by Bella Jewel
I’m not going to get myself hurt, but I am going to keep hunting this beast, this demon, this person who ruined my entire life. I’m going to do that with the club’s help, but I’m also not going to wait around for them to decide what the best method is. I’m going to dig deeper, on my own, until we can find a way around this.
“Good,” Mykel says, his voice firm. “We don’t need another dead body on our hands.”
He’s right about that.
We don’t.
Which is why I don’t plan on dying.
Not yet, at least.
“HOW ARE YOU FEELING?” Karen asks as we walk toward the club house a few days later.
“Better now I’m allowed out. I feel good, glad I can finally get my life back on track.”
“Have you all found out any more about Magnolia’s murder?”
“No, but they’re dragging their feet with it. I know Alarick didn’t want to get into too much while I was healing, but sometimes I think he’s purposefully trying to keep me away from all this.”
“You can’t blame him for that,” Karen points out. “After all, he has seen some pretty horrible things at the hands of whoever it is that’s doing this. He doesn’t want to see you in the same boat.”
“I know,” I sigh. “I just feel like the longer I leave this, the further and further it slips away from me.”
She reaches over and squeezes my shoulder, giving me an understanding smile before we step into the clubhouse. We walk through the main living area, saying hello to a few members, before rounding the corner to the pool room. There, on the pool table, is Cohen. Balls deep in someone, I can’t see who, because he has her bent over the table and is fucking her so hard it’s scraping across the floor angrily.
I stop, my mouth dropping open.
Karen gasps, and her hands fly up to her mouth.
We both stand there, watching for a little longer than we probably should, but it’s super hard to look away.
It’s hard not to stare at Cohen’s strong, rippled body and the way his ass clenches as he drives his cock into the woman on the table. It’s hard not to be almost fascinated by her whimpers of pleasure and occasional screams of joy.
It’s super hard to do anything but stare.
“Didn’t think you were into watchin’ other people.”
A low, husky voice trickles into my ear, and I jump backward, slamming into Alarick’s hard body. He puts a hand over my mouth, to muffle the screech of shock, and then drags me backward and out of the room. Karen trails behind us, her cheeks red. When we’re in safe distance, Alarick lets me go and I gasp. “God, you could have done something other than sneak up on me, Flick!”
He grins, and then glances at Karen who is staring at the ground, her cheeks so red I can almost feel the heat radiating off them.
“Didn’t want you to interrupt Cohen’s fuck.”
“Cohen has a room, he could fuck in there,” I point out.
“Wouldn’t be fun then, would it?”
I bite my lip, because, well, it did look fun. I have never been fucked in such an open and public place, but I imagine it would feel super amazing. Thrilling, even. Knowing someone could walk in at any second. I shiver and Alarick notices, and his eyes grow incredibly lusty. I know what he’s thinking—he’s thinking that maybe we’re going to try that later.
I wouldn’t say no.
“I, ah, should get going then,” Karen says, her voice a little shaky. “I’ll call you later, Bri.”
She turns and rushes out before I can stop her, and with an exhale I look to Alarick. “You scared her off.”
“Cohen’s cock scared her off.”
I laugh softly. “That certainly wasn’t what I expected to walk in on today.”
“You spend more time at the club, you’ll see a lot more pussy. It’s how it works.”
“Right,” I murmur. “So long as that pussy isn’t anywhere near you, I don’t care.”
He grins. “Only one pussy for me, and if you’re lucky, I might bend you over that pool table later and show you how fuckin’ good it feels to be fucked up against it.”
My cheeks burn and I give him a small smile.
“I’d like that,” I say, softly.
“Yeah?” he growls, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll keep that in mind,” he murmurs, staring at my lips. “For now, need you to come and talk with me about somethin’.”
“Is that something good or bad?” I ask him.
He gives me an uncertain expression. “Don’t know yet.”
I don’t like the sound of that.
I follow him to his office and, when we’re inside, he closes the door. Kendric and Samson are both sitting on the sofa, kicked back, boots on the coffee table.
“Get your boots off my fuckin’ table,” Alarick orders.
Both men grin and take their feet down.
I wave to them both and then sit down beside Samson. Then I wait. I wait for whatever it is Alarick is about to tell me. Have they found the guy? Have they worked out what’s going on? Is there something I’m missing? Something I don’t know? I have a thousand questions running around my brain.
“We got a tip off from someone, won’t say who, that we were right all along about Constable Bennett bein’ on the scene. Got word that he is workin’ with this Dax fella, and that they’ve got somethin’ runnin’. Somethin’ dangerous and far beyond anythin’ I’ve seen.”
“The cult?” I ask.
“Not sure it’s a cult, but in a sense you could call it that because it’s clear it involves a fuckin’ lot of brainwashing. The only thing I know right now is that whatever they’re doin’, they’re takin’ a fuckin’ lot of lives. Willingly and not.”
“How do we find them, then?”
“Steady on, sweetheart,” Kendric murmurs. “This ain’t about rushin’ in and blowin’ up somethin’ we don’t even understand. We need all the information before we even think about steppin’ in there.”
“So many more girls will get hurt, or worse, if we wait,” I protest. “So many more families will be torn apart. They’re dangerous, whatever they’re doing is dangerous. I don’t like this!”
“You don’t have to like it,” Flick says, his voice firm. “But we’re playin’ this my way, not yours. Know how I feel about you, Briella, but you gotta know I have a whole club to protect, and I have you to keep safe. I’m not goin’ to charge in there without knowin’ absolutely everythin’ I can.”
I see his point, I really do.
I also hate the idea that other girls are there, getting hurt, because nobody is stopping him.
“What’s the plan, then?” I question.
“We’ve got sources, we’re goin’ to dig deeper and find out everythin’ we need to know.”
“Who?”
Alarick looks to me, his eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“Who? Who are your sources?”
“That’s none of your concern.”
Frustration bubbles in my chest. I know what he’s doing and, to be honest, I’d probably do the same if the roles were reversed, but protecting me isn’t helping anyone. I want to help. I need to help. I need to fix this, and the only way I can do that is to be right there beside them as they figure out what the hell is going on.
“Know this is hard on you,” he goes on. “But I’m doin’ right by you here, you need to let me.”
I swallow and take a deep breath, then ask. “Have you figured out anything more about Aviana?”
“Actually, yeah. We got word she don’t have anything to do with this, and that she went off on her own. Not sure where. Not sure how. But it’s lookin’ like her disappearance isn’t related.”
“How can you possibly know that?” I argue.
“Because I tracked down someone who knows where she is.”
My eyes get wide. “You know where she is?” I whisper.
“Yeah, I know where she is. Her uncle on the ot
her hand, most certainly has somethin’ to do with all of this. Probably for money. Either way we’ll find out.”
I don’t care about her damned uncle. I care about her.
“Where is she?” I ask, ignoring the last part. “Can I talk to her?”
“Far as I know, the person who knows where she is isn’t willin’ to give us her location, but we have received evidence via photography that she is alive and well. That’s all you need to know. That’s all we need to know. Aviana can do as she wishes from this point forward.”
“She’s missing because of us,” I whisper. “She was my best friend.”
“Know that,” Alarick goes on, his voice still stony and firm. “But right now we have bigger matters. Down the track, you want to find her, we’ll look into it. For now, we need to find who killed your momma and your sister and finish this.”
I swallow back the pain in my chest and nod. He’s right. For the moment, we can only pick one thing to fix and right now, that’s the monster lurking in the shadows out there.
“I won’t go ahead and get involved in this,” I say. “But I want you to promise me you’ll keep me in the loop. Don’t keep things from me. If you want me to follow your orders, I want to know you’re going to share everything with me. Can you do that?”
Alarick nods. “I’ll tell you anythin’ you need to know, but understand that if anythin’ is goin’ to cause any kind of danger, I ain’t riskin’ it.”
I nod.
Then I look to Kendric and Samson, who are both just leaning back and listening. “I’m sure you boys are looking forward to this drama.”
Kendric snorts. “Rather stick to ridin’, but hey, do what you gotta do.”
“I’m always up for an adventure,” Samson grins.
I could say the same.
Only thing is adventure is proving to be a whole lot riskier than the ones I’m used to.
Things are about to enter a world I can’t even begin to understand.
I’m terrified.
2
FLICK
“You’re not tellin’ her everythin’ you know,” Cohen says, leaning back in the chair and lighting a cigarette, throwing his booted feet on my coffee table.
I reach forward and shove his feet off, growling low. “You fuckers seem to think my furniture is for your fuckin’ feet.”
Cohen grins and passes me a cigarette, which I gladly take.
Everything right now is fucked.
Dramatic? Fucking sure.
True?
Absolutely.
The shit we’re about to get involved in is risky, and it’s deadly, and I know fuck all about it. Run drugs? I can do that with my eyes closed. Sell weapons? Fuck yeah. Deal with someone double crossing me? Fucking don’t doubt it.
Handling a sick fucker who brainwashes and sells girls overseas for money? Fuck me. I don’t even know where to start with that.
“Quit avoidin’ my question, Pres. You’re keepin’ shit from Briella, and she’s goin’ to figure it out. When she does, she’s goin’ to be pissed and likely do something stupid.”
I glare at him. “I’m keeping that shit from her so she won’t do anything fuckin’ stupid. She just had her brain operated on. You think she’s goin’ to handle the deep ugly truth about what’s goin’ on out there? To find out what really happened to her sister? To find out the gruesome details that we know?”
“She’s goin’ to find out eventually.”
“Know that,” I mutter, inhaling the cigarette, feeling the smoke burn my lungs. “But right now, I also know it’s for the best to keep her as far away from it as I can. At least until she’s fully healed. It hasn’t been long enough. If she gets hurt ...”
“Get that, I’m just warnin’ you that she ain’t goin’ to like it.”
I know she won’t fucking like it.
But right now, I’m doing what I have to do.
“You find out more about the cop? See if she’s got any more info?”
“Samson is checkin’ in with her. She’s not overly fond of the club.”
“Don’t give a fuck about that, I only care what she knows.”
“Chances are she’s goin’ to get the info and take the investigation for herself.”
“Doubtful. From what I know, she’s treated like a fuckin’ joke because she’s a woman. Not to mention there is a crooked cop she’s tryin’ to expose. She has no reason to touch us, and if we don’t give her one, she’s a good ally to have on our side.”
Cohen frowns. “Risky business, havin’ a cop on our side.”
“Better with us than against us.”
“Hmmm,” he murmurs.
“Anyway, I got a job this afternoon. Six hours. Won’t be back until dark. You see Briella, you tell her I’m at the shop.”
Cohen nods, and I stand, crushing out my cigarette and leaving the clubhouse.
I make my way to King’s Ink and unlock the doors, flicking on the lights and setting up my workstation. Ten minutes later, Jo rolls in. She looks flustered, like she’s just been for a jog, but from what I know of Jo, she doesn’t fuckin’ jog.
“What’s got you hot and bothered?” I murmur, setting up my tattoo gun.
“There’s a man outside, and I don’t know, he was totally creepy. When I tried to park my car and get out, he just stood there, staring at me, and wouldn’t move from the parking lot. I freaked out and drove a few blocks down and ran. That’s why I’m late.”
I lift my head and stare at her. “In our parking lot?”
She nods. “Yeah, he was just kind of standing there, looking at the back of the shop. When I pulled in, he made it clear he wasn’t going to move. The look on his face freaked me out, and I was certain I was going to get attacked or something.”
“Should have called me, Jo,” I say, putting the tattoo gun down and striding out the back.
I reach the back door, shove it open, and look around the parking lot that currently has my car, and some other car sitting quietly in it. I scan the area, but there is nobody around. Probably someone just walking by, maybe lost, but with the way things are right now, I can’t be too fucking sure of anything.
Nothing feels right in this present time.
I walk back into the shop, locking the door, and then head back out front where Jo is setting up her station.
“Was there anyone there?” she asks.
“Nobody. What did this guy look like?”
“He was tall, really handsome, black hair, lots of ink. He had creepy eyes though.”
I nod, but nobody comes to mind with her description. None of us currently know what this mysterious Dax looks like, but we do know that Constable Bennett is working with him. Could be keeping an eye out after Briella went into the station before Magnolia showed up dead and confronted him. Chances are, word has gotten out that we’re investigating, which can make things fucking dangerous for us.
Whoever it was, they don’t make me feel fucking right.
Everything is about to blow up.
I just fucking know it.
I STARE AT BRIELLA, leaning over the pool table to collect the balls and put them back in the barrier. She does this often, she likes them all to be in the little triangle mold, so that when someone wants to play, they don’t have to dig them out. She’s always flittering around the clubhouse, cleaning shit up, kicking the whores out, and making sure everything runs smoothly.
She knows this world, this life.
She knows how it works.
I walk up behind her, my eyes trained on her perky ass as she leans over. She’s gorgeous, curvy, and fucking hot. My hands go down and I take a big palm full of her backside in each. She gasps and jerks backward, but using the force of my body, I keep her pinned in spot.
“Remember what I was saying earlier about fuckin’ you on this pool table?” I growl into her ear.
She shudders, and I can see her skin prickle, tiny little bumps rising on the surface.
“I didn’t hear you come
in,” she whispers, her voice low and husky.
“Turn around,” I growl.
I need to taste her more than I need the beer I’ve been thinking about all afternoon. God, do I need my mouth in her pussy, licking until she’s screaming, knowing anybody could come in at any second. One of these days now, our world is going to blow up around us, so for right now, having her is the only thing I need.
Briella does as I ask, turning around until she’s looking up at me beneath those thick, beautiful lashes. I reach for her face, cupping her cheek, loving the way her skin is so fucking soft beneath my palm. She’s a god damned angel, and there isn’t a single fucking thing about her I’d change. Not a single fuckin’ thing. Not even that scar on her head that’s now part of who she is in such a big fucking way I don’t even think she gets it.
“Lean back.”
She doesn’t fight me. Her cheeks grow pink as she leans back and I lift her slightly, letting her fall back onto the pool table. I’ve eaten pussy here before, we’re a club, it’s what we do, but none as sweet as the girl I love. King always said it was different—never believed him until my heart became hers. Only then did I realize the other encounters I had were nothing on her. Nothing at all.
I slide her panties down her legs and toss them to the side, and then, looking into her eyes, I lower my mouth to her pussy. Her scent catches me, and I growl as I bury my face deep between her legs. She smothers her whimpers, but there is no missing just how fucking good this feels for her. I can hear her fingers grinding against the fabric on the table as she becomes wetter and wetter, and her pussy gets red. So fucking red I get hard.
I want to fuck her. No doubt about it.
But not until I’ve made her break her control and scream.
I plunge my tongue in and out of her tight hole, before finding her clit and swirling around and around until she can’t take it anymore. Her screams fill the room and my dick feels like it’s going to explode. I growl against her flesh and stand, wiping her off me with the back of my arm and looking down at her flushed face and her panting breaths. I can’t wait a single fucking second longer. I need my cock inside her, and I need it now.