“Sucks to be in a position you can’t escape from.”
I nod. “Yeah, it does.”
He nods, and runs his finger around the rim of the glass. “Well, you stay here as long as you need.”
“Thank you, but I’ll try and get out of your hair as soon as I can.”
He shrugs, tensing and releasing his jaw. “Don’t matter to me, darlin’. You can stay.”
“I know,” I whisper. “But you don’t know me and...”
“You gonna murder me in the middle of the night?”
I chuckle, but it sounds empty, even to me. “No.”
“You gonna steal from me?”
“No.”
“You’re not one of those female sicko’s that will tie me up and rape me?”
I giggle, and he grins. “Serious question, darlin’. You never know.”
“I swear, I don’t have sex fetishes.”
His eyes twinkle with humor. “Well then, I’m sure we’ll be fine.”
We’re not fine though. Because I’m lying to him. I’m cheating him.
I’m a monster.
“Well,” he says, pushing off the counter. “Hope the milk helps.”
He puts his glass down, flashes me a smile, and walks out. When he gets to the stairs, I spin around.
“Hey Jackson?”
He turns, looking at me. Damn those eyes.
“Thank you.”
He grins again. “Yeah, no problem.”
Then he’s gone, and I’m left with an aching heart.
How the hell am I going to do this?
CHAPTER 3
SERENITY
“You sure you want to do this?” Addi asks, unlocking the door to the main house at the Hell’s Knights compound.
I nod. “I need to help out somehow, you all took me in and you didn’t have to.”
“You know it’s no pay, the girls that work at the bar don’t get paid for it...”
“I know,” I say, and then quickly cover it with. “I didn’t expect to get paid.”
She smirks. “Well, if you want to put up with the drunken fools, sure.”
I wave a hand. “I don’t mind.”
We head into the bar, and she turns to me, pointing to the beers, spirits and then the glasses.
“Those are all you need to know about. The men don’t care about what we’re wearing, doing, or saying. They come to drink, sometimes to fuck, and they move on. Make it known from day one that you’re not a whore, they will soon learn. Don’t let them push you around.”
I smile at her, but inside my head I’m grinning big. She has no idea just how much I know how to deal with bikers. I didn’t really want to ask to work here, but I know if I don’t come back with some sort of information, my father will flip. Working here might give me a chance to overhear something. It might allow me to find something worth taking back. I feel my stomach twist at the thought of doing this, but I have no way around it. I can’t walk away.
“Thanks,” I smile. “I’ll ask if I need any help.”
“You girls ready to open?”
We both turn to see Jackson striding in. I pull my lower lip into my mouth as I watch him stop in front of us. He looks completely stunning this morning, his thick black hair is tied back up, and his grey shirt stretches across his broad chest. He’s got his colors hanging over his arm. His heavy black boots jingle as the chains slap together. He’s bouncing his foot impatiently for some reason, perhaps something is going on?
“We’re all set. I’ve gone over it all with Serenity.”
Jackson turns his eyes to mine. “Don’t let none of those bastards try and put you in the sack, you tell ‘em to fuck right off if they start.”
I feel the side of my mouth curl into a half smile. “I will.”
“You girls yell out if you need me. I’ve got a meeting.”
I watch as he disappears into the office at the back. A moment later, Cade and Spike come in and join him, followed by two other men. It must be important, but I have no idea how I’m going to hear any of it. I turn to Addi, giving her a fake smile. Maybe if I use the old ‘I need to go to the toilet’ act, it will buy me some time to try and see if I can hear some of what they are saying.
“Have you got a toilet around here?”
She nods, pointing down the hall. “Down the hall, to your left. Near Jackson’s office.”
I hurry off quickly, and when I enter the dark hall, I see Jackson’s door is closed. Quietly, I walk over, and have a quick glance around before pressing my ear to the door. The voices are muffled, but I can make out enough of the words.
“You heard if he’s dead yet?” Cade says.
“No, haven’t heard back. I think he’s dead, he was in the house that blew.”
“We gotta be sure. Hogan could be a problem if he puts two and two together,” Spike says. “And he will if he’s alive. He knows I’m looking for him.”
I lift my head off the door. They think my father is dead? Oh god, they don’t know he’s alive, they’re not even ready for what’s coming. This isn’t good. I’m about to turn, when I hear a voice behind me. “What you doin’ down here, girl?”
I turn to see an old biker, smoke in his mouth, glaring at me. I open my mouth and splutter out, “I was looking for the bathroom.”
He jabs a thumb to the door over from the one I’m standing at. I scurry towards it, stepping inside quickly. Shit, that was too close. I walk over to the sink and dampen a piece of towel to wipe my face. I take a few deep breaths, and calm my trembling hands. This is bad. This is really bad. They don’t even know Hogan is alive, which means his attack is going to come as a shock.