Ember's Burn: A Steel Demons MC Novel

by Annelise Reynolds

  “To torture myself,” he barked, none too happy with my prying.

  “Are you going to do something about it?”

  He laughed, though it was filled with anything but real humor. “Nothing I can do about it, Titan. She’s off limits.”

  I waited for further clarification, but none was forthcoming. When she touched Legend’s arm, I swear Carter was going to fly across the room and cut to go after him. Legend saw him and pulled his arm away with a smile, he then whispered something into the girl’s ear, while holding Carter’s gaze. She nodded and walked off, flush-faced and looking embarrassed.

  Carter ended the game, throwing his cue on the table, and walking toward Legend. “What did you say to her?” his question was as stiff as he was.

  Legend smirked at Carter. “I told her making herself too available isn’t the way to get a man worth keeping.”

  Carter took it for what it was. Legend had tried to dissuade her from openly flirting with every man in the place. She left us alone after that, refusing to look any of us in the eye without blushing. He continued to watch her weaving through the tables and working. While she didn’t flirt as outrageously as she had with us, she put Carter on edge.

  “Who is she?” Legend asked the question I was wondering myself.

  “Our cousin,” Lincoln said.

  “By marriage only,” Carter clarified, glaring at his brother for leaving that part off. “You really don’t want me to get into who is sleeping with who, Linc. Don’t push me.”

  “How old is she?” Legend asked.

  “Twenty-one,” Carter answered.

  “Damn, you like them young and virginal, don’t you?”

  “Shut it, Legend. I haven’t touched her.”

  “Maybe not, but you want to.”

  “You’re one to talk, brother,” I said, laughing. Legend flipped me off.

  “She’s no virgin,” he remarked back. “And she’s not twelve years younger than me.”

  “What makes you think Cameron’s a virgin?”

  “Shit, I don’t want to hear about or know if she is. Why the fuck are we talking about this?” Lincoln groaned, dragging his hand over his face.

  “Because Carter has a boner for his much younger step-cousin.”

  “Shut the fuck up and answer the question.”

  “Just a guess, but I could take one for the team and find out for you if you’d like,” Legend joked, but it didn’t go over well. Carter went after him, but Legend moved swiftly out of the way, laughing.

  “Dammit, cool your shit, Carter. Legend, shut the fuck up,” I barked, noticing the two idiots were drawing unwanted attention to us. “We need to head back and get some sleep, anyway. We’re meeting up with Hack in the morning before we get to work.”

  The next morning, I woke up to the phone beeping with a text message. “Oh fuck.” I stared at the phone, McKenzie and Piper were laid out on the couch, an empty bottle of wine on the table beside them. Piper had her arm around McKenzie’s middle, they were spooning. My morning wood throbbed even more. Shit, I’m hiding the booze if I ever leave town again. She cannot be trusted around the drink.

  I stroked my cock while staring at the photo. It was hot, every man’s fantasy. Though I was more jealous of Piper than anything. That was my spot she was occupying. It should be my arm wrapped around her, my dick snuggled against her round ass. I spit into my palm, covering my dick in saliva. The fantasy of the two girls made my dick jump and weep in my hand. I spread the smooth fluid over the head, twisting and stroking.

  Since meeting McKenzie, I’ve had to masturbate too fucking much. When I made it back home, that woman would be on the tip of my dick at every turn. I closed my eyes and remembered her taste, her sighs, her moans, her everything… I looked at the picture again, and wished I was there holding her. I continued stroking until I felt myself getting close, and then, like a randy teenager, I came all over my hand, every spurt of my cum was felt through my balls. I sighed with relief, and grabbed my shirt off the floor to clean up the mess. I made a quick call to McKenzie about the photo, she was none too happy with Chink, and hung over. I didn’t doubt that I may be a brother short when I got back, by the way she was grumbling.

  I was walking to the bathroom, when the pounding on my door started. I grabbed my gun from the nightstand drawer and walked to the door, careful not to make any noise. I figured it was Legend and he just saw the picture. I peeked through the hole, and it was Lincoln on the other side of the door.

  “Open up, Titan,” he said, sensing I was there.

  “Fuck.” He was pissed. Not that I really cared too much, but Linc and Carter were not just men in suits. They, like their father, like all of us, were trained to kill. They just hid that fact a lot better than the rest of us. “Just a damn minute.” I opened the door, unconcerned with my nudity. “What the fuck, Linc? You couldn’t even give me eight hours?” I ground out, even though I had already been up thanks to Chink’s surprise message.

  He pushed into my room, and I shut the door behind him. “Nathan Richards, he’s your target.”

  I smirked, and went to the sink to wash my face, acting like just the name alone didn’t piss me the fuck off. “You aren’t that good, Linc.”

  “Cut the crap, Titan. I know he’s your target.”

  I wiped my face with the towel, stepped into my underwear, and leaned back against the sink with my arms crossed. “Ok, you aren’t wrong. How do you know? It doesn’t change anything.”

  “I know because it was all over the news a few months ago about a senator’s stepdaughter getting attacked by Daniel Price in a small Texas town. I went to look up the town again, and there it was – Belle, Texas.”

  “Fine, you know our target. That’s not going to stop me from taking him out, Linc. He deserves to die for what he did to McKenzie. If the senator was still alive, I’d be killing him too.”

  “He was a lucky bastard. He died before he could be picked up.”

  I sat up straighter. “What do you mean?”

  “He had the heart attack before he could be arrested. He was misusing campaign funds, though we aren’t sure where the money went, and you don’t look surprised.” He searched my face.

  “Because I’m not. I knew about his embezzlement. Hack found it when they were going through Price’s shit. Did he know he was being investigated?”

  “Not that I can tell. It was kept off the books because of a leak.”

  “Hack didn’t find this information out through the computer, Linc, how did you?” His blank stare said it all, FUCK! He’s going after the leak. “CIA or FBI?”

  “FBI. Working for Dad gives me the perfect cover.”

  “Do your dad and Carter know?”

  “No, but I’m sure they suspect. Carter especially. I also suspect he’s working for another set of initials, but I don’t ask and he doesn’t tell.”

  I scratched the stubble on my face. Dammit. “This changes nothing. I’m going to kill the son of a bitch.”

  “I’m not here to stop you, I’m here to tell you there were a few cases against him that suddenly disappeared. All of these cases were filed for women in his office, but the files went missing and the women moved or are in places unknown. It looks like daddy was cleaning up after his son. We found out about the embezzlement and kept it off the books to try and build a RICO case against the dad, quietly. We were just about to go after him when he had the heart attack. Word is, the son is trying to take his place as Senator, which means we have to build a completely new case against the son, but there has to be someone protecting the bastards from the inside.”

  “Who’s the leak?”

  “We have it narrowed down to three people. I’m not going to stop you from killing him, Titan, because I don’t want another Richards in a position of power, but you make sure your ass gets out clean, because a shit storm could be on my head if not.”

  “You know the leak will go underground if he’
s dead.”

  “I know.” He clenched his jaw tightly. I nodded my thanks. “You want to go to the diner down the street for breakfast?”

  “Sure. I’ll call Legend. We have to head out to meet Hack afterward.”

  “When are you guys doing this?”

  “I don’t know. We’ve had Hack watching him remotely for over a week, but we’re watching him before we make our move.”

  Linc looked down and ran his hands through his hair. “Fuck,” he grumbled. “Let me know if you need help.”

  “You’re already an accessory and conspirator, Linc. I’m not going to bring you any further into it.”

  He shook his head. “I’m already in, Titan. My family is already in. You brought us in when you called us, telling us you were coming to Philly. Now, I’m going to make sure this shit doesn’t blowback on us all, so if you need help, let me know.”

  “I will,” I lied. I would protect him and his family to the end. They might not be Demons, but they were damn close.

  We met Legend outside by the car. I didn’t talk to him, knowing full well he needed coffee before talking to anyone.

  Linc and I talked as Legend drank. By the time he was finished, he still hasn’t mentioned the picture Chink sent, so I brought it up. “Did you get a text from Chink?”

  “Yes, but it’s a picture. If it were important, he’d have sent a text or called.”

  I smirked. Legend was about to learn his lesson. “Check your message, brother.”

  He reached for his phone and scrolled to the picture. “Holy Fuck.”

  “What?” Linc asked.

  “Yep, a few minutes earlier, and Linc would have interrupted a nice fantasy this morning.”

  “Titan’s Old Lady and her friend back home are spooning, asleep on a couch,” Legend answered his question, ignoring my comment and not hinting to the fact that he had an itch where Piper was concerned.

  “Damn,” Linc said. He leaned to see the picture, but Legend shut off his phone and grinned. “Not fair, man.”

  “I’m protecting my Pres. I wouldn’t want you going and falling in love with his Old Lady, trying to steal her away from him.”

  “More like you don’t want him coming for a visit knowing his love of red-heads,” I fired back, laughing.

  I grabbed my phone and showed Linc the photo of the girls. It wasn’t like they weren’t dressed. If that were the case, I would have stolen Legend’s burn phone before he was able to see the photo.

  “Wow,” he said, looking at the two women. “Maybe I do need to come to Belle. It seems that’s where the beautiful women are.”

  “Step a foot in Belle, and I’ll chop your dick off,” Legend remarked, knowing Linc was teasing, well, somewhat.

  We finished breakfast and headed out. Hack was meeting us at a hotel, having got us a room. We didn’t want to be seen in New York. Hack had a reason to be there, we didn’t.

  “I’ve got to get back, but here’s the pictures I took. The suit came through for you, and the kid looks happy enough. From the way the parents were interacting with her, they’re crazy about the kid.”

  “Where do you have to get back to?”

  “I’ve got business while I’m here. Since you two are able to take over watching the asshole, I can get my shit done. The kid is safe, so you’re good.”

  “I still want you to watch the kid.”

  “How long am I going to be babysitting? Should I pack my shit and my bike and move to New York?”

  “Until Richards is dead. Then you can go home. I promise.”

  Hack left to go watch the kid, and I looked at the photos. The kid looked just like McKenzie. She had the thick dark hair, and the same smile. Her brow looked every bit as stubborn, and her eyes sparkled. I had a picture of Worthington handing her a stuffed dog. She grinned, her dimples peeking out. Just like her mom, she had my heart.

  I needed eyes on her until this was over. Just a backup precaution. “Let’s go stalk this bastard and end this.” We followed him from his office to his estate.

  “How are we going to do this?” Legend asked.

  “I’ve been thinking about that. As much as I’d love for a body to be found, because of who he is, I think we’re better off getting rid of it. It has the added bonus of McKenzie not really being able to connect the dots, but at the same time it means she won’t be able to know the bastard is dead.”

  “I’d rather the girls not know exactly what we’re capable of. I say we do this quietly, cleanly, and get the fuck out. Enough people already know we’re going after this guy. The Sterling’s and Worthington, which is a gamble in and of itself. How the hell do we know he’s not going to talk?”

  “He won’t talk.”

  “I don’t like it.”

  “I’m killing this bastard. If you want to back out, now is the time to do it. You can catch a plane back home to establish your paper trail and alibi.” Without hesitating, Legend said he was in. He would have my back no matter what, and I didn’t expect anything less.

  We had a plan. We waited and watched for a few days, mapping it out, mapping how to get out. During this time, we changed license tags every five hours. Never from the same part of the city, and even going to other, smaller cities nearby. We wore hats and glasses and took cabs or walked to lift the plates, never taking our rental. We played it slow and smart. On Thursday, we saw our opening.

  After work, he didn’t head home. Instead, he headed to a seedier side of town, which was surprising. We followed behind at a good distance, not wanting to be obvious. We had left what we would need in the trunk to be ready at all times. It was just a matter of time, and it paid off. He was offering us the perfect opportunity take him out.

  The bar was shady, nothing good was going on in this part of town. “Get Hack on the phone. I want to know everything about this bar. It doesn’t make sense for a politician to be here.” While Legend talked to Hack, I called Linc and told him about the bar.

  “Hack said it’s owned by a guy named Roary O’Rourke. He’s got ties to the Irish Mob,” Legend said hanging up the phone.

  “Great.” I smiled, knowing this was it. This was the opening we had been waiting for.

  Richards didn’t come out for a while. When he did, there was a scantily-clad brunette woman on his arm. “Damn,” Legend said, cursing our luck.

  “Money makes the world go ‘round, brother. We’ve got enough to pay her to get lost. Plus, fear goes a long way.”

  We followed the couple out of town. They kept driving past New Jersey. “Where is this prick taking her, Titan?”

  “Somewhere the body won’t be found I’m sure. Linc said the girls disappeared or moved away.”

  “What girls?”

  I looked at Legend out of the corner of my eye. “Linc’s FBI. He said that there’s a leak that was protecting Richards, and now his son. There were multiple claims made against him, most of the women disappeared, the others dropped the claims and moved away.”

  “When were you going to tell me he’s FBI? Jesus, the fucking FBI knows we’re going after this asshole. Are you trying to get us a capital murder charge?”

  “I just told you as it just became relevant. He knows, but he also knows how corrupt the son of a bitch is and what he’s done. He’s behind us, Legend, I would have sent you back home otherwise. I wouldn’t let you go down for this. I’d need you to take over Belle with Grit.”

  “Fuck, this is a mess.”

  “Yes, but it’s necessary. Besides, it’s not like Linc is just anyone, Legend. He’s a Sterling through and through.”

  Legend kept track of where we were the whole way. I just kept following. He stopped for gas after four hours on the road. We stopped at the gas station across the street and did the same, keeping an eye on the man and woman across the way. Legend paid, I pumped. He came out with two cups of coffee and a shit ton of snacks and a few bottles of water. We pulled out a few car lengths behind Richards a
nd continued following him. It wasn’t long before we were right behind him as traffic thinned from the towns.

  It was several more hours before he turned onto a back road that led higher up the wooded mountainside in West Virginia.

  “It’s a dead end. His destination must be up there,” Legend said, looking at the map. I pulled to the side of the road.

  “Is there anything else up there?”

  “From what I can see on the map, no. It’s a private residence.”

  “Is there anywhere off this road that we can park?”

  Legend studied the map. “Looks like there’s a rest stop about five miles up the road.”

  “I’ll go park the car and run back. If he moves, call me.” Legend got out, carrying the equipment.

  I drove down the road, and there was an overgrown, run-down rest stop. I parked the car in the least visible spot, and headed back in through the wooded tree line. The altitude was much higher than what I’m used to, so my time running the five miles was not near as good my normal running times. The mountainous terrain didn’t help nor did the buckets I was carrying.

  “What the hell took so long?” Legend whispered when I came up beside him.

  “Shut up. What’s going on?”

  “Not much that I can see. He’s on the phone, she’s sitting on the couch.” He handed me the binoculars. “Titan,” he got my attention before I could look through the window. “The girl, she could pass for Ember.”

  I looked, and sure enough, from what I could see at this distance with the sheer curtains in the way, the girl resembled McKenzie. She could have been her sister with how much they looked alike. “Fuck.”

  “Yeah, man.”

  “Let’s get this done.” I was ready to gut the motherfucker.

  Legend and I each had a backpack with brand new clothes bought at a national chain store. Black pants and shirt, black ski masks, gloves – both latex gloves an outer glove. We changed into brand new shoes, and threw our other stuff back into our backpacks. We checked our weapons and headed to the back door of the house, each carrying a bucket.