Wild Child: A Skull Kings MC Novella (6 page)

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

Gabriel exhaled loudly. “Fuck.”

I squeezed his arm.

“I can’t.” He shook his head. “I fucking can’t.”

“You can’t what?”

To my surprise, Gabriel grabbed me. He squeezed me to his chest so hard that I couldn’t breathe. I felt dizzy when he finally let me go. There was a wild confusion in his eyes when he looked at me again.

“Let’s get out of here,” he said.

* * *

W
e took a cab back to Sarah’s to pick up Gabriel’s ride. Then, having nowhere else to go, we just went to the Strip. There was something soothing about coming back here in the daytime, when the crowd was mostly soft grandmothers and families toting children with cameras hanging from their necks. I let Gabriel lead me by the hand to Bellagio, afraid to say anything.

Once inside, we silently contemplated the glass sculptures mounted to the ceiling in the main entryway. I stuck to Gabriel’s side when he wandered away into the casino.

“What are we doing?” I finally asked.

Gabriel spun around, the same confused look in his eyes. “I don’t know, Lisbeth. I...I...” He bit his lip. “I need a drink.”

He was scaring me. I followed him into an oaken lounge area and bought us a couple of double vodkas with lime.

“Is it what Anna said?” I finally asked.

“About the Kings? Pretty much.” He took a long drink. “Laughlin is my home chapter.”

I choked on a mouthful of vodka, sending a burning lick through my nose. “What?” I coughed.

“I’m originally from Laughlin,” he said. “Patched in by my brother.”

I got an uncomfortable, slimy feeling in the pit of my stomach. “Is your brother, by chance, Jameson?”

Gabriel only responded by taking another drink. “If you know my brother, you probably understand why I left to go nomad.”

I nodded. I did understand. I’d only encountered Jameson once, during the brief time the Laughlin Kings had been holding onto me while waiting for my brother to show up. He was tall and wide, built like a tank, with these crazy tattoos of spitting cobras on his arms. Unlike Canyon City’s own gentle giant Noah, the Laughlin club president was frighteningly intense, like a dictator. With him as the leader, it was no wonder they’d accepted True North’s invitation for an alliance.

The fact that Gabriel was his actual brother made me feel ill.

“This is one hell of a coincidence” I said. “The fact that we even crossed paths is amazing. You’re Jameson’s brother, you’re from Laughlin...”
The people I hoped to avoid,
I mentally added.

Gabriel made a fist and slammed it onto the table, alarming some nearby patrons. “I’m not like him,” he growled.

I finished my drink quickly. When I put my glass down, Gabriel grabbed for my hands. There was a pleading look in his eyes.

“I was afraid to tell you, Lisbeth. Especially when you told me that your brother is the VP of Canyon City.” He lowered his gaze. “I wanted you to trust me.”

“I did,” I said carefully. But did I trust him now?

Without another word, Gabriel pulled me against his body, almost knocking me off of my stool. I sat with my cheek against his shoulder, dazed. When he finally loosened his grip, I managed to pull away slightly.

That was when he kissed me.

It felt like kissing a wall at first. Gabriel was only a sensation against my lips, slightly cool and prickly. But then, he opened his mouth, and his hands floated down my arms toward my waist. I felt the first wave of something beginning to swell up inside of me, a tide of emotion and warmth.

He was the first to pull away. I blinked at him and suddenly realized that I’d drunk that vodka a little too fast.

“I think I should lie down.”

Gabriel seemed to agree. He pulled a huge wad of cash from one of the pockets of his cut. I had no idea where he’d gotten it.

“I’ll get us a room,” he said.

* * *

O
ur room was sumptuously decorated, with plush carpets and striped wallpaper. The two beds wore matching, thick duvet covers. I stretched out on one of them and almost fell asleep right then and there. It was like sinking into a cloud. But I had a perfect view of the marble tiled bathroom, and I knew that I needed a shower. Badly.

Gabriel fell onto the next bed and was completely silent.

“I’m going to shower, okay?”

When he didn’t answer, I got up and closed myself in the bathroom. Light glinted cleanly off of marble surfaces. A rectangular mirrored tray held some toiletries: tiny, fragrant bottles of shampoo, a decanter of cotton balls, a dry square of white soap that smelled of lavender. I held it up to my nose and inhaled. Lavender was supposed to be calming.

So why was my heart beating so fast?

I knew why, but I was afraid to go there.

Girls like me didn’t stay in high-end hotels. We got Paradise Motel, cracked walls, and furniture dusted with cigarette ash. We only stayed at the nicer places if there was a man paying us to go with him...

But I wasn’t that girl, anymore. I shook the memories out of my mind and undressed quickly. When I stepped into the spacious shower, I imagined all those men washing down the drain, riding lavender-scented bubbles.

I’d just finished rinsing out my hair when I finally heard the knocking on the door. I shut off the water. “Yeah?”

“Your phone was ringing,” Gabriel said, his voice slightly muffled.

I wrapped a towel around myself and tip-toed out. Steam gushed out of the bathroom when I cracked the door open. I could see a sliver of Gabriel’s face and opened the door a little wider.

“I think the caller left a voicemail,” he said. Then, his eyes fell off of my face to my body. I could see the change in his expression as his pupils widened, darkening his gaze. His Adam’s apple bobbed when he swallowed. Instinctively, I drew the towel tighter around my chest.

The air hung heavy, suspended between us like a thick curtain. I could anticipate him reaching for me at any moment, and I remained frozen there, afraid to step away. It had been moments before that I’d been thinking about all those men I’d been forced to sleep with to pay off a debt.

And moments before that when Gabriel kissed me.

The ghost of that kiss was still on my lips. My hand floated up to my mouth as I recalled it. I’d never been kissed like that before. Ever.

Gabriel coughed loudly and looked away. “I, uh, just wanted to let you know. In case you were expecting an important call or something.”

I couldn’t imagine who it could’ve been. “Thanks,” I said faintly.

I shut the door, erasing Gabriel from my view.
What just happened?
But before I even had a chance to answer the question for myself, Gabriel burst back into the bathroom.

“Lisbeth,” he said, urgency in his voice. He grabbed my waist and pulled me toward him.

Our lips crashed together, and my mind blanked out. All I could think about was how good it felt to be held, to be kissed by him. All I could hear was his breath, my breath. For just a few moments, it was just him and me. He was my world.

His tongue penetrated my lips but touched against mine tenderly. My whole body burned in his hands. Somehow, I kissed him back.

And just as quickly as it had started, it stopped. Gabriel was the first to pull away. There was a twisted, confused look on his face.

“I’m...I’m sorry,” he said. He walked out quickly, his loud exit echoing off of the walls.

I could only stand there, dazed, staring at the door and wondering what had made him stop.

––––––––

I
came back out of the bathroom, a plush robe wrapped tightly around my clean body. Gabriel sat in an armchair reading one of the tourist magazines. He hopped up once he saw me.

“Great. I’m going to have a shower too, if you don’t mind.”

I was taken aback. It was like he’d forgotten all about what happened earlier.
Or, he’s just pretending he forgot.
“Sure. Go ahead.”

He cleared his throat as he passed by me to get to the bathroom. I noticed he left an arm’s length of space between us. I finally let myself breathe once I heard him lock the door.

“Phew.” I plopped down on the edge of the bed. This just had to be one of the craziest experiences I’d ever had in my life, and it was absolutely exhausting. I gave myself a moment before getting fresh clothes out of my backpack. That was when I noticed my blinking phone and remembered the missed call.

My heart skipped a beat when I read who it had come from.
Carmen?
She was a woman who used to babysit me back in Canyon City. Now, she was hitched up with one of the guys from my brother’s chapter, Logan.

Logan, the former undercover FBI agent.

For some reason, I didn’t wonder why Carmen had called me. At that moment, I remembered Anna’s story. I felt for Adrian’s card in the pocket of my crumpled jeans.

I’d found Anna, but now what? She was in her own mess, but she was trying to take down that gang all by herself. I
had
to help her.

Didn’t I?

I jumped when I heard Gabriel yank open the door as if to announce his presence. His shower had been much shorter than mine.

“So, what’s the plan?” he asked.

I looked away. I’d caught a brief glimpse of his bare chest and the jeans slung low on his gleaming, still-wet hips before I blinked. My cheeks filled with warmth.

“We need to do something about Anna.”

Gabriel snorted. “No. We don’t.”

“Fine.
We
don’t. But I do.” I watched Gabriel tugging on a shirt in my peripheral vision.

“Look.” He sat down on the other bed. “Is this the girl who
tricked
you into joining the gang? What kind of friend does that? Why would you want to help her?”

I tipped my head at him. “She was
forced
to recruit people. Just like I was forced to. That’s just how the gang works. But it doesn’t matter, because that was before we became friends.”

Gabriel waved his hand at me. “Whatever, Lisbeth.”

“Whatever?”

He shrugged dismissively.

I felt like slapping him. “What’s wrong with you?” I blurted out.

“Excuse me?” Gabriel raised his eyebrows.

“You’ve been acting weird
all
day.” My mouth went dry. I gripped the collar of my bathrobe. “The way you kept
grabbing
me and...you know. It’s bizarre.” My heart knocked against my chest.
And it scares me.

I directed my gaze to the floor. I could feel Gabriel staring at me for a long time, and I wondered what he was thinking.

“There are just things you don’t know about me, okay?”

I felt small and tiny in his eyes, like a little girl. “I have secrets too, you know,” I said pathetically.

“Yeah. Sure.” He shrugged into his cut. “I’ll be downstairs if you need me.”

I wanted to stop him, but I couldn’t find the courage to speak up. Before I knew it, he was out the door, and I’d lost my chance. All of the things I should’ve said filled my mind all at once, but all I could do was just sit there.

* * *

I
used the funny little hair dryer in the bathroom to dry my hair. The only makeup I had was half a tube of mascara and some tinted lip balm. Finally in some fresh clothes, I took the elevator back down to the casino, hoping to find Gabriel
somewhere.

Cocktail waitresses in velvet miniskirts and sheer pantyhose criss-crossed my path, ferrying trays of cigarettes and booze. I hovered near some slot machines until one of them came by. I ordered myself a gin and tonic.

Sipping my drink, I scanned the floor. Gabriel didn’t seem like a slot machine kind of guy. Video poker, maybe? I noticed a bank of video poker machines with no Gabriel in sight.
Shit.
Maybe he liked to play Blackjack.

I stared hopelessly into the depths of the casino. There had to be thousands upon thousands of people in here, gambling and stuffing their faces. I finished the gin and tonic and walked a few feet to a bar. After ordering a second drink, I debated whether or not I should just wait for him in my room when I saw it.

The backpatch.

I downed my drink and chased the leather-clad back as it retreated into a crowd of people. Gabriel was heading toward the exit. Why? Why was he leaving?

“Hey!” I called, quickening my pace. I was only a handful of people behind him. I entered the shuffle passing through the rotating door, and then I was outside. I spotted him trying to slide into the taxi line.

I was finally able to grab his shoulder. “Gabriel, where are you—”

But it wasn’t Gabriel. I didn’t even have to see his face. He had “Laughlin” emblazoned onto the back of his cut. I’d been too excited to even notice it.

“Gabriel? I haven’t seen Gabriel in months.” The man turned around and smirked. “But any friend of Gabriel’s is a friend of mine, sweetness.”

An icy shiver of fear scraped down my spine. I slowly backed away, but the stranger followed me anyway. He’d broken away from the line, and the people behind him closed in on his empty spot. They only cared about getting to the next casino, chasing the next jackpot. I might as well have been invisible.

Then, I felt something solid collide against my back. The stranger hesitated, and his predatory smirk faded away.

“Gabriel. Long time no see, brother.”

I turned around. Gabriel was the thing that I had brushed up against. He grabbed my arms and gently swung me to the side.

“Likewise.” His lips were set in a thin line. “It’s been a while, Dash. I’d love to hear how long you’ve been in Vegas.”

“It’s none of your business, is it?” The stranger named Dash grinned, but it looked more like a snarl.

“Then, did you do it?”

Dash’s eyes glinted mysteriously. Gabriel and I knew what he had meant by “it,” and it appeared that Dash did, too. He took a step toward Gabriel and leaned in close. Their noses were almost touching. At first glance, it looked like they were about to kiss.

His answer came out in a whisper, barely audible above the sounds of traffic. But I was just close enough to catch every word.