Chapter 12
Rowan
I was just about to finish my shift when I saw Frankie and Chaos waltz in like it was the most casual thing in the world. I froze my ministrations of cleaning a glass and watched as he led her to the back of the clubhouse, a huge grin on her face, and the look I’d seen a thousand times.
Reaper came over then, taking my attention away from her for a moment.
“You okay?” he asked, putting his empty glass on the table.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” I pointed toward Chaos and Frankie. I could already see the lust in her eyes. When Frankie fell, she fell hard, and the last time almost killed her.
“Why not?”
“Is he a one-woman kind of guy?” I queried, already knowing the answer.
Reaper sighed. “No, but he’s also not a dick. He would have told her that before he started anything.”
“We may start out okay with thinking we want the same thing but the more time we spend with guys, the more we get attached. It’s our biological nature.
If we disconnect, it’s fine, we can do whatever we want, but that attachment forms with proximity.
What I see there isn’t just a random fuck here and there, it’s… something.”
“I don’t get messed up with my guys’ sex life, kitten.”
“I’m not asking you to,” I replied. “I’m almost off the clock though, so I might take Frankie out.”
“Where?” he asked, immediately.
“I don’t know, maybe we’ll head into the city and get some drinks, a girl’s night out.”
“I’ll come with you,” he said instantly.
“You’re not a girl, Wyatt,” I smiled at him, loving how possessive he was being. Usually, I hated that shit but on Reaper, that was hot as fuck, and made me feel all kinds of girly.
“Rowan, just find a space here and you can have free drinks all night. You don’t need to go and put yourself in danger.”
“It’s just a club, Wyatt.”
“And you have people after you. People who very nearly killed you, or did you forget?”
Suddenly, all the giddiness in me slid uneasily through my stomach, making me queasy. He’d had me in a bubble for long enough that I had forgotten. Raf would still try to find me, and Trey, too.
“Right,” I said, my voice a little broken from the emotion starting to clog in my chest. “Can I see Trey?”
“It’s probably best if you stay here, or go to Chainbreakers. It’s safe, and take a prospect with you.”
“Am I on house arrest?” I aimed at him, angry that he was telling me I couldn’t do something. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I knew he was doing this to protect me, but something in that, especially now, was bugging me.
Reaper’s eyes somehow darkened, and I knew he was pissed. Cherry’s bright and bubbly voice broke me from his gaze and I turned to give her the lowdown on what had been happening. She thanked me and I headed upstairs to my room. Only once I was in there, did I feel the need to grunt in frustration.
One weekend of fucking and suddenly he turns into a caveman. Did I want that with Trey? Absolutely, or I thought I did, but I didn’t do well with being stuck in one place, especially if I just wanted to go out and party.
Reminding me of being beaten near to death, and refusing to let me see Trey. I was pissed off.
“Fuck you,” I said to the empty room. Laying down on the bed, I wiped at the silent tears falling down the sides of my face and into my hair.
You’re a badass, fuck them.
My door being flung open and a very angry Reaper standing in my doorway had my thighs trembling. He stalked toward me, rage simmering in his eyes. Grabbing me by the throat, he pulled me up off the bed.
“Don’t walk away from me when we’re talking, Rowan.”
“We were done. I’m not allowed to leave, I get it.”
“That’s not what I said,” he bit out angrily.
His eyes were wild, but I saw the darkness in those deep green pools.
His lips were on mine then, bruising and punishing, pulling me into his body, deepening the kiss.
I didn’t want to give in, but damn it, when you kiss a girl like this, you mold to their will.
“Whoa,” I heard Frankie’s voice say from the doorway. We broke away slightly, Reaper’s hand still on my throat, as we both turned to her. “Didn’t want to interrupt.”
“You’re not,” I said, shoving Reaper back a bit so I could breathe.
He stepped closer again, his lips near my ear. “This conversation isn’t over, Rowan. Nor is your punishment.”
He kissed me hard on the lips again before he let me go and stormed out, slamming the door behind him. Frankie gasped at the sound, then turned to look at me, with raised eyebrows.
“Uh…you have a lot of explaining to do, missy.”
“So do you…” I shot back at her, but I wasn’t mad at her. I was mad at the situation. Just as she moved closer, to come and sit on the bed, we both heard something coming from outside. I moved over to the door and twisted the handle to find it didn’t budge.
“Did he just–”
Sighing, and leaning my head against the back of the door. “Yeah, he locked us in.”
“Bastard!”
“You have no idea.”
“Oh well, he can’t keep us locked in all night. Come over and tell me all about that kiss…it looked hot.”
The problem was that…it was, and it had me questioning everything.
I moved over to the bed and sat down, feeling energy drain out of me.
“Tell me about what happened with Chaos.”
Frankie sighed dreamily. “The best damn night of my life.”
“And you’re still seeing him?”
“Well, I wouldn’t exactly call it seeing him. But damn that boy knows how to do the horizontal rumba.”
I nodded, trying to ignore the visual she painted. “I’m sorry I left you. I felt so guilty over it.”
“Babe, I told you I was good, and believe me I was good. All night long and into the morning.”
Rolling my eyes at her overexaggerated sigh and chuckle, I felt the unease wash off me.
“But it’s the girl code, so I felt bad.”
“Honestly, fuck the girl code. I knew I was safe. And I was desperate for a good dicking down, and boy did I get dicked down good.”
We both laughed together, laying back on the bed, side by side. She told me about Chaos, and that night, how they hadn’t stopped all night, and I told her about the day in Chapel with Reaper.
“Don’t fall in love, okay?” she said, seriously. “This may be fun and all, but being a biker’s ol’ lady…it’s dangerous and crazy.”
Too late, I thought, but that was crazy in itself. It’s the proximity of being this close to Reaper all the time making me think this way.
“He’s not going to want a twenty-four year old ol’ lady. Not when he can have any number of women, especially when they throw themselves at him all day.”
“Please, you’re hotter than any of the girls downstairs, Ro. I just don’t want you to live the life your mother did. I know how much that scares you.”
She was right. My mother had fallen in love with a man, got knocked up, and he left the second he heard a crying baby.
She spent her days looking after a child that reminded her of that guy she never quite got over.
Thankfully, she didn’t hate me for it, but I knew she looked at me sometimes and wondered what it could have been like if I hadn’t been born.
I didn’t want to be a single mum, having to be around the guy who no longer wanted me just because I had his kid. That would be heartbreaking.
“I am scared for you, too.”
“Look, I know what this is with Chaos. I’m not dumb. He’s probably already eying off a girl downstairs. Am I jealous? No. I just want some good dick, and if I can call him up when a tinder date doesn’t go my way and get some, then I’ll be happy.”
“Just never—”
“Spend the night,” she finished for me. “I know, babe. Don’t worry. I’m good. Nothing is going to come between me and you. We are ride or die.”
We connected our pinkies to seal the deal.
“He can’t keep us locked up all night,” Frankie said after a beat. “We need to eat, pee and drink.”
“He wants me to message him,” I said, motioning to my phone on the bedside table. “But I’m not cracking.”
“Ha! That’s my bitch, right there,” Frankie laughed. “Surely there is a way out.”
“There’s a window, but we’re on the second floor.”
“Open it,” Frankie said. I saw the mischievous look in her eye which usually meant pure trouble.
I moved over to the window and unlatched the lock before pulling it up.
Underneath, I saw bikers smoking, having conversations, but for the most part, it was quiet, and not as monitored as the front of the clubhouse.
“We just need to wait for them to move back inside after their smoke and we should be all good.”
Frankie moved her head through the window hole, looking down the sides and laughing softly. She pulled her head back in, and I knew she had a plan.
“There’s a lattice with climbing vines on the side of the window. We just need to climb out, grab onto it and climb down.”
“Frankie. This isn’t the movies,” I said. “That lattice isn’t going to hold our weight.”
“What do you suggest then?” she asked, throwing her hands up in the air, before she put her hands on her hips. My sassy little bestie has no idea that I had an idea. I just hoped he would help.
“Take a seat. I got an idea.”
Frankie did as I asked, her arms crossing over her chest.
I picked up my phone and dialled the number I knew was the only way I was getting out of this room. I just hoped he would help me.
“Hey,” I said when he picked up. “I need your help.”
Reaper
My fists wouldn’t unclench. If Frankie hadn’t come up to the room, I would have had Rowan over my knee spanking her ass raw.
The boys all looked at me for the reason for the emergency service, but it was for Trojan. He’d called for it, not me.
“Trojan, speak.”
He sat forward in his chair. “I’ve had alerts on Rowan and Trey, as well as the Ironborne. There’s been hits on Rowan’s name, and on her bank cards by Rafael. He’s looking for her. There’s been no searches for Trey.”
“What’s that mean?” Maverick asked, taking the words from my mouth.
“It means he’s looking for Rowan, and not Trey.”
“Trey’s the reason he went after her.”
“Either he’s working for himself and going after Rowan to scare her, or he’s trying a different tactic to pull Trey out of hiding. He clearly knows we have alerts on.”
“So he’s trying to lure us into a trap.”
“Could be,” Trojan added. “It’s hard to know what he’s planning.”
“What’s the worst case scenario?” Shadow asked.
“Luring us out to where he wants us, leaving both Trey and Rowan unprotected and we could lose brothers to whatever trap he lays.”
“Best case?” I asked.
“He’s keeping an eye on movement,” Trojan said as he shrugged. “Raf shouldn’t be underestimated. He’s a weapon, and they utilise him well.”
He’s also the bastard who hurt my woman. He’s not going to make it to his next birthday.
“Suggestions?”
“We have one place that both of us can attend on mutual ground. It’s also the best place to find out things. Maybe we use Shadow’s expertise.”
I looked over at him, seeing the way he was gritting his teeth. His past as a bare knuckle boxer had earned his respect with both sides, but he hadn’t done it in a long time. Even though I knew he still had it in him, I didn’t want to ask that of him when he’d put that in his past.
“I’m good,” he said to me, answering my unasked question. “I’ll head to the Pit tomorrow night.”
“Take Beast, Knight and Chaos with you.”
He nodded, and the boys all nodded.
“No stirring shit. Fact finding mission only, yeah?”
Maverick’s phone chimed. Normally we don’t answer it, but with the way his eyes lit up, and a smile worked its way up on his face, I knew I wasn’t going to like whatever he was about to say.
“Speak, for fuck’s sake.”
“You may want to go down to the gate,” he said, pocketing his phone. “Seems your woman’s trying to stage an escape.”
For fuck’s sake.
I pushed up from my seat and headed down to the gate, Chaos and Mav behind me. Anger lashed through me at her going against me after I locked her in the room. Whoever the fuck let her out better have fucking left already, or I’ll be getting bloody.
As I rounded the gate, I saw her standing with Frankie, both of them had their arms crossed over their chests, like they were put out by being stopped. I knew telling the prospects to keep an eye out was a good idea.
Before I exploded, I crossed the distance to my blonde-haired fireball, dropped my body down and hauled her over my shoulder. Frankie called out for me to put her friend down, before I saw Chaos head toward her and lead her away, his arm around her shoulders.
“Wyatt!” Rowan screamed over my shoulder.
“You’re in for one hell of a punishment, kitten,” I growled, slapping my hands down over her ass.