I’d thought about what her eyes would look like once she realized the end was near. The sounds she’d make…the whimpers and moans and the begging — oh the begging!
I shuddered just thinking about it.
“Tell me!” I demanded to Charlie, slamming my fist on the top of my desk. He’d arrived within hours of our conversation and gotten to work immediately.
He worked fast. I liked that, but it was also exactly what I was paying for.
“Pepper Zappala.”
“Who the fuck is that?”
“A nobody,” Charlie said, grabbing the bottle of whiskey on my desk and pouring himself a drink. Before sitting down, he threw a photo on my desk. I looked down at the picture — what looked like a photo from a driver’s license of a pretty woman with short, black hair.
“That’s the bitch!” I said. “Different hair. Not as much makeup. But definitely her.”
“The cops think so, too,” he said. “Took a bit of work to get my friend on the force to give me the name.”
“How’d you convince him?”
“If I told you that, Artie, I’d have to kill you,” he said, chuckling.
I joined his laughter, the joy slowly filling my veins.
“I need you to find her for me, Charlie.”
“I figure you’d say that,” he said. “I need a little more time, but I’ve got some leads already. She’s already fled town, we know that much already. And, after a little digging, I found out that she’s a distant cousin of Lucky Lazzerini, if you can believe that.”
“No shit?” I asked. I’d met Lucky a few times at a couple of parties. She was one hot piece of ass I wouldn’t mind getting close to.
“No shit,” Charlie confirmed. “I’m looking into getting a contact for her.”
“I know her agent,” I said. “I’ll give her a call.”
“Okay, great. Let me know what you find out. In the meantime, I’m tracing all kinds of information. Bank accounts, everything.”
“Thanks, Charlie, I appreciate your quick work.”
“That’s why you’re paying me the big bucks, Artie,” he winked.
“No shit, you greedy bastard,” I laughed.
“Hey, I’m worth it, Artie!” he protested.
“You find me this bitch, Pepper, and I’ll pay you twice what I paid you last time.”
“Sounds like a deal,” he said, holding up his glass.
“Why do you want her so bad, Artie?” He asked. “It’s more than Tulsa, isn’t it?”
“Now, Charlie, if I told you that, I’d have to kill you!”
Our laughter echoed up through the room, and it felt great to finally see some light at the end of this tunnel.
I couldn’t wait to get my hands around Pepper’s neck.
That bitch had no idea that she’d already signed her death warrant.
You don’t fuck with Artie Paige. You don’t fucking dare.
Chapter 25
LUCKY
“Shit,” I said, hanging up the phone. Ziggy walked in the room, sensing my dismay. We’d just finished breakfast and were about to hop into the shower together.
“What is it?” he asked, wrapping his arms around me and pulling me close. I rested my head against his chest.
“It was my agent,” I said. “Artie fucking called her. He knew Pepper’s name and was asking about her.”
“Shit is right,” Ziggy said. “We gotta go tell Riot.”
“And Pepper.”
“Maybe not, let’s see what Riot says first. I don’t want to spook her.”
I shook my head. “No, she deserves to know what’s going on.”
“I’m not saying we’re not going to tell her, but let’s find Riot first.”
“Fine,” I agreed, a knot forming in the bottom of my stomach.
Artie was a monster. I knew this already. Knowing he knew Pepper’s name had me shaking. I’d never been more thankful for the Gods. I shuddered to think what would have happened to Pepper if she hadn’t called me for help.
I’d grown to like her a lot the last few days. She was full of fire, and reminded me so much of myself. She was trying to be brave, to pretend she wasn’t scared, but I saw right through that act.
I knew it well.
I was just like her, once. Before I met Ziggy, or any of the Gods. I thought I could take on the world — and my ex, Nicholai — without help from anyone.
But when you’re facing something as evil as whatever demons men like Artie and Nicholai are fighting — it wasn’t easy to do it alone.
It was risky as hell. I knew for a fact that Nicholai would have killed me if he was given the chance. He had a lust for wiping out my life and nothing was going to stop him until he succeeded.
I suspected Artie was just like him.
“Let’s go,” I said, untangling myself from Ziggy.
We found Riot in his office. Once I told him about the call with my agent, his face grew serious.
“What did your agent say to this guy?”
“She told him I was on vacation alone and that she’d never heard of Pepper,” I replied. “Apparently, that was the extent of the conversation.”
“Okay, that’s good. But this means they’re one step closer now.”
“I know.”
“Don’t worry, Lucky,” he said, trying to reassure me. “The safest place right now for Pepper is right where she is. Nothing’s going to happen to her here, and nobody will be able to get close to her.”
“Thanks,” I said, trying to breathe a little easier. My heart raced, though, anxiety filling my veins. I knew things had just taken a serious turn and this wasn’t anywhere near being over with.
Protecting Pepper had just gotten a little more urgent.
Chapter 26
PEPPER
“Don’t worry,” Lucky said.
“We’ve got this,” Riot nodded firmly, as he tried to reassure me how safe I was.
They’ve got this, I tried to repeat in my head, but I kept getting stuck on the word ‘they’. I was much more comfortable with that phrase when it began with ‘I’. Immediately, my survival instincts kicked in and I began searching my mind for the best way to get out of here.
Artie knew my name.
Artie knew I was related to Lucky.
I had no idea how public her relationship with Ziggy was, or if it was at all. What about the Gods? What about Solid Ground?
How could something like this truly stay secret all these years?
I had no faith in the possibility of Artie not finding the connection between Ziggy and Lucky and showing up here.
“They’ll never find you here,” Slade reassured me, sounding way more confident than I felt.
I took a step back from them all, my heart sinking.
“Listen, I know you’re freaked out,” Lucky said. “But we knew this was a possibility all along, right? That’s the exact reason I brought you here, babe.”
She pulled me in for a hug, wrapping her jasmine-scented body around mine.
“I don’t want you to worry,” she said.
I scoffed. “That’s not very easy to do.”
We were in Riot’s office, which suddenly felt so small that I couldn’t breathe.
“I need some air,” I said, untangling myself, unable to accept the comfort she was offering. I needed air, but I also needed to be alone. I knew it was bad news as soon as Riot asked me to come to his office. When I saw the look on Lucky’s face, I wanted to run away right then and there.
Now, I knew my instincts were right.
I made it out onto the front porch, gulping the clean, fresh air as I tried to calm my racing heart.
“Hey, you okay?” Storm’s voice sounded next to me. He sat on the porch swing. I’d not noticed him, but as I turned to him now, again, I was struck by how calm he was.
He had everything I wanted. He seemed so careless and free — I didn’t know what that felt like anymore. I’d had glimpses — before Pop died, before Artie,
before any of this shit.
“No,” I whispered, tears stinging my eyes, as I looked away.
Tears! Frustration washed over me as I realized just how weak I was feeling. Pathetic. I cursed myself, brushing away the hot wet tears with the back of my hand with a scowl.
I couldn’t look at Storm without thinking of him walking away from me last night. If he didn’t want anything to do with me then, then I certainly wasn’t going to let him see me cry right now.
I was stronger than this.
I squared my shoulders and walked down the stairs without looking back.
Chapter 27
STORM
Fuck.
Was she really crying?
She’d been putting on such a tough front, I wasn’t sure she even knew how to do that. Right as I was about to get up, she walked off.
I stared after her, weighing my options.
Women are strange fucking creatures.
Unpredictable.
But if there’s one thing I know for certain, it’s that you don’t just ignore a crying woman. I’m not that fucking stupid.
“Shit,” I muttered to myself. I gave her a moment to come back on her own, but when that didn’t happen, I scrambled to my feet and started walking the way she’d disappeared.
I saw her go into her cabin just as she closed the door.
I debated with myself for another moment, before finally knocking on the door. I felt obligated to check on her.
The fact that I was the only one around who saw how upset she was was not lost on me. If Lucky had seen it, I’m sure she would have followed her, too.
It just seemed like the decent thing to do.
But holy shit.
Like I said — women are unpredictable, right?
I certainly never in a million years could have predicted what happened next. So, don’t blame me. It wasn’t my fault. I had no idea what was coming.
But fuck.
There I was — with genuine concern filling my heart, you know?
I knocked. Like a goddamned gentleman. Like the fucking professional that I am.
But when she opened that door, her pretty eyes all glistening and filled with a fucking intoxicating cocktail of despair and desire…damn.
She didn’t even say a word.
She took one look at me, grabbed my arm, and pulled me inside, slamming the door shut at the same time that she slammed me against the wall, her mouth crashing into mine with all the fury and pain and yearning I’d seen in her eyes.
She unleashed something onto me that I’d never experienced before.
I froze — just for a second — before I realized what was happening.
What she needed.
“Pepper —,” I growled, trying to pull my mouth away to talk.
“Shh!” she hissed, shoving her tongue inside my mouth.
“No!” I said, pulling away, my eyes searching hers. A storm was brewing behind them, but I wasn’t about to do this — not like this.
“Sorry,” she muttered, shaking her head, moving to pull away. I grabbed her arm and pushed her against the wall, turning us around so that we’d switched places and I now hovered over her.
She looked up at me in surprise as I bent my head towards hers, our lips barely touching.
“Don’t fucking apologize,” I said, my voice low and hungry. I was hard as a rock, my cock throbbing against her hip. I pressed it harder into her. “I want you just as much, Pepper. So much so, that just being around you — fuck, I can’t even think right.” I paused, my gaze landing on her lips. She bit down on her bottom one, and I groaned, the urge to lick it overwhelming me.
She raised her chin defiantly, daring me.
“Are you sure this is what you want? This is what you need?” I growled.
She nodded firmly. “Yes.” I could feel her body trembling against mine.
“I don’t want to take advantage of you, of your feelings…”
“Fuck my feelings,” she whispered.
I scoffed, her lips inches from mine.
“I’m fine,” she insisted, pressing her breasts into my chest. “Give me what I want, Storm. Don’t be gentle. Don’t be loving. Don’t stop until I’m begging you to.”
I shook my head. She had no idea what she was asking for. Did she? Desire pumped through me like liquid heat.
“Please?” she asked, her voice breathless as her eyes peered into mine.
I bent my head, grabbing her bottom lip between my teeth.
She gasped slightly, but she didn’t move away.
Pepper might be one tough and aggressive woman, but I wasn’t about to give her what she was asking for before making sure she knew exactly what she was going to get from me. I’m just not that kind of man.
“You sure you know what you’re asking for?” I asked, raising a brow.
A sly smile formed on her face, that bottom lip enticing me even more.
“Do your worst,” she said, lifting that chin again.
I reached up, grabbing a handful of her short, soft black hair and pulling back gently, her mouth opening slightly, like a warm welcome.
“Goddamn, woman, I’m going to devour you,” I growled, my lips crashing into hers, my tongue sliding between those inviting lips and tangling in her heat.
Chapter 28
PEPPER
Heat rises and the flame of loneliness building inside me had grown so quickly that once I opened that door and saw Storm standing there, the feverish hunger for connection had risen all the way to the surface of my skin.
I’m leaving, I’m leaving, I’d chanted in my head as I’d hurried back to my cabin. I knew the time had come to leave. Staying one step ahead was key to my survival. Waiting around for Artie to find me wasn’t in my plan.
I had to leave them all behind.
But the knowledge that the time had come had left me breathless. Staying here in this little fairyland had left me soft. Grace and all her kindness had gotten under my skin. It had shone a light on the need for connection that I worked desperately to shove deep inside my heart.
I hadn’t needed anyone since Pop died.
I couldn’t let myself need anyone now. Especially not now.
That’s what brought the tears. That’s why I ran. I ran from that loneliness, staring me right in the eyes. I ran from the wretched vulnerability and sadness that seemed to have permeated my soul.
I ran from what I knew I had to give up, even though I’d only had a little taste. I ran from the sadness that I’d never actually get to experience it fully.
And then there was Storm at my door, a sexy distraction full of gentle concern and the only kind of connection I was able to accept — a physical one.
He offered an opportunity that I couldn’t refuse.
Without a second thought, I pounced on him like I was going to consume him. Little did I know that his desire would match mine in such intensity. When he turned the tables and threw me against the wall…all my defenses melted.
As soon as his fingers tangled in my hair, pulling my mouth back to meet his, I knew there was nothing more I could do but tell him exactly what I needed and hope he was man enough to provide it.
All my toughness, all my false bravado, all that pent-up courage that I was determined to show each and every person who crossed my path — my act was up.
In Storm’s hands, I became something else entirely.
It wasn’t about submitting to him. It wasn’t about giving myself up to him.
It wasn’t even about giving into him — this man that I barely knew.
It was about opening up and letting someone take the wheel, just for a fleeting moment. A simple transaction.
Without a doubt, I knew it wouldn’t last. Without question, I’d be back in control and gone soon and probably never see this beautiful man again.
But right then, in that moment, finding the release I so desperately needed seemed like the only thing I could do to keep from breaking down completely.
&nbs
p; With tears still pouring down my cheeks, my thighs wrapped around him, his mouth surely tasting the salt of my tears as he dove his tongue even deeper — as if he accepted every single tear without hesitation, whether it was laced with joy or anger or pain.
Words fell away as quickly as our clothes, and within a hot minute, we were naked and his skin, all rippling skulls and bones and demons, was sliding along every inch of mine as he scooped me up and carried me to the bedroom, leaving a useless pile of cotton and leather and denim discarded by the front door on top of our boots.
My breath caught as the light from the lamp reflected the savage hunger in his eyes as he hovered over me, quickly closing the distance between us after laying me on the bed.
“Stop!” I said, putting up a hand. I swallowed hard, my eyes trailing over his nude body, drinking in every delicious inch of him.
“Why?” he growled, his voice demanding and urgent.
“I want to look at you,” I whispered. He growled again as he looked down at me.
“Fuck,” he muttered, pushing his hair back out of his eyes as he shook his head. “What do you want to see?”
I reached down, gripping his cock, watching him groan. Slowly, he shook his head, murmuring. “Fuck that…”
His mouth crashed into mine, his rough hands scraping roughly against my skin as he ran them over my hips, his fingers digging into the sides. I moaned into his kiss, his tongue swallowing the sound. Trailing down, his fingers gripped my thighs, spreading them as he tore his mouth from mine, his hot lips sliding along my cheek and lingering on my neck, sucking at the tender flesh as he pulled my head back with my hair again. A delicious jolt of pain shot through my body, leaving me shuddering as he bent his head, growling as his lips caught a nipple between them, the heat of his mouth searing my skin deliciously.
THE HUSTLE: GODS OF CHAOS MC (BOOK FOURTEEN) Page 12
