Sin & Savage (9 page)

Before then, he’d been in one of the backrooms with Ivy and the other girls, buttering them up. He knew how to play their game, and how to tease and charm information out of them. It had been his experience in life that if you wanted information, to never ask the ones in charge but to cozy up to the women around them instead. They usually saw, heard, and knew everything anyway; and with a little bit of flirting on his part, he could easily find out whatever he needed to know.

And he was good at it too—charming the women. In fact, some of his best information had come via that method and it would have worked today too, if he hadn’t heard something being smashed in the room next door, followed by shouting and yelling. And when he’d rushed in and had taken in the scene of Tori being accosted—well, he’d gone ballistic.

As he marched Tori down the hallway and into the spa’s main reception area, he felt the resistance in her body at being led like that—but he didn’t care. He was here to protect her and protect her he would—
until the completion of his assignment, of course.

God, she was beautiful, though! Her fingers, small, soft and tender, were intertwined with his rough ones, and the sensation only magnified to him the gulf between their two worlds. She was Heaven and he was Hell, and ne’er the twain shall meet. Hadn’t he read that in a book once?

As they walked outside into the bright, Vegas sunshine, he saw Lily, Ivy and the other girls getting into a waiting cab.

Tori yanked her hand out of his then. “That’s far enough, mister,” she gritted up at him, before turning away and approaching Lily. She smiled warmly at the young girl. “You’re going to be okay, I know it.”

Lily hugged Tori. “Thank you.”

“Do you have any money?”

“Between us, we have a little.”

“Wait.” Tori opened her purse and pulled out Nana’s wad of cash. She counted out some bills. “There’s a thousand dollars here. Take it—for you and the girls,” she offered.

Suddenly, a strong male hand clamped down hard on her wrist, preventing her from giving the money away. She looked up at Savage’s stony face and watched as his lips turned into a teasing grin but the grin didn’t reach his laser-sharp eyes.

“That’s not my money, is it, Snow White? The balance you owe me?” he menaced softly.

Tori’s body stiffened at his threatening tone but she wasn’t afraid of him. In fact, she had the sudden urge to slap his face hard—payment for the man he was, and to wake him up to the man he could be. She sensed good in him but it was encrusted with too much bad.

Her spine straightened in defiance. “No, sir, it’s not! Yours is in the hotel safe. I wouldn’t want my kneecaps broken if I didn’t pay you.” She kept her voice low, though it trembled with anger.

His stance suddenly relaxed and his lips twitched with humor. Respect and admiration for her shone in his eyes, and he let go of her wrist.

Tori turned back to Lily and she stuffed the bills into the girl’s hand. “Take it. It’ll help you and the others. Children of God look after each other, right?” She winked.

Lily nodded and then hugged Tori again. Unshed tears of gratitude glistened in her eyes. “Thank you, Tori,” she whispered, before getting into the cab with the other girls.

They all waved as the taxi sped away.

“Love you, Savage!” Ivy yelled out the window, before the car rounded the corner and disappeared from view.

Savage shook his head in disbelief. Tori had actually given those girls $1000 of her and her grandmother’s money, out of the goodness of her heart—to help a stranger in need. Something like that was unthinkable in his world! In fact, in his world, you could get killed for a measly ten bucks.

He was coming to believe that this sweet, angelic, goody-two shoes, slip-of-a-girl had power—real power—coursing through her being. How many times had he made veiled threats to her and she’d stood up to him every single time, courage shining through her beautiful brown eyes? And no matter what had happened to her yesterday with Wizard and today with Roger, she still remained kind and gentle to others. When he’d seen her trying to help that scumbag up off the floor just now—the man who had attacked her only moments earlier—he’d been thunderstruck! What planet had the girl come from? Because it wasn’t the one he was living in, that was for damn sure!

In a flash, a realization hit him. Maybe it was her goodness that gave her strength and courage and protection from all the bad out there; and maybe, just maybe, she was the one with the true power; not him with all his muscles and brute force. Because every time he looked at her now, her angelic smile alone could defeat him and bring him to his knees.

As she turned back to him, Savage pasted on his tough guy, biker mask again. “You and me—we need to talk,” he pronounced, making sure his voice sounded gruff and mean.

“Lead the way,
sir,
” Tori threw back at him, her eyes flashing with stubbornness mixed in with a generous dollop of fury.

Savage smiled inwardly. It was obvious she wasn’t going to be taking any of his shit any time soon. In a way, he kind of liked that!

Chapter 20

Friday – 1:51 p.m.

Johnny M’s Diner

“Sit!”

The command was barked at Tori, like a trainer would when teaching his dog to obey. She did as she was told and plunked her butt into the diner’s booth. Indignant, she glared up at the biker, as he stood over her.

“I don’t appreciate your tone of voice, Mr. Savage,” she boldly shot back.

“Tough—fucking—shit!” he enunciated, trying to hold his temper in check, but failing miserably. “Now, I have to go take a piss and when I’m gone, you’re going to sit here, not move a muscle and not talk to anyone. I don’t want to have to come running out here, in mid-piss, holding my dick in my hand, just to save your sweet ass again because you decided to start a revolt among the waitresses this time, got it?”

Her chin angled up. “Wow. Those charm school lessons really paid off for you, didn’t they?” she bit out.

“You—are the most frustrating, infuriating, pain-in-my-ass female I have ever met in my life! Your grandmother got off cheap, let me tell you, because if I had known how much aggravation you’d be, I would have asked for five times the going rate—if at all.”

With that, Savage turned and stalked off in the direction of the washrooms. Tori watched his retreating back and childishly stuck out her tongue at him. Clearly, he was steaming mad at her for closing down his favorite massage parlor, but that was just too bad, now wasn’t it?

After leaving the slimy spa, Savage had ordered her to get back on his bike and had driven like a madman to this diner. He’d told her that they were stopping to get a bite to eat and to have a “little chat” before visiting Vivian and her hair salon. Tori hadn’t liked how he’d said the words “little chat” because what he’d really meant was that he was going to be giving her a full-blown lecture about not having obeyed his instructions.

She reached for the menu and began to study the choices. Oh well, at least those girls were safe now. Tori sighed to herself, as she thought back to how they’d left and the memory brought a satisfied smile to her lips.

Pulling out her smart phone, she rang up Nana to see how she was faring back at the hotel. Hopefully, she hadn’t lost too much money at the casino.

The senior answered the call. “How’s my little sugarplum doing?”

“Fine, but we haven’t really found out anything about Joe, yet.”

“Where are you now, sweetheart?”

“At a diner. Mr. Savage wanted to get some lunch.”

“He’s been treatin’ you right, I hope?” Her voice was low and threatening.

“Yes, Nana, he’s been a perfect gentleman.”

“Good. And you’ve been listening to him and doing everything he tells you?”

Tori crossed her fingers. “Of course, I have. I told you I would.”

She wasn’t about to confess what had happened at the massage parlor, although if she had told the senior, her grandmother would have been proud of how she had helped those girls escape. She would have also approved of Tori having handed over her money to them. Her Nana may be rough and gruff sometimes, but she had a heart as big as Texas when it came to people in need.

“That makes me happy to hear,” her Nana continued. “Mr. Savage will look after ya, sweetpea, and keep you safe. Count on it. My tingle is never wrong.”

“After lunch, we’re going to see an old friend of Joe’s. Has he ever mentioned a Vivian before?”

The senior paused to think. “Vivian? Of course—now I remember. She’s a hairdresser, right?”

“Yes, that’s her.”

“That’s his cousin, honey—first cousin, actually. Their fathers were brothers. How could I have forgotten about her?”

Tori rolled her eyes, as a shot of irritation lit into her. “Well, if you think of anything else you’ve so conveniently
forgotten
, please
remember
to give me a call, all right? God, Nana! We’ve wasted all morning on this trail leading to Vivian. If you’d thought of this before, we could have saved ourselves a lot of time and trouble!”

“Don’t bite my head off! I can’t remember everything at my age and Joe only mentioned her a couple of times.”

“Fine. Just spend some more time thinking about what he’s told you and less time playing the slots, okay? How much money have you lost already anyway?”

“Tori, I’m insulted. I haven’t lost a dime at the slot machines.”

Tori sighed. “Well, that’s a relief.”

“But I have lost three hundred at the blackjack tables.”

“Oh, Nana!”

“Now, don’t worry, I’m gonna win it all back this afternoon. I’ve got a new system to test out.”

“Promise me that when you lose five hundred dollars, you’ll stop playing, please?”

Nana burst out laughing, “Oh honey, that’s negative mojo. Think positive.”

At that point, Tori spotted Savage coming back to the table.

“Nana, I have to go. Just remember, if you think of anything else, please call me asap, all right?”

“Ya’ got my word. Stay safe, sweetie. I love you.”

“I love you too, Nana. Bye.”

Tori clicked her phone off just as Savage lowered his tall frame into the booth seat opposite hers.

Chapter 21

Savage’s stony eyes
narrowed on Tori’s face. “Explain to me what the hell happened back there,” he spat, his voice low and menacing.

Tori stiffened at his tone but she met his accusing eyes without flinching. “Where?” she asked, pretending not to understand.

“Where? Back at the spa, that’s where! I leave you alone for ten short minutes and within that time, you’ve started a mutiny. How the fuck does that happen?”

She tossed her head back and glared at him. “You know how, Mr. Savage? Because in the name of Jesus Christ, I told Lily the truth and the truth set that girl free. Amen!” she responded, in a voice of authority, daring him to challenge her again.

Savage folded his arms across his chest and sat back in the booth. He didn’t have an answer for that one, and his lips clamped shut. His eyes roamed the contours of her pretty face, taking in the courage, dignity and strength shining there. It was just too amazing that a little thing like her could stand up to all the scumbags she’d met so far—the likes of Wizard and Roger—and the likes of him, of course. After all, he was the biggest and meanest scumbag of them all.

His tone softened but he made sure it was still stern. “I thought I told you to stay outside near my bike. What happened?”

“You decided to get down to business. Unfortunately, it wasn’t
my
business you were getting down to, so I took matters into my own hands.”

A shot of humor at her delicate wording of the situation coursed through Savage but he kept his countenance serious. “What about ‘my world, my rules’? Didn’t you agree to those terms at the little powwow we had with your grandmother yesterday?”

Tori shrugged, dismissing him. “When you decided to go off the clock—for a little massage and relaxation—then, so did I.”

Savage’s eyebrows shot up surprise. “So you went in there for a little massage and relaxation too? Didn’t know you liked the girls, Snow White.”

“That’s not what I meant! Stop twisting my words.” Tori blushed.

Savage flashed her a sexy, wicked smile, knowing he’d just gotten the better of her. He watched her cheeks flush red and he loved that about her—and the fact that he was the one to do it to her. “Then what did you mean?” he teased.

Tori felt the burn of his gaze on her as he waited for her answer. She was positive her face must have been as red as a ripe, hot house tomato. No, she wasn’t a prude—not at all—but for some reason, this man had the most incredible ability to send her emotions into wobbly confusion.

Suddenly, her pulse began beating erratically as his raw muscular power engulfed her from across the table. The man was a sexual animal, no doubt about it, and his heat was now threatening to consume her. He wasn’t really doing anything, just sitting there waiting for an answer, but his aura was making every pore in her body aware of him as a living, vibrant, sexy, handsome man. A sudden spike of warmth flooded in between her legs. But why was she reacting to him like this? He was practically a stranger! Why, she hadn’t even reacted this way when she’d first met Tod. It just didn’t make sense. And dammit—her cheeks felt like they were now, not only red, but blazing like an out-of-control wildfire.

Tori picked up her menu and fanned herself with it. She looked around the crowded diner. “Why isn’t the air conditioning on in this place? It’s so hot in here!” she vented.

“It’s on. Why don’t you take your sweater off?”

“I can’t.” Tori’s arms were still bruised from when Wizard had grabbed her yesterday and she’d been wearing the summer cardigan to hide them.

“Why not?” Savage quizzed.

“Because of your friend, Wizard.”

The biker’s brows knitted together and his lips thinned with anger. “Show me.”

“No. It’s over and done with. Let’s order.” She looked around the busy restaurant for a waitress, trying to change the subject.

“Show me! Now, Tori!” he demanded.

His eyes zeroed in on her and a wave of humiliation went through her. She looked around the establishment to see if anyone was paying attention but no one was. She turned back to Savage and slowly let the sleeves of her sweater slip off her shoulders, exposing the black and blue finger marks circling her flesh.

“Motherfuck!” Savage’s hands shot out across the table to skim up and down her bruised arms as he examined them more closely.

“It—it’s really not that bad. It—doesn’t hurt—much,” Tori faltered, as his fingers left a trail of scorching heat wherever he touched her.

“Just for that, he’s getting another beating the next time I see him.” With a look of cold fury stamped on his handsome face, Savage reluctantly released her.

“Oh, please don’t do that. I don’t want any more violence on my behalf.” Tori covered her arms again with the garment.

“I don’t do anything to anybody, Tori, who doesn’t have it coming to them—and that bastard has it coming to him—again—for what he did to you, believe me!”

“Yesterday you said it was just business, and you took care of business just fine.”

“That was yesterday. Today…” he paused, the tension easing out of him as he gazed at her temptingly, rosy mouth, “you’re mine.”

He threw her one of those slow, sexy smiles that made those butterflies in Tori’s stomach flap their wings at lightning speed. And the seductive way he’d said the word ‘mine’, as if she was the most precious thing in the world, created just for him—well, it made her heart turn over in her chest.

Oh God, why was she letting him get to her like this? Tori put a hand up to her flushed cheek. Yup, she was on fire again and it was all for him—for the criminal gangster, Son of Perdition, badass biker who was sitting across the table from her with his tattooed-covered, thuggish arms; ripped abs; lean frame; and the most sweetest, kindest eyes she’d ever seen on a man—when he wanted to turn on the charm, of course. Good gravy, what was the matter with her, and she being a small town pastor’s daughter and all?

A twenty-something, pretty, brunette waitress with twinkling blue eyes, approached their table. “Hi Savage, your usual today?” She smiled, obviously happy to see him again.

Savage wrapped his arm around her waist and looked up at her. “Hey, Holly honey…what else?”

He threw the waitress that same sexy smile he’d flashed at her seconds ago and Tori immediately felt as if a barrel of ice water had been thrown in her face, extinguishing her fire. The cad! What he was, was just a player; and when he smiled and teased and used that animal magnetism that life had given him in abundance, it meant nothing! It was all part of his game to get what he wanted. She wasn’t any more special to him than any other woman out there that he needed something from.

Tori puckered her lips with annoyance at the sudden insight. Her ex-husband had been like that, only she’d come to realize it too late after she’d already married the bum. They were all just men and you couldn’t trust the lot of them.

Holly the waitress winked at the biker. “Steak and fries and a glass of ice cold water for the hungry man, coming up.” She scribbled the order on her notepad before turning to Tori. “How about you, honey?”

“The BLT sandwich with no fries and an iced tea, please,” Tori replied, all stiff and prim.

Holly nodded. “Be back soon.” She smiled at Savage again, then moved out of his grasp and walked away.

Tori quirked a curious eyebrow at Savage. “Another member of your harem, Mr. Savage?”

The biker laughed. “Holly—and her husband, Mike—are good friends of mine, Snow White.”

“You have a lot of
friends
, don’t you? And a lot of enemies too, I’m sure.”

Savage leaned back in the booth and chuckled again. “In my line of business, you make both. It’s part of the job description.”

Tori mimicked his movements and leaned back in her own seat, suddenly curious about who he was behind the biker façade. “What’s your name, by the way?” she asked.

The question had popped out of her mouth without thought. What was his real name? All she knew was what everyone in his world called him—Savage—obviously a nickname of some sort, that suited him very well, she might add.

“Savage Monroe.” He laughed.

“I mean your real name. You know, the one your momma gave you when she first laid eyes on her beautiful baby boy?”

“Matthew Jack Monroe. She calls me Matt. But it’s a funny name.”

“What’s so funny about it?”

“Both my parents named me. My mom is a good Christian woman and she named me Matthew, after the apostle who wrote the first gospel. My dad is a notorious drunk and he gave me my middle name, Jack. He always told me when I was growing up that if it hadn’t been for that bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey he drank that night, I would never have been conceived. So you see, Snow White, I’m part heaven and part hell. Now the question is, which part is going to win the battle for my soul? What do you think?” His eyes filled with mischief.

Tori smiled. “Only you can answer that, Matthew Jack Monroe. If you want to be saved, then stop sinning.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “But sinning is what I do best and I’m so
good
at it too. Is there hope for me, Snow White?”

Tori grew serious. “There’s hope for everyone. You may think you’re all bad but I see good in you. You saved me yesterday with Wizard, whatever your reasons were, and today with Roger too. You’ve looked after me and helped me all morning. And you’ve shown me true respect and kindness and given me your protection. I never thanked you properly for what you did for me in that bar yesterday, and I should have. I’m sorry for that, and I want to thank you now.”

Savage’s teasing smile faded, as he took in her beautiful, sweet countenance. She was looking at him with her big, brown eyes, waiting for him to accept her apology and the irony of the moment hit him square in the gut. She was apologizing to him—to him!—the criminal who had been contracted to kill her at the end of their deal. She was asking him, of all people, for forgiveness!

A wave of intense shame washed over him—shame for what he was involved in, shame for what he’d become, and shame for how she’d been dragged into it all. His desperate eyes drank in her sweetness before they lowered out of disgust at himself.

“No thanks required, Tori,” he mumbled.

“Thank you just the same.”

Tori noticed how he’d suddenly turned sullen and taken an emotional step away from her. What had happened to their teasing mood from moments earlier? She racked her brain, trying to think of something to say that would bring him back to her and keep things light from now on.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted his motorcycle through the restaurant’s glass window. It was parked outside in the lot, its shiny chrome gleaming in the bright sunlight. “You have a really nice bike, Mr. Savage. I know it’s a Harley, but what model is it?” Not that Tori knew anything about Harleys. He could tell her that it was a sugar-coated, ice-cream cone with colored sprinkles and she’d believe him.

He looked up at her then and he smiled again, his sad mood having lifted instantly at the mention of the machine. “It’s a Heritage Softail Classic.”

“Have you been riding long?”

“My whole life and I love it. I live to ride, and ride to live, like they say.”

“What was your first bike?”

His face broke into another megawatt grin. “It was red, with three wheels, a bell and blue pompoms on the handlebars. I was three.”

She burst out laughing at that, picturing the tough-guy biker as an innocent, little boy, pedaling up and down his street on the tricycle.

“Careful! I can blackmail you to your fellow Sons of Perdition club members with information like that,” she taunted.

“They’d never believe it, Snow White, not in a million years! And I’d deny everything, of course.”

He joined in with her laughter, as his eyes raked her sweet beauty. My God, she was gorgeous, Savage thought; and the way her face just lit up the room when she giggled like that took his breath away. The energy between them was so easy and exciting all at the same time. She made him feel things within himself that he’d forgotten about long ago, like goodness and kindness; and that maybe there were still decent people left in this rotten world after all.

And man, was she smoking hot too! He could feel the familiar heat pooling in his groin, already making him hard for her. In fact, his need for her was short-circuiting his brain and he could barely remember his name. No bones about it—he wanted the pure and innocent-hearted Snow White, naked in his bed, doing the nasty with him. It was all he could do right now to stop himself from dragging her across the table, in the middle of this crowded diner, and crushing his desperate mouth to hers. But he didn’t think that would go over too well with her. In fact, he was sure she’d have been outraged if she could have seen the naked images of them together flashing across his mind just now.

At that moment, Holly approached the table with their food order. The waitress plopped down the two plates in front of them. “Steak and fries for the growing boy, and a dainty BLT for the little lady. I’ll bring your drinks in a sec.” She moved away again, walking back to the kitchen.

Savage picked up his knife and fork, flashing them in front of Tori. “See, Snow White? I’ve been trained to use cutlery. I bet you thought I’d tear the steak apart with my bare hands.”

The biker put a teasing spin on the comment but deep down he knew he was an animal compared to someone like her. He was just trying to joke about it first because then it wouldn’t hurt so much when the judgment flashed again in her eyes, as it had done a few times since he’d met her yesterday.

Tori laughed, oblivious to the undercurrents laced inside his comment. “Table manners are definitely important. I always teach my kids that anyway.”

Savage stared at her wide-eyed for a full three seconds! “You have children?” he blurted, the thought never having crossed his mind that she could have kids back home.

Tori nodded. “Thirty of them. I’m a kindergarten teacher back in Gideon, Texas. And my father’s a pastor at our local church.”

Savage’s mouth dropped open. “You’re a schoolteacher
and
a preacher’s daughter?”