He smirks, turning his attention back to me. “How about you let me take you for a cup of coffee later? Let us get to know one another.”
“She doesn’t like coffee,” Ainsley informs him. “Just cocoa and cookies.”
I try not to laugh. She isn’t wrong. “I’m more of a tea and hot cocoa girl,” I admit.
“Then we’ll get whatever you want.” He opens his mouth to say something else, but I hear the gruff voice of another biker call his name. “Gotta go, darlin’. I’ll be seein’ you soon.” Torque winks at Ainsley. “Don’t forget to tell Santa what you want for Christmas.”
She waves at him. “Mommy says he already knows.”
Torque chuckles. It’s a sinfully attractive sound that causes me to openly stare at the man before he walks away. He holds my gaze for a few heartbeats and then turns around, giving me the perfect view of his ass in jeans that fit snug enough to hug his thighs and bottom. I almost lift my hand to fan my cheeks because he’s got to be one of the hottest guys I’ve ever met.
Maybe it’s all the ink. He’s got so many tattoos that they cover his arms in stars, stripes, an eagle, and more ink disappears beneath the short sleeves of his black shirt. I wonder how he can ride a bike without a coat, and figure he must have a leather jacket or something else he wears to ride.
As I eat, I talk with Ainsley, but I also keep glancing at Torque. He’s in a heated conversation with the other bikers. It seems serious. He runs a hand over the shaved side of his head before dropping it. He must feel that I’m watching because he turns partially my way, enough that I know he’s aware, but not enough to pull him away from the conversation he’s in.
I honestly don’t have a clue what this biker wants with me. I’m not the thin Barbie type. I have full hips, and my chest is a solid C, but I’ve got a tummy and thick thighs. I’m battling a double chin. I should watch my calories, but I enjoy eating, and I honestly don’t think my curves are a bad thing.
Internally, I sigh. This biker probably isn’t that serious about me. He never asked for my phone number.
Ainsley finishes eating, and I pile up our trash. “Be right back, Ains.”
“Okay.” She sips on the last of her juice as I toss our trash.
When I spin around to head back to the table, Ainsley isn’t there. I blink, trying to process that she disappeared in less than fifteen seconds. A moment of pure panic hits my chest so hard that I struggle to pull air into my lungs.
“Ainsley?” I shout as I rush by tables and nearly knock over a highchair as my foot catches on the edge. “Sorry!”
My heart begins to pound in my chest as I snatch up her coat and shove it into my backpack. I shrug it on, searching through the thick crowd and the lines around the food court. There’s no way she could have gone far. I sprint to the exit and glance outdoors, but I don’t see her in the softly falling snow that’s piling up outdoors.
I spin around and nearly collide with a wall of bikers.
“Noelle?”
“Torque.” I know I’m going to cry. The sting of tears pools in my eyes. “It’s Ainsley. She’s gone.”
“Shit,” one of the other bikers curses.
Torque turns to the big guy with a dark beard who wears a patch that saysPresidentandStorm. “Pres?”
“Go,” he orders the group. “Find the little girl. Torque, stay with Noelle.”
Torque nods and reaches for my hand. It might have felt odd under different circumstances, but since I’m panicking, afraid, and imagining the worst, it’s oddly comforting. “Come on, baby. I got you.”
As we begin to search through the nearby restrooms and shops, I send up a silent prayer.
Please. Let her be okay.
Chapter 2 Torque
“Idon’t like it,” Bear grumbles. “We’re in the middle of the fucking mall. There are families everywhere.”
“I know,” Storm, my Pres, agrees. “Neutral ground. No risk to either club this way.”
“What the fuck do the Crimson Heretics want now?”
Smoke, our Sergeant at Arms, is right to ask. We’ve had bad blood between our two clubs for years, and when one of their members started shit with us, things got tense fast. Murder kidnapped Bullseye’s ol’ lady Xiara. Shit escalated. The Heretics’ president, Hangman, shot and killed Murder to keep the peace.
Now, several months later, we’re here to meet Hangman and a few of the CHMC members.
