From outside the door, I heard feet pounding. The gun barrel at my head jumped slightly when they stopped outside the room.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” Smoke muttered. I heard the rest of our guys poured into the room. I smirked when I glanced to the side and saw that the pistol Truth had in his hand was the one he took from me. He saw and shrugged.
“Grayson, long time no see. What’s it been? Four years? Five?” Viper had a decidedly cynical look in his eyes as he looked at Smoke. My eyes and those of my brothers darted between Smoke and Viper.
“Eight.”
“Ahh well, I’m getting forgetful and all.” Completely unconcerned with all the firepower in the room, he pressed his pistol barrel into Raiven’s stomach. “So where do we go from here? Because I’m thinking I’m going to take my prospect and leave.”
“You’re outnumbered, Viper. I don’t think you or your boy are going anywhere,” I said.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He gave us a half smile. “I may be outnumbered, but I believe I have the upper hand. Wouldn’t you say? So either you let me leave, or your pretty pet goes bye-bye.” He pulled out a knife and cut the ties that bound her to the bed.
Keeping the pistol pointed at her, he sat her up.
The only part of it I was thankful for was that when he pulled her upright, her dress fell back down. Her dignity in tatters, those eyes pleaded for something I didn’t know how to give her. Without her words, I was at a loss.
The tears that tracked down her cheeks were fucking shredding me inside.
“You’re not walking out of here alive,” I growled.
“Oh, I think it’s you that should be worried about that. I’ll be sure to enjoy the wife swap. Sorry you lost out on your half.”
He grabbed Raiven by the hair and began to jerk her off the bed.
There was no time to react. The gun was suddenly gone from the back of my head and two shots fired one after the other into Viper’s chest.
“What the fuck?” Everyone was stunned as they watched Viper gasping for breath on the floor. His incredulous gaze locked on his prospect.
I’d jumped to pull Raiven out of the bed and away from the gruesome sight on the floor. Once I had her away from him, I pulled the gag out of her mouth. “Don’t look at any of that, baby,” I’d whispered in her ear as she clung to me.
“You all may want to get her out of here. Anyone not associated with this might want to leave. My suggestion is only Matlock and Raiven stay outside, but that’s merely a suggestion. Oh, and I’m assuming all of those weapons are legal?” He didn’t look at any of us, but it didn’t matter. Everything was on the up and up. He ruffed a hand through his hair.
“Who the fuck are you?” Smoke demanded.
“Name’s Fitzgerald. FBI, undercover—well, I was. I’d say my days of that are likely over now. I’ve got him and his club on a hundred petty charges, but now I finally got him on something big that may stick. Kidnapping and attempted murder. At that’s what it looked like to me, don’t you agree? The cops will be here soon. I’m assuming a shots fired call went in the minute I squeezed the trigger. Fuck, I only wish I’d found enough to nail every one of those assholes to the wall. They are all such pricks.” By that time, he was kneeling by Viper, checking for a pulse.
There must have still been signs of life, because he cuffed Viper’s hands and zip-tied his legs together.
“You wanna add sex trafficking to that?” Check questioned.
Fitzgerald’s brow furrowed and he looked at us in confusion. “I’ve only been able to nail down vague traces and nothing concrete.”
“Here.” Check tossed him a thumb drive.
“What is this?” The agent looked at it like he’d never seen one before.
“All the proof you need to nail him and his club for sex trafficking. You’re welcome, and I’ll deny I gathered it.” Check grinned as he shrugged.
“Jesus. Umm, thanks? Now you better go.” We could hear sirens in the distance.
“No.”
“What?” the agent shouted in surprise.
“We’re not leaving Lock and Raiven here alone,” Smoke insisted.
We did, however, hand all of our weapons over to Truth, who put them in a cinch bag and left. In the nick of time too, because he’d barely been gone a minute before flashing lights pulled up. Everything was a chaotic shit-storm after that.
It seemed to take forever to get through all the bullshit involved. The local cops were real heroes and initially refused to call the number Fitzgerald gave them to verify his identity. I’m not sure how the dude got there so fast, but a thick, gruff guy with salt-and-pepper hair showed up. He announced himself as Fitzgerald’s acting SAC, Special Agent in Charge while he was in our area.
Then he did exactly that—took charge.
Once everyone had given their generic, vague statements, we were reluctantly released. Raiven had only given one- and two-syllable answers all night from what I could tell. They separated us for questioning, and I hated it.
A nurse had been called in to examine Raiven. It took forever for her to get there, so that added to my anxiousness. To top it off, I was worried she should’ve gone to the doctor to get checked, but she’d refused. She could say “no” really well. That was why the SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) had come to the scene; they wanted an exam, and Raiven had said only if someone could come to the location.
She was buckled into the front passenger seat, and I stepped up to her. “Are you sure you don’t want me to ride with you? I can come back for my bike tomorrow,” I offered.
She shook her bowed head.
Styx stepped up to the vehicle. “Hey little mama. You need anything else?”
She kept her head bowed and she whispered a shaky, “No.”
“If you’re okay with it, I can ride your bike back and you can drive her,” Check offered.
Raiven tried to say no, but I didn’t give her a chance. I tossed the key fob to Check. He caught it midair with a nod.
The ride was silent as we traveled with the guys in formation behind us.
By the time we all made it back to our place, we were exhausted and it was late as hell. Once I’d helped Raiven up the stairs, I had her wait on the porch.
“Get her inside and cleaned up. We’ll talk tomorrow.” Smoke seemed highly disturbed, and I belatedly wondered if it wasn’t connected to the odd exchange he and Viper had in the room. To me, it sure sounded like they’d known each other well at some point.
“See you at the clubhouse. I’ll be driving because I’m bringing her with. I don’t want her to be alone.” I kept it quiet because I didn’t want her to think I was coddling her.
He gave me a nod, then climbed the stairs after me to get his daughter.
My fingers wove through Raiven’s as I led her inside. Presley was long since asleep, and I’d called Nikki to tell her Raiven wouldn’t be in the next day.
Flipping on the water, I closed the curtain and turned to face my wife.
“Raiven, will you be okay with me helping you get undressed?” I was afraid to touch her too much. She still hadn’t talked to anyone but the nurse about what that sick fuck had done to her. It was taking everything for me to hold my shit together, because I knew what he was capable of.
The thought of his sadistic hands on her, doing some of the awful things to her that he’d done to me, was testing my control. It was making me face things I’d suppressed, against the therapist’s advice.
“Yes,” she whispered.
Like handling a skittish colt, I moved slowly but with purpose.
It was killing me that we’d finally seemed to move past all the bullshit in our lives and then that shit had to happen.
When I raised her arms over her head to pull her dress off, her phone fell out of her pocket to the floor.
And she burst into tears.
Shit.
“The Sound of Silence”—Disturbed
“I love you.” He kissed me
on the top of my head as he held me to his chest. Sobs wracked my body as we stood with the water running behind us.
There was no rational reason for my tears simply because my phone dropped to the ground. Other than it flashed me back to thinking sending that message was going to be a magic spell that ended it all. All in all, though the experience was terrifying, I had been relatively lucky.
I was alive.
“I love you too. So damn much.” My arms wrapped tight around his ribs.
“Let’s get in the shower.” He spoke softly and had undressed me like I was fragile and I hated it. It made me empathize with how he’d felt when I’d coddled him after his rescue. It gave me a sense of inner strength when I thought about everything he’d endured, and yet there he was, standing strong and proud for me.
With a new determination, I wiped my tears and climbed in the warm water. With my eyes closed tight, I could hear him undressing. The thump of each boot as it dropped. The rustle of his clothes, the weight of his belt as it fell to the floor, still on his jeans.
Finally, the slide of the shower curtain open and closed. Opening my eyes, I blinked the water from my face as I stood in the cascade watching him. I was struck with his beauty and strength.
Sleek lines, contoured muscles, a massive array of tattoos that spoke volumes without words. Those piercing, uniquely beautiful eyes. I sought out the tiny brown spot and allowed it to ground me.
Licking my lips, I tasted the water.
Fine mist from the shower was bouncing off me and beading on his thick, dark lashes. When I couldn’t stand his silent scrutiny any longer, I reached for him. His firm hand clasped mine and gave a slight tug. It was enough to bring me against him when he stepped forward.
Meeting me in the middle, his hands cradled my face. “I was terrified when I heard he had you. If I’d lost you, I don’t know how I’d have gone on without you; how Presley would’ve gone on without you. We need you because we love you so fucking much.”
His hard length jumped at his words, sliding against me where it was sandwiched between us.
“I’m so sorry. I can’t help how that responds to your closeness. Please don’t worry, I’m fine and we don’t need to do… that, or, um, anything.” His expression screamed regret and sadness. In an attempt to soothe him, my thumb traced the fullness of his bottom lip.
Swallowing hard in preparation of getting out what I needed him to know, I inhaled a shaky, swift breath. “Lock, he lied to you. He didn’t actually, umm… not like that. I’m not saying he didn’t uh….” I started crying.
Breaking down in sobs that shook my body, I buried my face in his chest as he wrapped his arms around me. He silently held me as the water washed over us.
“I love you, Raiven. No matter what, I love you.”
Pulling back, I looked up at him through the haze of tears and water. “I was so afraid you’d lose it and kill him. The thought of you having that on your conscience because of me would have destroyed me more than anything he’d have done to me.”
His eyes closed tight, and a rush of air left his lungs. Our foreheads met and our noses lay side by side. “Goddammit,” he whispered, “I’d have gladly killed him for what he did to me and for what he did to you. With absolutely zero regrets.” Though his words were spoken with great conviction, I truly believed they would’ve proved false had things played out differently.
Needing his closeness and the security I found in his embrace, I turned my head, slightly grazing my lips across his as our breaths mingled. I continued up his jaw to his ear.
He still smelled of the lingering remnants of his cologne, grease, and exhaust. Straight sex emanated from his pores, and I needed him. I needed him to help me forget what I’d experienced. I needed to be touched with love. I needed him to remind me that I was resilient. My teeth skimmed along the shell of his ear; his respiratory rate jumped, and his fingers slid further back to grip my wet, tangled hair.
“Fuck, Raiven, we shouldn’t….” He was trying to be so valiant, but I didn’t need a knight on a white horse. I needed the dragon.
I sank my teeth into the tendon of his neck. He groaned, and my tongue flattened as it ran the length of his corded neck. The salt of his skin was lapped up with each trail I made along his neck and shoulders. It was the best aphrodisiac in his arsenal, and it hit me full force.
Slowly, the tip of my tongue traveled to the center of his tattooed chest, circled each of his drawn-up pierced nipples. One circle, pull it between my lips, suckle, bite, and tug. On the second one, I could feel his racing pulse against my lips.
Steam rose to cloak us in a cocoon where we clung to each other.
Hands splayed, I memorized every inch of him as I lowered myself to my knees. His fingers remained tangled in my hair but he wasn’t hurting me.
In the hazy air of the shower, I gazed up at him. The flats of my palms had stopped on his muscular thighs. My nails dug into the flesh to prevent me from jumping to where I wanted to be. I needed to savor this moment.
Eyes still trained on his, I flattened my tongue and licked up the underside of his cock to circle the thick head at the tip. Movements unhurried, I worshipped his length.
Up, down, curl, over and over. Watching the effects my actions were having had me wet, and it wasn’t from the shower. It was returning my self-confidence. It left me feeling powerful.
It gave me control.
When I reached the crown, I tilted my head to swallow the tip but didn’t stop there. His moans drove me forward, and my hands slipped around to grip his tight ass. His muttered curses made me lustful, and I hollowed out my cheeks to suck him hard and slid further down the shaft.
“Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck,” he mumbled over and over.
When he tried to pull me off by my hair, I dug my nails into his ass, holding him in place. Over and over, I watched the ecstasy blossom on his face as I refused to let go. I needed his taste across my tongue and sliding down my throat. I wanted him to lose control and come so much it overflowed my mouth, running down my chin, throat, and to my breasts.
“Raiven,” he choked out in desperation. A desperation I craved. “I’m going to come if you don’t stop.”
I didn’t stop.
Once he finally understood I wasn’t giving it up, he guided my head as he fucked my mouth. Each time he thrust in, I could feel him at the back of my throat.
Yes, I wanted to feel him stretching my pussy, but I needed this first. Desperately.
When his movements became erratic, I knew he was close.
The vibrations from my moan were the catalyst he needed to explode. Guttural, his groans echoed from the shower walls, punctuated by each spurt of his cock across my tongue.
I didn’t let up until he was jerking and gently pulling my head back by my hair.
“Jesus fucking Christ, Raiven. You’re going to kill me. I’m sorry if I got rough. You were so… fuck!” His eyes closed as a shudder ran down his spine.
Raising myself up higher, I rested my cheek against his hard abs, and we simply held each other. We stayed that way until the water ran cold and we had to rush through washing or freeze.
Lying in the bed after he’d flipped me over and fucked me with all the pent-up anger I’d needed, we were quiet. Completely and totally satiated, we hardly moved. His fingers absently trailed up and down my hip and side while mine traced the ink on his chest. Other than that, our limbs were a limp tangle in the sheets.
“My wife.”
“My husband.”
“I love you more than I ever thought I’d love a woman. You are the other half of my soul, and I had no idea I was floating through life incomplete until I found you. That sounds corny as fuck, doesn’t it?” he murmured.
“No. That sounds absolutely perfect. You should show me again how we complete each other.” I gave a small smile, as I attempted to joke with him.
He smacked my ass with a soft chuckle that echoed through his chest. “Insatiable wench.”
&nbs
p; He showed me again.
“Babe, I changed Memphis’s diaper. When the hell is this kid going to potty train again? I don’t remember the other ones being this bad.” I loved him but the little asshole kept hiding under the fucking kitchen table to shit in his pull-up.
From behind me, Presley laughed. “Dad, he’s only two. Oh, and the swear jar is getting full. When are we going for ice cream?”
Izzy, our raven-haired five-year-old, came running down the hall. “Ice creammmmm!”
Memphis squealed, “Eye cweeeeeam!”
I groaned. Great, I was going to have to deal with pissed-off kids because we had no ice cream in the house and I wasn’t missing the game I’d been waiting for since the beginning of the season to go get fucking ice cream.
Rolling my eyes, I looked at her. “You know what? Come to think of it, you were worse. You used to strip naked when you peed in your pull-up, hide it, then run around naked. It wasn’t until your mom came into the picture that you finally had an interest in using the toilet on a regular basis.”
“Dad!” She shot a mortified glance to her friend who was spending the night.
The doorbell rang.
“Come in!” I was wrestling my two-year-old son into his jeans.
“Hey, Truth. Your brother could use a little help. I think he’s in over his head with this one.” Glancing up, I saw my gorgeous wife leaning against the hallway arch of our new home. Her smirk had me shooting her a glare with promise of retribution when we were in bed that night.
The woman had the nerve to grin and waggle her eyebrows at me before she grabbed her purse. She gave me a too-short kiss and prepared to head out to the store. “I’ll be back shortly. Tell the girls I’ll bring the wine back with me if they get here before I get back.”
“You better get some fucking ice cream for these heathens of yours,” I growled.
“What was that? You want me to get a pedicure before I come back?” She blinked her gorgeous eyes at me. All damn big, blue, and wide. Innocent, my ass. She was just as much a hellion as our spawn.
With a sexy sway of her full hips and a low, sultry laugh, she left.
Lock and Load: A Demented Sons MC Texas Novel Page 25
