Page 37 of Filthy Hot

“Eerie,” I point out.

“Really fucking eerie,” Atomic grunts.

Instead of staying where we are, together, as we’ve done this whole time, we move toward the back hallway. If Sal is here, he will be somewhere in his office. Atomic steps into his office. Empty.

“The stripper room?” King calls out as he opens the door. “Empty.”

Reaching for the door handle of the gambling room, I turn it and push it open. “Empty,” I call out.

“What the fuck?” Atomic hisses as he turns around to face us.

Then, before either King or I can respond to him, Atomic’s cell rings. He digs the device out of his pocket and slides his thumb across the screen before he lifts it to his ear. We silently stare at him, waiting to find out what is happening.

“I’m here,” he grinds out. “Where is she? Where’s Sal?” Atomic demands. “We’ll be there, but I’m telling you right now if this is some sort of game, I’m going to take that as a personal attack, and that will mean war.”

Fuck.

War.

This cannot be good. At all. And for the first time in my life as a Dark Horse MC member, I’m wondering if we would even win this war.

KYLE

The manin the suit would be cute, if he weren't a complete asshole. And by asshole, I mean that he somehow figured out who I was and who Xavier is, because he’s standing right next to him.

Assholes—all of them.

And they’ve kidnapped me. Now I’m sitting on a chair in a strange room, at a strange house, wondering if I’ll get out of here alive. I’m going to assume I won’t live to see my freedom ever again, and my heart aches at the thought.

“What is this going to accomplish?” I chance asking.

Xavier smiles at me, and I know what his smile means. I want no part of it. The smile is curved upward, almost catlike. His eyes are narrowed, his nostrils flared, and he’s panting slightly.

He thinks he’s caught me now.

He has me, and there is nowhere for me to go. He’s going to get what he wants from me. But I would rather die before I let him take it, and I will be dead before I give it to him willingly. He would have to take it from me, because I refuse to willingly give that man another piece of me.

I am done. I am out. I have nothing left for him.

“I don’t know about this guy,” Xavier says, jerking his thumb toward the man in the three-piece suit who is standing in the corner, his gaze fixated on me. “But I’m leaving here with you in tow.”

“I’ll have to be dead then, because I am not leaving with you,” I sneer.

The man in the suit barks out a laugh, and Xavier’s face turns beet red in an instant. He’s pissed. I watch as he balls his fist at his side. I know he wants nothing more than to pound that balled-up fist into my face right now. He doesn’t, only because he’s being watched.

This man in the suit holds power. I’m not sure what kind, but he wields something big. Otherwise, Xavier would have already hit me. I challenged him. I made someone laugh at him. I made a fool out of him. And Xavier typically would never stand for that.

Xavier opens his mouth to respond, but the man in the suit speaks instead, effectively cutting him off. I watch as he moves toward me, closer with every word he says.

“We want the Dark Horse MC to know their place,” he states.

“Who are you?” I chance asking.

He smiles, and although it isn’t as telling as Xavier’s, it is no less scary. This is the man with power, a man who is used to that power, and he will without a doubt always get what he wants, the way he wants it.

I don’t like anything about that.

He is a lot more dangerous than Xavier could ever be, I can tell just by looking at him.

---