On any other night, I would have admired the bubble butts and the puffy nipples and tiny waists, tonight though, all I could think about was the way Ava had quivered when I first touched her pussy. How she had reluctantly allowed my tongue to slide down her throat. How sweet she tasted and how my fingers still smelt of her.
“There he is,” King snapped me out of my thoughts and I saw Slade now, sitting on an oversized purple couch with a nearly naked girl on his lap. He beamed and cheered when he saw us walking towards him, and took a long drag of his joint. The smell got stronger when we got closer to him, and from the glazed over look in his eyes; I could tell that he had been smoking up for a while. Slade was high.
“My brothers are here!” Slade threw his arms open and offered the joint to King and me, and we both declined. We were trying to get a job done, which meant that we needed to stay sober. At least for most part.
The girl slithered over Slade, sticking her ass up in the air with her sequined pink thong digging in the crack of her ass. Her enormous fake tits hung over Slade’s face as he looked at us. His hand slid up and down her bare back while she moved to the trance-tune in the background. She had glitter allover her skin, silver and gold, to match the makeup that was lathered over her face. She turned her head sideways and I saw the look of invitation in her eyes.
I would have snatched her from Slade. On any other night, it would have been my face she was hanging her tits over, my hands sticking bills into her thong, but I felt nothing tonight. She was doing nothing for me. Which sucked. Ava had done something to me that I couldn’t explain.
“What’s going on?” I asked Slade, focusing on him again and ignoring his overtly happy greetings. He was just high and I had no patience for him. I just wanted to get the information from him and get out of this place.
“I just won at poker, brother,” he said and held up a hand holding a few hundred dollar bills.
“Congratulations,” King said in a grim impatient voice, while Slade took another drag of the weed, coughing slightly when he let the smoke out of his lungs. The girl leaned in and licked the side of his face, as though to comfort him.
“Who were you playing?” I asked him, aware that we’d have to dig the information out of him now. He was in no mood to work.
“With two guys from The Chaos Hunters,” Slade said and King and I exchanged looks. They weren’t exactly a rival gang, but they associated with The Black Skulls.
“Those motherfuckers are recruiting, The Black Skulls I mean,” Slade said, suddenly growing serious, and the girl on his lap reached for his crotch. I leaned over, grabbed the girl by her waist and pulled her off Slade. She stumbled off, squealing and then giggling as she walked away from us.
“You need to tell us exactly what you heard, Slade. Concentrate,” King said and Slade took in a deep breath.
“Okay, okay. The guys said that The Black Skulls are recruiting, picking up street kids again and training them,” he said. King and I exchanged looks again.
“Training them for what?” I asked and Slade ran a hand through his hair, like he was nervous about telling us this next part.
“What did they say?” King coaxed him again.
“They’ve got some underground fight ring going on. Gambling and taking bets on the fights,” Slade told us and I stepped away from him and clenched my jaw.
“And they’re using kids for this?” I asked, narrowing my eyes at Slade.
“That’s what those guys said. It’s second hand smoke but it’s something. You told us to keep an eye out,” Slade said and King stepped forward to thump him on his back.
“Good work, man,” he told him and Slade seemed pleased.
King and I turned and started walking towards the exit. When I looked over at him, he seemed a little surprised that I wasn’t staying. We were at a strip club, and I wasn’t banging a chick. It wasn’t often that happened.
“I think we should check out this fight ring,” I said, trying to distract King from asking me questions about why I wasn’t interested in all the naked tits around me.
“We need to run it by Elwood first though, don’t we?” King said as we stepped out into the night again.
“Yeah,” I replied, my mind already wandering to what Ava might be doing.
Chapter 10
Ava
I was surrounded with books in Charity’s living room. She was in the kitchen behind me, cooking us dinner while I studied. I was trying to get into a Vet Tech program in the city, and I was determined to change my life around. A few more weeks at this job would give me enough money to help me move out of Charity’s apartment and I could start repaying her for all her help in the past few weeks.
“A few more inches, and you’re going to fall into your book,” she called out to me and I realized I had been leaning over the couch, trying to absorb every word on the page. My circumstances weren’t ideal to really concentrate, but I was trying my best. I had somehow managed to put Commando at the back of my mind and work on the entrance exam. The feeling of having his fingers sliding in and out of my pussy was still starkly clear in my mind, but I tried to not think about it.
“Just one more chapter and we can eat,” I called out to her happily, just as there was a sharp banging on the door.
I turned to look at Charity, who had her brows crossed.
“Expecting someone?” I asked her, as the banging on the door grew louder. She shrugged her shoulders and shook her head.
“Not that I can think of. Might be Mr. Brown, he lives next door and sometimes forgets which door he’s knocking on,” Charity wiped her hands on the apron at her waist as she walked towards the door.
“That isn’t exactly knocking,” I said, with a detached smirk, turning to my book again.
“He might have had a little too much to drink, he’ll be embarrassed tomorrow and apologize when he bumps into me,” she said with a laugh and opened the door.
I heard his voice before I saw him, and immediately my blood ran cold.
“Where the fuck is she?” Blaine’s voice was harsh and icy as he stormed into the apartment. He had thrust Charity to the side and now she was pasted with her back to the wall as he lunged towards me.
I screamed, with only a split second to react as he grabbed my arm and squeezed, pulling me off the couch.
“Blaine! You’re hurting me!” I screamed as he shook me wildly.
“Did you think you could hide from me forever?” he barked, and some spittle flew from his mouth on my face. My eyes were widened, fixed on his enraged face. I could see that he was drunk, I could smell the beer on his breath. His face had turned red with anger and for the first time in my life, I was scared of dying. He was bigger and stronger than me and he could very easily kill me.
“Blaine, please. Just let me go and let me explain,” I pleaded with him and I felt the pressure of his grip on my arm. He was tightening it, squeezing my flesh and a sharp pain zapped up and down my arm. He was holding me just below my elbow, keeping me in position, just inches from his face.
“Where is it?” he barked, spittle flying everywhere.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, please just let me go. You’re hurting me,” I begged. I could hear Charity behind him, sobbing. I had dragged her into this, and now she had to watch her best friend being beaten up.
“Where is the money?” Blaine brought his face closer to me. He was baring his teeth like a wild animal and in that moment, I knew that he was capable of anything. I couldn’t move, my feet were frozen, I was dangling from his grip on my arm…trying to pull myself away.
“I don’t have your money, Blaine, I promise,” I cried, hot tears rolling down my cheeks.
How had he turned into this? This was not the guy I thought I had fallen in love with. But maybe, I hadn’t known him at all. His nostrils were flared, he was flying high in a drunken rage and I had no idea how he had found me. I thought he didn’t know where Charity lived.
“There’s money missin
g and I know you took it!” he barked again and shook me by my arm. His fingers were digging into my flesh and the pain was growing more intense. I was afraid of another punch, of a harder punch than the last time. I didn’t want Charity to be hurt, I didn’t want her to see what he was capable of doing to me.
“I didn’t take anything, Blaine, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” I cried, trying to get the words out of my throat. Charity was still sobbing by the door, sometimes picking up the guts to scream at Blaine to let me go.
“You lying bitch. Tell me where you’ve hidden it!” he yelled and with his free hand, he pushed all the books and papers off the coffee table and they went flying to the floor. He didn’t let go of my arm though, and I could feel my strength weakening. Something had changed in Blaine. This wasn’t just about some little cash, he was desperate about this money and I thought he was making enough at work.
“I promise I don’t have it. Please, Blaine, believe me,” I cried, sobbing wildly now. I tried to wriggle out of his grip again, which only made him tighten his grip on me. He yanked me to himself and I squealed with horror. His face was close to mine again, and I could see the rage dripping from his bloodshot eyes. He was capable of anything for that money. Why was it so important to him?
“Tell me where it is before I bash your face in,” he threatened with a hissing voice through gritted teeth. I was crying, my body shaking with horror. He had bunched up his other fist, about to bring it crashing down on my face.
“I’m calling the cops!” Charity yelled and Blaine and I both looked at her. She was holding her cellphone up in the air and we could see she had dialed 911 on the screen. Blaine’s grip on my arm weakened, giving me the chance to wriggle out. I backed away from him, stumbling on my books and I fell to the floor.
“Leave now or I’m calling the cops!” Charity screamed again and I looked up to see that Blaine was glaring down at me, his shoulders heaving with fury.
“I am not done with you,” he growled, in a lower voice and just when I thought he was going to kick me, he turned around and walked away. When he got to the door, Charity cowered. He looked her straight in the eye and I could see that she was trying to glare back at him, to put up a show of confidence.
When Blaine stepped out, Charity slammed the door shut behind him, turned the lock and pulled the chain.
My sobbing grew louder and she ran to me, kneeling down on the floor beside me.
“Oh, honey, are you okay?” she asked and reached for my arm. Blaine had left a bruise on my arm. My skin was bright pink and I could feel it throbbing with ache where he had dug into my flesh.
Charity ran her fingers over the spot and I winced.
“We need to put some ice on it,” she said and I tried to control my cries.
“I’m so sorry, Charity, I shouldn’t have dragged this to your doorstep,” I said, my body quivering from the pain and shock.
She got up to get a pack of ice from the freezer and returned with it and sat back down on the floor.
“Are you hurt anywhere else, honey?” she asked in a cooing voice and I shook my head.
“Charity…I’m so sorry,” all I could do was apologize and cry. More than feeling afraid for myself, I felt responsible for putting my friend’s life in danger. She looked up at me and dragged me close to herself in a tight hug.
“We can’t stay here anymore, you heard him, he’s going to come back,” she said.
“Where are we going to go?” I asked her, sniffing and trying to stop the tremors in my arms.
“We should go stay with Rocky for a few days, just till things quiet down you know. Blaine doesn’t know about Rocky, so it’ll be difficult for him to find us there,” she said and I nodded my head, grateful that she had a boyfriend she could trust.
“It’s too late tonight and he’s working, but tomorrow, go straight to his apartment after work. I’ll text you his address,” she said and we hugged again.
What had I gotten myself into?
Chapter 11
Commando
“I’ll go,” Girth said. Church was over, and we were all sitting around our usual table at The Lucky Lady. Dad had just given us the go-ahead to investigate the fight clubs that The Black Skulls were running.
“You’ll stand out. Commando, Slade and King should go,” Dad said, emptying the remnants of a bottle of beer down his throat. I nodded my head at him, just when Ava came into my vision. She was serving beer to a table in front of us, and even though she had pasted a smile on her face, I could see the emptiness in her eyes.
I felt a movement in my pants when I saw her, but she looked afraid, or sad…or something. Then my gaze fell on her arm, near her elbow was a deep purple blotch which looked like a fresh bruise.
I jumped off my chair and stalked towards her. She had just placed the tray of beers on the table, when I walked up behind her.
“Outside, now,” I growled and she looked at me with her wide green eyes, her long red hair swaying as she moved. She could see the determination in my eyes and didn’t resist.
I walked out of the bar and I could hear her following me. Outside, amidst the parked bikes, I whipped around to her and reached for her arm.
“What the fuck is this?” I growled, holding her gaze even though she tried to look away. There were bright pink spots on the tops of her cheeks, her green eyes looked dull. She was hiding something.
“It’s nothing. I hurt myself,” she said and tried to pull her arm away. I let her go, but I wasn’t about to let it drop.
“Who did this to you?” I growled in a louder voice and stepped towards her. She couldn’t hide a bruise from me. I knew a bruise caused by a tight grip on an arm when I saw one. Who was she kidding?
“Nobody. I accidentally hurt myself,” Ava said and tucked in some stray red strands behind her ears nervously. She was refusing to meet my eyes. I reached for her chin and tipped her face to look up at me. When our eyes met, I felt a fire blazing in the pit of my stomach.
“Trust me, Ava. Tell me who did this,” I said, in a softer voice. Aggression wasn’t going to work on her, I needed her to be honest with me.
“My boy…my ex boyfriend. He was drunk and angry and he found me at my best friend’s house,” she stammered with her words and I dropped my hand from her chin. I could feel the fury coursing through my veins. I had to grit my teeth so that I didn’t lash out at something. Anything.
Some asshole had the fucking audacity to lay a hand on Ava.
My Ava.
“Who is this motherfucker? I’m going to crush his neck,” I hissed, eyeing her with anger. Ava gulped and looked away from me.
“No, please don’t. Just forget about it. He was drunk and I think he’s gotten in with a bad crowd. I think he owes someone money,” she said and I was shaking my head.
“I’m going to find him and then I’m going to kill him,” I snarled and this time, she stepped towards me, hesitating right when she was about to place her hands on my chest.
“He’s gone, I’m fine…Commando, please, just drop it,” she said but I could hear the fear in her voice.
“You’re not fine. Assholes like these don’t just stop after the first time,” I said and reached for her waist. Our eyes were locked, her gaze was soft, she suddenly looked less afraid. “Ava, I’m going to keep you safe, you’re going to have to trust me. I’m not going to let this motherfucker come anywhere close to you,” I said and her face grew even softer, she was about to cry. I could see her lips quivering. I knew she wanted to agree with me, she wanted me to take care of her but her pride was getting in the way.
“You’re going to stay with me. I don’t want you staying anywhere he might find you,” I told her, and my hand on her waist felt warm. Just touching her made me weak and I didn’t want to feel weak in that moment. Ava dropped her gaze to her feet and nodded her head. She was going to come home with me.
“And you can ask your friend to come too. She’s not safe in her apartment either,” I
said and she looked up to meet my eyes again.
“She’s staying with her boyfriend, at least for a few days and I was going to go there as well,” she said, in a small quiet voice and I had to do everything I could to not pull her into my arms and kiss her.
Someone had touched her.
Someone had bruised her arm.
I was seeing red everywhere.
“Let’s go,” I said and grabbing her hand, I led her to my parked Harley. I helped her on to the bike and then sat down in front of her. She hesitated for a moment, before wrapping her arms around me.
That movement in my pants again. My cock had a mind of its own, even though sex was the last thing I was thinking of. I needed her to be safe.
“What about my shift? Big D will be expecting me inside,” I heard her say, as I revved up the engine.
“You can text him later and tell him you felt sick. Big D won’t mind. They are all very fond of you in there,” I told her, honestly. All Big D did was talking about these days was what a “sweet kid” Ava was and how much of a help she was to him.
And right now, I couldn’t think of anything but getting her out of there and to safety. And being with me was the safest I could keep her.
Chapter 12
Ava
“Nice apartment,” I said, looking about me. Commando was picking up discarded clothes and pizza boxes off the carpeted floor, and flinging them to a corner of the living room. The place wasn’t anything fancy, but it was well maintained enough for a single guy, especially a guy like him.
We’d been relatively silent all the way to his apartment, and all I could think about was how I had my arms around him, how our bodies were grazing.
“It used to be!” he said and we both looked at each other and smiled.
He was right, I was safer here. In his apartment, with him. In fact, I hadn’t felt safer than this before and I walked over to the couch which he had just cleared out and sat down.
King (Rogue Rebels MC) Page 16