Page 22 of Shadow’s Protection (Hurricane Heat MC #1)

Violet

I wander back down the corridor that leads from the office space toward the main room of the compound.

Massive guys in leather and denim pass me, headed toward Shadow and whatever meeting he’s called.

I get friendly looks from the bikers, but I don’t respond. I keep my head down and eyes lowered.

What can I say?

Thanks for attempting to stop my loser ex from trying to find me. Thanks for letting me crash here, even though I unknowingly brought danger right to your door.

If I make it out of here in one piece, I’ll thank them. But right now, I don’t feel very grateful. I feel trapped.

Clive is hunting me, and while I appreciate what Shadow is trying to do, I feel like a prisoner here. I can’t find it in my heart to be angry, though. All these people are willing to put themselves on the line for my safety.

As much as I hate this situation, as much as I feel stuck and scared, I have to admit, at the same time, I’ve never felt safer.

When I get back to the main room, I’m shocked at how quiet and empty it is.

The televisions are off. No one is playing video games. No one’s making out on the couches. I’m immediately rushed by Cammy and Stella, the latter of whom throws her arms around me in a hug.

“You look like you need that drink,” she says.

I shake my head. “Maybe some water. I don’t think I can handle much else.” My stomach flips over, and I take a seat at the bar.

“I’m craving fucking nachos.” Cammy claps her hands together and heads off toward the kitchen, leaving Stella and me alone.

She grabs a cold bottle of water from the fridge behind the bar and slides it across the top to me. Cammy comes back a second later with a bag of tortilla chips in one hand and a bunch of jars and cans in the other.

“Nacho party.” Jackie appears from God only knows where and gestures with grabby hands toward a can of cheese. “Ew, gross. Cammy, fuck. Did you even heat this up?” She takes the can and disappears back into the kitchen, while Cammy winks at me.

“Reverse psychology. Is that what that was?” she asks.

Stella shakes her head. “If you ever want Jackie to do anything useful, you’ve gotta find a way to make it seem like it’s her idea.”

Cammy tears open the bag of chips and pops one into her mouth. “Mmm.” She makes a yummy sound then crunches the crispy chip. “No shit. The last time I asked Jackie to cook or clean something, I almost got knifed.”

She rolls her eyes. “I’m almost not even kidding. Better to just act stupid and let Jackie feel smart.”

Stella pops the top off a jar of hot salsa. “Eh, she’s not all bad. She’s just independent.”

Cammy and Stella trade looks and laugh, then Stella hands me a plate.

“All done.” Jackie sings as she comes back with a bowl of bubbling nacho cheese. “See, you heathens? Was that so hard?”

She sets the bowl of cheese on the table, and Stella puts out some serving spoons. We each grab a paper plate and put chips, sliced jalapenos, salsa, bean dip, and cheese on our plates.

“Goddamn, that’s good.” Jackie slaps the bar and talks around a mouth full of nacho. Then she turns to me. “So, what the fuck did you do to land Shadow? Spill it, nerd girl.”

I have a crisp nacho in my mouth, loaded high with spicy peppers and hot salsa.

My mouth waters at the flavors. It’s so good, and I realize how little I’ve eaten the last few days I’ve been here.

I’ve probably burned thousands of calories with Shadow, so it’s not the healthiest snack, but I’m grateful to fill my belly with women I trust.

I shake my head. “Land him? Oh no, it’s not like that.”

Cammy directs a nacho dripping with hot cheese at me like a pointer. “I call bullshit. Who seconds me?”

Stella raises a hand, giving me a wink. “Come on, babe. He’s gone. G-O-fucking-N-E.” She spells out the word, then scoops up a load of salsa on a chip. “He’s never like this. We would know.”

Jackie bursts out a laugh. “You mean you would like to know. You’ve been trying to get up close to that piercing from the jump.”

I look at Stella, worried that she has feelings for Shadow. Feelings that maybe I’ve stomped all over.

Stella waves off my worries, giving me a sincere smile.

“Don’t listen to Jackie. Every one of us has been sweet on these guys.

That’s why we stick around. Fucking around with any one of them is a guaranteed good time.

But getting any of them to make an old lady out of us?

” She shrugs. “I haven’t seen it happen yet. ”

Jackie helps herself to a beer from the fridge behind the bar and swats Stella’s butt. “Speak for yourself, bitch. It’s only a matter of time before one of those assholes wises up and makes an honest woman out of me.”

Cammy lifts a brow. “Jackie, you’re about as honest as a fox in a henhouse.”

Jackie doesn’t get offended. To my surprise, she laughs so hard she almost spits nachos onto the bar. “Well, I’d rather be the fox than the hen, bitch.”

While they tease each other and eat nachos, Stella leans her arms forward on the bar and studies my face. “You’re into him, right? Shadow?”

My mouth goes suddenly dry. How am I supposed to answer that? Shadow is a biker from a world I can’t even begin to understand.

At the same time, my life is about as messed up as the streets of Tampa after the tropical storm. How could a guy like him and someone like me ever work?

Stella doesn’t wait for me to respond. “We’ve all been through shit, babe,” she says quietly as she stares off into the distance.

“How we got here doesn’t matter. Where we go once we find each other does.

” She snaps out of her trance and turns to grab herself a beer.

She pops the cap and lifts the bottle to me in a toast. “I’ve never seen any one of them look at a woman the way Shadow looks at you.

Like he’s claimed you. Like he’d move heaven and earth to get to you. ”

Stella sighs and hums a little, sounding almost jealous. “A lot of us would do a lot of things—illegal or legal—to land a man like Shadow,” she says.

The thought of being claimed by anyone, especially Shadow, makes my belly do weird flips. Maybe it’s the salsa or the stress. Maybe it’s the fear that lurking underneath every man is a little bit of Clive.

I find myself resisting that idea. I can’t believe it. I just can’t imagine Shadow ever doing anything to scare me, harm me, or control me. Claiming me, though…

My heart thunders in my chest, thinking of all the ways he’s claimed me. The ways I’ve claimed him.

Stella studies my face with a smug grin. “Thought so,” she says. “And welcome to the club.”

I can’t say anything.

I don’t want to reject the only friends I have right now, and I wouldn’t reject them even if they weren’t my only options.

I like these women. I may not be like them, but I like being around them.

I want to get to know them. I want to know Stella’s story and what she whispers about when she and Phantom are alone.

I’m curious about Savage and Viper, even Cammy and Jackie—whom I’ll never be close to, but I can still appreciate.

“Thank you, Stella,” I say, before using the spoon to drizzle a little cheese on my chip.

Before I can say anything else, the sound of heavy boots fills my ears, and the room is swarmed with bikers. All of them. Phantom, Shadow, Savage, Viper, and even the prospects.

“Let’s go,” Shadow says.

For a second, frustration rises in the back of my throat.

I don’t like being told what to do. I don’t like being powerless in my own life.

But I remind myself this is not like Clive.

Shadow isn’t trying to hold me back. He’s trying to protect me.

To stick his neck out when no one else would.

No, scratch that. He’s sticking his neck out and bringing the necks of everyone who means anything to him along with him.

If they have a plan, I am going to listen. I may not like it, but I like the idea of Clive hurting any of these people—hurting me—a heck of a lot less.

Once we’re back in Shadow’s room, he points to the bathroom. “I want you to stay here,” he says. “Shower, clean up, nap. Do whatever you need to do. Just relax and lie low for a while.”

I see that the suitcase I’d packed for the trip to Tampa is on the floor.

“Grabbed that from your car,” he says. “Went through it myself, just to make sure there wasn’t another tracker.”

I shake my head. “I wouldn’t have thought there was any way that Clive could have put something in my luggage. But now? I don’t know what to believe.”

“It’s clean. Take it easy. I’ll handle everything from here.”

“Shadow.” I stop him with a hand on his arm. He turns back to face me. “What are you going to do?”

He hesitates and looks like he’s going to ignore me and just leave.

“We found some dirt on Clive. Some very, very damaging dirt. Enough to get his ass put away for a long time. End his career, definitely. End his freedom—possibly.” Shadow pinches the bridge of his nose and sucks in a long, frustrated breath.

“Violet.” His voice goes deadly serious.

“If the man is willing to track you down across the state after a fucking hurricane, then I’m not sure threatening his livelihood will do the trick.

Much as I’m hoping we can get him to go away without resorting to violence, it may come to that. ”

“Would you kill him?” I squeak out the question.

Shadow snorts. “I’m not opposed to beating his ass. We’ll start there and see how deep this asshat’s dug his heels in. If we’re lucky, he’ll learn his lesson and move the fuck along.”

“And if we’re not lucky?” I have to ask the question.

Because as safe as I feel here right now, I know I can’t stay here forever, eating nachos with the girls and having sex.

I have to move in to my condo. And I can’t live looking over my shoulder and into the bumpers of my car for the rest of my life. I need this thing with Clive to end.

“I’d put my money on your luck, not his.”