“I’m his Sergeant at Arms, so I’m the one responsible for enforcing rules and punishing those who break them. Unless you want me to break your fucking face, piss off right now.”
The men do as I say, mumbling and muttering as they go. They get onto their bikes and drive off, and the rumbling of their engines recedes like a storm drifting away.
Turning to Rook, I shake my head. “What the fuck are you doing way out here?”
“I thought it would be nice to bring Camile to see the view.” He rubs his mouth nervously. “Jack… I mean the Prez… asked me to mind Camile. To watch over her.”
Why the hell is Jack giving a newbie like Rook such a job? It hits me then that he most definitely wouldn’t have meant for Rook to take her on a ride, even within the compound. Rook doesn’t have the respect of all the men yet, and he can’t keep Camile safe alone.
“You should have stayed within reach of the clubhouse.” I smack him up the back of the head, and he lets out a soft grunt of surprise.
“You’re in the shit.” I frown. “I’ll take the girl back. You just get yourself and your bike returned and prepare to face Jack’s wrath.”
Camile faces me, her dark hair swinging. She folds her arms across her chest, and I try not to glance down at the way the stance pushes her tits up in that low-cut top.
“Do you have to tell Jack? Rook was kind and took me for a ride because I was down. He shouldn’t get punished for that.”
“Mind your own damned business,” I snap at her. “You have no clue how this place works.”
She bites her lip, and I think she’s going to argueback, but then she runs over to Rook, who is climbing onto his bike. Once he’s got his feet planted on either side, she gives him a quick hug.
“Thank you for bringing me out here, Rook. It helped.”
He flushes red and nods at her once before shooting me a nervous glance.
Yeah, she made her point by ignoring me and running to Rook, and I’m not sure I like it.
“Toss me her helmet,” I demand.
He does so and shakes his head before putting the bike in gear and riding away.
I keep my voice level. “You’ve probably just gotten him into a whole world of trouble.”
“Me?” Camile turns those gorgeous dark eyes my way and narrows them. “How do you figure that?”
“You seem to have half the men in this club wrapped around your finger.”
She can’t hide the fast smile that lights her face at my words. The damned brat, shelikesit. A part of her gets off causing shit.
I stalk to her and grab her chin. Tilting her face so she’s looking right at me, I stare into her eyes. “Stop being so goddamned bratty.”
Her eyes widen and her lashes fan above her cheek as she blinks rapidly.
“I’m not,” she protests.
“Yeah, you are, and it’s not cute. You need to understand that for girls like you, the world isn’t safe. Not at all.”
She jerks her chin from my hold. “Oh, I understand that only too well. I have for a very long time. Can you take me back now, please?”
She asks it so politely, but there’s something about her air, as if she’s a queen and I’m her servant. It should piss me off even more, but I kind of like it. She’ll need that hidden, defiant part of her to get through what’s surely coming her way.
I sigh and scrub my hand over my jaw. “Put the helmet on and get on behind me.”
People being near me is not something I like, but when she climbs behind me and wraps her arms around my waist, it warms something inside me.
Not needing the distraction, I stamp that flame down and gun the engine.
13
