LILY

The weekend passes with no sign of Loki or Pyro.

I finished my shift on Saturday night, went home and climbed into bed without incident. Emily made plans for Sunday, knowing it was my day off and I was going to want to spend as much of it with Piper as humanly possible. When I asked her what her plans were, she laughed and told me she was going to be a Roswell tourist. I laughed a little harder after that. She deserves a day off and I get to spend the day with Piper. Win-win.

Piper and I made cookies, sang silly songs and watched movies until it was time for her to go to bed or rather, until she passed out on the couch with her head on my lap. Being with Piper, just the two of us, makes me miss Boulder a little more. Sure, I had a bigger support system up there, between the old ladies, a couple of the girls I worked with and Sticks, but I had to practically runaway with Piper to spend time alone with her. Down here, I have more time with her, but I’m working more. It’s a job I love and yet it’s unnecessary financially and it irks me to leave her.

Monday afternoon, while sitting down to do homework with Piper, my phone rings, it’s Loni.

“Hey boss,” I say when I answer the phone.

“Hey, sorry to call on your day off.”

“No worries, you need me?” I ask.

“Not today, but the clubhouse is throwing a shindig tomorrow for a visiting club and we need all the girls we can get.” I shudder. This is my least favorite part about being a bar back.

“What time?”

I hear her sigh in relief. “Seven, the clubhouse. You know where it’s at?”

“I do. What time you want me there?” I ask her.

“Can you come at six?” she asks, and I can tell she’s reluctant about it.

“I’ll be there.”

“You’re a lifesaver, Skit.”

I smile. “No problem. See you tomorrow.”

“Thanks again,” she says and we disconnect.

“Em,” I call and she comes into the living room. “I have to work tomorrow night. I don’t know what time I’ll be home,” I tell her and it’s the truth. Early on, in Boulder, I would do club parties and I would often crawl home around nine or ten in the morning.

“No problem.” She smiles. “Pipes and I are gonna go see a movie on Wednesday after school.”

“Yeah,” Piper says excitedly.

“You’re a lifesaver,” I tell her.

“Don’t forget, she needs to get registered for dance class.”

“Shit!”

“Mommy!” Piper snaps at me.

“Sorry, baby,” I tell her with a smile. I look back at Emily. “Thank you, I will take care of it.” I’d completely forgotten and classes start in just a couple weeks.

Tuesday comes, still no sign of Loki or Pyro.

As the day drawls on, I’m more and more relieved that Loki hasn’t driven past my house. I’m hoping like hell he doesn’t show up tonight, but I’m not sure I can get that lucky.

I went to the dance school this morning and got Piper all signed up. She starts the middle of next month, giving me just a little over a month to handle what I need to take care of. Registering her implies that I’m staying here. It might not be a bad idea, but we might not have much choice.

On my way home from registration and stopping by the store, Sticks called me. He didn’t say much other than things were in motion and he’d be in touch. The plan is to get the club vacated somehow, with the exception of Rooster, but that might be easier said than done. I have a backup plan in place that involves his house. Which I’d like to avoid, but the son of a bitch did kill my brother in his own home, maybe I can do the same to him.

“Mommy,” Piper calls from the kitchen when I get inside the house.

“Hi, baby,” I call back. “Whatcha doin’?”

“Emi and I are coloring.” I hear the chair scoot as she jumps down and comes running toward me. “Am I going to dance class?” she asks. Her excitement is palpable and I smile wide at her.

“You are, baby, in a few weeks, okay?”

“Okay, does this mean we get to go shopping?” She smiles wide at me.

She’s worse than I am when it comes to shopping. This girl loves to do it, and she knows exactly what she’s doing too. “Absolutely,” I tell her.

She runs back to the kitchen, arms raised in the air shouting, “yay,” as she goes.

I hear Emily’s laugh from the kitchen. I round the corner. We exchange a look of, ‘oh boy’ before she sits down with Piper.

“Piper, baby, I’m gonna go lay down, okay?”

“Okay, mommy,” she says without looking up and I nod to Emily and head toward my bedroom. Tonight’s gonna be a long night, and I need to catch a little more sleep. I’ve been up since just before seven when Piper came in bouncing on my bed. She’s really excited about dance class and it warms my heart. She’d been in one back in Boulder and I promised her that I’d get her into a school for it down here. Now she just has to wait for the session to start.

I change into a t-shirt, draw my curtains tight and climb into my bed. It doesn’t take more than a few minutes and I’m out.

LOKI

“What are we doing?” Pyro says into the phone.

“What choice do we have?” I remind him.

I can almost hear his eyes rolling. “When all this shit goes down, I’m never entertaining again,” he mumbles into the phone.

I hear that. “I’ll see you there. I need to get wet.”

“I’ll be there.”

We hang up and I toss my phone onto the bed and strip out of my riding gear to jump in the shower. I’m happy to be home. My ass is numb and my eyelids weigh a hundred pounds, but we’ll never hear the end of it if we don’t show tonight.

It’s seven thirty when I climb out of the shower. The shit and shebang started half an hour ago, but I don’t rush. I couldn’t care less tonight. All I want is to go see Skit at work, drink and pass the fuck out.

Another twenty minutes and I’m flying down the street headed toward the clubhouse. I drive past Skit’s place and there is light coming through the curtains, but Skit’s car is gone. Her bike is in the driveway, up near the house. Good, she learned her lesson. The only bike she needs to be riding is mine.

I blink as I pull up to the light. I keep blinking for no reason at all, perplexed by the direction of my thoughts. Where the fuck did that come from?

She’s not mine, never has been, and never will be.

I walk into the clubhouse. No joke, dude, the place is packed. Wicked Angels and Critical Chaos members filling up the chairs and couches. Two pool tables full of bikers and bitches. Tits hanging out, asses bouncing like there ain't a care in the fucking world. I roll my eyes. Only this charter has tits and ass hanging out all over the fucking place.

My eyes land on Taz who’s working on some ugly ass dude from CC with one of the other chicks who works at the strip club owned by the Angels. Taz’s eyes lock on mine for a moment and she winks at me before locking lips with the blonde. Now that’s exactly what I need tonight. I give her a wicked grin before my eyes continue around the room. That’s when bright green and black catches my eye over by one of the pool tables. I blink in shock that she’s here. Then I blink again when I see Rack has his hand down the front of her tube top. I watch his fingers move as he rolls her nipple between them and I can see the other one is as hard as a rock beneath the thin fabric.

Mine.

I shake my head. Get it together, fuckshitiot. She ain’t yours and she ain’t someone else’s either. She’s a bar cunt, nothing more. A great piece of ass that you want to tap again and again, but you can do that shit with any girl in here.

She hasn’t seen me yet, so I duck to my left, toward the bar and lots of fucking alcohol.

I’m three drinks in when Pyro finally shows his face. He roams the room, and I’m not sure if he’s looking for someone or not, but his face grows angry when he catches an eyeful of Skit and Rack. He shakes his head and I turn back to the bar. What’s his deal with her?

He moves next to me. “You see that shit?” he asks.

“What shit?” I counter, trying to play stupid.

“Skit and Rack.”

“What about it?” He glares at me. “What? You hot for Skit?”

He visibly shudders.

“You wanna ‘explain?” I ask him.

“Hell no.”

“You fuck her?” I ask point blank.

“Fuck you, and fuck no. Not my flavor,” he says in a way that begs me to argue with him.

“Bullshit. Hot piece of ass like that and you’re telling me you don’t want to tap it?”

“Shut it, Loki,” he snaps.

I roll my eyes. “I don’t understand what’s crawled up your ass and died lately, but you’d better figure it out.” I lower my voice and get in his ear. “Find your fucking head, man, you’re running out of time.”

“Fuck off,” he growls, his raspy voice catching.

I let it go. I’m obviously not getting anywhere with him on the Skit front and I don’t want to talk about it anymore. If he wants to claim her, fine.

My chest grows heavy at that thought and my heart skips in my chest.

She’s not mine, I remind myself as my eyes wander over to her. She’s now straddling Rack’s lap, her tits in his face. She’s facing my direction so I get an eyeful of her nipple as Rack switches from one to the other.

Skit’s eyes are locked on mine.

She lets her mouth fall slack as she feigns enjoyment. I shake my head at her and she puts a little more effort into it. I roll my eyes.

Just then Taz walks past me and I grab her wrist, bringing her toward me. Her eyes widen briefly as I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into me. I whisper in Taz’s ear, “Play along,” She grunts in understanding and I give her a couple kisses along her shoulder before dipping my head lower. Taz, on her game as always, lowers her tank top, offering me her tits and I suck a nipple into my mouth. My eyes never leave Skit. Taz’s hand slides into my hair, holding me to her tit just a little longer and I flick my tongue against her hard peak and she lets out a rush of air. She is enjoying it, where Skit is not.

I smirk at Skit, making a show of licking and sucking on Taz’s tit and Skit’s eyes narrow.

She leans down and whispers something in Rack’s ear. Whatever she says springs him into action and he stands up. She quickly pulls her top up and he grabs her by her hand, pulling her toward me and the door.

I release Taz’s tit from my mouth, she pulls up her top. “Thanks, doll,” I tell her.

“Anytime,” she smirks, winks and off she goes.

Rack and Skit walk past me, out the door. I go to follow behind them, but Pyro grabs my arm. “You’re a dick, but let it go.”

I shake my head and try, but I can’t. I pull my arm free and step through the door into the cool night. My eyes find them quickly when I hear a hog turn over. I narrow my eyes at both of them. Rack’s already on his ride. Skit steps on the skid and flings her leg over expertly. My eyes narrow and a growl escapes my lips.

She wraps her arms around Rack’s stomach, holding herself to his back. He’s paying attention to what he’s doing, she is watching me.

Rack switches gears and revs the engine and they disappear briefly as he turns around and when they come back into my line of sight, she’s looking at me. She releases her hold on Rack long enough to flip me the finger.

“Fucking cunt,” I growl. It’s one thing to let a brother suck your tits; it’s a whole other thing to be the bitch on his ride.