Chapter Six
Jade followed Saint and Sinn as they marched through the Bone Breakers clubhouse.
Each MC had their own unique set-up, but some things stayed the same.
A fully stocked bar, televisions, places to lounge, and pussy galore were usually the staple of any place bikers kicked back to chill.
Every single member of the Bone Breakers stared them down, not happy to have a rival club in their midst. Jade wasn’t a fan either, but he obeyed his Prez's command, so he and War followed like dutiful little soldiers. Their job was to watch Saint and Sinn’s back.
Apollo waited with the bikes, making sure they weren’t fucked with. And, since he could charm the pants off practically anyone -except Shiloh, apparently- his job was to talk to any of Lucifer’s men to get any extra info on him or his club.
After entering the church, Jade and War stood behind Saint and Sinn.
Lucifer, who had his own enforcers behind him, was a mean-looking son-of-a-bitch.
The cliched biker with a salt-and-pepper beard and mustache combo and a stare that could rival the devil himself.
The man was big and brawny, and Jade would not want to fuck with him on any playing field.
Arson, Lucifer’s VP, sat next to him. Another mean-looking fucker, he was probably a decade younger than the prez, with dark hair that brushed his shoulders and a sweeping gaze that held judgment and scorn.
Sinn slid a folder toward Arson. “This is the analysis from our MD, Nero. He’s identified a few different agents in the new drug, including the hallucinogen methylenedioxymethamphetamine, nicotine, and psilocybin.”
Arson opened the folder to read the lab report. “Who the fuck made up a twenty-eight-letter word?”
“That would probably be a scientist. And yes, I used YouTube to learn how to say it.” Sinn beamed like he’d just won a spelling bee.
Completely unaffected by the older VP’s surly disposition, he pivoted.
“To break it down to a kindergarten level, it’s basically ecstasy, nicotine, and mushrooms with a few other lethal things thrown in. ”
He smiled, showing off his white-teeth megawatt grin that always managed to disarm people. Arson was no exception, frowning, looking confused.
“I think you just insulted me.”
“Did I? Feeling insulted stems from insecurity that triggers internal doubt.”
Arson narrowed his eyes. “You’re weird.”
“Thank you. I try.”
“Back to the matter at hand,” Saint said, throwing his brother an exasperated look.
“When you alerted me to the fact about Red Dust, I had a member investigate how far up our chain it went, all the way to Casper. He didn’t find the drug anywhere else, but if we let this go too long, it will inevitably spread.
Which will impact our trade routes and bring the Feds into an investigation we don’t want. ”
“How did you first find out about this new drug?” Sinn asked.
“My pusher,” Lucifer replied. “He alerted me to that a new product had hit the streets, but he had no idea from where. I just want to know who the fuck had the balls to encroach into our territory.”
“Same, Brother,” Saint asserted. “I’m going to have my men crawling through the streets until we find the source.”
“I’ll do the same.” Lucifer looked at Arson. “Set that up.”
Arson nodded.
Lucifer and Saint shook hands. Their rivals were slowly becoming allies.
****
Late morning, Shiloh walked out of Vette’s house and saw Jade waiting for her.
A bolt of happiness shot through her, but the moment she tried to analyze why, the heavy chain of guilt tightened.
How could she find him attractive when she’d ...
endured ... what had happened? Was she as horrible as she was told?
“Hey,” he greeted. “What put the sadness in your beautiful eyes?”
Immediately, she blanked out her face. “No sadness. You must be seeing things.”
It looked like he wanted to argue, but she plopped her helmet on and swung up behind him. By now, she was a pro. The bike roared off as they headed into work.
The days passed quickly, one bleeding into the next.
Shiloh liked staying busy, and in between customers, she decided to rearrange the waiting room to make it a little more inviting.
The metal folding chairs weren’t comfortable, so she asked Jade if she could order better ones, with cushions, so butts wouldn’t go numb either waiting or looking through designs.
He quickly agreed.
She even typed up ideas on how to expand the business, including a girls’ night offering half-priced tattoos. Because if you bring women, the men will follow. Their slowest night of the week was Tuesday, so she suggested that night.
Again, Jade agreed.
Thinking up business plans and improvements to the shop gave Shiloh a sense of purpose.
All her jobs in the past always made her feel listless.
Unmotivated. It was why they were so easy to walk away from.
She never cared about them. The Inkpot, however, wasn’t something she saw coming.
It was nice to actually look forward to work.
Friday night was a completely different ballgame.
“Hey, Shiloh.”
She smiled up at Jade. “Yeah?”
“Listen, once the sun goes down tonight, there are going to be a lot of people showing up,” he said. “I don’t want you to be overwhelmed, so if you feel like you need to leave, it’s okay.”
A sliver of unease swept through her. “Why are they showing up?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “First Friday of the month, there’s a parking lot party.”
She blinked. “A party? That’s it?”
“Yeah,” he replied. “The Sons invite all the gangs, and the only rule is no weapons, no wars. That shit is left at the road for one evening.”
That seemed a little far-fetched. “And that works?”
“It’s been working for years. Everyone knows not to fuck with the Sons, and it’s a way to not only flex our muscles, but to also prove we’re still the apex predator in Cheyenne.”
“I see,” she murmured.
“Do you want to go home?”
An innocent question, but filled with intent. If she ran away, he would know she couldn’t handle this life. Might even think it was a mistake to hire her. She couldn’t lose her job because she loved it too much.
Besides, if she went home, when would she put her past in the grave? She couldn’t live the rest of her life constantly scared to death.
“I’ll stay,” she told him.
His eyebrows rose. “You sure?”
She nodded.
“Okay,” he said. “But if you start to feel nervous at all, let me know.”
“I will,” she assured him.
When the sun went down, Jade turned the music up, propped the doors open, and the party erupted all over the parking lot.
Bikers arrived wearing the same patch as Jade, some with women behind them.
Low-riding cars and trucks came. Everywhere she looked, she saw people greet the Sons with that fist-bump-hug-thing that men tended to do.
Food and drinks appeared. People mingled together.
Even the Sheriff stopped by. All having a good time.
Shiloh stepped out of the shop to look around since she’d never seen anything like it.
The Sons held court like they ruled the city, and she guessed they did.
Who would be dumb enough to go against them?
This wasn’t a world she knew anything about, and if someone would’ve asked her if she would feel comfortable surrounded by rough and tough men with tons of muscles and dangerous auras, she would’ve said no way.
“You must be Shiloh.”
She turned around and recognized one of the twins that belonged to Kira. “Yes,” she replied.
“I’m Sinn.”
The patch on his black leather cut designated him as the VP. “I remember you from the diner.”
“Where my lovely fiancée gets to boss people around,” he said brightly.
“She hears you say that, she’ll get bossy on your ass,” his twin replied as he approached.
A dreamy look crossed Sinn’s face. “One could only hope.”
Saint rolled his eyes before focusing that laser stare on her. “Welcome, Shiloh. Jade has told us how valuable you are to the shop. That your ideas have helped to bring in new customers.”
She blinked. “Oh. Thank you. I love working at The Inkpot. I’m lucky he decided to take a chance on me.”
“Next weekend we’re having a club barbecue,” Sinn remarked. “Have Jade bring you. It’s a great way for you to meet everyone.”
“Oh, um,” she stammered. “I don’t want to intrude.”
Sinn waved away her words. “No intrusion, I assure you. We’re all family. You included.”
The words shouldn’t have meant as much as they did, but they chipped a little off the ice she’d built around her heart.
Family. All she ever wanted, but never had.
Unable to say anything past the lump in her throat, she nodded.
Sinn winked at her and with a wave, the brothers continued their way through the crowd.
Suddenly, a prickling sensation washed over her. Like a thousand tiny needles poking her all at once. She looked around, trying to find the source of the disturbing feeling, but couldn’t spot anyone staring at her.
Maybe it was paranoia.
Perhaps her mind was playing tricks on her.
Still, she didn’t like the cold trickle of suspicion sluicing down her spine, so she headed back into the shop.
“You okay?”
She jumped, startled, and spun around, placing a hand over her heart. Jade held up his hands.
“Sorry,” he said quickly. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
Shiloh shook her head. “It’s okay. I was just lost in thought.”
He took a small step toward her. When she didn’t flinch or move away, he took another, bringing himself up close. She tilted her head back to look up at him.
“Let me know if anyone bothers you.”
“I will,” she replied.
Neither one of them moved, and for a very brief moment, everything faded away. It was like they were in their own little bubble.
“Why do I feel safe with you?” she whispered, confused. “What makes you different?”
He captured her hand and brought it up to place a warm kiss on her palm before placing it on his chest. Right over his heart. “Because you feel it too.”
“What do I feel?”
“Chemistry. Trust. Maybe even destiny.”
“You believe in destiny?”
“I believe people come into our lives for a reason.”
He stared at her lips, and she wondered what it would feel like to kiss them.
To claim them. Or to have him claim her.
The thought ... didn’t scare her. Before anything happened, their little dance of two broke when a man walked into the shop.
Jade gave her a pointed look before he turned to greet the customer.
Shiloh curled her fingers into her palm, holding back on reaching for Jade.
Destiny? Could she believe it?
It rocked the tentative ground beneath her feet, threatening to collapse.
Only time would tell if that was good or bad.