Page 43 of Grave Games

“Why do you think I told you not to make a run for it?” Romeo let go of my hand to put a protective arm around my shoulders. “Marvel coming into the diner by himself might have been a coincidence, but when you told me he had Radar with him, that sent up all the red flags.”

Tyr grunted in agreement. “Sounds like they wanted to flush you out into Hacksaw’s waiting arms.”

“But why?” I shook my head, more out of frustration than bewilderment. “I’m nobody. I don’t have anything to do with their world—I mean, your world. Whatever. I’m just quietly trying to live my life. Why me?”

“It’s how Hades rolls,” Tyr said, grimacing in what appeared to be genuine distaste. “Usually there’s this unwritten code of honor when it comes to the families of our fellow brothers of the road—hands off no matter what, unless they’re in the life themselves. You’re clearly a civilian. You have no business dealings with our club or theirs. You should be untouchable. But obviously my uncle doesn’t give a shit about rules. He probably wanted to get his hands on you so he could torture you until your brother Chef cracked and promised his life away to them, just like he did the last time.”

The ice sitting in my stomach froze my blood solid.

“But this time we got to you first, yeah? They didn’t touch you this time around.” Romeo’s arm tightened even more until my bones groaned in protest. It was almost as if he were trying to shield me from the torture I’d already endured. “Better yet, we’re going to do everything we can to keep you out of their hands, no matter what shit Hades tries to pull.”

“But… for how long? I mean, how long is this nightmare going to last?” When I heard the desperation in my voice, I forced myself to take a calming breath. No need to act the helpless, hysterical woman now that I was smack in the middle of super-macho Alpha world. “Don’t get me wrong, guys. I’m grateful you were there for me when Marvel and Radar rolled in and laughed at me like I was the world’s biggest joke—”

“They laughed at you?” Romeo growled, and suddenly everything about him screamed predator about to pounce. “They laughed atyou?Mywoman?”

Danger, danger. “Uh…”

“You haven’t claimed her yet, at least not that I know of,” Tyr shrugged. “You might want to get on that, now that I think about it. It might give her an added layer of protection at least.”

Um, what?“And, for the record, I wouldn’t call it laughing, exactly. Both Marvel and Radar just grinned at me like they expected me to fall to pieces at the mere sight of them. Though I guess I kind of did fall apart, considering the way I wound up yelling my head off at those two losers,” I added honestly, shooting a sheepish glance up at Romeo. “I was actually about to go for Marvel’s throat when you showed up and beat me to the punch.”

“Yeah?” Despite the somber aura hanging around him, Tyr suddenly grinned, and I was stupid enough to feel all giddy when Romeo looked at me with palpable pride. “Well, damn, how ‘bout that? Looks like your Shy girl isn’t shy at all when it comes to dealing with trash. That’s hot as fuck.”

“Mine,” Romeo said pleasantly enough, though there was no mistaking the possessive tightening of his arm around me. “Remember that when you see her every day here in the office.”

Tyr’s brows inched up. “Why would Shy be in the office?”

“Because Jasmine’s out on maternity leave and Ashtray sucks at filing, getting payroll done, or basically anything having to do with a computer. Shy just got fired because we pulled Chef away from Hades, so it’s on us to get her a job in a place where we know she’s going to be safe and Hades can’t get to her. Two birds, one stone.”

Tyr stared at Romeo before sighing and turning back toward his office. “Talk to Misty up as reception to get Shy’s paperwork squared away. Just remember to make sure everyone knows she’s been claimed by you, yeah? I don’t want another Tomahawk-Zee pissing contest on my hands now that we may be at war with Hades.”

“Claimed by you?” Baffled, I turned to Romeo as Tyr disappeared into his office. “Why does he keep talking about me like I’m an inanimate thing that can be picked up at the Lost-And-Found? And war? What did he mean by that? Are you guys going to go to war with Hades because you beat up his son on my behalf? Oh my God,” I gasped when he didn’t immediately answer. “Oh my God, Romeo. Is this all my fault?”

“No, and I’m not talking about this here. We’ll talk after we get your paperwork done and get you officially employed here at Ride Or Die.”

“But—”

“Not here. Not now. Later.”

Chapter Fifteen

Lizards and Dogs

“You have no idea how happy I am that we’re finally getting some more estrogen around here. I tell you, Shy, you’re like a breath of fresh air for me.”

I smiled at Misty as I finished up my employment application and handed it over. It was easy to smile at Ride Or Die’s receptionist. For one thing, she was a straight-up blonde bombshell who no doubt had men falling for her in droves. For another, she was just about the friendliest person I’d ever met, giving me a big hug the moment Romeo introduced us. Apparently she was the girlfriend—or “old lady”—of a Gravedigger I hadn’t yet met, but as she familiarized me with the office, I heard all about her man Lasso, a cowboy from Montana who’d turned his back on his rural beginnings to live the ultimate urban dream in Chicago as a Gravedigger. His main claim to fame was that of a mechanic-slash-fabricator, and was the chief designer of the custom-made choppers there at Ride or Die. He’d made at least half the bikes in the business’s inventory, and was currently in Dubai designing a bunch of bikes for some sultan’s family for a price that would keep the company in the black for the next two years.

Needless to say, Misty was crazy proud of her man.

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m treated like a queen since I’m Lasso’s old lady, something I make sure everyone around here understands,” Misty went on, rolling her perfectly made-up eyes at me before turning her back and pointing to the lettering on the leather vest she wore, which read “Property of Lasso.” “I mean, I kind of have to, since all these guys are uber-male and chase tail like it’s their mission in life, if you know what I mean. For the most part, though, everyone’s really great around here. Just make sure you advertise that you’re Romeo’s property, and you’ll be fine. Has he given you a cut or a jacket yet?”

“Um, no. Property?” The word slipped out before I could cork it up, then bit my lip. “Right. Sorry, I forgot. That’s how it is in this world. Women aren’t actual people. They’re things to own.”

“Oh, honey, no.” Misty’s bright expression dimmed, and I instantly felt like a jerk for bringing her down. “I know it seems that way at first, and I remember having that same gut reaction to the wordproperty. But I’ve come to realize that it has nothing to do with looking down on women, or thinking we’re less than human. It has everything to do with the he-men around us who need to mark their territory to avoid constantly being at war with each other. That’s all.”

“I’m well aware of the ‘old lady’ lore of the biker world,” I assured her with all the confidence I didn’t feel, because whatever knowledge I had came from how Marvel had treated me, as well as a handful of movies. “I get it, really. I just don’t like it, because I’m also aware of the psychological effect of being referred to as something… I don’t know…lesser than. For instance, if a person is referred to as a dog, then on a subconscious level everyone starts to believe that’s exactly what that person is.”

“Shiloh, no.” With all her brightness now in full eclipse, Misty’s expression twisted into something like alarm. “You don’t really think Romeo sees you as a dog, do you?”

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