Page 17 of Ink

Fer offered me a smile. “That’s club business. I bet the guys that came in were looking to start beef with Los Diablos. They always target the businesses first, but don’t worry. The club will protect us.”

“Does this happen often?” I resisted the urge to remind her that she was the one who told me nobody was stupid enough to fuck with the MC. It appeared as though someone stupid had definitely arrived to shake shit up, and I’d been caught on the warning’s end.

“They haven’t had any problems in a while, and it’s not as common as you think. Are you worried? Are you going to quit?”

Her panicked expression made me offer up a small smile. “No,” I said, and there was a truth to my words that settled down to my bones. “I’m not worried.”

Chapter Six

Ink

Thosegringoshijosdeputa.

The minute Xiomara described the situation to me I knew exactly who we were dealing with.

I made a call to Loco, and after he finished cussing them out down the line, he told me to get to the clubhouse immediately so we could deal with the threat.

But first I had to get Fer and Xiomara home.

“We’re closing shop,” I announced as I walked back to the front.

Fer nodded, already familiar with shit even if she didn't know details. “My brother is on his way.”

“Xiomara, I’m taking you home.”

She didn’t argue or protest. I watched as she calmly sent out texts from the shop phone to let our clients know that their appointments were canceled. I’d make it up to them somehow, probably by offering a discount, but club shit always took precedence over everything else.

We waited until Fer’s brother picked her up and then hopped on my bike. Unlike the first time, I didn’t have to demand she hold me tightly. Her body molded itself onto mine like she was meant there.

I didn’t stop to think about how this was the second time Xiomara had been on the back of my bike. Just like I didn’t think about how she’d been theonlywoman on the back of my bikeever. There was significance in the gesture, one I didn't want to think too hard on when there were more important things to worry about at the moment.

We didn’t take long to get to her place. She jumped off, but before she could leave, my hand shot out to grasp at her hip and held her in place. She froze, her eyes searching my own.

“Lock your door, Xiomara,” I ordered.

“I will,” she assured me.

“And if there’s anyone wandering around that shouldn’t be–”

“I’ll let you know.” She nodded her head.

“Good girl.”

The words left my lips and made an immediate flush crawl up her face.

“Go inside,” I ordered, a growl snapping from me without meaning to. I didn’t need her flushing face making my dick hard, but it was already too fucking late.

I wasn’t quite sure when it had happened. My dick stirred ever since I hired her back. Every time she was in the room, it came alive, like she was the one I’d been waiting for. I tried to tame that primal part of me, though. She was my fucking employee. Fucking employees ensured for a messy work environment. There were club putas for that type of thing. I could rub one out or fuck one of them to get Xiomara out of my system.

Especially because she’d proved far more competent than I thought her to be originally.

My dick liked competence, apparently.

Fuck.

Xiomara whipped around and rushed up the path towards her house. Only once she was locked inside did I peel out of there and head towards the clubhouse.

It was chaos when I arrived.