Gods & Monsters

by Jani Kay

  We’d found a three-bedroom bungalow reasonably close to the compound that needed a new kitchen and some fixing up. The price was good because of its condition, and I wasn’t afraid of a bit of work to make it the home I wanted my kids to feel safe in.

  Mia had fallen in love with the place because it had a huge dark-pink bougainvillea climbing the pillars of the front porch that reminded her of the home she’d left behind. And when she saw the spacious bedrooms, she immediately assigned the one next to the main bedroom the baby’s room. Her face was flushed with excitement as she planned how she’d decorate it. I just smiled and left her to it. I was more interested in making babies than in decorating baby nurseries.

  We christened every room in the house, fucking on the bare wooden floors amidst boxes and pieces of worn furniture we’d scraped together. We didn’t even have a bed yet, just a borrowed mattress on the ground. It didn’t matter—we were young and in love, and as long as we could curl up in one another’s arms, my cock still inside her as we drifted off to sleep, we were content. Mia didn’t care for material things. She said my love was all she needed for a happy life, and that she’d live in a shoebox as long as it was with me.

  How happy I was back then.

  My life was simple yet perfect. By day I ran the MC as VP to my ailing father, and nights were spent making love to my woman.

  When I got home that night, tired from club business and worn out from little sleep, since my wife had become obsessed with having sex six weeks ago, she’d already run a bath and was lying in it, bubbles surrounding her glowing face.

  Grinning, I stripped as quickly as I could and climbed into the bath behind her. This was one of my favorite ways of fucking. I’d lift her onto my cock and she’d ride me as I played with her tits or rubbed her clit with my thumb, her moaning loud enough for the neighbors to hear, splashing water everywhere while chasing her orgasm. What better way to end a busy day than by fucking my stress away?

  That night there was something intangible in the air. It crackled with electricity, and I couldn’t wait to bury my cock inside her.

  The room was filled with the aroma from the many fragranced candles she liked to burn while we bathed together. I liked the romantic atmosphere it evoked, although I’d never admit it.

  I kissed her neck as I always did—it was one of her most sensitive zones and always made her melt into me, becoming my wanton slut in ten seconds flat. My hands were on her pussy, searching for the hard nub, when she stopped me by placing her hand on mine.

  “I have something for you,” she said. I could hear the smile in her voice.

  “Yeah? Well I have something for you too.” I laughed, nudging my hard cock into her back.

  She slapped my thigh playfully before reaching forward for something that lay in the soap dish. It was covered in tissues . . . wet tissues.

  She turned in the bath to face me. My cock stiffened. Bubbles covered her tits, but I could still spy her large brown nipples peeping through the white foam. I sucked in a breath as my gaze slowly moved up to her face. I’d never tire of staring at her beauty.

  The expression on her face was one of excited anticipation, her eyes wide and her lips dewy as she handed me something.

  “Here, open this.”

  With a crazy sped-up heartbeat, I held the stick in my hand. I knew what it was without looking. We’d spent a fucking fortune on these pregnancy tests in the last few months. I dipped the device into the water to melt the tissue paper away and then stared at the red line on the stick.

  Positive. Mia was having a baby. Our baby.

  My heart filled with the kind of pride and joy I’d never experienced before. It was different to other kinds of emotions. We were going to be a family.

  “What do you think?” she whispered, nearly breathless. Her cheeks were pink and her eyes glittered in the candlelight.

  “I think it’s a boy. We’ll call him James . . . Jamie . . . for my grandfather.”

  She laughed. “I take it you’re happy then?”

  “Happy? That’s an understatement. I’m fucking ecstatic!”

  The smallest amount of sadness flickered through her eyes for a fleeting second. “Missing your mama?” I asked. Sharing her . . . our special news with Esmé and her mother would be important to her. “I’ll help you get a message to them, I promise.”

  She bit into her lower lip to stop it from trembling. I leaned forward and pulled her into my lap, then kissed her lips softly.

  “But first, I need to celebrate by filling you with my cock.”

  She smiled down at me as she held onto my shoulders to help her rise up from the water. I guided my eager cock to her entrance, then held onto her waist to guide her slowly onto my erection.

  “I’m not going to break, Cobra. If anything, I want it hard and fast, baby. Being pregnant has made me even hornier. I need to feel your thick cock deep inside me.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yeah. Fuck me like you mean it.”

  I loved her dirty mouth. “Come here, woman,” I groaned as my hand slid around her neck to pull her mouth to mine. If she wanted to be fucked hard, who was I to deny her?

  I emptied my balls into her with hard fast fucks, making her scream my name so that it echoed back to my ears off the tiles of the bathroom.

  *****

  Pulled from my memories by the soft touch of her hand on my cheek, I leaned my forehead against hers.

  Back to the present. Back to hell.

  What the fuck was Daemon doing with Jamie? What was he trying to achieve by taking him from us? I was sure he wasn’t interested in playing the paternal role in the boy’s life. I just couldn’t see him as a daddy.

  “You truly are the only father that boy knows,” she said.

  I shook my head. She didn’t understand.

  “You’ve told me before. It’s hard to grasp though. I’m just a simple man and the possibility that the child I love with my whole heart was fathered by another man is tearing me the fuck apart.” My shoulders slumped forward as I let go of her, sank back into the chair and covered my face with my hands.

  She knelt down in front of me and took both of my hands into hers, pulling them away from my face. I guess she was wearing thin on patience with me and I couldn’t blame her. “Don’t let it.” There was an edge of despair in Mia’s voice. “Cobra, please listen to me.”

  Her fingertips feathered over my worried brow, then traced down the rough stubble on my cheeks. Her voice was soft and soothing, yet strong at the same time, similar to when she spoke to the children. “It takes more than being a sperm donor to be a father. It takes courage and commitment, time . . . and above all, love. Jamie wouldn’t care where his DNA came from as long as he felt loved and cared for. That’s what really counts. That you keep loving him, no matter what. It’s the unconditional love you have for him that makes you his daddy.”

  She lifted herself and kissed my brows softly. I closed my eyes and soaked it up. How I need her love. I sat mEsmérized as she gently kissed over my eyelids, then the tip of my nose and chin, then both my cheeks. I was waiting with bated breath for her to get to my lips. They were starved for hers.

  My lips tingled, burning for her kiss.

  But it never came.

  Chapter 35 – Cobra

  Reluctantly opening my eyes as someone knocked on the heavy wooden door of my office, I was greeted by Hammer clearing his throat nervously. He stood hesitantly shuffling from foot to foot, agitated and edgy.

  “What’s up, brother?” I growled, certainly not in the mood for interruptions. I had a lot on my mind, and club business wasn’t too high on my list of priorities right now. Yet Hammer never came to my office unless it was really important. “Speak to Ryder about club shit. That’s what fucking VPs are for. I’m busy.”

  “Sorry, Mia. Ryder is the one who sent me,” he explained half apologetically. “Cobra, you have a visitor at the gate. He wants to speak to you.”

  “Tell him to fuck of
f. I have nothing new to say to anyone.”

  Ryder appeared behind Hammer. “It’s Summers. Fucker wants to speak to you about Jamie.” Ryder’s gaze flickered to where Mia was still kneeling by my feet. “Sorry, Mia. This is important, and I think Cobra needs to deal with it now.”

  “Unless he’s here to tell me that he has found my kid, I don’t wanna see his ugly fucking mug,” I barked. I needed to finish this conversation with my wife. It was long overdue.

  “Um . . . I’ve let him in already. I think we should hear what he has to say. I made him wait in the clubroom. Ox is watching him.”

  With a deep sigh, I looked down at Mia. She gave me a small sad smile and nodded once.

  “Maybe it’s something new.” She rose to her feet and brushed her palms down her skirt to smooth it.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, meaning every word.

  She stood on tiptoes and kissed my neck. “Go.”

  Her kiss burned into my skin as I grabbed my cut off the back of the chair and slipped it on. Lately I hadn’t worn it much, but since I was facing the cop I wanted him to remember who he was dealing with.

  “Get the fucker a beer. And all of us, too. I can’t face him on an empty stomach.” I couldn’t remember when last I’d had a decent fucking meal. I’d scratched around in the take-outs the boys brought to my office, but since I had no appetite, I’d take a few mouthfuls before it made me feel sick.

  “It’s eight in the morning,” Hammer said, his eyes wide.

  “Since when do you care what time it is? It’s always fucking beer time,” I roared, irritated that he’d questioned me.

  Ryder laughed, but it wasn’t genuine. “Everyone’s on fucking edge and it’s getting worse by the day. We need to resolve this soon or the club will fall apart. We need Jamie and our fucking pres back, Cobra. Get us back to normal.”

  “Normal? What the fuck is normal?” Everything that appeared normal apparently wasn’t. Nothing on earth could surprise me anymore.

  Ryder patted my back. “Normal is having coffee in the morning. I ordered us a large mug each. Looks like you need a caffeine fix.”

  He grimaced as I killed the cigar in the overflowing ashtray before following me to the clubroom. This better be good.

  “Summers,” I growled as I lifted my chin to greet him. He stood as I approached, waiting for me to reach the long table.

  I nodded toward the chairs so that everyone could take a seat. Hammer had latched on too, and I didn’t have the energy to tell him to get back to his job.

  “So, I hear you have news about Jamie? Don’t make me wait, man.”

  Summers cleared his throat. “Yeah. We’ve found where Daemon and his men are hiding out. We used infrared to scope out the place and we’ve seen Jamie. The good news is your son’s alive. That’s always a good start.”

  I pushed up from my chair. I couldn’t sit still in one place. “You found them? Why didn’t you call me sooner?”

  Summers shrugged. “We had to make sure. There are certain rules to follow.”

  “Fuck the rules. Fuck everything. I wanna know where they are. I want my boy back to his momma and my fucking brother dead.” White-hot pain sliced through my head, squeezing my skull.

  “No. We do it my way. The right way. If my partner and boss even knew I was here telling you our plans before the op, they’d have my balls. But since you and Ryder . . . since Ryder and I . . . oh, fuck it . . . I just wanted to come tell you that we’re raiding the place tonight and we’re getting your son back.”

  “We’re coming with you,” Ryder burst out.

  Summers shook his head. “No fucking way. I came as a courtesy because of shit that went down in the past. But you abso-fucking-lutely cannot interfere in special ops business. We had to set it up as a fucking raid; it’s the only way we can get in there legitimately. You’d be in the fucking way and we’d have to fucking arrest you.”

  I paced the room, feeling helpless as fuck.

  “You have to get him out breathing I know you cop types . . . you don’t care if you get hostages out dead or alive, as long as you can file your fucking report that the job’s done.”

  Summers narrowed his eyes while clenching his jaw. “You’re going to have to trust me on this. I’ll do everything I can to get the boy out alive. I feel partly responsible for his disappearance, so I have a vested interest in seeing this turn out well.” He scrubbed a hand over his face before turning to stare me in the eyes. “But you have to understand that there aren’t any guarantees. We have no idea how your fucking twin will react . . . what he may do to the boy when he realizes we’re there.”

  Ryder’s brow creased into a deep frown. “That’s exactly why at least one of us should come with you. We know the fucker and what he’s capable of. We know how he thinks. I’ll go.”

  He held up a hand just as Summers was about to speak. “Don’t say no just because that’s protocol. Think about it. You need one of us to help you outsmart Demon. He’s got that name for a reason. The man would kill his own mother for a buck. He’s a fucking psychopath, if you haven’t worked that out yet. He kills for pleasure . . . he won’t care about Jamie.”

  Summers took a sip of his steaming coffee. I could practically see the cogs turning in his brain.

  I agreed with Ryder’s logic. “I should be the one going. I’ve known the motherfucker and the way he thinks since we were born. I’m the logical choice here.” The sooner I got my hands around Daemon’s fucking neck, the sooner I’d be rid of that lowlife for good.

  “The coffee’s good,” Summers said, smacking his lips together.

  “Yes or no?” I growled, my patience non-existent.

  Summers leaned forward, steepling his fingers in front of his chest. “This is my mission and I won’t tolerate any interference.” The corners of his mouth twisted into a smirk. “However I can see the value of having someone who knows our opponent to help us gain an advantage. But it will be my way or the answer is no.”

  Ryder’s jaw ticked as he clenched his teeth. I knew that gesture well—he was trying his best to stay calm and not lose his shit with his future brother-in-law.

  Hammer had been silent the whole time, following the conversation with interest. “What’s your deal?”

  “There’s no way I’m taking Cobra. It’s the same as not operating on family if you’re a doctor. I may consider taking you, Ryder. But you’ll stay behind the lines in the vehicle and be in radio contact. Nothing more.”

  “Fuck, I can’t be . . .”

  Summers leaned back in his chair, his mouth set in a thin line. “That’s my deal. Take it or leave it. I’m not risking any one of you fucking this up with your inexperience. I want the child alive as much as you do. One wrong fucking move and the whole thing goes to shit. You want that?”

  We practically shook our heads in unison. “Of course not, you idiot,” I said.

  “I’ll send Savage to pick Ryder up at nightfall. You’ll stay in the vehicle at all times. He’ll park five hundred miles up the road from the target building while we wait for the right time to hit. We’ve already staked out the area and that’s the closest we can get without being easily spotted.”

  “What neighborhood?” Hammer asked. Smart man. I’m burning to know.

  His question went unanswered. Summers ignored him as if he hadn’t spoken. His attention was fully on Ryder.

  “You and I will be connected via an earpiece. If I need information, I’ll talk to you. Other than that, you shut the fuck up and wait. We need to hit when they’re least expecting it. I’m warning you—it’s going to be a long fucking night. You better have a nap before we go.”

  “I’m not a fucking kid. I don’t need a nap.”

  “Now see, that’s not a smart answer. To be alert tonight you need your brain to be sharp.” The chair scraped over the floor as he pushed to his feet and stretched his arms above his head. “In fact, I’m heading home for a good long sleep right now. I suggest you get over your bullshit an
d do the same if you want to be ready to help us.”

  Ryder just grunted. He hated being told what to do.

  “Nightfall. Be ready.”

  I gaped at his audacity as he walked away. The smug bastard had Jamie’s life in his fucking hands. And I’d be sitting home like a lame duck.

  Waiting.

  Chapter 36 — Mia

  Before I got to the door, I heard voices from the clubroom. Cobra, Ryder and Harrison’s were easy to distinguish. I stopped in my tracks, pressing my back to the wall to listen.

  The gods were finally smiling on me. Their booming voices drifted to me and I greedily soaked it all up, hearing everything they were discussing.

  My son is alive!

  With a rapid heartbeat, I listened further to the plans Harrison had to raid Daemon’s place.

  Harrison knows where my child is. At least that’s a start. But when he said he didn’t want even Ryder accompany him, I knew the operation was doomed. Harrison didn’t know Daemon like I did.

  Nobody knew Daemon like I did.

  The depth of darkness in his soul and heart I’d experienced that night had deepened and it struck fear into my heart for what he was capable of doing to anyone who stood in his way.

  I was the one who had caused the whole cluster-fuck in the first place, so it was on me to fix it. I had to follow them tonight—save my child from Daemon’s clutches. He wouldn’t hesitate to use Jamie as a bargaining tool, and I didn’t want my child to be collateral damage. I had to get to Jamie before anyone else did even if it meant offering myself up in his place.

  Maybe then Cobra would finally see how I’d do anything for our family?

  I suppressed a snort when Harrison told Ryder to take a nap. I’d need one too. Tonight would be nerve-wrecking, and I needed to be alert enough to outsmart everyone.

  I nearly laughed out loud when Harrison told Cobra to stay home. There was no way in hell the stubborn man was going to listen.

  Kissing the cross around my neck, I shot a prayer to the heavens to thank them for bringing me here this early. I’d heard all I needed, and now I’d go back home to prepare myself for what was the most important night of my life.