The Outlaw's Dirty Dancer (10 page)

“So, will you quit if I can help you get a job somewhere else?”

“Brick, there is no place else. I’ve looked, believe me, and I don’t want to leave. I think of Steel Corner as my home, even if I live in a shitty place and strip.” She tried to tease to lighten the mood, but he still held this hard expression.

“That’s not what I asked, Darra.” He cupped the back of her head and pulled her closer to his face.

She shifted and rested her head right on his tattooed
pec
. Resting her hand on the other side of his chest she felt his heart beating hard and strong. .

“I don’t want to strip, Brick, believe me I don’t. But I also don’t want to have any favors pulled in for me. I want to live my life on my own. Do you understand?”

He was quiet after she spoke, but he wasn’t tense beneath her. “Yeah, baby, I know. But if I can get you an interview, would you go? It’d be up to you to nail it, but I don’t doubt that you could do it.”

Darra thought about his offer, and then lifted her head to look at him.
“Yeah?”

He brushed a stray hair away from her cheek and nodded. “Yeah, baby. I want you to be my old lady, Darra. I want that pretty fucking badly, even if it scares me a little.” He smiled a little, and she wondered how often he had actually done that.

 
She rested her head once more on his chest and closed her eyes.

“I’ve never wanted anything as badly as I want you on the back of my bike, or in my life.”

Darra couldn’t help but smile at his words. To others that had absolutely no clue about the MC life they wouldn’t have known that Brick wanting her as his old lady wasn’t some petty crap.

“I think I want that, too.”

He tightened his hold on her, and Darra let herself relax further. This would surely be the best night’s sleep she ever had. For such a hard ass with a bad attitude, Dillon “Brick” Stein could be a pretty incredible guy.

Chapter Nine

Brick was riding beside Diesel, and Dallas was behind them. They were less than five miles out from where the Grizzly MC Utah charter was located. He had hated leaving Darra behind, but he had left a prospect to watch her, and he knew he’d only be gone a few days. But the bear inside of him wanted to be the one to w
atch over her, to make sure she was safe, and it was damn hard letting that go. But his club needed him, and he just had to tell himself that things would be fine. This was his life, she was now a part of it, and he was going to have to get used to having to leave her behind when there was club business. The human side of him might be placated with those thoughts—marginally—but his animal and the MC Sergeant at Arms part of him thought all of that was a load of shit. Brick would have to get used to this shit because taking an old lady on MC business wasn’t a possibility. Of course he’d never want his female on these runs anyway. They could be dangerous and end with murder, even if they started off safe.

They took a left and continued down the long paved road, but after another right their tires were tearing up a dirt road. The Utah charter’s new clubhouse came into view ten minutes later. Members were coming and going with big boxes in their arms when the three of them pulled up. They parked their bikes and dismounted. Arrow, the President of this charter, greeted them with a wide grin. His thick beard was more grey than black anymore, but he was built just as strongly as the rest of them, even though he was nearing sixty.

“Welcome to Utah, brothers.”

Diesel and Arrow slapped each other on the back, and then Brick and Dallas did the same.

“Grateful you guys could head up and help. Jagger left this morning, and my guys got a bunch of shit moved already.”

“You just tell us what you need. We’re here for you,” Diesel said.

They headed inside, and Brick stepped back when a few prospects moved past them with boxes.

“Mainly why I need you here is for the big shit. A few of my guys are tied up with the new clubhouse and getting the security system set up, and my VP and a couple others are on a run to pick up a shipment of coke that will be distributed.” Arrow moved toward the back, and the three of them followed him.

They went out the back door and walked toward the small shed with a heavy duty lock on it. Once Arrow got it open and they stepped inside they could see two metal cases. They didn’t have to be opened for Brick to know there were automatic rifles and handguns inside. The Utah charter bought a lot of guns from a local Hispanic gang, but in return they had a coke distributing deal with them. The Hispanic gang started the connections with this charter, got the drugs at wholesale cost from the distributer, and cut it with some over the counter
shit
. Then the coke was distributed by the club, and the money rolled in.

“We can get all of this hauled out before nightfall,” Dallas said behind Brick. Brick also knew that with most of Arrow’s crew on other projects he didn’t trust anyone with a load this size or this sensitive, and both charters had been close for the last twenty years.

“Sounds good, boys, and then we are
gonna
fucking party until the sun comes up.” Arrow grinned broadly, and Brick could only imagine the night that was to come. There would be naked bitches around offering their pussies, weed and booze aplenty, and probably even some blow being snorted. Yeah, this charter liked to party, and they did it even harder than the Colorado Grizzlies.

****

“Honey, you sure you’re doing okay?”

Darra looked over at Pepper and smiled. “Sure. Why do you think something is wrong?” Darra tilted her head to put one of her earrings in.

Pepper shrugged and slipped out of her shorts and panties to put on her stripper clothes. “I don’t know. You just seemed out of it when I walked in and saw you dancing.”

Darra turned and looked at herself in the mirror.

“I’m not trying to call you out or anything, but that stumble that happened out there won’t go unnoticed by Marin, Darra.”

Yeah, on any other day Darra would have had to agree, but Marin hadn’t been giving her any shit since she had been seen with Brick on several occasions.

“It’ll be okay, but yeah, I didn’t miss how I screwed up either. Good thing half those guys are over the moon drunk already and most likely had their eyes on my tits and ass.” Honestly she had been thinking about Brick and her life, and all the things that had changed since they had met.

Pepper chuckled. “This is true, but I’m worried that Marin will get all bent out of shape about it. You know how much of an asshole he can be if everything doesn’t go his way.”

Yeah, Darra knew. She faced Pepper and watched as she adjusted her transparent bra.

“Don’t
worry,
I am fairly sure he won’t bother me.”

Pepper gave her an unsure look, as if she thought that statement had been bullshit.

“I met someone.” Darra didn’t have anyone that she called a friend, not in Steel Corner, and not anywhere else for that matter. But if she was to consider herself close to anyone it was probably Pepper, even if they only saw each other at work.

Pepper had turned away from Darra and was finishing putting some make-up on, but after Darra had said that she set everything down on the vanity and gave Darra her full attention.
“Yeah?”
There was genuine excitement in Pepper’s expression and voice.

Darra couldn’t help it. She smiled like a damn fool.

Pepper scurried over, well, as well as she could in her killer heels, and sat beside her. “Well, don’t keep a girl hanging. What’s his name?” Pepper leaned back and eyed her. “Please tell me you didn’t meet him here.”

“Um.”
Pepper closed her eyes and groaned. “He actually saved me from some prick that started crap with me. But yeah, it was here.”

“Huh, a savior in this shithole?
Go on, tell me more.”

Darra took a deep breath, not knowing what was “okay” to tell her since she knew MC life was more secretive, but Darra didn’t really know much anyway. What she did know was she was happy and wanted to tell someone.

“His name is Brick…” At the way Pepper’s eyes widened
Darra
stopped. “What? What is it?”

“Darra, are you talking about the same Brick that runs with the Grizzly MC?” The way Pepper said that was like it was some dirty little secret.

She nodded and waited for Pepper to say more, which she knew there would be.

“That’s bad news,
he’s
bad news.” She shook her head at Darra. “That is a dangerous club. They kill people.” Pepper whispered the last part. “They also deal with drugs and carry around guns.”

Darra wasn’t stupid to any of this, but she could only speak for Brick and how he treated her. “He’s been very good to me, Pepper. He treats me like I deserve to be treated.” She looked down and pressed her hands together. “And that’s saying a lot since I haven’t had very many people treat me kindly in my life. “ When she looked up it was to see Pepper giving her this very sympathetic look. “Ugh, please don’t feel sorry for me. That isn’t why I told you.”

“Oh, sweetie.
You’re so young, have so much to live for. You can’t let past relationships with pricks blind you to the fact you could do so much better than a criminal.”

Darra didn’t bother responding, because Pepper didn’t know anything about Darra’s personal life. “You’ve seen them kill people?”

Pepper leaned back in her seat. “Well, no, but I’ve heard enough around town. Everyone knows that they are dangerous criminals and that they deal in illegal activity. The cops don’t do anything, but who knows, they probably have them in their pocket. Really, no one says anything because they are scared, but also because for a bad as everyone says they are they still keep this town running. I don’t know how because I’m just some stupid stripper, but obviously they must be doing something to help the higher-ups if they allow them to run this town. And that is pretty much what they are doing.” Pepper took Darra’s hands in her own and patted the tops of them. “I’m not your mom and won’t tell you what to do. It’s your life, your decisions, but please
think
about everything I told you before making any big decisions. Once you’re in with them that’s it. You’re in.” A very serious look crossed her face. “There is no getting out of that, Darra.” Pepper let go of her hands, and stood. “Take care of yourself, sweetheart, and I’m always here if you want to talk.” She smiled once more.

Darra watched Pepper leave out of the dressing room. She may have only been thirty, but Pepper was so damn smart, caring, and treated the girls like they were her own daughters. Pepper’s words played through her head, and although she knew all of this from her own assumptions and little knowledge of the MC world, and from what Brick told her, she was going with her gut instincts when it concerned being with him. She felt safe with him—was safe with him—and no one had ever made her feel like that. That had to count for something, right?

Taking a deep breath, she realized she missed Brick a lot, and he had only been gone one day. Their goodbye had been in the form of him taking her up against the wall in his living room. It had been quick and dirty, with him pulling up her skirt, pulling her panties aside, and pushing into her. Even now her pussy tingled and the tenderness of his passion settled heavily inside of her and between her thighs. She grabbed her purse and jacket and headed out the backroom. She had parked her car in the side lot. The lighting was better, and she wouldn’t have to walk through the throng of men that loitered around the bar. She waved to a few of the girls coming from the front, and knew that she had to get out of this place. Although she got along with the girls, enjoyed seeing them and talking to them, this life wasn’t for her. If Brick could help her, set something up, then she would try with everything in her to do the best fucking job she could do. But she hated relying on others for help, because disappointment was a nasty, ugly bitch.

She looked around for the prospect that had been following her around since Brick had left for Utah. The house was packed, but she couldn’t see him, and she would have since he stood out like a sore thumb with his huge frame and menacing presence. Even though he was a prospect he was still a bear shifter. He must be outside, which worked out better for her anyway since again, she wouldn’t have to try to make her way through the horny men in the club.

The bouncer that stood by the back door pushed it open for her when she moved toward him. He lifted his hand and waved goodbye. Her Honda sat off to the side, but the parking lot lights were bright enough that it wasn’t completely shrouded in shadows. She glanced to her left, saw the Harley of the prospect that was watching her, but did not see him. Just leaving was right there in her mind, but she didn’t want to cause trouble for the guy when Brick found out he hadn’t been with her the whole time, and she knew Brick would find out. Darra moved toward his bike to see if he was standing by the front doors, maybe smoking, and was going to let him know she was going. The sound of her shoes clicking against the pavement echoed off the side of the building. She was a few steps away from rounding the corner of the side of the club when someone grabbed her from behind, slammed a hand over her mouth, and hauled her backward. Whoever had her was strong, but she could feel him behind her, and knew he wasn’t very large, not compared to Brick.

He dragged her further away from the Harley, and the safety of the light. The sound of the front door opening and closing, of some men laughing and cursing, came through all around her, but the hand that covered her mouth was unyielding and she couldn’t make a sound for help. The stench of garbage filled her nose, and then she was pressed up against the dumpster. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust, but when she saw who held her against her will she fought harder. She didn’t know his name, but she knew his face: the same guy that had broken the bottle over Brick’s head, and the same asshole that had stared at her with those creepy ass eyes when she had danced on the table. With his hand still on her mouth and his body pressing hers tightly against the dumpster, she was at his mercy.

“You know, this was a lot easier than I thought it would be.” His breath smelled so heavily of liquor and stale cigarette smoke.