by Kasey Krane
20
Cassie
I didn’t think I would hear from or see Chip again anytime soon. He had been pretty distant with me lately. I didn’t even know where he was or what he was up to.
Then a few days after the man attacked me at the cafe, he turned up there.
My business had taken a bit of a hit since the incident. Word had probably spread about how someone attacked me in my own establishment. I had to change our regular staff schedule. Today, I only had Carol helping me. It was quiet at the cafe when Chip walked in.
“Sis,” he said, walking up to the counter. I glanced at Carol who nodded at me, so I walked around to my brother and smiled at him.
“How are you doing?” I asked.
“I think I’m okay. Can I get a coffee off you?”
“I’ll bring one over to you guys if you want to take a table,” Carol offered kindly.
“Do you want to stay for the coffee, or do you have somewhere to be?” I asked Chip. The last few times I tried talking to him, he’d just rushed away before I could get in a word edgeways.
“I’ll stay. We can talk,” he said and walked over to an empty table near the glass wall. I followed him there and sat down across from him.
“I heard about the guy from Silver Knights who turned up here. I heard things got pretty rough.”
I looked down at my hands and nodded. “Yeah, if Bolt hadn’t shown up when he did, I’m not sure what would’ve happened.”
Chip sighed and shook his head. Carol brought coffees over for both of us.
“This is a very dangerous game you’re playing, Cassie. Do you realize that?”
“Isn’t that exactly what Mom and I have been telling you for years?” I asked and looked up at him. Chip gritted his teeth and looked away.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
“And I feel perfectly safe as long as I have Bolt. They can try and hurt me, but they’re not going to succeed at it.”
“The Silver Knights are very dangerous people.”
“Then why did you get into business with them?” I snapped.
“I didn’t. For fuck’s sake, Cassie, I didn’t! It was supposed to be a one-time thing and I was trying to do whatever needed to be done to save our childhood home. I didn’t want to put you through any trouble.”
“I’m going to sell this place,” I said, and he looked up at me with a jerk.
“What the fuck are you talking about?”
“You heard what I said, Chip. I don’t know if this cafe is going to survive our current reputation. I don’t know if I’ll get my regulars back in here. And frankly, I don’t feel like I have a choice. I need to step in and pay for the house. And selling this place and using that money is a much better option than doing a deal with the Silver Knights.”
Chip sighed again. “You’re going to regret this. You’re going to regret being with Bolt too. If you get tangled up in his life, it’s only going to put you in danger. You don’t know the first thing about how these MCs work.”
“I think I do, and nothing I find out will change how I feel about him.”
Chip sniggered and took big gulps of his coffee.
“You seem to think I need help, when it’s clearly you who needs the help.”
“Just leave,” I snapped and stood up.
He stood up too.
“I’m trying to give you some good advice.”
“You are the last person I’ll be going to for advice. Not after the shit you pulled.”
He left his coffee and started walking away. I was surprised to find I was relieved to watch him go. I hadn’t thought things would ever get this strained between us. All this started because I was trying to do whatever it took to save his life. And now, we were fighting. I felt like he didn’t understand me or support me, when that was all I had ever done for him all our lives.
Chip stopped and turned to me.
“Bolt used to be like a brother to me,” he said.
“Then why have things changed?” I asked. He rubbed a hand over his face.
“Because I can’t change my actions. I regret what I did, but I can’t change it now. But most importantly, he’s dragged you into this. He’s putting your life in danger knowingly, and I’ll never be able to forgive him for it.”
“This is my decision, Chip. He didn’t make me do anything,” I said. My voice softened a little. Maybe I was beginning to feel sorry for him.
He shook his head. “I just want you to look after yourself, Cassie. I just want you to be safe.”
“That is exactly what Bolt wants too.”
“Then he would leave you alone.”
“We are in love.”
Chip had a look in his eyes like he didn’t believe what I was saying. I had no other way to convince him of it. It was the truth, but he refused to see it that way.
“If something happens to you, sis, I will always blame Bolt for it.”
I was about to say something to try and convince him of the way I saw things, but I knew it was pointless. Chip wasn’t going to come around this easily. Maybe only time could change him now. Maybe I would just have to wait.
I watched as my brother walked out of the cafe and I had no idea when I would see him next. Carol came up to me, she looked sorry.
“Everything okay?” she asked. Through the glass, I could see Chip crossing the street to the other side. I turned to Carol. I hadn’t told her yet about my plan to sell the cafe. So I smiled for now.
“It will be,” I replied.
I felt unsettled after Chip left. It didn’t make me feel good that things were still strained between my brother and me, but it was a decision he made. Not me. I was still trying my best to help him. He didn’t think Bolt was good for me. He wanted our relationship to end and that just wasn’t something I could do for him.
Only time would help him see this was the right decision.
That—combined with the fact that I had now decided to sell the cafe—made the day go slow.
When Bolt showed up at the cafe, I was relieved to see him.
“Hi babe,” he said, walking straight up to me.
There was nobody else in here other than Carol, and Bolt looked around disappointedly.
“Business slow today too?” he asked. I shrugged.
“Everyone’s skeptical of coming in here these days.”
“Well, you don’t have to worry about it anymore,” he said. “Everybody I know is going to come here for coffee. And I know a lot of people. Give it a few weeks and this place is quickly going to get just as packed as before.”
This was good news. I smiled at him, and when I looked at Carol, she was smiling too. I knew exactly what she was thinking—more sexy men like Bolt were going to start hanging out here! Jackpot!
It was sweet that he was doing this for me, to help my business, but I hadn’t told him yet how my plan was to sell this place.
“Thank you, Bolt. That will really help,” I said instead.
“What’s wrong, babe? Everything okay?” he asked. Maybe he could see the sadness and worry in my eyes. I wasn’t exactly hiding it well.
“It’s Chip; he came to see me today,” I said. Bolt’s brows crossed.
“What did he want?”
“Clearly, his only reason to see me was to try and convince me to break up with you.”
He stared at me, waiting for me to continue.
“What do you think I told him to do?”
A smile spread across Bolt’s face.
“Good, I didn’t doubt it for a second.”
Seeing him smile was all I needed to lift my spirits. I looked into his eyes as he leaned over the counter to kiss me. I was feeling better already. I wasn’t even thinking about Chip anymore. I was thinking about how amazing my life with Bolt was going to look.
All I needed to do now was take care of the house and then everything else would be settled.
“I have something to tell you, Bolt, about this cafe,” I said, looking up in
to his eyes.
“It’ll have to wait because I have a surprise for you first,” he interjected.
“A surprise?”
“You’ll have to come with me for it.”
“Go where with you?”
“You’ll see.”
I told Carol to close up here and I followed Bolt out to his bike.
“Are you going to give me a hint?” I asked.
“No,” he replied, smiling.
I got on his bike, clinging to him as usual, and he took us over to my family home.
“What are we doing here?” I asked, getting off. It was strange that I’d spent the whole morning thinking about this place and now this was where Bolt had brought me.
“I wanted you to be standing here, at the door, when I gave you the news,” he said. I followed him up the steps of the porch to the door I knew so well.
“What news? What is going on?” I could feel my stomach clenching with anticipation. Why were we here? What could he possibly have to tell me, right here?
Bolt stood in front of me, looking deep into my eyes.
“You don’t have to worry about this house anymore, Cassie. It’s yours, ours…”
“What are you talking about, Bolt?”
“I paid off the double mortgages. I spent all morning at the bank. It’s all done. You’ll be receiving the paperwork in the post soon.”
I stood staring at him with my mouth wide open.
“Are you serious?”
“Never been more serious in my life,” he replied.
I fell into his arms and he lifted me up, twirling me around. We were kissing and laughing and hugging each other tightly.
“I can’t believe this…” I cried. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Say that you’ll move in here with me. That we’ll raise our children here together. This will be our home now,” he said.
I couldn’t stop kissing him. This felt like a dream. How did he do it? How did he know exactly what to do to make me happy? I didn’t even have to ask for it, not even so much as drop hints.
“What did you want to tell me? At the cafe?” he said.
I stopped for a moment, my smile drooped for a second.
“I was about to tell you that I planned on selling the cafe. I was going to use that money to pay off the mortgages for this house. I didn’t want to let this go.”
“You don’t have to do that now,” he said.
I shook my head. I still couldn’t believe it.
“Come with me,” I declared, grabbing Bolt’s hand and leading him into the house. I unlocked the door and we stepped in.
I hadn’t been in here for ages, but everything was exactly the way I’d left it. Including the dishes in the dishwasher I hadn’t put away that night I went after Chip.
“I have so many memories here. Mostly good, but some sad,” I said. Bolt pulled me close to him again, kissed my neck.
“Don’t worry about it, beautiful. We’ll make our own memories together,” he said.
I wrapped my arms around his neck and smiled at him.
“I know just the way we can start,” I said, with my eyes glowing. Bolt knew exactly what I was talking about and in the next moment, I was leading him up the stairs to my bedroom.
Bolt looked around when we got there.
It was a very girly room, just as his apartment was very manly. He smiled at me and I rolled my eyes.
“Don’t worry, we’ll do a complete overhaul of the decor when you move in,” I reassured him.
He pulled me to himself and I fell on his chest. He wrapped his arms around me and started kissing me again. It was what I needed. The reassurance of being this close to the man I loved. The man who would always keep me safe.
He nibbled my ear and I pushed my hands up under his shirt so I could feel the chiseled hardness of his torso. So muscular. So reliable and strong. My fingers traveled over his chest. He was pushing me back…further back against the wall so my back was now pinned to an old boyband poster of mine that was peeling off from the edges.
Bolt smiled at me before he nuzzled my neck. His tongue on my skin sent eccentric shudders down my spine. I pressed my eyes close as I wrapped my arms around him tightly. Holding him close. He smelled good. He felt so good in my arms. Everything about this man made me weak at the knees. He was always going to be exactly what I needed.
We were kissing again, deeply now. I could feel his hands traveling over my stomach, reaching for that warm moist spot between my legs. I thrust my hips out toward him so he could feel the same urgency I was feeling for him.
I sank my teeth into his shoulder, and he growled with delight. I scratched my long nails across his back while his fingers took possession of my pussy. He rubbed my clit, delighting in the urgent swell of it.
I wanted him to make me come. Right here in my bedroom. In this pink and purple room where I’d grown up and spent so many sleepless nights dreaming about the perfect man.
I just never imagined the perfect man would be this big, burly, sexy beast with tattoos and muscles. His fingers rubbed my clit, sinking into my pussy and I cried out his name.
Bolt started pounding his fingers into my pussy. He had me pinned to the wall. I wasn’t going anywhere. I could barely even move. He had complete control over me now. Exactly the way I wanted it.
I started coming, crying out his name. Bolt…Bolt…Bolt…I could feel my juices gliding out of me, wetting the insides of my thighs and he didn’t stop. He continued to fuck me with his fingers till my whole body was shaking.
My eyes flew open when my orgasm finally began to calm.
“Oh my God, Bolt, I love you so much,” I said. He smiled and kissed my forehead.
My hands were still on him. I explored his muscular torso with the flighty touch of my fingers. But before I could initiate taking off his clothes, my eyes fell on something in the middle of my bed.
“What is that?” I said, pulling away from him a little. Bolt turned to look too and now he was seeing what I was seeing.
A piece of paper neatly placed in the middle of my bed. I broke away from him, rushing to the bed because I was curious. I was sure I hadn’t left a piece of paper on my bed randomly.
Now I could see it was a note. Someone had written a note in big bold capital letters and left it on my bed for me to find.
Bolt: The war is on
I looked up at him and he grabbed the note out of my hand. I watched as he stared at it. Whoever left the note knew exactly what was going on between us. They knew I would find it, that Bolt would find it. They’d broken into my house and left it on my bed specifically.
A shiver ran down my spine.
“What does this mean?” I asked.
He lowered the note and looked into my eyes.
“It’s the Silver Knights. It has to be. They’re declaring a territory war on us,” he said.
I gulped. My mouth was dry. I didn’t know what this was supposed to mean exactly, but it sounded bad. A territory war couldn’t be good.
“Is this serious?” I asked.
Bolt scrunched up the paper into a ball and then shoved it down his back pocket.
“Yes. It’s very serious. It means we are under attack and anything can happen at any time.”
Before I had the time to wrap my head around what he just said, he grabbed me by my arm and started pulling me quickly to the door.
“Bolt, slow down, what is going on? Can you please just take a minute and explain this to me. Please?”
He didn’t stop. He was leading me down the stairs in a rush. Then we were at the door and he pushed me behind him when he opened it.
“We can’t slow down now, Cassie. This shit is serious. We need to be careful. Stay behind me.”
I watched in horror as Bolt pulled his gun out. The last time he’d done this, I was able to convince him to not use it, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to do it this time. Not if the Silver Knights had declared a war. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe showing that
man mercy wasn’t the right thing to do. This circle of revenge was never going to end.
Bolt was scanning the streets up and down, looking around to make sure it was safe for us to step out. With his gun still tightly clenched in his hand, he turned to me.
“You okay, babe?” he asked.
I gulped, but nodded. I was definitely okay. I didn’t have a single doubt in my mind that Bolt was going to keep me safe. Despite the danger, there was no other place I would rather have been, except right beside him here.
Want to know what happens next? Turn the page for a sneak peak at Flash!
Sneak Peak of Flash
I was alone in the common room. Well, Sophie was around somewhere, fixing me a drink apparently, but I wasn’t really paying attention. I could hear her humming a tune in the background, she always did that when she worked. Tonight, it annoyed me. I had too much on my mind.
I had the maps and plans spread out in front of me on the table. I needed to come up with a new route for our Club Run. This was getting on my nerves. I had it all planned for the last run. It would have gone smoothly and we would have followed a carefully charted out route—if it wasn’t for those Silver Knights fuckers who fucked up everything.
I growled under my breath as I poured over another map, tracing a possible route with my finger.
“You look distressed,” I heard Sophie behind me. She was carrying a tray on her hip. There was just one glass of whisky on that tray. She didn’t need to carry it like that, but I had a feeling Sophie was under the assumption that it added sex appeal.
“Yeah, this thing is fucking ridiculous. We don’t have the time to plan out a new route. I don’t know most of these places,” I said.
Sophie set down the tray with the glass in front of me and stood behind me with her hands on my shoulders. I straightened up in my seat when I felt her hands on me.
“What you need, is someone to help you relax,” she said in a low seductive voice. Her small hands kneaded my shoulder blades in a circular motion. I had to admit she sure knew what to do.
But I clenched my jaws and stiffened my shoulders in protest.