Sentinel - Devil Riders MC Book 1 (MC Romance Novel with FREE Bonus Novel!) (8 page)

CHAPTER FIVE

CHRISSY

When Chrissy got off the bus at the bar the next day, clutching the schedule, the first thing she noticed was that her car was gone. There was nothing but a grease spot where she’d left it.

That puzzled her. There was no reason for anyone to tow it away and why would you steal a car that didn’t even fucking run? She thought of calling the cops and reporting it, then decided there was no rush. You didn’t steal a battered Honda and take it to a chop shop. If it had been stolen, whoever had managed to get it running deserved a little joy ride. She’d figure out the car later. Besides, they’d want her to fill out forms and she’d be late for work, not to mention the customers might be unsettled if they roared up on their bikes and found cops waiting for them.

It amazed her how relaxed she was about the car. Not that long ago, finding her car missing would have been grounds for hysteria. Now it didn’t seem to matter that much. But then, despite being in a new situation, surrounded by strangers, and working with a woman who, if she didn’t hate her, obviously would prefer she disappeared, she didn’t feel alone. She was lonely, but there was some support. Rafe, of course, who seemed to have adopted her as a project, and then the strange shifter personality of Trigger and some of the other guys, who could scare the shit out of you, but then turn around and be so sweet and kind.

And she was certain it had been Trigger watching her last night. Trigger who kept her in sight until she was safely on the bus. She wasn’t sure exactly what that was about, but the more she thought about it, the more grateful she felt. It had been both unnecessary and considerate.

Today she’d arrived early, since the next bus was perfectly timed to arrive twenty minutes after her shift started. She had to choose to be early or late, and sitting home alone wasn’t much fun. She didn’t even have any studying to do—it was spring break.

As usual, the bar was empty when she came in. She put away her purse and decided to sweep the place up. She remembered seeing a broom somewhere in the back room where they kept cases of beer and a strange assortment of old appliances, including a ratty microwave, and, of course, a motorcycle engine that was in parts and dripping grease and oil.

The room had the worst sort of flickering fluorescent lighting and she didn’t bother to turn it on. The broom was leaning against the back wall and there was plenty enough light to see where she was going. She grabbed it and headed back. Suddenly she realized she wasn’t alone. She heard gasps and the sound of someone moving. She looked in the shadows and between rows of empty bottles, saw two people fucking. It was hard to see, but there was no doubt that the woman with her back against the wall, being fucked hard, was Trish.

A pair of jeans and panties lay on the floor; the man had his pants down around his ankles and Trish had her bare legs hooked around him as he thrust into her. Any thought that it might be rape was put out of her head by Trish’s cries of absolute delight, punctuated by gasps.

“Fuck me! Harder!” She was almost screaming it.

Given that the coupling was entirely consensual, it was none of her business. Chrissy turned away, clutching her broom and returning to the bar.

The afterimage of Trish with her lover that burned in her head made Chrissy acutely aware that she was lonely and not a little horny. She had no one, and no one seemed interested in her, not in a serious way, although she was certain if he just wanted to get laid she knew a whole bar filled with men who’d be happy to take care of that. But she wanted more. She wanted love and affection—she wanted the same things she’d hoped for from Benny.

That loneliness evolved into anger—anger with herself for being so weak that she needed and wanted a man. Why wasn’t it enough that she was pulling herself together? Her logic wasn’t enough to diffuse that anger. It needed an outlet, so she grabbed the broom and began sweeping the dance floor furiously. She focused on the dust she was raising and pushed lusty thoughts of Rafe out of her mind. She told herself that the dreams of him that kept sneaking into her head were just crap. It was absurd to fantasize about him, about making love with him, or even thinking he noticed her. She knew all that. But knowing it didn’t stop her mind from running in circles.

That damn picture of Trish and her lover would pop into her head, to be replaced by one of her and Rafe, which became…
fuck!

“Holy shit! Was there a cattle stampede in here while I was gone?”

Chrissy turned to see Trish standing in the doorway from the back room, coughing and waving a hand in the cloud of dust she’d raised.

“Sorry. I was sweeping. I guess I got too enthusiastic.”

“Any sweeping is dangerous in here. After a night on the job you should be able to make a pretty good guess about what sort of evil crap is on that floor. Being enthusiastic about cleaning it up with a full hazmat suit is insanely dangerous. Better to leave it lying right where it died. This is a case where cleanliness is next to impossible.”

Chrissy stared at the dust settling back down and decided Trish was right. “I see what you mean.”

The girl walked behind the bar, running a hand through her short hair. She got a tonic water out of the cooler and poured it into a glass. “Want one?”

“I’d love one.” Then she laughed. “But I thought drinking out of glasses was bad form.”

“As far as I’m concerned that’s just for beer and just for guys. It’s a wonderfully sexist thing.” She poured the glasses and brought one over, setting in the bar, where it formed a wet ring. “In this…subculture, chicks have a lot more latitude in such matters that the dudes. Almost anything like that, if the guys get on you about it, you just tell them it’s a girl thing. Shut’s them right up.”

Chrissy picked up the glass and wiped at the ring. “Good to know.”

“So in terms of understanding other things…” she nodded toward the back room. “I’d guess you saw us, right?” Trish asked.

Chrissy sighed. “I was after the broom.” She saw Chrissy’s stare. “And I saw something.”

“You know what you saw. Me getting properly fucked.”

“It had nothing to do with me, so I didn’t pay close attention.”

Trish smiled. “You can go a long way with an attitude like that.” She licked her lips. We haven’t had a chance to get it on for way too long. He came in looking so hot and I was so goddam horny, I couldn’t get my pants off fast enough.”

“Boyfriend?”

“Sort of. Hot guy with a big cock, if nothing else.”

Chrissy shivered. It had been too long since she’d been with a man. “I hope you’re all better now.”

“Much.”

“Why not take him up to your room? I’d imagine it would be more comfortable.”

“In some ways. In some ways not. Thing is, I’d rather that Rafe didn’t find out.”

“He thinks you’re a virgin? Really?”

“No. He isn’t that stupid. But he’s a snob.”

Chrissy laughed. “That’s hard to picture.”

“He likes the guys here well enough. They are good enough to be his friends, but he’d freak out if he though one of them was fucking me. They aren’t good enough for his kid sister.”

“Guys like him aren’t good enough for a girl like you.”

Trish smiled. “Exactly my thought.” She sipped her drink. “I never said it made any fucking sense. You’d think if he didn’t think they were good enough for me he wouldn’t want me around them. But that’s Rafe.”

“And this guy is special?”

She shook her head. “It isn’t like it’s true love or anything, but I like him and he knows how to make a pussy sing and dance. What can I say?” She emptied her glass. “Are you going to tell him?”

Chrissy clucked her tongue. “I didn’t think he hired me to play hall monitor. I get paid to tend bar and stir up the dust. Far as I’m concerned, what happens in the back room stays in the back room. Besides I didn’t even see who it was.”

Trish drained her glass. “Thanks.” She started to say something else, then stopped. “I’ll get the cash register set up. The boys will be wandering in soon and there’s money to be made.”

“Say, how the heck does this place make enough to stay in business? I mean we get a good crowd, but the beer is pretty cheap and that’s mostly what we sell.”

Trish winked. “Rafe doesn’t take a salary and he owns the building outright. All the bar has to do is pay our piddly little wages and the utility bill.” She grinned. “Selling beer is pretty profitable.”

When Trish disappeared into the office, she left Chrissy pondering a new puzzle. What does a guy like Rafe do to earn his living? Sure he paid no rent, but he had to do something to earn the money to buy the building and he had that motorcycle. He’d mention occasional jobs he got with some of the guys—security work, he said. She couldn’t picture that. Not at all.

Well how Rafe earned his money was no more her business than who was banging Trish in the back room. They were both interesting to think about though.

* * * *

The night was slow. Rafe was in the bar, sitting with Trigger for a time, then going up to his room for a few minutes, then coming back down to sit at the bar to nurse the beer Chrissy sat in front of him. “You seem on edge.”

‘I am.” He smiled.

“Can I help?”

The way he looked at her made her tingle. “I think you can.”

“How?”

“Take a ride with me after work.”

“A ride?”

“You’ve never been on a big motorcycle, have you?”

She laughed. “Not even a little one.”

“My head is spinning and I need to blow out the cobwebs. I’m thinking of sticking to this one beer tonight and then taking a ride up to the bluffs where the sky is clear and you can see out across the city.” A light came into his eyes. “Why don’t you come along? You’ve got tomorrow off.”

“I do?”

“Didn’t I mention Wednesday was your night off? That’s our slowest night. Trish gets Thursday off.”

“What do you get?”

“I hope I get you going for a ride with me.”

Caught off guard, Chrissy struggled to think clearly. When you abruptly got offered exactly what you wanted, how could it be so damn hard to just say yes? Her stupid brain was cooking up dozens of reasons she shouldn’t go with him. He was too wild. She had laundry to do. She didn’t even know where her car was, or if she even had one.

“I’d love to.” Her heart raced as the words spilled out. Even then she half expected him to say he’d changed his mind. He wasn’t going to go after all.

Instead, he grinned. “Great.”

The room, the world seemed to spin around them. All she could do was stare into his face.

“Hey! How about getting me a beer?” She turned to see Trigger grinning at her like he’d caught her doing something naughty.

“Sure.” She got one out of the cooler, opened it and sat it in front of him.

He took it and turned it, making a wet circle on the bar. “I need your car keys too.”

“My car keys?”

“So I can bring it back.”

“It?”

“Your car.”

“From where?”

Trigger laughed. “Oh yeah, you don’t know.” He nodded to the table where several of the guys were sitting. “Last night, I couldn’t help notice it wouldn’t start. I saw you leave it and walk to the bus stop.”

“I thought I saw you.”

He grinned. “If I was trying to hide, you wouldn’t have. I thought it might be nice to see a friendly face.”

“Why didn’t you come say hello?”

He looked embarrassed. “I didn’t make a good first impression with you. I didn’t want to scare you.”

“But you looked at my car?”

He laughed. “Not me. I figured you’d want it fixed, so you don’t have to deal with that bus, so I called Chopper. He came over with his tow truck and we took it to his garage for a good look. The battery was dead.”

“Stupid me. I must’ve left the lights on.”

“Naw. The regulator failed. Chopper said it shorted out and drained the battery.”

“Wow. Can that be fixed?”

“It’s done. He put it a new one and charged the battery. After we drink the beer, he and I’ll go to the garage and I’ll drive it back. It’s good as new, which ain’t so great really, seeing as it’s a piece of shit Jap car. You should buy American. Chopper could fix one of them proper.”

“When I can afford it I’ll let you two help me pick out something good. Now what do I owe you guys for all that?”

Trigger held up a hand and counted on his fingers. “Let’s see, there is the towing charge, the new regulator, and charging the battery, and, of course, door-to-door delivery… that adds up to a couple of beers served with a smile.”

She laughed. “So the nighttime security service is free? It doesn’t get fairer than that.” She grabbed beers from behind the counter and put them on the bar. “I’ll put these on my tab.”