The last bullet makes this awful sound as it’s loaded into the clip. Then he shoves the magazine inside the gun, and in one quick movement, he draws back the top.

Which I’m pretty sure means he just loaded a round in the chamber.

I hope to hell that I’m wrong.

His gaze leaves the gun and gradually slides over to me. Eerily. Quietly. He sizes me up. Like he’s got all the time in the world. He tilts the gun to the side, rests it on his thigh and his finger slides into the hole to rest on the trigger.

With sweaty palms, I clench the sheet, though I know it’s stupid. It’s not a bulletproof shield.

Standing, he points toward the floor. Then he walks around the table and comes to stand at the end of the bed, never taking his unnerving coal eyes off me the entire time. He motions me forward with the gun, waiving it around a bit.

“C’ mere.” His voice is low and has a whispery quality to it. Like he’s lost it recently and he’s still recovering.

I barely hear him past the pounding of my own heart. But he’s insane if he thinks I’m going anywhere near him.

My mouth feels like it’s filled with cotton. “Why?”

Giving me a hard stare, he lifts the gun. “We gonna do this merry-go-round bullshit all day? I’ll drag you over here if I have to.”

Shit.

“I-I’m supposed to be hands off.”

“Yeah? Says who? Dozer?” He pushes a quick breath through his lips making a “Pfff,” sound. “You gonna give me what I want willingly or am I gonna have to use force?” He gives me all of two seconds to respond before he kneels on the bed, reaches for me.

His large hand skates over the sheet and finds my ankle. “Force it is. Ain’t nothin’ wrong with that.” An evil smile flashes over his face. “Actually I prefer it that way. Makes it more interesting.”

A hard knock at the door has him pausing. We look at each other. The promise I find in his eyes is haunting. It says, “We’ll be revisiting this soon.” Another knock comes and a second later, the door swings open. But by then, Mr. Tats is a foot away from the bed and the gun’s no longer in his hand.

Although the tension in the room should probably ratchet up at the arrival of another hard-core biker dominating the doorway, it lessens. Some of the fear rioting through me deteriorates at seeing Dozer standing there.

Dozer scans the scene in front of him. His eyes widen and his nostrils flare. “What’s goin’ on?” I see suspicion and concern in his features.

The biker smirks, shrugs, and walks toward him. I notice the gun is tucked behind his back in his pants.

“I’m hungry. Just wakin’ her up.”

“Hungry? You better mean for food.” Dozer mumbles before he looks at me. “Did he touch you?”

I rapidly shake my head. I imagine by the look on Dozer’s face that if I’d said yes, this would escalate rapidly, and the other biker has a gun. Dozer doesn’t know that.

As Mr. Tats comes up to Dozer, Dozer pins him against the doorframe, putting his forearm on the guy’s chest. “Taz, don’t bullshit me.”

Taz, I’m guessing is the guy’s name, throws Dozer’s arm off and pushes Dozer back into the opposite door frame. They’re about the same height. Both huge, ripped with muscles. Dozer’s bigger, but not by much. If I wasn’t so unsettled, I’d probably be able to appreciate the view.

“Lay your hands on me again, and VP or not, I’ll cut them the fuck off and feed them to you. Just wakin’ the bitch up.”

Dozer glances at me. “What’d he do? What’d he say to you?”

Taz stares daggers at me.

“Nothing.”

Dozer must see some of the fear I’m feeling flash over my face, because he growls to Taz, “Mav put you up to this, didn’t he? Where is he?” Dozer pushes Taz aside and leaves the doorway. Boots pound on the hallway floor.

Taz tells Dozer, “Door was open. The stray wanted company.”

Then banging sounds from down the hall.

“Mav! Get out here, asshole.”

A few seconds later, I hear Mav’s unmistakable voice. “What?”

“You sic your fuckin’ dog on her? You kiddin’ me with this shit?” This is followed by a few seconds of silence.

Then in a thickly accented voice, Mav says, “What the fuck’s goin’ on?”

“I’ll tell you what the fuck. Your pit bull here broke into my fuckin’ room, like that.”

Taz leaves the doorway and joins the argument. “I told you. The door was fuckin’ open. Looked to me like she was wantin’ a visitor.” There’s a pause and then. “Is she or is she not supposed to be cookin’ fuckin’ breakfast?”

Another pregnant silence. “Why was the door open?” Mav growls the same time Dozer says, “The door wasn’t fuckin’ open. Lyin’ motherfucker. I locked it last night when I left her.” After that, I hear grappling noises as if they’re going at each other.

“I’m a lot of things, but I’m not a fuckin’ liar,” Taz growls.

Mav barks, “Cut it the fuck out.”

“It was! Fuckin’ ask her,” Taz shouts.

“Just stay the fuck away from her. Both of you. And you, you gave me your word this was done until the party.”

“Jesus, man. One day and she’s got you by the balls, huh?” Taz mutters.

“Shut the fuck up before I knock your ass out.”

“Name a time, brother, and I’ll be there.”

Mav hollers, “What the fuck did I say? Cut it the fuck out!” I hear curses and more scuffling.

A few seconds later Dozer comes into the room. Slams the door. He’s panting and his face is tinged red. He doesn’t look at me. But grates out, “You okay?”

“Yes. I’m sorry about the door. I heard a noise and peeked out to see what it was last night. I must have forgotten to lock it.”

His eyes meet mine. An incredulous look flashes over his face. “You forgot? In a clubhouse full of drunk bikers? After what you saw goin’ on last night?” There’s doubt in his eyes.

But I nod weakly.

I stayed up for a few hours after he left. I was tired as hell, but couldn’t sleep. I couldn’t breathe. I needed to know that I could leave at any time. So I opened the window. When that wasn’t enough, I opened the door just barely. Then I tucked myself into a ball and fell asleep on Dozer’s bed within seconds.

“Tell me the truth. What did he say to you?”

I shake my head again. I don’t want to be the cause of more drama between them. That’s not going to buy me any points with the members if I pit them against one another. Plus the look Taz gave me promised retribution if I ratted him out to Dozer.

“Not really anything before you came in.”

“Threaten you?”

“No.”

He pulls in a couple of breaths and turns away, rolls his shoulders as he does so. Then he walks across the room to the closet. A moment later, he peers out and says. “Just gettin’ some clothes, I’ll be out of here in a sec and then you can shower.”

“Okay.”

His eyes roam around the room. “What the hell happened in here?”

At first, I’m confused and then it dawns on me what he’s talking about. “I cleaned.”

He snorts. “Huh. Nice. Thanks.” When he walks up to me a minute later, he says, “Listen, I’m gonna run to the gym for a bit. But I’ll be back. I have to put in a couple of hours at the gym and then at the hospital. I’ll have Rigor watch you every second I’m not around, okay?”

I know this is partially his way of protecting me, and part of the deal with Mav, but I can’t help but have a sour rumbling in the pit of my stomach.

He must see the idea of a babysitter slash guard doesn’t please me, because he says, “I promised I’d have someone watchin’ you. It’ll be a while until everyone here learns to trust you. And it’s for your protection. Just because Taz didn’t do anything to you this mornin’, doesn’t mean he wouldn’t have. Be smart and steer clear of him, yeah? Don’t get caught alone with him again.”

“Holy shit, girl. That’s the best fuckin’ bacon I’ve ever tasted.” Bodie groans as he chews on a mouth full.