Page 6 of Tracking Luxe

And he saw it a beat later when her eyes went flat, shifted back to him, she drank again and moved towards the bed, she flipped on the AC, cooler air filling the room, she sighed. “Finally, I was being cooked in this box. So, talk, mister kidnapper. What is it you want, if it’s not ransom, which FYI, no one will pay, so you’re shit out of luck,chico, if that was your angle, my family is poor, myabuelais more likely to offer to feed you and then arrange our wedding.”

She was being clinical. Smart. Mouthy. He liked that.

It could have gone either way, he’d expected hysterics, some womanly tantrum that would burst his eardrum or force him to keep her gagged. This was better, civilized, he could get answers and get the hell back to his regular scheduled life where he wasn’t holding a woman against her will.

For fucks sake, he’d dropped brain cells in the last few days for fucking sure.

And his club brothers didn’t have a clue what he was doing.

He’d sat around the church table tonight, nodding and interjecting his opinions on the latest business, all the while his mind was back here with the little thief.

Preacher had caught up with him as he’d swung a leg on his hog ready to get back to the motel and asked blankly what the fuck was up with him lately. He’d pasted on a grin for his friend and told him nada. Lied like a dickhead. If anyone would understand Grinder’s temporary insanity it would be Preacher but he couldn’t form the words so he’d rode off in hopes to fix this situation.

As it stood he was looking at a possible war with the Apollo Kingsmen if Luxe was as tight with them as he suspected.

And he suspected alright that shewasclose to their president. Hadn’t he seen with his own two eyes already. Sucking on his teeth, the irritation clear, he tamped back on that annoyance, the shard of odd jealousy that filled his gut and pooled like pus.

He never got jealous. Women were to enjoy when he fancied it, but he didn’t catch an attachment, not even in grade school when he had three girlfriends at once. He’d had one semi-serious woman he’d dated on the regular that lasted two years but even then, once that relationship ended he’d never thought of Jules again.

Yet, here he was staring at the pretty thief and wondering just how intimate she was with JamiefuckingSteele. Would the man want revenge soon as he knew what had happened to Luxe? That’s all the Renegade Souls needed was another enemy to add to the pile, not after they’d just swept the city of the Raging Rebels.

RS had always played fair with the Kingsmen, in Grinder’s history of being in the club that was, both their former presidents had enemies long, it had taken Rider an age to sort out his territory, and Jamie both, to put truces in place with all neighboring clubs.

This could set the club back decades.

Hell. He sucked in a gulp of air, rubbed a hand over his beard and sat back in the chair, contemplating his next move. Get this done, get gone. Gethergone for good.

That was his plan of action and he had to stick to course, not let himself be deviated by a set of big round eyes or pouty lips that begged to be sucked on.

Realistically, he could just walk out the door and leave her to her life, let this shit go, never see her again. Why wasn’t he?It’s not just about what she stole, dickhead.

His attraction to her wasn’t a surprise, he’d wanted her like crazy, but he wasn’t about to act on it now. Dumb move.

Hey, I kidnapped you, how about a date? Somehow, he couldn’t see that going well.

Leading a solitary life suited Grinder. Not even the pink and the wet controlled him. Grinder preferred not to have entanglements, not because he had issues, nah, nothing like that, even though his mother had taken off on him and his dad early on, he didn’t hold it against her, didn’t harbor deep-seated grudges, or let it affect his life now, people had to do what they had to do, even if it meant leaving your kid behind, he’d had a good life with his dad and uncles, but he never wanted to be responsible for another person either.

He liked plans. Strict regimes. It was how his tracking worked.

He’d seen Luxe smile only once at another guy and his plans and regime had flown out the fucking window, making him react first and ask questions second.

He had no explanation other than he’d caught up to her after a year of wondering, how it had stung this little thief had gotten the drop on him because for once his dick had taken over the thinking.

It unsettled him to admit he’d deviated from his strict proficient way of living without a second thought the moment Luxe had come onto his page.

What the hell did that mean?

“Are you just going to sit there glowering at me?” Her voice brought him out of his own head space, he blinked her face into focus. Fuck, he had been spaced out.

“As enjoyable as I’m sure your nana’s food would be, filling my belly isn’t what I’m after, little thief.”

“Don’t call me that.”

“What, a thief? That is what you are.”

“And you’re a bloodhound for the Renegade Souls, but I’m not calling you Scooby Doo, am I,imbécil?”

Grinder’s mouth twitched seeing her eyes flash before she reined herself in. Goddamn, she had fire beneath her walls. If things had gone differently last summer he’d already know what that fire tasted like on his tongue.