Losing Me, Finding You(45)

There's a knock on the damn door.

Austin pulls away from me with a growl and storms over to the door, jerking it open without even asking who's on the other side.

It's a girl with orange hair and leather pants so tight they look painted on.

“Kimmi, I'm a bit busy … ” Austin begins, but she's already holding up a hand to silence him. When she notices me staring at her, a sultry smiles tilts her bow shaped lips up.

“Amy Cross, I presume?” she asks, pushing Austin aside with her shoulder and waltzing into the room like she owns the place. She's got on these ridiculously tall, red heels and nothing but a coin covered bra under her leather vest. I nod and hold out my hand. “Kimmi Reynolds. Nice to meet you.” Her eyes rake me up and down, and she nods, like she likes what she sees. “Welcome to the group.” She pauses and turns to Austin, giving him a look that I can't quite read. “Kent would like to see you downstairs.” Austin frowns, but Kimmi isn't done yet. “Both of you.”

“Ah, shit,” he says with a sigh. “We just rolled in and he wants to start this crap?” Kimmi shrugs and runs her fingers down his arm. I watch, but I don't say anything. What can I say? Austin doesn't belong to me. “Alright then, come on, beautiful. Let's get this over with, shall we?” Kimmi steps into the hallway and watches as I slip my jacket onto my shoulders and hook my arm through Austin's. “Smart girl,” he says with a wink as he leads me out and over to the elevator.

As we step inside, I hear a door closing down the hallway and someone shouting for us to wait.

It's that girl, Mireya.

I swallow nervously and watch as Kimmi grabs the doors and holds them open.

“Thanks,” she snips, wrinkling her nose like she can't bear the sight of Kimmi. Or maybe it's me that she's disgusted with because when her dark eyes find mine, I can practically feel them cutting through me, wishing me dead. I shiver and it's not because of Austin. “Trying to escape to the welcome party without me?” she coos, but she isn't talking to me or Kimmi, just Austin. That much is blatantly obvious. And it only takes me about three seconds to realize that the perfume she's wearing, that sweet, sickly smell, is the same one that was on Austin's sheets. I press my eyes closed and try not to breathe.

“Nah, just following orders. When Kent says jump … ”

“You say, Fuck off,” Kimmi interjects before Mireya can respond. “Or you used to … ” She pauses again and gives Mireya an up and down. The dark haired woman pretends not to notice.

“I see,” Mireya says, staring way too hard at my arm where it's touching Austin's. Oh no. Is this is his girlfriend? But no, no, that doesn't seem right. Austin does not seem like the kind of guy who has a girlfriend. I ignore the little, niggling thought that adds, not even you. But he did sleep with her. After he slept with me. I try not to be bothered by that, but I can't help it. “Lemme guess.” She snaps her fingers and leans back against the mirrored walls. “You've heard my story, too? Is that right? Is that why we left town in the middle of the Goddamn night like f*cking criminals?”

“Club business,” Austin says gruffly, but Kimmi and Mireya are glaring at each other and not paying him the slightest bit of attention.

“I'm sorry, Mireya,” Kimmi says. “For what happened to you, but we all have hard pasts. Doesn't give you the right to act like a bitch all the Goddamn time.”

“Oh, f*ck you, Kimmi. I didn't ask to start a war with Walker. That was Kent. And I didn't ask anyone to go out and seek vengeance for me.”

“Yeah? Well, if you ask me, Walker and his buddies deserve to be taken out, just to make the world a safer place.” Kimmi holds up her hands and the gold bracelets on her wrists jingle. “But that's not what I was talking about.” She nods her chin at me. “Aren't you even going to introduce yourself to Austin's new friend?” When she says this, she smiles wickedly, like she couldn't be happier to see me standing there.

Austin rolls his eyes to the ceiling and curses under his breath.

“Oh, we already met,” Mireya says, waving her hand dismissively. “At the bar. What was your name again?”

“Goddamn it, Mireya,” Austin begins, but I cut him off. I look the woman in her eyes which, admittedly, are beautiful and try not to feel intimidated. I'm guessing that respect goes along way here, so I've got to demand it for myself. I can't count on Austin to do it for me.

“Amy Allison Cross,” I say, but I don't extend my hand. Mireya stares at me, picking at a bit of leather fringe on her jacket. When she turns away, I see that she's got all her patches. She doesn't respond, but I don't think anybody expects her to.

I touch my hand to Austin's and am surprised when he shivers a bit, throwing a look down at me along with a crooked smile. I wish I hadn't smelt that perfume. Knowing Austin slept with somebody and knowing that he slept with this horrible woman are two different things entirely. I hold back a sigh and try to push the thought from my mind. I'm kidding myself if I think Austin's list of partners is short enough to count off on both hands, but then, I don't really care about the past. What I care about is the here and now. Is he going to keep sleeping with Mireya or are we semi-exclusive? He said I was his, but he never said he was mine. God, if there was one thing the romance novels got right it was how complicated all of this stuff is.