Diesel (Aces MC Series Book 1) (4 page)

“What the fuck was all that about Ink? Don’t you think you
should’ve mentioned that you were involved with the Skulls before now?” Diesel
was annoyed with me and I could see the frustration as he paced back and forth
near his bike. I looked down at the floor, swinging my leg back and forth, a
nervous habit I’d had since I was a child. “Come here.” Diesel grabbed me
taking me into his arms and started to rub the back of my head. My frustration from
the last 10 minutes left my body and I relaxed into him. Never had I ever felt
so safe. Whatever was happening between us just seemed right.

Diesel pulled away but still held me at arm’s length.
Letting out a loud sigh, “You gotta be honest with me Ink. You could have put
us both in danger.” I looked up into his eyes. I could see a mixture of
emotions, rage, frustration and maybe even desire. My heart beat quickened and
I could feel the longing for him to take me. “We need to talk but not here.
Let’s get you home and then you’re telling me everything. Am I making myself
clear?” Diesel never raised his voice which made his words more menacing. I
wasn’t scared of him but I felt that I had let him down. I slowly nodded my
head before mounting the bike.

We drove back to my apartment in silence. I was
contemplating what I should tell him. We weren’t involved with each other but I
felt that I owed him an explanation. This didn’t mean that he needed to know
everything, I wasn’t ready to tell him about Hawke’s infatuation with me.

Diesel parked his bike. Neither of us moved as we were both
fighting with our own turmoil. “How do you know where I live?” The realisation
made me annoyed. I got off the bike folding my arms tightly around myself. I
looked at Diesel waiting for him to explain himself. He shrugged, “You work for
us. All employees have a background check. I can’t understand why it didn’t
pick up your connection to the Skulls though, want to explain?” Now Diesel was
folding his arms waiting for me to start talking. My headache was getting
worse, all the tension from the past hour was building and all I wanted was a
hot bath and a good cry over how this evening had turned to shit.

“Trigger was my dad.” There, the words were out. Diesel let
out a low whistle, uncrossing his arms and putting them into his jean pockets,
shaking his head from side to side. “And you didn’t think that this would be a
problem for the Aces?” I didn’t know where to begin to tell him my story.
Should I tell him that I just wanted a fresh start away from the club? Hawke
wanted me to be his old lady or that I thought Hawke was behind my dad’s death.

“I use my middle name because I don’t like Jean.” Diesel
raised his eyebrows, “Yes, my parents had a warped sense of humour.” My small
smile faded quickly, “I haven’t lied Diesel. I’ve answered every question I’ve
been asked truthfully.” I had to defend myself, “I’m a fucking good tattooist
and that’s what I’m paid to do by the club. Whoever my Parents are shouldn’t
have anything to do with you or the club, especially since they are both dead.”
By the time I’d finished shouting at him, I realised I was poking him in the
chest with my finger. He looked down at my hand which I pulled away quickly, realising
I’d over stepped the mark. I tried to calm the situation, “Look Diesel I’m
sorry. Sorry I took the job and sorry I’ve wasted your time.” I turned and
started to walk away down the shingle path towards my apartment.

“Do you think it’s over as simply as that?” I ignored him
and continued walking quickening my pace. “This isn’t finished Ink.” Diesel was
now following me, down the path stalking me like I was his prey. I could feel
him behind me. As I turned, I found myself in his clutches pushed against his hard
chest. I looked into his hungry eyes. “This isn’t over. I decide when it’s
over.” Diesel took my mouth like he was a starved man. This was certainly a
desperate man wanting to claim me. As we kissed he pushed me back until I was
against the wall of my apartment. He put his hand in my hair pushing my head
forward so he could take me deeper. I could feel his arousal against my stomach
which was turning me on further as his other hand slowly groped my arse
kneading my flesh. A car pulled into my estate and the headlights shone on us
as they turned the corner.

I pushed him away trying to catch my breath. Diesel took a step
back putting his hands on his hips looking unaffected by the passionate kiss
apart from the bulge in his jeans. We stared into each other’s eyes, goading
one another to make the next move.

Vibrating came from Diesel’s pocket. “What?” Diesel shouted
down the phone. “Yeah I’ll be there in ten.” He hung up putting his phone back
into his pocket. Diesel leaned forward placing a chaste kiss on my forehead.
“I’ll see you Saturday.” And with that Diesel turned, got onto his bike and
left me standing on my front porch wondering what the fuck had just happened.

Diesel

“The shipment arrives on Sunday and I want you, Rex, Stoney
and Bear to see its safe arrival.” Duke was sitting at the oak desk in his
office, leaning back in the chair with his feet resting on the desk. He could
see by the look on my face that I wasn’t happy about being out of town for a
while.

“What’s up with you? You screwing Harlow yet?” His smile
widened showing his beautifully lined teeth. Teeth that I would like to smash. “Fuck
off, it’s none of your business.” I said sitting on the arm of the green sofa
placed in the corner of his office. I tried to rub the back of my neck to
release some of the tension that had built up this evening. My reaction
obviously sparked his interest further as he placed his feet on the floor and
sat up with a shit eating grin.

“What’s the matter, have you lost your charm? Look man, if
she’s not interested, can I have a go?” I would love to smash the fucking smug
look off Dukes face. He wasn’t interested in Ink, he just liked to fucking
annoy me and it was working.

“Anyway what did you want to talk to me about?” Duke asked
changing the subject as he probably knew he had pissed me off. “I had an interesting
conversation with Ink this evening. I knew she had links to an MC but my worst fears
were confirmed this evening.” I paused which peaked Dukes interest. “Her dad
was Trigger.” I knew this wasn’t good for Ink’s future at the club. Her
loyalties would be tested if she wanted to continue to work for us. I could see
the flicker of shock on Dukes face, then it was gone as quickly as it came.

“Trigger as in the Sergeant at Arms for the Skulls, who was
recently murdered?” I nodded my head slowly, “The very same. We ran into some
Skulls at the cafe this evening and Patch also hinted that she had a connection
to Hawke. She denies it and I believe her but something don’t quiet feel right.”

I could see that Duke was chewing over this information. “Do
you trust her?” He said running his fingers through his hair and resting them
at the back of his neck. “Yes. I took her to Spirits Point this evening.” That
last sentence hung in the air. Duke loved Shaun as much as I did. Spike and
Duke were my rock’s when I lost him and understood how much that place means to
me because of the memories it holds.

“I understand.” He said with a smile. “You know the protocol
though. I will need to put her under surveillance and do a more extensive
background check on her.” Duke quickly wiped a tear that had rolled down his
face, trying to make it look like he had an itch, rather than let me realise
that he was getting emotional by the sound of my sons name. “I’ll put Tyler on
her until we clear up the situation. Is she coming Saturday?” Duke’s composure
was back. “Yeah. We had words this evening but she’ll be there.” I said aloud,
trying to convince myself but doubting every word.

Harlow

I felt like shit. I hadn’t got much sleep, tossing and
turning all night long. I’d finally given up at 6.00am and decided to go for a
run to clear my head. I hadn’t been to the gym in weeks and now my body was
aching all over from my morning run. The scolding hot shower hadn’t helped either
and now I was in need of coffee before the long list of appointments I had
today.

“Good morning Harlow.” Spike welcomed me as I entered the
shop. “Is it?” I responded walking to the back room to put my bag and coat into
my locker. I took a big gulp of coffee and looked in the mirror at the large
bags under my eyes.
You don’t only feel like shit, you look like shit
Harlow, pull yourself together.
With a slap on each cheek I was more awake
and psyched for my first appointment.

“You wanna talk?” I turned slowly to find Spike glaring at
me with his arms folded across his huge muscular chest. His expression was expectant
as he stood there waiting for my response. “I’m just tired.  I had a shit night’s
sleep. No dramas.” I put a smile on my face and started to walk past him, when
Spike grabbed my arm. “Not what I heard. You’re a fucking good tattooist and I
don’t want to lose you but you shouldn’t have lied about who you were.” His
monotone voice wasn’t giving anything away neither were his eyes.

“Spike please listen before you jump to conclusions. I
haven’t lied, I just omitted to tell you certain things about my life. Can we
do this later?” I shrugged his hand from my arm and walked into the main room
where Amy was sitting waiting for me. If she heard our conversation she didn’t
let on.

“You ready for this?” I asked getting out the equipment I
needed for her tattoo. Amy placed her hand on mine gently stroking it, stopping
me in my tracks. I didn’t have any close female friends. Girls at the club were
either old ladies or club whores. I was just the daughter of the Sergeant at
Arms so I was always somewhere in between. Dad didn’t want me hooking up with
one of his Brothers so I respected his wishes and stayed away where possible.
Not that all of the Brothers listened. Hawke had taken a shine to me and had pursued
his interest from the day I turned eighteen. After two years of knock backs,
you’d have thought he would’ve got the hint. He wanted me as his old lady and
didn’t like rejection. That’s one of the reasons I had to leave the club after
the death of my dad. “Are you okay Harlow?” Amy smiled brightly at me. “I’m
fine, just got a lot going on at the moment.” I said letting out a loud sigh.

I finally finished the next stage of Amy’s tattoo and it was
now taking shape and looking good apart from the usual redness. She would need
a few more sessions but because she hated needles and had a low pain threshold,
it was going to take longer than expected. Crazy arse bitch!

“You still okay for Saturday?” Amy asked excitedly. “I don’t
know to be honest. Diesel and I had a fight last night.” Amy looked at me
frowning, “What about?” I ran my fingers through my hair anxiously, “The
evening started off great, he took me to Spirits Point and then we went to a
local cafe.” I paused, building up the courage to tell her about my past. “We
ran into members of the Skulls and to cut a very long story short, I have a
history with them.” I looked up to see Amy staring at me. “I know I should’ve
told everyone before I took the job but… Amy what’s the matter?” Amy still had
a shocked expression on her face and her eyes were glistening, like she was
about to cry. “He took you to Spirits Point!” Amy tried not to blink to prevent
the tears from falling but the dam broke and they started to stream down her
cheeks. Quickly moving over to her, I wiped the tears that had rolled down her
face and placed my hands on hers.

“He doesn’t talk about Shaun much these days, doesn’t mean
he’s not hurting though. I knew he was visiting that place often but whenever I’ve
mentioned it to him, he just brushed me off.” Amy gave a small smile, “The fact
that he took you there Harlow, means he totally trusts you. I’m assuming he
found out about the Skulls after your visit to the Point?” I looked directly at
Amy nodding my head. “If he did get annoyed can you see where he’s coming
from?” Amy was looking at me with the same expression her brother did last
night. A little disappointment and hurt visible.

“I totally understand and that’s why I’ve decided to stay
away from Diesel. He doesn’t need me causing shit between the two clubs. I
moved away to start a new life outside of the Skulls and I’ve landed smack in
the middle of the Aces.” Now it was my turn to cry. Tears slowly made their way
down my face as I sat there not knowing what to say. I was starting to develop
feelings for Diesel. He had shared some intermit things with me last night and
I had let him down. He wouldn’t even be interested now because of my betrayal
so I had no right to be upset.

“Just give him time, he’ll want to see you again.” I shook
my head slowly, “Oh please turn up on Saturday Harlow. I will introduce you to
everyone. Our pig roasts are legendary.” She was now whining, how could I possibly
say no. I wanted to see Diesel again and explain my situation further. If he
would let me explain would be a different issue. “Okay, I’ll be there but you
better be right.” I programmed Amy’s number into my phone before she left the
shop, leaving me to ponder over our conversation.

I was finished by 5.00pm and decided to pick up some
shopping before I went home. I didn’t need much, just a couple of bits to last
me over the weekend. I left the supermarket and instantly got an uncomfortable
feeling as I walked down the deserted street, as if someone was watching me.
The hairs on the back of my neck were standing on end and I immediately got goosebumps.
I looked around the street unable to see anyone but the uneasy feeling was
still there. I quickened my steps, clutching my keys in my hand ready to get into
my apartment. As I reached the door I fumbled with my keys and franticly looked
behind to make sure that no one was around. I quickly opened the door and shut
it behind me, placing my back against the door. My heart rate had increased and
I was breathing hard.

I shook my head from side to side realising how stupid I’d
been. Why would someone be following me? I walked through my living room and
into the kitchen placing the shopping bags on the work top. I poured myself a large
glass of water from the jug I keep in the fridge and sat down at the kitchen
table, slowly slipping my aching feet out of my boots. Closing my eyes, I gently
rested my head against the back on the kitchen chair. The vibration from my
pocket startled me.

R U still coming tomorrow? D

My heart rate started to increase. I didn’t think he would
want me there after everything that happened last night. I quickly typed a
response.

Do U want me there? Harlow x

Please say yes, please say yes. I was chanting over and over
waiting for his next response.

I told U last night, this isn’t over until I say it’s
over. D

What no hugs and kisses at the end of his message. I will
have to work on that! My heart rate was still increased and I could feel my
lady bits tighten. Diesel was one hot son of a bitch and I wanted him more than
I had ever wanted anyone before.

OK, C U tomorrow. Harlow x

I needed a shower to try and unwind after scaring myself
earlier. I put the phone into my pocket and walked into my bedroom carrying my
glass of water. My phone vibrated again, I didn’t think Diesel would be a
serial texter. I took the phone from my pocket, excited by what he may have
written in response.

Hello Princess. R U missing me yet? Can’t wait 2 C U
again soon x

“Shit!” I dropped the glass on the floor and ran to the
front door putting on the deadbolt. I pulled the curtains tight and ran quickly
to the back door making sure that it was also secure. My heart rate had
increased further and I could feel the tightening of my chest, I was starting
to wheeze and had a shortening of breath. I rummaged around in my handbag looking
for my asthma pump. I hadn’t needed it for months but was now using it for the
second time in under a week. I found it and took two puffs which steadied my
breathing a little.

I knew what that text meant. The only people to call me
Princess were the Skulls and I suspected that it was either Patch or Hawke. My
phone vibrated again. I dropped my pump and slumped to the floor. Did I want to
look at the next message? Here I was a twenty year old lady, scrambling around
on my kitchen floor scared of a text. My chest still hurt and my breathing was
still a little erratic. I looked at the phone to find a second message.

Do U really think your curtains will keep me out?
Sweet dreams x

I opened the kitchen cupboard under the sink taking out the
metal tin where I kept my gun. I checked that it was loaded which reassured me
and held it firm whilst trying to assess the situation. I don’t know how long I
sat on the floor but I was starting to get a numb arse. I crawled to my bedroom
not turning on the light and closed the door, pushing my chest of drawers up against
it. It wouldn’t keep anyone out for long but it would give me enough time to
make an escape out of the window. I sat on the bed resting my back against the
wooden headboard, bringing my knees up against my chest, rocking back and
forth.

Why did my dad have to die? After his death everything went
to shit. He would know what to do in a situation like this. There were plenty
of times when the club went on lock down and all family members were brought to
the club for protection.  As a child it was great because all the children
there gave me plenty of friends to play with. We were one big happy family. But
now I was all alone and didn’t have anyone to turn to.