“Wait a minute, Briggs; put her on the chair. Seems like we have company.” Digger put his phone back on the desk. Vida felt herself shoved down onto a chair in the corner of the room. Briggs stayed by her while Morgan stood by Digger. Vida noticed that Digger’s countenance had undergone a change; she thought she caught a small glimpse of worry. The self-satisfied smile from moments before was gone.
Digger’s driver, who no longer looked neat and refined, opened the door. Now, he was holding his ribs and his nose had blood dripping onto his white shirt. The man walking into the room wasn’t any of the men she was expecting.
Colton strode into the room with an air of menace so visible that it frightened even Vida, who had had lived with him the last few weeks, unaware that he could be completely frightening when he was furious.
“Colton, I heard you were out of prison.” The amicable tone coming from Digger had Vida’s eyes turning back to him in surprise.
“Did you also hear Vida was living with me and was under my protection?” Colton’s voice wasn’t so amicable, in fact, in was downright threatening.
“Briggs might have mentioned it, but since you’ve been fucking anything that has a pussy since you’ve been out, I didn’t think she was important.”
“You thought wrong, Digger.” Vida saw Colton take in her bruised face and blackening eye. His lips tightened and the air in the room turned more menacing.
“You hit her?”
“A mistake. Calm down, Colton. I apologize; I was misinformed as to her relationship with you.” As Digger tried to excuse his behavior, she noticed Morgan’s hand slip under his jacket.
“Come here, Vida.” Ignoring Digger’s excuse, Colton’s voice spoke over his.
She looked up at Briggs who didn’t make a move to stop her. Slowly, still expecting him to prevent her from following Colton’s order, she rose to her feet and walked to stand by his side. His hand reached out, smoothing her hair back into place. Taking her jaw in his hand, he turned her face to the side so that he could see the damage inflicted by Digger.
“You fucked up, Digger. You knew better than to touch something of mine,” Colton threatened.
“I didn’t know she was yours.” This time the worry in his face became more pronounced.
“I was staying out of your disagreement with King, tried to show you respect, even though I knew it was undeserved, but I tried to give you—a former brother—leeway while King dealt with you. That is no longer the case.”
“Colton, I don’t want any trouble with you.” Vida’s head was spinning. Digger was afraid of Colton? He hadn’t been afraid of King or his men, yet the obvious fear in his face showed that he hadn’t wanted to antagonize Colton.
“You should have thought of that before you took her, much less laid your hand on her.” Vida couldn’t believe that she had thought at one time that Colton was afraid of Digger. Now that she had her eyes opened, she remembered that even King had spoken to Colton with mutual respect, not like he spoke to his men.
“A week, Digger. That’s all I’m giving you to get Sawyer back here.”
“That’s not possible, Colton. She’s out of my reach for the next three weeks. Obviously, I would get her back if I could to make amends, but it’s impossible,” Digger prevaricated.
Vida stiffened, about to demand that Sawyer be returned immediately when she felt Colton’s hand on her arm. Looking into his tight face, she remained silent.
“Three weeks, Digger, not a minute more.” Vida saw Digger’s eyes glance towards the security screens in front of him.
“Three weeks, she’ll be here. Will that pacify the Predators?” Digger asked.
“For now. Don’t disappoint me,” Colton responded with cold finality.
“I won’t,” Digger stood up, coming forward as Colton turned Vida toward the door. His expression was ungracious. “I’m sorry, Vida. There was misinformation on my side. I would never have touched you had I known you were Colton’s woman.”
Colton’s fist flew out, striking Digger in his lying mouth. Vida couldn’t prevent the vindictive satisfaction she felt when she saw Digger almost lose his balance at the power of Colton’s hit. Briggs and Morgan moved forward, but Digger motioned them back to their positions. Wiping the blood dripping from his mouth away with a handkerchief from his pocket, Digger didn’t return Colton’s aggressive move.
Colton walked to the door, holding on to Vida’s arm, not worried about Digger attacking him while his back was turned. Vida couldn’t help being amazed at Digger’s deferential treatment of Colton. When they walked out the front door, Vida understood perfectly.
Well over a hundred motorcycles were on the yard in front of the house, parked everywhere. The manicured lawn with its pretty flowers was completely destroyed. Vida recognized one particular face towards the front of the pack.
Max got off his bike, crushing the few remaining flowers that had survived under his feet. Coming to stand in front of her, he took one look at her face and a furious look came over his features. He took a step towards the house, but Colton dropped his hand from Vida and held Max back.
“I already handled it, Max.”
“Then I’m going to handle it some more. I’m going to fuck him up.” Max shook Colton’s hand off.
“Max, we need him in one piece to get Vida’s friend back, not with his mouth wired shut for the next few weeks. We’ll handle him when she gets Sawyer back.”
Max paused, looking down at Vida. “As soon as she’s back, he’ll regret ever touching you,” he promised.
Vida stared at the group of men surrounding the house. “I think he already regrets it.”
Laughter sounded from the rough looking men. Colton took her hand, leading her to his bike. Climbing on behind him, she held on to his waist as the men turned their bikes, driving out of the destroyed yard. Colton rode in the middle of the large group until they reached his apartment building. With a wave of his hand, he broke off from the pack. Colton then drove his bike into his parking spot, got off the bike and helped her off before turning to the four bikers waiting for his attention.
One biker was parked slightly ahead of the others. Colton grasped Vida’s hand and led her to the man sitting casually on the bike.
“Vida, this is Ice, President of the Predators.”
Vida didn’t know how to react, so she gave him a smile and nodded her head.
“Vida? I like your nickname better.” Ice gave her the once over before looking toward Colton. “Colton, you must be getting weak in your old age. If this pretty little bitch was mine, she damn sure wouldn’t be putting those titties and ass out there for show.” Watching Colton get reprimanded by a man who looked around the same age had Vida almost smiling. His hair was lighter than Colton’s, but his attitude, while laid back, held a steely undertone of authority. Even if Colton hadn’t told her he was the President of the Predators, his attitude would have given it away.
Colton stiffened. “She won’t be any longer.”
“I’m going to miss the show. Bring her around the clubhouse sometime,” Ice invited. Vida tried not to blush when she realized Ice and the men behind him had seen her show. She recognized Max, whose bike was next to another biker. He gave her a wink.
Her eyes were drawn to the lone bike sitting further away than the rest. He kept Ice and the others within his sight, but continually surveyed everything going on around them. She had noticed several bikers through her lifetime; this one took dangerous to the next level. He wasn’t good looking in the least; his face was too harsh. His features were actually handsome; it was what had been done to his face that had destroyed what, at one time, would have made women stop in their tracks. A scar ran the length of his face from his eye to just beside his mouth, giving his sensuous lips a cruel appearance. Vida’s eyes were caught by his mocking green ones that were well aware she was staring at him.
“Go on up to the apartment. I’ll be there in a minute,” Colton told her, seeing her wince when she reached
up to brush away a loose strand of hair.
Vida left, feeling the eyes of everyone on her back.
Colton turned back to the President of The Predators. “Thanks, Ice.”
“No problem. Missed having you around the club the last three years.” Colton and Ice stared at each other, both remembering their friendship and the fun they had partying together. “It’s hard to think of Goldie’s kid all grown up. She’s a definite looker. Didn’t make a move on her out of respect to Goldie.”
Colton didn’t say anything. Ice continued, “Hell of a situation you’re in, man. Wouldn’t want to be you.” Ice started his bike. “Give me a couple days warning before coming by the club. I don’t want to fuck with your parole. How long you stuck for?”
“One year.”
“Fuck. It would kill me being away from the brothers that long. I hope this time you’re smart enough to leave that bitch. I warned you from the beginning Tessa was bad news,” Ice reminded him.
Every one of his brothers had tried to warn him about Tessa. He had listened, but hadn’t played it smart. He had learned his lesson the hard way, in prison. If he got caught at the Predators’ clubhouse, he could lose his parole and spend the last year of his sentence back in prison. He wasn’t going to let that happen. More importantly, if he was seen there, it would open up the possibility of the club house being raided by the police, and he wasn’t about to see his brothers suffer. He had lost the right to be a Predator when he had stepped forward and took the blame for Tessa’s crime. Predators never got caught; they lived and breathed their motto.
“Already took care of it, two more weeks and the divorce is final,” Colton explained to his former president.
Ice nodded. “Need anything?”
“No, I’m good. Thanks, Ice.”
“Anytime, brother.” Ice throttled his motor, driving the bike onto the road with the other club members following behind. Colton watched them leave until the last bike disappeared around the corner in the road.
Chapter Ten
Vida was sitting at the table with a baggie of ice against her swollen eye when Colton came in, slamming the door shut.
“What the fuck were you thinking?”
Vida stared at him in shock. She hadn’t expected him to baby her, but she hadn’t expected him to be so angry with her, either.