Helpless (Steel Demons MC #5) - Crystal Ash Page 0,57
the buildings, “I make no guarantees about our safety.”
“Just another day in an MC then,” I sighed.
Dyno laughed. “She gets it, T.”
We filed into the barn, parking side by side along one wall. Shadow got off as I unsnapped my helmet and shook my hair out. When I swung my leg over to follow, he took me completely by surprise when he placed both hands on my waist and lifted me off of the bike.
“Why thank you, sir,” I laughed when my feet touched the ground, my insides bursting in a mass of flutters.
For a moment, he looked utterly terrified. “Was that okay to do?” he whispered. “I’m sorry if I—”
“It’s completely fine,” I assured him, clasping his arms just above his elbows. I wondered if his heart was racing like mine. “Just unexpected, that’s all.”
“I wasn’t thinking. It just came to me and I—”
“Do it again next time.” I patted his arm before turning to secure my helmet to his handlebars. “That was fun.”
“Oh. Okay.”
He, Larkan, and I came into a group huddle to decide who would be playing what roles when we entered the city. After taking a look at the changes of clothes everyone brought, it was decided Larkan would play the foreman looking for a contract, and I would be his wife. Everyone else would be laborers.
The guys were polite enough to turn around while I changed into the one dress I brought as a just-in-case measure.
“Feels fuckin’ weird to not wear a cut,” T-Bone complained, rubbing at his shoulders.
“Okay, I’m good,” I announced, smoothing my hands down the skirt in hopes that it would hide my motorcycle boots.
They all turned slowly, and it was Dyno who let out a long whistle.
“I am so fucking glad Reaper isn’t here,” he chuckled. “We would all be dead just for looking at you.”
“Oh, stop,” I grumbled.
It was a simple black maxi dress, which thankfully wasn’t cut into a halter top like most of my clothes. My back was covered, which meant my SDMC tattoo was hidden. But the Rod of Asclepius on my arm wasn’t.
“Is this gonna be a problem?” I asked, pointing to the tattoo.
“Maybe just keep that arm facing me,” Larkan suggested. He had brought a white collared shirt and looked the cleanest, most upper-class out of all the guys. “You should be on my arm pretty much the whole time, anyway.”
“Alright, are we good?” T-Bone’s eyes darted over all of us. “Any questions?” When no one answered, his raven cawed and flew toward the open barn doors. “Stay close to each other. Eyes and ears open.”
We hailed a cab just outside the border, instructing the driver to drop us off downtown. My stomach churned immediately upon entering the city limits. The streets were shiny and pristine, without a speck of dirt in sight. The skyscrapers looked like sculptures of glass and metal that defied gravity. The few trees and plants were perfectly-manicured topiaries, without a leaf or flower out of place. It felt like stepping into the future, but also wrong somehow. Like this glittering, beautiful city was just a mask for something much uglier.
The people walking on the main street alongside us looked like extensions of the city. They wore expensive clothes with crisp, precise tailoring. Women wore heavy makeup, most looked like they had plastic surgery, and each hairstyle and color was more extravagant than the last. The road didn’t have many vehicles, but the few that did pass us were sleek sports cars in flashy colors. By all accounts, these people and their lifestyles looked like perfect images to envy. But my whole body screamed with warning and distrust.
“This whole place,” Larkan leaned close to my ear, pretending to be an affectionate husband whispering sweet nothings, “it feels fucking fake.”
My thoughts exactly.
“Look down the alleys,” T-Bone muttered behind us. “That’s where the real people are.”
I plastered on a smile, holding tightly to Larkan’s arm while my head swiveled around like I was sightseeing. But I made sure to peer down the narrow walkways and side streets branching off the main road.
Hidden in those dark corners, people crouched low, watching the passersby warily. Some sat on the ground, others leaned against the walls of the building. More sat on trash cans and dumpsters. I spotted what looked like children, teens, adults, and even elderly people sitting out of sight. Everyone was thin, dirty, and silent. None of them dared to step foot onto the glossy main road.