Dauntless (Sons of Templar MC #5)(22)

“We never see women as property, flower. Not our club. Women aren’t possessions to be owned and traded. Any f*cker who thinks that is someone who needs to taste lead,” he declared hotly.

Despite my best efforts, my gaze flickered to Lucky, then just as quickly flickered back to the floor. Because his gaze was still hot on me, seeing too much while at the same time not seeing enough.

If he saw enough, I’d be free from the chains I was already seeking solace in.

“And who are these specific… f*ckers?” Lily asked.

I grinned inwardly at Lily’s curse. She never cursed. The word sounded comical coming out of her mouth.

Lucky let out a choked sound. We all looked at him. Well, I didn’t look at him, just in his general vicinity, I was careful to avoid his eyes. He waved his hand at the group.

“Sorry, shit. I’m well aware of the need to teach these f*ckers a serious lesson, but I wasn’t even sure you could utter the word ‘f*ck,’ Lily,” he spoke my thoughts, like he’d plucked them right out of my head.

This was getting freaky. And not in the good way.

“You know Bex’s boss?” Asher asked Lily.

I was glad for the change of subject, though not at the way it was steering into reality. My ugly one. I didn’t need to reveal that in front of my new friend and my… Lucky.

Not mine. No.

Lily nodded. “I’ve had the displeasure.”

“The strip club serves as a recruiting tool for his main business, peddling flesh,” Asher stated.

I swallowed bile, but knew I shouldn’t be surprised. These bikers were part of the biggest motorcycle club in the state, and they had their very own strip club. They had to know what their competition was up to.

Lily nodded at this.

I hated that, that she was exposed to this shit. Women like Lily weren’t born to be rubbing shoulders with women like me. With the realities that were too rough for her fragile skin. Though she wasn’t weak. She was stronger than me.

“You knew?” Asher asked, surprise clear on his face.

“No, but I’m not surprised. That guy gave me the serious heebie-jeebies,” she replied, her eyes zeroed in on me. The concern in them was painful. “Bex?” she probed, like she needed to know that I wasn’t f*cking men for money.

My blood was ice. My best friend, the only one who ever saw whatever sliver of light that was left in me, still needed reassurance that I hadn’t descended further into sin.

“I said no,” I stated quickly, hating everything about the moment. I swallowed thickly.

Get your shit together, Bex.

I had to play my part. Build up my shell so it wasn’t transparent how broken I was. You couldn’t display weakness in front of sharks or horses. Or bikers who sniffed it out and would make it their life’s work to protect said weakness.

It worked for Lily and Asher.

Not for me.

Not for Lucky.

So I had to fake it.

“Or I may have used more colorful words than a one-syllable response, just to get my message across.” I grinned, hoping it didn’t look as forced and painful as it felt. “I thought that was the end of it. Obviously not.”

“That’s why those thugs were here? To bully you into prostitution?” she surmised.

As soon as the words left her mouth the air became heavy with two sets of alpha males emitting their own brand of fury. From the corner of my eye, I could see Lucky’s entire form stiffen. Could taste the bitter fury in the air.

I had no idea how to claw my way out of this clusterf*ck.

“Thing one and thing two came knocking at the door, trying to intimidate the little female into letting them in or they’d huff and puff and blow my house down. Didn’t count on the fact I’d seen way worse than them. And I had bigger, badder wolves on speed dial,” Rosie spoke for the first time, and I could have kissed her at that moment.

“I don’t get it.” Lily frowned at me. “Carlos may be an *, but he can’t expect you to go back to work there after that. What did he have to gain from it?”

I shrugged, holding onto my mask with a death grip. “The fact I’ve got nothing else. That I need to eat.”

She gaped at me. “You’re not going back there, are you?”

No, I was not going back there. I couldn’t stomach even the thought in my newly lucid state. I didn’t have much self-respect left, but I had my pride. It was broken and tattered and in a sorry state, but it was still there

“Since I’ve been sick”—I emphasized the word, in order to make sure the biker searing me with his gaze wouldn’t cotton onto the ugly truth—“I’ve obviously been missed. My ass is the only reason that place makes anything. That and my boobs.”

My two greatest assets, as Carlos himself had stated. All I had. And they were melting away with the weight.

“So you’re going back?” Even Lily couldn’t hide the judgment in her tone.

I had been about to reassure her that even I wasn’t that stupid when someone beat me to it.

“She’s not f*ckin’ setting a toe in that shithole’s direction,” Lucky growled, his cold stare intent on me.

The moment he spoke for me, took away my choices and control for himself, was the second my back went up. “I am,” I snapped. Of course I wasn’t going back, but the very fact that he thought it was his decision to make made me want to do it just to make sure I was in control.