by Parker, Ali
“If you’d been a minute later, I would be,” Caleb said.
Then, the conversation ended, and all the Lost Breeds looked down the alley at the two Reed brothers, who were standing shoulder to shoulder, staring boldly back. It was a tense standoff, and I had no idea how it was about to play out. All I knew was, it was going to be explosive, and anything could happen.
Although ten against two made me feel pretty hopeful.
Then, Isaac Reed started laughing.
Chapter 27
Caleb
There were four men with us that I didn’t know. I assumed these guys were Rhys and the three others he’d brought with him. I was glad to have the extra numbers. My head was pounding, my ribs were burning, and all I wanted was a nice, soft place to lie down and close my eyes.
Derek’s hand was still clamped on my shoulder when two of Rhys’s guys broke away from us and went to the emergency door back into the club. There was a two by four slid through the handle, and they left it there as they stood in front of it with their arms crossed to block the only other exit from the alley.
The Reed brothers were ours.
Finally.
Isaac was still laughing. Cliff seemed a little on edge beside him like he’d found himself in a little over his head. Which he was.
Isaac got himself under control and slapped his knee. “Look at our luck, little brother. All the remaining Lost Breeds all in one place. Ripe for the picking.”
His confidence astounded me.
Ryder rolled his shoulders. “You fucked up, Isaac, showing your face around here again. We’ve been waiting for you to make a mistake. And here you are. You made it nice and easy for us.”
“Maybe this is what I wanted.” Isaac winked.
My stomach rolled as my head spun with another dizzying wave. I was sure I had a concussion. Fuck. I must have swayed on the spot because Derek tightened his grip on my shoulder. I took a few deep breaths to get my wits together. For a brief moment, I thought I might throw up, which confirmed in my mind that I did, indeed, have a concussion. But I kept it together and stared straight ahead at Isaac, who lifted a hand and pointed a finger at me.
“I’m not through with you, boy,” he hissed.
Ryder glanced over his shoulder at me.
I lifted my chin. “Come and get me, then. Nobody will stop you.”
Isaac smirked, and nobody said a word.
“Come on, bitch,” I stepped forward and away from my crew. Derek’s hand fell from my shoulder. I spat a mouthful of bloody spit on the pavement. “Or are you just all talk?”
“Jason and Hyde didn’t think I was all talk, did they?” Isaac taunted.
I felt the tension thicken in the alley. I lifted one hand and beckoned Isaac closer with the curl of my fingers. “You’re not getting out of this. Say what you want. We know you’re desperate. The walls are closing in, Isaac. How are you going to go out? Shit talking or fighting?”
I knew all the things to say to get him riled up. It was easy.
Isaac’s lips curled, and he looked at his brother. “This is it, Cliff. You ready to fuck their shit up?”
Cliff looked anything but ready. He looked worried. As he should be. But he nodded anyway. Then Isaac let out a furious yell, and the two of them charged forward.
I braced myself for the impact. I was in no state to fight, but it didn’t matter. I had backup this time.
It turned out that Ryder was too pissed to let me take the lead on this one. He grabbed my shoulder and yanked me back, sending me stumbling into the others. Derek pushed me upright and moved in front of me as Ryder met Isaac head on. The impact was intense and loud, and both men were locked in an intense battle for control.
Cliff went after me but soon found his way blocked by both Derek and Sabian, who got a hold of him and pummeled him until he was on his knees on the ground and protecting his head. Axel and Jax rushed to Ryder and so did Rhys.
The fight was on.
Once Cliff was down, the rest of us converged on the fight between Ryder and Isaac. I pushed my way toward them. Isaac was a mean fighter. He landed two kicks to Ryder’s right leg, but the impact didn’t seem to bother our President in the least. He went after Isaac with a flurry of punches, landing one to his jaw and another to the side of his head.
Isaac stumbled back with a hand clasped to his reddening ear. He was out of breath but smiling. I looked over my shoulder. Two of Rhys’s other guys were on Cliff, making sure he didn’t get away.
I looked back at Isaac.
Then, there was a scurry of movement and panic. Isaac reached behind his back and pulled something from beneath his shirt.
My heart leaped into my throat.
The faith I’d had seconds ago that none of us were going to die tonight evaporated when I saw the gun in his hand. He lifted it straight out. The barrel pointed right at Ryder’s chest.
Axel sprang forward, arm outstretched, reaching for Ryder to yank him out of the way. We all knew he’d be too late. He was too far away. We all were.
I had to do something. I was closest to Isaac. I moved as fast as I could, willing the gun to jam, willing something to go wrong. Anything. We needed a fucking miracle.
Isaac’s smile grew wicked. His finger tightened on the trigger. A cry escaped my throat. No way it could down like this. No fucking way. Not after everything we’d been through.
Not after Ryder was about to become a father.
Ryder froze.
The gun went off.
The sound ricocheted around the alley, bouncing off the walls. Lauryn screamed, and I slammed into Isaac and took him down to the ground before he had a chance to fire again.
I decked him across the jaw as hard as I could. Derek got to me and kicked the gun out of Isaac’s hand. Then, we hauled him up to his knees, pinned his hands behind his back, and forced him to stay there.
I didn’t want to look up. I was terrified I would see Ryder lying facedown in a puddle of his own blood much like Jason had the night I’d found him dead in Derek’s bathroom.
But I looked anyway.
Ryder was standing in the same spot. No blood leaked out of him. He was perfectly fine. At his feet, lying on his side and gripping his shoulder, was Rhys. Blood leaked out between his fingers, and Ryder stared down at him in shock.
Had he jumped in front of the bullet?
“Holy fuck,” I breathed.
Isaac growled and twisted in our grip. I wrenched him up and back on his heels and Derek tightened his grip on his arms. “Don’t fucking move,” I grated.
“Rhys, you all right?” Derek called out to his old friend.
Ryder bent down and helped Rhys to his feet. He still had his hand clamped over the bullet wound in his shoulder, but he nodded. “I’m good. Motherfucker missed his shot.”
I was not the only one who was aware that Rhys had just saved Ryder’s life. Ryder was staring at him, still processing what had just transpired when Axel walked over to me and Derek. He stooped down and picked up Isaac’s gun that had danced across the pavement and lay a couple feet from my boot.
He walked slowly back to Rhys and put the gun in his hand. “I think you deserve the honors. After what he did to you and your crew. You should be the one to put him down.”
Rhys stared at the gun in his hand. Then, he lifted his gaze up to stare at Isaac, who was practically foaming at the mouth with rage as he tried to break free from Derek and me. Neither of us was letting him go. He’d had his chance. Had he gotten his way, our President would have been dead. But Rhys was there, and he had proven himself to be a badass motherfucker.
“Take the shot,” I said as Isaac fought us harder.
Rhys turned to Ryder. Then, he held out the gun. “This is all you, man. I had my chance to take this bastard out back in Chicago, and he got away. You boys caught him. The Lost Breed deserves the win. Besides, it was your nephew he killed. Just a kid. My boys were all grown men. They knew what this life could cost them.” He pushed the
gun into Ryder’s hand.
Isaac started cursing up a storm. “Fuck you. Fuck you all! You no good pieces of shit!”
I grated my teeth. “You’re done. Go out like a man.”
Isaac spat furiously at me. Derek held him in place. I lifted my gaze to Ryder.
The President tipped his head to the right, motioning me and Derek to step aside.
I let Isaac’s right arm go, and Derek let go of his left. We both stepped away. Isaac stayed on his knees as Ryder lifted the gun. Cliff yelled for his brother. It would do no good. He was next. Fuck the Reed brothers. They deserved what was coming to them.
I spotted Lauryn through the crowd of my brothers. Her eyes were wide, and her cheeks were streaked with tears. I mouthed the words “don’t look” to her.
She closed her eyes and turned herself around so her left shoulder was pressed to the wall. She drew her knees up to her chest and rested her forehead atop them as she covered her ears with her palms.
She did not deserve this memory. It was too rough. Too bloody.
But we were already here. The deed had to be done.
Isaac ran the back of his hand across his mouth. “Fucking do it! What are you waiting for?”
Ryder clenched his jaw. “For Hyde and Jason.”
The second shot rang through the alley. Isaac collapsed backward. Ryder’s shot had been true and hit him right between the eyes. There would be no suffering, only instant retribution. Cliff started screaming and didn’t stop until he was silenced by another shot. He pitched sideways on the pavement, where his blood leaked out of him.
Rhys hurried over to Ryder. He pulled a kerchief from his back pocket and held it out. Ryder put the gun in the fabric, and Rhys rubbed it clean. “I’ll deal with this. You get your men the hell out of here. I’ve done this shit a hundred times.”
Derek nodded his approval when Ryder looked to him for advice. “He’s good for it. He and I used to do this shit back in the day.”
“Good,” Ryder said. His voice sounded hollow. Killing wasn’t something any of us Lost Breed did lightly. In fact, most of us had never killed a man before. It took a toll regardless of whose life you took.
I went to Lauryn. She still had her hands over her ears, and I lowered them slowly from her head. She looked up at me, tears clinging to her lashes, and started sobbing when I gathered her up in my arms.
“It’s all right,” I said, rubbing her back and holding her like I’d never let go. “You’re all right.”
Derek came over to us. “Caleb. We gotta get the hell out of here. Won’t be long before this place is crawling with cops. Your security boys are coming to. What are we going to tell them?”
“The truth,” I said.
Derek nodded. “I’ll see to it. Get her out of here and get yourself to a hospital. You look awful.”
“The hospital will ask questions,” Sabian interjected as he approached. “Come back to my place with me. Angela will patch you up.”
I pulled Lauryn to her feet beside me. We both swayed, and I braced us against the wall. “Sounds good. Lead the way, Sabian. We’re right behind you.”
Sabian took us out of the alley and to his truck. Lauryn sat in the back with me, and as soon as he pulled away from the curb, I passed out with my head on her shoulder. The last thing I remembered was her asking Sabian if Cliff was dead.
“Oh,” Sabian said, a note of pride in his voice, “that fucker is dead as shit.”
I lost consciousness feeling more at peace than I had in a long, long time.
Chapter 28
Lauryn
Caleb zipped up the back of my red dress and ran his fingers over my bare shoulders. I let my hair down, and it fell down my back as he turned me slowly around to face him.
“Are you still nervous?” he asked.
I nodded. “A little bit. Excited too.”
This afternoon was Rhys’s initiation into the Lost Breed as well as that of his three men, Aiden, Owen, and Liam. I was curious to see what it would be like and was only able to attend because Jamie had offered to watch Jayden for me. It would not be a suitable event for children, I’d been warned. Not that I would have brought him anyway. I didn’t want him seeing Caleb until he was healed.
It had been a week since the events in the alley outside of Kadia. Caleb was still a walking talking giant bruise, but it didn’t seem to get him down at all. He had three bruised ribs, a dislocated shoulder, and a face full of cuts and purple skin. Some of it was fading to a very unattractive yellow color, which made me happy because it meant the bruises were on the way out. Before too long, he’d be back to normal.
I cupped his cheek and stroked his face with my thumb. “Are you sore today?”
He closed his hand over mine. “Not bad, actually. A couple aches and pains when I got out of bed but now, I feel good as new.”
I looked at the sling Angela had set him up with. He’d tried to take it off several times over the course of the morning, and I’d reprimanded him for it. The only way he was going to heal was if he took care of himself. And the faster he healed, the faster things would start to feel normal again.
“I’m better than I look,” he said, kissing the tip of my nose.
I sighed, not believing him. He was a strong man. He wouldn’t admit if he was sore. He also wouldn’t let his injuries keep him from doing certain activities.
Sex was still on the table. I’d tried to keep him from me, but that only lasted three days. Once the concussion pain was gone, he was all over me, and he still fucked with the same vigor as he did before.
“I have something for you,” he said.
I arched an eyebrow as he slipped out of his bedroom. He returned with a white box. Little tufts of powder blue tissue were sticking out of the sides. He placed it on the bed and motioned for me to open it.
I walked over to the bed and stared down at the box skeptically. “You bought me a present?”
He nodded and grinned like a schoolboy.
I laughed and lifted the lid.
Folded up inside was a beautiful leather jacket. It was inky black with silver zippers and embellishments. It was absolutely stunning. I blinked at it in surprise. “Caleb. You didn’t have to do this.”
“I wanted to. Take it out. Try it on.”
I lifted the jacket from the box. It smelled heavenly. Then, I slid my arms through it and faced him. “What do you think? Does it suit me?”
“You’re wearing that today.” He nodded.
“What? No, it doesn’t go with my dress.”
“Yeah, it does. It’s a leather jacket. They go with everything.” He put his hands on my shoulders and walked me to the mirror hanging on the back of his bedroom door. “Look at that sexy girl right there.”
I looked. The jacket was a perfect fit. It cut in at my waist and made me feel like a total badass biker. Maybe that’s why he’d bought it for me. He wanted me to feel the part of a biker’s girlfriend. “I love it, Caleb. Thank you.”
“I’m glad,” he said, wrapping his good arm around my waist and planting a kiss on my cheek. He nuzzled his chin into my shoulder as I stared at our reflection. My eyes were continuously drawn to his bruised jaw and cheek. He arched an eyebrow at me. “Stop worrying about me. I’m fine. It’s over.”
“I can’t help it.”
He smirked. “Let me show you how good I am.”
“No,” I said sternly.
“Oh, come on. We have time. Plenty of it. I’m just a little banged up, but my dick still works fine. So does my tongue.” He waggled his eyebrows at me.
I threw my head back and laughed. Caleb slapped my ass, and I wiggled away from him to tiptoe across the bedroom and out of his reach. “You’re supposed to be taking it easy,” I said.
“How about I just lie on my back and you ride me? I won’t even lift a finger. Come on,” he said as he went to the bed and sat on the edge.
I put my hands on my hips. “You and I both know you’re incapable of that.”
“Of just lying there. Get real.”
Caleb patted the bed. “Come over here, then.”
I lifted my chin. “We’re going to be late.”
“We have plenty of time. If you don’t come here, I’m going to come and get you, and that’s going to cause way more strain on my poor weak body than if you’d just do what you’re told.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. He fought with himself not to smile.
How was he so fucking charming all the time?
I went to him. He stood up and slipped his sling off as I let my jacket fall from my shoulders. He folded it neatly in half and placed it on the corner of the bed before he unzipped the dress I’d just put on. His fingers were cold against my bare skin as he slipped his hands inside my dress to caress my waist and hips.
I arched my back and pressed my ass against his crotch. He chuckled deep in his chest as he began working my dress up over my hips. Soon I was pulling it off over my head. All I had on was a pair of red panties. He snapped the straps on my hips playfully until I pulled them down.
I turned to face him. He was watching me with heavy eyes. The air around us felt thick and heavy with sex. I needed him. As soon as he’d hinted at wanting to fuck, I’d known it was going to happen. I was powerless to him. Saying no was simply not an option.
I untucked his shirt from his black jeans and slowly pulled it over his head, being careful of his shoulder and sore ribs. He was tightly wrapped around his midsection to help the bruises heal, and I ran my fingers lightly over the white wrapping, trailing them down to his belt, which I undid before unzipping his fly.
He stepped out of his pants, and I worked his boxers down as I went to my knees.
I ran my tongue along his shaft, and he watched me work. When I was ready, I took him in my mouth and slowly drew him into the back of my throat. He groaned with pleasure, and I reached up to caress his balls. He gathered my hair up off my face for me as I sucked him off, nice and slow.
I didn’t plan on stopping. I hoped he wouldn’t catch on, and before he figured it out, he would blow his load in my mouth and we’d be able to leave. I’d still be horny as hell, but I’d have won. He’d take it easy and not hurt himself, and he’d have his release.