Steel 2: Blackthorne MC #2 Read Online Free PDF Page A

all turned to look at me as I entered the room, but there wasn’t any animosity there. They were just curious, and all returned my smiles.
    “Here you go,” Teresa said, pointing out her makeup bag on a large dressing table. “Help yourself.”
    I guessed it wasn’t terribly hygienic, sharing makeup, but I thought a little powder wouldn’t hurt. It was really nice of Teresa to offer, even if Nancy had persuaded her to do it.
    “Thanks.” I smiled as my fingers clasped a compact of bronzing powder.
    I applied the powder and was glad to see it made me look a little better. The atmosphere in the room felt almost like a college dorm.
    “So what do you guys do here?” I asked Teresa, expecting her to tell me that they worked behind the bar.
    It seemed as if, in that moment, everyone stopped talking and looked at me.
    Teresa smiled. “We are performers,” she said simply. “Dancers mostly. Although, Tabatha over there…” She pointed out a statuesque redhead. “Performs with a python.”
    “A python? Like an actual snake?”
    Teresa nodded her head, and Tabatha pointed out a glass enclosure on the floor that held an albino python. How had I missed that? I swallowed hard.
    The girl with the long dark hair who’d been using the straighteners gave a deep throaty chuckle. “Performers? Don’t try to dress it up Teresa. I’m not ashamed of what I do. We are strippers, and some of us accept money for extras.” She stared hard at me as if daring me to ask what those extras were, but I had a pretty good idea.
    I looked around the room at the girls, and a horrible thought struck me. They seemed so happy getting ready for this party, but were they here under the same circumstances as me? Had the bikers stopped them from leaving?
    “How long have you been here?” I was looking at the girl with the long dark hair, but I was really addressing them all.
    “Eighteen months,” she said. “It’s a good gig. Pays well.”
    “When can you leave?”
    “Whenever I want. What kind of question is that?”
    “I just…” I guess that must have seemed like a strange question. I could tell them everything. Spill my guts and hope one of them would help me and lend me a cell phone. But in the short time I’d been held captive, I’d learned to be careful whom I trusted.
    “Most of us are from Dorset Town. It’s the closest city to Blackthorne,” Teresa said kindly, taking pity on me. “Like Maria said, the club pays well. It’s off the radar, and the local law enforcement turns a blind eye when Victor puts money in their pocket. It’s a little cutoff here, but most of us get down to the city at least once a month.”
    I felt a spark of hope. Even if Victor didn’t let me go straight away, there was a chance I could get to the city with one of these girls.
    I spent the next hour or so with Teresa. We finished getting ready and then went to the bar for drinks. At first, I refused anything alcoholic because I wanted to keep a straight head when I spoke to Victor, but as the evening drew on, and he didn’t even appear, I decided a drink was a good idea to calm my nerves.
    There was music on a sound system but the stage was empty tonight, apart from three large chairs.
    “What are they for?” I asked Teresa looking at the stage.
    “The chairs are set aside for Victor.”
    “Then where is he?”
    “He’ll be here soon,” Teresa said and passed me another drink.
    It was another half an hour before Victor arrived. Before I’d even seen him, I knew. The atmosphere in the bar changed as the buzz died away, and people turned to look. The air was electric, and I held my breath.
    I almost dropped my drink when I got my first sight of Victor. How could he be related to Damien?
    The only similarity between the brothers was the dark, bushy eyebrows. Victor had dark, spiky hair that made him look younger, and in a strange way, far more attractive. He definitely had the dark, dangerous look going on. He was a large man, although