I nodded. “Done it before, I can do it again.”

“Exactly!” she beamed.

My phone began to vibrate across the table, startling us both for a second. I sighed as I looked down at the caller, knowing I had to pick it up. Rose gave my arm another squeeze then disappeared, giving me a little space.

“Hi Harm,” I said with a stronger voice that I thought I had.

“Are you okay? Where are you? Kit just got a message from Op. Chel you need to go back to the club,” she said sounding frantic.

“Harm, I’m fine, okay? And I can’t go back to the club.” I ran a hand through my long brown hair, my finger catching in tangles.

“It’s not safe, Chel.” Her voice had calmed and had quickly turned from crazy to emotional.

“I’m going to be okay. I’ll find somewhere to stay, out of the way of all the drama going on. He said it himself, I’m safer if these people think we aren’t connected.” I rubbed at my temples, trying to ease the beginning of what I imagined was going to be a killer headache.

“He cares about you, Chel,” she said.

“I know he does. But you said it yourself, maybe it was time to lay it all out on the table. I laid it out—”

I heard her shuffling around. “I’m coming up there. This is bullshit.”

Back to the strong friend I loved. “Like hell you are. You’re staying right there where I know you’re safe.”

She scoffed. “Optimus apparently needs someone to kick him up the ass. I can do that now you know. Old Lady perk number one.”

I giggled. “While I would love to see that, I’m fine—honestly. I’ll figure things out.”

“I don’t believe you.”

I smiled. Harmony had always been protective of me. It’s one of the many reasons I loved her like she was my sister. After spending so much time having to stand up for myself it was nice to have someone else fight for me. “As much as I love you being all kick ass, this is my fight and if I’m going to make it through this in one piece, I need to fight it myself.”

I heard her sigh. “You’ll keep me in the loop?”

“Without you, I wouldn’t even have a loop,” I said, trying to reassure her.

“I’ll let that sappy shit pacify me for now but don’t think I’ve forgotten about this,” she grumbled and I had to laugh. “I hope Op is prepared for the phone call he’s about to get from me.”

“Biker bitch is a good look on you.”

She laughed. “Love you, Chel.”

“Love you too.”

I placed my phone back on the table, unable to take my eyes off it. I knew he wouldn’t call, or even text for that matter. It just wasn’t Op’s style. But a girl could imagine, maybe even hope.

“You look like you need a drink,” I heard Lou Lou announce from behind the bar. There were a few brothers hanging around, but since my conversation with Sugar I’d planted myself here and so far hadn’t bothered to move, not even to get a drink.

“Yeah, get me a whiskey,” I mumbled.

Lou Lou looked at me strangely but turned away to get my drink. “You need anything else, Op?” I didn’t miss the subtle suggestion in her voice, even though she tried to make it sound casual.

“No.” I threw back the shot glass, slamming it down onto the wooden bar with a little more force than needed. Lou jumped but gave me a brief smile before she strutted off over to my boys who welcomed her with open arms and hard cocks.

I liked Lou Lou, she was a hard one to decipher. She wasn’t strong and confident in herself and her life like Harmony and Chelsea. She could be a bitch and spent too much time trying to impress people with her boobs out. But she also wasn’t quite on the ‘only here to be an Old Lady and get what I’m owed’ train. When she was told to shut up, she listened and also spent time away from the club with her family.

“You keen for a ride?” Blizzard asked, sliding onto the stool beside me and eyeing my empty glass. “Maybe not.”

“Only had one.”

“Good, let’s go. Been meaning to shoot around to X-Rated and check on some shit.” He patted me on the back and pushed back from the bar.

“Just coz she’s gone, don’t mean I need another bed warmer,” I snapped, narrowing my eyes at him and daring him to say something fucking stupid.

The girls at X-Rated were off limits to the boys. Simply because sometimes my men don’t know the meaning of pissing off the hired help. Assholes couldn’t keep their dicks under control and I’d had more than one girl leave because they thought that one of the brothers was going to be their knight in shining armour, only to be severely disappointed.

“Did I say that you moody bastard?” He shot back, rolling his eyes. “Connor called and said one of the girls came in looking high and stumbling around.”

“Stupid bitch.” I climbed off my seat and followed him outside to our bikes. I liked to keep X-Rated classy. That mean no drugs, high security, and discretion.

Our girls lived under strict rules—no fucking the clientele or the brothers, drugs tests monthly, no alcohol on the job, and no running your mouth about who or what you see go on.

Businessmen came to our joint to escape. They didn’t want people judging them or outing them in public. They wanted to have a good time without outside interference. X-Rated had just that and they paid good money for it. I wasn’t about to have some drugged up bitch ruin the reputation of my establishment.

The ride into town didn’t take long. I was fully ready to rip someone a new one. I was full of anger and frustration. It wasn’t often I felt my head this messed up. Between Chelsea walking out and Sugar’s verbal ass kicking, I was feeling out of sorts.

A long time ago I would’ve taken my shit to the ring and beat some poor unsuspecting asshole half to death. That wasn’t me anymore. I stayed away from fighting or using my fists unless it was to protect myself or my family. I didn’t like who I became when I stepped inside those ropes. He wasn’t a part of me any longer and I wasn’t about to let this setback change that. I just needed to sort myself out and head back on the path.

I wasn’t done with Chelsea. But for now, I just had to hope I was doing the right thing and when the time came to bring her back, it wasn’t too late.

A couple of men in dark clothes stood at the door. Hired bouncers. They watched who came and went while my brothers watched the inside. We owned a security company and each of these men were background checked thoroughly, but the girls inside this building belonged to the club, we watched out for them, we looked after them, we protected them and that was a responsibility I only trusted in my brothers hands.

The beefed up boys out the front just nodded as we walked past.

Even for a weeknight, X-Rated was busy. We were open seven days a week and there wasn’t another strip club in town, I’d made sure of that.

Kat was on stage doing her thing. She was a stunning girl and one of our major draws. The men who came here loved her and I had no doubts that she was the reason for many wet dreams once they left. The crowd was full, but the type of men there varied. Some wore suits, some working men in pull overs with grease stains, no doubt just wanting a little perve before they head home for the night.

Camo stood leaning against the right side of the stage, his eyes on the crowd and not on Kat. Wrench stood on the other side, chatting to one of the waitresses. She appeared to be flirting but he was looking everywhere but her, nodding occasionally.

Blizzard and I took a seat at the small bar, watching Connor as he mixed a couple drinks and then placed them on a tray for one of the girls. His eyes caught us as he passed the tray over and wiped his hands on the towel that was tucked into the waist of his jeans.