Hunted (Dauntless MC Book 1) (10 page)

“Woohoo girl, get on over here! It’s party time because I’m gettin’ married to the Prez,” Raven squealed at Grace when she walked in with Talon.

Raven made her way over to Talon and poked him in the chest. “You’ll have to let her go for tonight, big boy. This party is for the girl’s only. It’s my bachelorette party.”

“You look like you’re already half drunk, girl.”

“I’m just getting started, baby.”

Talon leaned down and growled in Grace’s ear, “Don’t you dare step off this property, girl, or I’ll take my belt to ya.”

“You’re the one headed to a strip joint.”

“I don’t give a fuck about any of those dancers. Be ready to get your brains fucked out when I get home, girl.”

The girls watched as Grace’s face turned red and they all laughed at her, knowing she was embarrassed by Talon’s candidness. “I mean it, Grace. Don’t step off this fucking property.”

“She won’t, scouts honor. We’ll watch her,” Raven assured.

It wasn’t common knowledge that a serial killer was on the loose and it wasn’t Talon’s place to notify the women of it. If the Prez wanted them knowing, then he would tell them. He didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone when he felt she was in danger but he really didn’t have a choice. “Give me your phone,” he barked out at Grace.

She handed him the phone and watched as he put his number on quick dial and as an ICE (in case of emergency) number. As much as he hated to admit it, the thought of something happening to her made him feel as if his chest would cave in. He couldn’t ever remember a time he had felt like this about any woman.

Talon smacked her ass as he headed over to the men currently mounting bikes and heading over to the strip joint owned and operated by the MC club. He would go with the guys even though his mind would be on only one woman—the woman he had claimed as his property.

He loved nights like this when the sky was clear, the road was open, and the breeze blowing through his long, braided hair was just right. The roar of motorcycle engines was almost deafening as they pulled up in front of the club.

The brothers made their way to a private booth and, in no time, were surrounded by drinks and dancers with no limits on either. Talon groaned as he saw the redhead coming his way. Why in the fuck wouldn’t this chick back off? She just wasn’t getting the message.

She straddled him and as soon as she gyrated her hips, a wave of disgust ran through him. Hell, this was a first. He couldn’t ever remember a time his cock didn’t respond to a topless woman grinding against him.

He grabbed her arm and twisted it behind her back. “You just don’t fucking get it, do you? I. Don’t. Want. You.” He felt no remorse as he watched her walk away. The only way a chick like that was going to understand that he didn’t want to fuck her was to be straight up honest about it. He knew deep down inside that if he fucked around on Grace, he would lose her and he couldn’t take a chance on that. Though he wouldn’t admit it to anyone else, he already felt like she was out of his league and he damn sure wasn’t going to take a chance on losing her, especially over some bitch he didn’t even want.

“Damn dude, that’s the first time I’ve ever seen you turn down pussy,” Scooter noted loudly.

“Yeah, well… I got shit on my mind and it doesn’t include fucking anybody besides lawyer lady.”

“I wish you would have told me that because I kinda like her. I’ve always had a weakness for redheads and, for some reason, it just goes right through me to see her getting pushed away by you. I think the girl deserves better than that.”

“Nobody is making her do anything. She went that route of singling me out, thinking she could work her way up to being an old lady. She acts like all she cares about is status.”

“Well, she isn’t any different than a lot of women. They all want to be old ladies,” Scooter replied, sticking up for her.

“Well, make a move on her before someone else does, Scooter. I didn’t realize you liked the girl.”

Scooter changed the subject so he didn’t risk looking too much like a pussy. He did have his reputation to consider. He couldn’t have his brothers thinking he was already pussy whipped when he hadn’t even fucked the girl yet. “You’re really concerned about this dude who broke out of jail, aren’t you?”

“I’m not convinced he won’t come after Grace.”

“Why, dude?”

“She wouldn’t take his case because she knew he was guilty. The son of a bitch was trying to convince her he was innocent so she would take his case pro bono.”

“Ha, ha, listen to you motherfucker, all educated and shit, talkin’ about pro bono.”

“You know I grew up going to private school,” Talon answered. Very few people knew Talon had been adopted as a child. He had suffered ruthless bullying due to his American Indian heritage until the Dauntless MC boys had stepped in. Of course, back in the day, they were just a group of kids who had grown up together and dubbed their bicycle club
Dauntless.
As soon as they had been old enough, the bicycles had been traded in for Harleys. They had stayed true to the club, the club’s name, and each other through the years, and now they were one of the most feared motorcycle clubs in the nation.

“Yeah, we saved you from getting your ass kicked. I’ll never forget that day we all rode over to the prep school on our bikes and set those little preppy shits straight.”

“Yeah, I never got bullied again after that.”

“Been bailing your ass out ever since,” Scooter chided.

“Yeah, well I’ve done my share of kicking ass and taking names too. I’ve bailed you and the rest of the brothers out of more shit than I can remember. Not only that, but I’m the reason the club has a hot ass lawyer now and not some ugly ass, old, white man.”

“Ha, ha, this is true. Nobody can swing an aluminum bat like you can, Talon.”

“I’m gonna be swinging on that convict if he so much as calls my old lady on the phone.”

“I hear that… and I’ll be right beside you if you do,” Scooter assured him. “Do you know where he is?”

“No, that’s the problem and I won’t be at peace until I do.”

Across town, the girls were doing some dancing of their own. “Come on, girl, and let me show you how to make a real margarita.” Raven pulled Grace behind her into the large kitchen compound. Grace didn’t care, and hadn’t even thought about it, but Raven’s acceptance of her sent a message throughout the club—an unwritten code of acceptance. When the president’s old lady accepted you, then you were automatically accepted by all of the other old ladies.

Raven eyed Grace as she stood on the other side of the kitchen counter making her famous concoction in the blender. “Never thought I would have a highfalutin lawyer for a best friend.”

For some unknown reason, Grace’s heart swelled with pride as she looked at the sister she never had.

“So what the fuck does a woman like you, a professional woman such as yourself, see in a bunch of reject motherfuckers like us?” Raven asked as she placed the frozen beverage in front of Grace.

“Family,” she answered with no hesitation.

“Yeah, you said you were raised by a single mom after your dad took off. On another note, do you think this psycho who escaped will come after you?”

“I don’t see any reason he would. We have no connections and I think Talon is just being overprotective.”

“Ha, ha, good luck changing that behavior because these biker types are over the top alpha males.”

“Kind of sexy though, isn’t it?”

“Damn straight it is,” Raven agreed.

“Hey Raven…” Tiffany, one of the girls, yelled out as she poked her head in the doorway, “…we need that magic concoction.”

“Okay, okay, we’re coming,” Raven said as she grabbed the blender full of the frozen margarita mix.

Both girls busted out laughing as they viewed one of the women on the table. She was topless and dancing as she twirled her crop top in her hand. When she saw Raven, she screamed out, “Oh yeah,” and threw it at her feet.

As wild as these girls were, Grace felt completely at ease with them. Though it might seem odd for her to have a relationship with them, she couldn’t help but remember the old adage that
opposites attract.
These people had made their mark on her and Talon had definitely left a lasting impression. These relationships would be friendships and loves she would carry to her grave.

Red, as the members of the club had dubbed her due to her flaming red hair, made her way out of the club and started walking along the downtown street. She fired up a cigarette and thought of her options. She had counted on being an old lady and Talon had been her ticket to that end. He was one of the few bikers who didn’t have an old lady. It wasn’t that she wanted to be an old lady for just the social status. She wanted to belong and being an old lady in the club was the highest of honors for any woman. There wasn’t a woman who came around the club, for any amount of time, who didn’t want to be an old lady sooner or later.

In the ranks of the club, Talon was high up in status due to the fact that he was the treasurer. Being the treasurer didn’t just give him the power of overseeing the club’s monies, he also had the responsibility of keeping track of the clubs colors, patches, and even any reproductions that might be issued to any of the members.

Many people outside of the club had no idea how organized the hierarchy of a motorcycle club was. There was the President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer, Sergeant at Arms, and even a Road Captain. Elections were held and members were voted in. The club was run much the same way a multi-million dollar company would be run. It was organized and Talon’s position made him one of the top players. Being his old lady would have secured her position in the MC family. She now stood no chance of obtaining old lady status thanks to that lawyer bitch.

Unlike most of the other members, Talon was college educated and could make a penny stretch into a dollar. He was irreplaceable as far as handling the club’s finances. The club dealt with a lot of fucking money and he had the brains, training, and knowhow to stay on top of it all. There wasn’t just the illegal activity like running guns and prostitution to consider. There were also legitimate businesses like the strip club and the tattoo parlor that Tiny owned and ran.

She hadn’t taken under consideration that he would be drawn to a professional woman due to his upbringing. It wasn’t like they had female CEOs and lawyers coming through the club on a daily basis. This woman had come out of nowhere and infiltrated the ranks, which was unheard of. The Dauntless motorcycle club wasn’t in the habit of letting outsiders in and this chick didn’t even act like she cared about the status she had by being Talon’s old lady. Grace acted more like she really cared about the club and its members.

All Red craved was the same thing; she wanted to belong to something bigger than herself. She had grown up being tossed around amongst family members who only wanted her for the monthly check they would receive. She wanted the sense of family that went with being an old lady and that bitch Grace had taken that opportunity away from her. She hated her—just fucking hated her. How could she ever go back to the club when no one wanted her there? She hated the feeling she had become so familiar with as a child… rejection.

A man’s voice interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see that a van had pulled up beside her. “Hey, it’s getting a little bit chilly out here. Do you want a ride?”

She walked over to the window and eyed a middle aged, slightly overweight man wearing glasses.

“Well, I’m actually looking for a little bit more than a ride.” She licked her bottom lip and put on her best sexy face. She hadn’t been hooking since she started hanging out at the club but if she wasn’t going back there, she’d now need rent money. If she could make a hundred bucks towards rent, it would be a good start. She had no intentions of throwing the money she made in the club’s till anymore. Fuck the club. If she couldn’t be an old lady, then she would just work solo and not go back. Whether she wanted to admit it or not, a small part of her knew that her feelings were hurt and she was reacting out of anger but why stay there if none of the members wanted her? The rest of them might give their dying allegiance to the Dauntless motorcycle club, but she was over it. If she wasn’t going to be a true member of the Dauntless family, then why bother?

“What will a hundred dollars get me, pretty lady?”

“Any fucking thing you want.”

With that, she drove off into the night with a serial killer…