“Probably wants in your panties.”
“Never going to happen. He's not my type, he's a pig.”
I watch Eileen nudge Tonya's shoulder with her own, a smirk on her face before she looks at me. “What about Tank, is he a pig?”
I don't answer her. It's none of her business what I think of Tank. It's no one’s business.
“We saw him follow you outside. Something happen?”
“Not that it's anything to do with you two, but no, nothing happened.”
“But you wanted it to?”
Tonya has no idea how much I wanted something to happen out there. My body has never felt so hot before. We all know I'm no virgin, haven't been for a very long time. But I have honestly never felt like this about any man before now.
Tank makes my body heat up to the point I literally have to fan myself just to cool my cheeks. He makes my pussy ache to the point I have to fuck myself to orgasm, no matter where I am. Trust me, I've gone to the bathroom here and gotten myself off over that big man.
“Look, it doesn't matter what I want. Tank is loyal to this club and to Shepard. Nothing will ever happen between us, so just drop it.”
“Yes, ma'am.” Eileen chuckles.
I roll my eyes and smile. It's nice to have friends. Makes a change for me, I don't have any. I've kept it that way all my life.
But I'm making an exception while I'm here.
However long that may be.
A little over a year and a half ago.
“This is a bad idea, Hammer. If Shepard finds out we're here, he'll kill us.”
“He won't know you were with me.” I look over at my brother straddling his bike the same way I am. Both of us waiting for the guy working for The Exorcist to come collect the information Hammer has on the guy who killed his girl.
We shouldn't be here.
We were told not to seek outside help, that Shepard would deal with it.
But Hammer couldn't rest. The woman he loved was murdered in cold-blood and he wants revenge. No one could blame him for that. Cindy meant everything to him. She wasn't just his old lady, she was about to become his wife.
Why was she killed?
Revenge.
Revenge for something that didn't happen. No one in our club killed anybody. Well, not the fuckers who claimed we did.
There will always be clubs out there trying to overpower the Snakes. We're a massive club, those smaller clubs out there will always try to make a name for themselves by coming after us. What better way to get our attention than to take one of our women and end her life in the worst way?
It didn't happen all that long ago, the girl's funeral was just a few short weeks ago. Hammer is a mess. He's not the same man any longer. He won't settle until those fucks are ended.
I agreed to help him because of all the men in our club, it was me he came to. I wasn't expecting it. But he pulled me aside a few days ago and asked me for help. I knew it was wrong to agree when Shepard could strip me of my patches, but I couldn't say no to him.
Hell, he could have gone to Tank and asked for help, the man is his brother by blood. He could have gone to anyone in the club, but he came to me. I was honoured in a weird way. So I agreed to help him.
We made arrangements with a friend who put us in touch with a guy who knew how to contact The Exorcist. Hammer was told to gather every piece of information he could on the guy he wants dealt with, plus the payment for The Exorcist's time. The guy we're to meet will only take payment if they believe Hammer deserves the hell he requires.
No one said it would be easy.
“You think I'd throw you under the bus if Shepard finds out? You didn't drag me here with you, Hammer.”
“No,” He looks over at me, his big arms folded over his even bigger chest. The man is a giant, a mountain of a man. “But you didn't have to go along with this. I asked something of you and you didn't hesitate to help me. I won't forget that, Ghost. And if Shepard does find out about this he won't know you were here.”
“Oh yes, he will. If he finds out, then he'll know I was here, Hammer. We're in this together. We'll get justice for your girl, brother, believe me.”
He reaches over and clasps my shoulder and squeezes. This man is so lost. My brother is lost. Without Cindy, he's not the same man he was.
Little Willow, Prez's daughter is the only one who's been able to get near him. She forces him to get up in the morning, she stops him drinking himself stupid, fighting any idiot that so much as looks at him. She was the one who held him up at the funeral. She's the only one he'll talk to about anything at all.
Anyone else?
Even his brothers in the club, his actual brother?
He says nothing. I'm lucky he's even speaking to me right now.
Trouble is, Willow has been in love with Hammer for longer than I've known them. Poor girl had to watch the man she loves claim her best friend, fall in love with her and even ask her to marry him. I can't and don't even want to imagine what that felt like for her.
But she did it with a smile on her face, never letting what she felt overshadow what her best friend was feeling. Willow was even helping with wedding plans. The girl must have been mental. But I suppose she loved them both enough to let them be happy.
Then Cindy was killed and I think it hurt Willow just as much as Hammer. Maybe in a different way, but they're now bonded in grief for a woman they both adored. They're both hurting. I might not be able to help Willow, but I can help Hammer right now.
“Don't look now but there's a young girl walking this way.” Hammer follows my line of vision. A young woman is walking toward us. Blonde hair down to her shoulders, black jeans, jacket, boots, dark sunglasses on her face, hiding her eyes. But I can tell she's looking right at us.
“Why is she heading for us?”
“No idea.” But she is heading right for us. There's no one else around for miles. Our contact told us The Exorcist likes it that way. Fewer people around to know what's going on the better. The fewer people see us hanging around the better, too.
We're in the middle of a town a couple hours away from our own, parked near an abandoned warehouse. We're not stupid, we're packing. You never know when you might need to defend yourself. Always be on alert, and always be ready for the unexpected.
This chick doesn't look like she poses a threat but looks can be deceiving. Trust me, women can be just as dangerous as men, even a little slip of a girl like this one. We're not wearing our cuts so our club won't be identified. But that means nothing right now.
The girl stops next to Hammer's bike and lifts her glasses onto her head. Those are some blue eyes I will never forget, deep blue. Her face ain't bad to look at either. “Can we help you, little girl?”
There is absolutely no fear in this girl’s eyes as she raises her eyebrow at me.
“You always approach men like us like this?”
This time she looks at Hammer. “You must be Cade. I believe you're expecting me.”
Hammer's eyes shoot over to me. He's thinking exactly what I'm thinking. Who the fuck would send this young woman to meet with two bikers alone with no one else around? Don't they know what could happen to her?
Sure, we don't hurt women or kids, or even the innocent, but we're bikers. Jesus! Not all bikers are as n
ice as we are. Not all bikers have the same morals. She could have been meeting with a damn rapist!
“Look, I don't have time to hang around while you two stare this out. My time is limited. Do you want help or not?”
There ain't no time for this. I don't care who she is nor who sent her. We came here to hand over some information to have a motherfucker we can't find found and ended.
“Give her the envelope.”
“But she's a damn kid, Ghost. What if something happens to her? I'd never forgive myself.”
“I doubt very much she'd be out here if...”
“Cade?” The girl cuts me off. Cade is the name I gave for Hammer so he'd be recognized by whoever came for the information. There was no way I was giving either of our real names. Hammer turns to look at her. “I know I may look like a little woman to you, weak and not able to handle myself. But believe me, I can handle myself just fine. I work for the man you seek help from. He sent me here to speak to you, to hear your story. If I believe you deserve the help you're seeking, then I'll take the information to him. So why don't you tell me why you're here?”
This ain't easy for Hammer, he's never spoken about what happened. But as I watch him climb off his bike and lean back against it while looking at this woman, I know he's about to tell her everything.
Hell, I'd tell her everything if she looked at me the way she's looking at him. He's a handsome bastard, tall as fuck, and like I said, he's as big as a mountain. She's watching him with kindness as he explains how Cindy was kidnapped. How he was sent live links to watch her being beaten. God, those links will haunt me forever.
“I loved her so much. Ain't never in my life met anyone like her. She was gonna be my wife and the mother of my future children, and they tortured her like she was nothing more than a bug on their shoes. Then with the last link came the last time I ever saw her alive.”
I get off my bike and clasp Hammer's shoulder. He needs support right now. He has one arm wrapped around his waist, the other hand is clasped over his face. He's trying to force back the tears.