“Jeezz,” I joke, nudging his arm with mine. “You’re talking like something bad is going to go down.” Even if it does, he knows I can handle it. I’m not only a trained fighter in MMA, jujitsu, and just all-around street-fighting, I have a reputation of being very calculated. We continue down the bumpy driveway until we reach a wooden gate that surrounds a large section of land. On that section is a massive barn. Its outside walls are splashed in black and the entire front of the barn is held together by floor to ceiling windows. Now, I don’t know about you, but I was not expecting this place to be so… modern. Maybe their last place got blown up, so they had to rebuild, who knows. Driving through the gates, I saw Millie first, she was standing near her sister, Melissa, and a couple of other biker guys. There was one who caught my eye, and I knew as soon as my eyes landed on him that he was my long-lost brother. His stance, the way his thick, massive body stood confidently commanding the area with silent force. His eyes watched our truck, and I paused, reaching for Raze’s hand and tapping it. “That him?”
Raze’s eyes followed mine, then he nodded. “Yeah. I’m not sure about him right now, but time will tell.”
Yeah, time would tell, probably at my expense too.
We pulled to a stop, and I jumped out, slamming the door behind me. Rounding the front of the SUV, I slowed to a walk, falling just behind Raze.
Miles whispered from behind me. “Just gouge their eyeballs out if they become a problem, devil face.”
I chuckled under my breath, cranking my head over my shoulder slightly to whisper my answer back to him. “Sure thing, Miles.” Crazy fucker.
“Seriously,” he continued further. “All you need to do is—”
“Ella!” Raze called me over and I threw Miles a sneaky wink. His face fell as if he was disappointed that he had been so rudely interrupted in his exciting tale of how to gouge someone’s eyeballs out. Shame. I was rather enjoying it too.
“Yes?” I answered sweetly, throwing my long blonde hair over my shoulder.
Raze pointed to the big guy who I was guessing was Beast. “This is Beast. He’s—”
“—Brother?” I grinned, and Beast smiled politely at me. Huh, he seemed a little warmer than Raze, so that was a bonus.
Beast nodded. “Nice to meet you. We will try to make this as painless and as stress-less as possible. I’ve had a word with the brothers, they know the deal. You won’t have any troubles with any of them. Like you probably know, this is just a… precaution.”
Just as I was about to answer, a snicker rung out from my right and I whipped my eyes to where it came from. Another large biker stood, only this one was a little more on the lean side. I tilted my head, not giving a damn that I was being quite obvious with how I’m scoping him out. Tattoos were inked into every single inch of his flesh that I could see, even a couple on his face. An upside-down cross sat just under his eye and then some wording that I couldn’t read from where I was, was encrypted into his hairline of his forehead. Oh wait, yes, it read the devil should run. That’s a lot of ink, so much so, it was the first thing I noticed about him. The second thing I noticed about him w—holy shit. I paused. My mouth went as dry as the Sahara Desert and a nudge in my gut said to do something I’ve never done before—run. It was as though he raised every single survival instinct that I had and brought it to the surface. His eyes. I couldn’t see their color from here, but the shape. The force. How they’d directed every single bit of my being and put it on high alert. It was one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever felt—and that was saying a lot…
I pulled my eyes away from his and brought them back to Beast. “Thanks. I wasn’t really worried.”
Beast seemed to study my features closely, and then just when I thought he was going to add something else, his shoulder slackened, and he nodded. “Baby.” He turned his head over his shoulder and I followed his movement until my eyes landed on a beautiful brunette girl with big blue eyes, pale milky skin, and when she smiled, two deep dimples sunk into her cheeks. She was stunning, and I mean stunning in a way that was rare, untouched, and pure. She was like stumbling across a crisp waterfall on a dry hot summer day. What the hell was she doing answering to ‘baby’ to a damn biker.
“I got it,” she answered smoothly, placing her tiny hand on Beast’s massive shoulder. It made her hand look miniscule, that’s how damn large he was.
“Hi, I’m Meadow,” the beautiful girl said, placing her hand out to me.
I took it after a beat and shook. “Ella.” I couldn’t help it, my eyes drifted over her shoulder toward the tattooed guy with hollow eyes, and all thoughts disintegrated. The floor felt like it had crumbled from under my feet, and my eyes fluttered. Shit. I really needed to pull my act together. I was Ella McKenna, my eyes didn’t fucking flutter. They put the fear of life into men three times my size right before I ended their life.
“Ah, so,” I snapped myself out of my stupid daze, “I’ll be fine.” I glanced to Millie, who was already being carted back to the SUV with Raze’s firm grip around her arm. Rolling my eyes, I had to internally battle with myself. I couldn’t be mad at Raze for how he’s been acting toward Millie. I’d never seen him like this with any female, so I’d let him have it, and in his defense, he knew that I could handle my own. But still… a little pat on the arm would have been a nice goodbye gesture. Asshole.
“Sister, huh?” Beast said, and I looked up at him, and by up, I really mean up. I’m tall for a girl, standing at five eleven, but he’s just all-over massive.
“Yup,” I smiled at him, baring all my teeth.
He shook his head. “Come on. Do you drink?” He nudged toward the massive barn.
“Not usually, but I can make an exception.” Drinking in this environment wouldn’t be something I would usually do but considering Meadow and how Beast had been toward me since I got here, it couldn’t go bad.
We walked into the clubhouse, and Beast gestured toward an old man behind the bar. He seemed to be in his maybe late to mid-sixties? I hear Beast order a few drinks and call him Old Falla. Interesting name, but then again, they’re bikers, and I’ve never watched Sons of Anarchy, but I’m pretty sure they all have code names. Or is it called road names. If it isn’t, it should be.
I took a sip. “So,” before placing my glass back onto the wooden bar, “making human trades, huh?”
Beast chuckled, his arm went around Meadow to pull her onto his lap where she snuggled in comfortably. They’re hella cute. “Yeah, wouldn’t be the first time….”
I shrugged. “Well, I’ve seen worse, done worse, and I’m pretty sure, I’ll be seeing worse. This is child’s play.”
I took another drink just as a bunch of dark leather-clad men walked through the front doors. Fuck. I didn’t even need to see to know that one of those shadows was the guy from earlier.
“I’ve just gotta go handle something. Meadow will show you around and ah, put you up in a room. You good with staying here?” I looked up at him, my eyebrow slightly quirked. “You’re asking me where I’d like to stay like this isn’t a human trade?”
His eye ticks slightly, and that was when I could see there was in fact, a Beast lurking beneath that calm demeanor. I rolled my eyes. “Yes, of course I don’t mind. I’ve slept in worse.” The clubhouse isn’t what I pictured it at all. It surprised the hell out of me with its modern layout. Beast left and disappeared through a door behind the bar.
“Church!” Meadow said softly.
“What?” I snapped my eyes back to hers.
“That,” she gestured over her shoulder with her thumb. “They’re having church.” She paused and studied my features, which were blank because what the hell was she talking about church. When she realized I wasn’t about to catch on to what she was saying, she giggled. “It’s just what they call their meetings. It’s called church because to these guys, it’s about as sacred as you get. Church and all that.” She stood from her chair and tilted her head toward the stairwell that led to a second floor
which wrapped around the entire space of the barn. There were railings that lined the porch and from where I could see, around eight bedroom doors.
Meadow interrupted my thoughts. “I could have you at our place if you’d like?”
I glanced at her quickly. “No.” Then smiled, shaking my head. “Honestly, I’ve been in a lot of situations.”
She opened her mouth slightly, as if she wanted to add something else, but closed it instead and smiled. “All right. Well…. I’ll give you the best room up there. Well, second best. Frost stays in the best room when he’s here. Has a terrace overlooking the entire backyard which leads out onto a forest too.” We start heading toward the stairs when she carries on her ramblings. “Makes no sense why he stays here all the time when he owns a lovely house on the other side of Vegas. Near our home, actually.” I didn’t bother asking her who Frost is, so I just nodded and let her continue.
We reached the top of the stairs before leading me to a door. She pushed it open. “Here you go. I’ll let you get settled in.”
I smiled. “Thanks for everything, Meadow.”
“No problem!” She tucked a few strands of her long hair behind her ear. “I’ll be downstairs, oh and before I forget! The guys are having a hog roast tonight so it will get rowdy.” Then she closed the door and left before I got a chance to ask what the hell a hog roast was. Dumping my duffle bag onto the bed, I scanned what would be my room for however long this bullshit charade was going to go on for. It wasn’t bad at all. The walls were all an off-white color; plain, simple, but surprisingly clean. A queen bed sat opposite the door with a single tall set of drawers beside it. There was a single large window that was to the side of the bed and I’m guessing, or hoping— I walked toward the only other door that was in here, pulling it open. Thank fuck— a small bathroom.
Closing the door, I tossed my long blonde hair into a ponytail and tied it up high, allowing it to fall down my back. I’ve always had blonde hair. I’ve never gone darker, or red, or any other color. I’ve had highlights put in a couple of times, but mainly, my hair just lightens in the sunlight. One day, maybe I’ll dye it some extreme color.
Walking out of my room, I pushed my cellphone into my back jeans pocket, shutting the door behind myself. This is probably the most fucking weirdest thing I’ve ever been through, but by far, not the most inconvenient.
I took one step at a time, making my way back toward the bar because once I have one drink, I sort of need another, which is why I don’t drink much. I stopped in my tracks. The guy from earlier is standing at the bottom of the stairwell, watching me closely. His hair is ruffled around his head, and his jaw has to be the most profound angular jawline that I had ever seen. His profile is made for the cover of a model magazine, all but his eyes. Not necessarily the color because I can’t really see what they are from here, but the shape. They’re deadly. They both disarm me and make me hyperaware all at once.
He cocked his head. “You the baby sister?”
I took another step down, refusing to show any of my thoughts. “Yes. And you are?”
His eyes slanted, and then his mouth kicked into a curve, showing his ridiculously straight teeth. “Frost.”
Ah, so this was my neighbor. “Right,” I answered. “So, you’re who has the best room in the clubhouse?”
He doesn’t flinch. He doesn’t move and not one inch of him seemed unbothered or even unnerved. His lip slowly curled into a sadistic smirk. “Do I? Shit, I don’t know.” His eyes slid over my body, down to my ankles and then back up again, meeting my eyes. “Wanna see it?”
I searched his face, my own mouth slightly curved, because if he was implying what I thought he was implying, that could be dangerous. Because he’s freaking hot. But. “No, I’m good.” I take the remaining steps down and brushed past him. “Thanks, though.”
Taking a seat at the bar, the ol’ fella comes toward me, flicking his hands toward the shelf behind him. “What’s your poison, pretty girl.”
I arched my eyebrow. “Well I don’t usually have a poison, but I guess, surprise me.”
He smiled, turning and taking down a bottle of Johnny Walker. Jesus. Okay. We are getting down and dirty. He tossed in a few ice cubes and then pours. “So, is it usually this busy around here?” I asked, taking the glass once he had slid it over and turned to face said busy-ness. There were people on the couches near the pool table, men hanging around the front entrance, and then when I turned around, there were more behind me on the few tables they had scattered around the front of the bar. I could see where Beast disappeared to behind the bar where a large heavy twin door hid. It opened to what I’m guessing, is where they hold, what was it that Meadow called it? Church.
“Not usually. We have a few more people around today because of the current…” He paused, and then smiled. “Situation.”
Realization had sunk in pretty quickly. “The situation being I.”
He nodded, drying a glass with a hand towel. “Well, your brother Raze is not someone to take lightly.”
I took a long sip of my whiskey. “True,” I agreed before placing my glass back on the counter. Because it was true, anyone who ran on the outlaw side of life knew Raze and what he was capable of. Only until Millie, had people found out that Raze was also, 000 the executioner, and alpha of The 6, but that in itself was a long story.
“You must be Ella.” My eyes fell on a petite girl who had dark long raven hair, bright blue, or green eyes, and tattoos that were etched into every single inch of her arm.
“That’s me,” I answered cheerily, sticking my hand out to her. “And you are?”
She watched me closely for a beat, and then slowly met my hand. “Jada. Meadow has given Melissa and I the semi run down of the whole situation,” she paused and must see the confusion on my face. Melissa?
“Melissa is Millie’s sister who is also the old lady for the VP (vice president) here, and who is the reason why this whole human switch thing happened,” her eyes flew over my shoulder, “which by the way, is still very sloppy, if anyone asks me.”
“I agree,” I muttered under my breath, my eyes still fixated and zoned out behind her. The whole thing was extremely sloppy.
“You agree?” A deep voice asked from behind me and I froze.
I peered at Jada and watched as her eyes narrowed. “I might’ve wanted to ask her.”
“Wasn’t talkin’ to you, Raven.”
Now she froze. Her hands went to her hips and her eyes slanted even more. I could almost see the pits of hell ignite inside of her pupils.
Finally, I spun around in my chair, gripping my glass with one hand. “Yes, I do agree.” I needed to focus. I didn’t like the way Frost had me feeling every time our eyes connected, and no, I didn’t mean love. Wish I did, at least it could be something I could get excited about, but it wasn’t. It was fucking lust, and see, there laid the problem for me, because well… because I was a virgin.
Other than my life being ridiculously guarded, sacred, and undercover because of Raze and I’s upbringing and our life in general, I’d never found the time to date, and the only guy I ever did date, was a guy in high school. He was a senior, the most popular guy in school and, my first crush. I was trained to fight, showed how to load a semi-automatic weapon. I wasn’t taught how to guard my heart, but I was shown how to cage my rage. How to feel absolutely nothing. So much so, that when I’d have to put a bullet between someone’s eyes, I’d never flinch. I’d wipe the residue off of the barrel and ask who was next. I was only ever used for special cases. Ones where they knew my being who I was, would be needed for the situation.
I had long white-blonde wavy hair, a tan that looked as though it had been kissed by the Californian sun and have been told all my life that I have a sort of innocence about me. I had dark, long eyelashes that often got mistaken for falsies, which framed one bright turquoise blue eye, and one bright green eye. Yeah, the whole different colored eyes thing always somewhat hypnotized people as a kid, but even mor
e so when I went into high school. So I caught the attention of the school jock, the star quarterback and all-around boy next door. He was perfect. Had short blond hair, a tan to match my own, and deep chocolate brown eyes that could melt the panties off of anyone. To match that, he also had the cutest most boy-ish smile you could ever think of. At school, almost no one knew much about my family. They assumed Raze and Miles raised me, which is pretty much true, but no one knew what my family was really about.
Anyway, he was the only guy I had ever gone further with (without actually having sex), but more than kissing. We dated for twelve months, and then he moved away, and I never saw him again. It was probably the hardest day of my life, but I still have his name, Chase Harvey, carved into the wall of my closet at home.
“Ella!” Frost’s deep voice interrupted my memories.
“What?” I responded, bringing my eyes back to his. They scare the shit out of me. They narrowed, and he looked between each of my eyes, deep in thought.
“Why do you agree with Raven that it’s a sloppy trade?”
I wanted to ask why he was calling Jada Raven, but I got the hint that whatever the reason was, Jada didn’t like it, so she wouldn’t like me prying.
Swallowing the rest of my drink, I shrug. “Because there’s a lot of witnesses, club or no club, it’s still not ideal to have all these people,” I gesture around the bar with my glass, “in the know with what’s going on. That’s how rats are created, just sayin’, and also, secondly, you guys have left trails. Like, texts? Connecting phone calls, tire marks, oh good Lord.” I finally bring my eyes up to his and bat my innocent lashes. “The list could go on.” I end my theory with a small lazy kick of my lip.
His jaw clenches but I see the corner of his mouth kick up a little. A little, not a lot. He doesn’t buy my innocent act, which means he’s smart. Smarter than most, but not smart enough because he still wouldn’t guess the kind of shit I have done. He turned toward the bar, grabbed a bottle from under the counter and raised the rim of the bottle to his lips, bringing his eyes to mine. I watched as his lips wrapped around the frame as he tilted it back with his eyes not moving from mine and his Adam’s apple bopping past his swig. He swallowed, letting the bottle dangle between his fingers on his heavily tattooed hand and then licked the rest of the alcohol that was left on his lips off with a grin. “Actually,” he smirked, his eyes darkening on me before they shot over my shoulder to Jada. “Who said there were going to be witnesses?” Then he shoulder-barged past me and headed toward the pool table where a few other bikers were standing around laughing.