Target: A Military Romance (Unwanted Soldiers Book 1)

by Aden Lowe

  The others nodded, expressions grim. Calling in affiliate clubs was a major event, and it couldn't be done lightly. It meant promising favors that might hurt to make good on. But Kellen still felt there was no real choice. He couldn't give up his responsibility to the town, or the club, and he sure as hell couldn't give up Vicki. So he would owe two other clubs, ones with ruthless Presidents who relished a good fight almost as much as they enjoyed getting one up on another club.

  "Anything else?" When no one had anything further, Kellen banged the table again to close the meeting. He wasted no time leaving the room.

  He caught a glimpse of Vicki disappearing into the kitchen, and followed. At the counter, she poured coffee, and he waited for her to sit it down so he could wrap his arms around her from behind.

  "Hey, little girl. You sleep okay?" He inhaled the scent of her hair, ready to drag her back to bed.

  She turned in his arms and rewarded him with a small kiss. "I did, after you finally let me sleep. But I think you missed your calling."

  "Oh yeah? In what way?" Already he wanted more and more and more.

  "You're not an outlaw biker. You're a damn vampire. Look at my neck." She let her head drop back to display fresh, livid, marks on her pale skin.

  Grinning, he ducked down to nuzzle her neck, gently licking each mark, soothing the skin. "Beautiful. You should have hickeys all the time."

  She laughed. "No, I shouldn't. But I don't mind right now." She wound her arms around his neck and drew him down for a deeper kiss. "Busy day already?"

  He gave a mock sigh. "You had to mention that just when I was ready to carry you off to somewhere private and ravish you again."

  She laughed again, a little deeper. "Have to keep you on track."

  "True." He leaned in for another kiss, wishing he could snap his fingers and make all the rest of the world go away. "We've had some trouble in town." He filled her in on the news, and what he intended to do.

  "There are people I could call in, but the issue is, since we don't know who's behind all this, I could be inviting the enemy right in and handing over my head on a silver platter."

  "Yeah, you don't want to reach out to any of your contacts. Never know where people's loyalties sit." The very thought of asking the enemy for help made his skin crawl. That had to be prevented. "And one thing we can count on. They're all loyal to their pockets. If the guys after you have actually put out a bounty on you, anyone could turn you over for the reward. Absolutely no contact. And make sure your people know the risk. Can't have them giving you up." Even as they spoke, Trip had someone tearing through her people's backgrounds, searching for any security risk.

  She nodded. "Okay. I hadn't thought it through that far, but yes, it makes sense."

  Her acceptance relieved him a little. He'd worried she might balk at the idea. The ease with which she agreed made him a little nervous when he thought about it. He kissed her again. "I suppose I should get busy, as much as I'd rather carry you off."

  "Yes, you should." She gave him one of those genuine smiles. "I have things to do, too. I'm searching through all my father's notes, trying to find a way to crack the code in the ledgers. If I can do that, we'll know who's behind this."

  "I have a couple of guys who are pretty good with that kind of thing. You want a little help?"

  She shrugged. "If they can figure it out, absolutely. So far, I'm getting nowhere."

  "Okay. I'll buzz Crank. He and Fabio have some background in that stuff. They can show you a place where you can spread everything out to work, too. We have a place in the basement with big tables." Her down in the isolated basement with two men, even brothers, proved more than he could bear to think about. "Or, even better, just have someone clear the table over there. Someone else might come along that could help."

  "Don't want me alone with them?"

  Damn, she was too perceptive. "Doesn't matter. They're my brothers and I trust them with my life. They know I've claimed you, and they won't be anything less than perfect gentlemen." Sure, he trusted them with his life. But Raiders tended to blur the lines when it came to possessions.

  Chapter Twenty

  Phone calls took the whole damn morning. Kellen hated calling in favors, and promising others in return. In his position as National President of the Brothers Of Sin, he preferred not to owe anyone anything. The seat was precarious at best, with someone else always trying to topple him and take over. So far, he'd held it only because he had some powerful outside connections the Brothers wanted to keep, and because people owed him shit. Otherwise, he'd have lost it as quickly as his predecessor. Pagel had held the chair only a few hours before Kellen made his move.

  So the calls to the Presidents of the Diablos and the Nasty Boyz required careful negotiation. Kellen had to be sure he didn't promise away something he couldn't afford to fulfill. Going back on his word to another President would seal his coffin up tight. By lunch time, he was ready to punch a hole through the wall, but restrained the impulse. It wouldn't do any good.

  Finally, he got off the phone and left the little private office in the attic. About damn time. He couldn't breathe in that damn closet. But if he wanted to be sure no one overheard, it was the best place. Locking everything up tight, he headed to the first floor. A tall glass of iced sweet tea and a few moments with Vicki would make him feel a lot better.

  In the kitchen, he found her seated on one side of the table, with Crank and Fabio on the other side, and a ton of papers and old ledgers and notebooks spread out between them. They occupied one end, and a couple of Vicki's ladies sat at the other end, talking quietly.

  Kellen came up behind Vicki and put his hands on her shoulders, rubbing gently, trying to ease the visible tension in her muscles.

  She groaned and dropped her head forward. "God, don't stop. That's perfect."

  Fabio grinned at Crank and the pair lost it.

  "What the hell? You two turn into fourteen year old girls? Stop giggling. It isn't good for the Raiders' image." Kellen tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to keep his voice harsh and threatening.

  The men only laughed harder and Fabio wiped tears from his eyes, struggling mightily to bring himself under control. Finally, they settled down, and Vicki stretched back in her chair to pull him down for a kiss.

  "Thank you. That felt great." She directed a dirty look at the outlaws across the table. "I can't believe you two. I had no idea you could actually smile, let alone giggle like schoolgirls."

  Crank grinned. "Glad we could entertain. You want to take a break? We'll keep looking."

  Vicki shrugged and looked up at Kellen. "You have time?"

  "A few minutes, yes. Hell, you know I'd make time." Kellen drew her to her feet and lifted a hand to Crank and Fabio. "Come on. Let's go for a little walk. Fresh air will do you good." It would also let them have a few minutes alone.

  Outside, he led her toward the barn, and then around the side to the back. A low bank led to a nice fishing pond and camping area. The pond had initially been a stock pond, and Kellen had all the muck and cow shit cleaned out and stocked it with bass and various other species of fish. It made a nice little amenity for visiting clubs. And since they were about to have company, he needed to check that things were ready.

  Plank benches spaced around the pond provided decent seating for anglers. Off to the left, the old pasture, several acres, had been transformed into a camp ground. Fire pits, porta potties, firewood, even grill racks to go over the fire pits, all made visitor comfortable.

  The nearest bench seemed a likely place, so he headed for it, and sat straddle the plank, and pulled Vicki down in front of him. He pulled her back close and let one palm rest on her belly, while the other hand stroked her hair.

  "This is more like it." The quiet and peacefulness of the scene struck him. That atmosphere would soon be in tatters as outlaw bikers moved in for the duration. "We better take advantage of it now. I've got people coming." He filled her in on their reinforcements.

  "Good,
I think. You trust them?" She leaned her head back on his shoulder.

  "Not in the slightest." He gave a short laugh. "But they're solid for this."

  "At least you don't have any illusions about them." One hand came up and slipped along the back of his neck, stroking and soothing some of the tightness away.

  "True." Unable to resist the temptation her neck offered, he leaned down to skim his lips across her sensitive skin.

  Vicki shuddered a little in his arms. "You really have a thing for my neck, don't you?"

  He smiled against the silken skin. "Yeah, I guess I do. It's delicious." A few nibbles carried him down to tease the little curve into her shoulder. "I could spend all day doing this."

  "Well, for your information, I could handle that too."

  Her words sent a little thrill along his spine. She liked what he did to her, beyond the physical response. She genuinely enjoyed it. "I'll take you up on that when we have this little international issue settled."

  "Good." She turned a little to deliver a small nip to the side of his neck. "I'm looking forward to it."

  Heart pounding with the need to have her, he turned her around to sit sideways in his lap. He took her mouth roughly, making promises with his tongue, ones he intended to fulfill over and over.

  She turned a little more, melting under his kiss, and tugged at his belt.

  "Not yet, little girl. Anyone could come along here, and I don't intend for anyone else to see what's mine." Damn, where did that stuff come from? Surely not from him, the guy who didn't care to take a woman in the midst of a party, in full sight of anyone who happened to care to look.

  "Oh, baby, you misunderstand. I'm not taking anything off." She freed him from his jeans and slid her fingers over his perpetual erection. Turning further, she bent to take him into her mouth.

  Kellen put one hand back on the bench to hold himself up while the other sank hard into her hair. That hot mouth was going to haunt his dreams forever. He groaned as she took him deeper.

  "Lie back so I can reach better."

  He nearly broke his back complying and brought his other hand to her head. She already had him balanced on the edge of paradise and when she deliberately lowered her head further, taking all of him, he lost it. She scraped her nails over his tight balls, setting off his orgasm as surely as if she'd pushed a button. She drained him and left him a gasping, heaving mess.

  The satisfied smile she wore when he finally came back to earth spoke volumes. "Ready to get on with the day?"

  He sat up and got his jeans back in order. "Hell no. I want to do that all day."

  She laughed. "I know, I do too. But we have shit to do."

  As if on cue, someone called out from the top of the bank. "Hey, Kellen?" Badger came into view.

  "Yeah, man. What is it?"

  "Sorry to bother you, boss, but we've got more action in town. Thought you'd want to know right away." Badger lifted a hand. "Uh, I'll be on the porch when you're ready to talk."

  Vicki's cheeks flushed as Badger disappeared back toward the barn. "He saw."

  Kellen grinned. "Probably." He stole a quick kiss. "Don't worry, you weren't showing anything."

  One elegant brow arched in what was becoming a familiar expression. "Still. It's embarrassing." She stood. "You should go see what he wanted. And I need to get back to that damn ledger."

  He stood and adjusted his jeans, getting everything back to its normal position. "Yeah, I should. As much as I hate to."

  The smile that always sent a blast furnace straight through his bloodstream distracted him for a moment. "Baby, I'm going to miss you when you decide you're done with me."

  Her words filled him with dread. Already, she seemed to be trying to bring the end closer. "Just so you know, little girl, that might take a little bit." Ignoring her widened eyes, he took her hand and led her back up to the barn and toward the house.

  At the edge of the porch he pulled her in for a short, hard kiss. The taste of him in her mouth brought memories back to pull a groan from him. "Go take care of your business. We'll take this up later, little girl."

  "Yes, we certainly will. In more ways than one." She headed inside, leaving him to watch her perfect little ass as she disappeared into the house.

  Up on the porch, in his favorite chair, Badger laughed a little. "I hate to tell you, Kellen, but that chick has you wrapped pretty damn tight."

  Kellen scowled. Badger was right, but damned if he would admit it out loud. "What'd you need?"

  "First, more trouble in town. Half a dozen of them went into the Rattlesnake and tried to get shit started. They couldn't finish it. Them girls got the drop on them and put them out of there right quick."

  Having been on the receiving end of the Rattlesnake's defenses, Kellen couldn't help but grin. The mostly female staff was formidable. And that little Georgie girl Dix was all gah-gah over, she was a one-woman army. "I'd pay to see that."

  "Yeah, me too. I guess Georgie tuned one of them up pretty good." His broad grin of admiration faded. "But they also pulled over that little historic log cabin on the courthouse lawn. And Old Cecil was riding his bicycle, collecting his cans like always, and they roughed him up pretty bad." Badger shook his head. "Kellen, that's fucked up. Old Cecil had never hurt anybody. Almost eighty years old, and they hurt him." Anger burned in the dark eyes. "It's time to do something about them."

  Kellen nodded, that same anger rolling through him. "Yeah it is. Okay, tell the boys to meet up on the porch, ready to roll, colors on full display, one hour."

  "I'll make sure they know."

  Finished with that part of things, Kellen went inside to start the next phase. Those fuckers wouldn't know what hit them by the time he was done.

  Trip raised a hand and called him over. "Thought you'd want to know, the Nasty Boyz are about an hour out, Diablos right on their tails.

  Kellen grinned. "Perfect timing."

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Kellen despised preparing for another club to visit. His nerves couldn't take the stress. Putting that many strong personalities in one place was asking for disaster. And in this case, three clubs, nearly a hundred men who carried guns and were ready to fight over the color of the grass, if everyone came out alive, it would be a miracle. And who knew how many would bring ol' ladies or girlfriends, and that made trouble even more likely.

  Standing behind the barn, he looked over the camp field critically. A shallow overflow ditch from the pond created a sort of natural division, which generally worked in his favor. This time, though, the damn thing would create conflict. The more desirable side of the field, with a handful of shade trees, was also significantly smaller. Either way, at least one of the clubs would be offended. A coin toss seemed like the only solution for that issue. Now if only the other couple dozen potential problems could be settled so easily. Well, it would just have to take care of itself. He had more important shit to do.

  At the house, his officers were gathered on the porch, ready to implement his next orders. Kellen hopped up to sit on the rail where he could see all their faces. "Hell Raiders ready to go to war?"

  "Hell, yeah." The rumble or replies acted as a Yay vote for each man.

  "You all know the deal. Nasty Boyz and Diablos are meeting up with us at the Rattlesnake. We're going to send the mob bastards packing all the way home." He spent a few minutes outlining his plan for any who might not have understood completely. "Questions?"

  Silence indicated they all understood.

  "All right, then, mount up."

  Kellen started to object when Vicki approached his bike wearing skin-tight leathers she must have borrowed from one of the ol' ladies. Armed to the teeth and all in black, she looked like some kind of avenging angel. Despite his fears, her place was in battle, defending her people, just like him. Rather than speak, he just gave her room to swing aboard. Badger and his Home Guard remained behind to protect Vicki's people in the event of an attack on the house.

  Fabio pushed them into
a tight bunch immediately for safety in numbers. With the enemy roaming the side roads, the bikes were too vulnerable if they spread out. As they left the lane, Trip took his position as VP for the first time, riding at Kellen's side. The others fell into place with clockwork precision and in seconds, the Hell Raiders roared toward Stags Leap in force.

  Kellen knew they were an impressive sight. Three dozen bikes, with all their flashing chrome and black-clad riders, routinely sent civilians running for cover. And if he were honest, Kellen couldn't blame them. They probably looked and sounded like the modern-day equivalent to medieval knights riding to war, raping and pillaging their way across Europe.

  At the edge of town, Kellen veered the column toward the Rattlesnake, ready for the meetup. With Rita out of town, Georgie might appreciate a heads-up that nearly one hundred rough and ready bikers were about to descend on her. Passing hand signals down the line, he brought Dix up front.

  He shouted to be heard over the engines. "Go let Georgie know we're coming." Dix nodded and moved ahead, quickly drawing away from the group.

  Moving through Stags Leap, the outsiders were easy to spot. They wore dress pants and loafers with polo shirts, or jeans that came already faded with shirts that looked like walking billboards for whatever brand. The locals' jeans faded honestly and less than five pairs of men's loafers probably existed in Stags Leap. The mobsters stopped wherever they were and stared at the long line of motorcycles roaring past.

  Satisfied they'd made a grand entrance, Kellen led the club into the parking lot at the Rattlesnake. They parked up front, bikes angled out for an easy exit, and left Quick to watch over them. In an impressive show of force, the Raiders ranged all around Kellen and Trip in a heavily armed escort. Inside, on Kellen's signal, they separated, spreading throughout the tavern. A couple with two children hurried up and paid their check and hustled out, leaving behind half-eaten meals.

  Over by the bar Dix grinned as he spoke with tiny blonde Georgie. At least she wasn't kicking his ass this time. Kellen would have liked to be a fly on the wall for that conversation, because even while Dix looked happy as a clam, Georgie looked fit to be tied, but she nodded and seemed to listen like a good girl. Maybe the kid had potential there after all.