Chapter 7
AISLYNN
It was dark when I pulled through the Kings of Anarchy compound gates at about five o’clock that night. The building loomed in front of me, and my jaw dropped at the sheer size of the place, all lit up in the inky night sky.
Pagan had already told me the story of how he’d purchased this industrial area a few months before. Over time, the factories that had been there shut down. The last one closed its doors about six months before, after tariffs made the materials they needed to import too expensive.
The compound wasn’t huge and sprawling like some I’d seen that were filled with office blocks, stores, and warehouses, but it was still big enough for a massive clubhouse, a bunch of separate buildings they were in the process of turning into living quarters, and their strip club, which was accessed by a separate road.
Pagan told me how Vortex was turning out to be lucrative for the club.
The women they hired were gorgeous and professional. He’d also admitted that some of them supplemented their income by giving what he called ‘extras’, but it was controlled, and the girls were protected at all times.
It bothered me, but it wasn’t my place to judge what other women did with their bodies or the reasons they did it. As long as it was their choice and they weren’t being forced, I could live with it.
There were more buildings on the Kings’ compound that Pagan had earmarked for other new business opportunities.
He was planning to open a tattoo shop, a bar, and a store where people could source and buy specialized parts for muscle cars, classics, and bikes.
The Kings’ expansion plans were ambitious, and because they were being financed by the strip club, it wouldn’t all happen overnight.
Still, his business acumen was impressive, and it showed me there was a lot more to Pagan than brawn and muscles.
I’d driven home that morning with Pagan following me on his bike and then waving me off as I took the turning for Hambleton before he rode on to Coal Creek.
There had been drama at home after the party between my brother Callum and his new wife, Maeve. Saskia, an ex-employee at our family bar, had joined forces with my bitch cousin, Shannon, to stir some shit.
Unfortunately, it had worked because Maeve had thrown my brother’s ass out.
Needless to say, the atmosphere at Mam’s house was tense, so I’d been counting down the minutes until I could leave. I’d had butterflies all day at the prospect of seeing Pagan, and they’d only strengthened as time had passed, so I was both excited and nervous to see him.
After parking my car, I grabbed my bag from the passenger seat and threw open my door, half jumping out of my skin as a massive figure loomed.
“Evenin’,” a rich, deep, English-accented voice greeted me. “Welcome to the Kings.”
My eyes lifted to see Bootneck, Pagan’s SAA, waiting for me. He nodded toward the clubhouse, which was lit up from the inside, and told me, “Boss man’s waitin’ for you in his office.”
Sliding out of the car, I moved toward the trunk and popped it open to grab my overnight bag. As I went to throw it over my shoulder, Bootneck’s meaty fist shot out, and he grabbed the handle to hoist it over his back.
I looked up at him, smiled gratefully, and murmured, “Thanks.”
Pink flushed his cheeks, and he ducked his head, muttering, “No problem,” as he turned and headed toward the building.
Securing my purse over my arm, I dropped my keys inside and followed, carefully picking my way over the icy ground. An old rock song my da used to play in the bar thumped from the clubhouse, mingling with the sound of raucous laughter and the chatter that filtered outside.
A few people littered the parking lot. A brother was making out with a woman, and a couple of guys in cuts were shooting the shit and smoking. But it was December in Wyoming, so the cold no doubt kept most people indoors.
Bootneck stalked through the entrance so fast, I had to quicken to a jog to keep up. The second I stepped inside, heat and noise hit me in tandem, and my steps faltered as I took in the vast room.
The walls were painted a modern slate grey, and the chairs and tables that were strewn throughout the room were made of industrial metal, identical to the stools lined up next to a brushed-steel bar that ran up one side of the room.
The overhead lights, the type you’d find hanging over pool tables, helped brighten the cool, dark room, which only added to the sleek, edgy vibe.
It reminded me of a trendy New York basement bar which had been decorated in the industrial style, and as a budding architect, I could see the beauty in every stick of furniture and lick of paint.
My attention was caught by a girl hooting out a loud laugh as she clambered onto a table and started gyrating in time to the music. The bikers circling her looked up, laughing and shouting words of encouragement as she whipped her top off and began to shimmy her naked boobs in time to the music.
Heat burned my cheeks, and I lowered my gaze to avoid the suspicious looks being thrown my way, mostly by the women. It was crazy how I’d spent years being raised in a bar, but when it came to this place, I felt completely out of my depth.
We headed through a set of double doors at the far end of the bar into a corridor, and I spied what seemed to be a large kitchen at one end. Bootneck nodded in the opposite direction and led me down the hallway, passing some offices and rooms with the doors ajar and the lights turned off.
“Pagan’s in his office at the end,” Boot informed me, holding up my bag. “I’ll take this up to his room.”
“Thanks,” I said, smiling nervously and continuing past him until I reached the last door. Raising my hand, I knocked, waiting for Pagan’s grunt before pushing it open.
I opened my mouth to call out an enthusiastic hello when my gaze fell on Saskia sashaying toward me.
My mouth gaped.
Well shit.
“Hey, Aislynn. Long time no see,” she greeted with a smirk as she breezed past me.
My lip curled, and before I could think, I bit out, “Fuck off, Saskia.”
“A joy as usual,” she said, her tone full of sarcasm.
“Wish I could say the same,” I muttered, my eyes sliding accusingly to Pagan as she left the room.
He studied the closed door for a beat, and then his stare came to me. “I assume by that reaction, you’re not a Saskia fan?” he asked dryly. “What’s the beef?”
My eyes narrowed on him. “Don’t play dumb. You know the beef, and the reason I know that you know the beef is because you don’t miss anything. You’re like a damned hawk.”
He sighed. “Okay, you’ve got me, but the first I heard about it was the day after the Shamrock party. By then, it was too late. She was already in.”
“She hurt Maeve,” I snapped.
His mouth thinned. “So I’ve heard.”
“Mae threw Callum out,” I ranted. “Their marriage is probably over because of Saskia and my cousin’s stirring. My mam’s stressed, Callum’s a mess, and Maeve’s so hurt, I’m not sure she’s even gonna be okay. And through it all, we’re still grieving my dad, who died a matter of weeks ago.”
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk. “It’s why I called the bitch in here. Told her if she starts that shit in my club, or with you, she’s out.”
“Snakes might shed their skins, Aiden,” I went on. “But underneath the shiny new exterior, they’re still snakes.”
He sat back again and crooked his finger. “Come here, Dubheasa.”
Every cell in my body screamed at me to tell him to fuck off and walk out that door.
“Baby. I said come here,” he repeated, his tone harder that time.
I dumped my purse on his desk and walked around it until I stood between his legs, looking down at his face.
He reached out, wrapped his hands around my waist, and pulled me onto his lap, his hand sliding up my thigh to keep me in place.
“What happens in my club is my business,” he grated out.
“Who I hire, who I let in, and who I throw out isn’t your concern.
If we set up home one day, you’ll have authority there, but never here, Aislynn.
Stay in your lane and don’t get involved in my club, and we won’t have any problems. If you do, you’ll be the one who’s out. Do you understand?”
The chill in his voice set my teeth on edge. I went to scramble off his lap so I could grab my purse and get the fuck out of there, but he forced me back down, his hand gripping my knee to keep me in place.
“You gotta understand, runnin’ a club needs tact,” he explained in a softer tone. “Do you think every brother out there’s my best bud?”
I glared up at him and shook my head.
“I don’t pick men because I like ’em. There are some I’d never bother with if it weren’t for the club, but if I only took brothers I liked, I’d have a chapter of four fuckin’ men. Dunno if you’ve noticed, Aislynn, but I’m a bit of a cunt.”
I let out a snort, my heart skipping a beat as his dark mood seemed to lift and his eyes crinkled with humor.
“I’ve got my circle, but I’m not a people person or a team player.
I like to be in charge and give all the orders.
What I don’t like is takin’ ’em. That’s why I worked my ass off to hold the gavel.
A lotta men said I didn’t have what it took and that I was too young and inexperienced, but my boss saw somethin’ in me and gave me the green light to open my own chapter.
The moment I committed to it, I had to put my personal feelings aside and treat everyone equally.
A lotta those brothers aren’t who I would choose as friends, but they’re still my brothers, and they deserve my loyalty.
That goes for the girls who work here too, even the whores.
If someone fucks up, they’re out, but I have to give everyone the same chances, and if you’re gonna be my ol’ lady, you’ll have to do the same. ”
My spine stiffened. “Even though Saskia hurt my family?”
Pagan dipped his chin in confirmation.
My belly warmed at the softness in his eyes as he gazed down at me.