“Thank you,” she said as her gaze scanned his. His face looked paler and thinner than the last time she’d seen him. “I hear this is your last week.”
“It is.” He licked his lips, then walked over to the water cooler and filled up a paper cup. After downing it, he crushed the cup in his hands and threw it in the trash. He cleared his throat. “I’m sorry about what happened to you. You know, with Raley and all that.”
She smiled. “It wasn’t your fault. Anyway, I’m doing fine, and the drug and food stamp problems are finished, so that’s a good thing.”
“Well… they’re curbed for now.” He ran his fingers through his short hair. “That’s the best we can hope for. I always feel angry and disgusted when a fellow officer betrays the badge.” He crossed his arms, and she and her fellow coworkers watched him. He shrugged and then walked out of the room.
Breanna exhaled and straightened her shoulders. “I guess I better get to my desk and start to tackle the stack of files Joel warned me about.” Janet and Joel snickered as they trailed behind her.
When she passed Raley’s old office, a shiver ran down her spine. Shaking her head as if to dislodge any unpleasant images, she went to her cubicle. Eyeing the pile of manila folders, she smiled broadly. It’s sure good to be back.
* * *
When Steel came out of Get Inked, his eyes landed on Sheriff Wexler reclining against the squad car, his arms folded across his chest. Steel clenched his jaw as he approached the lawman.
“How’s business?” The sheriff jerked his chin toward the tattoo shop.
“Good.” Steel took the keys to his Harley out of his pocket. He walked toward his bike parked in front of Wexler’s SUV.
“Everything going okay with you?”
Steel narrowed his eyes. “Cut the shit, Wexler. What do you want?”
The forty-six-year-old lawman took off his sunglasses revealing fine lines around his eyes and upper cheeks. His blue gaze fixed on Steel. “I just need to ask you a few questions.”
“About what?” Steel’s voice had an edge to it. He didn’t like or trust the law, and even though he and the sheriff had had a tacit understanding for the past several years, he still wasn’t a fan of his. He figured if he didn’t bother the badges, they had no reason to bother him.
“About that mess with the FBI agent, Raley, and Roy’s Market.” His stare bored into Steel.
“I don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. I got shit to do.” He turned around and went to his Harley.
“We can do this civil and just chat, or I can take you in. It’s your call.”
“You can’t take me in and you know it. You don’t have shit on me.”
“Doesn’t your ex date that fella Roy who owns Roy’s Market?”
“Yeah, she dates that asshole. What of it?”
“He was arrested a few days ago. I’m sure you knew that. Seems like Agent Powers had a sting operation going on, and he closed down the market and charged Roy with food stamp fraud.”
“So? I don’t give a damn what happens to him.”
“Seems like the other FBI agent, Raley, was working with Roy. It also seems like that was his side business since he was the one who was distributing the heroin in the county.”
Steel shrugged. “Raley? Don’t know him.”
“Breanna Quine did. She worked with him and he almost killed her, but she told me she got away by crawling through the air vent. Isn’t she your woman?”
Steel nodded. “She’s my woman.”
Wexler rubbed his face with his fist. “That’s what I’m having a problem with. You’re telling me she’s your girlfriend and that you don’t know Raley. It’s not adding up.”
“I didn’t say I didn’t know of him. I just said I didn’t know him. You got it?”
The sheriff and Steel stared at each other as the noise of the traffic on Main Street filled the gap between them. “You knew he was dealing the drugs.”
“I heard that, but the fucking bastard had left by the time I found out.”
“Yeah… just disappeared without a trace. His wife hasn’t heard from him at all. Seems strange.”
“He’s probably shacking up with some chick. This has nothing to do with me.” Steel took out his leather gloves and slowly put them on his hands.
“Funny thing is that the feds found accounts he had under different names, and they all had money in them. You’d think he’d want to take it out. The feds are wondering how he’s living.” Wexler spat on the pavement. “It’s good to have the county clean again. Raley did some real bad shit and people suffered for it. I’ve been meaning to tell you how sorry I am about your daughter.”
Steel nodded and put on his sunglasses. “I’ll see you around.” He swung his leg over the leather seat and switched on the engine.
“Steel?” The lawman came next to him.
“Yeah?”
“Thanks.” For several seconds, the two men looked at each other as a mutual understanding passed between them. Wexler took a few steps back.
Steel jerked his chin up, then pulled away from the curb. In his side mirror he saw the sheriff walk back to his SUV, and he knew that the local investigation into the disappearance of Special Agent Richard Raley was officially closed.
Chapter Forty
Steel stopped at the base of Mt. Hesperus and helped Breanna off his Harley. He’d been wanting to take her to the sacred mountain for a long time, but he had to wait until she was completely healed. He took her hand and led her up to the peak.
“It’s so quiet here,” she said. “It’s simply beautiful.”
“It’s where the sky and the earth meet. You can hear the whispers from your ancestors, from your loved ones.”
She leaned into him. “Do you hear Chenoa up here?” she asked softly.
He nodded. “Not just here. When I ride hard, the wind cries her name.”
The stillness wrapped around them as the landscape of snow-peaked mountaintops, vibrant evergreen, and ribbons of streams down below surrounded them.
“She’s always with me. She’s in every snowflake, every raindrop, and every ray of sunshine that touches my face. She’s gone but so alive.”
“Oh, Steel,” Breanna said as she curled her arms around him and kissed him. He tugged her closer, loving her warmth against him.
She’d been his strength since he’d lost Chenoa. He never would’ve believed that she’d end up being his life, his love, and his salvation when he’d first seen her at the hospital what seemed like a lifetime ago. He’d never loved a woman so completely. He’d fought falling for her, but when he’d finally let it happen, it’d been so simple.
Losing Chenoa had hit him hard. For a long time he’d lived on anger, pain, and emptiness, until Breanna had made him realize through her words, her love, and her support that he had to let his daughter go. It was the ultimate sacrifice asked of a father, but he let her go to fly among the angels and mingle with the spirits of his ancestors.
Breanna was always there for him even though she was going through her own hell with Nicholas. After smack dried up in the county, he’d left, wandering like a nomad in the desert for the next hit. By that time, she’d told Steel that her brother was up to twelve shots a day. He felt helpless, like he had with Chenoa, in helping Nicholas. He’d offered to pay for rehab, but the two times her brother tried it, he didn’t last more than a week. All Steel could do was hold her close when the fear and worry became too much for her and let her cry.
“What’re you thinking about?” she asked.
“You. How happy you make me.”
“Do I?”
“You know it. You’ve had my back.” He kissed her gently.
“I’ll always have your back. You’re the love of my life.” She buried her face in his chest and he lowered his head and kissed her, inhaling the scent of gardenias in her hair.
“We should get back. It looks like a storm’s moving in.” Gray clouds hung low in the distance. “We don’t w
ant to be caught in a blizzard, especially on a Harley.”
By the time they arrived home, snowflakes danced in the air.
“Brrr… I’m freezing. Make a fire for us, and I’ll make us some coffee.”
“Put some brandy in mine.” Steel chuckled. It seemed that the only thing she was good at making was coffee. He didn’t mind that she couldn’t cook; she pleased him more than fine in other areas of their life together. His mother minded a lot though, and she’d taken it on herself to give Breanna cooking classes two times a week. She was a good sport about it, and it gave Steel a chance to hang with some of his old buddies on the rez who he’d gotten back in contact with.
“Here you go.” She handed him a steaming cup and curled up next to him. “What should we order for dinner?”
“I thought you had some of that stew you made with my mom.”
“Correction—I made it on my own. Your mom gave me instructions, but it didn’t work out. You know it’s crap. Am I lying?” She poked him with her index finger.
A smile filled his face. “Yeah, it’s shit. But you’ll get better.” He laughed when she rolled her eyes. “Maybe you won’t. I don’t give a damn. I’ll love you whether you know how to cook or not. Let’s just do a pizza, but not frozen. I draw the line on that.”
She laughed. “That works for me.” She sipped her coffee. “I ran into Mika at the rez the other day when I was at your mom’s. She still seems pissed about Roy.”
“In some fucking bizarre way, she blames me that he ended up in the pen for fraud.”
“I can’t believe she thinks it’s your fault. Roy’s the one who put himself there. You finding out about Raley didn’t get Roy in trouble. Raley had it set up already to frame Roy for everything, including the drugs. The other agent, Powers, figured it all out when Raley skipped town. I still can’t believe he didn’t take his computer with all the incriminating evidence on it. And the ledgers for all the drug sales. I find it incredible that he’d leave that all behind, don’t you?”
“He was desperate to get away since he knew we were all on to him. Desperation makes people do some crazy stuff.”
“So after you roughed him up, you just let him go?”
He narrowed his eyes. “That’s what I said when you asked me a while back. So what do you want on your pizza?” He locked eyes with her.
She swallowed noisily. “Uh… pepperoni, and whatever else you want.”
* * *
After dinner he poured them each a shot of tequila and sat on the couch, drawing her next to him. “I want us to get our own house. It’s time.”
“Don’t you have like seven months left on your lease?”
“I’ll just pay it off.” He laughed at her surprised look. “How many times do I have to tell you that I don’t have money issues? And that’s another thing. You don’t need to work so hard. You should go down to part-time.”
“I need to pay off some of my debt, and since I haven’t worked at Cuervos in a couple of months, I’m kind of strapped. Anyway, I like my job. Besides, what would I do if I didn’t work? I’d be bored out of my mind.”
“Not if you were busy with charity work, supervising the club’s activities, and doing other shit an old lady has to do. Being a president’s old lady is a big responsibility, with a workload that goes with it.”
“An old lady? Are you asking me to wear your patch?” Her lips curled up in a smile.
He caressed her cheek. “Yeah. I want you to wear my patch and my ring.”
“Your ring? Does your club give old ladies one of the club rings too? That’s different.”
“You’re so fucking cute.” As he pulled out a black box from his cut, he brushed a kiss across her lips. “I’m asking you to marry me. The ring is all yours, baby.”
A small hand flew across her mouth. “Marry you? Like in a white dress and flowers?”
“I was thinking more like black leather and denim, but you get the picture.”
She flung her arms around him. “Yes, I’ll marry you. Of course. I never expected this. I love you.” She peppered his face with kisses as she spoke.
“Maybe you better look at the ring. You may change your mind.”
She pulled back and took the box from him. “You’re right. If this is some wimpy-ass diamond, then forget what I just said.” She winked at him and opened the box. The two-carat solitaire twinkled, picking up the amber sparks from the crackling fire. She gasped. “It’s gorgeous. I love it!”
He took the ring out of the box and put it on her finger. “Breanna, you make my life complete. You are the earth to my sky. You are the harmony and balance in my life. I love you so much. I want you to be my wife, baby.”
Her eyes shimmered and she bobbed her head up and down. “I haven’t changed my mind. I’d love for you to be my husband. You’re everything I’ve been looking for my whole life. I love you.”
He pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply, his hand roaming down her curves until it landed on her ass, squeezing hard. “Let’s get fucking naked and start on our family.”
She laughed as she pushed away and slowly unbuttoned her top. He watched her, mesmerized by her sexiness, groaning when he saw her red lace bra, her pink nipples straining against it. When she stood up and shimmied out of her jeans, his cock punched at his zipper.
“Get your sexy ass over here,” he growled as she bent over, her pussy peeking from under her ass cheeks.
She giggled and unfastened her bra, throwing it across the room. Her breasts bounced slightly and she cupped them, pressing them together.
“Fuck, woman. You’re killing me. I’m gonna make your ass nice and pink.”
“Tempting me?” She kneeled on the couch. “It worked.” She kissed him hard.
He grabbed her tits and brought them to his mouth, sucking, biting, and licking them like a starving man. She threw her head back, arching her back so her breasts were deeper in his mouth. As he feasted, he ran his fingers between her legs, chuckling when they came out covered with her arousal.
She pulled away. “It’s not fair that I’m nude but you’re not.”
“Oh yeah? What’re you gonna do about it?”
“This.” She tugged his shirt over his head, then pressed her hardened nipples against his chest before sliding down to his tapered waist, resting her hand on his pulsing bulge. Taking the zipper between her teeth, she locked her eyes on his and slowly unzipped his jeans.
He smiled broadly.
Fuck yeah.
Epilogue
Sixteen months later
Steel plopped his legs on top of the coffee table knowing his mother would lecture him when she came in. He glanced around her living room and his gaze landed on his and Breanna’s wedding picture. She looked beautiful in her simple, white wedding dress, her head swept up into a messy bun. He still couldn’t believe she was his forever, and whenever he saw her wearing his patch, it turned him on to no end. She was more than a wife, lover, and friend; she was his strength, his everything.
“Is Breanna with you?” his mom asked as she walked into the room. “And take your feet off the table. You’re going to scratch it. Does Breanna let you do that at your house?”
He placed his feet on the floor and crossed his leg over his thigh. “I treat her real good so she lets me do whatever the hell I want.” He chuckled when his mother placed her hands on her hips and shook her head while frowning. She didn’t fool him for a minute because her eyes sparkled as she feigned displeasure.
Warmth spread through him as he looked at the curl of a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Since the birth of his son, his mom usually wore a smile on her face and a twinkle in her dark eyes. It’d been a long time since he’d seen her so happy, and he loved it.
“When’s Breanna coming with my grandson?”
“She texted me that they’re on their way. You know, we really want you to live with us. She keeps asking me if you’ve changed your mind. I don’t understand why you’re being so s
tubborn.”
His mother came over and sat by him on the couch, her wrinkled hand gently stroking his cheek. “I love you so much. You’ve been my rock since you were a young boy. You always stood up for me when I was too weak to do it.”
“Shimá, you—”
She held up her hand. “I’m not finished. I don’t want you to think for one minute that I don’t love you because I’m not choosing to live with you. It’s not the right time for that. You and your wife need to be alone to build your life with your son.” She pulled at a loose thread in the couch. “Besides, I love being on the reservation. I’ve been here for most of my life. I’d miss my friends and my grandkids. They come over every day after school. It’s nice. And even though Chitsa can be a handful, I’d miss your sister. Are you mad at me?”
Steel brought his mother’s hand to his lips. “I’m not mad, Shimá. When the time is right, you’ll always have a home with me and Breanna.” The front door opened and he jumped up when he saw his wife and son come in. After kissing Breanna, he took Aiden from her arms and held him close. The four-month-old swung out his tiny arms and scrunched up his face. Steel laughed and kissed him on his soft, dark hair. He caught Breanna’s gaze and held out his arm to her. She came next to him and he tugged her to his side. The scent of gardenias, vanilla, and apricot curled around him and he knew that for the rest of his life, those would be his favorite smells. She tilted her head and looked up at him. She’s so gorgeous. He dipped his head down and kissed her, his tongue pushing into her mouth. It tasted of peppermint, and when she tucked her thumb in his waistband, his dick jerked.
“I can’t wait to get you alone,” he whispered against her ear.
She giggled. “Behave. Your mom’s sitting over there on the couch.”
He sucked her earlobe between his teeth. “I can’t help it if you make me want to do dirty things to you. You push all my fucking buttons, baby.”
“Later… I promise to make it worth the wait.” She uncurled herself from under Steel’s arm and walked over to the couch. “How are you, Shimá?” she asked.
STEEL: Night Rebels Motorcycle Club (Night Rebels MC Romance Book 1) Page 29