Chapter 2
two
COLE
The steady hum of conversation, bottles clinking, and pool balls clattering at The Clutch put me at ease as the sounds flowed through the door to the shop.
The rhythm of the rock music was broken up by barks of laughter and the shouts of victory when someone made a good shot.
The bike I was working on couldn’t keep my full attention, so I called it a day and headed for the bar.
Gage and Maddox were posted in their usual spot at the end of the bar top.
Ronnie was taking care of the regulars so efficiently that not even the grumpiest of them had anything to complain about.
I knew every damn soul in the bar, every regular, every member of the Hounds, every drunkard who should be anywhere but here.
I even knew the town regulars who came to The Clutch because it was the closest place to their houses.
I knew their families at home, what worries they had, what their bills were.
I knew most of their darkest secrets and biggest regrets.
It was my duty to know; my responsibility.
The debt my father had passed down to me was mine to bear, and the safety of every single Hound in here was my burden.
My life wasn’t mine to live. It was merely to be endured.
There was nothing new or surprising left in this place, and that was fine. My life was plenty exciting enough without drama in my own house. I scanned the bar, making sure business was running as usual, and then I saw her.
Someone new.
She sat at a seat in the middle of the bar, as if she didn’t know it was the worst seat in the house. Or maybe she just didn’t care.
Her strawberry blonde hair was tied back in a loose and messy ponytail.
Something about it looked a little too intentional.
When she moved her head, it looked at turns red, and then golden.
Her shirt clung to her curves in a way that immediately caught my attention.
Her black skirt was wrinkled up, and she kept trying to push it down, like she wasn’t quite comfortable with the length.
She looked preppy and squeaky-clean. Too clean for anyone around here, and her posture was perfect.
She was pretty enough that most men wouldn’t notice the inconsistencies, or maybe they just didn’t have enough riding on their back to care if someone seemed just a bit too calculated.
Shit, she was pretty enough that I had a hard time keeping my distance, even with the warning bells ringing in the back of my mind.
But I was a suspicious person. My life had wired me that way.
I couldn’t help it. She was also vaguely familiar.
I’d seen that face before, I’d swear it, but I’d be damned if I could remember where.
Enough HHU students came by looking for a fun night, but those girls moved in groups, wearing matching outfits, like some kind of sorority girl uniform.
They didn’t try to fit in. They weren’t quiet and most importantly, they were never alone.
This lone odd duck stuck out, and I didn’t like that.
It didn’t sit right with me at all. She was a stranger in my house, and strangers, in my world, were to be treated as enemies until they proved themselves otherwise.
I moved toward the end of the bar, purposely keeping my gaze from meeting hers, and leaned across the bar top next to Gage and Maddox. Maddox was working on a beer, and Gage was halfway through a glass of whiskey.
“Did you see her?” Gage asked without looking over at the blond.
“It’s hard not to see a girl like that,” I quipped.
Maddox grunted, a noise between irritation and amusement. “She doesn’t belong.”
“Give her ten minutes. She’ll get spooked and bolt,” I guessed.
Gage chuckled. “She’s already been here for twenty. So far, she’s made it through Kiki and half her beer.”
“Tougher than she looks, then,” I said, trying not to sound curious.
“Or stupid,” Maddox added, taking a long chug of his beer.
I looked over at her. She clearly wasn’t stupid; I could tell by the way she scanned the room, silently taking everything in. She was quiet and controlled, but watching all the same. It seemed like she was cataloging the entire joint.
I watched as Travis approached her, resting his elbow on the bar next to her and leaning in close.
He was a new member who still hadn’t found his place in the Hounds.
He liked to play tough, but still had a long way to go if he wanted to prove himself to me.
He was Errol’s son, however, and my dad’s old right-hand man still commanded my respect.
I’d allowed his son entry, even if I didn’t particularly take to him.
Errol was born a Hound. He’d built the club side by side with my father.
I wouldn’t break his heart by refusing his only son membership.
Travis tried to joke with her. I couldn’t hear what he said, but it was clear that it didn’t land. Her lips pressed into a firm line, and she turned ever so slightly away from him. A subtle cue to leave her alone, but Travis didn’t get the message.
“I don’t like it,” I said.
“Jealous?” Gage asked with a smirk.
“That is not what I meant, and you know it.” I shot him a look.
But I wasn’t being entirely truthful. I clenched my teeth as Travis put an arm around the back of the barstool. He leaned in close, not noticing how his target held her beer bottle tight in her fist, like she was deciding whether to drink it or use it as a weapon.
“Relax,” Maddox said, elbowing me to get my attention.
“I am relaxed,” I growled.
I forced my gaze away from the blonde. I needed to focus on the business at hand.
“What’s the news on Hutch?” I asked, ready to shift the conversation.
“His guy will be here on Saturday. I had one of the guys do a full sweep of the drop point. It came back clean,” Gage said, finishing his whiskey in one long pull.
Ronnie slid him another glass as soon as his was empty, and another right behind it for me. I took a needed swallow from the glass, setting it hard against the bar top.
“Who’s the girl?” I asked my trusty bartender. “Is she 21? You checked?”
Ronnie nodded. “Checked her ID and everything.”
“Name?”
Ronnie’s mouth hitched at the corner, but she was wise enough not to say a word other than the name.
“Belle.”
Belle. It suited her. She had a touch of fairy-tale princess about her. Did that make me the Beast?
I turned back to my men. “I still don’t trust Hutch. There’s something about him that puts me on edge.”
As President of the Harbor Hounds, every deal, at the end of the day, stopped with me. It was my call. The weight of everyone who relied on my decision to pay their bills, feed their families, and keep them out of a cell or a hole in the ground only got heavier every fucking year.
“You don’t trust anyone, boss. His product has been solid so far,” Maddox muttered.
“True, but after what happened on the last run, we’re doing a double count on this one, and I want twice as many men as last time.
I want eyes on the shipment as soon as it rolls off of the truck.
” I’d maintained as many of my dad’s longstanding business relationships as I could.
We had to move a lot of product. We had to meet our fucking interest payments, or the mysterious power behind my father’s debts would make sure that someone from our crew went missing or turned up dead.
Like Beatie. He pulled the blood-soaked strings, and we were the puppets that danced.
It was infuriating. It was impossible, and as of yet, unchangeable.
This deal was dicey, simply because we weren’t Hutch’s biggest customer.
That dubious honor was reserved for the Iron Vultures, our biggest rivals.
They’d been doing business for a long time with Hutch and his guys, but thanks to their shitty management, being short on payments, and violent outbursts, Hutch was considering his options.
If we locked him down, it would go far toward setting up the second half of the year.
If, however, it caused too much friction with the Vultures, the Hounds were out.
I didn’t risk my men more than I needed to.
“Got it,” Gage and Maddox said in unison. They moved the conversation on to the next order of business, and I tried to focus. I really did.
Until I glanced over and met her eyes for the first time.
Travis had finally fucked off. She was alone.
The look on her face sucked me in, and the conversation with Maddox and Gage faded into the background.
Her face was soft, not lined and hardened from this kind of life.
It was round, with full, pinchable cheeks.
She was young for this place. Too damn young, legal or not.
And yet, she held her ground better than I had expected.
She didn’t look away from my inspection, like most people did when met with my stare.
She held my eyes steadily. I looked at her, and she looked right back.
She didn’t smile flirtatiously or bite her lip seductively.
I was a pro at deflecting that kind of come-on.
I knew how I was viewed by the wannabe biker chicks who came around The Clutch.
Bagging the Pres would give someone ultimate bragging rights.
Too bad for them I had no interest in being some broad’s trophy.
No, she didn’t smile. She didn’t run her eyes across me or lick her lips. She just stared. So, I stared right back. Who the fuck was this girl?
The next guy to shoot his shot pulled me from her eyes.
Finn swaggered over to the blond with all the confidence of youth.
He leaned against the bar, and he was smiling at her like he had something to prove.
He was at least ten years younger than any of the guys in here, but that didn’t stop him from trying his luck with the pretty new girl.
He’d come far from the little kid hiding behind his mother’s legs that awful rainy night when I’d gone to his door, his father’s blood on my hands.