Losing Me, Finding You(46)

The elevator doors slide open and Mireya shoulders her way past Gaine and into a large, conference room filled with bikers. Oh dear. My stomach twists painfully. Is this all for me? I sure hope not. Gaine watches Mireya go with a sigh.

“She's not happy about me being here, is she?” I ask, and it's Gaine who answers. Austin doesn't seem like he wants to touch that question with a mile long pole.

“She's just … ” Gaine looks at Austin and then over his shoulder after Mireya. “Complicated. Don't worry about her. I think you joining Triple M is actually going to be helpful to her in the long run.”

“Yeah?” Austin asks, sounding suspicious. “How so?” His friend shrugs and takes my other arm. I notice that Austin's eyes follow him closely. “You two have a good time last night?” he asks and Gaine laughs.

“We had a few glasses of wine. That's about it. I think I got halfway through my story about the badger that got into my high school gym before you stormed in on us.” Austin snorts and shakes his head.

“Shit, Amy,” he says. “Sorry you had to hear that crap. He tells it to anyone that'll listen.” I smile and look over at Gaine.

“That's okay,” I say, meeting his dark eyes. “I liked it.” Austin snorts again and drags me forward quickly, too quickly, like maybe he doesn't want me talking to Gaine. His friend lets us go, pausing next to a table where Beck is making the moves on a hotel employee. He gives us a gentle wave and turns away. I don't get to ask Austin what that was about because he's already pulling me towards a group where Kent is talking with the tall, skinny, blonde I saw before. When she sees us coming, she bats her eyelashes coquettishly and smiles.

“Amy Cross. I've already heard so much about you.” I wonder how that's even possible, but I don't say anything, just smile and hold out my hand.

“Nice to meet you … ” I trail off, waiting for an introduction.

“Amy, this is Melissa Diamond, Kent's wife.” He doesn't sound overly joyous when he says this. Melissa shakes my hand and even lifts it to her lips for a kiss.

“So glad to have another woman in the group. Sometimes, I feel like I'm drowning in men.” She winks at me. “Not that that's a bad thing!” I notice Kent's lips twitching, but he doesn't speak up, just keeps sipping his wine. “How do you like your welcome party?” Melissa asks me, gesturing at the room and the table of food with her hand.

“I, uh, I didn't know it was possible to organize something like this on such short notice. Thank you, I'm flattered.” Melissa throws her blonde hair back and laughs loud and raucously.

“They had a last minute cancellation for another group,” Austin says dryly. “We got the room and the food for almost nothing.”

“Still,” Melissa says, dropping her chin back down so she can look at me. “It's the least we could do for our newest member, right Kent?” Kent smiles, but he doesn't speak. Honestly, I'm a bit relieved because the man scares me a little bit. I don't trust him. Mireya's mean is all on the surface, but Kent … I have a feeling that there's something ten times darker simmering beneath.

“Well, I'm going to drag Amy around and introduce her to some of the *s here, if you don't mind.” Austin pulls me away with a roll of his eyes.

“Fucking cock suckers,” he says, making me jump. I figure I'll get used to the vulgarity after awhile. “Don't worry about trying to like either of the Diamonds. It won't happen, and you'll just be wasting your time.”

“Melissa seems … ” I search for a word. “Outgoing.”

“You mean she's a whore?” Austin says, chuckling. I turn a bit pink, but I shrug my shoulders. I suppose that was the vibe I was getting off of her. “Well, you're right. She is. And she'll f*ck anything that moves. Stay away from her.” I look over at him quickly and realize that he's serious. His dark eyes are sparkling a bit and he seems like he's lost in thought.

“Austin,” I say as he walks us through the crowd, nodding at people but never stopping. “Do I need to make a speech or something? Talk to the group as a whole?” I can already feel my anxiety level creeping up.

“Nah,” he says, finally stopping as we reach Beck and Gaine who are hanging out near the alcohol. “This is just a formality, just to let everyone see that you're here. I'll help you learn who's who, who to hang out with, who to avoid.” He shrugs. “Take Beck for example.” The redhead smiles at me with a mouth full of food. “This * is an even bigger whore than Diamond. If you want an easy lay, he's your man, but don't expect it to be good.”

“Hey, Sparks, f*ck you,” Beck says, winking at me. Gaine wraps his hands around his beer bottle but stays quiet. “Why don't we let Amy test us both out, let her be the judge.” Austin's hand snakes around my waist and pulls me tight against him, drawing the breath from my lungs and speeding my heartbeat up to dangerous levels.

“Like she'd want your hairy ass,” Austin quips, but he doesn't release me. Instead his fingers clench so tight around my waist that I'm certain he's going to bruise me.

“Did you tell her how sweet this deal is?” Beck continues, adjusting his arm with a wince. I see bandages peeking out of his shirt. Both him and Gaine are injured. Coincidence? Or did something happen?