Hidden Heat (Brothers of Mayhem #1)

by Carla Swafford

  A loud crash shook the room.

  Stonewall stopped moving.

  She crack opened her eyes to see Thorn standing over Stonewall. Fists clenched, Thorn said in a growl, “Stand the fuck up, you lowly piece of garbage! Be a man and face me.”

  Wiping at his bloody lip, the older man grimaced. “You’re going to regret that. I’ll kick you out of the Brothers of Mayhem. I always liked your bike. It’ll look good in my garage.”

  Whenever a member was kicked out of the club, anything owned by the rejected member with the club’s logo on it was taken away and given to the club members. The president got first pick.

  “What’s mine, I keep. And that includes my old lady.” Thorn braced for another hit. Though Cassidy wished Thorn would beat Stonewall to a bloody pulp, she knew it would only bring more trouble. She tried to say stop, but only a squeak came out.

  “Thorn!” A deep voice came from the doorway.

  She looked around and shock made her jaw drop. “How?” The word no more than air passing between her lips.

  Mitch stood in the doorway.

  Chapter 20

  Cassidy tried her best to stop shaking. Between Stonewall’s attack and the surprise of learning Mitch could walk, she felt her heart couldn’t take much more.

  The big man walked out, ordering Bubba to haul Stonewall downstairs for some first aid.

  Warm arms came around her, scooping her up against a broad chest. The smell of tobacco and Thorn eased her panic. She wrapped her arms around his neck and held on tight, pressing the side of her aching cheek to his neck. The steady pumping of his pulse helped calm her.

  “Shh, Cass, baby. Ease up on my neck. You’re about to break it,” he said, his voice low, his breath teasing the hair over her ear.

  “Sorry.” A shiver ran down her body. “I-I told him you wouldn’t share me like Rocky did.”

  He hesitated. Of course he didn’t know. Was he disgusted with her? Carrying her, he then walked past Mitch without a word. A few feet down the hallway, he reached another door and shoved it open with a hip. It was another bedroom, but much smaller, with a window looking out over the back alley.

  When he made to gently lay her on top of the covers, she clung to him like a burr to a hiker.

  “It’s all my fault.” Her tears would not stop. She needed to buck up and quit acting like a wimp.

  “Stop talking like that. No woman deserves to be treated that way.” The anger in his tone, directed at Stonewall, helped to soothe her.

  “I’m sorry. It’s my past coming back to haunt me.” On seeing his confused look, she said, “I can explain.” She released her hold and hugged herself as she shuddered. How could he want to touch her after what just happened with Stonewall. And maybe he wouldn’t at all after she told him what she’d done long ago.

  “Stonewall’s an asshole. No explanation needed,” Thorn said, his voice deep and filled with concern, but she sensed he wanted to know the whole story. He wanted to act all badass, but he was such a good guy. He had a hard time being that way with her, except when that attitude was needed in front of the club. She had to admit he’d been scary when he’d attacked Stonewall.

  She looked at his face. No expression. He was bothered by something more, most likely her comment.

  “I should’ve told you the other day about me being involved with the Brothers of Mayhem after Easy went to prison, when I was sixteen.”

  “I guess you could say that.” Still nothing on his face.

  “I was sixteen and mad at the heavy-handed rules Mitch had set for me, but not Storm. I wanted to prove that I was grown and didn’t need to live with him and Janet. At the time, I was still fascinated by anything to do with the Brothers of Mayhem. Maybe I had hoped they would help me understand my parents. I have no idea. But the motorcycles and the leather-clad bad boys riding them…they were so hot. One day, Janet had to stop for bread and milk after picking up me and Storm on the last day of school before summer. We were waiting outside in the car and Rocky drove up and parked next to us. I commented on his cut and his bike. We talked until I saw Janet come out of the store. We planned to meet at the park near Mitch and Janet’s house.”

  Cassidy had been so riveted by the good-looking, long-haired Rocky. Plus, he was ten years older. When they met as planned at the picnic table beneath the large oak tree, he’d treated her so sweetly, like she was an adult. He offered her a cigarette and didn’t make fun of her when she didn’t inhale. It had been late when she’d snuck out, and much later when she snuck back in through her open window with her clothes all wrinkled and buttoned wrong from their make-out session.

  She checked Thorn’s expression. He watched with half-closed eyes as if studying her, weighing the truths of what she said, and waited for her to continue.

  “We saw a lot of each other that summer. I thought I was in love for the first time. When Mitch and Janet went to bed, I’d sneak out. I met Rocky at the park. Sometimes we stayed there underneath the trees, or we’d go over to his friend’s house and party.”

  Thorn remained quiet. She swallowed and then continued her story.

  “He was my first. I thought I found the guy who would love me forever, someone who cared about me.” She tugged on her shirt, ensuring the torn ends covered her bra. “Rocky loved watching porn. They always had several girls together or one girl with several guys. He’d tell me how turned on he’d get and how he would love watching me with his friends.”

  She blushed, and she couldn’t look up. “I’ve asked myself over and over again why I gave in to him, why I thought he’d love me more for it? I knew the opposite would happen. Deep inside I knew this, but I gave in.” She rested on her side, and drew her legs up to her chest. Her voice dropped to just above a whisper. “It was the end of the summer and I had to go back to school. Crazy as it seems, I was certain he’d stop seeing me if I didn’t. I was stupid and in love.”

  She broke down and began to cry.

  “Shh. You don’t have to talk about it anymore.” He wiped the tears streaming down her face.

  “I needed to tell you. I’ve never told a soul.” She grabbed his hand and held tight. Except for a few slaps to her butt that she knew were just in play, he’d never lifted a hand to her. He was good to her. Probably better than she deserved. “They first took turns with Rocky watching. Then, as the night went on and we drank and snorted the dope Rocky provided, they started doubling up, until all five and Rocky joined in. No matter how much I begged them to stop, I became a piece of meat for them to get off on.” Her voice cracked and her whole body shook. She couldn’t talk anymore. The humiliation was too terrible.

  Thorn stretched out beside her and held her while she sobbed, nestled her in his arms, her back to his chest. She twisted around and pressed her face to his shirt.

  He rocked her back and forth.

  “Sugar, you were only sixteen. We all make mistakes as teenagers.”

  Between gritted teeth, she said, “I hate it, you know, that the asshole knows. I should’ve known he would bring it up.”

  “Was he one of Rocky’s friends?”

  A sick clamminess broke out over her skin.

  “Oh, God, no.” She stared into his eyes, silently pleading with him to understand. “Rocky was his son.”

  —

  Thorn closed his eyes for a few seconds. Like father, like son. He’d loved to get his hands on Rocky.

  “Why haven’t I met him at any of the church meetings?” he asked, referring to the club’s business meetings.

  “Rocky? He’s dead. He died from a drug overdose.” Her crying had slowed down.

  “Are any of Rocky’s friends members of the Brothers?” He hated to think he drank beer with any of the bastards.

  “Two are in prison for life. Another one moved away and lives in California, I believe. One died when his bike ran off a cliff.” She covered her face with her arms while still pressed up against his chest.

  “That’s four, not counting Rocky. Yo
u said there were five friends.” He tried his best to say it gently, but she still flinched.

  She pressed her hands against his chest, trying to sit up, but he held on tight. The only way for her to heal was to face it all. Inside, he was laughing at himself. Look at who was talking. He had issues of his own he hadn’t faced: the death of his father and how he felt responsible. At least the army’s psychologists worked with him on that. For the moment, they were talking about Cassidy and her problems.

  “Cass, tell me.” Her sweet face lifted. Even with swollen eyes and a red nose, she was beautiful to him. “Please.”

  “Promise me that you won’t kill him. It’ll mess up your operation. I want you to win this. I want you to bring them down. You can’t do that if they arrest you.”

  Her belief that he was capable of killing someone for her amazed him, and the amazing part was that she was right. He cared for her, maybe even loved her. He wasn’t sure. He only knew she deserved a better life than the one she had.

  “I won’t kill him.”

  “Jabber. He bragged about it to the club back then.” Her eyes widened and searched his. “You promised not to kill him.”

  The sneer on his face probably frightened her. He’d never liked the man. “That explains why he’s called Jabber. He flaps his gums too much.” When she remained quiet, he looked into her eyes. “No. I won’t. But I will teach him the importance of keeping his trap shut.”

  “Just hold me for a little longer. Okay?”

  He gathered her up in his arms, tucked her head beneath his chin, and rested his back against the headboard.

  “Thank you.”

  He lightly squeezed her. “For what?”

  “For not judging. For understanding and caring.”

  Though his mother had died when he was young, he remembered enough of how loving his parents had been to each other, and to Thorn and his brother. Cass had never had that, from what he’d heard. Mitch and Janet took care of her basic needs, but they were wrapped up in their own life. Storm was their main concern, while Cassidy was a convenient babysitter and a way to control Storm. At least that was what he took from their conversations. Storm was the only person she’d known who even acted like he loved her. Thorn guessed Storm did, but at eighteen, he thought he didn’t need a sister’s love. One thing was for sure. Storm would change his mind when he got older.

  He knew he needed to show his own little brother some of that sibling love. He’d never been a good big brother. It was probably too late, but it was worth a try.

  Light, steady breathing tickled his chest hair. He looked down. She was asleep.

  Time for him to call Harper.

  Carefully, he arranged her on the bed and walked over to the small window. He punched in the number on his phone. As soon as his handler answered, he gave him the lowdown..

  “Damn it! You fuck up this operation, and I’ll have your balls for breakfast!” Harper continued, naming several other inventive meals.

  Thorn asked, “That diet ain’t working for you, huh?”

  Dean had told him his girlfriend insisted eating gluten-free food would lighten his mood. It only made him meaner. The man loved his bread.

  “I can tell you, if she wasn’t such a damn fine cook and didn’t have legs that went up to her neck, I would say the hell with it. But let’s get back to the job. Are you calling your great-uncle?”

  “Shit, no! He’d take over the whole operation. That being the Brothers’, not ours.” Thorn chuckled. “I would like to see Mitch and Uncle Mikolas go at it. I’m not so sure who would come up on top. Both are tricky old bastards. Most likely the Brothers don’t know they’ve been cut out. Knowing Trick, he’s already talked with the great Savalas and their connection has ended.”

  Mikolas had never cared for his brother’s sons, and Trick the least of the two.

  Harper asked, “Speaking of the bastard, where’s Trick?”

  “I was told he’s in the hospital. Stonewall disagreed with something Trick said. You might want to check on that. But one thing I didn’t mention. Not only is Mitch the mastermind on this deal, but he can walk. With the help of a doctor, he’s milking a lawsuit for all it’s worth. That’s what he claims. Explains the money. Can you check and see if that’s true? That would mean he’s hiding the funds for the goods elsewhere. I would like to know where.”

  “What are you going to tell them about Savalas not showing up?”

  Thorn looked over at Cass. She turned over and stretched, tits taut, pointing at the ceiling, and then was still. Her ribs lifted and lowered steadily as she continued to sleep.

  Christ, what was he about to say?

  Great-uncle, operation. Oh, yeah.

  “How’s your Greek accent?” The gasp followed by exhale on the other end of the line told him he’d caught Harper unawares.

  “You want me to pretend to be your great-uncle? I’m a little young for that.”

  “I’ve seen you dressed up for undercover. Put a little gray in your hair, some wrinkles around your mouth, and wear sunglasses, and you’re good to go.”

  “Are you saying Mitch and Stonewall have never met the old goat?”

  “Savalas would never meet with underlings like them. He’s pure arrogance.”

  “Then why don’t I dress up as his associate?”

  “We want them to talk, right? From what I’ve seen of Mitch and Stonewall, if they believe they have the big guy himself, they’ll brag their little hearts out trying to impress him. And you never know, I may be able to convince the two old farts to bring evidence to show off.”

  “What about your brother? He’s met Mikolas, right?”

  “Actually, no. If he did, he was very little and probably doesn’t remember what he looks like. I plan to have him and Storm on an errand when this goes down.” He spotted movement outside and watched a black sedan make its way slowly down the alley. “Mikolas won’t let anyone take his picture. Doesn’t want the federal government to use them against him. Of course, he’s smart enough to know they have plenty of pictures of him getting into cars and going into buildings. But he always wears his sunglasses and has guards blocking as much of the view as possible. So what do you say?”

  For a moment there was silence over the phone.

  “Fine. You better not get me killed or I’ll haunt you until your dying day.”

  “Deal. Let me tell you a few things to say to make them squirm.”

  —

  Cassidy woke to the sound of murmuring behind her. She turned over to see Thorn standing at the window and talking quietly into his phone. His hair, usually slicked back, was falling slightly on both sides, as if he’d been running his fingers through it. She bet if he’d cut his hair in the short, military style many police officers wore, he’d be just as handsome. Not that she wanted him to change; she was just curious.

  He glanced her way and hesitated in his conversation to stare at her. Then she heard him say, “I’ll see you then.” He stuck his phone in a pocket.

  He asked, “You feeling all right?”

  The way he moved, smooth and confident in his stride, had her heart beating hard. The disheveled hair, leather vest, tattooed arms, tight tee shirt, and long, jean-clad legs made for a lethal combination. Her own bad boy, for a little longer.

  “Why do I have a feeling your job is about to come to an end?” She kept her voice soft, so as not to let the sound carry into the hallway.

  “Sooner than I expected. Longer we wait to finish this, the bigger the chance they’ll get away. Or cause someone to die.”

  She frowned. “I thought they were stealing motorcycle parts. I didn’t think it involved hurting anyone.”

  “Don’t worry about them.” He sat next to her in the bed and leaned over to look at her face. His fingers touched her cheek lightly, but pain zipped over her face.

  “Ouch!”

  “Sorry. Your cheek has swollen and looks really bad. I should’ve made them give us some ice.”

  “I’m
fine.” She grabbed his hand and kissed his fingers. “Thank you for taking up for me and believing me.”

  The look he gave her was a mixture of pity and admiration. She didn’t care for the former, but the latter made her feel better. An image of Stonewall’s beady, little eyes staring down at her made her skin crawl. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head.

  “What’s wrong?”

  When she opened her eyes, it was Thorn. His beautiful, dark-blue eyes stared into hers. His mouth lowered and tentatively brushed against her lips.

  “Nothing is wrong now. You’re here. Would you do me a favor?”

  He gave her a gentle smile. “Sure.”

  “Make love to me.” At his raised eyebrows, she added, “You’ll be gone soon, and I want to remember your hands being on me last.” He probably thought she just meant after Stonewall. That was true, but she meant more. She guessed it would be a long time before she’d ever want anyone again. Her hand stroked his beard-roughened cheek. Her body already ached for what she was going to miss when he was gone. He was a good man. Nice guys stayed away from girls like her, because they wanted good girls, like them.

  At first, she thought he would say no as he walked to the door, but then he locked it. Then he crossed his arms and gripped the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off.

  “Don’t just watch. Take your clothes off too.” His smile grew.

  She sat up and stripped. Admittedly, she stopped when he unsnapped his jeans and unzipped. She loved the sound and the slow reveal of his hard cock. Every delicious inch had her nearly drooling.

  “Thorn.”

  “If you changed your mind, I’ll understand. Promise you won’t laugh when I cry a little bit, but I’ll understand.”

  A giggle escaped and she covered her mouth. “You’re like no one I’ve ever known.”