I climb from my bike, unstrap my helmet, and head inside, looking forward to finding Kara naked in my bed. I was honest with her when I told her I don’t fuck women here. I don’t. And now I’m glad that’s the case. She’s special. I want her to know that.
I lock the door and climb the stairs to the master bedroom. I try to be as quiet as I can. When I enter, she’s on her back, the sheets pulled up. I move to the bed and lift the sheet. The Saint Christopher medal is around her neck. I like seeing it there, nestled between her breasts.
She moves, and her eyes open. She blinks up at me. “You’re home.”
Home—this place never felt like that before, but that’s different now. Now I have someone I love waiting for me to return. And for the first time since I was a kid, I feel like I have a real home.
Yeah, the club has always been home, but not like this, not like this feeling I have for this woman lying naked and warm in my bed, smiling up at me and reaching for me.
I strip my clothes off, and she watches, her eyes caressing me. First, I drop the cut on the back of a chair. Then the shoulder holster and gun that I leave by the bed. I unbutton my shirt slowly and stare down at this beauty in my bed, looking at me with hunger in her eyes, her gaze following my hands. I have no right to her. She deserves so much better than me, but by God, I’ll try to give her a life she deserves—a life of love and laughter and happiness.
I unbuckle my belt, still watching her. She wets her lips, and my dick gets hard. I kick off my boots and strip out of the rest. Then I slip in beside her, pressing against her warm soft curves.
“I missed you,” she whispers. “Did everything go all right?”
“Everything’s fine. Now make me remember why I raced across town to get here.”
She smiles, pushes me to my back, and slides down the bed. Then she makes me forget everything as I thread my fingers through her hair, holding it out of the way so I can watch her take me in her mouth. My hips lift off the bed, urging her on, willingly surrendering to her touch, letting her set the pace.
“Yeah, like that. So good, baby. So fucking good.”
***
Long after Kara falls into a deep sleep, I lie awake, staring at the ceiling. I wonder if Rat’s still breathing. The plan was for Jammer, Bandit, and Gypsy to take him out in the woods. We’ve got a special spot a few of us know of, and Jammer is one of them. There’s a ravine behind an old quarry where some of us have gone for target practice.
Rat’s gonna know he’s a dead man walking when they pull him from the trunk, and he sees the limestone rock glowing ghost gray in the moonlight. He’s gonna know, and he’s gonna start begging for his pathetic life.
Kara snuggles up against me, and I stroke her silky hair. I kiss her head and think about our future. I’ll make her my ol’ lady, that’s a given, but Kara’s gonna want a wedding, and I want to make her happy, so we’ll have one.
I just hope I can convince her to make it a biker style wedding. Or maybe we can elope to Vegas.
I stroke my hand down her back to her ass and wonder what will happen with her father. We need to return his car to him. Kara said she talked to him on the phone while I was upstairs at the strip club. She said she was able to calm him down when she agreed to his insistence that we come over tomorrow. I can only hope he loves her enough to see that she’s happy with me, and how much in love we are. I can’t help worrying he’ll slap her in a psyche ward and me in handcuffs the minute we roll on the property.
I’ll do everything in my power to make him see that she is the most important thing in my life, and I’ll do anything to make her happy. It’s strange to voice those words in my head, but I know they’re undeniably true.
My cell vibrates, and I grab it off the nightstand. I see it’s Jammer and put it to my ear. “Yeah? Everything taken care of?”
“Fuck no! He got away.”
My hold on the phone tightens, and my blood runs cold. “What?”
“He ran. He body slammed me and took off. I fired off a few shots, but I missed the little fucker.”
“Where is he now?”
“He ran into the woods. We searched for hours. Found the duct tape. He sawed it off on a jagged tree stump.”
“Jesus Christ. Find him!”
“These woods run back a hell of a long way.”
“Get every brother in the club out there.”
“They’re on the way.”
“I’ll be there soon.”
“Rusty said you haven’t slept in two days. Said if we don’t find him before then, he’ll be over to get you at first light. Until then, get some rest. We got this.”
“Jammer?”
“Yeah?”
“You go in through that turn off Stephenson Rd?”
“Yeah, by that old church.”
“Be sure to check it out. He may have doubled-back and might be hiding out inside it.”
“Good idea. Get some sleep.”
“Be careful, he’s devious.”
I disconnect and stare at the ceiling. We’ll find Rat—that much was guaranteed. Ain’t no place on this earth he could hide where Devil Kings couldn’t find him. Still, it’s just one more thing on my mind.
I stroke my hand over Kara’s back and eventually her even breathing pulls me into a deep sleep.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Kara—
The sun streams in the window, rousing me. I open my eyes and turn my head. Reno is fast asleep on his back. He looks peaceful, and I long to brush the lock of hair from his forehead, but I resist, not wanting to wake him. He had to be exhausted when he crawled in bed last night.
The swelling’s gone down on his face, but purple and blue bruises marl his skin.
I slip from bed, throw his flannel shirt on, and grab my panties. I move quietly down the stairs to the kitchen and start coffee. I look in the fridge and find a package of bacon and a carton of eggs. I take them out and get a frying pan. I put the bacon on. While it begins to sizzle, I crack several eggs in a bowl and whisk them up with a fork. I leave the bowl on the counter for a minute and pour myself a cup of coffee.
I turn the bacon, humming a happy tune. While I wait, I walk into the living room and flick on the news, turning the volume down low. I’m soon bored with it and flip on CMT. It’s a catchy tune, and I dance my way to check on the bacon.
I swing through the kitchen doorway and stop, frozen. Rat lounges in the open back door, grinning at my surprise.
“You!”
He detaches himself from the doorframe and strolls in, jabbing at the bacon with a spatula. “You Reno’s ol’ lady, now? Where is he? Asleep?
“N-no,” I stutter, thinking up a lie real quick. “He’s getting dressed. I’ll call him.”
He moves fast, so fast I can’t get away. He’s on me in a split second with his hand to my throat, squeezing it in his tight grip.
“No need to call him. Gives us some time to get reacquainted—just you and me, baby doll.” He chuckles. “Look at you. You naked under his shirt?” His eyes stray over me. “You and Reno must be hitting it off pretty good. Can’t say he’s ever brought a bitch home with him.”
“Please—” My voice is raspy under his grip. He squeezes, silencing me.
“Hush up.” His eyes sweep over me again. “You use this sweet body to turn ol’ Reno against his club? Pickin’ you over doin’ what he was ordered to do…” He breaks off, shaking his head, and his mouth twists in a snarl. “Makes me fucking sick. Guess I’ll have to finish the job for him.”
I struggle and make a dash for the door, but he catches me by the hair and drags me back. His other hand covers my mouth, tipping my head, so I’m looking up at him.
“Bitch, you don’t use your brains, do you? If you make the slightest sound and wake him up, he’ll come down here without his gun, and I’ll blow a hole through his chest before he gets off the stairs. Understand me?”
I nod as much as I’m able. He manhandles me into the dining room, still holdi
ng my hair and mouth.
“That’s better. Now, you just keep real quiet. I’ve been thinking about you ever since that night in the RV.” He presses to my back, and his mouth is at my ear.
I retreat into strict silence. I believe him, every word. If I call out for help, he’ll kill Reno. He releases my mouth and draws a gun. He drags the end of the muzzle down the side of my face and warns again, “Not a sound.”
I nod.
Rat turns me to face him, and with his free hand, he begins to unbutton the flannel shirt I wear until my breasts are bare. I don’t make a sound, but my eyes brim with tears. I try to fight them. I don’t want tears; I want anger, the kind of anger that will lead me to find someway to kill him.
He grins, leering, and reaches out to pinch one nipple hard. I muffle my whimper as pain shoots through me.
He laughs, and I realize he’s trying to make me cry out, but I won’t give him the satisfaction. I won’t play into his plan, but my silence pisses him off.
He spins and pushes me facedown over the table, jerking my shirt up and my panties down. Tears stream down my face, blurring my vision. Self-preservation takes over, and I fight. I don’t scream, but I struggle. I hear his zipper, and I know I have to stop him. I glance around the table, searching for anything to use as a weapon. It’s cluttered with a lot of disassembled engine parts, magazines, and junk. I reach for the can of spray carburetor cleaner. I twist and aim at his face, spraying. I miss, but it makes him jump back, and I scramble free, yanking my panties up as I back away. He still has the gun at his side. My gaze moves from it to his crotch, and I see his pathetically small dick. I know better than to laugh at him, though, because he’ll kill me on the spot. As I stare, the erection goes flaccid. His face flames red, and he yanks his zipper back up, the gun still in his hand. He points it at me and snarls, “Go up and get him.”
He’s between the archway and me. As I pass, he grabs my hair again, pulling my face around to him with a jerk. I think my scalp might split loose, but I don’t wince or make a sound.
“I’d love to turn you out to my boys—let the whole club have you,” he breathes in my face. “And then stick around to watch the show.”
“It’s not your club anymore, though, is it?”
His eyes flare with rage, and I know I should have stayed quiet.
“I should slice up your face. See if ol’ Reno wants you after that.”
I’m terrified, but I wait, not making another sound, and hope he doesn’t pull a knife from somewhere, until finally he releases me and pushes me toward the door ahead of him. He follows me through the kitchen and up the stairs.
Reno is still asleep, lying on his side, facing away. I stop in the doorway to look at him, and Rat pushes me from behind again, the barrel of the gun poking into my spine.
I walk to the bed and lean across Reno, hoping I’m between him and the barrel of Rat’s gun. Hoping, also that my body shields my hand from view. I reach out and shake him a little, then let my hand slide rapidly up his side to his gun under the pillow. I see the butt sticking out. His own hand comes up from the bed and fastens on my wrist as I touch it.
He opens his eyes, fully awake, and I look at him hard, my hand still on the gun.
“Rat is here to see you,” I say evenly and withdraw my hand. He slips the safety off and sits up, keeping it hidden.
“Hello, Rat.” He swings his feet over the edge of the bed, unperturbed, and pulls on his pants.
Rat levels his gun on Reno’s face. “Toss the gun. I know you got one hidden in the bed sheets.”
Reno hesitates, and I know he wants nothing more than to drop to the floor and bring that gun up and kill Rat. But I’m here, and that changes everything.
To underline his point, Rat aims at me. “Do it, or she’s dead.”
Reno drops the gun to the floor and raises both hands in the air. “No need for that, VP.”
The sound of a motorcycle roars up the street. I glance out the window, but Reno’s eyes stay unwavering on Rat’s gun.
“You better run. Rusty’s here,” I tell Rat. “He’ll kill you.”
“Nice of you to be concerned, whore. But I won’t be leaving yet. Not before I finish the two of you off.”
Reno shoves me behind him. “What do you want, Rat?”
“To kill you, asshole. Isn’t that obvious? You think you’re so smart. Think you got everything figured out. You don’t know shit. You don’t know about the deal I made with the Calderon cartel. Growler was gonna fuck it all up. Him and his damn drug addiction. I was doin’ the club a favor.”
“That right?”
“Yes! We were gonna run the cartel’s drugs up from Florida for them. Gonna make us rich. Next month we’re gonna be rollin’ in it.”
Reno’s eyes shift to me. Rat is raving mad. It’s as if he doesn’t comprehend that he is no longer in command of the Atlanta Chapter.
There’s a banging on the front door. “Reno? You up?” Rusty calls out.
Rat motions with the gun. “Move.” He wants us to go ahead of him out of the room and down the stairs. Reno puts his hands on my shoulders and herds me in front of him, keeping himself between Rat and me. I go into the kitchen, moving to stand near the stove. My eyes drop to the sizzling pan of bacon.
Reno stays in front of me, protecting me from Rat and the gun in his hand.
The doorbell rings.
Rat grins at me. “I really wish I could stick around and teach you a thing or two, cutie, but I guess we ain’t got time.”
The back door still stands wide open from when Rat broke in. His gaze moves to it, and it’s obvious he’s thinking of a way out if he can’t pull off his plan to kill us both and probably Rusty, too.
I call out. “Rusty, we’re in here!”
It distracts Rat just enough that he glances toward the front door. It’s my opening, and I don’t hesitate. I grab the pan of bacon and hot splattering grease and throw it at Rat.
He screams, dropping the gun. Reno dives for it, but it slides under the microwave cart, and Rat dashes out the back door.
The front door bursts open, and Rusty races in.
“What the fuck?” he asks, taking in the splattered food and skillet. “You guys okay?”
“Rat just ran out the back door,” Reno snaps, and Rusty takes off. Reno pauses, taking my upper arms in a tight grip. He brings his face to within an inch of mine. “Kara, did he hurt you?”
I break down in tears, shaking. But I have to put Reno’s mind at ease. I shake my head. “He tried, but I fought him.”
Reno’s eyes sweep over me and stop on my neck. His fingers come up to brush lightly over the skin of my throat. “You’re bruised.”
“I’m okay, baby.”
“Why didn’t you call out to me?”
Tears pool in my eyes. “He said… he said he’d kill you when you came downstairs.” He takes me in his arms.
“Sweetness,” he whispers against my ear. “I promise him to you. Before this day is over, I’ll kill him for you.”
I sob.
“He deserves it, and I promise him to you.”
He pulls back then and moves to a cabinet, taking another gun down. He shoves a clip in it and meets my eyes. “I have to go after him. Lock the doors.”
I dash my tears away. “Please be careful.”
But he’s already gone.
***
Hours later, they return. I’m pacing in the living room.
I stop to stare at Reno, holding my breath and trying to read his expression. He looks tired; they both do.
Rusty shuts the door and meets my gaze. “It’s done, darlin’. He won’t ever hurt you again.” He moves to me and takes my hands in his. “We’re taking over the club, and that club… They will never disrespect you again. Understand?”
I nod. He releases me. “I’m headed back. I’ll see you up there later?”
“Tomorrow,” Reno corrects him, his eyes on me. “Want some time alone with my ol’ lady.”
>
Rusty grins and moves toward the door. He pauses with his hand on the knob, turning to me. “Oh, and doll?”
“Yes?”
“This club we’re buildin’, it’s gonna be a family. Welcome to the family.” He winks at me and walks out.
“It’s over? It’s really over?” I stare at Reno.
He nods. “Except for makin’ things straight with your father.”
“I-I talked to him today. I had to promise we’d visit him tomorrow. I think he’s going to grill you.” I’m babbling, so I stop.
He nods, not really listening.
“Reno, are you okay?”
He shakes his head, looking away.
“Baby? What is it?”
His jaw clenches, like he’s fighting back emotion.
“Reno.”
Finally, he meets my gaze. “When he pointed that gun at you today, my life flashed before my eyes, and it wasn’t pretty. Not till you, Kara. Not till you. My life hasn’t been worth a damn until you.”
“Oh, baby…”
“If he’d hurt you—”
“He didn’t. Not that way.” I shake my head. “Is he… is he dead? Truly?”
“Truly. And that’s all I’m gonna say about it, understand? It’s done, and we won’t talk about it again.”
“Okay,” I say softly, the emotional weight of everything hitting me, and I feel like my legs might crumble, and I might sink to the carpet.
Reno stalks towards me, catches my arms, and gathers me to him. I let myself be held, my fear and anxiety melting in the hard grip of his arms around me.
He picks me up over my faint protests and carries me upstairs.
“I don’t need to be carried,” I protest, even as my head drops to his shoulder.
“Shut up. You’ve had a bad time of it. You need the rest.”
I stretch out on the bed, feeling boneless as he lies down beside me. I gladly let him hold me, feeling so drained that I don’t fight it.
Dirty Deeds Page 21