Kane (Alexander Shifter Brothers Book 1)

by Selina Coffey

  I watched as Lee folded his arms across his chest, clearly angry. Avani seemed to be saying something and Lee responded quickly. Whatever he said shut her up immediately and she pouted and leaned her back against the sheriff’s car. The sheriff and Lee exchanged a couple more words and then the sheriff climbed back into his car and left.

  Lee didn’t look in my direction as he headed to the garage apartment, head down in thought as Avani scampered behind him apparently trying to explain herself. And then they were out of my eyesight and I wondered briefly if we were actually going to get that chance to follow up on that date. I figured Avani was probably just guilty of truancy. After all she was a precocious kid, but the look on Lee’s face looked thunderous. I was sure she was going to get an earful when they were behind closed doors. I shrugged my shoulders and headed to the shower. Maybe if I were lucky, I would see him again tomorrow. And as I undressed, I noticed that my nipples were still hard. I was still aroused and as the hot spray of the shower caressed my body, I wished it was Lee’s hands instead.

  Chapter 3

  “When I pictured a date with you, I really didn’t think it would be at a cheesy diner eating a burger and fries.” I said to Lee as I dipped a fry into ketchup and then devoured it.

  “Are you complaining?” He said raising an eyebrow. He looked so handsome sitting there wearing jeans and a sleeveless shirt that showcased his ripped arms to perfection. Even the tattoos that covered his arms from just above his wrist and then disappeared across his shoulder blades did nothing to take away from the beauty of his body. If anything the tattoos accented the perfection of it.

  I shook my head, still staring at his wide muscular shoulders, “I’m not complaining. I just want to point out that I haven’t been on such a cheap date since high school.”

  “Are you calling me cheap?”

  “Maybe.”

  He had abruptly popped up at the shop during lunch and whisked me away to the diner, claiming that we were going to the town’s most famous eating establishment. I had laughed when we pulled up to the diner. We had been discussing Avani and how she needed to make friends at school, before our food arrived. I had been right. It had been truancy. Avani had left school in the middle of the day and the sheriff had found her. She had told the sheriff that she was being bullied in school and definitely didn’t want to go back. He had felt sorry for her and went looking for Lee instead of taking Avani back to school.

  Lee smiled slowly, “You’re right. I am cheap.” He shrugged his shoulders in a boyish manner. “But the burgers here are the best in the county and from the way you tore into yours it looks like you liked it enough.”

  “Or maybe I was just hungry,” I said defiantly and he laughed.

  “So if you had to give this date a grade...?”

  “You would be barely passing.”

  He placed a hand over his heart and gave me a mocking smile, “Ouch. That hurts.” I couldn’t get enough of his sexy accent. Every time he opened his mouth to speak, I looked forward to the way his accent caressed his words. The man had everything a woman wanted: a sexy body, a sexy accent, a bad boy vibe and an air of mystery. Speaking of which...

  “So what do you do for a living?”

  “Nothing. I’m retired.”

  I raised an eyebrow. “Retired? Aren’t you a little young to be retired?”

  He shrugged and I narrowed my eyes at him, “Seriously, what do you do for a living?”

  He opened his mouth to speak when his eyes narrowed and he turned in the direction of the exit.

  I heard the motorcycles before I saw them pull up. There had to be about five or ten of them and they all pulled up in quick succession outside the burger joint where most of the regulars came to have lunch. Everyone turned and watched as they arrived. Our town was small, not near any landmarks, national parks or anything of interest to most people so the arrival of a biker gang was completely unexpected.

  Lee’s facial expression changed instantly. Gone was the light-hearted man I was getting to know. In his place was a man I had seen a hint of before. And that man looked cold and dangerous. His face didn’t reveal anything and his body went still. He didn’t even blink as he watched the bikers get off their bikes and approach the diner. They came in together as a group, but there was clearly a leader. He was tall and thin with a salt and pepper beard. He too had tattoos up and down his arm and they seemed similar in some way to Lee’s. The tall thin man took off his sunglasses and sat at the bar. The other guys followed him.

  The waitress, Shannon, who I’d known my whole life, as well, approached the bikers looking a little wary, she played it off nicely though, fastening a tight smile to her face, “What can I get you fellas?”

  One of the guys leered at Shannon’s ample bosom. She ignored him and took everyone’s orders. As she was turning around, the man had the gumption to pop Shannon on her behind. She rounded on him, slapping him across his face and the man immediately jumped up, apparently ready to hit Shannon when I stood up and said, “If you touch her again, I’ll break your hand.”

  There was silence across the diner and the man’s eyes settled on mine and he took a step forward towards me, his lips curling up into a smile. I moved towards him and then Lee’s hand shot out and stopped me. He stood up slowly and when he came into view of the bikers, mumbling started across the gang.

  “Lee? I didn’t see your bike outside,” said the man who had struck Shannon’s behind. His eyes showed fear and he swallowed nervously, mouth hanging open to reveal teeth that looked as if they hadn’t seen a toothbrush in years.

  “I got rid of it,” Lee replied simply. I looked at Lee, surprised that he knew them. Lee had been part of a biker gang?

  No one said a word, but the tension in the room was thick.

  “I think it might be best if you all found another place for lunch.” Lee then said shortly.

  The leader finally spoke up, “I don’t think we’ll be doing that.” And he stood up and approached us; Lee pushed me back and moved deliberately in front of me. He was now only inches from the gang leader.

  “I suggest you move along, Shepherd.”

  “I don’t see you with your crew, Lee. I guess the rumors are true.”

  Lee ignored his words, “This is my town now Shepherd. And I’m only going to warn you one more time. Move along.”

  Shepherd threw back his head and laughed. “You ain’t nobody without your crew Lee. Nobody. And it’s about high time you realize that.”

  Shepherd moved his hand and I saw the glint of metal before I yelled, “Lee! Watch out!” Shepherd was fast, but Lee was faster. As Shepherd sprung forward attempting to stab Lee, Lee sprung to the side and easily knocked Shepherd off balance. Shepherd flew face forward onto the floor. The other men gathered up and before I knew it, Lee was being attacked by all sides. He was holding his own though as I watched him punch in several faces and wrenched a couple of wrists in ways the human body should never bend.

  However, he was still vastly outnumbered and so I sprang into action, bringing my plate up to knock one of the thugs in his face. His teeth went rolling across the floor and one of his other buddies attempted to grab me by my hair, but I was prepared for that and punched him squarely in the mouth. He stumbled back and said, “You hit like a girl.”

  “Oh really?” I said and then I kicked him in the groin, throwing all my weight behind it. “Was that girly enough for you, ass---.”

  “Angelica, watch out!” I heard Shannon yell as another man ran up and caught me around my middle knocking me to the floor. I was trained in all manners of self-defense, but I was a mere one hundred and twenty-five pounds. The man on top of me weighed at least one hundred pounds more than me. And he giggled when he realized I could do nothing, but I struggled against his grip anyway. He mockingly made kissy sounds and the scent of his breath made my stomach turn. And his body smelled like sweat and his pores emanated a scent that made me want to gag. He smelled like he bathed in beer and bile all mor
ning. And with his giant belly pressing against my middle, I struggled to breath.

  Suddenly, his weight was off of me. And I watched as Lee held the man by the collar of his shirt and planted his fist in the man’s wide gut, hitting him over and over. The man gasped and choked for air and then Lee punched him in his face and the man’s entire body rocked to one side at the force of Lee’s blow. And as the man fell towards the floor, Lee wasn’t done. He lowered his knee into the man’s back and wrenched his hand behind his back and pulled it snug until it popped. The man screamed in pain and then Lee pulled out a knife and wrenched the man up by his hair so that his neck was exposed. The man didn’t dare breathe and all the other bikers stood there, afraid to move.

  The look in Lee’s eyes were murderous as he said, “Call your guys off, Shepherd, or your brother will shortly be choking on his own blood.”

  Everyone in the diner was silent and Lee didn’t move a muscle. Beads of sweat dripped down the other guy’s forehead and his breath was coming out in short bursts as if he were scared that if he breathed too heavily, Lee would cut his throat.

  Shepherd looked angry enough to kill us all, frankly, but apparently he valued his brother’s life. Shepherd held Lee’s eyes for another long moment and I watched the rest of the gang, waiting for a sign that they weren’t going to cooperate. Finally, Shepherd dropped his eyes away from Lee’s and signaled to his men to move out.

  They filed out slowly, glaring at Lee as they did. Finally only Shepherd stood there and Lee moved the knife away from his brother’s throat. Lee took his time to stand up, letting his full bodyweight press against the man’s spine. The man screamed and Shepherd tightened his jaw.

  “I’m going to kill you, Lee.”

  “You’ve tried before, Shepherd. You really want me to gut you again?” I watched Shepherd’s hand go involuntarily towards the front of his shirt and his voice grew frustrated as he addressed his brother.

  “Get off the floor, Vicki.” Shepherd growled and his brother dragged himself up. Vicki gave Lee a glare and said, “Your girl ain’t nothing but a whore, just like your mama.” Lee responded faster than I’d ever seen anyone move and his fist connected with Vicki’s throat with a hollow thud.

  Immediately Vicki hit the floor again, gasping for air, clutching his throat. “Get him out of here,” Lee said dismissively and Shepherd grabbed his brother by the arm and helped him stand up. Vicki’s breathing was heavy the whole time. And finally they were gone.

  Everyone started talking at the same time. Shannon thanked me and Lee. Everyone had questions about Lee and he didn’t say much. His eyes were still watching the outside, looking in the direction that the biker gang had disappeared.

  “How do you know them, Lee?” I said when the rest of the diners either left or went back to eating.

  He ignored me and said, “Let’s get out of here.” His eyes were still trained on the windows that looked out to the parking lot.

  “Lee---”

  “This isn’t the time or place to talk, Angelica.” He said dismissively and I was taken aback by his cold tone. He didn’t even look at me as he walked away. He just motioned for me to follow him. I knew he expected me to do exactly that but his sudden change in attitude bothered me. I wasn’t used to being bossed around, but I told myself to calm down. He was just still in the moment and after all, he had threatened to kill a man over me.

  Keeping that in mind, I followed behind him. I climbed next to him in his car and he was silent for a while.

  “Alright, Lee. Enough with the attitude. What’s going on? How do those men know you?”

  He didn’t answer for a long moment and his hands tensed on the steering wheel before he turned briefly to face me, “Isn’t it obvious? I’m a criminal.”

  Chapter 4

  We were back in my home and I wasn’t going to accept such a vague response. Lee had insisted on escorting me inside. He was paranoid that the gang would be waiting for me. When we got to my house, no one was around. There wasn’t a reason for them to know where I lived, so I thought Lee was overreacting. Besides, in my head, I was still sure that I could protect myself.

  “You’re an ex-con, Lee?” I said, sitting my purse down on the table.

  He didn’t say a word for a while and when he finally did, he gave a harsh humorless laugh before he began. “The short answer to that question is no. I joined the military when I was eighteen. When I got out, there weren’t many jobs in our town. My Mom was dating some new guy. That guy turned out to be Shepherd. He brought me under his wing, introduced me to the biker’s life. My Mom didn’t like it. She said she wasn’t trying to raise a thug.” He shook his head at the memory, as if it left a bitter taste in his mouth. “She dumped Shepherd, but by then I was too deep into the gang to even think straight. Eventually, I climbed rank, became Shepherd’s right hand man and then we butt heads and I left. Not before we got into a fight though where I almost killed him. I joined a different gang. I did things that I’m not proud of. I should have spent time behind bars, but I was good at disappearing and my men were loyal. I didn’t see my Mom and sister for years.”

  He paused as if he didn’t want to continue. “What happened then?” I asked when the silence stretched too long for my comfort.

  “I got a call from Child Protective Services.”

  “Oh my God, about Avani?”

  He nodded.

  “But what happened? Why? Where was your mother?”

  “My mother was admitted into the hospital. She had pain in her lower abdomen.”

  “Was it appendicitis or something?” I said knowing nothing about the subject. I was painfully ignorant when it came to medical issues.

  “It was some sort of infection. They couldn’t stop it in time. About time I got there Mom was gone.”

  The pain in his voice made my heart hurt for him. “I’m so sorry, Lee. How did Avani take it?”

  “Not well. Not well at all. She blamed me.”

  I looked at him shocked, “But why? It wasn’t your fault.”

  “She said that if I’d been there, I might have noticed Mom wasn’t feeling right and I might have been able to save her.”

  “That’s not necessarily true, Lee.”

  He looked away from me and stared out the window, “It doesn’t matter if it’s true or not. It only matters how she feels. I failed my Mom and I failed Avani.”

  “Lee...”

  “Nothing you say can change the facts, Angelica. I messed up. I should have been there for my mother. I’m scum for not being there. I know and accept that. I can’t rewrite history. I’ll live with that guilt until the day I die. I can’t make up for Mom’s death, but I can do my best to take care of Avani now. I left that world behind. It was no good for me, or my Mom or Avani. She deserves better. So I took my money and left the gang. They weren’t too happy about my decision, but they know what I’m capable of so they left me alone. And I’ve been trying to keep a low profile, trying to make life as normal as I can for Avani. ”

  “She loves you.”

  “I don’t deserve it. The kid has a big heart.”

  “Maybe you do too.”

  “You believe the best in people apparently. There’s not much good in me.”

  “We all can’t be angels, Lee. I’ve done things that I’m not proud of and so have you.”

  “But you weren’t a criminal.”

  I shrugged, “But there were things I did while deployed that made me feel like one.”

  We both didn’t say a word, lost in thought focusing on the sins of our past. Lee was the first to speak, “Guilt can really fuck up your head.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  “So now that we’ve played twenty questions, are you still interested in a man who should be locked up?”

  “I don’t know that man. I only know you.”

  The mood in the room shifted and I could feel Lee’s eyes on me as I abruptly walked away from him and pulled a beer out of the fridge.

&nbs
p; “I know it’s the middle of the day and all, but after this afternoon’s little adventure, I can surely use one. You want one?”

  He nodded, “You really know how to handle yourself in a fight. Thanks by the way.”

  “You didn’t need my help for long.”

  He shrugged and took a swig of the beer I handed him, “Nothing’s sexier than a woman who can hold her own in a fight.”

  I smiled, flattered by his comment, “I still train, keep in shape. I have a sparring partner at the gym. A retired boxer.”

  Lee raised his eyebrows clearly impressed, “I’ll remember that if I ever make you mad.”

  I laughed, glad the tension in the air was gone. The previous subject had been too heavy for me. I didn’t like to think back to those times. What I didn’t tell Lee was that I had struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder. And working out and a lot of therapy had helped me overcome it. I had needed to change the subject because some memories were too painful to share.

  As Lee leaned against the kitchen counter, his face also looked contemplative and his eyes were distant. Apparently, we both needed a distraction. And I knew the perfect distraction for a couple of consenting adults who needed to relieve some tension.

  “Do you like blues?”

  He nodded, “I might have grown up in Ireland, but I became a man in the South.”

  That was all the answer I needed as I walked away from him. “Where you going?” He called after me.

  I didn’t look back and instead, just said, “Sit down. Relax. I’ll be right back.” I grabbed my iPad from my bedroom, found the song I was looking for and connected the device to the TV in the living room.

  Lee watched from the couch, beer still in his hand. And then the sound of B.B. King making magic on the guitar resounded around my living room. It was slow and sexy.

  I pushed my hair away from my face and began to wind my hips to the beat of the guitar intro. Lee didn’t move a muscle as he kept his eyes trained on me, the beer in his hand completely forgotten. He sat there with a hint of a smile on his face as he watched me undress for him. His thighs were spread wide apart and I could see him becoming aroused as he sat like a king on my couch and I gave him a little show, moving to the rhythm of the song playing in the background. The lyrics weren’t outwardly provocative, but their meaning was perfectly clear if you looked beneath the surface. Like Lee, the lyrics were more than what they appeared to be; they required a deeper understanding and one had to listen closely to really decode the nature of the song. I started with my shirt, unbuttoning it slowly, exposing my belly first before undoing the shirt completely. I let it fall off my shoulders and reached for the clasp of my bra. He didn’t say a word as I dropped my bra to the floor and then I shoved my jeans down. I rocked my hips to the music. It was sexy and hypnotic in a way that only blues could be. And as I let my jeans hit the floor, I stepped out of them and turned around, away from Lee and slowly pushed my panties down my legs. And I looked over my shoulder as I did, wondering if his expression would change. It had. He didn’t look aloof anymore. He looked almost predatory as he allowed his eyes to roam over my now nude body. He placed the beer on the coffee table.