growled. “You came to me.”
“I told you. I got lost and panicked. Let me go or I’ll…scream.”
Rex laughed. “I’ve wanted to hear you scream since I first laid eyes on you. Go on. Scream. No one will hear you over the music. Or maybe you’re waiting for Rex to make you scream…”
“Ice will come looking for me.” Her voice rose to a thin whine.
Rex dragged her closer and yanked her head back. “No doubt. And when he finds you jumped ship, he’ll cut you loose.”
Lana’s throat tightened. “You don’t know him very well. My guess is that he’ll go crazy.”
Rex leaned closer and pressed his lips against her ear. “I hope so. It will give me an excuse to put him in his place. He’s been getting a bit of an attitude.”
Lana closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. She wasn’t helpless. She had taken self-defense classes as part of her private investigator training. Motivated by a desire never to experience the type of powerlessness she had suffered with Levi, she’d practiced until she could do the moves in her sleep.
She crouched down, shifting her center of balance, and laced her fingers over her head, trapping Rex’s hand. A quick spin and Rex lost his grip.
Success!
Her freedom was short-lived. Before she could make a run for the door, Rex grabbed her and slammed her into the locker with a bone-jarring crunch.
She struggled against him, but his massive thigh pinned her legs, and his hands easily held her arms down by her sides. Her attempts at head-butting him were rewarded with laughter and the faint whiff of stale beer and cigarettes.
Racking her brain for a self-defense move to escape being crushed against a locker by a mammoth, she was suddenly barraged with unwanted memories. Another room. Another clubhouse. Her hands pinned. Unable to move. And pain. So much pain.
Her heart thundered in her chest. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Lost in her memories and a barrage of emotion, Lana screamed.
Crash. The door splintered off its hinges and skittered across the floor.
James stormed into the office with Ryder on his heels. Taking advantage of Rex’s momentary distraction, Lana wriggled free. James grabbed her and shoved her into Ryder’s arms.
“Take her,” he barked at Ryder.
Lana turned and caught movement at the door. Bikers jostled in the hallway for a view. Of course. No biker worth his salt could resist a good fight, and she could smell a good fight coming the way her grandpa could smell a storm.
Rex folded his arms, his mouth tightening into a thin line. “She came to me.”
“Doesn’t matter if she did. Doesn’t matter if she didn’t.” James’s voice was low and dripping with fury. “She’s mine until I say she’s not. You don’t touch what’s mine, and in particular, you don’t touch her.”
Rex glanced over at Lana. “Tell him you want to be here.”
Lana frowned. Was he delusional? Had she given any indication she was interested in him at all, besides following him down the alley into Carpe Noctem and hiding in his gym locker?
“I’m with Ice.”
Rex’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to be afraid of him.”
He was delusional. “I’m with Ice,” she said in a loud, slow voice, emphasizing each word.
James and Rex locked gazes. No one moved. Tension hung thick in the air.
“You gonna fight me over a piece of tail?” Rex unfolded his arms and cracked his knuckles one by one. How lame.
“Last thing I want to do.”
“Last thing you want to do is the last thing you’re gonna do.” With a roar, Rex charged. James met him with a punch to the gut, sending Rex reeling backward. Ryder pulled Lana into a corner, and a few bikers pushed their way into the room, giving James and Rex even less space to maneuver.
Fast, furious, dirty fighting ensued. James moved with economical grace, his moves purposeful and consistently powerful. But Rex absorbed each blow, meeting him punch for punch. Hades’s leader had to be able to
“I told you. I got lost and panicked. Let me go or I’ll…scream.”
Rex laughed. “I’ve wanted to hear you scream since I first laid eyes on you. Go on. Scream. No one will hear you over the music. Or maybe you’re waiting for Rex to make you scream…”
“Ice will come looking for me.” Her voice rose to a thin whine.
Rex dragged her closer and yanked her head back. “No doubt. And when he finds you jumped ship, he’ll cut you loose.”
Lana’s throat tightened. “You don’t know him very well. My guess is that he’ll go crazy.”
Rex leaned closer and pressed his lips against her ear. “I hope so. It will give me an excuse to put him in his place. He’s been getting a bit of an attitude.”
Lana closed her eyes and took a few deep, calming breaths. She wasn’t helpless. She had taken self-defense classes as part of her private investigator training. Motivated by a desire never to experience the type of powerlessness she had suffered with Levi, she’d practiced until she could do the moves in her sleep.
She crouched down, shifting her center of balance, and laced her fingers over her head, trapping Rex’s hand. A quick spin and Rex lost his grip.
Success!
Her freedom was short-lived. Before she could make a run for the door, Rex grabbed her and slammed her into the locker with a bone-jarring crunch.
She struggled against him, but his massive thigh pinned her legs, and his hands easily held her arms down by her sides. Her attempts at head-butting him were rewarded with laughter and the faint whiff of stale beer and cigarettes.
Racking her brain for a self-defense move to escape being crushed against a locker by a mammoth, she was suddenly barraged with unwanted memories. Another room. Another clubhouse. Her hands pinned. Unable to move. And pain. So much pain.
Her heart thundered in her chest. Her pulse pounded in her ears. Lost in her memories and a barrage of emotion, Lana screamed.
Crash. The door splintered off its hinges and skittered across the floor.
James stormed into the office with Ryder on his heels. Taking advantage of Rex’s momentary distraction, Lana wriggled free. James grabbed her and shoved her into Ryder’s arms.
“Take her,” he barked at Ryder.
Lana turned and caught movement at the door. Bikers jostled in the hallway for a view. Of course. No biker worth his salt could resist a good fight, and she could smell a good fight coming the way her grandpa could smell a storm.
Rex folded his arms, his mouth tightening into a thin line. “She came to me.”
“Doesn’t matter if she did. Doesn’t matter if she didn’t.” James’s voice was low and dripping with fury. “She’s mine until I say she’s not. You don’t touch what’s mine, and in particular, you don’t touch her.”
Rex glanced over at Lana. “Tell him you want to be here.”
Lana frowned. Was he delusional? Had she given any indication she was interested in him at all, besides following him down the alley into Carpe Noctem and hiding in his gym locker?
“I’m with Ice.”
Rex’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t have to be afraid of him.”
He was delusional. “I’m with Ice,” she said in a loud, slow voice, emphasizing each word.
James and Rex locked gazes. No one moved. Tension hung thick in the air.
“You gonna fight me over a piece of tail?” Rex unfolded his arms and cracked his knuckles one by one. How lame.
“Last thing I want to do.”
“Last thing you want to do is the last thing you’re gonna do.” With a roar, Rex charged. James met him with a punch to the gut, sending Rex reeling backward. Ryder pulled Lana into a corner, and a few bikers pushed their way into the room, giving James and Rex even less space to maneuver.
Fast, furious, dirty fighting ensued. James moved with economical grace, his moves purposeful and consistently powerful. But Rex absorbed each blow, meeting him punch for punch. Hades’s leader had to be able to
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