Bared:Dirty Cruisers MC(36)

"Well?" Elle finally asked, staring down at herself, but all she could see was a stranger. It didn't help that she had no idea what Hot Wheels had done with her hair or makeup either, except for the heavy black cat eye liner that she'd applied and the mascara that felt heavy on her usually unpainted eyelashes.



"Sugar," Hot Wheels stated after she'd walked around her in a circle, twice, "if I was into girls I'd be all over you in a heartbeat."



"Oh, um, thanks?" Elle replied faintly causing Hot Wheels to throw her head back and belt out a belly laugh.



"Oh, you are just too sweet, sugar. It really is no wonder that Honey is head over heals for you."



Her words had warmth spreading through her, and that warmth chased away some of the uncertainty that had her shaking as Elle turned to face Hot Wheels.



"Okay, so I look the part? You think I can really do this?" Elle asked the question that had been weighing on her the hardest since her decision to be a part of this plan. But Hot Wheels was already shaking her head.



"No, sug, it's not about how you look. We talked about this already, remember? Sure, this get up will get you through the door but if you start in on one of your school marm lectures they're gonna see right through you like that!" Hot Wheels snapped her fingers to drive home her point and Elle flinched.



"It's about attitude." Hot Wheels said, staring at her so intently it made Elle want to look away, but she couldn't, "It's what you perceive yourself to be."                       
       
           



       



"But I'm just … me." Elle said weakly.



"There's no ‘just' about it, sweetie." Hot Wheels said, not unkindly, "you are strong. I've seen it in you. You just need to make other people see it too."



"How? How exactly am I supposed to do that?" Elle shot back, frustration filling her at the other woman's cryptic words.



"What made you step in between Honey and Scorpion that first day when he came here? You must have known that either of those men could squash you like a little bug. Why did you do it?"



"I, um, I guess I – ."



"No!" Hot Wheels interrupted, cutting her off and taking a threatening step forward. "Don't guess. Know!"



"I don't know!"



"You think you're a coward?"



"Well, no, I just – ."



"You think you're not brave enough?"



"I am! It's just that – ."



"You think you're weak? You're not strong enough? You can't take it? You can't do what needs to be done because you are weak, and a coward, and – ."



"It was because of Honey!" Elle shouted, cutting off the woman's words. She took a deep breath when she saw Hot Wheels staring at her, waiting for her to go on, "I did it because I didn't want Honey to get hurt and he would have."



"You were protecting him." Hot Wheels nodded as she spoke, a small proud smile tugging up the corners of her mouth, "Because you weren't thinking of yourself, or your own strength. You were as strong as you needed to be to protect someone you love."



"I don't – ." Elle cut off the words at Hot Wheels' sharp look, "Yes. In that moment, I forgot everything else, all of the reasons I wasn't strong enough, and I just did what I had to to keep him safe. I couldn't … I couldn't stand there and watch him get hurt."



"That's were real strength comes from." Hot Wheels said, taking a step closer and pointing at the spot just above where her heart was, "Here. It comes from right here. Not up here." Hot Wheels gestured to Elle's head for a moment before letting her hand drop and taking a step back.



"And besides, you look hot as hell. Those bastards will probably be drooling to hard to notice anything else."



"I hope so." Elle said on a shaky laugh, but Hot Wheels words still echoed through her, settling somewhere in the vicinity of her chest and as she took a step forward she didn't realize that her shoulders were thrown back, her chin up as she looked back at the other woman confidently.



"That's it." Hot Wheels said, looking at her like a proud mama hen, but still doubt ate at her.



"What if … What if I can't do this? What if I mess up?" Elle asked, letting her fears shine in her dark eyes.



"You can do this, Elle. I believe in you. So does everybody else."



"Honey doesn't."



"Psh. All Honey knows is that he loves you and that shadows everything else. He can't see clearly right now."



"But I really need him to." Elle admitted, her voice shaky, hating the way the words made her feel weak but a moment later Hot Wheels was there, walking close with something draped over her arms.



"No, you don't." The other woman said, staring at her intently, "You don't even need us. All you need is to believe in yourself. That is all you need, Elle. Don't let anyone ever tell you differently."



Hot Wheels glanced down, sliding a hand over whatever it was she held, almost caressing it. It looked like a bundle of dark leather but Elle couldn't see it clearly in the dim light of the storage room.



"Here, I want you to wear this." She held it out and Elle gasped. It was her Dirty Cruisers jacket. Elle didn't know much about the inner workings of the crew but she knew how much these jackets meant, and how much it meant that Hot Wheels was offering hers.



"I … thank you." Elle said, quickly sliding her arms in as Hot Wheels held it out for her. As she pulled it on, Elle could practically feel herself changing, growing more confident in herself, like she'd just put on a suit of armor instead of an old, worn leather jacket. Elle ran her hand down the soft dark leather before looking up at Hot Wheels again.



"I'll return it safe and sound, I promise."



"You better." Hot Wheels said with a laugh, "That coat is my baby. You treat it like that and we'll get along just fine. Now, there's a few other things you need to know before we toss you to the wolves … "                       
       
           



       





***





Impatience bubbled in his gut like an acid, corroding what was left of his ability to sit still and Honey started pacing the small office as the others continued to hash out the details of the plan. What the fuck was taking them so long? A change of clothes, a little makeup. How long could that possibly take?



With a muttered curse, he threw himself back into one of the old armchairs shoved into the corner where he could sit with a clear view of the door that lead to the storage room in the back. A door that hadn't opened in almost an hour. If he had to wait any longer he thought, he might just perish then and there. Had anyone ever died from sheer impatience before? Honey thought it a distinct possibility.



He wasn't sitting long before he noticed a shadow thrown over him. He didn't break his gaze from watching the door as he spoke.



"What, any other dangerous stunts you've thought up for Elle? Want to see her jump through a ring of fire or shoot arrows at an apple on her head and see if any of them stick?" Honey knew he sounded like a petulant child but he couldn't' keep the bitterness from his voice.



"Honey, you know it's not like that," Joel said with an exhausted sigh, "if there was any other way we could make this thing work, we would do it. But we haven't been able to come up with anything. Have you? Because if you have an idea I would love to hear it! Don't think for a second that I'm happy about how this is playing out."



Joel's growl was just as pissed as his own had sounded and Honey looked up at him, for the first time he noticed the dark circles under his eyes and the haggard way he held himself as if he hadn't slept in days. It was more than likely that he hadn't. Honey bit back the caustic words he'd been about to say, realizing that whatever he was going through, his leader was going through far worse.



"No," Honey finally sighed as he turned his attention back to the door. Just because he understood, didn't make it any easier for him to swallow, "I haven't been able to think of a damn thing."



"I am sorry for putting you in this position, but," Joel took a deep breath, "I believe in Elle. I wouldn't have suggested it if I didn't think she could do it. And I think … well, I think she needs you to believe in her too."



"I do, damn it! Of course I believe in her. But that doesn't mean I have to be happy about tossing her into the lion's den. Would you be if it was Carla we were sending out there?" Honey turned his questioning gaze back towards his leader and the look in his silver eyes was answer enough for him, "I didn't think so."



"Honey, I am sorry." Joel finally said, repeating his words and Honey could hear the sincerity in them. Slowly he nodded.



"I know, Joel. I know you are. It's okay." Honey had to force to words out, wondering if he could ever truly mean them or not, "but if anything happens to her, anything at all – ."