Chaos Bound (5 page)

Holt pushed himself up on his elbow. Beauty and brains. The only scientists he’d met cut meth and other drugs in basements and underground labs. Maybe that’s why Viper wanted her so bad.

She pushed herself to her feet. “I’ll go flag down a truck. That bike must weigh at least one thousand pounds and there’s no way you’re lifting it in the condition you’re in, and even less of a chance I can lift it. I do weights at the gym, but the most I’ve ever lifted is fifty pounds.” She held out her arm, flexed her tiny bicep. “Check out these pythons.”

Holt snorted a laugh. Fuck she was cute.

“Sorry.” Naiya blushed and looked away. “That was stupid. The geek strikes again. You just make me nervous, especially when you don’t talk, and I feel like I’m babbling. I’ll go get us a ride.”

Was she fucking crazy? “Hell no. It’s not safe for you to be standing on the side of the road in the dark.”

“I can tick off at least five reasons why we can’t stay here.” She held up her hand and tapped her finger. “First—

“I said no, darlin’. That’s all the reasons you need.”

She lifted an eyebrow, flicked her long hair back. “The very fact you can’t get up and stop me is the very reason we need to go. You need medical attention. I need not to spend the night in the cold, dark forest with a strange biker.”

Damn stubborn woman. “When the man says no, it means no.” Holt forced himself to sitting and folded his arms, surprising himself with the vehemence in his tone. Where the hell had that come from? He was the peacemaker in the club, the negotiator. Rarely did he ever take a firm stand, or impose his will, preferring to resolve problems by finding a mutually agreeable solution. But something about Naiya … or maybe it was their situation … gave him a confidence and conviction he’d never felt before, a need to take control. Protect. Which made no sense since he planned to use her as bait.

“Maybe back in caveman times.” Her hands found her hips. “And maybe that kind of thing works with your sweet butts and house mamas, but it doesn’t work with me. I’m not part of the biker world anymore. I don’t answer to bikers. I don’t answer to anyone.”

Holt’s groin tightened as he watched her stalk down the road, the moonlight caressing her curves, smoothing over her ass, lush in dark denim. Used to women falling over themselves to bed him, he’d never met a woman quite like Naiya. Smart, confident, self-assured, and seemingly oblivious to the charm that made it easy for him to meet women and talk his way out of trouble, she was the most intriguing woman he’d ever met.

“Fuck.” Holt fell back on the forest floor, leaves crackling under his stolen vest. He needed to keep his focus on the fight and his dick in his pants so he wouldn’t risk discovering the damage Viper had done was permanent. She was a means to an end, and his interest was likely the result of months of isolation and a lack of female company. He would protect her until she’d lured Viper to him. After that, they would go their separate ways.

He had no idea how much time had passed when Naiya returned, the bottom of her T-shirt tucked into the neck in a way that exposed her smooth, toned midriff and the crescents of her breasts.

Holt’s mouth watered, if that was possible for a man dying of thirst. Jesus fucking Christ, she was hot. And it had been so goddamn long since he’d had a woman …

“I got one,” she said, as he tried to keep his gaze anywhere but on her chest. “He’s a trucker. His name is Lucky Larry. He’s waiting for us. I told him we were in a bike accident and the bike was totaled.”

Someone had seen what he was seeing now? He pushed himself up to his haunches and took a deep breath as a wave of dizziness hit him. “You stood on the road like that? What the hell were you thinking?”

“You think he would have stopped if I was standing at the side of the road dressed in black?” She put her hands on her hips. “The best way to get a ride is to show a bit of skin. I always dreamed about traveling across the country, so I follow a couple of travel blogs. One of them had a post with hitchhiking tips. Not that I ever would have hitchhiked alone because statistically speaking it’s dangerous for a woman, but I always like to be informed in case the situation arises, which it did.”

Holt stared at her aghast. “You learned hitchhiking from a blog?”

“I remembered practically everything,” she said, seemingly oblivious to his incredulous tone. “Where to stand, what kind of vehicle to flag down, how to be seen in the dark. Of course, it’s always better to use a sign instead of your thumb, and not hitchhike at night, but we’re doing it right since we’re traveling together and you have a knife.”

“Put your shirt down.” Anger, unexpected and unwanted, sizzled through his veins. Did she have any idea what it did to a man to see something he wasn’t meant to see? And those curves, her breasts, and … JESUS FUCK that sexy tat on her side … His cock hardened, straining against his fly. Good to know Viper hadn’t damaged him permanently after all.

Holt unholstered his weapon and pushed himself to stand, leaning against a tree for support. If the trucker had any fucking ideas about touching her, he’d find himself with one extra hole in his body and one truck short.

Lucky Larry was clearly disappointed to see that Naiya hadn’t made up the story about a boyfriend, and even more disappointed when Holt made sure he got a good view of his weapon. Still, he gave Holt a bottle of water and an egg-salad sandwich he’d picked up at a restaurant a few miles back. Holt had never tasted anything so good. He had to force himself to go slow, taking the water in tiny sips and nibbling on the sandwich, knowing his shrunken stomach wouldn’t be able to handle the food.

Thinking Holt distracted, Larry chatted with Naiya, carrying on a conversation that bordered on flirtatious until Holt thought he’d have to either shoot the fucker or jump out of the damn truck and drag Naiya with him.

Lucky for Larry they reached the next town before Holt lost the last threads of his control. He dropped them off at a small motel on the outskirts of Benton, population 3,000, but not before brushing a kiss over Naiya’s cheek before she slid out of the truck.

“Anytime, sugar.” He slipped a piece of paper into her hand. “You got my number.”

“Bastard had a fucking hard-on for three fucking hours.” Leaning on Naiya for support, Holt snatched the paper as Lucky Larry’s truck pulled away from the parking lot. He crushed it into a ball and flicked it away. “There. Now there’ll be no calling Lucky Larry.”

What am I doing?
He stared at paper, shocked at the strength of his reaction to what was likely an innocent gesture on Larry’s part, especially after the kindness he’d shown to Holt. But Naiya was his—his responsibility, his unwitting prisoner, his path to revenge, his to protect.

“Seriously?” Naiya stared at the balled-up paper on the ground. “You seriously think I was going to call him for a date? He’s probably twice my age and three times my weight, and he smells worse than you. And even if I did want to call him…” She poked him in the chest. “You had no right to do that.”

“I’m fucking protecting you.” Holt wrapped his hand around her finger and drew it away. “Get used to it.”

“I don’t have to get used to anything. We’ve escaped. Tonight I’ll look after you. Tomorrow Maurice and Ally will come to get me. And maybe then you’ll feel like calling the Sinners for me out of the goodness of your heart. And if not, then you can go after Viper when you’re feeling better, and let me know when it’s safe again.”

Holt felt a curious tightening in his gut. He was going to have to come clean about the Sinners. And then she would have to get used to the fact she’d be staying with him until he made contact with Viper and let him know he had Viper’s prize.

“Can you stand for a minute?”

He nodded, and Naiya slipped out from under his arm and bent down to pick up the paper. Her jeans rode down and her shirt rode up and … fuck … he could see her panties, red and lacy with some kind of ridiculous bows around the edges. Hard on the outside, sexy and sweet on the inside. Why couldn’t he have been rescued by a dude, or a grandma, or anyone who didn’t make him think about just how long it had been since he’d been with a woman?

“Larry gave me some cash for the motel.” She smoothed out the paper and tucked it into her pocket. “I asked for his address so I could repay him, and he added his phone number, too.”

Holt bristled at the suggestion he couldn’t care for the woman under his protection. “I told you. I got money from the guard.”

“Now we have more money.” She pulled a wad of cash from her pocket and waved it in front of him as she slid back under his shoulder. “You should be thanking me. And Lucky Larry. It only cost me a kiss.”

She took a step forward, but Holt didn’t move. Couldn’t move. She kissed the bastard. Those soft pink lips had touched his grizzled cheek. And all so Holt could have a bed for the night like the fucking pussy he was.

Jesus Christ.
He had been better off in Viper’s dungeon. At least then he’d felt like a man. No matter what Viper did to him, he didn’t break. But this … his damn emotions were all over the place. He wanted to steal a vehicle, chase after the truck, and show him just what happened when a man fucked with a Sinner’s woman.

Except that he wasn’t a Sinner. Naiya wasn’t his girl. And he could hardly walk without her help.

“Let’s get a couple of rooms,” she said quietly.

“One room.”

“I’m not sleeping with you.” She pulled to a stop and he almost lost his balance. “I don’t care how long you were in that dungeon. Or how nice you scrub up. Just so we’re clear, I’m sticking around because you look like you need help, and I need your MC connections to get Viper off my back. I don’t…”

“I’m the one with the gun, darlin’.” He cut her off, irritated that she would think of sleeping alone. “And that’s the only thing that will save you if Viper hunts you down. Not interested in anything besides food, a shower, and a bed that’s not made of concrete and crawling with vermin.” He also didn’t think he could make it to the shower without her help, but damned if he would show any more weakness than he already had.

“Fine. One room. I’ll ask for twin beds.”

Five minutes later, she returned with a key and helped him along the walkway of the faded stucco building until they reached the last door. The room was small, but functional, decorated in yellow and orange with a queen-size bed, desk, dresser, small table and chairs, and a television. Bathroom to the left, painting of the forest to the right, window to the front, slight scent of mold and mothballs. Holt closed the plaid curtains and let out a breath when Naiya closed and locked the door behind her.

“They only had rooms with queen-size beds.” She flicked on the lights, and Holt squinted, his eyes unaccustomed to the glare.

Until now, he’d only had glimpses of her, always in the shadows, but he could see clearly now, and his throat tightened as her hazel eyes shifted from brown to green under his scrutiny, gold flecks sparkling in the light. So beautiful. He drank in the soft glow of her skin, the dark, curly hair tumbling to her shoulders, and the clothes that clung to every delicious curve of her body. Christ. He’d been rescued by an angel.

“Gonna take a shower.” A cold one.

“Okay.” She swallowed hard. “Do you … need help?”

Yes, he needed help. Dehydrated, starved, beaten, and injured, he couldn’t stop thinking about stripping her down to those sexy red panties and then talking her into a shower for two. But did he really want to find out how deep the injuries went? Performance had never been an issue for Holt. But what if it was now? Better to find that out with someone he would never see again.

“I’m good.” He took a step, wavered, and forced himself to go on. Enough of the damn weakness. He had a woman to protect. A predator to lure.

A Viper to kill.

FOUR

TANK

James “Tank” Evans hated the dungeon.

He’d decided this after the call this morning that had taken him away from the club’s newest sweet butt, Julie—the roundness of her body, the wetness of her pussy, and the constant stream of chatter, that should have been a warning sign it was going to be a long night. Most of his brothers liked their women chatty, but not Tank. Talking wasn’t his thing. He’d been brought up in a family where children were seen and not heard, hit and not hugged. When he brought a woman to his bed, he wanted to get down to business without gossip or chitchat. For that reason, he stuck with the club sweet butts who knew his predilections. But Julie was new, and the only woman available to bring up to his room in the clubhouse last night.

He also hated the Black Jacks. Not just the ordinary kind of hate that he felt for watered-down beer, refried beans, and those small dogs that had to be carried around in handbags. He hated the Black Jacks with every ounce of his soul, every cell of his being. The Black Jacks had stolen his brother, ripped away the best friend he had ever had. T-Rex … no … Holt was dead because of the Jacks.

And now he had a piece of Black Jack scum in the chair in front of him, all ready to enjoy his new accommodations in the basement of the Sinner’s Tribe clubhouse.

Tank punched Snake in the face, just a light tap to get him warmed up before Dax, the club torturer, arrived in the dungeon. The dark, windowless room the Sinners used for interrogations was well sound-proofed and located just off the clubhouse games room where the brothers could cool off between sessions with a couple of cold ones and quick game of pool.

The Black Jack idiot had been caught skulking around Sinner property. A stupid move considering the clubhouse was located in the far reaches of Conundrum, at the base of the Bridger Mountains, and there was nothing around them for miles except trees, scrub, and the odd wolf. No reason to be out here unless it was a bad reason. And bad reasons meant for good times, at least if you had put down your marker for being involved in anything that had to do with hurting the Jacks. If Tank couldn’t have T-Rex back, he would spend the rest of his fucking life making sure every single Black Jack was wiped off the face of the earth.