Read The Handler (Noir et Bleu Motorcycle Club #2) for Free Online Page B

and grabbed the cash out of my jacket. “Here.” I handed it to him. He put it in his pocket and turned back toward the bathroom. “Aren’t you going to give it to him?”
    “Yeah, after I take a leak. What the fuck’s wrong with you? You’re acting like a tweaker. Are you high?”
    “No.” I rubbed the back of my neck. “I just want to make sure Mug gets the money. He threatened to throw me out this morning.”
    “He’ll get it. Chill out.” He twisted the knob of the bathroom door, and it didn’t turn. “Is someone in the can?”
    I didn’t answer since there was no point denying it.
    He frowned for a second, then smiled as he figured it out. “You brought a chick home, didn’t you?”
    I shot him a pleading expression, hoping he wouldn’t tell the other guys. He winked at me and knocked on the door. “Open up, sweetheart.” A few seconds passed before the lock clicked and the doorknob turned. Lincoln slowly opened the door, but she stayed in the bathroom. Her eyes widened as she took in his beard, tattoos, and leather vest with patches all over it. “Ooh, she’s pretty. Hey, Jailbait, don’t be scared. I don’t bite, much.” He laughed at his own joke, probably not realizing how accurate the nickname was.
    She scooted past him and leapt across the hall to stand next to me.
    He stared at us for a second then, to my surprise and relief, he said, “Have a good night,” and went into the bathroom.
    I exhaled, pulled her into my room, and closed the door.
    She frowned a little as she let it all sink in. “Why do you live with guys like that?”
    “It’s a long story. I shouldn’t have brought you here. Let’s go.”
    She rested her shoulder on the door and dropped her head to the side to sell her sleepiness. “I’d rather be here than alone in a hotel room.”
    “That’s sad.”
    “It is really sad.” She overdid the pout. “That’s why you should let me stay. Don’t worry about your girlfriend. I’ll crash on the floor. Totally platonic. You won’t even know I’m here.”
    Letting her crash was the worst idea in the world. I picked up my phone to search for a cab company number but hesitated. The cab would take at least half an hour to show up. Sending her downtown in a cab alone wasn’t all that safe. I was tired, too. The guys weren’t going to bother us. She was only looking for a friend, nothing was going to happen.
    Shit .
    I wasn’t sure how it had happened, but I convinced myself it would be all right to let her stay. “Fine. I’ll take you to the hotel in the morning.”
    She perked up, excited that I agreed. “Really?”
    I grabbed a blanket and an extra pillow out of the closet and tossed them on the floor. “You can have the bed.”
    She hovered near the door for a few seconds as if she didn’t believe me. Then she made her way over to the bed and crawled under the cover, which caused my T-shirt to ride up and show a flash of her hip.
    I turned away, so I wouldn’t end up staring. Feeling guilty, I texted Liv:
    Sorry about this morning. I don’t want to fight anymore.
    She didn’t respond, but the latest posts on her profile confirmed she was at a house party. The college guy was in half the pictures. I set my phone on the bookshelf to resist the impulse to comment, then knelt on the floor to spread the blanket out.
    The sheets rustled as Lincoln moved around to get comfortable. “Is this a biker clubhouse?”
    “No. It’s a house where some bikers and I live.”
    “What’s the difference?”
    I reached over and turned out the lamp before stretching out on the hardwood. “Thirty members hang out at the clubhouse and non-members aren’t allowed in.”
    “Where’s the clubhouse?”
    “Newport.”
    “What’s it like?”
    “I wouldn’t know. I’m not a member.”
    “But they are?”
    “Yeah.”
    She was quiet for a while, but I knew she wasn’t done. “Why do you live with them?”
    “They’re doing me a favor.”
    “Is it something