by L. Wilder
“We’re close enough.” I held on to her as she leaned closer, trying her best to spot a fish. Thankfully, it wasn’t long before a school of minnows came swimming up to the edge. I pointed towards the water as I asked her, “Do you see them?”
“Yes! I see ‘dem, Daddy!”
I gave her a few minutes to watch the fish, before telling her, “We gotta go, but I’ll bring you back soon.”
“Wit’ Momma?”
“Yes, Emma.” I chuckled, “With Momma.”
We rode back to the farm, and when we got to the stables, Riley was checking in on one of the two newest foals. She slowly waddled over to us and asked, “How was the ride?”
“It was good.” I lifted Emma Grace and carefully lowered her down to the ground. As Riley reached for her hand, I got down off of Belle and started leading her into one of the empty stalls. “Emma Grace wasn’t happy about you not being there with us.”
Riley looked down at her daughter as she said, “You know I would’ve come if I could.”
“I know.” Emma Grace placed her hands on Riley’s full belly as she said, “My broder’ is coming soon.”
“Yes, he is, and until he gets here, it isn’t safe for Momma to ride,” Riley explained.
“Okay.” When she noticed Riley’s father sitting on the front porch, she shouted, “Pawpaw!”
We both watched as she ran over and jumped into his arms. He gave her a big hug as he twirled her around in a circle, making her squeal with laughter. Riley’s lips curled into a smile, and just like the first time I laid eyes on her, she looked absolutely breathtaking. Unable to resist, I took a step towards her and placed my hands on her hips, pulling her to me. Her eyes locked on mine as I lowered my mouth to hers, kissing her long and hard, and when we finally came up for air, she gasped, “What was that for?”
“Couldn’t help myself.” I placed my hand on her stomach as I asked, “How you feeling?”
“Like I’m about to deliver a basketball,” she joked. “But I’m making it okay.”
“Just a few more days.”
“I know.” With love in her eyes, she looked down at my hand on her belly and said, “He’ll be here before we know it, and then we’ll really be in trouble.”
“Nah, together we can make it through anything,” I assured her. “Even two toddlers.”
“I hope you’re right.”
“If I’m not, at least we’ll have each other.”
“You know what?” Riley wound her arms around my neck. “I love you.”
“And I love you too.” I lowered my mouth to hers and kissed her once more. “More than I ever imagined.”
The End
More to come from Satan’s Fury MC- Memphis!
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Acknowledgments
I am blessed to have so many wonderful people who are willing to give their time and effort to making my books the best they can be. Without them, I wouldn’t be able to breathe life into my characters and share their stories with you. To the people I’ve listed below and so many others, I want to say thank you for taking this journey with me. Your support means the world to me, and I truly mean it when I say appreciate everything you do. I love you all!
PA: Natalie Weston
Editing/Proofing: Lisa Cullinan- editor, Rose Holub- Proofer, Jenn Allen- Proofer
Promoting: Amy Jones, Veronica Ines Garcia, Neringa Neringiukas, Whynter M. Raven
BETAS/Early Readers: Kaci Stewart, Tanya Skaggs, Charolette Smith, Neringa Neringiukas
Street Team: All the wonderful members of Wilder’s Women (You rock!)
Best Friend and biggest supporter: My mother (Love you to the moon and back.)
A short excerpt of Riggs: Satan’s Fury MC-Memphis Book 3 is included in the following pages. Blaze and Shadow are also included in this Memphis series, and you can find all three on Amazon. They are all free with KU.
Excerpt from Riggs: Satan’s Fury MC
Prologue
Riggs
I was never one of those guys who bought into all that love at first sight bullshit. Hell, it’s not like it’s hard to get shit mixed up when your hormones get to talking. A raging hard-on over a smoking hot chick can do things to a man’s head and make him think he’s feeling something he’s not. The next thing he knows, he’s convinced he’s met the one. I’d been worked up over my fair share of gorgeous women, but never once had love ever crossed my mind, especially over some chick I didn’t even know. The notion seemed completely absurd until her.
Some of my brothers and I had taken Blaze down to Sullivan’s to celebrate his birthday. We hadn’t been there long when I noticed her sitting at one of the back tables with several of her friends. They were all beautiful women, dolled up in their Saturday-night-best, but none of them held a candle to her.
With just one glance, she had me completely captivated, making me oblivious to everyone else in the room, including my brothers who were sitting right next to me at the bar. I couldn’t explain it. There was something different about her—something that drew me to her like nothing I’d ever felt before. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. For almost an hour, I sat there just watching her, studying the way her mouth moved when she spoke, how her head fell back every time she laughed, and the way those crystal blue eyes of hers sparkled with desire every time they locked on mine. Fuck. Just seeing that glimmer of interest made me want to throw her over my shoulder and carry her right out of that bar, claiming her as mine in the most carnal way.
I got my window of opportunity when I noticed an empty seat right beside her. A couple of her friends got up to go to the restroom, so I grabbed two beers and walked over to her table. When she noticed me coming in her direction, she quickly turned and whispered something to her friend, which made me wonder if I’d misread her look of interest, until she glanced back over to me with a nervous smile. Damn. That smile got me right to the core. I tried to keep my cool as I casually sat down next to her and asked, “Is this seat taken?”
“It is now,” she answered in a playful voice.
The blonde sitting next to her leaned forward and her words were slurred as she mumbled, “Damn, Reece. You were right. He is hot.”
Her eyes widened as she scolded, “Danielle!”
“What? You were just saying how good-looking you thought—”
“Danielle!”
Ignoring her friend’s protest, Danielle pointed her finger at me as she said, “Girl, you need to get you some of that.”
“Oh, good Lord. Will you stop?”
“What? Take a look at him … those pretty green eyes and a hot bod to match.” The chick was practically drooling as she just kept at it, “Hell, I’d bang him in a heartbeat.”
Reece turned to me with a mortified expression and said, “Please, ignore her. She’s normally not so obnoxious. It’s just the alcohol talking.”
“It has a way of doing that.” I motioned my hand towards their collection of empty beer bottles and shot glasses. “Looks like you ladies are having a big time.”
“One of my sorority sisters just got engaged, so we’re out celebrating with her. It’s been fun, but I’m the backup DD. I’m just biding my time until I can get out of here.”
“Backup DD?”
“Yeah.” She shrugged. “We’ve had a few mishaps with designated drivers over the years. My girls aren’t exactly reliable when it comes to hot guys and booze.”
“I can see where that could be a problem.” I chuckled as I lifted the beer I’d brought over for her. “I guess you won’t be needing this.”
Before she could respond, one of her friends said, “Go for it, Reece. I’m good. I haven’t had a drop all night. I can make it another hour or two.”
“Okay, but I’m holding you to that.” Reece took the beer from my hand and said, “Thank you.”
/>
Remembering that she mentioned her sorority sister, I asked, “You go to school around here?”
“Yes and no. I’ve been going to U of M, but I’m about to transfer to Vanderbilt University in a couple of weeks. I’m hoping to get my law degree there.”
I couldn’t imagine why someone so sweet and innocent would want to become a lawyer, but I could hear the passion in her voice when she talked about getting her degree. For one reason or another, it clearly meant something to her. She’d just started to say something else when she stopped and glanced down at my hand. I was fidgeting with my old Zippo lighter, causing it to cast a flicker of sparks every time I raked my thumb over the flint wheel. It was something I’d started doing after I’d quit smoking. When I realized it had caught her attention, I smiled and said, “Sorry. Nervous habit.”
“Nervous habit, huh? Are you saying I make you nervous?”
“I have a feeling I’m not the first guy you’ve made feel that way.”
She smiled brightly as she replied, “I don’t know about that, but if it makes you feel any better, you make me pretty nervous, too.”
“I’ll take that as a good sign.”
“Yes. I’d say that’s a very good sign.”
I twirled the lighter in my hand, and just as I was shoving it into my back pocket, the intro to “Faithfully” started to play. She let out a deep breath and smiled as she said, “I just love Journey. They have to be my all-time favorite band.”
“Can’t disagree with you there.”
Danielle leaned across the table and mumbled, “Hey … you. Mr. Tough Guy with the hot bod. You need to get out there and dance with my girl … show her a good time.”
Before she had a chance to argue, I extended my hand. “You heard the lady.”
“But …”
“Girl, if you don’t dance with him, then I will.” Danielle snickered.
I chuckled as Reece took my hand in hers and said, “I’m going. I’m going.”
“Good … and don’t forget to do a little smooching and ass grabbing while you’re out there,” Danielle ordered.
Reece looked over to the group’s designated driver and laughed as she announced, “No more booze for Danielle!”
“Why you gotta be like that?” Danielle protested. “I’m just trying to help a sista out!”
Without responding, Reece followed me out to the dance floor, and like we’d done it a hundred times before, she slipped her arms around my neck while mine wrapped around her waist. It was at that very moment I knew I was in trouble—the kind of trouble that makes a man rethink his very existence. I’d never thought of myself as one of those guys who’d settle down and spend the rest of their life glued to one chick. I liked things to be easy. Get in. Get out. No feelings. No expectations. No complications. But after just one touch, she had me thinking of white picket fences and fucking station wagons. I couldn’t explain it, but there was something about the way her body was so in sync with mine. It felt so right, like a void that I didn’t know existed had suddenly been filled, and I was desperate to hold on to that feeling. When she rested her head on my shoulder, an odd sensation of comfort and ease washed over me. Then, she looked up at me and pressed her full, perfect lips against mine, and I was done. I had an overwhelming desire to claim every inch of her body, and there was no way in hell that I was going to let her leave that bar with anyone else but me. I was thankful that after a few more dances, some heavy flirting, and several long, seductive kisses, I’d managed to persuade her to go somewhere quiet. Seconds later, Reece was on the back of my bike, and we were pulling out of the parking lot.
While that bike ride to my apartment and the nights that followed were unbelievable, they’d both come to haunt me in ways I could never have imagined. The sex was incredible, nothing else compared, but that wasn’t even the best part of our weekend together. It was the conversations we shared that left the biggest impression on me. Wrapped up in each other’s arms, we told stories that filled my small bedroom with laughter and unexpected emotion. I felt a connection with her—the kind of connection you’d expect from someone you’d known a lifetime—making me wish the moment could last longer. Unfortunately, all good things come to an end.
As Reece stood there in my doorway, looking up at me with those gorgeous blue eyes, stammering through her heartfelt goodbye, I’d never seen a more beautiful sight. I leaned against the doorframe, staring at the faint blush that still lingered on the crook of her neck, and when she handed me a slip of paper with her number and address, I wanted to reach for her, do whatever it took to persuade her to stay. Sadly, another night just wasn’t in the cards. While I thought I’d found the girl I’d been looking for, that all my dreams had come true, I would soon discover that she didn’t feel the same. She walked out that door, got in her cab, and never looked back.
1
Riggs
Two And Half Years Later
When I was kid, I never would have imagined that I’d become a hacker for one of the most notorious MCs in the South. Back then, I didn’t even own a motorcycle, much less know how to ride one. I’d been too busy screwing around with video games. It was a way for me to escape my mundane existence and pretend that I was in another world, fighting battles that would alter my imaginary universe. In my small town, I’d been known as the best around. I’d win every popular game, conquering all the levels, and there wasn’t a kid around who could touch me—until Tommy Demarco. I thought he was lying when he started boasting about the secret levels and cheats he’d uncovered, so I went to his house to see it for myself.
He showed me how he’d managed to circumvent the manufacturer’s restrictions on the gaming system, enabling him to hack into all of my favorite games. I was blown away. Seeing what he’d been able to do set a spark inside of me, and I became obsessed with learning everything there was to know about hacking. It wasn’t easy. I didn’t have someone there to teach me, so I had to figure it out on my own. Thankfully, I had a knack for it, and with each new challenge, I became even more driven to succeed. In a matter of months, I had learned all the ins and outs of coding: with just a few manipulations, I’d uncovered a whole lot more than the same secret levels and cheats that Demarco had bragged about.
There was something about cheating the system that intrigued me, and I found myself wanting to know just how far I could go. I had altered the settings on my phone, my cable box, and my parents’ computer, and that was just the beginning. It wasn’t long before I was hacking into anything and everything, discovering a world that surpassed my wildest imagination—a world most people didn’t know existed. While my folks had no idea what I was really up to, they could see I had a gift; although, they’d hoped that I would use it to go to college and find myself an acceptable career. I gave it a try but quickly learned that I already knew more than most of my professors. After just three semesters, I became bored with the whole college thing and ended up dropping out. While my mother wasn’t happy about my decision, my father seemed to understand and trusted that I’d find my way. It took some time. I’d spent those next few months bouncing around the city, working odd jobs here and there, but eventually, I’d proven my father right and found the place I was meant to be.
I had been bartending at one of the pubs downtown when Gus, the president of Satan’s Fury, came in for a drink. I was surprised to see him at my bar—and was even more surprised when I found out that he’d actually come there looking for me. After hearing about a job I’d done for one of his associates, he decided to offer me a chance to prospect for the club. Even though I’d worked with some pretty dangerous folks over the years, I’d never been approached by someone with his kind of notoriety. While there’d never been any witnesses to any of their crimes, or a mention of their names on the news, everyone in Memphis knew you didn’t fuck with the members of Satan’s Fury. Maybe it was all speculation, but these men had made quite a name for themselves, instilling a sense of fear throughout the city. Assuming the rumors wer
e true, I’d always done my best to keep my distance, and being so close to their president had put me on edge. I couldn’t help but wonder if I truly had what it took to prospect for men like them, but my curiosity outweighed my doubt and I’d decided to take him up on his offer.
Over the past ten years, there hasn’t been a day that has gone by that I’ve regretted that decision. The ties I’d forged with my brothers were stronger than blood, and there was nothing I wouldn’t do for them, including hacking into the FBI’s data base to find information on our latest threat. It was something I’d done many times before, but on this particular morning, I was experiencing some difficulty getting past one of their security walls. I’d just come up on an unexpected end-to-end encryption, when Big asked, “Have you thought about trying a DDoS?”
Big was a member from our chapter out in Washington State and a fellow hacker. He’d come to Memphis with several of his brothers to help us track down Josue Navarro, a cartel boss who’d recently become a threat to our pipeline. Like the rest of us, he was eager to get the information we’d need to locate him by any means necessary. His suggestion to use a DDoS didn’t come as a surprise, but unfortunately, the method meant using multiple computers to simultaneously flood their system with data. Knowing it wasn’t a feasible option, I replied, “I considered it, but setting that up would take time and equipment that we just don’t have.”
“Damn.” He let out an exasperated sigh, then turned his attention back to his computer. Since he was considered to be a high stakes criminal, we both knew that the FBI would have the most updated information on our guy, but time wasn’t on our side. It wouldn’t be long before the FBI picked up on our presence, and then we’d be fucked. “What about using a RAT? We just need the right agent to take the bait, and then we’d have full control of his computer. We could use it—”