A PRICE TO PAY: A Dark Bad Boy Romance

by Zoey Parker

  Just let me make sure I get Jewel to the harbor safely, I silently begged anyone who would listen. I can die after that, but please, just let me make it that far.

  I hit the surface gasping for air and looked around, trying to see Jewel. Instead a bright white light burned directly into my eyes, momentarily blinding me. I held up my hand against it as I heard someone with a bullhorn bark, “Stay where you are! We're coming to get you!”

  My eyes slowly adjusted, and I saw that the light was being shined by a member of the police department's Harbor Patrol. He was wearing a bright orange life jacket and reaching out to me with a pole as two other harbor cops pulled Jewel onto their boat.

  I grabbed hold of the pole and let the harbor cop pull me toward him until I was close enough for him to haul onboard.

  “And just what the hell happened to you two?” the harbor cop asked, bewildered.

  Chapter 41

  Rafe

  An hour and a half later, we were standing on the docks, giving our statements to the police for the third time as the Harbor Patrol towed the yacht to shore. The dock was cordoned off and flickering with red and blue lights from patrol cars and emergency vehicles.

  A medic was patching up the cuts on my hand and face, but there were cops waiting next to him. I knew the score. Once they were sure I wouldn't bleed out and die in their custody, they'd arrest me as a known felon who'd just admitted to multiple violations of his parole, and I'd be back in Potawatomi in no time.

  But part of me didn't care. I was too tired and concussed to make up a bunch of lies for them. And at least I'd made sure Jewel was safe. She could go back to her job and her parents, and I knew that would have to be good enough for me. It didn't feel like it ever could be, though. It felt like it would leave another hole inside of me, one that even rage couldn't fill.

  Once the yacht was docked, I saw a bunch of police tactical officers board it, followed by a team of medics.

  No need for that, boys, I thought. No one left alive on that boat.

  So I was surprised when a few minutes later, the medics came down the gangway, hustling a gurney with a man strapped to it. I peered over and saw that it was Jester, spasming violently as the EMS techs tried to resuscitate him. His eyelids fluttered, and for just one brief second, I could have sworn that he looked at me. But then the medics wheeled him to the ambulance and drove him away.

  “What happens now?” Jewel asked me.

  I sighed, prepared to tell her that now I had to go, and that if she was smart, she'd forget about me and find someone worthy of her. But before I could say any of that, an unmarked police car pulled up to the docks and a tall, cadaverous man with a gray buzz cut got out. He walked over to us, flashing a badge at the officers hovering around us.

  “Give us a moment alone, will you, fellas?” the gray-haired man said. His voice sounded tired and gravelly. The other cops quickly walked away, stealing glances back in our direction.

  “My name is Superintendent Hollis Grady of the CPD,” he said. “Were you one of Bard's boys?”

  Bard's boys. I'd never thought of myself that way, but it seemed fitting. He'd been a father to all of us, in his way. “Yeah, I suppose I am,” I answered.

  “And is it true?” Grady demanded. “Is Bard on that boat? Is he dead?”

  I looked into Grady's eyes. It was like looking into the eyes of a hawk. “I'm afraid so, sir,” I said. “I'm sorry. I heard you were close.”

  Grady closed his eyes for a moment, then crossed himself, his bushy eyebrows drawing together in a frown. “God rest him,” Grady said. “A deeply fucked-up man, but a good one, to be sure. Yesterday, he called me asking about this so-called Family of Thorns. Since you were on this boat with him and several known Thorns, I assume you had some part to play in all this?”

  “Yes, sir,” I nodded. I was prepared to accept my sentence. Whatever it was, it still probably wasn't as bad as I deserved.

  But Grady put his hand on my shoulder and looked into my eyes. “Well, whatever happened here, it's resulted in the arrests of several Thorns. Depending on what we find on that boat, it may even be the first domino that falls in putting them all behind bars. So as far as I'm concerned, that's enough to give you a pass tonight, in honor of a fallen comrade who'd no doubt have appreciated it. I'll massage the report as best I can tomorrow when it hits my desk, and see if I can find a way to leave you both out of the worst of it.”

  I fucking couldn't believe my ears. “Thank you.”

  Grady glanced at Jewel, and saw that we were holding hands. “You just make the most of it, son,” he told me. “Do us both a favor, and do Bard one as well. Don't ever give me cause to see you again. Understand?”

  “Yes, sir,” I said. “I will make the most of it, I promise.”

  And as I leaned over and kissed Jewel again, I knew that I meant every word.

  Epilogue

  Rafe

  A year later, things had mostly settled down.

  The remaining Reapers decided that their best bet was to make Boomer their new president since he was the most senior member left, and he'd spent the most time as an officer of the club.

  Because the ranks had been thinned out so much from the wars with the Bonaccorsos and the Thorns, Boomer ended up recruiting a bunch of members from the Madison chapter. A few of them washed out and joined other clubs or became weekend warriors, but most of them proved they had what it took to run with the big boys.

  Everyone knew that things would never be the same without Bard and Growler, but Boomer held a recruitment drive for new prospects, and six months later, they'd done a damn good job of restoring the War Reapers MC to its former glory. Giggles had been promoted to Sergeant-at-Arms, and Nic had even agreed to take a more active leadership role until the MC got back on its feet again.

  Boomer came to me in those early days of putting the pieces back together. He held out his meaty hand, offering the VP patch.

  “You fucked up bad,” Boomer said, “an' I know we've got a lot of stuff to work out between us, but you're still one of the most badass riders I've ever known. You know how the club works, you know what it needs to survive. If Bard were alive, I know he'd offer you another chance 'cause he believed in you so much, even at the end. If you're willing to work with me, I'd like to have you.”

  I thought about Jewel and our future together, and shook my head, smiling. “I'm honored, man. Truly. But I can't. Besides, you've got this. It's your time now.”

  Jewel and I ended up getting married a few months after what happened on the yacht. We found out she was pregnant two months after that. Since my biker days were over and I wasn't good at much else, we talked about it and decided we might like to try our hand at farming. It just so happened that we knew of a farm with a house that was vacant, one that already had some special memories for us.

  But before we could buy the place and get set up as farmers, we'd need some start-up money. It wasn't like a former biker and felon like me could just walk into a bank and borrow that kind of money.

  Luckily, I had the perfect idea. I called Boomer and asked him to help me arrange a very special meeting as one last favor. When he heard my idea, he laughed for three minutes straight, then agreed and hung up the phone.

  Two nights later, Boomer and I were at the Devil's Nest as Jewel packed up our stuff in the apartment we shared, preparing for the upcoming move.

  At exactly ten o'clock, five men walked in. They were all middle-aged or older, well-dressed, and Italian.

  “Where the fuck do you get your balls, huh, Boomer?” Piero Mancuso demanded. “Calling a meeting with me, after what your fuckin' club did to Jester, Angelo, an' the rest? You must be outta your fuckin' mind.”

  “And not just you,” Lucio Esposito rasped. “All of us. The heads of the five crime families of Chicago. We haven't been in the same room with each other in years, and now you summon us to this filthy shack as though you have the right.”

  “Yeah,” Marcello Rizzo rumbled, �
��what gives?”

  I stood up in front of them with my hands in my pockets. “Actually, I called you here, gentlemen, and I appreciate your time. I know how valuable it is, so I'll be brief. You see, this isn't really a meeting. It's more of an auction.”

  I held up the memory stick.

  “This contains a file with the names of every member of the Family of Thorns in your ranks. This represents your chance to purge yourselves of these traitors once and for all, in whatever way you deem appropriate. And I am offering it to you.”

  The five men stared at the memory stick, wide-eyed.

  “So,” I continued, grinning, “shall we start the bidding at one hundred thousand?”

  # # #

  Jewel

  Rafe told me his plan for the memory stick, and it seemed like a solid idea to me. I knew we'd need the money in order to start a new life together, and after everything the Chicago Mafia had put us through, it seemed only right that they should be the ones to bankroll us.

  I spent about half an hour rummaging through my drawers trying to find the broach that my mother and father had given me before remembering that it was still under the seat of the Saab, which meant I'd be able to retrieve it soon enough.

  I touched my belly, and even though I wasn't supposed to feel the baby inside of me yet, I was still sure I could. I wondered if all expectant mothers felt the same way. I had thought up a name for the baby, and I couldn't wait until Rafe came home so I could tell him.

  I heard Rafe at the door. I put the last few items into the suitcase I was packing, latching it closed and putting it on the floor. When I turned around, Rafe was framed in the bedroom doorway, grinning that grin that never failed to turn my insides to liquid.

  “Well?” I asked. “How'd it go?”

  Rafe reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a banded roll of bills that looked about as big as a roll of toilet paper. “Two hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” he laughed, unsnapping the band and fanning the cash out. “Can you believe it? A quarter of a million dollars, tax-free, and it's all ours!”

  I threw my head back and let out a loud, long, triumphant shriek, throwing my arms around Rafe's neck. “You did it!” I yelled happily. “You did it, you did it!”

  Rafe spun me around once before releasing me. Then he tossed the cash onto the bed, spreading it around until it covered the bedspread in a crisp green blanket.

  I looked up at Rafe and saw that the glee in his eyes had been replaced with something else. It was the same wild, hungry look they'd had in the farmhouse during the nights when we'd been on the run.

  Just seeing that look made me wet.

  “Take off your dress, sweetheart,” Rafe commanded. I loved that he still called me that, even when he was being bossy.

  My eyes stayed on his, hypnotized, as I pulled my dress over my head. I wasn't wearing a bra, just panties. I reached down to slide them off and Rafe darted forward, grabbing my wrists and yanking them behind my back. Our bodies were almost pressed together. A hot flush crept into my cheeks, and I realized I was breathing harder.

  “I didn't say you could take off your panties,” Rafe growled. “Those are the kinds of decisions that free people make. And you're not free, are you, Jewel?”

  “No,” I whispered, my wrists aching slightly behind my back. I felt my pulse pounding against my skin. My swollen clit throbbed as though it was reaching out to him.

  “That's right,” he agreed. I could feel his warm breath on my lips. “Who do you belong to?”

  “You,” I said immediately.

  I felt a twinge of delicious agony as his hands twisted my wrists harder behind me. My back arched, bringing my breasts forward to press against his shirt. “Say it,” he insisted.

  “I belong to you,” I said.

  “Goddamn right you do,” he nodded. “Now turn around.”

  Rafe released my wrists and I turned around, my buttocks grazing the front of his jeans. He lowered himself behind me and I felt his fingertips slide into the sides of my panties, slowly sliding them down my legs. The muscles in my thighs and calves trembled.

  “Crawl onto the bed,” Rafe demanded.

  I did as he said, the thousand-dollar bills crinkling under my palms and knees. I arched my back, presenting myself to him like an animal in heat.

  I heard him unzip his jeans and felt him climb onto the bed behind me. He mounted me, laying his hands on my shoulders. I felt his cock push into my pussy and I cried out, my entire body shaking.

  “You are mine,” he hissed, slamming himself into me.

  “Oh God, Rafe, yes, I'm yours,” I gasped. “I'm yours...”

  I hung my head down, my hair in my face as he kept pushing into me. He reached his hand around me to stroke my clit. A series of orgasms rocked my body like a chain of volcanos erupting inside of me, the lava filling every corner of me until I felt like I would explode. His hand moved to seize my hair, pulling my head back and to the side so Rafe could see my face as he took me.

  By the time I felt Rafe's climax jetting against my G-spot, I was trembling and could barely keep myself on all fours.

  I sank to my belly on top of the cash and rolled over onto my side. Rafe collapsed next to me and we held each other tightly, the bills rustling beneath us with every movement.

  “I love you, Jewel,” he whispered roughly, “And I love you, whatever your name is going be,” he said as he caressed my belly.

  “Sidney,” I said. “I was thinking Sidney seemed like a good choice, whether it ends up being a boy or a girl.”

  I felt him smile against my shoulder. “I like it.”

  I thought about the barn next to the house with the bullet holes in the side, and wondered what kinds of animals we might decide to raise in it. I thought about the fields behind the house that had grown fallow, and wondered what we'd choose to grow there together.

  But I never wondered whether Rafe and I would have a long and wonderful life together.

  That I knew for sure.

  THE END

  OVERDOSED: Fury’s Storm MC [FREE SAMPLE]

  I'M ADDICTED TO HER, AND I WON'T STOP UNTIL I GET MY FIX.

  When a little girl shows up on the front stoop of the Fury's Storm HQ,

  I tell her the obvious truth: "You're at the wrong place, hon."

  But then she hands me a note that flips my world upside down.

  It says she's my daughter.

  I'm the last man on this earth who should be caring for a child.

  The only women in my life are the rotating cast of scantily clad groupies who keep my bed warm at night.

  So what the hell am I supposed to do with a daughter?

  I tell my men to find a way to get Gigi back to her mother.

  But they come back and tell me the girl's mom has disappeared without a trace.

  Now what?

  Just then, a woman knocks at the clubhouse door.

  I open it and freeze.

  Jamie is a knockout to say the least.

  She's pretty, but she doesn't know it.

  Sexy, but she hasn't been made to feel it.

  Eager, if only the right man were there to stoke her fires.

  That's where I come in.

  Jamie is Gigi's teacher and she's desperate to keep her favorite student safe.

  But as clues to Gigi's mom's disappearance crop up in new and unexpected places, the two of us clash and mesh with wild intensity.

  I've never felt like this about a woman before.

  I want her.

  I need her.

  I crave her.

  And I'm going to take her, again and again... Until I overdose.

  Chapter One

  Jamie

  “Miss Hollis?” One of my students raised her hand, then tried to wave me over to her desk. “I don’t understand this problem.”

  I went to her, bending over to check out her work. Erica was always a serious student, probably more serious than the average second grader, but math still
wasn’t her strong suit. I talked her through until she seemed to get it, then patted her on the back and left her alone.

  It had been a long day. I stretched slightly, rolling my head on my shoulders to get the kinks out of my neck. It had been a long week, actually. The final bell couldn’t ring soon enough. Funny how as a kid it never occurred to me that my teachers might be just as eager for school to be over as I was.

  I cast a glance at the only empty desk in the classroom, frowning. Gigi missed the entire week of school—unheard of for her. She might have had a recovering drug addict for a mother, but she brought herself to school every day.

  I told myself, as I always did, not to be so hard on her. I didn’t know what it was like to struggle the way Rae did. I only knew the effect it had on her little girl. I resented that.