Hunter (Black Angels MC Book 1)
Page 14
I felt my blood run cold.
Hell’s Runners?
Hell’s fucking Runners.
I closed my eyes, hearing the screech of burning rubber and the ring of colliding metal in my ears. No matter how much time had passed, the sound still haunted me.
“Hunter,” Jax’s voice cut into my mind.
I opened my eyes and found all the brothers looking at me.
“You good?”
I nodded.
“They’ve been lying low for the last four years,” Wolf continued. “But it looks like they’re coming out of hiding to start stirring shit again.”
“So, what, they shoot down Hunter’s house as a declaration of war?” Pretty interjected.
“No. They were after something else.”
I didn’t need to hear his next words. From his tone and the way Wolf looked at me, I knew. I knew, and I felt my stomach churn.
“Mallory,” I sighed out. “They were trying to grab Mallory.”
“Shit,” Ripper snapped. “That true, Prez?”
Wolf nodded.
“Why in the hell would they be after her?” Polo, another old-timer and good friend of mine, asked. “She ain’t got nothing to do with this.”
“That’s not strictly true,” Wolf said, still looking at me.
Pretty, Jax, and Lamb all went quiet as I turned to look at the rest of my brothers.
“No, it ain’t,” I said. It was time to rid myself of this stupid lie. “Adair isn’t my son.”
“What the hell?” Polo growled. “Did the girl lie to ya?”
“No. I made a deal with her. If she came back to Fellpeak, I’d pretend the boy was mine.”
“Why in the hell would you do that?”
“Because that boy is dear to him. Dear enough that he’s ready to lie to all of us,” Ripper announced, his wise eyes hitting mine and clarity shining through. “Whose kid is he, Hunter?”
There was a pregnant pause while I looked at every one of my brothers. I had been in this club almost twenty years. Both me and my brother had grown up calling this old clubhouse and grumpy group of bikers home. This should never have been my news to bear alone. I should never have lied.
I looked at my brothers and, with a steel voice, I came clean.
“Adair is Noble’s kid.”
Some gasps echoed around the room. Faces turned grim and others shocked. Some didn’t look surprised, probably having guessed already. Wolf, Jax, Pretty, and Lamb sat in rigid silence as they watched their brothers’ reactions.
After a few minutes, someone said, “So, who is this girl, really?”
“She was the girl who had a one-night stand with my brother a few weeks before he died. She got pregnant, but when she told Noble, he didn’t take it well. It was that day he got into the accident. She felt guilty for it and ran, and has been running for the last three and a half years. I tracked her down, brought her and my nephew home on the condition I pretend he was mine. Otherwise, she’d run again. That’s the story.”
“Or it was until now,” Wolf claimed. “The Hell’s Runners are chasing her, and I have a feeling she knows more than she’s letting on. I let you dance around it until now, Hunter, because we couldn’t have her running off, but that’s changed. Anna and Kay were in that house when they attacked. They could’ve been killed in the crossfire. If this is war, I don’t wanna go into it blind.”
“Either way, she was brought into this mess by one of us,” I said. “I’ll get what we need from her, but she’ll be protected here. It doesn’t matter what opinion you have of her and about what she or I did; she is club now, and we can’t let Hell’s Runners get to her or Adair.”
“Then it’s final,” Wolf said. “You’ve got two days to get her to talk. If not, I’ll be the one talking to her.”
With leaving no more room for argument, Wolf slammed down the gavel and Church was over.
I found myself unsure as I sat down at the bar. Mallory was baking in the kitchen with Adair and Kay. Kay had suggested it, thinking it would help with the nerves. I could see the kitchen, could hear Mallory’s laughter, yet I had sat down at the bar instead of going in.
Before, I wouldn’t have hesitated. I would have gone in there and stolen a cookie. Hell, maybe even a kiss. I still wanted to, imagining Mallory covered with icing again, or her ass wiggling in the air as she bent over to put a tray in the oven.
A beer was placed on the bar in front of me, dragging me out of my fantasies. I looked up, adjusting my jeans as I saw Anna’s face. Her baby blue eyes were quiet, unreadable as she moved fluidly around the bar. I wasn’t sure if I had ever seen her behind it before, but she moved with an ease I knew came from experience.
She took a crystal glass from a shelf, placed it on a napkin, and filled it with our strongest whiskey. Then she pushed it toward me next to the chilled beer.
“Pick your poison.” She gestured to the two glasses.
I went to reach for the whiskey, the hard liquor tempting, but instead went back for my beer. I lifted it to my lips and took a long mouthful of the bitter, cold liquid.
Anna took the whiskey glass and downed it without batting an eyelid. “Your day mustn’t have been that bad, then.” She reached down for another beer, and instead of going around the bar, she lifted herself over the edge, spinning her fine ass on the wood before dropping down onto the stool next to me. “Don’t know why all you boys came out of Church looking like a rat pissed on your food, but I’m not gonna ask. If it’s not whiskey time, then it’s not the end of the world.”
“Whiskey is a good drink,” was all I said in reply.
“Whiskey is a drink to end your day. Beer means you can keep going a little longer.”
I said nothing, casting my eyes over toward the kitchen doorway.
I went to reach back for my beer but grasped empty air. I looked at Anna and found her chugging the rest. Then she slammed the glass back down, looked toward the door, then back at me, and grinned.
“Get going, then.”
The females in this club might have a mouth on them, but to hell with it. They were damn fine women.
I leaned over, pressing a kiss to her forehead before getting out of my seat and heading toward the door.
Chaos. Chaos was everywhere. Chaos on the counters, on the walls. And what was that? Was that egg on the ceiling?
“What the fuck happened in here?” I looked at Mallory who was covered in batter, utter defeat on her face, holding a tray of black cookies.
“There was a mixing machine.” She vaguely gestured at the corner where a small smoking machine was crumbling, bent in ways I didn’t think was possible. “It turns out that Anna was the one to teach Bell to bake, and then …” She threw her hands up, pointing about the room, and sighed. I saw the moment she saw the egg on the ceiling because a deep sigh left her lips. “I mean, how does one tiny person do that? I think Anna cursed her. No way is this not supernatural. I should call Sam and Dean. They’ll help.”
“Who the hell are Sam and Dean?”
“What? You’ve never seen Supernatural?”
“No.”
Mallory glared at me for a moment, and then she sighed again. She threw her cooking mitten on top of the black cookies and came toward me.
I should have moved, but I was so shocked by everything that, when she hugged me, I didn’t even think to react.
“Please save me,” she whined, covering my shirt in gooey batter.
“I don’t think I can,” I said, looking at the destructive force that Anna’s second had apparently caused. “Maybe you should call an exorcist or something.”
“They’re called Sam and Dean.”
“One, Sam and Dean aren’t specifically exorcists,” Bell said as she strolled into the room, black char and flour marring her clothes. “And two, Sam is still hotter than Dean.”
Mallory whirled from me, pointing at the girl. “Dean is hotter.”
“You do realize I’m standing here, right?”
“What the hell?” I growled. “No way in hell should you be picking another man over me.”
“But … But Dean is so broken and beautiful and—”
To hell with it. I bent down and, without a second thought, picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder. Then I looked at Bell, whose eyes had all but turned into disks, and asked, “Adair?”
“Uh, I … My mom took him for a bath.”
“Tell her to look after him for a few hours,” I said as I spun around with Mallory screeching on my shoulder and stormed out into the bar.
Heads turned, and even Anna looked startled as I came out covered in yellow batter with Mallory hanging over my shoulder.
I dragged her struggling ass through the clubhouse, up the stairs, and into my room before she found her ass landing on the toilet seat.
“Ouch, you bastard. That hurt!” Mallory complained.
I pressed my hands against the wall on either side of her head and leaned in close.
Her mouth clamped shut, her eyes went wide, and her body pushed back.
“You prefer another man over me?” My voice was low and graveled, my face tight and shoulders squared as I leaned in even closer.
Mallory let out a small squeak, her voice turning into a whisper. “I, uh … wouldn’t say prefer, per say …”
I grabbed Mallory by the arms, dragging her to her feet. She let out a cry of surprise as I moved us until her back hit the shower wall. I went for her shirt, pulling it over her head with ease, followed by that tiny red skirt covered in sugared butter. Next went her bra and panties, and then she stood there, bared to me.
I stood back, letting my eyes slowly peruse her body. When I returned to her face, my eyes locking with hers, she shivered.
“You’d rather another man look at you?”
Her eyes flared. “That’s not what I—”
I hushed her as I stepped forward, reaching for her breasts.
She groaned as I teased a nipple, the cold of the bathroom making it hard between my fingers. When I reached for the other one, she curved her back, practically shoving them toward me.
I leaned down to her neck, alternating between soft kisses and small nips as she moaned beneath me.
“You’d rather another man touch you like this?”
“Hunter,” she whimpered.
I let her go and stepped back.
She looked at me in confusion, but it soon turned lustful as I hooked my fingers into my shirt collar and pulled it off.
Mallory watched with fascination as I moved my hands lower, sliding my belt loose from my waist. Then my boots and socks disappeared. I slid my jeans down my thighs, and Mallory continued to follow the movement. I wasn’t wearing anything underneath.
“You’d rather be looking at another man?” I asked, stepping forward into the shower.
“I … um …” Mallory’s eyes were locked on my hard dick, her mouth trying to form words and failing.
I moved closer until she had to crane her neck back to look up at me. My appendage pressed between her soft thighs, and she started panting hard.
As she pressed her flour-covered hands flat against the tiled wall, I reached to the side, turning the dial.
Mallory let out a gasp as water doused us. Her red hair became heavy, clinging to her face as the baking ingredients washed down the drain. I reached up, threading my fingers into it and grasping tight.
She gasped but didn’t fight. Her pupils dilated, watching with anticipation.
I trailed my free hand down from her breasts and over her mound where her lips were wet with her juices and swollen with need. I slid a finger through them back and forth, brushing her clit until Mallory was practically rubbing herself against me.
“You’d rather have another man stroke this pussy?”
“Hunter,” she whined, grabbing my bicep and squeezing.
I began to circle her clit until Mallory’s thighs began to quiver. Then I stopped, moving my finger down until it was pushing against her entrance.
“You want another man inside you?”
“Hunter, please,” Mallory begged, her half-lidded eyes looking up at mine.
“Tell me who you want, Mallory,” I growled, moving the tip of my finger around her core. “Tell me.”
“I want you. Only you, Hunter,” Mallory moaned as I slid my finger inside.
Her voice built higher and higher as I moved in and out of her, and then, as I pushed a second finger in, she cried out my name as her orgasm shook through her.
Her knees wobbled as she came down, and I brought my hand around her back to steady her. Her eyes dazed with ecstasy, she looked up at me as I pulled my finger free, lifting it to my mouth and sucking her juices off. Her eyes rounded with lust.
With her taste still on my tongue, I pressed a hard kiss to her lips, and she sucked my tongue clean.
“Hunter,” she moaned as I pulled away.
“Never pick another man over me,” I growled, giving her ass a hard squeeze before turning and leaving her there. My dick throbbed, but I ignored it, leaving the room satisfied.
Chapter Twenty
Mallory
Two days in, and I was watching the strange animals prowl around the compound. Why were bikers strange animals, you ask? Because not one had spoken to me. Aside from Anna, Kay, and Bell, none had approached me. Even the few I did know, like Pretty and Jax and the president, seemed to keep their distance. I didn’t know what had changed between yesterday and today, but they seemed to have given up the effort of trying to get to know me.
So, here I was, sitting in the fenced-off yard, watching Adair roll around in the grass, picking up and trying to eat who knew what while Hunter was out.
I had considered staying in the room, but after three hours, I couldn’t entertain Adair anymore. It was the middle of summer and Adair had always been a grubby, little child who loved getting covered in mud. He had been restless since we had arrived. He slept well last night, or at least, better than I did. Pressed up against a near enough naked Hunter was one of the many reasons I couldn’t sleep, although there were a few others.
“Momma, I’m hungry.” Adair came waddling over to me, covered in freshly cut grass.
Momma? That was a new thing I had noticed. Adair used to call me Mommy, but as soon as he realized Hunter said Momma, he had adopted it, too.
I sighed and began dusting the grass off him. After he was marginally presentable, I checked my watch and saw it was almost twelve.
“Let’s go get you something, then.”
I took him by the hand, not feeling strong enough to pick him up today, and led him inside.
I got a few stares, and even a few glares, as I pulled my son along toward the kitchen. I wasn’t sure what the rules were on me using it since yesterday I had been with Kay and Bell, who had said it was okay. It wasn’t like I could keep Adair waiting until Hunter got back from who knew where.
I swung the door open and peeked inside. There were women all over the kitchen. Some were cooking, while I noticed some others were gathered in a corner, talking amongst themselves. The difference between the two was night and day. The girls in the corner were wearing clothes that barely covered the important parts, while the others, though I wouldn’t say were dressed conservatively, were covered up a bit more.
I didn’t realize I was staring until one of the ones cooking caught my eye. Feeling guilty for standing there like a spy, I stepped the rest of the way in.
“Um, hi. Sorry to intrude, but I was wondering if it would be okay to get something for my son.”
There was a long silence until I couldn’t bear its emptiness anymore. They just stared at me, and I couldn’t help feeling a little nervous.
“It’s just … He’s hungry, and he hasn’t had anything since breakfast, so …”
Th
ey continued to stare. I didn’t know what to do.
Adair was clinging to my leg, and despite the fact I wanted to scurry back to Hunter’s room, I couldn’t, not when my baby was hungry.
A loud huff came from one of the women in the corner. She moved away from the group and came toward me, wearing a crop top, hot pants, and heels. Her hair was dark and a little mussed, which she brushed over her shoulder as she dropped down to her haunches.
“What are you hungry for, little man?” she asked.
“Baby,” one of the other girls hissed. “What are you doing?”
Baby, I presumed, stood up with a grand sigh before turning back to her posse. “Look, you can be a bitch to the girl all you like, but don’t take it out on the kid.”
Oh … So, that was how it was. I hadn’t thought what the women in the club would make of me, but being territorial wasn’t quite what I had expected.
“So …” she said, lowering down to Adair’s height again. “What can I get for you?”
“Go on.” I gave Adair a little nudge.
He looked up at me, and then back at the girl. “Jam … please.”
Baby gave a small smile. “Sure, sweetie.”
She got up and walked around the kitchen, pulling things out to make a sandwich. I wanted to insist on doing it, but I figured I was walking a fine line with these women and certainly didn’t want to get any closer to them when knives were near.
When one of the women got in her way, Baby narrowed her eyes and said, “Move, or I’ll move you myself.”
The woman growled, “Don’t get cocky, whore,” before moving out of her way.
Baby rolled her eyes before walking past her.
She shoved the plate at me, and I quickly grabbed it.
“There’s a place you can sit outside,” she said then turned and walked back over to the girls.
I quickly made my exit, knowing I had overstayed my welcome in the room, and took Adair outside.
Talk about first impressions.
Apparently, that wasn’t to be my sole encounter with the women today.
After lunch had long since passed, and Kay and Bell had brought me some food when they found out I had skipped lunch for obvious reasons I didn’t tell them about, I had decided I would go see if Anna was around since she came in around this time.