by Snow, Nicole
I gave him an icy stare 'til he broke eye contact. Stryker was a hungry new pup with his patch, sure, but that didn't mean he'd get away with disrespecting the top dogs who'd been here for years.
“Call Blackjack. I'll talk to Sally or Norm myself.”
His eyes widened. “You sure, Roman? The girl might be less cooperative if you –“
This time, my eyes turned his ass to stone faster than a fucking Medusa. I shot him a look so dirty his lips stopped dead. Stryker grunted, turned around, and started heading for his bike to phone it in.
That's what I thought. I grabbed my bike and rode down the road toward the center of the farm, where they had all the family shit.
It was a clear night, and the high silvery stars were coming out. They hung like shrapnel in the sky, reminding me one wrong move with Sally could shred my world to even tinier fragments.
Fucking hell. Part of me hoped I'd hash it out with Norm, and the other half hoped to see Sally. Shit, see her?
No, that was a lie. That part of me hoped to grab her, slam her against the nearest wall, and make her apologize for the pile of shit she'd laid on me at the clubhouse. Then I'd twist her chin 'til her lips were open, ready to be sucked, teased, and bitten. I'd rob every oxygen molecule outta this chick's lungs, leave her tasting me for the next week.
Big surprise, my dick throbbed by the time I pulled up and killed the engine. I yanked on my jeans and headed for the door, hoping the damned wood between my legs went down before it turned me dumb.
A couple other bikers were there in front of the house. Old Southpaw stood near their garden on the hill, having a smoke. He saw me, nodded, and returned to gazing across the fields.
I'd seen him sling lead a few times before. He was roughly Blackjack's age, and even less spry, but he'd survived club life long enough to know a few nasty tricks. He'd be useful if any cartel parasites were stupid enough to show their faces.
Running up the short cement staircase, I saw the light on in the kitchen through the screen, and banged on it with my fists. No answer after twenty seconds, so I pounded it again.
Nothing.
“Sally? Norm? Come the fuck out. We gotta talk!” I cupped my hands over my mouth and yelled the last part.
Still no movement. Thankfully, the screen wasn't locked, but that shit wouldn't have stopped me when I ripped it open.
It banged shut behind me, and I marched into the house, one hand on the holster near my hip. The Mexicans were sneaky motherfuckers, and I doubted they'd be able to get through our patrols unnoticed, but uglier things had happened in this business before.
Fuck, it was quiet in the farmhouse. Too damned quiet.
Where the hell was Beam? And Sally?
Something moved outside the window in the fields outta the corner of my eye. I whipped around and saw Norm with his salt and pepper hair moving near the garden, winding up a hose.
One accounted for. Two more missing.
The kitchen opened into a big living area, and at first it looked just as empty as everything else. I turned to head up the rickety old staircase, before I heard the laugh coming from the nook next to it.
I heard a wet smacking sound, recognized it instantly. Finding some cartel asshole with his dagger to my girl's throat would've only hit me a little harder.
My girl? Fuck no, she wasn't. Not with her lips on another brother.
Still, that didn't mean I was gonna shrug and walk away the second I saw Beam holding her against the wall, his punk ass crop of hair flopping as he moved his lips against hers.
Sally's eyes were huge, and they turned into big blue moons the second she saw me. Our eyes locked. Rage steamed through every drop of blood in my veins. She didn't take her eyes off me for a second, deepening her kiss, suddenly shifting her hips into his.
No way. No goddamned fuckin' way. She's not teasing me like this and getting the hell away with it.
“Thieving jackass – get the fuck off!” Everything happened in a blur.
I moved so fucking fast, all on auto-pilot, that I barely realized what my hands were doing before they clutched Beam's throat, twisted him around, and threw him against the fucking staircase. He hit the banister with a sick pop, about the time Sally screamed.
Beam roared, kicked, and twisted on the ground, bounding back on his feet. Okay, so the blow hadn't cracked his spine. Why the fuck did that disappoint me so much?
“What the fuck are you doing!?” They both screamed it simultaneously, like getting hot and heavy had linked their minds or something.
I ignored her and started heading for the fuck cornered by the banister. Growling, he took a predictable swing when I was about a foot away. I caught his wrist and twisted it with ease, bending it backward like fucking putty.
“You're here to do a job, asshole. Not make a move on the woman who owns this place. You step the fuck away right now, maybe I won't have to break your good riding wrist.”
“Fuck you, Roman,” Beam snarled, pain narrowing his eyes. “Where do you get off? You're not the Prez. You've got no right!”
“Whatever. Keep talking, asshole. I'll let you explain your broken paw to Blackjack.”
I wasn't serious. Snapping a brother's wrist would land me in a world of shit.
But I bent his hand to the limits, making him double over with rage and hurt, all while Sally finally caught up to me, beating on my back and screaming incoherently.
“Let him fucking go, Roman! This isn't your business! It's my house!”
If only it were so easy to ignore her the rest of the time. I didn't let up the death grip on his wrist 'til his knees hit the floor, and he became a gibbering mess, begging me to let go.
“Last chance, brother.” That last word dripped sarcasm all over the fucking place. “You gonna be a good boy and behave yourself, or do I have to get papa involved?”
One more tug on the wrist. Beam grunted, then forced his eyes open, staring at me with the beaten hatred I'd seen on men when I remind them who's the strongest bastard in the room.
“Let go. Please. I'll bounce.”
All I needed to hear. My hands released and I stepped backward. It took the fuck a few seconds to collect himself and stand up again. Turning, I finally looked at Sally, and she shook her head, tears bright in her beautiful eyes.
It was hard as fuck not to go after Beam. Christ, how long were they at it? Did he feel her tits? Her hot wet pussy?
Everything making me lose my goddamned mind for years? Everything I wanted to suck and own and fuck, even after she'd spat in my face several times over?
“Sally...” She looked away when I reached for her, whipping her head around to hide the tears. “You gotta talk to me, babe. I came in here on business. Honest. Seeing my boy fucking around like that wasn't part of the plan.”
“Your plan doesn't rule my life!” she snapped. “None of this does. We're supposed to be done, Roman. I knew I should've taken this upstairs...”
“No, you never should've kissed this asshole. Period. You outta see him at the clubhouse. Our new brother goes through a new slut every week, and you were about to be his latest toy.” My turn to shake my head. “Fucking shit, Sally. We both know you're better than a casual fuck.”
“Am I?” Her blue eyes cut right through me, laser beams running on bald faced hate. “Casual's all we were, wasn't it? We made our mistakes and trashed what we had. I'm moving on, and you don't have any say. Besides, you want to talk about poor Beam going casual? Let's talk about what I saw you doing at the clubhouse, Roman. You're the manwhore. You're the one who came out naked, that pigtailed slut hanging on your arm, bawling me out for some crap I never even did!”
“You can kill the high and mighty shit, babe.” Fuck, she didn't get it. “This is all club business. That's why I'm standing here. It's not about us. I'm not letting you ride Beam's dick, and that's got nothing to do with our ancient history.”
“No? Then why barge in here and look at me like you're so fucking jealous you can
hardly stand it? I saw the way you went after him, Roman. That's not business – not even club business.”
Fuck, she was playing with fire. My fists burned, begging me to grab her, throw her against the wall, and shut those hot lips up for good. I'd show her what a real man could do with her lips, put that little pissant with the goofy haircut to shame for good.
Remind her how much better I am, in every single way, and always fucking would be.
“Whatever, babe. You leave the protection racket to me and feed your horses. My job's to keep shit under control, and if that's making you listen to common sense, or pulling my horny ass brother off you, I'm gonna do it. I really don't give a shit what the hell you think, and I don't need your permission.”
Sharp, angry laughter burst outta her throat. “Finally! It's about time...thanks for saying everything we figured out weeks ago, probably longer. What the hell's so important that you had to come into this house anyway? You know you're not supposed to be in here.”
She had me there. Technically, none of the brothers were supposed to enter, not unless there was a damned good reason. Beam sweet talking his way between her legs didn't count, and neither did me preventing that from happening.
Too bad. Ignoring her shit, I grabbed her by the hand and walked her over to the nearest couch. She squirmed the whole time.
Didn't matter. I had to sit her down for this, make her understand how goddamned serious shit really was, now that the family ranch had become a viper's den.
“God, you're obnoxious,” she hissed, jerking her hand away when I finally let her. “I can't believe I ever cared about you.”
I didn't even twitch. I looked at her dead on, ignoring the urge to stare at her huge, memorable tits poking outta her v-cut top. She wasn't gonna rip my heart out, or tie up my tongue.
“Babe, if you give a fuck at all about your relatives, kindly shut the fuck up. Listen.” Her cheeks got redder, but she didn't say another word. “Earlier today, Stryker and me found more spider holes. That shit you and your cousin stumbled on last week's not just a one-off hiding place. They're using this whole area as a staging ground for shipments. Probably something that's gonna try scorching my club for good.”
The rage lining her face melted. “Jesus. Staging area...what are you talking about?”
“I'm talking about arsenals, smuggling, shit as big as a shipping container. Bombs, guns, body armor, the whole nine yards. All underground, tucked back on your fields, and probably several more around here. They've done this thing before. Last year, just outside LA, they took over abandoned houses and moved their shit in ahead of their men. They whacked eighty percent of the Grizzlies charter down there, and started pushing their shit on the streets before the last brother's blood dried the following week. They're sneaky sonsofbitches, but they do it seamlessly.”
Sally ran a hand through her golden hair, and I noticed the unsteady tremor in her fingertips. Fear crept into her eyes. For the first time since I'd stormed into the house, my heart got heavier in my chest.
“Lay it on me, then,” she said sadly. “What does this mean for my farm?”
“It's not safe. We'll beef up our patrols, but you and your cousin are both sitting on a ticking time bomb.” She opened her mouth to protest, and I held up a finger. “Don't act like this shit's business as usual. It isn't. With the activity going on right under your noses, you're goddamned lucky you haven't collided with the cartel assholes out in those fields. They could've killed you any day, and they still might, as long as you're both here.”
“I don't get it. We can't leave now. It's fall. Having the Grizzlies here so we could carry on was the whole point.”
Clenching my teeth, I tried to pull back, tried like absolute hell not to let the growl creep into my voice. Total fucking failure.
“Babe, when you met with Blackjack, you turned security over to us. That means protecting you, not just the ranch. I'm telling you to pull the fuck out, and it's the same damned thing I'd tell you if I saw you walking toward a burning car. The cartel doesn't ignore civilians like the MCs – especially not when they're out here in bumfuck nowhere. If you or Norm run into them, you're dead. Simple as that.”
We both shared a long look. Finally, her eyes flashed, denial lighting up her baby blues.
“I'll talk to Norm.” I waited for her to finish, but nothing else came.
Okay, now she was pissing me off.
“Unless you're gonna do a better job convincing him to get off his tractor and hit the road, don't bother. We'll handle this. That's why you brought us in. I won't let those fuckers hurt you.”
“Roman...” She stopped and pursed her lips, winding up like a generator about to explode. “Don't make me bring Blackjack in on this. He'd give us more time to talk, or maybe help us figure out a way to stay. You don't get it. This is our livelihood. If we walk away now, we're losing thousands. This is when our work breaks a profit so we can pay our bills, instead of just sinking money into the farm.”
“The Prez told you we're light on manpower, didn't he? Shit, even if we step up our patrols, we'd be lucky to secure your house, and that'd only be for a few hours. We can't leave half the crew hanging around here for fucking days. And if the cartel comes looking for blood, you'll be caught in the middle. You're not getting your head mounted on a stake on my watch.”
Her hands moved fast. Before I realized what the fuck she was doing, she had a phone in her hands, angrily tapping on the screen, rolling through her contacts.
Christ. She was really serious about talking to the Prez.
“Put that shit down, babe. Not gonna ask again.”
I meant every fucking word. We started off stepping in it the second I yanked Beam off her, but I tried hard to keep it diplomatic. That shit was gonna end if her fingers didn't stop moving.
“Goddamn it, Sally.” Lunging, I moved to the couch, hauling her onto my lap while she struggled to keep the phone away from me.
Fuck. The woman was surprisingly nimble. It was easy to forget that when we'd fucked a million years ago, but this bullshit wrestling match reminded me what she could do.
Hell, suddenly, we were closer than we'd been since that last night two years ago, pounding into her, making her scream my name as I emptied my balls inside her, marking her as mine.
She sunk her teeth into my throat when she came. I fucking loved it.
“Stop – stop!” Getting the upper hand didn't take long.
One more pull, and the phone was in my hands. I stuffed it into my pocket, trying not to break the screen, reluctantly untangling myself from her arms and legs.
“Bastard!” she spat, aiming her foot at my chest.
I moved aside just in time. She missed me and kicked the end table instead, hard enough to send the lamp there crashing to the floor.
The fucking thing hit hard, exploding into a million pieces. I stood up, surveyed the damage, and let out a low whistle.
“You've got a fuck of a temper, babe. I don't blame you for being pissed, but you gotta stop fighting me. It's bad for your blood pressure.”
The look she gave me caused a double take. I wondered where the hell my blonde, blue-eyed beauty went. Some demon replaced her, and she was gonna fly like a rocket and scratch my damned eyes out if I didn't smooth shit over.
Our ears ringing from the glass lamp shattering must've been the only thing holding her back. There was still a high, grating sound – so intense I needed a few seconds to realize it wasn't just broken glass rumbling my eardrum.
Something upstairs. Something crying.
A baby. For the second time since I stepped into the house, my jaw almost hit the floor.
“What the fuck? You got a kid in here, babe?”
Sally's bitter defeat vanished in a heartbeat. Her eyes went huge, saucer-like, as if I sprouted a second fucking head outta my shoulder.
I turned toward the staircase just as she started babbling. “Roman, wait...you can't go up there.”
Can't? Who t
he fuck does she think she's kidding?
I had to find out what the hell she was hiding. Hundred year old floorboards creaked beneath my boots as I crossed the short distance to the stairs, then took those fuckers two at a time.
She couldn't catch up in time, screaming and crying after me. My heart went nuclear, throbbing pure venom in my veins. I couldn't imagine what the fuck had her so upset.
Actually, I could, but it couldn't be. No fucking way. God wouldn't be so cruel – not even to a bastard biker like me.
Upstairs, I tore the simple white door wide open and stepped inside. There was a cradle, a loud cry, and then the most familiar face I'd ever seen outside Ma's old photo book.
Seeing the kid was like looking into an old photograph. Holyyyy fuck.
My heart was fucking gone, not even in the same universe. I reached up and banged a fist on my chest to restart it, keep it from dying outta shock before I met my son up close.
Sally was right behind me, hyperventilating through her tears, panicked as all hell. And yeah, she fucking should've been.
I'd already decided what to do to the bitch who'd shut me outta his life. But first, I had something more important to take care of.
V: Furious (Sally)
My whole world ended the instant I forced myself upstairs and saw him standing over Caleb's cradle. I wasn't sure where the hell I was standing, but it definitely wasn't the same planet I was on ten seconds ago.
I could deal with that one. I could handle the cartel and the club, taking Roman's crap and flinging it back at him, muddling along as a single mother farm girl. I could even take the infuriating way he barged into my life and took control, shaming me, sticking his nose where it didn't belong.
But watching the strange new reality rising up in front of me...how could I even start to understand it, much less deal with it?
He knew. My best kept secret, destroyed, wrecked in the blink of an eye by shattering glass and a hungry baby rudely awakened from his nap.
All ruined by one mistaken kiss.
I knew I shouldn't have let Beam get so close. I shouldn't have invited him in for water. And there's no fucking way I should've let him put his glass down, walk me into the other room, push me against the wall and take my lips.