Atonement (Angel's Halo MC 5)

Topaz moved around me and pulled off the blazer she normally wore during business hours, wrapping it around Quinn’s shoulders. I waited until my female had put her arms through it and pulled it closed before daring to release her. Then I reluctantly eased my hold on her, and she broke away from me like she couldn’t get away fast enough.

Even though she was covered up now, her ass was still basically on full display with those shorts that didn’t cover anything. My hands itched to pull her back against me, to claim her as mine in this dickfest of a club, and roar to the world that Quinn Wilder was my female.

She shot me an even colder look than she had only a moment before, as if she could read my mind and was telling me to back the fuck up. “Not gonna happen,” I told her with a smirk.

Her face closed up, and she turned away from me. “I’m going home,” she murmured to Topaz. “I’ll see you tomorrow night, okay?”

“Whoa there, sunshine.” I walked after her and the other two females. “There’s no way in hell you are stepping back in this place. No fucking way, you hear me?”

She kept walking, pretending that I wasn’t right behind her, practically breathing down her neck. “Maybe add another bouncer to help out Porter, will you? That guy freaked me out a little.”

Topaz nodded. “Of course. Whatever you need, Luna. Anything for my number one.”

They reached the back door, where another bouncer was already waiting, making sure no one but the girls got back. This one I knew, and when Quinn moved

to go back into the dressing room, I followed without being stopped for a fucking pat down or whatever else Topaz would require of her muscle.

Fifteen females stopped what they were doing as I walked into the room, all of them in some form of undress. I barely saw them, other than to walk around them so I could chase after Quinn and Kelli. I probably should have called Colt in for backup with this, but I didn’t want him butting in with Quinn. I had this. She was mine to take care of, and mine to keep out of danger. Mine and only mine to deal with when she did something crazy, like strip for money.

What the ever-loving hell was going on?

I didn’t understand why she needed extra money. Quinn had always been a good girl, and that even meant when it came to money. She went into debt responsibly, never getting in too deep that she could end up sinking under it. Therefore, I knew it wasn’t because she had to pay something off in a hurry.

“Quinn, we’re not done talking about this,” I growled as I stopped behind her, where she started gathering her things off a vanity table.

“I disagree.” She was doing a little growling of her own now.

After tossing everything she needed into an opened gym bag, she turned to face me. Her face was still closed up, and her beautiful eyes had gone blank.

I found myself getting chilled by that blankness. I had known this female all her life. I knew every expression that had ever crossed her face, but this … It was new, and I didn’t like it. I could feel her closing up, pulling away from me mentally, if not physically.

It caused made my heart to turn icy. I wanted to reach out, take her hand, and press it to my chest so she could melt the growing chill that was spreading outward.

“What I do is none of your damn business, Raider.” She stepped closer, though I could picture her already walking away. “Nothing I do is. Go away. Pretend you never saw me tonight. You’re really good at doing that, anyway.”

“Quinn …”

“No.” She shook her head and backed up a step. “Just don’t, Raider.”

“I can’t,” I told her honestly, not caring who heard me. “I want to talk to you. We haven’t gotten the chance to do that because I left, but I need to talk to you about our night.”

Something flashed across her face before she lowered her lashes, blocking whatever she was thinking from me. “There’s nothing to talk about. I got the memo without you ever having to explain it to me. I was a one and done, just like so many others.” She didn’t lift her eyes, but her lips tilted upward in a smile that chilled me down to my soul. It was a sad, self-deprecating smile that had the power to feel like a slap across the face when she gave a brittle laugh. “Not all of them, of course. I mean, you still fuck around with Heather and Whitney, and I’m pretty sure Amanda even called me the last time you two hooked up a few months ago. So, yeah, no talking needed. I’m good.”

Chapter 17

Quinn

I could practically feel his anger as I marched across the parking lot to my little Honda. If I had thought he would just leave me alone, I had been wrong. There was a first for everything, I guessed. Why Raider was even bothering, I had no idea, unless he was only looking out for me because of Colt.

Freaking Colt. Dammit. My phone was already blowing up with one call after another, followed by ten texts a minute. All of them were of him pissed off. But him being pissed, along with the practically seething biker hot on my heels, was not something I was up to dealing with. Not tonight, not ever if I could help it.

I couldn’t help it, however. Colt was my best friend. The one person in the world I knew I could depend on, the only person in the world who I could honestly say loved me unconditionally now that my mother was gone. I didn’t want to face him now that he so obviously knew.

Stupid MC brotherhood and their inability to keep their mouths shut for more than five damn minutes.

My best friend was going to hit the ceiling when I got home, especially since I hadn’t really changed clothes before walking out the back door of Paradise City. Arriving or leaving the club in anything other than normal street clothes was a big no-no and would normally have Bash or Spider laying down the law on the girls who worked for them. Right then, I wasn’t all that worried about either of those Godzilla-sized men. After I faced Colt, I was pretty sure I wasn’t going to get to come back, anyway.

I opened the back door of my car and tossed in my gym bag before slamming it shut. I chanced a look over my shoulder and found Raider still following after me, making sure to keep a few feet between us. His face was so hard it could have been mistaken for stone. He didn’t dare try to speak to me.