by K E Osborn
K E Osborn
USA Today Bestselling Author
PROTECTIVE
The Houston Defiance MC Series Book 5
K E Osborn
USA Today Bestselling Author
Copyright 2021 K E Osborn
All Rights Reserved
This book is a work of fiction. Any references to real events, real people, and real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, organizations, or places is entirely coincidental.
All rights are reserved. This book is intended for the purchaser of this e-book ONLY. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system, without the express written permission of the author. All songs, song titles, and lyrics contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders.
Disclaimer: The material in this book contains graphic language and sexual content and is intended for mature audiences, ages 18 and older.
ISBN: 978-1922489074
Editing by Swish Design & Editing
Proofreading by Swish Design & Editing
Book design by Swish Design & Editing
Cover model by Shawn Joseph
Photography by Reggie Deanching RplusMphoto
Cover design by Designs by Dana
Cover Image Copyright 2021
All Rights Reserved
I always felt different.
Like I never quite fit.
The moment I found the club, it felt like home, even though it was 1600 miles from Jersey.
As the joint SAA for the Houston Defiance MC, my job is to be protective. Keep my brothers at the club safe—be the first line of defense against those who seek to do us harm.
But what happens when those who defend suddenly need protection?
She upholds the law—the club lives by their own.
Never a good mix.
The pull to her is volcanic, seismic, earthshattering.
But there’s darkness surrounding her.
An evil lurking in the shadows.
With an already high enemy count, more mount up every day.
But maybe we can’t see the danger rumbling just below the surface.
When it erupts, all hope might be lost.
When all else fails, will Defiance rise through the ash?
From USA Today Bestselling Author K E Osborn comes the highly anticipated fifth book in the Houston Defiance MC Series.
This book is all about those who protect.
I can’t think of anyone more protective than a mama bear.
These last twelve months, maybe a little longer, have been tough. I honestly didn’t know if this book was going to make it out on time.
But with Mama Kay’s encouragement (even though she was struggling too) we made it.
And we’re still going.
Life throws you shit—it pushes you into the depths of hell, but it’s how you come up swinging that defines you.
We’ve been knocked down and out so much these past few months, but Mama Kay and I have both come back up swinging.
So Mum, this book is dedicated to you—the biggest protector of them all.
For your convenience, below is a list of terms used in this book.
Any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the author.
1% — When a 1% patch is worn, it represents the one percent of bikers who are outlaw clubs.
Cage — Automobile, truck, van - not a motorcycle.
Cut — A vest with club colors.
Duck-walk — Navigating into parking space using your feet.
Hammer Down — Accelerate quickly.
Lid — The name of the type of helmet worn by bikers. It’s an open face half helmet.
Road Name — A road name is earned, given, and bestowed upon a biker. They usually have a story behind them.
Six — Watch your back.
The Heat — Police.
Blurb
Dedication
A Note to the Reader
Table of Contents
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Connect With Me Online
About the Author — K E Osborn
FINLEY
The slam of Maxen’s fist on my desk is so deeply filled with anger, I swear the wood cracks. “Are you listening to me, Knight? You make sure your client drops the charges against me, or this desk isn’t going to be the only thing that takes a damn beating. You feel what I’m putting down?” He makes a ram symbol with his fingers. It’s something he and his crew are known for when they’re trying to prove a point.
Maxen’s tall stature only just beats mine, and his muscular frame and tattooed body doesn’t scare me. The fact he’s a narcissist who belongs to a white supremacist group known for gun trafficking, drug distribution, and God only knows what fucking else, should put me on edge. But scum like Maxen deserve what’s coming to them. He might think he’s top dog here in Houston, but with my skills as an attorney, I can bring this asshole to his goddamn knees, and it would bring me pleasure to do so.
I step around my desk, standing right next to him, to make him understand he won’t scare me like his intimidation tactics are supposed to. “You know, Maxen, showing up at your prosecuting attorney’s office is an offense, and what’s more, it’s a crime when it comes to your case. You’re only doing yourself more damage by being here.”
He snarls, almost baring his teeth like a dog. His hand comes up, ready to strike me—I don’t flinch waiting for the hit. It will only prolong this asshole’s sentence by adding another assault charge to his case. He swings but as he does, my chamber door flies open, a security guard rushes in, shooting a Taser string at Maxen. His arms flail in the air, then he collapses to the floor convulsing as I take in a deep breath.
My eyes shoot to Tony, my guard, and I give him a curt nod. “Thanks, Tony. I didn’t want to take one for the team… but I would have.”
Tony chuckles. “Oh, I know you would have, Miss Knight, but I think we have enough evidence recorded to add to his sentence… it should put him away for a long, long time.”
“You’re damn right we do.” I glance down at the piece of shit right in front of me. He’s vibrating on the floor as Tony continues to Taser him, and by the wet patch on his pants, I am fairly certain he’s pissed himself.
I can’t help but smirk.
I fucking love my job.
A Week Later
My heart hammers in my chest.
I’ve been working toward this for months.
Maxen Miller is a criminal—a violent, misogynistic, racist, big
oted, vile human being who deserves nothing less than to rot in a prison cell for the rest of his damn life.
It’s not often I let cases like this get to me, but the way he mentally and physically abused his victim, made me sick to my stomach.
There is a string of charges laid against him right now, so I can’t see this going any other way.
I glance down at Violet, her hands quivering in her lap. This entire trial she hasn’t been able to even raise her head let alone look at Maxen, and I don’t blame her.
He raped her.
Bashed her husband and son to death while she watched.
Nearly killed her.
Robbed her at gun point.
All for the pure joy it brought the bastard.
Then his minions stripped everything out of her house while she was bleeding heavily on the floor of her bedroom.
Yeah, Maxen Miller is a fucking asshole to the nth degree.
The head juror stands, and for some reason, I swallow hard while waiting for her to read out the verdict. Violet’s eyes shoot straight to Maxen like she isn’t intimated by him at all.
A slow smile crosses my face.
Instantly, I know.
Before she says one word, I already know the outcome.
“We the jurors, in the case of Maxen Miller versus Violet Stuart, find the defendant… guilty of all charges.”
Violet bursts into tears as the courtroom erupts into chaos. Some people even start cheering. Maxen’s men boo, some throwing objects around the courtroom as I embrace Violet tightly.
“Order! Order!” The judge bangs his gavel, and the courtroom settles down. “Mister Miller, you have been found guilty of all charges by jury verdict. A court date will be set for your sentencing. Bailiffs… take him away.”
The bailiffs lift him from his seat. Maxen has the audacity to turn and glare at me. His lip turns up, his pasty white face turns a bright shade of red, and his nostril flare.
As they start to drag him off, he spins back around to face me. “You did this, Finley! You told them I came to see you.”
I let out a snort. “Of course, I did. What you did was illegal, and I already told you that when you did it.”
He struggles against the bailiffs, glaring at me with nothing but hatred in his wide eyes. “I’ll get my revenge on you, Finley Knight, even if I have to bide my time, you’ll get what’s coming to you. You’ll get yoursss!” he yells the last word as he’s dragged back through the door, kicking his legs out fighting the bailiffs every step out of the courtroom.
I let out a relieved exhale—I’ll never have to worry about Maxen Miller again. With all the charges he’s now been found guilty of, he will be going to prison for a long-fucking-time.
Turning to Violet, I give her a warm smile as she leans in hugging me again. “You did it!”
“We did it. Maxen is going away. You can go live your life now, without worry or complication from him anymore. With the top dog out, his minions will fall like flies. They won’t be an issue for you either.”
Violet’s eyes glisten with happiness. “I have no way to thank you.”
Gripping her shoulders, I stare into her eyes. “Thank me by moving on. Let all this shit go. Live a happy life… forget all about this. Don’t let it haunt you, okay?”
Her eyes glisten as she nods. “Okay… thank you, Fin.”
“You’re so welcome. Now let’s go have a drink to celebrate!”
She chuckles.
Reaching down, I grab my bags, and we walk out of the courtroom with a pep in our steps. Winning always gives me a rush. It’s why I push so hard to be a leader in my field, to do the best at this job, and because of the feeling it gives me when I do good.
And today, I did good.
Maxen Miller is behind bars and will be for a freaking long time.
Let’s just hope the judicial system doesn’t fail us in the long run because we all know a man like Maxen will hold a grudge.
And I will be the first person in his cross hairs…
TEXAS
A Few Years Later
This club is changing, not in a bad or good way, just in a way that’s different. My brothers around me are finding old ladies to hang off their arms. Some have kids, like Kevlar and Wraith—some are even getting hitched. Houston Defiance used to be a club who turned their noses up at all that loved-up rubbish, but somewhere along the way, one man fell, and now it seems the rest can’t wait to get in line.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not completely untainted by the female form. If I see a good-looking woman, I tend to make a move, but lately my game has been off. I can’t quite put my finger on it.
My brothers think I have an infatuation, a crush or some kind of longing for our attorney, Finley Knight. I mean, I get it—she’s fucking fire. Hot as hell and could kick my ass in a verbal assault. The woman has spunk and charisma like no other woman I know.
But she’s the club attorney.
I already know that means she’s off-limits.
Doesn’t mean I can’t look though.
We get along so fucking well. She seems to see past my cocky quirks and innuendos, right through to the real me. Whoever the fuck that is. Not one woman gives me the time of day like she does. I guess her job is to read people, and it seems she’s read me and understands how I tick—maybe better than I do. She gives it to me right back as well as I can dish it out.
The problem is, if we’re good friends, and I know there can never be more between us, then why can’t I get her out of my fucking head? Why do I sound like a needy bastard begging for her to be around all the time? What I do know—I need to sort my shit out, or I’m gonna end up pushing her away for acting like some kind of desperate weirdo.
Sitting at the table, I push my eggs around my plate aimlessly. There’s nothing wrong with them, breakfast here is always great, I just don’t know how the fuck to handle this.
Suddenly, a whistle echoes through the clubroom, making us all turn toward Neon and his new woman, Oakley. They’re smiling so freaking wide, I know they’re up to something. So, I place my fork down and listen in. “I just want everyone to know, I claimed Oakley. She’ll now be known as Shiver.”
The entire clubhouse erupts in a cheer to celebrate the new couple, but I sit back, still feeling the weight of all this bullshit on my shoulders.
Another brother down.
Zero walks over to Neon.
Over the cheering, I vaguely hear them discussing property patches, but then, Neon’s handheld device alerts us of an incoming at the gate. Neon doesn’t hesitate to let whoever it is in, so I turn back to my breakfast knowing there’s no threat and keep pushing the scrambled eggs around my plate.
When I hear the click-clack of heels sounding on the concrete floor, the hairs on the back of my neck stand to attention, and I spin on my seat to face her.
A vision.
Long auburn hair flows down around her pale face. Her bright red lipstick looks immaculate like someone painted it on. A flawlessly styled tight black dress shows off all her curves.
She’s gorgeous.
Fucking stunning and my cock jerks in my jeans just at the sight of her.
Maybe my brothers are right?
Maybe I do have a boner for her?
But what’s the point?
I need to control myself.
Standing, I make my way over to her. I can’t be an asshole. We are friends after all and if I didn’t say hi, she’d think there’s an issue. “Finley, you’ve come just in time. We’re celebrating. Neon just claimed himself an Old Lady,” I tell her.
“That’s so great to hear. Congratulations, I’m so happy for you.” Her eyes shift to Neon.
“Thanks, Fin, but you seem tense. I don’t tend to like it when you walk into the club with that look on your face. Is it the Baroness? Is she making waves with the information she has on me?” Neon asks.
The Baroness is a nickname for Constance Squires, an ex-wife of an old enemy—an enemy we als
o killed. She is the wealthiest woman in all of Texas, hell, all of southern America at this point. She holds power and persuasion over the government, politicians, the police force. She has her hand in all the slices of pie. She’s also crooked to boot. We still aren’t sure if Connie is ‘friend or foe.’ She’s been both in a short period.
Time will tell, I guess.
“Actually, on that front, the Baroness is being super quiet. Looks like she’s sticking to her word, so far…”
“Then why the long face?” I ask.
“As you know, I’m brutal when it comes to my cases. If I take something on, I really go for it.”
“Okay?” Zero questions.
“I had a defendant, Maxen Miller, locked up for murder a few years back. It was open and shut. The guy was a white supremacist. Complete narcissistic asshole. It was clear he was guilty, so I went full throttle to bring him down. Somehow, he had an appeal last week… his damn conviction was overturned.”
“He’s out walking the streets?” I ask.
“Yes. He’s already had one of his men pay me a visit.”
Puffing out a loud groan, my fists clench at my sides in anger. “What the fuck?”
“He didn’t do anything. Well, not really. Just put a dead cat on the windshield of my car… while I was in it.”
“What the fuck do you mean… while you were in it?”
“I parked, was on the phone, sitting in the car while I talked to a client. Next second, the dead cat landed on my windshield. I looked up, the skinhead looked down at me and gave me a ram symbol with his fingers. I knew then he was sent by Maxen because he always used to do that symbol when he was trying to prove a point.”
“He’s warning you. Bating you, Finley,” Zero suggests.
“That’s why I’m here. I want protection… I don’t trust anyone but you guys.”
Anxiety takes over because I care about Finley. Probably more than I should. This Maxen asshole sounds like a loose cannon, and I’ll be fucked if I’m going to let some skinhead, douchebag, hurt her. “I volunteer. I’ll guard you, whether you want to stay here, or me come to your home for a while. I’ll step in, Finley.”
