by Sophia Gray
I hesitated and considered lingering in the living room with them to see what was going on. But in the end, I turned to head out the door. They weren’t going to say anything with me standing there, and I was still shaken up enough—by my near-death experience and the strange relationship that was building between Pax and me—that I wasn’t going to push it.
Turning away, I headed to the door. When I saw the car parked out front and running, I gave only once last glance towards the two men in the living room. Then, I closed the door behind me. I glanced all around us, paranoid that more men were going to come out and jump me at any moment, but the place was quiet. Empty. Not a soul in sight other than the kid in the front seat of that car.
They aren’t here. Everything’s going to be fine.
I tried to convince myself, but even as I thought the words as firmly in my head as I could, I didn’t believe them. Gripping myself tightly, I hurried down the stairs to the car. I jerked open the back door and slid in behind the passenger’s seat. When I closed it behind me, Alex turned to look at me over his shoulder.
“You good?” he asked.
Um, no. I wasn’t. Not even a little bit was I good. More like stressed out, panicked, and also sore from both the car accident and some very delicious things going on with Pax. But all I said to Alex was, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
He nodded, then turned back around. We waited for Kato and Pax. When I decided I didn’t like the silence, I asked, “Where are we going?”
Alex looked at me in the rearview mirror, hesitating a long moment. “Um, well, just somewhere safe.”
I raised an eyebrow at him. “You’re not supposed to tell me? Won’t I figure it out when we drive there?”
His expression went blank for a moment, then he grinned at me sheepishly. He really was just a kid. Maybe still in high school, even. The thought made me frown, and I wondered what a nice boy like him was doing wrapped up in all this craziness. Was he even eighteen? I thought about asking him, but he answered me first, and then I lost my nerve.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right. We’re going up to the mountains. It’s not that bad of a drive from here, maybe an hour or so. The boss has a cabin up there.”
The boss. I still thought that was just so weird. I guessed it was the whole motorcycle club thing, but I just didn’t know enough about all of that to be sure. And really, was Pax the boss? Did he run the whole club? Or were the Hellriders a big club and this was only a chapter or something like that?
Maybe I would ask Alex. Or Pax, if our relationship really did turn serious.
It’s a pipedream to even hope it will, I thought, slightly dejected and then added, and should I even be hoping? He’s still an ass…
But an ass that was trying to save my life. That earned him brownie points, right?
Lost in my musings, I missed that Alex was still talking. I felt a little guilty for tuning him out, but I was wrapped up in other things.
“—fixed it up and now we used it as a safe-house.” Alex was explaining the cabin, it seemed. “I mean, this place is great and all, but it’s not really a secure location, you know? Everyone and their dog knows about it. Not regular people like you but club members and sometimes some people we work with on occasion. But the cabin’s less known. Only a few people are privy to that information.”
He puffed up his chest a little, clearly pleased that he was one of those people.
He really is just a kid, isn’t he? I thought with a frown. I opened my mouth to ask him how old he actually was, but then the front door opened and Kato slipped into the front passenger seat. He didn’t look happy. If anything, he kind of looked like he was sulking.
I glanced at Alex, silently asking him what was up, but he didn’t seem to know, either.
“You alright, man?” he asked Kato.
Kato only laid his head back and closed his eyes. “Yeah. Just tired, so keep the fucking noise down.”
Alex shrugged his shoulders and turned to face forward. I was leaning forward, about to ask where Pax was—surely we weren’t leaving without him saying goodbye at least—but before I got the chance, my side door opened.
“Move,” Pax commanded.
I did as he said, sliding over as his large, well-muscled body slid into the seat beside me. I looked at him in surprise. I’d hoped for a goodbye, but I thought he wasn’t coming with us. I thought he had to stay. Nervous flutters erupted in my stomach as I thought maybe he would come with us and stay. Maybe we could be safe together—and continue to explore at least the physical aspect of what was growing between us. I knew that was one level we connected on. His eyes were locked on me as he spoke to Alex. “Let’s get moving. I want to be there before it gets late.”
Alex didn’t have to be told twice. He revved the car and took off.
# # #
The drive there was…long. Longer than an hour, at least it felt that way. It could have been the grumpy guy in the front seat, the nervous driver, or the sexual beast sitting next to me; ]it was hard to say.
All I knew was that Pax kept his eyes locked on me and one hand firmly gripping my upper thigh the whole way. I wasn’t sure if this was some sort of possessive macho show or if he just wanted to be close—I doubted the latter—but I couldn’t make myself push him off. Modern woman or not, I liked the feel of his hand on me.
Too bad I’m wearing jeans, I thought and flushed. Jesus, when did I get so horny?
Probably after the last guy sent me through the dry spell to end all dry spells. That asshole.
When we finally arrived, I got out to see a quaint little cabin. Not exactly the sort of place that I expected a motorcycle club to hole up in, but then, I supposed that was the point. Alex hurried inside first, taking about five minutes doing whatever inside before running back out. He stopped in front of Pax.
“Place is clear, boss,” he said.
Ah, he’d been checking to see if there was anyone in the cabin.
Pax nodded at him once. “Good. If there’s anything you need, get it now. You’re on lockdown after today.”
“Right.”
Alex hurried back inside, probably to see how stocked it was or if there were enough porno mags stuffed under the bed, teenage boy and all that.
Kato had gotten out and he was now lazily—or maybe just unsteadily?—heading towards the cabin. Pax’s cool voice stopped him briefly. “Remember what I said.”
For a moment, Kato looked miffed. Then he let out a long, low breath. Straightening, he told Pax, “I got it. You’re the boss. I’ll follow your lead.” His eyes slid to me. “No matter what.” Turning away, he covered the rest of the distance to the cabin and disappeared inside.
Frowning, I looked to Pax. “What was that all about?”
He shook his head. “Never mind that. Think you can stay out of trouble for a couple of damn days?”
My eyes narrowed at him, and I felt a familiar flare of anger. “I’ve managed to stay out of trouble for twenty-five years before you came along. I think I can manage it for a day or two.”
He smirked at me, but it faded quickly. His face turned serious. Stepping closer, he grabbed me by the upper arms, dragging me against his body. “These guys…they mean business. If they get ahold of you…” He trailed off, letting the unspoken promise of the terrible things they’d do to me hang in the air.
A shudder ran through me. “But you’ll stop them, right?” I didn’t like how weak I sounded or how much I was depending on him to take care of things, but I couldn’t help it given the circumstances. I needed him to handle this world I wasn’t familiar with.
He didn’t answer for a long time. When he did, it wasn’t with words. He leaned down and sealed his lips to mine. His kiss was long and hot, full of passion and intensity. It was like there were things he wanted to say but couldn’t so he tried to fuse them into the kiss.
When he broke away, he didn’t say anything else. He just watched me with dark eyes for a long moment. It wasn’t until Alex came out that
he released me.
“Alright, boss. I’ve got a quick list of what I need, then we’ll lock ‘er up.”
Pax watched me a moment longer, then turned away. He didn’t say goodbye or make promises about coming back. He just got in the car and drove away with Alex as I watched him go.
But promises aside, I knew he would be back. I just didn’t know when.
Chapter Fourteen
Pax
Alex dropped me off at the house. I’d given him very stern, very specific instructions. First, to make sure that no one but me got into that cabin without my say so. Second, to make sure that Kato didn’t try anything funny. I made myself clear that I wouldn’t appreciate any attempts on Jamie’s life and that I didn’t want him even harassing her, but Kato was hard-headed. Worse, if he felt like I was neglecting my duties as leader of the Hellriders, then he might think he was doing me a favor by ignoring those orders.
Which was why I insisted Alex keep an eye on him. It wasn’t that I trusted Alex more, per se. Instead, I knew that Alex was too much of a punk kid to have the balls to go against me. He was loyal in the way a puppy is loyal. A little stupid, but tail-wagging happy to see you.
I headed into the house, digging out my cell phone. I had some calls to make. Now that Jamie was out of the way, I could focus on actually taking down the Chaos Disciples. When she was around, I was fucking distracted, and I didn’t care for that. I needed to be on my game to deal with the Disciples.
Dialing Travis first, I moved towards the basement as the phone rang.
“Boss, what’s up?”
“I need you to start getting people together. We’re going to make a move on the Chaos Disciples.”
There was a pause, then, “So they were the ones who got to Kato?” I could hear the low anger in his tone. He and Kato were buddies. Even if they weren’t, he’d be pissed at anyone who tried something against one of our own.
“Yeah,” I confirmed, switching on the basement light. There was some crap piled down there, but it was mostly pretty neat. Boxes were lined against the wall, marked so that I could tell easily what was what, the more important stuff on top since it was easier to reach. A table was set up towards the back, and two trunks were set on either side of it. “I want to make a move on them as soon as possible.”
“I’ll start getting the boys together,” Travis told me evenly. “We got a specific timeframe?”
I hesitated as I knelt down in front of one of the trunks. Digging a key out from my back pocket, I unlocked it and popped the trunk. Lying inside were a couple of nicer shotguns—a Benelli and a Remington, both pumps. Strictly speaking, I didn’t keep a lot of weapons here at the house. There were a few stashed around in case of emergencies, but mostly, I wanted the house to be clean in case someone decided to come snooping around. But these babies were personal property of me. I could claim them as hunting or sport rifles and no one was any the wiser.
They happened to be my preferred weapon, though I’d grab a handgun, too. They were easy to conceal, carry, and shoot. Hard to go wrong with that.
After a long pause, I finally told Travis, “Twenty-four hours. I want to hit ‘em hard at their headquarters in one day.”
“Got it. I’ll send out the call.”
We hung up then, and I started to get my shit together. I knew that the boys would be doing the same. I took out the Benelli and checked the sights on it. It was a two-hander, which meant I wouldn’t be having a Rambo moment, shooting everything in sight, but the Benelli had a nice kick to it.
I grabbed a black bag out of the crate and unzipped it, pulling the sides open. Then I started dumping ammo inside. I threw in several boxes, knowing that I’d probably go through most of them. I also made sure to grab several clips for my pistol, an FN Herstal. Low recoil, lightweight. A damn fine gun.
It was actually upstairs in my room, so I was planning on finishing up here before grabbing it.
When I’d loaded up with ammo, I headed back upstairs. I started dialing again, this time getting ahold of Marco. It rang once before he picked up.
“Detective Roberts speaking.”
“It’s me. You available in the next twenty-four?”
There was a long pause, then he made some ‘uh-huhing’ noises that clearly weren’t meant for me but rather whoever was walking past his desk at that moment. Finally, he said, “What do you have planned?”
I hesitated. I knew that Marco’s first priority wasn’t necessarily to the law but to what was right.
And that was where we occasionally started to disagree.
I wasn’t sure if this was one of those moments where he might think that my doing what I had to do was the wrong thing. And if he did…well, that could go sour for us. He wasn’t likely to turn us in, but I was talking about a lot of murder right now. I didn’t expect the Chaos Disciples to walk away unscathed.
“There’s a woman,” I began, figuring that telling him about how they’d almost killed Jamie might soften him up. He was a fucking marshmallow inside, and I knew he couldn’t resist a damsel in distress.
“You got yourself a girl?” Marco sounded legitimately surprised. Not that I didn’t have a hearty sex life, but I knew what he was talking about. This was a girl I was actually talking about. Big news.
Clearing my throat, I nodded, which he couldn’t see. “Yeah. And she’s off limits to anyone and everyone.” That probably went without saying, but I wanted to be clear that she was not up for sharing. Some of the guys did that with their ladies. Not all of them but some. I didn’t discourage it unless I thought it would cause problems. Like with Jarren. Jarren couldn’t fucking share, and everyone with half a brain cell knew it.
“Whoa, easy there, boss. I doubt anyone’s going to test out your new lady.”
I grunted into the phone. “Good. Listen, the Chaos Disciples are behind what happened to Kato.”
Marco cursed into the phone, but before he could say more, I pressed on.
“My woman found him on the road that night and has been taking care of him.” I didn’t mention that I kept her here because I hadn’t trusted her. No need to put yet another seed of doubt in someone’s head. “Yesterday she was headed out—” I didn’t use the term escaping, though that was more or less what she was doing. “—when she was run off the fucking road by three of those assholes.”
“Fuck, man,” Marco said into the phone, his voice rising slightly.
“Yeah. So now I got her holed up because they’re coming for her. And you know they won’t stop.”
I let those words sink in. I knew when they had because Marco let out a long sigh. I could imagine him slumping back in his chair, making it squeak as he leaned back in it, probably rubbing the bridge of his nose wearily. “You want to take care of them, don’t you?”
“That’s right. And now you know why I have to.”
There was a long pause, and for a second, I thought Marco was still going to argue with me. I wanted him in on this in case this all went south. Not necessarily to be there, but if we were fucked by the Chaos Disciples, I wanted them fucked, too. Even if it was by the law, so long as they were no longer a problem for Jamie.
How the fuck did she become so damn important to me?
“What do you want me to do?” Marco finally asked. He didn’t sound thrilled, but I knew that he was caught up in protecting what he would call an innocent.
Not that Jamie had seemed all that innocent when I was between her legs, but I didn’t tell him that.
“I’ll text you when we’re headed out. If you don’t hear from me after, I want you to send in your boys in blue. I want those assholes nailed to the wall by whatever means necessary. Make sure they’re down for the count.”
“You serious?”
I could hear the honest disbelief in his voice. I wasn’t exactly the type to be using the cops against someone else. It was a bit like ratting someone out, and that was a serious misstep in my book, but this was different. They wanted to play dirty? I’d pl
ay dirty right back.
“Yeah, I am. Just wait for my text.”
Marco agreed and we disconnected.
I made a few more calls as I headed up the stairs to my room. I grabbed my Herstal from beneath my pillow, then shoved it into the waistband of my jeans. Doing a quick sweep of the room, I decided I had what I needed. I moved downstairs, grabbed the bag of ammo I’d left there, and headed towards the door. The boys were getting their shit together. Marco was on standby. All I needed to do was get everyone rallied together and head out.
For a quick second, I let my mind wander to Jamie. Her soft, pale skin. Her long hair, silky to the touch. The way she moaned and whimpered beneath me. But also the fire in her eyes when she got angry with me. She was a real spitfire, and I fucking loved it about as much as I loved settling between those long fucking legs.