Chapter Five
Remi
“I swear I’ll be off your couch the second I get paid,” I call after Roxy, half jogging to keep pace as she cuts across the empty dance floor, heels clicking against the scuffed wood.
She waves me off without slowing. “I told you, it’s no big deal. I’m hardly there anyway.”
“Yeah, but still, I can contribute. Groceries, whatever.” I dig in my pocket and pull out a crumpled twenty, smoothing it against my palm like it’s worth more than it is.
Roxy halts at the edge of the stage and narrows her eyes at the note. “Where did you get that?”
“I told you, the bikers hired me to work their bar.”
“And they paid you already?” Her tone is sharp, suspicious.
I hesitate, my thumb brushing the creases in the note. “Well . . . no, not exactly.”
Her eyes go wide. “Then where exactly did you get it?”
I shift from one foot to the other, heat creeping up my neck. “Look, that’s not the point. The point is, I’m trying to pull my weight. You’ve been more than kind, and I don’t wanna take advantage.”
“Remi, tell me you didn’t steal that.”
“It was behind the bar, not even in a till.” I pause, frowning. “Not that they have a till.”
Roxy pinches the bridge of her nose. “You have to put it back when you’re next on shift, Remi. They’ll know it’s gone.”
“How? And even if they notice, there’s no proof it was me.”
“What if it was a test?”
I pause, thinking over her words. It was just laying there randomly, and the guys don’t pay for drinks . . . what she’s saying makes sense. Axel seems the suspicious type. “Fine, I’ll put it back.”
She gives a soft smile and takes my hands in hers. “I want you to stick around, Remi. You remind me of myself when I first showed up here. I wanna help you get back on your feet, but let’s do it the right way.”
“Right, ladies. Gather on the stage.” The command cuts across the empty club, deep and unyielding. Axel steps into view, all leather and authority, with Grizz and Shadow flanking him. Great. Just what I need.
The other dancers trickle out from backstage, perching along the edge of the stage in glitter and heels.
I hang back near the side wall, arms folded, trying to make myself invisible.
I’m not part of this, technically, but with nowhere to be until my shift at the clubhouse this afternoon, I’m stuck here.
Axel plants himself centre stage, gaze sweeping over the girls. “You’ll be aware by now we’ve taken over Steels. The last owners couldn’t cover their debts, so this club came to us in payment.”
Murmurs ripple through the dancers until one, braver than the rest, speaks up. “Great. And where does that leave us?”
Axel’s mouth twitches, something between a smirk and a warning.
“For now, it leaves you exactly where you are. I wanna keep everything running as it was. No staff changes unless someone quits. Over the next few weeks, we’ll watch, we’ll take notes, and then we’ll decide what stays . . . and what doesn’t.”
The silence that follows is thick, nervous. The girls shift uncomfortably, sequins catching the dim lights.
Axel lets the silence hang a beat too long, making sure every eye is on him. Then he folds his arms across his chest.
“Couple things you need to understand. First, this place now falls under Chaos Demons colours. That means no shit gets stirred in here without us knowing about it. Second, money. Every pound that passes through these doors matters. If you’re on shift, you’re expected to work, not slack.
That means no skipping out early, no friends hanging around for free drinks, and no bullshit excuses.
” His eyes flick to me, and I shift uneasily.
Another girl sits straighter, glancing to the girls on either side of her before asking, “So, what’s in it for us? Same pay? Or are you cutting corners to make your profit?”
The tension spikes, with the girls nodding in agreement and Grizz and Shadow narrowing their eyes on the mouthy dancer.
“Same pay. For now. You show me loyalty, maybe there’ll be more in it for you down the line. But if you think mouthing off is a good start,” he leans in slightly, voice dropping to a dangerous calm, “you’ll be the first name off my books.”
The brunette swallows hard, looking away.
Axel straightens, claps his hands once. “Good. Then we’re clear. Keep your heads down, do your jobs, and this’ll be easy. You make it difficult, you won’t like the outcome.”
The moment Axel dismisses them, the dancers slide off the stage in a shimmer of sequins and perfume, heels clicking across the worn floor. Laughter and chatter fill the air again, everyone eager to pretend the tension isn’t still crackling.
I follow Roxy.
“Remi.”
His voice slides over me, low and familiar, pulling a shiver down my spine that I immediately smother. I don’t turn, just keep walking until Shadow falls into step beside me.
“You’re really gonna ignore me?”
“I’m not ignoring you,” I say. “I’m just not interested in anything you have to say.”
“Why you hanging around here again?”
I lift a shoulder casually. “I’m with Roxy.”
“She’s working.”
I flick my wrist, making a show of checking my watch. “Club doesn’t open for another hour.”
His stare doesn’t waver. “And only paying customers are allowed to hang here once it does.”
“Okay,” I snap, rolling my eyes. “Message received.”
Shadow’s mouth curves, but it’s not quite a smile. “If you’ve got no place to go, just say it.”
“I do,” I shoot back, sharper than I mean to. My arms fold tight across my chest, like the posture alone could prove him wrong.
His eyes drop then lift slow, steady, like he’s seeing right through the lie. His silence needles at me, like he’s already peeled back every layer I’ve tried to hide behind. I shift, forcing my weight to one leg, my chin tilting up.
“You don’t have to look at me like that,” I mutter. “I said I’ve got somewhere.”
Shadow leans a shoulder against the wall, arms crossed, all calm authority. “If that were true, you wouldn’t be hanging around here killing time.”
I let out a short, humourless laugh. “You think you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you?”
He doesn’t blink. “I think you’re stubborn. And I think you’d rather chew glass than admit when you need help.”
The words land harder than I expect, but I don’t flinch. I don’t give him the satisfaction.
“Lucky for me, I don’t need help.”
I turn, ready to walk away, but his voice follows, low and steady.
“Then prove it. Don’t let me catch you drifting in here like you’ve got nowhere to be.”
I pause, spine stiff, refusing to give him even a glance. Then I go over to Roxy. “I have to get out of here.”
She frowns, her eyes flicking behind me to where Shadow is probably still watching. “Oh. Okay. Look, if you finish early, stop by here and get the key. Don’t wait on me getting home, I might meet with Dean anyway.”
I smirk. “Dean? The guy you met last week?”
She nods and I kiss her on the cheek and head out.
I walk ten minutes before stopping outside the gates of the Hell’s Avengers. Behind the metal railings sits a warehouse type building similar to the Chaos Demons.
I tap out a quick text to Ragnor and wait for the main door to swing open. He grins the moment he crosses the carpark, unlocking the gate.
“When you said you were stopping by, I didn’t realise you meant right now.”
“I had some time to kill,” I shrug.
His eyes sweep me up and down as he quickly releases the lock, then holds the gate open. “Axel said he’s fine with you picking up some shifts,” he adds, hand brushing the small of my back as he guides me toward the building.
Inside, it feels familiar, like the Demons’ clubhouse, only quieter. Worn couches, a scratched-up pool table, a huge screen blaring country music. A handful of bikers linger, but the hum of conversation is low, almost casual.
“My office,” he says, nodding to an open door.
We step inside, and he drops onto the chair behind the desk. I sink into the one opposite, careful to keep my posture straight.
“So,” he starts, leaning back, “you need work?”
I nod.
“Anything in particular?”
I shake my head. “I can clean, do bar work, whatever you need.”
He smirks. “You’d be wasted behind a bar. And I’m not sure how I feel about you scrubbing floors.”
I frown. “Excuse me?”
“A pretty lady like you doesn’t belong on her knees scrubbing other people’s mess,” he says smoothly, eyes locking on mine.
I arch a brow, refusing to let him see I’m flustered. “Oh yeah? Then where do I belong?”
“I’m thinking maybe you could hang around here,” he says, his eyes briefly assessing my reaction.
“As a club whore?”
“Not exactly. I mean, not for all the bikers . . .”
“But for you?”
He leans forward slightly. “I’m not looking for anything serious, Remi. But you, there’s just something about you.”
I resist the urge to roll my eyes and shake my head in annoyance. “Yah know, Shadow said you’d use me for sex.”
He grins, “Did he?”
“Apparently, he wants the same thing too.”
He laughs, his throat bobbing as a deep rumble escapes him sending a shiver down to my core. “At least he was honest.”
“I’m not a whore,” I say clearly and the smile fades from his face. “And I’m not looking for some man to come rescue me. I can earn my own money and pay my own way. So, do you have any shifts for me that don’t involve sucking cock, or not?”
He opens his drawer pulling out a small business card. He slides it my way. “Go see Amy, she takes on new starters.”
I snatch it and tuck it in my pocket as I stand. “Thanks. See you around.”
I’m almost at the door when he says, “You think you’ve put me in my place.” I pause, keeping my back to him. “But all you’ve done is make me want to work harder.”
I shake my head and walk out. Wanker.
Shadow