Full Heat: A Brothers of Mayhem Novel Read Online Free Page A

some people were, especially women. He preferred to be the one touching. Why would any woman want to touch him?
    “I’m really sorry this happened,” she said softly.
    She stretched out to touch his hand, but he reached up to brush hair from his eyes. Embarrassment flushed her face. “It’s the least I could do since you had warned me it wouldn’t go good for you. I should’ve listened. I thought if I stated that there was no way you could have done it; that you were with me the whole time, and you hadn’t met Jimmy before that moment, they would believe me.”
    He accepted her apology. Regular people were always amazed when their honest alibi wasn’t believed.
    “Don’t worry about it.” He turned to go and a light pull on his sleeve stopped him. His hands fisted. He really hated being touched, especially unexpectedly. A glance over his shoulder eased the tension.
    “Mr. Ryder…uh, Storm, I will certainly understand if you turn me down, but I still need your services. Your club’s services that is.” Her smile faltered as her flush increased from the unintended double entendre. “The Thirty-Second gang is still threatening me. Our Petty Street branch was vandalized last night. The writing on the wall said if Jimmy’s death wasn’t enough, they would teach me a lesson.”
    Moving far enough away for her to not touch him, he pulled out his cellphone from a front pocket. A glimpse confirmed it was two in the morning. Toro hadn’t called, as the asshole on Jimmy’s phone had assured him he would earlier.
    “I’ll think on it. They shouldn’t bother you tonight. Go home with your lawyer.” Without looking her way again, he strode down the hall and out the glass doors. He had to get away from her. His gut kept saying she was nothing but trouble. After the short life he’d led so far, he already knew trouble would come for him without anyone else’s help.
    Whatever attraction he felt for her had to be dampened. She wasn’t from his world and his lifestyle was hard on women.
    Not slowing his stride, he jabbed his arms into his vest as he trotted down the wide marble steps in front of the building.
    Probably would be best to call her when he reached the clubhouse and tell her to find someone else. Shit. He really didn’t need her kind of trouble. He shook his head. Who was he trying to convince?
    As he expected, several of his men stood across the road hanging in the shadows of an alley near a bar. That most likely drove the cops crazy. MC members loitering near their jail and their favorite dive. He was tempted to walk inside and order a drink just to annoy them. But then again, he didn’t drink. Funny thing. A lot of people were allergic to peanuts, bee stings, and pets, but he was allergic to alcohol. One beer made him deathly sick.
    At that moment a low-riding sedan came around the far corner, someone rapping as the bass thumped, punctuating each word.
    Storm started across the street, stopping in front of the car’s path. The sedan stopped. The engine revved as they threatened to run him over. The windows were tinted so dark, even under the streetlights, Storm could only make out the silhouette of two people in the front seat and neither were shaped like the massive Toro.
    He knew they wouldn’t hurt him. Word on the streets was that Toro wanted to keep the pleasure of running over his ass for himself. The Brothers of Mayhem and the Thirty-Second gang had a mutual animosity.
    The whining noise of the engine grew louder. A couple off-duty deputies started walking their way. Smoke began to bellow from the rear tires. Storm felt the heat from the grille and hood. His groin was inches away from the powerful car. He lifted his arms over his head, bowing his back, and shot them double birds, as he glared at the driver, daring them to move forward.
    One deputy hollered, “Hey! Cut that out! And you”—he pointed at Storm—“get your sorry ass out of the road!”
    Another deputy was talking into his