Blade

 

“Hey, you,” Maggie said sleepily. She looked up at me from where she’d curled up beside me in the bed. She rested her chin against my chest, right by her hands. She smiled with her beautiful eyes and her red hair.

 

She fit perfectly beside me in the bed. She made me want to forget everything else that was going on around us, everything that was happening in our lives beyond the walls of the safehouse. Holding her close to me and sharing her warmth, suddenly it was about more than just protecting her. It was about the connection between us.

 

I kissed her soft lips and reluctantly pulled mine way. I ran a hand through her hair while I re-read the text message that had woken me up in the first place. I wanted to make sure I was reading it right.

 

The Special Auction is tonight. Meet us at the auction house.

 

“What’s wrong?” Maggie asked, sitting up in the bed, pulling herself out of my arms.

 

“Nothing,” I groaned. “I just have a job to do tonight,” I said as I rolled over and sat up on the side of the bed.

 

Maggie positioned herself behind me, draping her arms over my shoulders and kissing the back of my neck. Her body pressed against my back. Her legs ran along beside mine. Her heat spoke to me, called me back to her. Her energy begged me not to leave the bed, but I had to. Something told me this auction was going to be more important than Vlad realized in solving the problems that were threatening to take everyone down.

 

“It’s another sex slave auction, isn’t it?” she asked, and I felt her body sag with disappointment behind me. Her weight shifted as she turned away from me. Her arms and legs pulled away from my body.

 

“It’s not what you think,” I told her, turning to try to comfort her.

 

She pulled her knees up to her chest and pulled the covers up around her. She stared at the bed, just beyond her feet. Her arms were wrapped around her covered legs. What did she expect? She’d met me at one of these things. It wasn’t like they were still new to her.

 

“You know this is what I do. You know I’m the hired muscle. So, even when one is called suddenly, I’m expected to be available,” I explained.

 

“Let me guess. You’re going so you can save another helpless young girl who has been unfairly sent to the auction block,” she said scathingly.

 

“No, that’s not why I’m going tonight,” I said. I didn’t have the energy to fight with her or to fully explain what was happening. “I’m going tonight to protect everyone involved, because I have a feeling things are going to get ugly.”

 

I got up and pulled my pants from the floor. I carried them with me to the bathroom, where I used tissues to wipe the memory of her mouth and tongue from my cock before getting dressed. I would have loved to have had more time to enjoy the rest of her body, but time wasn’t on my side.

 

Another text came in as I walked back into the bedroom.

 

You’ll be there, yes?

 

On my way now, I texted back.

 

“Look, I’m going to post someone at your door while I’m gone. They don’t need to know where I am, just that I’m handling some personal business. Stay in the safehouse until I get back. If anything happens, you know how to reach me,” I told her, placing a finger under her chin to lift her face so our eyes met.

 

“Yes, I know how to get ahold of you. Good luck tonight,” she said in a cold, hard tone. She turned her face back toward the bed, looking away from me again.

 

I sighed. I couldn’t apologize for what I was doing. I still owed a pretty big debt to Vlad. I was needed at this particular auction more than others, and not just to help the auction run. I was going to be there to keep everyone safe. If someone was planning to make a move against Vlad, this auction was the perfect cover for it.

 

Downstairs in the front room, I called one of my prospects, a young guy named Danny. He’d been trying to get into the Marauders for a few months. He rode with us, but he hadn’t had a chance to really prove himself yet.

 

“Hey, Danny,” I said when he answered the phone. “I have a job for you, kid.”

 

“Great. What do you need me to do?” he asked.

 

“I need you to watch somebody for me. It’s up here at the safehouse at the corner of Eastman and Larkin,” I told him.

 

“Now?”

 

“Yeah, now. Come on, kid. This is your chance. I’ll be waiting downstairs.” I hung up and slid the phone in my pocket.

 

“You know, we’ve got people all over the house,” Lydia said from behind the desk across from the stairs leading up to the guestrooms.

 

“I know, but I want eyes almost directly on her,” I explained. “There’s a lot going on surrounding her.”

 

“Ah, got it.”

 

A moment later, we heard Danny’s motorcycle pulling up outside. He came through the door in a rush. “I got here as quickly as I could,” he said, winded.

 

“Kid, even if you physically ran here, you don’t ever let anyone see you like this. Come on, man. You’re supposed to be tough,” I teased him. “The room’s up here.”

 

I led him up to the room where Maggie was staying and planted him right by the door.

 

“Stay here. Do not leave for any reason. If she has to leave the room, I want you to follow her. Check the room before she goes back in.”

 

He looked confused. “But the safehouse has people guarding it already, inside and out, right? Why do I need to be here?”

 

“She’s mixed up in some pretty bad stuff. I tried to get her out of it, but it doesn’t look like I have. I need you to watch this room. Guard it with your life. You’ve been waiting for us to hand you a job you can do on your own. Let this be it,” I said.

 

“All right. I’ll be here,” he said, finally accepting his job.

 

I knocked on the door to the room. Danny looked at me like I had gone mad. Apparently, the idea of meeting the girl who was in so much trouble she needed a personal security detail was too much for him to bear.

 

A moment later, Maggie cracked the door, catching the chain. She looked through the crack and saw me, then closed the door and slid the chain back across. She opened it again. “Hey, back so soon?” she asked.

 

“I wanted you meet the Marauders’ prospect watching the door,” I said.

 

She poked her head out of the room and saw Danny standing nervously beside me. He wasn’t a small guy, but he hadn’t quite mustered up the confidence I wanted to see in him. I hoped this easy job would help with that.

 

“Hey, it’s nice to meet you,” she said, reaching a hand out for him. “I’m Maggie.”

 

“Hey, Maggie. Danny.” He took her hand in his, and something changed. Maggie had that effect on people. He stopped trembling. He stood a little straighter and puffed out his chest. He put some bass in his voice when he talked. I saw the kid turn into a man right before my eyes.

 

“So, you’re going to be watching my room,” she said. It sounded more like an accusation than an observation, like he was doing something wrong by trying to help out.

 

“That’s what I was told by Blade here.” He jerked his head toward me.

 

“Well, that’s good, I guess,” Maggie said. “Don’t want anything to happen while Blade is gone. If there’s nothing else, I’m going to go back inside now,” she said.

 

“No, that’s all. I just wanted you two to know each other. That way if you see him, Maggie, there’s no surprise. If you see anyone else outside this door, don’t open it,” I warned her. “I mean it. Something’s going down tonight, and I need you to do what you can to stay safe.”

 

“Got it.” She rolled her eyes and closed the door.

 

“Look, if something’s happening and you need an extra set of hands,” Danny offered.

 

“No, kid, this is personal. I’ve been working security detail for a guy I owe a debt to, and something came up tonight. I have to be there, so I need someone to be here. I can’t be in both places at the same time. You’re helping me out a lot by being here,” I explained.

 

“All right, if you say so.” He crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall.

 

“Anyone besides a Marauder comes up, you handle it or call for backup. Got it?” I asked him.

 

“You really expect it to get that bad?” he asked. The prospect of seeing real action didn’t seem to scare him like it did earlier. If anything, it seemed to be hardening him, preparing him. Danny wasn’t a small guy, even if he sometimes acted like it. He was pretty toned and fit. I’d seen the boy fight before. He studied martial arts, and he was trained to hurt people without leaving much room for resistance.

 

“I do,” I admitted. “Something’s not right, so keep your eyes and ears open.”

 

“Got it.” He nodded and dropped the sullen expression.

 

“Great. I’ve got to go. See you in a few hours.”

 

I headed downstairs, knowing time was already against me. I rushed home to grab a few things. I slipped a gun into the waistband of my pants and grabbed a couple of knives. I tucked a set of brass knuckles into my coat pocket, and I checked to make sure there was nothing else I needed. My stomach was in knots. Something was wrong. I could already feel it.

 

Where are you? Auction is starting soon.

 

Vlad was starting to hound me. I was taking too long. I didn’t want to go unprepared. Besides, he’d told me I was going to be getting the details from his second in command. I stared at my phone while the revelation sank in.

 

Unfortunately, I was doing something I shouldn’t have been, so there was no calling on the MC for backup. I was going in alone, knowing full well I was being set up. I had a sneaking suspicion I knew who was behind it.

 

Got held up on Marauders business. Leaving now.

 

I checked myself in the bathroom mirror. The auctions had a dress code. I couldn’t go in looking like the biker I was. Jeans, a t-shirt, and my vest – that wouldn’t cut it. I wore slacks, a dress shirt that was a little loose in case I needed to get physical with one of the guests, and a blazer. It gave me places to hide any additional weapons I needed to take with me, and made me look like I belonged there. Some of the guests would run off if I showed up in my normal gear.

 

I hopped on my bike. I typically didn’t drive it to auctions, but I needed something quick and versatile in case things did go south, which I expected them to. Even in the sound of the engine as she came to life, I heard a warning about what was coming.