You have a filthy mind, Cupcake,” he murmurs, his violet eyes filled with mirth. “Is it a crime that sometimes I like to cuddle too? Yeah, I don’t want any commitment, but I’m not a cold, unfeeling bastard.”

“Heartbreaker,” I repeat. “Watching you fall in love one day is going to bring me great joy.”

“Don’t wish such things on me. I thought we were friends,” he grumbles, picking up his Coke and taking a sip.

I throw my napkin at him, and he laughs.

Next, I drag him to the mall to buy a few things before we head home. Haze texts me to let me know he’s arrived at the rehab center and that he’ll be back tomorrow. I tell him I’m out with Lore but about to head back to the clubhouse.

“I love this song!” I say, turning up the radio and dancing in my seat.

Lore smiles, amused at my antics. “You’re a joy, you know that? No wonder Haze is so?—”

Another car suddenly smashes into us on my side, and all I feel is excruciating pain in my arm. The truck flips and ends up upside down.

My vision blurs as I try to turn to check on Lore.

“Lore?” I rasp.

And then everything goes black.

* * *

Everything hurts.

Then, it all comes back to me.

The crash.

Lore.

I try to sit up, my hand holding onto my arm, which I’m pretty sure has glass in it.

I’m in a small, musty-smelling room, alone, on a single bed mattress. There’s one window, but it has bars on it.

Shit.

Where am I?

Did someone purposely run us off the road?

I hope Lore is okay.

The door opens, and in step two people.

One is familiar, and one isn’t.

Pippa, Ora’s old neighbor and the woman I saw meeting with Aspen, and a dark-haired man wearing an Isle of Insanity MC cut. Under any other circumstances, I might consider him seriously handsome.

But right now, all I think is fuck.

“What do you want?” I rasp, wondering how the hell I’m going to get myself out of this one.

Pippa smirks, but it’s the man who speaks. “We wanted to set a trap. And you, sweet thing, are the bait.” His hazel eyes give me a slow once-over, but they don’t feel slimy for some reason.

“We tried to use Aspen, but then Haze paid off her debt, and she was sent away,” Pippa explains, a scowl playing on her mouth. “What we didn’t know is that when she left, she stole drugs and money from us.”

“That’s what you get for trusting a junkie,” the man mutters, stretching his neck from side to side.

“So now what?” I ask, wondering what they want out of this.

Revenge?

Are they going to kill me?

This is how I die? Seriously?

“Now we make a deal. They want you back. They’ll give in to our demands.” He pauses and grins. “And if they don’t, we could always use another club whore.”

“ Grip ,” Pippa snaps, wrapping her arm around him possessively.

You can keep him, bitch.

Grip says nothing, just winks in my direction before closing the door behind them.

The Serpents of Chaos MC swore to protect me.

Haze is with his sister, over two hours away.

Looks like now is their time to shine.