“I killed the guy that knocked up Lasz’s sister,” Hawk said. “I get it.”
“You didn’t know who he was.”
“Nobody did, brother,” Hawk said.
“It would have been a fucking disaster if he was alive.”
“Yeah. Right.”
“Now we have to end this for good,” Reese said.
“That’s going to be a problem,” Hawk said.
“A big fucking problem,” Reese said. “First things first. Thank you for saving my ass out there. I’m sorry I took that out on you, bro. There’s a lot going on.”
“You have a lot going on, brother,” Hawk said. He patted Reese’s shoulder. “I hope it’s all worth it, VP.”
Hawk walked away, leaving Reese alone.
When Levi opened the door, he gave a wave and Reese put up a finger. He ordered two beers from a prospect and went outside to meet up with Levi.
They stood together at a picnic table under a pale, foggy light that was more yellow than white.
Levi sipped his beer and stared straight ahead. “I think we’re going to take this one hard, VP.”
“Looks that way.”
“Are we on the same page?”
“That Haney gets taken out and we figure out the aftermath?”
“Yeah,” Levi said.
“Same page, Prez.”
“Fuck,” Levi said. He put a foot on the picnic table and leaned forward. “I like it better when you argue with me.”
“What choice do we have?” Reese asked. “D.O. didn’t come here to help us… he threw us under the bus.”
“His ass is under the bus,” Levi said. “He just sold out his entire crew. One whiff of that and they’ll take him out.”
“That hurts us though,” Reese said. “That’s a good source of revenue for the club.”
“Maybe it’s time to look more legit. Like you said before.”
Reese raised an eyebrow. “Goddamn, Prez. You’re turning the outlaw corner.”
“Hardly,” Levi said with a laugh. “We can let some of this bullshit sort itself out. Maybe the runners can get someone with half a brain in there and the relationship with the MC can get stronger.”
“In the meantime… what? We deal with the supplier? I mean, that could be big… remember the last time…”
“I know,” Levi said. He looked down. “We sent Laszlo into the fire. Because of bad information.”
“Well, this time, it’s pretty simple,” Reese said. “That we agree upon. Can’t show weakness now.”
Levi looked at Reese and smiled. “You’re sounding like me. I’m sounding like you. What the fuck is happening here, VP?”
“I don’t fucking know. I don’t like it.”
“Neither do I.”
They both laughed.
“Shit,” Reese said.
“How’s Steph?” Levi asked.
“Good. Confused. She’s going to have to work through it. What happened was just…”
“Part of the life,” Levi said.
“Speaking of the life,” Reese said and gave a nod.
An SUV pulled into the lot and Reese saw the silhouette of the siren lights on top.
“Fuck,” Levi said. “What the fuck does the chief want with us this late?”
Winston was a hard man. He was old as the ground he walked on and tried his best to stand tall with his chest puffed out like a young cop trying to fix the world, but he walked with a slight hunch because that’s what time and the world did to a person.
A cigarette hung from his lips as he walked toward Levi and Reese.
“Chief,” Reese said.
“Beer?” Levi offered.
“No,” Winston said. He spit the cigarette to the ground and stepped on it with one fluid motion. His face was sunken in, eyes with heavy bags, his dark hair short yet greasy. He stopped and put a hand to a pole and looked around. “Everyone accounted for here?”
“My guys?” Levi asked. “Yeah. Why?”
“Just making my rounds.”
“Don’t give us that shit,” Reese said. “Bad enough we haven’t talked about your wild puppy dog coming after us.”
“Hey, that was the least of what he wanted to do,” Winston said. “He was trying to file paperwork to come here and check everything. The business. The clubhouse. He was pushing for individual warrants. The strip club was the end result. So, I think you can go fuck yourself and then say you’re welcome.”
“Don’t hold your breath, Chief,” Reese said. “The strip club is legit. People rely on that place…”
Winston laughed and looked at Levi. “He’s back at it again, huh?”
“Back at what?” Reese asked.
“Josie,” Winston said. “You only get defensive like this when you’re messing around with her.”
“Are we here to discuss my personal life?” Reese asked.
“No,” Winston said. “I’m just breaking your balls a little.”
“What do you have for us, Chief?” Levi asked. “What’s Colt working on now?”
“He’s got nothing right now, but that means dick. He’s on the phone everyday trying to find a way to shut you down. Your charter is a big target.”
“We know,” Reese said.
“Reason I’m here tonight is because Benny called and thought he saw and heard something up at the storage units.”
“What kind of noise?” Reese asked.
“He wasn’t sure. He said he checked them all and they look fine. Maybe an animal looking for food?”
“Yeah, right,” Levi said.
“Think someone was trying to break into our shit?” Reese asked.
“There’s nothing up there worth looking into,” Levi said.
“True,” Reese said.
“I just wanted to know if you or your guys were up there,” Winston said. “Before I send anyone up there to look around.”
“We’re clear here, Chief,” Reese said. “Just another night.”
Winston laughed. “There is no just another night with you guys.”
“Then maybe you should leave before you see anything that could get you into trouble,” Levi said with a grin.
Winston shook his head. “I’m going to send Harvey up to the storage units and look around. Just to appease Benny. If you see or hear anything, let me know.”
“You got it,” Reese said.
Winston hobbled back to his truck and Reese looked at Levi.
“I smell something fishy in the air,” Levi said. “And it’s not some woman Hawk picked up off the floor at two in the morning at some shithole bar.”
Reese nodded. “I feel the same, Prez. You want to take this to the table?”
“Not right now,” he said. “I think this is one where we just give the orders and go.”
“Anyone know where Haney is now?”
“No,” Levi said. “D.O. will let me know.”
“Do we trust him?”
“No. That’s why Zac is already looking.”
“Mention to Zac about Winston being here.”
“Already planned on it. Are you leaving again?”
“I think so. This has the same feel as before, Prez. I need to get Josie prepared.”
“I understand. Keep your phone close. Zac is out and Ellis went with him. Brett and Jason should be back any minute after a pickup. We’ll meet tomorrow and get something together. This shit ends, VP.”
“What about Starla? Should we keep in touch with her right now?”
“No. I don’t trust her. We play everything as normal and we take control.”
“Agreed.”
Reese had barely taken a drink from his beer bottle. He put it on the table and offered Levi a handshake. They shook hands and Levi pulled him in for a hug.
“You know what Josie means to this club,” Levi said. “Steph, too. They’re family. It’s good to see you figuring that out.”
“Don’t worry about my cock so much, Prez.”
“I don’t worry
about small things like that.” Levi winked.
Reese laughed. “Thanks.”
Reese broke away from Levi and walked to his motorcycle. He just had an urge to be near Josie. He wanted to hold her. Love her. Stare into her eyes. Do everything to capture those moments when life made sense.
Because no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was about to happen.
Chapter Twenty
Josie was still wide awake when her phone lit up and vibrated with a message. She hoped it was Reese but wasn’t expecting it to be him. She figured it was Steph checking in. But it was Reese. And he was at her door.
She ran through the apartment and tore open the door and looked Reese up and down. He was fine. Alive. Unhurt. Looking the same as when he left.
“Reese,” she said.
“Sweetheart. I can’t get enough of you.”
“What are…”
He stepped into the apartment and scooped her up into his arms. They started to kiss, picking up where they’d left off earlier. Reese walked her right to the table and sat her down. His hands touched her face as he kissed her hard and slow. So slowly that Josie felt herself melting into the table.
“Oh… Reese…”
He broke the kiss and rubbed the tip of his nose to hers. “I needed that, sweetheart.”
“Me too.”
“I’m crashing here tonight.”
“That makes my heart happy.”
“Yeah, well, you make everything happy,” he said. He gently thrust at her and she felt the hard bulge in his jeans.
“Easy, big boy.”
“There is no easy around you,” Reese said.
She laughed. “Then take me to bed so we can sleep after we’re done.”
He lifted her up and walked her through the apartment.
“How was your meeting?” Josie asked when Reese put her on the bed and lifted her shirt up, exposing her breasts.
“I don’t give a fuck about that,” he growled.
Josie felt her face and body burn even hotter. She lifted her hips off the bed for Reese to tear her pants off. She surprised him with the fact that she wasn’t wearing anything but just those pants. Slowly and laced with seduction, Josie gently kicked back on the bed and moved back to the pillows. She waited there for Reese, her knees slightly parted, showing herself to him.
“Fuck, Josie, you don’t get it…”
“Make me get it, outlaw,” she purred at him.
Reese smirked and went to work undressing himself. Josie had a front row seat to the greatest show ever… well, the second greatest show ever. The first greatest show came when Reese climbed onto the bed and crawled forward at her. She bit her lip, watching him close on her. Josie put her feet on the bed and Reese hurried to kiss her knee. He kept kissing forward and down, working down her inner thigh.
Josie let out a sigh.
He paused and pulled away from her inner thigh. His eyes locked tight to hers and he kept moving forward, finally sinking forward and down, easing himself against her ready body.
“Fuck,” Josie whispered as she felt him opening her.
Reese curled his lip with a defiant anger in his eyes. Josie wrapped her legs around his body and lifted her hips, bucking them forward. She dug her ankles into his ass and he thrust forward, taking her to the hilt.
Unable to breathe, Josie moved forward and stole a kiss from Reese. He returned the kiss with a hotter one and they soon began a battle of kisses. Taking their turns trying to outdo each other, even though Josie knew she was going to lose the battle. And she wanted to lose the battle.
Reese started to love her, thrusting harder, burying himself deeper, sinking her down into the bed with force. Her ankles were tight around his body as she pulled and bucked her hips with his hard movements.
They were instantly synched together. Josie climbed her fingertips up his strong shoulders and held tight. Reese kissed down to her neck and rested there, switching between kisses, gentle bites, and loud grunts as he fucked with more force.
Emotion swelled up inside Josie as she felt her body start to let go of its pleasure at its peak. She came and put her head back, shutting her eyes, crying out as Reese knew exactly how to love her through the climax. But as her heart raced, it swelled. She knew this kind of loving from Reese. This was him worried. This was him fearing the worst about himself. This was his way of making sure he felt every inch of Josie’s body because he had the notion that it could be their last time together.
Josie fought back all that emotion as she clawed for Reese’s face. She made him look at her as he moved faster. She felt him everywhere and could hear the sound of their love. His body colliding with hers. Their groans mixing with breaths and stolen kisses.
“I fucking love you,” she managed to whisper.
“Fucking hell, Josie… you’re everything…”
Reese kissed her and held her there. Grunting as he pounded harder. Josie stopped moving and just gave herself to him. All of herself.
It was the longest kiss of Josie’s life. And it didn’t stop until Reese gave himself to her. All of himself…
Josie groaned in between kisses as she felt him inside her, pulsing.
Reese held there, even after they were both finished. He kissed down her neck again and buried his face there. Josie slid her hands to his back and slowly began to scratch.
She was holding her man. She was holding her outlaw.
Her heart had never felt so full of love in her entire life.
But she knew the more love she had for Reese, the more she had to lose.
And that’s when a stray tear finally spilled from her eye.
“You need to sleep,” Josie whispered as she lifted her head.
Reese had his head propped up, eyes wide open. “I’ll get there, sweetheart. You should sleep.”
“I’m not sleeping if you don’t.”
“Are you going to act like a baby right now?”
“Are you?” Josie asked, raising an eyebrow.
“You’re so stubborn, Josie. I love it.”
“Good. Now shut your eyes.”
“I will.”
She put her elbow to the bed and propped her head up. The covers were pulled way down Reese’s body, down past his rippled stomach. He was perfectly delicious. Her lips and mouth were tempted for a taste.
“What happened tonight, Reese?” she asked.
“Club stuff.”
“I hate that answer.”
“I know you do. We’re getting things set up.”
“The Starla situation?” Josie asked.
Reese glanced down at her. “What do you think?”
“I shouldn’t be asking this stuff. I’m sorry.”
He turned and sank down to the bed. He pulled the covers up to their shoulders and smiled. “Sweetheart, I love that you care so much. I love that you know so much about this life. But it’s a curse for you. Because you know the ending.”
“I want you to be my ending,” Josie said.
“We’re nowhere near the end of this,” Reese said. “Now get some sleep. Enjoy the quiet night.”
“Reese, I want you to know something.”
“What’s that?”
“I blamed you all so much for what happened to my father.”
“No, sweetheart…”
“Listen to me. I did. It was wrong. I think my father was confused. He understood what your club was doing and just… maybe he was jealous. To live the way you do. You’re outlaws, but yet you govern yourself.”
“Govern, huh?”
“You know what I mean.”
“I know,” Reese said. “I’m forever sorry about your father… just so you know. Him and Lasz. I hate it. It burns in me so much, sweetheart. But what I do know more than that, is if you live too much in the past, you’ll get stuck there. You’ll miss everything else in life. I look at it this way… I get to keep a promise to Lasz and help with Steph and her baby. Keep that family going
strong. And then for your father… my commitment to you. I’ll take care of you, Josie, right up until my last fucking breath.”
Josie leaned forward and kissed Reese.
She shut her eyes and sighed, falling in love with him again.
The tables were then turned as Josie pulled Reese close and held him, waiting for him to fall asleep. She knew it wasn’t exactly the tough guy image Reese wanted, but she also knew that Reese wouldn’t fall asleep on her unless he trusted her completely.
Being that important and that serious sometimes made Josie uneasy. But the upside of this was one thing. Forever. Having forever with Reese meant everything.
Just as Josie’s eyes started to shut under the heavy weight of exhaustion, she heard the vibration of her phone on the nightstand again.
She reached for it and it was a text from Steph.
Hey. I’m coming home. Not feeling well.
Josie almost sighed with relief. Not because Steph wasn’t feeling well, but because she was coming home. Josie knew that eventually Steph would have to do all of this on her own, but for the moment, she wanted her close.
Baby okay? was Josie’s reply.
There was a minute of feeling her heart climb into her throat until Steph replied.
Yeah. She’s kicking like crazy. I’m just uncomfortable here. I miss my bed. Everyone is drunk, and I feel out of place here.
Josie frowned. That was the realization of being pregnant, huh? At least Steph was smart enough to want to leave.
Please drive safely. I’ll be awake when you get home. I’m proud of you for knowing when to leave. Reese is here. We’ll have a big breakfast tomorrow morning.
Josie put her phone next to her and shut her eyes. She waited for Steph to respond. She knew that the moment she heard the door open she would wake up.
There was only one problem…
Josie was about to get a full night of sleep.
Josie looked around the bedroom and when she realized it was morning, she jumped up in the bed. It was empty. Her phone still next to her side. She checked and saw that Steph never replied to her text. And she obviously didn’t hear her come home either.
“Shoot,” she whispered as she hurried out of bed.
She found Reese standing in the kitchen with a cup of coffee, shirtless, looking like something she could have only ever fantasized about.
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