Page 8 of Hellfire

He assured me, “Fine, kitty Kat.”

My shoulders sagged with relief. I’ll deal with that later, but I was in the clear for now, and that was all that mattered. Stepping out into a parking lot full of bikes, nerves took over. Snake must have noticed, because he slowed his gait to match mine and took my hand, squeezing it slightly.

“Can I ask you something?”

“Ya just did,” Snake teased.

Chuckling, I slapped his arm. He seemed to be the jokester of the club.

“Will someone be able to take us back to my car?”

“‘Course someone will take ya. Why don’t we get you somethin’ to eat first? Hmm?”

I nodded, feeling shy.

“Come on then,” he said as he tugged on my hand, leading me toward the small bar.

Every head in the bar swiveled our way. I sucked in a sharp breath at all the attention. There were at least thirty people all watching me. The men wore leather jackets, and the women were dressed in barely there clothing—some in jean shorts, some in cocktail dresses.

“Don’t worry. We don’t bite,” Snake whispered, pushing me forward on the small of my back. When everyone returned to their conversations, it gave me a small sense of relief.

“Mama!” Leona’s high-pitched voice squealed.

She darted around a waitress and rushed into me, almost knocking me over. I attempted to hide the wince, but my little girl was perceptive. I was sure the blood on my neck hadn’t gone unnoticed, either.

“Hey Leona, are you okay?” I asked, pulling her into my arms.

She studied my appearance, but didn’t question me. I was relieved but also saddened that my eight-year-old was so used to seeing her mama beaten and bruised that it didn’t affect her anymore.

“Yeah, Steele has been playing with me.”

I followed her gaze to a man sitting at the bar. His enormous frame hunched over, and his elbows rested on his knees as he watched us.

What is it with these bikers? Every one of them is fit and large. Apart from Snake, he is short by comparison.

“Yo, Snake!” someone called out from the opposite end of the bar.

“I need to let the crew know what’s goin’ on. Plus, Pres will want to host church when he gets back.”

Without giving me time to respond, he took off. I watched him for a moment, greeting everyone as he passed. One girl with long red hair hung off his arm as he talked to an older gentleman, who I assumed called him over.

“Mama,” Leona said, tugging on my arm. “Come meet my friend Steele.”

I followed behind her, feeling uncomfortable. At least she seemed excited to be here. My little girl was an excellent judge of character.

I couldn’t take my eyes off Steele as we approached the bar. His smile was broad and welcoming, with small dimples that weakened my knees. His mahogany skin was flawless and smooth, with sharp cheekbones and a perfect five o’clock shadow that outlined a sharp jaw and chiseled chin.

“Steele, this is my mama,” Leona said proudly.

“Hey.” My voice was breathier than I would have liked.

Get it together, Katrina.

“Nice to meet you.”

He held out a hand for me to take, his fingertips calloused and rough. The contrast against my smooth skin had the butterflies in my belly fluttering into overdrive.

“Leona, why don’t we go get your mama something to eat?” asked an older woman with long, blonde hair.

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