Unwilling Protector (Steel Vipers MC)

“A good weapon never goes out of style,” I defend, not thinking about what I’m saying. I turn away and start to walk toward the parking area when Train grabs my arm and stops me.

“Damn it,” I grumble, getting tired of playing whatever game this is. To be honest, my reaction to this guy is unnerving. I should be trying my damnedest to get away from him, and I’m not. I don’t understand any of it. I jerk my arm, trying to get away from him, but I make the mistake of looking up at him, our gazes locking, and I see something on his face that makes my body lock into place, freezing as if I were turned into ice. I think even my heart rate slows.

“My brother says that very same thing often, Midnight. I’m wondering if you know him.”

“Why would I know your brother?” I ask, my heart beating crazily.

“That’s what I’d like to know, but I get the very strange feeling that you do.”

“Maybe you just have indigestion,” I mumble, and I can’t help but look around behind me, hoping I see a way out.

Unfortunately, I don’t.

“Is your name Drew, pretty girl?” he purrs.

My entire body feels as if it turns to ice.

I should have stabbed him when I had the chance.

Chapter 7

Train

“Everything okay out here, Cilla?”

I jerk around to see one of the bouncers standing at the door of the club. He begins to walk toward us, sizing me up. If he thinks he could touch me, he needs to think again. I give him a smirk as if to dare him. What I don’t do is remove my hand from the hot little number beside me. My hand has dropped down skimming along the waistband of her jeans. I curl my finger into her belt loop.

She’s not getting away from me.

“Yeah, Niles. Just had a fan waiting out here. We were just saying goodbye, weren’t we, Train?”

“I personally don’t see us saying goodbye for a long time, Midnight,” I answer easily.

“You really are deranged,” she huffs, and I give her a wink.

“Buddy, the dancers are strictly no touch. You need to move along.”

“She’s not a dancer to me,” I respond, my eyes never leaving Midnight’s face. Cilla. It’s a strange name but kind of cute. Midnight definitely fits her better.

“She’s not?”

“I’m not?”

“Not at all. The only dancing I’m interested in you doing is in my bed.”

“Oh, Jesus, you are delusional.”

“I think you better be moving on, mister,” the bouncer says. He’s trying to act tough, but I can already see that he’s intimidated by me.

“Is that what you think?” I mock.

“That’s what I know,” he blusters, clearly getting angry. He seems to be fit, but I’m sure I can take him easily. I think he’s aware of that, too.

“Who’s making me?” I bait him.

Cilla gets between us. She looks over her shoulder at me when I don’t let go of her belt loop. I wink at her. She shakes her head.

“I swear I’m fine, Niles. Go on back in. You know I can handle myself.”

“Just the same, I’m not leaving you alone out here.”

“What’s going on out here?”

Another guy comes out the door and this one I know. It’s the bartender from earlier. He’s skinnier than old Niles here, but I think he could put up a decent fight. The two of them at once might be a challenge, but I like my odds—or I did until I saw him packing a shotgun. One look at his face tells me that he’s the type not afraid to pull the trigger.

“Shit, shit, shit…” Midnight says under her breath.

“Mickey, what are you doing out here?”

“Mickey? Like the mouse?”

“Shut up, Train,” she sasses. Yeah, I really like the way she says my name. It wraps around my cock like pure gold.

“One of the dancers looked out the window and saw you guys and came and got me. How did I know you were trouble, motherfucker?”

“You must be psychic,” I answer with a shrug.

“You two know one another?” Midnight asks.

“Yeah, he was trying to get your name out of me earlier—”

“Well, now you know my name, right? Cilla. So, I don’t know who this Drew is that you thought I was, but you can just move along until you find her.”

“I think I’m okay just finding you, sweetheart.”

“That’s where you’re wrong. You need to move along before you don’t find anything ever again,” Mickey barks, cocking his gun and stepping closer. “Step away from him…Cilla.”

“Mickey—”

“Is this guy anything to you?” Mickey asks when Midnight hesitates.

“No, I just don’t want any trouble,” she says—which is disappointing as fuck but entirely understandable… for now.

“Step away from him, then, sweetheart, and there won’t be any,” Mickey instructs.

Suddenly, I want to kill good old Mickey. I didn’t miss the way he called her sweetheart. Which, I’m sure is why he used it. I reluctantly let go of her belt loop and Midnight moves away from me. I let her go thinking about this new predicament. I want her. I decided it immediately, and that’s not changing. It may just take a little more work than I’m used to putting in. Then again, I get the feeling that Midnight isn’t your normal woman and I like that a hell of a lot.