“I knew you’d find me. I knew it.”
I hug him tighter, not wanting to let go. He’s here now. I’m safe. He places me back on my feet and tries to untangle himself.
“I’m going to have Booker take you home. I need to handle this.”
He motions to someone behind me, and I grab his hoodie to get his attention. If he thinks he’s doing this without me, he’s out of his mind.
“I’m coming with you.”
“No, you’re not. E’s going to take a look at your head then you’re going back to the clubhouse to wait for me.”
“I’ll let Dr. E do his thing, but I’m coming with you. This is my fight.”
I climb on the back of his bike and cross my arms over my chest in defiance. He stares at me for a long time, but I meet his with an unwavering one of my own. The corners of his lips curl up in a smirk before he climbs on in front of me.
“You got it, Lady Reaper.”
CHAPTER 25
***Gage***
I stare at Super Head, wondering what the fuck I’m going to do with her. The Snakes are easy, but her? She’s a woman. She’s dead, no matter what, but I don’t know if I have it in me to torture her. Maybe I should let Raven loose on her for a while, let her pound her to a pulp. I have her bound to a chair. We’re the only ones in the room, but she’s staring at the wall to her left. Raven filled me in on the sordid details but I can’t, for the life of me, understand why someone would do what she did.
I should have known it was a woman. The use of the dildo and her freaking out when the nurse touched her were clear signs. Even her drawings. I only realized the figure at the door became more feminine over time, after I saw Super Head on the surveillance video. I was right about one thing though. I’m the reason Raven got hurt.
“How do you think you should die?” I ask her.
“Of old age…sixty years from now.”
Now’s really not the time to be a smart ass, bitch.
“Look at me.”
She slowly turns her head to face me, her eyes unblinking and lifeless.
“Don’t forget who I am. You hurt my woman, took something that was mine. You’ll be lucky if you live through the night.”
She swallows and fear creeps into her eyes. Good. I leave her to stew on that while I check on what the boys are doing with the Snakes. Ace has been blowing up my phone, but Tek sent him a clip from the surveillance video. There’s nothing he can say or do to stop me this time.
My warehouse is a multi-purpose location. Yes, it houses my cars and bikes, but there’s an underground level where I’m able to…conduct sensitive business. That lower level is exactly where we are now. Super Head is in one room, the Snakes in another. I have Raven upstairs, impatiently waiting to get her hands on all of them. Shaking my head, I chuckle at her reaction. She’s something else. If women were allowed in the MC, I would probably patch her in right now. I don’t know if she’s adopting this behavior from me or if it’s been dormant inside her and I’m just bringing it out. Whatever the reason, she keeps proving how perfect she is for me.
I told her I was scared, and I was. Since I met her, she’s scared me more times than I care to count. The entire time we were tracking her down, all I could think about were the things I didn’t do for her, things I should have said but didn’t. I didn’t woo her or whatever the fuck you call it. I didn’t give her the romantic shit she wanted. Fuck, I’ve never even taken her on a date. I’ve told her how much I love her body, how much I love fucking her, but never told her I love her. She’s the only woman who’s ever made me happy. If love means not wanting anyone but her, not being able to see myself living without her, not being able to sleep if she’s not sleeping next to me…if it means jeopardizing my own happiness for hers…cutting out my own heart and giving it to her if she needs it…if that’s what it is then I’m hopelessly in love with her.
If Ellen could see me now. She warned me I wouldn’t see it coming. Now it’s happened, so that means those flying pigs are not only making snowmen in Hell, but also throwing snowballs at the Devil. I love her. I love her, and it’s time I told her.
After I take care of business.
I walk into the next room and immediately hear the motherfuckers begging for their lives. They better save their breaths. It’s not a matter of if they’re going to die but when. I see the guys have followed my instructions to a T. The Snakes are both naked, suspended vertically from the ceiling, above pieces of wood shorn to sharp points. One word from me and they’re fucked, literally and figuratively. They also have two blades strapped to their necks. The handles were removed and they were joined by the ends. One points to the neck, the other under the chin. Their heads drop, they’re dead. I cross my arms over my chest and glance from one to the other. From the smell of the place, they’ve already pissed themselves. That’s why there’s a big drain in the middle of the room – to wash away blood and any bodily fluids. We all took our turns knocking them around, so they’re already in pretty bad shape.
“Did you really think you were going to get away with this?” I ask. “Then again, you made a dumb bitch convince you to do it, so you’re obviously dumber bitches.”
“Just call our prez. He’ll tell you it wasn’t us, man.” This comes from the one with the gold teeth. I think Ace called him Ram.
“Ram? That’s your name, right? I already know you were out of town. But I hear you had plans for my girl tonight. I told you I’d put a bullet in you if you even thought about touching her. You were warned, so now you’ve forced me to be more creative than a bullet.”
I motion to Razor and Venom with a nod and they loosen the ropes, lowering the Snakes closer to the spikes.
“You won’t get away with this!” the skinny one, Leather, yells.
“Who’s going to stop me?”
I signal to Venom, and with a nefarious grin, he moves to one of his boxes in the corner. He wrangles a snake out of the box and moves toward Leather. The man starts to squirm then probably remembers the spike beneath him and goes still.
“Black snake. Appropriate, right?” Venom says as he stands before the fucker. “Got him all the way from Australia.”
He handles the snake expertly, keeping the fangs in check while the body coils around his arm. I never understood his fascination with the reptiles, but it’s come in handy on many occasions.
“They eat frogs, birds, lizards…other snakes,” he continues. “Again, quite appropriate.”
As he places the snake on the trembling man’s leg, I nod to Razor. He and Motor lower the other bastard closer to the spike. Venom’s snake slithers up Leather’s leg, his forked tongue flicking out. It stops at the hip and heads straight for the man’s dick. Shit. Even I couldn’t have planned this better.
Laughing, I turn to Venom. “Looks like he thinks it’s another snake.”
“A tiny one.” Venom joins me, our laughter mixing with the Snake’s screams.
He begins to jerk around and his head falls forward. One down, two to go. I watch the blood running down his neck from where the knife pierced him. Venom retrieves the snake and places him back in the box. I stand in front of Ram, wondering if I should make this quick or not.
“Lower.”
They drop him until the point of the spike is touching his ass.
“Please. Don’t do this,” he begs.
“Yeah. That’s probably what Raven would have said.”
I imagine her lying on that bed as Super Head violated her. I snap my finger and Venom moves to the other box. This time, he comes back with a huge Boa constrictor. Ram starts to squirm, begging us to stop. With a nod, I seal his fate. Venom allows the snake to wrap himself around the terrified man. It slithers up, going straight for the neck. As it coils and starts to squeeze, blood begins to drip down. That’s the knife being forced into his throat. I grab one of the axes leaning on the wall and move toward the ropes. E does the same, taking the other side. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword. The words t
atted on my left arm—that I strangely got from the Bible—echo in my mind. The sound is intensified by the call from the letters on my knuckles. Raven. This is all for her. I signal E and we slash the ropes at the same time. Ram’s scream is short-lived as he’s dead before I can even turn around. The sound of the spike running through his body calms me. It’s almost over.
“New name?” E chuckles. “Gage the Impaler?”
I walk out without a word, heading upstairs to find my woman. She’s riding around in a slow circle on one of the Ninja bikes while Ron gives her instructions. I should have known she wouldn’t be sitting around waiting for me. Spotting me, she stops, kicks down the stand, and shuts off the bike. She hops off, giving me an expectant look.
“Come with me.”
I lead her downstairs to the room I have Super Head in.
“Where are the Snakes?” she asks.
“Not an issue anymore.”
She steps into the room and her manner immediately changes. She’s on the offense, ready to strike. Super Head is watching cautiously. She must have heard the screaming next door and I can see all the scenarios running through her mind. I release the ropes on her wrists and ankles then pull the chair from under her. She falls to the floor but scrambles to her feet and scurries to the back wall.
“She’s all yours, babe.”
***Raven***
All mine. My fingers are twitching and I shiver at the electricity crackling in my veins. For every step I take toward her, she takes two backward, shuffling against the wall.
“What’s the matter? Not so brave now without your goons? Or is it because I’m not tied up?”
“Wha…what are you going to do to me?” she stammers.
“I thought about doing the same thing you did to me…then I thought it would probably be a little tickle for you.”
Gage leans on the wall, blocking her. She glances nervously between the two of us, no doubt trying to figure out which direction the attack will come from. She lingers on Gage just a bit too long, so I use the opportunity to grab her and drag her away from the wall. She stumbles but regains her balance and spins to face me. All these months of pounding on that bag has been preparing me for this moment. I don’t need to visualize a face now; I have the real thing in front of me.
“Get her, babe.”
The first punch knocks her off-balance. I didn’t put too much power behind it, though; I want to play a bit. She screams and holds her cheek, staring at me in shock. I land one to her stomach, then an uppercut when she doubles over. She falls to the floor, making no attempt to get up, so I kick her leg.
“Get up, bitch.”
“Please…please…”
“Please, what?” I shout as I plant my foot in her stomach. “Did I beg? Did I ask you to stop?”
I straddle her and let loose on her face. I feel her teeth digging into my fists, but it’s worth it. By the time Gage pulls me off her, all I can see of her face is blood. I’m reminded of that night with Mr. Glenn when I had to stop Gage from killing him. He won’t stop me, though. As soon as he releases me, I grab his Glock out of his waist, rack the slide, and put a bullet between her eyes.
I collapse against him when he moves behind me and takes the gun from my fingers. It’s over. It’s finally over. I turn in his arms and press my face to his chest. He strokes my hair and kisses the top of my head.
“It’s okay, Raven. I got you.”
He walks me out of the room and back upstairs, where the other guys are waiting. Crow taps Ron and Booker and they follow him downstairs, no doubt to clean up my mess. The woman I just murdered. I killed someone and I feel…nothing. No remorse. Yes, it was payback, but shouldn’t I feel something?
“Let’s go home,” Gage whispers.
I nod and climb on the back of his bike. When we get back to the clubhouse, I head straight to the bathroom and clean up my knuckles. Gage walks in as I’m finishing up and backs me up against the sink.
“When did you get so badass?”
“I learned from the best,” I answer, sliding my arms around his neck. “Thank you, Gage. You saved me. Again. How did you find me anyway?”
He takes my wrist, fingering the blue bead on my bracelet. “GPS tracker.”
What the hell? He put a tracker in my bracelet? A part of me wants to be angry but then, if he hadn’t, who knows what would have happened to me?
“You’re like my personal Superman.”
He slides his fingers through my hair with one hand, while the other strokes my cheek. The way he’s looking at me…it’s different somehow. It’s softer, no base, animalistic hunger. It’s…the way I’ve wanted him to look at me, like I’m the most precious thing in his life.
“And you’re my Kryptonite.”
Leaning in, he presses his lips to mine, moaning when I part them. The hand in my hair slides down my cheek, shoulder, and sternum to massage my breast. He doesn’t linger. Popping the button on my shorts, he slips his hand inside and beneath my panties. As he finds my clit, I moan into his mouth. Pretty soon, clothes start flying everywhere. He breaks away just long enough to turn the shower on and pull me inside. After positioning me under the spray of the shower, he watches as the water runs down my body. I lick my lips as he grabs his hard dick and starts stroking. He steps closer, sliding his dick between my lips then pressing it down on my clit.
“Gage…”
He moves faster, circling my clit with the head of his dick. I grab his shoulders, barely able to keep standing.
“Please. I need you.”
Wrapping one arm around my waist, he lifts me off the floor. As soon as he slides inside me, I wrap my legs around him. I clench my muscles, nestling my face between his neck and shoulder. He groans, digging his fingers into my hips.
“I love you,” I whisper.
“Why?”
I pull back, meeting his confused stare with one of my own. “Why not? You’re Prince Charming.”
“Ellen told me once I could be your Prince Charming. I haven’t been and I’ll never be.”
“You’ve been looking out for me basically since the day we met. You were there for me when I had no one else…helped me through the most difficult period in my life so far. You’re everything I could ever want. No, you don’t subscribe to the fairy tale version. That doesn’t mean you aren’t someone’s interpretation of him. Every woman has her own ideas of who or what he is for her. You…you’re mine. You’re my Prince Charming.”
He grabs the back of my head and smashes my lips into his. I begin to move, sliding up and down on his erection.
“Fuck, Raven!” He slams the side of his fist into the wall.
I move faster, bouncing on his dick, taking my pleasure from him. He relinquishes control, staring into my eyes as our slick bodies slide against each other. My breathing is ragged and my heart is thumping in my chest, ready to burst free. That’s when I make the decision. It may be impetuous, but I don’t care.
“Do it, Gage. Put a baby in me.”
I feel a deep and unbreakable bond between us, stronger than anything I’ve ever felt before. I guess murder will do that. He not only facilitated it but watched, and cleaned up after me. He called me Lady Reaper before it happened but I lived up to the name. Now, I’m truly his.
Gage grits his teeth, turns around so his back is to the shower, and slides his hand up my back to grasp my neck. Grabbing my hip with one hand, the other pulls me back by my neck so I’m horizontal. His other hand snakes around my waist, keeping me in place.
“Hang on tight, doll.”
I get a better grip on his hips then he starts to move. His hand on my neck slides to the front, gently squeezing. The closer I get to my orgasm, the tighter his hold on my neck becomes. He’s thrusting into me at the right speed, the right angle, hitting the right spot. I feel my orgasm creeping up and clamp down on him. He speeds up, squeezing my neck harder as my pussy begins to spasm.
“Gage!”
¡Dios mio! I don’t think I
’ve ever had an orgasm this intense. He slowly releases his hold, grinding against me. Before I stop shaking, he goes deep and I feel him pulsating inside me. He pulls me back up, pressing me into the wall, his breathing heavy. I cradle his face, kissing his forehead, eyelids, nose, cheeks, and finally his lips. He nips my bottom lip then lets me down, smacking my ass.
By the time we finish our shower, I hear music coming from the bar. The guys are back. Gage gets dressed before I do and heads out there. When I join the party, Fetty Wap’s “Trap Queen” is playing. Chrissy is already here and dancing in the middle of the room. Gage is in a corner, pointing something out on a sheet of paper to a man I’ve never seen before. Leaving him to his business, I head over to Chrissy. After a while, Ron approaches, wedging himself between us. Chrissy grinds on him from the front, me from the back. Not too long after, a hand slides around my waist and drags me away. I smile up at Gage and start grinding on him instead.
“Who was that?” I ask.
“Joe. My tattoo guy.”
“You’re getting a new tattoo?”
“Yeah.”
He makes some kind of hand signal and Dr. E approaches with the blue gift box from the closet, handing it to Gage.
“This is for you.”
“It’s been in the closet for months. You’re telling me it was mine all along?”
“Open it,” he urges.
I sit on the couch and pull the ribbon off then flip the lid. After pushing back the tissue paper, I’m met with leather. I slap my hand over my mouth in shock and snap my gaze to Gage. All I can see are the rockers and the club logo, but it says ‘Property of Reaper’. I snatch it out of the box and jump to my feet with a scream. It’s a cut. A property cut. For me. He takes it and helps me into it as his brothers cheer and whistle. I think I hear Chrissy scream, too.
“You want me to be your old lady? You’re claiming me?”
“You’ve always been my old lady, Raven. You claimed me the moment I met you.”
He catches me as I jump into his arms, raining down kisses on his face. He laughs, squeezing me tightly.
Claimed: Death Dealers MC Book 3 Page 24