by Khloe Wren
“And then what? We walk away from the club?”
“Away from Silk you mean. You really hooked on this girl, aren’t you?”
I shook my head. “It’s not just her. I mean, yeah, I don’t want to leave her. But it’s the club too. Don’t you guys like being a part of it all? Being surrounded by men that understand us, how we operate. Not only do they accept who and what we are, they welcome us with open fucking arms.”
Taz finally spoke up. “I don’t want to leave either. I like the Charons, and once we patch in, we can start actually participating.”
The man had a sly grin on his face and I rolled my eyes as I stepped back from Mac.
“You participate with any more of the club whores and they’re going to move your bed into the whore room and call it yours.”
“The free pussy sure is nice, but that’s not what I was referring to. You heard about what went down last month? With that fucking senator’s aide from Dallas? That is what I want to be involved with. Would have loved to have been on the crew that beat that fucker into the ground. Fucking asshole.”
They were silent for a few moments. Of course I’d heard about it. A big shot senator and his aide had passed through town last month, and on their way the aide picked up a young girl and brutally raped her. He did enough damage that the poor girl would probably never be able to have kids. Then the bastard pulled some strings and walked away with nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Yeah, the Charons had a reputation for doing bad things for good reasons. The fact the aide wouldn’t be able to ever get hard again meant he couldn’t ever rape another female. Of course, with the level of brain damage he was left with, he probably wouldn’t remember what sex even was.
It was what the fucker deserved.
“Yeah, as much as I know vigilante justice ain’t how it should be done, when the system fails, it’s good to know the club will step up to make sure it’s served.”
Mac sighed. “Guess we’re not going to do our job on this one then?”
“Nope. Maybe we can give them the N.Y. mob one? They don’t need to know about the club ledgers. We’ll just tell them about the two mob ones. Give them a copy of each, they can deal with that shit?”
Mac nodded. “That’ll work. And I don’t want to walk away from the club either. I wasn’t sure I’d like it, but I honestly do. Like you said, it’s a family that truly understands what kind of men we are.”
“Guess now all we need to do is somehow get a copy of those two books without Silk knowing about it.”
Taz stepped forward. “I’ll do it. Tonight while you’re sleeping, I’ll grab them and photograph them with my phone. That should be enough, then I can email it through to our guy. If you could get Silk to leave them out on the table that would handy.
I chuckled. “Yeah, that won’t happen. She’ll lock them in her father’s bag. I watched her unlock it earlier. The code is three-six-eight. And make sure we’re fucking sleeping before you come into the room. You do not need to be seeing my woman naked.”
Taz smirked. “So you want me to make sure you’re fucking before I come in? Or sleeping? Pick one bro!”
With a growl I lunged toward him and with a howl of laughter he ran back to the table out of my reach.
“Fuckin’ Aussie jarhead.”
Mac chuckled as he followed me back to Silk. “Yeah, he is. But at least he keeps things interesting.”
Having been his spotter for twelve years. I knew better than anyone how that man could inject humor into any situation.
Chapter 13
Eagle
Turned out those books weren’t anything I was comfortable discussing over the phone. I’d rung Scout and requested we meet up. So an hour later, I sat at a cafe near Silk’s hideout. Damn woman was adamant that the club not know the exact location of her cabin.
I had to agree with her that they wouldn’t leave her be if they knew where she went, so I was trying to help her keep the secret. Although I hated not having her in my sight, I was confident Mac and Taz would keep her safe. I was also pretty fucking certain Scout wouldn’t want Silk in on this conversation.
The deep rumble of a couple of Harleys had me looking further up the street to see Scout had brought Bulldog with him. By the time I took a mouthful of my coffee and set the mug back down, the two men had parked in front of the cafe and were striding toward me. I stood to shake both their hands.
“Silk not here?”
“Mac and Taz have her covered. I didn’t think you’d want her involved in this particular conversation.”
Scout pulled out a chair and Bulldog went inside, presumably to order them each a coffee. Scout kept the conversation light until he returned. The moment Bulldog sat down, Scout leaned in and held my gaze.
“What’s this about?”
“It’s about the incredibly deep shit Silk’s dad managed to bury himself in.”
Bulldog hissed out a breath and his body tensed.
“Sorry, I know he was your brother, but the man was a fucking idiot to think he could get away with this shit. Honestly, he was lucky that plane took him out. It would have been a helluva lot less painful than what any of the organizations he’d gotten involved with would have pulled if they’d known what he’d done.”
Bulldog rubbed a palm over the back of his neck. “I know John had his issues. I’m not going to bust your balls over being pissed at him. Just spit it out.”
“Silk told you about the book Sabella wanted?”
Scout’s voice was rough. “Pretend like we know nothing and lay it all out.”
“There were six ledgers in that bag at the airport. The names on those books? Charons, Iron Hammers, Ice Riders, Satan’s Cowboys, L.A. Mob and N.Y. Mob. Silk had a quick look at the one Sabella wanted and it looked to be a detailed record of a lot of the mob’s dealings, from murders to drug deals. It also had a key taped into the front of it. That was what opened the safety deposit box.” I glanced at both the men’s knuckles. The flesh was scabbed over and beaten to shit. “I don’t suppose either of you got a look inside that box when you were making sure we weren’t followed out of there?”
“Brief glance. Looked like a few rolls of cash along with bank statements.”
I nodded. “There was a second box at the bank, in Silk’s name. It contained rolls of cash, a gun and a thick envelope. A note taped to the front of that told Silk that if she was with anyone from the L.A. mob, she should run as soon as she could.”
“I gather she’s had time to open it by now. What was in there?”
“A copy of the L.A. mob ledger, along with a letter. I haven’t read it but from what Silk told me, he explained why he did what he did. It would seem he was approached to gather information when he was still a prospect in the Iron Hammers, then before he patched in he was sent up north to gather information on someone else. At some point he figured out it was easier to steal from organizations, rather than spy on them. Obviously, he worked out at some point it would came back to bite him in the ass, so left these boxes around the country.”
Scout leaned in closer. “Boxes? You’ve looked in the other ledgers then?”
“All but the Charons. We completely agreed with Silk when she demanded that book remain untouched by all four of us. We don’t need to know club secrets that will, no doubt, just make things awkward.” I paused to pull the book from where I’d stored it inside my jacket. “Here. No one’s opened it since John last shut it. If it’s like all the others, there’ll be an envelope on that front page that contains a key to a deposit box. On the page under the envelope will be a bank address and box number.”
Scout pulled the string off and sure enough, there was a key in the front. He quickly flicked through the pages.
“Fucking asshole. How’d he even get half of this shit?”
Bulldog tensed. “Don’t look at me. I never once told anyone anything about what we do at the club.”
Scout shook his head. “I know it’s not you, brother. This shit starts
before you were patched in. We need to get down to Galveston to see what he has stored there on us.”
“The Iron Hammers’ box is down there too. I was wondering if we might be able to use whatever it contains to get them out of our town for good?”
“That’d be fucking brilliant if we can pull it off. But without seeing what’s in there, I can’t say. Silk up for a road trip? It’s still a week till 9/11.”
“She’ll do what she has to. You know that. But she’s refusing to go to New York. The Cowboys’ box is in Dallas and the Ice Riders’ is up in Boston. The only one she’s flat out refusing to go get is the N.Y. mob one, which I can understand. Maybe we should just toss that one to the cops or something?”
Bulldog shook his head. “Nah, we’ll keep it close for now. If the L.A. guys come gunning for us, we might be able to use it to buy them off our backs. We’ll get Silk to sign a release to allow them to get the fucking box.”
I nodded. It might work. Although, if any of those bastards came near Silk again, I wasn’t planning on letting any of them walk away, so they wouldn’t need to be bought off.
“Right. Well, when do you want to head down there? Silk’s pretty determined that neither of you know where her little hideout is located so I can head back to get her and the boys, then meet you back here in town.”
Scout was silent for a moment, clearly in deep thought.
“Yeah, we’ll go down there with just the six of us. I’ll put the club on alert, and if we get in trouble, they’ll be ready to ride. But I’d prefer if we could slip in and out of there without the Hammers knowing we were ever in Galveston. It’s getting too late to do it today, so we’ll head down first thing in the morning. Meet us here at eight. That’ll get us to the bank just as it opens. We’ll worry about the other boxes after 9/11. They’ve already been sitting there for over fifteen fucking years–another couple weeks or months isn’t gonna to make a difference.”
With a nod I rose to my feet. He was right to have the club on alert. Galveston was firmly Iron Hammer territory. If we got caught down there, things could get bloody.
Bulldog stood too. “Before you go, I’ve got something for you.” The man strode back to his bike and returned with a couple of bags he’d pulled from his saddle bags.
“Silk had these packed ready to bring with her. Figured she’d appreciate having some fresh clothes and her other shit.”
I fought down a smile. Silk had begun to bitch about her lack of clean underwear already. “Thanks for that. I’m sure she’ll appreciate it.”
Bulldog narrowed his gaze a moment before Scout came and slapped the man on the back and broke the moment.
“Settle down. You know he’s going to take good care of her. Once 9/11 is done passed we’ll sort out you, Taz and Mac patching in. All three of you have more than earned it.”
No way could I hold my grin in at that. That top rocker was worth its weight in gold. Not only getting me deeper in with the club, but also making it so I wouldn’t have to sneak around to see Silk.
“Thanks, man. I can’t wait.”
The man smirked at me. “I can’t imagine why.”
Yeah, the President knew how I felt about Silk. Hell, I was pretty sure the entire fucking club knew by this point. It wasn’t like I tried to hide it, and the moment that top rocker was on my back, I’d be claiming her for my old lady in front of them all.
Silk
Once I finished looking over that damn book, I went and made myself a hot chocolate. The things I’d read would forever be in my mind. So many people killed or injured. I truly had been lucky to escape them with only a few bruises. It also made it clear to me that there was no way in hell they’d simply let me walk away, especially if they’d read that whole ledger and worked out how much money Dad had stolen from them. He hadn’t detailed the transactions he’d interfered with, but if I could figure out which ones he tampered with, it wouldn’t take Antonio or one of his men long to figure it out. Then they’d come for me.
I took my cup out to the front porch and sat on the porch swing, watching the driveway for when Eagle returned from his meeting. I hoped Scout didn’t demand I go to New York. I could handle collecting all the others for them, but not that one. So far I’d managed to avoid going to New York since 9/11. I had no desire to see the site where the twin towers used to stand. It was all part of my history that I wanted to forget existed.
A deep rumble had my thoughts clearing and a smile spreading over my face when Eagle rode up to the front of the cabin on his own. I hadn’t been entirely sure he would manage to convince Scout and my uncle to not come see that I was fine with their own eyes.
The sun caught his thick, shiny, black hair as he pulled his helmet free and hooked it over a handlebar. He was a beautiful male, that’s for sure. I sighed as he swung his lean leg over the bike, giving me an excellent view of him from the back. His jeans clung to his butt like a second skin and I couldn’t tear my gaze away from the sight.
When he turned, I felt my cheeks heat as I quickly glanced away. Dammit. I’d been busted checking out his ass. Again.
“Hey, baby. Like what you see?”
I lifted my mug to take a mouthful of rich, chocolaty goodness before I responded.
“How did it go?”
“Coward.”
Yeah, I totally was. But, whatever. I risked a glance up at him and he stood there holding two very familiar looking bags. After setting my mug down, I was on my feet in a moment and rushing toward where he stood at the top of the stairs.
“You got my bags? How did you know?”
He carefully dropped them both to the ground and caught me when I tried to reach for them.
“Your uncle brought them for you. Where’s my welcome home kiss?”
Heat raced over my cheeks again. “Sorry.”
I leaned into him, lifting my face and he lowered his, Eagle’s soft lips on mine causing a shiver to run through me. His hands roamed over me, until one was holding my pelvis against his while the other gripped the back of my neck, holding me still as he devoured me. My hands weren’t idle either. I ran them up his arms and into his thick hair. I loved how the silky strands felt against my skin.
He slowed the kiss and nibbled on my lower lip, kissed the corner of my mouth, then nipped at my jawline before he pulled back. My brain was barely working with all the arousal coursing through my body, and I went lax as I rested my head on his chest. The scent of leather and Eagle filled my lungs and my knees went even weaker.
Damn man chuckled at me a moment, before he scooped me up in his arms and headed inside.
“I rather like that my kisses have this effect on you. Now I know how to win any arguments we might have in the future. I just need to get my mouth on you.”
I lightly slapped at his chest. “I don’t think so. I let you affect me this time. If we’re arguing, I won’t let you distract me so easily.”
“That sounded like a challenge, baby. Of course, I’m not sure how to test it because you’re going to always do what I tell you, so we won’t ever argue.”
That had me laughing hard enough my eyes watered.
“You are deluded if you think I’ll do what I’m told!”
He grinned down at me. “There’s one place I know you do exactly what you’re told.”
The heat in his gaze had goosebumps rising on my skin and my breaths turning into shallow pants, but I couldn’t look away. I’d never had such an intense man. Maybe it was a Marine thing. Everything they did, they did thoroughly.
He dropped me on the bed, then delivered a hard, fast kiss to my mouth.
“Stay right there.”
He strode from the room and I rolled off the bed. Yeah, right. Like I was going to stay in bed in the middle of the freaking afternoon while he went off to do whatever it was he was doing. I headed to the bathroom to use the toilet, and after washing my hands I splashed some cold water on face to try to cool off a little. Eagle was tying me in knots. And I worried he was rig
ht–he’d bind me to him so tightly, I would do whatever he told me. Would I lose myself in him? Lose my independence?
“Why are you not where I left you, sweetheart?”
I squealed as I jumped about a foot in the air. “Fuck, Eagle! Scare the shit out of me next time. Make some noise when you walk, would you?”
He wrapped his arms around my middle and nuzzled his face into my neck. “Sorry, babe. After so long in the Marines, I’ll probably always walk silently. Want to tell me why you’re not on our bed, waiting for me?”
I pressed back against him, rolling my body against his.
“I needed to pee, Eagle. And I didn’t think you were serious about me not moving at all. I’m still in the room. Sort of.”
“Hmm. Well, I had plans for you on the bed. Guess I’ll have to mix things up a little now with some punishment. Ever been spanked, Silk?”
I stilled and met his gaze in the mirror over the sink. “Not since I was a young girl. I’m not a child, Eagle. You can’t spank me because I didn’t do what you told me to.”
His eyes darkened. “That’s exactly what I’ll do. But don’t worry, I’ll save that for next time. This time I’ll go with something a little more creative. Something that’ll have you burning for me. Oh, and trust me, I’m fully aware of how much you are not a child.”
Before I could say another word, he had my shirt up over my head and my bra on the floor. He palmed both my breasts and I forgot all about being mad at him. A shiver ran through me as he kneaded, then tweaked the bars through my nipples.
“Fuck, Silk. You’re so responsive. Put your hand on either side of the sink, and hang on.”
Lust swirled through my mind and I didn’t even think to deny his request–not if it meant he was going to keep touching me. The moment my fingers were wrapped around the cool porcelain of the sink, he tore at the zipper of my jeans and tugged them down. With quick, jerky movements, he had them wrapped around my ankles, restraining my movements.