by KJ Dahlen
Aries stepped up and handed Jackal a small package.
He opened it and handed Silas and Luca a phone. “These phones can’t be traced. Venom may think he knows us but he doesn’t. He may think he’s got eyes on us but we’re smarter than he is and he’s about to find that out.”
“We need to keep our activity on the down low. We don’t want him to know what’s going on,” Luca suggested.
Jackal nodded. “He might have eyes and ears here as well.” He shrugged. “We don’t know how long he’s been moving everything over to Baton Rouge. He seemed to know we took the clubhouse from another MC and that was almost ten years ago.”
Luca nodded. “That’s about when he showed up in Lafayette. We’ve been watching him off and on for a while now but this is his boldest move yet.”
“The Dogs of Hell MC must have been one he was very familiar with,” Jackal surmised. “He seemed comfortable in the clubhouse, even mentioned that a coat of paint covered a multitude of sins.”
“But you guys took them out a long time ago, didn’t you?” Luca asked.
Jackal nodded. “Blane took out the members of the MC but there could be more of them out there waiting for their chance to get revenge for the fallen. The old President had a brother in law enforcement and he watched and waited for seven years for us to make a mistake. After seven years, he disappeared but I never thought he was gone forever. I can’t believe he was the only one waiting for the right time to make his move against us.”
“And just maybe those people are the new MC waiting to take your place,” Luca suggested.
“We’re making plans to move our women and children to a safe place. You all might want to do the same until this is over.” Jackal stared at them.
Luca and Silas nodded.
Jackal, Hades, and Aries turned and walked out of the warehouse.
Luca looked over at Silas and shook his head. “The streets are gonna run red before this is over aren’t they?”
“Yup, I do believe that is coming. The only problem will be who’s blood will be staining the streets, there’s or ours?”
Both men turned and made their way from the warehouse as well. Luca turned left and joined his men in the woods around the warehouse. Silas turned right and disappeared into the city underworld.
Thirty minutes later, Jackal opened the door to his office at the clubhouse. Closing the door behind him, he moved over to the desk and sat down. Reaching for his burner phone, he dialed Pappy’s number and waited until the other man answered.
When he answered Pappy asked, “Well hello, and who the fuck are you calling me?”
Jackal replied, “Hey Pappy, you know who it is.” He laughed. “I need some info"
“Hell yeah, I do. How the fuck are ya?”
“Not good, Pappy. Ever hear of a man called Venom? Or an MC called Devil's Own?”
Pappy was silent on the other end for a long moment, then he said, “Well shit boy, you got trouble again, don’t you?”
“I need your help if you’re available,” Jackal told him. “I also need some intel.”
“On who?”
“A man named Dane Williams, His dad Derek and a home invasion ten yen years ago in Lafayette. Also, anything you can dig up on Venom and the Devil’s Own.”
“How soon you need it?” Pappy asked with a sarcastic tone.
“Less than three days and two days ago sounds even better.”
“You are just full of good news aren’t you?” Pappy snorted.
“Yeah and he gave the Kings this same warning, so they are down one day.”
“Well fucking hell.” Pappy growled. “I thought when we cleaned up the streets over there that they’d stay cleaner a while longer.”
“You and me both.” Jackal sighed.
“Ok, I’ll roll out things on my end and meet you guys in the a.m,” Pappy promised.
“Come in the back way, the front door is being watched,” Jackal warned him.
“Got it.” Pappy promised.
Jackal hung up the call then sat there for a moment before he got to his feet and went out to the main room.
His men were waiting for him along with Noelle and Maggie and some of the other wives.
He sat down and acknowledged his men’s concerns first, “We met with Luca and Silas. Venom gave the Kings the same offer he made us. Three days or they would be replaced with his crew.”
“How long ago?” Beast asked.
“Two days.”
“Well, shit,” Cobra grumbled.
“If they take out the Kings we’re next aren’t we?” a brother asked.
“They aren’t going to take anyone out,” Hades assured them.
“I called in some help. The Hell's Fire Riders will be here in the morning. We need to move the women and kids to safety then be prepared to defend the town and ourselves.” Jackal then turned to Noelle. “The Kings are going to find your brother and bring him here for questioning. He can fill in the gaps of what we know and don’t know as of yet.”
Noelle trembled. “He’ll kill me this time,” she whispered fearfully. “Dane hates me and I don’t know why.”
“Well, how bout we ask him that question when he gets here, along with several more.” Jackal grinned but the mirth didn’t extend to his eyes.
Noelle shivered and Jackal hauled her off her chair to his lap. Wrapping his arms around her, he held her close. “I got you babe. He won’t get close to you,” he whispered in her ear.
Noelle nodded then snuggled into his chest.
Jackal looked over at his men. “Pappy’s going to get us intel on Venom and the Devil’s Own. There has to be something more Venom is doing behind the scenes here than just taking over this town. He’s been working out of Lafayette for the last ten years. That’s long enough to establish himself. What does Baton Rouge have that Lafayette doesn’t?”
“Access to the river,” Noelle told them as she sat up and looked around in surprise. “Oh my god... that’s what I overheard them talking about. Baton Rouge has better access to the river for shipping their products in and out.”
“Fucking hell, woman,” Jackal cursed. “Do you remember who was talking or why they needed access to the river for shipments?”
Noelle shook her head. “I don’t know. I'm sorry I just can’t remember much, I just can’t.”
“They drugged you sweetheart,” Doc told her. Jackal growled at the endearment but Doc ignored him. “We don’t know what they gave you or why but when Jackal found you, you were very close to death. One more night out in the open and you would have died.”
Noelle shivered.
Jackal’s arms tightened around her. Then Jackal’s burner phone rang and he frowned when he answered it. “Hello.”
“Got something you need to know,” Silas’s voice came online.
“What’s that?”
“Chatter on the street is Venom is looking for a girl named Noelle. Don’t know why but he is. He’s scouring the streets for her. All the way out by your clubhouse.”
“Thanks for the update.” Jackal hung up the call and looked over at his men then at Noelle. “Venom knows you’re still alive. He’s hunting for you.”
Noelle struggled to get free but Jackal wouldn't loosen his hold on her. “No, you have to let me go!” she shouted. “I have to get out of here.”
“You aren’t going anywhere sweet thing.” Jackal stared at her.
Noelle stopped struggling. “But don’t you see... He’ll kill you for hiding me here. I was supposed to die out there.”
Jackal nodded. “But you didn’t because I saved you. You belong to me now and I don’t leave a man or woman behind. Don’t ask me to do that with you.”
“But I don’t want you to die, not for me. I’m not worth it.” She shook her head.
“You’re worth it to me,” he whispered in her ear.
Chapter Six
Noelle was resting on Jackal’s bed inside the clubhouse. He didn’t want her outside where a
nyone could see her and report her position back to Venom. She wasn’t sure what her role in this situation was but she knew she wasn’t ready to die either.
Looking back on her childhood, she never knew what was so different about hers but she had heard things about her father that she never understood. He’d always told her before he met her mother, he was married to another woman and that his wife was crazy.
Then when she was ten, she met the woman and had to agree with him. His first wife was crazy. Her dad stepped in to stop his wife from hurting her and her mom but sometimes, she could still hear the other woman screaming at them. It was something she’d hidden away in her subconscious when she was ten.
Then when she was fourteen, their home had been invaded and her parents were shot right in front of her. The bullet that ripped through her small body hadn’t taken her life but she died a little more each day she spent with Dane.
Now this. He’d sent her here to finally die by Venom’s hand. And Venom had nearly succeeded. She hung her head and sobbed into Jackal’s pillow. She never felt so alone as she did right now. She lost something very special when she was fourteen, something she doubted she would ever get back. She lost the only people who ever loved her.
She wiped the tears away from her eyes, just as the door opened and Jackal walked inside the room.
He paused and searched her eyes for a moment. Then he slowly shut and locked the door behind him. Walking over to the bed, he knelt down beside her and brushing a lock of her hair away from her face he asked, “What’s wrong sweetheart?”
Noelle shook her head and refused to answer him.
He laid his forehead against hers and whispered, “I can’t help you if you won’t talk to me.”
“Am I so unlovable that my life doesn’t matter?” she finally whispered. “Dane has hated me all my life and I never knew why. He sent me here to Venom knowing the other man would kill me in his place. Now because of me, your lives are on the line. Am I really worth it?”
“I think you are.” He looked into her eyes
“But you don’t know me,” she responded.
Jackal shook his head. “But I do know you, little girl. When I found you last night, it felt like I found a piece of myself, a piece I didn’t know was even missing from my soul. I do know you and yes, you are worth saving.”
Noelle searched his eyes and found he was telling her the truth. “Will you kiss me?”
Jackal shivered. “If I kiss you, I may not be able to stop at just a kiss.”
Noelle paused then whispered, “Please kiss me. I want to feel passion, even if it’s only once before I die.”
Jackal growled. “ You are not going to die. And you know I’m too old for you right?”
Noelle shrugged. “Age is only a number.” She looked up into his eyes. “I felt it too. This connection between us. I feel safe with you and that’s something I haven’t felt since I was fourteen. But it's more than just that... it's so much more. Every time you touch me, I feel a spark igniting a fire beneath my skin. I’ve never known that before but with you ...I want to know it.”
Jackal stared at her for a long moment. “I do want you, but you may not be able to handle a man like me.”
She stared back at him. “I can. I know I can.”
He let out a long breath then surged against her pushing her onto her back. He placed her arms above her head pinning them there while his other hand roamed along her body.
Everywhere he touched her, she felt like it was pure heat on her skin.
He then climbed over her and ground his pelvis into her waiting core. He kissed her, opening her mouth to his tongue and she moaned at his taste. His hands tore her shirt off and his mouth left hers to nibble down along her neck. When he covered the pulse at the base of her throat, he felt her heart pounding in her chest and he smiled knowing he was the cause of it.
His lips skimmed down her chest to come to her nipples.
She moaned when he suckled her breast into his mouth. She arched her back when his teeth bit down gently on her skin.
His hand reached for her other breast and he cupped it gently then with more force.
Noelle was out of her mind with feelings she’d never felt before. He suckled her other breast as his hand slid down her belly and into her panties. His fingers felt the heat of her core and the dampness there and Jackal moaned when he felt it.
“I want to feel you skin to skin,” she whispered in his ear.
Jackal stood up and began tearing at his clothes at her request. His clothes landed wherever they fell. As soon as he was naked, he gazed down at her.
Noelle was in awe. He was built like she knew already... hard all over. She viewed some scars and some ink that she wanted to study further.
She never got the chance as he took his place between her thighs. Looking down into her eyes, he asked her one last time, “Are you sure you want this?”
Noelle leaned close to him and inhaled his scent. He smelled like leather and all man. She groaned and nodded. “Yeah, I want this. I want you.”
“Have you ever had a man before?” He thought to ask last minute.
“No I haven’t, is that going to be a problem?”
Jackal smiled. “Not for me but it might for you, you might not like the first time.”
“Then do what you have to do. I want to get to the good part.”
Jackal chuckled. “Well, I’m a bit on the big side, so we have to take things slow. I don’t want to hurt you.”
“Please don’t make me wait.” She moaned as she lifted her hips.
Jackal groaned as he fit the head of his cock into her. “Damn sweetheart, you’re so tight.”
She didn’t know that much about sex but she did know the basics. “Please...” she begged him.
Jackal couldn’t resist but he pulled back then pushed two fingers in to feel her slick heat. He stroked in and out to get her primed. He lowered his mouth to a nipple and suckled her.
Gasping and writhing, she was begging him to take her.
He did this for a couple more minutes until he couldn’t stand the wait anymore. He lined himself up then pushed his way inside her.
She hissed and when he paused, she shook her head. “Please don’t stop.”
Jackal groaned and continued easing inside her. Her core enveloped him and caressed his hard cock. She felt like nothing he’d ever experienced before. Suddenly, he had the urge to slam into her and when he did, he covered her scream with his mouth, swallowing up her cry.
His kiss took her breath away and she was lost in the new sensations she was feeling. The pain was only temporary and when she whimpered breathlessly, he began moving his hips.
Hooking her ankles behind his back, he rocked her world as he took her to heaven. Jackal lost his control and his thrusts got deeper and harder. He couldn’t stop now if he wanted to. Sweat beaded his forehead and dripped down on her but neither of them noticed. “Damn baby, I’m so close,” he whispered in her ear.
“Me too, but I don’t know what to do,” she cried out.
Jackal reached between them and found her clit. He barely touched her before she flew over the edge. He covered her scream of ecstasy with his mouth on hers again and then he thrust one more time before he exploded inside her.
When he broke the kiss, they were both panting, trying to catch their breath. Jackal pulled out of her and flopped down beside her. He ran his hand down over his face and appeared dazed for a moment.
Noelle couldn’t look at him for a moment, then when she did there was a tear rolling down her cheek. “Thank you for that.”
Jackal frowned and turned to glare at her. “Why the fuck are you thanking me?”
“That was something I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”
Jackal snorted, “Baby Girl, we just got started. I ain’t done with you yet.”
Noelle’s eyes widened at his statement. Before she could say or do anything, someone rapped on the door.
“Pres,
we got a problem.” Aries yelled through the portal.
“I’m coming,” Jackal yelled back. “Give me a minute.” Sitting up on the side of the bed he looked back at her and stated, “Get dressed. Let’s go see what the problem is.” He reached for his clothes and put them on, all the while watching her put on her clothes. She winced pulling on her panties and Jackal frowned.
He didn’t realize she’d be so sore. Wrapping the blanket around her to cover her up, he escorted her to the door then out to the main room. When they reached the large table, he sat down first and dragged her into his lap. Jackal looked over at Hades then to Aries and the others in the room.
“Ok, what’s going on?” he demanded.
Aries picked up a piece of paper and handed it to his president. “We’re getting feedback from some woman named Trudy. Do you know her?”
Jackal nodded. “I know of her yes. What does she have to say?”
“She said she was looking into Venom and the Devil’s Own MC. Problem is Venom doesn’t exist. Is he known by another name maybe?” Aries asked looking from Jackal over to Noelle.
Noelle tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I only knew him as Venom but Dane used to talk about someone named Cody Pekin. He said he was from Lafayette but was moving his nightclub to Baton Rouge.” She looked at Jackal and told him, “The name on the package I brought to Venom was Cody Pekin. I swear that’s all I know.”
“What else did your brother say about this man Cody Pekin,” Jackal wanted to know.
Noelle hung her head. “I don’t know. That was his business. I didn’t know his business, he made sure of that.”
Jackal raised her head and looked into her eyes. He could read her fear but he could also read that she knew more than what she was telling them. “Baby Girl, he can’t hurt you here. I won’t let him do that. The boys and me we got you. But we need to know what you know about this man called Venom.”
Noelle swallowed hard and tried to look away but Jackal wouldn’t let her. She read the resolve in his face and when she looked around she saw every man there had the same look in their eyes. She swallowed again. “I don’t think Cody Pekin is his real name. I have a feeling I’ve seen him before but I can’t remember where. He just seemed to know me the other day when we met. I thought it was for the first time but he looked down at my belly like he knew.”