She studied him for a long moment, and then she stroked a light finger over his jaw, her voice soft, as if they were alone and not in the bar with the Sinners watching them and Tank and Ally sitting at their table. Like she’d forgiven him for leaving her. “You’re lucky I understand your bossy, evil biker ways.”
Yes! Forgiven. Holt heaved a sigh of relief. “I’m gonna take you back to the clubhouse and show you just how evil I can be.” He covered her hand with his, and pressed his lips to her fingertips. Her sharp intake of breath made him instantly hard. And suddenly it all didn’t matter. Viper. Michael. His status in the club. All he wanted was this woman who took away the pain and the darkness; who made him feel whole again.
“I’m not going anywhere until I get a proper apology.”
Holt hooked his boot around Naiya’s chair leg and dragged her toward him, feeling a power and confidence he hadn’t felt before. He liked how the brothers had deferred to him when he walked into the stock room, and how they stood aside as he dealt with the fed. He liked that they’d looked after Naiya and that Tank had been standing guard. He liked that they didn’t treat him like a junior patch but as a man to be respected. And he liked that he would have this woman by his side—strong and determined, fiercely intelligent, highly capable, and yet willing to accept his need to take control.
“Holt!” Naiya’s eyes widened when he yanked her chair forward, but a smile played across her lips. “What’s got into you?”
“Want my woman close so I can protect her.” He slid an arm around her waist, stroked the curve of her hip.
“More like you want to feel her up in public.” She gave him a sideways glance that made him laugh out loud.
“That, too.” He leaned forward, pressed his lips to her ear. “What happened with that agent will never happen again.”
“Apology accepted.” She cupped his face between her hands and kissed him long and hard.
Ally fanned herself with her hand. “I thought I was coming here for a pity talk. Now I’m thinking I shoulda brought Doug along for a little hotel loving ’cause I don’t know how I’m gonna drive home with Maurice in the condition I’m in after watching you two. Hopefully he drinks too much at that bar down the street where you left him to drown his sorrows, and sleeps all the way home.”
Tank gave Holt a quizzical look. “So, you being here … Does that mean you’re back with the club and you’re gonna come with us to the rally?”
“I came back for Naiya,” Holt said. “Nothing has changed my plan to go after Viper.”
Tank stared at him aghast. “You’re gonna take her with you?”
Fuck no. He wasn’t letting Naiya anywhere near Viper. But to keep her safe he either had to rely on the Sinners or let her go, and the latter was no longer an option. “I gotta think things through. Then I’ll make a decision.”
“A decision that involves me.” Naiya nuzzled his neck, distracting him. “If you’re going after Viper, I’m coming, too. Actually, Ally and I were going to the rally anyway. Doug will be there giving support to the Sandy Lake sheriff’s office. We’re going to keep a lookout for a biker wearing a Skull Mark ring.”
“We are?” A frown creased Ally’s brow, smoothing away when Naiya gave her a nudge. “I mean, yes we are. We talked about it … over the phone. Earlier today. I love bike rallies. Lots of … dangerous bikers and bikes and rings.” She gave an apologetic shrug. “I think.”
“It might be dangerous,” Naiya continued. “You should probably teach me how to use a gun.”
Was she fucking crazy? Give her a gun and let her go with him? “No.”
“No?” She lifted an eyebrow. “How are you going to stop me?”
“I said no and I mean no.” Holt looked over at Tank for a little support. Maybe his brother would look after Naiya while he did what had to do. There was nobody he trusted more. “Tank?”
But Tank stared at his phone, his face pale and drawn.
Holt picked up on the tension in Tank’s shoulders and leaned across the table. “What’s wrong, brother?”
“It’s nothing. Just…” His gaze flicked to Naiya and then back to Holt. “Nothing.”
With a discrete nod of understanding, Naiya stood and gestured to Ally. “Next round is on me. I’ll need some help at the bar, and I can introduce you to Banks. You’ll like him. He’s got the whole taciturn mysterious bartender vibe thing going on. I dare you to make him laugh.”
After the girls left, Holt pulled his chair closer to Tank. “Talk to me.”
Tank’s head jerked up and hope flared in his eyes. “You’re still not putting on the cut?”
“Doesn’t feel right,” Holt said. “I don’t know if it ever will.”
“So you’re not a Sinner?”
Holt didn’t know where Tank was going with this, but perversely he seemed to take comfort in the fact Holt wasn’t presently a member of the club, so he ran with it. “I haven’t handed in my cut to Jagger, and he hasn’t taken it from me. But I’m not wearing it, so I’m not bound by the rules.”