by Voss, Deja
“Everything is going to be alright, babe,” she says. “Now let’s get you caught up.”
Chapter 25
Helena
I could’ve died when he busted through that door. I don’t know how he found us here, and I can’t imagine what was possibly going through his mind, but at least I could say with utmost confidence, ‘it’s not what it looks like.’
“You want a beer? Water? Coffee?” Brooks is tracing his fingers over the white board set up in the corner of the hotel room, the picture of Esther front and center, surrounded by lines of string. There are pictures of Mountain Misfits themselves off to one side, along with a few other rival gangs. Though those people have all been ruled out as suspects, Dean has done an amazing job of walking me through the process of the investigation, and boy has it been a long one.
“Why do you care about Esther?” Brooks asks, still sizing Dean up.
“Here,” he says, handing Brooks a bottle of beer. “You might want to sit down.” Brooks stares at him defiantly, and I have to admit it’s kind of hot. I always appreciated his outlaw demeanor, and watching him go toe-to-toe with an FBI agent only makes him that much more attractive to me.
“Can we speed this up?” I ask. “I wasn’t lying when I said I was missing my sister’s birthday. It’s kind of important. Besides, there’s not much more we can do tonight.” She’s probably mad as hell by now, thinking I ran off on her again.
“Absolutely,” Dean says. “And I’m really sorry about that. Brooks, Esther has been working with us for a long time. Longer than you’ve been married, even.”
“She would never,” Brooks shouts. “She’s not a narc. She protected the MC more fiercely than most of the men I know.”
“You’re correct,” Dean says. “She wasn’t a narc, and everything she did was to protect the club. The kind of men she helped us put behind bars, the very men her father was pimping her out to, sex traffickers, dark web murderers, really really terrible twisted people made your little biker gang look like a convent of nuns.”
“Little biker gang?” Brooks snarls.
“He didn’t mean it that way,” I say. “What he meant was, Esther dedicated her life not only to keeping you guys safe, but to saving countless women and children, people she never even met. She was a hero, Brooks.”
I can almost see the smoke coming out of his ears, like the wheels in his head are turning through stacks and stacks of old memories. The woman he knew his whole life, the woman he loved and married, was actually working for the other side of the law.
“When we heard about her passing, it was obvious it wasn’t going to be a cut-and-dry situation. When we started poking around and found out how mishandled the investigation into her death was… that’s when I had the pleasure of going undercover. Helena might be trying to enact some vigilante justice here, but I have the resources to really make sure we see this all the way through with little to no blowback on the club or any of you folks.”
I’m having a hard time trying to read Brooks.
“All I ever wanted to do was save her,” he says. “I couldn’t even do right by her even after she died. What the fuck kind of man does that make me?” I know this is a lot for him to swallow. Esther’s web of secrets obviously ran deep, and knowing that she had ties to the FBI was probably not something he ever imagined. I had no idea.
“Come on,” I say for the sake of his pride, “let’s get out of here. That’s enough for now, Dean.”
“Who did it?” Brooks asks. “Who killed my wife?”
“Let’s talk about it tomorrow,” I say. I know exactly what he’s going to do if he finds out that Chief Sanderson is looking like the prime suspect. We don’t need irrational right now, especially if we want to make sure this case goes exactly as planned. He shoots me a glare like he’s about to start turning the hotel room upside down if we don’t tell him. I guess I don’t blame him. All this time in the dark, and this stranger holds the key to everything he’s been searching for.
“We have reason to believe, according to Nick Desmond’s private testimony, that Chief Sanderson did it,” Dean says, point-blank. Brooks eyes grow narrow.
“Fucking Gina,” he mutters.
“What?” Dean asks.
“His daughter. She was dancing at Esther’s club. Everyone made a huge effort to keep it under wraps. I haven’t seen or heard from her since the day Esther died, though. I’m gonna…” He stops midsentence, cutting himself off before he has the chance to incriminate himself in front of Dean.
“Listen,” Dean says. “I know exactly what you want to do with this information. You’re probably going nuts right now. I need you to be cool, though. I’m going to need your help, your club, everything. If you want to take this scumbag down, we gotta do it my way or you’re going to lose everything.”
Brooks grabs my hand and squeezes it, as if that everything is directed straight at me. I squeeze his hand back.
“Can we pick this up tomorrow?” I ask.
“Absolutely,” Dean says. “Where do you guys want to meet?”
“Come to my house,” Brooks says, to my surprise. “I have her bike. I have her books. I have everything. Whatever you need.”
We walk out the door into the dark parking lot, hand in hand. I don’t know what’s going through his mind, I don’t know how to comfort him, and I definitely don’t know how to keep him from doing the things that I’m sure he wants to do right now. I don’t know what to say to make this right. The way he’s staring me down exudes a calmness that jars me back to the reality that this is Brooks. He’s not some loose cannon, at least, not since I’ve been around. He’s not an idiot. He’s not mad at me.
“Meet you at the clubhouse?” he asks, opening the door to my Jeep for me. He presses his lips to mine.
“Are you going to be alright?” I ask. “I know this is a lot… I’m sorry I didn’t…”
He kisses me again, stifling my words.
“Josie’s probably fit to be tied right now,” he says. “I left her with Micah at the restaurant.”
“Don’t worry,” I say with a little laugh, grabbing the giant gift bag lined with tissue paper. “You know as well as I do that the girl accepts bribes.”
“I’m sorry I made a scene. I hope I didn’t get you in trouble.”
I press my lips to his. I don’t want to talk right now. I, too, just had my mind completely blown, and there’s so much to digest here that it’d take a lot longer than the half hour ride home to start getting into it. Tonight, at least for the time being, we need to pretend like everything is normal.
“I’ll call Micah and tell him to keep his mouth shut,” he says. “We better get out of here.”
I watch him walk to the truck, watch him get in, stare at him through the window, studying this puzzle of a man, wondering if I really am a missing piece. I know that before he came along, I was definitely missing something in my life. Was it just a good mystery to solve, though? Or was it true love? What happens when he gets the answers he was looking for and we put this whole thing to rest?
He catches me staring and nods. The way he looks at me like I’m the only person in the world melts away all my worries in just one second. It’s going to be a long ride home alone.
Chapter 26
Helena
Walking in the clubhouse hand in hand, you could’ve heard a pin drop. I’m fairly certain at this point everyone is well aware that we’re together, even more so than I am, so that’s probably not why they’re looking our way.
“So nice of you two to finally show up!” Josie says. She’s got Rocky in her arms, and he’s dressed in a tutu and princess tiara. Dogs are running all over the clubhouse dressed in human clothes, and the guys seem to be on their best behavior. Even the club sluts are more covered up than usual. Olive wraps me in a warm hug when she sees me.
“Thank you so much for doing all this for us,” I tell her. I know how much my little sister loves this quirky blonde, and the way she goes out of her way to make h
er feel special is something that no woman in our true family has ever done before. “She’s lucky to have you as an adoptive auntie.”
“You guys all good?” she whispers in my ear.
“Yeah,” I say. At least, I think we are. We haven’t really had a chance to talk about things. He’s carrying Rocky around like a baby now, though, and helping himself to a beer. Business as usual.
“Well, I for one am glad,” she says. “We all are. Things have been really sad around here. I mean, Esther was one of my best friends in the world, and losing her was devastating. But losing Brooks, too? That shit was scary. The path he was taking us all down wasn’t a good one.”
“Don’t thank me,” I laugh, handing my sister the gift bag. “Thank this wild child who willingly got kidnapped by a motorcycle club.” Olive’s giggle is so loud and so shrill, but you can’t help to laugh along with her. I don’t know what it is about this woman, but she’s really one in a million. Just being near her makes you feel like you’re in on some inside joke. “I know this isn’t the time or place,” I say, leaning in to whisper in her ear, “but I’m going to need your help with something. It’s about Esther.”
Her bright blue eyes light up. “You know something?”
I nod. “I know everything." I know the only way we’re going to be able to take the sheriff down is with the help of someone who has the same charisma that Esther had. Someone who knows how to run her business. Someone who I can trust.
“What are you guys whispering about over here?” her husband, Tank, asks, grabbing her around the waist and pressing his lips to the top of her head, a sweet gesture coming from a big old dirty biker.
“Tampons,” she says with a shrug. She winks at me in such an exaggerated way I think her one open eyeball is going to pop out of her skull.
“Oh my God!” Josie squeals, tearing the tissue paper off the top of the bag, “Helena…” Her hands are shaking and she’s grinning ear to ear, clutching the bright pink teddy bear in her arms, hugging it tight. “Where did you even find this thing?”
“It’s not your original one,” I say. “I’m sorry.” When we were growing up, she had one just like it that she carried everywhere. One day, when our father was in a mood, I found him out back burning the thing along with the rest of the garbage. I didn’t have the heart at the time to tell her what happened. I told her Teddy went on vacation, and she checked the mail every day waiting for a postcard from him and spent many nights just crying and crying herself to sleep until I told her the truth. After that, she got a little meaner. I guess it was just another one of those catalysts that made us who we are today.
“I know,” she says.
“It’s not your real present, either. But I thought you might like it. I couldn’t protect you back then. I was just a kid, too. Now, I want to give you everything that I have. I want to make up for lost time.” She’s such a good kid. Tall and beautiful, and growing up before my eyes. I urge her to pull the rest of the tissue paper out of the bag.
She grabs the white envelope out of the bottom and rips it open. Her eyes grow ten times their normal size as she reads the sheet of paper.
“Holy shit, Lena, I’m rich!” she squeals, dropping the teddy bear to the ground.
“Not quite,” I say with a smile. As soon as I started working, I set up a savings account for her, throwing pretty much every penny I could afford into it. I knew the day would come where we would be reunited, and I wanted to be able to provide her with whatever she wanted. She earned it for the childhood she endured. “It’ll be enough to get you off to college, at least for a semester or two, though. I’m so proud of you. I know I was absent for way too much of your life, but you were never not on my mind, Josie.”
“I think it’s time for cake!” Trixie suggests. It’s hard for me to keep my laughter in, watching all the guys in the club on their best behavior for this girl. She really is special to them. It warms my heart knowing, that maybe after all this time, we both got the family we had always dreamed of.
We eat cake, Josie and the guys get wrapped up in a loud and competitive game of darts, and Brooks and I finally get a moment to ourselves. A moment I’d been waiting for since we walked in the door. I’m alarmed by his coolness, like his world hasn’t just been flipped on its side as he sits there at the bar, nursing his beer.
He pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around my shoulders in a way that makes me feel like he’s claiming what’s his, not a care in the world about who sees or who is here with us. It feels good to me, like for once I know exactly where I stand, even with so many unanswered questions about the day we just had. I take his hand in mine.
“Thanks for making Josie’s birthday so special,” I say. “She didn’t really get a lot of nice birthdays growing up. I’m sorry I missed dinner.”
“You scared the shit out of me, woman,” he says. “The worst part was, when I was standing outside that hotel room door, even though I thought you might be screwing around, I wasn’t mad at you. I couldn’t blame you. It ain’t fair to you the way I’ve been jerking you around, just expecting you to read my mind. I was going to bust that door down and drag you out like a fucking caveman, no matter what.”
I laugh, resting my head on his shoulder, and he squeezes me tighter.
“I’m into you, Helena,” he says. “You’re my woman, right?”
“Brooks, I’ve known since I walked through your door to come get Josie back that I was into you. Maybe even longer than that. You’re a good man and I want to be with you.”
“Everything you do, I keep waiting for something bad to happen, it’s just the kind of life I’ve set myself up for. You never let me down. I feel like such a tool.”
“I’m no angel,” I say, biting my lip. “But I won’t do you dirty.” I would never willingly do anything to hurt this man. I’m crazy about him. I’m in love with him. I’ve just been so scared of pushing him away with my feelings that I’ve neglected to really say anything at all. “I wouldn’t be completely against the whole dragging me out of here like a caveman thing, though, if you know what I’m saying.” I tug his beard just a little, arching my back into his solid chest.
“You better watch yourself, girl,” he growls into my ear. “You keep grinding your ass on my cock like that and we might not make it out the door.” It’s as if everyone in the room has faded away and it’s just him and I, my desires, my lust for him, our overwhelming attraction, and now our spoken agreement. I inch my ass one inch closer to his hardening cock, staring into his eyes with defiance.
He shifts in his barstool, and before I can get in a word, he’s grabbing me by the arm, walking me through the dark web of corridors that wind through the clubhouse until we reach the office. My heart is racing as he throws open the door, pulling my t-shirt shirt up over my head with a needy desperation before he can even close it behind us.
His lips meet mine for a hard and passionate kiss, his tongue parting my lips, hands on the back of my head, possessively taking over my mouth as my legs begin to tremble.
“You know how fucking jealous you made me earlier?” he asks, as he carries me towards the desk, sliding my jeans down to my ankles. “I was out of my mind. Thinking about you with another man makes me crazy. You’re mine,” he says, bringing his hand to my damp mound, grabbing it while he stares me in the eye, the look on his face a mixture of crazy and sexy. I’d never seen that look before, but it’s turning me on.
“Yes,” I say, my voice hoarse. He strokes his fingers over my panties, teasing my clit in just the right way. I slide my bra off over my head, palming my breasts, pinching my nipples between my fingers while I stare him down. I lick my lips, noticing his swelling cock in his jeans, anxious to feel him inside of me.
“I love watching you play with those perfect titties,” he growls, moving his fingers faster and faster across the fabric of my panties, bringing me right up to the edge. “You only do that for me, right?”
“Yes,” I squeal as he pulls my pant
ies off to the side, dipping a finger into my wetness. It’s not insecurity coming from him, it’s straight-up possession, claiming his woman, and something about it is incredibly hot. “Only for you, Brooks.”
“Good,” he says, pressing his lips to the crook of my neck, dragging his tongue to my ear as he works his fingers in and out of my pussy. My walls begin to contract around him, and I arch my back, losing all control on his hands. “You’re so sexy,” he whispers in my ear. “I love making you cum.”
I want him inside me right now, and reach for his jeans in desperation. Just the sight of his thick cock makes me clench my thighs in anticipation.
“Turn over,” he says, helping me from the desk. My panties around my ankles, his hand connects to the flesh of my ass, and I cry out, startled by the pain, and shocked by the pleasure. “Your ass is divine, woman” he says. He lands another slap on my flesh, my knees buckling, as I hug the desk. There’s something so erotic about how he knows his way around my body, how he can simultaneously make me feel dirty and sexy. “Does that make you wet?” he asks, gently tracing his fingers over his handiwork, as my flesh goosebumps under his touch.
All I can fathom is a moan, and I feel his hard cock pressed up against the back of my thigh. “You’re mine,” he growls, raking his finger through my hair. “You know how much that turns me on?”
“Fuck me,” I plead, grinding my ass into him, desperately aching for his cock, craving the feeling of him filling me, owning me, every part of me.
He lines his dick up with my slit, pushing his way in in one hard thrust, his groans like music to my ears. He thrusts in and out of me, slowly, hard, his hand pinning my back to the desk, and his thighs slapping off mine every time he slides that thick cock into me again.
My insides begin to tremble as he taps my g-spot with each thrust, and my explosion is imminent. I scream in pleasure, my walls clenching down around his cock. “Cum on my dick, babe,” he growls. “Show me how much you love my cock inside of you.”
