Murphy: Satan's Fury MC-Memphis

by L. Wilder

  “I already did. There were no calls coming in or out.”

  “Then, there we go.” Blaze sounded pleased as he continued, “Nichols gave them the shipment and it was stolen when they got hit.”

  “None of that matters anyway,” Gus interjected. “I talked to Nichols this morning. I’ve put the family and their farm under club protection. He’s given me a list of his buyers, and I’ll see to it that they know he’s no longer in business.”

  “Seems rather generous of you,” Moose told him as he walked into the room. “Is this because of his daughter and Murphy, or is there another reason?”

  “He got me in contact with his supplier. We’ll be able to buy direct and save a shit-ton of money. Is that reason enough for ya?” Gus grumbled.

  “Yeah, that’ll do just fine.”

  “Glad you think so. Before the others get here, I wanted to make sure we were all on the same page with Rider. He’s been prospecting for just over a year, and I think he’s more than proven himself to be an asset to the club.”

  “Agreed,” we all replied.

  “Then, we’ll put it to a vote.”

  With that, the others started rolling in, and church was set into motion. As I sat there listening to my brothers talking back and forth, I felt like all the pieces of the puzzle were finally falling into place. I had my brothers, my family, and against all odds, I had my girl, so I guess the saying is true—“In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take.”

  20

  Riley

  I had always loved being at the farm. It was my home. Full of precious memories and feelings of warmth and happiness, it was a place of childhood dreams and fantasies. Whenever I was there, I felt safe and loved, free from judgement and disparagement. It used to be my happy place, but that all changed the day Devon kidnapped me.

  It had been three weeks, and I was still haunted by the memories of everything that had happened, especially the moment when he killed Anna Belle. I could still see the cold look in his eye when he lifted his gun in the air and pulled the trigger. I hadn’t even realized what he’d done until her lifeless body fell to the ground. There’s no way to describe the heart-wrenching pain I’d felt when I realized she was gone. Even back when my father gave her to me, I never thought of her as just a horse. She was my gate to freedom. Whenever I was riding her, it was like magic. I could hear the thuds of her hoofs hitting the ground, and as they grew faster, the wind would start to whip around me. Seconds later, she would hit that perfect stride, and I would feel like I was soaring through the air, looking down at all the splendors of nature. After that, it wouldn’t take long until all my troubles seemed to just slip away.

  I didn’t think I could bear to go back to the farm, knowing that Anna Belle was no longer there—that Devon had stolen that magic from me—but Murphy encouraged me to try, telling me I shouldn’t let him steal any more of my joy. So I followed his advice, and each time I returned, it became a little easier. I was standing by the training ring, watching Travis adjust Requiem’s saddle, when my father walked over to me. He put his arm around me and said, “I know there’ll never be a horse that could ever replace your Anna Belle, but I wanted you to know … when Requiem has his first filly, she’s yours.”

  “That’s very sweet, but you don’t have to do that, Dad.”

  “I know I don’t have to, sweetheart, but I want to.” His eyes were filled with remorse as he continued, “I want you to have a reason to keep coming back here.”

  “I don’t need a horse for that. I have you.” The past few weeks had been really hard on him as well. He was riddled with guilt over what had happened, and he wanted desperately to make things right. I reached up and gave him a hug. “You’re all the reason I need.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” Then he glanced over at Lincoln. “I’m not always the best at admitting when I was wrong, but I have to say, I was wrong about him.”

  “Yes, you were. I tried to tell you.” I turned and watched as Lincoln hovered over the grill as Moose and T-Bone tended to the ribs. Rider was standing next to them, proudly sporting his new Satan’s Fury cut, and they were all drooling over Moose’s BBQ. Since Dad and his property were now under club protection, the brothers had been spending a lot of time at the farm. Gus wanted to make sure that my dad didn’t have any trouble like he’d had with Devon, so there were always a couple of prospects keeping watch and Riggs had installed an unbelievable security system. Dad had been looking for a way to thank them for everything they’d done, so he used Requiem’s arrival as an excuse to invite them all out for a BBQ. The guys jumped at the chance to have some of Moose’s famous cooking. It also gave them a chance to celebrate the fact that Rider had been patched into the club, so they all came out with their families and they brought enough food to feed an army. When Lincoln saw that I was watching him, he smiled at me with one of those smiles that made my heart leap in my chest. “I’m just glad you finally figured it out.”

  “What can I say? I’m a protective father. You can’t really blame me for that.” Before I had a chance to respond, he asked, “So, how are you liking it over at his place?”

  My new living arrangement was a touchy subject. Dad had made it clear from the start that he wasn’t happy about me moving in with Lincoln, but like Lincoln, he was concerned about my safety and didn’t put up much of a fuss. Having me gone hadn’t been easy for him, but he was trying. “It’s good, Dad … really good. I’m happy there with him.”

  I could hear the sincerity in his voice as he said, “I’m glad you are. Really I am. You deserve all the happiness in the world, Riley, and if you don’t find it there with him, you’re always welcome to come back home.”

  “I know, but I love him, Daddy. My future is with him,” I explained.

  “I’m hoping this farm is a part of your future, too.”

  “Of course, it is, and you and Hunter are, too.” I looked over at my brother and smiled as I watched him ride Requiem around the training ring. He was dressed in his best Wrangler jeans and ropers and his favorite cowboy hat, so there was no doubt that he was trying his best to impress Gigi, one of girls from the night he was arrested for stripping. I could see why he would be interested in her. Not only was she really sweet, but she was stunning with long blonde hair and beautiful green eyes. Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t the only one who’d noticed. She was leaning against the fence, watching Hunter do all his fancy riding tricks, when Gunner came up and stood beside her. I knew right away there was going to be trouble. Gunner was a handsome thing, and if he took a liking to Gigi, she’d know it. When Hunter noticed that they were talking, he led Requiem over to the fence and asked her, “You doing okay?”

  “I’m doing great.” She smiled brightly as she ran her hand down Requiem’s forehead. “He’s really beautiful.”

  “Isn’t he though?” Gunner winked at Hunter as he said, “He’s almost as purty as you, Hunter.”

  Hunter’s neck grew red with embarrassment. Trying his best to rebound, he quickly replied, “Is that right? I didn’t think you were the type to notice.”

  “Hard not to when you’re all gussied up like that, but don’t worry. You’re not my type.” Gunner looked over at Gigi and let his eyes slowly skirt over her as he said, “I have a thing for beautiful blondes.”

  Knowing he needed to get Gigi away from Gunner as quickly as possible, he looked over to her and said, “I’m going to put him back in the stables. I’ll be right back.”

  “Okay.” She smiled brightly, making me wonder if she’d been effected by Gunner’s flirting. “I’ll be here waiting.”

  I watched my sweet, frustrated brother as he rode Requiem out of the ring and into the stables. Hoping I might be able to help him out, I looked over to Gunner and said, “I’m sure Hunter could use some help with Requiem. Do you mind giving him a hand?”

  “I’m sure he can handle it.” I just stood there staring at him and eventually he got the hint. With a defeated sigh, he s
aid, “But I’ll go make sure.”

  “Thank you, Gunner. I appreciate it.” I turned and gave Dad another quick hug, then said, “I better go see if I can help out in the kitchen.”

  As I started towards the house, he told me, “Let me know if there is anything I can do to help.”

  “You know I will.”

  Over the past couple of weeks, I’d gotten a chance to meet all of the brothers and their ol’ ladies, and it was easy to see why Murphy loved them the way he did. Each of them had their own strong personality traits, especially the men. Blaze was very personable, but he clearly liked things done his way. Shadow was quiet and protective, especially of Alex. And Riggs was unquestionably smart and could do things with computers that would blow your mind. It was hard to believe that so many alpha-males could live under one roof without killing one another, but I think it helped that they had such awesome counterparts. When I walked into the kitchen, Kenadee was taking a pie out of the oven, and it smelled like heaven. “Oh, my. That smells incredible.”

  “I wish I could take the credit, but this one is Reece’s.” As she placed it on the counter, she looked over to Reece and asked, “Did you just bring the one?”

  “No. There’s another one in the fridge if we need it.”

  “You know we’re going to need it, especially with T-Bone around.”

  She giggled as she replied, “You’re not kidding. The man’s like a garbage disposal!”

  Alex came up beside me and said, “This place is incredible, Riley. I would’ve loved growing up on a farm like this.”

  “I love it, too, but it does have its downsides.”

  “Oh, really? Like what?”

  “Like getting up at the crack of dawn to feed the horses. Cleaning out the stalls. Taking care of a sick mare in the middle of an ice storm. Rounding up horses in the rain.” I shrugged. “It’s just part of being out on the farm.”

  “I’d be okay with everything except getting up at the crack of dawn,” Alex replied with a grimace.

  “That would be bad, but I think cleaning out the horse stalls might be worse.” Reece looked down at her son sitting in his high chair as she continued, “I’ve changed enough diapers to know that wouldn’t be any fun.”

  “So, what about living with Murphy? How’s that going?” Kenadee asked. “I’m sure it’s been an adjustment.”

  “It’d definitely been an adjustment. I didn’t realize how loud it was in the city until I moved there, but it’s nice to be so close to school and Murphy …” my mind drifted back to the night before when we’d made love by the fire, and I couldn’t help but smile, “… he’s been wonderful.”

  “You’re lucky. Murphy is one of the good ones.” Reece looked down at her son as she said, “He looks out for the people he cares about, almost to a fault, and he’s absolutely wonderful with Tate. You should’ve seen them together at the cabin. It was a sight to see.”

  “I hate that I missed that.”

  Before I could continue, Alex moved over to the window and said, “Hey, y’all might wanna take a look at this.”

  Reece, Kenadee, and I rushed over to see what she was talking about, and I was surprised to see that Hunter was with Gunner, and they were leading Starlight out to the training ring. “What are they doing?”

  “I’m not sure, but it looks like Gunner might be planning to take his first ride,” Reece replied with a giggle. “He’s been talking about giving it a try all week.”

  “Oh, man. I’ve gotta see this,” Alex announced as she raced to the door.

  Reece quickly grabbed Tate before we all followed Alex outside, and by the time we made it out to the training ring, all of the brothers had gathered around to watch the show. Hunter brought Starlight to the middle of the ring, and he was talking to Gunner when I rushed over to them. “Hunter, what do you think you are doing?”

  “Nothing,” he answered innocently. “Gunner said he wanted to take a ride, so I’m just helping him out.”

  Knowing he was just trying to get back at Gunner for flirting with his girl, I gave him a warning look and said, “I don’t think this is a good idea.”

  “The man wants to ride. Who am I to stop him?” Hunter pushed.

  “Don’t worry, Riley. I’ve been watching Travis and your brother for weeks now.” Sounding way too confident, he looked up at Starlight and said, “I’m good.”

  “Maybe so, but I don’t think Starlight is the right horse for you to ride your first time, Gunner. She has a habit of—”

  “Don’t worry, Riley. I know what I’m doing.” As he started to put his foot, in the stirrup, he looked to me and said, “I just put my foot in this stirrup thing, pull myself up, give her a little nudge, and use the strap things to steer. Nothing to it.”

  “It’s a little more complicated than that, Gunner.” I liked Gunner. He was sweet with a boyish charm, but at times he thought he was invincible. Hoping that I could change his mind before he did something he’d regret, I suggested, “Maybe you should try one of the older horses first … one that’s a little easier to ride.”

  With that, Gunner placed his foot in one of the stirrups and lifted himself up onto the saddle. It was clear from his expression that he felt quite pleased with himself. “See, I didn’t do so bad, now did I?”

  “You did great.” As I reached for the reins, I asked, “How about I lead you around the ring a couple of times … just until you feel comfortable?”

  He glanced back at his brothers, and when he saw that they were all watching, he shook his head. “Thanks, Riley, but I’ve got this. You’ll see.”

  “Okay, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  He gave her a little nudge with his heel, and to my surprise, she started around the ring without any issue. In fact, she seemed perfectly content as Gunner took hold of the reins and led her around the ring. When they went by me, he looked over and smiled. “I think I was meant to be a cowboy.”

  “Give her a little gas,” T-Bone goaded from the fence.

  Taking the bait, Gunner nudged Starlight in the side with his heel, and as instructed, she started to pick up the pace. I couldn’t believe it. Starlight must have taken a liking to Gunner. I’d thought that Hunter’s plan was backfiring, when all of the sudden, Gunner nudged her again, only harder this time. At first she complied, but just as he was making it around the ring for the third time, she let out a grunt, letting me know that she’d had enough. I started towards them, hoping to stop her before she reacted, but it was too late. She lifted up on her hind legs and sent Gunner sailing. His arms flailed through the air until he hit the dirt with a hard thud. He fell back with his body sprawled out, making me worry that he’d really been hurt. We were all completely silent as we stood there waiting for a sign that he was okay, and thankfully, after several seconds of uncertainty, we finally got one. Gunner sat up, shook his head in utter disgust, and then pulled himself up off the ground and dusted himself off. Once the guys were certain that he was okay, they started heckling him. “Way to go, cowboy!”

  Hunter went over to him and took a hold of Starlight’s reins. As he led her out of the ring, Gunner shouted, “You knew she was going to do that shit, didn’t you?”

  “Yep!”

  “Um-hmm. You got one coming, Nichols.”

  Hunter smiled as he replied, “I’m sure I do, but it was totally worth it.”

  The guys were razzing Gunner pretty hard, but their teasing quickly stopped when Moose announced that the food was ready. The girls and I put all the food out on the picnic tables, and everyone sat down to eat. My heart fluttered when Murphy settled in next to me and slipped his arm around me, kissing me on the temple. I leaned into him and smiled as Gus stood up to say the blessing. As soon as he was done, everyone started to fill their plates. We sat there for hours, eating and talking, and as I looked around at all of Lincoln’s brothers and their families, I realized that Murphy’s family was quickly becoming an important part of my life. With their help, I was making new mem
ories at the farm, good ones too, and I looked forward to all the memories yet to come.

  Epilogue

  Six Years Later…

  Over the years, Riley and I had gone horseback riding a hundred times. While she loved riding the bike, it could never replace the feeling she had when she was on the back of a horse. I understood why she loved it like she did. There was something remarkable about being on the back of such a massive creature—feeling his power beneath you as he pounds his hooves into the dirt, and being so close to nature with the birds singing in the trees and the rush of water passing by in the stream. It was an incredible feeling, and the only thing that could make it better was being able to share it with Emma Grace, my beautiful, inquisitive three-year-old daughter. We’d only been riding for a few minutes, when she looked up at me and asked, “Why can’t Momma come?”

  “You know why.”

  “It’s not fair.” A pout fell upon her adorable face as she said, “I want Momma to come wit’ us.”

  “I know you do, but it won’t be long until she can ride with us again.”

  “And she can ride Belle?” she asked hopefully.

  “Yes, sweetheart.” Belle was Requiem’s first mare, and she was by far the most beautiful horse I’d ever laid my eyes on. Riley was hesitant to accept the horse as a gift from her father, thinking it would be too hard after what had happened to Anna Belle, but inevitably, Riley fell in love with her and decided to keep her. I looked down at Emma as I told her, “We’re almost to the bridge.”

  “Are we going to da’ water?” Excitement filled her voice as she told me, “I want to see the fishes.”

  “Yeah. We’re going to the water, but we can’t stay long. We need to get back and help Grandpa with the gate.”

  “Okay.” When we got up to the edge of the river, I led Belle a little farther up so Emma could have a good view of the water. “Closer, Daddy.”