Balance (The Chicago Defiance MC Book 6) Read online

  I link my arm with hers. “I think I love you a little bit more.”

  “I know, right?”

  Sighing as we walk, my mind drifts back to Ace, her best friend, and the man I can’t shake from my mind. “So…” she glances at me as if she can see where this is heading, “… Ace is an interesting character.”

  “He’s amazing,” she gushes. It takes me back for a second, the emotion pouring from her has me wondering if there’s more to their relationship than friendship.

  “Wait! Are you two… a thing?” I ask straight up.

  Cindi stops walking, staring at me blankly. “Ace and me? No! We’re really good friends, though. We’ve just… been there for each other, that’s all.”

  I pick up what she’s putting down as we start walking again. “So… you’ve slept with him then?”

  Cindi peers at me sideways, I feel her body tense against mine. “Ah, kinda.”

  My shoulders shudder in humor at her answer. “You can’t kinda sleep with someone. Either there’s penetration or there isn’t?”

  Cindi chuckles seeming to relax a little more. “Yeah, we have. It’s just… if you’re interested in him, I don’t want this to be an issue between us… or my career.”

  Pursing my lips, I ponder the thought. “It’s not an issue, but I do need to know one thing?”

  I watch Cindi’s face drop like she obviously thinks there might be a problem. “Yeah, anything.”

  A flush creeps across my face. “Was he good?”

  Cindi bursts out laughing but bobs her head emphatically as we continue walking to set.

  Great.

  Now all I can think about is how good Ace is in bed.

  It’s going to be a long night!

  I’m back at the hotel after a very fucking long day of filming. It becomes so draining spending all day and into the night on set. But I guess that’s the price you pay for fame. Though now, as I lay on my king-size bed all alone in my suite, I can’t help but recall what I saw with Danny and the stranger tonight and wonder what the hell it was they were actually doing.

  It’s probably nothing, but with Danny’s Mafia knowledge, I guess one can never be too careful.

  ACE

  Two Days Later

  Neve. The actress who’s swept into my life and hasn’t left my mind since. Is it a good thing? Only time will tell, I guess.

  While visiting Cindi, she informed me about the production team having a so-called advisor on set. It’s taken a bit, but I’ve managed to find a slot where I’m able to head back out to Michigan Avenue to check in on her, but I can’t deny the fact I will also see Neve, and that puts a smile on my face.

  Noah’s riding with me again today. It’s obvious Cindi and he have a thing going on, so any chance he has of coming to see her, I know he’ll always jump. Which is cool. Couldn’t wish for a better brother as my back-up.

  The roar of our Harley’s echo through the streets as we pull up at the security checkpoint. Mike, the same guard from the other day, looks over my cut with a sneer as he steps up to me with a clipboard in hand. “Name?”

  I roll my eyes but decide to play by his rules until I need to break them. “Ace, this here is Noah.”

  Mike eyes the list, pulling up one page, grunts, then dips his head to another guard. “You’re on the list, head on through.”

  “That was really hard for you, wasn’t it, Mike?” I ask.

  He grunts. “Just ride through, Ace, before I change my goddamn mind.”

  I rev my engine, hammer down, and take off to make my way to the back of Unit Base. It’s basically the basecamp where costume, makeup, and cast trailers are positioned as well as catering and crew parking. It’s the largest site and first point of call for all the crew and actors. There aren’t many people around as we pull in, so I figure everyone must be on set. We didn’t announce our arrival time, so they’re probably over at the water plant shooting right now.

  Turning off my ride, I jump off, yank my helmet from my head and glance around. Noah does the same as we both stare over at Cindi’s trailer and notice no movement. She knows the sound of bikes. If she’s in there, she would have come out.

  A man wearing a headset and holding a clipboard jogs past us in a mad rush to get somewhere, so I turn toward him. “Hey!” I call out.

  He jumps out of his skin, his clipboard flying through the air as he squeals like a little fucking girl. It’s a comical reaction. He places his hand to his chest panting frantically, probably a little more dramatically than necessary. “Oh my Lord, you scared the bejeebers out of me!” His voice lets me know he definitely bats for the same team. His bright blue pants, red shoes, no socks, and yellow shirt kind of give it away too. Not to mention the perfectly styled quiff hairstyle he sports.

  “Bejeebers?” Noah questions.

  “Yes! You guys can’t go around yelling at people while they’re running, I could trip and break my septum or even worse my veneers! Oh geez, I can’t even think of that mess happening.”

  I glance at Noah who shrugs. I exhale taking a step closer to the overly dramatic runner. “Look, didn’t mean to startle you, but can you help us? We’re looking for Cindi?”

  His eyes widen, he tilts his stature placing his hand on his hip. “Well, I heard she was from a biker club. Good for her…” He pauses and glances down at his paperwork on the ground. “Let me check where she is.” He bends down, picks up the clipboard he dropped then riffles through the pages, his finger running up and down the page a few times. “Ah… she’s over at the plant on set. She’s filming right now, but if you head on over there, you can probably watch her from behind the barriers.”

  The thought of seeing Cindi actually acting sounds like fun. The idea Noah and I will see this film in the making is somehow exciting. I always knew Cindi would make it. That she would get this opportunity someday and arrive at this point or even further, but now I’m finally going to actually see it in process. I get to see my friend living her damn dream.

  I wonder briefly if her scene will be with Neve, and that thought arouses an even bigger rush of adrenaline through me. The idea of seeing Neve acting has me on a high. I can’t wait to get over there to see it all unfold. “Thanks, you’ve been a great help.”

  He gives us a curt nod, then starts running off again like he’s continuing his mad dash. I exhale glancing at Noah and tilt my head toward the water plant. “You wanna go see our girl do her thing?”

  “Fuckin’ yeah.”

  As we head off, I chuckle, while stepping the distance to the water plant. It’s a decent walk, but the weather is holding out for us today. There’s a chill in the air, but the rain is being kept at bay for now.

  As we come closer to the set, it becomes busier with more and more people around who all stare at us like they understand why we’re here, but they absolutely don’t like the fact we are. It’s definitely judgmental stares, but I’m used to that look.

  We head inside the water plant where I hear a commotion. It’s a little darker in here, and I glance over to a section where there’s a cordoned-off area. I look at Noah hedging my bets that it’s where we need to head. There’s a glow which appears to be lighting, so we follow it through a small crowd of people to see the large cameras come into view. There’s a bunch of chairs behind the cordoned- off area. A shit ton of lighting and equipment. Even more people behind the cordoned-off area, some with brushes in their hands, others with pieces of paper, one with a clapper board, others with random shit. There are people everywhere, and they’re doing just about everything you could possibly think of. I’m kind of surprised there are so many people floating around while they shoot the scenes.

  I had no idea.

  It must be daunting for the actors.

  Cindi’s voice echoes through the vast space catching our attention as we try to see over everyone.

  “You won’t take me alive!” Her voice is full of vigor but sounds broken at the same time, it has me on edge. I hoist up on my toes to se
e her bound to a chair, her body is beaten and bloodied. Every fucking instinct in me wants to run to her, to push every fucker out of the damn way, to yank her off the chair and make sure she’s all right, but I have to remember she’s only playing a part. She’s perfectly fine and completely safe. Even though she looks anything but and more like she’s done five rounds with Mike Tyson.

  “That’s the idea, traditore,” the leading guy says the last word in Italian as he moves in slapping her hard. I know he didn’t hit. There was no slapping sound. But the way she moved her head and her reaction is completely believable. She’s so damn good. I honestly had no idea she’d gotten this fucking great. Those acting classes sure have given her the tools she needs.

  Suddenly, my skin prickles as the hairs on my arm start to raise. Someone stands close behind me, and I turn as they lean in. “She’s good, isn’t she?” Neve whispers against my ear. Her minty breath warms my senses.

  “I knew she was good. I’ve just never seen her in this kind of set-up… she belongs here,” I whisper back.

  “I see myself in her. She’s going to be something, be someone.” Neve steps around to my side giving me more of a view of her. She’s in full costume. Her hair’s in loose curls around her shoulders. She’s wearing a short, tight, deep purple dress that has a diamond shape opening across her chest where the straps wrap around her neck in a halter exposing her deep cleavage. A lot of cleavage. My eyes automatically glance to her perfect round mounds sitting pert in the dress. The curve of them right there for me to see through the diamond shape, and it leaves nothing to the imagination. My cock stirs right there and then in my pants, and there’s not a damn thing I can do about it as it starts to harden, but only slightly. I’m sure I can control it.

  It’s then I realize my gaze is firmly planted on her tits, and I glance up to her eyes dramatically to see her frowning at me.

  Busted.

  “Shit, sorry. It’s just, you shocked me with that dress. You look gorgeous, and they’re right… well, there,” I whisper trying to defend myself.

  She bounces on her toes as she lets out a small giggle. “Gorgeous you say?”

  I let out a relieved breath. “Stunning even.”

  She glances behind us then back at me. “Wanna head out of here so we can talk?” she whispers.

  I glance over at Cindi who’s currently in the process of having some makeup applied to her cheeks. I turn to Noah. “We’re gonna head back to the trailers. What do you wanna do?”

  He glances at me briefly before his eyes are firmly planted back on Cindi. “I’ll stay and watch, you go.”

  He’s so fucking smitten. It’s kind of cool to know Cindi has a nice guy on her side. Neve links her arm through mine, and we head off toward Unit Base, her high heels tapping on the concrete as we walk. We don’t say anything as we leave the set, keeping it quiet, but once we leave the plant and get out into the open air to begin the walk back, I let out a breath as she leans into my side.

  “I had no idea there were so many people around while you guys were shooting your scenes.”

  “Oh, yeah, it can be really awkward when you’re doing a love scene.”

  I tense slightly. The idea of her doing a love scene has me suddenly on edge. I don’t know why. She doesn’t belong to me. I have no right to feel that way.

  “So, tech guy, what did you think of all the equipment on set?” she asks.

  “You know, I didn’t even get a chance to take it all in. I was too busy watching Cindi.”

  Neve tightens her grip on my arm, so she’s closer to me making my cock throb a little more. “It’s cute how you care about her.”

  I scoff. “Cute? Cute! It’s protective, manly, and we’re friends, nothing I do is cute.”

  She giggles. “Okay, Tarzan, no need to beat your chest. I’m just saying I like how you watch out for her. Your friendship is nice.”

  Peering at her, I smile. “I’ll watch out for you, too, Starlet… if you want?”

  She turns her head forward as we keep walking. “My own personal biker bodyguard… I could think of worse things.”

  We make our way toward her trailer, and once we arrive at the door, I open it for her like a fucking gentleman. She fails to hide her excitement as she steps inside. I follow behind her making sure not to ogle her ass this time. I’ve already been caught staring at her tits today, don’t need that on my checklist too. So, I step in, head up, probably more than necessary, then take a seat next to her on the sofa. She leans down yanking off her tall, black heels. They must be killing her feet. They clatter on the floor as she lets out a small moan of delight.

  “Those damn things must be agony. Here, give me your feet.”

  She peers at me like I must be joking. I tap my thighs as she sits there, eyes wide like she doesn’t know if I’m playing her or not. “Neve, stop questioning it and just get your feet on me.”

  She finally sits back against the side section of the sofa and lifts her legs to rest her feet on my thighs. Her feet are tiny, but I feel the heat from them. Her nails are a shade of red, the big toenail even has a diamante stuck on the nail somehow. What women do to appear pretty is beyond me. I am by no means a foot person, but her feet are perfect. She closes her eyes as I take her left foot in my hand pressing my thumbs into the pad of her foot while my other fingers slide over the top. She moans in delight, her head falling backward.

  If she moans just from this, imagine what I could make her do with—stop it!

  My cock jolts with the sounds she’s making.

  Her legs are right over my cock, so the last thing I want is for her to feel my cock start to harden beneath her. How fucking awkward would that be? Instead, I decide to distract myself.

  “So, Neve, tell me something about yourself I don’t know.”

  Her head slowly moves as her tired eyes open and beam at me. “Okay, well, I have two younger sisters. Gabriella, the middle child… she’s kind of the brat, the one who always has to have things her way. Love her but she’s hard work.” I grin while continuing to rub her foot. “Then there’s the youngest, Seraphina. She just turned twenty-one. She’s the baby, the sweet one.”

  Exhaling, I work on her heel and ankle at the same time. “I was an only child, you’re lucky to have two siblings.”

  She snorts. “Most of the time. Sometimes the wars are brutal.”

  I move up her calf as she closes her eyes letting out another moan. “Jesus, Ace.”

  “If I’d known getting you to moan for me was this easy, I would have put my hands on you sooner,” I tease.

  Her eyes remain closed as she shakes her head. “I don’t even care that you just said that. I’m way too high right now.”

  “How long do you spend in those heels?” I ask moving to her other foot.

  She exhales. “I have to wear them on set. I can take them off between shoots if I need to, but I find it just makes them sorer. So, I keep them on between takes until I have a long break in my schedule, like now, when I can take them off and wear my fluffy pink slippers, the ones you first saw me in. They may look ridiculous, but the insides are all soft and they help keep my feet comfortable after the heels of death.”

  I understand. When I first saw them, I did think they were over the top, but now seeing this, I get it. I feel for her. Acting isn’t easy, it’s hard work and pain. I give Neve a lot of credit.

  “What about your parents?” I ask curiously.

  “Mama and Papa raised us in New York. Papa’s bit of an all-rounder. He has his hands in everything. Mama’s more of the dutiful housewife. She made sure to take me to all my classes and helped me to get to where I am today.”

  “Your family sounds supportive.”

  “Yeah, they’re amazing. What about you? Are they supportive?”

  Sighing, I think about my parents, to my childhood, back to when it was Brody and me against the assholes of our school. The fucking bullies who tore into us because we were the nerds. He took to becoming a cop to make a st
and, but I went along the opposite path. I turned to crime, to hacking, to being a general shithead. It’s what lead me to the club. Torque found me when I was eighteen. Don’t know how, but we bumped into each other one night when I was getting ready to rob a general store. I needed the cash. Mom and Dad had all but disowned me. I’d lost my best friend because he went off to play major league baseball, then I guess when he got injured and went into the force instead, there was no point in trying to reach out to me. I was headed down a shitty road, then like a knight in fucking leather, in rode Torque. I’ve been with the club ever since.

  “The club’s my family, has been for close to seven years.”

  Her eyes widen as she exhales slowly while sitting up. Her legs pull away from my hands as she slides them down, then moves in to sit next to me. The look on her face is of concern. “Your parents?” Her voice is soft like she’s being delicate with her words so she won’t hurt me. Her shoulder’s right against mine, and somehow, it’s softening the conversation. Having her near me, touching me, is exactly what I need right now.

  “I talk to them, see them occasionally, but it’s strained. They don’t appreciate the club like I do. They don’t see the good that comes from the brotherhood and the family it provides me.”

  She sighs, looking at her hands. “Is there any good that comes from the brotherhood?”

  Warmth floods through me thinking about my club, my brothers, my life, my home. “I’d be nothing without them. Do they annoy me? Do they give me shit and fuck me off? Yeah, of course, but what family doesn’t? But would I lay my life on the line for every single fucking one of them? Without a second’s hesitation because the bond between us is stronger than blood. We’re brothers, it’s not an oath, it’s not compulsory. We do it because of the natural connection between us all. We’re linked whether by the haunted demons of our past or by heritage, something links us all to this life, and we understand each other completely. We all simply fit together. It’s hard to explain to outsiders, but the life chooses you.”