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The air around me feels different. Charged. Mad Dog’s gaze finds mine and I know what he sees. Realization.
“Yeah. Yeah he was.”
“OKThanksBye.”
My earpiece goes silent and I gaze around the table at the wide eyes of the Ol Ladies. My friends.
“Holy shit Willa, do you think he’ll recognize you?” Joy asks, wide eyes on Christopher Mercer.
He doesn't feel her gaze on him. How can he when his cold blue gaze is locked on me? His face is harder than the picture beamed up on the screen on the stage. Jaw clenched.
“We got a problem,” Mad Dog mutters to his DRMC brothers.
I zone out. There are voices around me, whispered orders, brothers shuffling closer to their women. I’m no one’s woman. I’m just me. The woman that sent down her ex Ol Man, her husband, and fucked up Christopher Mercer’s plans, judging by the look he’s giving me.
“I’m just going to the bathroom,” I murmur to Mad Dog.
“Babe? Seriously?” His dark eyes bore into mine, and I know he’s worried. But he has no need to be. I’m not some useless woman.
“Yeah, seriously,” I sass as I stand.
I wait for him to grab my hand, tell me to sit my ass down. But it doesn’t come. Instead his jaw clenches and he dips his chin.
“You gonna be good?”
I cup his cheek, his whiskers rough against my palm. My other hand moves, gently sliding the silk of my dress aside so Mad Dog can see the inside of my thigh. The knife strapped to it.
His gaze darkens as he looks up at me, licking his lips. “Good girl. Don’t take too long.”
My heart thuds in my chest as I make my decision. I lean forward, pressing my lips to his, tasting him before pulling away. “Back soon.”
He slaps my ass playfully before turning back to the stage. His shoulders are a little tense but he’s trusting me with this even though I know every step I get further from the table is killing him. I don’t like making him feel that way so I gotta make this quick. Get in, get out.
You can do this, Willa.
Chapter 14
Mad Dog
Shit. My hands almost burn with the need to spank Willa’s thick ass again as she sashays away from the table. I mean, fuck, the woman just realised in real time that not only did she screw up Diesel’s run that day, but also Mercer’s. That means something. I’m not too sure what, but I know that it ain’t all above board.
“Breathe, Dad,” Marx’s voice cuts through my spiralling but it doesn't really settle the churning in my gut.
“Fuck, Son.”
“I know. But he ain’t gonna do anything here. Look around, there are too many people to make a scene. And we’re surrounded by the higher ups. District attorneys, fucking judges, celebrities. Not all the people here are on the take, and men like Mercer and Thompson can’t risk their clean images for the filthy shit they get up to.”
He’s right. I know he’s right. I also know we have people on our side. Moss Davies has brought his sister Poppy as his date, both of them sitting at a table close to the door. They’ve got eyes on anyone coming and going so I know he’ll have our backs if we need it. Gus also has Tombs security contacts within the building so it’s not like we’re left with our pants down, balls in the breeze, but I still don’t like it. Willa may not be mine, but she sure damn feels like it. Even more so since that kiss she laid on me.
I scan the room, looking for any motherfuckers that look like they don’t belong here. It’s a damn hard job when the MC are the ones who don't look like we belong. We may have scrubbed up real nice, but you can’t tell me a table of huge, fit, tattooed men blend in with Houston Glitterati. The funny thing is, we’re probably a shit ton more honest than half the sons of bitches here.
Laughter breaks out around the room as some boring beige man makes a lame joke but I ignore him. My eyes fixed to the door Willa walked through. How damn long does it take to go to the bathroom?
“Mad Dog, she’ll be fine,” Joy says, leaning over Willa’s empty chair to pat my fist. “Willa is the toughest, most badass lady I’ve ever met. She’s good.”
“I think you’ll find I’m probably the toughest,” Chewy’s voice says over the earpiece.
Joy’s face breaks out into a huge smile. “You too, Chewy.” She rolls her eyes at me before sitting back.
