“Hello, I’m here to bail my friend out of jail. His name is Charles Moore.”
The lady at the counter typed in the info. “I’m sorry. He’s being transported to Hernando County in the morning. He will await trial there.”
Addison stared at the young girl. “Let me speak to whoever is in charge.”
The girl called someone and instructed Addison to sit and wait. Addison chose to stand. Jail was not a stranger to her. As a criminal defence attorney in Tampa, she’d seen her fair share of behind-jail walls. She couldn’t say that she necessarily liked it, but it had become part of her business. She took on clients who had criminal charges against them, all of which happened to be not guilty, minus the one she lost today. That thought made her cringe at the whole scenario. Her client was going to prison for a minimum of ten years all because she simply hadn’t been focused in the courtroom. She blamed herself, and was pretty sure her client blamed her as well.
She hoped to hell that didn’t mean she had another person planning revenge against her. She could only take so much, and today, she’d reached her full capacity. Most people liked to think that power didn’t exist in jail, but people were naïve as to what was actually behind bars. Maybe she should have chosen a less antagonizing profession after all. Something like dog training or perhaps a scuba instructor.
Lost amidst her thoughts, she didn’t notice the skinny officer walking towards her. He came over to where she stood and Addison jerked her attention to him.
“What can I help you with, miss?”
Mason had briefed her on the situation that had happened. The cop had been bought by the Skulls, most likely out of blackmail. Mason had told her his name and it matched the tag on the man before her. He had arrested Chuck for something bogus, simply because Chuck was on their turf. Mason had also stated that Chuck had probably got a beating in prison, so she needed to expect that when he got out. She also didn’t need to react to it, just walk out and get in the truck to go home.
“Well, Deputy, it seems that you have my client in your little jail and I’m here to get him out.”
He stared at her. “Client?”
“Charles Moore. The one you arrested falsely because you’re a dirty cop. Does that ring a bell?”
He grabbed her arm and Addison quickly jerked away from him. “Look here, I don’t know who you are, but you’d better watch making claims like that around me.”
“Or what?” Addison stared him down. “I could simply tell your superior how you are involved with the Skulls MC. How you take money from them to look the other way. Or better yet, I could prove it to the judge on call tonight. But if that doesn’t work, I have my own Skulls contacts. You know Marco, don’t you? I could call him and tell him about your little midnight rendezvous with one of his former members. I’m sure they’ll get a kick out of that.”
He stared at her. “Who are you?”
She smiled. “A lawyer who fights for her clients to get them the freedom they deserve. Now are you going to let Charles Moore go?”
He stared at her a moment. He must have known the situation needed to be handled delicately because he huffed a breath and turned to the woman at the desk. “Judy, release Charles Moore. He’s free to go home.”
Addison smiled and patted the deputy’s arm. “Pleasure doing business with you, Deputy.”
She waited a few minutes before Chuck came limping through the door. His faced was bruised and bloody, but he didn’t say anything to her. She arched an eyebrow at him and held the door open.
“Well, Chuck, a simple thank you would be nice.” She saw Mason standing beside the truck, smoking. “I did save your ass from gang hell.”
He completely ignored her. “Thanks, brother.” He hugged Mason, slapping him on the back. “Get me the hell outta here.”
She glared at Mason who simply motioned for her to get in the truck. She climbed in, sitting in the back behind Mr Ungrateful and Mr Annoying, both of whom she didn’t particularly like too much in that moment.
Mason drove them to pick up Chuck’s bike then headed back to Tampa. She didn’t bother asking where they were headed. She knew he planned to take her back to the MC, which begged the question of how she’d get home that evening.
Being without her car sucked. She had lost a sense of freedom to go when and where she chose. Of course, her freedom had been limited significantly by the Skulls in general trying to terrorize her and the city, but she didn’t want to think about that. She missed her car.
When he pulled into the parking lot, she immediately felt like they’d entered a compound. The place was always secure, but the vast amount of people only made the three building clubhouse look like a top-secret organisation. The club had gone from empty to packed within the few hours she’d been gone. People stood around in leather cuts, some fully patched members, other prospects, some neither. Most of the people, however, she’d never seen before. Mason parked and she climbed out of the truck. The groupies lined up in short leather skirts and skinny tank tops with their boobs hanging out for the world to see. Addison knew it shouldn’t have been such a culture shock, but something about the day she’d had, mixed with the scene Mason brought her to, made it that way.
Mason walked inside like royalty. She assumed he was considered as such since he was the president of the MC. She hung back, not quite understanding why they were here and what the hell she was supposed to do. The women instantly frowned at her. She supposed wearing a pair of sweats, oversized shirt and black Toms didn’t classify her as a typical biker chick. Nor did her hair pulled high on her head and the lack of makeup. She clearly was an outsider and definitely didn’t look the part.
One of the women she’d seen with Mason met her eyes with a glare. She couldn’t remember her name, but if looks could have killed, she’d have been a goner. Addison tried her best to ignore the girl, focusing on Mason and what he did.
The girl stood, stamping her cigarette out in a nearby ashtray. She came towards her, midriff showing with a silver ring dangling from her navel. “You look like a lost puppy, law girl. What are you doing here?”
Addison glanced over at her. Her long tanned legs put her at nearly five-eight or five-nine. She wore spiked heels that reminded Addison of a stripper. The smooth leather skirt barely covered her ass while the skimpy Wicked Angels T-shirt bared just about everything. Her boobs were large and busting out of her clothing. She didn’t wear a bra, and with the tightness of the shirt, her nipples stood out clearly. She glossed her lips with a fresh pink colour and her makeup looked airbrushed on. The woman, Addison realised, was the bendy blonde Mason had entertained the night the jury had acquitted him. The one he’d thrown out of his room so she and he could talk.
“Actually, you’re the one that looks a little lost, honey. Shouldn’t you be working it on Nebraska?”
The girl’s jaw dropped as a few other girls snickered behind her. Addison dug in her purse and pulled out her card, handing it to the girl.
“I represent all types. When you’re arrested, give me a call.”
The girl crumbled the card and threw it at Addison. “You fucking bitch!”
Addison barely had time to brace for the hooker’s lunge. She flew back to the floor with the blonde Barbie on top of her. Addison punched the blonde with one solid blow to the face and blood spewed out of her nose. She made a horrible cry that gave Addison enough time to get up off the floor before another girl came to attack her.
What the hell!
She sidestepped the other girl and grabbed her manicured hand, twisting it back until she screamed in a fit of pain. Most of the other girls stayed away, except for Lila.
“Addison, let her go.” Lila propped her hands on her hips. Addison let the girl go and stepped away. Lila pulled her away from the scene. “Come with me. Girls, clean up this mess. You know how much this will piss off the guys.”
Lila led her to the bar in the far corner of the room and handed her a glass of ice. The one blow that the Barbie had given her hurt like a bitch. Lila leaned against the counter.
“I’m assuming that was about Mason?”
Addison gave an unladylike snort. “No. I called her a hooker.”
Lila stared at her a moment before busting out a laugh. “Somehow, I can see you doing that. You want a drink, Addison? The boys should be done in a few minutes.”
She nodded. Lila poured her a shot of tequila and Addison tipped it back. The bitter taste made her cringe as she sat the glass on the bar. Lila drank one of her own before wiping her mouth and meeting Addison’s eyes.
“Mason is probably making you his official Old Lady.”
Addison shook her head. “No. It’s not like that.”
Lila arched an eyebrow. “It’s not?”
Addison shook her head. She really didn’t want to get in to the complicated details of her life at the moment so she decided to change the subject. Barbie stood off to the side, trying to stop her bleeding nose.
“You think she needs to go to the hospital?”
“Nah.” Lila glanced over at the girl. “I’m sure Kinsey deserved what she got. She gets on everyone’s nerves around here.”
Addison propped her head up on her palm. “Why keep her around?”
Lila poured another shot. “The guys like their pussy.”
“Do they get checked for STDs?” Addison stared at her.
“I can’t say for sure.” Lila snickered. “Jack and I have been together since he joined.”
Addison tipped her drink to her lips. “He doesn’t mingle with that trash?”
Lila shook her head. “They have rules and everyone respects them. Once the men declare an Old Lady, then the girls know he’s off limits. Some try, but that only gets them kicked out of the club and they don’t want that. Most of them want to fuck Mase because he’s the president. The higher in rank you suck cock for, the higher in status you get. Kinsey has been walking around here like a queen bee. She feels threatened by you. You can expect some tension there.”
Addison snorted and glanced towards the two large wooden doors with the Wicked Angels logo on them. “Well, I have not sucked anyone’s cock to get status.”
Lila laughed. Addison liked her. Granted, they’d only met once, but she seemed like a sweet person. She didn’t seem like Kinsey or the other bimbos hanging around. She manned the bar and genuinely liked it. She also seemed to be madly in love with Jack.
“So how long have you been a biker chick?”
Lila smiled. “All my life. Jack and I got together when I was sixteen. When he got his licence, he got a motorcycle instead of a car. I don’t think he ever really drove a car until he was at least twenty. He hates them, so I just adapted to it.” She shrugged. “The things we do for the people we love.”
“When did he join the MC?”
“I think he was around twenty-one, so that’s been a while back. He’s vice president now and he’s happy. I’m happy too.”
Addison smiled. “I like you. You’re different than that trash over there.”
Lila laughed. “Well, I’ve never really had the need to beg for a man’s attention. Jack is the only one for me and I’m the only one for him.”
Addison wondered how that kind of life could exist among the chaos of the club. She knew some of what happened behind closed doors and it was not the breeding ground for a stable relationship. The exact opposite, actually.
The doors opened and the men filed out. A few of them said hi to Addison before noticing Kinsey’s bloody nose.
“She punched me!” Kinsey all but screamed.
Mason walked out, his eyes going from Kinsey’s bloody nose to Addison. “What happened?”
Kinsey strolled towards him. “I was standing there doing nothing and she hit me for no reason.”
Addison arched an eyebrow. “You wanna try that again? The loss of blood seems to have given you amnesia.”
Kinsey lunged, but Mason caught her before she got to Addison. Kinsey’s nipple poked out from the top of her shirt for all the world to see. Mason pulled her back against him and Kinsey rubbed her ass not so subtly against his crotch.
Addison propped her elbows on the bar behind her. “You know, Nebraska Ave. is probably too good for you and your STD-ridden, loose pussy. Perhaps you belong in some rundown trailer park where all the white trash goes?”
“Enough.” Mason held Kinsey with one arm and met Addison’s eyes. Addison rolled her eyes. “What the hell happened?”
Addison stood from the bar stool. “Your little bimbo came after me because I told her she should be working it on Nebraska. She lunged at me, I punched her. Blood spewed everywhere.”
He handed Kinsey off to another man beside him. “Kinsey is not my little bimbo.”
“Yeah, I got that. She’s club property.” Addison didn’t mean to snarl it, but she’d had a really tough day. “Sucking cock for status.”
Mason rubbed his forehead. “Kinsey, don’t ever go near Addison again. Addy, don’t start fights in my club.”
Addison stared at him. “Are you seriously treating me like I’m your new flavour of the day? I don’t give a shit about who you fuck. I made that clear this morning. And I sure as hell am not here to suck your cock for status!”
She saw anger flash in his eyes. He took two steps before he wrapped his arm around her and hauled her out of the room. He went down the hall to the apartment and tossed her to the bed. Addison lay there bewildered and somewhat tipsy.
“I get you’ve had a bad day so for the most part, I’m going to forget everything you just said.” He slipped his cut to the floor. “You also look like you’ve been drinking, and knowing Lila, she gave you the good stuff to keep you from killing Kinsey.”
His shirt flew off next. Addison’s mouth went dry. His hard muscles made her want to trace her tongue along the grooves. Sleek tattoos marked the majority of his arms and chest and she found herself licking her lips as she studied them. He watched her for a moment, before undoing his pants.
“Get your clothes off.”
Addison laid back and closed her eyes. “I’m not having sex with you.”
He grabbed her ankles and pulled her to the edge of the bed. Moving closer, Mason tugged the sweats from her hips. “You are.”
She arched her back off the mattress when he scooped her panties aside and touched her. A million thoughts raced through her mind, though the alcohol slowed their speed. She didn’t want to like this, but everything within her couldn’t help it.