by Jade Kuzma
He put his hands on his hips and shook his head.
“I’m sorry about your parents. I don’t know what it’s like—”
“That’s right, you don’t know what it’s like.” I jumped up out of my seat and cut him off. “You don’t know what it’s like to have trouble sleeping. You don’t know what it’s like to dream about your parents smiling and laughing for your success then waking up and realizing they’re gone. You don’t know what it’s like knowing that no matter what you do… They’ll never be able to see it…”
I clenched my jaw and held back all of the emotions beginning to stir inside of me.
“I know what it’s like to lose someone,” he said. “I’ve been out there. One moment you’re having a smoke with a friend and joking around with him, the next moment you realize it was the last conversation you’ll ever have. I’ve lost people, Audrey.”
“Maybe you have. But that was your choice to go out there, to risk your lives. My parents didn’t have a choice. Booth made that choice for them.”
I was getting so worked up that my body started to shake. I clenched my fists to stop but my heart was pounding too hard in my chest.
“Booth is out there,” I said. “I’ll find him and I’ll bring him the justice he deserves.”
“You don’t have to do this alone.”
“Why? Why are you so willing to help me? Why are you so willing to risk your life just for me?”
“Because it’s the right thing to do. Because this is about justice, just like you said.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s not what this is about. I know what this is really all about.”
I took a step toward him and put a hand on his chest.
“You were just trying to get laid. I was just some broad you were taking advantage of. Someone to suck your cock and bend over for you.”
“It’s not like that—”
“Tell me the truth. Tell me you don’t wanna fuck me.”
His throat shifted with a hard swallow. All it took was a second of hesitation for me to know the truth.
“That’s what I thought. That’s all we’re good for. That’s all this is. We’re at our best when we’re just fucking.”
“Audrey—”
I trailed my hands up his chest and wrapped them around his head. I pulled him close, pressing my lips to his. He resisted but only for a moment.
“This what you want?” I whispered into his mouth. “This is what you want, isn’t it? Fuck me, Micah… Go ahead… Take what you want—”
Before I could even finish, he wrapped his arms around me and lifted me up from the ground. Another deep kiss and I’d lost myself. His strong embrace made me forget about everything. Nothing mattered except the way he made me feel right now.
He carried me over to his dining room table and set me down next to it. I gasped as he turned me around and forcefully bent me over it. He grabbed my jeans and undid them, forcing them and my panties down to my knees in one swift motion. The sound of his belt unbuckling was music to my ears.
“Is this what you want?” he said, his breath short. “You want me to fuck you?”
“Yeah… Yeah, that’s what I want… That’s all this is… That’s what we both want… Give it to me—Ahh!”
An embarrassing groan poured out of me as he plunged his cock into me. He was so stiff, so hard, so long. He stretched my insides out. The pleasure made my thoughts go blank before I was able to fully enjoy it.
I pressed my palms down into the table as he started thumping hard into me.
“Fuck me… Harder… Give it to me…”
I moved to the rhythm of his forceful thrusts. The hard pounding of his hilt against my ass echoed through his apartment. I was helpless, unable to move while he gave it to me from behind.
His hand found its way on the back of my head. His fingers tangled in the strands and gripped handful. My jaw dropped and another deep gasp came out of me when he jerked my head back. My face pointed at the ceiling, I moaned uncontrollably while he had his way with me.
“Come on… Don’t stop… Harder…”
Micah was so much stronger than me I couldn’t fight him off if I wanted to. His masculine grunts were all I needed to know just how hard he was giving it to me. His hand tight on my hair and another on my waist made it even harder for me to move.
“That’s what you want, right?” he grunted.
“That’s what I want… Harder…”
He followed my commands. Somehow, it felt like his cock was getting stiffer inside of me. He was giving it to me so hard I thought I would break.
But the amount of pleasure building up inside of me blocked everything else out. One hand on the table, my other hand reached down to my legs. It didn’t take much effort to find my swollen clit. I rubbed myself, gasping for breath as my climax slowly came into view. The edge was close. So close that all I had to do was rub my sensitive nub for just a few seconds before falling over.
“Fuck!”
I cried out uncontrollably as my orgasm slammed into me. I came hard in Micah’s grip, convulsing to a rhythm my body was forced to move. The wonderful pulses kept spreading through me. In my veins, on my skin, from my head to my toes, there wasn’t a single part of me that didn’t feel it.
Micah kept thrusting his cock into me until a loud, forceful grunt made his whole body seize up. His hands squeezed tight, he held me in place and kept his cock planted in me as he started to come. The wet feeling of his cum spraying against my walls made me shiver even more.
We came together, a sloppy mix of unintelligible groans and forced spasms. The pleasure didn’t last as long as I wanted it to though.
His hand freed from my hair. I fell forward on the table and laid against it, trying desperately to catch my breath. Micah laid on top of me, his muscled chest pressed against my back.
Dammit…
My senses came back to me. As good as it felt, I knew I couldn’t enjoy it.
Micah straightened up and I did the same. I put myself back together as quickly as I could. I looked into his eyes, torn because I knew what I had to do.
“I have to do this,” I said. “It’s not about me.”
He turned his head, unable to look me in the eye.
“Booth is out there. I have to find him.”
“I can’t stop you, Audrey. But I’m here. I’m… here.”
“I know…”
I stood on my tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek before turning and leaving his apartment. If I stayed any longer, my emotions would get the best of me. The answers were still out there in Ivory. I would find them.
Chapter 20
MICAH
It was hard to tell which Cobra was more full of himself. Rex had all of the arrogance you’d expect from a VP. Then Jordan, of course, had to be kind of confident, being in charge and all. When it came to Ashton and Grant, they were both too full of pride to back down from anything, though they would never admit it. Doc was the only one who seemed to have his head on straight when it came to being level-headed. Made sense since he was the oldest man in the club.
And then there was Teddy. The guy never failed to remind everybody just how much of a ladies man he was. I hadn’t known him for very long but he made it clear the moment I met him. He was always talking about getting laid. One chick. Two chicks. Three chicks. If the guy had a trophy room, it’d be the size of a fucking warehouse. At least, that’s what he’d lead you to believe. Not that I gave a shit either way. When you were a Cobra, there was always a broad in the clubhouse looking for a ride.
Today though… Today I could deal without him. And of course, the motherfucker wouldn’t let it go.
“I know that look,” he said. “I know that damn look. I’ve seen it a million times.”
“I don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about,” I said.
“Don’t worry, brother. It ain’t a big deal. We’ve all been through it. Shit, I’ve been through it, too. I was a teenager though
, so I got over it pretty quick. But you…”
He reared his head back and laughed toward the ceiling like a fucking madman. He was the only man in the clubhouse who was laughing.
“…You traded in your Army fatigues and now you’re experiencing the worst pain of all.”
“Teddy…”
“I could tell she was trouble from the moment I saw her. A little firecracker like that. Shit… I guess it’s my fault for pointing her out at Finn’s that night.”
“You’re looking you’re wearing that patch.”
“Why’s that?”
“Because if you were anybody else, I’d slug you where you stand.”
“Oh… Now I know I’m right.”
“You got anything on Booth?”
“Nothing. But I’m still working on it.”
“Doesn’t sound like it.”
“Okay, okay. Take it easy. You don’t need to take it out on me. You want my advice? Find some dame and get your dick wet. You’ll get your focus back and stop thinking about this Audrey chick in no time.”
Teddy slapped my back and walked to the other side of the bar.
It was the middle of the day but the clubhouse was still filled with all sorts of people who weren’t waiting for the evening to get started. I sat at the bar by myself. An empty shot glass stared back at me.
“You all right?”
Doc took a seat next to me. I didn’t have to worry about him giving me shit.
“Just fine,” I said. “Just wanna get this Booth situation sorted out as fast as I can.”
“Did some digging. Talked to my people. Found some pretty interesting stuff.”
“Got some dirt on Booth?”
“Not Booth. Audrey.”
“Audrey?” I raised an eyebrow at him. “Why you looking her up?”
“You never know. She’s a college grad. Graduated summa cum laude. Went to graduate school, too. Did some work as a professor. That’s a lot of work and a lot of studying.”
“Considering how determined she is, that’s not surprising.”
“That’s not even the interesting part. Turns out her parents up in the city were murdered by Oliver Pearson. Her father, Albert, was a police detective. Her mother worked at a law firm but it was mostly social work. I figure her pops was targeted for some investigation. Part of the dangers of working for the cops.”
“That lines up with what she told me. It’s a perfect explanation for why she’s so hell-bent on getting her hands on Booth. She’s not even listening.”
“Wait… Did something happen?”
“I told her to be patient. Said the safest place for her was at my apartment or even sticking around the clubhouse. But she wasn’t having it. If Booth is out there, she needs to find him. Didn’t want me sticking my neck out for her.”
“I… I can’t imagine what she’s going through. Pearson got off on a double homicide and the guy who ordered it is still walking free. That was more than a year ago…”
I twirled my glass around on the counter, watching it spin in every direction, my thoughts empty.
“We have to get to Booth,” I said.
“Don’t worry. If he’s in Ivory, he can’t hide.”
“It’s not just that. We have to do it before she gets to him. We have to stop her from making a mistake.”
“He is dangerous. There’s no doubt about that. But she’ll be safe.”
“It’s not Booth I’m worried about. It’s her. She’s out for blood. She thinks killing Booth will make a difference but I don’t want her to have to carry that shit for the rest of her life.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“Because that’s not who she is. She was raised by a police detective. She knows how to take care of herself. But she’s got a good life, too. She can’t throw it away just to seek vengeance for her parents. That’s not her. She had Pearson right where she wanted him and couldn’t squeeze the trigger.”
“That’s interesting…”
Doc leaned up against the counter, his eyes locked on me.
“Lemme ask you something, Mikey. What if it was you? What if your parents were taken out? Just an innocent couple killed in the prime of their lives. What would you do?”
“That’s different.”
“How?”
“I’ve lived my entire life in Ivory. I watched MCs like the Cobras and the Reapers do all the dirty work the cops didn’t wanna do. I was told stories about how the West Devils were the guys everybody looked up to at one point. When I was out there, I killed guys from a football field away without even blinking. Every man in this club has enough blood on his hands to paint the biggest building in town. That’s… just the way things are in Ivory. Guys like you and me… We grew up around it. Not Audrey.”
Doc sighed softly through his nose and nodded. If there was one man in the MC who could understand where I was coming from, it was him.
“I respect what you’re trying to do, Mikey. But you still don’t know what she’s going through. Her parents were killed. I mean, I think I’m pretty level-headed but if that happened to me, I’d turn into a fucking maniac.”
“She’s not there. Not yet. If I get to Booth first, I can handle him. I can stop her from getting to that point.”
He patted me on the back but it didn’t provide me as much comfort as I needed at the moment.
As more of the crowd shuffled in, Ashton and Grant walked up to Doc and me at the bar.
“Yo,” Ash said. “Heard something. You might wanna hear this.”
“What’s up?” I said.
“Ash and I were working on a ride today,” Grant said. “White van. Unmarked. No plates. No VIN. No big deal, right? Motherfuckers are always paying to have work done on shady shit like that. That’s the reason they come to that garage. We don’t ask any questions.”
“The guy who brought it in was real business-like,” Ash said. “He didn’t wanna talk much. Just told us to make sure the thing was running in tip-top shape. He’s on his phone and he’s mumbling about doing a test run or something. Then I heard him say Booth.”
“What?” I said. “Are you serious? Who was he?”
“Didn’t say. But we got the work done quick.”
“The guy didn’t know what was up,” Grant said. “We put a tracking device on the thing. As long as they don’t spot it, we’ll know exactly where it is.”
“Then we’ll know exactly where Booth is. We have to go now.”
“There’s just one problem,” Ash said. “The damn van’s been moving all over town. Going from one spot to the next. Whoever’s driving this thing, they’re paranoid.”
“I know how to tail someone,” Grant added. “I’ll keep an eye on them. It’ll have to come back to Booth eventually. And when it does, we’ll be there.”
“Shit…” I muttered. “First good news I’ve heard in a long time.”
“We’ll get on it right now,” Ash said.
“Thanks…”
Ashton and Grant were gone as soon as they’d arrived. Doc patted me on the shoulder and smirked.
“As long as you’re a Cobra, you’re never in this alone,” he said.
“Yeah… Guess I haven’t been thinking about it much lately.”
“You should try to relax. Maybe have another drink. It’ll calm you down.”
“Nah. Can’t think straight when I’ve had too much.”
“Getting told when to wake up and when to go to sleep. All that time following orders. Army life got you real fucked up. I’m drinking whether you like it or not.”
“Don’t let me stop you.”
Doc got up from his seat and helped himself on the other side of the bar. I couldn’t help but notice how crowded the scene had gotten. I glanced at my phone to see if I’d missed anything from Audrey but there was nothing.
Dammit.
I laughed at myself because I was still thinking about her. I was distracted by my thoughts of her when I noticed someone standing off to the side o
f the bar. He was by himself. Didn’t look like much. Just some asshole in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt two sizes too small. But he was staring right at me.
Who’s this motherfucker?
I kept looking at him until he suddenly started walking toward me. He moved right up next to me and looked me up and down.
“Micah Lawler.”
“Who the fuck are you?”
“I represent the interests of Camden Booth.”
What?
I held back my surprise. My jaw clenched and my fists balled, I hopped off of my seat and got ready to swing.
“The two men who searched Mrs. Solomon’s home delivered your message to him. And they were taken care of appropriately.”
“What do you want?”
“Mr. Booth wanted to inform you not to do anything rash. Otherwise, there would be consequences.”
The man stared at me, no expression on his face. Just a pair of beady little eyes trying to intimidate me. It wasn’t gonna work on me.
“Are you threatening me?” I said.
“Take it however you want, Mr. Lawler. I’m only here to deliver a message.”
“Okay… Tell Booth I got a message for him, too—”
Without warning, I slammed my fist into the man’s stomach. The wind flew out of him and he folded over like an accordion. Every conversation in the Bone Pit came to a halt as they all turned their attention to the scene I was about to make.
“Tell Booth he can’t threaten me. He won’t intimidate me. I’m coming for him.”
I grabbed him by the collar and picked him up. He was too busy trying to breathe to look me back in the eye.
“Make sure he gets my message.”
I kept my hands on him and dragged him out of the bar, tossing him onto the pavement. He struggled to get back to his feet and eventually stumbled into a truck that was already waiting for him. The tires squealed in the air as it disappeared into the distance.
Jordan, Rex and Doc all came rushing out of the bar.
“What the fuck was that?” Rex said.
“Just one of Booth’s men trying to send a message,” I said.
“Booth? Maybe you should follow him—”
“No. I follow him, Booth will be waiting. We gotta wait for Ash and Smoke to track ‘em down. He’ll be too busy getting ready to retaliate and won’t expect it.”