Slash (Devil's Fury MC 7) Read online

  The dressing room door slammed open and Ben came in, something wrapped in a tissue in his hand. His face was florid, and his eyes bulged. Had someone brought drugs into the club? He might let the girls do what they wanted for cash in the back rooms, but he had a no drugs policy. He didn’t want his dancers strung out on cocaine or worse. Or was it even worse and someone had left a used condom lying around? I think I’d prefer the drugs.

  “Who the fuck does this belong to?” he demanded and threw something on the ground. I gasped when I saw it was my pregnancy test. The girls at my back all denied it belonging to them, and Ben’s gaze bore into me. “You were in the bathroom right before your performance. Something you need to say?”

  “I-I… It’s mine.” No point denying it. He’d find out sooner or later. Like when I started to show.

  I felt Slash’s reaction. The temperature in the room dropped twenty degrees and I felt like a deer being stalked by a wolf. He lifted me into his arms, grabbed my purse, and headed for the rear entrance. “She quits.”

  As much as I wanted to argue, there wasn’t any point. Ben would have fired me anyway. Slash carried me to his bike, which I noticed was next to my car. So he’d known for sure I was here even before he saw me. Just how much had he seen before he forced me off the stage? Not that it mattered. He’d already watched the webcam show, which was way worse. I knew he was my dad’s best friend, and now…

  “You’re going to tell my dad, aren’t you?” I asked.

  He eased me down beside my car and reached up to gently cup my cheek. “Baby, it’s time to go home. We’ll go get some food and talk, just like I said we would, but I’m not leaving you here. You can’t run anymore, Shella.”

  I nodded and got into my car. He started up his bike and followed me out of the parking lot. He’d mentioned a burger and fries so I drove straight to the diner near my apartment. It wasn’t in the best part of town, but the food was amazing, and I adored the woman who ran the place. If I’d had a grandma, I’d imagined she’d have been a lot like Ruth.

  Slash took my arm and led me inside. We settled into my favorite booth and I handed Slash a menu from behind the napkin dispenser. Since I always ordered the same thing, I didn’t bother with one. He skimmed over it a moment and put it back.

  Ruth bustled over, a bright smile on her face. “If it isn’t my favorite customer! And you finally listened to me and brought a date.”

  I opened my mouth to deny it was a date, but Slash reached across the table and gently squeezed my hand. “It’s long overdue,” he said.

  I couldn’t have said anything if I’d wanted to. What was he doing? Why would he pretend this was a date?

  “I know she wants a sweet tea but what about you, handsome?” Ruth asked.

  “The same. I think we’re ready to order our food as well.”

  Slash rattled off his order and I managed to find my voice and told Ruth I wanted my usual. She walked off, leaving us alone again. I wasn’t sure what to think or say now that we didn’t have a buffer. He was right about one thing, though. I should have called home more often. It was horrible of me not to, but… I had my reasons. Mostly that I was ashamed of myself.

  “What if I’m not welcome?” I asked. “What if no one wants me back? You can’t sit there and tell me they weren’t happy to see me go.”

  He squeezed my hand. “You were being a brat. Spoiled. Selfish. Can you blame everyone for being angry with you? Griz asked you to visit your half-sister with the Devil’s Boneyard for a reason. He thought you needed some time to cool down, and he hoped you’d find a new perspective while you were gone. It was never his intention for you to leave and never return. I think you broke his heart.”

  “I caused so much trouble,” I said. “My head was all over the place, and when I found out Lilian was pregnant, it just all bubbled up. I honestly thought someone had hurt her. She’d always been so hesitant around men I couldn’t imagine her willingly having sex with someone.”

  “And after? When Griz took in those other girls, he worried you’d act out. Maybe make them feel unwelcome. You’d never been like that before.”

  He was a little too insightful. I wasn’t ready to tell him everything. I wasn’t sure I’d ever be ready. There were things no one knew, things I’d never share. At least, I didn’t plan to. I wanted to take my secrets to the grave. What good would come of confessing anything now?

  “Shella, what’s going on, baby? I can tell by the look in your eyes you’re hurting, but I don’t know why. No one wanted you to stay gone. You have to know we all wanted you to come home.”

  “It’s nothing,” I said, looking away.

  Slash reached up and gently gripped my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Talk to me. I can’t help if I don’t know what’s going on.”

  “Just some stuff… from before I left. There was a reason I took off and didn’t come back, and it wasn’t just because I felt unwanted. Although, I did feel that way a little bit. Looking back, I understand why Dad wanted me to leave. And I can never tell Lilian enough times how sorry I am for what happened to her. If I’d kept my mouth shut, she’d have never run off.”

  “Baby, you can’t change the past. Worrying over it won’t do anyone any good.” His thumb smoothed along the line of my jaw. “What made you want to leave and never come back?”

  “I can’t. Please, Slash. I just… I can’t talk about it.”

  He leaned back in the booth and sighed. “Fine. Then let’s talk about the baby in your belly. Whose is it? Or do you even know?”

  I felt the blood drain from my face. Wow. Way to make me feel like a whore. Then again, if he’d watched my webcam show he’d seen me with Owen and Riley, and he probably thought I did stuff like that all the time. Then he found me in a strip club that offered special services on the side. I could understand why he’d think so poorly of me, since most people would, but it still hurt. If anyone could understand people doing whatever was necessary to survive, it should be the Devil’s Fury.

  “Doesn’t matter. The baby is mine. That will have to be enough.”

  “He has a right to know,” Slash said.

  “If I tell him, it could ruin his life. I won’t do that to him. He didn’t ask for this.”

  Slash snorted. “Neither did you. Yet here you are, pregnant and alone.”

  He wasn’t wrong. I could barely support myself much less a baby. I knew some people would say I should give the baby up for adoption, but there was no guarantee it would find a loving family. And deep down, I knew I’d miss my kid. I might not have the first clue about how to be a mom, but I knew I wanted a chance to prove I wasn’t as big a fuckup as my mother had been.

  “Is there even room for me at home?” I asked. “If I go with you, do I have a bedroom at Dad’s house still? Or has he taken in more wayward teen girls?”

  It wouldn’t surprise me to hear he had a houseful. I hadn’t been the first he’d adopted, and I knew I wouldn’t be the last. Grizzly was a big scary-looking guy who happened to have a heart of gold. He couldn’t stand to hear about a kid suffering. He wasn’t my biological dad, but he’d been great to me.

  Slash smiled. “Well, he definitely keeps a full house. And you know as well as I do that he only takes in those who wouldn’t survive on their own. He saved you, Lilian, Adalia, and the two living in his house right now. I have a feeling he’ll keep bringing home strays until the day he draws his last breath. It’s just who he is.”

  “That didn’t answer my question. Not really.”

  “When did you talk to him last?” he asked.

  I shrugged. “A while ago. I kept it short in case he tried to trace the call.”

  “Your dad stepped down. He’s not the President of Devil’s Fury anymore. Badger is. Griz wanted to focus on the girls, and I think he was honestly tired of all the political bullshit and fighting we seem to constantly deal with.”

  He’d stepped down? I didn’t even know what to think of that. He’d been the President of Devil
’s Fury since before I’d come into his life. I’d thought the club was his entire world, and he’d just walked away? Well, maybe not that exactly, but he’d given up his spot as President? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

  Ruth dropped off our drinks and food, patting my shoulder as she walked off. I’d have to remember to give her a nice tip. She’d always been so sweet to me. If I did leave, I’d miss her.

  “Eat up, baby. When we’re done, we’ll get some sleep because in the morning we’re loading your shit into your car and going home. And don’t even fucking think about arguing with me.”

  I ate my food and tried not to worry about what would happen when I got back home. Not only did I not know where I’d stay, but I’d have to tell my dad I was pregnant. I wasn’t sure it was going to be a happy family reunion. What if I got back to Blackwood Falls only to find out I didn’t have a home there anymore? At least here I had my apartment for a short while longer. There I’d be alone, without a job, and no place to stay.

  After we ate, Slash paid the bill and I noticed he left Ruth a fifty percent tip. It made me feel warm inside that he’d made sure to take care of her. Slash followed me to my apartment, and I heard him muttering about drug dealers and gangs as we walked up the steps. I knew it wasn’t exactly the Ritz, but it had been all I could afford. I pushed open the door and went inside, Slash right on my heels. He shut and locked the door before scanning the place.

  “Anything you need to do before bed?” he asked.

  “No.” He motioned for me to leave the room. I walked over to the bedroom, flipping on the light as I stepped into the room.

  I didn’t bother shutting the door. It wasn’t like he hadn’t already seen me mostly naked tonight. And completely naked when he’d found that damn website. I stripped out of my clothes and reached into the rickety dresser for my pajamas. After I pulled the cami over my head, I stepped into the shorts. The silky material caressed my skin and made me feel sexy.

  I felt his hands at my waist and tipped my head back to look up at him.

  “You like playing with fire?” he asked.

  “Sometimes.”

  “Hope you like getting burned. Get your ass in the bed, Shella.”

  I turned off the light and crawled into bed, more tired than I’d realized. Sleep tugged at me almost the second my head hit the pillow. Until I heard the sounds of him removing his clothes. I leaned up on my elbow, trying to see him in the dark.

  “What are you doing?” I asked.

  “Going to bed.”

  “The couch is in the living room,” I pointed out.

  “So it is. Not where I plan to sleep, baby. Only way I can guarantee you won’t bolt is if you sleep in my arms. You like to cuddle, right? Because if not, this is going to be an uncomfortable night.”

  I gaped at him, not sure what to think. Slash slid into bed and just as he’d said he would, he pulled me into his arms. The smell of him surrounded me and I fought the urge to burrow into him. Why did he have to smell so incredible? Musk, oil, and leather all rolled up together. It had always been my weakness.

  “Night, Shella,” he murmured, already sounding tired.

  “Goodnight, Slash.”

  “Talon,” he murmured. “My name is Talon.”

  Everything in me went still. Talon. A biker didn’t share his name unless it meant something. I just wasn’t sure what that might be. I liked the way I felt all warm inside that he’d trusted me with his given name. Maybe a little too much.

  I’d secretly had a crush on the older man ever since I’d gone to live with the Devil’s Fury. One I’d thought I’d outgrown. Until now.

  Out of the frying pan and into the fire.

  He was right. I was going to get burned.

  Chapter Two

  Slash

  Waking up to an armful of Shella wasn’t the worst way to start my day. Ignoring my morning wood, however, was another matter. She’d snuggled into me during the night, and in sleep, she looked sweet and angelic. Nothing like the sex goddess I’d seen on the webcam show, or the stripper I’d watched last night. So which was the real Shella? And what had sent her down this path?

  I’d always trusted my instincts and right now mine were screaming that something bad had happened to her. Was it before she came to the Devil’s Fury? Under our watch? Or since she’d run off? I needed to regain her trust and hoped she’d open up to me. The girl who had come to live with Grizzly had been sweet, a little shy, and independent. It was clear she still wanted to stand on her own two feet, but over the last few years she’d gone wild, and even downright mean at times.

  Why hadn’t I noticed the changes sooner? Or rather, I’d noticed, but why hadn’t I questioned them? I ran my hand down her back, trying to figure out what could have happened. She’d seemed happy enough, always running off with her friends.

  I reached down and grabbed my discarded jeans off the floor and yanked my phone from the pocket. Grizzly needed to know she was all right, and that I was bringing her home. Found Shella. Bringing her with me.

  Straight forward and to the point. I didn’t have to wait long before I got a response.

  She can’t stay here. I don’t have the space.

  What the fuck? I knew Grizzly had kept a room open for Shella. What had changed? Or was he still pissed at her? Lilian had forgiven her, and I’d thought Grizzly had too. It was possible he was hurt and angry she’d run and not come home. Still, it didn’t seem quite like him.

  Why not? I hit send and waited to see if he’d answer. If he was angry with her, there wasn’t much I could do about it. I hoped that wasn’t the case.

  The dots appeared a minute before his response. Have three girls now. Marissa, Carlotta, and Sheena.

  Who the fuck was Sheena? I knew Marissa and Carlotta had been staying with him for a while now. They’d arrived with Dagger and Guardian’s woman, along with several others. But when I’d left nearly a month ago in an attempt to track down Shella, he hadn’t had anyone else living there.

  Griz might not be the President anymore, but I wasn’t going to question him. Well, more than I already had. If he didn’t have room and had three girls, then… she’d just have to come to my house. And I’d have to try really fucking hard to remember to keep my damn hands to myself. Even weeks after seeing her webcam show I still yanked one out, imagining it was her. The image of her getting herself off had burned itself into my brain. Now I’d have her little striptease from last night stuck in there too.

  I eased away from her and stood next to the bed, stretching out my back as it cracked and popped. Getting old was a bitch. While Shella slept a little longer, I took my time and checked out her place, trying to get an idea of what we’d need to pack. The furniture wasn’t going. No fucking way it would fit in her car, but the rest… Well, there wasn’t much else to the place.

  A small bookcase held about a dozen paperbacks, all romances from what I could tell. She had a picture of her and Lilian in a frame on top. The stuff in her kitchen was minimal. Her dishes and cups were cheap plastic, and her silverware looked like the stuff at the dollar store. She had one skillet, one pot, and one baking sheet. How the fuck did she make do with so little? For that matter, why didn’t she have more?

  I went back to the bedroom and checked out her dresser and closet, noting there wasn’t much in either. A handful of casual clothes, stuff it looked like she wore on dates or to work, and three pairs of shoes. The most she had were pajamas, and every damn one was as sexy as what she’d put on last night.

  “What have you been up to?” I muttered to myself. None of it made any sense. I knew she’d had more than this when she left home. Her car had been packed to the point of overflowing. So where was everything?

  It wouldn’t take long to pack all this stuff, but depending how the day went, we might have to leave tomorrow. I’d already been gone roughly four weeks. One more day wouldn’t hurt anything. I’d just have to make sure Shella didn’t try to run on me.

  I heard t
he toilet flush and looked up to see her watching me. I hadn’t even heard her get up, or noticed she wasn’t still asleep in bed.

  “We need to get some boxes,” I said.

  She disappeared into her closet and came back out with four flattened boxes and a roll of tape. Where the hell had she hidden those? Her closet didn’t look big enough to hold boxes and her clothes. And how often had she moved around to just keep that shit handy? I’d known it wasn’t easy to track her down, but I didn’t like the thought of her living her life one second to the next, never knowing where she’d be calling home later that week.

  I took the boxes and tape from her, quickly putting them together. Handing her one, I held onto it a little longer, my gaze catching hers. “We need to talk, Shella.”

  “Not now, Slash.”

  “What did I say last night?” I asked, my voice going soft. I didn’t like the thought of her calling me by my road name like everyone else. No matter if she was hands-off, it still felt wrong. Shella wasn’t just anyone.

  She flashed me a shy smile. “Talon.”

  Fuck but I loved hearing my name on her lips. A little too much.

  “I’ll start on the living room. You pack your stuff in here. I’d like to hit the road this afternoon.”

  She worried at her lower lip. “Will we make it in just one afternoon?”

  “No. We’ll stay at a hotel overnight. So keep a few things out and I can shove them in my saddlebags.”

  Shella shifted from foot to foot. “We could stay here tonight and just leave in the morning. Or maybe in a few days. There’s no rush, right?”

  I set the box aside and reached for her, tugging her closer. I cupped her cheek and forced her to hold my gaze. “Baby, what’s wrong?”

  She sighed and shook her head, closing her eyes. As much as I wanted to give her whatever time she needed, it was clear she didn’t want to go home. I had a feeling if I hadn’t come for her, she might have never come back. It had to be more than Grizzly asking her to leave for a bit.