Page 60 of The Biker's Second Chance
“Don’t touch me, caveman,” she snaps, tossing her hair like it is supposed to mean something. “My name’s Mariah. And unlike you idiots, I actually know people. Important people. People Xavier cares about.”
That gets my attention. The laughter dies quick. Every eye in the room snaps to her. She smirks like she just won a prize.
“Yeah, that’s right,” she purrs. “I’ve got contacts. Numbers. Things you dumbasses wouldn’t know how to use if they were tattooed on your foreheads.”
Rumble rolls his eyes so hard I think they might get stuck. “Lady, the only contacts you’ve got are in your purse and they’re colored blue.”
Mariah gasps again, pressing a hand to her chest. “Are you insulting me? Do you know how many men would crawl on their knees just to lick my shoes clean?”
“Yeah, because they’re drunk and your tits are hanging out,” Rumble fires back. “That ain’t a skill, sweetheart. That’s gravity.”
Torch is laughing so hard he slides halfway out of his chair. Even Lash cracks a grin.
Mariah rounds on Rumble, jabbing a manicured finger into his chest. “You are a Neanderthal. A brute. An absolute embarrassment to mankind.”
“And you,” Rumble snaps, “are a walking advertisement for bad decisions.”
They are nose to nose now, both red-faced, both refusing to back down. It is ridiculous. Completely ridiculous.
“Enough,” Leo finally says, but he is smirking. He looks at me. “You gonna do something about this?”
I step forward, keeping my voice calm even though inside I am itching for this woman to stop wasting time. “Alright, Mariah. You’ve got five minutes. Make them count.”
She straightens, brushing her hair back like she is posing for a camera. Her gaze flicks to me, sizing me up. She tilts her chin, bratty as hell. “Finally. Someone with actual authority. Good to know this place isn’t just a boy’s club.”
Rumble mutters under his breath, “Oh, it’s a club alright. You’re just not the kind of member we recruit.”
Mariah ignores him, planting a hand on her hip. “Here’s the deal. Xavier’s men? They’re sloppy. They like to brag. Especially to me. Because, well…” She gestures down her body. “They think I’m easy. Joke’s on them. I’m expensive.”
“Jesus Christ,” Rumble groans. “Can we get a translator for the delusional?”
Mariah spins to glare at him. “I’ll have you know, I’ve survived on my wits and my charm. That’s more than you can say.”
“Lady, you’ve survived on vodka cranberries and men dumb enough to buy them for you,” Rumble shoots back.
"I already told you my name is Mariah, but you can call me Princess if you like" She gives his a too sweet smile and he rolls his eyes. It's not very often I see Rumble on the bad side of a woman. It's a treat in this shitty day.
Lash chuckles. “He’s not wrong.”
Mariah whirls around again, pointing a finger like she is about to cast a spell. “One more word out of you, caveman, and I swear?—”
“What? You’ll blind me with your highlighter?” Rumble cuts in.
The room erupts in laughter again, but I raise a hand to silence it. Enough. She is loud, bratty, entitled, but I can see something underneath it. She knows something.
“Mariah,” I say, drawing her attention back. “You’ve got information. Start talking.”
Her lips curl into a smug smile. “Now we’re getting somewhere.”
And just like that, for the first time since Zero went down, I feel the bones of a plan starting to take shape.
But the question stays lodged in my chest. How the hell do we draw Xavier out when we know he is already hunting us?
CHAPTER 33
DOCK OF WOMEN
SPIKE
