Chapter 28: Chapter Twenty-seven

The moment Hunter stepped through the doors of the club, his sharp eyes scanned the room. The music pulsed high, the lights flashing in colors, but he saw a very familiar figure at the other side of the club. Mirabella.

He wasn't pleased that yet again she defiled him and took his words for granted. She was going to pay for it.

She was standing by a table, a tray in her hand, trying to hide her face or pretending she hadn't seen him. But he was well aware that she'd seen him alright. His jaw tightened. His eyes stayed locked on her, unblinking, sharp. She could feel him stare in her soul. The hair on her nape stood. She turned again slightly and his eyes were still on her so she quickly looked away again.

His lips curled into a slow, dangerous smile.

“My interesting little Bella.” He would handle her later.

His men fanned into the club, there were seven of them, heavy steps shaking the ground; not literally. Their presence and dark aura, impossible to miss. They were his brothers, his friends, his biker family. They weren’t just men, they were a force, each one carrying the same raw energy—untamed, rough, loyal to the bone. They followed Harper who eagerly came to usher them in.

She gave Hunter a knowing smile and gave Ramos a short hard stare which he just snickered in response and then ran her eyes towards others. “Good to see you back here. The usual table, I suppose?”

“Yeah,” Victor said gruffly, pulling out a chair. “You know us too well Harper. You've been good?”

“Well, can't complain,” she replied, yet again rolling her eyes at Ramos who scoffed at her response.

Hunter didn’t answer or say anything as his gaze had not left Mirabella.

Harper noticed, her brows rising, but she said nothing. Instead, she ushered all of them to take a sit. It was a large table at the corner, a perfect spot where they could see the entire club. Actually, it was their usual spot whenever they decided to stay in this part of the club. Hunter sat at the head of the table, shoulders spread wide, his eyes tracking Mirabella like a predator watching prey.

On the other side of the club, Mirabella busied herself with other customers with a hammered pulse. She was praying he’d look away, that he’d ignore her, that maybe tonight she’d be invisible to him. But Hunter wasn’t a man who pretends.

When she dared glance at him again, he lifted two fingers. A silent command. Come to me.

Her heart stopped. She quickly turned her head, serving another table, pretending not to notice. Pretending she hadn’t seen.

But Hunter knew the game she was playing. He knew she’d seen him and was avoiding him at all cost. She knew what she'd done. His smile widened, amused. He leaned back in his seat, spreading his legs under the table like a king watching a subject resist.

“Devil,” Victor said, glancing at him. “You’re distracted.”

Hunter only smirked. “I'm not distracted. I'm just watching.”

Mirabella forced herself to keep moving. She didn’t go near their table. She served drinks, cleared glasses, smiled tightly at customers, all while feeling his burning gaze on her back.

Saraphina, on the other hand, had no problem acknowledging them as he strolled right to their table with a teasing grin. “Look at this,” she said, her voice dripping with sarcasm. “The great Devil and his gang of outlaws. The air around the club feels heavier already.”

Victor laughed, clapping the table. “Sera! Still running that sharp mouth, huh?”

“Sharp and ready,” she replied, flipping her hair. “And it's Phina not Sera." Rolling her eyes. She always had to remind him about that all the gaddamn time. She now has a feeling he does it to annoy her and get a reaction from her

"So what could be the difference? They both are fragments of your name. Should that even be a bother?” He replied with an amused smile, trying to hold his laughter.

She scoffed at him with narrowed eyes. “It's just how I want it. So you should respect that."

He only replied with a shrug, obviously having no intention of adhering to whatever she just told him.

Gabriel appeared from the back, sliding his arm casually around Saraphina’s neck as he joined them. “What are you doing, stirring trouble already?”

Saraphina rolled her eyes but leaned into him anyway. “You know me. I can’t help myself.”

Gabriel acknowledged each and every one of them.

The table erupted into laughter, voices filling the air with familiarity. Everyone seemed to know them, maybe they were regulars at the club. Clearly, men who had been walking into this club long before she ever stepped foot here, Mirabella thought.

She turned away quickly to hand some orders to Mario at the bar, only to bump straight into Harper.

“Mirabella,” Harper said with a sly smile. “Devil’s table wants service. That’s yours.”

Mirabella froze. “What? No. Why should I be the one serving them? You are there already right?”

Harper cut her off. “I don’t make the rules. He asked for you to come serve them.”

Mirabella’s throat dried. Her hands trembled slightly as she clutched the tray. She wanted to argue, to refuse, but the weight of Hunter’s gaze pressed too hard against her back. She doesn't want to look scared or intimidated by him so slowly, she forces her legs to move. After dropping the tray on Mario's counter, she turned to the direction of their table.

Every step toward that table felt like walking into his trap.

The moment she reached them, a sharp whistle cut through the air. Victor leaned back in his chair, his eyes roaming her from head to toe. His voice was deep, rough, with amusement lacing his tone.

“Well, well, look what we have here,” Victor drawled. “A new pretty face in the club. Where’s Gabriel been hiding this one, huh?”

Mirabella’s eyes widened, heat flooding her cheeks. She stumbled over her words. “Yea…I suppose. I'm new to your faces. So yea, I'm new.”

Victor grinned, teeth flashing. His aura was intimidating, his massive build making her feel small. But there was no cruelty in his gaze, only something dangerous yet oddly admiring.

Ramos leaned forward next, smirking. “She may be new. But she also doesn’t belong here. Not with that innocent face.”

Tally chimed in, his voice light, flirty. “Innocent, huh? I don’t know. Innocent girls don’t have that kind of a body.” His eyes twinkled.

Mirabella felt her skin burn. Every man at the table was attractive in his own way, their sheer presence overwhelming. But none of them frightened her more than the man sitting silently at the head. Hunter.

He was watching. His eyes never left her, sharp and heavy with unspoken claims.

She asked them what they wanted and when she got to Tally’s turn, he asked if she was also on the menu. Openly flirting with her.

When Mirabella finally turned to Hunter, her lips parted nervously. “W-what would you like to drink?”

Hunter’s smirk deepened. He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he reached out, his large hand wrapping around her hip, pressing her ass. Before she could protest, he pulled her closer until she stumbled against him.

“What are you doin…” she whispered, unease in her voice.

“You finally got to me, huh?” His voice was low, dangerous, intimate.

She tried to push his hand off, but his grip only tightened. In one swift pull, he tugged her down, and she landed on his lap. Gasps echoed around the table, mouths falling open.

Her eyes widened in shock, her heart pounding as he leaned close to her ear. “Just where you need to be,” he whispered, his hand sliding to grip her firmly.

Victor’s booming laugh broke the silence. “Ohhh, now I know. So she’s the little obsession you’ve been hiding all along.”

Ramos smirked knowingly. “No wonder you’ve been sitting there saying nothing and glaring at every man who looked her way. Makes sense now. Nate could not be his straight forward self and tap her ass when she passed him because he had felt your eyes on her all through. No wonder.”

Lux, who hadn't said anything since leaned forward with a mischievous grin. “Hey, Devil, aren’t you gonna introduce your woman to us?”

Saraphina’s snicker cut through the air, her voice dripping with venom. She leaned against Gabriel and muttered just loud enough to be heard. “A woman he forced to claim? Not surprised. That’s how all you big men operate. Gabriel’s no different.”

Laughter rippled around the table.

Tally whistled low, his eyes raking over Mirabella again. “Claimed or not, who wouldn’t want such beauty?”

The words had barely left his mouth before a dangerous growl rumbled from Hunter’s chest. His arm tightened around Mirabella protectively, his glare deadly.

Ramos chuckled darkly, leaning back. “Careful, Tally. You know Hunter doesn’t like anyone looking at anything he has eyes for. Even calling his woman beautiful is crossing the line.”

Mirabella squirmed in his grip, desperate to get off his lap, but the more she moved, the more his body responded. His hand tightened at her waist, and his eyes gleamed with heat.

“Stop struggling,” Hunter whispered so only she could hear. “You’re only making me hard. And believe me when I say I can rip your panties off this instant and shove my dick home in front of everyone.”

Her breath hitched, her face burning with heat and fury. But his focus had shifted back to his men.

“Well,” Hunter finally said, his voice calm but sharp as a blade. “If you must know, this is Mirabella…”