by Ryan Michele
Sealed in Strength
Ravage MC Rebellion Series Book Three (Crow & Rylynn Trilogy)
Ryan Michele
Copyright © 2018 Sealed in Strength (Ravage MC Rebellion Series Book Three) (Crow & Rylynn Trilogy) Ryan Michele—Wicked Words Publishing LLC
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All Rights Reserved. This literary work may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, including electronic or photographic reproduction in whole or in part, without express written permission from Ryan Michele.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This work of fiction is intended for mature audiences only. All sexually active characters portrayed in this book are eighteen years of age or older. Please do not buy if strong sexual situations, violence and explicit language offends you.
This is not meant to be an exact depiction of life in a motorcycle club, but rather a work of fiction meant to entertain.
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1st edition published: December 31, 2018
2nd edition published: March 2, 2019
ASIN: B07KVQ82VC
Contents
Other Books in the Series by Ryan Michele
Blurb
1. Crow
2. Rylynn
3. Crow
4. Rylynn
5. Crow
6. Rylynn
7. Crow
8. Rylynn
9. Crow
10. Rylynn
11. Crow
12. Rylynn
13. Crow
14. Rylynn
15. Rylynn
16. Crow
17. Rylynn
18. Crow
19. Rylynn
20. Crow
21. Rylynn
22. Crow
23. Rhys
24. Crow
25. Rylynn
26. Crow
27. Rylynn
28. Crow
29. Rylynn
30. Crow
31. Crow
32. Rylynn
33. Crow
34. Rylynn
35. Crow
Epilogue
PreOrder Today!
Other Books by Ryan Michele
Acknowledgments
About the Author
Thank You!!
Other Books in the Series by Ryan Michele
www.authorryanmichele.com/books
This is a trilogy. If you haven’t ready Connected in Pain, please do that first. Thank you!!
Ravage MC Rebellion Series
Connected in Pain (Crow & Rylynn Book 1)
Fueled in Fire (Crow & Rylynn Book 2)
Sealed in Strength (Crow & Rylynn Book 3)
Connected in Code (Wrong Way & Hayden Book 4)
Blurb
Mine. Rylynn is mine.
And I dare anyone to challenge it. Even her.
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Loyalty and trust is engrained in our blood.
The Ravage Motorcycle Club’s ties have become stronger than ever.
Unbreakable.
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Yet, some dare to try.
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The biggest mistake my enemies can make is to assume Rylynn is my weakness. Instead, she has made me stronger, harder, and more determined to protect what is mine. Friend or foe, I will never let another person get between us.
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No matter the risk.
No matter the pain.
No matter the consequences.
In the end, nothing can keep us apart.
To my Husband
I love you. You are my everything.
Always and forever.
~M
1
Crow
The Warf was busy and crowded as we made our way into the bar ready for our meeting with Damien Curtis. Fucker even had one of his ‘people’ call and confirm the time with Brewer today. It gave Brewer a good laugh.
It was another thing that proved this guy was a bit too fresh for the likes of us, yet here we were for the meet. Unless the man had a couple million in his stash, the odds for him didn’t look great on getting us to work with him.
Moving to the bar, Stormy, the owner, had a wide smile on his face as we approached and held his hand out.
“Crow, my man. How the hell are ya?” Stormy was a brute of a man, over six-feet-tall and shoulders as broad. He reminded me of a linebacker, which was what he played in school.
Taking his hand and shaking it, my hand went up to clasp his arm. “Good. You?”
We released. “Can’t say I’m hurtin’.” His arm went wide throughout the space noting the people busting its seams. The Warf was local, but everyone from several counties over made it a stop. Some even nightly. Stormy didn’t put up with shit and was everyone’s friend. That was until you caused shit in his bar. Then Stormy would show you how powerful that broad frame could be.
The Ravage MC had a good relationship with the man that had grown over the years. While Stormy could handle his own shit, there were a few times when he asked us to come and help with one of his problems.
Since our job was to protect Rebellion, we did what he needed by showing them the county line and getting them the hell out of dodge. In return, he allowed us to use his backroom space for meetings such as this.
“Nah, can’t say that. Backroom open?” I asked, nodding to the back of the bar where the door was shut.
“Yeah, few guys back there. Gave me the names that Wrong Way said. Keep an eye out,” he warned, brow raised catching my attention.
I moved in closer to hear him better over the rumble of the crowd. “Give you a bad vibe?”
“Somethin’s off. Either they’re scared shitless or they have somethin’ planned. Not sure which one.”
Stormy had been around people in this environment for long enough to know how to read people easily, and he did. I trusted his judgment.
My chin lifted in thanks as I moved to Brewer. “Get Phoenix, Lemon, Ethan and Tex in there and search them for weapons, phones, or anything else you see.” After relaying the information, he pulled off and went to the guys, bent down, and talked to them. The next moment they were off winding through the crowd.
There were only two ways out of this place. One was the front door, the other through the back hall that led to the office where there was an emergency door. It would sound if anyone opened it.
The room we were entering had only one way in and one way out. Even with all the people around, that wouldn’t stop any fuckers from trying to take us out. As long as they could make it through the front door, they’d be gone. We wouldn’t let that happen.
Not that Damien was out to get us that we knew of, but we could never be too careful. Since I didn’t know him or trust him, precautions needed to be in place.
“Bud,” I ordered to Stormy, who grabbed the bottle, popped the top, and put it on the bar. Lifting it, I turned to the room taking everything in. Women dancing, but not on a dance floor, because there was none, mostly just grinding up on men. Men and women sidled up to the tables around the perimeter of the place and off to the left. The scent of smoke filled the air creating a film over the lights as the music blared.
Saw several people I knew and lifted my chin in greetings, even raising my beer to a few. Brewer and Wrong Way grabbed a beer and joined me. Our bulk was enough to clear out a space at the bar as we all stood there taking in the room.
Nothing appeared amiss, but that was the thing about life. Just because you didn’t see it, didn’t mean it wasn’t there, like a snake ready to strike and you n
ot even knowing it was going to hit.
“Hey, Crow.” A tall, leggy brunette appeared in front of me, shorts so short they were pretty much underwear disguised as jeans. She had a wide smile and that ‘you can do anything to me’ look so many women had around men.
They were open for anything and everything at anytime. These women were a dime a dozen, always looking to get off with a biker. Whenever we went out, this happened to us, women from every angle. Sometimes, two or three to take the burn off.
This woman though, thought she knew me, but I couldn’t place her. Really, I didn’t give a shit to place her. She was nothing to me.
The woman’s hand came to my chest. The touch burned hot on my flesh like an iron and not in a good way. Reaching for her wrist, I pulled her hand away, then dropped it away from me. “You do not touch a man unless he wants it.”
A slow smirk came to her lips like she thought this was some kind of game. For some men it would be, the hard to get shit. For me, no. If she really knew me, she’d already know this shit. “You’ll want it.” She started to step closer into my space.
She was hot—I mean fuck, I wasn’t dead—but she had nothing on Rylynn. Not one single thing. No one had anything on her and the more I looked at this woman, the more I knew no one ever would.
Rylynn was due to come to Rebellion tomorrow. The days apart were about to be over for good, and I couldn’t fucking wait. I’d been ready to see her since I left her in Sumner. If anything the distance proved, without a shadow of a doubt, she was mine and would be mine until we took our last breaths.
“No. Leave,” I ordered, but the woman didn’t move. I felt my temper slipping. What was it? Did I look like I was joking around? Fuck no.
“Crow…” she started and this time I got up in her space, going nose to nose.
“Bitch, when a man tells you to leave, you best listen to him. Unless you want to catch a bullet.”
Her eyes grew wide as she stepped away. I hated stupid women. Always had. Fucked them because they were easy, but there wasn’t anything between their ears. She took off into the crowd.
Brewer chuckled beside me, the flare of anger dissipating. “What?”
“Nothin’.” He gave me a smirk.
Staring him down, he continued with laughter in his tone. “Just different to see ya brushin’ the women off,” he finally said.
“Told ya I was done playin’.” No more of that shit. Rylynn would know exactly where she stood in my life. There would be no reason for her or anyone else to misunderstand it. We’d had enough of that shit to last us a lifetime, and I was done with it. We would be clear where we stood as a couple.
Tex and Phoenix barreled their way through the crowd, my focus going to them. Tex spoke, “Three men. Guns. A knife and three cells. All of which we have.”
“Good, let’s hear what this shit has to say.”
Taking the last swig of my beer and leaving it on the bar, we moved through the crowd that parted as we walked toward the backroom. Entering, two men were standing and one was sitting.
The standing ones were the brute, could tell from the way they stood to attention.
While I had no doubt they could land a punch, they looked as if one shot to the eye would have them down in a flash. Ignoring them, my gaze moved to the man sitting at the table. That was his first mistake, not standing when we entered the room.
His suit fit him, hair was coated in gel or something, and his fingers were clasped in front of him, like he was some Godfather or some shit. He obviously watched too much of the Sopranos, thinking that was how we handled business.
There was a long old wooden table separating us, while chairs sat empty on our side. He wanted to create an illusion of being friendly, but keeping a distance. Amateur. One movement would have the table flipped and him on his back trying to push it away from his chest as the weight crushed his ribs.
The room was as musty as the rest of the place with the smoke lingering and the lights a golden yellow. It shown of age and good times. The concrete floor had dents and markings for who knew what. Normally this area would be filled to the brim as well with people having a great time. There was no doubt after this little meeting, Stormy would open it back up.
“Crow,” the man at the table, who I assumed was Damien, said and still didn’t get up from his seat, yet held out his hand.
My hand did not go up to meet the gesture. Fuck him. “Damien?” I asked instead.
He looked to his hand and then to me like I was supposed to get the hint and do his bidding. Yeah, this fucker was in for a rude awakening. Ravage didn’t do anyone’s bidding. We did a job and got paid. No one had us under their thumb. Especially not a fucking piece of shit like the one sitting in front of me.
“What? Not gonna shake my hand?” he asked, still looking expectantly at me. This was a corporate move. The big man sitting at his desk trying to intimidate to get what he wanted. This guy needed a lesson on how things worked in our world.
“Respect. You need to learn it in this business.”
Damien looked around the room, his slicked back hair not moving an inch with all the damn product in it. He really did expect us to follow his lead. Shaking my head I looked at Brewer and Wrong Way, and each gave a slight shake of their head knowing what I was thinking. He finally put his hand down studying us. Yes, little boy, you’re in the pond with sharks. Better fucking jump out while you can.
Phoenix started chuckling, pulled over a chair from in front of the desk, sat and plopped his black boots on the table. He then pulled out his thick knife with the hook at the end and started cleaning out his nails. Wrong Way actually yawned, and it took everything inside of me not to laugh. My brothers were funny.
This stupid man thought he was going to pull one over again. The last time with the shipment with Xavier and Marcus, almost got him dead. It would have by us, if Damien would’ve stole the shipment we had coming in for Xavier and Marcus instantly.
“I respect you,” Damien said, watching Phoenix with the knife, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“How much?” I asked, getting down to the damn point of why we were even in this room in the first damn place. I had too much shit going on to have my time wasted.
“Huh?” he asked in confusion.
“Christ.” I looked at Brewer and waved my hand to the pipsqueak. “Idiot.” Brewer nodded as I turned back to the moron.
Tex jumped in, obviously done just as much as I was with this fucking mess. “He means, how much money per run. As in how much green is going to go in our pockets each time we work with you.” He was breaking down things crayon style for the man, something we didn’t normally have to do.
He finally caught on and nodded, then reached down to the floor, all of our guns coming out, and Phoenix’s feet slammed to the ground.
Damien pulled up a briefcase. “Fuck me,” I heard grumbled behind me. Yeah, it was taking a lot not to burst out laughing. This guy was a tool. A fucking briefcase?
“It’s just papers,” he said slowly, flipped it open and pulled out some papers. “This is a contract between us.” He pushed it across the table to me. It looked like something from Law & Order with the blue paper on the back of it and stapled at the top.
I didn’t move. Then it happened. There was no stopping it. Nothing could’ve stopped it except for gunfire. A fucking contract? He brought Ravage a fucking contract. Laughter burst out of me, and my brothers followed.
This guy was beyond fucking clueless. Who in their right mind would sign a contract to do something illegal? Not like he could take it to court considering it was fucking illegal! Someone please save me from this shit.
“Why are you laughing?” Damien asked, his face turning red, out of embarrassment or anger I wasn’t sure. This guy wasn’t going to make it far. From all of this though, I wondered how he found out about the shipment before with Xavier and Marcus. Something there was off.
“We don’t do contracts,” Wrong Way said through his waning chuckl
e. “Paper trails are for morons.”
Damien’s face got red, but he still didn’t stand. “I’m not a moron.”
Everyone sobered up letting all the hilarity fly out of the room. This guy was turning out to be a liability instead of someone to make money from. That was perfectly clear to me. He and his goons would need to be handled.
My mind raced with different scenarios right away.
“Do you have the good faith money?” Wrong Way asked, and I looked over to him. He just nodded, and I rolled with it. Who the fuck brought good faith money on something like this? Hell, I was surprised Wrong Way even thought of it. He must’ve had this feeling about him too. Fuck me.
Damien was going to end up six-feet-under or in prison. At least the first, he wouldn’t be able to talk about this little meeting.
Damien snapped his finger, like he was a god on a throne. Suit number two leaned down and threw a black duffle on the table, the zipper partially opened. I could see green inside. Wrong Way stepped up, opened it and held out a stack of bills, then went in and started to count.