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I dropped my gaze to my lap, blinking rapidly, hoping like hell I could hold back any tears of sadness or frustration that threatened to escape. I didn't want him to see me as weak or desperate, even if that was exactly how I felt at that moment. I should have expected this ending. Bones had never pretended to be anything other than the man who was gazing down at me with his dead-eyed stare and emotionless expression. I had given what he wanted willingly, almost desperately, so I had no one to blame but myself.
He took another step back and then just stood there, waiting. With an internal sigh, I stood up and brushed off the back of my spandex shorts, only just then remembering that I was wearing white. I hoped they weren't stained or ruined from sitting on the dirty bench. It wasn't until I bumped the tip of my finger against my leg that I felt a slight jolt of pain.
"Ow," I muttered, brought my finger close to my face to look at it in the dim light, and hissed under my breath. I hadn't felt the splinter as it happened, obviously too engrossed in what I had been doing at the time, but it had started to throb the moment the pain had registered in my brain.
My eyes were downcast while I studied the small splinter in my finger. When heavy boots entered my vision, I refused to look up. I wasn't willing to let Bones see how badly his rejection had hurt me. He reached for my hand, grasping it firmly in his tattooed fingers as he held it up to the yellow outdoor light. I darted a glance at his face, expecting that blank mask still in place, but was stunned when what I saw instead were concerned eyes that looked pained.
"I'm sorry," he said in a low voice, barely audible but clearly full of remorse.
"It's fine," I shrugged one shoulder, fighting the urge to yank my hand away. "It's just a splinter. I'll take care of it once I get back to the motel tonight." I bit my tongue on the impulse to tell him that he could carry on his night without the concern he was showing. Maybe a part of me was holding a grudge, that stubbornness I had rearing its head. After his reaction, I was feeling used and cheap, unlike the way I had when I'd brought him so much pleasure.
He jerked his gaze to mine, his jaw clenched tight, his eyes narrowing. Without another word, just one last look at the tiny piece of wood under my skin, he dropped my hand and stepped back again. He raised his arm, gesturing at me to walk ahead of him, so I did. I passed him with my chin up, refusing to show weakness. I could have sworn I heard him inhale deeply as I walked past his tall body. When I approached the door, I reached out to open it, but he got there before me, twisting the knob and jerking it open with a hard yank. I expected him to enter first and paused for it. But he stood back, gesturing again for me to enter first. The man managed to shock me on every level.
ChapterEleven
SALLY
The rest of the night went by in a blur as the hours passed swiftly. Several more fights went on as the bikers got drunker and more rowdy by the hour. By the time people began to filter out, my feet and back ached more than they ever had in my life. But every time I glanced down at my chest, I knew I would do it all over again in a heartbeat. My bra top was stuffed full of folded bills with denominations ranging from ones to twenties. It was bulky and uncomfortable, but I knew what that kind of cash could mean for my continued survival. I had four and a half months remaining until the trial would begin. This one night of having my boobs stuffed awkwardly with scratchy money meant even if I had to pack up and leave suddenly; I would be okay.
When the other girls and I finally stood by the van, ready to pile in, I was practically dead on my feet. For once, I couldn't wait to get back to my stinky motel room with the stale air and questionable stains. I was leaning against the dusty side of the vehicle with my eyes closed, waiting while everyone else climbed in when the fine hair on the back of my neck raised. I snapped my eyes open and subconsciously rubbed at the goosebumps that covered my arms while I glanced around nervously.
During the day, there was nothing but fields full of corn and pumpkins as far as the eye could see. In the dark, there was nothing but blackness. It had warning bells exploding in my head, the creep factor just dialing it up to ten. I looked back toward the bikes that were still parked, hoping to see Bones, knowing he would protect me even after the way he had distanced himself when our intimate moment was over. Unfortunately, only a few guys were left in the parking lot, smoking and talking shit to each other. The rest of the bikers were long gone. I had no choice but to shrug off the feeling and hope my nervous mind was just imagining things.
It was finally my turn to climb in, and I couldn't move fast enough, settling into the seat directly behind the front passenger. Kara was already laying her head back against the headrest, her breath evening out quickly. I wished I could sleep as easily as she seemed to be able to, but my mind was just too chaotic to shut down. The driver had the radio turned on low, a rock song I couldn't quite make out playing softly in the background as the girls around me tried to sleep. Instead of resting with them, I stared out into the darkness, my eyes itchy and dry.
The miles passed quickly. When the driver pulled up to the bar, everyone stumbled through the mostly empty bar to grab their belongings before heading straight back out to their cars with mumbled goodnights and tired waves.
Kara gave my shoulder a quick squeeze as she passed me.
"I'll see you later." She yawned, her mouth gaping open wide, then shook her head, blinking at me. "You did good tonight, hun."
I gave her a small smile as I pulled my pants on over my skimpy outfit. "Thanks. See you." With a final wave, she was gone, and I was left standing by myself in the back room, gathering my things.
My footsteps echoed as I briskly walked down the hall and into the main room. I let out a startled yelp when movement came from a table by the door. I puffed out a breath while grasping my chest, waiting for the panic to recede. "Holy shit, Mac!" I hadn't noticed the bartender sitting there when we had first arrived.
"Sorry to startle you, new girl. Are you the last one?" Mac stood up and stretched, then moved to the door while blinking red eyes.
"Umm, yes." I still had my hand pressed to my chest, willing my racing heart to calm.
"Are you okay?" He tilted his head as I stood there, gathering my scattered courage. I still needed to walk to the hotel, but after the slight scare he had just given me, added to the eerie feeling I'd had of being watched back at the warehouse, I dreaded making the trek home. Not that the dingy hotel room was home, but it was all I had for the next few months.
I gave a jerky nod and blew out a breath. I gave Mac a tight smile. "I'm good. You had just scared me. I wasn't expecting anyone to be sitting in the dark."
He shrugged while hiding another yawn behind the back of his hand. "Sorry," he apologized again. "I had to come back to wait for you all to come get your things so I could lock up."
I blew out a breath and nodded, my movements a little less jerky. "I understand. I'll see you later this evening."
"Okay, new girl. Get home safe." He closed the door behind me before I could give in and beg him to walk me to the motel. I hefted my bag higher on my shoulder and began to put one foot in front of the other while trying to convince myself that there was no reason to be scared. The town of Pumpkin Patch may seem spooky with all the Halloween decorations at times, but it really was just a quirky, fun tourist spot on the map. I had yet to see anything to be truly frightened of in the time I'd been staying there. I was betting that having a notorious biker club calling it home actually helped keep the crime level low.
As I walked, I started to relax as I breathed in the cool night air. It was only a couple of hours later than I usually headed home, and the only difference I noticed on the walk was that it was quieter than usual. By the time I had reached the motel room I'd been calling mine for the last couple of months, I had calmed enough to start feeling the lethargy pulling at me. As much as I desperately wanted to shower the night away, I could barely keep my eyes open. I ended up shrugging off all my clothes, not caring as wads of cash fell to the floor. I dropped face-first onto the hard mattress and hugged the extra pillow to my chest. Within seconds, I was out.
The sound of a motorcycle engine pulled me from an exhausted, dreamless sleep. I blinked blearily at the red lights of the small clock on the nightstand to see I had only been out for an hour. Once the sound of the engine faded, I fell right back into sleep.
It was only another half hour later when another motorcycle rumbled past the motel, jerking me awake again. It wasn't a common occurrence at that time in the morning. I sleepily wondered if it was some of the guys just getting back from the warehouse. I huffed out an irritated sigh and turned over onto my other side.
A few hours later, my phone ringing had me reaching out to aimlessly slap my hand around in the general location where it usually sat until I made contact with the cool surface. With a bleary squint at the screen, I swiped my finger across it and muttered out a raspy "hello," then cleared my throat and tried again.
"Hello?"
