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The van turned down a road, making my body sway with the momentum. I opened my eyes to peer out into the darkness. There didn't seem to be anything for miles around. After a couple more minutes, though, I caught a glimpse of lights in the distance.
I knew I wasn't fully prepared for what the night would bring, but at least it was a change from the norm. I glanced down at my wrist and traced a finger lightly over the temporary tattoo there. It was easy to tell up close that it was fake, but since it was to help keep unwanted attention away, I hoped that it would do the job. I didn't know what would happen once we arrived, but I assumed it would be similar to waitressing at the bar. In other words, a lot of drunk, horny bikers that would be showing off for their friends, acting like idiots, and trying their luck with all the girls.
My standoffish attitude had helped the regulars at the bar see early on that I wasn't interested in having a good time with them. Over the last month, they had all learned to keep their hands off me. I was sure the display that first night back hadn't hurt either. Not with the way Bones had come to my rescue.
I rarely saw him outside of the shadows, where he tended to lurk. The white of the bones tattooed on his skin were almost eerie with the way they were all that could be seen in the darkness. As if there really was a skeleton watching me.
There was a yearning I felt in my belly whenever I looked up to see his black eyes fixed on me. I wanted to lean forward as if it would bring us closer together. Feeling his touch for the first time had ignited something inside of me I wasn't ready to name.
The van rolled to a jerky stop, and I gasped at the sight of the parking lot that was already filled nearly to capacity with what looked like hundreds of bikes. The other girls had been talking quietly amongst themselves as I sat alone in the back but grew louder in their excitement while doing a final clothing and makeup check. There would be a few more of us, but some of the girls had chosen to ride with the guys on the back of their motorcycles. Looking at the number of motorcycles in the lot, I hoped the other clubs had also brought plenty of help.
Kara turned to me, an assessing gaze eyeing me. "You good?"
I merely nodded as they started to climb out. I waited for the van to clear so I could stand up, hunched over, and make my way to the door. As I stepped down gingerly where Kara waited for me, she hooked her elbow with mine and began to lead me to the wide-open double doors that were the entrance to the rather huge metal warehouse building.
"It's going to be wild inside. I hope you're ready. Remember, there are rules. No guys are allowed to force you to do anything you don't want to do. The tattoo is there to declare that you belong to the Nightmares, but even without it, they aren't supposed to give you a hard time. Unfortunately, the clubs that will be here tonight aren't as strict as ours. That means, sometimes, it takes more than one no."
She looked down at me with serious eyes. I was hesitant to hear whatever else she had to say, but I got the feeling that it was necessary. "There is a club in the neighboring county that has always been a little… darker than most. They are the Boogeymen. They have been the Nightmares' top rivals forever, and whenever there is a major dispute, they are almost always the cause. They would take over the whole region if it were up to them. Bones, along with the other presidents, have kept them in check, stopping drugs from flooding our streets and preventing trafficking. Each club has its own territories that no other club can invade without a war breaking out. That means there are things that they do that the Nightmares can't stop–unless it spills over across county lines. This warehouse is called The Four Corners and is on the edge of Nightmare territory, right where the other counties meet. It is considered neutral territory, so even if the Boogeymen want to break them, they have to follow the rules if they don't want three other clubs to go to war with them."
She pulled me to a stop just outside the doors as the other girls passed through, tossing hair over their shoulders and swaying their hips, ready to get to work. "Just stay away from them, okay? If they realize you aren't actually Nightmare property, they might try to press their luck. Look for a Nightmare and get his attention, okay?" She stared me down until I nodded my agreement. "If they manage to get you outside and away from witnesses, you could disappear, and the Nightmares would have a difficult time convincing them to give you back."
My breath started coming in short pants as I tried not to panic at what she said. "Why would they bring me here if I was in danger?" I didn't like the way my heart rate had sped up, and I could feel cold sweat trickling down my back.
"I'm not trying to scare you, Sally. But you need to know how important it is for you to stay away from them, okay?"
I hesitated before nodding. I took a look over my shoulder, but I knew I wouldn't find a way back to town. All I could do was follow her instructions and hope that the night went smoothly. Mac had said the club needed my help, but I couldn't help but feel a small flare of anger that they had been okay with putting me in this position.
Kara turned back to the doors and tugged me along with her. "I promise everything will be okay. The fights are actually really fun to work. The tips are amazing."
"Fights?" It wasn't until we were several feet through the doors and into the lit interior that I saw the large ring in the middle of the floor. It looked just like a boxing ring seen on the television, except the dingy white floor was stained in many places. There were no chairs around the ring, just picnic benches spread evenly throughout the building, except for a large, bare space around the center to allow spectators to stand and watch up close.
I saw bars set along each wall, similar to the one at the Devil's Bar. There were already bikers standing behind them serving drinks to the crowd that had grown even larger since we'd entered. As I stood there, taking everything in with a bit of awe, more motorcycle engines could be heard coming up the long road.
"The guys fight here?"
Kara giggled. "It's really hot, you'll see. Every guy wants to be the one to win, but there's only been one undefeated reigning champion for a few years now."
"Who is it?" I thought of the bikers with the Devil's Nightmares. Lock was cold and sinister. He was muscular but slender, and I didn't think he'd be big enough to beat some of the guys I saw walking around the warehouse. He was too wiry. Even if he were fast, a few good hits and he'd be out. There was really only one Nightmare I could think of that was big and strong, but there was no way…
"Bones, the President of the Devil's Nightmares, of course!" She tossed me a wink before dragging me across the room to the far right side of the warehouse. I recognized the two guys manning the bar as a couple of the prospects who sometimes helped out at work. I hadn't really talked to either one of them, but they were always polite to me.
Kara leaned her head closer and lowered her voice. "When the guys are done with their fights, they are always fired up from all that adrenaline, you know?"
I blinked at her, not getting what she seemed to be hinting at. She giggled again and gave me a playful push. "You really are an innocent little thing, aren't you?" I blushed but refused to take the bait. She huffed in exasperation and pulled me closer, talking right into my ear. "They are always looking for a fuck after a fight. Fucking a biker when he's high on adrenaline?" She waved a hand in front of her face. "Fucking hot."
I held up my hands and shook my head emphatically. "Not interested."
"That's damn a shame for you, because it's the best sex I've ever had."
A thought hit me, and my face got even hotter. I was sure my cheeks matched my hair, even through the thick makeup I was wearing to cover my scars. "Does Bones…" I couldn't finish the thought. I had never seen him even look at another woman while he'd been around. He was always lurking in the dark after the bar closed, only coming out of his office to dump the stupid mop water for me, just to disappear again. But he was always alone.
Kara was already shaking her head without me needing to continue. "No, never. He always grabs a whiskey and heads to his table." She indicated an empty table near the bar with a tilt of her head. "But, between you and me, that boy needs to get laid." She looked around quickly as if to see if anyone was within hearing distance and might have heard her talking shit about the president. "Just, maybe don't mention to anyone I said that?"
I burst into giggles, surprising myself, before clamping a hand over my mouth to stifle them. I couldn't remember the last time I had laughed at anything. But seeing Kara look around, full of worry that someone would have overheard that their president needed to get laid? It made me feel lighter, almost relieved. Hell, I was lying to myself because the feeling of tingles in my belly was definitely relief to know that he hadn't been sleeping with any of the club girls.
Together, we walked up to the bar and grabbed a tray each, ready to get the night started. The room was already getting full. Nearly all the bikers I recognized had filled in the section of the warehouse that seemed to be designated as the Nightmares. Some were wandering around the other clubs, shaking hands or just talking. It was good to see that they seemed to get along well without a lot of animosity. I had been a little afraid that there would be a lot of fistfights and rivalry, but it was as if they were colleagues of a sort. Similar to rival businesses that had respect for each other.
I began the night like any other, walking from table to table, taking drink orders and cash, pocketing tips that appeared to be a little more generous than they usually were. The guys were all respectful, barely talking more than to give me their orders and to thank me.
