Banger's Ride: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 5) (59 page)

“Again, what do you want from me?” Her voice sounded much stronger than she felt. As Viper opened his cut, her eyes took in the hunting knife he carried in a sheath around his waist.

“I need some advice on how to handle a meddling bitch.”

“Are you threatening me?”

“No, I’m seeking your counsel.”

“I handle criminals, not barbarians, so you’ve come to the wrong law office. Sorry.” She turned toward her file cabinet and took out a thick file. “I’m very busy, so I’ll have to ask you to leave.”

Viper’s eyes narrowed into slits of steel, his jaw pulsed, and his hands formed into fists. On his feet and coming toward her, every nerve in her body went into high-alert as her heart banged against her chest. When he stood next to her desk, his crooked teeth bared, she willed her body not to shake and her voice not to tremble.

“If you’d like me to recommend anyone to help you, I could,” she said sweetly.

Grabbing her arm, he jerked her up and shook her like a rag doll. “Listen, bitch, this is a one-time deal. Next time, while I enjoy every inch of your slut-ass body, you’ll be begging me to kill you. My form of enjoyment is pain, and I’m an expert at inflicting it, got it?” Viper squeezed her upper arm, but she refused to flinch. He was so close she could smell the tobacco on his breath.

Staring at him, Cara grasped the edge of her desk, her knuckles whitening. “You don’t scare me,” she lied.

“I’m not trying to scare you, bitch. You’re too pretty not to stay pretty.” Viper ran his index finger along her jaw then pulled her into him and twisted her nipple. Gasping in pain, Cara tried to shove his hand away, but he pulled her hair, making tears roll down her face from the corners of her eyes. Slamming his mouth on hers, he forced his tongue into her mouth despite her resistance. As she twisted her head sideways, he bit down hard on her bottom lip and drew blood, then pinched her nipples again and hissed, “That’s a fuckin’ preview of what I plan on doing to you. Remember that,
sweetheart
.”

Viper threw her against her chair, and Cara lost her balance and fell. Crying out when he kicked her hard on her thigh with his steel-toed boot, he ground his cigarette butt next to her on the carpet. “Just so you know, I fuckin’ love the smell of burning flesh. Play it smart, bitch.”

Viper stormed out, shoving Asher aside as he came running into Cara’s office. He looked horrified when he saw Cara on the floor with blood dripping down her chin, a nasty red mark on her thigh. “Are you all right?” He went over to help her up.

Cara was fuming as she took the Kleenex Asher offered her and wiped her mouth. He’d bit her pretty damn hard. “What a fucking asshole!” She rubbed her swelling thigh.

“Why did he come here? Do you know him? Does this have something to do with your biker client?”

“He came here to threaten me to back off on finding the answers to the recent killings. I’ve never seen him before, and he’s from another club Hawk has nothing to do with.”

“Cara, you know I’ve never questioned anything you’ve done in the office, even though we’ve had some questionable people come through these doors, but I have to tell you to stop dealing with these bikers. They are dangerous, and they don’t fool around. He could’ve killed you!”

“No, killing me would’ve been too messy. I now know I’m on the right path, and that the Deadly Demons Nomads are involved, but they’re not doing the killings. They’re working with or for someone who is.”

“Why would they do that?”

“I can guarantee they’re getting something for their efforts. That slime bag wouldn’t do anything for free.”

“You have to promise me that you’re going to stop right now. This isn’t make-believe. This guy and his gang are serious. He
will
kill you.”

“I have no doubts about that. Don’t worry; I don’t intend to be a martyr. I’ll call Jim at CBI and tell him about my not-so-friendly encounter with this Viper jerk.”

“You should tell your biker about this. He’ll make sure you don’t get hurt.”

Cara laughed dryly. “Hawk? He doesn’t give a shit. His case is over, and he’s history.”

“He’s
not
history. I’ve seen the way he acts around you and looks at you. I’ll bet he’s not ready to throw in the towel. You need to tell him what happened. You need his help.”

Cara wanted to call Hawk. Even though she made light of the encounter with Viper in front of Asher, she was damned scared—she didn’t want to draw attention from a ruthless group like the Nomads. She remembered those creeps who’d bought drinks for her and Sherrie at Rusty’s were wearing the Deadly Demons Nomads rocker on the back of their leather jackets, and they were gross.

Tired to the bone, she yearned to go home, curl up on the couch, and forget about bikers, especially Hawk. If she were to tell him about Viper, he’d laugh at her and tell her it wasn’t his problem. Why would he care? He didn’t have any feelings for her. She was nothing more than a good fuck. No doubt, the brothers at the club cheered and whistled when he’d told them he’d fucked his lawyer.
I’m sure it made for good biker conversation.

She’d opened her heart to Hawk, and what a big, foolish mistake that had been. What could she say? He didn’t have a clue how to love a woman or have a real relationship, and even though she knew he was hardened, she stupidly let him get to her. She’d slipped up big-time. He didn’t give a shit about her, so no, she wouldn’t call him. Why should she? If he cared even an iota about her, he’d call her, but she bet she’d never hear from him again.
So be it.

“Asher, after this next appointment, I’m going home. I’ve decided I’m done with all this biker crap. I’ll let Jim know what happened.”

“Good. I worry about you. I really think you should tell Hawk about this,” Asher said.

“No worries. I’m done with all of it. The old Cara is back.”

Staring at the phone, she sighed, picked it up, and dialed. After the third ring, she said, “Hi, Luke, this is Cara. Are you free for dinner tomorrow night? … You are? Great.”

T
he charity event
was at the Palace Hotel. Built during the Silver Rush of 1893, the Palace was one of the oldest hotels in Colorado. Dignitaries and presidents had graced the lobby and hallways, and the hotel still held its charm, its glitz, and its opulence. It was the place where actors, musicians, politicians, and plain old rich folks flocked to during the thriving ski season or the bluegrass festival held every August. During off-season, the rich gentlemen and their much younger mistresses rented rooms to indulge in a bit of pleasure.

No matter how many times Cara came to this grand hotel, the atrium, with its stunning, Victorian stained glass and four-story crystal chandelier, impressed her. Passionate about history, the Palace Hotel, in its splendor, epitomized her love for the Victorian era.

Smiling at her, Luke slipped his arm around her waist. Handsome in his dark blue Armani suit, with his short, wavy brown hair, clean-shaven face, and his killer Neiman Marcus tie, Luke was the type of guy she should stick with. For the few weeks she had been pulled into Hawk’s seductive web, she had put Luke on the back burner, but since that was behind her, Cara had decided to give him a fighting chance. As far as boyfriends went, he checked off all the boxes, and her parents had been thrusting Luke in her face for the last two years.

“Hey, beautiful. Sorry I’m late.” He leaned in to kiss her, and she turned her head. His lips brushed her cheek and his jaw tightened.
Crap, why did I do that
? She had kissed Luke before, like the other night when they made out at Rocky Mountain Lake. Noticing his pursed lips and deep frown, Cara didn’t blame him for being perturbed with her. She wanted to embrace him wholeheartedly, but something was missing. Even when they were at the lake groping and kissing each other, she hadn’t felt anything spectacular, not like she had when Hawk kissed her.

Dammit. I need to stop thinking about him!
Feeling guilty, she was aware she dated Luke in hopes that he’d make her forget about Hawk. She had to exorcize the biker from her mind and body, but it wasn’t working too well.

While scanning the lobby, Luke asked, “Is your dad here yet?”

“No. He’ll be here soon. We’re sitting at my parents’ table.”

“That’s fantastic.” He looked like he’d won the lottery—he was
so
kissing her dad’s ass.

Rolling her eyes, Cara feared it was going to be a very long night. Although she’d decided to give whatever she had with Luke a try, she longed to be alone—after all, she was busy with her career, and her clients took up so much of her time. She enjoyed hanging with her friends, working, and being on her own, but the nighttime was the hard part. When she was alone, Hawk invaded her thoughts and her body tingled in remembrance of their coupling.

Before Hawk collided with her world, she didn’t care about having a man in her life, or having a man even touch her. But then he’d busted in, all six feet, three inches of sex, excitement, and badass, and he turned her world upside-down by placing her on a slippery slope of want and need. Closing her eyes, Cara repeated her mantra,
I’m with Luke, not Hawk. I’m with Luke. I loved Hawk’s lips on mine and the way his hands and tongue caressed me. I loved the way… Dammit! I’m with Luke. I’m with Luke. I’m with—

“Shouldn’t we go into the ballroom?” Luke interrupted her. “What’s the charity again?”

“It’s Boys Hope. They help at-risk kids stay off the streets and get into loving homes. They started in California and spread throughout several states. It’s something I believe in, which is why I volunteered to be on the board.”

“I wish you would have talked to me about it before you signed up. You know, you’re a very impetuous person.”

“What does that mean? And why would I talk to you about signing up for anything?”

“I meant that I hoped we were growing closer together and would discuss things with each other that could impact our careers.”

Cara looked quizzically at Luke. He continued, “You should have volunteered for something that had to do with the Historical Museum of Pinewood Springs. You like history, and it’s more appropriate. It looks better to be involved with those kinds of people, you know what I mean?”

“Charity is charity. I believe everyone deserves a chance at a better life. I’m grateful I had the opportunities I did, so why not try and help bring hope and chances to others?”

“You’re getting mad at me. I’m just saying that you have to grow up a little and drop the champion-for-the-underdog mentality. It’s time you understood that your dad wants you to be at his firm working with civilized people. The thought of you being in the same room with sweaty, over-sexed criminals is, well… Don’t take this the wrong way, but it’s repulsive.” He grimaced.

Cara glared at him. “I won’t take it the
wrong way
. What’s
wrong
here is me being with
you
.” She turned to leave.

He clasped her arm. “Please, let’s not ruin the night. Your parents are here.”

Cara sighed. “Yeah, let’s not let my dad know you’ve insulted and fucking pissed off his daughter.”

Luke’s eyes widened. “I never thought I’d hear that word come out of your mouth, especially at a nice event like this.”

“Been hanging out with too many of my clients.” Cara smirked. She turned and walked toward her parents with Luke at her heels.
He is such a kiss-ass
.

All the influential people from Pinewood Springs, and some of the surrounding towns, filled the ballroom. At two hundred and fifty dollars a person, the event was a success.

Cara’s parents embraced their daughter. “You look lovely,” her mother said. Cara’s fuchsia, strapless cocktail dress complemented her gold-streaked hair and green eyes. The crystal beading gave the dress a subtle sheen. Cara looked both elegant and seductive, a combination that was not lost on Luke as he put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her to him. Her mother beamed at the gesture while her father waved to one of the district court judges. Annoyed, Cara’s shoulders slumped.

“Hello, Luke,” Cara’s father extended his hand toward him.

“Hello, sir. How are you, sir? Nice event, isn’t it, sir?” Luke gushed as he shook Mr. Minelli’s hand. Making a face, Cara caught her father’s eye, and his look acknowledged that there was nothing worse than a kiss-ass. As they both laughed, Luke, still clueless, joined in, making the duo laugh even harder.

The chiming bells signaled it was time to enter the ballroom and take their seats. At the table were Cara’s parents, she and Luke, and two other couples, the Hughes and the Fitzgeralds, who were old friends of the family. Cara admired the shimmering gold candles in their crystal holders and the red and yellow roses decorating elongated silver containers. Each table setting had a bud vase with a cluster of miniature roses, glittering gold napkin holders, and brilliant, gold-toned chargers. Cara marveled at how the whole room glittered, and it reminded her of a ball from one of her childhood storybooks.
Now if I had my Prince Charming next to me, all would be good.
She smiled to herself.

“Cara, how’s your practice going?” Mr. Hughes asked her.

“Interesting, as always.”

“Any good cases?”

“Well, I just finished a case with a biker who was my client.”

“Is it finally over?” Luke asked.

“That’s what I said. A lot of people think of the Insurgents as this scary biker club, but they can be quite nice.”
Except for Hawk, who is an asshole, but is oh-so-hot.

“I can’t believe you.” Luke was not smiling.

“If I were choosy about my clients, I’d have none.” She laughed.

“Everyone deserves the right to be represented. They know a good attorney when they see one. They’re lucky Cara took their case on,” Cara’s dad said, beaming.

“Oh, of course, I know. They
are
lucky because Cara is the smartest and best lawyer I know. Every one of her clients should appreciate her. I know I do. I think—”

“Enough already, Luke. We get it—I’m wonderful.” She and her dad exchanged smiles.

As she talked with her parents and the other people at her table, Cara felt someone staring at her. She glanced around and saw nothing out of the ordinary, but she couldn’t shake the feeling that someone was focusing on her. Swiveling around, Cara looked behind her and there
he
was, standing in the back of the room near the brass and cherry wood doors. Her heart skipped a few beats.
What is Hawk doing here?
Her mind couldn’t process Hawk being
there,
of all places.