Tatum slid between us, her back to me, and forced Monroe away. “Let it go, Roe. Nitro hated that man as much as I did.”
“I don’t get it, Tatum. Yesterday you wanted nothing to do with Storm and now you’re defending him.”
“A lot can happen in a day. I’ll fill you in later, okay?”
Monroe sent one last glare my way before agreeing to what Tatum had asked. It was obvious to us all, though, that the last thing she wanted to do was let it go.
“Tatum,” a petite blonde woman said as she entered the parlour from a back room. She walked with hesitation, her eyes not meeting mine. “Did Dwayne go by the club last night?”
“I haven’t heard anything to say he did,” Tatum replied. “How are you doing?”
Before she could answer, a guy joined us. Tattoos covered almost every inch of skin I could see, and I figured the familiarity between him and Monroe that he worked with her.
Leaning casually against the front counter of the parlour where we stood, he frowned at Tatum. “Who the fuck gave you those bruises, T?”
I folded my arms across my chest and clenched my jaw. This guy may have been familiar with Monroe, but there was something intimate about the way he spoke to and looked at Tatum. Something that irritated the fuck out of me.
“No one important, Fox, and he won’t ever do it again,” Tatum said. The fact she seemed closed off to discussing it with him caused the tension in my shoulders to ease a little.
“Yeah, well if he does come back, you call me, okay? I’ll take care of him for you, babe.”
“He won’t be back,” I grunted, unfolding my arms. “And I’ve got Tatum under control.”
Her gaze swung to meet mine and she raised her brows. “You’ve got me under control?”
“I’ve got the situation under control.” I didn’t let her gaze go.
“Yeah, that’s better,” she said, irritation still clear in her tone.
We stood watching each other for a few moments, a new tension settling between us. It was as if everyone else in the room faded away leaving only the two of us. Again, I found myself facing an inner battle of being both frustrated with her and turned on, all at the same time. This was an unfamiliar feeling and it unsettled me. I usually kept sex separate to every other part of my life. The women I fucked weren’t women I associated with, and I never formed a relationship with any of them. Brittany was the exception to that and my association with her hadn’t turned out well.
Monroe’s voice cut through my awareness. “No one controls Tatum, Nitro.”
Without taking my eyes off Tatum, I said, “I’m getting that impression.”
Fox pushed off from the counter. As he moved past Tatum, he placed his hand on her stomach and slid it across her body as he said, “I’ve missed you, T. You should call me.”
She gave him a smile, and although it seemed vacant and didn’t reach her eyes, I couldn’t help balling my fists at my side.
Fuck.
My stomach churned with annoyance, which in itself also pissed me off. What did I care if he was fucking Tatum? She was nothing to me. Nothing but a woman I had to keep alive for my club.
And yet I couldn’t deny that the sight of his hand on her stomach sent a wave of fury through me. I didn’t want his hand anywhere on her body.
16
Tatum
“Break On Me” by Keith Urban
/> I eyed King warily. The man scared me, and it wasn’t often I said that about anyone. Nitro and I had arrived back at the clubhouse hours earlier after finding Dustin and since then, Nitro had been busy with club stuff. I spent the afternoon catching up on work in the bar as well as chatting with Renee. King had wandered through the bar a few times, directing a glare my way each time. There was something about him that I wasn’t quite sure of. What I did know for certain, though, was that King was a man to be kept at arm’s length. The sooner I escaped his radar, the better.
“He’s okay,” Renee said, dragging my attention back to her.
“Who? King?”
She nodded. “Yeah.” At my frown, she continued, “I know he comes across as freaking scary, but he’s helped our family a lot over the years. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t cross him, but I definitely know he’s loyal to those who are loyal to him.”