by Nikki Landis
I didn’t want another woman. No club girl was half as perfectly flawed. No one else was as beautiful, thoughtful, or smart as my Mimi. She was fierce and she was strong.
She was mine.
Clearly, I needed to make my move before I lost my chance and my sweet little sunshine gave her radiant smiles to another guy.
“HOW DID IT FEEL TO mingle last night?” Shadow asked, sorting the cards in his hand.
“Better than I would have thought. It felt good to laugh and enjoy myself again.” Shuffling the cards around in my hand, I placed them faced down on the table and looked across at my friend. “Still a little weird but I’m making friends and that’s the whole point.”
“Sure is,” he agreed, slapping his cards down before he sat back. “Not feeling cards today.”
“Me either,” I admitted honestly. “I’m feeling cooped up and caged in. I hate that feeling.”
“I’m so with you on that.”
“Wish we had things to do around here. If you don’t drink or smoke or want to play video games then there’s not much else.”
A laugh bubbled up and out of his chest. “Shit. I’ve been trying to get you to play Call of Duty for weeks.”
“And it’s still no,” I added with a laugh.
“See? You’re a fun killer.”
Smirking, I shook my head. “That’s just mean.”
He lifted his arms and crossed them behind his head. “We could play a little hooky.”
I gave him a look. “Who says that word at your age?”
“What? I’m an intellectual.” Shadow pointed to his head. “Lots of smarts up there.”
“Uh huh,” I teased.
“Seriously, Naomi. Everyone is busy with the last of the renovations and cleaning. I got out of it due to the fact that I have to babysit your ass.”
“You jerk!” I shouted, leaning forward, and punching his arm. “I should make you clean my bathroom for that.”
Laughing, he held up his hands. “As long as you don’t shit a mile long like Mammoth.”
Damn. I didn’t want to know that. “Ew. You’re disgusting.”
“Let’s get out of here. I’ll grab a cage. No one will see you.”
“I’m not going in a cage!” I shrieked, jumping up.
Shadow began laughing so hard he snorted and then almost fell out of his seat. “That’s what bikers call a vehicle.”
“Oh,” I breathed out, ready to punch him again. “You knew I would think it was an actual cage.”
He shrugged at the accusation. “Maybe.”
“Get me the hell out of here then. I don’t want to see these walls for a few hours.”
“Let’s roll out.”
Roll? Must be a biker thing.
Following Shadow, I walked through the Crossroads and beyond several plastic barriers, stepping around buckets and supplies. There was so much stuff everywhere it wasn’t hard to slip away unnoticed.
We took one of the SUVs that belonged to the auto shop. The logo was plastered on the sides and rear doors. Tinted windows prevented anyone from noticing I was inside as we approached the main gate and Toad let us through.
I breathed a sigh of relief once we were free and turned to my friend. “Where would you like to go?”
“You finally leave the Crossroads and you’re asking me?” He gave me a once over. “You’re so weird.”
“It doesn’t matter. After everything I’ve been through freedom is freedom.”
“Huh. I guess I get that.”
“Seriously, where would you go if I wasn’t with you?”
His grip tightened on the steering wheel. “Not sure.”
“Liar,” I taunted, but then I figured it out. “Stefanie’s grave. Right?”
He didn’t answer, keeping his focus on the road instead.
“You haven’t gone yet, have you?”
Swallowing hard, he shook his head.
“Then we’ll go together. Right now.”
“Naomi.”
“You need to do this.”
He didn’t disagree.
“Come on. I’ll be there with you the same as you’ve been there for me. Promise.”
“Fuck,” he whispered. “Okay.”
The drive wasn’t long.
I never paid attention to the roads or what landmarks marked the desert around us. I was far too focused on Shadow and concerned as he became withdrawn and moody. I didn’t judge him since I couldn’t imagine having someone that I cared about so intimately torn from my life in such a vicious way. He was hurting and I didn’t know what to say to take that pain away.
We parked and trudged across the scorching desert sand until we arrived at our destination.
Shadow didn’t say much as we approached Stefanie’s grave. His chin lowered and I thought I saw tears in his eyes before they were out of sight. His shoulders drooped and I tried to look away but then I caught how his hands fisted at his sides and the rage within began to build.
“I know this isn’t easy,” I began.
“Easy?” he scoffed, “She’s fucking dead, Naomi. Gone. Never coming back. No, it’s not easy.” He lifted his head, inhaling a sharp breath. “They took her from me! It’s never going to be okay. I,” he choked off, unable to continue for a few heartbeats of silence, “I feel like I’m slowly dying too.” He pounded a fist against his chest, punctuating the sorrow that oozed from his soul. “Every breath hurts. Every minute I’m without her pisses me off. I don’t want to be here. I don’t want to pretend it’s okay.”
“Shadow,” I whispered, my heart breaking for him.
“I don’t want to sit on my ass and do nothing while the men who took her from me thrive and continue to make money off girls like my Stefanie.”
“I understand.” Better than I could describe.
“No! You don’t!” he railed. “I want to find them and torture them. I want to slowly make them suffer for days until they beg for their death. I want to make them bleed and hear their screams.”
Swallowing hard, I nodded. “You want vengeance.”
“Yes,” he snarled.
“She was your girl.”
“Stefanie was more than my girl. She knew me. She saw me, Naomi.” His chest heaved and he let out a strangled cry of anguish. “She completed me. Everything about her. When no one else believed in me, she did. When no one else saw my worth, she did. Stef was my pretty pageant girl. She. Was. My. Everything.”
He broke down, falling to his knees, clutching at his chest as I slid down beside him, cradling his body close as he wept with a sorrow so visceral that tears filled my eyes and spilled over. Sobbing, he raged at the world and finally let the grief he’d been carrying start to surface. I cried with him, my own heart full of anguish and suffering for my friend as Shadow tried to comprehend the loss of his greatest love.
I had no words of comfort.
There were none to give but I hoped that someday he would recover from the pain of Stefanie’s loss.
“How long has she been gone?” Grim asked, his features pinched with aggravation. “Where is Shadow?”
There was no sign of either of them in my room or around the Crossroads and Shadow wasn’t answering his fucking phone.
“I don’t know,” I admitted, ready to hunt down Shadow and make good on my promise to kick his ass. Should have pulled him aside last night and had a chat then, warning him to be careful with my girl. “Maybe Mimi just wanted to go for a ride and get out of the clubhouse.”
“She ever say she wanted to do that?”
“No,” I growled, pacing with frustration.
“Christ. Where the fuck did they go?”
He began texting someone and typing away a message. Probably asking Xenon to find out where Shadow was located. Every prospect and member could be tracked. Saved Grim’s life recently when Trish’s stepbrother tried to kill them both. We found him within minutes.
Opening my mouth to answer, I snapped my lips shut when my phone began ringing
and I glanced down, not recognizing the number. A weird feeling brushed over my skin and I answered, placing the call on speaker.
“Who the fuck is this?” I asked, wondering who had my number.
A deep, sinister chuckle came over the line. “Dale Dixon. Forgive me, Patriot,” he sneered, “How is your little friend Trixie?”
My entire body went completely still.
Grim placed a finger over his lips and quietly shut his office door.
“Don’t think I know your name,” I finally replied, barely holding back the sudden rush of fury that surfaced with my Reaper.
Did he have my sunshine?
“Oh, you know me. Sure been digging around plenty to find out everything you can.”
He wasn’t Russian so that only left Voltoy’s American friend. “Sean Jones.”
“Guess you are smart.”
The insult pissed me off but not as much as the idea that Mimi was his captive.
“You fuck her yet?” he asked, chuckling over the line. “Been in every hole she’s got and fucked her until she bled. Great piece of ass.”
A roar launched from my chest as Grim’s hand landed on my shoulder and gripped tight.
“May just keep her chained to my bed and have that pussy and ass ready for me every minute of the day. She’ll be raw and dripping my cum.”
He wanted me to lose control but I wouldn’t do that. Blinking, I focused on his words and taunts.
Why say such things if he actually had Mimi? He would be tormenting and fucking her not talking about it.
“You’re a liar, Jones. Fucking worthless piece of shit.”
That did the trick. He fired off a list of threats but I lost interest and hit end.
Grim released my shoulder and shook his head. “That’s gonna piss him off. Might make him careless but can’t say I’m sorry you hung up on him. Guy like that is power hungry. He’ll be looking for an opportunity to confront you and that’s exactly what we need. Just gotta lay low until the meeting with Resnikov.”
I was still wound up. “Doesn’t change the fact that Mimi is in danger and wherever she went, she’s still a target. I’ve got to find her.”
Grim’s phone pinged and he looked down. “Xenon found them. They’re on the way back here. Should be about five minutes away.”
Running for the door, I flung it open and bolted down the hall, bursting outside into a bright afternoon sunshine. My heart pounded out a frantic rhythm as I scanned the horizon beyond the main gate and waited for any sign of their arrival.
One of the auto shop’s vehicles was approaching from a distance and my fists clenched as I imagined all the ways I would make Shadow suffer for putting Mimi at risk. He was going to regret taking her out of the compound without permission. Fucking prospect.
Toad and Spook opened the gate as Shadow drove in and parked. I was at the front passenger door, yanking it open as soon as they stopped. Mimi was pulled into my arms and I held her close, nearly crushing her against my chest.
“You’re safe,” I announced, leaning back to cup her face gently with my hands. “You good? Nothing happened?”
She gave me a funny look. “I’m fine. We just went for a drive. I needed a little fresh air.” Her cheeks were dusted with pink like she was in the sun too long.
“Let’s get you indoors and out of the heat.” I grabbed her hand and led her inside, walking straight to the bar. Once she was seated on one of the barstools, I handed her a cold bottle of water. “Drink up, baby. The desert is no joke.”
She took the bottle and gulped down a little as I spun around, searching for Shadow. My lip lifted in a snarl when I saw him standing in front of Grim. Pres was already letting him have it but I stomped forward and shoved him up against the nearest wall, getting right in his personal space.
“What the fuck you think you’re doing, prospect?”
He swallowed hard but lifted his chin. “Taking care of Mimi like you asked. She needed to get outside for a bit and I was her escort like you told me.” There was a hint of sarcasm in his voice and it pissed me off.
“Never told you to take her out of the compound.”
“Never told me not to do it either.”
Rael let out a chuckle, pulling me off Shadow with Mammoth’s help. “Kid messed up, no doubt about it. He’s sorry, right?”
At Rael’s stern expression, Shadow lowered his head. “I apologize, Mr. Dixon. I wasn’t aware that taking her out of the Crossroads was wrong.”
Fuck. He was right. Sighing heavily, I turned to Mimi as she pursed her lips.
Shadow didn’t know shit because he was a prospect and club business was only common knowledge among patched members. He should have had some common sense and asked before he left. Couldn’t tell me he didn’t think of that.
It wasn’t his fault alone though. I should have been clear and given explicit orders since I knew it wasn’t safe outside the compound. Kid was smart and used the loophole I created to do what he wanted. The only thing holding me back was the fact that Mimi wanted to leave and he didn’t let her go alone.
My body relaxed as I reined in my Reaper and my temper. Wasn’t easy but I managed to nod in his direction.
“You ever do something like this again and I won’t be responsible for what I do.”
Grim turned to Shadow. “My office. Now.”
Shadow’s shoulders squared back and he followed Grim down the hall and out of sight. Rael gave me a chin lift and I knew he had my back.
My attention focused on Mimi as she stood. Now that she was safe, I was pissed that she left and didn’t send me a text or try to call. Communication was important. I needed to know that she would be honest with me. Sighing, that was a lot to ask when I couldn’t always reciprocate. Club business remained between members only and that meant I couldn’t always fill her in on the dangers or threats against the RBMC.
My agitation increased along with my ire when I thought about how Sean Jones could have snatched her at any time. She must have seen the truth on my face because she stood and began walking toward our room.
Following, I shut the door once we were inside and turned, hoping like hell I could keep a tight hold on my temper and not fuck this up.
“Let’s talk about risk, Mimi.”
My voice was soft, too calm and it was obvious as my hands clenched at my sides that I was more pissed than she had ever seen. Didn’t want to spook her but at the same time I wasn’t letting this shit slide.
Taking a determined step toward her, my body flinched as Mimi backed away until she bumped into the bedroom wall next to my dresser. One trembling hand rose to brush the hair out of her face as I stalked forward and caged her in, hands planting on either side of her head with a loud slap.
“You went out alone and exposed yourself to our enemies.” My voice lowered to a growl as my teeth clenched hard in my jaw. I barely was able to speak the next words. “Do you have a reason for such reckless stupidity?” She had to know that the Russians and the Black Market Railroad wanted her dead. Alexi Voltoy almost killed her. Didn’t matter if she was unaware of the assassin at the hospital. She knew the Russians and their brutality firsthand.
Mimi’s chin lifted in the air. Such spirit, even after all she had been through. A fighter.
Fuck, I loved that about her.
“Those Russians will come if they want. I can’t stop them. Being cooped up in here is still making me feel like a prisoner sometimes. Freedom is important to me and I won’t stay hidden forever.” Her eyes flashed defiance but there was a hint of fear and doubt in her voice. “They won’t take everything from me, Dale. I won’t let them.”
Dale. My real name. Her sincerity soothed my Reaper but he didn’t like the fact that she felt like a prisoner in our home.
My heart was still racing from the panic I felt when I thought she was missing. Paying attention was difficult but I managed. All I wanted was to surround her with my arms and keep her caged within forever. No one could fuck with her t
hen.
My teeth flashed with a hiss as I responded, hoping she could see how much she meant to me. “No, we won’t let them,” I declared, daring her to disagree.
“We,” she whispered as her haunted eyes strayed to mine and locked. Memories of the past were trying to take her down.
My forehead lowered to hers as I sucked in a few ragged breaths. “Us.”
“My anchor,” she whispered, “and my lifeline.”
“Always,” I choked out, knowing I’d walk across burning coals, jump in front of another bullet, or whatever else it took to ensure her survival. I did it once and I’d do it again.
“I’m scared but I won’t let them win.”
“Don’t be. I’ve got a plan. They won’t be breathing for much longer,” I swore, pulling back enough to stare into her pretty blue eyes. “I’m your vindicator, sunshine. If it’s the last thing I do, I’ll make sure you’re free.”
“What aren’t you telling me?”
“They sent an assassin to the hospital.” She gasped. “Don’t worry. He’s dead.”
Her eyes widened. “Shit.”
“I don’t regret it. That piece of shit was selling girls.”
She nodded and bit her bottom lip with her teeth. “Why are you doing all this for me?” Mimi shook her head. “I don’t know that I’m worth all the effort.”
“Don’t ever say that,” I warned, “You are. I can’t stand knowing the men who hurt and abused you are alive. So, I’m gonna take care of it. That fragile, beautiful, patched-up heart of yours can’t hold anymore darkness, sunshine. So, it’s my job now to seek vengeance on your behalf. My blackened soul that will become further tarnished. Not yours. I’m gonna soak up all that wrath, hatred, and pain and unleash it until everyone who ever harmed a single hair on your pretty head is burning in hell for all motherfuckin’ eternity.”
Her arms slid around my waist as she rested her cheek over my heart. “This nightmare never ends.”
“I swear to you, Mimi,” I vowed, wrapping my arms around her slender body, “this will all be over soon.”
“Did you get in trouble?” I asked, anxiously scanning Shadow’s face.