by K. J. Dahlen
Sam watched her go and when she was gone, he flopped back down on the bed. Running his hand over his forehead he listened to the water begin running. Throwing the blankets back, he got up and went to his dresser. Grabbing a clean pair of jeans and a t-shirt he went to the bathroom door and opened it. He could see her in the shower. Setting his clothes down, he opened the shower door and stepped inside.
~* * * *~
Melora gasped when he joined her but she didn’t object. His hands began touching her body and it felt so good. She was still wearing the wig, so she hadn’t gotten her hair wet. The steam from the hot water was making her head itch but with him standing beside her, she couldn’t scratch. When he traded places under the water, she moved away and let him wash up.
She was about to step out when he pulled her back. His lips nibbled on the back of her neck as his hands came around and cupped her breasts. “Why is it I want you again when I just had you?” he whispered in her ear.
“I don’t know.” She closed her eyes against his assault. “But who am I to deny you?”
Sam pushed her against the shower wall and his feet moved her legs apart. Then he plunged inside her from behind, deep and hard. He didn’t stop and each thrust went deeper and harder.
Melora moaned as her body quickly went from warm to hot. When he pushed inside her, her core was wet and slippery. Each plunge of him went deep and she loved it. She’d seen men before in her life and so she knew he was bigger than most men and yet she handled his size easily.
She felt herself tighten as she drew closer and she couldn’t help but push back against him. He ground into her and she felt her body explode. Closing her eyes against the feeling, she saw white dots melding into brilliant colors as she came hard.
Sam groaned as she clamped down on his cock, his hot cum flooding her. He hung his head and let he water rush over his head and shoulders.
Melora opened the door and slipped out but he didn’t go after her. Instead, he turned his head and watched as she dried off.
Wrapping a towel around her, she left the bathroom and went back to her room. Dressing in the clothes she’d worn the day before made her grimace but she did it. Her panties from the night before were still a little damp. Slipping on her shoes, she tidied her room and stepped into the living area.
Sam was already there and making coffee when she joined him. Even fully dressed she could see he was in good shape. She couldn’t help but compare him to the other men she knew.
Whiskey might think he was buff but Sam really was well built. His shoulders were wide and muscular, his chest wide and tight, his arms could crush her, yet they held her safe all night. His thighs were big and hard, his hands were huge and rough but they also knew how to bring her pleasure. Melora sighed.
Sam put a cup of coffee in front of her and asked, “What’s the sigh for?”
She picked up the cup and without looking at him said, “I really need to go back to the shop.”
“Why? What’s at the shop?”
“I was staying at the warehouse in the back,” she admitted. “I need to get my things and get back on the road.”
“Again, I’ll ask who exactly is after you and why?”
She just stared at him for a moment then asked, “You aren’t going to just let this go are you?”
Sam grinned and shook his head.
“Why? What difference does my life make to you?” she whispered.
He shrugged but didn’t say anything.
Melora squirmed in her chair. Then she got up, went to the window and looked outside. “Two years ago, I saw a man named Whiskey knife another man. He found out I saw him and he’s been after me ever since. It seems no matter where I go, he finds me. I’ve been in this town for way too long. If I don’t leave soon, he’ll find me. Then he’ll kill me to keep his crime a secret.”
“Where did this go down?”
“Raleigh, North Carolina.”
“Were you the only witness?”
Melora shook her head. “There were three other men standing there.”
“And they let it happen?” Sam frowned.
Melora snorted. “They all wore the same cut.”
Sam’s frown deepened. “What club did they belong too?”
“The Ghosts of Dixie.”
“Did the President order the hit?”
Melora shrugged. “I have no idea but something tells me he didn’t.”
“What was that?”
She turned to look at him. “Maybe the fact that one of the three other men standing there named Micah yelled at Whiskey for killing Baily. Whiskey told him to shut his mouth. That Raven would never know what happened because they would dump his body where the wild hogs would take care of him. That there would be nothing left to implicate anyone in his disappearance.”
“What did you do then?”
“I got the hell out of town and I’ve been running ever since,” Melora explained. “I do know how to take care of myself. I’ve been doing it for a while now.”
“Sweetheart, I don’t think you can outrun this, not if he keeps coming after you.” He paused then asked, “If you left town right after the murder, how did he know what you saw?”
Melora gritted her teeth. “I don’t know for sure but I called the bar where I worked the next day and spoke to the bartender about leaving. She wasn’t happy about it and told me Whiskey was sitting there. I hung up then but when I called her again a few days later, she told me Whiskey heard the conversation and knew there was a witness. He beat the hell out of her to find out where I was. She took it for a while but ended up telling him everything.”
“Who did he kill?”
“A man name Baily Walker.”
Sam raised his eyebrows. “Senator Walker’s kid?”
“No, his nephew. He still wants to find him. I watched a news report just last week and he’s now offering a reward for information on Baily’s whereabouts.”
“Someone like Walker isn’t going to let it go without knowing the truth,” Sam commented. He got to his feet and held out his hand, “Come on we have to go talk to my kid. He’s the President of the local MC, Sin’s Bastards. He can put a call into Raven and let him know what’s going on.”
Melora backed away from him like his hands were on fire. “Are you fucking nuts? If Raven knows there was a witness, he’ll send his boys here to kill me. I won’t have to wait for Whiskey to find me.”
Sam narrowed his eyes at her. “If Raven didn’t order the hit then Whiskey is the one to be worried. He killed the man, not you.”
“That won’t matter, not to the Ghosts,” she insisted. “They’ll still come after me. Right now, I only have four assholes to watch out for, if Raven finds out I’ll have too many to watch for and one of them will get to me before I can get away.” Shaking her head she murmured, “That’s suicide and I’m not that crazy.”
“No you’d rather run for the rest of your dammed life.” Sam growled. “One day, you’ll run out of time and he’ll find you. Then where will you be?”
“Then I’ll die under Whiskey’s blade but that day won’t be today.”
“Whiskey’s blade?”
“Whiskey has this wicked knife he likes to show off and he knows very well how to use it.” She shook her head. “A bullet would be quicker but he enjoys torturing his victims. He gets off on inflicting pain and all the blood. It’s not a good way to die.”
“Then we need to talk to Raven and get the record put right before this Whiskey finds you.”
“You can tell him. Me? I’m leaving town while I still can.”
“It’s time to stop running.”
Melora flushed. “I can’t. If I stop—I’ll die and I’m not ready to die just yet. I’m only twenty four. I’d like to live a longer life than that.”
“Just talk to Deke. He can protect you while we figure this out.”
“You can’t promise me that, old man. I’m nothing to
you or him. Raven might be President of the Ghosts but he’s not here is he? He’s several states away and Whiskey probably isn’t.”
“You need the protection of the MC,” he insisted.
“No I need to get the hell out of Dodge.” Melora went over to the door and grabbed her coat. Turning to look at him she asked, “Are you going to give me a ride back or do I walk? Because I can do either.”
“Get in the fucking truck.” He growled grabbing his own jacket.
Melora walked over to the truck and opened the door.
Sam joined her and without another word, he started the engine. A few minutes later, he spun the tires and drove down the driveway.
Entering the city, Melora kept watch, as they got closer to the shop. When Sam didn’t pull into the driveway for the shop, she turned her head and glared at him. “You didn’t stop.”
“You’re right, I didn’t. You need to talk to Deke.”
When she reached for the door handle, he grabbed her wrist. “I wouldn’t suggest you jump from a moving vehicle. Your body won’t appreciate it.”
“I don’t want to talk to Deke. I just want to leave town, why can’t you understand that, old man?”
He hauled her closer to him. “You gave me more than just your body last night and again this morning. You gave me the right to protect you and this is me…protecting you. You’re going to talk to Deke and let him handle this.”
Melora glared at him. “God, I hate you right now. I didn’t give you the rights you claim. All I did was share myself with you. I guess I should have stayed away.”
Sam pulled into the parking lot of a strip club called Dirty Dancing.
Melora stared at the sign and snorted. “It figures.”
“Don’t judge until you know the facts darlin’.” Sam muttered. “The girls who work here are just earning a living.” Grasping her wrist, he dragged her into the club. He halted the striding in front of the bar top as he paused to gaze at the bartender.
The man nodded toward the back.
Sam then pulled her to an office. Barely knocking, he opened the door and pulled her inside.
A large, very good looking man sitting behind a huge desk looked up and found Sam staring at him. Frowning he asked, “What’s up?”
“We have a problem.”
Deke looked beyond his father and found Melora glaring at the back of Sam’s head. Throwing his pen down on the desk, he grumbled, “I don’t have time for this shit.”
“Make the time boy, this is life or death.”
“What the fuck have you been doing, Bones?” Staring at the woman behind him again, he asked, “Isn’t she a little young for you?”
CHAPTER FOUR
“Don’t be a wiseass,” Sam swore. “We may have visitors very soon. Visitors we don’t want and certainly don’t need.”
“Visitors like who? And why would they come here?” Deke asked.
“One to four members of the Ghosts of Dixie MC and they’re looking for her.”
Deke sat up and studied Melora. “Why would they be after her?”
“They are looking to kill her to shut off a threat.” Sam nodded at her. “She witnessed one of them committing murder and they’ve been chasing after her for two years.”
Deke snorted. “Either she’s very good or they are very bad at locating a witness. I can’t imagine Raven letting this go for that long a time.”
“Raven knows nothing about this woman,” Sam explained. “He never ordered the hit she witnessed either. Apparently, he doesn’t know what’s going on in his own fuckin club.”
“How did that happen?” he asked staring at her even harder. “Suppose you sit down and tell me about this.”
“I’d rather not,” Melora retorted. “I told Sam I’d just leave town. Whiskey will follow and you’ll never know either of us were here. He won’t start trouble unless there’s no other choice.”
“Sam brought you here for a reason.” Deke sat back in his chair. “I’d like to find out more about it before I commit to anything, and that includes letting you run.”
“Neither of you have any right to stick your nose into my business,” Melora told them.
“My father doesn’t think so,” Deke reminded her.
“Yeah, I know what the old man thinks, he made his opinion very clear this morning.” She scoffed. “Only problem is I don’t agree with him on that point.”
“Yeah, well he’s a stubborn sonofabitch sometimes.” Deke chuckled.
“Will the two of you kindly not talk about me as if I’m not standing right here?” Sam grumbled.
“Cranky too, isn’t he?” Melora shrugged.
“Cranky is about to paddle your ass again,” Sam threatened.
Deke stared at his father for a moment then turned to her. “Why don’t you tell me what you saw?”
Melora sighed heavily. “I don’t really want to bring you guys into this.”
“Tell him,” Sam ordered.
She glared at him for a moment then turned to Deke. “September 10th two years ago I was living and working in Raleigh. It was close to one in the morning and I was outside having a smoke break when the door to the bar opened and five men came out. One man was a civilian named Baily Walker and the other four were members of the local MC, the Ghosts of Dixie. Apparently, Baily was in some kind of trouble with one of the men named Whiskey. Whiskey is a badass and he likes to hurt people. The four of them surrounded Baily and began punching him.’ Melora paused with a sigh as she shook her head.
“Go on,” Deke urged.
Melora frowned at Sam as she continued, “Whiskey was high that night, I could hear it in his voice. Whiskey being high makes him not only dangerous but mean too. That night he was mean. Whiskey pulled his knife out. He’s known for that damn knife all over town. Everyone knows he loves to carve up people with it. He started carving on Baily. Baily screamed bloody hell but Whiskey didn’t stop. Finally, he shoved the knife in his chest and Baily dropped to the ground. The other men with him started yelling at Whiskey. Telling him that Raven wasn’t gonna like the fact that he’d killed Baily. In fact, Baily was supposed to be protected by Raven, so this wouldn’t sit well at all. Whiskey told them it didn’t matter because no one would ever find his body. They could take him out in the woods and let the wild hogs take care of him. No one would ever know what happened. They loaded his body up in a truck and drove away. Me? I got the hell out of town.”
“Why was Raven protecting Baily?” Deke wanted to know.
“Baily was Senator Walker’s nephew and Raven wanted a political connection, even if it was one under the table.”
Deke ran his fingers through his hair. “Fuck a duck.” He got to his feet and began to pace behind the desk. Then he looked at Melora. “Did anyone ever find Baily’s body?”
“I doubt it, wild hogs will eat anything and they don’t usually leave parts behind.”
“So you don’t have any evidence that this ever happened?”
Melora shrugged. “Well, I never said that.”
Both Sam and Deke snapped their heads around to stare at her.
She shrugged. “Well, no one ever asked me that before.”
“What evidence do you have?” Deke asked.
“I videoed the whole thing with my smart phone, once I figured out what was going on.”
“Why didn’t you send the video to Raven?” Deke asked.
“Cuz I ain’t stupid.” Melora snorted. “I may have seen those guys around town but I didn’t know them personally. My momma didn’t raise no fool.”
“Where have you been staying since you got to town?” Deke asked.
“She’s been staying in the warehouse back of the shop,” Sam answered.
“Okay, we’ll get your things and move you to the compound while I contact Raven.”
“Boy, you guys just don’t quit do you?” Melora got to her feet. “I told you already I’m not staying!” She began
to pace. “I heard Whiskey’s bike in town the other day and I ain’t sticking around where he can find me.”
Deke got to his feet and glared at her from across his desk. “What you don’t understand is the fact you aren’t going anywhere until this is settled. I’m not going to turn you out into the streets and watch this Whiskey character kill you or allow you to bring a war to the streets of my town. That just ain’t happening, little girl.”
Melora growled. “I can take care of myself. I am not a little girl. What is it with you bikers? I’ve been taking care of myself since I was a kid. I don’t need you or the old man to pat me on the head and tell me to let you take care of things.”
“Then why are you still on the run after two years?” Deke asked. “Why haven’t you just killed this Whiskey guy and his friends?”
Before she could answer him, a knock came to the door.
Deke turned and waited until the door opened.
It was Wiley. “Boss we might have a situation.”
“What kind of situation?”
“Well, Iceman just called and said he saw three men wearing different colors riding into town. Said they were Ghosts of Dixie brothers. Then Gator called and said he just had a call from a man named Mountain asking for a parley with you.”
“Who the hell is Mountain?”
Wiley shook his head and replied, “He hails from a little town in Texas and he says he’s looking for someone. He and his party are Los Hijos de Diablo, the Sons of Satan. ” He paused then added, “I’ve heard of this club and it’s not one you want to mess with if you don’t have to.”
Deke turned to observe Melora for a moment then turned to Wiley. “I need you to go to the warehouse behind the shop and collect the things inside. Bring them out to the compound but try not to let anyone see you there. I’m calling everyone in for a meeting. I want a show of power when this Mountain gets there. Did Gator say how many were with this guy?”
Wiley nodded. “Yeah, Mountain said he had a party of ten with him. He also said to tell you, he didn’t want any trouble he just wanted our help.”
Deke wondered what the other man wanted but he needed to get the girl back first. He couldn’t take any chances on getting caught out in the open until he talked to Raven and cleared things up with him. “Start the calling tree and we’ll meet at the clubhouse. Collect her things first and bring them with you. I want no sign of her at the warehouse in case Whiskey or the other Ghosts can find where she’s been staying.”