I returned his scowl before shifting my attention back to King. Holding up my hands that were still handcuffed, I said, “Awesome. You can remove these now.”
“Not until you tell me what you saw in that hotel last night,” King said as he moved towards me.
Staring at him, I mentally acknowledged the crazy glint still in his eyes. Knowing what he was after, I said, “Nothing. I wasn’t even in that room.”
“Where were you?”
“At the blackjack table all night.”
“Did you win?”
“Five hundred bucks.”
“Who did you leave with?”
“No one.”
Nitro moved out of the way, allowing King to invade my personal space. He didn’t say anything for a few moments, but his body language and eyes were a menacing presence. I knew what he was doing; it wasn’t like I’d never dealt with a man like King before. Finally, he said, “Good.”
“Can I go now?”
Something caused him to snap. His hand wrapped around my throat and he squeezed hard until I almost choked. His fingers dug in, blocking my ability to breathe and causing me pain. When he had me gasping for air, he leaned close and hissed, “I’m not a fan of your smartass mouth, Tatum. Nitro’s gonna take you home and you’re gonna show him around your house so he knows every inch of it. By the time he leaves, he’ll know every point of entry. And if you so much as look at me the wrong fucking way, I’ll send him over to do what I wanted to do in the first place.” He applied a little more pressure, until just as I thought I would pass out, he let go. “Do we have an understanding?”
I gasped for air, sucking in huge wheezing breaths while staring at King with hate. When my breathing finally stabilised, I snarled, “We have an understanding, but you do that shit to me again and you won’t just have Billy to deal with. You think I’m a fucking stripper? I’m not.” I held up my hands. “Now fucking undo these and take me home.”
Fucking bikers.
King’s body tensed and he clenched his fists by his side. He wouldn’t hit me, though. Billy would have been out of his mind looking for me last night; he would have made it crystal clear to King to let me go. And King had to know that Billy didn’t like it when those close to him were hurt. Everyone in Sydney knew that.
“Get her out of my sight, Nitro,” he spat before stalking out of the room.
I watched him leave, more than happy to see the back of him. When I turned to face Nitro again, I found him watching me with an expression I couldn’t put my finger on.
“What?” I snapped.
Whatever he’d been thinking was replaced with his standard anger at me. Reaching for my hands, he ignored my question and muttered, “Thank fuck this is over.”
Fuck yes.
I felt exactly the same.
* * *
Walking into my kitchen, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. It was good to be home, but most of the tension in my body remained. Until Nitro left it wouldn’t shift.
His hand curved over my shoulder causing my survival instincts to ratchet up another notch. “Time to show me around, Vegas.”
I turned, shrugging out of his grip even though the movement killed like a bitch, and glared at him. “Don’t touch me again.” Jerking my chin, I added, “Show yourself around. I have calls to make.”
Without waiting for his reply, I grabbed my phone out of my bag. Swiping to see how many calls I’d missed, I squinted through swollen eyes and discovered sixteen missed calls from Billy. “Fuck,” I muttered. He really was desperate to get me back.
Nitro watched me for a few moments. He didn’t utter another word and he didn’t move, but still he managed to knot me with more unease. I had no idea what he was thinking or what he was likely to do. I guessed that was exactly how he liked things to be. It was something I understood, because it was how I operated in my life, too. Being an open book hadn’t worked out for me. All it had left me with was betrayal, divorce and no fucking job, so I kept a tight lid on shit these days.
When he finally left the kitchen, I placed my hands on the counter and spent a few minutes taking some deep breaths. God knew, I needed them, even if each one was pure torture. In the space of twelve hours, my life had taken another detour, not one I relished. Having the President of the fucking Storm MC threaten me wasn’t something to take lightly. As much as I had Billy and some others in my corner, this town was renowned for turning people against each other.
Maybe it was time to get out. Besides my cousin, Monroe, I didn’t have anyone left who I cared for enough to stick around. Leaving this city was something I’d thought a lot about since Randall had screwed me over, and now that Chris’s death had been avenged, maybe it was finally time to disappear.
“Three bedrooms, one bathroom, one toilet, a kitchen, lounge room, dining room, and laundry all with bars on every window,” Nitro said, entering the kitchen again. “Nine rooms locked up tight, along with security cameras on each entry and throughout the house, triple deadlocks on the front and back doors, Crimsafe doors and windows, a gun, and two knives stashed in the house… you don’t fuck around with security, do you?”
I met his gaze, determined not to flinch away from him again. “There’re some assholes in this town, so no, I don’t fuck around with it.”
He moved closer to me, only stopping when our bodies almost touched. “Getting in your home might prove harder than usual for me, but take heed of King’s threat. He knows where you live and he knows who you work for.” He dipped his face to mine. “We can find you if we want to. Keep your mouth shut and don’t ever mention the Storm MC, and shit will be good between us.”
His eyes bored into mine while his order settled between us.
Placing my hand on his chest, I pushed him away. “If I never see or hear about you or your club again, it’ll make me the happiest woman on this planet.”
His nostrils flared and he made a growling noise deep in his chest. “We have a deal then.” With that, he swept one last menacing glance over me before turning and exiting my kitchen.
The sound of the front door closing a moment later, and his bike roaring to life kicked me into gear. Ten minutes later, I had every door and window locked tight. Watching from the front window in my lounge room, I scanned the street making sure no one was out there. You could never be too careful. Not in the line of work I was in.