Page 9 of Nitro

“All right.”

I lean down to sweep a soft kiss across her cheek. She lets out a shuddery breath before grimacing. Hopefully, Doc can do something about whatever’s wrong without having to take her to the emergency room. I don’t want her to be anywhere I can’t be, at least until we find her husband.

A knock sounds on the door.

“Come in,” I call.

“Scar’s back and he’s calling Church in five,” Matrix says.

“I’ll be right there.”

Matrix’s gaze lingers on Holly a second too long, so I glare at him. He gets the message and gets the fuck out of my room.

“Kitten, I’ve got to go to Church. I’ll be just down the hall. I’m going to have one of the prospects stand guard outside. If you need anything, holler.”

“Thank—” She pulls up short and gives me a gentle smile instead. “You’re the best.”

I laugh because she’s still thanking me without thanking me. She doesn’t realize the only thanks I need is having her in my bed. Even though I can’t touch her yet, I’m one step closer to where I want to be—in bed with her by my side.

After leaving the room, I find one of the prospects chatting up Crystal in the kitchen. The second she sees me, she gets thatevil little seductress look in her eyes. She’s so annoying. I don’t know why we need club girls anyway, but Scar insists on having them around so the other guys can get certain needs met. Also, they help with the cooking and cleaning so we can spend more time carrying out our mission. I guess having them around is worth something, so I don’t argue with Scar about it.

“Tucker, go stand guard outside my room. Don’t let anyone in. If you need to piss, have Crystal bring you an empty water bottle.”

She scowls at me as if she can’t believe I’d suggest something so nasty. I give her a look that says she’d better not fuck with me. She backs down, dropping her gaze while muttering something under her breath. I make a note to talk to Scar. I don’t like her. Something’s off. I just can’t put my finger on exactly what’s wrong.

I make sure the prospect is in place before walking down the hall to the room where we hold Church. A huge table takes up the center of the room. It’s fucking cool, made of wood Talon took from the old barn we demolished to make the bar and grill. A large, antique clock sits on the wall. Other than that, we don’t have any other decorations.

Scar’s already seated at the head of the table. He’s our club’s president. He calls Church every Friday at 3 p.m., as well as anytime something comes up that we all need to know about. I’m the VP, second in command, so I take the seat on his right side. I supervise plans for club events and handle any concerns that need to be brought to Scar’s attention.

Matrix sits across from me, but I rarely see his face since he’s always hiding behind a computer screen. He’s clicking away at his laptop doing God knows what. He’s the club’s Secretary, so he takes notes during the meetings. There’s no confusion later because he posts the notes on the club’s private group site. If anyone’s not sure about something, they can look at the minutes.

Talon’s sitting beside him, literally twiddling his thumbs. He may look like a dumb redneck hick from the sticks, but he’s as smart as a fox. When it comes to strategy, he’s our guy. He’s the SGT at Arms. He makes sure everyone follows the club’s rules and regulations. He has the power to strip patches and colors from members who get kicked out of the club. We haven’t had that happen in years because he never lets guys get too far out of line.

The silent ghost lurking in the chair at the other end of the table is Reaper. His black eyes meet mine. I nod slightly and he returns the gesture. He doesn’t say much, but he’s invaluable to the team. He’s our Enforcer. He protects the club from any type of conflict. If we need someone to disappear permanently, he’ll make sure the job gets done. He has a strange relationship with death. I don’t understand it, but I don’t have to. All I need to know is that he’s got my back just as much as I have his. He’s my brother. They all are. We’re bonded in a way no one else will ever understand.

“I’m calling this meeting to order,” Scar says, slamming the gavel down.

“Please tell me Holly’s husband is in the basement,” I growl.

“Nope. He’s in the wind. Lost him when we left town. My guess is he turned down a Forest Service road before we could catch up to him. There are too many in these mountains. We split up and hit as many as we could, but no dice.”

“We need to keep looking,” I say.

“Before we commit a bunch of manpower to this, I’ve got to ask you—are you claiming her, Nitro?”

“Yeah.” I puff my chest out. “She’s mine.”

The guys slam their firsts on the table, hooting and hollering until Scar raises a hand. They go silent.

“Matrix, see if you can track his phone, car, etc. Talon, take a couple of prospects and start asking around town. Maybe someone’s seen thegooddoctor. Reaper, get the basement ready,” Scar says.

Reaper grunts with a nod.

“Are you taking Holly back to get any of her things, or is she staying here tonight?” Scar asks me.

“Staying here. There’s nothing at her place worth risking her life over. She can borrow stuff from the girls until we can get back to her house. Doc says she shouldn’t be walking around for at least a week, maybe longer. Her feet need to heal.”

“Fuck that guy,” Reaper says in that low, gravely tone that sends chills down my spine. It’s his killing voice.

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