Page 25 of Empire of Savages
Before I could analyze that thought any further, Beckitt was there, grabbing the girl by the arm. “What thefuck, Bliss?”
Bliss pulled free of his grip, glaring at him.
Gunnar taunted, “Finders keepers, Beckitt.”
Beckitt’s hands curled into fists at his side, the action not escaping Gunnar’s notice. “Bliss.” His pleading tone was the spark to Gunnar’s defiant fuse.
Gunnar released his hold on Bliss, letting her slide down the front of his body until her feet hit the floor. Without taking his eyes off Beckitt, he said to her, “Wait for me in my room, baby. Last door on the right.”
Bliss’s face flashed with a look of guilt before she scurried in the direction of the hallway. Everyone else in the room had grown still, and I was thrown right back into the pod whentensions were running high and shit could hit the fan at any moment.
Gunnar looked Beckitt up and down. “You want her? You’ll have to take her from me, West.”
Reaching behind me, I put down my beer bottle and walked toward the pair. This wasn’t like Gunnar. He’d never be this possessive of a woman, and he certainly wouldn’t attack one of his brothers for a cunt, no matter how good it was.
“Gunnar, let Beckitt keep the girl. We can sit at the bar and have one of the club girls come and suck your dick instead.”
Gunnar rolled out his neck, his gaze fixed on Beckitt’s face. “I want that one. She smells like a virgin.”
My eyes darted to Beckitt. His mouth was screwed up, his eyes flashing with anger. “Beckitt, if you give a damn about that girl, take her from Gunnar’s room and get her the hell out of here. Now.”
Gunnar rounded on me as Beckitt slipped past.
“Stay the fuck out of this, Nick. You don’t know what the fuck you’re getting in between here.”
The room was suddenly filled with a booming bark. I turned in time to see Lucifer charging in my direction, the lead attached to the pool table leg reaching the end of its range about a foot away, making the pool table groan as it was dragged a fraction of an inch to the left. I’d forgotten I’d left that goddamned dog tied up there. Lucifer’s barks became progressively louder, his dark eyes focused on Gunnar as he strained against his lead, trying to put himself between us.
“What the fuck?” Gunnar took a step back, eyeing the canine warily.
I held my hand down at my side, palm to the floor in an attempt to stop Lucifer. To my surprise, the dog stopped barking but didn’t take his eyes off Gunnar. I’d dissect what the hell that was about later; I needed to diffuse this situation first.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, brother?” I asked quietly, keeping the conversation between us. His behavior was off. “Why are you getting so hung up on some pussy? There are a dozen other girls here who would suck your dick without you having to ask.”
He glared at me, muttering, “Whatever. I can get another one,” before walking back to the bar and getting himself a beer. Everyone was looking at the dog by my feet, his ears pricked forward like he was waiting for my command.
Unhooking the lead from the pool table, I took the dog outside, needing the fresh air to clear my head anyway. Sitting in one of the chairs set against the far side of the building, I was hidden from view. D’s dog sat on his haunches beside me and stared out at something near the fence that skirted the entire property. Straining my eyes, I tried to see what had caught his attention, but didn’t see any movement.
Figuring there was a stray cat skulking around out there, I leaned back against the wall, the sound of the music from inside thumping against my head, setting my nerves on edge. Suppressing a sigh, I took a deep breath. Being inside the clubhouse didn’t hold the same appeal as it used to. I’d had enough of looking at four walls and the clawing sense of claustrophobia that seemed to accompany it.
Pulling a pouch of tobacco from my back pocket, I started rolling out a cigarette, the methodical steps serving to calm the shake in my hands. After lighting the end and taking a deep drag, I exhaled the smoke and closed my eyes.
They opened again when the mostly unused back door to the clubhouse opened, and the sound of raised voices spilled into the night air. Hidden in the shadows of the building, I listened.
“I’m not discussing this with you anymore, Kaash,” Rixon said. “The answer is no.”
“This affects the whole club,” Kaash replied, irritation lacing his tone. “It needs to be brought up in Church. You could’ve done that today. Why the fuck didn’t you?”
“I’ve already told you my answer?—”
“But the club hasn’t voted. This is a motherfucking democracy,nota dictatorship. Prostitution will bring more money to the club. It’ll boost our credibility as a club. We already have Muse set up to legally launder our money. It can take more.”
There was a deep sigh, like Rixon was rubbing his eyes. I got the sense that this was a conversation that had happened more than once before. “The answer is no, Kaash.”
“Why? Because of your daughter?”
There was a loud, sharp bang against the side of the building, the noise making Lucifer get to his feet. I peered around the corner of the building to find Rixon pinning Kaash with his forearm to the side of the building not more than four feet from me. The president’s chest was heaving with angry breaths.
“Don’t you dare talk about my daughter,” he growled into the other man’s face. “I’ve told you no on prostitution. We have Muse. That’s as far as I’m willing to dip my toe into the sex trade. Those girls dance because they want to be there, and they’re paid well for it.” Rixon pressed into Kaash’s neck a little harder, making him grip Rixon’s shoulders as he tried to push him off. “End of fucking discussion.”