The voicemail dad left after finding it was short but not so sweet. Basically, he told me if I didn’t get my ass home or call him immediately, he was going to track me down and when he found me, lock me in the basement for the next month. Now, that was an empty threat if ever I’ve heard one.
First of all, we don’t have a basement. Not Dad and Ashleigh. Not my brothers. Pop doesn’t either. Secondly, while I don’t doubt his badass bounty hunting powers, he won’t waste time calling in favors on account of me. Dad trusts me not to do anything too stupid that would put myself or Mia in danger.
“The reason we’re not in New York, my ungrateful traveling companion is because we’re trying to lay low; remember?” I say.
“Fine,” Mia huffs. “Then where to next? Some obscure run-down motel in the middle of nowhere that has a gas station with one working pump, a guy called Bubba who hasn’t been in possession of his own teeth since 1962 manning the register, and no cell reception.”
Feigning shock, I gasp,
“How did you guess?”
Shaking her head, Mia drops down onto the concrete steps that lead up to Albert the six-foot testicle totting bull.
“Powers of deduction, Zara.”
Sitting beside her, I wrap my arm around her shoulders.
“Ah, yes. You are very astute when you want to be.” It’s far past time I find out why my friend decided on coming with on this hillbilly road trip, so I ask, “I know what I’m running from, but you, not so much. Are you going to share with the class or what?”
For once Mia doesn’t hesitate, admitting,
“I have a problem.”
“Don’t we all sister.”
“No, not like you do with Knight, Zara,” she replies. “Mine is so much harder to wrap my head around.”
Intrigued, I probe,
“Tell me. Maybe a fresh set of ears and talking it out will give you a different perspective on things.”
Mia is a closed book where most people are concerned. If I hadn’t spent these last four months living with her, I don’t think even I would have one of the coveted spots in her inner circle of trust. But luckily for me, I have, and I do because once you get to know her – really know her – Mia is one of the most amazing women you’ll ever come across.
Mia started dancing when she was four, but went to college to study teaching, while she continued her rigorous training schedule so that one day she could open up her own dance studio. Mia wants to teach young children the beauty of dance while still keeping it fun and exciting. According to her, there are too many studios that focus on revenue and technique, sucking all the passion out of it. I get the feeling that’s what happened to her, at one point in time.
I don’t know a lot about her family, besides her having one sister, Ella, Aislinn’s PA, one brother, Zane, who is a few years older than her and a site foreman for a construction company, and two loving parents.
By all accounts, she grew up in a nice middle-class suburban home, she loves her parents and sister, adores her brother, and graduated with her teaching degree a semester early. Mia swears there’s only one skeleton in her closet, and it comes in the form of an all too handsy ex-employer, but I don’t buy it. There’s more to it than she cares to admit. However, I won’t push her. It’s her story, and when she’s ready, Mia will tell it.
Pulling her hair into a messy ponytail, Mia secures it with the band she takes from around her wrist.
“I think your brother likes me,” she finally says shyly.
“Oh, is that all? I figured it was going to be something like you got yourself into trouble because of your severe gambling addiction, and now you’ve had to sell yourself to kinky sex slave traffickers to make good on your debt,” I joke, hoping to lighten the mood.
“Not even,” she snorts. “But thanks for having so much faith in me. Oh, and the compliment.”
Leaning back on my hands, I nod.
“You’re welcome, and it really was a compliment you know. Not many women are hot enough to barter themselves for millions, but you are.”
Mia blushes furiously which makes me grin. I hate that she doesn’t see herself the way everyone else does, but it makes me happy to see she’s getting better at not deflecting the attention she gets.
I have to ask.
“Just out of curiosity, which brother?” Because if I had to guess it would be one of the twins.
“Rhodes,” she sighs. Yes, I want to fist pump. Right again.
“And why is that so bad?”
“That by itself isn’t the problem. I like Rhodes; he’s sweet, funny, he opens doors for me and pulls out my chair. He makes me laugh all the time, and he’s happy with taking things slow.”
“But,” I add because I have a feeling there is one coming.
“But,” she confirms, “I don’t feel that way about him. I’ve tried. I really have. I even let him kiss me the night before we left on this crazy trip to see if that would change things, but it didn’t. It was nice but only nice. There were no sparks. No chemistry. Nothing. Zip. Nada. Zilch. Oh, God,” she breathes, “it was like kissing my brother, Zara. My freaking brother.”
I can’t help it; I burst out laughing at the imagery. Because seriously, that would completely gross me out too. Thankfully, Mia doesn’t take offense. Instead, she joins in, and we both fall over in fits of giggles staring up at a massive set of bovine balls.
When I’ve got myself partially under control, I scoff,
“Not that I’ve ever kissed my brother because a) that’s just nasty, b) incest is not my bag, c) oh, fuck no, and d) they are all manwhores and who knows where they’ve been, but I can sympathize.”
“Um, I highly doubt that,” Mia mumbles, chewing on her thumbnail.
“Trust me,” I nod. “I so can. You’ve met, Cooper right?” When she nods, I go on to say, “The first time he kissed me, I freaked the fuck out. We’ve been best friends since middle school, and just the thought of his tongue in my mouth made me want to throw up a little.”
Mia giggles, gesturing for me to go on.
“Please continue. This is making me feel a lot better.”
“I’m glad I can be of service,” I reply, tipping my imaginary hat. “Obviously, I got over it. I mean who wouldn’t for a guy who’s hung like a race horse, eats pussy like he’s starving, and has the stamina of a God? That doesn’t change the fact it was weird as hell to begin with.”
Another round of laughter escapes us both, and Mia smiles at me. One of the most genuine smiles I’ve seen to date actually, which makes me hesitant to ruin her good mood but I have to ask.
“I get a sense that’s not all, though. What’s the real issue, Mia, because I know my brother, and if you tell him you’re not interested, he will back off.”
Covering her face with her arm, Mia mutters,
“There’s someone else.”
“Holy shit, you hussy,” I exclaim. “Two men, one Mia, sounds like a fucking excellent time to me. Are you the cream in their Oreo, or is it a double helping of meat and you’re the bread on the bottom?”
Mia slaps my arm with her free hand, practically shouting,
“Oh my God, no. No, no, no. It’s nothing like that.”
“Well, that’s disappointing.”
Frowning at me, Mia enquires,
“Have you…I mean, have you ever, you know…done that?”
“Yep,” I chirp, waggling my eyebrows at her. Her mouth gapes open at my admission, and I can tell she wants to ask, so I put her out of her misery. “Cooper’s other best friend, Sawyer is Bi, and Cooper was curious one night. Let’s just say, there was a lot of vodka involved, a bottle of lube, very little clothing, and a whole hell of a lot of fumbling on all our parts. It made for an experience, that’s for sure,” I shrug.
And it was, but just not one I’m interested in recreating any time soon.
“Wow,” Mia says, her voice full of awe. “Was it, um…good?”
“It was, yeah. But don’t believ
e all the hype about watching one man suck another off being scorching hot, because it’s not. Well, maybe it is for some people, but just not for me.”
“Really? I kinda thought it would be really sexy to see two men together like that.”
Discerning how best to explain it, I return,
“I think if the men were in a relationship or had feelings for each other beyond friendship it would be. The thing is, Cooper and Sawyer don’t. Or, at least, I know Cooper doesn’t.”
“Did it go any further? I know you said, Cooper was curious, so does that mean Sawyer, you know?” Mia stutters.
Grinning at her knowingly, I shake my head.
“Unless you count Sawyer putting a finger in Cooper’s ass while he fucked me as going further, then, no. And the same goes in reverse, except without the finger. Cooper was only interested in the sharing aspect of a threesome; he likes to watch while he plays. Usually, a mirror above or beside the bed is enough to fulfill his little kink, but he wanted to try it, and I didn’t have any objections, so we went for it. That was the first and last time, though. And to be honest, Cooper and Sawyer have been off ever since.”
Interrupting my own story, I redirect the conversation back on her.
“So, if it’s not a Mia sandwich, then tell me what the deal is with this other guy?”
“It’s nothing really,” she tries to say casually. “At first, Jump treated me like I was a leper; he ignored me, left the room when I walked in and glared at me all the time if he couldn’t find a good excuse to escape. But then he started texting me, and when I didn’t reply, he showed up on our doorstep.”
Obviously, this is the first I’m hearing of this which means Mia’s issue has been going on for quite some time. And that makes me feel like a complete bitch.
“Are you okay? He didn’t hurt you or anything, did he?”
“No, no. Jump would never hurt me,” Mia insists, then slaps her palm over her mouth when she realizes she just let the cat out of the bag.
With comically wide eyes, I moan,
“Fuck me like a whore on Sunday. Please tell me you’re not getting mixed up with a badass biker that has a chip on his shoulder larger than the state of Texas and a past more checkered than a board game?”
“I’m not,” she perseveres. “The problem is that Jump doesn’t see it the same way.”
“I just bet he doesn’t,” I mumble under my breath. Jumping to my feet, I haul Mia up by the hand and start walking us to my truck. “Let’s get the hell out of here. You sharing earned you a reprieve from the continued torture of crappy motels and barely edible truck stop food, and I need a drink or ten. And lucky for you, I know just the place to make all of the above a reality.”
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
~ Knight ~
“My dentist told me I need a crown. I said I know right!”
– A fact of life
“Last chance before I kick your teeth down the back of your throat,” I threaten. “Tell me where the fuck she is.”
Three weeks of no sleep, no appetite, and a constant string of problems with the gym and Dark Knights has made it impossible for me to leave and track Zara’s ass down, which, in turn, has my temper on a hair trigger. But all that stops now. Enough of the bullshit, I want answers, and if I have beat the shit out of Locke and Nate to get them, I will.
“You need to fucking relax, big brother,” Nate replies, attempting to be the voice of reason in an otherwise volatile stand-off.
Locke is pissed, and not only because this is the second time today I’ve threatened him. No, the main reason he’s fucking livid is because I just shared why I want to find his sister and what I plan on doing when I inevitably do.
“If you think I’m telling you shit, then think again. There’s no way in hell I’m exposing my sister to the clusterfuck that is your life, Knight, so drop it,” Locke returns, taking an angry step toward me.
“Stand down, Son,” Chase’s voice booms.
We’re all gathered in my living room, myself, Locke, Nate, and for some unexplained reason, Cooper when Chase and his father, Travis, better known as Pop walk in. I called these other assholes here to get the information out of one of them as to where Zara is, using whatever means necessary, but I didn’t invite Chase or Pop. That must be Nate’s doing if the smug grin on his face is anything to go by.
“Have a seat, boy,” Pop commands. “Sounds like we’ve got a few things to talk about.”
I’ve got all the respect in the world for these two men, but if they stand between my woman and me that’s not going to count for shit. I’m edgy, and only getting more so by the minute. My nerves are shot, and if I don’t find Zara soon, there’s a good chance I’ll lose my motherfucking mind completely.
“Sit the fuck down. All of you,” Chase snaps when none of us move.
Picking the seat in the far corner of the room, the one Zara usually claims when she comes over, Pop waits until his son’s instruction is followed before narrowing his eyes on Cooper.
“Don’t see any reason for you to be here, boy, so why don’t you take off.”
Cooper settles further into the couch, stating,
“I’ve got plenty of reasons to be here, starting with me marrying your granddaughter.”
A bark of laughter escapes the old man, but Chase’s six-foot-three frame freezes solid.
“You’ve got a sparrows’ fart in hell of marrying that girl and you know it. My Zara wouldn’t accept your ring if you were the last man on Earth, Cooper, so it’s about time you were moving on. Find yourself a sweet girl who loves you, then settle down and make yourself some pretty babies.”
“I have every intention of doing that,” Cooper sneers, “just as soon as someone tells me where she is.”
The second the words leave his mouth, Chase is across the room dragging Cooper out of his seat, and slamming him face down onto the floor with both of his arms pinned behind him.
With one knee in the small of his back, Chase leans down to say,
“Think about proposing to my daughter one more time and I will rip every limb from your body slowly and painfully until you’re begging for mercy, starting with your dick. My little girl might be blind to the man you really are, but I’m fucking not. I know what you like, including all of your kinks, and so help you God if you’ve tried that shit on with my daughter because nothing will save your sorry ass if you have.”
Everyone in the room goes wired at that, and I’m sure Chase can sense the danger emanating from us, but he doesn’t acknowledge it; he just keeps at him.
“A lot of information out there for a man like me who knows where to look. You should have done a better job of hiding that shit if you didn’t want anyone finding out.”
“What the fuck are you talking about, Dad?” Locke interrupts, losing his battle with patience.
Releasing his arms to allow Cooper up, Chase moves back a fraction of an inch, but not far enough to give him any comfort and folds his arms over his chest.
“A while back, Cooper came to me to ask for permission to marry your sister, and I said no. Knew he wouldn’t leave it at that, so I did some digging. It seems Cooper here enjoys hobbies such as long walks on the beach, hiking, snowboarding, and fucking men in the ass while being sucked off by another guy and getting the shaft from a third. Sex Club on Wilmington and Third in Denver has records of Cooper visiting twice a week for the last six months.”
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Nate hisses. “If you’re gay, then why the fuck were you with Zara in the first place? Hate to tell you this, man, but Zara isn’t packing the same equipment.”
“Shut the fuck up,” I growl at my brother. “You mention anything about what Zara does or doesn’t have again, and you’ll wish you fucking hadn’t.”
With his arms outstretched, palms up, Nate grins,
“Calm down, bro. I was just saying.”
“Well, don’t fucking say. Don’t say anything,” I grit out, practically baring my teeth.
&nb
sp; Pop chuckles loud enough to draw our attention, but my eyes don’t leave Cooper. If I could, I would take him out back and beat him within an inch of his life for simply cheating on Zara, let alone the rest of it. I couldn’t care less if he’s gay, bi, straight, or fucking bent, but what I do care about is that he didn’t have the respect to break things off with Zara when he realized that sexually he needed more than she could give.
“I’m not fucking gay, alright,” Cooper weakly protests. “I would have given all that up for Zara if she’d just said yes, but instead, she told me it’s over between us. I’m not planning on giving up, though. She was meant to be with me, not that asshole,” he spits in my direction.
“You’re not going anywhere near my daughter,” Chase repeats tersely. “In fact, I suggest you get the hell out of my sight before I change my mind and fuck you up just because I can. Since I’d hate to have to call your momma and tell her you’ve been in an unfortunate accident, I’ll give you five seconds to fuck off. My generosity expires after that, so think smart and do it fast.”
Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 2: Gage ~ Cash ~ Knight (Vengeance MC series Book 8) Page 66