"Nice to meet you, Breaker." I took a step closer to Smoke. I wasn't comfortable in this situation at all.

Imagining the reason he would be called 'Breaker' made me queasy.

Smoke instantly wrapped his arm around my waist. I glared up at him then sighed. I was thankful for his constant support. It wasn't his fault they'd set up a...party...for him. If I wanted him to be understanding with me, I had to return the favor and realize some things were out of his control. Remembering our earlier conversation about stupid macho shit, I managed to almost smile at him. It was weak, but better for his 'rep' than stomping on his foot and yelling at him for banging half of the eligible female population in the US.

His expression eased, and he gave me a pat on the butt. "Swan, go grab your backpack. Hulk will get a prospect to guard it for us."

I wanted to argue with him about basically commanding me to fetch our shit, but the serious look on his face when I glanced at him stopped me. "'Kay."

As soon as I left, the men huddled together and began speaking in low, rapid voices. Unable to listen in without being obvious, I strolled back to the truck as they moved closer to the clubhouse. When I got to the truck and reached up to open the door, my gaze caught on my wrist cuffs as the beautiful silver gleamed in the soft light. Smoke had put them on me this morning, gently kissing my pulse points before sliding each silver and turquoise cuff in place. The look of satisfaction in his eyes as he examined my adorned wrists had made my heart race. I stared at the gleaming metal for another moment before reaching into the back and grabbing my heavy pack. I'd packed a suitcase at my parents' house, and my Dad had included a few gifts for me that I hoped were overkill, including a couple grenades, an assortment of knives from Mimi, and my sniper rifle.

With a sigh, I shrugged my pack on, grabbed my duffle, locked the doors and set the alarm. After taking a deep breath, I turned back to where the men continued to talk intently as they slowly walked together, now almost directly in front of the clubhouse. I started to make my way to them, but before I got very far, the front door of the clubhouse opened. An older, stunning, blonde woman dressed in a sparkling raspberry cocktail dress and mega high heels came strolling out with a cigarette dangling from her cardinal-red lips. Her hair had been teased into a helmet of shellacked dark blonde. She wore a lot of makeup and had a worn-out, jaded air about her. Well, until she spied the men. Then her face lit up, and she pitched aside her half-smoked cigarette before launching herself at Smoke with a squeal and a bubbly, "Hey sugar. I missed you! Been too long since you been up here to visit. We're gonna have fun tonight. I've got five other girls lined up begging to get face-fucked."

Smoke stared at her in shock and loathing as she hauled herself up his body with her hands clasped around his neck, then wrapped her legs around his waist. To my utter disgust, her skirt rode up, revealing that she wasn't wearing any underwear. Smoke gave her a startled look before she planted a kiss right on his lips. A low growl escaped me, and my temper didn't just flare, it exploded in a jealous rage. I pulled her off of Smoke by her crispy, hairspray-coated hair even as Smoke shoved her away him with a repulsed snarl. Between the two of us, we had that nasty bitch on her ass on the ground in a heartbeat. I was yelling at her before she took her next breath. "Get your fucking skank hands off of him!"

"You fucking, stupid twat!" she screeched while trying to pick herself up in those ridiculous high heels. "What the fuck is wrong with you?"

None of the men went to help her, but Smoke held me back when I was about to launch myself at her when she flipped me off. More sluts came pouring out of the club, all dressed in some version of what passed for party-time-whore. They gave me curious looks, their gazes pinging between me and Smoke. A few gaped at me and I gritted my teeth when I heard Sarah's name whispered from dozens of lips in a hiss.

The blonde on the ground stood up and started to come at me, but Hulk threw his arm out and grabbed her around the waist, hauling her to his side. He spoke in a low, even voice. "Don't fuckin' do it, Tila. You two may go way back, but that's Smoke's old lady, not one of his girls."

For a brief moment pain flashed through her gaze. "What?"

Instead of answering her, Hulk turned his hardened gaze on the other women hovering around with more than a few giving me a very unfriendly looks. "Listen up, bitches. This is Swan. She's Smoke's old lady and Beach's sister-in-law. You better not give her any shit or you'll be answering to me, got it? Now get your fuckin' asses inside and take care of my brothers."

Smoke's hold on me loosened enough that I could move a little bit and I sucked in a deep breath. My temper strained against the mental leash I'd put on it, and I hated the shaky feeling that came from an extended burst of adrenaline. Breaker watched all of us in silence, his face expressionless except for a slight frown turning down the edges of his pretty lips. I met his gaze and his eyes had resumed that flat, scary look. He slowly shook his head before speaking in a near whisper, "You're gonna be trouble."

Before I could stop myself, my snark came out full force. "As long as none of those sluts leave their slime on my man, we're all good."

Hulk laughed while Smoke sighed heavily enough that his chest pressed into my backpack. "Babe..."

Not feeling the least bit contrite I glared up at him, glad Tila apparently wore kiss-proof lipstick. Just the thought of her mouth on his, of her germs festering on his lips, and my blood boiled again. "We need to disinfect your mouth where she touched you."

Smoke closed his eyes and his nostrils flared. "Chill out, babe. Nothin' to get upset about. You're my old lady, the only woman I'll ever be with again. That bitch does not matter. Understand?"

Conscious of the two men watching us with interest, and remembering Smoke's warnings about lipping off, I managed to say in what I hoped was a meek voice, "Sorry."

The deep rumble of Hulk's laughter rolled through the now empty yard. "Damn, you remind me of Sarah."

Eager for the distraction, I glanced at him. "Do you know her?"

"Met her at Sturgis a few years ago when she was beating some chick's ass, and she's been up here a time or two with Beach. Nice lady, would give you the shirt off her back if you needed it-as long as you were on her good side. Piss her off and watch out, she'll tear you a new asshole without breaking a sweat."

I vaguely remembered that Sarah had to do a publicity tour with Playboy when she was the centerfold for their biker bitches edition, and I wanted to ask more about Sarah, but Smoke cut me off. "Let's take this shit inside. Khan here?"

The momentary lightheartedness went out of Hulk's expression. "Yeah, he's here."

He turned without another word, and I noticed for the first time that his Iron Horse MC vest had the words 'Master at Arms' on the back just like Smoke's did, but it didn't have the three-bar patch that Smoke wore on the front of his vest. The bottom rocker on Breaker's vest had his name instead of a rank, and I wondered what his job was within the club. The three men surrounded me as we entered the clubhouse, and I had a brief glimpse of walls hung with neon beer signs, American flags, Iron Horse MC flags, and sluts with more bikers sitting on wide, battered, leather couches along with three pool tables and a couple dart boards. Instead of pool balls on the green felt surfaces there was a woman in a tiny denim skirt being rather vigorously fucked by one man while giving another a blowjob.

I must have made a sound because Smoke shot me an undecipherable look while Hustler moved to block my line of sight. Why the hell did all of the Iron Horse guys have to be so big? It was like trying to look through a wall. All around us, the party raged and men began to shout out to Smoke, basically treating him like he was the shit. Smoke raised his hand in greeting and said hi to a few of the guys, but he didn't stop to talk, and for that, I was thankful. There were a lot of people in this party space that took up almost the whole first floor. A vast bar, tended by women in tiny vests with huge tits, sat against the opposite wall. There was a big mirror behind it, and I caught glimpses of more sexual activity going on in the dimly lit area of the room. I promised myself I would never sit on any of these couches.

A woman in shorts small enough to pass for panties scurried up and said in a squeaky voice, "Can I get you something to drink, Smoke?"

He shook his head and gave her a small smile while she tried to keep up with our long strides. "I'm good."

I decided that studying Smoke was a safer bet than exposing myself to the depravity surrounding me. As much as I loathed it, I had to admit to myself that I was one of those stupid bitches who couldn't handle her jealousy. I hated every woman who looked at him with lust in their eyes, wondering if he'd fucked them and or if he'd smiled at them like he smiled at me in bed. A bitter taste filled my mouth as the unwelcome picture of him fucking Tila, making her orgasm, and her falling asleep in his arms while he held her.

For once, Smoke appeared too distracted to notice me, and I wasn't sure how to handle his lack of attention. I'd grown so used to being the center of his universe that I felt bereft at how withdrawn he appeared. Maybe he was really pissed about the incident out front, and I promised myself I would try harder to hold my temper. The chilling thought that I'd reacted like my Dad sent a shiver down my spine. I was barely aware when we took a wide set of stairs guarded by two stone-faced bikers to the second level. They were slightly older than the majority of the guys downstairs, and I got a distinct feeling that they were all business.

The two floors were so different that I did a double-take as I gazed around me. The landing with another set of stairs leading to the third floor was big enough that a black leather couch and table had been set up beside the stairs on the gleaming oak floors. The walls were off-white and there was no graffiti or posters, just a large, framed Iron Horse MC flag that had seen better days. I was sure there was some story about how it got so beat up, and I let myself be distracted by fanciful musings. I admit it, I sometimes hide inside my head when things get too stressful. Without a doubt this was a dangerous thing. My father used to flip his shit when I'd space out in the middle of his training, but I don't process stimuli in the same way most people do.

I often wondered if my unease around strangers was worse because I'd been raised in the middle of nowhere. Even so, the members of the compound all had a communal meal together at least once a month, and hundreds of people attended, not to mention my parents' friends and their kids stopping by. Someone was always celebrating something. Even at the compound, among people I'd grown up with, I would have to seek out space to do what I liked to think of as updating my software with new information. While I did this, my mind would go into kind of a wandering state that was like dreaming even though I was awake. I wouldn't see the world around me or pay it much attention, instead reliving snapshots of my day. Afterwards, I would always feel better and be able to handle people again, but during that time I was kind of useless.

I'd retreated into that dream-like state, and I guess that's why I didn't register the guys with machine guns at first. They were guarding the entrance to a hallway leading to what looked like a high-end office. We passed them, and they both nodded to Smoke with looks of extreme respect. They gave me quick, curious glances but didn't say anything. The men parted to reveal an intimidating guy who was probably in his late fifties, early sixties. He had a full head of silver hair cut into a flattop and a rocking Fu-Manchu mustache that hung past his tanned chin. Deep lines radiated from the corner of his eyes and his hands were tanned and weathered. As his dark gaze took me in, I thought I detected some Asian ancestry. He wasn't particularly handsome, but he was commanding and definitely intimidating. As I came out of my waking dream state, the filter on my mouth had yet to engage, and to my horror, I found myself speaking my thoughts out loud.

"Do they call you Khan as in Star Trek or as in a Mongolian king?"

Chapter Six.

Miguel 'Smoke' Santos I held back a groan as Khan stared at Swan, obviously thrown off his stride by her question.

Welcome to my world.

That gorgeous creature kept me constantly on my toes, asking me questions or doing things that caught me by surprise. I'm good at reading people, one of the things that have kept my evil ass alive over the years. Swan was like a complex, intricately beautiful, confusing million-piece puzzle. At first, her thoughts seemed totally random, but I quickly realized that Swan saw the world differently than I ever would, and she was truly brilliant as well as easily distracted. She'd ask me things sometimes that made no sense to me at the moment, but as I thought about it later, I could almost see the leaps of logic she took. It made her endlessly fascinating to me even if I wanted to gag her at times like this one.

Khan wasn't exactly a nice guy. He didn't tolerate bullshit from anyone and was utterly ruthless about the defense of his club and family. I did a run with him once where we were picking up some shit from a dealer out in the middle of nowhere in Colorado. The bastard, all jacked up on coke, had tried to get mouthy with Khan and give us inferior product. That shit did not fly with Khan, and before I knew it, Khan had shot the two bodyguards and had the dealer's hand pinned to the table with a knife that held him in place as Khan beat the hell out of him. I've seen and done a bunch of shit, but that was a brutal beating even by my standards. Afterward, Khan went home to his sweet little PTA wife and kids with the dealer's blood still under his fingernails.

The really fucked up thing was that Khan had left the doors to the dealer's cabin open so the wildlife could get to him and his dead bodyguards.

With those thoughts in mind, I moved to shove Swan behind my back in case Khan flipped out, but Khan gave me an odd look before turning his attention back to Swan. "Which one do you think?"

My entire body tensed and I quickly glanced around the room, cataloging items I could use as weapons. Khan was fucking touchy about his pride and just because you were a woman didn't mean he'd let you get away with shit. Yeah, we were friends, but business was business, and Khan was big on maintaining his reputation as a psycho. He said once that his reputation was what kept his family safe. I understood that, but I was almost afraid of what kind of honest shit was going to come from Swan's mouth that might set him off before he realized she truly meant no harm.

Instead of answering right away, she looked around the room, giving me a glimpse of her perfect profile and smooth, tanned skin. Shit, even now, I couldn't wait to get inside of her, to make her scream my name while I fucked her, made her mine, but none of that was going to happen if I couldn't keep her safe. With that in mind, I began to calculate ways to incapacitate my brothers long enough to get my woman out of here.

Agitation filled me and it took a great deal of effort to remain still and store the energy necessary if I needed an explosion of movement and power. I started to sink into my killing zone, that headspace I'd learned to access while in the Marines and used more often than I liked with Iron Horse. I tried to keep the violence inside of me from detonating by focusing on the golden fall of Swan's hair down to the sexy nip of her slender waist, to the cradle of her hips where she would someday carry my children.

She's the future I've always wanted, and the prospect of growing old with her kept me from crossing the line from man to killer.

On some level, I knew I was overreacting, but I just wasn't rational about Swan and fury filled me at the thought of anyone harming her.

Before I could do something stupid, Swan said, "I'm going to go with Star Trek's Khan."

I had no idea how Khan had gotten his name. That bit of information was strictly between him, Beach, and Hustler but the corners of his lips twitched and his posture relaxed. "Why d'you think that?"

Swan moved a step back and sought me out, her hand gripping mine as soon as she found it. I know it was selfish of me, but I loved the fact that whenever she was scared she turned to me, even if she didn't realize it. Khan's gaze wandered down to our linked hands and that smile twitched on his lips again. I gave Swan's hand a reassuring squeeze while the tension eased inside of me, and my muscles relaxed as the adrenaline drained from my system. That twitch of the lips was Khan's version of a full blown smile, and for some reason, he seemed highly amused, in his own stone-cold way, at something he saw on my face before he turned back to Swan.

She licked her lips, then said in a soft voice, "Because of The Wrath of Khan, of course."

Khan leaned back in his chair and linked his wind-roughed hands together, then studied my woman. "Clever girl."

I knew it was a compliment, but Swan didn't seem so sure. She pressed her body against mine, and I automatically wrapped my arms around her and gave her a soothing rub on her arm. This got some raised eyebrows, but fuck'em, this was my old lady, and I'd do with her whatever I wanted. Khan especially, had no fucking leg to stand on as he smirked at me. Even though he could be a monster, that fucker worshiped his wife-and we all knew it. Want to commit a painful suicide? Call Khan's wife a cunt and you'd be dead within hours after Khan treated you to his unique brand of retribution.

"Wish I could say it was a pleasure to have you here, Swan, but it's not. You're bringin' a shitload of trouble with you." Swan started to say something, but I tightened my hold on her and she kept quiet. "Fortunately for you, I like trouble. Keeps my brothers on their toes and weeds out the weak prospects. Plus, you're Smoke's old lady and Beach's sister-in-law. That means you're family. So we're gonna do whatever we can to help you find your Ma and Sarah, but we're gonna do it quiet. Only the men in this room know why you're really here though I'm sure rumors will spread."

This caught my attention. I'd talked to Beach on and off but he was dealing with a shit storm back in Austin as they tried to weed out the traitor or possibly traitors. "What's our cover story?"

He shifted his dark gaze from Swan to me and my woman sighed in relief. "Beach is spreadin' the word around that you're looking for a couple of new Enforcers and you're up here checking out some men while we do business. The lovely Swan is with you 'cause you made her your old lady, and with all the shit going down over her Ma, you want to keep her close and away from Austin for a bit. I've told my men that keeping your old lady alive and well is part of the way to impress you so you're gonna have prospects and brothers falling all over themselves to protect your woman."

Groaning, I removed my arms from Swan and began to pace the room. Fuckin' Beach. It was a good plan that would help keep Swan safe, but now I'd have to deal with recruiting a new Enforcer without my usual attention to detail. That position was no fucking joke, my Enforcers-Hustler was a perfect example-were my right-hand men, and each of them had a particular strength and purpose. Hustler was our con man. He could talk his way out of any trouble and get even the most reluctant marks to lower their guard.

Not only did I have to worry about whoever I picked fitting into my clubhouse, I also had to worry about what they would do at my company. All of my Enforcers worked for me along with my civilian employees. This allowed them to have access to the best surveillance equipment and weapons out there without raising the suspicions of the cops. I paid really fuckin' well, and I only employed the best, so a new Enforcer who hadn't been properly vetted would throw off my whole operation and weaken me in the eyes of the employees and brothers. In my world the weak were killed and eaten.

I made too much money and worked too fuckin' hard building that company and my life to allow that shit to happen.

This was exactly what I didn't need to deal with at the moment, but I couldn't protest. It was probably the best way to keep Swan alive and gave me the freedom to work my way through Denver looking for any hint of Billie and Sarah. Swan, no matter what she wore, was too stunning not to draw attention, which was something I didn't need while trying to blend in. My concentration would also be divided between protecting my woman and doing what I had to in order to get information. The bottom-of-the-barrel people who would know if Billie was in the area were the kind of people I didn't mind torturing to get the answers I needed, but I sure as shit couldn't do that if Swan was with me.

Khan placed his elbows on his desk and studied me then cut his gaze to Hulk. "Go set Swan up in her room. Me and Smoke got some shit to discuss that ain't fit for a lady's ears."

My first instinct was to protest, but I knew Hulk and Khan would be insulted if I implied that their protection wasn't enough and I didn't trust them to take care of my old lady. Instead, I turned to Swan, and my heart ached at the fear in her eyes. While I loved that she looked to me for comfort, I didn't want her to become totally dependent on me. She was an incredibly strong woman, and I would never take her hard-won self-reliance from her to satisfy my own selfish desires.

"Go on with him, baby. I'll be there as soon as I can."

She frowned and chewed on that lush lower lip of hers. "Okay. Umm...what about the rest of our stuff?"

Hulk moved next to her and patted her on her bare upper arm below the short sleeve of her shirt. Swan recoiled instantly with a pained sound, and before I knew it, my hands were wrapped around Hulk's throat. In his shock, he actually let me pin him there. It wasn't the click of a round being chambered behind me that made me release him, but the soft sound of dismay that Swan made and her hand on my arm. The silver of the wrist cuff she wore marking her as mine gleamed in the light coming from the brass lamps scattered around the room.

"Smoke," she said in a low voice, "he didn't mean to hurt me. Please, let him go. He's been nothing but kind to me."

Anger rolled off of Hulk. "What the fuck? All I did was pat her shoulder."

"Smoke, please." The pain and embarrassment in Swan's voice made me feel like an asshole as she looked at Hulk, her cheeks scarlet. "It's okay. You didn't know."

"Smoke, let him go," Khan said in a deadly voice.

We turned to him, and when Swan saw the gun, her hand twitched in the direction of her backpack. Thank fuck she didn't go for her own weapon.

"Do not point a gun at my man." Any hint of emotion was gone from her voice, replaced by a chilling tone that I wasn't used to hearing from her. It was easy to get distracted by her stunning looks and her innocence, and forget that she'd been raised to be a merciless killer by a man I was pretty sure was half crazy. She purposely moved in front of me and Breaker snorted, which pissed me off. At some point, I was going to beat that fucker's ass.

Khan narrowed his gaze and something dark moved through his expression. "Little girl, you're playing in a man's world now. You don't get to tell me what to do."

I went to put my hand over Swan's mouth, but she easily ducked out of my grasp. Goddamn Mike and his SpecOps bullshit he'd taught her made her nearly impossible to control.

"None of that matters to me, Khan. I love Smoke, and keeping him safe is above any law or rule, man's world or not."

Her words were so cold, I was surprised she wasn't wreathed in ice and Khan blinked, clearly thrown off by this beautiful, sweet creature basically telling him that she didn't give a fuck about his threats and would be more than happy to take him on. I wanted to grab her and drag her out the door, but she was strung as tight as a trip wire and ready to snap.

I was surprised that it was Breaker who stepped in between his Prez and Swan. He looked down at her and said in a gentle tone I'd never heard him use before, "Why did you act like it hurt when Hulk touched you? That wasn't bullshit. He really caused you pain. I don't see any injury that he could have hit, so what's going on Ms. Swan?"

Her gaze met his and some of the life returned to her eyes along with an embarrassed flush. "I have an issue about being touched. If I don't trust you, the feeling of your skin on mine is like bugs crawling beneath my skin, like spiders and centipedes are squirming through my muscles. I'm okay if I'm wearing clothes, but bare skin to bare skin isn't good."

Moving to my woman's side, I guided her away from a frowning Breaker. "Baby, look at me."

She reluctantly raised her gaze to mine, and I swept her hair back from her face. We stared into each other's eyes for a moment before she let out a harsh breath. Tears turned the blue of her eyes to silver then she wrapped her arms around me. Her voice hitched as she whispered against my chest, "I'm sorry I overreacted again, Smoke, but I couldn't let him shoot you."

All I wanted to do was comfort her, but this was exactly the kind of shit I was talking about, her mouth getting her into trouble she didn't need. Knowing my words would upset her, I kept my voice low but serious. "He wasn't going to shoot me. Do you really think I would just fuckin' stand there and take it? What did I say out in the truck?"

She flinched like I'd hit her and pushed away from me. "I understand."

I was pretty sure she didn't understand shit, but I needed to get her out of this room. We were both ready to argue and take out our tension and frustration on each other right now, and this wasn't the time or place. Even worse, she looked hurt beneath her anger. That killed me, but she'd just have to deal with it for a bit. There were too many undercurrents in play. As much as I wanted to fuck her to sleep, she needed her warrior right now, not her lover. It sucked, but I kept my expression stern as she stared at me. "I won't be long."

Lowering her voice further, she leaned in and whispered, "I'm sorry. Please let me stay. I won't do it again."

Conscious of Khan and Breaker watching us closely, I had to keep my expression stern as I said, "Baby, go to our room. I'll be there soon."

"Right."

Her lips tightened and I could clearly read on her expressive face that she thought this was a bunch of bullshit. I didn't disagree, but like it or not, she had no place here right now. If I kept her around, Khan wouldn't feel free to talk, and I needed all the information I could get. Shit, the last thing I wanted after a long day of driving was a fucking argument with Swan, but I didn't have time to explain shit to her.

Hulk followed her out, being careful not to touch her as he held the door open.

As soon as the door shut, leaving me alone with Breaker and Khan, the older man glared at me. "Why the fuck didn't you tell us about her phobia?"

I shook my head and returned to pacing. Anger filled me and I needed to swallow it down to stay control. "Did you talk to Vance?"

"Briefly."

"He didn't tell you about her issues?"

"Nope, we just talked about that clusterfuck of a mother of hers. Beach didn't say anything either, but then again, he's busy as fuck." Yeah, I needed to have a long talk with Vance about priorities. "Los Diablos are pissed that Swan got away. They've been giving Beach a hard time on top of Sarah being missing and finding the traitor in the club, so the man has a lot on his mind."

Khan put his gun back in his shoulder holster. I took a seat in one of the chairs across from his desk and Breaker took the other. The tension was still high in the room, and I wondered if I'd harmed my relationship with these men. If I had, I wasn't gonna apologize for it. I was known for my explosive temper, and Khan had every reason to think I would have crushed Hulk's throat. I'd calmed down somewhat over the years, but when I was younger, I'd given my temper free reign and done some extremely violent and extremely stupid shit. I could fuck a man's world up in terrible ways without a second thought and sleep just fine.

"Brother," Khan spoke with a tired note in his voice I wasn't used to. "You've got a couple rats in your clubhouse down in Austin, and if there's rats there then there are probably rats here as well. Billie came here for a reason, and it's too big of a coincidence that some bad shit's been happening around these parts. Nothing we can pin on anyone, but a whole lotta coincidences."

"What kind of coincidences?"

Breaker made a low growling noise. "Deals going bad, cops being exactly where we were, and last week, one of our prospects died in a motorcycle accident. He was on his way home from the clubhouse. It looks like while he was here, someone fucked with his bike."

"Motherfucker." I shook my head in disbelief. "Why didn't you tell us?"