Nitro snorts, shaking his head. “Hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, sweetheart.”
“I’ve handled worse,” I shoot back, lifting an eyebrow. “Besides, I thought you guys were supposed to be thegood bikers.Isn’t that the whole point of this?”
A hesitation of silence flows between us, and then Ghost chuckles, the sound low and amused. “She’s got fire in her, Sin. You sure she’s gonna last here?”
Sin’s lips curve into a grin, his eyes landing back to meet mine. “I guess we’re gonna find out, aren’t we?” He steps closer, leaning in slightly, his voice dropping just for me to hear. “You wanna be arealinvestigative journalist, Elizabeth? Then you’d better be ready for whatever comes with it.”
I swallow, refusing to back down. “I wouldn’t be here if I weren’t.”
Sin straightens out his club cut, turning toward his brothers again. “All right, you guys have shit to do. I’m gonna take Miss Hale into the Chapel and give her a proper induction into the club before she has free rein—”
“Yeah… Ibetyou will,” Deek chimes with a devilish grin.
Bear instantly jabs him in the ribs, causing Deek to groan, and the others chuckle to themselves.
Sin glares at Deek and clears his throat, placing his hand on the small part of my back once more. “Ignore Deek, he’s a special kind of idiot.”
The other guys laugh amongst themselves as Deek continues to grin wildly. “Enjoy yourinduction, Miss Hale.” Deek grins like he’s in on some inside joke before Sin begins to lead me away.
“Bear, control your son, will you?” Sin growls back.
Bear shrugs as Deek continues to laugh.
“When have Ieverbeen able to control this maniac?” Bear calls back.
Clearing my throat as I strive to figure out just what Deek is trying to get at by myinduction, I lean in closer to Sin as we walk toward another room in the clubhouse. “Deek is Bear’s son?” I ask hesitantly.
Sin exhales. “Don’t ask me how Bear produced a son like Deek, but yeah. He has another son, too… Will. He’s prospecting for us at the moment. He and Deek couldn’t be more polar opposites.”
Furrowing my brows, trying to understand the dynamics of the club, Sin leads us to a room, reaches for the door handle, and holds the door open for me. Inhaling a deep breath, I walk inside and immediately spot the huge oval-shaped table. Instantly, I know it’s an old poker table that has been converted. Around the edge of the table is a black leather guard. The next layer of dark red wood moves in toward the center, and in front of where each club member sits, there is a built in cup holder, or what I assume to be a beer receptacle. The next layer, and the table’s centerpiece, is the felt layer, which has the club logo printed on the surface.
I have to give it to them—this table is arealwork of art.
Glancing around the rest of the room, it has an old-style speakeasy vibe about it. The wooden walls, with a darker undertone, create a mood of exclusivity. The dim lighting and the leather upholstery for the chairs give off an air of sophistication and secrecy. Even though this room is not a bar, it has that feel about it. It makes you want to sit back at that big old poker table and have a drink to unwind.
Maybe that’s the atmosphere Sin was aiming for here. A place where they handle business yet still makes it feel comfortableenough for the brothers to relax, even when dealing with 1%er issues.
“Welcome to the clubhouse Chapel, Elizabeth. Generally, only patched members are permitted in here. But, I assured you full access, so… we start here.” The door to the Chapel clicks shut behind us. It’s quieter, the noise of the clubhouse muffled by the walls. Sin walks around the table in the middle of the room, pulls out the seat at the head, sits, and then leans back, crossing his arms over his chest as he studies me.
Rolling my shoulders, I move to the seat at the opposite end of the table, pull it out, and take a seat. He raises his brow like that was some sort of bold move, but I don’t really give a shit right now. His men have been testing me, clearly, and he is trying to do the same.
I’m not going to let him or his brothers scare me.
I’m justnotthat girl.
“Let’snotstart here,” I reply.
Sin tilts his head in confusion but takes the bait. “All right, where do you want to start, Miss Hale?”
Reaching into my bag, I pull out my recorder and slide it onto the table in front of me, pressing the record button without asking him permission. A slow smirk crosses his lips as I sit back in my seat, folding my arms across my chest, just like him. “Deek was talking about myinductionin such a way that suggested sexual activity…” Sin’s eyes widen, he sits up straight, instantly preparing to interrupt, but I continue, “Is it your intention to make me cooperate in this interview by forcing sexual acts on me?”
His mouth drops open like I have completely caught him off guard.
He stands from his seat, his nostrils flaring. “The fuck do you think we are, Elizabe—”
“Answer the question, Sin,” I snap back at him, holding my ground.
His chest rises and falls, a flush of red marring his devilishly handsome face as he stalks toward me like a raging bull.
