by A. J. Downey
If Blaze wasn’t an Iron Claw MC member, I would have killed him next.
“What do you know?” The rage that sits below the surface swims to the top.
“I know you were hurt. I know what you do for the club but I know there is more to you.” He doesn’t know what I do. Why would he defend me if he did?
“Do you know why I kill those people, Braddon?” Shifting to look at him, he shakes his head.
“I kill them to feel something. I kill them to make them feel what I felt growing up. When those guys would rape me, torture me, I didn’t know how to calm the rage that ate away at me. Iron Claw gave me that place I so much needed. They gave me a home, a place to make myself feel again.” His eyes burn into mine with such an intensity that I want to crawl inside myself.
“You were doing the best you could do, Neely. No one can fault you for that, but I see through you. You can’t hide that part of you that still knows how to care about someone.” He can’t be serious. I just told him I kill people and here he is trying to make it right? Why?
“You don’t need to try to make me feel better, Braddon. I know what I am and where I’m going. This road has been the only one I’ve traveled and I will stay on it until the end.” Pushing myself off the ground, I turn to head away from him. I need the space.
I don’t need him knowing me more than he already does.
“You know why you’re walking away from me right now?” Spinning to face him, I raise my eyebrows.
“To keep you safe? To keep your heart intact?” He moves closer to me, my heart skipping in my chest.
“No, you’re afraid of what would happen if you let yourself feel, Neely. Let yourself really feel. Are you going to stand there and tell me that you feel nothing towards me?” My mouth moves but words don’t come out. He can’t see that in me. There is no way.
“Can you stand there and tell me that you have thought this through? You don’t know my past, Braddon.” He doesn’t know. If he did, he’d run.
“Then tell me! Goddamn it, Neely!” Running his hand through his hair, he looks so lost within himself. I can’t say that I don’t know the feeling because I do.
“You want to know that? You want to hear all the gory details of what they did to me? FINE!” Stomping back towards him, I grab his hand. Lifting my shirt with the other hand, I run his fingers over the scars that mark my body.
“This one was from a switchblade. I talked back. This one was a butcher’s knife. I almost died from that one.” His eyes fill with tears but I won’t let him feel that for me. I don’t want the pity.
“Don’t you dare shed a tear over me, Braddon. You asked for this!” Snapping at him, he swallows back his tears as I move his hand.
“This was an ice pick. I was nine. I didn’t do as I was told to do. The guy raped me. This one was a belt. The edges of the leather cut me so deeply. I can still remember the sound of it snapping against my skin.” Tears fall from my eyes before I notice. I drop Braddon’s hand and quickly wipe them away.
“Can I tell you something?” I jerk my eyes to meet his. So much caring is in them. So much that I want it. I want it all to myself.
“Call me selfish but I love you, Neely. I’ve loved you since the first day I laid eyes on you in that clubhouse.” Confusion shakes me to the core. I never saw him at the clubhouse. He must notice the look on my face.
Braddon raises his hand, cupping my cheek.
“You were dancing with your eyes closed. You were feeling the music throughout you. You hypnotized me, Neely. I don’t know where your road is going but if all I can be is a bump in that road, I want it.”
Do you want to know what happens next? Follow Erin Trejo for updates and more of Neely’s story coming soon.
Erin Trejo is a stay at home mother of 4. Her general interests are, of course, writing and reading. She loves to be able to put down all her ideas into story form for others to enjoy. She also loves spending time with her kids and family. She’s a pretty down to earth person and usually a goof ball.
The Fallen
Susan Child
Chapter 1
Lisa Bells couldn’t leave work fast enough. As a childcare worker with ten years in the industry, she was starting to tire of it. After the constant pushing, pulling of each other’s hair, and snatching of toys, Lisa could finally take a breath as she closed and locked the doors behind her. She closed her eyes for a moment to savor the quietness. With it being Friday, exhaustion took over, and Lisa yawned. Stretching her arms out to the side, she relaxed her muscles and her mind drifted to the bath she had waiting for her at home. Opening her eyes, she turned, her flowing flowery dress billowed out as she made her way to the parking lot.
She located her scooter and opened the seat with the key to take her helmet out. Safety was paramount. Sitting on the scooter, she pushed forward and started the engine. It hummed to life and Lisa was glad it did. She’d had trouble starting it this morning and she was scared that she wouldn’t have a ride to work if anything happened to it. Her scooter was three years old, and she’d bought it online from someone who’d had it for two years. Taking off, she felt the breeze in her face and she started to feel a little badass as the machine hummed between her legs. Her parents had been very strict about her upbringing, and now that she’d moved out of their house, she wasn’t allowed back in. Lisa was fine with that. And she could imagine the look on their faces if they saw their only daughter riding a scooter in a dress. The late afternoon sun was still shining in the sky, and Lisa realized that she’d forgotten to put her sunglasses on. Luckily, she only lived a few suburbs over from work.
Some of the shops had already closed for the day, and others were still packing away. Lisa’s tummy started to rumble, reminding her that she’d missed lunch again. Slowing her bike down and rolling toward a red light, she heard the low rumble of motorcycle engines. Looking behind her, she watched as they came into view and surrounded her with their heavy machinery. Lisa looked forward when she saw their cuts. The Fallen Saints MC. She’d seen them once when she went for a ride into town, but hadn’t heard of them, or seen them since.
Lisa felt someone watching her, and when she turned around, she locked eyes with him. He looked like he was trying hard not to laugh at her, but was failing miserably. She couldn’t help but try to hide her smile as well. As she turned her attention back to the lights, they turned green and some of the bikers went past her. Lisa tried to floor it, to get away from them, but the engine made a weird noise and died. Tilting her head to the side, Lisa turned the engine off, took the key out, and tried to start it again. Same result, it didn’t work. Hearing her heart beat wildly in her chest, Lisa tried to slow her breathing and not have a panic attack. Her bike wasn’t supposed to do that! Getting off the scooter, Lisa placed her hands on the handlebars and pushed it to the side of the road.
“Great,” she whispered.
“Need some help?” a voice said from behind her.
She twirled around fast, her hair whipping the side of her cheek in the process.
The guy from the bike.
“My bike won’t start.” Lisa turned around to stare at it. Maybe she could push it home? After all, everyone had packed up for the day, and there were barely any cars on the road, so no one would see her. And she’d have to walk to work on Monday, unless she found another scooter or cheap car over the next two days. Which seemed unlikely as the closest garage was thirty minutes away from her place and she had no transportation. Maybe she could just take up walking? She had been meaning to get fit… But after a long day at work, walking was the last thing she wanted to do. Knowing she had quite a walk ahead of her, she started to push the scooter in the direction of home.
“Need a ride?”
Lisa turned back, she’d forgotten he was there.
“What about my bike?”
Hottie chuckled. “Babe, that ain’t a bike.” His voice was deep and sexy, and Lisa had to rub her thighs together. She imagined him saying dirty thing
s to her in bed. Where did that come from?
“It is a bike! The guy I bought it from told me so.” She knew she sounded like a five-year-old, but she couldn’t help it. She resisted the urge to stick her tongue out.
Hottie came closer and trailed the back of his fingers along her jaw. Electricity shot through her and she resisted closing her eyes and sighing.
Sure, she’d had boyfriends in the past, but she hadn’t felt anything this amazing since…ever.
Focusing on what was happening, she said, “What about my bike?”
Hottie sighed. “I’ll get one of my guys to come and get it. Besides, it’s getting late and I’d hate for anything to happen to you.”
Asshole.
Lisa knew he was right.
“How do I know I can trust you? How do I know you won’t do something to me?” Was she really having this conversation?
“You don’t, but I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.” The way he said it sounded like a promise.
Could she really give in to this guy? Could she really trust him to take her home and not do anything to harm her?
Thunder sounded from somewhere and the temperature dropped dramatically. Gooseflesh rose on her arms as the first raindrops fell. It had been sunny less than an hour ago!
“Can I see your license?”
He pulled his wallet from his back pocket and fished it out.
Lisa pulled her cell phone out of her purse and dialed a friend. “Hey, Maria. Listen, my bike broke down, so I’m going to take a ride with Connor Andrews,” Lisa said to her friend. She gave Maria Connor’s address and a description of what he was wearing. “I’ll call you when I get home, probably in about ten minutes. If you don’t hear from me, call the police.” She waited until Maria confirmed the information, then she hung up.
“Thanks Connor, I’d like that ride.” Lisa smiled.
“Smart woman,” Connor said, his voice all deep and gravelly.
Lisa handed Connor’s license back to him, and as he took it, their fingers brushed lightly. Lisa resisted the urge to moan as electricity shot through her, straight to her pussy. Since Lisa didn’t want to come off as a slut, she snatched her hand back and made her way to Connor’s bike. He mounted the bike first, waiting for her to climb on behind him. She hitched her dress up around her hips and threw one leg over the seat. The dress couldn’t cover her thighs with the big machine between her legs, and the way the seat was shaped made Lisa lean against Connor’s back. She placed her hands on his abs.
“Where do you live?” he asked, turning around to stare at her.
“Beach St, just off Main.”
He nodded, turned his head back to the road and leaned forward.
Lisa leaned her cheek on his back and felt Connor grab her hands, pulling her closer to him.
“Wouldn’t want you falling off.” She could swear she heard humor in his voice.
Connor started the engine and the machine vibrated against her pussy, making Lisa bite her lip. It had been a while since she’d had sex. And it had been just as long since she’d masturbated. Tonight, that is gonna change.
Eight minutes later, Connor pulled up outside Lisa’s house, and she lifted her head as he turned the engine off.
“Thanks for the ride.” Lisa smiled and bunched her dress up higher on her thighs to get off the bike. When she stood, she let her dress go and looked up at Connor. He was staring at her thighs.
She cleared her throat.
He looked up immediately.
“Be sure to call Maria and let her know you got home okay.”
“I will.” Lisa smiled. “Thanks again for the ride.”
“Hang on, I need your number to call you about your scooter.”
Oh yeah. Lisa had nearly forgotten about that too. She’d enjoyed wrapping her arms and thighs around him.
She watched Connor pull his phone out of his jacket pocket then typed in her details when she gave them to him.
“Will get in touch soon.” He smiled.
Man, he had a great smile. A little dimple appeared, and Lisa felt her insides go to mush. She had a thing for dimples.
She turned away from him and made her way to her front door. She took her key from her bra and let herself in. When she closed the door, she heard Connor’s bike roar to life then disappear. She smiled and took out her cell phone.
Connor arrived at the chick’s scooter and pulled out his cell phone.
“Hey, Tank,” he said when Tank picked up two rings later.
“Hey, boss.”
“Can you bring Mouse and the van to the intersection on Main St?”
“Sure, boss. Is everything okay?”
“Yeah, see you shortly.” Connor smiled.
He was the president of The Fallen Saints MC, Tank was his right-hand man, and Mouse could fix practically anything. He and Tank had been friends since their fathers created the MC almost twenty years ago. After they passed away, Connor and Tank took over their roles. President was a huge role to fill when Connor was only sixteen, but he’d exceeded everyone’s expectations. In fact, they all had. Their fathers had ruled with an iron fist and dealt in guns, drugs, women, and money. If they got their hands on it, they passed it on to whoever would pay the right price.
Connor changed that.
Their fathers had ruled for years, but they’d died when a deal went south. Connor swore back then that that wouldn’t happen to him, or any of his men.
He got rid of all the guns and drugs. Any women they’d found on the property had been turned over to the hospitals so they could be treated. They used the money to expand the clubhouse, add additional houses around the compound, and a garage within the club. Somehow, word got out that they maintained bikes and some cars, and from there created a legitimate business.
He’d earned the respect of everyone in the club, and he knew they all had his back. All he had to do was call any one of them, and they’d drop whatever it was they were doing and come running.
A familiar van came into sight and pulled off to the side of the road. When it stopped, Tank and Mouse came out.
“What’s up, boss?” Tank asked.
Mouse looked past Connor to the scooter, and a sparkle came into his eyes. If there were any issues, problems, whatever, Mouse was the perfect man for it. He walked past Connor to the bike and started fiddling around with it.
“Some chick’s scooter died.” He chuckled. “Babe’s hot, she thought it was a bike.”
Tank laughed.
“Boss,” Mouse called from the bike. Connor made his way over. “The suspension’s busted and it looks like the engine’s fried. I’ll need to take it apart back at the garage to see what else is wrong.”
Fuck. Connor didn’t want to think about an innocent woman riding around on a scooter that was going to explode, or leave her stranded in the middle of nowhere which it did.
“Let’s take that back to the shop and fix it. I wanna know who did that to her.”
Mouse pushed the scooter to the van and both he and Tank picked it up and placed it in the back. Mouse secured the vehicle with straps so it wouldn’t move while the van was in motion.
“See you at the compound, boss,” Tank said.
“Thanks, man.”
Connor watched as the van took off, then he got on his bike and followed them.
Chapter 2
Connor couldn’t stop thinking about Lisa and her scooter. He laughed when he remembered how serious she was that she was riding a bike. He chuckled to himself again as he made his way past the parking lot toward the garage.
“Boss,” Mouse said. Connor walked up to Mouse and saw that he was working on Lisa’s scooter.
“Yeah?”
“The scooter’s in bad shape. Whoever she purchased this from is a dud. What do you want me to do with it?”
Connor looked over the vehicle. “How much?”
Mouse looked Connor straight in the eye. “Over a thousand dollars. The scooter’s not worth that. She
could buy a brand new one for a quarter of the price.”
Connor ran his fingers over his scalp. “Thanks, man.”
He picked his phone from his pocket and went through his contacts to find Lisa. He pressed the call button and put the phone to his ear, listening to it ring. It rang out and went to voicemail. Connor left a quick message about her scooter and asked what she would like to do. He even said the labor was free. He ended the call and placed the phone back in his pocket.
“As soon as I know anything I’ll let you know, Mouse.”
“Thanks, boss.”
Connor left the garage and made his way to his office in the main house, passing a number of brothers along the way. Some were playing pool, others were by the bar having a beer, and the sweet sound of a motorcycle engine had him smiling and turning to look at the driveway. His favorite sound in the world. Connor knew it was a Harley before it came into view and saw that his brother, Justin, was behind the bars of the heavy machine. Justin parked his bike, then turned the ignition off and cocked a leg over the seat.
“What are you doing here, Jus?”
Justin chuckled. “Just seeing my little brother. Seeing what he’s up to.” Connor and Justin shook hands.
“Come on in.” Justin followed Connor through the compound, greeting everyone in his path. Connor led the way to his office and sat behind his desk. Justin closed the door behind him and sat in the seat on the other side of the desk.
“What are you really doing here, Jus?” Connor placed his arms on the surface, he could imagine fucking Lisa on, but now wasn’t the time to think about that, and leaned forward.
“I wanna come back.”
“Come back here?”
Justin nodded. “I miss it. I miss everybody, I miss helping people, I miss working on the damn bikes.” Justin stood up from his chair and started to pace the floor. “I’ve had time to think, and understand why you chose to take over Dad’s role as President. This club wasn’t in the best place, and there were some members who still wanted to keep going down that route. Hell, I was one of ‘em. But I understand why you did what you did. Hell, I was the first born and I should have taken over, but then another shipment would have been misplaced, members would have gotten killed, and God knows what would have happened to this club. You brought the standard of everything high again, and you have heaps of people wanting to join. I want back in.” Justin looked up and Connor smiled.