The door’s barely closed before Brandi’s next to me, practically vibrating with excitement. “Girlie, you’ve got some explaining to do, so start talking.”
I groan and scan the bar, hoping for a customer, but the rush of night shifters has dwindled down and only a handful of guys remain. Sighing deeply, I scrub my hands over my face. “I don’t even know where to start.”
She tugs at the corner of the leather cut I’m wearing. “How ’bout you start with this,” she suggests.
I start to shrug the cut off, but Daisy’s grunt from across the bar halts me, and I turn, throwing an angry glare in his direction. “God, don’t get me started on this thing.” I sigh. “Echo left me a note this morning asking me to wear it. I figured he was just being his usual caveman self. You know what men are like about you wearing their clothes. So I put it on and walk straight through the clubhouse wearing it. I had no idea what he was setting me up for.”
Brandi’s hand covers her mouth in shock. “That bastard let you walk about announcing to everyone that you were his old lady, and you had no idea.”
I nod. “Basically, yeah, that about sums it up.”
She turns and jumps up to sit on the wooden bar. “So, are you his old lady? I mean, you’re still wearing it, so you must be. But how did this all happen?”
Stepping back to lean against the counter behind the bar, I sigh. “God, there’s just something about him. I mean, I’ve never been around a guy like him before. He completely overwhelms me and drives me mad, but I just seem to find myself doing whatever he tells me.”
Laughing, Brandi coos, “Baby girl, you found your first alpha. Don’t they make them like him back home?”
Heat stains my cheeks. “If they do, I’ve not found one yet. Not that many alpha males in Lancashire, and Echo’s like alpha on steroids. He’s just so intense and dominating.”
Brandi nods knowingly. “Yeah, but you love it, don’t you?”
I nod and gush, “God, I really do. I’ve never been so turned on in my life. I’ve had more sex in the last twenty-four hours than I’ve had in the last six months. He only has to kiss me and I’m practically panting.” I rub my hands over my face and sigh loudly. “He wants me to move in with him. It’s ridiculous; I only met him a couple of days ago. This is all moving far too fast. I go back to the UK in a few months’ time. He’s all in, and I just can’t be.”
Brandi jumps down from the bar and wraps her arms around me in a tight hug. “Sweetie, love doesn’t happen at the same pace for everyone. Just ’cause it’s quick doesn’t mean it’s wrong, and, girl, I’ve known Echo for years, and I’ve never seen him act like this.”
I sag in Brandi’s arms and homesick-filled loneliness overwhelms me. I miss my mum and my bestie. Stroking my hair, she pulls me tighter into her chest. “Oh baby girl, it’s gonna be okay,” she soothes kindly.
I’m so grateful for her in this moment, a new friend just when I need one. “I don’t know what to do. When I’m near him, he’s all I see. I can’t stop being drawn to him, and the sex, God, the sex is out of this world.” Words pour out of me in a rush. “But we don’t know each other, and I’m leaving, and he’s bossy and a pain in the arse, and he keeps threatening me with orgasms. I mean, seriously, what kind of threat is that? ‘If you don’t behave, I’m gonna make you come so hard you scream.’ That’s just a walking enticement for being a brat,” I blurt out exasperated.
Brandi laughs so hard she doubles over, one hand on her hip, the other holding her stomach. “I’m sorry, it’s just—” She explodes into another bout of laughter. I huff, grabbing a beer from the cooler. Stealing the bottle from me, she swallows deeply. “Okay, okay, okay, so what I’m hearing is that Echo is a sex machine who’s trying to control you with orgasms,” she says, trying not to laugh.
I nod. “Yes.”
She barks out another loud laugh, spitting beer all over the floor. “And this is a bad thing why?”
I close my eyes, laughter bubbling from my chest. “Oh my God, there’s nothing bad about that at all. What the hell am I complaining about?”
Her arms wrap around my shoulders, and her head rests on me as our laughter subsides. “Sweetie, you’re overthinking this. You like him. The sex is hot. Just enjoy spending time together and fuck like rabbits. If you’re meant to be together, you’ll end up together. But in the meantime, have fun.”
“I really should. But now he’s sending biker babysitters to keep an eye on me. I mean, why the hell would I need a guard in this tiny town?” I ask exasperated.
Brandi smiles good-naturedly. “Daisy’s not here for you. There really is always one of the guys from the club here. The town’s pretty safe these days, but about a year ago there was this weird time when club girls started disappearing.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“Well, they just stopped coming to the club.”
“Maybe they decided they just didn’t want a biker anymore,” I suggest. Brandi scoffs and shakes her head. “Okay, well maybe they decided that sleeping with every member of a club is not the right way to bag yourself a permanent biker, and they moved on to somewhere they won’t get called whores?” I say sarcastically.
Brandi laughs loudly. “No, these girls were long-time club girls. They wore their club whore badges with pride. It was really strange. They just stopped turning up. These were regulars that were at the club five nights a week, and then they just never came back. First one girl, and then a couple of months later a second girl, and then a third. I think it was five girls in the end that just vanished.”
“So what happened?” I ask intrigued.
“Well, Anders, that’s the Sinners president, he spoke to the sheriff, and they did some enquiries but never found anything. Their families never even reported them missing, and when the sheriff contacted them, they weren’t surprised, said that they probably picked up a guy and left town. The last one that disappeared was Elise, that was about seven months ago. None of them ever came back. It was strange,” Brandi says, concern and sadness still evident in her voice.
“Wow, that’s creepy,” I say with a shudder.
“Yeah, totally. The club called all of the women and kids into lockdown for like a month, but the girls never came back and no one else disappeared.”
The door opens and Gus walks in. Brandi pats my shoulder, squeezing gently before turning to serve a guy at the end of the bar. “Hi Gus, how you doing today?” I say, smiling broadly.
His glorious smile lights up his whole weathered face. “Evening, Miss Olivia. You’re a sight for old eyes, young lady.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks. “Gus, you old charmer, you’re making me blush.”
“My Millie always used to say I was a charmer.” Gus’s eyes mist over, and I reach over the bar and place my hand over his.
“Tell me about her.”
“She was an angel. She loved everyone, and she was always trying to mother those boys in the club. Not that they let her, but she was always trying. She was a kind soul, and much too good for an old geezer like me.” Unshed tears fill his eyes.
Smiling, I pat his hand. “She sounds like a wonderful person.”
“She was.”
I grab a beer and slide it across the bar to him. Tipping the bottle back, he takes a quick sip. I tense when his eyes drop to Echo’s name on the cut I’m wearing.
“I see you’ve got yourself a young man then.” I nod and look down at the property patch. Uncertain, I lift my head up and look at Gus. He smiles widely. “Echo’s a good man. He’ll look after you, but if he’s not treating you right, you come find Gus and I’ll set him straight,” he says sternly.
I relax, surprised at how much his approval means to me. “Thanks, Gus, I’ll let him know you’ve got your eye on him.”
The night goes quickly with a steady stream of customers. Daisy’s sitting at the end of the bar, growling at every guy I serve. I stalk angrily over to him and lean across the bar. “Daisy, what the fuck’s your problem?”
He glances at my face before his eyes flick to Echo’s name on my chest. He pauses for a moment then drops his gaze back to his phone.
“Daisy?” I say. Completely ignoring me, he focuses on his hands. “Daisy, hello,” I snap. I slap my hands against the wood of the bar dramatically. When he doesn’t react, I straighten and turn my head, catching Brandi’s attention and signalling to Daisy. She watches him before shrugging in response. Shaking my head, I scoff and walk away from him.
It’s late. My long shift’s finally over, and I grab my bag and hug Brandi goodbye. My skin starts to tingle seconds before the door opens and Echo and Sleaze walk in. Like a moth to a flame, my eyes instantly lock with his, and he pulls me to him, wrapping me in his arms.