Page 31 of Tracking Luxe

It was what every man who patched in said and meant it. There could be no wavering on loyalty, you were either in or you weren’t, it was that simple.

Only now some of the members, the prez included, had old ladies and naturally the order of priorities for those men had changed. Forever loyal to the club but it was more than obvious who was their number one.

It stood to reason, Grinder mused.

There’s this chick.

Luxe had beenthatchick for him for more than a year.

Baby, I'm preying on you tonight, hunt you down eat you alive.

Even in the background, he’d think of her sometimes, how she’d played him and he’d get angry. But more than that, he was aroused and intrigued by the kind of woman she was, longing for a missed opportunity, if he was honest with himself. It wasn’t just about sex.

She was under his skin, tormenting him from the inside with thoughts of tossing her around and tangling up his bed sheets.

Was this the only way to get her out of his system?

To do this favor for her, to give her payback?

I bet she’d be pleased if it got me killed.

Crossing his arms against his chest, lassoing any errant thoughts of bed sheets and tossing Luxe there, he went on, leaving out the most important detail of all. He wasn’t proud of his behavior these past weeks.

Not at all.

“Luxe Reyes. She’s associated with the Apollo Kingsmen.” Jealousy tickled his insides. “She’s a thief who’s been hired to steal from the Russians, only it’s proving more difficult for her than she initially figured.”

This detail got Rider’s attention, Grinder watched the blue of those presidential eyes flare.

“I owe her a favor, Rider, one I can’t----don’t want to get out of, and she’s asked me to give her a hand, bait and distract, breaking and entering. A bunch of old shit paintings, who the fuck wants them I don’t know, but they’re worth a chunk of change for her commission to grab ‘em. I caught her last night casing their building, she nearly got caught by one of Grigori’s men. She can’t get close enough to get into the lock box, that’s where I come in.”

Aware of Rider’s silence and his watchful stare that could mean a helluva lot, none of it good, Grinder perched on the end of the table. The same table they’d waged wars around, the very table only last year Rider and the rest of them had formed a plan to attack the Raging Rebels, ultimately taking that club out one by lousy one. Other times, lighter times they’d bantered back and forth, throwing out slurs to each other, never meaning it, just a few month ago Rider had told the boys he was going to be a father around this very oak. This table had seen a lot over the years, worse still when Rex Marinos oversaw the gavel and presidents chair.

What a joke he’d been. Grinder side-tracked and wondered if the old prez would even dare show up for the anniversary this year. After being ousted and then trying to rally a coup against Rider in his first year, would Rex even dare? Grinder would lay money on that sly cunt traipsing his corrupt ass through the doors like his shit don’t stink.

“I’m guessin’ there’s more to ‘there’s this chick’ G. She the reason you’ve been absent more than not lately and havin’ Preacher fret like his bestie stopped braiding his hair?”

Grinder’s eyes fell flat. What could he say? “I’ve been getting my work done.”

“Not sayin’ you haven’t. But your head’s been planted up your ass for weeks. We’ve all noticed it, man. Look, I ain’t got nothin’ to say about you hookin’ up with whoever. If you’re bringin’ this to me it means you want to involve the club.”

Grinder took a long-measured breath. He wasn’t angry at Rider, even if he felt like he was getting a spanking in a roundabout kinda way. It was easier to ask for forgiveness than it was permission.

But this was the club. The place that meant a lot to him.

And Rider was half right.

“It gave me an idea, if she wants me to get as close to the mob as I can so I can break a safe, I might be able to get something on them as to what the fuck they’re even doing here and why they got a hard-on for our territory.”

“Hm.” Was Rider’s reply. His face pensive in that way he got sometimes and again Grinder was glad it was Rider who had the president seat to make the decisions regarding the club. “Risky.” Rider added long minutes later. “Right now, the Russian’s ain’t steppin’ on our toes and I like it that way, G. We poke their nest, you get caught, it ain’t gonna be pretty and the last thing I want now with my kid on the way is a war.”

Grinder jutted his chin, eyes pensive. Leaning both hands on the table top, he met the eyes of his boss.

The beginning of rock and hard place stirring in Grinder’s chest. Fuck. He couldn’t tell Luxe no with this, not when he had so much to make up for and this was what she’d asked of him.

But to go against a club order he couldn’t do that either, not lightly anyway, he wanted to avoid that.

Fucks sake.