Page 38 of Hidden Desires
Blade slid his Harley in next to Caden’s Kawasaki Ninja. Caden’s bike was a lot sportier than the others. But that was Cade’s personality. He was sweet and young and enjoyed impressing his boyfriend with his alpha male qualities. Apparently, that was a huge turn-on for Luc. Who knew?
“This is not the Mirage or Caesars Palace,” Nikolai bluntly commented as he walked up to Blade, who was still sitting on his bike.
Blade looked around.
It reminded him of the type of motel that Norman Bates might walk out of. The neon sign out front had three broken letters, and judging by some of the women hanging around, Blade got the sense that you could rent the room by the hour.
“Stop your bitching,” Ace said as he walked up to them carrying a handful of room keys. “Have you ever tried planning a murder at the Mirage? It’s security camera central there. At least here, criminal activity is welcome.”
“The man has a point,” Lucas said as he walked up to join them.
“That’s why I left the bookings up to you, little bro. You think about these things and make sure that we all stay out of jail,” Marcus added, pulling a key out of Ace’s hand. “I get my own room,” he said before turning and making his way down to the end of the row of rooms.
“I’ll share,” Lucas said, grabbing a key and taking his man by the hand. Caden and Lucas walked down the row in the opposite direction from Marcus.
“I don’t share,” Nikolai chimed in, yanking a key free and walking away before Ace and Blade even had a chance to comment.
“The guy’s a liar. He shared two chicks with me last month,” Blade commented, earning a groan and an eye roll from Ace.
“Guess you’re sharing a room with me.” Ace turned and began walking toward their room.
Blade smirked.
This could get interesting.
12
ACE
Everyone crowded into Marcus’s room at the end of the row.
Marcus was right.
His room was the biggest.
It had a king-sized bed, a three-seater couch, and a small, functioning wet bar—alcohol not included. Thankfully, there was a liquor store across the street that carried just about every booze imaginable. They probably figured this was the kind of area where people came to party hard and forget all their troubles.
God bless booze and alcohol.
In addition to booze, they also had a host of party favors, courtesy of a twenty-three-year-old college dropout who Nikolai somehow knew lived in the area.
God bless Russian badasses and their sketchy connections.
Marcus, of course, reminded them that they shouldn’t party too hard. They did have a murderer to catch, after all.
But what was a biker gang without guys always looking for a good time? It was like asking a fish to stay out of the water. Useless and impossible.
So the guys enjoyed their drinks and sampled the party favors in moderation. Ace smoked a joint, while Blade and Nikolai did a bump of coke. It was all just enough to make them feel good without impairing their judgment too much.
“Hey, Chester, it’s good to see you,” Marcus greeted as he opened the motel room door to his old friend and brother. “Come on in.”
Ace and the guys stood to greet the grieving father as he made his way around the room. Caden passed the man a whiskey while Marcus directed him to have a seat on the edge of the bed.
The man looked tired. His eyes were red, and his hands wouldn’t stop shaking.
It was understandable. The man was grieving.
Ace couldn’t imagine what he would do if something bad ever happened to Marcus. While the man might be overprotective as shit, he was his older brother, and he loved the fuck out of him.
