Sin & Savage (13 page)

Chapter 29

Fury had frazzled
her brain. She should have been scared to death of climbing down that ladder after what she’d just been through, but she wasn’t. She was just so angry—mainly at herself, really—that she didn’t even think twice about descending from that great height.

With steely determination, Tori placed each sneakered foot on every rung until she reached the bottom. When her right foot hit the hard-packed desert dirt, she marched around the house structure and towards the parked motorcycle.

Through her crimson haze, her brain briefly noted that the BMW was gone, as Rat had quickly scurried away when she’d been hanging on that wooden beam for dear life. A sliver of fear of ran through her as she remembered what had happened—and what could have happened if she’d fallen—but it was quickly pushed aside by the anger boiling in her bloodstream over that damned kiss.

My God, what had she done? How could she have been so stupid stupid stupid as to get involved with a criminal like Savage Matthew Monroe? He was an outlaw biker, for God’s sake—a member of the notorious Sons of Perdition gang, a sinister outfit that was probably involved in all kinds of illegal activities, like drug dealing and gun running and extortion and prostitution, and who knew what else. That’s what the man did for a living! Twenty-four, seven—day in, day out, he hurt people and that was wrong, even if he believed some of them did have it coming to them, as he always liked to tell her whenever he was justifying his violent actions.

And when she had kissed him up there on that roof—my God, her whole world had tipped upside down. Her brain had stopped working, as had her morals. In that instant, she’d felt such an overpowering connection to him that she’d never felt with anyone else before, not even with her ex-husband, Tod.

Being held in Savage’s arms had felt so right that she would have done anything for him, even made love to him up there. But that was crazy and insane, and went against everything that she believed in. She didn’t even believe in sex before marriage, for pity’s sake, and had been a virgin when she’d married Tod. But there she’d been, moments ago, about to throw all that away just because of one wild, foolish kiss.

What was wrong with her? Yes—you could say that her judgment had been clouded by the fear and terror she’d felt at having almost plunged to her death moments before, but it had also been clouded by
him
, because somehow, Savage Matthew Monroe had wormed his way into her heart.

But thank God, she had come to her senses. In the midst of that devastating kiss, when she’d been about to give him everything including her body, her brain had suddenly kicked in and images of Savage ‘at work’ had begun flashing through her mind at breakneck speed.

She remembered the way Savage had beaten up Wizard with his hard fists and violently smashed the rapist’s head against the wall, and then there was dirt bag Roger, the massage parlor owner, whose blood Savage calmly rinsed off of his hands while the other man lay bleeding on the floor. And now Rat, whose eyes bulged out in terror as Savage viciously held the Glock to his head while the metal chain choked the life out of him.

Yes, she knew that Nana’s tingle was right about him and deep down, he was a good man—and yes, these things had all been done to help Tori, but bottom line? There was a lot of bad in him too; and by hiring him, she was condoning his violence. If truth be told, there was just as much blood on her hands as there was on his. It had been wrong of her to pay a criminal biker for his services. And it had been wrong of her to allow him into her heart too. Nothing good could come of any of it because evil always found a way to corrupt.

Wasn’t he always reminding her that it was his world and his rules? Well, he was right about that but his world was one of violence and she refused to be a part of it any more. Their association was now over—completely and irrevocably—and she vowed never to see him again.

Tori had almost reached the Harley when she sensed footsteps behind her. Suddenly, a hand reached out to grab her arm and Savage whirled her around to face him. “That’s far enough, sweetheart,” he growled, his angry eyes locking onto her face.

Tori glared at his dictatorial stance but not before noting how wildly handsome he looked with his shoulder length hair tucked behind his ears; the black bandana she’d removed when they’d been kissing having been stuffed into his biker vest pocket. She instinctively lowered her gaze to his other hand at his side and noticed how it was clutching the Glock pistol and the metal chain he’d used on Rat. She was riveted by the sight and felt the blood draining from her face. If there was ever a reminder to her of how dangerous and deadly Savage Monroe really was, it was the sight of that chain and that gun.

And what had her Nana always told her when Tori was growing up? “Sugarplum,” she would say, “always pay attention to how people treat others because one day, that’s how they’ll treat you.” The words reverberated in Tori’s brain over and over again, as she continued to stare hard at the weapons clasped in his hand. She yanked her arm out of his grip and took a protective step away from him.

Savage’s gaze followed her line of sight and immediately knew what she’d been thinking. The look of disgust and revulsion that was plastered all over her face only emphasized the great gulf between their worlds. Ashamed, he moved to one of the bike’s saddlebags and stuffed the chain and handgun inside, quickly hiding them from her view.

He turned back to her and his eyes narrowed. “Explain to me, please, what happened up there? I pour my heart out to you and all you can say is that I’m fired? What the fuck, Tori?” A new wave of anger sizzled through him, the first wave having happened when he’d seen her cold reaction after their amazing kiss.

Tori raised her chin and stared him down hard. “Pouring out your heart? Come on! It was more a case of ‘pouring out your dick’…or at least, you wanted to.”

Savage took a step towards her, desperately wanting to feel her in his arms again but he held back knowing she would just reject him all over again. And there was only so much rejection a man like him could take.

“There’s more to it than that and we both know it. Tell me you don’t feel the connection we have. Tell me you don’t feel how we fit together like the last two pieces of a jigsaw puzzle that completes the whole picture. Tell me right now, to my face, that I’m wrong,” he shouted, his words clipped and rough.

“I’m not going to deny it. I feel it too, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to give into it. It’s not right.”

“How can you say that?”

“Heaven and hell don’t mix, Mr. Savage.”

“Call me Matt. My name is Matt.”

“No, your name is Savage.”

“Meaning?”

“I don’t like the way you do business, sir, and I refuse to have the blood you spill on my hands any longer. Our arrangement is over as of right now, as is our association.”

The chilly words spilling out of her mouth lashed at Savage more powerfully than any physical blows he’d ever received in his legion of brawls over the years, and he felt his gut turning over with pain at the thought of never seeing her again. He took a desperate step towards her and clasped her pretty but set face between his hands. “Kiss me again, Tori, and then tell me goodbye. I dare you.”

Tori’s heart pounded so hard in her chest that she swore she could feel it all the way down into her toes. To have him this close to her again, to be in his arms and have him say these words to her, made her almost give up her resolve. Almost. Because she knew that if she kissed him right now, with the tenderness she was seeing in his eyes, she wouldn’t be able to break away. Ever. No, what she needed to do instead was to stand firm and do what was right—which was to get as far away as she could from him, from his world, and from his rules. There was no other option.

Suddenly, she knew exactly how to do it.

Making her heart go cold, she removed his hands from either side of her face. “No, Mr. Savage, I won’t kiss you again, because I don’t go slumming.”

A sharp pain shot through him, as if she’d stuck a knife into him. “Slumming?” he echoed in disbelief as he took a step back from her, staring at her as if he was seeing her for the first time. “Is that what I am to you?”

A wave of nausea rose up in her as she took in the look of hurt stamped on his handsome face. That one word alone had skewered him to his very core as she’d known it would. He was a proud man, after all, and being told you weren’t good enough was hard for anyone to take. Whatever feelings he’d thought he had for her had died on the spot.
Job well done, Victoria Alexandra Jones!

Suddenly, every cell in her body was screaming at her to tell him that she didn’t mean it, that she’d only said it because she knew it would make him stop saying all those wonderful things to her and that it would make him stop wanting her. Tell him!

But she did no such thing, keeping her mouth shut tight, as she stood there like an iceberg. She forced herself to shrug nonchalantly, making her appear stony and indifferent. “I don’t mean to offend you, Mr. Savage. It’s just, well—your world is different from mine, like you’re always so fond of telling me, and I think that we should—”

“Save the speech, Snow White.” Savage’s eyes blazed murderously at her. “Even dumbfuck animals like me can understand what you mean. I just thought you were different, that’s all. Guess that was my mistake.”

His words were as sharp as a whip and Tori felt them scourging her flesh but she remained outwardly calm. “If you’ll take me back to the hotel, I’ll pay you the thousand dollars I still owe you,” she said woodenly.

“Damn right, you will!”

Tori nodded coldly. “So, this concludes our business arrangement. Thank you for everything you’ve done on mine and my grandmother’s behalf.”

Savage’s face hardened as his lips curled with disgust at her. “Glad to be of service…honey,” he sneered, before walking to the Harley and getting on.

Chapter 30

Friday – 7:46 p.m.

Jubilee Hotel and Casino

Tori and Savage
entered the spacious lobby of the ultra-modern casino complex and made their way in the direction of the elevators. Guests and gamblers thronged the cavernous interior, each hustling and bustling to their own agendas.

As Tori reached the perimeters of the lounge area which housed several comfy couches and large armchairs, she stopped and turned to the biker who had been trailing behind her.

“Your money’s in the hotel safe in my room. If you’d like to wait here…” She pointed to one of the leather couches by a large potted plant. “I’ll just be a few minutes and bring it back down to you.” Her tone was brusque and very businesslike.

Savage removed his black sunglasses exposing his hostile glare, his eyes burning down at her. His mouth twisted into a cynical smile. “What’s the matter, Snow White? Don’t wanna be seen in polite society with the likes of me?”

Tori studied his stiff, tense body language. He was still furious at her. In fact, the two had said nothing to each other since they’d left Rat’s half-finished house a while ago.

After Savage had gotten on the Harley, Tori had done the same. When she’d positioned herself behind him and wrapped her arms around his torso, she could have sworn he’d flinched as her hands came in contact with his hard body. He hated her now. It was so obvious and Tori’s heart was breaking because of it. But this was the way it had to be. She refused to be a part of his violent world any longer!

She stiffened her spine with resolve, and made her next words sound matter-of-factly. “You’re being ridiculous.”

He laughed. “Oh, ridiculous, am I? I guess we losers at the bottom of the food chain are just supposed to shut the fuck up and take all the bullshit your royal highnesses want to dish out. Is that how it works?”

“Nothing of the sort. I just think it’s best if you wait here and we keep this all on a professional footing from now on, please.”

Savage took a threatening step towards her, invading her personal space. From his superior 6’ height, he leaned down into her small 5’ 2” one, his face inches from hers. The artwork on his bulging, tattooed arms glistened underneath the bright hotel lobby lighting, only adding to his menacing presence.

“Maybe you don’t want me in your room, Tori, because you don’t trust me,” he taunted. “Maybe you think I’m like Wizard, looking for some—fun? Is that it?”

Tori’s temper flared. “If you ever, ever,
ever
try to touch me in that way, Mr. Savage, I swear I’ll take your own Glock and shoot you dead myself,” she spat out.

Tori had had enough. She wasn’t about to stand here and cower to any more of his bullying tactics. She was a Texan through and through, for God’s sake. Courage had been bred into her all the way down from her ancestors at the Alamo. Maybe everybody else in this Sin City of a town was afraid of him but she wasn’t.
Hell no, she was not!

Savage took in the grit shining in her eyes and he backed away from her but not before letting out a harsh laugh that was mingled with respect. “Okay, Snow White, I’ll wait for you down here but don’t be too long. I’ve got to take a mean piss and since we gorillas don’t know how to use a bathroom like you proper city-folk, I’m thinking about unzipping at that potted plant over there in front of all these nice, respectable people. What do ya think?” He pointed to the large palm tree positioned by the couch.

“You’re disgusting! That’s what I think!”

Savage’s derisive smile dropped and he suddenly turned all business. “Be quick about getting my money, sweetheart, and don’t make me come looking for you.”

“Don’t worry—
sir!
The sooner I give you your money, the sooner we can say goodbye.”

With that final parting shot, Tori turned and marched towards the elevators.

Savage watched her leave, his hungry eyes glued to the way her tight jeans hugged her well-shaped ass and he felt himself getting hard for her all over again. “Shit!” he swore under his breath. The woman sure knew how to get on his last remaining nerve. “This isn’t over between us, Snow White, not by a fucking long shot. No matter what you say!” he mumbled.

Suddenly, his cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his vest pocket, he looked at the number. It was his bossman, Snake. “It’s Savage,” he answered.

“Did you find the cocksucker yet?” Snake growled on the other end, referring to Joe Sorelli.

“No, but I just got a good lead.”

“Well, fuck that for now and get back to the club. I need to see you.”

“Okay. I’ll be there in twenty.”

“Good.”

Snake hung up the phone on his end and Savage did the same. The biker plopped down on the nearest leather couch and rubbed his tired eyes with his fingers. Shit, he thought to himself, Snake probably wanted to discuss the gun deal that was going down that night with the Demon Dead, a rival bike gang of theirs. If it didn’t come off as planned, all the motherfuckers involved wouldn’t think twice about killing him…and that included his asshole boss. After all, there was a lot of money at stake.

Savage blew out a pent-up breath of frustration. Shit, damn, and fuck it all to hell! He really did have too much going on this weekend and he still wasn’t quite sure how to pull it all together, what with the gun deal and the search for Sorelli. But the most irritating, infuriating and biggest, pain-in-the-ass, wildcard of them all was
her
, the preacher’s daughter. Why? Because she had gotten to him like no one had in a long time…

And he just didn’t know what to do about it.