by Tess Oliver
The banana balanced in my lap. I had one hand wrapped around my hair to hold it out of my face, and I used the other to steady myself on the seat. “It’s just amazing out here. I can see why you decided to stay.”
“It gets a little lonely, but I can’t imagine ever living in a city again.”
I glanced back at the dogs. They were concentrating on not popping out of the golf cart as we hopped and skipped over ruts in the road. “They look like they’re used to this form of travel.”
“The property stretches on for about half a mile, so this golf cart comes in handy. I’d always planned to put up some more pastures and a quality barn out here so I could breed quarter horses, but I’m just not sure it’s lucrative enough. It’s a business with a very high overhead, and it takes a long time to build a name for yourself.”
“So you think running the Raven’s Nest would be a better business opportunity?”
“A little less rugged, but yeah, I think it would be just what I need.”
We came to the crude path that led down to the homemade track. Jericho and Luke were already racing each other like a couple of little boys with their hair on fire. They both had on black helmets and goggles but I knew Luke had a black t-shirt on and Jericho wore gray. In a fun twist of irony, Luke had had to lend Jericho clothing just as he’d lent it to Luke at the compound. It was lucky they were both so close in size. Jericho had only had a bloodied shirt and the jeans that now had a bullet hole in them.
Again, I struggled to keep my skirt from flashing the world my pink panties as I climbed out of the golf cart. “My legs must have gotten longer,” I muttered. “I swear this skirt didn’t used to be so short.”
“Still no complaining,” Gage quipped. His dry personality reminded me a lot of Luke’s. They had far more similarities than Luke had with his twin brother. The dogs hopped off and wandered, noses down, toward the shrubs lining the track.
The reddish dirt had been packed hard as cement by the rainstorm, and there was surprisingly little dust in the air as they flew off the jumps. Jericho had a commanding lead even with his injured leg.
“Luke has always been pretty fast, but it looks like Jericho is whooping his ass.” Gage sat on a tree stump. There was a semi-circle of tree stumps as if they’d been brought there just for spectators. He patted the one next to him. Now I was really regretting my skirt.
“I think I’ll stand.”
I walked down closer to the track. It seemed fairly impressive but then I didn’t know enough about it to be a great judge. An occasional patch of weeds marred the otherwise cleared stretch of land, but the guys were doing a pretty good job of flattening them.
Luke caught up to Jericho on one turn, but he couldn’t sneak past him. As he dropped to the inside, Richo went inside too. When Luke tried to go around him, Richo swept out and kept in front. The jumps were where Jericho really had the advantage. And my warning to take it easy had been completely ignored. As I’d figured it would be.
Gage walked up next to me. “Shit, I’d love to see him when he’s not injured.”
I unpeeled the banana and offered him a piece. He declined. “Jericho has grown up with motorcycles, street bikes and dirt bikes. They are in his blood. His eyes light up every time he sees one. He built an entire dirt track at my grandfather’s compound all by himself.”
“That’s impressive. This one took Seth, Luke, Dex and me all summer to build and we had the help of my grandfather’s equipment.”
“Jericho had a small tractor and his determination and that’s about it.”
They tore past us on their bikes. Luke had fallen back again. “Looks as if he would have had some potential to go pro if he’d pursued it,” Gage said.
“My grandfather wouldn’t have allowed it. He had an iron grasp on all our lives.”
Gage looked down at me.
“I’d never really understood that until I brought Luke to the compound.”
“I never really got a chance to say it, but thank you for saving my brother’s life. I don’t think he would have survived if you hadn’t helped him.”
My throat seized up as he spoke. “I’m just glad I found him.”
The two bikes came around the curve where Gage and I were standing. Luke turned and looked our way and nearly slammed into a jump. He slowed down, turned off the track and rode up to us. He shut off the bike and pulled off his helmet and goggles. His hair was drenched in sweat, and dirt covered his face everywhere but around his eyes.
“You almost pitched yourself into that jump,” Gage said.
Luke looked at me. “I blame it on the mini skirt and the banana. They threw off my concentration.”
I took an exaggeratedly slow bite of the banana. Both brothers watched with an absurd amount of interest, and I found it wholly amusing. I swallowed my bite, but Luke’s gaze had not left my mouth. “I’m not taking the blame for your lack of skills.”
He smiled and glanced back at Jericho.
“That boy is fast,” Gage said.
Luke nodded. “Hell yeah. I just can’t seem to catch him. And he’s on the older bike.”
We watched Jericho race around the track on his own. He’d been slowed down by his injury, and I knew it was depressing him. But out there on two wheels, he was free to fly again. “He’s having a blast,” I said.
“Well, I’m beat already.” Luke looked over at me. “But I’m feeling energetic enough to take you for a ride around the property if you’d like.”
“But I’m wearing a skirt.”
“I’ve seen you climb on a bike in a dress before.”
“Yeah, but this one is super short.”
He looked at Gage, and they exchanged one of those conspiratorial men looks that wasn’t as hard to interpret as they wanted to believe.
“Exactly,” Luke said. He handed Gage the helmet and goggles. “Is that pond still out there? The one past the line of evergreens?”
“I haven’t been up there in awhile, but I imagine that rainstorm filled it up. It’ll be cold as hell though.”
“Do you mind keeping an eye on bonehead out there?” Luke asked.
“Yeah, I’ll watch him.”
I climbed onto the bike. The skirt inched up to the tops of my thighs. Gage and Luke shot each other another look.
“Oh my gosh, stop with the lascivious glances already you two. I’m not showing more than I would have in a bathing suit.”
Luke looked back with enthusiasm. “Did you bring one?”
“I’m not riding around on the back of this bike in a bikini. And, no, I didn’t bring it. Remember, I left my home rather hastily.”
“You’re right. Besides, the skirt will do just fine.” He reached back and pulled my hand across his taut stomach. Then he turned the bike around, and we rode off toward the hills behind the ranch.
It had been awhile since I’d ridden on a dirt bike. It was not as comfortable as on the back of a Harley, but it was way more exhilarating. In my teens, Jericho and I had ridden around the property on dirt bikes, but I had so little interest in motorcycles that I grew out of riding pretty quickly. I much preferred riding horses.
I clutched my arms tighter around Luke’s waist as he climbed a steep, roughly cut hillside. We reached the top, and the descent made me laugh out loud like a kid on a roller coaster. My hair whipped in every direction, but I didn’t dare let go of Luke to push it out of my face. He twisted the throttle, and we flew across a flat stretch of grass toward a clump of trees.
Luke made a right turn, and I leaned with him as we sped off around the foliage. We headed into a shallow valley that was bordered on one side by rocky hills and on the other by the trees we’d just circled around. And down in the center of the depression was a small, blue pond. Sunlight beamed down on it without interruption, but I was sure Gage’s assessment
of its temperature had been accurate.
Luke rode down to the bank and stopped the bike. We climbed off. With nothing to prop it up, he laid the bike gently down against the grassy slope. “Hope it starts again,” he said.
“Maybe you shouldn’t have turned it off.”
He sat down and yanked off his boots and then pulled his shirt off over his head. He glanced over at me. “What are you waiting for? Get naked. There’s no one around except birds and bees, which is how they know so much about sex. They always get a front row view when two people fool around out in nature.”
I laughed. “Is that so?”
“Yep, that’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.” He pulled off his pants and stood up completely naked and ready in every sense of the word.
“It’s too cold,” I said.
“It’s no colder than that pond you took me to behind the compound.”
“Yeah, but that water was surrounded by ninety degree plus temperatures. It’s no more than sixty-five today. I’m cold just standing here.”
“Fine. I’m going to wash off the dirt and sweat and then I’ll come warm you up.” He ran down to the water and waded in. “Fuck, that’s cold.”
I sat down on a smooth patch of grass and watched Luke talk himself into dunking under. He shot back up through the surface and sucked in a breath. “You were right. It’s too cold.” The clear water dripped off the muscular curves of his shoulders and abdomen. I held my breath as he reached his strong arm up and swiped the water from his hair. Droplets formed on his skin like tiny diamonds, and I couldn’t look away. He smiled as he noticed me watching him.
“What?” I asked.
He shook his head. “Nothing. Do you like what you see?”
“Very much.” I pushed up to my feet and walked toward him. “I just realized that you need to parade around naked in front of me a lot more. It seems like I’m always the naked one, and you’re fully dressed.” I ran my fingers along the lines of his chest. His skin was cold and wet and every inch of him was tempting. I leaned forward and ran a trail of kisses along his shoulder. The water tasted cool and fresh. He reached for me, but I put up a hand to stop him.
“Uh uh, me first.” My hands smoothed over the muscles of his arms and shoulders. He felt beautiful and hard beneath my fingertips. I ran my tongue along his throat while my fingers danced over the hard flesh of his back. He reached for me again, and I grinned as I took hold of his hand. As much as I wanted him to touch me, I wanted to enjoy my exploration a little longer. One hand ran over the smooth muscles of his ass while the other reached around and took hold of his erection. He groaned as my fingers wrapped around him.
Then I lifted my mouth to his, and he kissed me eagerly. “Shit, Angel, lift that skirt for me, please.”
“Soon,” I whispered against his hungry mouth. My thumb ran over the slick tip of his cock, and I moved my hand along it. He moved against my touch.
I kissed his neck and his shoulders as my hand held him tightly, moving sensually along his erection. A growl vibrated his throat. He was near to losing control. I released him, took his hand and led him to the soft grassy patch. I pushed my panties down and stepped out of them. That was the final move. The hunger in his eyes made me gasp as he reached for me.
He pushed the skirt up around my waist and stopped for a few seconds to gaze at my exposed pussy before grabbing hold of me. We collapsed into the grass. He pushed my legs apart and knelt down between my thighs. He stared down at me and then leaned forward and pressed his tongue into the moist, hot folds of my pussy. He flicked it over my swollen clit. I clutched at the grass as he pushed his mouth against me, teasing me, bringing me close to climax. And then he lifted himself up and over me. We’d both brought each other to the edge, and now we were crazed with need. My legs went around his waist as he buried himself deep inside of me. He rocked against me, first slow and then his thrusts quickened. My fingers dug into his shoulders, and my scream got lost in the vast wilderness surrounding us.
He pulled free just before he came, his hot seed spilling over my thigh. He lowered his face and kissed me.
Luke stretched out next to me, and we gazed up at the crystal blue sky.
“I could live like this forever,” I said. “In fact, as long as I have you next to me, I can be happy forever.”
“Well, then consider it done and your eternal happiness secured.” He rolled to his side and I turned my face toward him. “Cuz I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter 5
Luke
Jericho and Gage had already returned home by the time Angel and I pulled up to the shed where the bikes were stored. We put the bike away and headed toward the house.
“I’m hungry. After riding and all the follow-up activities my stomach feels hollow.”
“We could make some sandwiches,” Angel said.
“That works.”
We stepped into the kitchen. Gage and Jericho were munching on cold pizza. Gage motioned over to my phone. “It’s been ringing like crazy.”
“Really? Who the hell could be calling me?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Gage said. “Just stop it from buzzing. It’s disturbing our pizza feast.”
I picked it up and glanced at the screen. Detective Carson had called three times. I dialed his number and walked out of the room.
“Barringer, where’ve you been?”
“On suspension, remember?”
“Yeah, yeah. Listen, one of Sharpe’s men has shown up dead. He’s over at the Reno morgue. Stabbed to death. It’s out of the DEA hands, of course, but I thought you’d want to know. They couldn’t get ahold of Sharpe, but a couple of the club members agreed to come in and identify the body.”
There were dozens of Bedlam members I’d never met. Dreygon had invited a large group of them to his party at the compound, but I really only knew the small core of people who lived with Angel.
“Was it a rival club? Bent for Hell, maybe?”
“They’re denying it vehemently, but of course, they would. Once they identify the victim and question some of the members, they might have a better idea of what happened. The sheriff’s station put out the description, and the Bedlam members seemed to know pretty quickly who he was. Not many people have their whole head covered with tattoos.”
“Gunner,” I said under my breath.
“You knew him?”
“Sounds like Gunner. He lived at the compound. He was the one who kidnapped Dreygon’s granddaughter. He was after the presidency.”
Angel popped her head out of the kitchen and pointed to the mustard bottle. I forced a casual expression and nodded yes.
“The presidency?” Carson asked. “Then this whole thing might have just taken a new turn. Maybe Homicide needs to look within the Bedlam club for the murderer.” He paused. “Hold on, Luke, the morgue is on the other line. I told them we had an interest in the case, so they were going to let me know.”
I waited but I already knew who the dead man was. Now I needed to figure out how to tell Angel and Jericho. Gunner was a blowhard, and not the most well-loved guy, but they’d grown up with him. The thing that worried me most was whether or not Dreygon was behind it. Something told me that that notion wasn’t farfetched at all. Angel had told me that Gunner was from a family with high connections to the club. It would be bold for Dreygon to take him out, but none of it seemed out of character for the old man.
Carson came back on. “You were right. Some young club member named Rick just identified the body as Gunner Paxton.”
“I’m going to catch a flight to Nevada tonight. This might be just what we need to take down Dreygon.”
“All right. Let me know when you get here.”
“I will.” I hung up. Jericho’s laughter rumbled through the kitchen. He was still on a high from
his ride today. While it seemed he longed to go back to Nevada, he also seemed relieved to be here, out of the fray and away from Dreygon.
Angel was standing at the kitchen counter cutting a sandwich.
Jericho looked up from his pizza. “Why so glum, chum?”
Angel turned around, and instantly, her face softened with concern. “What is it, Luke? Who was on the phone?”
There just wasn’t any easy way to say it. “Gunner’s dead.”
The knife dropped from Angel’s hand, and she covered her face. Her shoulders shook. I walked over and pulled her into my arms. Jericho looked almost sick. He slunk back in his chair. “Holy fucking hell, the old man did it,” he muttered.
Angel’s face popped up. She looked at me pleadingly, wanting me to deny what Jericho had just said, but I couldn’t. I really had no idea if it had been Dreygon, but it seemed he was entirely capable of it. I walked Angel to the table and pulled out a chair for her.
Gage was looking puzzled by our reaction. “Wasn’t Gunner the name of the guy who held Angel hostage?”
I pulled up a chair and handed Angel a napkin. “Yeah, he was, but he was really just using her to get Dreygon’s share of the club.”
Angel blotted her cheeks and dropped her hands into her lap. “He kept on telling me I was a pain in the ass.” The last words came out on a sob. “He was a total asshole, but he was our asshole.”
Jericho stood abruptly, and his crutch fell to the floor. “I should’ve been there. This is Dreygon’s doing. I know it is.”
Angel wrapped her arms around herself and sank lower on the seat. If it had been Dreygon, it would make this all that much worse for her.
“Richo,” I said sharply. He glanced at me, and I inclined my head toward Angel with a ‘cool it’ expression. “We don’t know who did it yet. It might have been Bent for Hell.”
“Yeah, right. Not likely,” Jericho said.
I looked at Gage. “I’m flying to Nevada tonight to meet up with Carson.”
“I’m going too,” Jericho said.