Spike (Iron Thunder MC Book 5)

by Kasey Krane

  I heard him loud and clear, but I just didn’t want anybody else in our space right now. I just wanted to be alone with Spike all the time. The two of us and nobody else.

  Spike was getting dressed again.

  “I need to go speak to the guys outside, and I’m going to have someone come and fix that damned window,” he said as he slipped on his jacket. I was still lying naked in bed, staring at him hungrily and wishing he wouldn’t leave. Why did the real world have to take over? Why couldn’t we be in dreamland forever?

  I knew I was being immature and Spike was trying to be the responsible adult here, but I wanted him.

  He saw the look in my eyes and ran a hand through his hair.

  “Don’t you look at me like that, woman,” he growled and leaned toward me, kissing my mouth. I reached for him, tried to cling to his neck but Spike slowly pulled my hands off.

  “I’m going to go for a ride. I need to clear my head, take care of a few things.”

  “But…”

  “There are going to be people here watching you. There is nothing to worry about.”

  I still wanted to protest but Spike was already walking to the door. I sat up on my knees, moving all the sheets and covers away so he could see my naked, glistening body.

  “Take me with you. I’ll be safer if I live with you. In your apartment.”

  My words made him stop in his tracks and he turned to me.

  “Sabrina…”

  “That is where I felt safe, Spike. I don’t feel safe here. Don’t you think so? If I lived with you, in your apartment, and if I were surrounded by the people from your MC at Fifth Gear…I know nobody would be able to touch me. I would be safe and protected. That way, you would be fulfilling the duties of your job too.”

  I had no idea if I sounded convincing or not. Spike was staring at me with his brows crossed, his eyes narrowed and heavy. Maybe he was thinking. Deciding.

  “I need to go for a ride,” he said again and that was all he said.

  He went through the door and shut it behind him. I slumped back in my bed, looking around the room with disappointment. I felt no attachment to this place. To none of my things.

  I wished Spike would agree that was the best plan. It was too fast and maybe I was jumping the gun. Maybe this was going to turn out to be a mistake—but it would be my mistake. Not something someone else had decided for me. Not my daddy’s call.

  I didn’t know how long I would have to wait for Spike to return and give me his decision, but I was willing to wait for as long as it took. I just knew it…finally…my new life was about to begin.

  15

  Spike

  I stood at the gates of the estate, watching as the prospects who had been sent by Ghost rode into the driveway of the Wyndham mansion. I had already given them strict instructions. They were going to patrol the perimeter, no breaks. One of them would be outside Sabrina’s bedroom door, keeping a close watch on her. They would report to me immediately if they saw or heard anything suspicious.

  I was fully confident that she was safe in their hands—I wouldn’t be confident leaving her alone with anybody. But I knew I needed some time to think. It felt like too much had happened in the last two days and I needed to make some decisions.

  Once the guys positioned themselves where I wanted them to keep a watch, I got on my bike and rode off. I didn’t know where I was going, but was headed in the direction of the forest where Ghost’s cabin was.

  I was in two minds. I could go up to the cabin and check in on Mercy. She had given me instructions on seeing her as often as I could so she could keep an eye on my wound. I hadn’t followed up on that. She had also prescribed rest and ‘taking it easy’. I hadn’t followed that advice either.

  Ghost clearly had no idea how much hard work Sabrina Wyndham was going to end up becoming. He thought he was assigning me child’s play.

  I rode into the forest, gripping my bike hard, trying to focus on blanking my mind. But the only thing I could think about was Sabrina and how her presence in my life had already changed everything. I couldn’t even see things clearly anymore.

  There was one thing I knew, and that was that she deserved a better life than I could give her.

  I changed my mind halfway to the cabin. I didn’t want to go see Mercy or Ghost there. Mercy would just end up fussing over me, trying to nurse my wound, offer me something for the pain. I had successfully worked through the pain without any help for the last two days and I was sure I would just have to push through it for a few more and it would be over.

  Instead, I wanted to be by myself. So I made my way to the creek. The creek that only a few of us knew about. The forest was pretty untouched otherwise.

  I parked my bike and got off. The forest calmed me. When I closed my eyes, I could picture walking down the creek that night in the moonlight. The night Eagle attacked me. I still couldn’t remember the full details. I knew I was out looking for him. I wanted to bring him in single-handed. I didn’t know he was hiding out in the forest, I didn’t have any evidence, but I had a sixth sense about it. He had to be close by.

  And now he was locked up in our cells in the Clubhouse. That was a good feeling. I’d forgotten about that even though it happened just yesterday. The feeling of finding him hiding, pinning him to the ground, holding him down, dragging him back to our territory where he could be held accountable for all his actions.

  I’d managed to forget about all that because of Sabrina. Because when I got back to the clubhouse after the raid and saw her behind the bar counter working with Sophie, the only thing I could focus on was her.

  And then we kissed. Then we found the broken window in her room. I shouldn’t have taken her back to my place. I shouldn’t have put myself in that position where I had no choice but to fuck her. I mean, how could I not? She was sexy. She was sweet. She was like nobody else I knew.

  Sabrina Wyndham was delicate and spunky, precious and smart. There were just so many different facets to her that I felt as if I could be discovering her every day and never grow tired of it. She had the ability to surprise me every time we were together.

  This was probably the first time I’d been as fascinated by a chick as much as I wanted to fuck her.

  I stared at my reflection in the clear waters of the creek. I had to rub a hand over my face to steady myself. That pain on the side of my torso was back. Now that Sabrina wasn’t around and I didn’t have her to focus my energy on, I could focus on my wound again.

  Fuck that.

  I needed to focus on Eagle. The guy who almost killed me. Who almost killed Drax and his own President, Crash too. He started this war between our MCs. He was the one responsible for all the blood shed so far. The lives put in danger. The money and business lost.

  I shouldn’t have been thinking about Sabrina. I should have been thinking about revenge on Eagle.

  He was still there at the clubhouse. As far as I knew, nothing had changed with him. He was being held and some actions were being taken to get him to talk but Eagle was silent. From what the prospects had told me today, it seemed as if he was almost enjoying himself. This was a game to him.

  Just thinking about him made my blood boil. I needed to see him. I needed to get him to talk. Get him to admit the shit he’d pulled. I wanted him to beg me for his life.

  I jumped back on my bike and rode out of the forest. The only place I was going to go was the clubhouse. I didn’t care who stood in my way, even if it was Drax. I was going to see Eagle today and make him tell me what happened that night he attacked me.

  “Hey, Spike, what are you doing here?” Sophie asked when she saw me walk into the bar. She was the only one around. It was the middle of the day and the others were probably all in their beds sleeping off hangovers.

  “Where’s Sabrina?”

  “In her house. Don’t worry, I have some prospects watching over her.” I spoke as I walked directly across the bar. I was headed in the direction of the basement but Sophie followed me
.

  “Do you know what’s going on with her? Like, has her dad hired us to look after her general safekeeping or is there something seriously bad happening?”

  I turned to Sophie because she genuinely sounded concerned. On the other hand, I really didn’t want to talk about Sabrina either. Not right now when I was on my way to see Eagle.

  “I don’t know yet. I will find out when her father comes back to town. He’s told me very little about what’s really going on, and even less to her.”

  Sophie clucked her tongue and shook her head.

  “That poor girl. She seems so lost. I don’t think she knows where she wants to be or what she wants to do. What’s going on between the two of you?” Sophie spoke without warning; I wasn’t expecting that question in the end and she caught me by surprise.

  “What?”

  “Come on, Spike, most of us saw the way the two of you were moving to the music and that kiss…it looked more than just a casual peck on the cheek for a job well done.” She was grinning now and I had to do everything I could to not look away. Breaking eye contact would give it away.

  “That kiss was a mistake,” I said.

  She crossed her arms over her chest and sucked in her cheeks playfully.

  “Is that so? Is that why you two left immediately?”

  “I took her back to her house because I didn’t want her hanging around here. This is not the world she comes from. Not the company she keeps.”

  “She looked as if she was having fun. She was helping me behind the bar. Getting to know people.”

  “She was scared.”

  “At first, sure, like you said—this was all new to her. But I think she could really fit in here. She’s stronger than you think she is.”

  I stared at Sophie. Why was she doing this? Why was she talking about Sabrina?

  “I have other shit to deal with right now,” I growled and turned away.

  “Like, Eagle?”

  “I’m going to check on him.”

  “Spike…he is not your problem.”

  “Yes he is!” I shouted as I walked away.

  “You should let the others deal with him.”

  I was about to say something more but I didn’t bother to. Sophie was just being nosy. This was none of her concern. I wanted Eagle to face me and I wanted answers. He’d been fucking with us for too long and I wanted him to pay for it.

  There were two prospects standing guard at the cellar door when I got there. When they saw me walking determinedly toward them, they moved apart. I didn’t have to give them a reason to make way. I opened the door and stepped in.

  This was the same place where Crash had been held when he was going through his withdrawal from heroin. The heroin that Eagle got him hooked on.

  While Crash had been lying helpless and sick on the single bed in the corner of the room, Eagle was sitting, facing the wall like a madman.

  He heard the door shut behind me but didn’t turn to look. Somehow, he knew it was me.

  “I was wondering when you’d show up,” he said as I walked toward him. Even though I couldn’t see his face, I knew I would see pure evil if he was looking at me. This man had no shred of humanity or justice in his system.

  I clenched my fists and jaws, trying to hold back the rush of frustration and rage I felt toward him.

  “What do you have to say for yourself?” I growled. He finally looked, over his shoulder at me. There were some marks on his face, purple and blue, and they were healing. No blood. Even though our guys had been rough with him—I was rough with him—when he was captured and brought here, he hadn’t been as badly hurt as he could have been.

  “What do you want me to do, man? Apologize?” he said and turned to me fully.

  “You have an explanation for all the shit?”

  “Nope,” he replied and had the fuckin’ audacity to smile. A sneering sick smile spread across his face that made me want to punch him.

  I took a step toward him and Eagle thrust his chin out aggressively.

  “What happened that night you attacked me?” I growled.

  Eagle shrugged.

  “You can’t expect me to remember every time I bothered to interact with you guys. This isn’t a fuckin’ romance.”

  He made himself chuckle as if this was some big joke.

  I stepped closer to him and still, he didn’t flinch or move. It was as if he didn’t give a shit what I did to him.

  “You put a knife in me.”

  “And you’re still here. Or am I hallucinating?”

  “I found you in the woods, hiding out.”

  He shrugged again. That night was still a blank space in my head and I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to figure out how I managed to let him slip away.

  “And what about Crash? You got the President of your MC hooked on drugs you knew would affect his ability to lead.”

  “I didn’t want to actually overthrow him like some medieval knight.”

  “So you wanted everyone else to decide he was an unfit leader.”

  Eagle was looking at me, still smiling faintly.

  “Good thing you guys brought me back here because I wouldn’t have stopped. I won’t stop until I get what I want, and I might just put your new hot-tits on that list,” he said with a low snarly voice.

  That was it.

  He shouldn’t have mentioned Sabrina.

  I threw myself at him and he held his hands up defensively. I grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the floor. I couldn’t see anything but a raging red flame in front of my eyes. Every ounce of anger and frustration I had ever felt for anybody or anything; all came streaming out of me.

  Eagle was my punching bag and what made it worse was the incessant laughter. That was when I knew he was crazy. With every punch, he laughed even harder, like he was enjoying this somehow.

  “You stay the fuck away from her,” I growled and pinned him down to the ground as I punched him again.

  “Her pussy that sweet?” he chuckled, with blood trickling down his nose. The bruises on his face looked even darker now. I snarled like a wild animal and punched him again. The air was knocked out of his lungs but Eagle laughed again. This was funny to him.

  “I’m going to make sure you don’t walk out of here alive!” I shouted. He laughed even harder.

  “Spike!” A woman’s voice called for me and I looked up to find Mercy at the cellar door.

  Eagle, underneath me, tried to take this opportunity to throw me over so he could get the upper hand.

  I may have had a knife-wound to recover from but I wasn’t going to let this motherfucker overpower me.

  I pushed against him, pinning him down again. The back of his head hit the ground with a thud.

  “Get him off,” I heard Mercy call out. The two prospects who were standing outside came in toward us. I punched Eagle in the face again one last time, before one of the prospects pulled me off. He wouldn’t have been able to if I hadn’t let him.

  The other one dragged Eagle to the bed. He was badly fucked up again, especially his face.

  Mercy was standing at the cellar door with her hands on her hips.

  “Spike! Seriously! This is in no way following any of my medical advice!”

  I walked past her, my shoulders heaving.

  “Spike!” she called after me but I didn’t stop.

  I knew I lost it. I shouldn’t have bothered with Eagle. None of us were going to let him walk out of here. He’d affected all our lives.

  I walked out of the cellar and I knew Mercy had followed me out.

  “Is this about Sabrina?” she asked, making me stop in my tracks. I turned to face her and she had her eyebrows raised.

  “Yeah, this is about her. I’ve decided something,” I replied and then walked away. Mercy didn’t need to know. The rest of the MC didn’t need to know because I wasn’t going to let it turn into something serious.

  Giving Sabrina up would be difficult, but this had to stop. I couldn’t let it go a
ny further or allow her to be disappointed. My life was unpredictable, violent…she would never be able to fit into this lifestyle, no matter how much she tried.

  16

  Sabrina

  Two weeks later

  Something happened to Spike two weeks ago. It was as if a switch went off in him that day he left me at the house and went for a ride. By the time he returned to me, it was as if he had completely changed his mind about us. Even though he had left some guys to watch over me while he was gone, I didn’t feel completely safe without him.

  Someone came in to fix my window and after that, I had sat there, looking out at the driveway, waiting for Spike to show up. He was late. When he did come back, he simply replaced the guy who was standing outside my bedroom door. He didn’t even bother coming in.

  I opened the door and pleaded with him to come inside so we could talk. I could instantly sense something was different. Something had happened. This ride had changed him. Spike didn’t speak much. All he said was that he couldn’t come inside, that we had to forget last night and everything that happened between us since then.

  I was angry, frustrated, and close to tears. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. After everything we did…what he’d said…he made me feel he had come to a decision. I thought he wanted to pick me over this stupid job. I didn’t even know what he was protecting me from. Was there any real danger?

  In my anger, I had slammed the door in his face and spent the rest of the night locked in my bedroom. I knew he was out there, waiting, watching, listening. I was expecting him to knock on that door, demanding to be let in. I just wanted to talk and get an explanation, but the night passed and there was no change in him.

  By the next morning, my anger had turned into despair and sadness. I couldn’t believe this happened again. I had let myself get fooled into thinking this was real. I did it in Paris with a guy who didn’t give two fucks about me, and now I was doing it again with a man who didn’t think we could be together.