Chapter Four
Stupid John.
The graduate student had told Sarah to check Devil’s Den out and convinced her it’d be helpful for her research. She’d finally worked up the courage, thinking it wouldn’t be so bad, and now she was watching two men all but ready to have a pissing contest. For all she knew, an actual, literal one, and that would be the least of it if she were lucky.
Learning about outlaw biker culture from library research suddenly seemed a lot more appealing.
After all, it’d been only a few minutes since she had entered Devil’s Den, and now it looked like she was going to get caught in the middle of a violent brawl. At least no one had pulled out a gun yet.
What were the chances? She’d not heard anything about actual trouble at the place, and the minute she stepped inside, trouble followed. She wasn’t sure if that made her lucky or unlucky. At the least, it’d be a chance to gain some valuable insights into the culture. Assuming she didn’t get seriously hurt along the way.
Sarah swallowed and glanced between Caleb and Jake. Her trip was just supposed to be a little scouting mission. She was supposed to pick up a little information and maybe score some interview questions with a few people to help her figure out the best way to further her research.
Now Jake Silvestri was in the bar. She’d heard of him and the True Sons. The only thing she didn’t understand is how such a violent thug managed to avoid jail. It was almost like someone was protecting him for some reason. She wondered if he had some sort of connection to higher-level organized crime.
“If you don’t want trouble,” Jake said with a wicked grin. “Then how about that charity donation?”
Caleb snorted. “Just because I don’t want trouble doesn’t mean I’m going to bend over for you, asshole.”
Sarah sucked in a breath, trying to calm down. The worst part wasn’t the fear, but more how Jake had totally blown the scorching hot tension she’d had with Caleb. She liked her men big and brawny. As much as she hated to admit it, she even found Jake hot in his own threatening way.
Though, despite all the mountains of manliness in the room, something about Caleb’s easy demeanor made her center warm a little and her nipples stand at attention.
“Bad attitude,” Jake said, shaking a finger. “You might have to pay for that on top of the charity donation.”
The rough voice of the biker cut through Sarah’s fantasy. She wouldn’t be getting lucky with a man straight from her dreams later. She’d probably be filling out a witness statement at the police station. She only barely managed to avoid a groan.
The other customers hurried for the door, concerned looks on their faces. They might have liked the rough vibe but apparently didn’t want to deal with the men responsible for it.
Sarah thought about getting up and rushing out but decided it’d be stupid to leave. She wanted to research outlaw biker groups, and she was going to see them in action first-hand, however unpleasant it might be. If she couldn’t even handle being around a biker brawl, she might as well go tell Harris she was ready to quit her PhD program.
Jake’s attention shot to her, and she swallowed. He inhaled deeply, a slow grin spreading across his face.
“Maybe we just walk out with that cute little thing,” he said to Caleb. “And I’ll forget about how you disrespected me.”
She let out a strangled yelp. Now she regretted not leaving when she had the chance.
“She’s not going anywhere,” Caleb said, his voice filled with dangerous promise.
Sarah’s breath caught. She wasn’t sure if he was being protective or just pissed off. Either way, she was glad that someone was going to keep Jake away from her. Even her lust for bad boys had limits.
Caleb casually cracked his knuckles. “I don’t like your attitude, Jake. I don’t give a shit about who you normally push around, but this place is mine. If you have some money, then I’ll give you some beer and some wings. Otherwise, get the hell out of Devil’s Den and go piss on someone else’s leg.”
Jake let out a low growl.
Sarah blinked, then heard Caleb also growl, along with the other men in the room. What the hell? She knew men in these circles liked to show off, but now they were growling at each other like animals. She regretted not bringing a piece of paper to take some notes. It looked like she was learning about some previously hidden aspects of biker and biker-adjacent culture.
“Let me take him, Jake,” one of the bikers said. “Let me pound that smug face until he’s begging for forgiveness.”
Jake grinned. “That would be entertaining.”
“What, you too chickenshit to take me on yourself?” Caleb said. He spat on the ground. “Gotta say, I’m disappointed.”
Jake sneered. “You need to prove that you’re not a waste of my time. Unless you’re too much of a pussy to take on my boy here.”
Sarah watched, transfixed. The vague remaining idea of calling the police vanished, as she watched these two men challenge each other, no thoughts of consequences. It was almost like something from a different age.
“Whatever.” Caleb hopped over the bar. He lifted his hand and gestured with his fingers for his opponent to come at him. “Show me what you got, big man. Don’t come crying when I knock you on your ass in front of your alpha.”
Alpha? Sarah hadn’t heard that terminology used for outlaw bikers before. This little trip was already proving to be a treasure trove of information.
Jake’s man rushed with a yell toward Caleb. The biker threw a fist, but Caleb blocked it with ease and then slammed his fist into the man’s face with a crunch. Sarah winced at the sight.
The other man staggered back, but when he recovered, he grinned, like he was enjoying the whole thing. The man got in a jab to Caleb’s stomach, but he only grunted at the hit.
Caleb smashed the other man across the face with a right hook, then followed the hit with a powerful blow from the left. He finished with a headbutt, the thud of which echoed in the bar.
The other man stumbled back, his face bruised and battered.
Sarah closed her eyes. A few thuds and a crunch later, she opened them up to find the man unconscious on the floor. She stared at the man for a moment, then blinked. If she hadn’t known better, she could have sworn that a cut on the side of the man’s face had already healed. A trick of the light?
“That’s all your boy had?” Caleb said with a sneer. “Pathetic. Pick your trash up, and get the hell out of here.”
Jake shook his head, glowering. “You think I’m afraid just because you got one more man here?”
Sarah glanced around. She hadn’t even noticed, but Jake was right. Two other men stood behind the bar, stone-faced as they watched everything.
With a groan, the man on the floor stood. He shook his head and backed up toward Jake. Despite the blood on his face, jacket, and shirt, most of the bruises, swelling, and cuts from his face had already vanished.
She stared at him, trying to figure out what had just happened. There was no way he could have taken the hits she’d just witnessed and look so untouched.
Jake shook his head. “We do this the hard way then, and someone might actually get hurt, you little bitch.”
Caleb snorted. “I’m tired of hearing you talk, asshole. Show me what you got, then talk.”
Several seconds passed before Sarah understood what she was even seeing. First, Jake and the two men around him had been standing there, scowling. Then, they blurred, stretched, and twisted, and suddenly there were three huge wolves standing in the bar, growling. No clothes, just fur.
Sarah yelped and rushed around the bar only to spot two more wolves there. Her heart kicked up even more, and she ran into the corner, pulling a contact Taser out of her pocket. Would it even work on wolves?
She surveyed the area and counted.
No matter how ridiculous it seemed, she spotted seven wolves standing in the bar, all unnaturally huge, easily hundreds of pounds, with much longer claws than she’d seen on wolves, at least the ones in the zoo.
A brown-coated wolf stood where Caleb had just a moment before, growling, his hackles up.
“Caleb,” Sarah whispered.
It didn’t make any sense, but she knew that the wolf was Caleb. All the men in the room had turned into wolves. Her glance shot to her drink. Had she been drugged?
Maybe, but everything seemed so real. The only thing out of place were all the huge, furry killing machines growling at each other.
Two more men appeared from the back hallway. They blurred, and wolves replaced them.
Caleb, at least the wolf she presumed was him, let out a loud growl. He snapped at the air. Jake snapped back.
The other Devil’s Den wolves padded forward, positioning themselves for a strike.
The three wolves near the entrance blurred and twisted until three bikers stood there again. Despite her thundering heart and broken mind, Sarah couldn’t help but notice they had their clothes from before.
“This ain’t over, Caleb,” Jake said. He offered an evil grin. “We’ll be back.”
The other wolves shifted back into human form. Again, the clothes that had disappeared before reappeared in their human form.
“It’ll end the same,” Caleb said, his voice low. “Now like I said, get the hell out of my bar.”
Jake shrugged. “This shit was boring anyway.” The True Sons all backed up slowly before hitting the door. They filed out, Jake the last one. He offered a middle finger on his way out.
Sarah had come to learn about bikers. Instead, she’d discovered something far more important. There was only one word to describe what she’d just seen.
Werewolves.