Naomi
She stared up at the woman towering over her, her head smarting.
The woman’s dark eyes were wide with fury, her makeup caked on so thick it looked almost clownish, but there was no mistaking the intent in them.
She wore five-inch stilettos, a miniskirt that barely covered her, and a sheer black lace top that ended just below her giant boobs, nipples on display.
A top that was now wet and dripping down her exposed skin.
She realized the silence in the room, and when she looked around, everyone was watching her. Her face flamed. Great. That was just what she needed. Making a spectacle of herself. That’s one way to never be invited back to a party.
“I’m going to kill you, you cunt!” the woman roared, getting to her feet.
“Touch her, and we’ll kick your ass,” Glitch hissed. “You don’t have any power here, skank.”
“Fuck you, Glitch,” the woman snarled. “I’m going to be Ink’s Old Lady, so I have every right to take this cunt down for disrespecting me.”
“Disrespecting you?” Karissa scoffed. “How much have you had to drink, Kayla? You bumped into her. She wasn’t doing shit but talking to us.”
“She deliberately spilled her drink on me,” she shouted, her black acrylic nails pointing at Naomi.
“What? You think because you’re new here, you’re better than me?
You’re nothing more than a piece of ass, ready to be handed around.
” She narrowed her eyes on Naomi. “Not that you have anything to tempt these boys with. No tits or ass to speak of.”
Naomi stared at her, unsure what to do or say.
She wasn’t a fighter. The only reason she knew how to take her down was because she had seen a cat fight between two of Diego’s girlfriends one night.
One he had purposely instigated. She remembered the other moves, but she wasn’t sure she could recreate them.
“You’re on thin ice, Kayla,” Karissa warned. “She’s a guest here, and she was asked to be here because we value her company, not because she gives her pussy to every man who flirts with her.”
“I’d love to have a go at her,” Saylor announced, coming to stand behind Naomi.
“Fuck off, Saylor, this has nothing to do with you,” Kayla snapped, but unease started to leak out into her expression.
“You’re being rude to my friend, so yeah, I’d say it does,” Saylor shot back.
“Alright, that’s enough,” Rogue barked. “Kayla, unless you want to be banned, keep moving. Leave Naomi alone. Now.”
“But, Rogue, she—”
“Now! I won’t ask again. We both know you started that shit. If you want me to bring the footage in here to show Savage and prove why you should be banned, I’ll have Code do it now.”
Apparently, that was enough of a warning. Kayla glared at Naomi and spat, “Stay the fuck out of my way, bitch, or next time, I won’t be so nice.” Then she stormed off.
Rogue narrowed his eyes after her, then looked back at Naomi. “You good?”
She nodded, unable to speak, her body trembling. Rogue held her gaze, nodded curtly, and walked away.
“You okay?” Karissa asked, drawing her gaze. “Let’s go and get you cleaned up. I’ll get another one for you.”
Naomi said nothing, she just stepped around the women and headed for the door. “Naomi!” Karissa called. “Wait!”
“Shit,” Glitch hissed. “Fucking skank. Go talk to her. I’ll deal with that bitch.”
Naomi stopped listening, ignoring the calls for her, even some of the guys tried to get her attention. She had to get out of here. This was a mistake. A major mistake. She had to get back to Asher.
Her mind raced as she stepped out of the clubhouse. Only to run head-on into Ink, who gripped her upper arms when she staggered back.
“Whoa, where’s the fire?” he asked, grinning, but it slipped when she glared up at him. “What’s wrong? Why are you all wet?”
“Talk to your girlfriend,” she clipped. Wrenching away from him, she kept walking.
She berated herself as she stalked toward the warehouse.
She spent the last week thinking about the way he kissed her on the forehead.
How pathetic was she? A man like Ink was a flirt.
It meant nothing. And what kind of man was in a relationship with one woman and kissed another one? Flirted with her?
A dick, that was who. God, she was stupid.
Now she had far more to worry about than a man who couldn’t keep it in his pants. The woman likely had her in her sights now, asking questions and able to tell the wrong person about her.
Yeah, no, she wasn’t just stupid; she was an absolute idiot. Karissa and Glitch told her there would be club girls there after nine, and she should have known the women would arrive before then.
Would she have to run? Should she call Taz, Simba, or someone to tell them what happened?
Or should she just take Asher and run before anyone could find them?
Should she take her chances and get away before she called the Devil’s Predators?
She couldn’t risk calling the Feds. Diego and his men would be on her in hours.
Panic filled her, her breathing speeding up, but she tried hard to hold on. She couldn’t scare Asher or the twins. She had to be strong. Break down later, when she had a plan.
With sheer willpower, she reached the top of the stairs and walked into the apartment with an easy smile on her face and steady hands. Barely.
The twins sat at the table, looking at the accounting books she had been studying earlier. They looked up at her, surprised.
“Hey,” Wren said, with an easy smile. “We figured you’d stop in at the party.”
“I did, but, well, I got a drink spilled on me, and I hate feeling sticky, so I decided to come home.” Not a total lie, and they grinned and nodded.
“Yeah, that happens when they get to drinking. Scarlett came home once because Ink, Razor, and Jax were doing some kind of contest, and she was in the line of fire.” Win snickered. “Rogue was pissed. I think those three avoided him for a week.”
She could see it. “Thank you both for staying with Asher. Did he fall asleep on you?”
“Like twenty minutes after you left.” Win glanced toward the open door at the end of the hallway. “We’ve checked on him at random intervals, but he’s been fast asleep.”
“I think he might be going through a growth spurt,” Wren added. “I noticed his pj pants look a little shorter than they did when he wore them last week. Not a lot, but just enough to notice.”
Naomi nodded. That would explain why he’d been a bit more tired than normal. “You’re probably right. The books I read said he’d probably go through one right about now. I’ll have to keep him a little quieter for a couple of days so he doesn’t overdo it.”
It was the perfect excuse to keep Asher to herself while she figured out what the hell to do.
“Yeah, we’ve read some of the baby books Royal, Harlow, and Esme have had lying around, and that was one of the things it said.” Wren shuddered. “And other information I’ll never be able to forget. And the pictures … No thank you.” Win shook her head.
Despite everything, she found herself smiling and joking. “Try having an eidetic memory and remembering every second of it all happening to you.”
The horror on the girls’ faces would have been hilarious in any other moment. “That’s horrible. How can you even function?” Wren questioned.
“You learn to compartmentalize. It’s a great birth control reminder if I ever think about having another one any time soon.” Not that that would ever happen either. Not with everything else going on.
“On that note, I’m leaving before you start telling us all about it like Royal and Esme do to scare the shit out of us,” Win declared, jumping to her feet. “I have some homework I should get to anyway. I’m behind on an essay due Monday.”
“Damn it, I forgot about that.” Wren groaned. “Yeah, me too.”
Naomi locked the door behind them before heading down the hall to check on Asher herself. He looked so peaceful in bed, his breathing steady and even, clutching the stuffed lion to his chest. The same lion Ronin had insisted he could borrow so he wouldn’t be scared at night like he used to be.
Her heart broke, and she tried to choke back the tears welling in her eyes. Asher was finally starting to settle in, starting to make friends and be a kid again. Now she might have to yank him away from it.
Life wasn’t fair, but she would do whatever she had to do to protect her son.
Hurrying into the bathroom, she found her tampon box and pulled out the burner phone Taz and Simba had left her. She stared at it, unsure. Should she bother them with this? Was it really that big a deal?
Maybe she could talk to Savage? Tell him her concerns?
But what would Savage do? Would he ban Kayla?
Make her even angrier and more likely to talk to whoever she could?
Or would he kill her? No, she couldn’t live with that on her conscience.
Except, what was she expecting the Devil’s Predators to do?
How would they help her, other than moving her and Asher?
She sat on the floor, with her back pressed against the bathroom wall, her body shaking and her breathing quickening again.
No, she had to stay in control. A panic attack would only make things worse. She couldn’t risk Asher waking to find her like this. She didn’t want to frighten him.
Eyes closed, she tried to ground herself and slow her breathing, but nothing changed. She opened them and looked at the phone again.
It shook in her hands, but she forced herself to get out the message.
Naomi: I think I might be compromised. A woman here for a club party bumped into me and now hates me. What do I do? Do I run?
She regretted sending the message the moment the soft ding filled the air. No, it was the right thing. It had to be. She was a guest of the Dragons, but the Devil’s Predators were the ones who had to keep her safe. Had to keep her son safe.
Tears slid down her cheeks as she waited, unable to control her breathing. She didn’t even care that her shirt clung to her or that she smelled like rum. She needed them to answer, to reassure her they would get her out of here.
Finally, the phone dinged, and she looked at the message.
Taz: Remove the SIM and crush it. We’ll be there in twenty-four hours. Stay put.
That was it. She did what he asked, hurrying to her feet and running into the kitchen.
Needing to be quiet so she didn’t wake Asher, she put the chip in a bag between some towels then pounded it with a rolling pin and a meat tenderizer.
Finally finished, it was smashed enough to throw in the garbage.
Some of the stress seemed to lift from her chest, and she finally took a full breath. Slowly, she reached the point where she could think, and the bands in her chest relaxed. It also cleared her senses, and her nose wrinkled as the smell of the rum finally penetrated.
Gross. She needed a shower.
The heat of the shower was deliciously warm and did wonders to clear her mind. By the time she stepped out, she felt more like herself and sleepy enough to collapse into bed, pulling Asher into her and sinking into sleep.