Broken (Soldiers of Darkness MC Book 1)

by Michelle Betham

  ‘Good girl. I’ll get one of the women to fix you some food, if you’re hungry.’

  I’m starving, actually. I’m not sure I’ve eaten a proper meal since I got here. ‘I could murder a burger.’ The word murder almost sticks in my throat, and he doesn’t miss the way my voice changes an octave.

  ‘A burger it is.’ His tone is softer now; kinder. At least, that’s how I’m reading it. And in reality he has every reason to be frustrated. I mean, I’ve just stormed into his clubhouse and demanded he helps me find and kill people who, at this particular moment in time, we have no idea who they are. He doesn’t know me from Adam, and I’ve just dumped a huge pile of crap on his doorstep. So he has every reason to be frustrated.

  ‘Thank you.’

  He moves closer again, smiling as he reaches out and gently touches my cheek with the palm of his hand. His skin is rough against mine, yet I find it strangely comforting. Aiden’s hands had been rough, too, and when he’d touched me like this…

  The memory of Aiden causes a fresh wave of grief to wash over me and I bow my head. But Mack tucks a finger under my chin, forcing me to raise my gaze, his eyes meeting mine.

  ‘I’m gonna help you fix this, Izzi. OK? But you have to let me do it my way. I know this town, I know the people who live and work here. I know what I’m doing.’

  I force a small smile, because I need him to know that I am grateful for this. More than he’ll ever know. I’ll never forget Aiden. He was the love of my life. He was my world, and I’ll never forget him. But I need to move on. I’m only twenty-six, and I can’t live my life in the past. So if Mack can help me, I need to let him do that. ‘I’ll be here when you get back,’ I say, his eyes still burning into mine. It’s a strange sensation, but one I’m, again, putting down to tiredness. Everything feels slightly unreal right now, but I know that once I’ve eaten and slept my head will be much clearer.

  He smiles again and I watch as he makes to leave, his hand closing in around the door handle. ‘Later, darlin’.’

  Later. Yeah, later is good.

  Right now, all I want to do is sleep.

  Chapter Five

  Mack

  Viper makes his way back over to our table carrying two beers and a bottle of Jim Beam Devil’s Cut. We’re celebrating our new-found business partnership, which I hope is gonna inject some much-needed revenue back into the Soldiers of Darkness MC. But I’ve had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach ever since Izzi – and I still don’t know her last name, but what the hell – ever since she barged her way into my clubhouse and asked me to help her find the men who killed her boyfriend and her daddy a little over a year ago. And the longer I sit here, the more I think I might know why that bad feeling seems to be intensifying.

  All the way over here I kept thinking about that night, about the snippets of information you can’t help but pick up, whether you’re looking for them or not; the things that subliminally worm their way into your head but you don’t think all that much about them, at the time, because you don’t need to. But they stay there, until such a time when you need to pull them forward from the recesses of your mind. And as I rode over here, more and more pieces started to click together, they started to make sense – the reason why nobody was brought to justice; the reason why people shut down and said nothing. It might not have happened on my patch, but I know who did it. Now. It’s so fucking obvious.

  ‘Here.’ Viper pushes the bottle of Jim Beam towards me as he sits down opposite. We don’t do things as crass as glasses around here. He leans back in his seat and swings his legs up onto the table, pulling a joint from his cut pocket. It’s his bar we’re sitting in, so he can do what the hell he likes.

  ‘You remember that shoot out that happened last year?’ I take a long swig of whiskey and hand the bottle back to Viper, watching his expression closely.

  He takes the bottle from me and downs a good mouthful himself. ‘What you bringing that up for?’

  I shrug. I need to be careful here. He’s as wary as I am. He trusts no one, same as me. We’re too alike, me and Viper, and that’s a fucking scary thought. ‘I noticed the bar, where those people were killed – I noticed it was up for sale, is all.’ Which is true. I checked that out before I left to come here. The owner put it on the market a few months back. ‘Just wondered if it had anything to do with what happened there.’

  Viper takes another swig of whiskey, his eyes focused on the pool table in front of us. Two pretty, young girls – probably too young to be in any bar – are bent over it, preparing to take their shots, white panties covering perfect young asses on show beneath the hems of their far-too-short skirts. They’ll know this is a biker bar. So they’ll know exactly what they’re doing. And whereas I’m usually up for some hot new ass, I’m not feeling it all that much this afternoon. Which is a little disconcerting, I can’t lie.

  ‘What happened there was a mess.’

  I turn my attention back to Viper, even though he’s still staring at the blonde girl’s butt cheeks as she widens her stance a little. Yeah. She knows what she’s doing. And I have no doubt Viper will be sticking it to her in less than half an hour. She’ll consider that a victory, but Viper’s like me – he don’t usually go back for seconds, so I hope she makes the most of it.

  I don’t react to Viper’s comment. I don’t want it to look like I’m asking too many questions. If he wants to talk about it, he’ll talk about it. If he doesn’t, then I ain’t pushing it. I’ve only got suspicions at the minute, and if those suspicions are unfounded then I don’t want to put me or my club in any unnecessary danger.

  ‘I didn’t mean to kill no innocents, man.’

  My blood runs cold. There was a big part of me that had hoped I was wrong. But I’m right. And this is one fucking mess I wish I knew nothing about.

  ‘But shit happens, y’know? Sometimes you can’t avoid collateral damage.’ He shrugs and downs one more mouthful of bourbon before handing the bottle back to me. And I’ve never needed an alcohol hit as much as I need this one. ‘We left him and his bar alone after that. We didn’t need to pay him no more visits. He got the message, towed the line; paid the money. But I guess our rates must’ve got a bit too expensive for him. Maybe that’s why he’s selling. I just hope the new owner’s a lot easier to do business with.’

  I sit back in my seat and let the warm amber liquid slide down my throat. I need a fucking distraction so bad now, because I sure as hell don’t wanna talk anymore.

  ‘Hey.’

  Viper jerks the bottle of Jim Beam in the direction of the two girls, who’re trying way too hard to pretend they’re not trying to get some attention. Well, they got it.

  ‘Fancy celebrating with some company?’ Viper’s speaking to me but leering at the girls, who don’t seem to mind. They never do. Viper has a charm even I don’t understand, but whatever it is, it draws women to him like a magnet. Something else we both have in common – neither of us really has to try. I guess our reputation alone makes us irresistible. ‘Which one d’you want, bro?’

  He must be in a good mood if he’s offering me first choice. But I don’t really care which one I get. All I’m after is a quick fuck, just a few minutes to forget the potential shit storm I’ve now got to prevent. ‘I’ll take the brunette.’

  ‘Suits me,’ Viper sighs as he slams the Jim Beam down on the table. ‘Nice doing business with you, Mack.’

  I wait until he disappears out back with the blonde before I approach her friend. She ain’t really my type. She’s pretty, for sure, just a touch too young, even for me. She looks old enough – I mean, I ain’t gonna ask for ID or anything – but, to be honest, I just want this over with. I don’t really want to fuck her, I need to. There’s a difference. I want to be somewhere else. And once this is done, that’s where I’m going.

  ‘You OK there, darlin’?’ No reason why I shouldn’t still turn on the charm. I don’t want any woman telling people she didn’t get the full-on Mack Slayer experience.


  ‘I’m just fine.’ The way she looks at me tells me she really is quite young, and I know I have to ask now. I don’t want to be getting my ass thrown in jail for fucking a minor. That ain’t my style.

  ‘How old are you, sweetheart?’ Asking that question causes my cock to deflate, and I know this just ain’t happening now. It’s way too risky.

  ‘Twenty-one.’

  Twenty-one my ass! She ain’t nowhere near that. Now I can see her close-up it’s obvious. I’m guessing she ain’t even eighteen. I can only hope her friend is, otherwise Viper could be in deep shit. And for a second I actually find myself wondering if that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. Viper gets his ass thrown in jail, it might prevent this whole shit-storm I seem to have fucking walked into from even starting. But Viper gets his ass thrown in jail, and our brand new revenue stream could end, just like that, and I can’t risk that happening. So I just gotta deal with this mess some other way.

  ‘Hey. We actually gonna do something or are you just gonna stand there?’ She moves closer to me, reaching out to touch my chest but I take her hand and move it away. Which she doesn’t take too kindly to. Tough shit. This ain’t happening. ‘Jeez! What is wrong with you? I’m offering it to you on a plate here and you’re fucking rejecting me?’

  ‘Come back when you’re all grown-up, darlin’.’

  I turn and walk away without a backward glance.

  There’s somewhere else I need to be.

  Something else I need to do.

  I’m outta here.

  Chapter Six

  Izzi

  I open my eyes, and for a few seconds I forget where I am. And then it all comes rushing back; I’m in the Soldiers of Darkness clubhouse, waiting for Mack Slayer to return so we can talk about how he’s going to help me avenge the death of Aiden and my father. The first part of my plan is complete. But all of a sudden the rest feels a little uncertain, and I thought after a shower and a sleep my head would feel clearer but if anything it’s even more fuzzy than it was before.

  I close my eyes again, hoping to find a few more minutes’ peace, but all I can think about is Mack, and I’m scared because I don’t want to have to rely on him too much. But I might have to. I don’t know how out of my depth I really am right now. I thought I was prepared. I thought I’d done everything I was supposed to do, listened to everything I’d been told. But even with all that preparation, the reality is still a little overwhelming.

  I keep my eyes closed, remembering just a few hours ago when Mack Slayer was up in my face, staring me down; telling me how it was going to be. And all I can see are his eyes. He has the most incredible eyes. Dark-gray in color, they give nothing away about the kind of man he really is, and a part of me wants to know that – who he really is. Because all I know is what I’ve read or heard from other people. And that kind of stuff can’t always be considered accurate.

  There’s something strange happening in the pit of my stomach now; the oddest sensation. I don’t even know how to describe it. I can’t still be hungry. One of the girls made me the best burger I’ve eaten in a long time, with a side of fries and a huge salad, so I don’t think hunger has anything to do with what’s happening in my gut. But the more I acknowledge the sensation, the more I recognize it. It’s something I haven’t felt for a while now. Something I haven’t really wanted to feel since Aiden died. And I don’t want to feel it now, but I know why it’s happening. And it won’t go away, that faint tingling in my thighs that’s causing my skin to break out in a flurry of goose bumps. It won’t go away. But I’m ready for it. I’m prepared. I can handle it.

  I feel hot, and I gently wipe the back of my hand across my forehead because I’m sweating, yet it isn’t too warm in this room. The open window is letting in a welcoming breeze, but I’m still hot.

  I kick off the sheet I’d pulled over me while I’d taken my nap, and loosen the robe I’d put on after my shower. I’m only wearing tiny white bikini panties, but I’m alone, so a few minutes to let the breeze cool my skin isn’t going to hurt.

  Shifting position slightly I close my eyes again, and there he is, whether I want him there or not; the image of him is still filling my head. Mack Slayer. With his close-cropped, dark-brown hair, heavy stubble covering a strong jaw line and those deep gray eyes he’s refusing to leave me alone, even when his presence isn’t physical. And I feel that faint tingle between my legs start to grow in intensity, which excites me, and I hate that it’s doing that, but it is. And it isn’t an unfamiliar feeling, but it’s one I haven’t experienced in a while. And I certainly wasn’t expecting to feel it just yet, not so soon. Not under these circumstances. It almost makes me feel sick.

  I keep my eyes closed and bite down on my lip as I touch my breasts, an almost involuntary action I make no attempt to stop. It feels nice. It feels good. It’s helping me relax. And as my nipples harden beneath my palms I let out the tiniest of sighs. Oh, God, I need this now, this release. But I try not to acknowledge just what – who – brought it on. Because that scares me. So much.

  Leaving one hand to work on my breasts, I slide the other one lower, slowly, until it slips inside my panties and I gasp quietly as I realize I’m wet. Because of Mack Slayer? I don’t care. At this precise moment in time I really don’t care.

  I lightly run my fingers over myself, lingering on my swollen clit and I want to cry out loud, it feels so fucking good! I slide two fingers inside myself, bucking my hips as I push deeper, my other hand now stroking my throbbing clit as it cries out for some much-needed attention.

  I try to keep the moans low, because I haven’t forgotten where I am; that Mack is due back any time now and for some reason that thought causes a rush so strong to flood over me, an orgasm the like of which I haven’t felt in too long spreading through me like wild-fire. My body jerks, my fingers inside of me thrusting hard and deep, almost physically trying to pull the frustration out of me. And then it’s over. A quiet calm descends and I feel the guilt start to hit. I’ve just finger-fucked myself, and all the time I was doing it I was thinking about Mack Slayer.

  Soldiers of Darkness President.

  The man who’s going to help me kill the bastards who tore my world apart.

  Mack Slayer.

  A complication I’m not sure I need.

  Mack

  ‘Is she still here?’ I direct that question at Duke, because he appears to be the only one in the clubhouse right now. Where the fuck is everyone else?

  ‘Who?’

  ‘Jesus, Duke, find that brain cell, will you? Izzi.’

  ‘Oh. The hot English mama.’ His mouth twists up into a leering grin and before I can stop myself I’ve grabbed him by his cut and thrown him back against the wall. ‘Shit, boss… What the fuck…?’

  ‘You don’t talk about her like that, y’hear me? She’s a guest in this clubhouse, and you treat her with some respect. She ain’t no club whore, you got that?’

  Duke raises his hands in surrender, his expression remorseful enough for me to let go of him. He ain’t the only one to be surprised by that burst of anger, though. It’s pretty much thrown me, too.

  ‘Get outta my sight. Go make yourself fucking useful over at the tattoo studio.’

  Duke knows better than to argue when I’m in a crappy mood. But then I realize he hasn’t answered my question.

  ‘Duke?’

  He turns around, his expression still slightly wary, and I can’t blame him. I can be a bit of a loose cannon sometimes. ‘Yeah?’

  ‘Is she still here?’ She better be. I told her to stay put.

  Duke jerks his head towards the back of the clubhouse. ‘She’s in your room.’

  He’s referring to the room I always use if I want or need to stay over. Which is pretty much all the time. I’ve got a place on the edge of town but I like it here. I prefer it here. ‘OK. Thanks.’

  He can sense my mood softening and he throws me a weak smile before he leaves. Yeah. He’s a good kid. A bit cocky sometimes but that’s neces
sary. He just has to learn when to keep his mouth shut.

  I head down the corridor to the room at the end. My room. The door’s closed and I tap on it lightly but there’s no reply. I figure she must still be asleep so I carefully push it open, just a touch, and when I look inside I can see she’s quite obviously not asleep. She’s wide awake, and the sight of her is making my cock react the way it was never gonna do with the jailbait down at Viper’s bar.

  She’s naked, bar a pair of tiny white panties, and I can’t tear my eyes away from her tits because she’s got her back arched, which has pushed them right out, and her hand is rubbing them, her nipples begging me to go suck on them… Jesus Christ! Talk about a welcome home!

  Maybe a gentleman would’ve closed the door and given her some time alone to finish what she’s doing, but I ain’t no gentleman. I’m a horny biker bastard who wants to fuck this stranger until she can take no more. And then I want to fuck her again, which is the scary part. I don’t give seconds. I don’t do that, I never have. But I don’t think once is gonna cut it here. And I ain’t even touched her yet.

  My eyes move to her stomach, following her other hand as she slides it underneath her panties and I silently beg her to take them off; to give me the view I’m fucking aching to see. But she doesn’t, and I have to make do with the torture of watching her bring herself off without really seeing anything, and as she lets out the tiniest of moans I know she’s just shoved her own fingers up herself, and my cock is consumed with jealousy.