by K. Renee
“Yeah, plans changed, brother. Word on the street is that they are attacking us tomorrow. There is a bounty on Casey’s head, and no one knows why. They want her dead.”
Fucking shit. Why does this shit have to happen right now?
Gunner comes over to me and hands me an AK47 and rounds. He hands Brant the same, not saying a word. One thing I don’t like is when Gun goes quiet. It’s when he’s the most dangerous, and I don’t doubt that he is going to make an example out of the fucker who put the price on Casey’s head. That’s his woman, and he will stop at nothing to make sure she’s safe.
We make our way to the parking lot, and when I straddle my bike, I see the familiar expressions on everyone’s faces. Even though we’ve prepared for this shit, that doesn’t mean that it can’t go wrong. Lives can be lost tonight, and there won’t be a fucking thing we can do about it.
I don’t need another replay of Raef’s death.
Making our way toward the meeting point, I get my head in the game. I need to focus if I want to get the rest of these men out alive.
The next ten minutes goes by in a rush. The moment our feet hit the pavement, guns are raised and pointed at anyone who gets in our way. These bastards won’t know what hit them and they will wish they never had their sights set on Casey.
We file into the warehouse one by one, guns moving in front of us, scanning over every inch of the damn place. As soon as one of his men come into view, gunshots explode into the air, and we take out every single person until he is the only one last.
The office he’s holed up into isn’t much. I’ve seen trailers that are nicer than this dump. Gunner kicks the door in, and I hold my gun up, pointing it right at the fucker. The look on his face is one I’ve seen countless times. He didn’t expect us to come barging in like this. Like I told the guys before, this is how you get the results you want. Going in blind doesn’t get these results.
One of the guys comes in with duck tape, and two others grab the bastard and hold him down in his chair. I don’t know what kind of drug dealer doesn’t carry a gun, but this guy is one of them. He really thought that his little bitches were going to protect him, but clearly, they failed.
It’s just him and us now, and Gun is going to make sure he pays for what he did.
They duct tape his ass to a chair before the real fun starts. I can’t help the sadistic grin that molds to my face as I wait for Gunner to start in on this guy. He will be begging for mercy in a matter of minutes.
“You sent a guy on a bike to my house to kill my ol’ lady and my unborn child.” I watch the man pale, and he starts to shake his head no, but it doesn’t stop Gunner. He’s going to extract his revenge. He won’t take it easy on him now.
He grabs a propane torch from one of the prospects and starts it. He pulls a lighter out of his pocket and flicks it open. The minute the flame hits the torch, it’s game over. I’ve watched Gunner do something like this only one other time, and I have to say it was brutal as fuck.
I see the evil glint in Gunner’s eyes as he starts toward the fucker duct taped to the chair. His eyes widen as he figures out what Gun is gonna do to him.
As Gunner gets to work, the screams and begging are the only sounds that come out of that damn office. One thing you don’t do is fuck with a Wayward Saint or their family. We don’t fuck around when you threaten one of our own. G didn’t get his reputation of being lethal for being a pussy, and now everyone will remember why he is who he is.
Chapter Ten
Brynn
Two Years Later
The sound of Aaron’s footsteps through my apartment is oddly comforting. We’ve been dating for the last two years, and I fall a little more for him every day. I still can’t believe that I was able to find happiness after everything that happened with Bentley. I didn’t want to fall for Aaron, but it was hard not to.
He did everything right, and for once I felt loved in a way that I could be satisfied with. His touch still doesn’t send electrical currents through me, but I’m okay with that. He’s safe and secure, something that I need. I need someone who will always be by my side no matter what happens in this thing we call life.
“Babe,” he murmurs as he comes to a stop in the doorway of my bedroom. I look up and see a mischievous look on his face. I raise an eyebrow in question, and he continues to lean against the frame.
“Yes?” I finally ask when he doesn’t say anything else.
“So I’ve been thinking.” I nod my head, waiting for him to continue. He grins before starting toward me. He grabs my hand, and I stare at him in amusement. What is going on? Before I can ask him what has gotten into him, he kneels down in front of me.
My eyes widen as I stare at him, not hearing one word that is coming out of his mouth. He pulls something out of his pocket, and when he opens the box, my hand goes to my mouth. I haven't heard one word he’s said, and when he speaks again, I don’t know what I’m thinking when I nod my head yes.
The smile on his face widens, and he puts a ring on my finger. I mean, we’ve talked about marriage, but I am still in serious shock. Shit. Shit. Shit. What did he just say? He stands back up and pulls me in for a hug, and I just hold onto him tightly. I think I just agreed to be his wife and I’m not sure if that freaks me the fuck out or if I am truly happy.
He starts to go on about having an engagement party and stuff, but I half tune him out. My head is spinning in a million different directions, and I am not sure how I feel. Before I can even say anything to him about a party, he’s kissing me and telling me that he needs to get to work and that we can talk about everything tonight.
I just nod my head absently in agreement and decide on getting to work myself. With everything that I just agreed to, I need to get out of the house and do something that I don’t really have to think about. Hanging out at Wayward Cycles is just the place. I can do filing and other mindless work while I think this shit over.
As soon as I get to work, Anslie comes busting in the office with a huge grin on her face. Her eyes are sparkling with a secret, and I hate not knowing what she’s smiling about. Last time that happened, she told me that her brother was dating someone else that he met in Seattle and how excited she was that he was finally with a girl.
I, on the other hand, wanted to scratch the bitch’s eyes out even though I didn’t even know her. That was over a year and a half ago, and since I spilled that me and Bentley slept together right before he left, she doesn’t bring him up anymore.
It wasn’t my fault. She got me hammered one night and everything just kind of slipped out. I told her about my feelings for him and everything. It was a weak moment, but it kind of made our friendship tighter. We now talk pretty much every day and have dinner dates a couple times a month.
“So…” she says trying to look at my hand. I groan and hold it up for her to see. Her squeals fill the entire office, and I put my head down as everyone looks over at us from out in the shop. Brant comes in a few minutes later, and when he checks out the ring for himself, he lets out a whistle.
“Shit,” he mutters. “Your man has some money.” I roll my eyes and try like hell not to say something bitchy to him. I think the ring is way too much, and I’m still on the fence about all of this. Brant turns and walks away, muttering about how pissed off someone was going to be, but I ignore it. I don’t even want to add to my already crazy thoughts.
“So you said yes!” Anslie pulls me into a hug, and it’s hard not to get excited when I’m talking to just her. “I can’t believe he finally asked you!”
I pull away slightly and look at her. She is genuinely happy for me, and I love that about her. When I told her about Bentley, she seemed a little pissed at me for not telling her and then at him for leaving, but she said it made sense. I don’t know how, but I didn’t question it. I didn’t want to know that he left because of me.
“Yeah, I am still in shock,” I say holding my hand out to look at. The ring shines on my finger, and I can’t help the smil
e that follows. It really is beautiful and has to be worth more than my car.
“I am so happy for you guys. I can’t wait to help throw your bachelorette party! Ohh are you having an engagement party? I know the perfect place you can throw it!” Just as she starts in on ideas, the office phone rings.
When I answer it, she just continues on rattling on about places and dates as I say, “Wayward Cycles, how can I help you.”
“I need to talk to Dominic.” I scrunch my eyebrows together at the voice, and I swear it sounds like Bentley.
“Can I ask who is calling?”
“Just get me Dominic.” I tell him to hold for a second and walk out into the shop where the guys are currently working.
“Dominic, phone call,” I call out before walking back into the office to where Anslie is still planning things. She’s got a piece of paper and a pen, jotting down notes, and I can’t help but laugh. Sometimes I don’t know about this girl. She is crazy, and I love her for it.
“So you have to have your party at Wayward Tavern. I’m sure I can get my dad to let us use the bar and all the alcohol without it costing you an outrageous amount of money!” I swear maybe she should plan events or something in her free time, not that she has much of it with the twins and Brax. I mean, Brax is now a toddler, so he’s now that much closer to going to pre-k or whatever it is.
“Maybe you can just plan this all for me? I mean, Aaron and I were going to talk about it tonight, so I can bring up the idea and then I won’t have to stress about it all.” She stops scribbling things on the paper, and her eyes light up like a damn Christmas tree.
“That would be so much fun! Yeah, just talk to Aaron and let me know tonight! I can throw one hell of a party!” She writes a few more things down before Dominic comes into the room with a frown on his face.
“You talk to Ben lately?” he asks his sister. I freeze at the mention of Bentley. Every time someone mentions him, her eyes meet mine, and she tries to read my expression, but I’ve been guarding them more when his name is mentioned. I don’t want anyone to think I am in love with him or anything.
“Yeah, the other day I talked to him. He wanted to wish the twins a happy birthday.” I keep my expression neutral as they continue to talk about him in front of me.
“Did he seem strange to you or no?”
She shrugs. “He seemed like the same cocky asshole he’s always been. I mean, he told me about the chick that he kicked to the curb and all that for getting clingy, but that’s it. He doesn’t really tell me what’s going on unless I torture it out of him. Why?”
Dominic doesn’t say anything, he just shakes his head and walks out of the office toward the clubhouse. Anslie huffs out and mutters something about her brothers being assholes before she grabs her bag and kisses me on the cheek.
“Don’t forget to talk to Aaron. I’ll be glad to help you plan everything!” She grins again before making her way out of the office.
As soon as I am surrounded by silence, I sink down into my chair and close my eyes. The last hour has been a damn whirlwind and I am so glad to have a chance to breathe finally. I sit like this for what seems like forever. The quiet is peaceful and relaxing after the morning I’ve had.
It doesn’t take me long to get to work filing and organizing all the customer files and paperwork that I have been neglecting for the past few months. I have a complete system that I started last year when customers would come back looking for specific parts or accessories for their bikes and instead of asking the guys a million different things, I created job folders on every project Wayward Cycles has taken on for as long as we had a paper trail.
Don’t get me wrong, it is a shit ton more work, but it keeps me preoccupied when I didn’t want to think about anything but filing or entering numbers into a database. The mind-numbing tasks helped me realized that I deserved to be happy. I needed to get over my feelings for Bentley no matter how crazy they were. It helped me decide to fully commit to Aaron and let myself be happy with him and not compare him to that damn biker.
When I can’t take any more papers and my feet hurt from standing for so long, I decide to take my lunch break. Walking out of the office with my purse on my arm and my keys in hand, I lock the door and turn to the parking lot just in time to see a few bikes pull into the parking lot.
I’ve never seen them before, and just as I’m about to walk out, Dominic steps out in front of me and blocks me with his body.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” he growls. His voice is deadly, and in the few years I’ve been here, I’ve never heard him talk to anyone like that. Booted footsteps sound behind me, and it doesn’t take long before the rest of the guys from the garage are standing shoulder to shoulder with Dominic.
“Heard you had something of mine.” The voice isn’t one I recognize, so I don’t move from my spot. I know that the Wayward Saints aren’t angels, but I also know that’s it’s been awhile since they’ve had any problems here in Vegas.
“We don’t have shit. I suggest you get the fuck off my property and never come back.” This comes from a voice behind me. I didn’t even know Cason was here today. He typically doesn’t come out here much. He’s been slowly handing over the reigns of the Saints to Dominic and spends most of his time with his wife and their little girl Gina.
“Watch it old man. Your time is coming.” I try to look around Dominic’s body, but he doesn’t let me see the men in front of them.
“I’d like to see you try,” Cason chuckles. He walks around his son Robbie, and I can feel the tension fall over us. It’s so thick you could probably cut it with a knife.
Chapter Eleven
Bentley
The other day my sister let it slip that Brynn’s boyfriend was going to pop the question. Just hearing that made my chest burn with a rage that I didn’t even know I had in me. She was going to have someone else’s last name. She was going to spend the rest of her life with that fucking dick, and there was nothing I could do about it.
I look around the empty fucking room that I’ve been staying in at the Seattle charter. The walls are still just as fucking plain as the day I moved in here. Thoughts of staying here sounded worse and worse by the day, especially now that I could lose my shot at Brynn for good.
Once she marries him, there is no fucking way she’d think twice about me.
I tried like hell to forget her with that Michelle chick from the club, but every time I fucked her, it was like fucking Brynn all over again. She was mad when I ended things with her six months ago, but the clingy shit she was trying to pull wasn’t my style. There is only one woman I’d ever want to lock down and she sure the hell wasn’t it.
Brynn Samson. The one thing I couldn’t quit if I wanted to. My body has craved her all this time. Never letting me go too long without a thought of what she felt like riding my dick in the back of that damn club two years ago.
I run my hand over my face and sigh. The only way to get her not to marry the prick is to head back. Gunner always knew this was temporary after he forced me to tell him why the fuck I was hiding out here. He didn’t give a rat’s ass I was here, he just wanted the truth. Plus, I’m sure my old man called him to find out the story.
I didn’t give my father a reason for my departure, or when I was coming back, so I’m sure he was curious himself.
Grabbing the clothes I had stashed in the dresser, I pack everything into my bag and walk out into the clubhouse where the guys are sitting at the bar. Walking over to Gunner, I put my hand on his shoulder and take a deep breath. He turns his head and looks at me before he really looks at me.
“You’re heading back.” It’s not a question. He knew I would eventually and two years away is a long fucking time to be away from my brothers.
“Yeah. I have some shit I need to deal with back in Vegas. Thank you for everything man.” I reach out a hand, and he takes mine, shaking it before pulling me in for a hug.
“You need anything, call. You know I got your back brot
her.” I nod my head and thump him on the back a few times.
“Give that little girl a kiss for me and tell Case I love her.” He nods, not saying anything else. I salute the brothers and make my way over to Johnny, hugging him as well.
“Come back anytime.”
“Thanks, Johnny.” I clap him on the shoulder once before I pull away and head for the door. I take one last look at the room on men before nodding and walking out without another word.
---
The ride back to Vegas is long as fuck. By the time I’m on the outskirts of town, my phone has been ringing off the damn hook. I park on the side of the highway and pull it out to see half a dozen missed calls from Dom. When I hit his contact, it rings a few times before his voicemail picks up. I do this a few more times, but he never answers.
Groaning, I dial the number to the bike shop and hold my breath. I know she’ll answer, and it will be like taking a gut shot from one of my brothers, but I need to find out what Dom needs.
“Wayward Cycles, how can I help you?” Her sweet voice is like music to my ears, and my dick gets hard. It doesn’t take me much with her. I walked around with a hard-on every fucking day that I saw her.
“I need to talk to Dominic,” I grunt out. I hear her intake of breath as if she recognized my voice, but I don’t say anything to her.
“Can I ask who is calling?” Her voice is a little lower than when she answered. Instead of being nice to her like I should, I get frustrated with how I feel about the leggy blonde, and I come off ruder than I was going for.
“Just get me Dominic.”
I hear her huff out, and I let out the breath I was holding. She doesn’t deserve me being a dick, but talking to her is only making my feelings for her come back full circle. I thought that two years away would make that shit go away, but clearly, I was dead fucking wrong. It only cements the thought of coming back to get her to leave that tool she’s with.
“Yeah?” Dom asks when he gets on the phone. I can hear the sounds of the shop in the background so I can imagine that he is on the phone in the shop and not the office where Brynn is.