“Oh, thank goodness you’re alright, Haven. I had nothing to do with your abduction, I swear. Now, can you talk some sense into these people and tell them to let me go?” Jeremy was sitting in the corner, his face a bloodied mess of bruises and cuts. The last time he and I had been in the same room, he tried to force himself on me. No way would I help his ass. Fuck him and the horse he rode in on.
“Not impossible, you stupid bitch. We don’t do business that way, and Brick had no business making that deal.”
Crete and Craze entered the room with their guns drawn and stood with the other three men that were already there with Max. They gave each other a silent greeting using only head nods and chin lifts without uttering a word. They must have had a crash course in that secret biker language. They weren’t wearing vests like Craze and Crete, but they were scary as fuck all the same. They were armed with weapons, including a bow and arrow, which was just…strange. The sight of them all standing so fiercely caused alarm bells to go off, so I gripped Max’s shirt in terror. He himself was holding a shotgun, which explained the blown-out hole we’d found in the senator’s room. My man was hot, if I do say so myself.
“Don’t be afraid, Heaven.” He turned me around by the shoulders to face each of them. “These are my brothers. Range, Sebastian, and that’s Mem over there. They came to take me home, back to the junkyard.”
I smiled in absolute glee as I took in each one of their faces. They stood united to protect one of their own, their brother, who thought he’d lost them forever. I saw the love they felt for each other deeply etched within their eyes. They would die for him and he for them. Max had taken back his life, fought the devil and beat that fucker down.
“This doesn’t change a thing, Maxie. We could still have everything we’ve ever wanted. It’s us against the world, son, don’t you see that?” I almost felt sorry for Mrs. Lancaster. She never stood a chance against Max’s junkyard family. Too bad she never knew it.
“It’s over, Mother, all the lies and the deceit. You’re gonna burn in hell, and I’ll be the one holding the match, I promise you that. You never broke me, Mother. Everything you did will revisit you in your nightmares while you spend the rest of your life in prison for killing the senator.”
I covered my mouth in shock at the revelation that the senator was murdered at the hands of his own wife. She hardly seemed fazed at the idea of spending the rest of her life in jail. She straightened her clothing, smoothed down her wayward hair, and smiled brightly at her son.
“You’d choose them over me, Maxie? Those people are strangers. You and I are family. We belong together,” she shamelessly begged, a last-ditch effort to win back her son.
“I’ve never belonged here, Mother. I have a home, and it’s waiting for me.”
My heart swelled with pride as I watched Max face down his mother and declare his independence. I expected some kind of emotion from her, tears, screaming, a temper tantrum. Anything that showed she was affected by the dismissal of her only son. Hell. If I were facing jail time, I’d find the nearest door and haul ass to Mexico for a while. Not Mrs. Lancaster. All she did was smirk like a deranged lunatic who’d just escaped from a psych ward. She finally broke the silent standoff, but it wasn’t to beg for mercy.
“Do you remember what I told you? I always win, Maxie.”
She lunged for the shotgun he was holding. I screamed when Max pushed me to the floor to shield me from the crazed woman fighting for control of the weapon. She gave up her attempt to grab it away from him and instead placed the barrel of the gun inside her mouth, and pulled the trigger. The blast was enough to remove her entire head from her shoulders. Blood and guts splattered everyone in the room from head to toe. The nightmare was finally over, and Max was free.
MAXWELL
We emerged as a group from the dark basement and stepped outside into the bright sunlight of the new day. Like for a bunch of prisoners that were kept too long in solitary confinement, the gleam caused our eyes to squint of their own accord for several painful minutes. Heaven was tucked safely under my arm, as our tired and weary bodies barely made it up the steps without having to crawl on our hands and knees. She said she wasn’t hurt by those assholes who took her, but I’d be the judge of that once I had her naked and in my bed. I felt an overwhelming sense of guilt for being the catalyst for my mother’s treatment of Heaven. None of that shit would have happened if it weren’t for me. I’d take my time making it up to her, one orgasm at a time until we both felt better about what happened.
The fact that my mother had the connections to orchestrate a fucking kidnapping shouldn’t have been a surprise after everything she’d confessed. I never really knew what she was capable of when it came down to getting what she wanted. I asked myself if I was sorry that she killed herself instead of owning up to her crimes. Did I believe she was remorseful for all the pain she’d caused? Was she worthy of my forgiveness so she could rest easy in the afterlife? The answer was a resounding no to all of the above. She deserved everything she got and then some. Her death wasn’t even a blip on my radar, and if I were being completely honest, I just didn’t give a fuck. She was a stranger to me, and strangers died every day.
“Hell of a fucking mess in there, Range. Tried to call, but your voice mail picked up. Would have been here sooner if we’d known she belonged to your crew.” One of the bikers was talking with Range. They knew each other, maybe not as friends, but they were comfortable enough to put away their weapons. They were Devil’s Raptors, Buck’s old crew. I recognized the bottom rockers from when Buck showed us his old cut when we were boys. That meant that one of them was the asshole who shot out the windows at the junkyard just before Buck’s death. It also meant they were the cause of it as far as I was concerned. What the fuck was Range doing making nice with these fools?
“Care to explain how my brother’s woman ended up with your club?” That was something I wanted to know as well.
“That’s club business,” he balked.
“When it fucks with my family, that makes it my business, so cut the bullshit,” Range barked through gritted teeth. The tension caused his muscled chest to flex and expand. The biker thought carefully before he refused to answer again.
“Crete was sent to pick up some merchandise, didn’t know it was a civilian until he got there.” He paused before continuing. “Our club isn’t in the flesh business, hasn’t been for years, especially when it comes to women and children. He called the three of us in, and that’s when we discovered she belonged to you.”
“How the fuck would a senator’s wife know where to make that kind of trade?” Range asked.
“Don’t know, Senator Lancaster has been on the club payroll for years. Could mean something, but I doubt it. That trade was personal, meant especially for our prez. That bitch had it in for the little nurse. Lucky for her, we got there first.”
“My mother wore the brand of the Devil’s Raptors tattooed on her back,” I offered in explanation. Range’s eyes doubled in size as he took in what I’d just shared. We knew what it meant when a woman wore the brand of an MC. They owned her ass, and if she wasn’t an old lady, she got passed around like a bag of popcorn during a movie.
“I’ll look into it. Thanks for the heads up.” I let it go. It was their business now.
“Could mean trouble if you don’t deliver her as planned. How you gonna get around that?”
“Club business. No blowback for you and your boys, Range. We’ll handle it.” Range hesitated, unconvinced that what the biker was saying was the truth. Heaven touched the side of my face to gain my attention. When I looked down at her tired but beautiful face, I kissed her lips softly and held her to my chest, close to my beating heart.
“I want to thank them for saving my life, Max. I don’t know what would have happened…”
“I would have found you, Heaven, no matter how long it would take or what I had to do. I never would have stopped looking until you were back where you belong… with me.”
I inhaled her luscious scent and relished the feel of her soft breasts against my skin.
“I still owe them my thanks.” She tried to walk away, but I stopped her.
“I promise I’ll never let anything happen to you again. You’re part of my family now, and we protect what’s ours. My rules, remember?” She gave me a smile over her shoulder, and I couldn’t wait to get her to the junkyard so I could fuck her silly. Another quick kiss and a slap on the ass sent her toward the bikers, who were all standing together. She tried to give them each a hug, but only the tiny one accepted her embrace. His filthy gaze on her tits when she tried to step away forced me to spear him with a hardened look. Appreciation time was over. Time for them to get the fuck going.
“Do yourself a favor and get a choke chain for that bitch. She don’t listen for shit.” The biker with VP on his vest tried in vain to push her away and back over toward where I was standing. Heaven wasn’t the least bit discouraged by his shitty attitude and fucked-up comment. She laughed it off and blew him a kiss.
“Next time I get a gun, right, Crete?” she joked.
“Won’t be no next time, girl. Keep your little ass outta trouble.” The tough biker lost all his grit. His tone softened when he took in her bright smile, and unless I was hallucinating, he had a hint of sadness in his eyes.
“Be careful, Crete. I’ll worry if you don’t.”
Her sincerity was genuine. I wasn’t the only person she’d touched in a short amount of time. Heaven had a way of getting under your skin and burying herself there. Criminal bikers weren’t immune to her charms, and she knew how to use them. He gave her a subtle smile before the four of them climbed on their bikes and rode away. She stood watch until they turned the corner and drove away from the gated community before she returned to my side.
“You okay, baby?” She took a deep breath, and her shoulders slumped when she spoke.
“What will I do now, Max? You have your family back. You can go home and live your life the way you’ve always wanted. You don’t need to go on an adventure to realize your dreams. They’ve already come true.”
She lowered her head and wrapped her arms around herself. I hated that she doubted her place in my life now that I was finally able to return home. If this were another time or place, I would bent her over the hood of my car and fuck her sideways as a reminder of the promises we’d made to each other. As things stood, we didn’t have a lot of time to stand here and haggle over every little detail of our future together. The two dead bodies inside meant we needed to get the fuck outta there and fast. Whatever journey I decided to take, I wanted her with me through all of it. She was my Heaven after a lifetime of hell.
“I’m still a selfish bastard, Heaven. It’s not just my dreams I want, not when I can have all of yours, too.” I lifted her face to meet my eyes and leaned in closer to her tear-stained cheek.
“My dreams, Max?” she asked, confused by my statement.
“There’s a small pond on the far side of the junkyard. The water is so cool and refreshing, perfect for a swim on a hot summer’s day. The field of land next to it is covered in wildflowers this time of year, shaded with rows of yellows and reds as far as the eye can see. It’s flat enough to spread out a blanket, get naked, and fuck under the warm sun until you’re too tired to do anything else but sleep. A beautiful woman shared her dream with me once; she wanted a picnic lunch dressed in white with strings of flowers threaded through her long, flowing hair. I took her dream and made it my own. I won’t give it up until I have her in that field with my cock buried inside her, screaming my name when I make her come.”
“Max. We need to go, brother. Now.”
Mem made his way over to the cruiser parked next to Range’s truck. I recognized it as one of Buck’s that he’d kept at the junkyard. The license plate read: PSYMGT, the pussy magnet, and it had been one of Buck’s favorites. He started her up once he secured his helmet and waited for the rest of us to get our shit in gear. I took two steps away from Heaven and held out my hand, an offering that I prayed she would accept.
“Heaven? Will you hold my hand and run with me from the big oak tree?”
She looked down at my outstretched hand, but she didn’t reach for it; instead, she wrapped her arms around my neck and held on as she jumped in time for me to catch her. She wrapped her legs around my waist and rained sweet kisses all over my neck and face. I grabbed two handfuls of her mouthwatering ass and carried her over to Range’s truck, where he’d already opened the door and was waiting for us in the driver’s seat. I sat her down in the middle between the two of us and climbed in on the other side. I gave the mansion one final glace out the rearview mirror, not to commit it to memory, but as a final “fuck you” to the past that had held me prisoner for far too long.
“Are you worried about Jeremy? He could report to the police that we were there when your mother took her own life.” Heaven laid her head on my shoulder. The long night finally caught up to her and sleep was inevitable.
“Naw, baby. I’m not worried. That fucker is scared shitless that one of us might track him down and shove a plunger in his ass. He learned from the best. He’ll figure out a way to weasel his way out of it, trust me.” She sighed and snuggled in deeper.
“I can’t wait to see the junkyard, Max. Tell me again what it’s like there.” She was already asleep by the time she finished the last syllable. I thought about her question as we followed behind Sebastian and Mem on our way back to Remington. I would do more than tell her about the junkyard; I’d show her every rock, outpost, and tire stack. Every inch of my home had its own story or special memory that made it unique. Buck had made sure we knew them all. Disneyland was named the happiest place on Earth. For me, it would forever be Buck’s Junkyard.
MAXWELL
We spotted a gas station as soon as we crossed over the Remington city limits, and Memory signaled for us to pull over. He pulled the bike up to one of the gas pumps, while the rest of us parked in front of a diner that was attached to the station. We had enough gas to make it back to the junkyard without filling up, so we waited patiently for him to finish. Heaven had spent most of the drive restless and unsettled. She’d finally quieted down, or passed the fuck out, with her head in my lap about an hour ago. She needed a hot bath and a full belly of warm food in her system the minute we passed the gates into the junkyard. Once she was safely inside, I’d make sure she had everything she needed and then some.
“Think we should wake her to use the bathroom or something?” Range asked quietly.
“No, she needs the rest. Besides, we’ll be home soon anyway. I’ll take care of her then.” He smiled and shook his head.
“What, asshole?” He had a silly look on his face, like the cat that got the cream.
“You seem different somehow, wiser. Women have a tendency to do that to a man. Never thought I’d see the day when it happened to you. Proud of you, brother.”
“Whatever, fucker, think you’re the only one capable of getting a girlfriend?” I gave him a light punch to the arm. I’d missed our easy banter and comradery we always shared since the day we met and he refused to call me Maxie. He’d been my first real friend before we became brothers.
“You mean getting a wife.” He said it so low it had to have been a mistake.
“What did you say?” I was no longer laughing; in fact, I felt sick to my stomach.
“Clover and I got married, brother. Happened recently.” He held up his left hand and showed off his shiny gold wedding band. How the fuck did I miss that?
“Married?”
I repeated it more to myself than back to him. They were married, and I’d fucking missed it. How could I have let them down that way? The happiest day of my brother’s life, and I’d proved once again what a selfish asshole I was. I didn’t have the balls to look him in the eye and give him the chance to curse me out.
“Hey.” He got my attention. “I see you over there kicking your own ass, Max. Let it go, brother.”
“Brothers till death, remember? Leave that shit in the past where it belongs…all of it, you feel me? We have a lot to catch up on, but we’re happy to have you home. Believe that.”
He rubbed my shoulder as a sign that all was forgiven and he didn’t hold a grudge. I swallowed back the thickness of emotion that coated my throat and made it difficult to breathe. I was the luckiest sonofabitch in the world, a fact that I would never take for granted again.
I caught sight of Sebastian walking over to the driver’s side window. He was distracted by something. His stride was tense and determined. He motioned to Range to roll down his window and pointed over to the side of the diner, where a couple was standing. I didn’t want to move around too much, afraid I might disturb Heaven’s sleeping form. I had just enough room to turn and take a look at what had him up in arms. Some asshole had a woman pressed up against the side of the diner. From the looks of things, he was trying to reach inside her purse. She was a small little thing, much shorter than that cocksucker who stood over top of her with his hands in her face. If she hadn’t been wearing a waitress uniform, I might have mistaken her for a child. He grabbed her by the strains of her short hair and snatched the purse from her grasp. She had no choice but to let it go before he tore her fingers off.
“Do you see that fucking shit, Range? I swear to Christ, if he hits her, I’m grabbing my bow from the car. Cum stain needs to learn how to treat a woman.” Sebastian was royally pissed, and I couldn’t blame him. Some asshole was being a jerk to some woman, and it was hard to watch.
“Take it easy, brother. Let’s just mind our own business and make our way back to the yard.”
Salvaging Max Page 21