Satin and Steel (7 page)

The walls were made of dark wood, rather than the sterile while she would have expected to find in an industrial warehouse. A framed photo of Dax and a bunch of guys on motorcycles hung on one wall. A flat screen television graced the wall opposite the bed. There were two wooden doors along one wall. Rhee could see clothes sticking out from one of them. Dax pushed open the second door and a few seconds later, Rhee heard water running.
Wow, it even comes with a bathroom!
Nicer than my college dorm room last year!
Dax held out a glass of water and Rhee gulped it down.

“Like it? It’s my home away from home,” he told her, gesturing around the room.

She nodded, smiling nervously. Rhee was all too aware that she was alone in an enclosed space with a man she hardly knew. Looking down at her shaking hands, she willed them to stop but they just wouldn’t. She could hear Dax using the toilet now, and the sound of the intimate act was even more disconcerting to her.

When he came out, one look at Rhee told Dax all he needed to know. “Hey, little girl. Look at me.” Instead, she turned her tear-filled gaze to the ground. He could practically feel her tension. Dax gently placed a finger on the girl’s chin and tipped her face up. Her eyes were wild with fear and her breath was coming fast and shallow. He could see her pulse fluttering in her throat.
So naïve, so innocent….wonder if she’s a virgin.
That would explain a lot.

“Rhiannon.”

Rhee turned her wide eyes on him. Her pupils were dilated so that he could hardly see the green beneath the black of her anxiety.

“Good. Look at me while I tell you this, because I want you to believe me. I am not going to touch you, okay? Not like that. No one here is going to hurt you. No one messes with my guests. Do you believe me? Rhee?”

Rhee was mesmerized by the sound of his voice. Soft, but firm, it danced into her brain and took some of her fear away. She took a deep lungful of air that shook as she exhaled.

“Again.” he commanded her, and Rhee obeyed, taking several deep breaths. Finally, she felt the fear recede enough for her to compose herself.

“I-I’m sorry. I don’t know why I got so spooked. You’ve never been anything but nice to me. I just-I’m not used to being in a place like this.”

“You’re definitely not one of our usual groupies, Rhee.” Dax smiled as she bristled at his choice of words.

“But I’m afraid that you’re going to have to trust me for a while. The local police aren’t going to get involved in this. There may even be a reason why they aren’t looking for your sister. But honey, from what I saw of the job they did on your apartment, someone’s after something in particular. It might be you; it might be something on your computer, I have no idea. I have an inside guy that I can get some information from. For now, I think you’re safest staying with us.”

“Us?” she echoed, incredulous at this bizarre turn of events.
Is he serious?
Police corruption in this small town?

He smiled proudly. “Us.
The Phantoms
.”

Rhee gulped. “So, I would stay here? In this warehouse? This room? For how long?”

“Well, I have several meetings tonight. I could send you back to my place with a couple of guys to watch the place,” he paused at her swift intake of breath. “or, you could stay here until I’m done. I can crash in another room if you fall asleep.”

Rhee nodded slowly.
What the hell is happening to my life?!
Where is my sister?
That’s all I want-to find Mickey.

Rhee sat down heavily on the bed. “What if I just walk out the door?”

“Well, little girl. That wouldn’t be wise, now would it?”

Enough with the little girl!
“You have me at a disadvantage. I’m jacked up, I have no money, and I have nowhere to go. If what you’re saying is true, and the police are-corrupted, and those, those guys are after me, I have no choice do I?”

Dax was a little surprised at her harsh tone. “First, you talk to Hawk. But that’s my plan, yes.”

“And you’ll help me find Mickey?”

He nodded. “Yep. We’ll look into it. If she’s with an mc, we’ll find her.”

Rhee chewed her full bottom lip nervously. Finally, she looked up and looked into Dax’s eyes. They were so blue. And serious. Rhee let out a long, shaky breath.

“Okay. We’ll do this your way. I’ll stay, at least until the semester starts.”

Chapter Six

Rhee woke huddled on the bed. It was dark in the small room. She sat up stiffly and tried to stretch her bum shoulder. It gave a little more than it had been, and she was glad that her range of motion was returning. Rhee splashed some water onto her face and smoothed her hair. Then, she looked at the door.
I wonder if I’m locked in?

She tried the door and to her surprise, it opened. Rhee could hear voices and music coming from somewhere. Where was Dax? He had said he had meetings.
What kind of meetings does a motorcycle thug have?
Tentatively, Rhee crept into the dim corridor and followed the noise. The warehouse was big, much bigger than she had initially thought. Just down the way, the corridor ended with a door that presumably, led to the outside. Rhee pushed it open slowly, and a wave of sound hit her, nearly pushing her back inside.
These doors must be soundproof!

Slowly, she stepped into the raucous party. There was loud music playing. Decorative lanterns were set up festively around the open area, giving the place an air of class that Rhee hadn’t been expecting. A group of scantily clad girls were dancing and laughing in the center of the yard. Smaller groups of men, all sporting black leather vests with some kind of ghost drawing on the back were littered across the space. Most had women hanging all over them.

The smell of barbequed meat reached her nostrils, and Rhee’s stomach growled loudly. She focused through the smoky haze as a round of cheers went up on the other side of the crowd. Someone was counting loudly, and when they reached “ten,” another whoop went up. Gingerly, Rhee made her way along the far wall, trying to avoid being noticed.

“Hey there, stowaway!”

Rhee jumped as a man suddenly materialized next to her. It was Vince, no, Wince? Wince. That was it. She forced a smile to mask her anxiety at his proximity.
I wish I could get all of these damn memories out of my head!

“Feeling better? Dax said you hurt your shoulder. Can I get you anything? Beer? Steak?”

Rhee hesitated at first, but after sizing the guy up, she decided to trust him. “Um, sure. I guess I’m pretty hungry.”

Wince smiled broadly. “You’ve come to the right place!”

A few minutes later, Rhee was set up at a picnic table wolfing down steak and corn while Wince looked on appreciatively.

“Gotta love a gal who can eat,” he said, swigging a beer.

Rhee smiled back at him. The guy seemed harmless enough. As she put away her second piece of steak, another round of cheers went up from the far corner of the yard.

“What’s going on over there?” she asked curiously.

Wince grinned. “Competition. Wanna see?”

Rhee definitely wanted to see. She allowed Wince to take her by the good arm and lead her through the crowd. When they finally broke through, and her eyes adjusted to what she was seeing, Rhee’s mouth fell open.

She was staring at a bench press that had two huge weights on each side. Dax, a shirtless and sweaty Dax was lying on the bench, his impressive chest flexing as he grunted out a set of ten.
Holy Christ!
Look at his body!
Dax had a rippling six-pack, and his biceps looked bigger than the largest part of her leg. When he reached his goal, he sat up grinning, and wiped beads of moisture from his forehead. A girl in a black string bikini handed him a towel, and he wiped his face off and tossed it back to her. She smiled lustily and put it to her face, inhaling deeply. A different bikini-clad girl handed him a beer and he vacated the bench for another guy, also shirtless and sweaty.

Another set of weights was added to the press. The second man took a deep breath and began slowly pressing out another set. Rhee could see his arms shaking from where she stood with Wince.

“Come on, Rollie!” a female voice rang out. Rollie managed to put down a set of eight before he dropped the bar back into place with a clang. A youngish, Asian girl with long, straight black hair rushed up to kiss the man’s sweaty cheek as he staggered from the bench.

Dax noticed Rhee standing in the front of the crowd on Wince’s arm. It was hard not to notice her; she looked so fresh compared to the seasoned groupies who normally attended these parties. Rhee was staring at him, her mouth slightly open as though she couldn’t believe her eyes. Dax raised an eyebrow at her, and then winked roguishly, causing the little stowaway to blush furiously. The bikini girl wiped off the bench and Dax slid under the bar. He shot one more rakish grin at Rhee before easily hammering out another set of ten. The crowd went wild and Dax wiped himself off with a fresh towel as Rollie handed over a pile of cash.

“Hey, little girl!” he said. “How’s the arm?”

Rhee was more than a little tongue-tied. Dax was intimidating enough with his clothes on! Now, standing six inches away from the man as he towered over her, her eyes came right to the center of his hard chest. She could see the moisture glistening on his skin, could smell the earthy scent of his sweat.
Jesus, Rhee!
Pull yourself together!

“Earth to Rhee? Are you okay?” Dax bent his head to look into her eyes but she looked away, stammering something about needing a drink.

“Wince! Where are your manners, man? Get our little stowaway a beverage. Wine, right?”

Rhee could only nod dumbly as Dax, half-naked Dax, motioned for her to follow him to a private table. Only one other man sat there. Dax ushered her to sit across from him and she studied him. Black hair, streaked with gray, a sharp, angular face. Hard eyes that softened almost imperceptibly when she nervously met his gaze.

“Hawk, this is the little stowaway.”

“I am NOT that little!” Rhee burst out, startling the two men. She snapped her mouth shut, horrified at her outburst. The three of them sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. Then, the man called Hawk started to laugh. He clapped Dax on the back.

“You always come across the ones with spirit, don’t you?”

Dax shrugged, grinning. “I seem to have that effect on women-I piss ‘em all off eventually. Rhee, Hawk needs to speak with you about the night we met.”

Rhee nodded, grateful that Wince had arrived with her wine. Hawk. With his sharp features and intense gaze, he certainly did remind Rhee of his predatory namesake. The man seemed nice enough, though. Polite, anyways.
The Phantoms’
president was thorough in his questioning, but Hawk didn’t press her when it came to what happened in that small room. He did want her to describe the guy who seemed to be in charge.

Rhee stiffened at the memory. “He-he was short. Latino. Um, he had a scar on his cheek. A big one. A tattoo of a pin up girl on his wrist.” She had noticed quite a bit about the ringleader. Her hands started to shake as she recalled how angry the man had been at her, and how nonchalantly he had discussed causing her great bodily harm.
I’m gonna tear her apart…

Dax nodded at Hawk. Juan. The bastard had a thing for roughing up young girls. Although Rhee tried to mask her reaction, Dax could see the terror that flitted across her expressive face. He clenched his fists reflexively.

“Now we need to clear some things up about your sister,” Hawk said.

They wanted to know what Mickey did for work, her boyfriend’s name, and what she was into. Rhee wasn’t sure about the boyfriend’s crew, but she described the red devil on the leather jacket he wore. Hawk nodded at Dax who raised an eyebrow. More questions followed. Hawk wanted to know about Rhee’s family, her school, even her friends. Not much to tell. She glossed over her family situation.
No sense stirring up any more pity!
Rhee answered their questions as best she could. Finally, she yawned, and Dax gestured to Hawk.

“Time for bed,
little girl
,” he grinned.

Without thinking, Rhee stood up and punched him right in his chiseled stomach with her good arm. She didn’t mean to hit him hard, but Dax looked pretty shocked. Hawk laughed uproariously.

“She’ll give Trish a run for her money!”

Dax narrowed his eyes. “You’ll pay for that, stowaway.”

With that, he picked up Rhee and tossed her over his bare shoulder. She struggled furiously, her cheek pressed into his naked back. From upside down, she could see that Dax’s entire back was nearly obscured by a large, black tattoo.
I get it now- it’s a Phantom,
she realized as she dangled there
.
His black sweats rode low on his hips, and she could see the curve of his muscled ass as he carried her effortlessly toward the building. Heat rose to her cheeks, and with horror, Rhee felt her nipples harden into achy little points on her chest.

“Put me down!” she gasped, outraged.

A few whoops went up, but other than that, the tide of people melted out of his way. Dax yanked the door open and strode directly to his room. Then she was sliding down his muscled chest. Rhee fought to ignore the novel sensations that threatened to overwhelm her. The feel of his slick, bare skin against her cheek caused her to gasp and she prayed fervently that he didn’t hear the soft sound that had escaped her. Finally, she was placed carefully on the bed, where she sat heaving with humiliation and something else she couldn’t quite put her finger on. Then, it hit her. Rhee suddenly recognized the sensation for what it was…desire.
Oh God, I want him!
For the first time in my life, I know what it means to be horny!

Dax stood there for a full minute, trying to read the expression on Rhee’s face, but he couldn’t figure out if she was mad or just embarrassed. She refused to meet his gaze. He had half a mind to put her over his knee and punish her for her little stunt in front of his crew. He had a reputation to uphold! But, there was no way he would lay his hands on the girl after what she had been through. Still, the thought made his palms itch to feel her pert backside. He studied Rhee, noting her slightly parted lips and the angry flush on her face.
She’d be a wildcat in bed!