Chapter 4 - Rookie
"You punched a cop." King's voice is level, but there's steel underneath.
He sits behind his desk in the clubhouse office, arms crossed over his chest, those cold blue eyes fixed on me. Tank stands beside him, silent and massive, his presence filling the room.
"Yeah." I meet King's gaze without flinching. "I did."
"Want to tell us why?" Tank asks, his deep voice rumbling through the space.
I shift in my chair, my cock still half-hard from the ride with Officer Collins pressed against me. "He was assaulting a female cop. Had her cornered in an alley, hands on her. She was trying to get away."
King's expression doesn't change. "And you decided to intervene."
"Fuck yes, I did." My jaw clenches. "You see some asshole attacking a woman, you stop it. It doesn’t matter if he's wearing a badge."
"It matters when we've spent years keeping our noses clean," King says. "We just finished a war with the Iron Eagles. The town trusts us now. Police leave us alone. Assaulting an officer could fuck all that up."
"He wasn't acting like an officer." I lean forward, gripping the arms of the chair. "He was acting like a predator. And she's new, been here maybe a month based on how green she looked. You think anyone at that station is going to believe her over a cop with twenty years?"
Tank grunts. "Probably not."
"Definitely not," I correct. "Which means he'd get away with it. And next time, maybe it goes further."
"This about justice, Rookie? Or about the cop being a woman you wanted to protect?"
My cock twitches in my jeans at the memory of her curves pressed against me. "Both."
"Honest answer." King glances at Tank, something passing between them. "Look, I get it. You did the right thing in the moment. But attacking cops brings heat we don't need."
"He grabbed her first," I argue. "I just defended someone who couldn't defend herself."
"Against her own partner," Tank points out. "That's going to cause problems at the station. For her."
Fuck. I hadn't thought about that. Hadn't considered what happens to her after I drove away. "You think they'll fire her?"
"Or bury her," King says. "Pin it on her somehow. Make her the problem instead of him."
My hands curl into fists. "That's fucked."
"That's cops." King stands, coming around the desk. "Which is why we stay away from them. They've got their world, we've got ours. The two don't mix."
"Even when they're being assaulted?"
"Especially then." King claps a hand on my shoulder. "You did good, Rookie. Protected someone who needed it. That's what we do. But now you need to stay away from her. Let it blow over. Don't give them a reason to come after the club."
I nod, even though everything in me rebels against the idea of abandoning her. Of letting that piece of shit win. Of never seeing those green eyes or that bombshell body again.
"You're dismissed," King says. "But Rookie? Next time you want to punch a cop, maybe give me a heads up first."
"Yeah." I stand, heading for the door. "I'll try to remember that."
Tank follows me out, his massive presence at my back as we walk through the clubhouse.
It's early afternoon, and most of the brothers are out.
Beast working on bikes in the garage, Torch doing whatever demolition job he's got lined up, Steel probably buried under someone's car.
The war with the Iron Eagles ended two months ago, and we're all still adjusting to the peace.
"Rookie." Tank's voice stops me before I reach the bar. "That cop. She hot?"
I turn to face him, keeping my expression neutral. "Why?"
"Because you've got that look." His brown eyes are knowing. "Same look Steel had when he met Holly. Shadow when he found Rachel. Like you got hit by a truck and don't know which way is up."
"She's a cop," I say flatly. "I hate cops."
"Yeah, you do." Tank crosses his arms. "But you also let her ride on your bike. Shadow saw you. Said she was pressed up against you like she belonged there."
My cock hardens fully at the memory. "Doesn't mean shit."
"Means something." Tank tells me. "Just don't let it fuck up what you've built here. Don't throw it away for some cop pussy."
The crude words make me want to punch him, which is fucking stupid because he's right.
She's a cop. I hate everything that badge represents.
The system that let my brother's killer walk free until I hunted him down myself.
The indifference, the corruption, the way they protect their own no matter what.
But her pussy was pressed against me through those uniform pants, and I felt how wet she was. Felt her tits against my back, her arms around my waist, her thighs squeezing mine.
Fuck.
"I'm getting a drink," I mutter, heading to the bar.
The clubhouse bar is well-stocked. King made sure of that after the war ended. Said we earned the right to celebrate. I pour myself three fingers of whiskey and down it in one swallow, then pour another.
Officer Collins, according to the name tag I definitely didn't stare at. Curvy, bright green eyes, black hair that smelled like vanilla. A cop who became a cop because she actually believed in helping people, if her defensive speech was anything to go by.
Naive. Stupid. Doomed to be disappointed when she realizes the system is broken and badges don't mean shit.
I drink the second whiskey slower, letting it burn down my throat. My cock is still semi-hard, still remembering the feel of her body, still wanting to bend her over this bar and show her exactly what a criminal can do to a cop.
The fucked up thing? I think she'd let me. I felt her nipples harden through that uniform when I leaned close. Heard her breath catch when I let my eyes rake over her body. She might hate that she wants me, but she wants me.
And I want her right back, which makes me a fucking idiot.
"Rookie."
Shadow's voice cuts through my thoughts. I turn to find him standing beside me, those cold gray eyes assessing. He's got that spooky ability to appear without making a sound, earned from military covert ops and honed with the club.
"What?" I pour another drink.
"There's a woman here to see you."
My heart kicks up. "What woman?"
"Cop." Shadow's expression doesn't change. "The one you gave a ride to this morning. She's outside asking for you."
I nearly drop the glass. "She's here? At the clubhouse?"
"Parked right out front." Shadow leans against the bar. "King's not going to be happy about this."
"Fuck." I down the whiskey and stand, my cock already hardening at the thought of seeing her again. "What does she want?"
"Didn't say. Just asked for Rookie." Shadow's eyes narrow. "You want me to tell her to leave?"
Yes. That's the smart answer. The safe answer. The answer that keeps the club out of police business and keeps my cock from doing something stupid.
"No." I head for the door. "I'll handle it."
The afternoon sun hits me as I step outside, and there she is. Leaning against a modest sedan, wearing jeans that hug every curve and a tank top that shows off her tits. Her black hair falls loose around her shoulders, and those green eyes track me as I approach.
She looks fucking hot. Hotter than she did in the uniform, which I didn't think was possible.
My cock agrees, throbbing hard enough to hurt.
"Officer Collins." I keep my voice cold, even though I want to grab her and pin her against that car. "Long way from the station."
"I need to talk to you." She straightens, and I can see the tension in her shoulders. "About what happened this morning."
"Nothing to talk about." I stop a few feet away, close enough to smell that vanilla scent again. "I punched a cop. You rode my bike. End of story."
"It's not the end." She takes a step closer. "Hayes filed a report. My chief wants your statement."
I laugh, cold and sharp. "You came all the way to the clubhouse to ask me to talk to cops? Are you fucking insane?"
"I'm desperate." Her voice cracks slightly. "Hayes is lying about what happened. Saying I freaked out, that you assaulted him unprovoked. My chief is giving me forty-eight hours to bring you in, or I lose my job."
My jaw clenches. "Not my problem."
"You made it your problem when you punched him." She moves closer still, and now I can see the desperation in her eyes. "Please. I know you hate cops. I know you don't owe me anything. But I need you to tell the truth about what you saw."
"The truth?" I step into her space, crowding her against the car.
"The truth is your partner is a predator who uses his badge to assault women.
The truth is your chief won't believe you no matter what I say.
The truth is the system is fucked, and you walking into a police station thinking justice matters proves how naive you are. "
"I'm not naive." But her voice wavers. "I'm just trying to do the right thing."
"The right thing got you harassed and almost assaulted.
" I lean in, my hands bracketing her hips on either side, caging her against the car.
"The right thing is going to get you fired.
And you want me, a criminal who hates everything your badge represents, to walk into a police station and help you? "
"Yes." She lifts her chin, stubborn and beautiful. "Because you're the only witness. The only one who can prove what really happened."
My cock is pressing against my zipper now, hard as steel, and we're close enough that she can probably feel it. Her eyes widen slightly, her pupils dilating.
"You feel that?" I lean closer, my lips nearly brushing her ear. "That's what your body does to me, officer. Makes me hard. Makes me want to fuck you against this car in front of my entire club. You think that's the kind of witness your chief wants?"
She sucks in a breath, her chest rising. "I don't care what kind of witness you are. I just need you to tell the truth."
"Why should I?" My hands flex against the car, aching to touch her. "Give me one good reason why I should walk into that station."
"Because you stopped Hayes from hurting me." Her green eyes meet mine, unflinching. "Because whatever else you are, you're not the kind of man who lets predators win."
Fuck. She's using my own principles against me.
"You don't know what kind of man I am," I growl.
"I know you punched a cop to protect me." She places her hand on my chest, right over my heart, and I feel the touch like lightning. "I know you gave me a ride even though you hate my badge. I know you're not as cold as you pretend to be."
Her hand is on my chest. Those green eyes are looking at me like I'm something more than a criminal, like I'm someone who might actually help her.
And I'm about two seconds from kissing her.
"Shadow!" I call out without breaking eye contact with her. "Tell King we need to talk. Now."
I step back before I do something stupid, putting distance between us even though my body screams in protest. She drops her hand, looking confused.
"What—"
"You want my statement?" I cut her off. "Then we do this right. Through the club. King needs to sign off on any of us talking to cops." I head back toward the clubhouse. "You coming, officer? Or you going to stand out there all day?"
She follows, and I try not to watch the way her ass moves in those jeans. Try not to think about bending her over King's desk and showing her exactly what happens when a curvy cop walks into a biker clubhouse asking for favors.
This is going to end badly.
But fuck it. I've never been good at smart decisions anyway.