by Lane Hart
“So?” he asks.
“So, how could I ever really love someone?”
“Do you want her to be happy?” Gabe asks.
“Yes.”
“And you worry about her?”
“All the fucking time,” I grumble.
“You would do anything to protect her?” he asks as if that’s even a question.
“Damn right I would.”
“Then you love her, man.”
“That’s it?” I ask. “That’s love?”
“That’s love. And you don’t just love her, but you love your brothers too,” he suggests.
“Fine, I guess I do love her,” I cave and agree. “But how could she ever possibly love me, though?”
“Same way all the Kings love you, for all the reasons I just listed,” Gabe says.
“Yeah, but you all know who I really am, that I’m a killer. She doesn’t.”
“Does she know about the Russians you killed?”
“Yes.” Chuckling, I tell him, “She helped me get rid of them last night.”
“Then she knows you, man! She’s your ride or die girl who knows you, and she’s sticking around,” he responds, then pauses. “Hold on. You aren’t making her stick around, are you?”
“No. I told her she could leave, and she said she wanted to stay.” At least for now. While Kira may know about the Russians, she doesn’t know about all of my kills. If she did, she would go running the other way.
“Then there you go!” Gabe exclaims. “Mystery solved. You love each other. Why would you get married if you didn’t?”
“I think she’s pregnant,” I tell him, ignoring his question about how we came to be married and glad to share the news with someone.
“No shit? And it’s your kid?”
“Yeah, it’s mine.”
“Then congratulations! That’s amazing news. Why didn’t you tell the guys at the table today?” he asks.
“We don’t know for sure yet,” I reply. “But she’s late and I fucked her, so, yeah, she’s probably knocked up. Right?”
“Ah, yeah, sounds like it,” Gabe says with a grin. “You should tell the others. They’ll be happy for you and may not be as pissed off at you for the Russian mafia mess since you were protecting your family.”
“You think so?” I ask.
“Definitely,” he agrees. “Now give me your arm and let’s ink those vows for your woman to see. She’s going to fucking love it.”
“I hope so,” I tell him.
Gabe is on the word triumph in the second sentence when both of our phones start buzzing simultaneously, so it must be a Kings’ alert going out to everyone.
“Not yet. Almost finished,” Gabe says, holding my arm still.
A few minutes later and he’s done. As soon as the needle is off my skin, I’m digging my phone out of my jean pocket, figuring it’s something from Torin about the conference call.
“Fuck,” I grumble as I read the text message. “Cynthia’s missing, and Reece thinks her ex has her.”
“Fuck,” Gabe agrees as he pulls off his gloves and gets to his feet.
“Sax said we all need to hit the road and look for a nineties model, blue Dodge truck with a black scuff on the passenger side.”
“Let’s ride,” Gabe says.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Miles
I’ve been on the road for over an hour looking for the blue truck when I feel my phone buzzing inside my cut pocket. As soon as I can pull over on the shoulder, I look to see what it says.
Cynthia was found and is at the hospital.
Thank fuck.
I know Reece was going out of his mind and went ballistic when Torin told him to stay at the clubhouse and wait for a call. Our president was right. He had no business on the road until she was found. I bet he broke every traffic law in the state to get to the hospital. Hopefully she’s in good shape.
I turn my bike around and head back to the clubhouse to get details. Sax pulls up when I do, and it looks like we’re the last to make it back.
“You heard how she’s doing?” he asks.
“No.”
“After we found the blood in her apartment, I’m guessing it’s not good,” he mutters as we start down the basement steps, then join the rest of the guys in the chapel, minus Reece.
“Any updates?” Sax asks when he takes his seat and I go around the table to pull out my chair.
“Jade said Cynthia’s in bad shape. Vicky too, but they think they’re both gonna make it.”
Everyone lets out a simultaneous sigh of relief.
“I just had to go and say things have been quiet,” Torin grumbles while rubbing his temple like he’s got a killer headache. “It is good to have everyone back in, except for Reece. We should be getting a call from Ivan soon about the Russians. I’ll put it on speaker so we can all hear.”
Fuck. As if we need to deal with my shit when Reece is going through hell.
We all sit in silence, lost in our own thoughts until his phone starts ringing.
“Torin,” our president answers. “Thanks for getting back to us so soon, Ivan. Mind if I put you on speaker for my guys to hear?”
Ivan must approve, because Torin removes the phone from his ear and hits the speaker button before placing the device near the center of the table.
“So, have you had any dealings with the Russians?” Torin asks.
“I’ve talked to the boss a few times,” a young guy’s voice tells us. “His name is Boris Kozlov. His supply comes in through imports, usually hidden within legit crates to get through customs. He has guys here in Greensboro who keep his pipeline moving, and they’re not big fans of the Italians or Irish.”
“What do they import?” Chase asks.
“Heroin and big guns from what I’ve heard. They have guys up and down the coast bringing the shit in and distributing it.”
“I guess Jade told you about our situation. Any advice for how to handle killing Kozlov’s men?”
“I talked to my people in Charleston. That’s the Russian’s biggest port because it’s smaller, fewer eyes on it, less red tape,” Ivan says. “Zeno is the guy who handles US distribution, and he’s next in line to take over.”
“Was,” I speak up and say. “He was next in line, but now he’s dead.”
“Then I expect you have a huge problem on your hands,” Ivan tells us. “Zeno isn’t just high up in their hierarchy. He’s also Kozlov’s cousin.”
“Fucking hell,” everyone curses in some shape or form.
“He’ll notice he’s missing soon, if he hasn’t already. They stay in touch on a daily basis. Is there any trail that will lead them to the Kings?” Ivan asks.
“Yes,” I reluctantly answer. “My wife’s family gave up my name after he beat her father. That’s why Zeno paid us a visit. We assume he wanted money, but I never took the time to ask him.”
“In that case, you can safely assume that Kozlov knows who you are too. I’m betting Zeno called to tell him as soon as he got the information,” Ivan suggests.
“That’s just fucking great,” War huffs.
“So, we should be ready for an attack?” Torin asks Ivan through clenched teeth.
“Kozlov has men in every state up and down the east coast. It won’t take them long to get to you.”
“Sax, go find a safe house for the women and children,” our president orders. “As soon as there’s someplace that will hold them all, set it up and put out the notice that the women should pack and go immediately.”
“On it,” Sax says before he gets up and leaves the room.
“Instead of waiting for the Russians to come to you, what if you ambush them first?” Ivan suggests.
“How exactly would we do that?” Torin asks.
“Easy,” Ivan tells him. “I invite Kozlov for a sit-down in Greensboro. A party of sorts. He’ll come and bring his top guys, all but a few on the coast who will be looking for the Kings. They’ll never know what hit them.”
�
�You think you can make that happen and fast?” Torin asks.
“I’ll tell him I’m ready to get back in the heroin trade and I want him to be my supplier. He’s greedy enough to take me up on it. He knows he’s getting two syndicates’ orders for the price of one with me.”
“If you can get him here this week, it could work,” Torin agrees.
“I’m confident he’ll bite. It wouldn’t be unusual for me to ask him how many men he’s expecting so that I can provide them with complementary accommodations.”
“That’s perfect,” Chase says with a grin. “Then we can triple his numbers.”
“I can’t make my men help you, but I can ask for volunteers for the event. There are always a few who love to blow off some steam with a bloodbath. They haven’t had a chance in a long time.”
“We understand and can’t ask you to risk yourself or your men,” Torin tells him. “We can get a group together, so no pressure.”
“You’re doing me a favor. If you take out all the Russians, then the entire east coast is mine.”
“How fucking old are you?” Maddox speaks up and asks.
“Just turned twenty-two. Why?” Ivan answers.
“How do you run two mafias when you can barely drink?” the kid questions him, making us all scowl in his direction.
“Because I’ve got a big dick and brass balls,” he responds, making us chuckle.
“Sorry, Ivan,” Torin says while glaring at Maddox. “You have to ignore our newest member. He’s your age and in awe of your bad-ass-ness.”
“No problem,” Ivan responds, not sounding bothered by the ridiculous question. “So, I’ll check in with Kozlov and get back to you if he agrees.”
“Thanks, man, we really appreciate your help,” Torin tells him right before the call ends. “Did you really have to ask him that?” he questions Maddox.
“Sorry. It’s just…he’s so young!”
“A leader makes good decisions,” Torin replies. “Not many young guys have the experience to think through shit all the way around, but who knows, maybe you’ll be President of the Kings before you’re thirty.”
Jaws drop at that statement.
“You planning on going somewhere?” Chase asks his brother in concern.
“No. But a change in leadership is good every once in a while. In a few years, I may want to hand over the gavel to let someone else deal with all your fuckups.”
“Sorry,” I say again.
“We’re going to handle this,” Torin says. “First, we get the women and kids the hell out of town. Then we’ll come up with a plan for if and when Ivan gets Kozlov to the states. If you killed his cousin, then I’m betting he’s already booked his plane ticket, so Ivan’s invitation will be nothing more than a pitstop.”
“Guess we’ll see soon enough.”
“What about retaliation?” War asks. “If we don’t get them all…”
“I know,” Torin agrees. “We can’t eliminate the Russian mafia entirely, but only an idiot would try to fight back against the Irish, Italians and Kings when they have the kind of casualties we’re about to hand them.”
“I hope you’re right,” War mutters just as Sax comes back and retakes his seat.
“For now, let’s check on our brother, see if Reece needs anything before we send the ladies packing,” Torin says. “I want someone to stay behind with Reece in case the Russians come to town while we’re gone. His head isn’t in the right place to have to watch his back too while Cynthia’s in the hospital. Any volunteers?”
“Gabriel can stay,” Abe speaks up and says, volunteering his brother, who flips him off from across the table.
“You don’t get to assign me to babysitting duty when you’re going into the line of fire too, bro,” Gabe responds.
“I’ll stay,” Coop volunteers.
“Good.”
“I just talked to the Myrtle Beach charter,” Sax says. “They can house our family members in one of their beachfront houses in Surfside. They rent it out through a real estate company so no one would think to find them there.”
“Sounds like a great plan,” Torin agrees. “I want the girls to stay together and Cedric to keep watch with the MB Kings.”
“Don’t we need Cedric on security while Reece is at the hospital?” Chase asks.
“Shit,” Torin mutters. “You’re right. We need Cedric and Eddie watching the security cameras remotely, not on site here at the Asylum. It’s too dangerous.”
“Peyton will have her gun on her,” Dalton announces.
“Lexi will be armed too,” Torin replies. “Guess we’ll have to make do and trust the MB Kings to protect them.”
“They will,” War grumbles. “Or they’ll be our next stop.”
“Are we closing shop?” Gabe asks.
“I want everything shut down until further notice,” Torin agrees. “Your shop, The Jolly Roger, Avalon, the Asylum. None of us will be around to run them anyway.”
“Right,” Gabe agrees.
“Cooper, don’t let Reece out of your sight,” Torin orders. “Help him however you can while he’s hurting.”
“Got it,” Coop agrees. “I’ll head to the hospital now.”
“And I’ll get the message sent to the women and to the other charters to let them know we’re going to war,” Sax announces.
“Maybe we should get some of the Virginia crew down here to hang around town,” Abe suggests.
“Fine, but I don’t want anyone wearing a cut until this mess is over,” Torin says. “No reason to put a giant target on our backs.”
Damn, you know shit is at rock bottom for the Kings when our pres tells us to take off the cuts.
Hopefully this mess will all be over soon, and things can get back to normal.
They have to, because my life was finally getting good with my wife.
I love Kira. And I’ve waited too long for some thugs to end this for me now.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Kira
Miles has been gone for hours. All I’ve been doing is sitting here worrying, wondering if he’s okay. Eddie has been on high alert, constantly checking outside. Even Sparky has been jumpy, barking at every sound he hears.
After the third hour, I caved and took all three of the pregnancy tests. I needed something to keep me busy while I waited for Miles to call or get back here.
Finally, just as the sun is about to set, I hear the rumbling of a motorcycle.
Eddie is up out of his chair and looking out the blinds before I can even register the sound. “It’s him,” he says.
“Thank god,” I say on an exhale.
When I pick up Blackjack and go to unlock the door, Eddie stops me by putting his arm in front of the locks.
“I can’t let you go out there.”
“Why not?” I turn and ask him indignantly.
“It’s not safe.”
“But Miles is out there.”
“Yeah, and he has a gun on him. He’ll be on the porch in a second; and when he is, I’ll unlock the door.”
“Fine,” I say when I give up and take a step back to wait.
A moment later and Eddie starts unlocking each deadbolt before pulling it open.
Moving so fast he’s a leather and jean blur, Miles is wrapping his arms around me and Jack.
“I was worried about you,” I tell him when he crushes me to him.
“I was worried about you too,” he says when he pulls away. “You mind taking Blackjack for a long walk?” Miles asks Eddie as he takes the dog from my arms. After giving Jack a scratch behind his ears, he hands him over to the older man.
“Just call when you want me to come back in,” Eddie says with a chuckle on the way to the door.
“I thought it wasn’t safe,” I remind him.
“I have a gun too,” Eddie remarks before he leaves.
“What’s going on?” I ask Miles.
Both of his hands grab either side of my shirt and lift it over my head. His mouth comes d
own on the top of my breasts heaving from the cups of my bra while his fingers work on undoing my pants.
“What’s going on is I’m getting you naked and then fucking you over the back of this sofa.”
“Oh,” I say in a breathless gasp when Miles hits his knees to drag my jeans and panties down my legs. As soon as my shoes and socks are off, and my legs are bare, Miles buries his face between my legs.
“I missed breakfast and lunch, so I have to eat your pussy before and after I fuck you,” he says before his tongue swipes through my slit, parting my flesh and getting it nice and wet for his big cock. As if I’m not slick enough to take him already after hearing him say he was going to bend me over and fuck me.
Once I’m soaking wet, he finally rubs the tip of his tongue over the place I’m desperate for it.
“God, yes!” I scream as he attacks my clit and slips a finger deep inside of me at the same time.
Miles is a master at oral. He has me coming on his tongue faster than a speeding bullet. So much faster than I ever came using my little vibrating bullet.
“Yes, yes, yes!” I chant as my fingers tug on his hair holding his face against my body while jolts of red-hot pleasure rack my entire body.
My eyes are still closed, soaking in the bliss when Miles is up and pressing his hand to my upper back, guiding me down over the back of the sofa.
I hear his zipper being pulled down, and then he’s rubbing his swollen cockhead back and forth through my soaked pussy lips.
“Please,” I tell him as I press back and lift my bottom, needing to feel him inside of me.
Miles feeds his cock into my pussy one slow inch at a time. When he’s fully seated and it’s impossible for me to take anymore, he leans over my back, reaches around to jerk the cups of my bra down and then palms my breasts in each hand.
My inner walls clench around him, still spasming from the amazing orgasm.
“Fuck me, Miles,” I tell him as I squirm underneath him.
“You have no idea how much I love hearing those words come out of your mouth,” he says, placing a soft kiss on the side of my cheek before he pulls his hips back, nearly taking all his cock away from me before slamming in so hard I cry out.
