Rafe (Devil's Flame MC Book 1)

by Romi Hart

  She rested her head in her hands, covering her face. She wasn’t an overly emotional person, so she wasn’t used to dealing with this sort of distress. It was exhausting, and she wished she’d latched onto one of the other men who’d showed up at the bar the other night. Or better yet, brushed them all off. Either way, she wouldn’t be in this position right now.

  The door knob turned, and Kira’s head snapped up. Her breath hitched in her chest as the door swung open and revealed a rode weary Rafe, dirty with heavy lids and a lined face. She didn’t think. She just acted. She was out of the chair and flinging herself at him in a single heartbeat, her arms tight around his neck and her nose buried in his chest, regardless of sweat and dust.

  He didn’t move at first, seeming to be shocked, and then his arms came around her slowly, holding her with what she made herself believe was tenderness and care. He felt so good, so real. His body was strong and hard, and she thought about how it felt when he moved over her and in her, when he lifted her like she weighed nothing and moved her into the position of his choice.

  “I’m going to strangle the prospects,” Rafe growled, breaking the silence and the spell that had washed over Kira at the sight of him.

  She raised her head to look at him in alarm. “Why?”

  He shook his head, a twinkle in his jade green eyes. “They must have treated you like shit if I’m getting this kind of greeting.”

  Realizing how desperate she was acting – and how relieved she truly was to see him – Kira blushed and stepped out of his personal bubble. “Actually, they’ve been great. Rocky’s a nice kid.”

  “Yeah, he’s a kid alright. He didn’t touch you, did he?” The mirth was gone, replaced by a rabid expression filled with warning. Was Rafe jealous?

  “What would you do if he had?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Rip his dick off and feed it to him,” he stated matter of factly.

  Kira didn’t doubt it. “No one touched me, Rafe. I was just worried about you,” she told him in a sedate voice.

  “Why?” The single word was gruff, and Kira stared at him, not sure what she wanted to say. He seemed to want to hear something particular, but what? And for what purpose?

  She shrugged, trying to play it close to the hip. “You’re trying to defeat my brother. I suppose I feel some gratitude toward you for that, even if you are using me in that capacity. I want you to win that battle, so I need you in one piece.”

  He took a step away from the door, closer to her, and it took everything she had not to step back. “You’re lying.”

  Technically, she wasn’t. “I’m serious, Rafe. You might refuse to believe me, but I hate Jake. And I’ll be glad when he gets what he deserves. I just hope I don’t have to die to make him pay.” She threw the last in there, not for her own benefit, but to see how Rafe would react.

  And she wasn’t disappointed. His eyes flinched, and his jaw ticked. His hands fisted at his sides, and then his fingers flexed, back and forth. “I don’t want to kill you, Kira. I never did particularly savor that idea, even before I met you.” His voice was low, rough, gravelly like the roads he’d probably been riding for hours. “I’m going to find a way to kill him without spilling your blood.”

  It was her turn to counter him. Jutting her chin out, she asked, “Why? What difference does it make? I’m just leverage, right?”

  “No!” he barked, shoving a hand through his already tousled hair. “You are the most frustrating woman I’ve ever met!” he grumbled, looking anywhere but at her.

  But Kira was determined to get a real answer, and she wanted eye contact so he couldn’t beat around the bush. Hesitating only for a moment, concerned about her own need for distance and what would happen if she got too close, she moved forward enough to place her hand on his chest, drawing his attention to her. Those jade eyes pierced her with such intensity she nearly pulled away, crawled into a shell of safety, and left the conversation where it was. “What am I then, Rafe? If I’m not leverage, why are you so protective of me? And don’t feed me some bullshit about chivalry and being a gentleman. I bet I could ask any of the women out there, and they would all laugh in my face if I described you with those terms.”

  Rafe’s stance shifted, and Kira knew she had him. He was uncomfortable, vulnerable, and if she was going to get him to admit to anything, she had to do it now. This was her one opportunity, and if she had any chance at something happening between them beyond sex, she had to pursue it, or she would lose the opening. “What’s different here, Rafe? I’m nobody special. I’m just some chick who happens to be related to your sworn enemy, a guy you want to punish for whatever sin he committed. And I’m a great tool in that capacity.”

  “You know that’s not how things are!” he roared. “You’re not just some object I can throw in his face.”

  “Really? Because that’s what you’ve been telling me this whole time.” She pushed harder, stepping in closer so she could feel his body heat rolling off him as he grew more and more agitated. “I understand protecting your investments, Rafe, but I don’t think that’s what you’re doing. Maybe it was, at first, but not anymore.”

  He shook his head, looking like he was going to explode trying to hold something back. What she didn’t expect was his hands to slither up her arms in a caress, over her shoulders, and to her face, cupping her chin gently. “I can’t explain something I don’t understand,” he told her, sounding both defeated at the admission and relieved to have it off his chest.

  Kira, too, experienced a confusion of emotion. Excitement at hope that Rafe might give a full confession to falling for her. Fear that he’d reject the idea. Uncertainty that either situation would be ideal. She was always so sure of herself, and for the first time, she felt true insecurity. “Rafe, this probably sounds crazy because of how this has all gone down. But it’s more than just sex for me. There’s something about you that I crave, something I can’t ignore. If you can look me in the eye and tell me you don’t feel something for me, I’ll back off. But after worrying myself into a frenzy all day, I—“

  He cut her off with a demanding kiss that literally curled her toes as she tried to stay grounded. She leaned into it, letting him control the connection and reveling in the way he seemed desperate, eager, and hungry for her. When he released her mouth to trail kisses over her jaw and throat, she gasped for air, feeling like the heat was devouring her oxygen and killing her lungs the way Rafe devoured her, destroyed her self-control.

  He slowed, still holding her but pulling his head back to search her face, for what she didn’t know. “All I thought about while I was gone was how easy it would have been for someone to come in and hurt you. One of my men, a group of Jake’s. I’ve never been so distracted in my life, but I can’t get you out of my head. You’re all I think about, and it’s fucking with my head. What have you done to me?”

  Kira just blinked, trying to take his words in without overthinking them. “I couldn’t think about anything but you, either,” she whispered. “I don’t like being away from you.”

  He closed his eyes, as if working to get a grip, and then he slowly released her, turning away from her. “I wasn’t happy about it, either. I can’t be sure you’re safe when you’re out of my sight.” He raked a hand through his hair, a gesture she recognized as aggravation on his part, and she knew he had something to say she wasn’t going to like. “I’ve got business again in two days. I’ll be gone all day, maybe overnight, and more of us will be going. I have to figure out what to do with you to keep you safe while I’m gone. I can’t have anything distracting me on this trip.”

  “Let me go with you,” she jumped at the idea. “I can help. Whatever it is, I can help you.”

  Rafe gave her a horrified look. “This is going to get ugly, Kira. There’s no way I’m taking you to a gunfight.”

  “With the Diamond Kings?” she asked, her eyebrow raised. “I’m a better shot than any of them. And when they see me, they’ll back down because Jake will ki
ll one of them if I get hurt.” It was a perfect solution.

  “No, Kira. I’m going to have enough to worry about with two other MCs involved. I can’t have you there. I’ll spend the whole time watching your back and making sure no one takes a shot at you.”

  Kira frowned. “Two other MCs? Who else is involved?”

  Rafe turned and stared at her for a long moment, as if weighing the merit of telling her the truth. Then, his shoulders slumped and he shook his head. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, Kira. You’re a liability in so many ways.” She started to protest, but he held up a hand to stop her. “The Kings are making a delivery of meth to the Ravens day after tomorrow, and in exchange for information on the drop location, we’re giving the Ravens anything we take at half price. It’s a win for us because we don’t want the drugs and can make a buck while showing the Kings what happens when they make an unannounced house call, and the Ravens save a buck without losing anything.”

  Kira’s eyes went wide. She’d seen her brother’s dealings with the Ravens and knew it was a bad idea. “Rafe, listen to me. Gomez, the president of the Ravens, is so deep in Jake’s pocket, he’ll never sell out. This is too dangerous. Let me help you. Let me get the real location for you.”

  “It’s fine, Kira. We’ve got the information, and we’ve checked it out,” he told her, waving her off.

  But she shook her head and grabbed his arm, pleading with him. “Come on, Rafe. Let me check it out for you. No one’s going to think anything about me asking. Jake’s my brother, and someone will assume I’m looking for one of his men. That I’m sleeping with one of them and need confirmation that he’s not off with another woman.”

  “Were you?” he asked, jealousy ringing loud and clear in the question.

  “No!” Kira had never stooped that far. “But they’re all womanizing assholes, and that’s what they’ll think. And I’ll let them think it so I can confirm the location for you.”

  “I can’t involve you like that, Kira. It’s too dangerous.”

  She stiffened. “Why? Because you’re afraid I’ll get hurt? Or are you afraid I’ll sell out your MC to my shithead brother?”

  “I can’t let you risk yourself,” he said, and then he added with a reluctant groan, “and I’d lose my patch for trusting you and risking the club.”

  Frustrated, Kira turned away, hugging herself. This felt wrong. She had never trusted Gomez and his MC, even in their dealings with the Diamond Kings. Gomez was a self-aggrandized fool who didn’t know his head from his ass and would sell his own grandmother to make a buck. But Jake kept him happy with a wallet full of cash for the whole sad little motorcycle club he ran, and that earned as much loyalty as Gomez would offer. It felt like a setup, but she couldn’t know for sure if she was sidelined.

  She hadn’t realized Rafe came up behind her until she felt his hands on her arms, rubbing them soothingly. He really was a conundrum, a contrast to himself in so many ways. But now, she took the comfort he offered, leaning back against his chest. His warmth eased some of the tension in her muscles, even knowing he wasn’t going to cave. “I can’t let you be part of this. It’s out of my hands. But I can take your warning under advisement and spend tomorrow vetting the information, if it makes you feel any better.”

  She tilted her head back and to the side to look up at him, somewhat surprised. “You would do that?”

  He gave a sardonic smile. “I put the club’s safety first, and I have another vested interest with you here. If I’m going to keep everyone safe, I need to follow up on every lead, and you just gave me cause for concern.” She turned to face him, his arms sliding down around her waist as she did. His touch infused her, made her feel more alive, and he sighed, speaking before she could ask her question. “I’m not going to get into an argument with my club or question my president right now, but I trust you enough to worry about the information we got, okay?”

  So he wouldn’t take it to a vote, probably wouldn’t even mention it to his brothers. But he was going to investigate. Not the safest move for him, but Kira didn’t argue. She was happy he’d agreed to look into it at all. Hopefully, he’d either get a clear confirmation or find something disturbing enough to call the whole thing off. She didn’t care which, as long as Rafe came back to her in one piece.

  9

  Rafe couldn’t sit and wait inside the storage facility where the deal was supposed to go down, so he’d taken a lookout post a mile up the road, stowing his bike carefully in the bushes so it wasn’t noticeable. He stood just out of sight in those bushes, phone in one hand and M9 in the other, waiting for a text from Gomez or the appearance of the delivery van coming around the corner.

  He’d done the best he could to assure they hadn’t been given a false address for this delivery. He’d used up several favors owed him, and he had come away confident that they would be safe in following through on this mission. But now, he had started to doubt.

  The absolute terror on Kira’s face when he mentioned the Ravens kept flashing through Rafe’s head, and the desperation in her tone when she tried to talk him out of this meeting circled round and round on repeat. And he had a very bad feeling, with a creeping sensation in his spine that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. He kept glancing around, expecting someone to jump out and hold a pistol to his head.

  He sent a quick text to Zeke, who stood sentinel a mile the opposite direction from the drop point, asking if he’d seen anything. When Zeke didn’t respond, the nerves bundled in Rafe’s shoulders tightened further, and the knot in his gut doubled. He shot another text to Corey, asking if they’d heard anything from Zeke, and Corey answered right away in the negative.

  Rafe cursed under his breath. He couldn’t leave his post, but he needed to check on Zeke. Something was wrong, he was convinced. Checking the time, he took a risk and dialed Zeke, hoping for a quick verbal confirmation that all was well. But there was no answer, and the text he’d been waiting for was already half an hour late.

  “Fuck it,” he muttered, digging his bike out of the foliage and kicking it into gear. He raced up the road, past the storage facility, and out to the dilapidated barn where Zeke was supposed to be keeping watch. But he wasn’t at his post, and as Rafe pulled in, several bikes zoomed by on the highway. They were a blur, but he made out the cuts.

  Diamond Kings.

  The second he shut off the bike, he could hear the fight. He ran toward the sound, gun at the ready, and rounded the corner of the building to find Zeke facing down two Ravens, blood pouring down his face. Why he hadn’t shot them, Rafe didn’t know, and he couldn’t believe they didn’t have guns drawn, but he didn’t hesitate as one of them kicked Zeke in the knee and he heard the crack of bone.

  Rafe aimed and shot, taking the first one down as the bullet connected with his shoulder. The other shoved a knife deep into Zeke’s abdomen, and Rafe’s brother cried out, doubling over on the ground. The Raven reached for his belt and frowned, finding no gun, and Rafe got off another round, striking just a bit too far to the right to hit his heart.

  He ran toward Zeke, pointing the gun at the first guy, who tried to get up, and fired another shot almost blindly. The guy screamed, so he knew he’d made impact but didn’t bother to look where the shot hit, too busy checking on his friend. Zeke was barely conscious, obviously in a great deal of pain, and bleeding liberally from multiple wounds. “It’s a setup,” he grunted as Rafe lifted him to a sitting position and leaned him against the barn. “They ambushed me, and the whole slew of them are headed to take out our boys at the drop site.” He barely managed to grunt the words through clenched teeth and labored breathing.

  “You need a doctor,” Rafe barked, lifting his friend’s shirt and finding a deep knife wound in his abdomen. “Are you shot or cut anywhere else?”

  Zeke’s head lolled back and forth, his movements already lethargic. “Couple of breaks and bruises.” He tried to open his eyes, one of them already swollen shut and the other with at least one b
roken blood vessel filling the white area with red. “Don’t worry about me. Get to the storage place. The more guns we have there, the better.”

  Rafe didn’t want to leave Zeke, but despite serious injury, he seemed stable. Tearing the handkerchief from Zeke’s head, which already had a large spot of blood from a knock to the skull, he shoved it into the wound on Zeke’s belly and placed Zeke’s hand over it, pressing hard. Zeke spouted a creative string of curses but held it firm. Then, he drew Zeke’s gun and put it in his free hand. “Don’t move. Shoot anyone who comes near you not wearing our cut. Got it?”

  Zeke nodded, and Rafe raced to his bike, lifting it and tearing out of there in the direction of the storage place, hoping he wasn’t too late. The fire fight was heavily underway, but it didn’t look like his crew had fallen. He rode up and threw down the bike, pulling his second pistol and firing both as he rushed for cover. He knew he took down at least three men, though he didn’t stop to see if they were Kings or Ravens. At this point, it didn’t matter.

  Not unless one of them was Jake Hawthorne.

  From behind a shoddy brick wall that passed as a fence, he took inventory of what he could see – Corey ducking behind the steel door to the facility and firing intermittently, several of his men aiming from interior windows, Eli covertly sneaking in behind one of the Ravens who had a rifle and slicing a knife across his throat. The man went down hard, and Eli continued his journey, slipping toward another shooter.

  The chaos molded into his mind and separated, and Rafe was able to sort out the action until he honed in on where he would make the most impact. Edgar sat in the cab of the truck that the Kings had apparently rolled in with, ducking in the floorboard and shooting through the open window. He didn’t seem to have noted Rafe’s arrival, and that was to Rafe’s advantage as he carefully took aim at the truck and waited.

  As soon as Edgar’s head popped up, Rafe fired 3 rounds in quick succession, but the first one did the damage intended, and Edgar’s body fell fast enough that the other two bullets shattered the windshield of the truck behind him. Satisfied, Rafe picked off two more shooters, aiming for hands and hearing the screams as guns were dropped and rival members disarmed.