Page 15 of Zeus's Ruin

CHAPTER TWELVE

Sugar

“Hold up,” a burly manwith a shaved head and tattoos everywhere says, as Harper and I walk through the gate of the MC.“I don’t know either of you beautiful women.We may have to conduct a strip search so we can become better acquainted.”

Harper laughs.“Usually, I ask a man to buy me a drink first.”

I bite my lip.He was kidding about the strip search, right?“I’m a friend of Zeus’s.He asked me to come.”Not exactly true but I doubt this guy knows that.He also doesn’t appear to even be listening to what I’m saying since he’s moved closer to Harper and seems to only have eyes for her.

“Harper.Come on.”I grab her wrist and pull her away, but she makes a forlorn whining sound.“Girl, what is wrong with you?”

Harper makes grabby hands at Tattoos.“Pretty.”

The tattooed man makes grabby hands in the air too, only he’s pretending to honk Harper’s knockers.Jeez.I’m going to have to keep an eye on her tonight or we might have a problem on our hands.

As we get closer to the clubhouse, the celebrations become more evident.There’s a biker swinging from the sign above the clubhouse attempting to bring it down, and everywhere I look grown-ass men are partying hard and hollering like the Lost Boys without an adult in sight.The patch on their cuts is different too.The group of bikers with their backs to us are no longer sporting the Grim Raider’s skull.Instead, a determined skull with gold shamrocks grins back at me and the words, “Saint’s Outlaws MC, New Orleans”, are proudly displayed on the top and bottom rockers.Holy shit.It looks like the Grim Raiders MC are no more.

Zeus stands with his back to me, his broad shoulders relaxed, his ass unforgettable in those leathers.I’ve never actually seen him in leathers, or his cut, except for that night at the bar, of course.But his hair is shorter, slightly fairer, and then it dawns on me as he turns around that it’s not Zeus at all, just someone who shares his body type and features.

“Well, well, what do we have here?”he says and licks his lips as his eyes trail over me and then Harper.

“We’re um ...looking for Zeus.”

“He’s busy, darlin’.”God.The way he says darlin’ is identical to the way Zeus says it.And thenwhathe said hits me.“He’s busy”.

I glance around the yard, my eyes darting from biker to biker, until I find him sitting beside a bonfire, a woman in a short skirt perched on his lap, his hand snaked under her clothing and her head thrown back in ecstasy.He’s always so fuckinggiving.God I was an idiot to come here.

“Oh, honey,” Harper whispers beside me as she’s no doubt cataloged the cute blonde on his lap too.

I can’t watch anymore, so I meet the curious gaze of the man in front of me, and then I scan his cut and the President patch on his chest.“Sorry.We shouldn’t have come.”

“Zeus!Get your ass over here,” the man in front of me roars, causing me to flinch and take a step back.Then I take several more as Zeus’s eyes lock with mine and he unceremoniously shoves the girl from his lap.His long legs eat up the distance between us, and his dark, hooded eyes are livid.I’m just about to turn tail and run when the President grabs my arm and holds me in place.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Sugar?”Zeus’s tone is gravelly and low as he possessively grips my shoulders and yanks me away.The Prez’s hand drops from my arm, and I shirk away from Zeus’s hold.

“Don’t touch me.”

A dark chuckle fills the air around us and the President’s tone pitches low and just as husky as Zeus’s was, “Well, aren’t you a little firecracker?”

“What are you doing here?”Zeus asks again, like I’m fucking simple.I wish I hadn’t come.Glaring up at Zeus, I fight back tears.I will not cry in front of all of these men.I’m a badass bitch who survived years with a psycho like Jimmy.I will not letthisbreak me.

I’m here for you, asshole.I came because I wanted to see you, to be with you.I don’t say any of that, because I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing he hurt me.I am no longer weak.So I steel my resolve and say in my brattiest voice, “It’s a party, isn’t it?”

His eyes narrow.“Not one you were invited to.”

Ouch.That stung like a bitch.

---