8. Keir
Keir
A t any other time, I would’ve regretted those words the instant I said them.
Except now Molly stood gloriously naked in front of me, and even though I’d been channeling thoughts about our clan’s Pull having sex to distract myself, my dick still had other plans.
Shit, I had wanted to take her against the wall of the shower, despite her having been violently assaulted a couple of hours ago.
She blinked, as if she was trying to process my words. “What do you mean, I can go naked? I can’t go out into the club naked.”
I threw the piece of black lace that Megs—aka Vixen—had lent me back toward Molly’s face. She caught it before it could hit her, unfortunately. “Then put this the fuck on and stop arguing.”
With a sullen look, she pulled it over her head.
The minute her breasts and pussy were covered, I could breathe again.
Everything she’d said before had been true.
I didn’t get a solid look at her when I had her in the Rover.
I had been too busy trying to erase Fallon to focus on her then, but Molly was a stunning woman.
She was model-thin with small breasts that were more than enough for me.
The bones of her ribs were visible as were her hipbones, and I didn’t like that, but it had been her bare cunt that had me forgetting I shouldn’t touch her again.
Now she wore that scrap of silky black fabric and glared at me like she wanted to drive her dagger through my heart.
She sauntered past me barefoot, with her skin still dewy from the shower.
At least she’d washed that cocksucker from her body.
Knowing she was sitting in his filth was making me twitch.
As I went to follow her from the locker room, I saw Megs and Kate staring at the door where Molly had disappeared.
“Boss?” Kate started, but I waved her question away. I wasn’t in the right frame of mind to answer anything about Molly right now.
Shoving open the door, I stalked into the hallway to find Molly waiting for me. The hem of the silky fabric hit the top of her slender thighs. But as far as modesty went, she had more than some of the other girls who worked the floor.
She shot me a petulant look. “How do I get out of here?”
I gestured to the door at the end of the hallway with the jerk of my chin.
She walked ahead of me, yanking on the door handle, but was unable to open it. With a look of fury in her eyes, she turned back to me, crossing her arms in annoyance. “Why is this locked?”
“To stop people from getting out who shouldn’t be roaming around the club unchecked.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I already agreed to speak to Finnan. You don’t need to keep such close tabs on me.”
“Yes, but you’ve already proven to be more than capable of escaping me.”
Triumph flashed in her eyes.
At least I knew she was unarmed now. There wasn’t a place on her body she could hide a weapon. “Run and you’ll know what my wrath tastes like.”
Her gaze skittered down the front of my body, her eyes locking on the bulge behind my zipper that refused to quit. What the fuck was it about this woman? She was a pain in my ass yet…
I shook my head. Yet, nothing. She was someone to get information out of—nothing more. Once Finnan was done with her, she’d either be dead or back living her life.
She would be just another woman I’d fucked.
Exactly as it should’ve been.
Using the keypad by the door, I cupped my hand to block her view and entered my code.
The door let out a small beep to indicate it was now open, and I pushed through the door.
Molly followed close behind, the heat of her body tugging against mine.
The front of my clothes were still damp from when I’d stupidly pressed against her.
Her goddamn attitude drove me insane. Watching as she’d washed herself, her eyes locked on mine, had been a fucking lesson in self-control.
A lesson I’d sadly lost.
All the women who worked at Velvet flashed smiles my way as I walked through the club, while the patrons flicked me looks of concern.
It wasn’t like the clan came down here all that often, but when we did, we caught some attention.
I was busy cataloging everyone’s face that I almost didn’t notice the blur of black that streaked past me.
My eyes fixed on the receding woman with raven-dark hair and I swore.
Jynx was running. Again.
“Little John,” I yelled, but the big security guard was already nodding.
As she went to run past him, Little John’s meaty fist shot out and grabbed her by the upper arm.
I didn’t think Jynx would go down without a fight, and she certainly didn’t disappoint.
She thrashed against his hold, jerking her legs out as she attempted to kick him in the balls.
Little John simply spun her around and caged her against his body, banding a beefy arm around her chest. Her legs were still free, and she used that advantage by kicking and writhing against his body.
But with each movement, her slip rucked up higher until her bare pussy was on display.
A man near the bar bellowed out, “Is this a rape fantasy? Because I would pay double for that shit.”
I turned on him with a glare, jabbing my finger in his direction. “You’re fucking gone.”
Liam, another of Velvet’s bouncers, stalked in his direction, before fisting the back of his T-shirt and using it to drag the mouthy bastard off the stool.
Rape wasn’t something to joke about here.
“This is bullshit!” he yelled, losing his footing as he was pulled off-balance.
Leaving the cocksucker to Liam, I turned my attention back to the biggest problem in my life right now.
Molly was screaming for help now, telling anyone who would listen that she was being held against her will.
Everyone would ignore her, but on the off chance there was someone new in here who didn’t know how things went, shit could go sideways pretty quickly.
“Shut her up,” I barked at him.
Little John nodded and moved his free hand to her neck. With practiced movements, he pinched her vagus nerve between her carotid and jugular veins, causing her to go limp in his arms, then looked at me.
“Where do you want her, Chief?” he asked.
Scrubbing a hand over my face, I replied, “In the Rover.”
He nodded, easily sweeping her unconscious form into his huge arms and walking out the front door. I could’ve told him I was parked around back, but I felt like I needed the walk to clear my head.
Twilight had fallen in the time I’d been here, my internal body clock struggling with the time lapse since being inside the club.
Gesturing for Little John to follow me, I walked the perimeter of the strip club, and as the chill from the air met the dampness of my clothes, my dick finally went soft.
Unlocking the SUV, I stood and watched Little John handle Molly’s body with a gentleness that didn’t match his brute strength. Once he was sure she was settled, he stepped back and shut the back door.
“Thanks, Little John,” I said, noting how weary my voice sounded.
“You got it, boss.” He lumbered through the rear entrance of the club, disappearing without a look of judgment.
Leaning over the center console, I opened the glove box and pulled out two zip ties, then reopened the back door and secured Molly’s wrists and ankles. I didn’t need her coming to from her impromptu nap and throwing herself from the car.
Gunning the engine, I sighed and made my way to Oranmore.
It was fully dark by the time I reached the compound, and the exterior lights illuminated the austere stone building.
Gravel pinged against the undercarriage of the Rover as I drove slowly down the serpentine drive, the tall hedges alongside it casting it into shadow.
Pulling into the turning circle, I killed the engine but paused and glanced in the rearview mirror to see whether Molly had woken.
I couldn’t see any movement, and when I pulled open the rear door, I found her breathing still deep and even.
During the journey, the top of her slip had crept down, exposing one of her breasts.
Her nipple had puckered in the chilly night air, making my dick twitch.
I stepped closer, running the back of my fingers across the sensitive bud.
A frown appeared between her eyes before smoothing out. She sighed but didn’t wake.
Interesting.
Hauling her out, I carried her bridal style into the compound, turning toward the stairs to descend into the basement.
I paused on the threshold, as something inside me rebelled at the idea of putting her in that damp place where Orin had spilled more blood than an abattoir.
He probably had someone down there right now, and although fear was a good motivator, I didn’t think scaring Molly would actually work.
Before I could second guess my actions, I spun on my heel and climbed the ancient oak stairs, counting the dark panels as I walked to my bedroom.
Once inside, I placed Molly on my bed. Cutting her out of the now wet slip, I threw a blanket over her before I shucked my wet shirt and found another. I did the same with my pants, choosing to put on a pair of sweats.
Honestly, I’d had enough today.
Just as I finished getting changed, there was a soft knock on my door.
Fallon. Her blue eyes darted over my shoulder. “Is Molly here?”
I nodded, stepping back to let her inside. Unwilling to let anyone else see her yet, I went to close the door when Orin shoved it open again like a fucking wraith. He glared at me, blood spatter covering his cheek and neck. I guess my assumption he’d been busy in the basement had been correct.
“If Fallon is in there with you, the door stays open.”
Jesus, fuck.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me?” he demanded, pushing in closer to my face.
“Yeah, I did because this guard dog act is getting tiring.”
“I don’t trust you with her.”
And like that, he’d stripped me of my secret—he knew I had a thing for Fallon. And like any other man protecting what was his, he knew he couldn’t leave me alone with her.
I flashed him an easy smile. “What do you think I’m going to do? Show her my cock and expect her to fall all over it?”
“I wouldn’t put it past you,” he growled.
“Orin, that’s enough,” Fallon said, her tone firm.
Like the pussy whipped asshole he was, Orin gave her all his attention. “Filly—” he argued.
Fallon wasn’t having any of it. “No. You can’t piss on my leg every time he’s around. He’s with Molly now, and Molly is my friend. Deal with it.”
“I’m not with Molly,” I replied.
She shot me a look I couldn’t decipher but didn’t bother to argue. She turned back to Molly, gripping the edge of the blanket as if she was going to pull it down.
Spinning quickly, I leveled Orin with a dark stare. “Get out.”
Anger tightened his body. “The fuck did you say?”
My spine straightened. “I said get out. Molly is naked under that blanket. I don’t want you to see her.”
A frown crept over his face.
“Orin.” Fallon called, her gaze flicking between me and her man. “I’ll be fine. Stay outside in the hallway if you want, but you need to leave the room.”
Before he could protest further, I shoved against his broad chest—the element of surprise, the only reason I could physically move him—and slammed shut the door.
Running a hand through my hair, I blew out a breath and turned toward the bed. “How can you stand his possessiveness?”
“He has his reasons,” she replied, reaching for the blanket and inching it down until it rested just above her breasts. “Like I’m sure you have your reasons for bringing Molly to your bedroom rather than taking her to the basement for interrogation.”
“If you hadn’t noticed, your unhinged partner was occupying it.”
She pinned me with a frosty glare. “Stop antagonizing him.”
Nobody, and I mean nobody, spoke to me that way. So why did Fallon suddenly have the balls to throw me that sort of attitude?
She let out a sigh. “He’s trying really hard, you know.”
“To be more of a possessive arsehole?” I asked. “He’s succeeding.”
“No,” she snapped, irritation flashing in her blue eyes. “He’s trying to give me my freedom, but he struggles.”
Ah, she was talking about Orin’s past. He was a jack-in-the-box of trauma, and each time he bobbed out of the safety of his confines, he revealed another emotional wound that explained his fucked up behavior.
“So, I would appreciate it, as my friend , if you stopped provoking him. All it’s going to do is cause him to react even more irrationally.”
As my friend .
Fuck me, those words stung. But that was all I would ever be to her—a friend.
Not her fuck buddy. Her lover. Or anything more.
Fallon was with Orin, and as I stared at the pretty blonde tending to the raven-haired maven of destruction, I realized I would never have been able to hold something so pure without ruining it.
Although the clan’s Reaper had a protective streak that rivaled Grayson’s, and was built for pain and murder, with Fallon, he was soft. Gentle. Careful . He knew the value he held in his bloodied hands when he took her to bed.
But all I’d seen was someone soft and innocent.
A pure soul who could absolve me of my sins.
I was self-aware enough I could realize this on some deep psychological level. My whole life had been steeped in violence—not out of necessity like Orin’s—but actual stone-cold violence I dispensed on the world with Finnan and Torin by my side.
I’d thought if I had a woman like Fallon, I could sleep a little easier. That perhaps my anger wouldn’t be such a burden weighing on my shoulders.
I thought she could fix me … which was fucking ridiculous.
“Okay.”
Blue eyes peered back at me. “Okay?”
I flashed her my boy-next-door smile. “Okay. I’ll stop needling him.”
Her shoulders drooped as relief swept through her. “Thank you. Do you think he could come in here, then? He’ll be pacing outside like a tiger.”
My gaze drifted to Jynx. Warm, pliant, and fucking naked. “No. Nobody else sees her like this,” I replied.
She nodded. “I understand.” Rising from the bed, she added, “She looks okay. Just unconscious. Are the restraints necessary?”
“She’s a runner,” I replied with a shrug.
Fallon shook her head in resignation. “Well, I don’t think she’ll be running anywhere right now. This place is locked up tighter than Fort Knox.”
Reluctantly, I agreed, moving to my nightstand to pull out a knife. As I ran the tip of the blade underneath the zip tie to slice through the plastic, I resisted the urge to massage the red marks from her wrists.
When I straightened, Fallon was looking at me curiously.
“What?” I demanded, with more fire in my voice than I intended.
She shook her head. “Nothing. When she wakes, make sure she drinks an entire bottle of water and tell her to rest. She’ll fight you on it, but be firm.”
My gaze fixed back on Jynx.
Oh, I couldn’t wait to be firm with her .