by K. C. Stone
“I just can’t imagine what those women went through, my heart breaks for them, even Sal on his worst day, would never beat me like that.” A tear escapes and Matthew catches it.
“Come here, you’re such a remarkable woman. Today you stepped up and helped take care of them, today those ladies learned that people would fight for them,” he says. I melt into him, my body nestling against his.
“You killed him, didn’t you?” I know he did, and I know he thinks I was scared but I’m not, I know what he does.
“Yes, does it bother you? I know you have said before that it doesn’t but this time you saw firsthand just how dangerous it is or that you were standing ten feet from a man that was shot and left to bleed out,” he says and I can see he’s worried that I can’t handle it.
“Matthew McKenzie look at me. Yes, you shot a man who beat a girl for taking a day off. He beat six other women and possibly killed two others, he’s a piece of shit, pardon my French,” I tell him because that man deserved to die.
“It would be different if you went around killing random people for no reason, but these are bad people that do ruthless things, and you have only done everything in your power to keep our family safe and other people safe, you’re no more a monster than I am,” I tell him, wrapping my arms around his waist. “I love you,” I whisper into his chest.
“So, about that, you and I have been introduced as husband and wife so how about we make that a thing,” he says, kissing the top of my head.
“Oh, hell no,” I say, pulling away from him. “I know that you’re not actually proposing to me like that, you might as well say hey, you, me let’s do it,” I huff.
“That’s not what I meant and you know it, I just meant that I love you and you love me, people already refer to you as my wife and I, your husband,” he explains.
“I know but I missed out on the first one, I sometimes wonder what our life would be like had I been brave enough to tell you I was staying,” I confess.
“Cara, you don’t understand, it was so dangerous back then for you. We had received death threats, I was younger then and I was more worried they would have gotten to you just to hurt me and I thought. . . Cara, I could not live without you, so I had to lie when I told you that I didn’t love you anymore. You called me Locke and I knew you were mad enough to leave and that you would be safe,” he says and I’m stunned. I can’t believe that he was afraid for me, so he lied about everything.
“You should have been honest with me, that should have been my choice to stay or go. You keep forgetting that I was born into this life, it wasn’t like I just woke up one day and I wanted to be a part of this world. No, I was born into it and everything it comes with. So, all you did was force me away and in the end I’m still the one being hunted.” I storm off because now I’m pissed, he had no right whatsoever.
“Cara, wait.” I hear being called as his hands grip my arm. He spins me around, kissing me hard, forcing my mouth open with his tongue and I thought for a second to push him away but between his scent and the way he tastes, I cave, my body is a traitor conforming itself to him.
Before I’m aware of what is happening my back hits a wall, I turn to see he has backed me into a small alleyway between the compound and a utility shed. My brain is robbed of any common sense as I’m pulling his shirt up and over his head.
“Fuck, baby, you ready for me,” he says. He pulls on my top, the buttons giving under his force, popping off and heading in every direction, his hands exposing my flesh to the cool air causing my nipples to tighten, and my fingers begin to dig into his flesh.
His mouth on my nipple causes a rush of heat to slide through me and rock my core.
“Yes” was all I could get out between pants. “Please,” I beg.
His hands slide up revealing my lack of panties under my skirt, my devilish smile causing him to rush undoing his jeans.
“Anything for you,” he says, sliding home. The way he stretches me feels amazing, pleasure with a pinch of pain, my eagerness urging him on.
“Baby, slow down, I want this to last, you feel so good,” he moans. His teeth finding that spot just right between my shoulder and neck, sinking his teeth into that flesh has me screaming, thrashing my head back, my body giving over to pure carnal movements.
“Matthew, I can’t,” I say. It feels intense, I feel like my body will explode. I’m strung so tight but sure enough he slammed into me once more and it’s an explosion of lights and colors. My body is wrung out, I’m not sure if I can stand after.
“Can we just stay here for a few minutes? My legs will not be able to stand just yet.” So instead, he uses his shirt and gently cleans me up then sits down and pulls me into him.
“Have you ever seen something so beautiful as the night sky here?” I ask in a blissful state. My body limp and still tingling from pleasure.
“I love the night here, every city so clear, the night sky is beautiful. Each star is so bright they light up the sky, it looks more navy blue than black.” I admire its beauty, back home the stars are sparse and there are buildings everywhere so you miss out on the beauty that night-time has to offer.
“Yeah, we should start coming back here to visit. I forgot how much I love this place. Now that the old bastard is dead, we need to come back more often,” he says.
“Yes, maybe we can convince your mom to move back with us,” I suggest. “Since there is really nothing keeping her here,” I continue.
“I don’t know if there is nothing keeping her here, did you see the way she was looking at O’Brian and the way he was consoling her when we first got here, something is going on between them,” he suggests and I agree but I was not going to be the one to bring it up.
“How do you feel about that?” I ask, knowing how he felt toward his father, though something tells me that O’Brian is nothing like his father.
“I mean she’s a grown woman, honestly, anyone is better than my father was, she deserves better than he could ever give her. She, like you, grew up in this life, she has only ever known the club life. Just like Jules, when a woman grows up in this life, she rarely marries out of it. Something comforting about the fact that they understand it, they know what to expect but I didn’t know that back then. It took me losing you to understand and by the time I did you were already married,” He tells me mindlessly playing with my fingertips.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Locke
This shit with our Irish charter is pretty much over, they took over the club pretty much the next day just like O’Brian said he was going to do. We got the girls patched up, working on getting some of them clean and in housing. Sean would keep feeding their drug habits so they would never be able to leave. He was a real piece of work. Now he’s a dead piece of shit, my phone rings bringing me back to the present and for some reason when I see Dom’s name flash, I know it will not be a pleasant conversation.
“Yo, Dom, what’s up?” I lean back against the chair.
“So, we ran into a bit of an issue,” he says but no elaboration past that.
“We all got fucking issues, brother, spit it out,” I tell him.
“They opened fire on the compound; the shit’s hit the fan over here,” he says finally.
“Son of a bitch!” I yell into the phone, I grab the first thing I could find, I grip the object in my hand and fling it across the room the explosion it made against the wall was deafening. “What the hell happened, I said lay fucking low, that doesn’t mean get into a damn shoot out while I was gone.” Damn it.
“Prez, we were lying low and those bastards fucking opened fire on the compound.” His silence on the other end tells me more than I needed to know.
“Fuck it, I’m coming back now, we will end this shit. How many do you have?” I ask. I want to know how many fuckers are dead at our hands.
“Seven plus two still alive. I wanted to save them until after I talked to you,” Dom informs me.
“I swear I’m going to take my time kill
ing each one of them, don’t mention a word to Jules about what happened. Let me tell them once I get back and we know what the hell is going on,” I demand.
“I will make sure everything is ready for your arrival,” Dom tells me.
“I will call you once I know when I’m headed out, keep in touch.” I hang up the phone.
The rage I have coursing through my body can only be fueled by death, by killing something, someone. I want them dead, but I want to be the one that ends their life. I want to be the one that watches their final breath leave their body.
When will this shit end? Between here and home I feel like I have aged fifty years in five days. Closing my eyes images of Cara surface, not dirty ones but ones that calm me. Images of her with Killian, with Jules, images of her about Juliane’s age so carefree and beautiful not that she’s not beautiful now. She has only become more attractive as she has gotten older, sexier. Now the images of her tied to the bed surface, the way she lit up when she saw the welts that the rope had left behind. A hint of the devil in my Angel’s eyes, shit makes me want to keep her tied to my bed.
“What are you doing out here?” She wraps her arms around my neck, lips pressed to my ear, she gently bites my ear lobe, eliciting a shiver from me.
“Hey, Angel.” I pull her down to straddle my lap leaning in I taste her lips. “Amazing,” I mumble against them.
“What?” she replies.
“It’s just amazing how sweet you taste all over,” I tell her, kissing down her neck.
“The baby is in bed in Jules’ room, she wanted to give us some privacy,” she tells me, standing and dropping a thick red roll of rope in my lap.
“Fuck yes.” I grab her by the backside, sinking my fingers into her ass, I thrust her up carrying her to the bedroom.
I toss her on the bed. “Hands up,” I command and before I get the words out her hands are thrust up over her head, holding on to the bed frame.
“Good girl.” I lean in placing my lips at the hollow of her throat and suck. Her skin always has a sweetness to it, my mouth could feast on her for days and never tire of it. I pull her shirt up over her head and stop at her wrist just letting the shirt be. She looks beautiful all trussed up and turned on, I kiss down her body slowly peeling her jeans off tossing them on the floor. “You’re always so beautiful; with soft skin that feels like velvet when I touch you.” I run my nose up her legs stopping at the apex of her thighs. “You smell delicious, I wonder if you taste just as delicious as you smell.” I wink because I know she does.
“Maybe you should give me a taste and find out,” she whines, arching into me, her body lifting off the bed.
“Maybe but first, I want to play with you a little.” I run my fingers through her curls sliding into her flesh. Hearing her moans makes me want to keep going but I know I need to get inside of her or I will bust. I flip her over as I lean over the top of her and lift her legs wide enough for me to slam into her, causing her head to fall into the pillow muffling a scream.
“Please don’t stop,” she moans louder, and she’s thrusting her body back at me, we are chasing each other into bliss. Just as I feel my body tingle, she slams back into me and she explodes, squeezing me like a vice grip pulling my orgasm from me.
Once we are both sated, I untie her. “You know, I think you may become addicted to getting tied up.” I wink at her and she digs her elbow into my ribs. “Ouch,” I say, pulling her into me. This is the part that might suck, I hope she doesn’t get pissed but I have to tell her.
“What are you thinking about?” she asks, her fingertip roaming about my torso.
“You may not like it,” I tell her. I turn and look at her in the eyes.
“I have to go back; things are going on at the compound. Someone tried to shoot it up, well, actually, they did shoot up the compound but nobody was hurt. I need to get back so I can end this. I promise to end this so I can bring my family back home to me.” She was silent. shit she’s pissed, I think to myself. “Say something, Angel,” I beg her.
“Are you sure you will be okay? I get why we can’t come home but I hate it,” she says and I sigh in relief, she’s not going to fight me on the subject. “When do you have to leave?” she whispers.
“Tomorrow, I need to get back as soon as possible so I can kill this bastard and get you guys home where you belong,” I tell her, she snuggles into me.
“I agree, I can’t wait to get home,” she says and closes her eyes, sleep pulling her under.
I stare at her, watching her sleep for a while, tomorrow is going to suck having to leave her side but no matter what, I will kill the fucker responsible for the attacks.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Cara
I know that I need to be brave for the rest of the family, I know I’m safe here with Mac and Fitz, but my heart left when Matthew left.
“It’s okay, Cara, soon enough we will be home.” Mac watches me out the back window. “Besides, you have a lot going on here, the girls from the club are almost healed up,” he tells me.
“Good, I’m so glad.” That reminds me we are all getting together later. Since they were rescued, we have spent a great deal of time helping them. A couple girls have some drug problems that we had to send them to rehab. Three of them have stuck around, Red, who we later learned her real name was Imogen and Emma comes around a lot. She enjoys spending time with the girls and Killian.
“I know, Mac, but I’m just so sick of everyone fighting my fight for me,” I tell him. I know what he will say but it’s true, I’m sick of having to be afraid, for what because my dead husband was dirty. I’m so angry, so sick of this I refuse to sit here and just play helpless because damn it I’m not.
“What evil plan are you hatching?” Mac startles me. “I can see you’re planning something, what is it?” he repeats.
“Nothing,” I say because I know damn well he will try and talk me out of it.
“Cara, I know damn well you’re planning something and I can’t help you if you don’t tell me what it is.” His tone told me he was also sick of being my babysitter.
“I want to go home; I want to go back soon. I want to stand next to Matthew and deal with this shit head-on,” I say, tapping my foot on the chair.
“You do know that we plan on killing everyone involved,” he says. I’m pretty sure he’s trying to scare me.
“Yes, I’m aware that more than likely John has something to do with the people trying to kill me and I want that bastard dead. He tried to kill me and kidnapped and held Jules captive, so yes, Mac, I’m aware that there will be killing. I hope I get to be there when he dies.” I lay it all out there that way there is no cause for confusion.
A small smile spreads across his face. “Well then, Mrs. McKenzie, what is your plan?” He sits back in his chair and props his feet up while I tell him what I have so far.
“You think the girls will go with it?” he asks.
“Yes, they want to be home. Jules wants to be closer to Dom and Gracie, well I don’t know what the hell is between her and Ezra but she wants to go home and get her life back,” I tell him.
“After all, she’s only a child, she needs to go to school.” I look over to see him staring at me. “What? She’s sixteen, she needs to finish high school. I will find her a tutor, she will not leave the compound.” I reassure him.
“Listen, Locke will fucking kill me for doing this. He trusts me with your life and safety. Right now, you’re trying to fuck it up, let’s stay for a few days and then we can head back,” he tells me and I’m aware that Matthew will have his balls for this, I will help him out anyway I can.
“Okay, we can stay until Tuesday that gives us four days here, besides I need to spend time with Matthew’s mother while we are here.” I’m exhausted by the day’s events “I’m going to get Killian and take a short nap, will you let me know when the others get here,” I ask.
“Yes, ma’am,” he jokes as I knock his feet off the chair they were propped up on.
“One of my best friends, Storm, would love this place, I may bring her back here another time.” Jules tells them stories of Storm and the other girls from the compound.
“It sounds amazing, I can’t wait to visit the US,” Imogen says as she sips her coffee.
I don’t know what inside me thinks this is a good idea, but my mouth opens up. “You girls are more than welcome to join us,” I offer and the chorus of yes and absolutely rang loud.
“We leave in four days,” I tell them, and all the girls look at me. “I’m sick of not being home, I’m tired of not being settled. I know it will be dangerous but not a single girl at this table has not dealt in their deal of danger. I think we are all braver than we realize, each one of us has been through our own kind of hell, it’s time we take a stand and stop just letting it happen,” I tell them, hoping they understand me.
“I agree, Mom, I’m ready when you are,” Jules agrees.
“Same here,” Gracie chimes in.
“Emerson and I have no other family but each other and now you guys, so, yes we want to go,” Enya says.
“Umm, if you guys go, I go.” Imogen points to Enya and Emerson. “It might be nice to start over, my mother, well she could care less about me and now that I’m free of him, I want to start over if that’s okay with you,” she says.
“Good, it’s settled, in four days we go home to our boys.” The mixture of dread and excitement filled me. I want to be home. I love Ireland, but I love my boys even more.
Now, I just need to go have a long overdue conversation.