by Faye Byrd
“Payback’s a bitch.” I smirk, keeping my distance even though I want to kiss that pretty mouth.
“Enzo,” Mikey says, breaking up our little party of two. “There’s a vehicle four miles out.”
“Got it.” I sigh, looking back to my girl. “Love you.”
“I got your back.” She nods, sending me on my way.
I jump on my Harley and haul ass around the bend before taking a right on a dead-end dirt road. Bob and Carl’s bikes are parked off to the side, and I back in beside them. My eyes scan up the hill to where my girl is watching over me. The van is completely hidden from this vantage point, and that’s excatly how we want it. These two fucks and anyone who might join them have to think we’re alone.
A dark car rolls to a stop only a minute after I take my place with the other men. Bob walks out to greet them and check their car, while Carl and I stay back, looking as vicious as ever. My Uzi is shoved into the front of my jeans, and Carl has an AK hanging off his shoulder.
“No other vehicles in a ten-mile vicinity,” Mikey mutters in my ear.
“Ten-four.”
One man leads as Bob and the other man carry a large crate between them. The first man is dressed in a suit, like the images Carl shared, and the other looks like a common street criminal, also like the pictures. The crate’s large enough to be carrying a decent haul, but not so much to stick your neck out over. The whole thing feels off to me.
“Carl,” Rupert says as he approaches. “As you can see, we delivered.”
“I don’t see shit but a box at this point,” Carl says, taking a step toward where they’re settling the crate. “Crack this motherfucker open, and then we can talk.”
“Very well.” Sweat beads on his forehead, and my hackles rise. “Handsy, show Carl what we’ve brought him.”
The criminal sticks a crowbar beneath the edge of the wood, and all hell breaks loose in my ear. Randi’s loud voice is followed by a crash and the sound of gunfire. Two silenced shots ricochet in my ear and a thundering spray erupts from the mountainside. For a tenth of a second, I’m frozen, but that’s all it lasts.
“Grab them motherfuckers,” I shout, pointing to the two doomed idiots as I turn to race up the hillside. My legs can’t move fast enough as silence is all that greets me.
About halfway up, an angel’s voice sounds. “Enzo, Mikey’s been shot.”
“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice frantic. “Please, babe, tell me you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” she assures me, and I double my efforts to get to her. “But Mikey isn’t.”
“Is he dead?” I can see the van now, and I run with all my might.
“No. A thigh wound,” she breathes, worry lacing her tone. It’s an unusual thing to hear from her, and it causes this strange sensation to form in my gut. I like the shit out of Mikey, so I hope he makes it through this ordeal.
“Randi,” I yell, sprinting the last ten yards. “Randi!”
She appears at the door and I grab her up, squeezing her tightly against me. “Thank fuck,” I whisper, breathing deeply to inhale her scent. “What happened?”
“I’ve seen him before.” She points to a body on the ground I completely missed. “But I can’t place where.” Her brows are pursed in concentration.
“What?” I stoop down, feeling for a pulse. “He’s dead.”
“Duh.” She rolls her eyes. “But Mikey isn’t. He needs a hospital.”
“Let’s get him to Elise,” I say, urging her toward the driver’s seat while I climb in to take a look. It’s bleeding pretty bad, but it looks like he’ll be okay. “Go, babe.”
“What about your bike?” she asks, pulling onto the roadway.
“I’m calling for backup,” I say, pulling out my phone. “There’s more than my bike that’ll need to be brought in.”
“Like …”
“People who’ll give me answers if they wanna fucking live.”
FOUR
Punishment
Randi
Enzo’s quiet as I race through the streets in Mikey’s van headed back to the Redding clubhouse. The bleeding has stopped, and our computer nerd is relaxed back with his eyes closed and his shirt pressed tightly against his wound.
When we pull through the gate, Elise is already waiting with Justice by her side. I skid to a stop, and without a word, Enzo slings open his door, slamming it shut and marching around to my side. I didn’t realize it before, but he’s pissed.
At what?
I have no fucking clue.
But it’s hot as hell.
Snatching open my door, he takes my hand and pulls, dragging me from my seat and marching toward the clubhouse with me scurrying to keep up. The tenseness of his muscles is enough to keep me from caring, though. Fuck! His tight ass is a sight to behold.
“Enzo?” Elise says, looking confused as we pass her.
“He’ll live,” he calls over his shoulder. “I have bigger fish to fuck.”
The door to the clubhouse slams open, and he doesn’t bother to shut it as he drags me with purpose. He’s a man on a mission, and every fucking cell within me tightens. Someone is about to get their ass reamed, and even if it’s me, my fierce Lion is on a rampage is an eyeful.
Our door hits the wall with a bang and slams closed just as hard behind us before I’m shoved against it with force. His hands go to my tank, and he obliterates it, his teeth attacking my neck at the same time. I’m still unsure what’s going on, but who gives a shit?
“Do not fucking speak,” he rasps, releasing the button of my shorts. “You could’ve been fucking killed.”
“Not fuc—”
He smashes his hand over my mouth. “I said no talking. I just need to absorb you.” My shorts fall to the floor and he drops down with them. His eyes feast on my pussy before traveling up to meet mine. “I almost lost you.” His voice is hoarse, but his soft gaze turns to a glare when I take a heavy breath and open my mouth. “Don’t.”
His eyes fall, searing their way down my body to settle on his fingers as they slip through my wetness, causing me to moan and thrust against him. He flattens his palm against my lower abdomen to stop me from taking what I want. His gaze is dark and intense when he lifts his eyes.
“Let me have this.” Two fingers push inside, and he runs his tongue across his lower lip. “I need to just fucking take.”
My eyes roll closed, and my head thumps against the door. My mind has given in to his demand, while my body aches to meet his every action with one of my own. I clench my fists at my side, and my lower lip disappears between my teeth as I bite back a moan. I’m already on the brink, but a selfish part of me refuses to give him what he seeks.
I regulate my breathing and loosen my muscles as his fingers pump in and out of my soaked pussy. I’m meandering toward the inevitable cliff when his thumb presses tightly against my clit and sends me soaring. But I don’t let on. I absorb the waves of bliss and internalize them, not wanting this to be over, hoping to drive him deeper into his angry fucking need.
“I can feel your pussy convulsing, Randi,” he snarls, doubling his efforts. “You will give me what I want.”
I tilt my face upward to keep him from seeing the pleasure that radiates through me, but it doesn’t deter him. He chuckles in that harsh, not-so-funny way and removes his fingers, leaving me pulsing against air.
He stands tall, towering over me, his arms tense as they cage me against the door. “This is not the time to toy with me.”
“What are ya gonna do about it?” I taunt, aching for him to be inside me. “Seems to me you can’t quite get the job done.”
He growls, and I’m secretly delighted as he tosses me over his shoulder and stomps across the room to dump me onto the bed. I’m eager and antsy and nearly losing my fucking mind. He’s standing there huffing and glaring, and all I want is for him to finish what he started.
“Ass up and brace your hands on the headboard,” he commands, reaching for his belt buckle. “Someone n
eeds to atone for their disobedience.”
He pulls the leather from his beltloops and snaps it. That pushes me into action, and I crawl up the bed, positioning myself exactly as told. Then I wiggle my ass to catch his attention.
His eyes snap to mine, and they’re dark and stormy. “Is that an invitation?”
“Take it how you fucking want.” My fingers tighten around the wood as the bed dips with his weight.
A calloused hand strokes the soft flesh of my ass before a snap cracks through the air. The sting only heightens the anticipation that’s already buzzing through me like a live wire. My pussy is soaked, and I feel like I’ll explode if he comes anywhere near it. Another snap lights my skin on fire, and I need him now.
“Fuck me, Enzo,” I say, turning to meet his eyes over my shoulder. “Before I get bored.”
He goes rigid, and a sadistic smile curves his lips. “You never did know when to shut the fuck up.” He emphasizes his words with a thrust, ramming his cock into my pussy so hard I’m lucky it doesn’t shoot out my mouth. “Better hold tight, babe.”
I’m unable to form a coherent reply as he pounds into me from behind. All my energy is focused on clinging to the headboard as he sends me careening into orgasm again. This time, I don’t try to hold it in. I scream my pleasure loud enough for the entire clubhouse to hear.
By the third orgasm, I’m so blissed out that I can barely stay upright. My fingers are cramping, and my muscles are locked down, but he isn’t relenting. Skin slaps together as his pelvis comes in contact with my ass over and over. I can barely catch my breath between each thrust, and I’m on the brink of collapse when he slams into me with the fury of a man possessed, burying his cock as deep as it’ll go. His orgasm sets off a final one from me, which he sees to the end with his fingers circling my clit.
I fall to the bed in a battered heap, his cock slipping from my worn-out pussy with a plop. He smacks my bare ass, and I can’t even muster a response. I’ve been turned to gel. He’ll be lucky if I don’t seep into the mattress and disappear entirely.
The next sensation I feel, and I’m not sure how long after, is soft lips passing across my shoulder and trailing to my nape as Enzo pushes his hand through my sweaty hair. “I love you, Randi. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you.”
I roll to my back and cup his sharp jaw. “Ditto, babe.”
His lips descend and all the earlier fire is gone, leaving only love and honesty behind. He’s thankful I’m alive, and I can feel it in every thrust and swipe of his tongue. We’re connected, him and me, and today was a close call. I can’t even imagine the fear he must’ve felt as he raced to the scene.
I better never have to imagine it.
“Go get your answers,” I say as he pulls away. “Show those fucks who they’re messing with.”
He smirks, and happiness soars through me now that I see the darkness has cleared. “Wanna watch?”
I chuckle, stretching my arms over my head and pushing out my tits. “You’re gonna have to give me a few, but I’ll be on the other side of the window soon.” He tweaks my nipple, and I flop to my back with a happy sigh. “I need to get dressed and make sure my legs still work.”
He hovers over me, his eyes sparking with danger. “Don’t be too long. I’m not sure how much time our visitors have if they don’t open their fucking mouths and squawk like parrots.”
With another swipe of his lips, he’s headed toward the door, slipping his belt through the loops as he goes. He’s already yelling for Carl as soon as he hits the hallway, and I roll to my side and bury my hands beneath my cheek. I feel like a jellyfish, not quite in control of my limbs. I’m not sure if Enzo’s ever fucked me so thoroughly, and that’s saying something.
I lie there for another ten minutes before I drag myself from the bed and hop into a scorching shower. The heat reinvigorates my muscles, and by the time I’m done, I’m ready to watch my Lion in action. I toss on a pair of his basketball shorts, rolled at the waist, and a white tank before making my way from our room.
Catcalls follow me as I work my way through the game room, but I toss up the middle finger and keep on strolling. I’m a girl on a mission, and when focused, nothing can fucking distract me. I know if I keep walking, I’ll make my way down a set of stairs and into the dank underbelly of this already unsavory clubhouse. I can practically smell the blood as I enter the iron-walled enclosure.
Down the hall, light is reflecting through the two-way glass, but just as I start for it, Elise’s confused voice brings me to a halt. “Where are you going, Randi?”
I pause and turn to her at the top of the staircase. “I’m going to watch my Lion extract information from men who betrayed us.”
“Don’t be silly, dear.” She laughs lightly, tossing a hand my way. “Come back up here with the rest of the women.”
“Yeah, no.” I shake head. “I’m not sure what type of Stepford Wife club you’re running here, but that isn’t me. Besides, Enzo likes it when I watch.”
I turn and leave her standing there with a horrified expression. I don’t have time for their silliness. I can already hear the poor idiot’s screams. Serves him right, though. All he has to do to bring it to a swift end is tell my Lion what the fuck he knows.
And he knows something.
They always do.
As the action comes into view, my eyes lock on to my Lion. He’s pacing before the man, his muscles bulging and his eyes pinning the idiot down like any predator would. If my body wasn’t so thoroughly satisfied, I’d probably charge into the room and mount him in front of the bloodied fucker, but just the thought of it makes my pussy ache.
Enzo draws his fist back, and the light catches on brass as he swings. The man’s face jerks sideways and a glob of blood flies out of his mouth. I can tell my Lion is fired up, but I can’t quite make out his angry rant. When he stops yelling, he pops the man again—in the brow this time. At this point, the dumb fuck’s head is lolling, and Enzo’s pacing like a caged … well, lion.
A movement off to the side catches my attention, and I realize Carl’s been leaning against the wall. He steps over and tries to talk to Enzo, but my man is having none of it. His eyes are blazing as he spins on the president of the mother charter of the Dirty Lions MC, but he freezes mid-sentence, and his eyes move to me.
I’m on the other side of a two-way mirror, but that doesn’t mean jack shit. He can feel my presence.
The same way I can feel his.
FIVE
Off the Rails
ENZO
My heart slams against my ribcage. I can’t see her, but I know she’s there. Randi is my everything, and all other thoughts scatter as I remember the panic from earlier, the all-consuming fear that something had happened to her.
Carl’s concerns become nonexistent as my drive to find answers triples in urgency. I turn back to Handsy without another word. He’s pathetic really, already beaten to the point of crying. Maybe he is telling me all he knows, which isn’t a fucking thing, but I can’t take his word. Not when the most important thing in my world has been threatened.
My muscles coil tightly as I pace before the pathetic fuck, knowing her eyes are on me. “Tell me about the setup,” I say, much calmer than I feel. “Don’t skip a detail.”
“What for?” He lifts his bobbing head. “You’re still gonna kill me.”
“Probably.” I breathe deeply through my nose, fighting back the ire. “But wouldn’t you rather die by a bullet to the head than say, being lit on fire or almost drowned over and over?”
Carl steps forward then, propping his hands on the arms of Handsy’s chair and leaning down in his face. “This is my club. Talk and I might let you live.”
My fists ball at my sides, but I don’t say a fucking word. This is his club, and he calls the shots inside these walls. Doesn’t mean he has a fucking say once we’re no longer here. This fucker took some part in a deal that had a target on my team, so he can’t be allowed to survive. He
won’t be allowed to survive.
“I don’t know anything, C,” Handsy says, begging the president with his eyes. “Reynolds made the buy. All I was doing was helping him offload.”
“Who picked the spot?” I ask, crossing my arms over my chest. “The place we hooked up.”
He shakes his head. “All I did was pass along the information to C.”
“So you’re saying it was all Reynolds?” I fist my hand in his ratty red curls, yanking his head back. “Think carefully before you answer because if it turns out not to be true …” I trail off, chuckling humorlessly.
“I swear it,” he says, sweat beading on his brow. “I ain’t had no part in an ambush.” He aims his red-rimmed eyes at Carl. “I’d never betray the Lions. You gotta know that, man.”
Carl sighs, nodding as he straightens and looks to me. “I don’t think Handsy was in on it.”
“He can live …” I pause and shoot the scared little pussy a glare. “For now.” I start toward the hall, knowing seeing my girl will replace some of this hatred with love. “Have Reynolds in here by the time I return.” The sound of Carl’s chuckle echoes behind me as I step into the hall and lean against the wall opposite my girl.
She mimics my pose. “Did ya learn anything?”
My lip lifts in a snarl, but I keep my tone as light as I can. I’ve punished her enough for one day. “Not really. He’s blaming it all on the other guy.”
She pushes off the wall, taking measured steps to close the distance between us. “Do you buy that shit?”
“Carl does,” I counter, shrugging one shoulder. “So my hands are tied.”
“Tied?” she repeats, lifting a bitch bow. “Since when does any-fucking-body have the power to tie your goddamn hands?”
Her blue eyes are sparking with fire, and I get it, but this is one of those times where she’s going to have to bite her tongue. I don’t ask it of her often, hardly fucking ever really, but we’re at the mother MC. We’re guests in their fucking clubhouse. We don’t get to make the fucking rules.
I grip her jaw, pulling her face in so I can speak clearly. “I said they’re tied. I didn’t say they’d been chopped off.” I kiss her roughly, because a feeling of possessiveness overwhelms me when she’s so close, and shove her back. “You should probably go back upstairs.” I tilt my chin. “Having you close makes me fucking defiant, and I don’t want to push my luck.”