by Jade Kuzma
“I don’t know if that sounds like such a good idea…”
I looked at Jordan.
“We can’t go rushing into this,” I said. “For all we know, this could be a trap. If you trust Ash and Smoke… You know they won’t let us down.”
Jordan shifted his eyes up and down, a half-smirk on his lips as he nodded.
“Still a new patch,” he said. “But I’ll let you run this play this time. This is on you, Micah.”
“I know. We’ll get our hands on Booth when the time is right. Don’t worry.”
“If Booth managed to find you, there’s a good chance he might be going after Audrey, too,” Doc said. “Maybe you should call her. To make sure she’s all right.
Audrey…
I didn’t know where she was or what she was doing. I looked down at my phone then shook my head.
“Audrey’s the daughter of a police detective. She knows how to take care of herself.”
“I sure hope you’re right about that…” Doc muttered.
“I’m sure. Booth knows what he has coming to him. His time’s running out.”
Chapter 21
AUDREY
There was only one place in Ivory I knew Micah wouldn’t be. But I wasn’t in the Grindhouse because I needed a break from him. No… To get to Booth, I was gonna need to do everything. And the Black Reapers weren’t an exception.
The Grindhouse was what you would expect from an MC clubhouse. The sun hadn’t gone down yet but it already felt like the party was in full swing. The liquor was flowing and the music was bumping. The members of the Reapers all looked as tough and intimidating as you would expect. You would think with how big they were, that was enough to make people respect them. But there was something about leather kutte that made them more revered than they would have been. Must’ve been an Ivory thing.
The exception to the Reapers was sitting right in front of me. Messy hair. He wasn’t hulking like the others, his vest loose and the same for his t-shirt. Just as quiet and assuming as he was, I knew he was dangerous. I wouldn’t have spoken to him otherwise if that weren’t the case.
I glanced down at the patch on his chest.
“Petey…” I said. “I suppose I shouldn’t ask you why you’re carrying something like this on you.”
“I have it for cases just like this,” he replied. “If I’d known you were gonna come around looking for it, I would’ve had more.”
“I don’t blame you. Stuff like this is hard to come by.”
He pushed the duffel bag toward me. It was small and inconspicuous but just big enough to carry what I needed. I tossed a stack of bills on the table then searched the bag while Petey thumbed through his money.
“You sure you know what you’re doing with that?”
“My father introduced me to some people who knew what they were doing. It didn’t take me long to figure out, even though I was a lot younger.”
“I’d tell you not to do anything crazy with that but I think that goes without saying.”
“Don’t worry. The Grindhouse is safe. I won’t be causing any more trouble in Ivory than I need to.”
“Likely story…”
Petey gave me a smirk. It was the kind of mischievous grin a kid gave you when you knew he was up to something. It was always the quiet ones you had to watch out for.
“I’ll have to head up to the city to restock,” he said.
“If I’d known, I would’ve stocked up myself.”
“From the big city, huh? I’d ask you what brings you down to Ivory but it’s clear you’ve got an agenda.”
“I just wanted to experience Ivory hospitality for myself. Nothing special.”
“And what do you think of Ivory so far?”
I looked around the bar. The scene in the Grindhouse was a slowly gathering storm all around me.
“I’ve been around gangsters and mobsters and thugs and convicts,” I said. “When you live in the city long enough, you meet the best kind of people and the worst kind, too. But there’s something about this town… There’s something different about the MCs here.”
“Just because we’ve got sheets doesn’t mean we’re bad people.”
“It’s not even that. I look around and I see a bunch of outlaws. But I see good people, too. It’s strange. You… The Devils… The Cobras… I can’t imagine what Ivory would be like without you.”
“The Reapers made their mark a long time ago. Cain and his crew haven’t been around for very long but they keep all their business in Old Town. That’s just fine by us.”
“What about the Cobras? You guys don’t seem too friendly with each other.”
“You see that guy over there?”
He pointed to the other side of the bar. There was a blond guy leaning up against the wall. Just from how nonchalant he acted, I could tell how much of a prick he probably was.
“Needle over there got into some shit with the Cobras,” Petey said. “It’s all water under the bridge for the time being. But if that can’t bring the Cobras and the Reapers together for good, I don’t think anything will.”
“What exactly is your beef with the Cobras?”
“Don’t ask me,” he said with a shrug. “It was around long before I was a patch. I heard all kinds of stories. Something about stealing somebody’s girl. Another story was about someone ratting the other MC out. Another one is that the two MCs just don’t like each other. It just kinda moved down from one crew to the next.”
“That sounds kinda silly. You guys are holding a grudge against each other and you don’t even know the reason why.”
“The Black Reapers handle their business. The Winter Cobras handle theirs. That’s… That’s just the way it is. I can’t explain it.”
“Then I guess I’ll never understand.”
“I don’t take it personally. Some club members don’t even understand.”
Petey stuffed his money into his pocket.
“Now… Is there anything else I can help you with, Audrey?”
“Just one. I’m looking for someone. His name is Booth. Camden Booth. He’s a dealer here in Ivory. Small-time. Ring a bell?”
“With the Triads and Emerson out of town, every dealer in Ivory is small-time. You’d have just as much luck getting info on this guy as you would standing on the corner. Can’t help you.”
“I figured… Thanks, anyway…”
“As long as you’re here, help yourself to a drink. I always like to take care of my customers.”
“Thanks, Petey.”
He gave me a wink and left me alone at the table. I double-checked the small duffel bag. Seeing what was inside gave me a moment of doubt but I shook it off.
Stay focused. You can do this.
I gathered myself and headed toward the bar to get a drink. Most of the people around me were minding their own business.
“Bartender… A beer… Put it on Petey’s tab.”
He looked at me skeptically for a second before Petey gave him a nod. A sip of beer made me sigh but it wasn’t satisfying enough to get him off my mind. I thought about calling him or sending him a text to let him know I was all right. But he was in this whole mess because of me. I was gonna do my part to get him out of it.
I was trying to enjoy my beer when I noticed someone at the other end of the counter. I wasn’t looking in his direction but I could feel his eyes on me.
Who’s this asshole?
I kept my head down, trying to ignore him. But the guy seemed intent on staring at me. He walked up to me suddenly, the crowd loud all around us.
“Who are you?” I said without looking at him. “And what do you want?”
“I represent the interests of one Camden Booth.”
Booth.
I slowly turned my head and looked up at the man. He didn’t look like much. A pair of denim and a t-shirt that needed a wash. His face was dirty and his dark hair was messy but he carried himself like he was worth a million dollars.
“He has eyes
on Ivory,” he said. “He knows what happened to Pearson. He knows who’s responsible.”
“If Booth knows who’s responsible, tell him he can do something about it. Better yet, tell him someone is coming for him. He won’t escape justice.”
“Mr. Booth insists you tell him yourself.”
“What—”
He put down a folded piece of paper in front of me.
“Mr. Booth knows you’re looking for him,” he said. “He’d like to have a formal meeting with you. Tonight. You can settle things with each other.”
“Booth is making a mistake—”
“Come alone. If anybody else comes with you, the police, the swat team, a single member from all of the MCs you’ve made friends with… They’ll all be killed and so will you shortly after. Have a good day… Miss Prescott.”
The man gave me a cold glare before turning around and marching out of the bar. I would’ve followed him out if I weren’t so distracted by the paper. I unfolded it and read the address.
Shit…
I had him. I had Booth right where I wanted him. But I knew it would never be this easy.
What do I do?
I had a few hours until the sun went down. The little time I had left wasn’t nearly enough to decide. There was only one thing I could do.
Chapter 22
MICAH
A few hours had gone by. I passed the time until the sun went down with a few beers. But I didn’t drink nearly enough to lose my focus. Not with all of the shit about to go down. Ash and Grant were tailing Booth’s van. It was only a matter of time until it led us right to him.
Too much was at stake. There was no telling what would happen. If shit went bad… I had to make sure she was all right…
“Come on…”
I held my fist up and gently knocked on the door. No response. That’s what I looked down and noticed the door was slightly ajar. I pressed my hand against the door, pushing it forward with a small lump in my throat. You’d think I was used to shit like this by now but I wasn’t.
The room was mostly dark except for the moonlight creeping in through the window. She stood right next to it. In nothing but a bra and a black pair of panties, her pale skin seemed to glow underneath the moonlight. She always looked beautiful but seeing her whole petite frame on display… If I had less willpower, I would’ve lost control.
“You left your door open. It’s not safe with what’s going on.”
“I knew you’d be coming.”
“I’m hoping you wore that outfit for me.”
“Not just you,” she said, her eyes on the view outside. “I got out of the shower. I’ve been here for a few days and it feels like there’s still something on me.”
“That’s the Ivory humidity. Once you’re here for long enough, your skin gets used to it.”
“I don’t plan on being here long enough for that to happen.”
I looked down at her dresser and saw her switchblade next to her piece. The sight of a gun never frightened me but knowing it was Audrey’s made me uncomfortable in a way I didn’t wanna think about. But there was something else. A small duffel bag I didn’t notice before.
What the…
I picked it up and peeked inside. It didn’t take me more than a second to see what it was. I’d seen enough of it when I was on duty.
“Audrey… You mind telling me what the fuck you plan on doing with this?”
“I plan on taking Booth down.”
“There’s enough TNT here to take down a whole building.”
“If that’s what it takes…”
“This isn’t a joke. You’re only putting yourself in danger with this shit.”
“I’m putting him in danger. That’s all that matters.”
I dropped the bag and rushed over to her. My hands on her arms, I forced her toward me. She had these sparkling blue eyes that seemed to shine in the darkness. Damn, she was so fucking gorgeous. But she wasn’t smiling. All I saw was the same pain that was always there. Pain I couldn’t make go away.
“I’m gonna finish this,” she said. “I’ll finish it tonight. My parents. Jamie. They’ll finally be able to rest peacefully.”
“I can do this, Audrey. You just have to trust me.”
She looked away from me, turning her attention back to the view of Ivory at night and I lowered my hands down from her.
“I remember when my dad got promoted to detective. We had this big celebration. There was a cake and balloons and everybody came out to congratulate him. He was in a good mood but my mom… She was even happier than she was. But everything changed after that. I remember my mom telling me that my dad was always stuck at work. There was always some investigation he had to work late on or some punk he had to interview. My mom was at home with me.”
Her throat shifted. Her eyes glazed over. She was holding something back but she kept going.
“She would always tell me stories about their romantic dinners. My dad was some huge romantic who was always wining and dining her, telling her how special she was. The dinners ended when he got promoted. She was fine. That’s just the kind of woman she was. But I know she missed it.”
She looked back toward me.
“They still had a chance. When my parents turned old and gray, they could be happy together. I wanted to be like that, too. I wanted to meet someone and just… just fall in love. But Booth took that away from my parents. He took that life away from me. Now all that matters is putting him out of his misery.”
“You can still have that life. You don’t have to do what you’re trying to do.”
“It’s too late, Micah. That young, innocent girl I used to be… She’s dead. She’s never coming back. Because she knows how the world works. It doesn’t matter if you’re in the city or here in Ivory. You don’t choose how to live. You can only do what you have to do.”
“Audrey—”
“I felt it with you. When I’m with you, for a moment… It’s like nothing else matters. I wish you could just hold me in your arms. I’d bury my head in your chest and I’d stay there until we both turned into dust and the Ivory breeze blew us away.”
She closed her eyes but it didn’t stop a tear from leaking down the corner of her eye. I wrapped my arms around and pulled her into me. She was still, barely breathing as I squeezed her tight.
“I’m here, Audrey… I’m right here… I’m not going anywhere…”
Dammit.
She was so close to me but something didn’t feel right. It was like she wasn’t even there. I gently pulled away from her and looked down into her eyes.
“I don’t know what this is,” she said. “But there’s something between us. I… I don’t know what’s gonna happen. But we can share this moment together. Be with me right now, Micah. I… I need you here with me. Just for now.”
“I told you I’m here… I’ll always be here…”
I put my hand on her chin and tilted her head up. My lips hit hers and it felt like everything was right in the world. Ivory could’ve been exploding all around me but I wouldn’t have given a shit. It was just us. Me… and an angel from one of my damn dreams.
I wrapped my arms around her and lifted her from the ground. I carried her over to the bed and laid her down on top of it. I peeled my vest off. My shirt followed. She kissed me while she started unbuckling my belt. I kicked my boots and jeans off as fast as I could.
Our lips tangled together while I reached behind her back. I freed her breasts then tugged her panties down her silky soft thighs. I sat up on the bed just for a moment to look at her. She was so delicate, her entire body exposed to me. Her pussy glistened from the moonlight while the rest of her pale skin made her even more appetizing than she already was. But the look in her eyes… I was fucking hypnotized.
My cock throbbed between my legs so bad. I would’ve exploded right then and there if I wasn’t fighting so hard to hold back.
She spread her legs and pressed her heels into my ass to bring me closer to he
r. The warmth of her pussy made my cock twitch. I pushed my head into her folds. Her eyes flickered closed and her jaw dropped. A breath caught in her throat for a moment before she groaned in ecstasy.
I stayed sitting up, pulling her legs up and resting them on my shoulders. Tits bouncing. Hair flailing. I enjoyed the view of her rocking back and forth to my rhythm.
She was so wet every thrust I gave her made my cock tremble even more. I was leaking at this point. My balls tightened up but all of the cum beginning to spill out of me was like trying to stop a dam from overflowing.
“Audrey…”
I leaned down close, pressing my forehead to hers. I locked my gaze on hers while I kept pounding her. Loud thumps of our bodies colliding joined the squeak of the mattress beneath us. I kept driving myself into her until we were both breathing so hard we couldn’t even talk.
I pushed until I saw the edge in sight. A hard orgasm I couldn’t avoid, I gave her a few more strokes before losing myself. Her pussy clenched around me as I felt the first pulse of cum fire out of me. I kept throbbing, my teeth gritted and my eyes locked on hers.
She moaned softly into my mouth, shaking from her own orgasm. The ecstasy on her face was like something out of heaven. She was so fucking gorgeous. And she was right here with me, losing control before my eyes.
I emptied every drop I had into her then collapsed on top of her. A deep kiss sealed our moment together but she kept her arms and legs wrapped tight around me.
“I want this,” she whispered. “I want this forever. I’ll stay with you.”
“I’m not going anywhere, Audrey. You know I’m here for you.”
I rolled off of her then got up from the bed. She stayed on the mattress, a smile I’d never seen before as she stretched herself out.
“Maybe we can stay here tonight,” she said. “Just you and me.”
“That… That sounds nice.”
She grinned at me before closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep. I stared at her for a moment to admire the view. But even with her in front of me, I was still distracted.