Page 18 of Biker's Enemy

“Right. Well, I didn’t plan on it. I have no idea what’s going on and frankly… you’re a woman. It’s instinctive.”

“That’s sexist,” she says with an educator’s tone of voice.

I grunt in response. Sexist or not, I need her to agree to be Avery’s nanny. I can’t bear to be around the kid alone for too long and my lifestyle isn’t friendly to having some kid hanging off your arm. I need her as much as she needs me.

“Don’t deny yourself protection and safety over bullshit politics, Quin. There’s nothing sexist about the truth.”

If I’m lucky, my so-called sexism will only inspire her to accept my offer and take Avery off my hands. I don’t want to worry about the baby while I solve this mystery, make money, and handle club business.

And anyway, if she says yes, this will ensure I can get closer to her.

I haven’t met a woman I want in a long time and I sense that once I get to know this one… I’ll want her even more than before.

“I’ll accept your offer,” she says. “But only because I can’t stand the thought of Avery developing your backwards notions on gender.”

“You plan on staying here for a while then?”

“Did I say that?” She responds with a hint of panic.

“Avery won’t be able to comprehend the concept of gender until she’s at least seven years old.”

“Whatever,” Quin says, throwing up the single dismissive word to create distance between us that I desperately want to deconstruct.

“It’s agreed. I’ll draw up a contract and you can read it in the morning.”

“Right,” she says, gazing at me tentatively. “What about Juliette and my phone or whatever. I need to contact people.”

“You can get your phone back when you sign the contract tomorrow.”

“So you’re blackmailing me?”

“I’m recommending you think about my offer and my capacity to provide what I promise.”

I walk over to her and kiss her on the forehead, certain the small action will imbue her with a jumbled sense of desire, outrage and confusion. The last thing I want when Quin looks at that contract is for her to be in her right state of mind. Legally she should be there – naturally.

But I want this woman’s emotions vibrating at a fever pitch so she comes running into my arms and never leaves.

Nine

SOUTHPAW

Anna stops my hand before I grab the handle of the basement door. Steel and Condom are already downstairs with Oske, but she can’t help herself, my wife has to get involved. It feels fucking good calling her my wife. It doesn’t feel good having her lecture me on how to conduct torture.

“Give her the benefit of the doubt, Wyatt.”

Anna. The perfect woman. The second I laid eyes on her in that Flying J, I knew I had to have her. I knew I would kill anyone who stood in my way. Yet, for all the ways I had to have this woman, I have caused her immeasurable heartbreak too. It makes me want to obey her commands now that she has this twisted titanium ring on my finger and a tattoo on my chest.

“She coerced Tamiya into some hare-brained plot that could have ended with Mackenzie Sinclair killed or worse. Sold into some kind of infant sex slavery.”

“That really isn’t as common as you think,” Anna says, although I’m not so sure. When I get to drinking and playing cards with the guys at the clubhouse, you hear stories about what they see on the highways and you wonder…

We know other clubs deal in human merchandise. Mostly immigrants and Indians. Sometimes black chicks from the inner city. People who most Americans don’t give a fuck about, if I’m being honest. Anna’s hand on mine stops me, but she can’t prevent this from happening. When I offered Oske protection and promised to keep her secret, she promised to stay out of trouble. To keep her ass out of club business. She has higher status than the sluts who hang around the clubhouse… on this condition. Her goddamn loyalty.

If we need someone to break her tonight, at least we have Hog. While Cash lays low, Hog represents the Hollingsworth family. He got his club name because he’ll fuck anything. I never wanted things to get to this point between us but after all I’ve done for her… I can’t show weakness. I can’t let Oske or anyone else think they can get away with this.

What if someone kidnapped Junior? I would burn down every square mile of the old Route 66 highway without a second thought.

“I won’t kill her.”

---