Boxed Set: Steel: Blacthorne MC Romance (17 page)

E
lla

We left the Blackthorne club at first light. My eyes were bleary, and I couldn’t stop yawning. Nick passed me a helmet, and I pulled it on over my hair, which was still damp from the shower.

It wasn’t exactly a good look. But there was no way I was risking my life to ride this bike.

It appeared that some of the other bikers viewed helmets as optional. Still, that was the least of my problems. I wasn’t going to worry about their road safety.

Both Chad and Tom were quiet and grumpy. I tried not to read too much into it. I put it down to the fact that they didn’t function well in the mornings.

Jackson was the last to join us. We were packed up and ready to go when he strolled out into the parking lot.

He didn’t wear all leather like Chad, Tom and Nick. He wore blue jeans, a white T-shirt and a leather jacket.

He looked good, and he knew it.

As he walked over to his bike, he gave me a slow smile. I scowled at him in response. I still hadn’t forgiven him for not helping Nick.

I turned back to Nick and saw the line of tattoos peeping out from his T-shirt. He looked damn hot as he straddled the black and chrome bike. He reached out a hand and smiled in a way that triggered butterflies in my stomach as he helped me onto the back of the bike.

I shifted forward, enjoying the feeling of my body pressed against his. He was safe and reassuring.

But I didn’t hold onto him too tightly. He was still badly bruised and in pain from his beating.

I bit down on my lip as I felt a rush of anger pass through me. I’d started to feel some kind of connection with Chad, Tom and even Jackson, but the fact that none of them had lifted a finger to help Nick when Victor decided to punish him, had made me realize that we weren’t all friends here.

Everyone was out for themselves.

Nick started up the bike, and I felt the vibrations run through me from the powerful engine. I gripped his leather jacket as we prepared to set off. I don’t know what made me do it, but I glanced over my shoulder, back towards the club, and I was sure I saw a movement in one of the windows.

The light was hitting the windowpane, which made it hard for me to identify who it was, but I was sure somebody was watching us from the window.

It made me uneasy.

Who the hell would have chosen to get up at this time of the morning if they didn’t need to?

Nick revved the engine, and as the bike began to move, I got a better view of the person standing in the window.

It was Damien Blackthorne, and he didn’t look happy.

Maybe he was just pissed that Victor hadn’t let him come on this job, but I couldn’t help thinking it was more than that.

Despite the layers I was wearing and the strengthening sun, I shivered.

Our first stop was a strip joint. I guessed that was pretty predictable.

I climbed off the bike and stretched my stiff limbs. After pulling off my helmet, I did the best I could to tidy my hair by running my fingers through it. I knew my hair probably looked a hideous sight, especially as I’d put the helmet on while my hair was still wet.

We’d ridden for a few hours, and it was now approaching lunchtime. The sun was blazing hot, so it was a welcome relief to get into the cool, darkness of the bar.

When we entered, the hum of conversation fell away, and it seemed like everyone turned to look at us.

Jackson was standing next to me and he muttered, “They always react like this. They don’t trust us.”

I couldn’t blame the people in the bar for their reaction. I think I would have reacted in exactly the same way to Victor Blackthorne’s crew.

We walked forward as a group, towards the bar. And I was glad for the imposing figures of Chad and Tom flanking us. No one would take on a couple of guys like that through choice, unless they had suicidal tendencies.

I felt Nick’s reassuring hand on my shoulder as he leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Are you okay?”

I nodded and tried to smile at him. But I had to admit that the whole atmosphere set me on edge, and my hands were shaking.

A tired -looking barmaid walked over to us at the bar. She smiled at us, but the smile didn’t reach her eyes. “If you guys want to go ahead and get a table, I’ll come over to serve you.”

Nick nodded, and Jackson led the way to a table at the back of the room.

I couldn’t help noticing they chose a table where there was no one behind them, and they had a good view of the entrance.

Were they expecting trouble?

I slipped into the seat beside Nick, and shifted my chair a little closer to him.

The waitress was as good as her word and quickly came over to serve us.

Now that she was out from behind the bar, I could see her clearly. And her appearance was shocking. She wore a short denim skirt and a halter neck top, baring her midriff. But she was so skinny I could count every single one of her ribs. She had to be wearing a size zero, but her clothes were still loose on her.

She had an air of desperation about her.

“What can I get you guys?”

Everyone, including me, ordered beers. It seemed the safest bet. I needed a hit of alcohol, but I was also pretty thirsty.

She looked at me in a speculative way. I guess she didn’t understand what I was doing with them. The Blackthorne bikers wouldn’t usually take someone out on their collection rounds, especially not a female.

There were a few women in the bar. It surprised me that there were so many people here at lunchtime, but it seemed as if this was one of those all-day bars.

As we waited for our drinks, I took the opportunity to look around the bar. It looked old and tired. Definitely not a thriving enterprise, despite the number of customers they had.

I noticed the waitress behind the bar had picked up the telephone before seeing to our drinks. I wondered who she was calling. Perhaps she was ringing the owner, telling them that the Blackthorne gang were here for their pound of flesh.

I felt Nick’s warm hand on my leg, and then his thumb gently rubbed a small circle just above my knee. I knew he was aware that I was stressing out. I guessed he was used to this kind of thing. This was what he did for a living after all.

After the waitress had brought the beers over and we had all quenched our thirsts, Chad leaned back in his chair and rubbed his belly. “When are we eating? I’m starving.”

I stood up quickly, and Nick looked up surprised as his hand fell from my leg.

“I’ll go and see what they’ve got on the menu,” I said.

Before anyone could stop me, I was heading towards the bar.

The waitress saw me and headed me off, deciding to serve me before the other customers who’d been waiting at the bar. I doubted they would be happy about that. I guessed as I was with the Blackthorne crew, I got to jump the queue.

Her suspicious eyes fixed on me, and she gave me a small, tight smile.

“Can I help you?”

I nodded and asked, unnecessarily loudly, “What food are you serving at the moment?”

As she listed today’s specials, she passed me a wedge of laminated menus. I quickly glanced over my shoulder to see if any of the crew were watching me.

Unfortunately, they were.

Nick’s eyes were burning into me from across the room, and Jackson wasn’t much better, although his gaze was cooler and less intense.

“That’s great,” I said to the waitress. “Thanks very much. I’ll be back over to give you our order in a minute.”

“That’s not necessary. I’ll come and take your order,” she said dismissively.

That wasn’t what I wanted. I wanted to ask her a favor without anyone else hearing.

But she was already distracted by another customer and was walking over to the other side of the bar, so I collected the laminated menus and carried them back to the table.

As Chad and Tom debated the merits of chicken wings vs chicken strips, I gazed down miserably at the menu. I needed to think of another excuse to go back to the bar and talk to the barmaid.

I jumped up from my seat again. “Oh, I won’t be a minute. I forgot to ask her something about the menu.”

Before anyone could ask me exactly what I was going to ask her, I headed back to the bar.

The barmaid looked up as she poured a jug of beer. Again, she gave me the same tight smile. After she came closer, I whispered, “Look, I wondered if I could use your phone. I forgot mine, and I really need to call someone.”

The woman hesitated, and a frown puckered her forehead.

“I can pay for it,” I said, desperately, even though that wasn’t true. I didn’t have any money on me.

After a moment’s pause, she reached behind her and pulled a small cell phone out of the back pocket of her denim skirt.

She set it down on the bar. “No need. Any friend of Victor’s…” She trailed off, and I felt awful for trading on my so-called relationship with Victor.

But my overwhelming desire to phone Claire again had me reaching for the phone.

“Thanks very much,” I said.

Now I just had to find a chance to phone Claire. The best opportunity would be now before the food arrived, so I decided to make a trip to the restroom.

The battery had died on the cell phone Jackson had given me, and I didn’t have a charger. Besides, I still wasn’t sure if I trusted Jackson enough to rely on the phone he’d given me.

I knew both Jackson and Nick were watching me as I headed for the restroom. I could only hope they hadn’t seen me take the cell phone.

As neither one of them followed me out into the area behind the bar to where the toilets were, I figured I’d gotten away with it.

The restrooms weren’t exactly luxurious, and they needed a good clean, but I shoved my worries about toilet hygiene to one side and locked myself inside a stall.

I muttered a prayer as I pulled the phone out from my pocket and dialed Claire’s number. I held my breath as it rang and felt that same brief split second of hope as I heard Claire’s voice, before realizing yet again it was her voicemail message.

“It’s Ella,” I said. “I’ve borrowed a phone to try and call you… I hope you’re okay.”

I didn’t know what else to say. After all the effort to get a phone to try and contact Claire, I couldn’t say what I really wanted to.

I was worried someone else might check her messages. As someone had taken
my
cell phone there was a good chance they’d also taken Claire’s. So I couldn’t give her Victor Blackthorne’s name. I couldn’t even mention my location. I clenched my teeth in frustration.

“I just hope you’re okay,” I said and hung up.

I exhaled a long breath and leaned back against the wall of the toilet stall. I just needed Claire to pick up once. And I had a crazy feeling that if I kept trying, then surely one time she
would
pick up.

I heard someone else enter the restroom, and the door creaked open.

I shoved the phone back in my pocket and exited the stall. Washing my hands, I glanced in the mirror and winced at my unruly hair.

I ran my still wet hands through the curly strands to try and calm the frizz down a little.

Then I took a deep breath and headed back out. Before I returned to our table, I needed to return the phone. So again, I went to the bar, trying to casually look over my shoulder and make sure I wasn’t observed.

No such luck. Both Jackson and Nick were watching me carefully.

The barmaid noticed the way they were looking at me and raised an eyebrow as she reached for the cell phone. “You don’t want them to know you were calling anyone, do you?”

I didn’t know how to answer.

If I told her the truth, would she go straight over to Nick and the rest of the crew and tell them?

In the end, I decided to tell the truth. “I wanted to keep it secret. Thanks,” I said and gave her a smile, hoping she wouldn’t betray me.

She nodded slowly and her eyes flickered from me to the rest of the Blackthorne crew at our table. It seemed to take ages, but it was probably only a few seconds before she turned back to me and gave me a wink.

“Your secret’s safe with me,” she whispered and then added more loudly, “I’ll bring your food over shortly.”

When I returned to the table, Nick was regarding me curiously. “You seem pretty friendly with the staff.”

“Oh, that? I was just asking her where the restroom was.” I avoided eye contact and sat down beside him, hoping he wouldn’t ask any more questions.

“That explains what you were talking about before you went to the restroom. What about when you came back?”

I scowled. “What is this? I can’t even go to the restroom without an interrogation now?” I folded my arms over my chest and sat back in my chair sulkily.

I was overreacting and I knew it. The only thing that would do was make me look more guilty, but luckily for me, at that moment the food arrived at the table and everyone was distracted.

I would have to be more careful in the future. I figured I’d gotten away with it this time, but next time, I wouldn’t be so lucky.

I had promised to give Nick a week to get me out of here. I’d meant it, too.

I hadn’t made any promises not to call Claire, though, I reminded myself, determined not to feel guilty.

As I raised my eyes from the mountain of chicken wings in the middle of the table, my gaze locked with Nick’s. Those impossibly beautiful eyes studied me closely, as if he was trying to work out what I was hiding from him.

I swallowed nervously. I hated keeping things from him, but it wasn’t easy to trust anyone in these circumstances.

I shifted my gaze to Jackson and then wished I hadn’t. He was watching Nick and I with a smirk on his face. I ignored them both and reached for my beer. I had a feeling this was going to be the longest week of my life.

T
he rest
of the day consisted of waiting around. Nick had told me we would be staying in rooms at the bar tonight. We’d been given a pokey room that had a bed with squeaky bedsprings.

I’d gone to the room and checked it out, but with nothing better to do, I’d returned to the bar. There was no TV, no radio, no books…

I’d hoped to persuade Nick to come back to the room with me so we could make our own entertainment, but he wouldn’t budge from the table at the back of the bar, He watched the clientele as if they were the most interesting thing he’d ever seen.

I sighed. “Is it always like this?”

“Always like what?” Chad asked.

“So boring. Nothing is happening. Why don’t you just collect the money and go?”

Nick shot me a warning look. I knew he didn’t like me asking questions. He figured the less I knew, the less chance I had of getting into trouble with Victor.

Chad shrugged. “It’s not the most exciting part of the job. I’ll give you that.”

Jackson leaned forward and picked up his beer. “It’s all a game, Ella. We’re waiting for the owner to deliver the money, but even if he delivered it on time, this is all part of the game plan. Our presence here at the bar is a statement. We want people to see us, and we stick around to make sure that they do.”

“So you’re trying to intimidate them?” I asked.

Jackson smiled. “I prefer to see it as gentle persuasion.”

I took another large swallow of my beer. I was feeling distinctly lightheaded, and was drinking too much because I was bored.

It was getting dark outside now and busier in the bar, but people kept a respectful distance from our table.

Loud cheers and whistles sounded on the other side of the room, and we all turned.

Four scantily clad girls were making their way up onto a small stage. As the music started pumping, they started to remove items of clothes as they shimmied along to the music.

I was starting to get annoyed. All the men had their eyes fixed on the women dancing on the stage.

A tall girl, with big, bouncing, brown curls and a huge rack, stood at the front of the group of strippers and removed her bra. There was a huge cheer from the men standing beside the stage, and I felt a distinct pang of irritation at the fact that both Nick and Jackson seem to be very interested.

I thought they were supposed to be watching out for the owner
not
focusing on a stripper’s breasts.

I took another sip of my beer.

There was another large cheer, and I noticed to my surprise that one of the strippers, the one with the largest breasts, had climbed down from the stage and was now making her way towards our table.

Her large, full breasts bounced with each step she took. My eyes narrowed, and I felt a flash of fury as she headed straight to Nick.

She cupped her breasts with her hands, pushing them together and getting so close she was practically rubbing them in Nick’s face.

My jaw dropped open, and my fingers itched to slap her.

Nick turned his head to the side, ignoring her. “Not tonight, sweetheart.”

The stripper didn’t seem bothered at his rejection. She just shrugged and then turned her attention to Jackson. He grinned as she jiggled her breasts in front of his face and then turned to give him a good look at her thong-covered backside and began to grind against him.

I thought strippers had a no touching rule.

I glared angrily at them, and Jackson chuckled as he lightly slapped her ass.

“Come here, honey,” Tom said, obviously enjoying the show.

When the stripper stood in front of Tom, he put his huge hands on her breasts, squeezing them and tweaking her nipples.

I flushed.
Jesus
. I really didn’t need to be watching this. I felt sick.

Because everyone else was so distracted by the stripper, I managed to easily slip away without anyone seeing me.

I stepped inside the restroom and splashed cold water on my face. I looked in the mirror and was depressed at the sight that greeted me. My skin looked pale, and my eyes looked wild.

My pupils were dilated – I’d definitely had way too much to drink. I moved to the side to make way for two women, who’d entered the small restroom and were intent on applying a fresh coat of lipstick. One started backcombing her hair.

“Hey,” I said, smiling at them both. “I don’t suppose either of you have a phone I could borrow, do you? I’ve left mine at home.”

The two women exchanged a look, and the one with bleached blonde hair narrowed her eyes at me. “Say, you’re with the Blackthorne guys, aren’t you?” She turned to her friend and giggled. “Man, what I wouldn’t give to be in her place. Can you imagine being passed around between them. They’re
real
men. I bet they know how to satisfy a woman.”

The other woman, who had a hard face, licked her freshly painted lips. “I like the dark-haired one.”

I knew she was talking about Nick and I flinched.

“I bet he knows what he’s doing in the bedroom.” She cackled.

“Well, you can have him, honey. I’ll go for the tall blonde guy. He looks like he could go all night.”

The one with the blonde hair peered closer at me. “Have you had them both?”

She raised her eyebrows. “I bet they’re big, aren’t they?”

I screwed up my face in disgust.

I’d been feeling low and out of my depth at this bar, and I wanted to hear Claire’s familiar voice. Even if it was just her voicemail message again.

I’d only wanted to borrow a phone, but now I realized these two were not the right women to ask.

“Never mind,” I muttered and backed away from them.

“Maybe you could put in a good word for us,” the blonde woman said.

She winked at me, but I turned around on my heel and left the restroom as quickly as I could.

I’d made a mistake. A big one. They knew I was with the Blackthorne crew, so it was stupid of me to talk to them. They could tell Nick or Jackson I’d been asking to use a phone, and it could get back to Victor.

Why had I been so stupid?

When I got back to the table, I was confronted with an extremely angry Nick.

His eyes flashed down at me as he loomed above me. “Where the hell were you?”

His words were so sharp and furious that I actually took a step back.

I was about to explain that I’d been to the restroom and apologize, but then I thought,
to hell with that
.

If he hadn’t been so busy staring at the strippers, he would have realized I’d gone.

Besides, I was perfectly within my rights to visit the restroom. I didn’t need his permission.

My cheeks flamed with embarrassment as I realized Jackson was watching us with a twisted smirk.

“I went to the restroom,” I said. “Why do you care? You seemed quite occupied when I left.”

I was annoyed at myself for revealing the fact I was jealous, and I bit down on the inside of my mouth.

But Nick didn’t seem to notice. He was still furious that I’d gone off somewhere without telling him.

“You don’t just walk off like that, Ella. I can’t protect you if I don’t know where you are. You’re my—”

My temper flared at those words. “I’m not your property, Nick!”

Chad and Tom chuckled beside us.

Nick tensed. He looked as though he was barely keeping his temper in check.

He gritted his teeth. “I was going to say you are my responsibility. I didn’t
say
you were my
property
.”

I folded my arms across my chest, determined not to give in. “You were
inferring
that I was yours.”

“You are mine,” he growled.

Ignoring the laughter of Chad and Tom beside us, Nick leaned forward to whisper in my ear. “You’re mine to protect and that’s what I’m going to do. If you disobey me again, I’m going to take you to our room, spread you across my lap, pull down your jeans and spank that pretty little ass of yours.”

I felt a rush of something that wasn’t exactly anger.

Heat pulsed between my legs as I pictured myself being spanked by Nick. I flushed guiltily at the idea I could take pleasure from something like that.

“I can take care of myself, thank you very much, Nick,” I said and took a step back from him.

I knew I was breathing hard and fast, but I couldn’t control it.

Get a grip, Ella
, I ordered myself.

It was blatantly obvious I couldn’t actually look after myself in a place like this. I
did
need Nick, Jackson, Chad and Tom to keep me safe here. But it pissed me off that he would act like I belonged to him, as if I didn’t have any choice.

Nick still looked furious, but he sat back down. “We are working, Ella,” he said in a cold tone, and turned away, making it clear he was refusing to engage any further.

I was so mad.

I stood up. “Fine. I’m going to bed.”

I marched off, hoping that Nick would follow me. I tried to suppress the longing I felt. I was shocked to realize I wanted him to follow through on his promise. The idea of feeling his hand smacking my ass was a crazy turn on.

But it wasn’t Nick who caught up with me before I reached the room, it was Jackson.