Page 8 of Surrender
I could see through the part she was playing, even though she played it like a pro.
It was carefully crafted.
It was practiced and perfected.
And it was the reason she was the star of this place five nights out of seven, every damn week. She was who she needed to be, when she needed to be it.
For some men, it was hard to see through that performance, but a long time ago, I’d had a taste of something so fucking real, and so damn perfect, that it was hard not to see the difference anymore.
Andthatgirl wasn’t just under my skin, she’d buried herself deep within my bones.
“Looks like that’s us,” Hawk noted, nodding at Cain and Drew as they came through the front door to take the next shift.
I reached over the bar and grabbed my hoodie. It was hot as hell in this place with all the heavy-breathing men and grinding bodies, but it was going on midnight, and Detroit’s spring nights could still cut like a knife.
“You planning on burning that shirt before you get home, so you don’t kill your old lady this time?” I joked, jabbing Hawk with my elbow as we stepped out into the cool breeze.
Hawk snorted, tugging at his clothes. “Brother, with the amount of perfume soaked into this shirt, if I burn it, I’m gonna take down a fucking city block.”
Absolute truth.
I quickly donned my hoodie, pulling my cut on over the top and drawing it tightly around me. Our rides were lined up to the left, and Henry, our latest prospect, was shuffling around, kicking at the gravel and humming to himself.
It was a prospect’s job to watch our shit and keep it safe while we were busy doing business.
This was not that.
“You keep scuffing those stones, you’re gonna end up skipping one across someone’s paint work,” I snapped, makingthe little shit almost leap out of his skin as he spun around, his long gangly legs getting all twisted up and sending him stumbling backward onto his ass.
“Yeah, I… yes, sir… I mean,” he stammered as Hawk and I stepped around him, the palm of my brother’s hand collecting the back of his head. “Ouch!”
I threw my leg over my ride, settling back into the seat as I pulled on my helmet and tightened it under my chin. Prospecting wasn’t easy. Every single person made their mistakes, but that was part of the process. It was about admitting the mistakes, taking the consequences, and learning your damn lesson.
That was how we all grew.
Henry scrambled to his feet, wiping the dirt off his jeans and straightening his shoulders, attempting to look like he hadn’t made a fucking dick of himself.
Hawk and I started our rides in unison, the loud rumble filling the silence of the streets. There was something about it that instantly relaxed me. Maybe it was my connection to the club and to a brotherhood that had done more for me than my blood relatives ever had. It was the place I finally found myself, and where all my puzzle pieces began to fit.
All except one.
And while I could often push it to the back of my mind, after tonight, I was suddenly starting to feel that familiar ache settling in my chest.
Hawk revved his engine, raising his brow at me. “You good?” he called.
I nodded, even though I wasn’t sure that was the truth.
There was skepticism in his eyes, but he didn’t push. Instead, he pulled out onto the street, and I followed close behind him.
Whether it was Roxie and her mind games, or something else in the air, none of it was sitting right.
I can feel it in my bones.
Chapter Four
DARCY
“I need to go backstage and start preparing for my performance,” I told Parker as we stepped away from another conversation, probably at least the tenth within an hour. “Surely, I’ve met almost everyone here by now.”
