Watch Me Burn ( Savage MC Book Three)

Chapter Eight- Bit by bit, torn apart,

Daria
While Zip may have had to deal with the mess I'd made on their arrangement last night, it was us that had to go back to the club and clean the place, top to bottom. That's where we had been since six this morning, having had less than two hours sleep. Two men stood inside the door watching us, one was Smiles, his eyes trailed on Aurora as she moved throughout the room. She seemed oblivious to it, only noticing his presence when she did something he wasnt happy with. Like when she rose onto her knees on the bar against the wall to reach the top shelf, cloth in hand to dust it down. The cloth had no sooner touched the surface of the shelf before Smiles was behind the counter, lifting her down. Hands wrapped tight around her waist, he cradled her gently down until her feet touched the floor. I watched as awe struck through her features as she turned to look up at his looming height.
“Too dangerous, don't do it again.” He rumbled to her and she had only the ability to nod before Cecilias squeal filled the space. I looked her way.
“ew. Ew! What is that? I'm not cleaning that, not even with gloves on!” Cecilia squealed from the bathrooms off to the side of the small bar.  Still watching over my shoulder from the floor which I was scrubbing, I saw her exit the bathroom. Slowly I rose to my knees.
“Seriously? What age are you?” Greta snapped from where she was cleaning off the leather couch cushions.
“Thiry-two, what's your point?” she called back.
“Well I know for damn sure you aren't a virgin, so I'm sure, whatever it is, is nothing you haven't seen before.”  Greta didn't look up from her work but there's no way she missed the razor sharp glare Cecilia was currently shooting her way.
“Just because I have seen it doesn't mean I want to clean it. ” she snapped and I wrinkles my nose up in disgust, unpleasant images rising in my head of what was awaiting Cecilia in the bathroom.
“I'll get it. ” Aurora called sweetly, forever the peace keeper. She went to move from Smiles grip but he didn't allow her to budge. Instead his gaze was on Cecilia.
“Do the job you were assigned." he rumbled at her, looking somewhat disgusted, his stance almost protective over Aurora. Very interesting.
“I'll swap, I'm sick of being on my knees.”I said feeling Cecilia gearing for a fight. As I spoke the main door of the room opened. Zip came in smirking with a stoic Fox at his side.
“Ouch. Word of advice girlie, a man never wants to hear a woman say that. ” Zip laughed at his joke but I wasn't paying attention to him. Fox stood tall, expression blank, eyes calculating and completely avoiding my direction.
“Good news ladies, your boy has come through.” Zip called clamping his hands in front of his chest. A swirl of hope shot through me bringing me to my feet as I stared at Zip, a movement that drew Foxs attention to me.
“How?” Greta called, her voice tense. Zip grinned cockily and I felt that flame of hope extinguish. He glanced to Fox mockingly.
“Pick a number between one and ten?” he asked Fox jokingly but Fox didn't respond. His eyes simply went to Smiles, who had stepped away from Aurora, and the other man before his sharp gaze flew to Cecilia.
“Her.” No sooner had the word left his mouth did the room erupt into chaos. Cecilia panicked, a panic she spread throughout the room, a panic I felt take over me and the girls too. Her head flung side to side as the two men advanced on her and grabbed her, dragging her from the room, kicking and screaming.
I didnt realise I had moved, I wasn't aware of myself and Greta sailing forward arms outstretched to halt the men. We didn't get there, screaming and flailing, we fought. I hardly noticed more men had entered the room, grabbing Greta and detaining her on the floor as she fought tooth and nail. Aurora was pinned to the back wall by a mans outstretched hand, her own hands clutching the back of her head where it had slammed into the wall with the force of her collision against it. I did notice when I was picked up bodily and slammed into the closed door of the room, my head flying back to crack against the wood but Foxs hand cradled it just in time to take the blow.
“Stop.” he demanded in my ear, his head dipped low, his breath warming my neck as he spoke, face buried in my hair. He had me pinned, hips to chest into the wall, not a inch separated us. I felt every inch of him. Suddenly, he pushed away dropping me before I could get my baring.
“She is going back to your club. Your brother paid up a quarter of whats owed so we gave him her, a bit of motivation to get this done. As of tonight you'll be contributing to his debt. Give this place a good clean ladies, because this will be where you guys make the money to earn your freedom.  The money will go towards your mans debt.” Fox called to the room.
“My old man wouldn't want us whoring ourselves,” Greta snapped, “he'll make the money without using us.” She sounded confident for someone pinned to the ground by a man three times her size.
“Allow it?” Fox scoffed, “ he fucking suggested it. Guess he doesnt think to highly of his old lady does he?” he grinned a sickly spiteful grin at her before moving his eyes to me,”or his baby sister, it would seem.” he finished.
“How much?” I snapped from my position on the floor. I may be looking up at him but I sure as hell wasn't going to let him treat me like I was beneath him.
“Don't you worry, next time one of you gets carted off, you'll know you're doing good. ” he smirked at me and I couldn't help but compare the mask on his face today with his open expressions last night. It was night and day, two completely different people.
“Remember girls, the more you do  the more you make, the closer to freedom you are.” Zip laughed again, a sound I was seriously getting sick of.

“I-I am... I'm fine.” I slowed to a paused having walked from our private bathrooms back stage into the terribly lit back hall. We were officially working, stripping and waitressing in a back connection off a strip club. Auroras voice met me when I walked from the bathroom but it was Smilles rumble that stopped me solid. I held my breath, pressing my body into the wall, hoping to hide myself from their view.
“You're squinting like you have a headache.” He rumbled back to her. Their bodies were in a shadowed corner, I couldn't make her out for Smiles had her pinned in, but the back of his jeans were just visable in the light.
“No... just....tender.” she said softly.
“In what way?” he pushed further and my interest with Smiles interest in Aurora spiked further.
“I.. I just bumped it, honestly it's-“ panic was evident in her quiet voice. It didn't deter Smiles.
“How?” he pressed further, throwing questions I was pretty sure he knew the answers to but wanted to hear her confirm it. Silence followed and I could image Aurora tilting her head slightly away.
“Please.” She muttered it softly, a plea for him to ease up on her.  Smiles proved my theory of him knowing what had occurred as his next rumble sounded above her quiet whisper.
“I'll make sure he never pushes you against a wall again. It won't happen again. ” he promised before disappearing back out in the club area. It was as if he was there one second and gone the nect, puff. I heard Auroras intakes of breath.
“Aurora?” I called lightly making her gasp. She stepped out into the light to look at me, eyes wide, a mirror of my own. “ What are you doing?” I asked and her head tilted to regard me.
“I could ask you the same.” she said back, not judging but making a point none the less.
“How so?” I asked anyways, an attempt to convince myself I didn't feel that prickling of awareness down my spine at what she was insinuating. She straighted her head back up.
“It wasn't me who was kissing someone I shouldn't be last night. ” she said softly, again not judging just stating a fact, one I was unaware she knew had happened. My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
“How-" I started but she interupted.
“You came back to the room rubbing your lip with you finger tips. You did it until you fell asleep. Careful honey, we all know glass is sharp and it takes a lot to break it but it's also transparent," she stopped talking  letting her message hang between us before finishing her sentence,"They'll see right through you and they'll use it any way they can.” She said before turning and heading back out to man the main floor, leaving me with nothing but a dim light in a narrow hallway and her parting shot, like glass, sticking deep into my skin.