Claiming Menace (Ruthless Sinners MC 5)

“Nope, sure can’t.” She continued to wipe down a table as she grumbled, “I mean, I’d like to, but I don’t have an on-and-off switch like some people do.”

“An on-and-off switch?”

“Oh, yeah. There are some people who are all hot and fiery one second, then cold and distant the next. You never really know what you’re gonna get.” She shrugged. “An on-and-off switch.”

Parker glared at me, leaving no question as to who she was talking about. I let out an exasperated breath and growled, “We don’t have time for this bullshit. We need to go, and we need to go now.”

Shaken by my harsh tone, she dropped the rag she was using to wipe down the tables, and without another word, went to the back to grab her things. Once she’d returned with her bags, she followed me out to my bike and didn’t say a word as I shoved them into my saddlebags. I got on my bike and waited as she took my spare helmet, slipped it on, then hopped on behind me—all while remaining completely silent. Parker was mad before, but now she was downright pissed. I could’ve said something to ease the tension between us, but I was too fucking stubborn for that. Without saying so much as a word, I started the engine and pulled out of Stilettos’ parking lot. Seconds later, we were on the main road and headed to Parker’s apartment. When we pulled into the lot, I was pleased to see Shotgun was waiting there with Locke.

As soon as I’d parked, Parker got off my bike and charged inside her apartment, slamming the door behind her. Yep. She was still pissed. I sat there for a moment, letting the aggravation roll off me before I dismounted; then, I pulled her things out of my saddlebags and stepped over to the SUV to speak with Shotgun. “Thanks for bringing the truck over.”

“No problem, brother.” After they both got out, Shotgun snickered. “Is it just me, or has your girl got her panties all in a twist?”

“Yeah, but she’ll get over it soon enough.” Since we’d be traveling across state lines, I’d arranged for them to bring over one of the club’s SUVs. I handed Shotgun my keys, and he offered me the ones to the truck. He would ride my bike back to the clubhouse, and Locke would drive Parker’s car. I didn’t have her keys, so I told him, “Hold on a sec. I need to go in and grab her keys.”

“Sure thing.”

I ran inside, and when I put down Parker’s things from my bike, I was pleased to see that her luggage was still packed and by the front door. She was sitting at the kitchen table with a cold look on her face. Ignoring her irritated mood, I said, “I need the keys to your car.”

“Why?”

“So Locke can drive it over to the clubhouse.”

I was expecting her to give me flack about it, but instead, she reached into her purse and grabbed the keys. As she tossed them over to me, she announced, “The ignition is a little testy, so you’ll need to tell him to wiggle it a little.”

“Wiggle it, huh?”

“If he wants it to start,” she sassed.

I should’ve been annoyed that she was being so short with me, but I liked that she had a little bite to her. I chose to disregard her little pout and simply walked out of the kitchen. I carried the keys over to Locke and said, “There’s some give to the ignition. Have one of the guys check it out and see what they can do to fix it while we’re gone.”

“You got it, brother.”

Shotgun stepped over to us. “Just let us know if you need anything while you’re gone.”

“You know I will.”

He gave me a brotherly slap on my bicep, then turned and headed over to my bike. I stood there watching as he and Locke pulled out of the parking lot and disappeared out into the flow of traffic. I went back inside and found Parker sitting in the same spot at the kitchen table. As I bent down and started collecting her luggage, I asked, “Is this all of it?”

“Yep.” When I started walking to the door, she asked, “Are we going to your room at the clubhouse?”

“No.”

“Then, where are we going?”

“My place.”

“But I thought—”

“We’re going to my place, but only for tonight,” I explained. “Tomorrow, we’ll be going to Billy’s.”

“Wait... Who’s Billy?”

“The man who is going to put an end to all your troubles.”

Maybe it was curiosity or just plain fear, but she didn’t respond. Instead, she simply stood up, grabbed the rest of her bags, and followed me outside. We locked the door, then made our way out to the truck. After we tossed her things in the back, she walked over to the passenger side door and got in. Again, she said nothing as she buckled her seatbelt and stared out the front window. I got in next to her and started the truck. I’d just backed out of the driveway when Parker muttered, “You know, just because we had sex doesn’t mean you have to do all this. It was just sex. It wasn’t a big deal. You can just take me to my car, and we...”