The crowd crushed in on Johanna at the clubhouse. She pushed through the sea of leather vests, bare skin, and sloshed drinks. By the time she walked out the door, perspiration had dripped down her temples, and she let her head fall back to feel the breeze on her overheated skin.

Keeffe had changed her plans tonight with Lindsay and Ashley when he'd shown up at the house to give her the burner phone and the instructions that Chief would call her later. Instead of stopping her plans, she'd talked the girls into coming to the clubhouse with her instead of hitting Blue Light, their normal club stop on a Saturday. She pulled the phone out of her pocket and checked the time.

It was already after midnight, and Chief hadn't called.

With only four months left of Chief's incarceration, he often missed his chance at the phones to call her. It'd taken six months for one of the Brikken members to get a burner phone into the prison and in Chief's hand. Keeffe informed her that Chief wouldn't take the chance of using the hidden phone in his cell if the guards or other inmates were around. It was too close to release for him to get caught and have extra time put on him his sentence.

Apparently, the consequences of finding a phone in his cell brought a hefty thirty-nine-month punishment and another felony on his record. As if she needed another worry added to her life, she now dreaded any calls in the chance that he'd get caught.

Putting the phone in the back pocket of her shorts, she stepped over to lean against the building and stumbled in her high heels. She laughed at herself. What a klutz.

Sammi had mixed margaritas for the women and consuming three of the drinks hit her hard. Brikken never served watered down drinks like the dance clubs in town.

The door of the clubhouse opened behind her. A man stepped into the glow of the light above the door and looked both ways. Recognizing Skidd, she stayed in the shadows, content to have time to cool herself off and sober up for when Chief called.

Her luck ran out.

Skidd walked in her direction. "Everything okay?"

"It's too hot in there. I was just cooling off from dancing," she said.

Skidd hooked his hands in his vest pockets and looked around the property. She gazed out into the night, hoping he'd take her silence as a hint and go back inside.

"Hell of a party." Skidd stepped forward and leaned against the side of the building beside her.

Four years ago, she never understood the difference between a weekend party and one where the Brikken members let loose. Today, aware of a big shipment of stolen motorcycles making it to the destination and getting the rest of their payment, she understood the reason behind the rowdy celebration inside.

Far enough removed from the business side of the club, she chose to enjoy the good vibe. What else was there to do?

It was the life of being Brikken.

"Damn, it was hot in there." Skidd stepped away from the wall and turned toward her, shoving his hand under the front of his shirt and lifting the material.

His pale stomach flashed in the light. She looked away, wanting to roll her eyes. Skidd walked around the clubhouse showing his body whenever he wanted. At forty-something years old, he could go back inside to get attention. There were enough women hanging around at the parties, that were more than willing, to take him up on his offer. Especially after midnight.

An arm came into view. She turned her gaze straight ahead and found Skidd trapping her to the side of the building.

"What are you doing?" She shoved at his chest, unable to move him. "Back off."

"Helping you cool off." He blew over her face. "Doesn't that feel good?"

"I'm serious." She pushed him harder. "Get away from me."

He grabbed her wrists and pressed his lower body against her. She stilled, panic rolling through her. Nobody touched her. Especially a Brikken member. Chief would kill anyone who tried.

"When's the last time you've had cock?" He lowered his mouth to her ear. "Got a hard one for Chief's bitch, right here, ready to pound you, and make you my bitch."

Pushing with all her strength, she screamed. He covered her mouth with his hand, grinding his erection against her. Her vision wavered, and her lungs seized without air. Desperate, she pulled her free arm out from between their bodies and clawed out, raking her nails down his face.

He roared in pain, snapping his head away from her. Using her hands and feet, she fought until he put his hand around her throat.

She stopped moving instantly.

Skidd sneered down into her face. "You've been asking for a good fuck, flaunting your ass around here."

"Please, don't do this. Let me go," she said, her throat spasming.

His gaze lowered to her breasts, heaving with each frantic breath. He reached up. She squeezed her eyes closed, knowing what he was going to do and hating him, hating his touch, hating the vulnerable position and not knowing what to do.

Her body jerked forward. Her neck burned.

Skidd stepped away from her dangling the silver tag necklace Chief gave her from his hand. "I wonder what Chief will say when he comes home, and you're not wearing his tag." His smile never reached his eyes. "Maybe he won't care when he finds out I've had my cock inside you. I've got four months to make sure I own everything Chief believes he had before he was sent to prison."

"Give it back." She reached out, and he held the necklace out of her reach.

"Poor Chief. Gone too long, he loses his woman and his club. He's going to have nothing," said Skidd.

He slipped the necklace into his pocket and walked out to the line of motorcycles. Shaken to her core, she wrapped her arms around her waist and bent over, gagging.

Fear of what Chief would do if he heard about one of his men going against the rules of the club and touching her, threatening her, would make him lose his mind. That would be the worst thing to happen so close to his release from prison.

He normally was the most controlled man she'd ever known or seen within Brikken and toward her, but she also knew deep down that if he felt she or his boys were treated badly, he'd go after anyone without a thought to his safety or future.

She couldn't do that to him.

Forcing herself to straighten, she wiped her face off with her hands and tried to collect herself. Inside, she trembled, physically sick. She couldn't tell Keeffe what Skidd had done to her or the things he'd said. The vice president would go straight to Chief with the information.

She fingered her bare neck, swallowing her sob. Skidd had ripped off and stolen Chief's tag he'd given her. An unforgivable action within Brikken.

Wanting to go home where she could fall apart in privacy and decide what to do, she straightened her shirt and headed to the door to find Lindsay and Ashley, because she was not going to walk to her car alone and have Skidd attack her again. She shivered, and bile rose up in her throat. Those things he said—she shivered, they were scary.

The phone in her back pocket vibrated with a call.

She stood by the door of the clubhouse, unable to stop the tears, and let the phone ring until it stopped.

Chief would hear right through her voice and know something was wrong. It would be better for him to go without talking to her, and her getting a lecture from Keeffe that she'd missed his call. She could blame it on the music and dancing.

The phone rang again. She closed her eyes and swallowed the tears. Chief was so close to being released. One phone call wouldn't matter if it meant he'd come home to her.

When the ringing stopped, she swiped her hands across her cheeks and trailed her fingers under her eyes. Taking a deep breath, she entered the club and searched for Keeffe. After a quick explanation of missing the call and giving him back the phone, she found Lindsay and Ashley and told them it was time to leave.

She couldn't escape the clubhouse and Skidd fast enough. The music, the pressure of bodies, the stink of smoke, everything made her nauseous on top of her fright.

Lindsay looped her arm around hers when she pushed through the door. "Where did you disappear to?"

"Just went outside to cool off." Johanna got out her keys, pulling her friends faster across the field to the vehicles.

"We still have time to hit up Blue Light." Ashley danced ahead of them, stopping at the car. "Are you okay to drive?"

Fear, she learned, sobered a person fast. She unlocked the door, popped the locks, and said, "I'm fine. I've got a killer headache starting. I just want to go home and crawl into bed. I'll call you both tomorrow, 'kay?"

"Sure." Lindsay opened the passenger side of Ashley's car. "Drive safe."

The lies piled up on each other. She drove off of Brikken property and headed home. She needed Chief more than ever, and couldn't have him. Not tonight. Not for four more months.