Chapter 43
Quinn
The biker bar was just outside the city limits. The upper floor was a tattoo parlor, and the lower floor was split into two sections. The parking lot was packed with cars, and only two bikes were present. Leave it to my biker boys to ride even though it was barely above freezing outside. They weren’t fair weather riders, according to Keith. It was a shame Zane’s bike was down. For the time being, he had to ride with me.
As he got out, he pulled his cut over his long-sleeved white skull shirt, reached his hand into my back pocket, and escorted me to the entrance. The place was packed, and a band was set up on the main stage. I felt my heart speed up as I glanced around. I didn’t see the cop from the other day. Nervously, I walked to the second half of the room and saw him shooting pool.
“How are we going to pull this off?” I asked in a low tone.
Zane’s eyes scanned the area, then nudged me back into the other room to lean against the bar. “He’ll come up here.”
Keith leaned on the bar and tried to catch the bartender’s attention. He wore his cut, a white undershirt, and black jeans. And God damn, the two men were sexy. My other hot biker emerged from the crowd a few moments later.
Keith pulled me to him to whisper in my ear, “Stay at the bar. One of us will be watching you at all times. We’re going to grab a table.”
I nodded, and he kissed me softly on the side of the mouth. Probably to avoid getting lipstick on his face. Setting my purse on the bar, I waved to Amree. Her face lit up, and she rushed over. “Where the fuck have you been?” she demanded; her happy face turned into a scowl.
“I’m sorry.” I slid onto one of the stools. “I know it was wild, but Cameran got into my head.”
She leaned over, twirling one of her braids. “How’d he get into your head, sis?”
Chewing on my lower lip, I pondered the right thing to say. “He made me realize I needed to get over Luke. So, I went out and had fun. But he kept bringing up that damn cop killer, and I just needed to get away.” I glanced at her bright brown eyes, hoping she would buy the story.
She grinned and nodded to the guys at the table. “It looks like your biker boys are here.”
I glanced over as well. “That’s because I came with them.”
She arched a brow and tapped her finger on the bar. “So, you get dicked down by them and forget all about me and Cameron.”
Sighing, I pulled out my wallet and handed her my card. “I didn’t forget about you two. I just had things going on. I got evicted.”
Her jaw dropped. “Shit girl, are you alright? You need a place to crash for a while?”
I shook my head. “I’m staying with one of them.”
“Which one?”
“Zane.”
“Who the fuck is Zane? Which one is he?”
“The really pale one.”
“The albino?” she questioned, shocked.
I rolled my eyes. “He’s so much more than his skin condition.”
She grinned. “Shoot, girl. I didn’t mean anythin’ by it. What are you having, by the way?”
I looked at the liquor along the wall. “Give me a Long Island.”
“What about the black guy? He single?” she asked, mixing my drink and handing it to me.
I nearly spit out my first sip. “Taven? No, he’s not single.”
Her body slouched. “Okay, how about the other white boy? I ain’t gonna lie, he scares the shit out of me, but damn, he’s fine as fuck. He’s like one of those dudes you secretly want to meet in a dark alley, but you know he’d probably cut your neck.”
Giggling, I admitted, “He’s not single either.”
Amree leaned back, giving me a dirty look. “But you were fucking all three of them?”
Shrugging, I opened my mouth to speak but bit my tongue. I almost told her that Keith and Taven were an item but decided against it. After all, I didn’t know if the guys would be okay with me sharing that information. “They have an open relationship.”
She eyeballed me. “And you’re cool with that?”
“As long as their partner is okay with it, so am I.”
She smirked. “And your boy Zane is okay with it?”
“He’s fine with it.”
Amree let out a cackle. “You’re a freak. I love this for you. Honestly, I didn’t know you had it in you.”
I was about to respond when I heard a loud laugh behind me. Turning, I spotted the detective sauntering to the bar. He placed his drink on the polished countertop and sat next to an empty stool. Considering how packed the bar was getting, if I didn’t take the opportunity, I would miss my chance entirely.
“This chair sucks; I’m gonna move.”
Amree nodded. “Yeah, I’d better get back to work anyway.”
Quickly, I snatched my purse, digging for the pill I needed to slip into Detective Chin’s drink. Holding it in my hand, I waited until he received a beer from the bar’s owner and started a mental countdown. By the time I hit six, I was smoothly sliding into the stool. He paid me no mind.
I shakily set my drink down on the counter, letting it spill and splash on the detective’s shoes.
“Oh my God, I’m so sorry!”
As the man shot up, I held my hand out as if to steady his drink and subtly dropped the pill in. God, I hoped nobody noticed.
“I’m so sorry! I swear this is my first drink tonight.”
He looked furious, but a false smile crossed his lips. “It’s fine. It barely got me,” he muttered, sitting back down.
I glanced at the guys, and Keith nodded at me. I gave him a slight bob of the head back as Zane and Taven got to their feet. My gaze followed their path across the room to where they leaned against the back wall.
Keith got to his feet a few moments after Chin took a swig of his drink. My breath caught in my chest as he walked up to me, bumping into the detective. He subtly pulled the phone from the man’s pocket as Chin jumped to his feet. “What the fuck are you doing here, McKnight?”
Sliding the device into his pocket, Keith held up his hands. “I wanted to see if this sweet little lady here would let me buy her a drink.”
Chin’s eyes narrowed, and he turned to me. “Don’t bother, sweetheart. The man is as queer as a three-dollar bill.”
Rolling his eyes, Keith smirked. “He’s just mad I won’t suck his dick.”
Chin seethed, balling up his fists in rage. “Get the fuck out of here, McKnight! Or so help me…”
Keith yanked out his cell and held it up. “Or what? You really want to be the next viral video of police brutality, Danny Boy?” Grinning, he looked at me. “You want a taste of a real man, Sweet Pea? Come find me outside.” Keith winked and headed for the door.
I was about to follow when I felt my phone vibrate.
Taven: Don’t follow. If Chin doesn’t know we’re a thing, we want to keep it that way. Just chill, Cupcake.
I replied with a quick K and took a long swig of my drink. From the corner of my eye, I watched the detective finish off his drink and request another. I continued to observe him, only ordering one more drink for myself as I casually chatted with Amree when she got a small break between customers.
Roughly twenty minutes later, Chin staggered from his seat, wobbling to the bathroom. Taven pulled out his phone, and seconds later, Keith came back in, windblown and shaking. He dropped a cell on the ground and leaned toward me. “It’s safe to come outside, Cupcake. Zane and I have been doing our thing with the phones. If you’re sober, you can head home. One of us will follow you.”
“What about Zane? He rode with me.”
“We got him covered. He’ll have a ride home.”
Nodding, I said goodbye to Amree and cashed out my tab. Slowly, I waded through the crowd until I reached the exit. People were standing around the door, chatting with each other, and one man catcalled, “Hey, baby. How you doin’ tonight?”
I frowned, ready to rebuke him, when Keith stormed over with a knife. The man yelped as he was slammed into the wall. “Don’t you ever fucking talk to my lady again!” Pressing the open blade to the fucker’s sweaty neck, Keith continued, “I will cut your motherfucking balls off, Hank. You got me?”
The man trembled, clearly frightened, but no one else stepped in; they just backed away. Hank nodded his head. “Sorry, Keith. I didn’t know she was yours.”
“Well, she is mine,” my man hissed. Backing up, he pointed the knife to everyone standing around. “Got that, gentlemen? The little ginger here is mine. Don’t ever let me see any of you fucking looking at her again.” There was a collective nod, but strangely enough, the only woman in the group was practically eye-fucking Keith the entire time.
“Keep your eyes to yourself, dearie,” I ordered.
The woman gave an ugly sneer, and Keith chuckled as he wrapped his arm around me. “Careful, Sadie, the kitty here has claws.” He turned us around and guided me to my Jeep.
“That was a little dramatic, don’t you think?”
Keith shrugged. “We call that fool Dirty Hank. He’s a fucking perv. Trust me, Sweet Pea, I did you a favor.” Pressing his body to mine, he let his nose run along the side of my face. “Come over to our house tonight. I fucking miss you.”