by S. Nelson
Once they were both out of sight, I strode toward my friend, struggling to find the right words which would calm him enough not to do anything rash. But nothing came to mind. I put myself in his shoes. If Addy had told me some fucker had raped her, and that man was standing in front of me, I would have reacted the same way. Actually, the bastard would be dead by now, but that was the difference between me and Marek, which was why he was the president and I wasn’t. He had more control than I did, even though he was teetering on the brink right then.
“Don’t do anything stupid, man,” I whispered in his ear. His rage was contagious, and it was hyping me up as well. Nothing good was gonna come of the situation if both of us wanted blood.
All of a sudden, Carrillo spoke up. “Marek,” he warned. “If you take out my second in command, then you leave me no choice but to take out yours.” The words were threatening, but the man’s demeanor was anything but. The fucker was smiling at us, as if he were discussing the weather.
“He deserves to die,” Marek argued. “He raped my wife.”
Turning his head toward his man, Carrillo asked, “When did this happen, Yanez?”
“A few months ago,” he replied, wiping his bloody mouth with the back of his hand.
Focusing back on Marek, the head of the cartel asked, “Was she your wife then?”
Silence was the initial answer, my friend trying to figure out what to say next. Truth was, the answer was no; it happened before we’d even snatched Sully. Which apparently had been the right move, because it hit home right then just how much the woman had been abused.
“Was she your wife at that time, Marek?” Carrillo asked again, taking a step closer to crowd my friend’s personal space.
“No, she wasn’t. But it doesn’t matter. He has to die.” His focus was rigid, and I feared he was gonna pull the trigger, putting us all in grave danger with such a rash, knee-jerk reaction. Like I said, the bastard would have been dead if Addy had been the one who’d been violated. But Marek was more levelheaded than I was, and right then I prayed for him to remain somewhat calm and eventually back away without bringing the axe down on all our heads.
“No, he doesn’t. While I don’t condone what he did, you cannot exact revenge on him because he mistreated a woman you didn’t even know at the time.” Carrillo’s words were calm but his tone was borderline deadly, realizing the possibility of a war erupting.
Placing my hand on Marek’s shoulder, I leaned in and urged him to put the gun down. “Don’t do this. Not right now. Sully needs you. Save it for another time.” His breaths were still ragged from exertion, but he heard my words. What I’d said flipped some switch inside him enough to withdraw his weapon from the man’s head.
“This isn’t over, Yanez,” Marek growled. “Now get the fuck out of my club.”
Both men disappeared from the clubhouse, Carrillo glancing back at Marek with a look in his eyes which was something akin to an apology.
Adelaide
“Are you ever going to learn, Tripp?” I asked, laughing and gently hitting him on the arm. The man was something else, his prior wounds doing nothing to change his demeanor or attitude. If anything, he probably thought he was invincible. But I guessed being shot four times and surviving would make anyone think they were untouchable.
What had happened to him was horrible, yet it was another reminder why I chose to stay away from the club’s lifestyle. Even though Stone promised me they were looking for ways to make sure their future was secure . . . and on the right side of the law.
Yeah, I would believe that when I saw it.
“Nope, not if I can help it, sweetheart,” he jested, swallowing the last of his drink. He was not drunk by any means, but was well on his way to feeling nice and relaxed.
“You know you’re not supposed to drink and take pain medication at the same time, don’t you? Not such a smart move,” I warned, my face suddenly becoming very serious. From what little I learned about Tripp during the time I watched over him after he’d been shot, I knew him to have a good heart. His laughter was rich, his jovial attitude standing out amongst the seriousness of his brothers. I was sure there was a dark side hidden underneath, but I couldn’t determine whether or not what he showed to the world was a façade or the truth. Either way, I liked him.
He was forever flirting with me, but I knew he was harmless, although Stone would argue the exact opposite. When I’d asked Tripp if there was someone special in his life, a brief dark look clouded his piercing green eyes, but it disappeared too quick to read further into it. For any woman who was comfortable in this type of lifestyle, Tripp was quite the catch.
The man was gorgeous, a fact I made sure to keep to myself, just in case my admission fueled his flirtation into something more. Plus, I didn’t need Stone to keep questioning me about him because I thought he was attractive. He did that enough already. He hated the attention I gave the nomad, but it was ridiculous. I’d overseen his recovery, no more, no less.
But Stone was a jealous, possessive ass sometimes. I knew this when I became involved with him, and it was another reason I was unwilling to become even more attached. Most times, I wanted to slap him for acting crazy. The other times, well . . . I just ignored him and went on about my business. Which drove him insane.
“I’ve been through the wringer and I’m still standing, ain’t I?” Tripp asked, laughing and pulling me close. Swinging an arm over my shoulder, he leaned in and kissed my temple. “Don’t know what I would have done without you, Adelaide,” he confessed, kissing my cheek that time before letting me go.
But it wasn’t quick enough because Stone and Trigger saw the whole thing.
“Shit,” I muttered under my breath, putting a few extra feet between me and Tripp, who was oblivious to the death stares he was getting from both my uncle and the crazy man stalking our way.
“What the fuck?” Stone gritted, coming to a stop directly in front of us, his hands shoved deep in his pockets to keep from attacking his fellow brother, I was sure. Quickly glancing over at Trigger, he shouted, “What? You ain’t gonna say shit to him about pawing at your niece? Why you always comin’ down on me, but you clam up when he does it?” Stone’s face was red with anger, and I found it both irritating and amusing. He worked himself up over nothing, and no matter how many times I told him I wasn’t interested in Tripp, that I simply cared about him getting better, he didn’t believe me.
Correction—he didn’t necessarily believe I wanted Tripp. Instead, he was convinced the nomad wanted to get in my pants, although he used much more descriptive wording.
“I punched the fucker for making comments about my niece. He knows not to overstep again,” my uncle proclaimed, although he still looked like he wanted to jump over the bar and clock Tripp once again.
These men are too much sometimes.
“Calm down, everyone,” I huffed. “Tripp is not doing anything wrong. We’re simply having a conversation, and he was thanking me for watching out for him. Making sure he’s healing all right. That’s it.” Placing my hands on my hips, my lips parted to say more but Stone cut me off.
Glaring at Tripp, he asked, “When are you leavin’, anyway?”
“Not enjoying my company?” he joked, smirking at Stone and egging him on.
“No,” Stone answered, before turning his attention back to me. “If you’re done fawning all over him, I need you to look at my bullet wound,” he said, walking toward the bedroom he used when he stayed at the clubhouse.
I knew if I didn’t indulge him he would blow up my phone or show up at my apartment or the hospital until I talked to him. I’d looked at his wound the other day and he was healing rather nicely, so I knew it was just an excuse to get me away from Tripp . . . and alone. Away from my uncle’s watchful glare was another motivation.
“You don’t have to do anything you don’t want to, honey,” my uncle said, his eyes questioning me more than his words ever could.
“I’ll be fine. You know how much of
a baby Stone is.” I smiled to put him at ease.
“I heard that, woman,” Stone called from down the hallway.
“Well, I said it loud enough for you to hear.” I walked toward where he’d disappeared, laughing to myself that he was so easy to rile up.
Entering his room, I quickly came face to face with his bare chest. It wasn’t like I’d never seen him shirtless before—hell, I’d run my hands all over his delectable body many times—but each time I saw him in all his glory, I was taken aback.
He was all man.
Powerful and virile.
A strand of blond hair fell over his right eye when he dropped his head. Even from that angle, though, his dark eyes connected with mine and a shiver coursed through me. I’d never been as attracted to another man as I was to Stone. Something innate called to me on a baser level. I didn’t completely understand it, but it was there nonetheless. Pulsating under the surface, tempting me to let go and give in completely.
Was it lust?
Most definitely.
Was it something more?
Only time would tell, although I was leaning more toward yes the more time I spent with the infuriating man.
Walking the few feet to reach him, my hand connected with his wound, my fingers dancing over the area and inspecting it. His skin was still red and puffy, but the initial swelling had gone down. He was going to be left with a nasty scar, but it wasn’t going to detract from his beauty. If anything, it only added to it.
His perfect chest was covered with tattoos, intricate designs swirling over his pecs, as well as the entire length of both arms. There was a fierce-looking hawk inked into his skin, the eyes of the bird ominous. The only other tat as entrancing was the club’s emblem, a skull with flames shooting out from both sides, a large sword slicing through the middle of it.
“It looks even better than the other day.” I was still staring at the affected area when I spoke, knowing as soon as I made eye contact he was going to flip the script and either give me a hard time about Tripp, or disarm me and make a move. He probably thought it would be fun to try and have sex with me right under my uncle’s nose.
And I wasn’t sure I was strong enough to resist him.
He hadn’t been inside me in days, and the closeness we shared right then was weakening me with every passing second. But I knew if my uncle even thought there was something going on between the two of us, there would be a bigger issue. I had no doubt he would try and kill him, club brother or not.
Before I said another word, his fingers cupped my chin and raised my head until our eyes connected. I thought he was going to say something endearing, or sexy.
But what did he say instead?
“I swear to Christ, the next time that bastard touches you, I’m gonna fuck him up. You’ve been warned, Addy,” he growled. “So if you don’t want to see him all messed up again, then you better stay clear. He’s healed up just fine. No need for you to fawn all over him anymore.” Pulling back, he threw a shirt over his head and, for a microsecond, I hated that he was shielding his body from me.
Once I’d scolded myself for my weakness, his words really hit home.
He was being an ass. As usual.
Who did he think he was, talking to me like that? Essentially threatening one of his own club members. Nomad or not, Tripp was part of the Knights Corruption. But I guessed it wasn’t anything my uncle hadn’t proclaimed on occasion, not only against Tripp, but Stone and every other man who’d ever innocently flirted with me.
So many retorts fired off inside my brain, but I couldn’t form the words for any of them. I was beyond pissed; I couldn’t even think straight. So instead of engaging him in an argument, I chose to escape his presence altogether. When he turned around to search for something, I abruptly left the room, walking quickly down the hallway toward the common area. Waving good-bye to my uncle, I headed toward the exit. I was ten feet from my car when I heard Stone shouting after me.
There was no way I was turning around, because if I did and saw the irate look on his face as he stalked toward me, I would have engaged him in a verbal battle. And that would have certainly drawn the attention of everyone present, essentially making them question whether there really was something going on between the two of us. And I didn’t need that getting back to my uncle. He already suspected enough as it was.
Peeling out of the lot, my tires kicking up gravel all around me, I sped off down the street, glancing in my rearview mirror to witness Stone pulling at his hair and no doubt cursing up a storm.
Stone
Shit had gotten way too intense earlier, what with Marek attacking then threatening Yanez. He could have unraveled all our hard work to break away from the cartel in one fatal moment. I didn’t blame him for his rage, though. It was totally justified.
I asked him if there was anything he wanted me to do, fully onboard with whatever came out of his mouth. While I prayed it didn’t put us in harm’s way, the truth of it was that we were still in danger’s path, and probably would be for quite some time to come. While Marek ushered Sully out the door, he told me we would devise a plan soon enough. He was taking her home, and I doubted anyone would lay eyes on them for a few days.
As if gracing me with a sense of calm after everything that’d happened, I’d never been so happy to see Addy’s face than when I saw her across the clubhouse floor. Although, my feelings had switched from elated to enraged in a few short moments once I saw Tripp groping her. And she was laughing, as if it were totally acceptable to allow another man to touch her in such a familiar way.
I thought I’d won out when she followed me to one of the back bedrooms, luring her there with a false need to check my healing wound. But I couldn’t hold my tongue, something I was famous for around here. My temper usually bested me, but no matter how I tried to control it, my anger won out every single time. It was useful during club battles, but not with Addy. I knew it, yet I failed to rein it in when she riled me up beyond the point of sanity.
When I turned around for a split second, she took off, peeling out of the lot before I could reach her.
Seems like she just invited me over for some more one-on-one time.
Addy lived thirty minutes from the club on a good day, but that day the California traffic was unreal. It took me close to an hour to reach her house, and I only prayed I hadn’t wasted the trip. For all I knew, she could have ran errands or been called in to work. Blowing up her phone did nothing but irritate me, driving home how pissed she was when she didn’t answer.
Not once.
Not even to tell me to go to hell.
Nothing.
Parking my bike in the lot attached to her building, I trudged up the four flights of stairs until I reached her apartment. I’d been inside quite a few times, and I prayed my impromptu visit wouldn’t cause her to turn me away.
I knew I pushed her buttons, but she pushed mine right back.
Knocking three times, I breathed deeply, mentally going over what I was gonna say as soon as she opened the door. Looking down at my boots, I waited ten seconds before rapping on the door again. My fist was cocked back to knock a third time when the door finally opened, but instead of Addy answering, some young kid stood in front of me. He laughed and yelled something over his shoulder before his eyes connected with mine.
Who the fuck is this guy?
“Can I help you?” the little bastard greeted, a dimple showing on his ridiculously cherub-looking face. His innocence instantly pricked my nerves. Of course, I reacted without thinking, gripping the kid’s collar and pulling him closer so I could intimidate him. His eyes widened and his mouth fell open in surprise. He was a few inches shorter than me, but he was no lanky fuck. Definitely built, his broad shoulders filling the doorway, he was still no match for me, something I needed to show him in case he had any ideas toward my woman.
“Who. The. Fuck. Are. You?” I enunciated clearly. “And what are you doing inside Addy’s apartment?” Shoving him hard, he stu
mbled back inside, reaching out to grab something to steady himself, but he only found air. He fell backward and hit the ground with a heavy thud, his right arm going underneath him and twisting weirdly beneath his body. The grimace on his face told me he hurt himself when he fell, but I didn’t care. All that was on my radar was finding out who this stranger was and getting rid of him quickly so I could finish my conversation with Addy.
Stepping forward and leaning over the kid, I reached for him one more time, but a shrill yell from across the room stopped me. I looked to my right and all I saw was a frenzied woman headed straight for me.
“Stone!” she screeched. “What is wrong with you?” Her voice cracked, her volume level increasing with each word she threw my way. It was her way of letting me know she was livid; her voice often rose an octave when she was extremely irate. Resting on her knees, she tended to the kid on the floor, checking him over to see if he was all right. He flinched when she touched his wrist, and for a split second I felt bad. But only for a brief moment. Until I remembered there was another male inside her personal space and I had no idea who he was.
Pointing, I asked, “Who the fuck is he, Addy?” My impatience was weighing heavily on me, and if I didn’t get answers soon I was gonna flip out. And that wouldn’t be good for anyone.
Helping him to his feet, she guided him to the dark leather sofa against the back wall. Closely inspecting his injury again, she rested it on the arm of the couch while she walked toward her small kitchen, grabbed a dishtowel and an ice pack before stepping in front of the kid again. I kept referring to him as a kid because I knew he was young, but he wasn’t a teenager, which meant he was a threat to what was mine.
