“Add arrogant and too self-assured to that laundry list of why nots,” I huff.
His grin is wide, showing large white perfect teeth. “It’s not arrogance, Onyx. I just know what I like and am honest enoughto admit it. You want to tell me that you don’t feel the chemistry between us sizzling from across the room, or at the wedding? Or you want to be honest?”
I’m contemplating what he said when Shine suddenly stands up from the bar with a look on her face I’ve never seen before. She pockets her phone in her back pocket, and heads straight to the door. That look on her face. I wonder if it’s from that no-good asswipe she calls a boyfriend. And I have no idea how much she’s been drinking tonight, but shot for shot, it’s got to be just about as much as me.
In no condition to ride. That’s for damn sure.
“Sorry, I have to go talk to Shine for a minute. Girl talk.” I’m out of his arms and weaving my way through the other dancers to get to the door as quick as I can. Shine’s bike is still sitting on its kick. I race toward the alleyway where I parked earlier, just in time to hear a loud smack and hear Shine cry out.
I round the corner to see her lip split wide open in the light shining down from above. Her boyfriend’s menacing gaze, all bloodshot and glazed over, settles on me. “This doesn’t concern you. Get lost,” Ness slurs.
“You put hands on Shine and you’re going to deal with me and a whole lot of angry Harlots just like me, asshole.”
His hand moves too quick. I don’t know what he’s packing and don’t hesitate. I’m in between the two of them before he has time to reach it. My foot goes to his groin but instead of leaning down to grab his junk like most men, the dope probably numbs the pain, and he rears up and turns toward his bike.
If he gets on it and leaves, I’ll let him. We’ll deal with him another day.
Instead, he tries to open his saddlebag while trying to keep eyes on me. If he has a gun in that saddlebag we’re done.
My knife’s within reach but he may be too strong for me to get the upper hand in this condition. I reach for the only thing close, a flare strapped to the emergency bag from my bike.
I light it up and hold it in the air. A warning, the flare ready to toss at him or his fucking bike if I have to, anything to cause enough distraction if he doesn’t get on it and ride. Anything to make him go away and leave Shine alone. And not to pull a fucking gun.
But the blocks of dope stuffed in his saddlebag give me pause. He slows his boat; he’s not too far gone to know what this means. Now I’ve got leverage and he must see the look in my eye as his hand shifts around to find whatever he’s looking for.
His voice gets loud. “Don’t even fucking think about it, Onyx. You know how much this shit is worth? You know the hell that will rain down on me, on Shine, and you if you light that shit up?” He’s still feeling around in his saddlebag but there’s a sense of desperation on his part now. Whatever he thought he had in that bag, maybe isn’t there. We can only hope it’s not or at least isn’t a gun because if we turn our back on him to run, we may be done.
“Get on your bike and ride. Get the fuck out of here and we’ll pretend you were never here. Protect your precious dope.”
He sneers. “I’m taking this bitch with me. She’s got another run to make. No one says no to me. I’m a fucking Scorpion now,” he slurs.
My fucking gun is upstairs, of no use to me right now. And that dope, or the threat of it burning into black smoke is what I have to use as leverage. The only thing right now. “You may have messed with the wrong girl tonight. The Scorpions aren’t going to be too happy when you come back without their bricks.”
His eyes light up and I know he’s found what he was searching for. It has to be a gun. What else could it be?
“Stop!” Shine yells. “Please stop!”
His eyes stay on mine, glowing with unleashed rage, but that gun could be out and pointing at my girl in a split second.
I take a step forward … and pretend to toss the flare. It works and he ducks, distracted at least for a moment, but he still has that hand rummaging for his weapon
“Get your hands out of that bag without that gun or I’ll torch your bike.”
He grins an evil sick grin, about to rise from his ducked position but with the gun. He’s not going to back down. I close the distance between us and kick the bike with all of my force and drop the torch.
“You fucking bitch.” He aims from his place on the ground.
I’m about to be shot. No chance in hell of overpowering the fucking asshole, but the minute flames shoot from his bike he loses interest in me, rolls, and takes off his jacket trying to smother the flames while I grab Shine and race her toward the back of the bar.
I run into the solid wall of Hawg who steps in front of me and Shine, puts his body in front of ours as Shine’s fucking loser boyfriend and his bike burst into a ball of flames. “Gas leak! Everybody back,” Hawg yells as the fire threatens to spread into the dry brush around the wall of the alley.
“Shine’s boyfriend is a new recruit for the Scorpions. I just found out. He’s been hitting her. Did it again tonight and pulled a gun. He had a shit ton of dope in his saddles.”
He jumps into action. “You and Shine get inside. You have been there all fucking night long. Understand?”
I go to argue but his voice leaves no room for that now. “Do exactly what I said, Onyx. Get Shine out of here and stay at the bar. No one has left that bar in the last hour but me. You spread that fucking word to everyone inside that club. Do it now!”
6
