by J. L. Drake
“Ha! Yeah.”
“Most chicks would have freaked and run, or stood and watched. You helped.”
“Equally fucked up, remember?” I grinned, and he let out a huff of amusement. I waited a beat and went with the truth. “I helped to protect you.” I thought I should clear that up.
“Why?”
“Maybe I knew too,” I whispered.
He shifted back, but then his chest returned to warm up the cool spot he made.
“The MC rules are if you’re with us, you’re with us for life.”
“Okay.” I wasn’t sure what he was getting at.
“Are you with us?”
I hesitated for a moment, but when he opened his hand, I nearly fell forward. A huge black stone rested in the center of a black band lined with miniature black diamonds.
“I’ve got a jacked-up life and a seriously dysfunctional family, but you came in and made your mark, not just with me, but with everyone.”
I couldn’t find the right words, or maybe I was in shock, but he kept going, so I stayed quiet.
“You and I are different. We’ve learned to turn off and not feel, but you sparked something that was dead in me.” He paused when he took my left hand in his. “You got no choice but to marry me, Tess.” I pushed my finger through the ring then turned to grab his neck and pulled his lips to mine.
I twisted without breaking our kiss and straddled his lap. My mind fired off a hundred different emotions, but the one that stood out the most was that Trigger just confessed he needed me as much as I needed him.
“Say it, Tess,” Trigger muttered between our kiss.
I grinned when I recognized a moment I couldn’t resist.
“Not until you flip.”
His eyes flickered with need, and in a blink, I was tossed on my back, and he was tearing off my clothes.
“Yes!” I screamed when he plunged inside me.
***
Allen
“She what?” I backhanded him across the face. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I’m not.” He stood with his head down. “Happened three days ago.”
I glanced at Zay, who looked like he was about to murder someone. He had his black gloves on as he screwed the silencer onto the end of his gun. He just needed me to say the word, but I wanted to be the one to kill my son, not him. He had lust, but I had rage. Rage always won.
“And Gus?”
“Better. He’s up walking around. Things seem back to the way it was.”
“Good.” I rubbed my forehead and thought about my next move.
“When does school get out?”
His face fell, but he cleared his throat when I glared at him.
“You know the boys are my next move.” I grabbed his Devil’s Reach cut and held him to my face. “When does the youngest get off school?”
“One fifteen.”
I smiled and roughly tapped his cheek, “Kids are never off limits.”
“I thought you wanted the girl?”
“I did, but since you failed to deliver, I have now changed targets.” I rubbed the jagged scar Gus had given me before I beat his ass to a bloody pulp and left him for Trigger. “The boy will be painful for Tessa, and that will be her payback for leaving.”
“He’s just a kid.”
“And I’m just a man trying to gain back what was rightfully mine.”
“Fucking sick. Am I done here?” he muttered.
“For now.”
He glanced over at Zay with a grim look before he left.
“Zay,” I watched my mole slam the door behind him, “make sure he doesn’t get soft and tip anyone off.”
“Gladly.”
“Zay.”
“Yeah?”
“Just the boy for now.”
“Sure, for now.”
Chapter Thirteen
Trigger
“I appreciate you meeting me here.” I pulled the chair out and took a swig of the cold beer he had ordered me.
“Interesting location.” Mike looked around at the restaurant I had chosen. It was a dive, but it was lowkey, and I knew most who of those who came and went.
I shrugged. “I know the owner, so we won’t have any surprise visitors.” Plus, I knew Mike didn’t like being seen at my club. Cole had a hard enough time with it, so I didn’t need to cause more shit for him.
“Why do you seem different?” He squinted at me. “You seem less stressed or some shit.”
I wasn’t about to share what happened with Tess and me. That was private. But what I did want to share was a long time coming. I never wanted the Devil’s Reach to follow in my father’s footsteps because that would mean the boys would have to follow after me. Nothing good came from dirty deals, so the fact this shit was over meant one less chain strapped around my chest. I pulled out a stack of papers and tossed them in front of him.
“What’s this?” He studied the top sheet then looked up at me. “A coke deal?”
“A voided cocaine deal,” I corrected. “As of last week, the Devil’s Reach will no longer be under the Serpents’ hold.” There was a sense of pride to my tone. I hated that I had been tied to the Serpents, but hated even more that it had been my father’s deal.
“Wait,” he leaned back with a smile, “you’re not running drugs anymore?”
“I’m not saying that. I’m saying the deal is over.”
“I can’t say that was the answer I was hoping for, but it’s progress.”
“Next deal will be my way, none of this middleman shit. The product goes in and out clean.”
“There’s nothing clean about running drugs, Trig.”
I couldn’t help but smirk. He was right, but this was who I was, and he knew it.
“Well, fuck. That’s great, man.”
I downed more than half of my beer and felt the noose release a bit.
“Feels like I regained some control.”
“I bet.” He smiled and hit his bottle to mine. Mike always accepted me, and I always appreciated it. “Happy to hear it.”
Mike stayed for another hour and filled me in on his family. I could tell he needed to shoot the shit, so I let him have at it before I headed home.
“Stop,” I warned Rail, who had worn a stupid-ass grin for the past few days.
“Stop what?”
“I’ll snap your fuckin’ neck.”
“Nah, you won’t.” He laughed as he downed his third beer. “You lost your balls slappin’ that ring on her finger.”
“I assure you, he still has balls.” Tess winked and let her gaze float down to my crotch.
“Tess, you’re like that chick,” he snapped his fingers trying to recall the name, “you know, that rich dude with the,” he closed his eyes, “gray tie on the front.”
“Fifty Shades?” She laughed.
“Yeah, you’re like Ana, and you snagged the billionaire.” Her mouth dropped open. “Only you snagged a MC pres and get to deal with crazy-ass fuckers trying to kill us.”
I was lost. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Fifty Shades of Grey,” they both said.
Tess held up a hand to stop my next question. “Rail, at what point were you going to tell me you read romance?”
He grinned proudly. “You never asked.”
“How…” She paused. “How would I know to ask you that?”
“Meh.” He shrugged.
“Rail, we could be reading together.”
“Is that what’s in the locked trunk at the end of your bed?” Brick asked as he sat next to Tess and gave her a kiss on the cheek. His Cheerios sloshed onto the table, and I had to resist the urge to look away. His obsession with beer and cereal was disgusting.
“That and many other things.” He winked at Tess, and I gave him a kick in the shin.
“Yeah, and a fuckin’ blow-up doll,” Gus huffed behind me and squinted at his watch.
“Her name is Misty, and you didn’t mind her last night.”
“I woul
dn’t waste my time with a blow-up doll when I have my own version high as a kite on my fucking bathroom floor right now.” He glanced at the door. “Anyone see Fin?”
“Ryder should be back soon,” I assured him, but he was right. They were twenty minutes late.
“All right, boys,” Tess stood, “I need to run to the store as soon as Ryder comes back.”
“Tess,” Big Joe came rushing over, “if you’re heading to the store, can I put in an order?”
“Sure.” She made a face when Cray came in with his newest prospect, Bruce. “Does he ever run his own club?” She laughed, and Brick pulled her back into the seat.
“Trigger,” Cray offered a nod, “I need to speak with you.”
“Yeah.” I stopped when his prospect eyed me strangely.
“Nice to meet the famous Trigger.” He offered his hand, and I just stared at him.
“Is it true that you don’t try your own coke?”
What the fuck kind of question was that?
“No.” Big Joe stepped in.
“Why not?”
“He only has one interest.” Joe cut Brick off. “The blonde.”
Tess knocked over Brick’s Cheerios, and she just looked down at it as the slop poured over her lap.
“Tess, shit.” Brick pulled her stunned body up from the chair. “You’re soaked.”
She turned toward me. All the color had drained from her cheeks.
She eyed me, and I moved toward her to make a show of helping her out. “Come on, Tess.” I tugged her toward the bedroom. “Let’s get you undressed.” I laughed as we headed down the hall.
“Look at me.” I forced her to look into my eyes. “What the hell is it? I know something shocked you back there.”
“It’s him.”
“Him, who?”
“The mole! The fucking mole!”
I covered her mouth and leaned in. “I know.” Her eyes jumped around as she tried to follow me.
“How do you know?” Her words were muffled under my hand, so I dropped it away and let her sag against me.
“You know when I was charged for that mass murder at the Final Temptations Strip Club in Santa Barbara?” She nodded. “He asked me to go there as a favor to help out a buddy. I was set up, I know it, but I haven’t done anything about it. I had to get my head around how to deal with it. It won’t be long now.”
“Holy shit,” she huffed. “I can’t believe it was Joe!”
“Morgan saw him kill Links too.”
“The guy you had working to get you out of jail?” I nodded. “Seriously?” Her hands drew into fists as she thought. “How is he not dead? Trigger, you don’t let anyone do anything, but Joe’s still here with a fucking heartbeat.”
“I needed to find Gus.”
“Well, now we have him!”
“I know, but I also need to find my father. I need that traitor bastard alive right now. He’s our frickin’ ace in the hole. The fact that my father trusts him will be the key to hunting him down.”
She shook her head and rubbed her arms. “I trusted him. He looked after me when you weren’t around. I just can’t believe it.”
“I know.” I felt her pain and knew it was really personal, but sometimes things had to play out differently than you wanted.
“He gave me a gun. I should have used it on him.” Her head snapped up. “Does he have any idea you two know?”
“No. He’d be gone if he did.”
“So, now what?”
“Now,” I pulled her off the bed and urged her toward the door, “you get cleaned up and act the same as you did before you made the connection.”
Both hands slammed down on my chest. “Trigger, it was Joe. Joe! It was his voice I heard in the desert before I got attacked. I knew it was familiar, but—Oh, it was him and someone else.”
I licked my dry mouth and tried like hell to channel my anger. I’d never wanted to kill someone as much as I did in that very moment. The demons screamed and shook their cages at the betrayal.
“Go get changed, Tess. Take a few to get yourself under control. You have to do this for me, for all of us.”
***
Tess
“Seventy-six even.” The salesclerk bagged up the rest of the food while I swiped the card. He eyed me a couple of times before he handed me my last bag. I was sure he knew who I was. The Devil’s Reach wasn’t exactly a lowkey club. “Receipt?”
“No, thanks.”
“Have a nice day.”
I waited an extra beat before I shot him a kind smile. “You too.”
See? I’m nice.
“Here, let me help you with that.”
I didn’t have to turn to know who it was. I froze, a surge of adrenaline raced up my spine, and my blood ran cold.
“I don’t need your help, Zay.”
“You all right, miss?” The clerk stepped away from his register and came around to the front.
Zay turned and gave him a look. “She’s fine.”
“Are you?” he asked me, and I tried to muster up another friendly smile. I didn’t want him to get hurt, but I knew he could tell I wasn’t.
Zay stood in front of me to block the clerk’s view and pulled up my left hand to look at my ring.
“You really going to marry him?”
I snapped my hand away. “What, you think I was going to marry you? I don’t even know you!”
“No. I’m just shocked, that’s all.”
“Wow.” I shook my head in disbelief and tried to walk around him. I wondered what the fuck he was here for. I scanned the room, looking for some kind of nasty-ass weapon to use on him.
“Tess,” he came up behind me and spoke quietly, “can we talk for a moment?”
“Seriously, the last time I saw you, I was told I no longer had my freedom. Why in hell would I give you a moment of my time?” I tried to see if he was alone or if Allen was nearby. I picked up my pace and hoped to hell the light would change so I could walk straight across.
“Tess.” He grabbed my arm and tugged me between two buildings.
“Don’t touch me!” I tried to wiggle, but he was too strong, and my arms were already weighted down with what I had bought.
“I don’t want to hurt you, but I will if I have to.”
“Oh, trust me, I remember.” Sarcasm dripped from my lip as the memory of his fist to my face came rushing back.
“I suppose I deserved that.”
“You think?” I spat. “What the hell are we doing here?” Curiosity soon pushed the fear of being recaptured aside. Memories of all the times he’d watched Allen beat Gus flickered all around me. I knew this man was a dangerous killer. I wasn’t stupid, but something was off here.
He grabbed my wrist and twisted until I stopped trying to fight him, and my groceries fell all over the ground.
“Let me go!” I screamed in his face, but he twisted harder until I cried out and he had my attention.
“Will you fuckin’ listen? I’m trying to stop you from being a part of something bigger.”
“You trying to protect me?” I snarled. “Are you nuts?” I kneed him in the dick, but he only grabbed my neck and slammed my head against the wall. He shut his eyes like he was trying to calm himself while I fought to clear the ringing in my ears. Ouch!
“He has the boy.”
That stopped my fight dead in its tracks, and my body went slack.
“What! Which one?” I choked through the small airway he left me.
“The littlest.”
Fin!
My heart sped up, and my emotions started to ping pong through my rib cage.
“Take me, Zay, trade me for him. He’s just a baby.”
Zay squeezed his eyes shut and muttered, “What I wouldn’t do for that to happen.” He was so close to my face, and his breath smelled gross, like a bad combo of booze and cigarettes.
“Where is he, Zay?” I clawed at his grip, but it tightened as his face grew red. “Please, don’t take Fin.”
“What?” He suddenly let me go, and I had to lock my knees to stand upright.
“A decoy,” he repeated.
I sucked in as many gasps of air as I could muster. My lungs felt like sandpaper, and my head felt light. This was no time for weakness. “Where is Fin?”
“This has gone way too far.” He madly rubbed his face. “He’s out of control.” His phone rang, and he stared down at the screen with a blank look on his face. “The park by the pier.”
He didn’t get to finish. I dropped everything and raced down the street. I wove between cars and used the bike lane when the lights were red.
“What the hell, lady?” a man screamed at me when I cut him off at the corner of an intersection. Horns blew, tires squealed, and every curse word imaginable found my ears, but nothing mattered except to get there. I jumped in front of a truck and felt no fear as my feet pounded the pavement. My arms pumped at my sides, and my hair whipped all around me as my lungs labored to keep up.
“Fin!” I screamed when I saw his small body standing near a tree. His shoulders were slumped over, and his hoodie looked ripped. “Fin! Come to me!”
Somehow, I picked up the pace, but when I was just moments from reaching him, someone stepped out from behind the slide.
I came to a complete stop as fear once again tightened around my chest and held me hostage.
“I didn’t expect you, Tess.” Fox gave me a grin before he shoved Fin’s shoulder. His head rose, and I saw his busted lip and swollen cheek. I could tell he had been crying.
“You’re looking good, Tess.” His sleazy gaze dragged down my front. “I take it someone tipped you off?”
“Fox,” dropped off my tongue in a whisper, “just give me the boy.”
“I can’t do that.” He pulled out a gun and rested it on Fin’s shoulder, the tip pressed into his neck. “I have my instructions.”
I wanted to puke. It was something I would never be able to un-see. Fin’s mouth opened as he cried, his eyes locked on mine.
“What is it you want?”