by Jenika Snow
He started the pot and stood by the sink staring out the window. The driveway was a long graveled strip of road that was about half an acre long. There was also a gate that blocked entry, but the cabin and property were so far off the beaten path, and the nearest down a long fucking ways off, no one came this way unless passing by.
The sound of the coffee dripping into the pot had him looking over at it, his thoughts on Angelina and how he was going to handle this. Fury knew he didn’t want to let her go, not even after all of this. He wanted to take out her father, though, and that meant he needed to find the fucker.
But was she really okay with Sal Cardona being killed? Fury couldn’t let things be done with the fucker, couldn’t let him get away with hurting his club or Birdie. Fury could have done a lot of things differently, but what was done was done, and there was no turning back.
The sound of shuffling behind him had Fury turning and seeing Angelina standing there in nothing but a blanket. He saw her toes peeking out from under the material, and despite the fact he’d fucked her hardcore last night, and should have been set for at least a day, his cock came right to attention.
“Hey,” he said, because honestly he didn’t know what in the fuck to say.
She smiled, but she looked nervous as hell, too.
“Coffee?” Angelina nodded, took a step toward him, but before she moved more than a foot she stopped. When she looked down at herself her face became pink. “I should probably get dressed.”
Fury couldn’t help it. He smiled. “I won’t complain about naked coffee drinking.”
Angelina started laughing, and the sound was nice, calming. “I’ll be right back.” She turned and left, and Fury felt himself still smiling. After all that happened, this time with her felt … normal. It was still pretty insane that she’d ended up in his bed after what happened, but he couldn’t deny the fact he felt very possessive of her. The very thought of letting her walk away, that he wouldn’t see her again, had this rage billowing inside of him. He wanted her like a fiend, and if he were being honest he’d felt that desire start to grow inside of him the first time he saw her all those weeks ago. It had grown into the territorial monster it was now, and there was no denying or stopping it.
The sound of an approaching vehicle had Fury looking out the window and seeing a dark SUV coming up the driveway. It was too far for him to see who was inside, but he was already on alert. He opened the sink cabinet, reached under it, and grabbed the gun tucked underneath. It was just one of the many guns that were stashed around the cabin.
Checking to make sure it was locked and loaded, he tucked the pistol at the small of his back, and grabbed another gun that was on top of the fridge, making sure that one was ready, as well. He kept his focus on the approaching vehicle the whole time, and when it came to a stop in front of the cabin the glare from the sun cut right over the windshield, blocking him from still trying to make out who was in the car. He could assume it was a Bleeding MC member, because there were several SUVs at the clubhouse that was similar, but it was a standard dark car, and could be anyone. Fury had to always be prepared.
The driver got out of the vehicle first, and then the passenger was next. It was then he saw it was Birdie and Stone. Fury cursed and set the gun he had in his hand down and walked to the front door. He glanced down at his bedroom door, but Angelina was still inside getting dressed.
“Fuck,” he said again and opened the door before Birdie and Stone could either barge in or knock. He saw Birdie holding his outer leg as he made his way toward the porch. Stone stood back, but he knew Birdie well enough that the other man probably wouldn’t accept any help from anyone.
“Hey,” Stone said, his voice tight, because he damn well knew he shouldn’t be up here.
“I said I needed time to myself to handle shit.” Fury looked pointedly at Birdie.
“This asshole was persistent in knowing where you were at.” Stone narrowed his eyes at Birdie. “And the club knows where you’re at. They saw us leaving and things just came out.” Stone straightened. “But it’s not right for me to keep your fucking dirty laundry, man. The club deserves to know.”
Fury cursed again and nodded. “Yeah, I know, but shit, Stone, you could have given me a warning. You know damn well the club will have their ass up here to see what the fuck is going on.”
Stone nodded. The two men were now on the porch, with Birdie leaning against the banister holding his side now. Sweat beads covered his forehead, and his face was pale, but he looked hard as fucking steel in his composure.
“What the fuck, man?” Birdie said, his voice hard, angry.
“I should have kept you in the loop, but you were recovering, and I was pissed at the whole situation.” Fury wasn’t going to apologize for what he’d done, because the reason he was here was because he needed to get vengeance for his friend and club.
“You think up and leaving, without saying shit to anyone was what a president of an MC should do, what a brother should do?” Birdie was pissed, his face getting red, more sweat covering his forehead. It was also clear he was in pain.
“Man, get in the fucking house and lay down.”
Birdie flipped him off, but the three of them did head inside. Once Birdie was on the couch Fury went over to the freezer and got out a bottle of vodka. He walked over to his longtime friend, handed him the whole thing, and watched as Birdie popped the cap and took a long swig from it. They stood there without speaking, and Fury glanced at the bedroom door. Had she heard them talking? If so she’d be smart to stay in the room, because he sure as fuck didn’t want to explain what she was doing here, or who she was.
But then his heart stopped as the bedroom door opened and she came walking out in a pair of his sweats three sizes too big, and one of his t-shirts that hung off of one of her shoulders. Her dark hair was a wealth of waves around her shoulders, and her head was downcast as she messed with the pant leg. They hung off her, and damn was she fucking cute, attractive in his clothes.
The air in the room stilled, thickened, and became heated. The other two men stared at her, and Fury glanced between Stone and Birdie, gauging their reactions.
“Fury,” Angelina said, her head still downcast, a smile playing along her lips, “I hope it’s okay I am wearing this.” She lifted her head then. “The clothes I had were a wreck from last night—” Her smile was frozen on her face for a second as she looked among the three of them, and then her smile faded. No one spoke or moved for several moments, and then Fury walked over to her and stood in front of Angelina.
“What the fuck is going on here?” Birdie asked and sat up, not sounding upset, but certainly confused. It was also clear by Stone’s confusion they didn’t know who Angelina was.
Good, because the need to protect her, even from the men he trusted the most, rode Fury hard.
“You got to be fucking kidding me,” Stone muttered under his breath. “You ran off to keep some pussy on demand in the cabin?”
Fury felt his rage rising at the way Stone casually spoke about Angelina. She was a hell of a lot more than some pussy on demand. “Watch it, boy,” Fury said through clenched teeth.
Stone lifted his eyebrow and looked at Birdie. Fury glanced at Birdie, too, and saw his expression tense.
“What’s going on, man?” Birdie asked, now standing, and trying to look around Fury’s shoulder. Fury reached behind and curled his fingers around Angelina’s waist. He knew these men wouldn’t hurt her, but just the thought of someone looking at her, thinking filthy things about her, pissed him off and had the protective side rise up like a violent beast. “I can see the little bird behind you means something more than some pussy on the side.” Birdie looked at Fury again. “So tell us what in the hell is going on, Fury? Why all the hiding? What’s really the plan?”
He’d never been able to hide shit from Birdie. The other man had been on point with everything his whole life. This was the man that had killed for Fury, had done time for him, and Fury was being ea
ten alive by keeping shit from everyone. It was wrong hiding this from the MC, from his family.
“I was doing what I thought was right at the time.”
Another moment of silence passed.
“What’s going on here? Who is she?” Stone was the one to ask, tipping his chin toward Angelina.
Angelina stepped out from behind him, and Fury glanced at her. She was already looking at him, her eyes wide, and the nerves clear on her face. She finally faced Stone and Birdie, and a second passed before she continued to speak. “I’m Angelina Cardona.”
Fury felt the air become chilled as both men straightened and looked at each other.
“You’ve been holed up here with Angelina-Fucking-Cardona, Fury?” Birdie said and took a step closer, but braced a hand on the arm of the couch as he grimaced. “As in Sal Cardona’s daughter?”
Fury didn’t respond, but did wrap his arm around Angelina’s waist and pull her close to his side. “Sit down, chill the hell out, and I’ll explain everything.”
But Fury knew explaining wasn’t going to make this any easier to take, or make it less of a betrayal to his club.
Chapter Sixteen
“I know where they’re at,” Nando said into the receiver. The sun had since set, and the only sound that could be heard out here in the middle of fucking nowhere was of the crickets chirping.
“Where?” Sal’s voice was hard on the other end of the cell.
Nando told him the coordinates.
“They have Angelina?”
Nando braced his hand on the windowsill “She’s fine, from what I can tell. There are three club members with her at the cabin, and from what I can see she’s gotten pretty close with one of them.”
Sal was silent for a second, and then cursed in Italian. “That fucking bitch betrayed her blood.”
Nando knew Sal didn’t care so much about his daughter’s wellbeing as much as he cared about his own safety. Angelina could be used as leverage against the Cardonas, and that meant Sal needed to rein this shit in tight.
“I’ll take a plane tonight to get there, and drive up by morning.”
Nando hung up the phone and tossed it onto the passenger side seat. He’d parked the vehicle a good ways off from the main road that lead to the cabin. Even with his scope from this vantage he couldn’t see the cabin, but he’d trekked into the woods for a better look earlier today.
He looked behind him in the backseat where the girl was still passed out. He’d given her a heavy sedative, and she should be waking up come daybreak. But the longer he stared at her, the more he felt this desire grow. Nando didn’t deny he was fucked up in the head, but that’s what allowed him to be the cold-blooded killer her was. He reached out and ran his finger over her bare foot. Her skin was soft, warm. Nando didn’t keep women around. He used them for the amount of time it took him to get off, and then he kicked them the fuck out. But this young, innocent woman piqued his interest and had the flame of desire burning bright.
He was a sadistic asshole, and he knew this pretty little thing could make him feel fucking good. He’d show her what it meant to have his marks on her body, but not before he used her a little to show the MC who and what they were up against.
He faced forward again, his cock hard just from the thought of all the things he’d do to her. Nando needed to focus on the task at hand.
If the rest of the club didn’t show up they would soon enough once they knew Sal and him were there. The girl might not be anything to them, but she might be, as well. Either way he’d have fun with her, even if the MC didn’t want anything to do with her.
“This is going to be a very interesting situation,” he said to her, even if she couldn’t hear him. Nando smiled, anxious for what was to come.
****
All day. This conversation about Sal and Fury going rogue had been going on all damn day. To say this situation was awkward was an understatement, but Angelina was pushing through. She tried to appear calm, even made the guys’ dinner. It was clear Fury didn’t care who saw their PDA, because through the whole evening he was touching her hip, brushing her hair off her shoulder, and acting so out of character, at least in the way she’d seen him so far. But it was nice, and she liked having him like this, showing that he cared about her.
He does care about you, at least he’s said as much.
She didn’t know what exactly was going on, especially between her and Fury. The guys didn’t say more than a few words here and there, but she was okay with that, because Angelina didn’t know what to say about this either. This was a fucked up situation for sure, and even after Fury explained everything to the guys, told them about why he’d brought her here … how he’d gotten her to the cabin, the tension was still awkward.
“I spoke with Shorty,” the one named Birdie said.
Angelina was in the kitchen cleaning up, keeping busy, but she was casting glances at the guys in the living room. They looked tense.
“They pissed about this whole thing, about me going rogue?” Fury asked, but he didn’t seem apologetic, and Angelina had a feeling he already knew they’d be upset. He glanced over at her as if he felt her stare, gave her a wink, and focused on Birdie again.
How damn strange I feel this hard up for him after everything.
But even knowing that, and common sense telling her that he was dangerous, kidnapped her, and wanted to use her to get back at her father, things had worked out differently. He hadn’t hurt her, not even after she escaped. Yes, she had gotten into bed with him pretty damn fast, even after he forcefully seduced her—which I loved.
“Dude, you know they are. You went behind everyone’s back, went all rogue and shit.”
Fury didn’t say anything after that, just exhaled and nodded. “Yeah, but I had to do what I felt was right. I had to do what I needed in order to protect the club”
There had been a lot of cursing and arguing after Fury told them everything. The fact the rest of the MC were on their way to the cabin, according to Stone, had Angelina feeling like she was stuck in the center of a shit storm and there was no way to escape.
But I don’t want to escape.
She stared at Fury, felt her heart pick up speed at the sight of him. Just looking at him made her adrenaline pump through her veins, had this warmth moving through her. She’d never felt this way about anyone. That has to count for something, right?
“You want to go after Sal, we have your back, man. You’re our Prez,” Stone said, his voice hard, unwavering. “Didn’t you think we wanted the fucker in the ground, too?” Stone glanced her way after he said that, but he didn’t look like he was sorry she heard.
She wasn’t sorry either, didn’t even care. Maybe it was cold and heartless of her, but Sal had never been a father to her, and she’d never felt a connection to him. She’d been afraid of his power, of the bodies he left in his wake, and all she’d ever wanted was to run from him and that life.
“Listen, I’m tired as fuck and hurting. The club will be here at sunup. Let’s finish this then.” Birdie stood after he finished speaking. “I’m taking one of the rooms. I assume Fury will shack up with Ang,” he glanced her way, “so Stone, you’re taking the couch, man.” Birdie left the living room without saying anything else, and the three of them stood there, not speaking, and the awkwardness a little tight.
“Come on, baby.” Fury held his hand out to her, and feeling a little weird at the endearment from him in front of Stone, she walked over to Fury and placed her hand in his. With one last look at Stone, who, like his name, stood there unmoving, she headed to Fury’s room. Before the door shut they could hear shouting coming from down the hall.
“Dude, a lock on the wall and chains on the ground?” Birdie hollered out. “You are fucked up.” The door slammed shut, and Angelina couldn’t help her chuckle. It wasn’t one of amusement, but one of nervousness.
She shut the door and leaned against it, watching as Fury started getting undressed.
“This is weird a
s hell.”
He looked over his shoulder. “It sure as fuck is.” He gave her a half smile, and she pushed away from the door.
“You seem different with me.”
He tossed his shirt onto the bed and turned to face her. “Yeah, I can tell I am, but it’s not intentional.”
She moved toward him, now just a foot from where he stood, and found herself reaching out and touching the ink on his chest. “Why are you acting different?”
He didn’t speak for several seconds, but she then felt her head being lifted up by his finger under her chin. His eyes appeared stormy, conflicted.
“You were so hard, unforgiving, and dangerous when I first found out what was going on,” she whispered. He smoothed his finger over her bottom lip, and she sucked in a breath at the tingle that moved through her body.
“Don’t mistake my feelings for you in meaning I’m not just as dangerous or violent to someone that fucks with what I hold close.” His voice was deep, hoarse. “But with you I feel different. This whole situation is one huge cluster-fuck, and us being together is not ideal. You wouldn’t have given a motherfucker like me a second glance if things hadn’t worked out the way they had.”
No, she probably wouldn’t, but only because she lived in a bubble.
He moved closer to her until the scent of him washed through her. What she wanted was to be with him, even if other bikers were just beyond this door. She couldn’t help herself with Fury. He was power and danger all wrapped in one, and being close to him, knowing this was crazy, made this so much better.
“I want you,” he said, and all she could do was nod. With everything going on she just wanted to feel Fury in all ways, and not think about what was to come.