Chapter 18
CHAPTER 18
ATOM
T he moment he walked in, I realized he was trouble. The way he searched for Clara and the hard gleam in his eye as he waved her across heated my anger. I know the type of guy. Entitled, conniving and not to be trusted. A man who gets what he wants despite the obstacles in his path and he wants my woman. It was obvious to me.
I shamelessly listened in on their conversation and saw Clara was uncomfortable. He put her on edge and I’m guessing it was because I was watching their interaction.
Razor’s expression said it all. He warned me, so I had some understanding of the situation before he walked in, but now it’s obvious. I may have to fight for Clara and from the look of this man, he doesn’t play by the rules.
He is with Emilio D’Angelo who’s a small town crook with high aspirations and deals in drugs, prostitution and intimidation. I’m curious about what this supposed pillar of the community is doing with him.
Then Riley walked in and my suspicions were confirmed. Shady men doing shady deals right under our noses.
Their voices were low and guarded and despite trying I couldn’t make out a word of their conversation.
Razor nods to the door.
“You ready, man?”
He is on edge. They all are and I cast a glance at Clara, who is no longer smiling as she works.
I shake my head. “We will have another.”
I wave to Alice, who heads across to take our order, and she jerks her head at the next table and pulls a face.
She scribbles something on her pad and hands it to me.
I read the word on the page.
Trouble!
I nod, my expression grim because somewhere deep down inside me, I can tell this is the beginning of a fight I may not be able to win.
I take her pen and write.
“Tell Clara I’ll be back after her shift. Wait for me.”
She nods, and after I place the money on the table, I signal to my club.
We head out in silence and as the door swings behind us and I sit astride my bike, in the mirror I catch the three men watching us, their expressions grim.
We head to my home and when we are crowded into my small kitchen, Razor growls, “Word on the streets is Michael Santobello is close with D’Angelo and they are setting up a security business.”
“And Riley?”
Diesel pitches in. “Apparently, he uses D’Angelo to collect his debts. Not officially, but Dan told me he was working late one night and Emilio pushed past him into the back office and left Dan’s boss with a broken nose and half his weekly takings.’
“I heard he was into security and imports.” Billy adds. “We all know what that means.”
“Drugs and intimidation, probably prostitution. So Santobello is in the mob.”
I stare at them thoughtfully. “We must do some digging and discover exactly what Charles and Michael Santobello are involved in. Any ideas?”
“Google?” Diesel grins and we laugh out loud, the earlier tension lessening slightly.
“I doubt even Google is up to speed on their business.” I shrug. “Keep your eyes and ears open. I don’t trust any of them and if shit does go down, it won’t work in our favor.”
We chuck back more coffee than the human body can stand. Drinking and driving is not an option for any of us; the risks of losing our licenses, paying hefty fines, or even facing jail time are simply too high, especially when we’re just starting out.
My mind is focused on setting up my club and business with my woman by my side and the moment I have them within easy reach, some creep comes to town and threatens to derail my best laid plans.
It will happen over his dead body.
A few hours later, I collect Clara from Joes and my heart settles when I’m greeted with a huge smile on her face.
“I missed you.” She slides in front of me on the bike and kisses me deeply, not caring who sees us. I’m not complaining and as we make out in full view of Easy Joes, I don’t give a fuck who is watching either. She pulls back and her flushed skin and bright eyes bring a smile to my face and I whisper, “I named my club after you.”
Her eyes widen. “I don’t understand.”
“The Dark Angels.”
I rest my forehead against hers and whisper huskily, “When I first saw you, it was the only way to describe you. You had dark thick curls that framed the most beautiful face I had ever seen along with the face of a goddess. You were my dark angel, and I knew I only wanted you.”
“No you didn’t.”
She blushes and I ease my thumb down her face and across her lips and say hoarsely, “You were so innocent, with a dark edge to your soul. I loved the furious way you glanced at any guy who called out and the dismissive toss of your head when they approached and the cutting stare you directed their way if they dared to speak to you. You were an ice princess, but so beautiful it blinded me to anyone else. I fell in love with you the moment I saw you; the dark angel who captured my heart.”
“Atom.” Her eyes shine with tears and the soft expression of love she directs my way crushes my heart in a vise. She touches my lips lightly and the scent of flowers from her perfume fills my senses as she kisses me softly, lovingly and it’s as if I’m dreaming. She pulls back and whispers, “When I first saw you, I had to keep staring. Not that I made it obvious, of course.”
Her loaded wink causes me to chuckle softly. “You were so dangerous even back then. Unlike any of the guys that surrounded me in my friendship group. You were a bad boy in your battered leather jacket with your unruly hair. Your dark eyes burned with sexy intention, and I couldn’t breathe when you were around. I wanted you even when it was impossible and I listened out for any evidence you had your eyes on one of the girls. I never did, which fascinated me because you had your choice of any girl in the school.”
She inches closer. “My friends are jealous, even now.”
“You told them?”
I raise my eyes and she grins an impish smile.
“Of course. I’m hiding nothing because I am proud to ride with you, Atom, in every sense of the word.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” I wink and she nods, lust blazing from her eyes as she swings behind me and clutches me tightly. “Ride hard Atom because we are wasting time.”
“Any time spent with you, no matter how much or how little, is worth days of time with anyone else.”
She rewards me with a gentle kiss on the back of my neck and the time for talking is gone. She’s right. We’re wasting time and if I wasn’t in such a rush to drag her to my bed, I would stop and have a word with the driver of the black SUV who has been photographing us for the last five minutes.