Chapter 9
Country
Inever thought a woman would be able to wrap me around her finger, but Kiersten had done it.
And she’d done it without even trying. Hell, I couldn’t take my eyes off her as she sat at one of the back tables talking with Parker and the other ol’ ladies.
They were all laughing and carrying on as they tossed back a few beers, and I was pleased to see that she fit right in.
I knew she would. Kiersten had this undeniable charm that drew you in and had you coming back for more.
I watched as she glanced over her shoulder, searching for me in the crowd.
As soon as our eyes met, a warm smile crossed her face, and it got me right in the gut.
“Damn, boy. You got it bad.”
“What are you talking about?
You know damn well what I’m talking about.” Rafe motioned his head towards Kiersten as he said, “I’ve known you a long damn time, and never once have I seen you look at a chick the way you were looking at her.”
“I was just making sure she was alright. You know how vicious the ol’ ladies can be.”
“Yeah, they’re a regular pack of wolves.” Rafe took a pull from his beer. “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. She seems to be holding her own.”
I glanced back over at Kiersten, and I couldn’t help but smile when I caught her laughing at something one of the girls had said. “Yeah, she does.”
“You planning on heading back with her tomorrow?”
“Yeah, Viper and Lynch are coming, too. After he gives everything a good once over, Viper will head back, and Lynch and I will stay for the remainder of the week.”
“You thought about how this thing is gonna work with you two?”
“Well, Lynch isn’t exactly my type, so it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Rafe’s tone turned serious. “I’m not fucking around, Country.”
“I don’t know what to tell ya. I guess we’ll just take things day by day and see how it plays out.”
“That’s fine, but don’t fuck it up.” Rafe motioned his head towards the back table. “Or that pack of wolves over there will have your ass.”
Rafe gave me one of his looks, then turned and started over to the back table to check on Marlowe.
I finished off my beer, then turned and motioned to Caitlyn, one of the club’s hang arounds, signaling to her that I needed another.
She nodded, then reached into the cooler to grab me a cold one.
Caitlyn was a cute blonde with a killer figure, and she always made a point to show it off by wearing low-cut tops and skin-tight miniskirts.
Everyone knew she had a bit of a thing for me, so I wasn’t surprised when she sauntered over to me with a seductive smile.
She placed my beer down on the counter, then leaned forward, making sure I saw every inch of her cleavage as she purred, “Here ya go, handsome.”
“Thanks, Caitlyn.”
“You having a good night?”
“Yeah, I can’t complain.”
“Well, if you’re looking to make it better, I’m free later tonight.” She inched a little closer. “I’ll show ya a real good time.”
“I’m sure you would, but...”
“He’s got other plans,” Kiersten interrupted. “He’s got some bells and whistles to tend to.”
“Excuse me?” Caitlyn glanced back over to me with confusion. “Bells and whistles? What the hell is she talking about?”
I didn’t answer. Instead, I slipped my arm around Kiersten’s waist and pulled her closer. “I thought you were still with the girls.”
“I was.” Her eyes skirted over to Caitlyn as she said, “I just came over to get another beer.”
“Um-hmm. Okay.” I looked over to Caitlyn as I said, “You heard the woman. She needs a beer.”
Caitlyn rolled her eyes and huffed as she whipped around and headed over to the cooler. Kiersten was glaring at her as she asked, “Who is that anyway?”
“That would be Caitlyn. She’s one of the club’s hang arounds who helps out at the bar from time to time.” Remembering our earlier conversation about Locke, I decided to use her words against her and said, “You’ve got nothing to worry about, babe. She was just being nice.”
Realizing what I was doing, she cocked her eyebrow and sassed, “Really? That’s how you’re gonna play this?”
“You know...” I lowered my mouth to her ear as I whispered, “You’re beautiful when you’re jealous.”
“I’m not jealous, Grayson. I was just asking who she was.”
“Whatever you say, boss.” I grabbed the beer Caitlyn had left for her on the counter and handed it to her as I asked, “You having fun with the girls?”
“I’m having a great time with them.” She glanced over her shoulder, making sure no one could hear when she whispered, “They’re nothing like I expected. I mean, I met Parker when she and Menace were at Dad’s and she seemed super nice, but even she’s different than I thought she’d be ”
“Not sure what you mean.”
“It’s hard to explain. I spent weeks watching them on your security feed.” My back immediately stiffened, causing her to wince. “I know that’s a touchy subject and I’m sorry about that, but it’s not something I can take back.”
“Just finish what you were saying.”
“Okay, well, I saw them on the surveillance footage. They were all so beautiful and seemed so self-assured. When they got together, they seemed so close, like they’d been best friends forever. I guess I just thought they wouldn’t be quite as welcoming as they’ve been.”
“They’re cool girls. You’ve got nothing to worry about there.” Hearing how she’d watched our security feed spurred a thought—one I’d failed to consider until that very moment. “So, did you see me on that security footage?”
“Well, yeah... Many times.”
She answered like it was no big deal, but to me, it was a huge deal.
The deal of all deals. I immediately became enraged—not just at her but at myself.
I couldn’t believe I’d been so fucking stupid.
I’d known all along that she’d hacked into Menace’s computer and had gained access to our security footage.
I should’ve put two and two together and realized that she’d seen me on it, but for whatever reason, it just hadn’t sunk in—more than likely because I didn’t want it to.
I wanted to believe that she was telling the truth when she said she didn’t know who I was when we met at that bar, and it hit hard to discover that she hadn’t been honest with me.
I had a million thoughts race through my head, but I was too angry to speak.
I needed to get the hell out of there before something came out of my mouth that I would regret, so I removed my hand from her waist and stormed out of the bar.
I heard her call out my name, but I didn’t stop.
I needed a moment to collect my thoughts, so I stormed out the back exit and let the door slam behind me.
I paced back and forth, grumbling curses as I chastised myself for being such a fucking idiot.
I don’t know how long I’d been out there when I heard Shotgun asked, “Something wrong, brother?”
“You could say that.”
I turned and found him leaning against the exterior wall of the clubhouse smoking a cigarette. I walked over and joined him against the wall. He took out his pack of cigarettes and offered me one as he asked, “What seems to be the trouble?”
“You know how Kiersten got access to our surveillance footage?”
“Oh, yeah. I know all about it.” The end of his cigarette glowed when Shotgun took another drag. “I still can’t believe she managed to pull that shit off.”
“Yeah, me neither, but she did. And she saw me on it.”
“Sorry, brother. I don’t see the issue here.”
“Never mind.” I shook my head and grumbled, “It’s not important.”
“This got something to do with the fact you two got something going?”
“You know about that, huh?”
“It’s my job to know.” I wasn’t surprised by his response.
Shotgun was the club’s enforcer, and it was his job to protect the brothers.
In order to do that, he had to know everything that was going on with us, inside the club and out.
“So, she saw you on the surveillance footage. I figure she saw all of us, so what’s the problem? ”
“She said she didn’t know I was a Sinner when we met at the bar.”
“Well, she ever given you reason not to believe her?”
“No, but you gotta admit the whole thing’s a bit of a stretch. I mean, damn. Look at the lengths she went to just to get a meet with us.”
“Yeah, but she came clean about what she’d found on Menace’s laptop and why she’d done it. So, what reason would she have to lie about knowing who you were in that bar? It’s not like fucking a brother was gonna get her foot in the door. If nothing else, it’d hurt her more than it would help her.”
He was right. Kiersten didn’t gain any leverage that night. She never asked me anything about the club or about me being a Sinner, and I certainly didn’t bring it up. I wasn’t even wearing my cut. “Damn. You’re right.”
“I usually am.”
“I’m just not good at this shit.” I felt like a complete asshole. I should’ve stopped for two fucking seconds and thought the whole thing through before storming out of the bar like a fucking two-year-old. I ran my hand down my face and groaned. “I knew I’d fuck it up.”
“Don’t be too hard on yourself. We all make mistakes. I certainly made my fair share with Remington.” He tossed his cigarette on the ground and ground it into the dirt with his boot. “Just talk to her. I’m sure you two can sort it out.”
“I showed my ass, brother. Doubt she’s gonna wanna talk to me.”
“Give her some time. She’ll come around.”
“Maybe.” I wasn’t quite ready to admit my mistake, so I lifted what was left of my cigarette and asked, “Mind if I have another?”
After I tossed my butt on the ground, Shotgun handed me another, and I immediately lit it.
After taking in a long drag, I leaned my head back against the brick wall and exhaled slowly, letting the smoke billow above us.
Shotgun didn’t say a word. He simply stood there with me while I collected my thoughts.
Once I was done with my smoke, I tossed the finished cigarette to the ground, then started for the back door. “Catch ya later, brother.”