Clipped Wings : (A Kings MC Romance, Book 2, Standalone)
Page 19
Sitting forward, I take her drink and empty it as the things she’s said takes residence in my thoughts.
“They had to of started following me this morning. How did they know when to follow me? Where I’d be?”
My jaw tightens. Rage is a snake slithering up my spine. The only Serpents who knew about the gun run was Christian, John, Mercy, and me. We keep these runs on a need to know basis. The fewer people involved, the fewer chances of fuck ups or word slipping to the police. I know without a doubt in my mind Mercy and John didn’t tell Drake about it.
Returning my attention to Erika, it’s like a blade ripping through my chest seeing the fear and worry in her eyes.
“You think I’m right, don’t you?”
Bringing her face close, I kiss her forehead. With her swollen tender cheeks and busted lip, I don’t want to hurt her.
“Tomorrow we’re packing up. I need to take care of some things, then we’re leaving this town.”
Shock steals her breath.
“Where are we going?”
“To Nashville.”
“What about the Serpents? Can you leave them?”
“Don’t worry about anything but packing the important things we need. If it’s replaceable, don’t pack it.”
“What are you gonna do?”
Running my fingers through her freshly washed hair, I massage the base of her neck.
“What I do best.”
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
——
DOMINIC
FIRST THING FIRST, making sure Dori got her shit out. It’s two in the morning and everyone on this shitty side of town is either passed out from drugs or alcohol or still partying hard. You know you’re in a shithole area when gunshots are fired and no one calls the police.
House vacant, I walk through each room, gasoline container in hand, pouring it over everything, including Christian’s stash of drugs in the garage. Dropping the can by my feet, I retrieve the lighter from my pocket. With a flick of the flint wheel, a flame rises from the Zippo. Tossing it onto the floor, I watch the flames quickly ascend toward the ceiling.
Stripping my Serpent jacket, I fist it in my hand, pain burning my insides. With a difficult breath, I toss it into the flames. Grabbing the can, I leave behind the burning house.
***
Looking down at my cell phone in my hand, my jaw hardens as I read the messages from Christian. He’s pissed I bailed on the gun run and wants to know what the hell is going on. Mercy is doing damage control for me. He caught up with them and is giving me a cover—my bike is broken down and I’m waiting on a tow. Christian doesn’t need to know I have Erika back safe with me and Drake and Ditch’s corpses are long gone. Well, he doesn’t need to know yet.
Inside the clubhouse, I search through the files in Christian’s desk. I take the paperwork for Erika’s old house. A few files back, I pull my file. There are properties that are solely in my name. These come with me. That’s my income.
There’s a red folder that catches my attention. Opening it, there’s a list of properties on the Jackals side of town that Christian has or is working on taking ownership of. Erika’s address was on the list. Flipping through the folder, I review the printouts of revenue from these properties. There’s money he’s been keeping for himself, keeping from the Serpents.
Seeing everything in front of me, I realize now why Christian’s focus has been so strongly on winning the turf war against the Jackals. It’s because he’s winning the war and it’s putting a hell of a lot of cash in his personal pocket. When you’re this close, this hungry, do you betray your brother to cut your enemies off at the knees? That’s what he’s done.
***
Getting home, I sit on the edge of the bed and watch Erika sleep. Her reddened cheeks now have bruises dappling her skin. I can’t bring myself to think what would’ve happened to her if I hadn’t put her first and come back for her. I would’ve made the biggest mistake of my life. I would’ve lost her and that thought creates a rage inside of me I’m unable to calm.
I’ll do anything to protect her and I’ll never hesitate to take another man’s life who tries to hurt her. She’s the only thing that matters to me. The one and only woman to bulldoze through my cement exterior and find the man worth loving inside. She’s changed me and she doesn’t know it. She’s made me better. Made me see there are more opportunities than what’s in front of us.
I’m going to make a great life for us together, but it can’t be done here. The lifestyle I’ve lived is a road I can’t continue on if I’m going to be the man she needs. It’s time to move on and I know where that road is telling me to go. I only have one last thing to do before I climb on my Harley and never look back.
CHAPTER THIRTY
——
DOMINIC
“THAT’S THE LAST of it,” Erika tells me, handing me a small bag full of our things. Camaro packed full, I close the trunk. Leaning against it, I bring her between my legs and hold her bruised face carefully as I kiss her.
“How you feeling?”
Beautiful golden hazel eyes look up at me, full of adoration and brimming with fear.
“I’m barely holding it together. I know you’re going to confront him. I’m afraid you won’t come back.”
Gently brushing my thumb along her jaw, I steal a moment of pleasure, knowing how much she loves me.
“You don’t need to be afraid. After this, we’re free. We won’t need to watch our backs. It’s something I gotta do, for us.”
“I love you so much.” Head against my chest, she wraps her arms around my waist, holding me as tight as she can.
“You have no idea how much I love you. What I’ll do for you.”
Gaze to mine, she stares up at me, a new determination in her eyes.
“I know because it’s the same as I’d do for you.”
My lips take charge, kissing her with unrestrained passion, showing her how much I need her. Pulling back from her, her face is flushed. She’s pushing against my cock, slipping her hands beneath my shirt.
“Do you want me inside you?”
I’m concerned she won’t with what happened to her last night.
“Yes. I want to feel you inside me, loving me. I need it.”
“So do I.”
***
In the dark, I wait, finger resting on the trigger of my gun. Minutes ago, his Harley rumbled into his driveway. Now the creaking of the hinges on his front door indicates his arrival. Not that I needed it. My eyes have adjusted to the lightless room.
With a flick of his hand, the living room light comes on after he’s closed the door. He’s not expecting me and his body jolts in surprise.
“Dom, what are you doing here?”
His eyes dart to my loaded gun.
“What’s going on?”
“Cut the bullshit. Erika’s alive. Drake and Ditch are dead.”
Christian’s a smart man. His expression remains the same.
“Tell me what happened.”
“I don’t need to waste our time explaining your well thought out plan. Only problem was you didn’t expect me to choose her over the Serpents. I went back for her, planned on taking her with us. I knew something wasn’t right when she didn’t answer her phone. I rode straight to her old house where Drake and Ditch were beating her, getting her primed for them to rape her, then kill her. You were right. I would’ve gone after the Jackals. I would’ve taken out every one of them and not cared about going to prison. It would’ve got you just what you wanted—your enemies taken out, their turf for the taking, and your only remaining threat would be in jail.”
“Threat,” he scoffs.
“If I wanted to be President, all it would take is a few votes, and you’d lose everything. Greedy men get careless, Christian, and you’ve become one greedy son of a bitch.”
Hand on his pistol, he’s ready to pull it.
“Take your hand off it. I’m not going to shoot you.”
Slowly, he
withdraws his hand, confusion written on his face.
“What do you want?”
“To kill you with my bare hands. It’s the only way I’ll make peace with your betrayal.”
When his hand reaches for his pistol, my eyes narrow.
“Reach for it again and I’ll change my fucking mind.” Standing, I aim the gun at his chest. “Slowly take it out and set it on the floor. It’s your only chance of surviving. Your choice. Bullet or bare knuckles?”
Anger is etched across his brow, seething in his eyes, but it’s nothing compared to the rage I’m barely containing. Leaning over, he drops the pistol. Eyes locked on his, I use my peripheral and kick it away. With his gun out of the way, I stick to my word and put mine back in my waistband.
Christian wastes no time attacking me. He lunges, arm swinging. Blocking his punch, I knock his arm back and slam the edge of my palm into his neck. It knocks him sideways, catching him off guard. Fist to his gut, I attempt to rob him of his breath. Coughing, he hunches over, only to rebound quick and charge forward. We both fly back and land on his coffee table, the weight of our bodies destroying the wooden table.
One punch lands on my face and I growl out my fury. Arm bent, hand to his chin, I force his face up, extending his neck. With one hard punch, I lay damage to his throat. He’s struggling to breathe, scrambling to get off me. Grabbing across his chest to his shoulder, I buck my hip and roll us. Now over him, I unleash. Fist to face, I let it all out. Blood spatters from his broken nose, then mouth. Desperate coughs and rasps for breath fuel my rage. Another punch to his face and his eye is swollen shut. His disfigured face is difficult to recognize.
My arm lowers when I hear the struggle for air to be brought into his lungs. Bringing my face closer to his, I stare into his one open eye.
“You brought death to your own fucking door.”
Withdrawing my switchblade from my jeans, I flick the knife open. Driving the metal into his stomach, I watch as it tears through his flesh and drains the life from his body.
Pulling my knife from his insides, I wipe the blood on his shirt. Blade away, I stand and retrieve my cell phone from my pocket. Mercy answers quickly.
“Christian’s dead. The Serpents belong to you now. They need to know…if any of them come for us. I’ll kill them…one by one.”
EPILOGUE
——
DOMINIC
RIDING MY HARLEY up to the Kings clubhouse, I observe the silver skull and crown symbol just outside the door. Bike parked, I drop the kickstand and wait for Erika to step out of my Camaro. With a smile tugging at her lips, she takes my hand as we walk up the stairs, onto the porch. Through the front door, we enter a bar, and I take note of every man wearing leathers. A bald man with a spider web tattoo on his neck takes sight of me and measures me up.
“Who the hell are you?” he asks, suspicion laced in his tone.
A familiar frame turns my direction from the pool table they’re at.
“Dominic fucking Xavier.” Jake takes one look at me and smirks. “Easy, Axel. This man’s family.”
Setting his pool cue aside, he walks the few feet to where we stand.
“Your visit is a lot sooner than I expected. Everything all right?” He’s reading me like a book. Something he always did when we were kids.
“That offer of an open door still good?”
Jake pats me on the shoulder, inviting us farther into the clubhouse. “Hell yeah it is. Let me get you both a beer.”
TWO WEEKS LATER...
Erika can’t stop giggling as I hold my hands over her eyes, guiding her into our new home. Standing just beyond the front door, I remove my fingers. In front of me, her head turns left and right, then she swivels her body to face me.
“Is this ours?”
“Yeah, baby. It’s our new home. I’m selling the house in Ohio.”
“Dom…”
Her beautiful hazel eyes are bright with excitement and adoration.
“I’m gonna prospect for the Kings. We’re never going back. We’re starting a new life here.”
She jumps into my arms and I cup her ass in my hands as her lips demonstrate what she’s feeling in her heart. Putting her against the wall, I reach for her jean shorts. Her hands are already under my shirt, taking it off.
Letting her legs down, I move her shorts and underwear down off her hips. With a quick movement of her hands, she has my jeans undone and is sliding them off. The need between us is strong, uncontrollable. A craving we’re eager to satisfy. Lifting her ass, her legs wrap around my waist. Coming together, I let out a groan of satisfaction. Each and every time I’m with her our love grows stronger. There’s a primal ferocity she brings out of me. A need to claim. A need to possess.
This woman…my freedom.
Forever mine.
Forever my Sparrow.
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MORE BOOKS BY AUTHOR BETTY SHREFFLER:
CASTLE OF KINGS
(A Kings MC Romance)
FIRE ON THE FARM
(A Second Chance Cowboy Romance)
MY HOT BOSS
(A Sexy and Sinful Office Romance)
WHEN HUNTER MEETS SEEKER
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EMBRACE THE DAWNING
(Book 1, The Covenant Series)
CRUEL TEMPTATION
(Book 2, The Covenant Series)
DARK AND BEAUTIFUL NIGHTS
(Book 3, The Covenant Series)
View any of Author Betty’s Shreffler’s Books Here
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Betty Shreffler is a bestselling author of paranormal romantic suspense and contemporary romance. She writes sexy and suspenseful stories with hot alphas and kickass heroines that have twists you don’t expect. She also writes beautiful and sexy romances with tough women and their journeys at finding love. Betty is a mix of country, nerdy, sassy, sweet and a whole lot of sense of humor. She’s a fan of photography, reading, watching movies, hiking, traveling, drinking wine, bubble baths and all things romantic. She lives with her amazing hubs and five fur babies; two rescue pups and three cats. If she’s not writing or doing book events, then you can find her behind the lens of a camera, in the woods, or sipping wine behind a deliciously steamy book.
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Table of Contents
FROM THE AUTHOR
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE
CHAPTER TWENTY SIX
CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN
CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT
CHAPTER TWENTY NINE
CHAPTER THIRTY
EPILOGUE
MORE BOOKS BY AUTHOR BETTY SHREFFLER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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