Bloodthirsty little minx, and I couldn’t say I blamed her. I gripped my cock and pumped it. Pleasure brewed in my balls as I watched her nipples harden. Her gaze locked with my hand as I jerked off for her. Her pussy leaked, her inner thighs growing shiny as I stroked.
“Your answer, Jack?” She tried to sound stern, but the breathless quality of her voice ruined it.
“I’m giving you my answer, Melody.”
“Say it, Jack. Tell me this is over and you are going to put him down. Tell me you will never let him do that to you again.”
“I’ll take care of it, Melody. Come here.”
“Not until you say it. Promise me.”
My hand fell away from my cock as I stared into her earnest eyes. A promise, the one thing she knew I wouldn’t break. If I gave her this, things wouldn’t be the same any longer. I’d actively have to start working to weaken Samuel’s position. The game would be dangerous, but I would do it. For her. I cocked my head to the side, studying her.
“You mean this?” I asked.
She arched one brow and turned around, exposing her delectable ass. “Yes, and I need you to answer my quickly because I’ve been a bad girl,” she whispered.
I groaned as she bent over and looked at me over her shoulder, her pretty pussy teasing me.
“Punish me,” she demanded.
“I promise you, Firecracker.”
The words were out of my mouth so fast I didn’t register them until she tossed me a wicked smile.
“I thought you’d say that.”
Whatever the outcome, I feared I’d end up losing more than my mind with this woman. I could just wind up putting my heart in her delicate little hands.
I slipped out of bed when my phone buzzed in the middle of the night. Melody curled around my pillow but didn’t wake as I got dressed. Rex’s message didn’t give me time to wait and let her know what was going on.
Meet me at my home.
Rex didn’t play games, and he was one of the few remaining members who respected my father, despite what had happened. If he called me, I’d get over there. A couple of minutes later, I left my room and headed toward the side door of the clubhouse. I ducked my head and kept walking when a door opened to my right.
“Oh, sorry.” Janet bumped into me and wrapped her arms around my waist. “Need something, sugar?”
I removed her arms and turned to face her. “You’re coming out of a brother’s room and you’re going to ask me that? Think you should clean up first?”
She glared at me and sucked her breath through her teeth. “We used to have a lot of fun together, don’t you remember? We can still have that fun again.”
She reached for me again, and I gripped her wrists in my hands. “Melody is my Old Lady.”
“She isn’t patched, Jack. We all know what that means. Come on, I’ll be better than she is. I can do anything you like, with whoever you want me to.”
Janet pulled her hands from mine and ran them up my chest, forming a pout with her red-tinged lips. Her teased blonde hair was tangled and messy, just-rolled-out-of-bed hair I used to find sexy on her. But as I looked at her, I felt nothing. Her hair wasn’t dark enough, her eyes too light. I pushed her away.
“Find someone else. And if you ever say again that Melody isn’t my Old Lady, no one will be able to find you when I’m done. Follow me?”
Her eyes widened as she stumbled back away from me. “I got you, Jack. I didn’t mean nothing by it.”
“Go clean yourself up, and then see if the Prospect needs soothing tonight since you’re so hot in the ass.”
I left her in the darkened hallway and never looked back. Anger at Samuel and his fucking games raced through me anew. The longer Melody didn’t wear her patch, the longer the Honeys would keep playing their games, and the other bikers would start to wonder if she was on the market. I got on my bike and started it. I needed to find out what Rex needed, and if he was on my side. As a ranking officer, if I did take over, I’d have him there.
Rex’s home was just a couple miles away from the clubhouse. After the war, Rex didn’t like living too close to crowds and needed open space to feel comfortable. The log cabin he lived in with his family had large bay windows all. Rex sat on his porch, Gary at his side, in jeans and a black t-shirt. I nodded to both of them in greeting as I turned off my bike.
“Took you long enough,” Rex said.
“Had to clean up a mess, but I’m here now.”
Rex sighed and sat back. “Gary told me about your girl the day of the meeting. She’s good for you, but Samuel isn’t going to let this rest. I don’t like how he’s playing everything so close and won’t tell us anything. He alerted you of the drop we are heading out to make next week?”
“Next week? We have the one next month to Sur Muerte, but that’s all I know. Who’s this we are meeting, and what product are we moving?” I asked.
“I figured you didn’t know shit,” Gary said. He shook his head and bit his lip. “Our fucking protection doesn’t know what’s going on.”
“Calm down, Gary, we’ll get this sorted,” Rex said. “It’s a gun run. Five cases of M-4s, two cases of AR-15s, and another three cases of Glocks. This deal is coming from the police armory.”
I dropped my head back and took a deep breath. The stars twinkled in between the trees, an owl hooted in the distance, and a faint breeze carried the scent of moist earth and foliage. The world was silent as my head ached and my internal temperature jumped a hundred degrees.
That stupid fuck.
“You said this is happening next week?” I asked. I knew the answer, but I needed to think, to clear my head. I shook it, trying to dislodge the thoughts, but nothing worked.
“Yeah, Jack. Next week, and you weren’t even told. Police armories are big jobs, fucking dangerous,” Rex said.
“How many riders is he taking? The trucks? They haven’t been cleared since our last run. We’ve got them cleaned down, but one took a bullet, and the fucking part won’t be in until next week. Samuel already knows this,” I said.
“No trucks. We’re meeting our officer contact, and he will let us know where the drop is. After the money is exchanged, we will receive the drop location and travel there. Keeps us off the radar.”
“We’ve never done shit like this, and a fucking armory isn’t off the radar. If we hand over money before we head to the drop site and inspect the guns, we could end up screwed. Even if we offed the cop for double-crossing us, we don’t have time to get another one in place.”
A thought occurred, and I dropped my head to look at Rex. “The cop’s making the drop? He happen to work in homicide?”
Rex grinned and nodded. “Catching on, are you?”
“He’s setting us up, isn’t he?”
“He got offered a trade. Melody for the weapons,” Rex said.
“And she’s not protected as an Old Lady because the fucker refuses to patch her. She’s fresh fucking meat to him. What about The Gauntlet? That’s set up for tomorrow night?”
“He set up the contingency, in case she doesn’t go through with it,” Rex said.
“And if she does? Then what the fuck happens with his plan and this cop?”
Rex shrugged. “Couldn’t get that much. Gary brought this to me when some of the Honeys got a little loose-lipped. Seems Jasmin has been talking a bit about club business. She knows more than she should if she doesn’t have the sense to shut up.”
“So I get Melody through The Gauntlet, then deal with Samuel. Once we get through that, the club will recognize her, patch or not. He doesn’t think she’ll do it,” I said.
“But she will,” Gary said.
“I didn’t doubt it,” Rex added.
Killing Samuel wasn’t good enough. No, I needed to destroy his image, take apart his leadership and turn the club against him until I was the only way they could be saved. His individual path of revenge took the club on a dangerous course, and it was sickening. The members weren’t only full-tim
e bikers but business men, everyday workers who had families and dreams. Yeah, we didn’t give a shit about politics and the way the world told us we needed to live, and I had done enough dirt to be buried under the jail, but we were good people.
“Why did you tell me this, Rex?”
I needed to know. I needed to hear him say he was with me. That he’d support my bid when the time came. Removing Samuel would please me, and putting him in the ground would end this standoff between us, but I wanted more than that. Melody taught me I had to have more than that.
“Because I’m too old to give a shit about being President and Sloane is just as spiteful as his President, that’s why he’s there in the second position. Your father ran this club before he gave it to Samuel’s father when you’re mother died, and I’d always assumed you’d take over. You’re like your father, he was a good man. I don’t know all the details of the situation, and you were too young to remember, but I don’t think we were made aware of everything. Take us back to what your father built, Jack, or we won’t survive.”
He stepped off his porch and clapped me on the shoulder before he turned back to his front door.
“Gary already has a few who are interested in the title change. Show them you have their best interest at heart, Jack, and we will get more on your side.”
“Thank you,” I told him.
“Don’t thank me yet. Get your girl through The Gauntlet and argue to get her patched publicly. Force Samuel to tell you about the drop. If security right now is his excuse for waiting, you should be involved in the details. Then you have a chance to make the members see you care when you react to the time frame. Work his fuckups to your advantage.”
Rex went into his home, Gary following behind him, and I stood in the silence. I had a chance. A real chance to redeem myself. I didn’t plan on letting it go to waste.
17
Melody
I wore a white sleeveless mini dress for Jack, with salmon pumps for a dash of color. Considering the occasion for the night, I’d chosen to go sans undergarments. Even in his cool room, my palms were clammy and my dress clung to me. I took a few sips of tepid water to coat my dry mouth, but the minute I swallowed my tongue leeched what moisture the water left behind.
Insane.
What Samuel demanded of us was insane. I had to walk out there and screw Jack for everyone to see, just to prove my place in the club. I had no doubt I would do it; there were no other options. And the idea of Jack touching me made my heart kick, but I didn’t want Samuel’s eyes on me. When I had given him the lap dance, his gaze felt dirty on my skin. How Jasmin could stomach him, and even love that bag of filth, was beyond me.
But I couldn’t fight what was coming.
To do so would only hurt Jack, and I refused to. Jack remained on edge the entire day, not letting me out of his sight until he had to prepare for the party. Over one hundred club members came for the mandatory viewing of the event, and butterflies twisted through me. When the door opened, I dropped the water.
“Shit,” I hissed.
“Didn’t think a bar maid could be clumsy,” Jack said as he closed the door. His smile brightened the room and calmed me. He didn’t smile often, that man of mine, but when he did, I forgot my worries.
I’ve lost my heart to my captor.
“Are there a lot of people out there?” I asked, shaking my head to clear it.
“They are all here,” he answered. His smile slipped, and I wished I could snatch back my question. I didn’t want him to worry about me.
“We can do this, Jack,” I assured both of us. My hands trembled, and I clenched them to hide the movement, but Jack still saw it. He picked up the water bottle from the floor and set it aside on the bedside table before sitting next to me.
“You don’t have to do this,” he told me.
“Yes, I do. We know what’s at stake here.”
He nodded toward the window. “We can go that way, get on my bike and ride away.”
I stared at him as I lifted one hand to his cheek. His eyes closed as he leaned into my touch. My heart flipped in my chest. I couldn’t let him do it. The idea of running away sounded appealing, but we’d always be on the run. We’d have to leave Chicago, along with everything we knew, just to try to survive. All of Jack’s life he’d had his father turning on the club and leaving him behind hanging on his shoulders. And now he sat next to me, blue jeans and white t-shirt under his leather, waiting for me to tell him to run. To leave it all. To give up on what he wanted, just so I didn’t have to walk out of this room.
If I hadn’t loved him before, I did now.
My throat ached with unshed tears as I shook my head. I wouldn’t break my word. If this was the way to pay him back for saving my life, I would gladly do it. I’d rely on him to see me through it. I’d find a way to meld into his world until the crowd didn’t matter.
“Are you sure?” he asked, palming my face, his thumb rubbing back and forth on my cheekbone. I took a deep breath, taking strength from his touch. His woody scent spilled deep into my lungs and I held it there.
“Will you ask for my patch tonight?” I asked.
He nodded. He’d told me what had happened the night before with Rex, and I knew we had to do something. I trusted Jack to keep me safe.
“How many have you got on your side?”
“Rex says roughly forty of the guys would vote in my favor, and some would push for Rex. Right now, Samuel is already in the minority, but there isn’t an impeachment process, not really.”
“There will be,” I whispered. He kissed me, his soft lips gliding against mine, and I sighed.
“There will. But first things first. You ready?”
I stood on shaky legs and Jack escorted me from the room. Loud music blasted from the bar area, and I was grateful it may conceal the sound of my pounding heart. As we entered the club room, a whoop went out and people catcalled as we passed them. Some patted Jack on the shoulder, and I wondered if these were the ones on his side. I scanned the crowd for Samuel’s dark head and found him leaning against the bar, a beer dangling from his fingertips.
“Well, if it isn’t the man of the hour. Gotta say, you have a hot piece on your arm, don’t you?” Samuel taunted. Jack crushed my fingers in his hand, making me wince, but I didn’t make a sound.
“You get her property patch ready for tonight?” Jack asked.
“We can handle that soon enough.”
“Oh, come on now,” Jack argued. He smiled, but I could see the anger in his eyes. “We all know what the rules are. Everyone wants to see a show and my girl gets her cut at the end. If I don’t have the colors to put around her, then we aren’t following the rules.”
“I came for a show, and I want one,” a biker called. It sounded like Gary but I couldn’t be sure. I smiled behind my hand, still nervous, but pleased some were fighting for the rules. A vein throbbed in Samuel’s neck as he took a swig from his beer.
“We got some things to handle next week. After that, then we get her cut for her.”
“Then we reschedule The Gauntlet for next week? Wouldn’t want to have shit done when it isn’t on the up and up. Besides, what we got going on next week?” Jack asked.
Samuel, I was sure, wouldn’t talk about business in public, but Jack was operating under the pretense of not knowing what Samuel had planned. It would have been expected for Samuel to tell him had there been, and The Gauntlet wouldn’t have been planned for tonight.
“Hey, Jasmin, don’t you still have that extra cut that was supposed to be for that Becca girl?” someone called out. “That would work.”
“Yeah, and my wife can sew Jack’s name patch on while they are handling business. She does most of the leathers anyway,” Rex added.
“Club business don’t get discussed on the floor, Jack,” Sloane bit out.
“If it was club business going on next week, and I knew about it, I wouldn’t have asked, Sloane,” Jack tossed at him. “It’s my job to protect club b
usiness, and I don’t think Samuel would have something going on he wouldn’t tell me about, right? I have to make sure our guys are safe. Are we doing this or not?”
If I didn’t know already about the plan, I would have believed Jack didn’t know. He had the same amount of anger and impatience in his gaze he always had when dealing with Samuel, along with the calm control the club members had grown to trust.
“What’s up with Samuel?” I heard whispered beside me and forced myself not to turn around and smile. More mumbles went through the room as Samuel guzzled the rest of his beer.
“Jasmin, get that cut, or whatever. We can get it done up now, before the games start. We’ll have a meeting tonight about the stuff coming,” Samuel said.
Jack waited until Jasmin left to get the cut before he spoke. “So there is something going down next week?”
Samuel glared at Jack but nodded.
“Shit, man, that’s short notice. I need to make sure I got stuff taken care of for the riders. Fuck it, let’s get this over with as soon as possible, then I’ll get with you.”
“It ain’t that big a deal, Jack. It’s small,” Samuel said among whispers.
“Nothing is small when it comes to my job, Samuel. You know that already.”
Jasmin came back in the room and handed Rex’s wife the cut I’d wear when things were all over. I smiled at her when she looked at me. Jack’s plan was already in motion, and, given the chance, I’d want to personally walk Jasmin’s ass out of here when it was all over. Samuel slammed his empty beer bottle on the table before leaning in to whisper in Jack’s ear.
I barely caught his words over the noise. “Still won’t matter.”
“It will,” Jack returned.
The crowd erupted as Jack drew me closer to the bar. As I turned to face him, he ducked his head. When our mouths met, the music changed in the room. Someone had put on an electric beat with a woman crooning about being cruel. Jack kept me close to his body and swayed to the music. He wrapped one arm around me and pulled me in tight, his chest grazing my breasts with each beat. A glass hit the bar, and Jack broke away from my mouth long enough to gulp a double shot in his mouth. Then his cool, vodka-covered lips were on my again.
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