Ink (Hounds of Hellfire MC #6)

Chapter 4

4

INK

I wasn’t about to let Annika out of my sight until I’d made it clear to the world that she belonged to me. And I was itching to feel her couple of curves wrapped around me as we flew into the wind on my motorcycle. I’d never let a woman on my bike, not even family, so I was a little surprised that I hadn’t even hesitated when deciding how we’d get to the compound.

“Give me your keys, dolcezza ,” I ordered, holding out one hand while the other kept a firm grip on hers. “Onyx or a prospect will bring your car to the clubhouse.”

Annika blinked up at me, then excitement brightened her eyes. “Are we going to take your motorcycle?”

“You like that idea?” I asked with a lazy smile. “Taking a ride with me?”

A deep blush colored Annika’s cheeks, but she nodded. “I’ve never ridden on a motorcycle.”

“You’ll only ever ride on one, baby,” I said in a low voice that made her shiver. I fucking loved when she did that. It was sexy as hell.

She bit her lip as she pulled her keys from her purse and handed them to me. Then she offered no resistance as I guided her up to the front and tossed them to Jay. “Cancel my appointments for the rest of the week. And get Annika’s car back to the compound.” I glared at him pointedly and growled, “One scratch, and you’ll be out on your ass, probie.”

He jerked his chin up and down quickly. “Done.”

My bike was parked in a gated lot behind the shop, so I took Annika to the back door and out into the sunshine. It was a perfect day to ride. If we hadn’t been in the middle of dealing with her uncle’s shit, I’d have put off going to the clubhouse and taken her out for a few hours. As soon as it was handled, I was gonna take her for a long ride. In more ways than one.

When we were standing beside my hog, I retrieved a helmet from one of the saddle bags and gently popped it onto Annika’s head.

“Cute as fuck,” I murmured with a smirk and a slight shake of my head. Then I shrugged off my cut and helped her into it as well. I looked her over and frowned. While she looked amazing in my clothes, I didn’t like that her arms and legs would be so exposed on the road. I’d have to be extra cautious until I could get her a set of leathers and her own helmet.

“Wait here, dolcezza ,” I ordered. Jogging over to the gate, I dug my keys out of my pocket, then unlocked it and opened the big door. Then I returned for my bike, and we walked out of the small lot before I closed and locked the gate again. Returning to her side, I swung my leg over the seat and got settled before instructing her on how to climb behind me. Once I knew that she was good back there, I fired up the engine.

When we were ready to go, I glanced back at my girl. “Hold on tight, dolcezza .”

As I suspected, the ride was too fucking short. Annika felt amazing wrapped around me and since we’d just met, it was the only way I’d be between those thighs right now.

King was waiting for me when I drove into the compound and parked in front of the clubhouse.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. Everything involving the club had to be run by the president first. His authority on club matters was absolute, and he kept a tight rein on it all. To some, it might have been seen as micromanaging, but we knew that even though King controlled every aspect of club business, he did it to make sure shit got done and that it happened in a way that screwups wouldn’t damage the club.

Besides, he rewarded our loyalty with his trust in the right circumstances. He knew when someone needed autonomy and gave them the freedom to accomplish their goal without interference.

And no matter who was at fault for anything that happened, he took responsibility for our failures while attributing any successes to the whole club.

After helping Annika off the bike and dismounting, I grabbed her hand and met him at the door.

“Ash or Onyx?” I questioned wryly. Sometimes my brothers gossiped like teenage girls.

King’s scowl—his permanent expression, for the most part—stayed firmly in place, but amusement glinted in his eyes. “Both,” he answered before his gaze shifted to Annika, briefly lingering on my cut. “This her?”

“Yeah.”

He observed her thoughtfully for a second, then lifted his chin in greeting. “I’m King, president of the Hounds of Hellfire. You’re welcome here, and no one will hurt you. Suggest you keep that cut on, though. Don’t need Ink killin’ anybody.”

Annika giggled, but it trailed off when King’s face remained serious. Obviously confused, she glanced up at me. Doubting that she was ready for that much truth, I didn’t comment, just tugged her hand and headed inside.

Upon entering, I turned her in the opposite direction of a hallway that led to offices and took her into the lounge instead.

The room definitely had a typical biker vibe.

The giant recreation area had black leather couches along the walls, a pool table in the middle, and several big-screen televisions. Across from it was a bar lined with stools that had black leather saddle seats and chrome legs. The wall behind it was stocked with liquor nearly from the floor to the ceiling. And a few other drinks, mostly for the old ladies. Especially nonalcoholic options because my brothers knocked their women up as fast as possible.

Couldn’t say I didn’t understand anymore. I wanted Annika bound to me in every way—property patch, ring, and a swollen belly.

King’s wife, Stella, sat at the bar with an e-reader in one hand while she used the other to rock a baby carrier holding their four-month-old son, Cadell. Their dog, Cerberus, was perched on the floor beside her, his eyes glued to the baby. The muscular giant, a Cane Corso who looked as deadly as he was trained to be, had shocked the fuck out of all of us when he turned into some kind of doggy “manny,” rarely leaving Cadell’s side since he’d been born.

Although he’d loosened up lately and gone back to putting the fear of hell—hence being named after the three-headed dog guarding the underworld—into strangers. Unless he didn’t consider them a threat, then he just ignored their existence altogether.

Most people shied away from him, put off by his fearsome presence and cold attitude. What they didn’t know—and neither had I before I met him—was that, like most of his breed, he was extremely affectionate with anyone he grew attached to. I’d been shocked as fuck the first time I saw him cuddling with one of my brothers. After I scooped my jaw up off the ground, King told me that was how Cerberus showed approval and love. He recognized that we shared his loyalty to the prez.

He’d also quickly figured out which of us were the biggest suckers and shamelessly begged for attention when we were near. Including me. Scariest fucking dog I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t resist when he flopped on his back in front of me, demanding I rub his belly.

His head lifted when King stalked across the room, but he didn’t pay them any more attention when King turned Stella’s stool around to face him, then wrapped his arms around her and kissed her like he hadn’t seen her in a year.

“Hey, baby,” he greeted her softly when they parted.

I glanced down at Annika and nearly laughed at the stunned expression on her face as she watched the couple.

When I shifted my gaze back toward King and Stella, I frowned, noticing Cerberus was no longer sitting near them. My gaze darted around, worried that he would scare the shit out of Annika, but I didn’t see him.

“Hello. Aren’t you just adorable?”

Annika’s sweet tone drew my attention as she bent forward and giggled.

I rolled my eyes when I saw the shameless pet rubbing his head against her legs, wagging his tail, and staring up at her with big, puppy dog eyes that a badass dog like him should not have been able to pull off.

She scratched him under the chin and giggled when his tongue lolled out the side of his mouth.

“Now who’s the sucker?” I muttered at Cerberus. Not that I didn’t understand his desire for Annika’s affection. In fact, I was fucking horrified to realize that I was a little jealous. Of a damn dog.

“Who is this?” she asked affectionately.

I kind of hated him right at that moment.

“He used to be a badass guard dog,” I drawled. “Not sure what to call this thing.”

“Cerberus,” King answered in an exasperated tone.

“The three-headed dog that guards hell,” I explained as if I was insulting the beast for being named after a mythical monster.

Cerberus turned his head to stare up at me, and I could practically hear him gloating when Annika scratched him again.

Shaking my head to clear away my ridiculous thoughts, I refocused on Annika’s current situation.

Echo—our Road Captain—was lounging on one of the sofas, a beer in one hand and his other arm curled around his old lady, Violet. They’d been talking quietly with Ace—our treasurer and money manager with the Midas touch—and two other enforcers, Cruze and Fallon, when we entered the room.

They went silent now, looking in our direction. All eyes went to my cut before landing on me, the question clear in their expressions. I nodded, and while Cruze and Fallon grunted and rolled their eyes, Ace, Echo, and Violet grinned. Stella clapped her hands excitedly, then gasped and checked the baby carrier before sighing in relief, making King chuckle.

“Need you two to meet me in Wizard’s office,” I told Ace and Echo. “Club shit.”

“Blaze is on his way,” King added.

I lifted my chin in acknowledgment, then pivoted, ignoring Cerberus’s offended growl when I dragged Annika away. We strode down the hallway that led to the offices and other rooms. Like an armory. An interrogation cell. And a SCIF, also known as a skiff room. It was a secure room or data center that guarded sensitive security information from surveillance and leaks.

That level of privacy was necessary in the clubhouse when it came to the kinds of businesses and activities the Hounds of Hellfire were involved in. Particularly when it came to… bending the letter of the law.

The Hounds had just as fearsome of a reputation as the most violent and lethal clubs out there. But we lived by a code, one that was honorable, loyal, and fair. We did plenty of illegal shit, and people who needed killing didn’t usually last long on our radar. We had our own brand of justice, and when the laws of the land didn’t get the job done, we ventured into some dark gray areas.

We also had legitimate businesses, like Hellbound Studio, as well as a bar, diner, garage, and a few others. And Ace’s mad skills in the stock market kept the club finances well in the black.

However, our main source of income wasn’t something we advertised.

When we reached a closed door that had a fingerprint and retinal scanner, I hit a fat red button just below them.

“A doorbell?” Annika guessed, studying the button that was straight out of a superhero comic.

“Sort of. Wizard is our tech guy. He deals with a lot of sensitive shit. Not a good idea for visitors or prospects to accidentally walk in. Only Wizard, King, and our VP, Blaze, have access through the scanners. And he wears headphones a lot. You push that, it sends a signal to his headphones. Plays a tone that lets him know someone is here or needs something.”

She nodded and murmured, “Smart. But, um…”

“Why the big red button?”

Annika nodded, a smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

“Because Blaze has a warped sense of humor and thought it was hilarious,” I explained. “Never push the big red button.”

She burst into laughter just as the door buzzed, and I was able to turn the handle and usher her inside. When she saw the interior of the room, her eyes went wide, and her mouth formed a little O.

It was pretty impressive, with a wall of monitors and more computers on the desk, along with random gadgets—some of which were probably classified—all around the room.

Wizard was typing on a laptop, frowning intensely at the screen and muttering to himself. “Gonna kick someone’s ass if they don’t quit messing with this shit,” he grumbled as he leaned back in his chair. He whipped his reading glasses off his face and tossed them onto the desk. “Or better yet, gonna cut off each finger before I put a bull…” He trailed off when he finally swiveled his chair in our direction and spotted Annika.

Why was all the bloodthirsty shit coming out of their mouths in front of her? They were gonna send my woman running before I had the chance to slowly introduce her to the reality of life with a motorcycle club.

“Hey, there,” he greeted, his scowl morphing into a lopsided smile while he absently hit something on the keyboard that made his screen go black. “Video games are so violent these days.”

Annika shrugged. “I’ve never played one.”

Wizard’s eyes bulged, and his mouth opened and closed several times.

“Making Wizard speechless. Impressive, dolcezza .”

“Never?” he eventually asked.

“Nope.”

“Well, shit. You need schooling, dolcezza .” He grinned at me when he called her sweetness in Italian.

“Keep it up,” I growled. “See what happens.”

“I’m not afraid of concrete shoes,” Wizard quipped.

I raised my brow. “Give me more credit than that, brother. Getting rid of a body has evolved with so much creativity.”

Wizard opened his mouth but was cut off by King’s arrival. “Shut the fuck up, Wizard,” he growled. “I’ll give Ink more than credit for the fact that you’re still breathing. Pull shit like that with Stella, and I’d be using you as target practice.”

“Where is Thea, anyway?” Echo mused as he sauntered in behind Blaze and Ace. “I’m sure she’d like to see you flirting with Ink’s woman. Inspiration for her novels.”

Wizard’s expression darkened, and his hands balled into fists. “Point taken, assholes.”

Ace rolled his eyes and strolled over to the couch on the wall opposite Wizard’s desk. “Might want to watch your words around company,” he muttered as he sat down.

Shit.

I was almost afraid to look down at Annika, but when I did, I was surprised to see her watching us with humor rather than horror.

“Just out of curiosity. Are you guys serious or blowing smoke?” she asked suddenly.

“Would option one freak you out?” I queried in return.

She thought for a minute, then shrugged. “I guess not. I mean, it’s not as though I didn’t have some idea of what motorcycle clubs were like from TV. I just didn’t know how much of it was real and what all was exaggerated for ratings.”

“What's the verdict?” King wondered, watching her thoughtfully.

“Depends on the answer to my question.”

The corner of his mouth twitched, which was almost the same as a fucking belly laugh for our prez. “Probably a little of both, but leaning more toward serious. When it comes to my wife, I don’t fuck around.”

Impressively, Annika held his gaze for a long, intense interlude before cocking her head to the side. “I can respect that.”

King raised a single eyebrow.

“My parents had a love like that,” she added. “I hope I will too, someday.”

The prez’s eyes drifted to me, and his probing gaze made my skin crawl with the sensation that he was staring into my fucking soul. Then he looked back at Annika. “I’d bet on it.”

Before the conversation could go any further, he changed the subject while stalking over to take a seat in front of Wizard. “Let’s hear it,” he ordered.

I gestured for Annika to explain, but she shifted nervously, looking uncomfortable. King used one foot to shove an empty chair at me, and I nodded in thanks as I sat and pulled Annika onto my lap. She was stiff for about thirty seconds, then melted into me.

“Annika’s parents died a couple of years ago and made her uncle her guardian,” I began.

“They left me with our house, so he moved in with me,” she said. I gave her a gentle squeeze, and she kept going. “I appreciated the gesture at the time, but it quickly became clear that he was more interested in free housing than me. I didn’t really mind, though. I just wanted to get through the next couple of years, then I’d leave for college.”

She went on to explain the details of her trust and how it was managed, finishing with what had happened that afternoon. By the time she was done, Wizard’s fingers were already flying over his keyboard, and Ace was working on his phone, his brow furrowed in deep concentration.

I’d known they would have my back—and therefore Annika’s. But sometimes, I was still surprised by the strength of a bond not forged in blood. Familial ties were always a big deal with Italian families, but when you threw the Mafia into the mix, the emphasis was even stronger. For fuck’s sake, they called themselves “The Family.” So it had been a culture shock when I’d first spent time with Mac and the Silver Saints. And even after years of being around MCs, there were times when I was reminded that the bond between my club brothers and me was often even more unbreakable.

“Digging into his finances now,” Wizard commented distractedly. “I’ll send ’em to Ace, then I’m gonna see what I can find in the dark corners.”

“Got a contact at corporate for that bank,” Ace muttered. “They’ll be able to give us access to—” Ace broke off, and his head whipped up, his eyes going straight to Annika.

I gently set her on her feet and stood next to her. “Gonna let you get to it. Let me know what you find.”

“I’ll brief Ash in the morning,” Blaze offered. “But he’ll want to talk directly to Annika at some point.”

As I ushered her to the door, I told him, “Took off the rest of the week to get shit straightened out.”

King leaned back in his seat, his arms crossed over his chest as he watched me carefully. “Gonna call Rafa?” he asked just before I stepped into the hall.

I froze for a second, then squeezed Annika’s hand. When she looked up at me, I smiled gently. “Need to talk club business with my prez for just a sec. You okay out here?”

“Of course,” she replied with a sweet smile.

“Thanks, baby.”

After stepping back into the room, I shut the door behind me. Then I stared back at King and frowned. “Why?”

Since we didn’t need the DeLuca Crime Family to handle club shit, I knew what he was really asking. But I played dumb because I didn’t want to admit that I was a fucking idiot.

“Not about the uncle,” he clarified, in an ironically cryptic response.

Sighing, I shook my head. “Not yet.”

He raised an eyebrow and tilted his head.

“He’ll tell my mamma ,” I admitted reluctantly.

Nothing else needed to be said. Every one of us knew that if Rafa told my mamma I’d met a girl, she’d be here with wedding dresses so fast our heads would spin.

“It’s not like he can’t keep a secret,” Ace said, his tone sarcastic.

Yeah, this wasn’t about my cousin, the Mafia underboss, not being able to keep information to himself.

“He’ll do it just to fuck with me,” I muttered, regretting my hasty actions at dinner the other night.

“Threw him under the bus at Sunday dinner, didn’t you?” King stated.

King’s uncanny ability to see what no one else could, particularly when people were trying not to say it, was seriously frightening sometimes.

When I didn't say anything, his mouth curled into an extremely rare smile. “Grandbabies.”

“Fucking grandbabies.”

“So give her what she wants,” Blaze said, as if the answer were blatantly obvious, and I was too dense to figure it out.

“Working on it,” I grunted.

King chuckled. “I’ll send a vest to the shop for a property patch tomorrow.”

I lifted my chin in thanks before doing a one-eighty and exiting the room.

Annika was leaning against the wall, reading something on her phone, and she had a frown on her beautiful lips.

“Problem?” I asked.

She popped her head up and gave me a tired smile. “Just thinking about my parents and how hard this would be on them.”

Flipping her phone around, she showed me a picture of a beaming couple with their arms around a younger Annika.

“Don’t let this taint the happy memories, dolcezza ,” I murmured, pulling into the circle of my arms.

She rested her cheek on my chest and sighed. “I don’t even know how I’m going to face him when I get home.”

“No fucking way are you going back to stay at that house, Annika,” I growled, shoving my fingers into her long, dark blond strands and using them to force her head back so I could look her in the face.

“I have nowhere else to go,” she murmured distractedly.

The heat creeping into her ice-blue orbs nearly caused me to lose my concentration and kiss her. I released her hair and cleared my throat as I guided her head back to my chest.

“You’ll stay here,” I declared, the finality in my tone making it clear that there would be no arguing.

“Okay,” she whispered.