Page 49 of Lawless
He smirked at me. "Hopefully we'll get some comfy rooms and a dip in the pool. But we've got to play our cards right. It won't be more than a few minutes."
He paused to look at me once more, eyes casting down to my lips before walking off to meet Reaper. Gunner followed him, carrying a large metal case. He winked one blue eye at me as he passed, and the three men went through the front door.
I looked behind me at Shadow, the furthest one in the back. He was still astride his bike but with his feet on the ground and a large assault rifle in his hands. Looming tall over everyone and dressed entirely in black, he really did take after a shadow.
Minutes crawled by. No one spoke. Some of Gunner's guardsmen drifted their hands to the weapons at their hips or backs.
A flash of movement caught my eye. Flipping up the visor on my helmet, I craned my neck to look up at the balconies on the tallest floor. I thought I saw a curtain move but upon looking more closely, it was armed men walking back and forth on the roof. Gunner's men noticed them, too, only they didn't look up as obviously as I did.
After what felt like hours, Reaper, Jandro, and Gunner, now empty-handed, emerged from the building. The whole club seemed to let out a sigh of relief.
"Weapons down. We're cleared to stay," Reaper announced. "No women here, though. Y'all are either fucking each other or your hands tonight."
A few of the men groaned in disappointment. Big G looked especially perturbed.
Ignoring them, Reaper gave Hades a quick pat before getting back on his bike. "They're setting up for us inside now. We'll park in the garage."
"How'd it go?" I asked Jandro as he resumed his seat.
"Worried about me?" he teased with a smile. "It went well. The owner was cautious, naturally, but pleased with our offering. The real test is how hospitable they'll be during our stay."
"How long are we staying?"
"Two days, maybe three. Reaper wants to ensure they won't backstab us if we continue working together in the future."
We pulled into the garage, which looked like a converted horse stable, then entered the lobby through a side door.
"Wow," I breathed.
It was much nicer than my old service station, and definitely kept cleaner. They went all out on the desert palace theme with sandstone columns, an open floor plan with high ceilings, and tiled floors in an elegant pattern of earth tones.
The furniture consisted of low couches and floor cushions, with coffee tables lined with exotic-looking fruit. Gunner's men didn't hesitate in sprawling out over the comfortable seating and helping themselves to food.
Two young women rushed out from behind a curtain carrying pitchers of water and ale. My pulse sped up as the men's eyes crawled over them perversely.Fucking hell, not here, too.
"Have a seat, Mari," Gunner patted the cushion next to him. Horus hopped off his shoulder and pecked curiously at some of the food on the table.
"It feels weird to be on this side of the table," I mused, easing into the seat next to him.
"Feels good, doesn't it?" He popped a grape into his mouth. "Riding all day long, then getting treated like royalty."
"Gun, get your bird off the table before it shits on the food."
We looked up together at who snarled the order. Reaper, of course. Acting like a crabby father after a long road trip.
Gunner let out a short whistle, and Horus immediately took off flying out the open door. "It's about time for him to hunt anyhow."
"Did you train him to do that?" I asked, helping myself to a few olives.
"No, more like he trained me on what sounds he would respond to.”
We ate and relaxed for a few hours without incident. The bikers did little more than flirt and stare at the two kitchen girls, much to my relief. Once everyone was full of food and drink, Jandro left Reaper's side to sandwich me between him and Gunner again.
"They allotted us nine rooms based on our gifts for them," he glanced at Gunner. "That means you get your own room, Mari. If you want."
"Yes," I said, maybe a bit eagerly. I hardly had a moment to myself in days.
The guys exchanged a grin at that. "We'll still keep you between us, to be safe," Jandro said.
