by KJ Dahlen
“Wow,” she whispered as she looked stunned. “I could get used to that.”
“You got no choice woman, you’re mine now, same as I’m yours.”
“Oh, I do want that so much,” she agreed, “but I don’t share. I know bikers are bad and all that but I don’t share with anyone else.”
Gypsy rolled to lay flat on his back in the bed and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t share either. I have never played well with others and have never shared my women. In fact, I’m a one woman sort of man. I had me a wife seven years ago. Her name was Gwen and I loved her like no other man loved a woman. She was my whole life back then...” His voice trailed off.
Inez waited patiently for him to continue. She could hear it in his voice, he didn’t want to tell her about this as it was painful for him but he forced himself to continue.
“One day we had some trouble in the form of a home invasion only instead of a home, this bastard broke into the clubhouse. He was higher than a kite and thought he was invincible. Only he wasn’t. The only ones here were me and Skeeter and we had to almost beat him down to the ground. He was out of his mind and high as hell. Then he grabbed Gwen hostage and backed his way to the back door with her as a shield. When he heard the rest of the MC coming home, he panicked and slit Gwen’s throat using the action to skip out the back door. I grabbed my wife and Skeeter followed him but lost him in the woods beyond the perimeter. I held my wife in my arms as she breathed her last breath. We were both soaked in her blood when the guys hit the woods to hunt the bastard down.”
Inez trembled at the story and tears filled her eyes.
“They found him and brought him back to face MC justice but Skeeter told us it would be better for him to face a judge and jury. Gunner didn’t want to do it but Skeeter was a US Marshal and he had to take the bastard in.” Gypsy shook his head. “There was only one problem, on his way into town the bastard knocked Skeeter out and got away. I don’t think I ever forgave him for that.”
Inez felt the tears fall down her face as she asked, “What happened to him? Did you guys ever find him?”
Gypsy nodded. “I didn’t know it but Skeeter hunted the bastard down. It took him three and a half months to find him but during that time, that fucking bastard had killed another woman. When he finally did find him that fucker challenged Skeeter. He thought he could get the upper hand because the man knew he would cheat to win but he didn’t know Skeeter at all. Skeeter knew he would cheat too and that pissed him off. He brought the man down hard. Now Skeeter is a big guy but one thing you never want to do is piss that big bastard off. He will eat you alive. This fucker thought he could beat Skeeter and I guess he found out the hard way he couldn’t.” His voice faded into silence for a few minutes.
Inez had to ask, “Have you forgiven Skeeter yet?”
Gypsy ran his hands over his face and turned his head to look at her. “I had already come to the conclusion that maybe I was still so mad at him because he did what I wanted to do. He killed the man that took her away from me. I was thinking about going on a walkabout the night we met. Thinking maybe it was time to find another place I could call home. But sitting in the backyard of that bar that night I heard Gwen’s voice, inside my head, telling me to get over it.” He smiled. “She told me I needed to move on with my life and forgive the man.” His smile got wider. “Then I met you and my life hasn’t been the same since.”
She could see this was the truth and see the laughter in his eyes. Reaching over Inez cupped his face with her hand. “Well, I for one am very glad it was you that night.” Then she crawled over top of him and ground her wet core over his semi hard cock. She closed her eyes and felt him growing firm and oh so very rigid under her.
He grabbed her breasts hanging down into his face to lick and suck on her nipples.
She threw her head back and groaned as she felt him slip inside her. She began to move up and down on him and it was his turn to groan. Having her on him felt too good.
Then she leaned over his chest and licked his nipples. Gypsy grabbed her hips and slammed her down on his cock. Lifting her up forcefully, he pulled her down again and again. Then he began to shout as he spilled into her. His explosion triggered her own and they came together.
She collapsed on top of him then Gypsy wrapped his arms around her and held her tight. His heart felt full again for the first time in seven years. Closing his eyes, he thought he saw his Gwen behind his eyelids. She was fading but as she left his sight, she blew him a final kiss goodbye.
A single tear rolled down his cheek and he wasn’t sure if he could ever tell her the words he needed to but his heart was full of feeling for another woman now. He only hoped Inez would understand. He couldn’t help himself and he whispered Gwen’s name softly.
Inez heard the whisper but for some reason, she didn’t feel threatened. She understood how he was feeling and she hoped he was finally able to let go of all that pain and say goodbye.
Raising her head, she saw the tear on his cheek. She reached up and swiped it away. Gypsy tried to look away from her with guilt in his heart but she reached out and gently brought his face back to hers. “I know it's hard to let go of the past. I get that. I also know there’s a place in your heart that Gwen will always have. I saw that same feeling in my parent’s eyes. My dad never got over losing my mom and in some ways, you’ll never let her go either. I’m just hoping that you can come to care for me in the same way.” She looked down at his chest and admitted. “I know you may not want to hear this but I’m in love with you. I know some might think it’s too soon but I know what I want. I want you, warts and all.” She licked her lips and asked, “I know you say I belong to you but do you think someday, you might love me too?”
Gypsy smiled at her. “Honey, I am so in love with you I can’t think straight right now.”
Her eyes widened as she stared at him in total surprise. “Really?”
“You better believe it woman.” He growled as he nipped her earlobe.
She giggled then sobered as she smoothed his face with her fingers. “I suppose I have to deal with my uncle, don’t I?”
“Hmph, I like nothing more than to shove my fist in his mouth. Maybe shove a few teeth down his throat,” Gypsy grumbled.
Her brows rose at his anger. “You can’t do that. He’s entitled to his own opinion the same as my grandparents are entitled to theirs. I don’t have to like it. I know it hurt my mom and that in turn hurt my dad but one thing I will never do, is apologize for something I didn’t do.”
Gypsy smiled. “Then you have to tell him that. Make him understand how you feel.”
“Thank you for believing in me.” Inez leaned down and pressed her lips against his gently.
Chapter Fifteen
When the couple came back to the main room and joined the others, they found the group vigorously studying papers.
Gypsy went to Gunner to find out what was happening. “What is all this?”
Gunner looked at him and Inez and shook his head. “Once we knew their names, it wasn’t hard to follow the connection. Most of them didn’t even try to hide it. They’re all extremely wealthy and all they all seem to believe because of their wealth, they can’t be touched. Shay is trying to freeze their assets but we have found enough to take them down.” He shook his head. “It all has to be verified of course, as Trudy hacked some pretty secret accounts to find what she did.” He looked over at Inez. “You and your dad opened a Pandora’s box that’s for sure.”
“Is that a good thing or not such a good thing?” she asked nervously.
“It’s a very good thing,” Pappy stated as he joined them. “It's one that needed to be stopped. Those bastards have been making money hand over fist and putting American lives in danger every step of the way to do it. Plus, they have been getting bolder and bolder about what they’re doing. This Red Tide biologic is the latest effort and it would have murdered hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people worldwide. Not to mention it would
have been used against the people here.” Shaking his head, he said, “As long as they got paid they didn’t even fucking care.”
“Well, they are going to care now.” Shay growled. “Even if it’s the last thing I do in service of my country, I’m going to make them care. I’m going to strip them of every penny they made, then I’m going to send them to jail for treason where they can all wait to be hung. They think they can hide behind their money? Not this time.” He looked over at Inez and said, “And yes Owen is in neck deep in it all. He was the middleman between the group and the government. He introduced his dad’s group to the men who wanted the weapons and whatever else they could make a deal on the black market for.”
“Why are you telling me? I don’t even know who Owen is.” Inez frowned.
“Because we found the link between your dad and the group. Owen is the only link we could find to connect them. John Reed was very careful about that. Jared Severs or John Reed, it doesn’t matter what you call the bastard, he’s one in the same person. He set everything up. Under the John Reed name, he committed treason against the United States. My family has known the man for a number of years, but they know him as John Reed not Jared Severs. They have no idea that Owen is his son either. They have known John for twenty-five years. He’s eaten at their table, he drank their booze, he’s slept in their house. And all this time, they never even fucking knew.”
“Is this going to spill over onto your family?” Pappy asked.
Shay shrugged his shoulders. “It might, I have no idea yet, but the chips have to fall where they do. I can’t stop it now. I don’t want to even try. John Reed, aka Jared Severs has to be stopped by any means. This is going to hit that circle of friends very hard.”
“Are you going to warn them?” Gunner had to ask.
“I can’t now, can I?” Shay growled. “At this point, I’m not even sure I would want to. They might know him but I don’t think they ever did business with him. And if they did then they guilty by association.” He glared at them including Inez. “I stand for the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. If my parents fall into the domestic part of that then I can’t and won’t protect them. Family means something to me but I can’t and won’t allow them to escape punishment for their actions.”
Inez glared at her uncle when he said family meant something to him. She didn’t say anything but instead looked up into Gypsy’s eyes, squeezed his hand then turned her back and walked over to get a cup of coffee.
Shay’s eyes followed her but he didn’t say anything. He knew she had every reason to doubt him when he said family meant something to him. He should have been there for her and his sister and he hadn’t been. He’d been too busy with his own career in the military and he had listened to his parents, instead of making up his own mind. He found out too late what should really matter.
He had work to do at the moment and he just prayed he would get the chance to make it up to her.
“When are you going back to Washington?” Pappy wanted to know.
“I want to get as much information as I can get before I go back. I want to be able to move on each and every one of them, all at the same time. I don’t want them to know ahead of time, so they have the chance to run or disappear. We have to track down all their accounts, so they don’t have a dime left to their names. Inez was right when she said follow the money. We need to find every single dime they ever made and take it away from them.”
“What about their families?” Gunner asked.
Shay shrugged. “I can’t help them. I know these men and their families. Their wives come from wealthy families, so they’ll be all right. They just won’t have access to their husband’s wealth.”
“That’s pretty cold,” Gypsy finally spoke.
Shay turned his head and glared at him. “What their husbands did was archaic. They didn’t seem to care about family when they got paid to put guns into terrorists’ hands, they didn’t care when their husbands sold bombs, they knew would blow up women and kids in another country. So no, forgive the shit outta me if I seem cold hearted. I don’t care what happens to them. They aren’t going without food or a place to live. They don’t have to live in squalor or steal and fight for bread to feed their families. These people waste more money than most people earn in a year or a lifetime.”
“Will my father have charges laid upon his name?” Inez dared to ask. “After all he dealt with the Red Tide virus directly.”
“No he won’t.” Shay shook his head. “His last act on this earth was to send you to the US Marshal’s with the evidence that would uncover the plot against this nation. That gave him the Whistleblower status. He tried to stop this and was killed because of it.”
“And if your parents knew about this? What will you do?” she asked as she met his gaze.
“If my parents knew about this and did nothing to stop it then I’ll have other agents arrest them. If they were mixed up in this group then they have to pay the same price as the others do. I love this country and will not stand for anyone to hurt it.”
Inez stared at him for a moment then turned to go to a table and sit down.
Gypsy went over to the bar and grabbed a beer then joined her, leaving Shay with Pappy and Gunner.
“What the hell do I have to do to get through to her?” Shay grumbled as he ran his hands over his head in frustration.
“This is on you man,” Pappy told him. “You and your family ignored her. For her whole damn life. Whether it was because of her father or not, you had nothing to do with her at all. She’s never even met her grandparents. After her mom died, you just cut her out of your lives. It was just her and her dad. Then on top of all that, you leave her out in the wind right after she witnessed her dad being killed in front of her eyes. She was out there alone with a killer hounding her every step for four fucking months, Shay and you did nothing to help her.”
“I’d say she had reason to hate you man,” Gunner added. “Even after she got here, all you did was show her she didn’t matter to you. You did that on your own. Then on top of all of that, you tell her that her parents can’t be together in death because her mother was your sister first. That your parents have more to say over where her mom is buried than she does when you know damn well, her mom wanted to be buried with Michael.”
Shay looked over at the table where she and Gypsy were sitting and his heart felt heavy. He realized and understood everything the other men were saying. What he didn’t know was how he could make up for a lifetime of neglect. Mallory would have been very disappointed in him, just as she was disappointed in her parent’s actions when they turned their backs on her. All because Michael had different plans for his life than they did. They were wrong then and they were wrong now.
Inez took a sip of her now cold coffee. She had sat there in silence longer than she realized. Then she suddenly smiled. When she left her father’s house all those months ago, she forgot she was wearing a necklace. A special necklace her father had given her the night they buried her mom.
The necklace was a special kind of locket and it held a small portion of her mom’s ashes. He wanted her to have something of her mom forever. She looked over at Gypsy and smiled. “No matter what, my dad is taking care of me and my mom.”
“What the fuck does that mean?” He frowned.
“When she died, she wanted to be cremated. She never wanted her body buried in the ground, so my dad had her cremated against her parent’s wishes. Before he handed over her box of ashes to her family, he took out a small portion and had them put into a locket. Then after the service, he gave me the locket. I may not have all of her to bury with him but I have a small part of her.” She hung her head. “Maybe the best part of her because that’s all I’ll ever have.”
“But honey, if you bury that part of her, you won’t have anything left.” Gypsy reached out and grabbed her hand. “Your dad wanted you to have that to remind you of her.”
“I don’t need her ashes to remember
her. She’s still alive in my heart. She’s still alive in my memories the same as your Gwen still lives in yours. I know you’ll always love her. That won’t ever change no matter how hard you try. That’s part and partial of loving someone. I can live with that. I can also live with giving up this small piece of my mom. It will be hard but they loved each other too. They wanted to be together in death the same as in life. I can’t deny them that.” She looked over at him before she admitted, “I think maybe dad knew her family would never let them be together and maybe this was his way of making sure they could be. Maybe it was selfish on his part but they really do belong together. He knew I would keep her close to my heart and I did. This is better than nothing.”
Shay, Pappy and Gunner stood there and heard her words. Pappy turned to glare at Shay but he didn’t say anything.
Gunner turned his back and walked over to the bar. He poured himself a stiff drink and slammed it down his throat, then he poured another one.
The silence was building and every man there could feel it. Shay hardened his face and moved slowly toward the door. As soon as he hit the outside, tears ran down his face. He couldn’t stand her pain because it reminded him just how selfish Mallory’s family, including himself, had been.
Shay squared his shoulders and turned back to the clubhouse. It was big brother time now.
He entered the clubhouse and walked directly to the table where Inez and Gypsy sat. He looked at her until her gaze met his. Placing his hands on the table, he leaned in and said. “Young lady, don’t even think about doing what you are thinking of. You hold onto those ashes. After I’m done with putting away all this trash, we’ll make this right. I can’t change the past, but I can change what happens from this day forward.”
