Free Destroying Beauty (Hell Hounds Motorcycle Club): Vegas Titans Series by Celia Loren

my belt. I stop her.
    "Not tonight," I say, pulling my face away. She
looks surprised, but not hurt.
    "You sure?"
    I bring her hand to my mouth and kiss her knuckles.
"Been a long week."
    "OK. Well, I'll be around."
    I stand up, needing some fresh air all of a sudden. As I
walk to the back door, I see Fish staring at me across the room. What does that
fucker want? I glare at him and continue outside.
    The night breeze is a relief. Whenever my mind gets too busy
I can always find some peace outdoors. I glance at the weeds sprouting in the
dirt next to the building. My mind immediately returns to Jo.
    Maybe basil? Or would that need more sun than her kitchen
gets?
    Jesus, what the fuck am I doing? The reality of my
situation hits me like a brick. I just turned down a fuck with the hottest
sweet butt in the club because…because I feel like I have a girlfriend?
    Jo is not my fucking girlfriend. Besides the fact that I
don't do girlfriends, Jo especially is not my girlfriend. Jo is a
witness. Jo doesn't even know that I'm in an MC.
    I slam my empty beer bottle down on the stone step of the
clubhouse behind me. It shatters with a satisfying crash. Can't believe I let
myself start thinking about Jo in that way. For all I know, she could still
want to go to the cops, and it would be my job to take her out.
    Forget her. Forget her.
    I grab the door handle and head back inside. Quickest way to
assure myself I don't have feelings for Jo is to fuck Brette, so that's what
I'm going to do. That's who I am.
    "There you are," Fingers says, stepping out of the
lounge in front of me. "Bark needs to see you. In the cave."
    I grunt and turn around, heading for the back staircase. I
push the metal door open and see Fish sitting next to Bark at the table. This
can only be bad news.
    "Angel Medina's older brother is out for blood,"
Bark says without any preamble. "Gonna tell the rest of the club at church
but wanted you two to know first since you're closest to it."
    "I though Rich said the rest of the cops bought the
robbery thing," Fish says.
    "They did. And so did most of the Death Dealers. No one
wants to start a war between us again. But for Jose Medina…that was his baby
brother. I don't think he feels like accepting the rational explanation. Heard
he's been ranging around, looking for a stray Hell Hound to pick off."
    "We'll spread the word," I assure Bark grimly.
    "How's Jo Anderson doing?" Fish asks, leaning back
in his chair. I hate hearing him say her name. Must've gotten it from Bark. I
smile back at him calmly.
    "Like I said, she told me she saw a shooting. Nothing
else. But I'm staying on her."
    "Just wondering if you're getting a little too close. Saw you turn down Brette up there."
    I feel my jaw twitch. "Just because you have to play the
brother card with Brette to even get her to give you a hand job doesn't mean
the rest of us have a constant hard-on for her."
    "So you're fucking Jo?" Fish asks, raising his
eyebrows with a cold smile. I glance at Bark but he doesn't say anything.
    "Yeah," I admit with a shrug. "Bark told me
to do what it takes. So I am."
    "She looked pretty cute in that photo. Maybe I should
give her a call."
    "Alright, enough," Bark mutters. "Both of
you. Holt, don't get attached. Wouldn't think I'd have to tell you that."
    "You don't," I say, doing my best to keep my tone
calm even though I'm fuming. "That it?"
    "That's it," Bark says, eyeing me steadily. I turn
around and walk back up the stairs. Probably leaving Fish to whisper poisonous
nothings in Bark's ear about me.
    I walk straight to the bar and grab a bottle of Jack
Daniels. I don't feel like fucking Brette anymore now. I feel like getting
blasted and passing out. And that's what I'm going to do.

 
    Chapter Eleven

    Jo
     
     
    "I was going to wait for Holt, but he hasn't called me
back, so I just did it myself," I say, gesturing to my little windowsill
garden. "Dill, thyme, rosemary, and basil."
    "That's great!" Elise says admiringly,