Chapter 15
15
BLOOD
Two hours later, I lie sprawled over the bottom of Maxine’s bed. Don’t ask me how the fuck I got in this position, but right now, I can barely remember my name, no less anything else.
Maxine’s head rests against my chest with her feet on the pillows at the top of the bed. I move my right hand, and a can of whipped cream falls to the floor. Yeah, there wasn’t too much we didn’t try and, fuck me, but she was up for all of it. Just my luck, I finally find a woman who isn’t afraid of my kinks and actually likes them, but—she’s off-limits.
I roll to my side, taking her with me, settling us against the pillows. I haven’t felt this relaxed since before we hit Tijuana a year ago. Whatever this woman did to me, she did it in a big way, but aside from her connection to Hector, I know nothing about her. Like where she came from, why and how she was in Tijuana, and how she got mixed up with Hector.
“You’re obviously American, so how did you end up in Tijuana?”
She props herself up on her elbow. “Why is that important?”
“Just curious.”
“Nothing to be curious about.”
“Most of the guys we pick up on the circuit down here are either running from the law in the States, an ex, or a bookie trying to rearrange their limbs.”
“Except me. No irate ex-boyfriend, I don’t bet, and I’m not a wanted criminal.”
Right, you just work for a sadistic bastard who’d take you out in the blink of an eye.
“Good to know.” I laugh around my words.
“Why are you in Tijuana?”
“Oh, babe, that’s a short question with a long answer.” I push up on the pillows. Her question gives me the perfect lead-in. “Me and Smoke used to run a Royal Bastards chapter in San Diego, but we let some shit get away from us, and our national prez shipped us south of the border for punishment. A way to fuck with us.”
I give her just enough to make her think I’m letting her in on a big secret without spilling any vital information.
“Must’ve been hard.”
“In the end, we made it work, and a year later, The Tropics, the garage and the fight club are bringing in a profit.”
“That’s amazing and impressive.”
“A lot of hard fuckin’ work, but we made it a success. Even had to push up against the cartel.”
The slight flicker in her eyes makes me think I threw out the right bait. Now all I have to do is see if she bites.
“The cartel?”
“They pretty much rule this part of Mexico, dealing in drugs, guns and human trafficking. We came up against a guy named Rico Sandoval. Ever hear of him?”
She shakes her head, but her eyes narrow.
“He tried to move in on our territory, but we shut him down.” Old news almost everyone in and around Tijuana knows about, yet Maxine claimed she never heard about him or our connection to him. “Another guy took his place, Hector Rodriquez. Ever hear of him?”
“I heard of him when I was fighting in Rosarito.”
“People say he’s worse than Sandoval. A real ruthless motherfucker who doesn’t care about anybody. Destroys anything in his path as long as he’s making money.”
She lowers her eyes to the bedsheets but gives nothing away.
My need to dig deeper into Maxine’s past goes beyond intel for the club, and I don’t understand it. I barely got the woman’s name, yet Maxine’s life is a mystery I want to solve—starting with the scars marking her.
I hug her to me and let my fingers caress her skin. “You wanna tell me how you got those scars?”
“Not really.”
Not the answer I’d hoped for, but I didn’t expect her to pour her soul out to me. That isn’t Maxine’s style.
I ease away from her. “Some of them are old, but some of them aren’t.”
Her spine stiffens, but she remains silent.
“You don’t owe me anything, and you don’t have to tell me shit, but if this person is still hurting you, I can do something about it.” Anger boils in my gut. No matter which side she is on, the thought of someone marking her so severely is a hard fuck no—and that surprises me too. I’ve seen guys beat to shit, acid burned into their skin, yet Maxine’s scarred back pisses me the fuck off. Maybe the conscience I thought was long dead has resurfaced.
Her shoulders jerk, and she leans away from me with a sad smile. “Nothing for you to worry about.”
Shit, she is good. Denying she ever heard of Rico and Hector was an out and out lie, yet she sold it without a blink of an eye. Whoever put those scars on her must’ve also taught her how to hide her emotions. A trait she probably acquired to shield and protect herself. It’s fuckin’ weird the way she spoke of her past without any emotion. I’d have to figure out another way to crack her hard shell, gain her trust and ultimately take her and Hector down.
MAXINE
I carefully school my expression, but Blood’s questions and his searing brown eyes bore into me like he can see through me. As if he knows my secrets, both past and present. Lies ruled my life for so many years, I’d become the master of deception, but tonight Blood allowed me a freedom I’ve never experienced.
I’d gone into this thinking I could be detached. Not so hard—I separated myself from my surroundings for all of my adult life. Say or do one thing, but act another—except tonight. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t keep my body from responding to Blood’s touch or his demands. Like he’d cast a spell over me and wiped away everything I experienced before him.
Being duplicitous had become a way of survival for me. First, with my parents, then with Hector. I’d learned to be cunning and sly. I even made a monster like Hector believe I’m submissive when the exact opposite is true.
When Hector suggested I begin fighting on his compound in Rosarito, I wanted to rebel, but of course it wasn’t an option. After a few weeks, I began to see changes in my body. Definition and curves were added to my normally thin frame. This outer strength kindled an inner power. A way of gaining control, of not only my body, but my mind. I no longer looked at myself like a victim. Although Hector’s interest in my talents are monetary, my new awareness and physical power have given me the spirit to carry on and not give up.
I accepted my fate and played the game to win. Then I made sure my inner self and my outer self match my new powerful name. Every day I worked out harder and longer than anyone else. Molding and shaping my body into a fighting machine. A shell tough and hard.
Hector might think he owns all of me, but I’ve remained aloof, telling myself he can have my body, but not my soul and never my mind.
But even that level of focus can’t compete with Blood’s force and lust. He played my body as if he’s known me for years. It went beyond his physical perfection, although it didn’t hurt, but to a deeper level of understanding. Like he too knows the need to bring the mind and body to another plateau above the pain.
Instead of being intimidated like most men, Blood enjoyed my energy and intensity. He encouraged my skills at the gym, and he certainly awakened something else these last few hours. An inner peace, a release without fear of retribution. A freedom to be myself and experience the normal feelings books and movies tout. Experiences most woman take for granted. I’d been so concerned about physical freedom, I abandoned any idea of an inner freedom.
Maybe with Blood I could?—
No, no, and no. I can’t afford to indulge such thoughts until I’m free of Hector’s clutches. I have to keep my eye on the ball. No good comes from impulsive, snap decisions. I fell into that trap years ago, resulting in a murder.
My only interest in the notorious outlaw biker who runs an underground fight club will be what he can do for me.
Blood shifts next to me. “Since I’d say we’re friends now, does that mean I can call you Maxi?”
I smile at his attempt at a joke. “I like that you call me Maxine.”
He threads his fingers through my hair. “Yeah, I think I like it too.”
The gentle touch from such a hard, untamed man amazes me and makes his lovemaking even more unique. Lovemaking? Where did that come from? What Blood and I did had absolutely nothing to do with love. He’s just a means to an end.