Protection (Death Knights MC Series Book 1)

by Michelle Betham

  I make to stand up, but he puts a hand on my wrist to stop me. “Like I said, Piper. Vanni seems real keen to keep you in some kinda fortress here. And you don’t seem to be complaining. You sure there isn’t a reason for that? You need protecting, huh? From what?”

  “I’m Vanni Colletti’s old lady…”

  “And that should gain you respect, not invite trouble.”

  “Try telling some of the other old ladies that.”

  “They just don’t like new blood coming in and rising straight to the top. ‘Specially someone they don’t know all that much about.”

  “It isn’t their business, who I am, where I came from… It’s got nothing to do with them.”

  “And what about Vanni, huh? Does he know who you are?”

  I realize instantly that just using that turn of phrase, I’ve made it sound like I have something to hide. But I do, have something to hide.

  “Does he know where you came from, Piper?”

  I don’t want this conversation, it’s too dangerous. And when I stand up this time he lets me go, and I head back inside, back to the fridge for another beer.

  “Vanni doesn’t trust strangers, Piper, you must know that by now. Yet, he let you into his life, into his home, and he married you. And you still think he doesn’t know why you were in his bar that night?”

  I drop my head and close my eyes and I know he’s right. Of course he’s right, Vanni probably knows everything. That’s why there’s tighter security on the gates of his estate now, why he always has someone here in the compound to watch over me when he isn’t around. And I think, deep down, I always knew that. I just didn’t want to acknowledge it, that he already knew the truth about me.

  “So, why hasn’t he mentioned anything?” I raise my gaze and look at Logan. “He’s letting me lie to him, and he’s fine with that?”

  Logan shrugs, pushing his dark glasses up onto his head as he comes inside. “He must have his reasons. It’s probably a power thing, I’m guessing. Means he has some kinda hold over you. But whatever you’re running from, he must think you’re worth protecting.”

  I lean back against the counter and take a long swig of beer. But I say nothing.

  “You in danger?”

  I stay silent. Why would I tell this man anything when I haven’t even told Vanni?

  “I guess you and your new husband need to talk more, huh?”

  I watch as he drops his aviators back down over his eyes, and leaves. And he’s right. I do need to talk to Vanni. I think I’m in more danger if I don’t.

  Logan

  She does remind me of someone. And that alone should be reason enough for me to steer well clear of her, but instead it seems to be drawing me closer. And talking to her just now, she’s scared, of so much shit, it’s obvious. There’s a fear in her eyes, an inner panic that she’s trying to keep down. Something Vanni’s trying to protect her from? Someone?

  “Logan?”

  I stop and turn around, and she’s standing there in the doorway, her arms crossed against herself, it’s a defensive stance but I’m guessing she needs those barriers there. Vanni seems to be the only one she’s allowed past them, but there’s a reason for that, I think that’s a given. She needs him, to keep her safe.

  “Thank you.”

  “What for?”

  She shrugs, and she smiles slightly. “I don’t know. I just…” She shrugs again. “I don’t know.”

  I walk back up the steps and stop right in front of her, but not too close. I’m respecting her boundaries. I wasn’t always this cocky son-of-a-bitch, I was a good guy. Once.

  “Did you come looking for Vanni? Did you know who he was, where he’d be…?”

  She shakes her head, her eyes locking on mine. “No. I had no idea who he was, I just needed some place to hang out while I got my head straight and… I didn’t have any intentions of staying in Vegas, but when Vanni showed up…”

  “You saw him as a way of escaping the shit you were running from?”

  “Who said I was running from anything?”

  I raise an eyebrow, but she holds my gaze, her expression doesn’t waver. “Did you stay with him because you wanted to? Or because you needed to?”

  “I fell in love with him.”

  “Just like that?”

  “Eventually.”

  “Well that worked out just fine, then, huh?”

  “It helped. Loving him makes everything that little bit easier.”

  “Vanni doesn’t do closed books, Piper. No-one in this life does, not really. Trusting people is something we all find really hard to do, so…”

  “And everyone knows all about you, right?”

  “Some of ‘em do. But I’m not sure I’ve got as much to hide as you do.”

  “You got secrets?”

  “None that could get me killed.”

  And that’s the first time I see her expression change, for just the briefest of seconds. It’s barely noticeable, but I saw it. That fear, it came back. And then she pushed it away, like it just don’t exist, but it does. It’s there. She’s living with it every day.

  “Vanni’s protecting you from something, Piper. That much is obvious. To me, anyway.”

  “You can’t tell him we ever had this conversation.”

  “You haven’t exactly opened up to me, sweetheart.”

  “You can’t tell him.”

  “Hey, darlin’, I value my life so I’m not gonna tell him shit. But maybe there’s shit you need to share with him. Huh? If you need me I’ll be over by the bridge.”

  I turn to go and I keep on walking, I don’t look back.

  Piper Colletti is a beautiful, dangerous mistake I can’t afford to make.

  No bitch is ever gonna bring me down again, right?

  Yeah. Right.

  Five

  Vanni

  She was already asleep when I got home, just a few hours ago. Turned into a longer day than I’d anticipated, but sometimes shit gets in the way and you just gotta deal with it, no matter how long it takes. And sometimes that’s all best done once the sun sets, and the desert’s quiet.

  But she’s awake now, and I fling back the covers and look at her lying there, all naked and ready, ‘cause she knows I’m gonna take her. I need her. And I find myself breaking into a slow smile as she raises her arms up above her head, gripping the corners of the pillow as she arches her back, pushing her tits out to heaven and I lean over and suck on a nipple, and she moans quietly as my tongue flicks and licks and my teeth gently nip at her skin.

  She opens her legs, spreading them wide, and I pull back just a touch, I want to look at her for a second. I want to see what I made mine, what I need to protect; keep safe from those who are out to end her. And I got people of my own, out there, watching. I have eyes on the Cabbetto family, ‘cause I need to know if we have a real problem here. And if we do, then we need to be ready to deal with it.

  She wraps her legs around me and I push inside her, she’s soaking wet and so fucking ready, and she takes me deep. She moves her hips in a way that gives me no choice but to slam into her harder and faster, and her cries are louder now, she’s almost screaming out for fucking mercy, but she gets none of that. I’m taking her like the bastard I am, the sick motherfucker people see me as, but to her I’m her soldier. Her protector. All I’m doing is reminding her of that.

  She draws her knees back, which tilts her body into a position that just finishes me off, man, I’m coming and it’s freakin’ glorious! She rocks her hips back a little, and I move inside her, and I’m still emptying my shit into her but that gets her off, she’s coming too, her cries filling the room as she screams out my name, her fingernails clawing at my back, Jesus, I fucking love my life!

  Her legs fall away from me and I pull out, turning over onto my back as I try to breathe, ‘cause sometimes I forget, when I’m fucking her. I forget to breathe, she’s freakin’ ruining me.

  I turn my head as she slides out of bed and heads into th
e bathroom, not bothering to close the door as she sits down to pee, and I watch her, and her eyes meet mine and she smiles. And I know that if anyone touches a hair on her beautiful head they’re gonna wish they’d never been born.

  I sit up as she comes back into the bedroom, straddling me, and I lean forward and suck on her nipple again, she tastes so fucking good! Then she takes my face in her hands and she lifts it up and she kisses me, a slow, deep, dirty kiss, her hips grinding against me, her fingers winding in my hair. And then she just stops, and she climbs off of me, and I’m left with a hard-on and an ache in my gut but I’m smiling. She’s a fucking bitch at times, but she’s got me. She’s fucking got me.

  I jump out of bed and she backs up against the wall, reaching down to take my rock-hard cock in her hand, and she looks at me. And she smiles. And then she drops to her haunches, spreading her legs as she takes me in her mouth, Jesus-fucking-Christ!

  She’s deep-throating me, and I wonder where she learned how to do this shit, and then I try not to think about what that asshole Vierra made her do, is that where she learned this skill? Jerking off her father’s Rottweiler? A man old enough to be her goddamn daddy?

  She cups my balls, squeezing them gently as her tongue flicks over my cock, and this isn’t gonna take long, I can already feel it building, it’s about to happen. And I can’t stop myself from crying out as I explode in her mouth, wave after wave of hot, sweet medicine sliding down her beautiful throat, she’s swallowing me, and I’m in freakin’ heaven.

  I watch as she pulls away, stands up, and smiles as she wipes her chin with her tattooed forearm. I put a hand on her hip and push her against me, I need to feel her, next to me. “You gonna make me breakfast naked, baby girl. And that ain’t a request, it’s an order.”

  My hand slips down onto her ass and she laughs, all low and dirty and I just wanna stay here, all freakin’ day, and fuck her ‘til she’s begging me to stop. But not today. I can’t do that, today.

  “Come on.” I slap her firm young ass and kiss her one more time. “We’re gonna go give those poor fuckers downstairs an eyeful of what they’re never gonna get.”

  “You’re seriously asking me…?”

  “Not asking, darlin’. Telling.”

  “You want me to make breakfast, naked. With all your club brothers there, leering at me? You want that?”

  “Like you wouldn’t fucking believe.”

  “You’re one sick son-of-a-bitch, you know that?”

  “Put the boots on. I’ll let you have those.”

  She throws her head back and sighs, but I know she gets off on this kinda shit just as much as I do. And as she pulls on those thigh-high cock-teasers I know every brother down there this morning is gonna have a hard-on for her before they’ve even drank their coffee, and yeah, I’m a sick and twisted asshole, but I like to show her off. Where it’s safe. And here, in my house, on this estate, in my compound she’s safe. I just can’t guarantee that safety any place else.

  Logan

  He’s parading her around like some low-down cheap mama, but she don’t look like she’s complaining. In fact, I’d say she’s playing to everyone, getting off on the fact she’s butt naked, in front of all these brothers, and they’ve been given permission by her crazy-assed husband to leer all they like. But touch, and they’re likely to have that hand removed in the most painful, inhumane way possible. He’s almost torturing them – me, too, ‘cause I can’t not look, how the hell can I ignore those perfect tits and that smooth, shaved pussy… fuck! What kind of messed-up shit is this?

  “Where you going, brother?” Vanni asks as I rise from the table and make to go. I need a breather from this fucked up situation.

  “Need a smoke.”

  “You don’t have to go outside to do that. Piper, darlin’, get Logan here a cigarette.” He looks at me, and his eyes are dark and serious. You don’t ignore Vanni when he gives you those eyes. “Sit down. No-one’s going anywhere. The weapons are on their way, and you’re all gonna sit tight ‘til they arrive.”

  I feel Piper come up beside me, and I take the cigarette she holds out to me, sliding it between my teeth. And then she leans right over to light it, and I try to ignore the fact those tits are so close to me, but she pulls away before I have a chance to even look at her in a way that could see me permanently lose my dick.

  “Go put some clothes on now, baby girl. I think they’ve seen enough, am I right?”

  He looks at each and every one of us, but nobody gives him any kind of response. ‘Cause we all value our lives too much, and he wasn’t looking for one, anyway. And then he laughs, beckons Piper over, slides an arm around her waist and stands up, pulling her against him as he kisses her, his hand cupping her tit, his thumb flicking over her nipple. I half expect him to fuck her right there in front of us, I know he’s not a stranger to letting people watch, but instead he whispers something in her ear, and lets her go, sitting back down.

  “You all know what to do, right?” He once more fixes everyone in the room with a look, but he’s all business now. He wants a response this time. “Good. I’m gonna go make a few calls, come get me if the trucks arrive before I’m back.”

  He leaves the room, heads outside to his office, and I stand up, I’m leaving, too.

  “Where you going, Logan?” Dragon asks, a look of slight panic on his face. Christ, Vanni’s his cousin, his blood, what the fuck’s he gotta be nervous about?

  “Just gonna stretch my legs.”

  “Vanni said not to go anywhere.”

  “He said not to leave the house, until the trucks get here. I’m only gonna go have a wander round this place, see what kind of shit he spends his money on.”

  “Your funeral,” Dragon sighs, leaning back in his chair as he picks up his bacon sandwich and takes a huge bite. “I’m not gonna cover for you if Vanni comes back in.”

  “It’s not fucking high school, Dragon, I don’t need you to cover for me. You just concentrate on that sandwich, and that hard-on you got going on there.”

  I jerk my head in the direction of his crotch, where his quite-obvious erection is straining at the denim of his jeans. And suddenly everyone else starts messing with him, yeah, like none of them have got a stiff one for Vanni’s girl. She got all their cocks hard, including mine, I’m just better at dealing with that shit than the rest of them.

  While everyone takes the piss out of Dragon’s inability to hide his excitement at seeing Piper Colletti bare-assed naked serving breakfast, I escape into the living room next door, a room that overlooks a large oval swimming pool at the back of the house, surrounded by palm trees and assorted other shrubs and bushes, man, this bastard sure got some kinda life going on. No wonder his chapter here in Nevada never seems to be short of money. It’s the one we all come to if we need any help with cash flow, and Vanni, he never lets us down, I’ll give him that. He doesn’t want this club – any chapter, no matter how small – to suffer, to go under. So he always helps out. But he don’t do handouts, he does loans, and those come with conditions no fucker’s ever gonna question.

  “You seem to make a habit of being in places you shouldn’t.”

  I turn around and look at her, and she’s dressed now, sort of. She’s back in those super-tiny denim cut-offs, another midriff-baring T-shirt that just about covers her tits, and she’s still wearing those boots she’d had on earlier. She looks like the beautiful biker’s old lady she is. A beautiful piece of property Vanni Colletti’s keeping safe. For his own means? For her own good? That’s not really clear right now, but he’s hiding her here for a reason, I know that much.

  “You like all that shit, huh?”

  She frowns as she moves further into the room. “Like, what?”

  “Being paraded around like that, showing us all what you got?”

  “You didn’t like what you saw?”

  She’s the one playing with fire now. “What’s your old man gonna say, if he hears you talking like that, to someone other than him?�
�

  “You gonna tell him?”

  “Hell, no! And, yeah. I liked what I saw.”

  She smiles, just a small one, and not anything that sends me any kinda message, it’s just a smile. “What Vanni wants, Vanni gets. Sometimes.” She sits down on the arm of the couch, her eyes fixed on mine.

  “So, what? You were all for it, then?”

  “I’m not ashamed of my body, Logan. And Vanni can’t get enough of it.”

  Who can blame him? “Understandable.”

  “You shouldn’t be in here, though.” She stands up and walks over to a huge mirror hanging above an over-sized fireplace. “You need to be back out there, with everyone else.”

  “You talk to him yet?”

  She swings around and looks at me. “Not yet.”

  “You gonna?”

  “Now’s really not the best time, is it?”

  “Maybe not.”

  “Besides, you’ll be gone in a couple of hours. What’s it matter whether I talk to him or not? If what you think is right, and Vanni already knows who I am, why rock the boat?”

  “What’re you hiding, Piper?”

  She’s got her back to me again, she’s messing about with her hair in front of the mirror. She’s ignoring my questions.

  “Piper?”

  She turns to face me, and those baby-blue eyes, they’re angry now. “It doesn’t matter who I am; who I was. I’m Vanni Colletti’s wife now. That’s all that matters.”

  “OK.” I start to back away toward the door, my hands in my pockets, and her eyes are still on me. “You’re right. I’ll be gone soon, and we may never see each other again, so…” Saying those words delivers an unexpected punch to my solar plexus, which I ignore. I have to, ignore it. Acknowledging it could get me killed. “You just stay safe, all right?”

  She nods, but her expression sends another metaphorical punch to my gut and I swallow hard, I need to leave, she’s right. I shouldn’t be in here.

  “It was nice meeting you, Logan.”