Destroying Beauty (Hell Hounds Motorcycle Club): Vegas Titans Series by Celia Loren
Authors: Celia Loren
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next to me. My eyes widen as I see a woman in a silky robe flitting down
the flagstone steps to our work area at the back of her yard. Dale chuckles
next to me.
"We get a lot of the bored housewife business, thanks
to him," he says, nodding in Holt's direction. Holt drops the small tree
he's carrying on his shoulder like it weighs nothing to greet the woman.
"It's the middle of the day. Why doesn't she have
clothes on?" I grunt next to him.
"Oh, I've seen worse. Once this woman took a shower in
the bathroom facing the yard and dried off with the shades wide open, as though
she forgot we were there. Trust me, she didn't forget."
"But, it's just business, right?" I ask, keeping
my eyes on the widening hole beneath me.
Dale laughs. "Don't worry, JoJo, Holt doesn't stick his
pen in the company ink."
I glance back up at Holt and the homeowner to see her narrow
her eyes at me. "Ma'am," I say very seriously, with a respectful nod,
before returning to my work. I hear Dale try to turn his snort into a laugh
next to me.
A minute later, I see the woman's pink robe disappearing
back up the walkway out of the corner of my eye. A moment later. Holt's boots
appear next to me.
"You're very professional," he says with a grin.
"Hey, I see what you've got going on here. I'm not
going to get in the way. It's like female bartenders who wear a push-up bra to
get bigger tips. I get it."
Dale now openly laughs next to me.
"So you're not jealous?" Holt asks, raising one
eyebrow suspiciously.
"They can look, but they can't touch, right? So I'm not
jealous."
"Mmhm. You're doing pretty well here," he says,
eyeing my progress.
"I thought you were crazy, bringing this little girl to
work, but she's not bad, I have to say," Dale comments.
"See? 'Not bad!'"
"Are you campaigning to get a job with me right
now?" Holt asks, a touch of incredulousness in his voice.
"Maybe," I say, shrugging my shoulders as I press
the shovel deeper into the dirt with my foot.
"Hey, boss!" another of Holt's crew calls from
across the yard. He turns over his shoulder to look at him.
"See you at lunch!" I call after him as he starts
to walk away. I take a deep breath of the fresh air and pause my shovel to
listen to the quiet, so different from the hectic sounds of my workplace.
I could get used to this.
Chapter Fourteen
Holt
"…And there's been no sign of Jose Medina since
then," I finish, laying it all out for Bark. Well, almost all.
He shifts a little, scratching his beard as he leans back in
his chair at the head of the Cave's table. "You certainly seem
passionate."
"She saved my life!" His eyes flick over to mine.
Fuck. I heard it. I'm putting too much behind my words. It's out of character.
"So tell me about her," he says, crossing his feet
on the table.
"What?"
"You've spent a lot of time with her. I just want to
get an idea of what we're dealing with here. She from around here?"
"No, Florida, originally. She moved out here to live
with her grandmother when her mom went to prison."
"For?"
"Fraud. She's been in and out since then."
"So Jo's not inexperienced in dealing with the
law."
"No. She's not…naïve. Innocent, maybe. She got divorced
over a year ago, from her high school sweetheart. She's bartending at Billy's
to pay the bills, but she's smart."
"I heard that she's worked with your landscaping crew a
couple times."
"You heard that ? From who? You've been watching
me?" I feel heat rising to my face.
"You don't see her clearly. You think she's really
interested in you?"
"What's that got to do with it?"
"I'm saying that the whole thing you've built with her
is fake, and you need to remember that. You think she'd still be interested if
she knew who you really are? That you're in a motorcycle gang? That you've
killed?"
"I—"
"Just remember that before you go putting her before
your club."
I take a deep breath. "I'm not putting her before the
club. I'm just saying, she saved my life. You know as well as I do that means
the flagstone steps to our work area at the back of her yard. Dale chuckles
next to me.
"We get a lot of the bored housewife business, thanks
to him," he says, nodding in Holt's direction. Holt drops the small tree
he's carrying on his shoulder like it weighs nothing to greet the woman.
"It's the middle of the day. Why doesn't she have
clothes on?" I grunt next to him.
"Oh, I've seen worse. Once this woman took a shower in
the bathroom facing the yard and dried off with the shades wide open, as though
she forgot we were there. Trust me, she didn't forget."
"But, it's just business, right?" I ask, keeping
my eyes on the widening hole beneath me.
Dale laughs. "Don't worry, JoJo, Holt doesn't stick his
pen in the company ink."
I glance back up at Holt and the homeowner to see her narrow
her eyes at me. "Ma'am," I say very seriously, with a respectful nod,
before returning to my work. I hear Dale try to turn his snort into a laugh
next to me.
A minute later, I see the woman's pink robe disappearing
back up the walkway out of the corner of my eye. A moment later. Holt's boots
appear next to me.
"You're very professional," he says with a grin.
"Hey, I see what you've got going on here. I'm not
going to get in the way. It's like female bartenders who wear a push-up bra to
get bigger tips. I get it."
Dale now openly laughs next to me.
"So you're not jealous?" Holt asks, raising one
eyebrow suspiciously.
"They can look, but they can't touch, right? So I'm not
jealous."
"Mmhm. You're doing pretty well here," he says,
eyeing my progress.
"I thought you were crazy, bringing this little girl to
work, but she's not bad, I have to say," Dale comments.
"See? 'Not bad!'"
"Are you campaigning to get a job with me right
now?" Holt asks, a touch of incredulousness in his voice.
"Maybe," I say, shrugging my shoulders as I press
the shovel deeper into the dirt with my foot.
"Hey, boss!" another of Holt's crew calls from
across the yard. He turns over his shoulder to look at him.
"See you at lunch!" I call after him as he starts
to walk away. I take a deep breath of the fresh air and pause my shovel to
listen to the quiet, so different from the hectic sounds of my workplace.
I could get used to this.
Chapter Fourteen
Holt
"…And there's been no sign of Jose Medina since
then," I finish, laying it all out for Bark. Well, almost all.
He shifts a little, scratching his beard as he leans back in
his chair at the head of the Cave's table. "You certainly seem
passionate."
"She saved my life!" His eyes flick over to mine.
Fuck. I heard it. I'm putting too much behind my words. It's out of character.
"So tell me about her," he says, crossing his feet
on the table.
"What?"
"You've spent a lot of time with her. I just want to
get an idea of what we're dealing with here. She from around here?"
"No, Florida, originally. She moved out here to live
with her grandmother when her mom went to prison."
"For?"
"Fraud. She's been in and out since then."
"So Jo's not inexperienced in dealing with the
law."
"No. She's not…naïve. Innocent, maybe. She got divorced
over a year ago, from her high school sweetheart. She's bartending at Billy's
to pay the bills, but she's smart."
"I heard that she's worked with your landscaping crew a
couple times."
"You heard that ? From who? You've been watching
me?" I feel heat rising to my face.
"You don't see her clearly. You think she's really
interested in you?"
"What's that got to do with it?"
"I'm saying that the whole thing you've built with her
is fake, and you need to remember that. You think she'd still be interested if
she knew who you really are? That you're in a motorcycle gang? That you've
killed?"
"I—"
"Just remember that before you go putting her before
your club."
I take a deep breath. "I'm not putting her before the
club. I'm just saying, she saved my life. You know as well as I do that means
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