What the hell does she want? Maybe Raze or Hero needs something or hell, maybe I’m being sold to the other club since I’m no longer useful since they’ve declared war with my luck. Slowly opening the door, I see Bubbles impatiently waiting in a blue rhinestone-covered bikini.
“What do you need, Bubbles?” I ask while eyeing her apparel. That outfit doesn’t exactly cover much as her nipples are barely staying cover by the flimsy material. “Can you come help me at the bar? Ruby was helping me, but one of the guys dragged her off somewhere.”
Shaking my head at her, I say, “No, Bubbles. You know Raze and Hero confined me in here. I’m not supposed to leave the room.” Her smile fades from her excessive makeup-covered face.
“Oh, I figured since you weren’t busy that you’d be willing to help. Raze said you could if you wanted to come out until Ruby got back.” My eyes narrow at her response. Why would Raze lift my house arrest to help contribute to the drunken level of the other charter clubs?
“Are you sure Raze said it was okay, Bubbles?” Her dimpled smile returns to her face as she vigorously shakes her head.
“Please, Dani, I really need the help. The guys have probably already overrun the bar while I came to talk to you.”
“Fine, I’ll help, but you better not be lying to me about Raze’s reprieve.” She attacks me with a hug and giggles like a teenage girl at a boy band show.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she stammers while dragging me down the hall into the heart of the party. The first thing I recognize is the scent of weed, liquor and sex permeating the air. I don’t recognize any of the old ladies in the bevy of women littering the room. When the old ladies are away, the old dogs will stray it seems. Every single man in this room has a pretty woman draped across them. Moving behind the bar, I can see Ratchet and Slider being blown by a couple of the girls the South Beach charter brought with them. The pretty little blonde’s hair bobs up and down on Slider’s lap, nearly making me sick. I’ll never be able to look at him the same way again.
I try to drown out the sight that was burned into my eyes by getting to work and keeping the drinks flowing. Bubbles and I take command over the bar and catch up the backlog of orders in about thirty minutes. An older man steps up to the bar and plops down on the stool next to where I am pouring buttery nipple shots. His face is worn from years of riding his bike in the California sun that it almost reminds me of leather.
“What can I get you to drink?” I ask as I turn to get the bar rag off the back counter. He yanks me by the arm, attempting to pull me across the bar and into his lap. Jerking my arm out of his grip, I move myself farther back from the front counter. “What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” I yell at him. He jumps up from his stool and slides across the bar. His tattooed, leathery arms pin me against the wood. “You’ve been flaunting those beautiful tits and perfect ass around here yet not a single man has touched you. I want to know why. You property, because I don’t see a patch on you?” he asks as his whiskey-laced breath burns my nostrils. He pulls me in tighter as I try to escape his grasp. “Come on, baby girl, give this old man some of your sweet pussy!” he whispers into my ear as his lips descend closer to mine.
Slamming my head against his face, he stumbles back, releasing me. “Don’t fucking touch me!” I yell, darting out from behind the bar.
“Now, darlin’, you don’t think I’d just let you walk away after that little stunt you pulled. I was going to be nice to you, but now I think I’m going to fuck you raw in front of everyone in this club. No club whore strikes one of the patches,” my attacker yells while walking away from the bar. He follows me as I attempt to make my way back to the safety of my room. I should have never left it in the first place. I’m so goddamn stupid to think Raze’s men would protect me. I know what I am about to do will stir shit up with the other members of the club, but this has got to stop.
The fat, old bastard obviously isn’t the type of man who takes no for an answer. I turn to walk away as he grabs my right arm. I use the momentum from his pull and rear back, throwing the hardest haymaker I can manage. I feel the cartilage and bone snap from the force of my hand connecting with his nose. By instinct, his hand comes to his face to find the source of pain and bleeding. He pulls his hand away, his flesh covered in blood. “You stupid bitch,” he yells, lunging for me. “You’ll pay for this. No two-bit whore strikes a member of this club and comes out of it untouched.” His hands grab my waist just as my knee connects with his balls. He falls to the ground screaming in agony. I kick him in the ribs twice to make sure he not only stays down but to make my point crystal clear.
“I told you, you fucking piece of shit, never to touch me again. You think because I am a woman I can’t stand up for myself? It’s fucking bastards like you that make women weak. You think you can throw your pretty face and dick around, and we’ll fall to our knees with our mouths open. Well, that’s not the kind of woman I am. You ever touch me again, I will put a bullet between your eyes.”
The club stands in silence as the final word slips from my mouth. I know that threatening a club member will likely land me on the street or worse, dead and buried in an unmarked grave, but I’m not about to be raped for their continued protection. I smell him before I ever feel him move behind me. His eyes are unreadable as their graze locks onto mine. I can tell he’s seething, but I don’t give a flying fuck at this point. Leaning down, he extends his hand to Trax in an attempt to help him stand. Hero is officially on my shit list. This slimy bastard is helping up the man who would have raped me had I not struck first.
Trax uprights himself and immediately turns his sights back on me, ignoring Hero at my side. “You think because this club is protecting you that you’ve got the right to strike a patched member? Baby girl, I need to teach you some manners.” Before anyone can react, he has me by the throat, choking the life out of me. “You’ll wish you were dead after I’m done with you.” His grip tightens as I squirm to break free. Hero moves to pull him away from me as a memory flashes before me of my dad showing me how to protect myself. Moving my hands from his, I maneuver my arms into a triangle shape and push against Trax’s arms. His hands break away from my neck as Hero decks him, causing him to fall to the ground.
I quickly recover, moving toward him. “Never. Fucking. Touch. Me. Again,” I say, stomping my heel into his balls with every word. Hero pulls me off of him and shoves me away from him. This fight may be over, but I have one last thing I need to do. Shoving past Hero, I spit on the bastard writhing on the floor and walk out of the still silent room. Making my way down the hallway into my makeshift room, I smash the door behind me. I slide to the floor with heavy tears streaking down my face. My heart is racing as I hear heavy footsteps walking briskly down the hall.
At that moment, I realize that whoever is outside my door is going to kick me out or kill me. It’s my moment of truth. I lock the door as quickly as I can and run for the bathroom. There’s a window that I might be just small enough to fit through to get the hell out of here before they break into the room and drag me out. The door to my bedroom begins to rattle as I pry the window open. It will be a tight squeeze, but I think I can make it through. I hop up onto the counter and start to push my head and arms through the space when I hear wood splintering. Fuck! He’s in here. What the hell is with the men in this club and breaking down doors? That must be part of their initiation ceremony. Panicking, I push farther into the window when two hands grab my waist, pulling me back in. I fall hard onto the sink as my elbow connects with the porcelain, causing me to fall to my knees on the dirty tile floor and see the black leather boots standing over me.
“Where the hell do you think you’re going? You’re not leaving this club after what you just pulled in the main room. We’re on lockdown. You damned well know you aren’t leaving here, especially now.” Hero hauls me to my feet and pushes me against the wall of the club. He stands far enough away that I can’t reach him with my knee. Lifting my eyes to face him, I can feel the rage returning.