by L. Wilder
“Don’t be.” I stepped towards Beckett, wrapped my arms around him, and held him tight. “I’m so glad you came.”
His voice was strained as he whispered, “Gus—”
“I know. Landry told me. I’m so sorry this happened.” I hugged him even tighter as I said, “How’s he doing?”
“It’s hard to tell, but he seems to be hanging in there. It’s gonna take some time before we know for sure.” His eyes were filled with worry as he let out a deep breath. “I’m sorry I didn’t call or come by sooner. I’ve just been kind of fucked up about this whole thing. Couldn’t leave and wouldn’t have if Samantha hadn’t insisted.”
“I totally understand, Beckett. You were exactly where you needed to be.”
“It’s really good to see you.” He looked down at me as he asked, “Everything okay with you?”
“I was worried there for a bit, but I’m much better now that I know you’re okay.” I reached up and placed my hands on his face. “You look exhausted.”
“That’s because I am.”
I took his hand in mine, then led him into the house. Without any resistance, he followed me into the bathroom and watched as I turned on the shower. He could barely keep his eyes open when I reached for the hem of his shirt and as he bent forward for me, I pulled it over his head. He kicked off his boots, then removed his jeans, socks, and briefs. Damn. The man was unbelievably hot. Under any other circumstance, I might’ve joined him in the shower, but at that moment, I was only interested in taking care of him. I was busy gathering his clothes, when he asked, “Mind handing me my toothbrush?”
“Sure.” I grabbed it, and as I handed it over to him, I said, “I’ll go put these in the wash while you take a shower.”
He nodded, then stepped under the stream of hot water and closed his eyes as he let it run down his head and shoulders. His eyes were still closed when he muttered, “Thank you, Alyssa. I really needed this.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I finished collecting his things, then took everything to the laundry room. After I emptied all his pockets, I tossed his clothes into the washing machine. Thinking it might help to get some real food in his stomach, I went into the kitchen to fix him something to eat. I had some leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes from the night before, so I warmed it up and poured him a glass of sweet tea. As soon as it was ready, I carried it all into the bedroom, but when I walked in, the lights were off and he was already sound asleep. Beckett looked so peaceful, so content, like he was exactly where he was meant to be. I stood there just watching him for several minutes, then returned the tray of food to the kitchen. The washer was still running, so I decided to use the time to clean the dishes and pick things up around the house. When the clothes were finally done, I put them in the dryer and headed back to the bedroom
Being careful not to wake him, I crawled in bed next to Beckett. I inched in a little closer, just enough to feel his body next to mine, and it wasn’t long before he’d rolled towards me, laying his arm over my waist. For the first time since he’d left, I was able to relax. I knew then I was falling for him. It wasn’t something I’d planned. We’d agreed from the start to keep this thing between us simple, promising not to complicate things by crossing that line, but it was just too hard to resist the pull I felt towards him. I knew there was a strong possibility that I was setting myself up for a disastrous fall, but for Beckett, I would take that chance. I lay there listening to the soothing sound of his breathing, and it wasn’t long before I drifted off to sleep. The next morning, I woke to the heat of Beckett’s breath on my neck as he whispered, “Good morning, beautiful.”
“Morning.”
“Did you sleep well?”
“Mm-hmm.” I rolled towards him, and I was pleased to see that he looked well rested. “You feeling better?”
“Some. Thanks to you.”
“I’m really glad you came last night.”
“I am, too, but I’ve got to get going soon. I need to head over to the hospital”—he inched closer—“but first ...”
I was still in a sleepy haze when he lowered his mouth down to mine, kissing me softly. Damn. The man could kiss. The second our mouths connected, my entire body came alive. Needing more, I lifted my hand up to his face, urging him closer as his tongue delved deeper into my mouth. The bristles of his beard were rough against my palm, but his lips were soft and warm, luring me in for more. His touch was tender and sweet, sending a wave of warmth rushing over me, and it was all I could do to keep myself from completely losing myself in him.
Without removing his mouth from mine, he eased on top of me, his body hovering just inches above mine. He felt so good, smelled so good, making my entire body ache for more. Like all the times before, he moved slowly and patiently, waiting for me to give him some indication that I wanted him to proceed.
Without saying a word, I lowered my hands down to my hips, slipped off my lace panties, and tossed them to the floor. After he slipped on a condom, a look of satisfaction crossed his face as he settled back between my legs. He clenched his jaw before lifting my hips and driving deep inside me, filling me completely. He slowly began to move, each thrust deliberate and powerful. When I spread my legs further for him, he growled, “Fuck, you feel so damn good.”
“Beckett,” I panted, tilting my hips towards him, wanting him deeper, harder. Sensing what I needed, he quickened his pace, and I soon became lost in the moment. He increased his rhythm, each thrust more demanding than the last. My body clenched around him as I felt another orgasm building inside me. “Oh God! Don’t stop!”
Beckett’s pace never faltered as his body continued to crash into mine. I wanted to savor every moment … to focus on how incredible he felt, but it was all just too much. A burst of pleasure exploded inside of me, and I shuddered around him as my orgasm took over. Wrapping my legs tighter around him, I could feel the muscles in his abdomen grow taut as he finally found his own release. He dropped down on the bed next to me, his breath heavy and strained, and said, “Don’t know how you do it.”
“Do what?”
“Make me forget that there’s a world outside of this room.”
“That’s funny because you do the same thing for me.”
“Really wish I could spend the entire day locked away in here with you.”
“I wish you could, too, but I know you have to go.”
“Yeah. I should’ve been out of here an hour ago”—he leaned over and kissed me on the forehead—“but someone swiped my clothes.”
I smiled as I replied, “They’re in the dryer.”
He eased out of bed, and I couldn’t help but admire his magnificent physique. Every muscle in his chest was perfectly defined, right down to the intoxicating V, and his back was more of the same. A smile crept across my face as I watched him saunter out of the bedroom. As he started down the hall, he announced, “If you keep looking at me like that, I’m going come back for another round.”
“Promises. Promises.”
“Watch yourself, woman,” he warned as he disappeared into the laundry room. Moments later, he returned fully dressed. “Thanks for washing my clothes.”
“No problem.” I sat up on the bed as I asked, “Will I see you tonight?”
“Can’t make any promises, but I’ll be here if I can.”
“Okay.” He leaned down and kissed me briefly. “Let me know how Gus is doing.”
“Will do.” He gave me a quick wink. “You have a good one.”
“I’m gonna try.”
Once he left, I lay there thinking about what had happened with Gus. I didn’t know him well, but it was clear that he’d meant a great deal to the men in his club, especially Beckett. I couldn’t imagine who would want to hurt him or why. I could only assume that it had something to do with Satan’s Fury. It was the only thing that made any sense. Regardless of the reasons why, I knew the brothers would be heartbroken if the worst happened and he didn’t pull through. It was a thought that had m
e praying over and over again that he would be okay. When I noticed that I’d been lying there for longer than I thought, I quickly hopped out of bed, took a shower, and got dressed. On my way out, I grabbed a cup of coffee, then headed to work.
When I walked in, I was surprised that Jack hadn’t beaten me there. He was always early, even more so now that he’d been promoted. He wanted to impress Bisset and prove that he could do the job. Concerned that something might be wrong, I went over to Miguel, one of the other line chefs, and asked, “Have you seen Jack?”
“He hasn’t made it in yet.” Miguel shook his head and shrugged. “Car trouble or something.”
“Oh, okay. If I’d known, I would’ve offered to pick him up.”
“Not sure you would’ve wanted to do that. He lives in a pretty rough neighborhood.”
“I wouldn’t have minded,” I replied. “He would’ve done the same for me.”
“Well, too late now.” Miguel motioned his hand towards my place in the plating line. “You’ve got work to do.”
I nodded, then went over and got to work. It was at least an hour later before Jack came rushing through the back door. I watched as Bisset went over to him and gave him the riot act. Jack took his scolding, then looking like a puppy who’d been kicked, he got busy working on peeling and dicing the large crates of vegetables. When I finally had a free moment, I made my way over to him and asked, “Everything okay?”
“Yes and no.” Looking completely defeated, he explained, “The battery’s dead in my car, and I can’t afford to get a new one until the end of the week. Until then, I’ll be stuck taking the bus, which means I’ll have to leave an hour earlier just to get here on time.”
“I could swing by and pick you up.”
“Thanks, sweetie, but that’s not necessary.”
“At least let me drop you off when our shift is over,” I pushed.
“You sure you don’t mind?”
“Nope, not at all.”
“Thanks, I really appreciate it.”
At the time, I didn’t know that my offer to help him out would end up turning my entire world upside down, forcing me to make a decision I never dreamed I’d make.
11
T-Bone
After waiting for what seemed like a lifetime, we finally had a lead on who’d shot Gus. Filling his role as VP, Moose called all the brothers into church so we could figure out our next move. It seemed strange to be sitting there without Gus standing at the front of the conference table, handing out information and directing orders like he usually did, and if the expression on Moose’s face was any indication, he was feeling the same way. Once everyone was seated, he looked out at us and took a deep breath.
“Never thought I’d actually be standing up here in front of you all like this, and I gotta be honest, I don’t want to be here any more than you want me to be. I’d rather it be Gus, but since he can’t be here, it’s up to us to keep this club running. And I do mean us.” He ran his hand through his thick gray hair and sighed. “We need to do this thing together and prove to all those motherfuckers who thought they could come at us … who had the balls to try and take our president down that they got another fucking thing coming. So my question is, are you with me?”
“Damn straight we are,” Murphy replied.
“United we stand. United we fall,” Shadow added.
I leaned forward and looked him straight in the eye. “You know we’ve got your back, brother. Anything you need, we’ll be there.”
Relief washed over Moose’s face when the rest of the brothers chimed in—each of us assuring him that we would do whatever needed to be done. “Good to hear that, ’cause right now, Gus is hanging in there, but we don’t know how he’s gonna come through on this. No matter what happens, he’s got a long road ahead of him, and when word gets out that he’s out of commission, the club’s gonna look vulnerable. Folks will think this is the time to come at us and take advantage while we’re down. We gotta show that we’re just as strong as we ever were, and while we’re at it, we’re gonna take care of the motherfuckers who shot Gus and give them a taste of what Fury is all about.”
“That mean you know who was behind it?”
He looked over to Riggs. “Why don’t you show them what you found?”
Riggs nodded. Moose sat down as Riggs stood up and walked over to the monitor mounted on the back wall. Soon after, the security footage from that night started to play. The room fell silent as we all watched a blacked-out Dodge Charger pull up to the diner. The windows were tinted, making it impossible to see who was inside. The car remained parked with no movement whatsoever until the front door of Daisy’s opened. As soon as Gus came into view, the passenger side door of the Charger opened, and a male figure wearing all black and a dark ski-mask stepped out. I could feel the tension crackling around the room as we watched the man charge towards Gus. Our president was unarmed, carrying his bags of takeout, and caught completely off guard when the man approached. Before he had a chance to react, the man fired twice, then as Gus collapsed to the ground, the guy raced back to the car. A stream of curses flowed through the room as my brothers and I watched the car speed off, leaving Gus to die on the front walkway of the diner.
Riggs paused the feed as he looked out at us and said, “I know this was tough to watch, but I wanted you all to see what kind of fucked up shit we’re dealing with here. These men knew Gus was in the diner and were waiting for him to come out.”
“Yeah, we got that.” With fury pulsing through my veins, I growled, “Now you gonna tell us who these motherfuckers are or what?”
“In case you missed it, the Charger these assholes were driving wasn’t sporting a license plate. That in itself made it tough to find these guys. Add in the fact that these damn Chargers are every-fucking-where, but after going over and over it, I finally realized I was missing the obvious.” He motioned his hand towards the monitor on the wall. “Look at the hood scoop, the thin red racing stripe, and red brake lights. This isn’t your run-of-the-mill Hemi. This is a 2019 Hellcat SRT limited edition. Not a lot of folks around here have that kind of ride, so I hacked into the databases of the surrounding dealers and searched their sales reports.”
Growing impatient, I grumbled, “I know you worked hard on all this shit, brother, but are you getting somewhere with all this?”
“Yeah, Bone. I’m getting there. Antony Booker bought this exact model just over a year ago.”
“Who the fuck is Antony Booker?”
“He’s KeShawn Lewis’s first cousin.” Riggs walked back over to his spot at the table and sat down. “Appears that the trouble we had with Lewis and the Inner Disciples isn’t quite over.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Blaze roared. “We killed every last one of them, and the Red Knights.”
KeShawn Lewis was the leader of the Inner Disciples. His son was shot during a drive-by, and when they took him to the hospital, Kenadee, Blaze’s ol’ lady, was the lead nurse on duty in the ER. The kid was in bad shape, and even though the doctors and nurses did everything they could to save him, Lewis blamed Kenadee for his son’s death. He decided to seek vengeance and go after her. Needless to say, things didn’t turn out the way he’d hoped. We not only took him down, we took down his entire club, and the Red Knights—a gang that decided to join him in his attempt to avenge his son’s death. We thought we’d ended things there, but from the sounds of it, we were wrong.
“You’re right. We did, but apparently, the two were pretty tight. Grew up together, and Lewis had saved his life or some bullshit like that. Whatever the reason, Booker is set on seeking revenge for his death.”
“You sure about all this?”
“Yeah. Confirmed it all with Tyrone Davis—the leader of the Dark Angels. His ties ended with Lewis when he didn’t agree to join in on his war with us, but he still has tabs on the area. He wasn’t surprised at all when he heard about the hit on Gus.” Riggs changed the image on the monitor from the camera footag
e, to a group of men. “Over the past year, Booker has forged a new inner-city gang. He’s calling them the Genocide after Lewis’s son, and his numbers are growing by the minute.”
“Just how many members are we talking about here?”
“Twenty ... maybe more.”
“Fuck! Why in the hell are we just now finding out about this?” Shadow snapped.
“They’ve kept it under wraps. Nobody had a clue what they were up to until the night they shot Gus.” Riggs ran his hand over his face as he mumbled curses under his breath. “And from what I’m hearing, it’s just the beginning.”
“What exactly are you hearing?”
A pained expression crossed Riggs’s face as he replied, “They’ve spent the last few months collecting intel on each of us. They know our routines, where we live, who our families are, our ol’ ladies, and anything else they can use to take each of us down—one by one.”
“Motherfucker,” I growled. “I can’t believe we missed this shit.”
“No way we could’ve known, brother.”
“You’re wrong. It’s our job to know this shit, and we fucked up.” I ran my hand over my head. “Now it’s time to fix it.”
“And how do you suppose we do that?” Murphy asked.
“We end them. Every fucking last one of them,” I roared. “And we do it sooner than later.”
“T-Bone’s right. We can’t wait on this. We need to act now.” Murphy ran his hand over his beard. “We need a lockdown. It’s the only way we can make sure these motherfuckers don’t pull any more of this shit.”
“Agreed,” Moose replied. “We need to have everyone brought in tonight ... the morning at the latest.”