by A Parker
Tex’s gaze slid slowly toward Jackson. “That’s just enough time to convince Bates I’m a goner.”
Suzie’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy?”
“Of course he’s crazy,” Gabriel muttered.
“You can’t go through with it, brother,” Mason said, shaking his head. “There are too many variables we can’t control. Yes, we want Bates dead, but putting one of our own down in order to achieve that end? That’s not who we are.”
“Chips can bring me back,” Tex said matter-of-factly.
My stomach churned. No, no, no. This was not what I’d signed up for.
“It’s not always that simple,” Brody said. “There’s a very high chance I couldn’t bring you back.”
“I’m willing to risk it,” Tex said. “Jackson, think of your brother. Think of Tracy. They didn’t deserve what they got, and they won’t be the last souls Bates crushes if he’s given more days on this fucking planet. We have to finish him, and Carrie, although somewhat misguidedly, has created a controlled situation out of town where we can get this done. If we don’t take this chance we may never get another one like it. When Bates is gone you won’t have to worry about leaving Samantha home alone, or the bar, or your sister. Everyone will be able to breathe again.”
Jackson stroked his chin thoughtfully, but his eyes burned with frustration.
Knox, who sat on Mason’s other side, spoke for the first time since we’d all sat down. “Theoretically, let’s say we do this. How would it work, Chips?”
Brody looked around at the group with dismay.
Jackson nodded. “Go ahead.”
The doctor shifted uncomfortably before he spoke, and it made me almost relieved to see that the thought of temporarily killing one of his friends bothered him so much. “Theoretically, I could stop his heart with an electric shock. Six minutes is the maximum amount of time he could stay down, and even that is pushing it. I wouldn’t want to go past four if we could help it. I’d restart his heart. But none of this is an exact science. There’s no guarantee how your heart and your body will respond. There are variables I’d want to know. Blood pressure, for example. Heart condition. You smoke like a fucking chimney, Tex. There’s no way your insides are healthy.”
Tex shrugged. “I feel fit as a fiddle.”
I leaned back in my chair and took deep breaths. This was a lot. Too much, in fact.
Chips rubbed the back of his neck. “You know, admittedly this is batshit. Don’t get me wrong. But… I don’t think it’s impossible. And I have to agree with Tex’s logic. We’re never going to get a chance like this again. And sometimes risks and sacrifices are necessary to win the war. Right, Jackson?”
All eyes slid to the President, who knew more about war than the rest of them combined. He nodded solemnly.
“I still don’t like it,” Mason said.
Tex grinned. “Nobody said you had to like it.”
Grant leaned forward in his chair. “Wait, are we really considering this? What’s happening here?”
Jackson turned to Brody. “This is your area of expertise. If you think we can pull this off, I’m behind it.”
My heart raced wildly in my chest as I waited for Brody’s answer.
“I think,” he said slowly, “that if we prepare properly, and we do this thing right, that it’s worth playing with fire.”
Jackson nodded. “So be it.”
I stood up abruptly and my stomach lurched. I considered dashing to the railing to throw up over the edge, but a few deep gulps of fresh air and a hand on my stomach eased my nausea.
Tex looked up at me. “You alright?”
“This is crazy,” I said. “This is absolutely fucking crazy. I know I made this mess but I… I can’t be the reason this goes wrong. I don’t want this on my conscience. If you all seriously think this is a good idea…” I shook my head. “No, no way.”
With that, I stormed off the porch and down the steps. Tex called after me but I picked up my pace and let myself out the metal gate. As soon as I reached the other side, I bent over, braced my hands on my knees, and dry heaved.
There was nothing in my stomach to throw up.
Chapter 21
Jameson
Carrie didn’t say a word to me as she sat in the passenger seat of the Chevelle. After finding her nearly throwing up in the driveway after she stormed off the porch, I realized we needed to get out of there and have this conversation away from my friends. I’d gotten their buy-in, which was why I wanted to go to Grant’s in the first place. Now I just needed to get hers.
She was the one who’d made all this possible, after all.
At a red light, she rolled down her window and twisted away from me in her seat.
“Are you going to ignore me all day?” I asked.
For a moment, I thought she might not answer. “I’m not ignoring you.”
“Sure feels like you are.”
“Well I’m not,” she snapped, glaring over her shoulder at me. “Forgive me for feeling a little withdrawn as I process the fact that I’m going to be responsible for you dying.”
I tried not to laugh. Something told me that might piss her off more. “Temporarily dying.”
“Hopefully it’s temporary. But hopefully is all we’ve got. You were there. You heard what Brody said. There’s no guarantee. For all we know, your heart could stop and he might not be able to bring you back. Do you know what that would do to me?”
The light turned green and I stepped on the gas. “This isn’t about you, Carrie.”
“No shit. But if something goes wrong, it’s on my head, nobody else’s.”
“That’s not true.”
“How so?” She twisted back toward me, straining against her seatbelt. “I’m the one who went to Bates. I’m the one who made this happen. If not for me, you guys would have had time to sort something out. It would have gone differently. If you die, I’m going to have that on my conscience for the rest of my life.”
“I’m making my own choice. Just because it was your idea doesn’t mean it’s your responsibility.”
She rolled her eyes and slumped in the seat. “You don’t get it.”
Neither of us spoke for the rest of the drive. When we pulled up to the warehouse the sun was at the highest point in the sky. It was a warm day, but nothing like the heat we’d had over the course of the summer. Carrie shielded her eyes from the sun as she got out of the car and went to the back door of the warehouse, where she waited for me.
I let us in.
We moved down the humid hallway all the way to my door at the end. She waited with her arms crossed and leaned against the wall while I unlocked the door. I pushed it open and she ducked under my arm.
“I’m going to try to sleep again,” she said.
“We need to talk about this.”
“I don’t want to.”
I caught her wrist. “Well, I do.”
She wrenched free from me. “What do you want to talk about, Jameson? Huh? There’s nothing you can say to me that will make this feel any less like a cage. I feel like I have nowhere to go! All my choices have been stripped from me and I’m being forced down a road with no exits that keeps getting narrower and narrower, and at the end of the road, I’ll be crushed between two retaining walls and I won’t be able to breathe and… and…” She trailed off her as eyes grew glassy and pressed a hand to her chest. “I can’t do this. Oh my God, I can’t do this!”
I caught her in my arms as she crumpled.
She sobbed and clung to my shirt while I held her and I tried to think of the right thing to say.
“You know,” I said softly, resting my chin on top of her head, “nothing is ever guaranteed in this life. The boys and I joined the club knowing full well we’d be giving up the straight and narrow life. We take risks every day. Some of them aren’t even worth it. We pull stupid stunts on our bikes or start a fight in a bar with a stranger. The thrill? It’s in our blood. Some things are worth risking it for, Carri
e. And this? I want to do this. I need to. For William.”
“He’s dead,” she sobbed. “He’s dead, and if he were here, he’d tell you that you were being an idiot, too.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, he probably would. And then he’d probably try to convince me to trade places with him because that was the kind of guy he was.”
Carrie sniffled. “Well then, that would make him stupid, too.”
I laughed. “Yeah, well, we all have our moments I guess.”
“It’s not funny.”
“It’s a little funny.”
She pulled back and looked up at me with her arms wrapped around my waist. “I don’t want you to die, Jameson. That’s all.”
I held her face in my hands. She closed her eyes and pressed her cheek into my palm. “Baby,” I whispered, “if I don’t do this, I might die anyway. Bates has made it very clear that he wants us all six feet under. Regardless of what we do next, he’s coming for me. He’s coming for all of us. This plan gives me some control, and I’m not going to waste it. Brody and I will make a plan. We’ll make it work.”
Her eyes fluttered open. “You’re playing with fire.”
“Brody knows what he’s talking about. Six minutes is plenty of time.”
“Six minutes is too much time! Are you kidding me? You can’t afford to be fucking dead for six minutes! And somehow in that time span, we’re supposed to convince Bates that you’re dead?”
“Well yeah, he’s going to want proof.”
“Well yeah,” she said, mocking me by dropping her voice lower. She shoved my hands away from her face and took a step back. “And just how are we supposed to prove to Bates that you’re dead? He’s not an idiot. He’s going to need more confirmation than just a picture. He’s going to want to get up close and personal. With your corpse,” she hissed. “How can we let him get close enough to believe you’re really dead while also making sure Brody can start your heart, all within six minutes of stopping it? If you really think this could work, then you’re smoking more than just nicotine.”
“We’ll figure it out.”
She rolled her eyes. “Figure it out, my ass. I can’t believe you’re even entertaining this idea. Has it occurred to you what might happen to me if you died? Jackson hates me enough as it is. If you die because of me, what do you think he’ll do?”
“Nothing,” I said. “He’d probably escort your ass out of Reno himself and pray like hell he never saw you again.”
“They’d ruin me,” she insisted. “You dying would ruin me.”
I gave her a cheeky little smile.
She shoved me hard in the chest. “What the hell are you smiling about?”
“Nothing, nothing, it just seems like you’re kind of worried about me is all.”
“Worried?” Her voice was damn near close to a yell. “Of course I’m fucking worried, you idiot! I don’t want you to get killed! I care about you!”
“You do?” I stepped toward her.
Carrie stepped back. “Don’t let it get to your head.”
“Too late.”
She held up a hand. “Stay where you are. This is too much. I can’t catch my breath.”
“Let me help you.”
She shook her head, and her lips moved, but no words came out.
I could feel her falling apart as she held me at arm’s length. The woman was tougher than anyone I’d ever met, but she was also capable of feeling so deeply—something I’d never mastered myself. Shutting down and cutting feelings off always worked better for me.
She was so beautiful when she was vulnerable.
“Come here,” I said.
She continued shaking her head and backing away, but she didn’t have anywhere to go. Her back hit the wall beside the TV in the living room and her shoulders slumped. She took a shuddering breath and wiped at her eyes as more tears came.
“I don’t know who I thought I was,” she whispered, “but I was wrong to go to Bates. I was wrong to assume I could handle this and play with the big boys. I should never have left Austin. My life was so good there. I had everything I needed. I was safe.” Her voice cracked. “I miss my friends and I might never see them again.”
“Hey.” I caught her up in my arms. This time, she tipped her head forward and rested her forehead on my chest while I rubbed her back in slow circles. “Don’t talk like that. Just because things feel heavy right now doesn’t mean they won’t get better. We have a hell of a week ahead of us, but I, for one, am glad you’re here.”
She sniffled. “You are?”
“Definitely. You’re not giving yourself enough credit. You acted rashly last night, but you were also bold. Fearless. You created an opportunity out of thin air for us. And like I said, you’re underestimating the Devils. Give us a bit more credit, will you? We can do this. I know we can. Because of you.”
She tipped her head back and gazed up at me. Her blue eyes swam with tears, some of which had left the front of my shirt damp. “How on earth are we supposed to get through the next three days?”
“Together.”
“It’s that easy for you?”
“The way I look at it, I have three days with a beautiful woman before I get a shot at justice. We’ve all been waiting a long time for this, Carrie. We’re ready. I’m ready. And until the night comes? I want to enjoy every second I have.”
Her lips looked plump and inviting despite the tear that got caught in the corner of her mouth. She let out a shaky breath as her fingers tightened in the fabric of my shirt. Her eyes searched mine. “Are you going to kiss me or not?”
Chapter 22
Carrie
Fire.
Tex was an open flame in a dark room for me. He held space for me in darkness that I couldn’t see my way out of. He made my knees stronger, my back straighter, my head clearer. If not for him and the way he was looking at me that very second, I might very well have called Bates and told him the whole deal was off.
But that little flame danced in Tex’s eyes, and I didn’t dare lose sight of it. I wanted to hold it in my hands—no, I wanted to swallow it whole. I wanted to consume it, to become it.
Together.
Tex pressed two fingers under my chin and held my face up to his light as he leaned in to kiss me. It might have been my imagination, but I swore I could feel the warmth of his burn seconds before his lips grazed mine. He took his time, his lips gently finding mine like island waves lapping at a shallow shore. I stretched to the tips of my toes and suckled at his bottom lip. Could he feel how desperate I was for him?
Tex’s fingers left my chin and wandered into my hair. His mouth crashed against mine, his tongue slipped between my teeth, and his hips nearly crushed me against the wall. I didn’t mind. I tugged at him—at his shirt, his jeans, his shoulders, anything I could get my hands on.
He smiled against my mouth as I rubbed him over his pants. He was already hard, and I knew for certain my panties were already a mess. Even though I didn’t think it was possible, the fire burned a little hotter.
I pulled sharply at the belt loop on his jeans. “Take these off.”
His chuckle rumbled deep in his chest. “And just who do you think you are, giving me orders?”
The man was damn near incapable of letting a girl off the hook.
Feeling too greedy to rise to his bait, I tugged my own shirt off over my head and tossed it aside. He watched with hunger blazing in his eyes as the sun, now passing the highest point in the sky, dipped westward and began shining through the warehouse windows over our heads.
Dust danced in the rays of sunlight like fireflies while Tex stepped out of his jeans and pulled his shirt off over his head.
Using the wall at my back for stability, I bent at the knees and slid down its length until I sat in a crouch, balanced on the balls of my feet. Tex gazed down at me, his features painted in shadow as sunlight streamed in from above and he leaned over me. He braced himself with both hands on the wall high over my head while I freed him fro
m the confines of his boxers.
He spilled out, swollen and heavy, and I took him in both hands.
As I worked him over, my pussy ached. All thoughts and worries of our impending doom had vanished from thought and no longer waged war on my insides. I felt calm and steady, even if deep down I knew the relief was temporary.
Didn’t we deserve some sort of solace or pleasure before our worlds collided with evil on Friday night?
I lifted my gaze and held Tex’s stare as I took him in my mouth.
He groaned.
The sound sent a ripple through me. I pressed my tongue to the base of his shaft and guided him to the back of my throat. He was too big to hold while breathing, so I chose to forsake my air and choose his pleasure instead. I held him deep in my throat before slowly moving my head back and forth, fucking his cock with my mouth.
Tex seemed to shudder, and as I watched him, he bowed his head. The muscles in his shoulders rolled and his stomach pulled inward, showing off chiseled abdominals and deep V cuts of his hips. I savored his taste, scent, and the sight of his naked body towering over me. I sucked and teased with my tongue, all the while trembling at the thought of how good it would feel when he was no longer in my throat and was in my pussy.
Unable to help myself, I reached down between my legs and rubbed myself over my jeans.
Tex’s voice sounded like gravel and lust. “That’s it, baby. Fucking take it.”
I mumbled an incoherent response around the thickness of his cock.
Tex’s devilish smile made me wish my throat was even deeper. I wished I could steal his control away from him like he could from me.
Wondering how far I could push him, I ran my fingers up the inside of his thigh, feeling his skin rise with goosebumps beneath my touch. He sighed and hung his head back. I took even more of him, all I could manage, and choked.
“Fuck,” he hissed.
I ran my fingers around the back of his leg toward his ass.
And just like that, I knew I’d gone too far.
Tex let out a growl, grabbed a fistful of my hair, and pulled me off him. Still in a crouch, he pulled my head back and forced me to look up at him. “Careful, baby.” He leaned down, his face inches from mine, and ran his thumb over my lips. I let him slide his thumb between my teeth. He pressed down against my tongue and I sealed my lips around his knuckle and suckled. He nearly purred. “Good girl.”