Fire in the Stars (Steel Souls MC Book 2)

by Nikki Groom

  “They’re taking it in turns to stay with Ruck. Lia more so. JJ has been a fucking nightmare. No one has dared speak to him or even look in his direction while you were gone.”

  “That’s why everyone’s gone home,” I murmur to myself. “Fuzz make it back okay?”

  “Yeah,” Dingo laughs, and he and Ziggy share a look.

  “What did you fuckers do to him?” I ask.

  “What makes you think we did anything?” Ziggy protests very weakly.

  “Because I know you both better than you know yourselves. Where is he?”

  “He’s enjoying the fruits of his hard work. JJ told us how he did everything you asked of him, and that we had to give him anything he wanted.” Dingo starts to laugh, and Ziggy follows suit.

  “So…” I drop my head back, wondering what these fuckers have been up to. It’s traditional to fuck with the prospects. You have to push them to their limits, humiliate them, see how far they’ll bend for you, and then they have to prove themselves when it comes down to the wire. Fuzz has done all of that, and I’m guessing Dingo and Zig have given him his final dose of what it’s like when you’re trying to prove yourself.

  “So.” Dingo leans forward, eager to tell the story and Sadie giggles at these two putting on a double act. “He had a couple of lines, a couple of shots, then Ziggy here called Candy to come and collect him.” He can barely contain his laughter as he tells me.

  “You didn’t!” I laugh, shaking my head at these two.

  “What?” Sadie says, turning to look at me. “Who’s Candy?”

  “Fuzz…” Dingo continues. “Is currently tied up on Candy’s St. Andrew’s cross, being introduced to the world of BDSM.” He barely manages to finish his sentence before he’s laughing so hard he can hardly breathe.

  “You’re a bunch of cunts…” I tell them, shaking my head with a laugh.

  “He’s probably loving it. He went away a boy, and he’s gonna come back a man.” Ziggy laughs.

  “Hey,” Dingo shouts. “If he gets patched in, can we change his name and call him… Whip?”

  All of us laugh. Proper belly laughs, and it feels fucking good.

  “Ramsey.” JJ’s voice breaks through the laughter. “You’re back.”

  “Yep.” I tap Sadie on the thigh, and she stands so I can greet JJ. He opens his arms and pulls me in for a man hug, clapping me on the back, and almost choking me with shock.

  “Thank you,” he says quietly so only I can hear. I acknowledge his words with a nod, and he releases me, turning to Sadie. He looks at her for a moment, studying her features, and she fidgets nervously under his gaze.

  “It’s good to see you, Sadie.” He smiles at her, placing his hand on her shoulder.

  “Thanks. You too,” she replies, quietly.

  It’s a weird moment. He looks at her like he’s seeing her for the first time, and I appreciate that it must be fucking torture for him to not be able to pull her into his arms as a father would his daughter. But he knows he has to rein it in for now. She doesn’t know. Dingo and Ziggy don’t know, and now is not the right time to tell her, or them.

  He tears his eyes away from her, rubbing his finger and thumb over his scruff.

  “You look rough, man,” I tell him, taking in the black circles under his eyes.

  “Thanks a fucking bunch,” he grumbles.

  “Go. Sleep. Take Lia with you. I’m sure me and these fucking clowns can take care of Ruck.”

  “I’d like to see Ruck, if I may?” Sadie asks, looking between me and JJ. I can see the uncertainty in JJ’s eyes, and so can Sadie.

  “Look,” JJ says. “He’s pretty out of it on painkillers. Maybe it’s best if you don’t see him until the morning…”

  “I just want to see that he’s okay. You and Lia obviously need some downtime. Please, let me help,” Sadie asks, and it’s hard to fucking say no to her.

  I shrug when JJ looks to me for the answer. When I left to bring Sadie back, Ruck was giving everyone the silent treatment. He wouldn’t talk. Wouldn’t look at anyone. Wouldn’t eat. The only person he would do anything for is Lia.

  “If he’s out of it, he won’t even know you’re gone. I’ll just sit quietly and make sure he’s okay. You don’t even have to leave the building. Just please, get some rest, you kinda look like shit.”

  JJ chokes out a breath at Sadie’s not-so-subtle words. “Is she for real?” he asks, chuckling, and I shrug.

  “Fine, Lia is down there. Go and say hi.” He throws his hand in the direction of the basement rooms and Sadie smiles.

  “Thank you.” She reaches up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, then grabs the full shot glass on the bar and thrusts it in his hand before darting off down the stairs.

  JJ stands there with the shot in his hand and his mouth open wide.

  “You better drop that shot down your throat and do as she says, Prez.” I chuckle, watching JJ shake his head.

  “Ram,” he says, smirking. “You might be laughing now, but she’s another Lia in the making, which means I’ll be having the last laugh,” he jokes affectionately, and I take it as the utmost compliment.

  “Maybe.” I raise my brows, and he knows what I’m thinking. She’s not just mine now, she’s his too. The daughter he thought he’d never see again. The daughter he looked for and couldn’t find. The daughter he’s never gonna let go of now that she’s here with us. I see the love in his eyes for her. I felt the pain he felt when he thought The Wolves had her. “You got a minute, you know, before you do as Sadie told you?” I smirk.

  “Yeah, man.” He drops the shot glass on the bar top.

  We stand just out of earshot of the boys. “How’s Ruck been?” I ask. “Be honest, JJ…”

  “He’s been shouting out a lot. He hasn’t woken properly, but he keeps counting. Never gets past twenty before he’s asleep again. Lia is keeping his pain meds topped up in the IV, and he’s had fluids to flush out the crank.”

  “Fuck,” I spit, shaking my head as I try to wrap my brain around what the fuck has gone on lately. “They died too easily, man.” Revenge swirls in my stomach, and I can’t even settle that for Ruck, for what they did to him.

  “I know.” JJ drops his head with a sigh. “I hoped Hobo was gonna pull through, but he bled out.”

  “What did you do with their bodies?”

  “Left them in the warehouse. Slammed a fucking great big lock on the shutters. No one’s gonna get in there until they start to stink up the joint.”

  “How many Wolves are left now? They’re not a big MC. We must have taken out a chunk?”

  He shrugs. “They’re not big. They just had big ideas. Rev was the driving force behind them. He wanted the fame and the power that comes with being a President of an MC. But he made a mistake passing the reins to Hobo while he went AWOL. Fucking useless cunt he turned out to be.”

  “What’s the deal with you and Rev, Prez? That bad blood run deep?”

  He looks to the ground then back up at me with a slow blink and a sigh. “Don’t know what his fucking problem is. He wants what I’ve got. Always has. For as long as I can remember there’s been bad blood between us. But I ain’t gonna be the man that bends over for him. He ain’t taking what’s mine, Ramsey.”

  “Good to hear that, man. You think he’s hiding out or laid out cold in the ground? No one’s seen him for fucking months.”

  “We’d know if he was cold. He’s hiding. The Wolves are four men down today, and two men fucked up from our handiwork in the cabin. They can’t have more than seven or eight crew left—if that.”

  “Think they’re gonna push for Reno now?”

  “If I had to guess, I’d say no. The main players are out of the picture. I won’t breathe easy just yet, but I’d say it’s starting to look in our favor.”

  “And Dev?” I ask.

  “He’s stable. The op went well, but he’s fucked up, Ram. He ain’t gonna be pretty.”

  “But he’s alive,” I say, the only positive thing
I can come up with.

  “Yeah,” he nods. “For now.”

  “Any word on the fucker that smashed him? Anyone know who he is and where the fuck we can find him?”

  “Nothing yet. But the minute I hear anything, me and you are gonna go have a fucking party with that guy.”

  “Yes, we are,” I say, the tension in my stomach knotting up at the thought of it. Making enemies comes with the territory when you’re an MC member. You learn to let it slide. I don’t give a fuck if someone doesn’t like me as long as they cross the fucking street and look the other way. When you fuck with me and my boys, that’s when you’ll bring out the side of me that no one ever wants to witness.

  “One more, boys. Then the bar is closed for the night,” JJ calls over to Dingo and Ziggy.

  “But the bar never closes, Prez.” Dingo frowns.

  “It’s closing tonight.”

  Chapter 12

  My hand hovers over the door handle, unsure if I should knock or just crack it open quietly. My heart races as I question what I might find when I enter. I tap twice with my knuckle, but not loud enough that I’ll disturb Ruck if he’s sleeping.

  I push open the door, and Lia immediately snaps her head around. Her face breaks into a huge smile, and she jumps up off her chair to greet me.

  “Sadie!” She flings her arms around me and hugs me close. “We were so worried. I’m so pleased Ramsey found you and brought you home.” Her words make me feel warm and wanted. Making me realize that I haven’t felt that in a very long time.

  “Me too,” I say. I missed these guys. I missed the camaraderie. I missed the feeling of togetherness—of family.

  “How’s he doing?” I glance over Lia’s shoulder to Ruck and gasp. His face is bruised, his chest and hands bandaged, and he’s hooked up to some kind of a drip. “Oh, God, what did they do to you?” I whisper on a shaky breath. I step away from Lia’s hold, and closer to the bed, tears stinging my eyes and blurring my vision. “I’m so sorry, Ruck.” My lip quivers as I take in his beaten form and try to fight back the wall of emotion that’s just about to smack me in the face.

  “He’s gonna be okay,” Lia tells me, rubbing my back in small, soothing circles. “The crank is working its way out of his system, and his wounds will heal.” She smiles sadly, and we watch him in silence for a few moments.

  “It’s all my fault,” I sob, wiping tears from my cheeks. “If I hadn’t gone, he would have—”

  “No,” she says quietly, halting my words. “If they didn’t get to him that night, there would have been another time. We’re all thankful they didn’t get to you.”

  “I wish it was me,” I murmur, the guilt eating me up from the inside. How do you come back from something like this? How can he possibly remain unchanged? “You must be tired, Lia…go. I’ll watch him. Get some rest.”

  “I’m fine, thanks, sweet girl.” She straightens out the corner of the sheet covering Ruck and trails her hand up the bed until she reaches his shoulder. “This is what I do best, look after my boys. They’re the sons I never had.” She smiles so affectionately down at Ruck, and if love alone could make it all better, he would be just fine in no time, but I know better than most that events like this change you. You don’t come back from something like this as the same person you were before. Life shapes you. It molds you into all kinds of ever-changing forms, adapting to the new person that you become, and sometimes forcing you to be someone you never wanted to be in the first place.

  Ruck starts to groan and throws his head from side to side. He looks tormented, and my heart starts to race just seeing him so pained. Lia clicks a button on the line that’s hooked up to his arm. She strokes his hair, then presses her lips to his forehead, kissing him gently and talking softly to him. He settles after a few minutes, but the knot in my stomach pulls tighter.

  “Where did you learn to do all that?” I ask, waving my hand at the hospital equipment set up at Ruck’s bedside.

  She walks back over to me, speaking quietly. “Mo’s wife, Marnie, works at the local clinic, so she gets us supplies when we need them. It saves going to the hospital if we can avoid it by keeping it in these four walls. And, I was a nurse before I met JJ. Gave it up to come here and be an old lady.”

  “You couldn’t have continued to do it?” I ask, feeling sad that she must have trained for years, only to give it up a few years later.

  She shrugs. “Didn’t want to. Before I met JJ, nursing was my future. Then I met him, and he very quickly became my world.” Her gaze softens, and she talks wistfully.

  I sigh, a happiness that starts to untwist the anxious feeling in my belly. Their love is visible to anyone that meets them. It’s almost tangible—it’s that real. This is the stuff that fairytales are made of—if your knight wears a cut and rides a Harley instead of a white horse, that is.

  “How’s he doing?” Ramsey says, entering the room behind me. He strokes my shoulder as he walks past and stands at Ruck’s side.

  “He’ll be okay.” Lia rests her small hand in the middle of Ramsey’s back. “We’ll take the IV out tomorrow and see if we can try and get him to eat something. No smuggling whiskey in for him, do you hear me?”

  “Thank you,” Ramsey mutters, draping his arm over her shoulder and kissing her on the top of her head. She’s at least a foot shorter than him, and his large frame dwarfs hers. “You go and get some rest.”

  “I’ll rest here.” She smiles up at him, slipping out from under his arm.

  “You’ve been here too long, Lia. Let me help.”

  “You’ve had a long drive. I’ve been sitting here drifting in and out of sleep. One more night won’t hurt me. I want you to take Sadie and get some rest.”

  “Lia, I—” I start, but she interrupts me.

  “I won’t argue with you both.” She busies herself, refolding a pile of Ruck’s clothes. “Go.” She shoos us out of the room, waving her hands.

  Ramsey looks at me and rolls his eyes. “If you’re sure.”

  Just then, Ruck starts to move, and we all turn to him. “Go,” he croaks, his voice raspy and dry.

  “Hey, man.” Ramsey puts himself in Ruck’s line of sight as he cracks open his eyes. “How are ya feeling?”

  Ruck doesn’t answer but looks carefully around the room. When he sees me, his eyes narrow and then he turns his head away from us all. “Get out.” His voice cracks and he starts to cough. “GET OUT.”

  Lia tugs at Ramsey’s arm and pushes us both toward the door. “He’s bound to be cranky. He feels like shit, and it must be frustrating as hell for him. Give him some time, yeah?”

  “Call me if you need anything,” Ramsey insists. “We’re just across the hall.”

  “I know. We’ll be fine.”

  “Come on.” I close my hand around Ramsey’s, and he sighs, giving Lia a smile, and nodding solemnly.

  “Morning,” Ramsey says, looking down at me as I open my eyes. His hands are pressing into the pillow on either side of my head, and water drips from his hair where he’s freshly showered.

  “Morning,” I groan, smiling up at him.

  He moves closer, hovering his lips above mine. “Sleep well?” he whispers.

  “Like a baby,” I reply. I’ve never been a good sleeper. Always too much going on in my head to be able to shut off and rest properly. But there’s something about sleeping in Ramsey’s warm arms, protectively cocooned by his body. I feel safe—like I don’t always have to be hyperaware of my surroundings. My fight or flight instinct almost switches off when I’m with him. I wiggle my arms out from underneath the covers and place my fingers softly on Ramsey’s waist, trailing them up and down and making him squirm. “Ticklish?” I continue stroking, but stop when I reach the knot where his towel is tucked in.

  I flash him a devilish grin and tug the towel away. He doesn’t flinch or even acknowledge that I’ve just stripped him completely naked, but instead he moves closer to lick the length of my bottom lip with his tongue. I groan, reaching betwee
n us, gripping his length in my palm and stroking him back and forth slowly. He holds his position, then glances down between us, watching my stroking gradually getting faster.

  “Your hand feels like heaven, Sadie girl.” He groans, his eyes softening. “That’s it, squeeze me tighter, move faster.”

  “So bossy,” I say quietly, pushing my chest up to meet his and obeying his instructions. “Faster like this?” I say, picking up the pace and making him twist and squirm in my grip.

  “Oh yeah, baby.” His breaths quicken in his chest, and his hips start to move in rhythm with my hand. “Just like that.” He swings one leg over me, straddling my hips, and sits back on his haunches as I sit up, working him into a sweat.

  I love seeing him so raw. Nothing between us, just passion and desire, and tangled souls that call in a tone only we hear. I reach forward with my free hand, cupping his balls in my palm, and he gasps, leaning back and thrusting up into my hand. I tighten my grip on him, and his hips start to move faster until the movement is irregular and his breaths become heavy pants. Then he snaps his head up, looking directly into my eyes as he comes with a roar all over my chest.

  “You really are somethin’ special, Raven,” he pants, climbing off the bed with shaky legs.

  “You okay?” I laugh.

  “You’re gonna be the death of me.” He chuckles, shaking his head. “Here…” he tosses me a towel, and I wipe myself off.

  “I had better shower,” I say, hopping out of bed with the towel clutched to my chest.

  Ramsey stands right in front of me and holds underneath my chin with his thumb and forefinger, staring into my eyes. “I—”

  Heavy thuds on the door snap our attention away from each other. “Ram, out here, now! We’ve got company,” Dingo’s voice comes through the door.

  “Stay here,” he orders. “I mean it, Sadie. Don’t fucking move until I come back, okay?”

  “Okay.” I nod. I’ve learned my lesson. There’s no way I will chance putting any of us in that position again. Ramsey pulls on jeans, a t-shirt, and his cut. He tucks a knife into his boot, and his gun into his waistband, and with a chaste kiss, he’s gone.