Wraith glanced down at the empty bottle then up to the redhead. A club whore. The Satan’s Hex MC had a lot of them. It was three in the afternoon on a Thursday, and their clubhouse was in full party mode. They were at a table in a separate corner of the room, but Wraith couldn’t fathom holding a transport meeting in a public forum. The majority of people were members. But the women weren’t. This meeting would’ve never gone down if Slater and Axel were still in power. Satan’s Hex new leadership were either very trusting or stupid. Wraith would bet on the latter.
Wraith rolled his neck and sucked down the remnants of his beer. He was itching for something stronger, but they’d be riding back tonight. They’d been offered lodging, but neither he, Oak, or Cue was interested in spending any more time at their clubhouse. This deal didn’t sit well with any of them. It was as if there was a dark cloud looming.
“Brother, she can get you anything you want.” Griggs laughed, waving his beer bottle at them from across the table.
“Just another round,” Cue said, and the girl shifted her gaze, offering a smile.
Wraith glanced back at Cue, who was scowling.
“Now,” Cue snapped, and the girl blinked, seemingly caught off balance by his tone. She quickly grabbed the empty bottles and rushed across the room.
Wraith straightened in his seat and noticed Cue arch his neck. He was still watching the girl.
“So, we got a deal, right?” Spinner asked.
They were supposed to meet at the safehouse and pick up the money, but Griggs insisted they come to the clubhouse for a beer. This job was proving to be more of a pain in the ass than anyone could’ve predicted. The club as a whole still wasn’t fully on board with the increased transport with Satan’s Hex. Had the original president and VP cut the deal, he’d have more faith that this wasn’t a mistake. With these two? Wraith could foresee problems out of the gate. However, if they didn’t get their product from Killcreek, they’d get it somewhere else. And they’d pay. Since shutting down the motel, they’d been losing income. They needed this deal.
“As long as you have payment.” Oak said.
“Yeah, we’ll head out to the safehouse now,” Spinner said.
Wraith gave a curt nod and started to stand, but Griggs held his hand up.
“Wanted to put just one more condition on the deal.”
What the fuck?
“You work that out with Ace and Cross, not us.” Wraith’s tone was firm leaving no room for negotiation. Still, this asshole tried.
“We just want Killcreek to serve as backup protection for us.”
Cue laughed, shaking his head. “You want us to be your bodyguards? That doesn’t come for free, asshole.”
Griggs cocked his brow. “Well, it does if we make it part of the deal.”
Wraith had enough. He stood, towering over the men and sending a scathing glare. “This deal is fucking done. You’ve already agreed to the terms, which doesn’t include protection services. So you’re gonna shut the fuck up and escort us to thesafehouse.” Wraith locked eyes with Griggs. “Is that fucking clear, asshole?”
“Yeah, man.” Griggs grinned, and Wraith was tempted to beat the shit out of him for agreeing so easily. No fucking honor or guts with this asshole.
Get me the fuck outta here.
Wraith and Cue waited at the front door while Oak used the bathroom. Wraith checked his phone. Nothing from her. He didn’t expect it, but in the event she did call or text, he wanted to be readily available.
“We good?” Oak said, wiping his damp hands on his jeans. No one restocked the towels in the bathroom?Fucking shocker.The whole clubhouse was falling apart and no one seemed to notice or care. It was a reflection of who they were as a club. No pride.
Wraith straightened and glanced back at Cue when he didn’t make a move. He was standing in the doorway, staring across the room, laser focused. He hadn’t even registered Oak when he came up behind him. The younger brother seemed to clock whatever caught Cue’s attention and smiled.
“Ahh, the redhead. You been eyeing her the whole time we’ve been here.”
“The fuck I have,” Cue scoffed.
You have, Cue.But Wraith wasn’t going to get involved in this bullshit.
Oak laughed, slapping Cue’s back. “Yeah, brother, I saw it. Listen, you wanna take Griggs up on his offer, takegingerfor a ride. We’ll wait.”
Fuck me.This was the last thing Wraith needed. Thankfully, Cue didn’t seem the least bit interested. He actually took offense, pushed Oak out of the way, and stormed to the door.
“All I want is to get outta here, get what we came for, and head home.” Cue pushed open the door, walking out, and Wraith followed.
