Satin and Steel (5 page)

Tidying up always relaxed Rhee. Putting things in order perhaps in some way made her feel more in control of her chaotic life. Hoping Dax wouldn’t mind, she opened some of his cabinets and located some cleaning supplies. Rhee turned on the small iPod stereo and was pleased to find that it was loaded with many of her favorite songs. Before long, she was lost in the scent of lemon pledge and bleach.

It had been a long day. Hawk was pissed at Dax’s prolonged absence from the table. The other guys were wondering why Dax had taken such a special interest in the stowaway. The guns were secure, and their buyer would be arriving in a few days to inspect his merchandise. Dax figured he had about 24 hours to figure out what to do with the girl. Most likely, Rhee hadn’t seen any guns. She had been too out of it to hear anything she wasn’t supposed to hear. Still, Hawk wasn’t going to back down. He wanted to question the girl himself.

Dax opened his front door and for a moment, he thought he had stepped into the wrong house. Upon inspecting it further, he realized that the place looked so different because it was spotless. Santana was playing on his stereo. A clean, citrusy odor lingered but that was overwhelmed by a tantalizing smell coming from the kitchen. Dax dropped his keys on the table. To his amazement, what appeared to be lasagna simmered in his rarely used oven.
Didn’t realize I had anything to cook here!
He could hear the shower running in the guest bathroom. Pleasantly surprised, he cracked open a beer. It had been years since he’d come home to a clean house and a home cooked meal.
Almost like being back home with mom
, he thought fondly.

Rhee pulled on the same sweats and hoodie she had been wearing before.
I really have to get home.
This is getting ridiculous!
I at least need some underwear
! The lasagna smelled like it was done. Humming to herself, Rhee toweled off her wet hair and made her way back into the kitchen. She grabbed a dishtowel and used it to remove the bubbling pasta from the oven, placing it on the spotless counter, the domestic tasks making her feel recovered and normal.

“Feels like I walked into someone else’s life,” Dax commented.

Rhee jerked in surprise, unaware that he had been standing in the hallway.

“I-I’m sorry,” she started guiltily.

“Sorry? You made my day, little girl. It isn’t often I come home to a hot meal. Is it ready?”

“Yes,” Rhee said softly.
Why does he keep calling me that?
Am I really so little to him?
Or does he see me as a child because I’m younger than him?
Rhee glanced at the tall, muscled biker. He had to be in his late twenties.
I’m not a child!

“You sit. It looks like you did more than cook and I don’t want you wearing yourself out,” he said.

Dutifully, Rhee obeyed. Well, really, she obeyed because she was ready to sink into the floor.
Guess I overdid it.
But, I think he’s pleased.
Rhee wasn’t sure why the thought of pleasing Dax, a rough-looking biker guy she had just met, felt so satisfying. He served up two plates and she smiled when he opened a bottle of red wine. Rhee loved wine, especially with pasta. She took several long swigs, feeling the alcohol settle comfortably in her tummy. Dax ate with such exuberance that after a few minutes, Rhee started to giggle. He raised an eyebrow at her.

“What?”

“It’s just-well, you act like you’ve never eaten before in your life!”

Dax regarded the girl. Her eyes were sparkling with mirth and there was a little color in her cheeks thanks to the full-bodied cabernet. Her hair was damp and loose, falling in soft waves to frame her face. She was swallowed up in his sweatshirt endearingly. He chewed thoughtfully, taking her in. Rhiannon was an uncommon girl.
Cute, mean right hook, stubborn, and cooks like a gourmet chef.
Wonder how many hearts she’s broken.

“Do you have a boyfriend?”

His question seemed so out of left field that Rhee almost dropped her fork.

“What?” she blushed, her voice coming out high and squeaky.

Dax chuckled. “I mean, isn’t someone going to be worried about you? Do you need to use the phone?”  He slipped his cell out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Rhee stared down at her plate. “No.”

“No? No to which question?”

“No to all of them. I have no one. No one is going to look for me. At least, not until next month when the semester starts.”

“You’re a student?”

“Yes.”

“Got family around here?”

Rhee paused. He didn’t need to know the whole truth, only part of it. “My parents have, um, passed. My sister…”

It was not like her to cry at the drop of a hat, but Rhee found her eyes filling with tears.

“Ah, yes, your sister. Missing, isn’t she? She ride with an M.C.?”

The story poured out of Rhee; Mickey, her boyfriend, the late night phone call, the endless searching…the reason Rhee had stepped into
Tu Madre
, and some of what she remembered happening in there. Most of that night was still a blur, the details tended to show up in her dreams, turning them into nightmares. Dax listened intently to the rush of words that tumbled out of her mouth, feeling a ball of anger building in his gut. When he next came across Juan, he was going to take extra pleasure in making him squeal for putting his hands on such an innocent, young thing.

“Maybe-maybe I could use your phone to check my voicemail? Maybe Mickey called.”

He handed the phone over silently. To her dismay, Rhee had no new messages. She sighed deeply, and slid the phone back to him. He had said nothing for the past fifteen minutes, but now he cleared his throat.

“I have some things to do tomorrow in the afternoon. In the morning, we’ll scope out your apartment. If you have any more flyers, I’ll circulate them for you.”

Rhee nodded gratefully. “That would be really helpful. I can cover twice as much ground if someone is helping…”

“No.” he said firmly.

“No?”

“You are not to set foot in another M.C. joint, do you understand me?”

“What?” Rhee’s mouth fell open. His voice was stern and authoritative, almost parental. It pissed her off.
How dare you tell me what to do?!

Sensing her thoughts, Dax stood up abruptly and collected the plates. “I know you don’t know me well, Rhee, but you’ll learn that for the most part, what I say, goes. I’m telling you that you are not to go to those places alone.”

Rhee had a snippy retort forming on her tongue but the look on his face stopped her short. Dax’s blue eyes, which had been soft and caring only a few moments before, were now steely and hard. She shuddered, feeling very vulnerable suddenly. She glanced at the door.

“I need to go home,” she countered. The dinner had been a nice interlude, and she felt that she had paid Dax back for his kindness by cleaning up the place, but now she felt so awkward and insecure
.
I don’t belong here with this guy; he’s basically a complete stranger!

Suddenly, Rhee wanted nothing more than to go back to her empty student apartment. Her roommates would both be gone for another two weeks. Most of the students were home with family and Rhee had enjoyed the solitude. What was she doing here, anyway? Dax was right. She didn’t even know him. She certainly shouldn’t be here convalescing in his house. Plus, he made her feel nervous, and sometimes, like right now, the look in his eyes scared her.

Dax looked back at the girl, huddling anxiously in his oversized sweatshirt. He wasn’t aware of how intimidating he was to her, but he did feel bad for snapping at her. The thought of the fresh-faced little thing sitting at his dining table going back to the seedy clubs, being ogled and possibly haggled by a bunch of his enemies bothered him on a whole new level. Dax sighed.
Women!

“I’ll take you home tomorrow. I’ve had a long day. Gonna shower up and hit the hay.”

As an afterthought, he turned to her. “Leave the dishes. You’ve probably overtaxed that arm enough.”

He walked out of the room and Rhee got up defiantly. She was still bruised, stiff and sore, but thanks to the alcohol, she was feeling a second wind. Purposely ignoring Dax’s instructions, she scrubbed the dishes and gulped down the rest of her wine. Rhee shot several thoughtful glances at the front door, but she couldn’t very well run out into the unfamiliar street half dressed, could she? It wasn’t as if she was in danger here, she told herself. Dax just made her feel…unsettled. The simple fact that he was a large, overbearing male made her feel really off-kilter. Rhee wasn’t used to spending this much time alone with any man, let alone a brooding, dangerous one like Dax.

The ache in her shoulder intensified and Rhee realized she was holding herself taut. Willing herself to relax, she returned to the guest room and shut the door. After about an hour of tossing and turning, she crept back out onto the couch. The light under Dax’s door had gone dark but she could sense him in there. Rhee pulled her legs into her chest and wondered absently what the man looked like asleep. Sighing, she turned the television on, keeping the volume low.
I Love Lucy
was so much better than her nightmares.

Chapter Five

Dax slept long and hard. He had really needed the rest. It was nice not to be interrupted in the middle of the night. The moment he registered that thought, he flew out of his room to check on Rhee. Dax wouldn’t put it past the girl to sneak out in the middle of the night. Her bed was empty. Tensely, Dax stalked to the living room and was relieved to find her curled up on the couch, sleeping soundly. Rhee’s face was even more angelic when she was asleep, but from the look of the spotless kitchen and clean dishes, he knew she had a stubborn streak. He fixated on her bow-shaped mouth for a few moments, and before he knew it, he was brushing a strand of reddish-brown hair from her cheek.

Rhee stirred at the light touch, and opened her eyes to find a pair of bright blue eyes staring at her. She gasped, a blush heating her cheeks.

Dax sat back guiltily. “Hey there,” he said softly. “Sorry for waking you. I’ve got time now if you want to head back to your place?” Part of him didn’t want her to go, but there was really no reason for her to stay any longer.

Rhee sat up excitedly, choosing to ignore the fact that her heart had jumped wildly when she opened her eyes to find him so close. “Yes! Now?”

“Now.”

“I’ll get my stuff.” Rhee stood up and walked into the guest room. Dax heard the toilet flush and then she walked back out empty-handed.

“I forgot that there’s nothing for me to pack,” she explained sheepishly.

Dax ushered her into his garage and saw her glance at his bike. She blushed a little and looked away from his curious glance. Dax had to wonder what thoughts were going through that pretty little head of hers. He opened the door of the black Suburban. Rhee’s left shoulder was obviously still bothering her, so he lifted her up and placed her in the seat, secretly amused by her indignant squeak.

Rhee had wondered if they were going to hop on his Harley.
How will I hold on?
God, I’ll have to hold on to him…

She breathed a sigh of relief when Dax unlocked the Suburban. She was trying to figure out how to get herself inside the huge vehicle when her host came up behind her and without warning, lifted her into his arms as though she was a child.

“In you go,” he said jovially, either ignoring or not noticing her indignant gasp.

Crushed against a hard muscled chest, Rhee gasped, and stifled her outrage, barely.
Damn it, I am a woman, not a little kid!
Okay, pulling herself up into the tall vehicle with a bum shoulder would have been difficult, but Rhee was sure she could have managed. She turned to find Dax staring at her wearing a self-satisfied smirk. Her stubborn streak surfaced at his expression.
I cannot wait to get away from this guy
, she told herself, irritated at needing the man’s help.

Rhee’s college apartment was about a thirty-minute drive from Dax’s place. She was so anxious to be home that she practically fell out of the truck in her haste to get inside. She heard Dax swear as she scrambled to maintain her balance. Once she reached the front door, Rhee realized that she didn’t have her keys. They had been in her purse, which was God knows where, along with her car.
Shit.
Forgot about that.

Reflexively, she tried the knob as Dax came up behind her. The door swung open unexpectedly and a startled scream escaped Rhee’s lips as she looked into her living room. Her place had been ransacked. Her faux Tiffany lamp lay shattered on the floor. Papers and belongings were strewn everywhere. She took a single step into the room and her mouth fell open as she took in the state of total disarray.

“What the f-” she started to say, as Dax grabbed her and yanked her behind him. Rhee’s eyes went round as her companion deftly pulled a handgun from his waistband and entered her apartment, dragging her along by her good arm.

“Stay behind me,” he hissed.

He has a gun?!
Jesus!
Dax did a quick sweep of the apartment with Rhee in tow, and determined that no one was there. Rhee stood in the center of the place in disbelief. Her computer, her jewelry, her clothing-everything was either destroyed, or gone. Kate and Lisa’s stuff had been similarly wrecked. The shock of finding her apartment robbed was nothing compared to finding the spray painted message above her bed. Reading the words made her shiver as an icy fear took root in her gut.

Puta.

“Dammit. I was afraid of this.” Dax pulled out his phone and snapped a photo of the red, dripping words. Then, he sent several text messages.

“Rhee. Listen to me, honey. It’s not safe for you to stay here. We’ll call the police from the car. Do you have anyplace else to go?”

Rhee shook her head slowly. “How-how did they…who?”

“They have your stuff, honey. Your purse, your id, and now your computer. Not sure what you had on there, but you should freeze your bank account. You know what, Wince can do it. Let’s drop in on a friend of mine and pick you up something to wear. We’ll head to the clubhouse after that and take care of some things.” Dax turned on his heel, anxious to leave the premises before the police showed up, or worse, a couple of armed goons.