That’s it? The girl was stubborn? That still doesn’t add up.
“Big-ass bikers scared of a little girl?” I joke, grinning.
Talon pulls out his phone, presses a few buttons, and slides it over to me. I glance down at it and see a picture of a stunning Asian girl with long black hair, pale skin, and brown eyes. She is a petite little thing, with perfectly shaped lips that catch my attention.
Fuck.
“This her?”
He nods and takes back his phone. “They didn’t want the job because yes, she’s got an attitude problem at best, but also because she’s fuckin’ gorgeous, and they know if they touch her in that way, or in any way, I will personally fuck them up.” He pauses, studying me. “I know how loyal you are, Vinnie—to your club, to whoever you care about. And I know that you’ll look after her better than any of my men could, and that’s the damn truth.”
Better than his men?
His words were true, of course, but I’m still surprised at hearing them leave his lips. Perhaps he needed better men in his MC.
His cousin was a beauty, sure, but I’m not a man to be swayed by a pretty face.
“Message received,” I reply, standing up from my stool. “I’m viewing this as a job, Talon. I protect your bratty cousin—who, by the way, I have no idea how the fuck she’s even your cousin, seeing as she doesn’t look anything like you—then I get my ass home and hopefully never see you again.”
“Shayla’s adopted,” Talon explains, also standing. “Family isn’t always about blood; you already know this.” I nod. If I know anything in life to be true, it’s that family is about loyalty, not blood.
“I’ll text you the address now; they’re expecting you. It’ll take you about four hours to get there, depending on the traffic.”
“All right,” I say, just wanting it all over with. “Don’t worry about your cousin. I’ll keep her safe.”
I can handle one girl. I don’t give a fuck how much of an attitude she has.
“I know,” Talon says, finishing the rest of his drink in one gulp. “I wouldn’t have asked you otherwise.”
He slams down his glass and leaves without another word.
My phone beeps with a message from him, the address.
Fuck.
Well, no time like the present.
I get on my bike and ride toward my new home for the next week.
TWO
I DO a double take when I see the house. No, the mansion. It’s fuckin’ huge. Two stories, all done in white and light gray—the house is modern as fuck, with big, timber double doors and a glass balcony on the top floor. I glance at the high security fence in approval and then enter the code that lets me in. I walk up to the door and knock, then glance down at my black boots and figure I’m probably going to have to take them off. I’m just sliding my feet out of them when the door opens and a large, bulky man stands there, a satchel over his shoulder.
“Good luck,” he murmurs, walking past me. I watch him exit the gate, then disappear down the street before I step inside, closing the door behind me.
Well, fuck.
The house is silent.
Not knowing what the fuck I’m meant to do, I walk through the house, checking out the layout from a security point of view, pinpointing any weaknesses. The place is OCD tidy, and fancy as shit, so much so that I don’t even want to touch anything. Straight back from the front door is a row of glass sliding doors, opening onto a wide patio with a shimmering turquoise pool in its center.
I stop in my tracks when I see her, sunning on a lounge chair. She’s lying on her stomach, a book in front of her face, which is half-covered by giant sunglasses. She’s in a black bikini, and although I try not to, my gaze roams over her bare back and the curve of her ass.
Fuck.
It’s a nice ass.
Big and round for her tiny frame.
Knowing I don’t need to be distracted by her or her ass, I walk outside, meaning strictly business.
“Shayla?” I say as I approach, not wanting to scare her.
“What?” she asks in a haughty tone, not bothering to even see who she is talking to.
“I’m Vinnie,” I say, hoping that she’d already been told I’d be arriving today. Last thing I want is to have to explain shit to her. “I’ll be the one guarding you for the next week.”
She closes her book and lifts her head, looking up at me. “Where did Mike go?”