by Sam Crescent
She invited Elizabeth around for lunch for the next day and as she got to the edge of the road to cross over for her own home, she came to a stop.
There was a limousine parked outside the house.
She tensed up.
Stepping across the road, she tried to ignore the car and the men.
The car door opened up as she got to her front door.
“Excuse me,” a man said as she slid the key into the lock.
Turning toward him, she saw he wore a suit, and there was ink just visible around his neck.
“Yes?” she said. She felt the first wave of panic rush over her.
“I don’t suppose you know who lives here?” He pointed at Rix’s house.
“No, I don’t.” She turned the key, stepping into her home. Just as she was about to close the door, he was there again.
“I think you’re lying,” the man said. He’d followed her up her small drive.
There was something about him that set her on edge. She didn’t know what it was, and she didn’t care for it or the feelings that swept over her.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to step off my property and leave before I call the cops.”
The man smirked. “And what makes you think they’ll come running?”
She knew Rix was an MC president. He’d never lied to her, even about his time locked away, but this, this was the reality of the kind of business he was mixed up in. She was terrified. He wasn’t even here.
Pushing against her front door, she tried to close it, but the man stopped her, inserting his foot. He must have been wearing some decent shoes because he didn’t show any sign of being hurt and she pressed against the door.
“When you see Rix again, tell him I want to talk.” He held out a card. She didn’t take it. There was no way she was helping this man. “Listen, miss, I can make this very difficult for you. Take the card, or I will be forced to make you.”
She glared at him.
He was clearly used to getting what he wanted and she didn’t like that.
Still, she took the card.
He removed his foot, then she slammed the door closed and leaned against it.
What the fuck did Rix have going down?
His club visited him regularly, all without their cuts and sometimes not even on their bikes. She’d allowed herself to become disillusioned, believing he wasn’t a bad biker.
She moved away from the door, she knew she was going to have to talk to Rix. This man, whoever he was, was trouble. She didn’t need to have experienced something like this living in the city to recognize a bad person.
She didn’t look at the name on the card. Stepping into her kitchen, she went straight to her freezer and took out some ice cream. Not exactly the best way to deal with stress or panic, but this was how she was going to deal with this one this time.
Chapter Seven
It had been a long time since Rix buried someone. Today wasn’t exactly the day he wanted to get started back into his life, but the woman who’d tried to infiltrate his club was selling club secrets and there was only one way to deal with a traitor like her.
Night had arranged for her to be locked in a secure location so he could torture all he needed from her. She bore the mark of the capo who had framed him, the very person he intended to kill.
She was supposed to lure him to his death.
Now she was dead.
Even if they were going to recover the body, there was no way anyone would be able to identify it. After she died, he made sure to take her apart piece by piece.
“I’ve got word back to the underboss. He’s going to take care of it,” Night said.
“See that he does.” He removed his clothes, passing them to Night to burn, while he stepped beneath the cold spray of the shower, removing all traces that would link him back to the woman. He was always careful.
He thought about Anna-Beth and quickly pushed her to the back of his mind. He couldn’t think about her right now. Not with another woman’s blood on his hands.
She was everything good about this world, a true angel, while he was all the bad things. He’d been born into darkness.
Killing that woman didn’t fill him with regret. There were no feelings. She’d been a job dealt with swiftly because she’d put the club at risk. In his world, the club would always have to come first.
Cold to the bone, he stepped out of the water to find some fresh clothes waiting for him. He quickly pulled them on.
Night was outside waiting for him. It was dark. He checked the time and saw it was a little after nine. It would be close to midnight before he arrived back home. Anna-Beth had given him a key, while he hadn’t done the same with her. She deserved a key. He still kept her at arm’s length because the club needed him to be strong. He couldn’t trust every person he came into contact with. Even though Anna-Beth was no spy, he couldn’t risk it.
If she saw something one night and she took a chance with his life, he would never forgive himself.
Running a hand down his face, he was pissed off.
“You know, if we moved this along, we could have you back at the clubhouse by the end of the week,” Night said. “It’s where you belong. Not in some fucking town, playing nice with the locals.”
“I’m not going to rush this shit. You know that.” He climbed onto his bike, firing up the engine.
“It’s the girl, isn’t it?” Night asked.
Rix paused and looked at his friend. “Am I going to have a problem with you over this?”
“I got the information you asked for. It’s quite an interesting read. It makes me wonder if you’re going to be taking an old lady once and for all.” He pulled out a file that was in his jacket pocket. “It cost double to get this information.”
“It’ll be worth it.” He didn’t open it up, simply put it inside his own jacket. He missed his leather cut.
There was a lot of stuff he missed.
Could Anna-Beth hack the club life? Would she even want to take a chance with him? There was always a lot of shit to deal with. The problems and pain that were a constant in his world. The dangers. She’d moved out of the city because of fear, and he didn’t know if he could ask her to take another chance with him.
“I’ll be in touch,” he said. He rode out, getting onto the open road where he hoped to clear his head.
The reason he wasn’t rushing to get back to the clubhouse was that he truly believed Anna-Beth wouldn’t take him. Right now, she didn’t truly know the extent of his world. The laws he broke on a daily basis. How the cops liked to fuck with him, and he did the same. Sometimes he sent in anonymous tips and got rid of all of the evidence just to piss them off. He liked to live on the edge and she preferred to sit in an office all day, counting numbers. He couldn’t stand her way of life, but could she agree with his?
Then he thought about all the times he hadn’t used a condom. Since that first time on the couch, he’d taken her at least ten times, all without a condom, filling her tight pussy with his cum.
He wasn’t a good man. He’d never claimed to be. Now, he was an even worse one.
Their time together was limited.
The ride was exhausting and as he got onto his street, he turned off the ignition so as not to alarm anyone. He looked at his home but decided to go to Anna-Beth’s. There was no light on.
Using his key, he let himself inside.
After removing his jacket and shoes, he pulled out the file and was about to go to the kitchen.
He paused as he caught sight of Anna-Beth with a baseball bat, ready to strike.
“Whoa, it’s me. It’s me.” He turned on the light so she could look at him.
“Rix, what the fuck?” She lowered the bat to the floor.
“I told you I was going to be running a bit late today. I had business to deal with.” Torturing and killing a woman for ratting on the club and trying to get them all killed.
“Since when do you have a baseball bat? Yo
u gave me a key. What made you think I was here to hurt you?”
“You had an interesting visitor today.” She turned her back on him, entering the kitchen. He watched as she picked up a small white card and handed it to him. “I didn’t tell him anything but he was looking for you.” She laughed. It sounded hysterical to him. “I was so scared. He was big and had ink around his neck. I haven’t been that afraid since … well, I wouldn’t even look at the name. What the hell, Rix?”
The card held the name of the capo who’d decided to go to war with him. So the son of a bitch knew where he was, and now he’d scared his woman.
He pushed the card into the pocket of his jeans and went to pull Anna-Beth into his arms, but she shook him off.
“No. I can’t, not right now. No. I don’t know if I can handle this.” She put a hand to her stomach. “He was scary, Rix. I mean completely scary. What the hell are you into? I know that you’re not … I don’t even know who you are. I don’t know what this is. Can he kill you? Are you in danger?”
“You’re having a panic attack.”
“You’re damn right I’m having a panic attack. I don’t think I can breathe.”
He went to her, not letting her push him away. Wrapping his arms around her, he placed a hand on her chest. “In and out. Breathe with me. No need to panic. I’ve got you. I’m not letting you go. In and out. Work with me.”
“I’m scared.”
“You don’t need to be scared. I’ve got you.”
“You weren’t here.”
“Don’t worry. He will never come here again. I guarantee it.” He kissed her neck.
“I think I need to know more about you, Rix.”
“You don’t.”
“There’s a whole side of you I don’t know, isn’t there?” she asked.
He eased her into one of the kitchen chairs and cupped her face. “Anna-Beth, I never said that I was a good guy. I’m not going to claim to be one now. I’m not. I know what I do, and I don’t give a fuck. I was in prison before this. I’ve told you that.”
“But,” she said. “I…” She pressed her lips together. “I don’t want anything to happen to you. I don’t care about me. I worry about you.”
He smiled. “I can take care of myself. I promise. This, don’t even think about this. It’s not important.”
“But it is.”
He shook his head. “It’s not.” He cupped her face and kissed her lips. “I missed you.”
“You’re going to try to distract me now, aren’t you?”
“You need distracting.” He kissed her again. Dropping to her neck, he flicked his tongue over her pulse and she gasped. “Is it working?”
“Not yet.”
“Then I better keep going.” He nibbled on her lip, biting down, and she cried out.
“Tomorrow, I can deal with all of this tomorrow.”
****
“What is all of this?” Anna-Beth asked a couple of days later as she brought their dinner outside onto the patio table. There was a chill in the air, and any time for a street get-together was now over. They were forecasting thunderstorms in the coming week.
Rix held open a file and she spotted Eli’s picture, the man who sold her the house.
“These are all the previous owners.”
“Do you really think we should be looking at this stuff?” she asked.
“Why not? We’re curious and it’s not like we’re going to hurt anyone with this information. I don’t see the big deal.”
She took a deep breath. “You’re right. We’re only seeing if the whole cursed houses thing is real. We’re fine. Totally fine.” She sat down beside him, piercing a meatball with her fork and pressing it to her mouth. Taking a bite, she watched as Rix did the same, flicking over a piece of paper as he did.
“Well, we knew they were married. It doesn’t come as a big shock at all.”
“What about the next couple?”
“I don’t know if this is going to shock you or not, the previous couple were two men and one woman.”
“Well, there you go. There’s no way that is…” She didn’t finish as Rix looked at the details with raised brows. “They’re still together, aren’t they?”
He nodded. “Ace, Brett, and Meredith. Yep, they’re together and happy.”
“It doesn’t mean anything. I mean, it’s just pure luck.” She shoved some pasta into her mouth. This wasn’t exactly a good way to be spending the evening. They were trying to prove the cursed houses didn’t exist, and so far, they weren’t having any luck.
“The previous owners before that, Wynter and Zane, now known as Mr. and Mrs. Webster.”
“They are?”
“Yep, and Cassie and Slade Coal. All happily married, with families.” He slammed the file closed after moving past them to find more information.
Neither of them ate as they looked at each other.
Glancing past his shoulder, she felt her heart start to race. “I think I need to go and walk Elizabeth’s dogs.” She pushed her chair back, her appetite gone.
“You’re running.”
“I’m not running. I’m being cautious. This is not possible, Rix. You can’t tell me you believe this stuff.”
“I don’t know what I believe,” he said. “We wanted the information and now we’ve got it.”
“We’re not going to fall for the same path. Two houses, cursed or not, do not have the power to bring people together. It’s stupid. Completely stupid. I don’t even care. It’s insane.” She shook her head. “I need to go and walk. To clear my head.”
She left her home and went straight to Elizabeth’s house.
“Are you okay, dear? It looks to me like it could rain.”
“I’m fine. Really, I’m fine.”
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
She forced a smile to her lips but didn’t say anything. There was no way she was going to fall for Rix.
With the dogs out for a walk, she tried not to think about what Rix had discovered. It was so crazy. Finding the park with ease, she released the dogs and watched them run like their lives depended on it. It didn’t take long for the rain to start pelting down, and she knew it was just her luck to get caught in it.
The rain stopped landing on her as an umbrella was perched above her head.
Glancing behind her, she saw Rix standing there. “You followed me.”
“I did. You think I was going to let you leave when you were clearly scared?”
“I’m not scared.” She rubbed her arms, wishing she’d gotten a jacket.
“You don’t need to lie to me.”
“Rix, I’m not going to let a bunch of past couples bother me. We wanted to know the information and now we do. People who lived in those houses before us simply had a lot in common and attraction.”
He banded an arm around her waist and pulled her back against him. “You think we don’t have attraction?”
Her pussy grew slick and she closed her eyes as he nibbled her neck. He touched a part of her that always aroused her.
“You’re not playing fair.”
“I never play fair, you should know that.”
“It’s one of the reasons why we’re never going to work.” She tried to pull out of his arms, but he didn’t let her.
“I’m not going to let you go. You’re upset.”
“I’m not upset.”
“Then what are you?”
“I don’t know. I’m confused right now. I don’t want to even think about everything that’s going on. You’re the president of an MC. You’ve said yourself that you’re not sticking around forever. I’m an accountant and I have no intention of leaving. We’re never going to mesh.”
“You keep protesting.”
“Maybe we’re not supposed to be together. Perhaps when you sell the house, it might be my true love.”
His grip around her waist tightened. “I don’t like thinking of you with anyone else.”
She spun in his arms
. “I know, but do you love me? Do you feel like you can’t live without me?” She searched his eyes.
He didn’t say a word.
Pain sliced through her, but she ignored it.
“See, you and I, we’re not in love with each other. We never will be.” She whistled to the dogs and they came to her.
She wanted to break down and cry. It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
As she walked the dogs back, Rix followed behind her. Elizabeth looked between them, likely worried, but didn’t voice any concern.
Rix took hold of her hand and even as she tried to leave to go to her own home, he wouldn’t let her.
Once inside his home, he locked the door. She couldn’t stand to not have the door locked. Rix had started to do it for her. He lifted her up in his arms.
“Stop it. I can walk.”
He carried her up to his room.
Slowly, he removed each item of her clothing until she stood before him naked. She watched him as he did the same. He put his hands at the base of her back, bringing them skin to skin. He kissed her lips. “I don’t know a lot, Anna-Beth, but I know this.” His lips trailed down, going to her neck, then to her chest. “I love it when I’m with you. You make me forget everything, and all I can think about is making you happy.” At her tits, he flicked each hard nipple before he moved her back so she lay on his bed.
She spread her legs and his cock teased her entrance.
“I don’t want to think of any other man ever knowing how good you are, how amazing you are. You drive me wild and as far as I’m concerned, you belong to me.” He slammed to the hilt inside her. “My name is the only one I want to fall from your lips. All I care about hearing is mine. I can’t stand the thought of anyone being in my place and while ever there is breath in my body, you will be mine in every single way.”
Chapter Eight
Rix held Anna-Beth’s hair out of the way as she threw up for the third day in a row.
“You have to leave.”