Page 30 of Riding the Line (Steel Saints MC #1)

Agent Braxton agreed to let me find a new apartment—meaning picking one off a list they’d already wired to hell and back.

Maria and Holly had more fun apartment-hunting than I did, but we finally settled on a cute little one-bedroom townhouse about ten minutes from the clubhouse.

A bunch of the guys volunteered to help me move furniture, which was an unexpected kindness.

The only things I brought from my old place were my beloved mattress, the TV, and all the kitchen necessities.

Everything else, I found at local thrift stores and auctions.

Mac and Dalton kept trying to pay for my furniture, which pissed me off.

“I’m perfectly capable of buying my own shit, thank you very much. And besides, how does that make me look—my bosses buying me expensive shit? What about how it makes you look?”

Mac seemed offended. “Why the fuck would we care how it makes us look?”

Dalton shrugged and gave me a crooked smile. “If anyone’s got a problem with me helping out my girl, they are more than welcome to say that to my face.” He said the words like a cocky challenge.

I rolled my eyes and said sarcastically, “And they say chivalry is dead.”

“Excuse me, where are you wanting this stuff?”

I turned my attention to the delivery driver and his coworker who were waiting at the end of the driveway. “Sorry, yeah. The table set goes in the living room, right when you walk in. Same with the rug. But the highboy goes up the stairs, in the hallway.”

I hadn’t planned on spending a lot of time, energy, or money on furniture shopping.

I knew this was a temporary home, mine only as long as I was on assignment.

But, encouraged by Maria and Holly, I hit the antique furniture store and kind of went nuts.

I couldn’t resist the gorgeous, honey-oak coffee table with the matching side tables for my living room.

And the highboy would make the perfect place for sheets and towels and such.

Maybe I could find a way to bring it with me when all this was said and done?

If anything was gonna survive the fallout from when the truth hit the ground, it would be the furniture.

I followed the delivery guys inside, Mac and Dalton right behind me.

I had the two of them help put away my plates and pots and such while I scrounged for a snack.

Maria and Holly had promised to stop by later with wine and pizza to properly break in the new place.

I was still sore, but it was a much more tolerable pain.

I would always have those ugly scars to remind me of that night.

Sometimes, I would have nightmares so vivid, I would wake up in a cold sweat.

The second night it happened, I couldn’t go back to sleep—staring into the dark corners of my room at Maria’s, flinching at the sounds of people driving past the house.

So, I called Dalton.

Not ten minutes afterwards, I about pissed myself when he crawled through the window like a lunatic.

I had a good mind to chew his ass out for practically breaking into my friend’s home, but I was such a mess.

He crawled into bed next to me, pulling me to his chest, and not the least bit bothered by the sweat coating my body.

He held me until I stopped trembling, and he made me promise to always call him when I had a night terror, no matter what.

With him tracing small, comforting circles on my back, I fell asleep in the comfort and safety of his arms.

Maria nearly had a coronary when he followed me into the kitchen the next morning.

“Anything else, ma’am?”

The delivery driver brought me back to the present and was looking expectantly at me.

“No, everything looks great. Thank you.” I tipped them both, and sent them on their way. I sat at the table with an apple, a jar of peanut butter, and a spoon. Dalton sat next to me, giving my lunch a funny look. I brandished my spoon at him. “Don’t you dare judge me.”

He held up his hands in surrender and said, “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

Mac stood behind me, gently rubbing my shoulders and working the tender muscles there. “How are you holding up, Vixen?”

I shrugged. “So so. Better if you keep doing that.”

He bent down, kissing my neck and sending shivers up my spine.

The three of us hadn’t really talked about the whole threesome thing since that night, but no one had changed the group chat name.

Plus, the two brothers made no effort to hide their affection when it was all three of us. I, for one, was loving it.

Dalton’s phone rang, and his brow furrowed when he looked at it. “It’s Silas. The hell is he calling me for and not you?”

The question was directed at his brother, who answered, “No idea. Put it on speaker.”

My eyebrows probably disappeared into my hairline, realizing I was about to be privy to a conversation between my boys and my target for the first time.

“Where the fuck are you?”

Dalton’s eyes narrowed to slits at Greyson’s tone. “In town. What’s up?”

“Where’s your brother?”

Dalton looked at Mac, giving him a signal to continue. “He’s with me. Something wrong?”

“You fucking tell me.”

Mac stopped rubbing my shoulders and walked over next to his brother. “We haven’t heard anything, Silas. Want to key us in?”

“That’s what I fucking get, letting a couple of boys run my club.”

Mac’s voice was deadly. “My father’s club, actually.”

Dalton was gripping the phone so hard, I was surprised the thing wasn’t cracking.

“Your father is dead, boy. And you’re about to be, if you don’t get over to the clubhouse in the next twenty minutes. The DiAngelos are up in arms over that last shipment, saying they were missing some guns or some shit.”

“Be careful how you talk about our father. You’re only in fucking charge because Mac lets you be.”

I had never heard Dalton sound so angry.

Silas laughed on the other end of the phone. “You keep telling yourself that, son.”

Dalton opened his mouth, but Mac shook his head, stopping him.

“You’ve got twenty minutes. Both of you had better be here. And give that sweet little thing you’re probably with my love.”

With that, Silas hung up, and Dalton threw the phone against the wall. Mac’s eyes were almost black, and Dalton was pacing beside the table. I nibbled on a spoonful of peanut butter, watching them.

“Who the fuck does he think he is?”

“Easy, brother. He won’t be here forever.”

“He needs to go, Mac. He’s ruining the Saints. Dad would be ashamed.”

“I know.”

“You said it was short-term, Maverick. That this shit with the DiAngelos wouldn’t last.”

“Damnit, Dalton—I know.”

The two men stared at each other, and seemed to have forgotten I was even there.

“I hate to interrupt… but what’s going on? What’s crawled up his ass?”

“Shit, Vixen. You shouldn’t have had to hear all that. ”

“But I did. So what’s up?”

Dalton dragged a hand down his face. “What do you know about the DiAngelos?”

Mac gave him a warning look, which he ignored.

I shrugged, feigning nonchalance. “Not much,” I lied.

“Silas is in deep with them—God only knows why. That’s where he goes all the fucking time.

He’s like their little pet or some shit.

I kinda think they just keep him around for entertainment.

Anyway, it works. ‘Cos when he’s gone, Mac and I can do what needs done.

As long as we keep the DiAngelos supplied, we can do whatever we want. ”

“Supplied with what?” I did my best to keep my voice light, my eyes fixed on Dalton. I wanted to know this as Nicky, if it meant being able to support them. But, as Katie, I needed to know.

“Guns, drugs—black market shit. They get that, Silas stays over there, and everyone is happy. Silas only ever comes back when he feels like waving his dick in everyone’s face, or when something’s gone wrong. Like now.”

“Speaking of,” Mac interrupted, “we need to go. Don’t want to keep the boss waiting.”

I stood, putting my peanut butter back on the table. I stepped into Mac, running my hands through his hair before running them down his neck to his arms. His eyes were still a blue so dark, they were like a bottomless sea. A sure sign he was either stressed, angry, or both.

I grabbed his wrists and pulled his arms around me.

“You’ll figure it out. Whatever else, you’re a good leader, Mac.

Your people like and respect you. That’s all that matters.

” I leaned up on my tiptoes and kissed him, licking his lower lip until he opened to me with a groan.

His hands tightened on my waist, before sliding down to my ass.

I wrapped my arms back around his neck, and moaned into his mouth.

“Um, excuse me. My pants are getting tight. I thought we had somewhere to be?”

I smiled over Mac’s shoulder at Dalton, who was indeed sporting an impressive hard-on.

“You’re just jealous.”

I stepped away from Mac and he smacked me on the ass as I walked over to his brother.

I was really starting to like this two-for-one deal.

Dalton picked me up and set me on the table in one smooth move.

I wrapped my legs around him, pressing my core against his length.

He tilted my head back with one hand, and kissed me as deeply as his brother had.

With the other, he slipped his hand under my t-shirt and wrapped it around my breast. He made a sound of pleasure when he realized I wasn’t wearing a bra.

He rolled my nipple between his fingers, and I whimpered at the delicious mix of pleasure and pain.

“We’re going to be late.” Mac’s voice was thick and low.

I broke away from Dalton, who gave me a crooked grin. “Look who’s jealous now.”

I ran my eyes over Mac, who was also incredibly hard. Ugh, I absolutely didn’t want them to leave. Stupid Silas.