Chapter Two
ELIZABETH
My eyes light up as I approach the entrance.
When I was told it was a casino and hotel complex that never launched, and Defiance converted it into their clubhouse, I thought it was all bullshit.
But as I step up to the front double doors, which are clearly the entrance to a casino, I can’t help but smirk.
Not waiting for Sin or one of his men to try to be polite and open the door for me, I pull back the left door and step inside.
They can’t try to fool me into thinking they’re not the chauvinistic animals I know they are.
Making my way inside, it’s the smell that hits me first—a mix of gasoline, old leather, and something else, something distinctly male. It’s not unpleasant, just different, heavy in the air.
The clubhouse door closes behind me, the solid thunk echoing in my ears. I expected chaos, dirty floors, grumbling men with stained club cuts, eyes following my every move, but instead, it’s mostly orderly. Not what I had in mind when I pictured an outlaw biker club.
My heels click across the floor, the sound sharp in contrast to the low thrum of conversation. The unmistakable notion of eyes following me, assessing, sizing me up as I stand in the middle of the clubroom, taking it all in.
Directly in front of me are tables and chairs, clearly for communal eating.
I’m assuming if this were the main casino area, it would be where the poker tables would be located.
To the left seems to be a room locked off with intense security.
I take a mental note of that as Sin strides up beside me, finally catching up.
He is a silent sentinel, his presence commanding the room even when he’s not saying a word.
Sin nods toward the same group of men who were outside moments ago, and who are now lounging on sofas at the opposite end of the room from the communal eating area, drinks already in hand, their laughter rising above the background noise.
He places his hand politely on my lower back, edging me toward them. “Seeing as you want the full experience… come, meet my brothers,” Sin urges, his voice carrying easily through the room.
Walking with him, I grin slightly. “Full experience, huh?”
Sin chuckles, the sound surprisingly light coming from a man as Herculean as him.
He has muscles on muscles. His dark brown hair is a little longer on top, slicked back across his head in that I’m-a-bad-boy-who-will-melt-your-heart kind of way, then reminds you I’m all alpha male when my beard tickles your pussy as I eat you out.
And the tattoos, don’t forget the sexy-as-sin tattoos.
They’re such a contradiction, especially the ones on his face.
A spider hangs from a web above his right eyebrow, and then in stark contrast, a tiny heart outline sits under his right eye—I just know there’s got to be a hidden meaning behind that.
His lips turn up in a knowing smirk. “You’re not starting to get second thoughts now, are you, Elizabeth?” He’s clearly testing me.
Stopping mid-stride, I turn to face him, my eyes meeting his, my hand pressed against his incredibly strong chest. His brows scrunch as he stares back at me with those crazy, intense eyes, and I can’t help but gaze into them, seeing the mismatch in color.
Each iris is a mix of two colors—light blue and brown.
A very rare phenomenon that makes his eyes so remarkably stunning.
My breathing hitches as I clear my throat. “Interesting,” I mumble under my breath.
He takes a small step back, causing my hand to fall from his chest like he’s suddenly uncomfortable with me assessing him. “What?” he snaps.
A slow smile crosses my lips. “One percent,” I reply casually.
Sin folds his arms across his chest like he’s unimpressed. “You knew coming in that we’re 1%ers. Where are you going with this, Elizabeth?”
Tilting my head, I continue to keep eye contact with him. “One percent of the population on earth has sectoral heterochromia, and you, Sin, are part of that one percent. It’s fascinating. Don’t you think?”
He rolls his eyes, grabs my shoulders, and spins me back to face where we were walking.
“I don’t think my eye color has anything to do with why you’re here, Elizabeth.
If you’re going to write a fluff piece on how outlaws have pretty eyes, then you should go write some mommy porn instead.
We don’t need anything about my fucking eyes mentioned when you’re writing about our club.
What we do, what we stand for, that’s it. Understand, wildcat?”
Letting out a small laugh, I continue to walk with him toward the other guys still sitting on the sofas. “Whatever you say, bossman.”
Sin scowls and continues to edge me over to the other men, all of them eyeing me up and down as I approach, not in a salacious way, but more in a you-come-for-our-club-we-will-come for-you kind of way.
Sin clears his throat and proceeds to introduce me to his brothers.
“Nitro, my VP. Ghost, tech genius. Koa, Sergeant at Arms, Deek, our road captain, and this is Bear… he’s our wise one.
” Sin points each of them out as he says their names.
They each give me a once-over, some with curiosity, others with a flicker of skepticism.
Nitro is the first to speak, his eyes narrowing slightly. “So… you’re the elusive reporter?”
Shrugging, I purse my lips. “I prefer investigative journalist, but potato, potahto,” I reply, offering a tight smile.
Nitro snorts, shaking his head. “Hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, sweetheart.”
“I’ve handled worse,” I shoot back, lifting an eyebrow. “Besides, I thought you guys were supposed to be the good bikers. Isn’t that the whole point of this?”
A hesitation of silence flows between us, and then Ghost chuckles, the sound low and amused. “She’s got fire in her, Sin. You sure she’s gonna last here?”
Sin’s lips curve into a grin, his eyes landing back to meet mine.
“I guess we’re gonna find out, aren’t we?
” He steps closer, leaning in slightly, his voice dropping just for me to hear.
“You wanna be a real investigative journalist, Elizabeth? Then you’d better be ready for whatever comes with it. ”
I swallow, refusing to back down. “I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t.”
Sin straightens out his club cut, turning toward his brothers again. “All right, you guys have shit to do. I’m gonna take Miss Hale into the Chapel and give her a proper induction into the club before she has free rein—”
“Yeah… I bet you will,” Deek chimes with a devilish grin.
Bear instantly jabs him in the ribs, causing Deek to groan, and the others chuckle to themselves.
Sin glares at Deek and clears his throat, placing his hand on the small part of my back once more. “Ignore Deek, he’s a special kind of idiot.”
The other guys laugh amongst themselves as Deek continues to grin wildly. “Enjoy your induction, Miss Hale.” Deek grins like he’s in on some inside joke before Sin begins to lead me away.
“Bear, control your son, will you?” Sin growls back.
Bear shrugs as Deek continues to laugh.
“When have I ever been able to control this maniac?” Bear calls back.
Clearing my throat as I strive to figure out just what Deek is trying to get at by my induction, I lean in closer to Sin as we walk toward another room in the clubhouse. “Deek is Bear’s son?” I ask hesitantly.
Sin exhales. “Don’t ask me how Bear produced a son like Deek, but yeah. He has another son, too… Will. He’s prospecting for us at the moment. He and Deek couldn’t be more polar opposites.”
Furrowing my brows, trying to understand the dynamics of the club, Sin leads us to a room, reaches for the door handle, and holds the door open for me.
Inhaling a deep breath, I walk inside and immediately spot the huge oval-shaped table.
Instantly, I know it’s an old poker table that has been converted.
Around the edge of the table is a black leather guard.
The next layer of dark red wood moves in toward the center, and in front of where each club member sits, there is a built in cup holder, or what I assume to be a beer receptacle.
The next layer, and the table’s centerpiece, is the felt layer, which has the club logo printed on the surface.
I have to give it to them—this table is a real work of art.
Glancing around the rest of the room, it has an old-style speakeasy vibe about it.
The wooden walls, with a darker undertone, create a mood of exclusivity.
The dim lighting and the leather upholstery for the chairs give off an air of sophistication and secrecy.
Even though this room is not a bar, it has that feel about it.
It makes you want to sit back at that big old poker table and have a drink to unwind.
Maybe that’s the atmosphere Sin was aiming for here. A place where they handle business yet still makes it feel comfortable enough for the brothers to relax, even when dealing with 1%er issues.
“Welcome to the clubhouse Chapel, Elizabeth. Generally, only patched members are permitted in here. But, I assured you full access, so… we start here.” The door to the Chapel clicks shut behind us.
It’s quieter, the noise of the clubhouse muffled by the walls.
Sin walks around the table in the middle of the room, pulls out the seat at the head, sits, and then leans back, crossing his arms over his chest as he studies me.
Rolling my shoulders, I move to the seat at the opposite end of the table, pull it out, and take a seat. He raises his brow like that was some sort of bold move, but I don’t really give a shit right now. His men have been testing me, clearly, and he is trying to do the same.
I’m not going to let him or his brothers scare me.
I’m just not that girl.
“Let’s not start here,” I reply.
Sin tilts his head in confusion but takes the bait. “All right, where do you want to start, Miss Hale?”