Without missing
a beat, Judd told Tawny, “Don’t look at Vaughn’s ass.”
Sliding up next
to him, she caressed his stubbled jaw. “His wouldn’t win. No ass is as perfect
as yours.”
Vaughn glanced
at me. “They’re going to have bathroom sex now. Let’s order wings and wait them
out.”
Grinning, I took
his hand and pulled him towards the empty dance floor. Josh Turner sang
overhead about love. It was the kind of mushy tune that normally made me puke.
Tonight, while dancing with an unbearably handsome man who wanted to make a
life with me, the romantic song felt right.
“Are they really
going to have sex in the bathroom?” I asked, realizing Judd and Tawny were
gone.
“No, they
brought the SUV. I guess, they knew the night would be too sexy to avoid a
quickie.”
“Why aren’t we
having a quickie?”
Vaughn gave me a
sly grin. “Self control, cookie. We have it and they don’t.”
“Because they’re
hotter for each other than we are?” I asked, swaying my hips against his.
“Screw you. I’ll
whip my cock out and fuck you this second. I’m game if you are.”
Laughing at his
serious expression, I wrapped him tighter in my arms. “Let’s save all the heat
for your apartment.”
“Our apartment,
cheeky. We should talk about finding new digs. Something big for when I’ve
created a basketball team in your womb.”
“Not all at
once, right?”
“Lark’s having a
litter. Why not us too?”
Spinning around,
I leaned back against him. “Where do you want to live?”
“A house. There are
some big ones in Cooper’s neighborhood. If we moved there, you and Farah could
talk babies or vaginas or whatever chicks talk about when they’re alone.”
“Cocks and
chocolate. That’s the gist of our conversation choices.”
“Nice,” he
murmured, running his hands up and down my hips. “Do you want a house? Like
suburbia crap? I’ll give my woman whatever she wants.”
“Growing up, I
always wanted to live in a pretty house and stay there for a long time. I’d
love for my kids to grow up in the same house with the same friends. It doesn’t
even have to be a fancy house or that big. Sharing rooms won’t kill kids. It’ll
teach them patience and sharing. I usually shared rooms with Lark. Sometimes
with Phoenix too.”
Saying my brother’s
name made me a little sad. Lark and I had found such happiness, but Phoenix never even had a chance to grow up.
“I miss him,” I
said, resting against Vaughn. “Even after all these years, I miss him. I know
Lark does too. She cries more lately because of the hormones. Anything that
reminds her of Phoenix gets her going.”
“That’s what the
blue butterfly is, right?” Vaughn said, grazing my bare back with his warm
fingers. “That’s Phoenix and the pink one at Tinker’s shoulder is Lark.” When I
smiled, Vaughn kissed my forehead. “My sweet Tinker.”
“I always liked
her spunk and understood her obsessive jealous nature when it came to boys. I
have that sickness too.”
“Will you get a
tattoo in honor of me?” he asked with complete seriousness. “Me on a Harley with
my hair blowing in the wind. Just throwing ideas out.”
“Can you be
Peter Pan on the Harley?”
Likely
remembering all the teasing he got from the guys about green tights, Vaughn’s
smile faded. “Forget it. Just stick my name across your ass and call it a day.”
Laughing, I
climbed Vaughn who wrapped me in his arms. “I’m getting a butterfly for every
kid we have,” I whispered in his ear as Vaughn walked us out to the Harley and
past Tawny and Judd’s a-rocking SUV. “I’ll also do that ass tat like you
suggested.”
“Oh, yeah,”
Vaughn said, resting me on the Harley. “I’m getting a tattoo on my ass
dedicated to you. Tinker and Peter in a very explicit love scene. Tasteful, but
explicit.”
The thought of
that tattoo had me giggling on and off all night. Even the next day when I met
the girls at the salon, I found myself laughing at the image of Tinker and
Peter fucking on Vaughn’s ass.
While I smiled
to myself, Tawny fed Farah Pico de Gallo. Maddy studied my shoulders and
sighed.
“I burn then
tan, but get all freckled. Not attractive, but my man loves me anyway.”
Grinning at her,
I took one of the fashion magazines nearby and fanned Lark who was sweating
like she’d just run a marathon.
“Baby cooking is
tricky shit, huh?” I teased her.
“Yeah, but I’m
tired mostly because Aaron kept me up last night playing
Uno
. It’s
official though. I am the
Uno
champion of our household. Beat his sexy
ass something fierce.”
“What did you
win?”
When Lark gave
me a naughty grin, I got the worst giggles. Jodi watched us goofing off and rolled
her eyes.
“I need to spend
more time with women my age, but they’re always whining about how their men
can’t get it up and aren’t sexy anymore. I just can’t relate.”
We all laughed
and settled in for our pedicures.
“What’s taking Bailey
so long?” Sawyer asked, sitting in the booth next to her mom.
“She’s at Hampton, choosing her classes for next semester. She’ll be here soon.”
After deciding I
wanted pink nails with little stars, I thought about Vaughn who was off doing
whatever his job entailed when he wasn’t hanging with the guys. I was still
daydreaming when Jodi’s cell rang followed by Tawny’s. Farah’s was next then
Maddy’s. Before I had a chance to worry, Jodi bolted from her chair and locked
the front doors. I heard Maddy gasp while Tawny pulled out a gun.
“We’re locking
things down until someone comes,” Jodi explained to the freaked out
manicurists.
“What’s
happening?” I asked Farah.
“Cooper wants us
to go to his parents’ house. Someone attacked Bailey and the club is shutting
the town down until they find the guy.”
“What should I
do?” Lark asked, looking so young that I immediately hugged her.
“Everyone is
going to my house where we’ll be safe,” Jodi said, examining the quiet street
outside. “You’re family and the Johanssons stick together against their
enemies.”
For the next ten
minutes, Jodi and Tawny guarded the front while I hugged Lark and caressed her
head. Farah moved to a couch where she played Internet games with Sawyer and
Maddy.
Once a few guys
from the club showed up, they escorted us to the Johansson property. Only then,
did we learn Bailey was already at the house. Even wanting answers about who
attacked her and whether Vaughn was safe, we could only wait.
Raven planned to
spend the morning with the girls, so I looked for houses in a few recently
built neighborhoods. Big plans awaited us and I wanted to start our new life as
soon as possible. Unfortunately, my enemies chose to derail my dreams again.
The call from
Cooper was short and angry. Assholes attacked us in Ellsberg. We needed to meet
up at Whiskey Kirk’s. The women were safe. The last part of his message was
what kept me from blowing off his orders and looking for Raven.
Instead of
checking on my woman, I arrived at a packed Whiskey Kirk’s. Inside, I found the
guys armed up and restless.
“What the hell
happened?” I asked Judd who was wearing his enforcer face.
“Looks like the
Devils are in town. I don’t know the details because Cooper’s keeping shit
close to the vest. He’s talking with Tucker and Kirk now.”
Glancing around
at the angry club guys, I knew something big went down. The specifics didn’t
matter. Someone came into Reaper territory to stir up shit.
“Is Tawny okay?”
I asked in a barely veiled attempt to find out about Raven.
“They moved all
the girls to the Johansson house especially after what happened to Bailey.”
“Shit, man. Tell
me what you know.”
Judd glanced
around. “Bailey was on her way to the salon to meet the girls when some fucker
ran her off the road. He tried to move on her car, but she took a shot at him.
He shot back. Then, that asshole deputy with the stupid name showed up with his
lights and sirens. The asshole shooting at Bailey ran for it. I don’t know who
the guy was, but the Devils tried to grab Kirk’s kid. It goes without saying
the streets will bleed red soon.”
Once the door to
the backroom opened, Tucker gestured for me and Judd along with Kirk’s top
guys. The rest of the club wanted answers, but they would have to wait.
Cooper’s face
was a mask of rage. His pop looked calm enough, but the guy had years of
practice at hiding his feelings. When Cooper was too angry to speak, Tucker
explained.
“Saint called
from Tucson and said the clean up couldn’t be completed because Caleb wasn’t in
town. The other guys were dealt with including Lloyd, but Caleb’s neighbors
claimed he’d gone hunting a few days earlier. The Devils are in a fucking rage,
but they’ve got no leader. Saint said the rumor is a Mexican gang is looking to
take over the Devils’ territory. Vaughn’s old crew has got bigger shit to worry
about than us.”
“Who tried to
grab Bailey?” Judd asked.
The muscles in
Kirk’s jaw twitched then he shrugged. “Wasn’t Caleb. Probably one of his guys.
Saint said the fucker took a few buddies hunting with him.”
Realizing the
timeline, I sighed. “Once their shitty hitman got killed, they sent Caleb to do
me. Now, he’s heard about his dad and lost his fucking mind.”
“Bailey’s okay
though?” asked one of Kirk’s guys.
Nodding, Kirk suddenly
looked directly at me and every muscle in my body tensed.
“Raven?” I
asked.
“No, she was
with Jodi and the girls. They’re fine, but while the fucker tried to grab
Bailey, his buddies were over at Cooper’s future office. They grabbed Harlow,
her sister, and shot Raven’s brother.”
“Is Dylan dead?”
“No, but only because
Tad pulled a gun. Caleb didn’t have time to finish the job. He did get the
girls though and sent us a message saying he’d kill them if we didn’t hand you
over.”
“Motherfucker!”
I yelled, heading for the door without a damn clue where I was going.
“Hold up,”
Cooper said, grabbing me. “You can’t just run off. We need to figure shit out
first.”
“Figure what
out? I’m why they came here and shot up your town. Shot at your sister, man.
Let’s end this.”
“How? By handing
you over, so everything we’ve done was for shit? Don’t be a fucking idiot.”
“They’re going
to kill Harlow. The kid finally had a chance at a life and they’ve got her,” I
said then lowered my voice. “They’re pissed and scared and they’ve got those
two girls. The longer they have them, the worse it’ll be. Just call the asshole
and tell him we’ll end it now.”
“What about
Raven? You gonna ditch your woman because you’re having a panic attack.”
“I’m not
panicking.”
“You’re acting
like an idiot. If you’re not panicking, what the fuck is your problem?”
“I need to make
this right,” I said, reaching for the door.
“Damn it,
Vaughn,” Cooper said, shoving me against the wall. “You said I was your
president and you would follow me. Well, I’m telling you to stand the fuck
down.”
“He’s going to
kill those girls.”
“Maybe, but
handing your ass over to him doesn’t mean they’ll live either. Let us figure
things out first, so we can save everyone. Caleb doesn’t want to die, so he’ll
be willing to negotiate. We have the cards here. If he kills those girls, we
kill him. If he kills you, we kill him. He has a contract on his head and you
know how that feels. If Caleb is looking to go back to Tucson and lead the
Devils, he’ll give us the girls in exchange for a truce.”
“He might not be
thinking straight. His dad is dead. His club was attacked and Caleb has a
temper. His only loyalty is to the club and he’ll want revenge.”
“Then, we’ll
find and kill him. You running off like a fuckwad won’t save Harlow and her
sister. You need to settle down and let me figure things out.”
Even wanting to
mention how long it took for him to figure shit out before, I kept my big mouth
shut. Cooper was in charge and I was his guy. If I didn’t behave, maybe I
wasn’t his guy anymore and I’d have more to worry about than the Devils.
“Do what you
can, Cooper. Those girls don’t deserve this shit after what they had growing
up.”
“Understood.
Now, make sure our women are safe at the house. Lock shit down, so we don’t
have more trouble. I’ve got feelers out to all of our contacts and they’ll find
Caleb and his fucking friends. No way can they hide long in our territory. Once
we know where they are, we’ll figure out how to go in and get the girls.”
I felt like an
outsider all these years with the Reapers. If I wanted to call myself their
brother, I needed to stop thinking I was in this fight alone. Kirk and his boys
treated me better than the Devils ever did. Even as Ted’s stepson, I was the
loner who cleaned messes. Never trusted with decisions, I was just called to
hide their dirty secrets. In Ellsberg with these men, I could be really part of
a club.
The entire ride
to the Johansson property was torture as I remembered Harlow wearing face paint
at the fair. For years, I never believed she’d recover from the ugliness of
that night or the suffering Playboy put her through. I imagined her ruined, but
she’d grown up to be a woman capable of laughter and light. If Caleb stole that
from her, I would spend the rest of my fucking life hunting his ass down. No
truce would stop me. No loyalty to the club. Even Raven’s love might not be
enough for me to give up on revenge.
Once I saw her
running down to meet me, I accepted I wasn’t strong enough to give her up to
find my vengeance. She owned my heart and I was relieved Cooper stopped me from
breaking hers.
“They’ll save
her,” Raven said immediately, knowing not only what I was thinking, but what I
needed to hear.
Taking her into
my arms, I could breathe again. “You give me hope, cookie,” I whispered before
kissing her.
Raven held me so
tightly I suspected she would have broken a weaker man. Fear radiated from my
woman, but she gave me a wonderful fake smile.
“The Devils want
to destroy you because you’re special and they’re nothing. They can’t have you
though. You belong with me here in Ellsberg and I refuse to let you go.”
“You’re going to
be my wife. Nothing is interfering with that plan.”
Nodding a little
too vigorously, Raven glanced up at the deck where Lark waited.
“How’s Dylan?” I
asked as we walked towards the stairs.
“In surgery. The
Reapers guy at the hospital called Jodi and said Dylan will be okay,” Raven
said, shivering. “I can’t believe he tried to stop those bastards. I mean, it
makes sense that he’d try, but he was unarmed.”
Her eyes red
from earlier crying, Lark waited for us with a nervous smile. “I heard he used
a hammer on the guys. Got one of them in the eye too.”
“You okay?” I
asked as she and Raven sat on a bench.
“Scared for
Dylan and those girls. Ellsberg felt so safe and now it doesn’t. I’m just
scared someone will die.”
“They will, but
it won’t be our people,” I assured her.
Bailey appeared
outside with two Rottweilers. She was armed with a gun in her hand and one
strapped to her side.
“Any trouble out
here?” she asked, waving her gun around.
“Naw,” I said,
hugging her to me. “You scared the bastards away.”
“Yeah, I kick
ass pretty spectacularly. Want me to teach you some moves?”
We all laughed,
but Bailey was more than a little freaked out. The bravado masked none of her
fear. Her question definitely distracted though.
“Do you think
that Deputy Darling guy is hot?”
Lark gasped.
“Don’t make me puke! Please, I just settled my stomach.”
“He’s kinda
manly and stuff, right?”
I rolled my
eyes. “Lawmen don’t do it for me.”
“You’re fucking
Raven. You don’t need to get hot for him. I’m looking for man meat and he’s got
a respectable job.”
“Just ew,” Lark
said, leaning back and rubbing her bump. “Stop before I upchuck on you.”
A smiling Bailey
sat next to Lark. “Okay, but only because I’m feeling very giving since I
kicked ass today. Oh, and Maddy asked me to be her maid of honor. She said I
was so nice to her when she was preggers that she’s picking me over her real
sisters. I’m that fucking good.”
The next hour, I
kept Raven close to reassure her. We were even talking about sneaking off to
the apartment when I got a call from Cooper.
“Get your ass
back here. We got a lead on the fuckers.”
Leaving Raven
was painful, but I forced myself to go. The club needed me and my president
wasn’t asking. When I got to Kirk’s bar, the parking lot was as full as when I
left. The mood had shifted inside the bar, seeming more jovial.
“Unfuckingbelievable,”
Judd said, walking to me. “How’s Tawny?”
“Good. She’s
armed and ready to kill. I’d say it was sexy, but I don’t want you punching
me.”
Judd nearly
glared at me then remembered why I was back. “The assholes are holed up in a
cabin in the woods.”
“How do you
know?”
“Harlow told us.”
“What?”
“She and Winona
got free. Killed one of them too. They got to the road and flagged down a car.
Now, we have a lead on the fuckers.”
“Where are the
girls now?”
“Club doc is
checking them out. Bruised up, but nothing broken. Harlow described where the
cabin was so we’re arming up and hitting it. Those guys won’t have time to get
far. We’ll finish this today.”
While checking
the weapons Judd set out on the table, my mind wondered about Harlow and what
the bastards did to her. Even if she wasn’t my responsibility anymore, I still
thought of her that way.
I walked into
the room where a doctor was checking the girls. Harlow sported a black eye and
an ugly welt across her forehead, but she seemed otherwise unharmed. Hiding
behind long dark hair, her sister was shaking wildly and I saw bruises up and
down her thin arms. I hated to imagine what those bastards might do to two
pretty teenage girls. Even if I didn’t think Caleb was the rapist type, it’d
been years since we were friends and people change.
His anger clear,
Cooper walked to me. “You and Judd take the lead. I’m not going to pretend like
I’m as good with a gun as you two. Just don’t go off halfcocked. This shit is
about more than you and your old club. My family and people are threatened too.
Don’t fuck this up because your ego gets loose.”
“Understood,
boss.”
“You look pissed
about the girls,” Cooper said, leaning closer. “I get that. Go out and get some
air and calm down. That way, you can be steely when we go hunting.”
Obeying my
president, I headed outside to calm my rage. Those bruises on Harlow were done
by guys I once considered friends. Hell, Caleb was like a brother to me. I
thought he had some kind of honor, but he drew blood on the flesh of innocent
women.
Now, I wanted blood too.
Walking into the
hot night, I felt someone following. My gut said it was Harlow. I turned to her
and sighed.
“Go back
inside.”
“I forgive you,”
she said, looking as young as when I found her years ago.