Page 15 of Nitro

The moment he’s gone, I push the blankets off my suddenly sweltering body. I grab the glass of water off the nightstand and chug the rest of it. My mouth’s still dry and my body’s a smoldering ruin, but there’s no way I’m going out there to get more water. I need a minute. Maybe ten. Maybe the rest of the day to cool down. If Nitro can set me on fire with one look, what the hell will he do to me if I ever let him put those big, sexy hands all over my body?

Chapter 5: Nitro

Having Holly in my arms just feels right. From the moment I met her, I knew she was different, always so sweet and so kind. Too nice, in some ways. She let the guys at the bar cross the line far too many times. We don’t typically tolerate men disrespecting women in our bar, but I couldn’t always be there to protect her. I finally put a stop to the harassment by teaching her how to defend herself from the creeps. She’s been fine ever since. I’d like to think my lessons helped bolster her courage. Hell, maybe I even played a part in her decision to leave her husband. Not for me, of course, but maybe she finally felt strong enough to stand up to him for the first time in her marriage. Practicing on the guys at the bar could have been the catalyst she needed. I’ll never know for sure, but my suspicions are usually right.

After closing my bedroom door, I motion to the prospect standing in the kitchen. When he comes over, I look him dead in the eye. “My woman’s in here resting. Don’t let anyone in except for the girls. If you have any trouble, call me. Got it?”

“Will do.” He gives me a respectful nod.

“Good.”

I head down the hall toward Matrix’s office. I need to bring him up to speed on what Holly told me about her accounts. Her husband had better hope I never get my hands on him because I’ll make him pay for what he did to her. The psychological torture of being totally financially dependent on someone else isbad enough. Adding physical abuse to that is unforgivable. He’ll get what’s coming to him. I’ll make sure of it.

“Oh, good. I was just about to come to get you,” Matrix says as he leans over his desk. He’s typing furiously, so I don’t interrupt. The dude’s always working. I’ve never seen him fucking around on message boards or checking out porn sites. He’s too busy making sure club business gets handled. I respect the hell out of his work ethic, so I wait.

After closing his laptop, he stands up and grabs his cut off the back of his chair. He slips it over his black, long-sleeved shirt. “Scar just came by. He’s calling Church in fifteen. I need a snack.”

“He’s calling it again? We just had Church.”

“Big news.”

“I’d better fuel up while I can.” I just had breakfast, but what the hell. There’s a lot going on.

When we walk into the kitchen, Crystal narrows her gaze at me. She turns her back on me and resumes washing dishes in the sink. I don’t know what the hell her problem is, but she’s annoying as hell. I wish Scar would get rid of her.

“Can I cook you boys anything?” Daisy asks in a sweet tone. Unlike Crystal’s trashy vibe, she has the innocent, farmer’s daughter look. Her long, brown hair is always tied forward at her shoulders with ribbons the same color as her t-shirt. All she wears are plain, single-colored shirts and jeans. According to the ID we checked, she’s twenty-eight, but I swear she’s no more than eighteen. Matrix did a background check and she’s indeed as old as she claims, but I still don’t buy it.

“If you’ve got it, I’ll take some bacon, biscuits, and gravy,” Matrix says.

“Coming right up. I just need to reheat the gravy and fry up some fresh bacon,” Daisy says.

“Scar’s going to be annoyed if you don’t order extra bacon for the group,” I say to Matrix.

“Nah. Right now, he’s too pissed off to care.”

“What’s he mad about?”

“If you didn’t eat breakfast, you might want to do it now.”

“Why?”

“Because what I’m going to tell you guys is going to make everyone sick. You won’t want to eat after.”

“Blackstone?” I guess.

“Is there anything else bad enough to take away our appetites?”

“What’s the news?” I open the fridge and grab a bottle of beer. I don’t normally drink this early, but any bad news about the man who terrorized us is excuse enough to ignore any day-drinking rules.

“Let’s grab a seat.” Matrix heads into the living room. He sits on the couch while I take a chair.

I lean forward and brace my elbows on my knees. “Spit it out. What’s Blackstone up to?”

“He’s moving here.”

“To Montana?”

“Yeah.”

---