by KJ Dahlen
She glanced up at his face again and this time she found her gaze trapped by his blue eyes and his soft smile. She leaned toward him and brushed her lips on his.
Jack groaned and flopped over on his back dragging her on top of him. His cock was hard as steel as she fit herself into his cradle. She began rubbing her wet core against his skin lubricating his member. Both were panting by the time he lifted her up slightly and brought her back down as he slid inside her.
Kalinda moaned as she impaled her body with his. Stretching her hands out on either side of his face, she began to ride him. Slow and easy at first, then Jack grabbed her hips and pushed her up and down, losing control as she slid on him.
Kalinda could feel her body tighten and then she felt the explosion coming as it always did. She leaned down to his chest and licked the hard nipple on his chest.
Jack groaned at the touch of her tongue and then she was crying out his name as they exploded at the same time. Jack roared with his release and held her hips to his. It was like this every time they mated. Her body drove him to distraction and he always came inside her hard.
When he could breathe again he looked at her and saw her slight smile. He grinned in response. “I could wake up to that every morning.”
“You have ever morning for the past three years, husband.” She laughed softly.
“I know but now we got the rest of our lives to do it.” He leaned up and kissed her. “And now, I can call you wife.” He laid back and looked at her. “Although I never needed a piece of paper to claim you as my own. This way, no one can take you away from me.”
Kalinda smiled at him with nothing but love in her eyes. Reaching up to cup his jaw, she spoke her words softly, “I never would have left you willingly in the first place, husband. You are the one man in this whole word that I love more than life itself. I would die for you but I also live because of you too.” She paused then added. “The day we met three years ago, I stayed with you because you made me feel safe. That was something I never felt before. You wrapped your arms around me and I felt I was home. You gave me something I never had before and I wanted more. I wanted that feeling for the rest of my days. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with you, I think I fell in love the first time you kissed me. I stayed with you because I never wanted to leave you. I didn’t need the piece of paper either but you honored me yesterday by giving me your name and I will try to bring it honor. I know how much your name means to you and your family. My name didn’t mean that much to me because it brought nothing by disgrace and dishonor to my soul. My father and his family bring shame to my people. I’m told they will burn in the fires of hell for the rest of eternity and I can only pray that they do.”
Jack glared at her. “Who told you this?”
She put her fingers over his mouth and stared at him. “I don’t know who he was but I think he was Renegade’s grandfather. He came to see me last night. At first, I thought it was a dream because I could see right through him. He told me I hold a secret and because of that, they will kill me if they find me.”
Jack growled and moved her off him. He reached for his clothes and pulled them on angrily.
She reached out to him and when she laid her hand on his arm, he snapped his head around to her. She cringed at the look in his eyes but she held his gaze. “He wasn’t real, babe. I don’t know what it meant and I still don’t but we can’t go off halfcocked and blame anyone until we talk through this.”
“Where did this meeting take place?” Jack asked.
“He came to me last night when we were in bed,” she admitted timidly.
“He was here last night? How the hell did he get in here!” Jack rallied. “Why didn’t you wake me?”
“Because I felt no danger from him. He wasn’t even real like you are thinking but I did find out something.”
“Oh, what was that?” Jack asked with a frown.
“He was the one who drove me to Austin that night.”
“And how do you know that?” Jack’s frown deepened.
“I smelled the cloves. Just after he left, I smelled the cloves again.”
Jack sat down on the bed hard. He searched her face and asked, “What does that mean?”
Kalinda shook her head. “I don’t know. We’ll need to ask Renegade about it.”
Just then, they both heard a crackle of the baby monitor and the shrill cry of their daughter waking up. Jack ran his hands over his head and grunted. Looking over at Kalinda he said, “Get dressed while I change her and we’ll go to the clubhouse and speak to Renegade. Maybe he’ll have some answers.”
Kalinda nodded as Jack stomped out of the room. She knew what she said had upset him. How could she ever really explain it? She’d always known about spirit things and she was well aware that most people knew nothing of these subjects. She, herself didn’t know a lot. But it had almost seemed natural when the old man came to her. How odd, she didn’t even feel scared when he was here. She realized now that she just accepted it.
It did make her feel a little saddened to have never known him. Renegade said he’d been raised by the man. It was sad that she never even got to know her own tribe. But that was Joshua’s doing. Greed. That was what had done all of this. Robbed her of her mother and her sister.
She prayed this new secret wouldn’t be more trouble coming their way though, as she had no clue what secret she still held but the old man from last night seemed to think she would know when the time came to reveal it.
An hour later, they walked into the clubhouse. Jack’s family was just sitting down to breakfast. Jack put the baby in her playpen and went to grab a plate. Kalinda saw Renegade standing over by the windows and went over to join him.
He turned at the sound of her footsteps and watched as she joined him. “How are you this morning?” he asked her.
“I’m okay, I guess.” She shrugged. Turning, she looked outside for a moment then without turning her head back to him she told him, “I had a visitor last night, one I think belongs to you.”
He gasped softly. He grabbed her shoulders and turned her around to face him. His fingers bit into her arms and she tried to pull away but he wouldn’t allow her to. She cried out and they both could hear chairs being backed up and footsteps rushing over to where they were standing.
Kalinda shook her head to stop Jack or anyone else breaking them apart. “Why would your grandfather come to me last night? Why would he tell me that I still had a secret to share? He warned me that my family will kill me to keep this particular secret.”
“I don’t know.” Renegade looked over at the others as well. “He came to me last night as well. He told me the Moon family had killed him but that was what Fate had written. He’d known what would happen as he told me of it before when I called him and it did. He knew I was here to help you guys protect her but he also said it was time the last secret had to be known.”
“Did he say what that secret was?” Kalinda asked. “Because I have no idea what it is or why they need me dead before I can tell it.”
“No, he didn’t tell me but he did say your mother died for this secret.”
Kalinda looked over at Jack. “I must have told her and she told him about it.”
“And you have no clue what this could be?” Silas asked.
Kalinda shook her head.
“We were able to make some progress on tracking the drugs,” Harry told his family. “We found fourteen towns the Vision Quest drugs have shown up in.”
“And how did you manage that?” Tate asked his son.
It was Annie that answered this, “We simply followed the bodies.” Her voice vibrated with unspoken anguish.
“What she means is once we knew what to look for it wasn’t that hard to find it,” Harry explained. “The numbers from the deaths associated with this drug are staggering.”
“How many?” Creed asked with a glare.
“Thirty-nine so far,” Harry told them.
Kalinda gasped and her knees buckl
ed. She caught herself as Jack stepped up and caught her in his arms. “Oh, my god...” she whispered.
“We need to stop these bastards any way we can,” Annie cried out. Shaking her head, she looked over at Kalinda. “I’m sorry, I know these guys are your family and all, but they need to be stopped.”
“They aren’t my family!” Kalinda cried out. “The same blood runs through our veins but those men are not my family. Family means people that care about you, not someone who tries to kill you. Family means you look out for one another not try to hurt you just because they can. It means having your back in times of trouble, not waiting for your brother to stick a knife in it.” She paused and looked around. She saw the faces around her but she could hardly see them with the tears rolling down her face. “You guys are everything a family should be. You’re strong and you have each other’s backs. You can depend on not only yourself but every member of this family. You don’t even have to ask for help, its already there. That’s a family. My dad and his brothers are not my family. They aren’t anything I want to call mine at all.” She turned to Renegade. “Your grandfather told me last night it was their fate to burn in the flames of hell and I hope with everything I have in me that that is truly their fate. It would be fitting.”
She turned and walked away from the group, walking over to where her daughter was playing quietly. She picked up her baby and held her close. She whispered in her baby’s ear and they all watched as her tears fell and her heart broke. She looked so helpless, so broken.
Jack looked so upset as if he didn’t know if she could come back from this blow.
Tate came over to his second born son and nodded over at Kalinda. “You need to watch over her well. She looks like she can’t take another hit.”
“I know Dad, I know.” Jack sighed. “She’s always been so strong, even before she remembered everything. Her family, what’s left of it is pure evil. She knows it now and it has hit her hard. She told me once that being part of a family was all she ever wanted and not knowing who she came from was the worst thing she could imagine.”
“And now she knows where and who she comes from,” Renegade said softly as he joined them. “I called my uncle back home and he confirmed my grandfather’s death last night. He also said the fire was too hot to get him out of the house before it burned to the ground.”
“So there’s no way of proving his death was anything but an accident.” Tate glared.
“That’s what the Moon’s would like everyone to believe but there was a witness that puts them at the scene both before and after the fire.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” Jack demanded.
“Someone was watching my grandfather’s house last night. They saw the Moon’s go in and they saw them come out. He tried to get inside after they left to check on my grandfather but by then the fire was burning too hot. He called the people and they came but no one could get inside until it was too late to save him. They didn’t realize it was already too late.”
“Then why haven’t they been picked up already?” Tate growled.
“The police are looking for them.” Renegade told them. “They aren’t going to be that hard to find. According to the witness, they were driving five big trucks and three of them are hauling trailers. Now that its daylight, they expect to find them quickly.”
“Do they have any idea which direction they went?” Silas asked.
Renegade shook his head.
“Then they could be anywhere by now.” Tate looked disgusted.
“They could be but somehow, I doubt it.” Renegade shrugged.
“What are you saying?” Jack asked him.
“I have a feeling they are on their way here.” Renegade met his eyes.
“Why would they come here?” Silas asked with a narrowed gaze. “How would they know where she was, unless you told them? Is that what you did? Did you tell anyone where she was?”
Renegade glared at the other man. “No old man, I didn’t tell them jack shit. But I have a feeling my grandfather wouldn’t have put such an emphasis on my staying here to protect Kalinda if he wasn’t sure they would come looking for her. I don’t know how or why but I have a feeling they know where she is. I think they’ve known for some time where she’s been.”
“Son of an everlovin’ bitch!” Jack swore as he turned to look at the woman he couldn’t live without. She was standing there still cradling their daughter and both of them were the reason he could breathe. He couldn’t imagine life without them. He knew then he couldn’t let her go.
He turned back to his father. “I have to get them out of here. We’ll go somewhere safe and stay there until this threat is over.”
“No you can’t do that,” Renegade interjected.
Jack turned his head and glared at him. “I can and I will.”
“No, Jack.” Her soft voice came from behind him.
Turning to look at her, he found her standing close.
Before he could say anything she shook her head. “I will not run again. I’ve been running all my life. I’ve had a fear in my heart for forever it seems. Now I know what it is I’ve been running from and it has to stop. I won’t run and hide from my family anymore. Its time for me to take a stand. I may lose but I’m not running anymore. My fear took the power away from me and by God, I’m taking it back. I want to breathe free again. If I want a life with you and our children, then I have to face my fears and beat them. I have to stand my ground and be as strong as I can be when they get here. I can only do that with you beside me.” She took his hand in hers. “Will you stand with me?”
“Always woman. I will always stand with you. I got your back and I always will.” He leaned forward and crushed her mouth under his. He kissed her hard and long and when the kiss broke, they were both breathless. “You will never stand alone as long as I’m alive, wife. I took you for better or worse and I meant those words. We took our vows before God and family. Nothing is more scared than that.”
“Ok,” she whispered as she looked into his eyes. “I believe you and what’s more I believe in you. God, I love you so much.”
Silas cleared his throat. “Well, now that that’s cleared up, we need to make some plans in case they get here before we’re ready for them.”
Chapter Seven
Michael pulled into the warehouse parking lot on the outskirts of Austin. He was tired and a little sore from the drive. He groaned as he got out of his truck and watched as his four sons joined him.
He looked over at James and grinned. “Phase one is almost over. Back your trailer in between these two buildings. I’ll check for payment and then we can find somewhere to get some sleep.”
James nodded. Returning to his truck, he backed up his trailer between the two buildings. Joshua watched his brother then turned to his father. “Are you sure you really want to do this? I mean selling the recipe for Vision Quest will make someone else money but we won’t be getting it.”
Michael shook his head. “We’ve got four million dollars’ worth of pills in that trailer. That money will go a long way for us. Besides,” Michael snorted. “The recipe has one missing ingredient in it. Nowhere in the recipe I sold to the MC is the peyote. That is what made Vision Quest so good. However, these guys will never know the difference. All they know is they own a designer drug and can sell it on the street.”
“Are you really going to cheat an MC?” Craig shook his head. “It’s probably a good thing we’re leaving the country before they can find out you’ve cheated them out of the prize then huh?”
Michael snorted. “What are they gonna do to us? Go to the cops and tell them we cheated them? Don’t be stupid, they aren’t gonna do shit to us.” He nodded when James joined them again.“I’ll get the money and we can get out of here. I don’t want to be anywhere around here when the MC shows up.” He walked over to the main warehouse and checked the pond in the front. The water was dirty and mucky but he found what he was looking for. He pulled up the handle and brought
out a small wet bag. He opened it and smiled at the sight of the money inside.
He went back over to his truck and jumped in the driver’s seat. Looking at his sons he said, “What the fuck you waiting on boys? Let’s get the hell out of here.”
He started his truck and watched in the mirror as his four boys ran for their vehicles. Michael shook his head and wondered where he went wrong with those boys. Not one of them had brains enough to blow their own noses.
Fifteen minutes later, he pulled his truck into a motel parking lot. He parked out of the way at the edge of the lot. When he got out of the truck and stretched, he grabbed the wet bag and walked over to the trailer. Double checking the trailer was important to him. Inside his trailer was their whole life. Over the last nineteen years, they had worked the mine and made shady deals to sell its contents to private buyers. While they had found a motherlode of gold, they also found other minerals worth so much more than the gold. Unfortunately, it was an illegal substance so they had to find a buyer on the black market. They made millions off what they’d found and the more they made the more Michael wanted.
Unlocking the trailer, Michael stepped up into the small armored trailer. He was very happy with his decision of using this kind of trailer. It was genius really. Taking a regular non descript trailer and armor plating it. No one would be breaking into this baby. Not on his watch.
He slammed the door shut behind him and went over to the biggest safe in there. Michael shook his head. He didn’t trust anybody, not even his sons when it came to the money part of this deal.
He put the money in the safe and locked everything up tight. When he set the alarms, he knew if anyone did break into his trailer, they wouldn’t get to the money or even get out without him letting them out.
Only then did he climb down from the trailer where his sons waited for him. “Let’s get something to eat and some sleep and then we can hunt down that daughter of yours Joshua. You do realize we have to shut her up before she can tell anyone what she saw that day?”