by Ivy Spears
Asher wasn’t stupid, he didn’t waste any time trying to reason with Josh the way I did. Instead, he glanced back at me and gave me one last deep look and then he charged toward him, yanking his body to the ground.
“Asher!” I screamed out after him in panic. “No! Don’t!”
What was he doing? He was crazy! Between man and gun, a gun would win every fucking time. I leaped up off the ground, wanting to help but he was on top of Josh and they were struggling on the cold concrete, going back and forth rapidly. I couldn’t see the gun and I feared if I got too close and tried to help Asher it would cause it to discharge.
It didn’t matter, though, because a second later the sound of a shot filled the garage and a slow stream of blood started to drip out between the two of them and land in a pool on the floor.
“Asher?” I gasped, terrified of not hearing an answer. “ASHER!”
Asher turned his head, his eyes wide and slowly rolled his body off of Josh’s. He was covered in blood, making it impossible for me to tell if the wound was from coming from him or had just transferred over from Josh’s body.
“Asher!” I gasped, rushing toward him.
He shook his head. “It’s okay, I’m not hit, I’m not hit.”
His words sank into my bones and I collapsed with relief onto the floor, full on sobbing now. I could feel my body shaking uncontrollably, shock taking over before I felt Asher’s arms around me a few seconds later, pulling me toward his chest and holding on to me for dear life.
“It’s okay,” he whispered over and over again into my hair. “It’s okay now, I’m here now, I’m here now.” He ran his lips and hands through my hair and reassured me over and over again until I stopped shaking.
And then we called the cops and told them we had just killed someone.
Chapter Twenty-Six
I set my suitcase down on the ground and glanced back at my dad. “Don’t look at me like that, you knew this was coming.” People at the airport were swimming in and our around us, desperately racing to whatever gate they were flying out of.
“No, I didn’t,” my dad said stubbornly.
I sighed and moved closer to him, reaching up to kiss him on the cheek. “It’s time for me to get back to my own life, dad, at least somewhat… Carol is going to stay with you on the days the nurse isn’t with you and then I’ll come back in a few weeks myself to check in on you.”
“I don’t need a nurse,” my dad huffed. “I’m fine on my own.”
“I know,” I told him. “It’s more for my own peace of mine than yours.” It had been three weeks since the shooting in the garage, three weeks since Asher saved my life and ended another’s. There had been no investigation into what had happened since the evidence pretty much confirmed the story Asher and I had told the sheriff he hadn’t chosen to press any charges.
“Are you sure you can’t stay?” His eyes looked sad and defeated.
I inhaled deeply and forced myself to not get emotional. I wanted to stay, of course, I wanted to stay, but I couldn’t. Being here was just a reminder of everything Asher did to me, just a reminder of how hard I had fallen for him all over again only to get crushed.
I was thankful for what he had done for me, I always would be, I mean he had saved my life… but a man like Asher wasn’t capable of being honest with me, he would always have secrets and they would always come back to harm me, no matter how much I cared about him.
Trevor was out of jail, the sheriff had dropped the charges once we told him about Josh. Not to mention the copies of fake evidence they found in Josh’s rental property only added to our case. My dad was feeling better, everything was sorted out… except for Asher.
He’d tried to get in touch with me after that night but I couldn’t bear to talk to him, I couldn’t bear to face him and go through the pain of telling him goodbye all over again.
No, it was time for me to get back to my life. Back to what I had created.
“I have to go, dad, you know that.” I picked up my bags and hugged him one last time. “I’ll call you as soon as I land, okay?” I forced myself to turn away from him, not wanting to see the pain on his face again. “I love you.”
“He loves you,” my dad called to my back.
I flinched as I neared the security check and stopped in my tracks. But only for a second before I shook my head slightly and forced myself to keep moving. This was exactly why I had to leave… I couldn’t deal with my dad’s pain and mine at the same time anymore. It was bound to destroy me sooner or later.
I hurried through the security check, not wanting to risk a look back at my dad. I grabbed my shoes after I went through the medical detector and shoved them on my feet before grabbing my carry on and racing toward my gate.
Only to be completely stopped in my tracks.
Leaning against the check in desk like it was the most natural thing in the world was Asher. His eyes looked tired and were bloodshot, gone was his usual cool and collected demeanor. It was replaced with a look of hurt and confusion… and something else, something I hadn’t seen in anyone in a really long time.
The need to fight.
He closed the distance between us in a few easy strides. “You aren’t going anywhere.” He took my carry on out of my hand and threw it across the floor, startling a few people who were sitting in the seats surrounding the gate. “You’re staying.”
“Asher…” I placed my hand over my heart. “What are you…?”
He shook his head and grabbed my chin, forcing me to look at him. “Bella, I can’t… I can’t let you get on that plane.” He shook his head. “I let you get on it once and it ended up being the biggest mistake of my life.”
My eyes filled with tears. “It’s too late, we can’t work, Asher.”
“Why not? Why can’t we?”
“Because!” I said sadly. “We’re just too different.”
“Who gives a fuck?” He was yelling now, causing everyone around us to lower their voices and perk up. “We don’t need to be alike to be in love, Bella, we don’t. That’s what love is. It’s people choosing to love one another no matter what, even the parts they don’t understand or agree with.”
My eyes filled with tears. “Are you saying…?”
“Am I saying I’m in love with you?” Asher asked loudly. “Of course I’m saying it! I’ve loved you all along I was just too much of an asshole to realize it.” He looked around and motioned crazily. “Do you need me to tell the world because I will? I love this woman!”
I lowered my voice. “Asher…”
“Tell me you don’t love me,” he challenged. “Right here, right now, look me in the eye and tell me you don’t love me the way I love you, Bella. That you haven’t since we were kids, that that feeling… that feeling of being complete when we’re around each other is all in my head and it’s something you can just go on with your life without?”
Tears were openly falling down my cheeks now.
“You can’t do it,” he told me, wiping at my face. “You can’t do it because you love me just as much as I love you. Before you came back I had all this money and all this power and all this attention…. To everyone else, I seemed to be everything but inside I was empty and I couldn’t figure out why and then you showed up and I realized what it was I needed….”
“Me,” I whispered. It was the same feeling I’d had all those years away, like a piece of me was lost somewhere and I would never be able to find it again. “You needed me.”
He crushed his lips on top of mine deeply. “Of course I needed you, Bella, I always did.” He pushed a piece of hair off my forehead. “Now I can’t promise you that I’ll never fuck up, I’m human… but I can promise you I’ll be loyal, and that I’ll never intentionally hurt you… and I can promise you that I feel things for you I’ve never felt in my life.” He shook his head. “I’m fucking in love with you, Bella.”
I bit down on my lip, letting my true emotions finally spill out. “I’m fucking in love with you
, too, Asher.” I leaped into his arms and threw my body around him, drowning in the touch and taste of him.
For the first time in years, I felt free.
And happy.
Cheers and applause broke out around us like the crowd was seeing a happy ending to a romantic movie where the hero and heroine were finally together and were about to ride happily off into the sunset with one another.
Luckily for me, it wasn’t a movie, it was my life.
And now that I knew love like this… I was never giving it up.
**THE END!**
*WANT TO BE NOTIFIED AS SOON AS IVY SPEARS NEXT HOT ROMANCE IS RELEASED? SIGN UP FOR HER MAILING LIST BY CLICKING HERE!
**AND DON’T FORGET TO TURN THE PAGE FOR YOUR FREE COPY OF CUTTER: RED SIN MC**
CUTTER: RED SIN MC
BY ALEXA RYNN
Copyright 2016 Alexa Rynn, all rights reserved.
No part of this work may be reproduced without written consent of the author. This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to any persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book is for a mature audience only due to strong language and strong sexual conduct.
DON'T MISS ANY OF ALEXA RYNN'S HOT RELEASES! SIGN UP FOR HER MAILING LIST HERE!
Chapter One
GRACE
The bar was pretty dead that night which was the first thing that rubbed me the wrong way. It wasn't unusual for guys from the club to want and meet me out for a drink. It was a super public gesture after all, and if they were trying to prove they had nothing to do with a crime they would want to be seen. Unless they were married… sometimes the married ones wanted to avoid public altogether.
Still, the bar had been too dead.
The door slammed shut behind me and the image of a coffin being pushed shut flashed through my mind for some reason. Something about it had felt… completely wrong.
But Ace had texted me, asking to meet him here, just like I'd done a million nights before. He was one of the safest clients I had. So, where the hell was he?
"You must be Grace." A man approached me from the right.
I jumped a little and then cursed myself. Two years into this you would think I'd know not to show any fear by now. I forced a smile. "Do I know you?" The guy was about twice my size, dressed in all black with longer blonde hair. I searched his arms for tattoos, for any signs of who he was or what motorcycle club he was affiliated with.
I had never seen him with any of the Red Sin members before but that didn't mean much, they had a lot of members. Plus dozens more on guest or probation periods.
It was no use. No flesh had been exposed.
Another warning?
He smiled. "I'm Fire, Ace sent me. He should be here any second, he got caught up doing something." He looked me up and down, his eyes pausing on my short skirt. "Can I get you a drink?"
Ace was never late. Not once in the last year.
I glanced around the bar. "I'm not sure anyone is working."
Fire chuckled and placed his hand on my back, guiding me further into the room. "That's okay, I ordered you something already." I noticed a pink liquid sitting on the edge of the bar.
Who knew what was in it.
The door to the bar swung open and I glanced behind me, hoping I would see Ace but it was a few other guys. Relief washed over me for a second, this was Red Sin territory, and if this guy wasn't with them they would know. Both dressed in black, they paused by the door and stared at us.
"I was starting to think you guys weren't coming." There was an edge in Fire's voice, an annoyance that told me the guys were going to pay for being late later on.
"Sorry," the first man said. He was older, bald with a long skull tattoo starting at his chin and wrapping around his neck. "You know we wouldn't miss this. Wouldn't want to let Ace down."
He and the second guy shot each other an amused look and then Skull turned around and clicked the lock over on the door. Stupid, how could I have been so stupid? I had spent months avoiding situations just like this one.
"Ace usually discusses it with me beforehand if it's going to be a group affair." I tried to keep my voice calm, the sooner they realized I was on to them the sooner they would stop being polite.
"Oh, I'm sure it just slipped his mind." The third man said. They were all right behind me now, too close. "Here, let me make you more comfortable."
He yanked my jacket off me roughly then tossed it onto the bar. "Damn, no wonder everyone goes crazy for that ass." He slapped it through my skirt.
"Let me see," Skull demanded. "Oh, yeah, that's nice." He gave it a squeeze while he and the other guy chuckled. "I bet it would look even better with my tongue between those cheeks." More laughing.
I pulled away from their touch.
"Gentleman," Fire snapped. "Where are your manners?" He looked from them to me and then down to my ass. He took his finger and traced it along the outline of my tank and bra. "You'll have to excuse my friends here, they are still learning about how one should address a woman such as yourself."
His fingers felt like slime on my skin.
"So how should we address you?" Fire continued. "Do you prefer slut or whore?" The two other guys busted out in fits of laughter. Fire glanced at them, happy that they were hanging on his every word.
They were done playing nice.
I knew it was a long shot but I made a run for it anyway. Skull had me by the back of my hair within seconds and slammed my back against the bar. "Where do you think you're going, bitch?" He leaned down and licked me across the face, grinning.
Fire turned to the other guy. "Get the shades." The guy scurried off to close the blinds. "Let me see her, Skull," Fire snapped, coming closer to us. "Remember the rules, I get to have my fun first."
Skull backed away, looking impatient.
Fire got closer to me and pushed a piece of hair behind my ear. "Are you going to fight?" He leaned in closer to me and whispered. "I love it when they fight."
I tried to control the water forming behind my eyes.
I pushed him off me and lunged for my jacket on the other side of the bar. "YES!" Fire screamed, snatching me by the neck and yanking me back. "YES! FIGHT, BABY, FIGHT!" He laughed loudly, an evil and thrilling look in his eyes. "THAT GETS ME SO HOT!"
He shoved his crotch against me to prove his point.
"Whoa, look at what we have here, boss." Skull had searched my jacket and found the small gun I carried on me. "Looks like our little whore was going to try and shoot you."
Fire looked at the gun then back at me. "Is that so? Were you going to try and shoot your daddy, whore?" He smacked me across the face and when I gasped he laughed then did it again. "What's wrong? Isn't that how you like it? Rough and hard?"
The guy who had been closing the blinds reappeared and shook his head. "No, remember, boss, she's a fake whore. Word on the street is that all those rumors about how crazy she is in bed are just that… rumors.” He moved closer to me. “I’m not so sure, though, she needs a little test run.”
He was right, but I didn't know how he knew. I didn't care that from the outside it looked like I was sleeping with an entire MC. The truth was a hell of a lot less thrilling.
Red Sin members paid me to pretend that I had been with them at times they were really off committing crimes. Or to be seen out with me at times they knew for sure certain things would be taking place.
It was pretty smart, actually. I'd gotten tons of members out of jail time because of it in the past few years.
Fire nodded. "Only a bunch of frauds would allow that. That's why she fucks around with a bunch of pussies, if she came over to The Misfits she would know what it felt like to fuck around with some real men."
Dread came over my body as I realized they were a part of The Misfits, the rival gang of most of my clients. I had made the decision to only mess around with members of the Red Sin from the beginning. It just made sense. They had been the biggest and fasting growing MC gang in the state.
"You're part of the Misfits?" I somehow found words.
"That's right," Fire said. "And what's a better way to spend a Friday night then fucking the shit out of Red Sin's whore in one of their bars?" They all laughed again.
"Now turn around and take it like a good whore," Skull yelled.
Fire grabbed me and swung me around, pushing my face down on the hard surface of the bar. It was only then that I saw Earl, the owner, tied up and gagged bloody in the corner.
Fire yanked my skirt up and pulled my panties down to my knees. "I'm not sure you've ever had a cock this big before, bitch, hope you don't cry too much." Then he paused. "Oh, who am I kidding? I hope you do!"
They all laughed and howled and I heard Fire's belt buckle jingle as he undid his pants.
"I call next," Skull announced.
I struggled and Fire knocked me in the back of the head so hard that the room started to spin. I couldn't believe this was happening, all those years of avoiding situations exactly like this.
And now it was over, all over.
Chapter Two
CUTTER
"Oh my God, baby, yes. YES. YES!" The blonde leaned over the balcony and shook her ass up and down in the air. "Your dick feels so damn good in this pussy, baby."
I had railed this chick all damn night and she still wanted more. Not that I was complaining but she talked too damn much. Just let me get the fuck off and shut the hell up. Clearly, I was dominating that pussy or she wouldn't have cum four times already.
I dug my cock harder into her and she gasped. "Oh, Cutter, you're bad."
Yeah, no fucking kidding.
She talked too damn much. I knew she wasn't a good girl when I brought her upstairs from the bar but my options had been slim and I had been too fucking horny to go home and jerk off alone. She didn't have the whole innocent thing going on, she had the whole desperate thing down, though.