by Kasey Krane
She was right, she was always right.
“Can we have a drink now?” she asked.
But I carried her to the bedroom instead. The beers could wait.
I couldn’t sleep.
Marley was in my arms in my bed, her delicate body rose and fell with every breath. I kept staring at her and watching her sleep. Now that I knew she was mine—she was always going to be mine—I couldn’t stop obsessing over all the things I needed to do to keep her safe.
Aldo Baron.
He had already tried to work her.
I needed to make sure he never came close to her again.
And if my suspicions were right, then he was having her followed and watched right then. All the time.
I felt my veins flood with anger.
I tried to be as quiet as possible as I pulled myself away from her. In the darkness of my bedroom, I put on my clothes and stepped out.
I looked out the kitchen window and saw nothing, but it was late at night, the street lights weren’t doing a great job.
I got my weapon and stuck it in my belt before I left the apartment.
Instead of taking the elevator, I took the stairs.
I exited out the back of the building and waited. From where I was standing behind a tree at the back of the building, I had a clearer view of the surrounding streets.
I must have stood there for close to half an hour before I saw movement.
A man was in the shadows across the street. The bastard’s phone must have buzzed in his pocket because he pulled it out. I saw the light flash on his face as he spoke in a hushed voice.
It was the perfect opportunity, he wasn’t paying attention.
I crossed the street and snuck up behind him. He was still on the phone when I grabbed him by his neck and yanked him backwards, pinning him to my chest.
The phone fell out of his hand and he tried to grab his weapon but I curled that arm around his back.
“Forget it,” I growled in his ear. “The next time I see you here, we won’t get a chance to talk.”
He stopped struggling because he knew I had him overpowered.
“You’ll be dead,” I continued.
He said nothing because he had nothing to say.
“You go back to your boss and you let him know that he needs to stay away from my wife unless he wants his men to start dropping like fuckin’ flies.”
I released him and he fell forward. I pinned him to the ground with my shoe and pulled my gun out. He could see it aimed at his head in the shadow that fell before him.
“Marley is my wife. She’s never going to turn against me. Aldo lost this one too.”
Then I pulled my foot off him and he jumped up. I still had my gun trained at him as he backed away. He had his hands up.
“Get the fuck outta here,” I growled, and he ran. Like a dog with his tail between his legs.
Aldo Baron would realize he picked the wrong chick to mess with.
Marley was sitting up in bed in the dark when I got back to the room. I had tried to be as quiet as possible. I didn’t think she would wake up.
“Can I ask where you’ve been?” she said. I could hear the sound of worry in her voice.
I joined her in bed, sitting down beside her. Then I took her hands in mine and held them to my lips.
“I’m sorry for making you feel so far that you can’t ask about my business. That is not how I want our life together to be,” I replied.
She didn’t pull her hands away.
“Okay, then where have you been?”
“Taking care of the Aldo problem.”
Marley gulped nervously and I kissed her hand again.
“They’re going to stop following you and harassing you now. Either way, I’m going to get security for you tomorrow. Our families are at war right now, and we need to protect our people.”
“So I’m going to be watched all the time, just not by Aldo Baron,” she said.
I clenched my jaws tightly. I had a feeling she would have trouble getting used to this.
It was not the life she had expected for herself. She still had time to back out of it.
Marley shook her head.
“I’m not suggesting that I won’t do it, just that I’ll need some time to get used to it.”
“It won’t be forever. Just until this feud with the Barons ends.”
She nodded.
“I had another idea,” she continued. “What if I do go to the precinct, one last time, with a case.”
“What are you talking about?”
“What if I took Aldo Baron to them?”
I was trying to wrap my brain around the idea while Marley smiled.
“I could deliver information to them on the Barons that could help you guys in your war. He wouldn’t be too happy with the cops on his ass. It would weaken him.”
“And it’ll prove your worth as a detective,” I added.
Marley shrugged.
“I don’t care about that anymore. I’m quitting either way. I just don’t want Aldo Baron to think he can use me any time he wants. This way he’ll know he needs to stay away from me.”
I pulled her into my arms.
“Only you could make me fall in love with you more every minute.”
We kissed again and fell into bed together. She wrapped her legs around me and my cock grew hard against her body. It was time for me to take her again.
Marley held up her hand, smiling at the cheap ring on her finger.
“Whatever we do, let’s never change this ring. I want to keep it, as a reminder of that night we ended up getting married,” she said.
I stretched myself over her, pinning her to the bed with my weight. She thrust her hips up towards me and my fingers found her wet, pulsating pussy.
“I’m never going to forget the night I found you,” I said before I entered her.
Sneak Peak at Brendan
Rosalie
Davey wanted me to look at the picture he had drawn of us at kindergarten that day. He held it up with a bright smile on his face, pointing at the stick figures in crayon. One was him—the smaller one with big green eyes, and the taller one with long yellow hair was me. His mommy. The two figures were holding hands, walking by a tall tree with apples hanging from its branches.
“It’s beautiful, honey. I love it,” I said and enveloped him in my arms. Then I took the picture and stuck it to our small fridge with a magnet.
“This way, I’ll get to look at it everyday,” I added and lifted him up. He wrapped his small arms around my neck.
“I love you, mommy,” he said, pouting his lips. I knew what was coming. “I don’t want you to leave tonight.”
I brushed his silky brown hair with my fingers. It was getting so long, I reminded myself to trim his bangs over the weekend. If I had the time.
I was trying to distract myself with other thoughts so my eyes wouldn’t fill with tears. Why was it so hard to leave him? Every night was the same story. I reexamined my life all over again.
Davey was a sweet little boy, caring and loving and unafraid to show his emotions. Of all the stupid shit I’d pulled in my life—I knew I must have done something right to deserve a boy like him.
I wanted to do everything I could to give him a good life. A decent life. I told myself we were just having a rough start; that in a few years, things would improve for us. I looked around the apartment as I swayed him in my arms, trying to comfort him so he wouldn’t cry.
The place was small. Tiny. The rooms were cramped with stuff, even though we didn’t own a lot of things. Davey didn’t have many toys. I couldn’t spare a lot of money to pay for things that weren’t essential. I was trying to save so we could move to a better neighborhood some day, maybe even get our own place.
I knew my life could have looked a lot different if I didn’t have Davey. If I didn’t get pregnant at the ridiculously young age of eighteen. I had my whole life planned out back then. I was going to go to college. I was going to h
ave a career. But when I found out I was pregnant; I had to give it all up. I had to find a job. Any job.
My mother tried to help us, but she didn’t have the means either. I would never have been able to pay for college, make the time to go to classes and look after a newborn and also somehow earn a living.
So I chose to do the practical thing.
Davey leaned his head on my shoulder as I pressed him to my chest and breathed in the clean soft scent of his hair.
“I’m sorry, honey, I wish I didn’t have to go, but I’ll see you in the morning, okay? I’ll be right here when you wake up,” I said, smiling through my tears.
***
The babysitter, Nina, arrived fifteen minutes late. Which meant that I was going to be late for my shift.
It wasn’t like I was irreplaceable at the bar. This was New York City, and I was just a waitress. It wouldn’t take them ten minutes to hire someone new if I kept this up.
It was the second time this week I was going to be late and pretty soon, it wasn’t going to look so good for me.
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry!” Nina exclaimed, running in through the door.
Davey was sitting on the rug in front of our small TV. His grandmother had gifted him a coloring book recently, so I knew it was going to keep him busy for the rest of the evening.
“I’m going to be late, so I’m going to go,” I said, rushing over to give Davey one last kiss. He looked up at me encouragingly with a smile. Almost like, at the tiny age of three; he already knew how important it was for me to go to this job. As much as I didn’t want to go.
I waved at Nina and ran out of the apartment—taking two steps at a time down the stairs.
“Shit shit shit,” I cursed under my breath as I ran to the Subway. I couldn’t lose this job. I needed to keep this one. I’d lost too many in the last year and I needed to bring some stability into Davey’s life. I needed to pay the bills. Put food on the table.
Standing squashed up between a crowd of people in the subway; my mind drifted to fantasizing about life as a college student. Dorm rooms. Classes. Coffee dates and parties at night. I never got to experience any of that.
I was a twenty-two year old mom, trying to keep two jobs that paid shit. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the door of the subway. I had to look away. I didn’t like what I saw.
I didn’t recognize myself. This was not the girl with dreams in her eyes.
But what about Davey? If I had all that—I wouldn’t have him.
And I wouldn’t have exchanged him for anything in the world. He was mine, and mine alone and I was going to keep it that way.
Me and my son against the world; and sometimes it did feel like the world was against us. Like we were at war, trying to survive. But we didn’t need anyone else, whatever happened, I wouldn’t make the mistake of bringing someone into our circle. Just like I hadn’t needed anyone else when I was little. It had always been me and mom.
My life had come a full circle.
***
“You’re late!” Rocky complained when I rushed into the bar.
“I know, I’m sorry, I had to wait for the babysitter to arrive for my kid,” I said, while putting on my name tag.
The bar was already thumping and in full-swing for the night. Rocky didn’t care about my kid.
“If this keeps happening, we’re going to have talk. Actually, scratch that. I’m not going to talk to about it. You know what I’m sayin’.”
“Yes, I know, and I’m really trying here. Just cut me some slack. Okay?”
We were talking behind the bar while he mixed some drinks.
Rocky grunted in response. He didn’t have time for my excuses. Instead, he turned around and handed me the drinks.
“Table fourteen,” he growled, giving me a hard long stare.
I weaved my way around people who were standing and swaying and talking loudly. I hated working there. This wasn’t the career I had in mind.
I did morning shifts at a diner nearby, which didn’t help either. Both jobs were the kind where I wasn’t treated as a respectable member of the community. I was a waitress. I worked for tips. I had to smile and be polite; usually when I didn’t want to.
I walked up to the table with the drinks. A group of men sat around the table, leering at me when I went to them. I knew what they were thinking—they were trying to assess if they could grab my ass.
“Haven’t seen you around here before,” one of the guys said as I leaned over the table to place all the drinks.
When I worked this shift; I was constantly aware of the fact that my body was available to these men. Whether I liked it or not.
“I’ve been working here a few months,” I forced myself to respond. If I didn’t make an effort, I wasn’t getting tipped—and tips were what I relied on.
“I would have noticed a thing like you,” he said, staring directly at my ass now. I stepped away from the table quickly but he caught my hip and pulled me closer to himself.
“Anything else I can get you boys?” I tried to keep it casual, trying my best to hide how much they made my skin crawl. The other guys were smirking like I was putting on some kind of show for them.
“You could come sit on my lap, sweetheart,” he added.
“I have to get back to work or I’m going to lose my job,” I said, pulling away from him. He held on tightly, refusing to let go.
“I’ll give you a job. I promise I’ll make it worthwhile,” he replied and his friends broke into a fit of laughter.
It was getting harder for me to keep the smile on my face.
“I hope you boys have a nice night, but I really have to go now,” I tried again. This time he yanked me to himself and I fell on him. His thick arms wrapped around me as he kept me pinned in place.
And I knew that even if I screamed; nobody would hear me over the loud music playing in the bar. More importantly, nobody would care.
Want more of Brendan? You can get him here!
About Kasey Krane
Kasey Krane is a tattoo artist living in the beautiful (and hot) state of Texas. She enjoys drawing but writing has recently become a new passion for her. Especially when it's too damn hot to do anything outside. Whiskey neat is her drink of choice and she's never met a truck she doesn't like. Enjoy her bad boys, she sure does.
Sign up for her mailing list here!
More Books by Kasey Krane
Bolt (Iron Thunder MC #1)
Flash (Iron Thunder MC #2)
Drax (Iron Thunder MC #3)
Ghost (Iron Thunder MC #4)
Spike (Iron Thunder MC #5)
Rogue (The Black Cobras MC #1)
Cash (The Black Cobras MC #2)
Patch (The Black Cobras MC #3)
Bones (The Black Cobras MC #4)
Bishop (Dead Legion MC #1)
Judge (Dead Legion MC #2)
Knight (Dead Legion MC #3)
Luca (Sinful Shadows #1)
Eli (Sinful Shadows #2)
Ace (High Rollers MC #1)
Rook (High Rollers MC #2)
Spade (High Rollers MC #3)
About Savannah Rylan
Savannah Rylan is a romance writer that spends most of her time writing and reading with her cat, Gris. When not penning the next great American novel, (HA), you can find her on the beach with a drink in her hand or at the gym testing out some strange new position. Yoga, obviously. She lives in Southern California with her husband and Gris, the true love of her life.
You can join her mailing list here!
Check out her website!
More Books by Savannah Rylan
Box Sets
The Bad Disciples MC Box Set
The Road Rebels MC Box Set
Marked Skulls MC Box Set
Dead Souls MC Complete Collection
Black Hornets MC Box Set
The Lost Boys MC Box Set
The Callaghan Mafia Box Set
The Black Cobras MC
Dragon Riders MC
Series
Brooks (Dirty Misfits MC #1)
Porter (Dirty Misfits MC #2)
Archer (Dirty Misfits MC #3)
Cole (Dirty Misfits MC #4)
Tanner (Dirty Misfits MC #5)
Finn (Dirty Misfits MC #6)
Link (Dragon Riders MC #1)
Bowser (Dragon Riders MC #2)
Ash (Dragon Riders MC #3)
Knuckles (Dragon Riders MC #4)
Sly (Dragon Riders MC #5)
Declan (The Callaghan Mafia #1)
Brody (The Callaghan Mafia #2)
Gael (The Callaghan Mafia #3)
Flynn (The Callaghan Mafia #4)
Cage (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #1)
Bear (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #2)
Saint (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #3)
Ryker (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #4)
Toxin (Dead Souls MC: Prospects #5)
Texas (The Lost Boys MC #1)
Stone (The Lost Boys MC #2)
Bronx (The Lost Boys MC #3)
Notch (The Lost Boys MC #4)
Jace (The Black Hornets MC #1)
Maverick (The Black Hornets MC #2)
Duke (The Black Hornets MC #3)
Colt (The Black Hornets MC #4)
Thor (The Black Hornets MC #5)
Jagger (The Black Hornets MC #6)
Knox (Dead Souls MC #1)
Grave (Dead Souls MC #2)
Brewer (Dead Souls MC #3)
Rock (Dead Souls MC #4)
Diesel (Deal Souls MC #5)
Girth (Marked Skulls MC #1)