Mina
That night, Mina pulled herself out of her bedroom. For a moment, she considered running away. There was nothing saying she had to stay with Satan’s Legion. She was twenty-two years old, and nobody could make her do anything. But she had no place to go. All of her family was here. She had no one in the outside world, and she had no job to support herself with. If she slipped off in the middle of the night, chances were good that Park would track her down and bring her back. He always thought he knew what was best.
No, she was stuck at the clubhouse. It would be much easier to just hide in her room until the baby was born, and that probably would make her father quite happy, but it wouldn’t work forever. The entire club already knew about her predicament, so there was no point in pretending otherwise.
She made her way down the stairs to the main living area. Grill was sitting on the sofa, staring at a football game on the flat screen television mounted on the wall. His eyes landed on her, glided down to her still-flat stomach, and then immediately shot back to the TV again.
Mina rolled her eyes and headed into the kitchen. It was a large space, with modern style cabinetry and a big island. It was only separated from the living room by a breakfast bar, which made for one massive living space. Members were mostly responsible for making their own meals, but every now and then they would get together and make a massive meal for the entire club. At the moment, though, the place was nearly abandoned.
Only Jewel occupied the space. One of the club girls, she was a pretty thing with dark hair and startling blue eyes. Jewel looked young and comely from across the room, but when you got close you could see the lines forming around her eyes. She tried to cover up her flaws with layers of makeup, but there was no mistaking how hard club life had been on her. She sat at the island, flipping through a fashion magazine and absently eating chips out of an open bag on the counter. She looked up at Mina and smiled. “I heard the news. Did you come down to get a snack? You’re eating for two now, you know.” She pushed the bag of chips across the countertop.
Mina pushed it back. “I most certainly didn’t. I was just ready to get out of my room for a bit, but since you’re here I’d like to know why you told everyone.”
“Told everyone what?” Jewel asked, blinking those azure eyes. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“The hell you don’t!” Mina strode around the island so that she stood next to the older woman. “I asked you to buy me that pregnancy test because I thought I could trust you. I never imagined you would go blabbing to my dad!” A heat rose up in her body that made her dizzy. She hadn’t been that mad at anyone for a long time, and the pregnancy hormones that were already coursing through her body were only making things more difficult.
Jewel insisted on maintaining her innocence. “You asked me to buy the test, but you never said I had to keep it a secret.” She gave Mina a catlike smile. “I mean, don’t you think everyone was going to find out anyway? You can’t keep something like that under wraps for long. Pretty soon, you’re going to look like a snake that swallowed a basketball.” She laughed at her own tasteless humor.
“If I didn’t want it to be a secret, I could have just bought the damn thing myself,” Mina gritted through her teeth. “You could have at least given me the chance to tell Park. It would have been better coming from me.”
The club girl laughed, a peal of sound that was far more joyful than Mina felt. “I think we both know you never would have told him. You’re afraid of your daddy, and he rules over you with an iron fist. No, Mina, I did you a favor. Now, why don’t you do me a favor and tell me who the father is?”
For a moment, Mina had no words. She stood there agape, wondering how Jewel had so much gall. “I’m not telling you a damn thing.”
But Jewel nodded. “I see. I get it.”
“You get what?” The conversation was becoming increasingly frustrating, and Mina wanted nothing more than to show Jewel just what she did to those who betrayed her. Her father wasn’t the only one who expected his friends to be loyal.
The other woman put her hand in the air, palm up, and tipped her head to the side. “I figure it’s one of two things. Either you know who the guy is, and you don’t want to give him up. You’re afraid Park really will kill him, and then you’ll be all on your own.”
“Or?” Mina challenged.
“Oh, see, this is the fun one. You don’t know who the father is because you’ve been making your way through any club member who will lay his hands on you. I’m sure that’s no small number. I mean, you’re cute, and most of the guys here are beyond horny. You have to figure out which one of them you want to lay the blame on.”
“I would never do something like that.” Mina’s voice was a growl now. She had thought Jewel was her friend.
Jewel shrugged and rolled her eyes. “If you say so.”
In an instant, Mina had her by the hair. She yanked Jewel off her seat and dragged her across the room to the sink, shoving her head under the tap and turning it on. Jewel spluttered and wind milled her arms, but Mina’s grip was firm. The club girl finally managed to grab the edge of the counter and push herself away. Mina let go, but Jewel snatched her up and flung her hands out, clawing at anything she could get a hold of. Mina ducked and Jewel caught her shirt. The material ripped.
Furious, Mina reached out and ripped right back, pissed and crazed. Nobody did that to her and got away with it.
“Ladies! Ladies!”
They both ignored the shouts, too intent on destroying each other. Mina kept one hand on a twist of Jewel’s shirt while she flung her fists, more furious than she had ever been at anyone. Jewel had betrayed her trust. She had pretended to be a loyal friend, and she wasn’t even sorry for what she had done. “You’re nothing but a lying bitch!” she raged. “You can just go fuck yourself!”
“I’d tell you the same thing,” Jewel retorted, “except half the club is already doing it.”
Pulling her fist back, Mina landed a solid punch right on Jewel’s nose.
Big hands grabbed her by the waist and yanked her backwards before she could continue her attack. Mina clawed at them, but it was of no use. Her body was pressed against a large chest and a muscled abdomen. She squirmed in his grip, turning around to see Animal grinning down at her. He was a big man, built like a linebacker. With his lantern jaw and massive bulk, he could take down anyone in the club. A high-level enforcer, Animal was doing his job by stopping the fight. He also seemed to be enjoying it.
“All right, that’s enough. I think you’ve made your point.” Animal nodded toward Jewel, who was crouched on the linoleum holding her wrist to her nose. Blood oozed out over her skin, and her shirt had been torn so badly that it barely hung from her shoulders. Grill had come in, and he helped her to her feet and ripped a paper towel from the roll.
“Maybe that will teach you a lesson,” Mina spat.
Jewel scowled at her. “Looks like you learned a thing or two yourself.”
Mina looked down to find that her own top had been almost torn in half. Jewel had turned her tank top into an extreme V-neck, ripping it all the way down to her navel. Her purple satin bra was easily visible underneath.
“You shouldn’t be doing that, Mina. Not in your condition.” Despite his words and the fact that the women were no longer fighting, Animal didn’t let go of her. He kept his eyes on her chest, his thin lips curling at the edges.
“Fuck off.” She yanked herself away from him and stormed to the other side of the kitchen. From the corner of her eye, she saw someone else come into the living room. Skid paused with one foot through the doorway, looking over the breakfast bar at the aftermath. He went on past the couch and into the hallway that led to the garage.
Animal was at her side once again. “Mina,” he said, his voice low and his breath hot on her neck. “I’ve been wanting to talk to you.”
“Maybe I don’t want to listen,” she snapped.
Grill had cleaned Jewel up well enough, and he escorted her out of the kitchen and toward her room.
Animal grinned again. “That’s what I like about you. You’re so feisty.”
She knew she should have gone upstairs, changed her clothes, and cleaned herself up. She should have gone to her father and told him what happened, both with Skid and with Jewel. She should have done a lot of things, but there was only one thing she actually wanted to do. Mina looked up at Animal. “Give me your shirt.”
He looked regretfully at her cleavage before lifting his bulky arms and stripping his tight white T-shirt off. Animal handed it to her with a raised eyebrow. “Okay, but this means you owe me.” He slicked a hand over his blond ponytail, clearly thinking Mina just wanted a show.
“I don’t owe you shit.” His muscles were huge, but she didn’t really care. Mina pulled the shirt over her head and trotted off through the living room toward the garage.
“Hey!”
She ignored him. Skid was in the garage. He hadn’t left yet, which meant she still had a chance to talk to him. Mina had tried so many times, but to no avail. Now, though, Skid had a reason to listen. “There you are,” she said cheerily.
He was standing by his bike, looking so tall and muscular she could have taken him right then. Adrenaline still throbbed in her veins from the fight, and she longed to do something with it. For the moment, though, she could only admire the way his thighs filled out his jeans and how the wiry muscles of his arms worked as he adjusted the buckle on his saddle bag. He glanced down at her T-shirt. “Nice outfit.”
She looked down at the massive furl of clothing that hung on her like a tent. It smelled of hamburgers, which made perfect sense given who it belonged to. “I suppose I could take it off, if you’d like.” She bit her lower lip. “But I’d really like to talk to you.”
Skid kept his eyes off of her, continuing to fiddle with his bike instead. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”
Mine huffed. “I’ve been trying to talk to you for a few weeks now, but you keep avoiding me. We can’t put off this conversation forever. Just let me say what I need to say and get it over with.”
He was silent for a long moment, and his hands stilled. When they moved again, it was so he could hand her a helmet. “Fine. But we’re not doing it here. I know how thin these walls are. Let’s go.” He swung one long leg over his bike and nodded for her to get on the back.
As much as Mina liked riding on her own bike—even though she still needed plenty of practice—she wasn’t about to pass up this opportunity. She had grown up on the back of a motorcycle seat, and she was comfortable climbing on the back of Skid’s old Harley and wrapping her arms around his strong body. She fought hard to keep herself from splaying her fingers over the muscles of his stomach or laying her cheek across his back. He was so damn sexy. It didn’t matter how hard he tried to avoid her; she couldn’t be turned off. The faint scent of cologne mixed with gasoline hit her nostrils, turning her on even more, but Skid raced out of the garage and into the wind. He accelerated quickly as they pulled onto the road, making her hold onto him more tightly.
He said nothing as they rode, and she was content to let him. For now. He hadn’t been wrong about leaving the clubhouse to talk. There were eyes and ears everywhere, and she knew now that she couldn’t trust any of them. If Jewel had betrayed her, there was no telling who else might do the same. Besides, she would have him all to herself when they finally stopped, and he would hear everything she’d been rehearsing in her mind since she was fifteen.
The couple made their way out of the industrial area that surrounded the old warehouse and into residential zones where the apartment buildings were packed shoulder to shoulder. They went further and further from the clubhouse without talking. Skid never offered up where they were going, and Mina didn’t bother asking. He could drive forever as long as he allowed her to be on the back.
Finally, the apartment buildings grew shorter and further apart as they hit the suburbs, and Skid hung a left. He swung the bike into a small parking lot that faced the beach. Lake Michigan was a vast blue void, stretching on and on forever under cotton balls of clouds. The water rumbled quietly to itself as it lapped at the sandy shore. Though the day wasn’t warm enough for swimwear, it was absolutely beautiful.
Mina’s breath was completely taken away when she looked up at Skid against this background. She smiled, wishing things had happened a little differently.
“You wanted to talk?”