Chapter 6
TRIGGER
After leaving Elise in her new room, I find Danyella, Monica, and Daisy watching a movie with the kids. I walk up to them and bend down so I’m near Danyella’s ear. “Elise needs clothes when you get a chance. Would you be able to get her some?” I whisper so I don’t disturb the ankle-biters.
“Of course. Is she alright?” Danyella asks, concern etched in her voice.
“She will be, but right now, she’s hurt.” I hold back the anger in my voice, but it still comes out raw and raspy.
Danyella gives me a reassuring squeeze on the hand. “We’ll take care of her, don’t worry. Capone and the rest of the brothers are waiting for you in Church.” Danyella responds with a gentle voice. She is the one to help those who need it.
I nod. “Thank you, Dany.”
“We’ve got you and her,” she says softly.
Leaving them to their movie, I head straight for the bar. Grabbing a bottle of Crown, I pour a shot, down it in one go, and slam the glass onto the counter. The burn barely registers. With that, I make my way to Church.
Inside, all eyes are on me as I take my seat. Capone sits at the head of the table, Blayze on his left, Torch on his right. Red has his laptops set up, and the rest of the brothers, Derange, Tiny, Aftermath, Dagger, Pretty Playboy, and Bones, are in their respective seats. The air is thick with expectation. All eyes are on me as I straighten my back and take my seat.
Capone slams his ivory gavel on the table, signaling that Church is in session. “First order of business. Since we have two new patched-in members, they need to have titles. Pretty Playboy, you’ve proven time and again that you have what it takes to keep our meetings in check, and your attention to detail is outstanding. I want you to be in charge of Secretary duties as of further notice and take some weight off Red.” Then he looks at Bones. “Bones, since you know how to take care of and dispose of our enemies when it’s called for, you are our official cleaner. If anyone needs someone to disappear, Bones is the man you want.” Capone tosses two patches at Bones and Pretty Playboy. “Find an Ol’ Lady to sew these on for you once we’re done here.”
Hoots and hollers, with feet stomping and whistling erupt, making Bones blush and Pretty Playboy smirk. Capone holds his right hand up silencing the rowdy bunch of assholes. “Trigger, how are our legit businesses holding up?”
I don’t even need to look at my notes for this. My photographic memory serves me well. “The bar, casino, and repair shop are all in the black. The fighting ring is slowly making us extra cash, and I’m seeing a turn in profits by the end of the year. As for our contracts, those speak for themselves.” I pull a stack of envelopes from my cut and pass them along to all the brothers. There’s a total of fifty-k split between everyone. It’s not much, but it’ll do for now.
“As for Bones’ idea about the gentleman’s club.” I continue. “I think we can swing it by next year as long as our other businesses stay in the black with no setbacks.”
“What about using the money from our Cartel operation to fund the opening?” Bones asks.
Capone shakes his head. “We’re not running as hard for the Cartel as we used to. The cash coming in is just enough to keep them happy. We’re contracting most of the work out to our sister chapter, the Royal Harlots. They need money, and we can provide it. Once they’re on their feet and able to go legit, we’ll cut ties with the Cartel completely.”
A beat of silence. Then, Capone adds, “But I don’t see that going over well, so be ready for a fight.”
“Thanks, Prez, I really want to see this through.” Bones responds.
“I know you do, and you will. Just give us time to get shit organized and prepared. It’s not something we can handle overnight.” Capone acknowledges. “Anything else?”
Murmurs of no ripple through the room. “Ok then. We have a guest staying with us until her safety is taken care of.” Capone nods to me, and I rise from my seat. Time to bring my brothers up to speed.
“My sister, Elise, had some bad luck these last few months. Her boyfriend racked up a bill with a loan shark, and now they want my sister to pay it back. If she cannot come up with a hundred grand in a week, they’re going to take it out of her skin. She isn’t to leave this Clubhouse, no matter what, until I can get a handle on this. They banged her around pretty good the other day and that is why she is here. She knows we can and will protect her at all costs, without laying a hand on her delicate skin. And if I find out anyone has touched my sister, I will skin their dicks and make them choke on it.” I narrow my eyes at Pretty Playboy and he narrows his back. Fucker is going to give me grey hair.
Capone speaks, cutting the tension between Pretty Playboy and myself. “Red, look into Elise’s personal life and give me the name of this boyfriend of hers. Dig as deep and as far as you can. We will help you, Trigger, but we can’t if you plan on skinning all our single men.”
I sit down in my seat and cross my arms over my chest. “Just don’t touch my sister, and I won’t have to skin anyone,” I grumble like a scolded toddler.
Capone moves on. “Torch, it’s your turn to collect the cash drops from our businesses this week. Take Pretty Playboy, Bones, and Aftermath with you. Trigger, you get the casino drop, and we’ll see what we have by Friday. Church dismissed.” Capone slams his gavel on the table.
I drag my hands down my face and exhale sharply. Fuck, why is this adulting shit have to be so hard? I rise from my seat and exit the Church doors. Usually talking about finances and shit puts me in a good mood but not today. Tiny is waiting for me on the other side of the doors.
“C’mon. I got a place you need to go.” He motions with his big beefy hands to follow him, and I do without question.
Tiny mounts his bike, and I follow. Together, we ride out of the garage and into the setting sun, the L.A. skyline glowing in the distance. After thirty minutes, we reach the industrial side of the city. Tiny turns into a warehouse parking lot, lined with muscle cars and filled with women in barely-there outfits, dancing to the beat of the music. The crowd parts when the rumble of our bikes vibrates through the pavement. All eyes are on us. They know better than to fuck with us or who we’re connected to.
Once we park our bikes near an old warehouse, a familiar woman with long blonde hair steps away from her dark grey Shelby and heads toward us with her hound dog on her heels. She’s wearing black skinny jeans, a black tank top, and a black and white flannel. Her long, lean legs eat up the pavement until she reaches us.
“Tiny, Trigger.” Krimson nods her head at both of us. Nolan doesn’t say a word. He just glares, his usual pissed-off expression firmly in place. I thought we were past this macho bullshit after we helped him rescue his sister, Nadia.
“Krimson, Nolan,” I greet back with the same gesture.
“What are you doing here?” Krimson asks.
“We’re here for the fights,” Tiny responds.
“Hmm…sounds intriguing. Which one of you is fighting tonight?” Krimson’s puckered lips form into a mischievous smile. Her honey-colored eyes bounce between both of us.
Damn, this woman gets me hot and bothered all at once. She oozes sex appeal and danger, a lethal combination. I shift slightly on my bike to adjust the growing problem in my jeans, and Nolan’s eyes narrow in my direction.
I shrug. What can I say? I’m a guy who finds this woman very appealing. I’ll never act on what she does to my body because of the respect I have toward her, but that doesn’t mean my little head will listen to my big head.
“He is.” Tiny points a thick finger at me. I blanch in shock but school my features.
Krimson’s smirk widens as she gives me a slow once-over. “Interesting. I’m curious to see how this plays out.” She steps back into Nolan’s embrace. “We might have to watch.”
“Or maybe join,” Nolan growls, scowling at me like he’d rather be throwing punches than standing here. His face is a mask of unkept rage. Krimson turns around and whispers something in Nolan’s ear. His eyes close with a shudder, and when he opens them, the rage is still there but less calm. Damn, this guy has some major issues.
“It’s up to you. If you think you can handle me in the ring, I’m game.” I shrug my shoulders. No way am I letting Nolan-Fucking-Ryan think he can intimidate me. Even if our Club and Krimson’s gang have a truce, and he is the big brother to Red’s Ol’ Lady, Nadia.
“We have a race to put on. Maybe we’ll see you boys on the inside,” Krimson replies before Nolan can. She grabs his hand, leading him back toward the cars.
Tiny and I stay put on our bikes for a little while, watching Krimson work her magic with the crowd. They listen with rapt attention as she goes over the rules and lines the cars up. She isn’t racing tonight, but the gleam in her honey gaze tells me she wants to. Once Noah collects all the money for the bets, another woman with long dark hair wearing a cheeky skirt barely covering her ass and a tight halter top stands between the two center cars and removes her scarf from her neck. Her tattooed arm raises the scarf high above her head, and when she drops it, the engines roar, tires screeching as the cars take off at breakneck speed.
Watching this unfold has taken my mind off what happened to my sister, but now that it’s over, a flood of emotions overtakes me. Why did something like this happen to my sister, of all people? She’s one of the most caring, sweetest women out there who wouldn’t hurt a fly, let alone a person. Is she an easy target cause she wears her heart on her sleeve? Can I help make her stronger and more cautious with the time I have with her? Is this my fault for leaving after I got out of jail? A storm brews inside me, and for once, I don’t have the answers.
Tiny checks his phone and tucks it back into his cut. “Come on, it’s time.”
We climb off our bikes and head inside the warehouse. Looking around, there is nothing in here except a few desks and a lot of dust. Our footsteps echo in the empty space. I open my mouth to ask what the fuck, but I trust Tiny to know where we’re going so I snap it shut and follow him.
We descend a metal staircase until the scent of mold and mildew lingers in the dark, chilly air. Once we reach the bottom of the stairs, a single bulb illuminates our way to a steel door.
Tiny pounds on it with his meaty fist, and the door opens. Inside takes my breath away. Men and women crowd around a massive ring under harsh fluorescent light. Two women fight inside with no gloves, no gear, just fists and fury. Blood splatters across the mat, and the more that spills, the wilder the crowd gets.
As I watch the two women go at it, my hands begin to shake, itching to join them and shed my own blood. This is just what I needed to quench the rage pounding inside my chest.
A tall man with dreadlocks approaches us, clasping Tiny’s hand. They exchange words, but I barely hear them because I’m focused on the fight. The woman with short dark hair slams her elbow into the blonde’s nose, sending blood gushing down her face. The blonde wobbles, and her opponent seizes the moment, driving her fist into her jaw. She crumples to the mat. Out cold. The ref stands over her, counting to ten, but the blonde doesn’t get up, so he calls it. The crowd roars.
“Come on,” Tiny shouts in my ear over the roar of the crowd.
I follow him toward the other side of the ring when I spot someone to my left who shouldn’t be here. Aerianna’s long blonde hair is done up in braids on each side of her head, and she’s trying to blend in with the crowd. But her rigid stance and alert eyes are a dead giveaway that she doesn’t belong here.
Tiny’s voice pulls me back. “Watch these two and the next two. The winner of these two rounds will go against each other, and the winner of that round will go against you.” Tiny informs me. “It’s like a round Robin. You fight until you lose, but for you, you fight the winner of all of them.”
Another set of fighters enters the ring as I peel my gaze away from Aerianna to watch with rapt attention, analyzing their techniques and skills. The one man has a six-inch spread on the other one. He’s twice the other guy's size. But what the other guy lacks in weight and height, he makes up for in quickness and power. As the shorter guy fends off the bigger guy, he gets in a few hard jabs to the bigger guy's ribs. I notice he is toying with the big guy, tiring him out and giving the spectators a show.
Then I catch the scent of vanilla and steel, drawing my attention away from the bloodbath inside the ring to Aerianna. She’s standing right next to me, watching me. Her striking grey eyes pull me under, and I don’t even stop it. My body reacts instantly, drawn to her warmth like a goddamn magnet.
“What are you doing here?” My voice comes out rough.
“Watching the fights. What are you doing here?” Aerianna teases, a grin tugging at her lips.
“Fighting,” I respond. Our conversation is short, but it doesn’t matter. Words aren’t needed. The air between us hums, charged with something thick and dangerous. Good Lord, the way I’m attracted to her, we don’t need conversation to know each other. It’s the comfortable silence we have together that I love about this.
Our eyes lock onto each other, and for a moment, there is no one else around but her and me. The crowd fades away, Tiny is non-existent, and the fighters are background noise. The palm of my hand lightly traces up Aerianna’s arm, causing goosebumps to erupt on her skin. Aerianna’s breathing grows rapidly, making her chest heave.
We move closer together like magnets until our bodies are touching. My hard muscles against her soft curves. My palm cups the side of her beautiful face, my thumb tracing her soft, full lips. My body reacts to being close to temptation. Not like the Club Bunnies do, but something more. I want this woman with every fiber of my being. My jeans tighten painfully, begging to be released and have his wicked ways with her. The things I want to do to her flip through my head like a porno. The way I want her strong legs wrapped around my waist, her heavy panting in my ear as I drive into her, bringing her to the edge, just to back away and make her whine in protest. The way her sweet taste would feel on my tongue after I nibble and lick each thigh.
We stay this way for a few stolen moments before Aerianna rips her gaze away and takes a step back. Her pupils are dilated, and her chest is heaving with every breath.
“Shit,” she breathes, licking her lips. My eyes follow the trail her tongue left, and I wish it was my tongue tracing the succulent flesh of her lips and more. I’ll bet if I stick my hand down her panties, she’ll be soaked for me.
Tiny nudges me on the back, and I turn to him with a pissed-off look. “What the fuck was that?”
“Nothing,” I bark back.
“Uh-huh,” Tiny responds skeptically.
I turn back to where Aerianna was, and she’s not there anymore. I scan the crowd, looking for her, but can’t find her. Shit. Oh, well. She’s a distraction I don’t need right now.
The next fight is over in a matter of minutes. Not even worth paying attention to. Then, the winner from the first round and the second round battle it out. This one I watch carefully, clocking and learning each fighter's moves until only one is left standing. That is the one I will be taking on in an hour.
Tiny leads us to the back of the warehouse, and he opens a door marked private. “You’re going on in an hour. Stay in here, get your head right, and focus on what you need to do. If you win this, you’ll be closer to being able to help your sister. The pot is up to fifty-k, and once the fees are paid, you’ll walk away with thirty-five.”
“Thirty-five K for a few minutes in a ring?” I ask just to be sure. Tiny nods his head with a devilish smirk on his face. Fuck yeah. “Shit, brother. This payday is what I need right now. A few of these this week, and I’ll have enough to help Elise.”
“One other thing,” Tiny states. I raise an eyebrow, watching him. “If you beat this guy, he’s agreed to become a valuable asset to the Royal Bastards in finding Lattimer.”
I nod my head in understanding. Take this guy down and gain valuable intel to help find the man who has been wreaking havoc on our Club.
“He won’t stand a chance,” I confirm.
Tiny leaves and I try to focus, but my thoughts drift. Not to the fight. Not to the money. To Aerianna. Her succulent lips and a teasing smile. Heated grey eyes invade my fantasies, and I’m rock hard. Fuck, I don’t need this right now. But I can’t get Aerianna out of my head. I’m drawn to her like I’ve never been drawn to someone before. She’s going to be the death of me before I even get a chance to taste her.
A loud knock on the door signals it’s almost time. I strip out of my cut and t-shirt, kick off my riding boots, and unzip my jeans to relieve the pressure against my aching dick. I rock my neck from side to side and jump around a few times to loosen my muscles.
The door swings open.
Time to handle business for my club and my sister.
And if I win? That’s one step closer to getting everything I need.