Halfway through the song, it dawned on me that he knew this was my last number. I watched him pay his tab and scoot toward the edge of the stool. With his eyes trained on mine, I plowed through the exaggerated movements that drove drunk men wild yet seemed to do nothing for him. He didn't so much as peek at my chest or cast a glance at my ass. The muscles in his arms twitched anytime another man came near me, and he clenched his fists with every hand that he watched tuck a dollar bill under the string of my barely there underwear. He just never appeared aroused himself-further confirmation that he was here working a job and I was his subject.The thought of his watchful eye being a paid gig unnerved me and excited me all the same. So much so that I almost lost my footing and therefore my balance on my last pole trick. As my legs spread and I sank to the floor, I held my breath, waiting for the song to end. Darkness covered the stage, and I nearly ran to try to escape the odd power he

There wasn't much traffic out, not that anyone would have stopped to help a woman being attacked by a Union 21 member. Even if someone had, other members were like cockroaches that scrambled when the lights came on. They came out of the woodwork to protect each other. The gang all had the ability to go unseen, even in broad daylight. Add a cloak of darkness and they were untouchable. Cops turned a blind eye on these streets-largely in part due to the fact most of them were on the gang's payroll. I, however, did not-not in this case. The crack of Sam's palm meeting Nikki's cheek reverberated in my ears. He had slapped Nikki with such force that had he not been holding onto her arm, she would have taken a nasty fall. Yet he still hadn't let her go, and she dangled precariously in his grasp. I was within striking distance. My hand shot out with laser-like precision, and my fingers wrapped securely around his throat. My palm pressed firmly against his windpipe, and with little effort, I

She was wrong. I was well aware of the implications of my decision; hence the reason vacating the premises was currently my top priority. "Nikki, we don't have the luxury of sitting around debating the merits of my actions. I need you to stand up." I stepped close enough to offer her my hand.The grey hadn't left her empty eyes. The fight I'd been privy to on the stage was nowhere to be found. There was nothing more than a shell cowered against the brick. I didn't want to have to pick her up and haul her ass onto the back of my bike, but I'd do what was necessary. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks, further marring her makeup. By the time we got wherever we were going, anyone who saw us would believe I'd been the one who had beaten the shit out of her. My impatience grew by the second, yet she didn't budge. "Nikki, seriously. Get up." I was well aware of just how overbearing my voice could be; coupled with my appearance, she was likely more scared of me than she had been

The moon allowed me to see each inked finger as it worked the strap below my jaw. It took effort to stare straight down my nose, but something intrigued me in the lines and colors that shaded his knuckles. My sight trailed to his hands and then his wrists, up his forearms to his biceps. The ink didn't stop where his shirt sleeve began. Every intricate nuance of artwork that covered his skin had been done with painstaking precision. Ryker was someone's masterpiece, and damn, I wanted to see the entire canvas.He lifted the helmet from my head and hung it on the handlebars the way it had been at the club. This wasn't a great part of town, and I wondered how he kept someone from stealing it. He didn't give me the opportunity to ask before he grabbed my hand, wound his fingers through mine, and started walking toward the building in front of us.I couldn't help but grin as he unlocked three deadbolts, yet he'd just left an expensive helmet sitting outside. Acknowledging the need for th

I didn't try to hide my disgust for the situation. There wasn't a thing about me that Ryker couldn't find out through Chase Silvano if he wanted to know. I'd rather him get the truth through me than lies concocted by U21. "Yeah. Ma stole drugs from him." I stopped and then backed up to clarify. "She fell victim to the promises of the Union. We've struggled most of my life. I did what I could to help, but I thought getting an education would be the solution. Ma worked two jobs for as long as I can remember. Then some thug convinced her that she could give up the long hours and crap pay.""Slinging dope in Glendale?" My story wasn't unique where I came from. It was also exactly why I wanted out. The only way to break the cycle was to stop it. I couldn't stop it if I stayed there. I pursed my lips and nodded, not that he could see me in the darkness. "She didn't do drugs. Never touched them. But temptation's a bitch. I don't have the full story because I haven't asked for it, but Ma