“But you don’t have any proof that she messed with the explosions do you?” Deke asked.
“I wish I did, but in my heart I know she had something to do with his death,” Cricket assured them.
“Well damn, there is proof,” Sam told them as he remembered something from the past.
Deke turned and stared at his father. “What proof?”
“Orrin had been having trouble the last few months before he died. Someone had been breaking into his workshop and messing around with his stuff. He knew it but he couldn’t prove it. Then he found out that Sabbath could rig a camera and he had him do one up. He wanted it focused on his worktable. He didn’t tell anyone it was there. The next time his blasts got messed up, he checked the cameras and found out that Cordy was the one messing up his stuff. He had her on tape. Then two days before he died, they got into a big fight.”
“What was the fight about?” Deke asked.
Cricket turned to stare at him with tears in her eyes. She hadn’t known about the cameras but she was glad there was finally proof that Cordy had murdered her father. “They fought over you.”
Sam grunted. “I remember that fight, hell the whole compound heard it. She was bound and determined to find you and claim you. Orrin told her she was a damn fool, that you wouldn’t even know or remember her and that you never loved her in the first place.”
Deke closed his eyes and red stained his face. “God almighty, I never realized that being kind to someone could lead to this. She was just a kid for god’s sake.”
“How did you find out about the cameras?” Cricket asked.
“Sabbath came to me a day or so after your dad’s funeral. He’d seen the tapes and wanted to know what we should do about them. I told him to keep the tapes in a safe place. By that time you girls were gone. I had no idea where you were.” Sam shrugged. “The tapes were my fall back in case you girls ever came back.” He nodded. “I’ll talk to Sabbath tomorrow to verify the story.” He ran his fingers through his hair and stared at Deke. “This needs to come out at the tribunal.”
“There’s more,” Cricket spoke up. “But to hear the whole story you need to get a hold of someone and ask him to come here. He needs to hear the truth about how his brother died.”
“Who would that be?” Deke asked.
“Reaper of the Hellspawn MC out of Portland.” Tears rolled down her cheeks. “He needs to hear the truth. And he needs to hear it before I’m judged by the tribunal.”
Cassie reached out and grabbed her hand. “Are you sure you want this?”
She stared at the other woman and nodded. “The truth needs to be told. Good or bad, I can’t hide it anymore.” Then she stood up. “I’m tired now. I need to go to sleep. I won’t run and I won’t hide. I’ve got nowhere else to go.”
~* * * *~
Deke got up and followed her to the bedroom. When she was inside he pulled, the door closed and turned the lock. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her, he just didn’t want anyone else to talk to her before the tribunal. He took the key out of the lock and shoved it in his pocket.
On his way out, he held out his hand for his wife and then he took her back to their house.
Cassie hadn’t said a word since she asked Cricket if she really wanted everyone to know about what happened. She hadn’t expected to hear about a murder tonight. She just wanted to understand why Cordy had done what she did. “What do you think will happen?” she asked Deke as they were laying in bed later.
“I don’t know yet but I’ll find out before Reaper gets here.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
A few hours later, Deke cornered Zipper even before he had his coffee.
Then Zipper worked at doing his thing searching through old records. By midmorning, he had what Deke needed.
It was an article from just over seven years ago, from the Portland paper about a murder. Deke read the article but it only raised more questions than give him answers. The article claimed that a man died a brutal death at the hands of a minor. The man’s name was given as Brody Grant while the name of his killer was not given due to her age.
Deke frowned. The information Zipper had gotten along with the article gave him the name of Brody’s family members and one of the two names was Reaper. His real name was Weston Grant, Brody had been his brother. There was another brother named Barry, otherwise known as Scythe and when Deke called Weston, he agreed to come down for the tribunal. In fact, he welcomed the chance to confront his brother’s killer.
Deke then let everyone know they would hold the tribunal the next day. He’d checked with Raine on Cordy’s wound and found the bullet that caught her in the shoulder had made the use of her arm nonexistent due to nerve damage, at least for now. Raine had taken the bullet out and bandaged her wound and she was under guard waiting for the tribunal. She had no visitors and she had outright refused to see Cricket or Dusty.
Not the Cricket had asked to see her sister either. Cricket had kept Dusty with her and kept to herself. They hadn’t come out of the bedroom all day.
It was getting close to the end of the day when Weston and Barry Grant showed up. Both men were tall and rugged. Dressed in jeans and t-shirts they proudly displayed their MC’s cuts. When they came in, Weston and Barry joined Deke and the others at the main table.
“Glad you could make it,” Deke reached out to shake Weston’s hand.
“I wouldn’t miss this.” Weston nodded. “Seven years ago justice was denied me and my family. The bitch that murdered our brother escaped before being arrested but now, I will see justice done.”
“How did you happen to catch Cricket Tannis anyway?” Barry/Scythe, asked.
Deke held up his hands. “Before you ask any questions, I want to tell you the truth will be told here tomorrow. I suggest you wait until all the evidence is in before you make up your mind about what you will hear. You will have the chance to decide on her guilt or innocence.”
“I don’t have to wonder about what happened that night.” Weston or Reaper as his MC knew him by growled.
“I called you at her request,” Deke informed the two bikers. “She wanted you to finally know what happened to Hammer.”
“We know what happened.” Reaper gritted.
Deke nodded. “I know you think you know but sometimes, the truth isn’t that easy. I have a funny feeling about this.”
“Are you going to sit there and defend the little bitch that murdered our brother?” Reaper scoffed.
“No he isn’t. No one here is defending anyone but there is more to the story than I think any of us knows. Cricket is willing to stand before the tribunal but she wants the truth to be told,” Sam assured them.
“And how do you know she’s going to tell the truth?” Scythe asked. “She ran away seven years ago, rather than allow the truth to be known, what makes you think she’ll tell the truth now?”
“What did she do to this club?” Reaper suddenly asked. There had to be a reason this MC found and caught this killer.
“It wasn’t so much what she did but what her sister did,” Deke told them. “Her sister Cordelia kidnapped my twins. She was going to use them to get me to leave my wife and take up with her. All of this will come out when the tribunal starts in the morning.”
Reaper scoffed. “Oh, I can’t wait to hear all this. It sounds like the sisters are both cut from the same tarnished cloth.”
Deke got up and went over to the bar. Grabbing a bottle of Black Velvet and a handful of glasses, he went back to the table and poured a round. He realized it was going to be a hard night and with tempers as short as they were, they all needed to blow off some steam.
~* * * *~
Cricket sat in the chair by the window staring out into the darkness of the night. She knew she had nothing to fear about tomorrow but deep down, she felt afraid. She was afraid no one would believe the truth. She knew Cordy would have her story down pat, she always did. Seven years ago, she had put the blame on Cricket, telling her because she wa
s a minor she wouldn’t go to jail if she claimed Hammer tried to rape her.
Cricket hadn’t wanted anything to do with her sister’s lies but in the end, Cordy got to the police before she could. She had spun her tale of woe before anyone had asked her what happened. By the time the police had come to talk to her, she was about to be arrested for murder.
Then Cordy heard from Hammer’s brothers and his MC. They threatened to kill Cricket for revenge and that’s when Cordy got her out of there. They lied and skipped town. Going on the run, Cordy told her they couldn’t stay in one place very long and they hadn’t.
Something had happened in that town that had scared Cordy straight, at least for a while. They led a quiet life until after Dusty was born and even then, Cordy held herself under control for the next few years. Then things had gone back to the way they always were, with Cordy out of control.
Now it was time to set the record right.
Cricket heard the lock being turned and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know who was there with her. When the door closed again and she heard the lock being turned, she turned and saw it was Raine who had come in.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“I’m fine.”
“Where is Dusty tonight?”
Cricket smiled. “He’s with Jackie over at Reva’s. Jackie was very happy to find a new friend his own age.” She shrugged. “Reva also thought it would be a good idea to get him away from all the tension.”
“Do you want to be alone tonight?” he had to ask.
Cricket turned to look at him. She knew if she said yes he would leave, but that’s not what she wanted. She’d been watching him the last few days and she liked what she saw in his eyes. He was older than she was but there was something about him she felt connected to.
Tonight might be the last night she had on this earth and she wanted something to remember life by. Wetting her lips with her tongue, she whispered, “No I don’t want to be alone tonight.”
“Are you sure?” he asked.
Cricket stared at him and nodded. “Would you mind staying with me tonight?”
Raine smiled. “I would love to stay with you tonight.”
Cricket got to her feet and turned to face him. Slowly she began unbuttoning her shirt.
Raine watched her take off her shirt. Her skin gleamed in the moonlight coming through the window. She wasn’t wearing a bra so her breasts were bare. He took a deep breath as she came closer to where he was standing.
Raising up on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips along his jawline. He was almost a full foot taller than she was but she wasn’t going to let her lack of height stand in her way.
Then he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer. His mouth pressed over hers and she melted. When her lips parted, Raine pushed his tongue in deep. She gasped and let the sensations she was feeling run through her. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel her core dampening. “Touch me,” she whispered. “I need to feel something tonight.”
Raine lifted her higher and sucked her breast into his mouth. His teeth closed around her nipple and he bit down lightly.
Cricket gasped at the hint of pain then groaned as the pain turned to pleasure. Her arms went around his neck and she held him closer. “Please,” she begged. “I need more.”
Raine groaned and moved his hands down to her pants. Fumbling with the zipper and nearly tearing her clothes off, he laid her down on the bed. His mouth was on hers and his hands were busy kneading her breasts and pinching her nipples.
Cricket felt on fire. Lust ran through her and his lips and hands made the fire hotter. When he touched her core, she opened her legs and when he pressed his finger deep inside her, she cried out. Her core sucked him in deep and soon another finger joined the first. Her hips began to grind into his hand as he finger-fucked her.
~* * * *~
Raine groaned as he felt how wet she was, how warm and wet and so ready for him. He had paused at first when she asked him to stay. He wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do. But he had watched this woman since she arrived. He’d felt attracted to her from the start and to him, she’d shown courage and kindness.
When she whispered, “Please...” He couldn’t wait any longer. He ripped his pants down past his hips and he hadn’t even kicked them all the way off before he was inside her. He moaned when her body sheathed his cock. She was so tight that he almost missed it. He felt part of her give way under his thrust but she never cried out in pain.
Then he began thrusting, gentle at first until Cricket wrapped her legs around his hips and he lost control. He began thrusting deeper and harder and when she screamed his name, he thrust one last time and exploded inside her. He closed his eyes as he felt her grip him tightly and now, he was almost afraid to open them again.
Moving to her side, he opened his eyes and found her looking back at him. “Why didn’t you tell me?” he whispered.
She frowned as she closed her eyes. “Tell you what? That I’m a loser? That I’ve never had a lover before? I just wanted to experience something new and different.” She glanced away from him briefly, then she found his eyes again. “I’m facing my own mortality tomorrow and I wanted something I could hold onto. Something Cordy can’t take away from me like she’s done all my life. I wanted you to give me what no other man had before.”
Raine leaned over and kissed her. His lips pressed against hers and when she opened her mouth, he pushed his tongue in. His kiss grew hot and his hands reached for her breasts. Cupping and squeezing her flesh, he played with her nipples and smiled as she gasped in pleasure.
He began licking and sucking her nipples and finally he took a minute to pull his pants all the way off. Then he pushed open her legs and kissed her core. His tongue licked her slit and he nibbled on her clit, sucking it into his mouth. When he flicked his tongue on her button, he could feel her pulsing throb. Her skin grew warmer and he could feel her response to his stimulus.
He raised up and grabbed a condom from his pants. Dammit, he’d missed it the first time. It’d been awhile since he’d bedded a woman.
~* * * *~
Cricket groaned and felt her body heat up. When he rammed his fingers deep inside her, she felt like she would burst into flames. She could feel a quickening rushing through her. “Please,” she called out. “I need you inside me now.”
After a moment Raine was there and he surged upward. His lips ground into hers and he rammed his cock into her body for a second time. Cricket screamed with pleasure and Raine lost control. He rammed himself deep and hard into her. She cried out his name and he exploded inside her.
Sweat dripped from his forehead and splashed on her chest. Moving to her side again, he didn’t let he go. He hauled her on top of him and slowly his heart began to calm.
Cricket laid her head on his chest. His heartbeat echoed in her ear and for a moment, she didn’t move. She just laid there and listened to the blood rushing through his body. Closing her eyes she whispered, “Thank you.”
Raine’s arms tightened around her. “What are you thanking me for?”
Cricket shrugged but didn’t say anything. Sliding down beside him, she reached for the blanket and pulled it up to cover them both. She paused still turned away from him. “Will you stay?’ she whispered.
“Yeah, I’ll stay.”
She turned to her side and snuggled close to him. Her back to his side, then he turned and pressed his chest to her back. His heat warmed her as he wrapped his arms around her. Cricket smiled and for the first time in forever…she felt safe. She closed her eyes and within minutes was sound asleep.
~* * * *~
Raine laid there, his mind racing. What the hell had he done? He hadn’t come here tonight to sleep with her, he’d come to see if she was okay. Facing a club tribunal was scary, especially when the charges were kidnapping and murder. Rumors of murder and mayhem had spread from member to member and as always, the rumors were changing from mouth to mouth. Had he just sl
ept with someone capable of killing a man? Would he wake up in a few hours?
Raine decided he had to trust his own feelings. He’d seen this girl when she first walked up and returned Jemmia. He felt in his gut, she’d just suffered from a bad life, where her sister’s evil controlled everything she did.
Closing his eyes, he laid his head against hers and relaxed. In minutes, his gentle snores matched Cricket’s breathing.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Raine felt soft fingertips running down his side. He groaned and tried hard not to have to open his eyes. Then he felt the fingertips stop on his side. They outlined his birthmark. The mark was under his armpit and it was the shape of a crooked smile. It was the mark every man in his family bore for generations.
When they didn’t move again, Raine opened his eyes and found Cricket watching him with a questioning look in her eyes. He searched her face but couldn’t understand her look. “What’s wrong?”
~* * * *~
Cricket bit her lip and closed her eyes at the sensation of betrayal she felt. She tried to turn away and as she wrapped the sheet around her body, she couldn’t hold back the sobs any longer. When she’d seen the mark on his body in almost the same place as Dusty had, she didn’t want to believe it. But it was there.
“Wait a minute,” he called out as he held her at his side. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing.”
“There’s something you aren’t telling me,” he insisted. “Talk to me Cricket. What has you so upset this morning?”
Cricket took a deep breath. “Isn’t the fact that the tribunal is upon us reason enough?”
Raine pulled her back against him. “No, while that’s a concern, I don’t think that’s what’s bothering you. Talk to me.”
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