Sons of Mayhem 4: Snakes and Angels by Nikki Pink

CHAPTER ONE
    Nicole
    The s oft paper cup yielded under my fingers as I squeezed it tighter and tighter. Across from me the sheriff sat, staring at me, watching as I tortured the cup.
    I don ’t know how long he’d kept me in the cell. They’d brought me a breakfast and a lunch. At first Lucy had been with me, but she’d soon been taken away to be interviewed and she didn’t come back. They said they’d released her.
    I ’d heard motorcycles and laughter from outside earlier. It was clear everyone had been released. Everyone except me. Now, finally, it was my turn.
    The sheriff ’s liquid brown eyes bore into mine. “Are you a prostitute?”
    What the hell? “No!” The sound of my voice shocked me. I’d hardly spoken a word since the night before and that solitary word spit out sounded alien to me.
    There was a twitch in the corner of his lips. “This isn’t Nevada, Nicole. And that was not a licensed bordello.”
    “ I’m not a prostitute!” I can’t believe this.
    The sheriff ’s eyes didn’t break their gaze as he lifted his own cup and drained the contents. He crumpled the paper cup into a ball and dropped onto the table that separated us, a small trail of bad coffee leaking out of the mess. “I was there Nicole, I saw you,” he paused as if searching for a word, “working.”
    What the hell is the matter with this guy? “I am not a prostitute! I was not working!”
    “ So you were giving up that sweet little ass for free?”
    Can he say speak to me like that? I locked my gaze with his. “I was having fun with my friends. We were trying to forget about a recent murder which you failed to solve.”
    “ Having fun? That’s what you call being used as a biker fuck toy? A fuck toy for a bunch of degenerate assholes, no less?”
    Bastard. Bastard, bastard, bastard.
    A smile twitched across his lips before he started to recite from memory, “3519, Billington Avenue—”
    The hell? “Where did you get that?”
    He ignored the question. “That’s your daddy’s address right? The famous attorney? I was thinking we should call him up and invite him down. I’m sure he’d love to make a six hour drive to hear about how his darling daughter is offering up her sweet little snatch to the entire local MC instead of studying for finals.”
    “ No! Please!” Fuck. He’ll kill me. Or worse, he’ll be disappointed in me. I shuddered at the thought.
    “ No, no, I insist. While you may technically be an adult, and even old enough to drink, I think it’s my civic duty to inform him.”
    “ Please, I’ll do anything!”
    “ Wait here sweet-cheeks. Back in a moment.”
    The chair squeaked as it slide backwards. I lunged forward to grab the sheriff ’s arm, hoping to stop him, but I couldn’t reach it in time. He was already up and heading to the door. He gave my lunging arm a derisory look before heading outside.
    I leaned forward and let my head drop to the table. It hit with a thud. The pain that flashed through m y skull was a welcome relief. I sat there, head on the table, unmoving as tears slowly trickled down my cheeks.
     
     
    ***
     
    I don ’t know how long he left me there simmering. It felt like an hour. No, it felt like a day, a year, a life time. But he came back whistling, closing the door gently before sitting down across from me and stopping his tuneless melody.
    I didn ’t even look up. I wanted to keep my head buried under my arms forever.
    “ Look at me Nicole.”
    I didn ’t move.
    “ Look at me. I didn’t call him. It’s okay.”
    Relief flooded through me as I raised my tear streaked face. “Really?”
    “ Really. But I’m worried about you, Nicole.” His voice was softer now. It had lost the nasty streak that had run through his every word earlier.
    “ Why are you worried about me? Who am I to you?”
    He reached over and patted my hand with a gentle touch. “I dug into your background before. Just a little. I wasn’t prying, I was investigating the case; it’s my