Page 28 of Pike’s Redemption

I took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, I'm ready."

He extended his hand to me, and I took it, feeling excited and nervous. Together, we headed out of the house and towards his bike. Evening had fallen, and the stars blanketed overhead, so bright it was like they were inked there. The air was still warm, and the leather seemed overkill, but I knew he wouldn’t let me on his bike in a tank top.

Pike handed me a helmet, and I strapped it on, feeling the weight settle comfortably on my head. I climbed onto the bike behind him, wrapping my arms tightly around his waist. As the engine roared to life beneath us, I felt a thrill of anticipation at the bike’s vibration between my legs and the man in front of me.

The wind whipped through my hair, and I clung to Pike, feeling the bike’s power beneath us. When we finally pulled up to the bar, the neon lights casting a colorful glow over the parking lot, I wished we had discussed what information we would give Maddox and Dimitri. I tried to tow that line of confidentiality and girlfriend this whole time. Now, I was adding family into the mix. We’d need Max’s help and Dimitri’s. I was straddling lines I’d never crossed before. Earlier, I’d thought about what to share, and my answer had always come back to what was best for Pike and not as a client. I guess that was my new line in the end. I needed to settle my mind and my heart around that.

Pike helped me off the bike, steadying me before we walked towards the entrance together.

“Ready, baby?”

“I’m ready. Let’s go meet your friends and pull them into our crazy.” I gave him a saucy wink, knowing his head was still wrapped in the day’s events. He couldn’t fool me.

Music and laughter spilled out as we pushed open the doors and stepped inside. The atmosphere was electric, a heady mix of rock music, leather, and the smell of beer.

Heads turned as we walked in, and I felt Pike's arm tighten around my waist, a silent show of possession and protection even through the crowd and the jostling. We reached a table near the back, and Pike ordered a few beers. This was a chance to talk to Maddox and Dimitri about setting up Victor. With their help, we’d be able to get a jump on this guy.

CHAPTER

TWELVE

PIKE

When we came in, the Open Road was popping, and I curled my hand around Natasha’s hip, tucking her to me as speculative eyes landed on her. It sent a curl of rage into my stomach that bordered on irrational that other men dared to look at her. I wanted to keep her to myself even after having her not even an hour ago. I couldn’t even explain what was possessing me right now. This whole business today with Eli and this unknown quantity with this Victor character was just fucking with my head. Natasha was really the only thing keeping me sane. Touching her grounded me in the here and now, keeping me from traveling back in time to a nightmare. Tightening my grip on her as we moved into the crowded space, I ensured my claim was clear.

Natasha was mine.

The Road was open to the public and not as rough around the edges as the Pit, but it could still be rowdy depending on the night. It was a Friday, so the floor was packed, and the tables were full. Dancers were up on stage, lights lit, and drinks flowed. The strippers up on the stage worked the poles, swinging their bodies up and around to loud hoots and cheers. The clientele here was drawn from Haverboro and Morinrock, but the Road was technically the Brotherhood’s clubhouse. It sat on property they owned on the edge of town where the noise wasn’t as overwhelming. There were buildings for living quarters and offices—a step up in the MC world. Old man Marsh was quite an innovator. It was only lately that I’d come to the Road at all. The Cobras tended to stick to their territory, but we were welcome under the new agreement.

Smoke swirled as we moved forward, and bodies jostled against us. I angled my body and growled at the offender, and body bumped the fucker back away from my girl. Could they not see us walking? Natasha shot me a look, those eyes twinkling under her chocolate lashes in a way that I could tell that my irritation amused her. Everything about her was a turn-on. Even here, my cock was hard for her.

“Easy,” she murmured, her voice a soothing balm. “It’s fine.” The situation between Eli and Victor wrecked my nerves. The guards at the house had babbled in Russian until they’d decided to split their forces, and one of them had followed us to the Road in a fancy black SUV. I couldn’t even really be mad about it. Natasha’s safety was more important than my pride.

We pushed through the crowd and grabbed a beer at the bar before heading to the back, where Maddox and Dimitri were seated in a booth. Maddox spotted us first, his eyes narrowing slightly before he raised his hand in greeting. Dimitri followed suit. His expression was neutral but curious. My Cobra cut would have caused a riot in the past, but now most didn’t blink, and I even saw a few familiar faces among the crowd.

“Hey,” Maddox said, his voice low and rumbling. Have a seat. It’s nice to see you again, Natasha.” Maddox was gruff but polite, which gave him points. Of course, he’d have Dimitri to contend with, too, if he was a dick to his family. Maddox had learned some manners from Helena since she’d been back.

Natasha slid into the booth first, and I followed, draping my arm possessively around her shoulders. Maddox glanced at my hand, then back up at me, a faint smirk on his lips. On the other hand, Dimitri looked like he wanted to gut me.

“Nat,” Dimitri frowned at me. “How’s the new digs?”

“Cousin.” Natasha leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek. “Good to see you. They’re nice. Max has good taste.” She acted utterly unaffected by his mood, but I knew she picked up on his discontent. I smirked at him. He could disapprove all he wanted, but it wasn’t going to change jack shit.

“It’s weird that you call him Max,” Dimitri grumbled. I knew that Dimitri’s estrangement from his brother had only ended, and he certainly didn’t have the relaxed attitude towards his brother that Natasha did. She shrugged as if she couldn’t care less, but I knew she knew some of the history behind the two brothers.

“That’s between the two of you. He’s been kind to us,” Natasha said unbothered, taking off her jacket and sipping her beer. I understood Dimitri’s issues with his brother, but that didn’t need to affect Natasha. I watched her for a minute, mesmerized by the curve of her cheeks and the bow of her lips.

“You mentioned that you had news?” Maddox prompted, interrupting and eyeing Dimitri with concern as he drew my attention back to him and away from Nat.

I leaned against the booth cushions and tried to ignore the squirm of discomfort in my gut that came when I talked of my brother.

“I did.” It was time to get on track with this meeting. There wasn’t any getting around to talking about it with them, no matter how much I didn’t want to since I needed them both for the next part of my plan. “This afternoon, I told Cross to get off my tail since I figured if someone wanted to make a move, I needed to make it easier on them,” I began. Their faces pinched in displeasure, almost in sync. Maybe they were spending too much time together if they could manage that level of twinning. I chuckled to myself.

“You sure can be a dumb fucker,” Maddox groused. “You’re lucky we like you, but I guess it worked by the creepy smile on your face.” He threw some peanuts in his mouth. “You’re still alive. Quit beating around the bush already.” One of the things I appreciated about Maddox was his dry sense of humor.

“Remember I mentioned that I thought Eli was alive?” Maddox set the beer bottle down so hard that liquid sloshed out of the top as he sat forward, focusing solely on what I was saying. “Well, he is.”

“No joke?” Dimitri asked, but I realized it wasn’t a question because what could you say to this news?

---