After his mate had died in the fire, Vlad had lost the desire to love again. He had sequestered himself away in a self-imposed exile since it seemed those around him too often died. Thankfully, Kane and Kaleb had survived over the years, and did a damn good job at making him proud. They had turned out to be true leaders without any help or direction from him.
Now, Vlad lived a cushy life on Belize. He had left behind his life as a feared ruler long ago. Too damn much work. Not to mention it left idiots gunning for him. Nope, after he did his disappearing act, leaving his tomb empty, he opted for a life of comfort and peace. That wasn’t to say he had gotten soft. Hell, no. He was nothing like his lazy brother. On the contrary, he kept staff and the equipment on his island to keep him fit. He prided himself on working hard.
Some might call him arrogant, and they’d be right, but it wasn’t without merit. No man or vampire alive could take him in battle. Even without the added fitness and grueling schedule he kept to say fit, his vampire genes were the original, which meant no one could match his strength or stamina.
One of the women at his feet, a cute little ginger haired woman, stretched. She rolled to her backside, then righted herself, a saucy smile pasted on her face. She teased one of his toes. Her gaze traveled up his thighs to his flaccid cock. Her tongue darted out, wetting her lower lip, as she caught his gaze.
Vlad frowned, making her full lips dip.
Her forefinger indicated his penis. “Somebody needs a little loving.”
Raising a brow, Vlad shook his head. “What I need is you to be on your way and to take them with you.”
Her hand smoothed up his shin, over his knee, and to his inner thigh. Her movement stirred the other two women. Unfortunately, his hunger had been filled … both hungers. The twin puncture wounds healing on her neck, soon to be invisible. He was no longer in the mood to entertain.
“Surely, you don’t mean—”
“Oh, but I do. Time to take your friends and be on your way.”
The blonde crawled up his legs, apparently not very good at listening, and fisted his penis, stroking it. It didn’t take much for his cock to stand up and take notice of the three women now crawling all over him.
Rather than achieving their desired effect, Vlad was more annoyed at the disregard to his command to get their clothes, and get the fuck out. He had never allowed his penis to rule his desires, and he wasn’t about to start now.
Before he had time to remove the women from his bed, his cell phone rang. Taking a quick peek at the lit face, he saw one name that sent his blood boiling.
Mircea.
Son of a bitch.
He disentangled himself from the bevy of beauties. Why the hell would his brother be calling him? The thought alone raised his irritation.
“Sorry, ladies, but I need to take this.” He grabbed his phone and headed for the bathroom, hitting SEND. “I trust you know your way out.”
Vlad shut the door behind him, before acknowledging his brother. “Mircea, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
“Surprised to hear from me?”
“Cut the bullshit, Mircea. Where the fuck are you?”
“Worried much?”
“What I am is damn annoyed.” The sound of the outside closing door told him the women had finally abided by his wishes. Still nude, he returned to his now empty bed and climbed aboard, reclining against the headboard once again. “I suggest you tell me where you are. If I have to come find you, I promise you I won’t be polite or accommodating.”
“Why worry about what I am up to? Maybe I got tired of the scenery.”
“And maybe you disobeyed my orders.”
“You’re not my boss, Vlad.”
“No, but I gave you immortality. Try my patience and I’ll take it away.”
“You already took Rosalee. I’d say you’ve taken quite enough with your petty vengeance.”
“Vengeance?” Vlad’s ire rose. “It was Rosalee who was hell-bent on vengeance, dear brother. She needed to be stopped.”
“And so you made yourself executioner.”
“Don’t make me take you out as well.”
He heard Mircea’s tsk. Vlad wished he could reach through the phone and cut the son of a bitch’s breath off.
“Why did you call, Mircea?”
“To tell you the next time, I’ll go after the kid.”
Heat rose up his neck. “You threaten a child?”
“You think you can protect your grandsons and their family. And yet I was close enough to take out one of their own.”
“You killed Joseph Sala?”
“Was that his name? Poor sap. But no.”
“No one detected you?”
“I was careful enough to stand downwind. Once the poor boy’s scent of his blood filled the air, it only aided in masking my presence. That’s why I am calling. Pay attention. If I wanted to take out one of the Sons, I wouldn’t bother with one of the lackeys. I would take out either Kane or Kaleb. Or the child if I so choose. The fact is, I have no desire to kill someone like the little fuck with curly hair. Where would the fun be in that?”
“What are you saying?”
“I’m doing you a favor. I’m letting you know there is another threat. I wasn’t the one with the rifle outside of the Rave. I was close enough to do so, but it wasn’t me. I was hoping maybe one of your grandsons would’ve made an appearance. No such luck. Let your grandsons know that I have no desire to take any of their band of brothers. And while you’re at it, tell Kane it’s his choice. Either him, Kaleb, or the baby who dies.”
“You go near them and I’ll personally rip off your balls.”
“You have to find me first.”
“Oh, I intend to.”
“Good.” Mircea chuckled. “I love a good chase. Have a great night, brother.”
The phone went silent in his palm. The son of a bitch had issued him a challenge. He’d need to keep a close eye on Kane and Kaleb, make sure Mircea never got close enough to cause harm to them or baby Stefan.
Vlad let out his breath. It appeared he’d be spending more time in Pleasant. He wasn’t about to leave with the threat of his grandsons’ lives hanging over his head. If Mircea so much as touched his kin, he would impale his sorry ass and watch him die slowly. He’d beg Vlad for mercy before his life bled from him. No one threatened him or his family without repercussions. Not even his own brother.
Chapter 10
Anton removed his skull cap and hung it on the rubber hand grip of his Road King. The cloudless day and hot afternoon sun sent a trail of perspiration slipping down his spine. Running both hands through his sweat-dampened hair, he pushed the stray strands from his face and sighed. The morning weighed heavy on his conscience. He had crawled out of Kimber’s bed at the ass crack of dawn and had planned on heading down the coast. Plain and simple. He was anxious to get back to the Devils. If any of those fucks were responsible for what happened to his MC brother, there would be hell to pay.
He supposed it was the same reason for the impromptu meeting called by Cara Brahnam and her partner Detective Hernandez. Cara no doubt feared he’d be pissed enough to blow the whole case. On the contrary, he was now more determined than ever to see it through. Someone had singled out Joseph Sala and he wouldn’t put it past one of the Devils to have put out the hit. The fucker better pray Anton didn’t find out who, because he’d drain the asswipe of every last drop of his blood.
Kimber played about his thoughts as he waited at the predetermined meeting place. His dick semihardened just at the thought of how incredibly hot she had been, meeting his sexual hunger and then some. He had fucked her to the point of exhaustion and she had fallen asleep in his arms. Once the sun crested, he had slipped from the bed, trying his best not to disturb her. Last thing he needed was a whiney female begging him to stay when he’d had a job to do. To his surprise, she had barely stirred, mumbling something about hoping he didn’t mind if she got a few more hours of sleep. Kimber promptly rolled over and gav
e him her slender, bare back.
How the hell could a spine be so damn sexy?
The sheet had rested along the curve of her waist, stopping just above the cleft of her delectable ass. For the first time in his life, he found himself wanting to beg her to allow him to stay. Instead, he had pulled on his jeans, slipped into his boots, grabbed his vest and T-shirt, and exited the house. He had broken in far too easily the previous evening, which meant he needed to do something about her security before leaving town. Anton couldn’t chance someone with an axe to grind finding out about her, and using her in any way to get to him.
Like it or not, he cared for the little librarian more than he wanted to admit. Anyone wanting to hurt Kimber James would have to go through him first. She may not want his protection, let alone the intrusion, but she’d damn well get it.
The sound of an approaching vehicle brought his focus back to business. Cara’s black Charger kicked up a cloud of dust as she followed the curves of the dirt road, followed closely by a second vehicle. First he thought maybe her partner had driven separately, but he doubted the black Range Rover came with the job. So who the hell was invited in on the meet and greet and why wasn’t he told?
As the vehicles neared, red hair secured into a messy bun caught his attention.
What the…?
Tamera Cantrell pulled her fancy new SUV alongside Cara’s Charger as they came to a stop some twenty feet away. Cara alighted from the car, followed by her mate, Kane, and Detective Hernandez. Tamera was last to jump from her vehicle, a look of unease crossing her face. Why she was here, Anton had no clue. He supposed he was about to find out.
“You want to tell me why the fuck she’s here,” Anton all but growled. “She used to be a journalist, for crying out loud. You have a death wish for me?”
“I’m still a journalist, Blondy. What the hell did you do to your hair?”
He ran a hand through his dark, shorter hair, not really answering her. “I’m assuming you know about the cover.”
“Yeah, well, you looked better as a blond.” Tamera leaned against the front of her SUV, her booted foot propped on the bumper. “Cara can tell you why I’m here.”
“I think she might be of help, Blondy,” Cara said.
“So she knows?”
Cara nodded. “Joe and I decided having a journalist on our side might come in handy. She can do things, and get in places where we might otherwise draw suspicion. And you would draw too much attention if you asked the wrong questions.”
“Gypsy know?”
Tamera shook her head. “For all he knows, at the moment, is that I decided to take my job back at Florence Times. I’m not sure keeping him in the dark is the wisest decision. He’ll want to kick my ass when he finds out I knew.”
“She’s abiding by our wishes,” Cara continued. “I told her if things get too heated, she can bring Gypsy in. But for now, it’s only us.”
Anton scratched his nape, still unsure if bringing in a journalist was the wisest move. “It’s your call, Brahnam. Is that why you called this meeting? To tell me Tamera will be working the case?”
“Journalists have ways of getting informants to talk, people that are otherwise untrusting. We figure she could go in with the guise of wanting to do a piece on MCs, question some of the Devils.”
“And you don’t think they won’t know her relationship with Gypsy?”
Cara shrugged. “I don’t think so. I don’t think the Devils care who their rival MC members bed. Besides, I think their arrogance will demand their voice be heard. Why the hell would they care who she sleeps with? They may want her to know the Devils’ side of things so she doesn’t slant the article in the Sons favor.”
“They’ll care if they think she’s spying on them.” Anton jammed a hand through his short hair. He raised his voice, his ire rising. “Christ, now I’ll be responsible for keeping her ass out of trouble too. You think of that, Brahnam?”
Kane took a couple of steps so he now stood beside his mate, leaving Joe leaning against the Charger. “Cara knows what she’s doing, Blondy. Anywhere Tamera goes, I’ll be close behind. You keep an eye on Draven and your own ass. You let me worry about Tamera. I’m sure Gypsy wouldn’t take kindly to you keeping an eye out for his mate anyway.”
“Hello … I’m right here. You boys act like I’m not in the room, or on this gravel road,” Tamera added with a wink. “Before Gypsy goes all caveman on either of you, I’ll make sure he knows what’s going on. That was my deal with Cara. I’m not about to make the rift between Blondy and Gypsy any bigger. Whether you believe it or not, he loves you. You’re his brother. He just can’t figure out why the hell you would’ve gone rogue, and it burns his ass. He feels betrayed. Let’s get this solved and bring you home.”
“Amen,” Joe spoke up. “I’m all for getting the DEA and Robbie Fucking Melchor off our backs. The DEA has 500k invested in this. They certainly don’t want to lose their money.”
Anton knew the DEA were fronting Draven the money, but as of now Raúl wasn’t moving blow. There was little they could do about it. The more Draven pressed them, the more they’d think he was involved with the cops.
“No one knows more than me what’s on the line, Detective Hernandez.” He pointed at the man. “You can tell Captain Melchor to kiss my ass if he has a problem with the timeline. Draven pushes too hard too fast, his life’s on the line, not Melchor’s. Draven’s already called me, trying to get me to go to Tank, the Devils P, to get him a meet and greet with Raúl. I won’t do that until the heat dies down a bit. When he gets his meeting, I’ll make sure you all know about it.”
“Good. Sometimes Draven doesn’t use his damn head. Pushing too hard could get you all killed.” Cara looked at Kane. “You think you can keep a good eye on Tamera without being seen?”
“You know it. We’ll get her down there, and she can begin questioning some of the Devils. We can come up with some ideas collectively, get their arrogance to talk, get them bragging. Being a reporter, they’ll expect the questions she asks. Blondy can’t get those kinds of answers without raising suspicion.”
“I was doing fine.”
Kane chuckled. “No one said you weren’t, big guy. But the DEA is starting to lean on Cara and Joe. We need more. That’s why we thought it best to bring in Tamera. Besides, it will do her good to get the hell away from Gypsy now and then.”
Tamera smiled. “Oh, what fun he’ll have being daddy without me.”
Anton shook his head. “When he finds out he’s been kept out of the loop, and forced into part-time single parenthood so you could go back to work, where your first case involves me, he’s liable to light up all our asses.”
“Give me your burner phone.” Cara held out her hand.
Anton reached into his jeans pocket and pulled out the flip phone. Cara keyed in a number, then handed it back. “BABE is Tamera. If you need to warn her about anything coming up, you call her and get her the hell out of there.”
Anton shoved the cell back into his pocket. “That goes without saying.”
Cara heaved a sigh. “You get to act like your sweet on the little reporter, Blondy, giving her even more reason to hang around the Devils.”
Lord help him if Grayson found out he was hanging all over his mate. He’d hand Anton his ass, DEA sting or not. Anton turned and headed for his bike. Straddling it, he grabbed the helmet and snapped beneath his chin.
He looked at Tamera. “You better fucking call me anytime you are in the Devils’ territory. If Gypsy’s going to be kicking my tail, it will be for breathing down your neck, not for any harm coming to you. Those boys are as mean as they come and they wouldn’t think twice about trying to take you out if they think you’re getting too nosy. You may be stronger than they are, but they have guns. You’re not invincible.”
“Just let me do my job, Blondy. I’m good at it.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” he grumbled. “Now don’t fucking forget… It’s Rogue. I haven’t been c
alled Blondy since I burned my Sons’ vest. You come in there calling me Blondy, they’ll associate you with me and the Sons for sure, putting us both in danger.”
Hitting the electric start, the bike roared to life. He had one more job before heading back down the coast, getting Kimber one mean ass dog for protection.
* * *
Kimber pushed a dust broom across the wood floor in her living room. She had a couple of hours before she needed to be at work, so she had decided to busy herself. Her mind traveled back to the night before, wanting much more of the same. Put her in a room with her hot-as-sin neighbor and she turned into a first class nympho. Kimber was sure Anton wouldn’t mind a repeat performance, nor would she for that matter, but the last thing he seemed to want was a woman on his arm or in his bed. She refused to become the needy person he’d want to run fast and far from.
Waking around a quarter after ten, Kimber had stretched the aches from her muscles before slipping from her bed and heading for the en suite. She turned on the hot water, stepped in and allowed the heat to ease the soreness. One thing Anton had going for him … well, other than moving up to an eleven on a scale from one-to-ten … was being stellar in the sack. When no other man had managed to give her an orgasm, Anton had no problem finding her sweet spots.
Now, a few hours later, a silly smile crossed her face. She had loved every single reason for her aches and only hoped she could persuade him into spending another night once her shift at the library was over. The problem was that Kimber had no clue how soon he’d be heading down the coast and back to his MC. She certainly hoped he’d come see her before he left. Months could pass for she’d see him again.
At least she hoped it wasn’t longer.
The last time an entire year had passed before she had set eyes on him. Oh, he had probably come home, checked on things and been gone without her ever knowing he had been at his farmhouse. After all, she had tried damn hard to forget the man for the way he had treated her before heading south last summer.
This time would be different. Anton had made it pretty clear he wasn’t one to share. Kimber hoped he realized that went two ways. If he was keeping his libido in check while in Santa Barbara in order to keep her from seeing others, then she prayed his sexual appetite drove him north. Anton didn’t seem like a man who would go long without.
Rogue (Sons of Sangue Book 4) Page 10