My damn cock ached when my mind wandered to Reagen. It had fond, fucking memories of her hot mouth on it. It wanted more, and so did I. I was hornier than I’d ever been in my life. It was fucking ridiculous, and damn near pathetic, how in such a short time I was addicted to one female.
The constant hard-on I was sporting made it uncomfortable to sit on my bike, but I had no choice. We were beginning the charity ride down the mountain. We all had to be on alert for signs of trouble. All I had for protection were the knives I carried at my waist, and in my boots.
The crowds were larger than usual, and that was a recipe for a fucking catastrophe. We had crew members surrounding the crowd, carrying guns, and dressed like any other gawker. But who’s to say our enemies didn’t have the same idea. Among the hoard, there could be enough damn automatic weapons to cut down half the crowd in seconds. I couldn’t imagine a freaking motive for it, but I wasn’t evil.
If they wanted the money we carried, it would be better to wait until the day ended. We’d have collected thousands more by the time the carnival was over.
I took a deep breath, and searched the crowd as I passed by for familiar faces from our crew and our enemies. My eyes caught sight of two women staring at me particularly intensely. I felt a damn tingle go up my spine. Something was fucking off about them. They appeared uncomfortable and nervous. Carefully, I found a break in the crowd, and rode my bike out of the lineup. Another rider closed the empty space I left behind. We were used to the sudden disappearances of our riders. Often, families beckoned to our members, and they couldn’t resist spending a moment with wives or children.
I left my bike, locked and alarmed, behind a gas station, and went on foot to hunt down the black-haired woman who seemed vaguely familiar. She had been wearing skintight jeans, a t-shirt with a picture of a Disney cartoon on it, and a red hoodie. I swore I’d never met her before, yet her eyes called out to me.
The woman beside her was dressed similarly, except her white hair was short, and didn’t fit with her unlined, cherubic face.
I didn’t see how they could be trouble, but they made me damn nervous all the same. I knew my gut was trying to warn me about something, and it was my fucking job as enforcer to listen to what my instincts screamed at me.
“Damn it all to hell and back,” I growled to myself as I drew close to the odd pair. Their disguises were good, but they couldn’t hide their scent. Neither woman had thought about changing perfumes along with their hair color and clothes.
Bonnie’s vanilla and jasmine perfume was a signature scent, bought for her by her dad on her sixteenth birthday. He had kept her supplied with it ever since. I assumed she now wore it to remember her dad.
Reagen, on the other hand, smelled of lavender and white roses, the shower gel she’d used when I’d helped wash her. It was a smell I would always associate with her for the rest of my life. It had clung to her soft thighs when I’d buried my head between them. My cock throbbed dangerously in recognition.
The foolish bitches had risked a lot by coming to the charity ride. They were the perfect attraction for kidnapping by our newfound enemies. I was furious at them for their stupidity, and wanted to drag their asses off for a damn spanking. That was an impossibility at the moment, because the crowd would turn into a fucking mob if I so much as laid a hand on them. Dressed as they were, no one would believe they belonged to our club. I would be seen as a damn evil pervert, or a vicious attacker. Either way, it would disrupt the charity ride, and cause more problems than the girls’ presence was doing. I’d be calling attention to them, when, for now, I was the only one who knew they were here.
“You little piece of fucking shit,” I whispered into Reagen’s ear. “What the hell were you thinking? Haven’t you been enough trouble already? For shit’s sake, your ex-lover is here. I’ve seen several of the Blue Diablos hanging around. The assholes won’t ride with us, saying we screwed Maxum over, but they don’t mind the crowd giving them some of the credit for our hard work. I can’t believe you dragged an innocent like Bonnie with you. You’ve got to be some new kind of ignorant, or you have a death wish. If anything happens to Bonnie, I won’t be able to save your fucking hide from my own damn club, and I’m not sure I’d want to.”
Bonnie shoved at my back. She was trying to protect Reagen from my wrath, and it would have made me laugh if things hadn’t been so seriously fucked up. I grabbed each of them by the elbow, gritting my teeth, and pretending to smile as I guided them away from the front row of spectators. Both tried valiantly to throw me off, but I only squeezed their arms harder. Bruising them slightly was better than letting them get kidnapped, or worse, killed.
Back at my bike, they let their anger loose on me. Bonnie pounded her fists on my chest, and yelled, “You fucking asshole! Reagen didn’t drag me anywhere. This was my idea. I suggested it, found the funky clothes, and bought the damn wigs. We’re both adults, you jerk! We can go wherever we please, whenever we please. This is none of your damn business!”
“You’ve endangered yourselves, and the crew! What the hell did you expect to accomplish?” I continued screaming at Reagen. Though Bonnie had sworn it was her idea, I had a difficult time believing her. To me, she was still Devon’s baby girl.
“We only wanted to see the riders. Bonnie told me what a spectacular sight you all made. I wanted to see it for myself. Jacob would never bring me. We were perfectly safe, Seth. That is, until you made us part of the fucking show. If we were noticed by your damn enemies, it was your own damn fault. It’s hard to believe you saw through the disguises. What did we do to give us away?” Reagen asked calmly, as if she had snuck into a fucking prom or something.
“So, you admit this was all because of you, do you? Well, your ridiculous plan had a huge fucking flaw! Bonnie was too silly to realize one of us would smell her signature perfume, and you seem to have forgotten that I’d know your scent a mile away. I’ve been close enough to learn it intimately, if you get my drift. Besides, you both were obviously very uncomfortable with what you’re wearing. You look like some damn middle-class soccer moms, and the choice of a white wig was really freakin’ idiotic. Bonnie, your skin is as smooth as a baby’s bottom. It’s a giveaway to your age. You both fucked up! Go back to the club. I’ll let Tony deal with you later,” I ordered.
“You can’t tell me what to do, Seth. As you already know, I’m not a member of the damn club, so I don’t take orders from you or Tony. Go fuck yourself! I’m not leaving!” Bonnie screamed in my face.
“And I won’t leave her here alone,” Reagen added. “I’m staying to watch after her. Leave us alone. You’re the one making people look. Walk away. We’ll get lost in the crowd.”
Like hell I would. They were right about one thing— I was bringing them to everyone’s notice. Without throwing their rebellious asses over my shoulder, there was nothing I could do to force the fools to go back to the club. I had to back off, before the Blue Diablos took notice, or the Shadow Order decided the girls looked like tasty marks.
“I’ll back off, but I’m not going away. I’ll be watching your backs, you stupid bitches. I hope you realize you’re taking one less pair of fucking eyes off guard duty. If something bad goes down in my zone, it will be all your fault,” I growled, stepping away.
I followed a discreet distance behind them for the next two hours. I kept watch over them, and scanned the crowd for trouble. Things remained calm, too calm for my gut to relax. I could feel the tension in the air. A mess was brewing, and we wouldn’t be able to keep it from happening no matter how hard we tried, or how vigilant we were.
Luckily nothing started before the ride was over. My mind eased a tiny bit as the carnival came to a close, and all the children went back into the hospital. Most of the crowd was beginning to disperse when the first signs of trouble began.
Our guards worked their way to the hospital’s back entrance, where we would deliver the money to the hospital board president. A few hangers-on were there to watch as we
passed the cash over to the same bald-headed man who had taken it the previous year. The clapping almost covered the sound of a silenced gun’s popping. The bullet struck the brick beside the board president’s head. He fell backward into the doorway, safe from harm. We swung around to shove the public to the ground, where we prayed they would be safe from further gunplay.
Vince tackled the closest offender, cutting the man’s hand, which forced him to drop his gun. Tony jabbed his blade into an arm, causing blood to spurt in our faces.
Some screams broke my eardrums, and caused me to lose focus for an instant. At that moment, Maxum appeared. He held a gun to my chest, and ordered, “Get the money, and hand it over. I don’t want any more of you to be hurt than necessary, and it’s up to you to stop it from happening. All I want is the cash. You know I need it.”
I could see the sweat pouring down his face. He looked nothing like our former Prez. His eyes were hollow, dark-rimmed, and sunken. He’d lost at least twenty pounds, and his hands were shaking. I knew I could take him down without getting shot. He was too weak, and too desperate to follow through on his threat. He truly didn’t want us to die.
I moved to knock the gun from his grasp, but Reagen interfered. She hit him over the head with a sign she had pulled out of the ground. The wooden stake that had held it up temporarily was not enough to bring Maxum down. It only riled him, setting off an anger I didn’t know he was capable of. He swung the gun, which bounced off my shoulder, numbing it. Then, he shot into the air, sending a chunk of plaster down onto Bonnie’s head. Blood ran down her pale face. Before I’d recovered, he had his arm across Reagen’s neck, choking her.
I became oblivious to the chaos around us. There were gunshots and sirens, but I was focused on saving Reagen. Rage overwhelmed me. I charged forward, ignoring the gun Maxum still held. I was fast enough to stop him from raising it. Instead, it was trapped between our bodies when I began tearing at his arm. Bloody streaks appeared, and rivulets of blood dropped to the ground. He screamed in protest, and cursed me.
“You damn asshole, fucker! All you had to do was give me the damn money! The whore doesn’t have to die. Just get the cash. I’m not letting go, no matter what you do, Seth. You know me. I was your damn Prez. Do this one last thing, and I’ll leave all of you alone,” he argued.
“You’ve done more than enough already, you pissant, fucker!” I yelled back, still digging deep gouges in his arm. “Devon’s dead because of you. He was worth a thousand of you, asshole. You left Bonnie without a father, all for money and dope. I wouldn’t help you if you were dying in the damn desert. Let her the fuck go!”
Reagen suddenly came to life, fighting to get a breath. She managed to stomp on his foot, and elbow him in the gut. That gave me an opening. I ripped his head backward, pulling out chunks of hair. He let Reagen go, and we began to fight for possession of the gun.
We rolled between the feet of those fighting above us, taking kicks in the back and sides. I had Maxum on his back, ready to punch him senseless, when I heard the cops approaching. I paused, and Maxum took advantage of the moment, rolling out from beneath me. As we struggled, the gun went off. I was certain the bullet struck his shoulder, but he still managed to get to his feet and stumble.
To keep from falling, he grabbed Reagen by the hair, but it came off in his hand, because it was a wig. He cursed, and ran. I ignored him, not caring at all that he was getting away. The damage had already been done. Reagen’s identity was revealed.
Through the chaos, Jacob saw her shining blonde locks, and let out a yell. “You bitch! You fucking whore! I’ve got you now! You’re gonna pay!”
I heard the whimper she made, and saw that she was frozen in place. Her eyes were full of terror. She was shaking so hard, you could hear her teeth rattle. Bonnie stepped in front of her as I rose from the ground. She shouted, “You cocksucker! Get the hell away from her. She doesn’t belong to you anymore. She’s under the protection of the Midnight Saints.”
Oh, shit. What the fuck? Bonnie shouldn’t have told him that. Now, even if we made it out of this cluster fuck, Jacob would know where Reagen was, and he’d retaliate. Tony would never forgive me for bringing the wrath of the Blue Diablos down on our club.
Jacob tore through the mob, coming for Reagen. I couldn’t let the asshole lay a finger on her. Damn it! She was mine, whether she realized it or not. Sweat and blood were dripping off both of us, and the snarls on our faces were that of animals. With a roar, we crashed together. My fist made contact with his barely healed nose, and broke it all over again. He slammed his head into mine, causing a dizzy spell. Rage tore through me. I fucking wanted the asshole dead, but I didn’t get the chance to follow through with my wish.
The cops had reached us. They were arresting and handcuffing people as they moved through the crowd. Tony, and the Diablos’ Prez ripped us apart. Both shouted, “Get the hell out of here!”
My body was quivering with rage. I fought Tony. I wanted nothing more than to go after the fucking asshole who had abused Reagen. Then, I felt a small hand on my arm. With Reagen’s touch came sanity. Still shaking with anger and frustration, I stopped fighting. Tony released me, and as a group we ran for the bikes.
I shoved my helmet toward Reagen, and urged her to get on the back of the bike. Tony did the same for Bonnie. He would save his wrath over their stupidity for later. Now, we needed to get away without being arrested.
We took the bikes through the nearby forest, dodging trees and rocks. Other clubs had chosen the same route, so we were dodging them too. The cops didn’t follow, because being on foot in a mass of motorcycles was beyond stupid. They would lose that battle before it began.
Finally, clear of the mess, we pulled over to count heads. We had to be sure we all made it out, free and safe. Everyone was accounted for, with the two women to spare. With no life-threatening injuries, we took one last look down the mountainside to see how the ruckus was ending. The parking lots were clearing, and we didn’t see any innocents being taking into ambulances or police cars. So as far as we were concerned, all was as well as could be expected.
Chapter 13
Reagen
Seth was as furious as any man I’d ever met. I felt him shaking with rage, not at the enemies as he’d been doing before, but at me. I had royally fucked up, and I knew it. I was older than Bonnie, though just barely, so I should have found a way to dissuade her from this plan. The problem was that I had wanted to go as badly as she did, so I had made an awful mistake. Believe me, I regretted it dearly.
Not only had we drawn Seth away from his duties, but we had also brought down the wrath of the Blue Diablos onto the Midnight Saints. I knew Bonnie had realized her slip of the tongue the instant the words left her mouth, but it was too late to take them back. My only hope was for the Blue Diablos not to give a fuck about Jacob’s ol’ lady. The Saints were witness to the condition I had turned up in. Maybe, that was proof enough of what a monster Jacob was, and they wouldn’t raise a hand to aid him. They might even drum him out of the crew.
Scared shitless for the punishment I was about to receive, I still was joyous to be riding behind Seth. I held his waist in my arms, and his warm back rubbed my aroused nipples. Bouncing on the bike, the seat between my legs, made other things grow aroused. It was a bad time to think about sex, but I never did things in the right order. Imagining Seth’s cock deep inside me kept me from worrying so much about what trouble I was in.
When we reached the club, Seth didn’t say a word. He gripped my hand tightly, and dragged me into the club. He bypassed Tony, saying, “I’ll handle her. She’s my problem, so I’ll take any blame for this shit. You can deal with Bonnie.”
He dropped my hand to slam the door to my room shut. His eyes shot daggers at me, and his nostrils were flared. As he stepped toward me, I raised my hands in defense. I assumed he was going to hit me. Jacob would have.
Seth stopped in his tracks. “What the hell are you doing? Wait a minute. You thought I was goi
ng to beat you, didn’t you? For shit’s sake, Reagen! I don’t fucking hit women. I’m not that asshole, Jacob. I’m not even in the same category as that piece of shit. Yes, I’m seriously pissed at you. My heart is pounding so hard, it feels like it’s about to burst out of my chest. You were damn stupid to leave the protection of the club. You put yourself and Bonnie in danger. You caused a shitload of problems for the Saints too. Now, Jacob knows where you are, and we have to fight more enemies. The crew blames me, as they should. Damn it! Why would you do this?”
Tears plummeted down my cheeks. Having Seth so disappointed in me, and causing him to have to take the blame for my fucking stupidity, hurt far worse than any beating I’d ever experienced. I was ashamed, and mortified.
“I’m sorry. Truly, I am. It was stupid, but I wanted to watch you ride. I was never allowed to go to the charity ride. I was always covered in bruises, and Jacob didn’t want anyone to see me. Bonnie was determined to go, and I told myself that if I went too, I could protect her. It was a fucking shitty excuse to get me what I wanted. I swear, it wasn’t my idea. I just didn’t try very hard to stop us.”
“You could have asked for permission,” he growled.
“You would have said no, and so would Tony.”
“Probably. But if we’d said yes, we’d have found a better way to protect you than those lame-ass disguises. Those were pathetic. What kind of punishment do you think you deserve? I really want to turn you over my knee, and spank your sweet ass, but that’s too much like Jacob. So, what should I do to ease my anger, and teach you a fucking lesson?” Seth asked.
I saw something besides anger in his beautiful eyes. Was it lust? Did he want me despite what a fool I’d been, and what terrible trouble I was causing the Saints? I decided to take my chances.
Abandon (Midnight Saints MC Book 1) Page 9