by KJ Dahlen
Brinn shivered at his words as her body felt cold again at the idea behind his words. She didn’t think he knew what he was talking about but many of the men sitting here agreed with him. She closed her eyes and sent up a prayer for the people of Laredo.
Chapter Seven
The day wore on and soon, Python and his boys were going back to Hondo. Some of Gunner’s men would follow in the next few days but for now, they remained in Jasper.
Moose kept Brinn close to him all day. He knew this was all so new to her and he didn’t want to scare her. Now she stood at the window, staring out into the parking lot. He caught her standing there and thought she looked lonesome over there all by herself.
He was standing with Gunner and Boone.
Gunner noted his view and asked the other man. “So what’s going on between you and Brinn?”
Moose glanced over at his president and shrugged. “I found her and I’m keeping her.”
“Just like that huh?” Gunner glanced over at Boone and smiled.
“Just like that,” Moose stated.
“And does she agree with that statement?” Boone asked.
“She hasn’t said no.” Moose shrugged.
“What if she’s waiting for everything to settle down and then she goes back to Laredo a free woman?” Gunner played devil’s advocate.
Moose shook his head. “I don’t think she has many fond memories of Laredo. In fact, I don’t think she’s had fond memories of anywhere she’s ever lived. Her mother wasn’t any kind of real mother to her. She’s had a hard life, so she doesn’t know what she’s missed.” He paused then said, “All I know is that no one will ever hurt her again. That much I can and will do for her.”
Boone shook his head. “Yeah, I think Joey would have killed her if he’d been able to connect today. And the thing was she didn’t do anything wrong.”
Gunner nodded then he looked over at Brinn. “What do you think of what she said about Joey’s girlfriend and their baby?”
Boone shook his head. “She’s got a soft heart doesn’t she? But then most women do have a soft touch in their hearts.”
Moose snorted. “Most women? Not the women I know. They would only care about themselves. They wouldn’t give a shit about a woman they don’t even know.”
“And yet... Brinn does,” Gunner pointed out.
Moose nodded. “Yeah, she does. That says a lot about her doesn’t it? I know she didn’t get that from her own mother. Her mother was going to let Luther sell her wasn’t she? Brinn isn’t stupid, she knew this too.”
Gunner stared at him. “So, what do you want us to do here?”
Moose shrugged. “I think we need to send some guys to Laredo to find this girlfriend of Joey’s and get her out of the city. I’m not sure Cobra or his boys are going to worry about that when shit starts flying. They’re gonna have their hands full with the Bragos.”
Gunner sighed hard. Running his hands over the back of his head, he looked around the room thinking about who he could send in. His eyes found Skeeter. Skeeter had been here all day and he had heard Brinn’s ideas earlier. In fact, Skeeter had come to Gunner to talk to him after Python and Cobra left. He agreed with Brinn about Craylon’s intentions. He knew the type of man Craylon was and he’d heard the stories about him from the Ranger’s side of things.
He motioned for Skeeter to join them.
The other man came over and just looked at his president.
“You seem awful deep in thought over there, Skeet. I was curious to know what you were thinking about?” Gunner asked him.
“I was thinking about Joey’s betrayal.” Skeeter shook his head. “I’ve been watching Laredo the last few months and I know when Python and the boys go in, they are gonna rip the heart out of the city. There’s gonna be civilian casualties and they are gonna leave blood in the streets. Brinn was right. That girlfriend and their child will be one of those civilians caught in the crossfire. They won’t survive.”
“Unless you go in and get them out,” Gunner spoke quietly.
Skeeter raised his head and stared at him. “Are you asking me or telling me?”
“As you’re still a Ranger I’m asking,” Gunner clarified his position. “I don’t have the right to order you yet.”
“I only have two weeks left in the Rangers. You know that,” Skeeter commented.
“But two weeks is too much time,” Gunner pointed out. “She needs to be out now. Or like you said... she becomes another victim.”
Skeeter shrugged. “I can try.”
Moose turned to look at the other man. “As long as you’re there, can you try and find the paperwork Craylon took from her mother? I know you want to get in and out as quickly as you can but it might give Brinn some answers. Answers she needs.”
Skeeter exhaled deeply. “If I have time I’ll try, but I want to get in, get the girl and get the hell out without getting caught in the crossfire.” He shook his head. “But I will try.”
“That’s all I can ask.” Moose held out his hand. “Brinn’s life hasn’t been easy and she has no clue who she even is. She needs value as a person and right now, she doesn’t have that.”
“And does that bother you?” Gunner wanted to know.
“Fuck no.” Moose growled. “I know what that girl has deep down inside her. I can see her compassion as a person, but she can’t. She has very little self-worth and if I can help her find her way to that, I will.”
Skeeter looked at the clock on the wall. He noted the time before he turned back to Gunner. “If I leave now, I’ll get there after dark and I should be able to get around the city undisturbed.”
“That’s true.” Gunner nodded. “You might not even meet Craylon if Brinn is right about them spending a lot of time at the club.”
“You want me to take backup?” Skeeter wanted to know.
“Might not be a bad idea,” Gunner agreed.
“I’d like to go with him if that’s okay with you guys,” a voice said from behind them.
Skeeter turned and saw Gypsy standing there.
Skeeter froze as he looked into the other man’s eyes. Then he held out his hand to him. Their history had been bad for a long time. Skeeter had arrested the man who killed Gypsy’s woman back when and the man got out to kill again. Skeeter finally took him down though.
Gypsy took it without hesitation. “I would be proud to be your backup, Skeet.”
Skeeter nodded. “Then let’s roll, brother.”
The two men left a few minutes later.
Moose turned to Gunner and Boone. “Let’s not say anything in case they can’t bring her back.”
Boone agreed with his reasoning. “Yeah, we don’t want to get Brinn’s hopes up, only to crush them if the boys don’t succeed.”
Gunner watched the woman in question then turned to Moose. “I think she’s a little lost at the moment.”
Moose nodded. “She’s afraid of all the people around here. She’s used to being left alone all the time.” He smiled. “Maybe I should reassure her she’s safe.”
“Is that what they call it nowadays?” Gunner chuckled as he grinned. “Safe?”
Moose laughed out loud and gave his president the finger as he went to join Brinn. Wrapping his arms around her waist when he reached her, he whispered in her ear, “Are you okay?”
Brinn smiled slightly and leaned back against his chest. “I think so. It’s just so noisy with so many people around. I miss the quiet.”
“Do you need a break from all the noise?” he asked her. “We can go to my room if you like.”
She looked at him over her shoulder. “You wouldn’t mind?”
Moose grinned. “No honey, I wouldn’t mind at all.” He let go of her and reached out to take her hand. “Come on.”
Leading her down the hall, he led her up the stairs and onto the second floor, they continued down the hall to his room. There weren’t too many others that lived on the second floor, so it was nice and quiet up there.
&nbs
p; When Moose opened his door and ushered her in, she looked around the oversized room.
The walls were painted a soft grey color and the bedspread was black as were the pillows on the bed. Other accents were also in black and dark blue. She thought at first it was kind of depressing but then after a few minutes, she realized the color scheme fit the man. “This is nice.” She moved around the room. She went over to the window and looked out into the late afternoon sun. “You can see a long way from up here can’t you?”
Moose walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her. “Yeah, I guess you can.” They stood there for a few minutes before he asked her, “Are you really okay? I know today was hard for you.”
Brinn sighed hard. “Yeah, it was. No one ever asked me anything before. Not like that. My mom always told me to never stick my nose in anyone else’s business. To her way of thinking, kids were not to be seen or heard from. She would barely speak to me for days on end sometimes. I think there were days when she forgot I was even there. Luther for the most part, ignored me and no one else was allowed to ever see me. I was like a ghost in that house. I was there but they never really saw me.” She turned her head toward the window. “I would go up in the house as high as I could get on the third floor, find a window, and just look over the city. Some days, it would be quiet with hardly anyone out and about, then other days, I could see hundreds of people on the streets. I never knew where they were going but I could make up stories in my head about what they doing. But mostly, no one ever saw me...” Her voice faded to nothing when she was done.
“Well, I see you,” he told her quietly. “You aren’t a ghost to me.”
“Will you kiss me?” she whispered.
Moose smiled. “Yeah, I can do that.” He turned her in his arms and then he lowered his mouth to hers. He wanted to kiss her gently so as not to scare her but the moment his lips met hers he groaned as electricity arced between them.
Reaching up, she, wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body against his. When the kiss deepened, it was her turn to moan when she pulled her lips from his. “Oh, my god,” she cried out. “Moose, what have you done to me?”
Moose had been lost in the kiss and it had been the same for him. He took a step or two and pushed her against the wall. His knees felt weak and he needed to stabilize himself against the onslaught of feelings the kiss brought to the surface. he then took her mouth again, her flavor too addicting to stop kissing her.
Brinn arched her back pressing harder against him searching for something more. She tore herself away from his mouth again, and groaned in frustration. “I need something, something more but I don’t know what.” She began to tremble.
“Me,” he insisted wildly. “You need me.”
“Show me?” She begged. “Please show me.”
Moose took a moment to look at her, really look at her. He caught her jaw in his fingers and brought her face up to his. “If we take this any further, I want you to know it means you will belong to me. I want you to understand that right here... right now. That means you will stay with me forever. There won’t be any running away to hide from Luther or the Rebels. I can and will protect you. Do you understand that? Our lives will be forever linked if we do this.”
She was silent for a moment then she had to ask, “Why? I mean it might just be sex to you? Why do you want me in a serious way? I don’t get it...”
Moose smiled gently. “Brinn, the moment I looked at you in that dirty smelly room in McAllen I saw you. Something in me saw who you really were and I wanted you. All I know is that I can’t let you go. So you have to know when we take this next step, you will belong to me.”
Brinn smiled slowly, pushing him back a step, she held out her hand and said, “Show me. Teach me what I need to know so I can walk beside you with my head held high. I want to make you proud of me. I want to belong to you.”
“Sweet woman,” he breathed in deeply. “I’m already there. Now come here.” He wrapped her up tight in his arms while lifting her feet off the floor and carried her over to his bed.
He stripped them both from their clothes and then his hot satiny skin came down against hers as he laid her down on the mattress to show her what love and passion was all about.
His lips and teeth nibbled over her skin as he kissed his way from her mouth to her core. He placed his mouth on her and licked then sucked in her button.
Her body nearly arched out of his grasp and she whimpered, as she never knew someone would or could do that to her... it had just never occurred to her that a man would want to lick her there and taste her. He drove her insane with lust as he introduced her to the passion of her own body.
Moving up along her trembling body, he then made a feast of her nipples sucking and tweaking them with his fingers and his hot mouth.
Panting wildly, Brinn remained in a state of awe and pleasure, such as she’d never known before. Her body opened itself up to him, begging for more. She felt on fire, yet it was the best heat she had ever known.
When he pushed himself into her, she was more than ready and he showed her a whole new way of expressing herself. She thrust her hips toward him when he pulled back, she lost herself to something so sweet just from the feeling of him taking her and it was heavenly as she nearly floated away into another world. One, where she wasn’t alone anymore.
Tears filled her eyes as they both went flying over the edge towards something so beautiful that she had to close her eyes and ride the wave of passion.
Chapter Eight
It was after midnight in the city when Skeeter and Gypsy rolled into town. Tensions were high here and there was no one on the streets. They could see the flames of something burning in one part of town and could hear the shooting in another but not on the streets of the west side where they were. They arrived at the address Rigger had given them for Craylon and the house was in darkness as they pulled over still a ways away.
“I’m not sure I like this,” Gypsy told his partner. He was checking out the neighborhood carefully.
“I hear ya,” Skeeter grumbled. “But I don’t see we got much choice here.”
“Well, this isn’t gonna get done if we don’t get to moving here,” Gypsy stated. He reached down to the pocket on the door and grabbed a small crowbar. He slipped it in his boot and they set off.
“Quick and quiet, like always,” Skeeter whispered.
Gypsy nodded and together, they moved to where Brinn thought the dungeon was located. Then both men began searching the backyard for what was described as a storm shelter. Gypsy found it inside a small shed at the back of the yard.
Both men wouldn’t fit inside the shed so Skeeter whispered, “You take care of this. Moose wanted me to see if I could find the papers Craylon took from Brinn’s mom.”
“Don’t be too long then.” Gypsy nodded.
“Get the woman out and I’ll meet you back at the truck. Be careful brother,” Skeeter said then he sprinted across the back lawn and began looking for a way inside the house. He found the patio doors open slightly, so he grabbed his gun and went inside.
The moment he stepped inside, he knew something was terribly wrong. He caught a strong scent of blood in the air and he stepped forward carefully. When he got closer to the desk in the middle of the room, he thought someone was sitting there.
He moved to the shadows and waited for whoever was sitting there to notice him, but they never did. Then he felt something being shoved into his side. “I don’t know who you are but you’re too late,” a faint voice growled from behind him.
“Too late? Too late for what?” he asked in a harsh whisper.
A few seconds later, the voice behind him said, “Too late for either revenge or for saving. He’s dead.”
Skeeter turned swiftly and caught the person behind him unaware. He snatched the gun out of the person’s hand and growling, he backed up the slight figure slamming it into the wall behind him. The figure cried out and Skeeter frowned. It sounded like a woman’s c
ry. “Who the fuck are you?” he growled.
“It doesn’t matter who I am.” She snarled at him. “I’m getting the hell out of this damn house before whoever did that to him comes back.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Skeeter growled.
“Craylon is dead you nimrod,” she grumbled. “He’s been dead for a couple of hours now and I’m leaving this fucking house. My hell is over and I am fucking getting out of here.”
Skeeter grabbed her wrist and dragged her over to the desk where he found a lamp and when he snapped it on, he found himself looking into Craylon’s face. But the man himself was far beyond anything Skeeter could do. His face was frozen in horror, his eyes glazed over in the thousand mile stare.
His shirt was stained with bright red from the cut across his throat that laid his entire throat open. The blood was already drying and turning brown. Craylon had his mouth open in a scream that no one would ever hear.
“What the fuck happened to him?” Skeeter wanted to know as he turned his head to glare at the woman he still had a hold of.
He found himself looking at a small woman, only about five foot four inches tall. Her dark hair pulled back and braided down the back of her neck. Her eyes were a honey color and at the moment she looked in shock. She was staring at the man sitting behind the desk then she struggled as she said, “I have to get gone. If they come back, I’m a dead woman.” She looked up at him as tears ran down her face. “I can’t be here anymore and you shouldn’t be here either. The city is going crazy tonight and it’s not safe for anyone.”
“I know,” Skeeter admitted. “But I’m here to collect some papers Craylon got his hands on a few weeks ago. Do you know where they would be?”
She nodded. “Bottom drawer left side. That’s where he keeps all his important papers.” She tried to get away again but Skeeter wouldn’t let her go. “What are you doing? Let me get the hell out of here.”
“Not until I get what I came for.” He growled at her then he shook her. “Tell me your name.”