Page 8 of Renascence

“Sure.”

I let him lead the way, watching his khaki-clad ass as he walks ahead of me. He points out a juice bar and the showers before showing me the main area, which ishuge. It contains every machine you could possibly think of. On one side, there are treadmills, stationary bikes, ellipticals, steppers, rowers, and a bunch of others. The opposite side is devoted to weight training. The walls are mirrored and there are water coolers scattered around the room. Next, we move on to several studios.

“We have aerobics classes on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and yoga on the weekends. For the more adventurous ladies,” his brows lift, lips curling up in a smirk, “we have pole dancing classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays.”

Okay then. That’s my cue to go.

“Thanks, Kurt. Everything looks great. I’ll probably come in tomorrow. What time do you close?” I start making my way back to the exit.

“Awesome. We’re open until ten every night.”

“Okay.”

He reaches over his desk, snagging some forms and handing them to me. “Look these over, take your time and fill them out, and then you can turn them in tomorrow.”

“Thanks again. See you tomorrow.”

“Looking forward to it, Emily.”

I walk out, retracing my steps to the pet shop. Thumbing through the brochure, I wonder how this small town has such a well-equipped gym. It could rival anything in the city. And pole dancing? Sheesh. That’s one class I willnotbe participating in. I’ll just do what I usually do—keep my head down, get my workout done, and get the hell out of there.

CHAPTER 2

***Venom***

“’Sup, brother?” I toss a chin lift in Razor’s direction, dropping down next to him on the couch.

“Not a damn thing. Kinda quiet around here.”

I nod, watching a few Hellhounds—our club girls—clean up the clubhouse bar. This place was my home for so long. It still is in some ways, even though I have my own house now. My family is here, from my brothers to the girls who take care of us. These men may not be my blood, but I’d bleed for any one of them, the same way they would for me. I never had that growing up, being the only child of parents who had time for everything but me. Now I have a house full of men who would do anything to help me.

Die for me.

Kill for me.

And fuck if I wouldn’t do the same for them. “Death before disloyalty.” We’ll all uphold the club motto until the motherfucking grim reaper himself claims us all in a fiery hell. Men who live the way we do? There’s no other way we can go. The deaths of two of my brothers proved it. They didn’t go silently in the night. No, they were painfully ripped from this life, leaving the rest of us wondering when our time will come. I’m lucky I’ve made it all the way to thirty-five.

I glance toward the DJ booth and the picture of our most recent fallen brother. Like Razor said, it’s been quiet around here, but not in a good way.

Growing up, I never thought I’d be a member of a motorcycle club, let alone an officer in one. What I’ve found with this group of people gives me the courage to face my fate head on. Because of them, I’ve lived a full life.

“Hey, fuckers.” Crow walks up, taking the empty spot next to Razor, scratching the scar zigzagging down his cheek.

“Hey, asshole,” I reply, making Razor chuckle.

We’re joined by Tek, who, as usual, produces his laptop and starts tapping away at the keys. The way his tongue is worrying his snake bite piercings, I’d say he’s in hacking mode. The fucker does that shit for fun, hacking sites just to prove he can. Makes sense, I guess—practice makes perfect. Based on some of the places he’s gotten into, I’m surprised the FBI, CIA, NSA and every other organization haven’t busted down our doors yet.

“How was that chick last night?” Razor asks, nudging my leg to get my attention.

“Shit.” I’d already forgotten about the girl I took to my room last night. One of the Hounds brought her around. She was pretty enough, but that was the extent of her pleasing qualities.

“That bad?” Crow chuckles. Tek glances up from his screen, waiting for my answer.

“That shit was like the big bad wolf huffed and puffed through it. Bitch had no walls. I had to fuck her mouth to get off.”

“You sure her being big was the issue?” Razor laughs and the others join in.

“Fuck y’all. You’ve seen my monster. Ain’t nothin’ little about me, so just imagine what her pussy was like. Shit.”