Jesus. She was a serious temptation but he had shit waiting on him.
“You can grin as much as you like, baby, just know that later today I’m going to fuck you until you have to beg for mercy. And that’s a promise.”
The grin didn’t disappear it just became wider.
“Good, I’ll hold you to that promise.”
But then the smile dropped and she was instantly serious.
“Ride safe out there, my Viking.”
He could no longer stay away from her and with two huge steps he had her in his arms and lifted her up so that he could look into her eyes without having to bend over.
“When I get back things will move along quickly. Do not walk out of here unarmed. Stay close to the brothers who will be riding along with you and keep your eyes peeled. I’m not expecting a hit during the ride but with these fuckers you never know. They have no fucking honour.”
“I’ll be careful and there’s no way I’m leaving here without a few weapons.”
“Good, baby.”
Hawk sealed his lips over hers and sank into his old lady, filling himself with her feel and taste, breathing her in as his tongue slid along hers. She tasted of minty toothpaste and her own unique taste.
Reluctantly pulling away from her mouth he held her tight against his body, resting his forehead on her shoulder as he stood with her in his arms.
Finally he had to set her down and stepped away. With one last look taking her in from the top of her head to her red painted toenails he turned and walked out of the room, pulling the door closed behind him. He smiled when the lock clicked and the bolt slid home as he walked away.
His old lady was being cautious and that was a good thing.
Caution on a day like today was a very fucking good thing.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Leo
“Jeez girl, what do you need all this shit for? I thought you guys were only goin’ for a week or so. You’ve got enough shit in this bag for two freakin’ weeks.” Sherri griped as she sat on my bag forcing the lid down while I quickly zipped it closed.
“Bullshit, you saw what I packed. My hair shit, my face and skin shit then there’s my extra pair of boots, my leathers and hoodies and a jacket, you know I need all of it. That crap takes up a lot of space. I didn’t want to use a bigger bag because Dive was already having a shit fit about this one. That’s why you have your ass on my bag to help me close it.”
She shook her head at me. “Your bag’s goin’ to be overweight and he’s goin’ to lose his mind when you have to pay in.” She smirked as she hopped off.
I ignored the bag discussion and went right to what has been bugging me for days now. “I’m so fucking worried, Sherri. I’ve got this horrible feeling in my gut that just won’t go away. Please reconsider and come with us. Pleeeeeaaase.” I begged.
Her smile dropped right off her face and her attitude disappeared. “I wanna go with you but it’s a lot of money and I can’t leave Lori.”
Drawing in a deep breath I said what I should have said right after Reid disappeared and my best friend turned up pregnant.
“Sherri, I always suspected that she’s Reid’s. I haven’t said anything because I knew there had to be a very good reason why you never told us. We can sort that out with Mama and Daddy when we get back. Lori can stay with them while we’re away. Come with us. Let’s get this shit with Reid sorted so you can move on. And when I say move on I mean with Ren.”
In front of my eyes my bestie crumpled, curling in on herself as tears started running down her cheeks.
“I...I...I just ca...ca...can’t face him, he knows ab...about Lori. Told me to...to get rid of it and when I refused he...he told me to keep her the hell away from him and disappeared. He broke me, Leo. Shattered my heart. I can’t do it. I can’t face him with all this hurt and rage still in my heart.”
Her voice strengthened as she spoke while my mouth fell open in shock.
Reid threw his child away? Why? Everyone knew he had been crazy about Sherri. They’d been an item since high school and everyone had expected them to get married. But then I remembered the angry and broken man who had returned home. My brother came back a stranger none of us really knew.
Suddenly a lot of things made sense. Ren and Reid’s fight before he disappeared, it was about Sherri. That’s why Ren became cold and distant whenever his name came up. And that was why Ren had stepped up to take care of Sherri and Lori. He had virtually moved into her place while she was pregnant and so damned fragile, took her to her doctor’s appointments, held her when she gave birth and treated Lori like she was his own. He went a lot further than just treating her like she was his. As far as I know I’m the only one who knows what he did.
Staring at Sherri with my mouth gaping open like a damned fish it suddenly hit me. Sherri and Ren. Sherri and Ren. My extremely dangerous, stoic and stone cold big brother was in love with my best friend.
“He loves you, doesn’t he?” I didn’t even have to clarify which of my brothers I was talking about.
“That’s what he says but I’m petrified of trusting another man with my heart. What if it doesn’t work? I will lose you and the family and I couldn’t handle that.”
“Oh, bullshit! You will always be family. Look what happened when Mama found out you were pregnant and there was no man claiming you and that baby. I’ll tell you what happened, she took over and the minute they saw Lori they fell in love with her like we all did. It’s time to let it all go, Sherri. It’s time to put my big brother out of his misery and allow him to claim his woman and his daughter.”
She shook her head sadly. “But that’s the problem, she’s not his.”
What utter bullshit. “Oh but she is. He was the one who cut the cord and held her after she was born. He even put his name on her freaking birth certificate. What more do you want?”
The stunned look on Sherri’s face clued me in to the fact that I had let Ren’s secret slip. Oh shit! I was in so much trouble now.
“He did what?” Sherri whispered.
Clearing my throat I sat down on the bed next to her and took her hands in mine. They were ice cold and shaking.
“Okay, so maybe he shouldn’t have done it but it came from a good place, Sherri. He loves her and he loves you. As far as he’s concerned she’s his.”
Sherri shook her head wildly as tears stood in her eyes. And then she spouted absolute bullshit. Again.
“I don’t deserve him, Leo. He’s such a good man and I’m just used goods.”
“Now you’re just pissing me off. Who the fuck told you that you’re used goods? I bet it’s one of the sluts at the club. Everyone at the club knows Ren’s celibate. He hasn’t touched those bitches in years and as far as I know he hasn’t been with anyone outside of the club either.”
And that’s when a bright red blush suffused Sherri’s face.
Yeehah! You go big brother!
“Ooh, looks like my big brother’s dry spell, and yours, has been broken.” I teased. “About damn time too.”
“It was only the one time last week. I didn’t think I could feel like that ever again and he was just so...so amazin’. I don’t know what to do.” Sherri’s hands flew around as she tried to explain.
“That’s easy. Put my big brother out of his misery and let him know you love him, allow him to put his patch on you. He’s been waiting for you for freaking years, Sherri.” Patting her on the back I stood. “And your invite to come with me has just been rescinded. You’re staying right here with your old man. When I get back we’ll celebrate my brother claiming you with margaritas.”
My best friend jumped up and threw her arms around me, hugging me tight.
“I’m so glad you’re my best friend and if this works out we’ll be sisters for real. Like we always dreamed.” She whispered.
“There’s no if about it. You and Ren were meant to be, you just had a little bump in the road and now it’s done. Smooth riding ahead for the three of you. And just saying, the family n
eeds more babies.”
“Oh fuck. What the hell are you two cooking up in here?” Daddy’s gruff voice interrupted our little bonding session.
“Nothing, Daddy.” I said innocently as I stepped away from Sherri and hugged my dad. “We were just saying goodbye. Sherri has shit to do today and won’t be able to hang out with me.”
Dad shook his head and gave both of us a sly grin. “Fuck, the two of you are trouble.” He pulled Sherri into his arms and hugged her hard.
“Get out of here, baby girl, and go get your man. He’s at the club dealing with some shit. I’m sure he would love to see your beautiful face.” Dad said as he pushed her out the door.
“Prospect! Ride along with Renegade’s woman. She’s on her way to the clubhouse.” Dad ordered with a grin as he rubbed his hands together.
The grin disappeared as he looked back at me and then at my bag on the bed. Crossing his arms over his big chest he tipped his head to the side as he looked at me then sighed.
“Try to convince him to come home for a visit, sweetheart. Your Mama and I miss him.”
“I’ll try, Daddy, but you know Reid. He’s a stubborn donkey.”
“Like all of you.” Dad muttered as he hugged me tight.
“Be safe, baby girl.” And with that he turned and walked away. My dad hated goodbyes and mostly avoided them like the plague.
I was ready but I wasn’t ready at the same time. I could not get rid of the feeling of doom circling my gut.
I was scared, so damned scared.
A few hours later my mouth hung open when we got to the airport and drove through several gates to where a private jet stood waiting. I had no idea whose jet it was and I really didn’t want to know. Some of my family’s connections were a little bit dicey, and it looked like this was one of them.
A gorgeous guy dressed in faded jeans and a white t-shirt stood at the top of the stairs in the open doorway. He smiled and lifted a hand in greeting. Two men appeared with a trolley and loaded our baggage while Dive led the way up the stairs while smiling broadly. That meant he knew the guy. They did that handshake, half hug, backslap thing guys always do once Dive got to the top of the stairs.
“Good to see you again, dude.” The guy greeted him with a wide grin.
“You too, man.” Dive turned to me and flung an arm around me. “This is Leo, my baby sister and she’s off limits to you.” He said with some steel in his voice. “Leo, this is Adam, the asshole is our pilot, he and his family are friends of the club.”
My eyes went wide at Dive’s steely introduction. Warning this Adam guy away from me was new, my brother usually left things like that up to me. The guy was either dangerous or a huge player. The way he looked and smiled I would vote player but one look in his eyes swung my opinion the other way.
Once we were in the air and the guys started playing poker I claimed the bedroom at the back. I had brought my tablet along and read and watched a movie before trying to sleep. I woke several times during the flight, my sleep disturbed by horror filled dreams which meant I woke up looking worse than I did when I went to sleep.
Too many hours later I rubbed my tired, red and aching eyes as I looked around my hotel room and groaned. All I wanted to do was crash onto the very inviting bed and sleep but that was not to be. We had to start contacting the mother chapters of the local big clubs who weren’t outlaws and I knew it was going to be a pain in the ass. They weren’t going to give us anything. But if any of them knew him we were hoping they would let my stubborn ass of a brother know we were here.
We had three adjoining rooms at the hotel. Lure and Breaker was in the room on my right and Dive and Magic on the left with a connecting door between our rooms. After Dive had beaten Gear to a pulp, dad and Maniac thought it best to get him away from the club for a little while to allow his rage to subside. That’s why he was here with me and not dealing with whatever’s going on with the club. When he joined us at the airport he had been muttering about not hitting the fucker hard enough, so they were right, he needed some distance.
Yeah. My brother was a really special kind of crazy. Touch his family and he will do his utmost to destroy you.
Unzipping my bag I took out my toiletries bag along with fresh underwear and clothes. First things first. A shower to wake me up, clean clothes, coffee and then, only then, would I be ready to deal with Dive’s crazy ass.
Thirty minutes or so later when I walked out of my bathroom the four of them were in my room and you could have cut the tension with a knife. Something had happened while I was in the shower. Dive didn’t let me hang.
“Dad called about ten minutes ago. He didn’t want to say anythin’ until you were done in the shower. I’m callin’ him back now.”
My gut churned with the very same feeling I’ve had crawling in my gut for too long now. When the call connected Dive put it on speaker. We looked at each other and I could see the fear in his eyes as he drew me close to him. This had to do with our brother and we both instinctively knew it wasn’t going to be good.
Dad cleared his throat heavily. “I suppose there’s no other way to do this but to say it.” My dad’s voice was filled with something I had never heard before, sorrow. “A call came to the club during the night. We returned the call about fifteen minutes ago.” He fell silent, his breathing heavy and I could hear our prez in the background mumbling something.
Then Maniac took over the phone and gave it to us straight.
“Reid is dead. He was badly injured in an accident and has been in a coma for ‘bout two months. He died two weeks ago. His club, the Iron Dogz MC, Johannesburg, never knew his real name ‘cause the little fucker never let anyone know who he really was and that he had a family who was fuckin’ worried about him.”
The world fell from under my feet as the feeling of dread in my gut became a reality.
“Nooo!”
My legs could no longer hold me and I fell to my knees, tears bursting from my eyes and running down my cheeks. Dive was right there with me, wrapping me in his arms and holding me against his chest. I felt his tears wet my neck as we mourned the loss of our brother. In the distance I heard the rumble of Lure’s voice but it meant nothing to me at this moment in time. All I knew was that I had lost my brother and best friend.
Reid and I might have been born to two different mothers but we had been very close, even after he was injured in Afghanistan and withdrew from everyone. I had refused to give up on him. I kept in touch with phone calls, texts and video calls. Forcing him to communicate with me. Now he was lost to me forever.
Sniffing loudly I sat up. Wiping the tears from my eyes I stiffened my spine, gave Dive one last hug and asked the question I’m sure all of us were silently asking ourselves.
“Did they bury him, Daddy?” I waited anxiously for his answer.
My big, strong, badass of a dad sniffed and cleared his throat before he answered. “They’re burying him today, baby girl. According to their president his funeral starts at 11.00 am today. What time do you have over there?”
“It’s half past ten in the mornin’ here, VP.” Lure answered before Dive or I could. “Do you have coordinates for us? I’ll fuckin’ get us there before they try to put our brother in the fuckin’ ground.”
“Yeah, I’ll send it to your phone. The three of you had better take good care of my kids. Don’t let anything happen to either of them. This is not a good day for the Jordan family or the Shadow Wraiths.”
Dive grunted angrily.
“Dad, don’t worry, I won’t let anythin’ happen to Leo.” Dive promised in a rough voice. “We’re goin’ to get dressed in somethin’ more appropriate and get out of here. I’m so sorry, Dad, so fuckin’ sorry. I know how much you and Mama love him. Please tell Mama we’ll call her later, okay?”
Dad’s voice was heavy with grief. “Okay, Son, watch over your sister, we don’t want her getting in this club’s face and pissing them off. Call me as soon as you know anything, we’ll be waiting.”
“I love you, Daddy, tell Mama I love her and give her a big hug.” I said softly before Dive ended the call.
Dive helped me to my feet then looked at his brothers. “We’re goin’ to his funeral wearin’ our colours.” He turned to me and I knew what he was going to ask. “Do you still sleep in his tee, Leo?”
All I could do was nod and point at my bag. I watched as Dive pulled the faded black t-shirt I had stolen from Reid a long time ago out of my bag and proceeded to cut five strips from it. He handed each of us a strip which we tied to our left biceps, the spot nearest to our hearts.
He was about to say something when there was a heavy knock on the door. Magic was at the door in seconds and only opened it after checking through the peephole.
I tried hard not to show my surprise when four men wearing the colours of the Devil’s Spawn MC walked into the room. We had a tight allegiance with them back in the States. Why the hell were they here?
I watched silently as the men went through that greeting ritual where they smacked the shit out of each other’s backs and mentally measured the length of their dicks.
Well that’s what I thought they did when they acted all badass with each other.
Running my eyes over their kuttes I drew in a silent breath. Fuck a duck. They were from the mother chapter in Portland, Oregon. What the hell was going on? I silently read their patches, Reaper, Hunter, Archer and Crash.
It was obvious the big guy at the front was in charge and by the patch on his kutte I knew he was damned dangerous.
Dive didn’t let that stop him. “Why are you here, brothers?”
The one named Reaper with the Enforcer patch on his kutte answered. “Our prez sent us out here a few weeks ago to handle some club business. Unfortunately shit happened that stalled our business and then we got the word this mornin’ that you are here and might need some backup. So here we are, comin’ in to let you know we’ve got your backs. Only problem bein’ we can’t today, we’re headin’ out to ride in the procession for a fallen brother of the Iron Dogz MC.”
Vengeance Of A Black Knight (Iron Dogz MC, #4) Page 8