Harmony (The Club Girl Diaries Book 1) (11 page)

I knew Harmony wasn’t going to make it easy on me. The drive down south back to Troy was tense to say the least. Harmony acknowledged me with grunts and yes’s and no’s, but other than that she barely said a word.

I followed my boys into a gas station about an hour and a half out of town. It wasn’t a long ride and we could have done it easily without stopping, so I was curious so see why they had pulled off.

“Need to use the bathroom?” I asked Harmony as we pulled into a parking space next to my Brothers.

She nodded and climbed out of the car without another word.

I sighed, wiping my hand down my face in agitation before jumping from the cab onto the ground. “We stop for any particular reason?”

Mix blew out a puff of smoke and nodded toward one of my boys Grease, who was pulled up at the garage connected to the gas station. “He said his bike’s been running weird since we left. He thinks maybe he’s leaking something. Just went to borrow some tools so he could check it.”

I rolled my eyes. I wasn’t the most mechanically minded with bikes, leaving that shit up to the boys in the garage that we owned. But we all knew the basics and I was hoping it was something simple so Grease could fix his shit and we could get moving.

I needed to have Harmony back at my clubhouse and in my room, so we could finally start a path toward making her feel comfortable. I want her comfortable, and not fighting me every step of the way. Harmony was a complex creature. Definitely not the kind of girl I was used to. Being in an MC had given me more than my fair share of women. I’d been fucking since I was fourteen. Girls wanted that bad boy, whether it was because they thought they could tame him, make him settle down or whether they just wanted a moment of rebellion. Every girl at some stage in their life wanted to ride on the wild side.

I’d even seen that side in Harmony. She loved being at the club. She loved drinking and partying and having sex with men that scared the shit out of your average normal person walking down the street. She didn’t want to tame them. But she also wasn’t in it for a short spurt of being a bad girl. She did it because she loved it.

I was glad she was happy within the club, but I wanted her to want more. I just didn’t know how to convince her that she did.

“How’s she coming?” Tie asked, throwing me a cold bottle of water. I held it up in thanks before taking large gulps. The weather was definitely getting colder with summer slowly worming its way out, but shit was still hot as hell if you asked me.

“She hasn’t tried to leap from the car while we’re doing ninety miles an hour. So I’d say we aren’t doing too badly.” The boys all chuckled. “She’s strong, I’ll give her that.”

“She’s gonna need to be to get through all this shit,” Mix muttered, drinking from his own bottle of water.

It was true. Optimus had informed us just before we’d left that they had identified the dude that had been in the café that day with the girls. Daniel Ashley. Well known associate of some very high profile slave traders and drug dealers. From the info that we’d gained he was their scout. These men gave him lists of specifics that their clientele wanted – blondes, blue eyes, tall, short, age, ethnicity – he went out and found the girls and then they disappeared into thin air.

I had no doubts that he had approached Chelsea in the café that day because she was a perfect match for someone on his list. What was still a mystery was why he’d sent his goons in to snatch Harmony. It was clear to them all that day that she was the target, not Chelsea. I needed to know why?

“This dude is ruthless, man,” Mix said, his eyes dark.

I raised an eyebrow. “You know about him?”

He nodded. “I got some friends down the line. You know he actually sold his own daughter, just to prove himself? That’s how he got into the business, offered his own little girl on a plate to one of his little buddies.”

My stomach churned at the news. Mix had gotten his road name through his ability to mix with all sorts of people. The guy had friends everywhere, from men in politics to meth heads in the gutter looking for their next fix. He’d done almost any job imaginable, gathering his long list of acquaintances along the way, and they would all help him out at the drop of a hat because Mix was one loyal mother-fucker.

“That’s sick,” Tie said with a frown on his face.

“Dude’s got serious mental issues, which makes him very unpredictable and very dangerous,” I said, checking the time on my phone and wondering where Harmony was.

How long does it take a woman to pee exactly?

“Um, excuse me?” an older lady interrupted our small group. I could tell she was nervous as she shuffled slowly toward us, eyeing each one of us cautiously. “Is one of you named Kit?”

I stepped forward. “That’s me. Why?” my voice was rough and sharp, causing the lady to jump slightly.

“There’s um…there’s a young woman in the bathroom…um…she seems quite distraught and asked me to find you.”

I muttered a quick thank you as I shot past her and into the small store. My eyes darting around for a sign that would point me toward the toilets. My Brothers were hot on my heels. Finding it, I thundered toward the door, instinctively pulling my piece from the back of my jeans before shouldering it open.

I spotted her immediately. She was sitting on the dirty floor next to the basin, head down and cradling her hurt shoulder in her hand. She’d opted to take the sling off in the car, much to my protests. I slid to my knees in front of her and gripped her chin in between my finger and thumb, lifting up it so I could see her eyes, but she averted them.

There was a small split in the center of her bottom lip which was now puffy and swollen. Anger bubbled in my veins and I must’ve squeezed her chin a little too tightly as she winced and her hand flung out, slapping against my chest. I didn’t move though. I was too busy taking inventory of her body. The front of her shirt was ripped and there was blood seeping through from the bullet wound in her shoulder, which could possibly mean she’s pulled the stitches out.

“Babe…Harmony…What happened?”

Her eyes finally found mine. There were tear streaks down her cheeks, but for now they had stopped. “I want to go now.”

“Not until you fucking tell me what happened.”

“He was here,” she said quietly.

My shoulders straightened and my body tightened. I was pretty sure I knew who she meant, but I needed her to clarify it before I lost my shit in some dirty little gas station bathroom. “Who was here?”

I saw her look quickly over my shoulder, knowing my Brothers stood in the doorway, stopping anyone from entering. “The man in the suit from the
café
,” she ground out. I knew she wanted to throw shit and sass me, but I admired her for being able to keep her shit together in front of my Brothers. Even though, I knew I was facing hell when we got back to the compound and I had her alone.

I wiped at her wet cheeks with my thumbs, fully aware that she didn’t want me to touch her right now, but throwing a fuck you into the wind and trying to calm her anyway.

“Baby,” I said softly, watching her body slowly release a bit of tension. “Baby, what did he say to you?”

“I know who you are. I know where you’re going. I know everything about you.” I saw her lip tremble a little, but my girl held firm, repeating what the asshole had told her, word for word. “He said some guy wanted me for his
‘collection.’
”

I ground my teeth together and gripped both sides of her face in my hands as gently as I could with all the raging emotions running through my body. “He won’t get to you.”

She looked directly into my eyes and I saw the pain shining in them. “He already did.”

The words cut through me, and boy did they cut deep. She was right. This was strike number two. I’d been standing right outside the damn doors and he’d still gotten to her.

If I thought it was going to be hard to get her to trust me to protect her before, now it was going to be like
mission impossible
.

Didn’t mean I was going to stop trying though.

He’d walked straight into the bathroom behind me. There were half a dozen Brothers by Blood bikers standing out the front and he had just used the backdoor.

Daniel Ashley! He’d introduced himself even.

He was charmingly put together; well-dressed, well-spoken and easily enraged. But Chelsea and I had learned that fast during our first meeting.

He’d hit me, even before I’d told him to go fuck himself. He clearly wasn’t afraid to use force to get what he wanted. I’d even go as far as to say that it was his go-to tactic. But I hadn’t shied away. I’d been strong for too long to let a man think he can put his hands on me and have me begging at his feet.

“You’re strong, Harmony. I’ll give you that.” The pain in my shoulder and face was excruciating, but I’d held my shoulders back and stared him in the eye, refusing to let him see me vulnerable. “But everyone has their breaking point and I would have taken so much pleasure in breaking you. But then a client of mine heard about you, he became very interested and was adamant that he must have you for his collection.”
His words resonated in my head, chilling me through to the bone and causing my body to shiver.

“You want me to turn the heat on?” Kit asked as we flew down the highway, bikes surrounding us on all sides. His eyes were obviously on me, even as he drove, catching every flinch or sigh or movement that might alert him to how I was feeling.

“No.”

I saw his grip tighten on the steering wheel, but he didn’t say anything more. He navigated the city streets which were unknown to me. I had never visited this city before, even though it was so close. After traveling so much during my younger years, once I found the college I wanted to attend, I’d stuck with it and the only reason I left was to visit my mom. Other than that, traveling no longer appealed to me.

It was well after 1:00 p.m. Kit had offered to stop and get me something to eat, but my stomach was turning thinking about my bathroom encounter. Not to mention the pain that throbbed through my shoulder and my lip. Food was the last thing on my mind.

“One of the boys’ Old Lady is a nurse. She’s going to meet us at the clubhouse. Looks like you’ll need new stitches in that hole,” Kit explained, his eyes not deviating from the road. “She’s cool, I think you two will get along.”

I nodded, knowing that he’d catch the movement in his eye.

I wasn’t exactly angry, but I was upset. Me coming with Kit was supposed to be so he would protect me. Something he’d failed to do for me only yesterday. He’d made out like being his meant I would be safe, I would be looked after. And look what had happened. I knew things were dangerous before, but now they’d stepped up to a whole new level. How was I supposed to trust someone to watch over me and keep me from harm when they had already failed to keep that promise
twice
already.

It just reaffirmed in my head that I didn’t want to be owned. I didn’t want a man to tell me all this bullshit and never be able to step up and do it. I didn’t need a man to watch over me before, and I sure as hell didn’t need one to do it now.

We exited the city and drove a little further until we came to the small township of Troy. We pulled into an industrial area. There were factories and large buildings with high wire fences. I caught some of the signs as they moved past slowly. Packing companies, food processing, wreckers yards, scrap metal. Then we stopped at the highest fence of them all, the club colors displayed proudly on the large metal gates. Two young guys in prospect cuts waved us through with a small salute to their president.

This place was huge!
There were just no other words to describe it. It was more than likely twice the size of the old hotel that we used in Athens. It was an old factory, but the guys here had done well at keeping it looking up-to-date and pristine. We drove past what I assumed to be the front of the building and around the side, where there was a long line of shiny black and chrome bikes parked, and three large open roller doors. I watched the guys who had made the trip with us park their bikes alongside the others while Kit pulled up in front of one of the large doors.

Inside was a massive workshop. Men scooted around a handful of cars and bikes, they were in full coveralls, covered in grease and carrying an assortment of different tools. I could hear the noise even through the closed car window, banging, crashing, grinding, yelling and all over a loud sound system that was playing a song by Guns and Roses.

I saw a young kid walking toward us, wiping his dirty hands on his coveralls and beaming a broad smile. He must have only been around seventeen. Kit jumped out of the truck and tossed the kid the keys, patting him on the back with a few words that only brightened the young boy’s smile. Just that small action made my heart warm a little.

Not wanting to be owned by Kit was never due to the fact that I didn’t think he was an amazing guy. His men loved him. They were loyal and supportive and never doubted him, and he always talked to them with respect. This was why he made a good leader. These men, they are loyal to their club. I knew without a doubt that they would lay their life down for one another. That they would do whatever was needed to protect each other from being hurt, especially their club president. But I wasn’t one of these men. I wasn’t a patched member of the club.

I was a club whore!
The same rules didn’t apply to us.

And no matter how much of a great guy Kit was, how sexy or sweet, or what words came out of his mouth telling me he would give me everything and more, I was not one of his Brothers. He doesn’t have to keep his word to me like he does for them.

My door clicked open and Kit held out his hand. I took it, climbing carefully down from the truck but still feeling jolts of pain through my shoulder with every step.

“Del is waiting inside, let’s go get you fixed up. Then we can talk.”

I rolled my eyes but took his hand anyway. He kept it latched in his as he led me through two large steel doors and into a huge room. It took a moment for my eyes to adjust. I managed to take in a few things as Kit directed me through the room. It wasn’t much different to our clubhouse. There were large seating areas, couches, tables and chairs, a bar lined with barstools. It was different but familiar, easing my nerves a little.

We climbed a set of stairs to the second floor which was lined either side with doors. It was apparent to the eye that this hadn’t been the original setup for the factory. But someone had put in a lot of work to create a hostel like feel to it. Many of the doors were open and I caught glimpses of what was inside. The rooms were small, but most big enough for a double bed, a desk and still space to move. Some were larger, some were smaller with only single beds.

Kit pushed a door open at the end of the hallway. This room was much bigger than the rest. There was a large bed in the center of the room, a massive mahogany desk off to the right and a bathroom tucked in across the opposite side. There was even enough room for a small couch which faced a large wall mounted television. He moved me toward the couch and gestured for me to sit down.

“
Del!
” he yelled.

I frowned, ready to say something about not being so lazy and going to get this person, rather than just screaming out and expecting them to come running. But that’s exactly what happened. A small brunette girl walked through the doorway carrying a large first aid kit. She was short, maybe five feet at the most. Her smile was sweet though. Unlike the man who walked in behind her, scowling like he was ready to rip someone’s head off.

“Hi Prez,” the young girl said as she came to sit next to me. “You must be, Harmony.”

I nodded. “Yes, nice to meet you.”

“Prez,” the grumpy man said with a chin lift as he lingered in the doorway.

“Hey, Brother.” The men embraced shortly before Kit turned back to me. “Harmony, this is Wreck and his Old Lady, Del. Del is a nurse at the hospital. She’s going to take a look at your arm.”

Del pulled on a pair of gloves and gestured to my arm, silently asking for permission to see it. It had been painful enough trying to get myself into my shirt this morning. After what had happened I was pretty sure it wasn’t coming off without being destroyed.

“Um, you might have to cut my top off. It’s pretty damn sore.”

“No problem, hun.” She retrieved a small pair of fabric scissors from her bag. “You want me to get them to leave?” she asked, eying the men.

I let out a little laugh. “No, it’s fine.”

She looked over my shoulder, no doubt checking with Kit first before attacking my shirt with the scissors, throwing the now destroyed remains on to the floor. “Ouch.”

I laughed again. “Yeah, no kidding.”

“We’re going to have to re-stitch it. It’s completely opened up again.”

I sighed. “Do you have the good drugs or do I need a bottle of rum?”

Del giggled and began cleaning the wound and slowly removing the broken stitches. “Sorry, babe. I don’t have the good stuff. Maybe a couple shots would actually help. Kit?”

“Yeah, I’ll get something.” I felt his lips lightly on the top of my head before his heavy footsteps left the room.

Del continued to clean my wound, apologizing profusely whenever I flinched. She tried to distract me. “So, Prez didn’t say much just that I needed to be here to help coz you were hurt. Are you part of the club up north, where he was visiting?”

“You could say that,” I muttered. Her eyes looked up at me, one brow raised obviously waiting for me to explain. “I’m a club girl.”

Her eyes widened a little and I saw them flick over behind me to her old man.

“She’s not a club girl anymore,” Kit announced as he strolled back through the door.

“So he keeps trying to tell me,” I whispered jokingly to Del who cracked a smile, but quickly covered it when Kit growled.

He knelt down beside me and offered up a bottle of whiskey. His eyes stuck to me, even as he said, “She’s not a club girl.”

“Not a club girl, just a normal girl. Got it,” Del said, clearly amused.

“Del,” Wreck said warningly from his post next to the door.

She rolled her eyes. “Oh calm down. Club girl, no club girl. No big issue.”

“I claimed her.”

Oh God, this was all getting too much. I snatched the bottle from Kit’s hand and held it to my mouth, guzzling back the liquid even as it began to burn down my throat and into my stomach. My body started feeling lighter almost instantly, a pleasant change. It wasn’t long before it was taken away and I pouted like a sulky child.

“You need to be numb, not fucking drunk,” Kit snapped. “We still need to talk after this.”

Kit stormed from the room, Wreck following close behind him.

Del still looked a little shocked, but the sweet kind smile quickly came back as she pulled out a needle and thread. “So…Prez claimed you?”

I snorted but nodded. “You think he has anything stronger hidden around here some place. I’m going to need it for this talk.”

Del laughed and began work on my wound. Maybe she thought I was joking.

I wasn’t.

I was somewhat glad that when Doc had done my stitches the first time, that I’d been drugged up to my eyeballs. Because this shit fucking
hurt
.

I almost dialed Caleb’s phone number, just to tell him I was going to make him pay for shooting me.
Hell, was I going to make him pay?
Maybe that old saying and eye for an eye would be acceptable in this instance.