by Harley Wylde
Irish (Devil’s Boneyard MC 4)
Harley Wylde
All rights reserved.
Copyright ©2019 Harley Wylde
BIN: 008794-02843
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Changeling Press LLC
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www.ChangelingPress.com
Editor: Crystal Esau
Cover Artist: Bryan Keller
Adult Sexual Content
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Table of Contents
Irish (Devil’s Boneyard MC 4)
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
Harley Wylde
Irish (Devil’s Boneyard MC 4)
Harley Wylde
Janessa: I’ve been in love with Seamus since the day I met him, even though I was fourteen at the time. Now that I’m an adult, I’m ready to go claim my man. Maybe I was stupid thinking he’d wait for me, or maybe I just really wanted a fairy-tale ending. Seeing another woman in his arms hurt like hell, so I ran… straight into trouble.
Irish: I met a girl years ago, one who had me spellbound despite her young age. I kept my distance, knowing it was so damn wrong to be attracted to her, but looking in her eyes I could tell she had an old soul. Now she’s back and all grown up, so what did I do? Something stupid. I kissed another woman. When I hear Janessa’s been attacked, it feels like someone has ripped out my heart. Whatever it takes, I’ll make it up to her, and I will get justice for her one way or another.
Chapter One
Janessa
“I’m not a child anymore, Mom. I’m tired of waiting,” I said, my arms folded as I squared off against the only woman I remembered calling Mother, even if she hadn’t given birth to me.
“Janessa, I don’t think it’s a good idea. You know how your father feels about this.”
“Mom.” I sighed and closed my eyes. “I know I’m young. I get it, I really do. Dad wants to protect me from the world, especially after what happened. But he can’t, and I don’t want him to. I’m nineteen and I’m ready. More than ready. Other women my age are off starting their lives, but Dad wants to keep me locked up at the compound forever.”
I could understand my dad’s fear, I really could. He’d found me abandoned in an asylum by my grandparents, and if the woman I now called Mother hadn’t sacrificed herself for me, some horrific things would have happened to me. In my dad’s place, I might feel the same way, but after five years of living under his thumb, I was starting to feel like I was suffocating. I wanted to go places, do things without a Reaper watching over my shoulder. Mostly, I wanted Seamus.
“Janessa, it’s not…” My mom shook her head. “What do you know about Seamus? You met him once. Five years ago. I know the two of you shared some sort of moment, and you flirted shamelessly with him while we were in Florida. That doesn’t make you soul mates. You were a teenager!”
“He’s part of Devil’s Boneyard, Mom. It’s not like he’s a bad guy. The Devils are practically family to this club, and you know how they feel about women and children. He’s not the Antichrist! Why can’t you understand that I need to do this?” I asked. Maybe I didn’t know him, not really, but I remembered that spark I’d felt and I needed to see if it was still there. I hadn’t experienced it any other time, no matter how many boys had asked me out on dates, usually before they realized I was a biker’s daughter. Not that I’d ever accepted any of those offers.
“Seamus was patched in, Janessa. He goes by Irish now,” Mom said. “We’d better get used to using his new name. He’s not the same man you met before. He’s gone a bit wild and he… Janessa, I’ve heard stories. I’m trying to protect you!”
“Maybe I don’t want you to protect me,” I said. “I’m tired of being locked up in this compound and not having a life. I want to live! Why can’t you understand that? And I don’t care about any rumors. Seamus was a good man then, and he’s good now. I just know it.”
“Why couldn’t you have ever dated boys your age?” Mom muttered. “No, not my daughter. Always mooning after some biker who’s more than a decade older than she is.”
“Guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree,” I said with a smirk. “How much older is Dad than you?”
“Shut it, missy,” she said, but there was a smile curving her lips.
I knew my dad was about a dozen years older than she was, but Kalani loved my dad and he absolutely adored her. Sometimes they were a little nauseating with how in love they were. But at the same time, Kalani deserved happiness, and I was really glad my dad had married her. She was the best mother I could have ever asked for, far better than the one who had given birth to me.
“You know if I wait until Dad gets here, he’ll lock me in my room and throw away the key. Probably bar the windows too.”
“Janessa,” Mom said with that warning tone only mothers seem to have.
She never liked it if I said anything negative about my dad. After he’d saved her life, they’d fallen in love. If Mom went anywhere and didn’t let my dad know about it, he tended to panic that something evil had happened. Some might have felt smothered, but not Mom. I think she loved the fact someone cared that much about her.
“What? It’s true! I know bad things happened to both us, you more so than me, but he acts like if we aren’t under constant watch someone is going to snatch us and run. I can’t breathe anymore!”
Mom bit her lip, but not before I saw it quiver. Great. I was going to make my mom cry. The woman who had sacrificed herself to keep me safe when I was younger. I owed her everything, and instead I was screaming at her and whining about life being unfair. I was a bitch. If anyone knew about life not being fair, it was her. She’d been dealt a shitty hand until my dad had come looking for me. If we hadn’t been in that room together, if she hadn’t protected me, then she might never have escaped. It sickened me to think those people would have gotten way with all the horrors they’d inflicted on people over the years.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “You know I’d never do anything to hurt you, Mom. I love you, and I love Dad. The two of you are the best parents I could have ever asked for, but I’m old enough to live my own life now. You might like it when Dad keeps you overly safe, but I feel the need to escape sometimes.”
“I know,” she said. “I know you’re all grown up. No matter what I do, I can’t make
you that sweet fourteen-year-old who needed me.”
“I still need you. I always will, but I’m going, Mom. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll come back, and Dad can lecture me all he wants. Promise.”
“I never could stop you once you got an idea into your head,” she said. “If you’re really doing this, then you make sure you say goodbye to Noah. He won’t understand if you just disappear. Clayton might be confused either way, but you can say bye to him too if you want.”
I nodded and went to get the bag I’d packed. I’d already put a few things in my truck earlier. Even if she’d said no, I’d had every intention of leaving. I’d always lived by the theory it was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission. On my way to my room, I stopped in my brothers’ doorway. Noah was pushing a train around the track Dad had put together for his last birthday, and Clayton was making a mess with his blocks.
Dad had met Mom the day he’d rescued me. He’d saved both of us, and he’d fallen for Mom. I’d only been fourteen at the time. They’d gotten married, and it hadn’t been long before she was pregnant with my brother. Noah was only four, and even though there was a huge age gap between us, I loved the little squirt. Best baby brother I could have ever asked for. Clayton was a good kid too, especially since he was only three. Mom had gotten pregnant with him almost right after Noah. I never understood why they hadn’t had more kids. Mom was the best mother ever, and even though Dad could be suffocating I knew he meant well.
“Hey, kiddos!”
Noah grinned at me but didn’t get up, and Clayton didn’t even acknowledge me. That wasn’t unusual for him, though, not when he was focused on something. I’d wondered a few times if he might be autistic or something, but after the hell Mom had been through at the asylum, I knew she’d never get him tested. Not willingly anyway. Men in lab coats still scared her.
“Hi, Nessa,” Noah said.
“I’m going to take a little trip and I wanted to say goodbye, but I’ll come back soon. You going to be extra good for Mom while I’m gone?” I asked. “Both of you.”
“I’m always good,” Noah said, then went back to pushing his train. Clayton glanced at me and quickly looked away, but I knew he’d heard me.
Noah wasn’t wrong. He hardly ever gave our parents trouble. If ever there was a perfect kid, it was probably Noah. Maybe they hadn’t had more kids after these two in fear they would be complete terrors. How likely was it that they’d have another easy baby? Even when he’d first been born, Noah’d not woken much during the night and hardly ever fussed, and Clayton had been pretty good too. It was as he’d gotten older that I’d started noticing some differences that didn’t quite add up. He didn’t have the all-out meltdowns I’d heard were sometimes associated with autistic kids, but there were other things, like not making eye contact and how unusually quiet he could be.
I stepped into the room long enough to give them each a hug, and then I went to my bedroom and grabbed my bag. I looked around the room that had been mine the last five years. It was filled with happy memories, but I was ready to make more. The bag was heavy, but I carried it through the house and out to the small truck my dad had bought for my high school graduation. I might not have said how long I would be gone, and I had my reasons. I was hoping that Seamus, or Irish as he was now called, would have missed me as much as I’d missed him. With some luck, I’d only be coming here long enough to tell my parents I was moving to the Devil’s Boneyard territory.
I settled my bag onto the passenger seat before getting behind the wheel. My purse was already in the floorboard, and I had a cold drink and a bag of snacks in the console. I put the truck in gear and pulled out of the driveway before Mom changed her mind and came after me. When I reached the gate at the front of the compound, Diego waved me through, not even questioning where I was going. I hoped my dad didn’t give him hell for it later. As far as Prospects went, Diego was one of the good ones. I expected them to patch him in sooner rather than later. He’d make a good addition to the Reapers family.
I made it through town without a single Dixie Reaper trying to stop me, which meant no one -- meaning Mom -- had told my dad yet. I’d worried she’d call him as soon as I pulled away from the house. He’d be angry with her, for half a second. I’d never seen him angry with her for very long. Anything that hurt Mom, upset Dad, and he’d do anything to make it right. Even when he was the one at fault.
When the highway opened up before me, I pressed the accelerator a little harder, watching as the needle on the speedometer rose to about five miles over the limit. Any faster and I knew I’d chance getting pulled over, and the fewer problems I had leaving town the better. With my luck, the one officer who was friendly with the club would be the one who stopped me, then I knew Dad would find out quickly that I was leaving town. The drive to the Florida panhandle wasn’t all that long, just a two-hour trip from the Reapers’ compound. This far south, the weather was still warm despite the fact it was nearing winter. I rolled my windows down and enjoyed the breeze in my hair.
I made it into the Devils’ territory in less time than I should have, probably because my foot had gotten heavier once home was no longer in my rearview mirror, but when I reached the compound where I’d stayed with my parents five years ago, the place looked deserted. The gate was open and there wasn’t a single bike in sight. The warehouse-like building looked haunted and like it hadn’t been used in a while. What the hell was going on? I knew the Devils were still in this area. Several of them came to the Dixie Reapers compound a few times a year to visit.
I shut off my engine and got out. The few homes inside the fenced area were dark and appeared empty as well. If they weren’t here, then what was I supposed to do? I could ask someone around town, but I knew that bikers tended to get a bad reputation, and I wasn’t certain the townspeople would be helpful.
“Looking for Devil’s Boneyard?” a voice asked from behind me.
I turned and saw a guy in a cut straddling a Harley. How the hell I hadn’t heard him ride up was a mystery. Having been around bikes the last five years, I was usually aware when a biker was nearby. Devil’s Boneyard was stitched on the front, along with the name Ashes.
“Yes, I was looking for… Irish.” It was going to be an adjustment, remembering not to call him Seamus. It was the first name that came to mind when I thought of him.
Ashes grinned. “You and every other woman around here. You can follow me over to the compound. Cinder bought a bigger piece of land, put up a new clubhouse, and a bunch of homes. Guess you haven’t been around lately.”
Every other woman? What exactly did that mean? Had Mom been right when she said I shouldn’t have come here? I’d thought… I didn’t know what I’d thought. I’d spent the last five years dreaming of the day I would be old enough that I could be with Seamus. Maybe it had been wrong of me to assume he’d felt the same. I’d thought we’d had a connection, that deep-down knowing you’d met your soul mate. Sure, I’d been a kid, but it wasn’t like I was going to remain one forever. I really, really hoped my mother hadn’t been right. Maybe I was being stupid.
I got back into the truck and followed Ashes to the other end of town and through the gates of a much bigger compound. It rivaled the size of the Dixie Reapers’ home. I pulled my truck to a stop at the end of the clubhouse. This one was made of wood and had a long porch across the front, similar to the one back home. It was much more inviting than the one they’d had before. A row of bikes took up most of the space, and I discovered I was really damn nervous. I rubbed my hands up and down my thighs, then got out of the truck and walked up the steps to the porch.
“You want Irish, he’s in there,” Ashes said, giving a nod to the front door. He pulled out a pack of cigarettes and lit one. “When he breaks your heart, I’ll be here waiting.”
The man gave me a wink and I gathered my courage. Pushing open the front door, I stepped inside and came to an immediate halt. Naked and mostly naked women paraded around the place, and several people were
having sex out in the open. Did this sort of thing happen at home? Is this why my dad refused to let me go to the clubhouse except on family days? My cheeks burned as I scanned the space, looking for the man I’d dreamed about every night. A loud booming laugh caught my attention and I saw him. Irish. He was at the table in the corner, a skinny blonde on his lap and a redhead practically sticking her naked breasts in his face.
Nausea made my stomach churn as I quickly turned away. I bounced off a hard chest and tried to focus on the cut that now filled my vision. Stripes. Oh hell. It was the Russian who visited the Reapers with Scratch, often enough he’d know exactly who I was. I looked up and sure enough, the massive man was scowling at me.
“This is no place for little girls. Especially a Reaper’s daughter.” His accent was thick, but I understood every word.
I squared my shoulders. “I’m not a little girl. I’m a grown woman.”
“Is that a fact?” he asked. He waved a hand at the room. “Unclaimed women in this clubhouse are fair game. What are you going to do when one of my brothers decides he wants to have a little fun with you? Your daddy isn’t here to protect you right now.”
“They won’t hurt me,” I said, though I wasn’t feeling quite so confident as I scanned the room again. These weren’t the men I remembered, the ones who had helped us when trouble was after my mom. The men laughing and drinking seemed more like the type to take what they wanted.
Stripes sighed. “Janessa, does your dad know you’re here?”
“No.”
“Great,” he muttered. “You’re here for Irish, aren’t you?”
I nodded.
“He’s not the one for you, little girl. That one is wild and doesn’t stick with one woman for an entire night, much less a lifetime. He’s screwed more pussy than anyone in this room over the last few years. When you turned eighteen and he didn’t come for you, it should have been a hint to keep away.”