Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Ciara is not who I want to see right now. She winds me up the wrong way, and she brings out too much shit inside me that I really don’t wanna deal with right now, or ever, for that matter.

“Fine, I’m fuckin’ comin’. Get the bitch outside and hold her there, yeah?”

“On it.”

I slam the phone closed and spin around, storming toward the door. I grip a pair of jeans, yanking them up and over my legs, and then I throw on an old, black shirt. I grip my bike keys, my helmet and then I’m out the door. Fuckin’ hell. Why am I even doing this? Ciara and I don’t get along, the whole world knows that, and yet here I am, going to save her fuckin’ ass. I’m doing it for Cheyenne; she would want me to make sure Ciara is safe.

Yeah fucking right.

Who am I trying to fool?

~*~*~*~

PRESENT - CIARA

“Addi is no whore!” I yell, hurling the pool cue at a random skinny man, who has decided to start an argument with us.

“Fuckin’ throw that at me once more, bitch, and I’ll knock you the fuck out!”

Addi storms towards him, fists balled, dark hair swinging. Just before she reaches him, one of Spike’s minions grips her and tosses her backwards. She crashes into me and we both stumble into the bar. Ouch, dammit, that hurt. I shoot the biker an angry glare, which he returns with full force.

“You two fuckin’ sit and wait for your rides,” he growls.

He’s frustrated. He’s been trying to get us outside for the past ten minutes, with no luck. I’m sure he’d just love to throw us over his shoulder and toss us out, but he’s not about to risk that in a bar with this many people - biker or not.

I cross my arms. “You can’t make us sit here, dude.”

Addi turns, giving me a broad grin. “Did you just call him dude?”

I throw my head back and laugh, and soon she’s joining in. The angry biker storms over, grips my arm and shakes me harshly. My teeth clatter, and my head spins just a touch. Bloody tequila shots.

“Fuckin’ hell, shut your damn mouth, girl. You two are gonna end up on your asses in a minute.”

“Tell your whores to shut their mouths!” an angry man from the back of the bar yells.

The biker turns, and gives him a truly fowl glare. “You better watch your fuckin’ mouth, or I’ll come over there and ram that pool cue up your motherfuckin’ ass.”

Addi gives me a look, but behind it I can see she’s completely amused. She came down tonight...well...last night, technically, considering it’s morning now, to have a few drinks with me after my shift.

I recently started working here, trying to get myself a little more money so I could save enough to go to college. My parents don’t know I’m here. I left after Chey died, in an attempt to escape their wallowing. It got to a point where neither of them smiled anymore, or laughed, or joked, or even held me. Cheyenne was the golden child, and somehow it turned into being my fault she’d died, because I was the one who befriended Spike in the first place.

“Uh-oh, we’ve got company and he doesn’t look happy,” Addison whispers into my ear.

I turn and follow the direction of her eyes to see Spike entering the bar. He’s furious, and his body language screams anger. His eyes are wild, his fists clenched, his chest heaving and his body rigid. Damn, he looks so gorgeous. He’s like sex on legs. He’s that kind of beautiful. His sandy blonde hair is messy, like he’s just rolled out of bed. His brown eyes almost look black from this distance. His dark shirt is stretched across his chest, showing off muscles I know are toned, hard and...well...sexy as fuck. His old faded jeans ride low on his hips, and his black boots are unlaced. He looks as though he wants to deck someone.

His eyes scan the crowd then fall on me and Addi. Being the typical smart-ass she is, Addi lifts her hand and waves, calling out, “Hey friend!”

Spike gives her a glare, and begins storming over. I actually take a step back. He’s quite intimidating when he wants to be - I should know, I’ve taken him on during some of his worst moods. He’s just about near Addison and I when the tall lanky guy yells out a string of rude, vulgar words. Spike stops, stiffens, and then spins around quickly. Suddenly, he’s charging toward the guy, fists balled and ready for action. The biker who was trying to get us outside lunges at him, but misses by just a few millimeters. Spike raises his fist and hits lanky guy in the face, sending him flying across the bar.

Glasses smash, girls scream, and suddenly, men are everywhere. Fists are flying, chairs are being broken and bottles are being smashed over people’s heads. Addi yelps, and takes hold of my hand, pulling me backwards. I stare, wide-eyed, as men group up and beat the living shit out of each other. Why do they do that? Someone throws a punch and suddenly they’re all in it, beating each other senseless.

Addi and I duck around a corner, just as a bottle comes soaring past our heads. It smashes against the wall, and I flinch. Shit. I didn’t mean to cause an all-out brawl, that wasn’t my intention...it was just a little fun.

“CIARA!”

I hear Spike’s booming voice, and I jerk. Shit, he’s going to abuse the hell out of me for this. I tug Addi into the dark hall, lit only by faded, yellow lights. I hear Spike bellow my name again, so I pull Addi back even further. I really do not want to take Spike on when he’s in this kind of mood. He’s not pretty when he’s like this.

Addi leans in close, whispering into my ear. “He’s going to find you honey, you better go out.”