Blood Lust (Royal Bastards MC Book 1)

by Erin Trejo

  “This will never work, Evie.”

  “I know that.”

  “Then what are you still doin’ here?”

  She closes her eyes and takes a deep breath before opening them and looking at me. There’s sadness there now that replaced the fire. I hate it that I’m the reason for that too.

  “I’ve been thinking about this. All of this. I want you, Drake. I don’t care if I can have the rest of it. If getting rid of this baby means I can keep you then I’ll do it.”

  “What the fuck?” I hiss. She can’t be serious right now. No one has wanted me. Ever.

  “I know that I told you I wanted the family, the house, all of that, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I want you.”

  I shift and get to my feet, squatting in front of her.

  “Are you insane? Are you even listenin’ to yourself right now? I’m a monster, Evie. This, me, I will never change. I don’t think I can.”

  “I don’t care, I want you just the way you are, Drake! You are the only person who has ever given me everything. Every part of you, you gave to me and I want to keep it! I’m not backing down,” she says with her teeth gritted.

  “You have no idea what you’re askin’ for.”

  “I know exactly what I’m asking for. You. All I want is you.”

  Cocking my head to the side, I study her gorgeous face. So goddamn beautiful and bold. Perfect and dark. She’s everything I could have ever asked for in a woman.

  “I often asked myself if you were as fucked in the head as I am,” I say reaching up and running my fingers down her cheek. Evie leans into my touch. “I would watch the fire in your eyes, the blaze consumin’ me. I would watch you sleep and wonder what the hell was goin’ on in that head of yours to stay here.” Shaking my head, I start to pull away when she grabs me, pulling me into her.

  “I. Want. You.”

  I crash my lips into hers and take what she has to offer. My tongue snakes into her mouth before she bites down. I groan as I taste the blood mixing in our mouths. The sound of my phone ringing pulls me away from her. She’s panting and her cheeks are flushed, but I have to answer the call. Pulling it from my jeans, I answer.

  “What?”

  “Chastain is on the move. His convoy is vulnerable.” I smirk when the words leave Demon’s mouth.

  “Where’s our golden boy headed?” I ask as I stand from the tub and climb out. Evie climbs out behind me as I head into the bedroom.

  “He’s headed to his vacation house. What the fuck do you know?” He chuckles into the line.

  I step into my closet and pull out the hidden compartment in the wall. My guns are my babies.

  “Gettin’ my shit together. Meet you out there?”

  “Goddamn right you will.” The line goes dead as I pull the guns from the hidden compartment and load them into a duffel bag. When I spin around, Evie is standing there still naked.

  “What are you doin’?”

  “Waiting.”

  “For what?”

  “Answers.”

  I shake my head and brush past her setting the bag on the bed. I grab my cigarettes and keys when she grabs my arm. I turn to face her quickly.

  “Don’t. Just don’t fuckin’ do that to me, Evie. What do you want? You want me to say go kill that baby? You were right! It would make you no better than they are. Is that what you want?”

  “So, you want me to keep it?” she asks confused.

  “Raise it, Evie.”

  “Without you?” Her words come out hurt and I can’t blame her.

  “Yeah, without me. Look at me! Why would you want your kid around someone like me? Huh? Why?” She doesn’t back down, which is why I’m so fucking drawn to her. She doesn’t give me space, she invades it.

  “Then I don’t want it.”

  “Yeah, you do,” I remind her.

  “Not if it means I can’t have you! Goddamn it, Drake! Don’t you fucking see that I love you?”

  Her words knock the air from my lungs. I take a step back stunned by what she just said. Shaking my head slowly, she moves closer.

  “Stay the fuck away from me, Evie.”

  “I can’t. Don’t you get that?” she says as tears fill her eyes. She rests her hands on my chest and I nearly explode. My chest heaves trying to get as my much oxygen to my lungs as I can. This is fucking with my head. I don’t know that I can do this.

  “I need to go,” I tell her, my tone low. This isn’t going to work. There’s going to be an explosion and the impact is going to knock us on our asses I can feel that much.

  “Are you coming back?” she asks, peeking up at me from under her lashes.

  Somewhere deep inside of me I want to tell her yes. My dirty heart? That says to run and never look back. But my mouth? That motherfucker has a mind of his own. “I don’t know, Evie. I don’t know.”

  I press a rough kiss to the top of her head before pushing past her and into the hallway. I can’t handle this shit. I never wanted a kid. I wouldn’t know how to raise one without fucking it up the way I was. I have become everything that my father was. I turned into him. Shaking my head, I walk out the front door and over to my bike, climbing on. I take one last glance over my shoulder and see Evie standing in the window with tears running down her cheeks. As much as it bothers me, it doesn’t hurt. As much as I want to make this right for her, I don’t know that I can.

  Chapter 22

  “What’s the plan?” Demon asks as we all stand on the side of the dirt road smoking.

  “Ambush.” Demon eyes me before he shrugs.

  “Fine by me. I want this shit done and over with,” he says as I nod my agreement. The Black Market Railroad. That’s what it’s called. We have searched and searched some more until we found the connection. It isn’t just here, either. It’s all over the fucking world. I was pissed when I realized that it wasn’t just local where we could handle it, but it wasn’t a surprise. Shit like this happens all over; I just didn’t realize the connection. Not that it matters, we have chapters all over the fucking world, too. Where we can’t reach, they can.

  “Let’s just wait them out over there.” I nod toward the tree line. “Can’t see shit from the road.”

  “You heard the man. Spread out but Chastain is his.” Demon orders.

  The guys move, all of them taking their place in the trees. I take mine toward the opposite end. Once they get the fucker out, he’s all mine. There’s nothing down this road aside from his little vacation house. Little does he know he will never make it there.

  As I stand here waiting with a cigarette hanging between my lips I think about Evie. I think about what she said about wanting me. If I’m being honest, I want her too. I don’t think I can handle watching her walk away from me. I’d burn the goddamn city to the ground to get her back. Sending her away wasn’t the smartest idea but a kid? What am I going to do with a kid?

  “What’s botherin’ you?” Demon asks, stepping up next to me.

  “She’s pregnant.”

  “Evie?” I nod my head.

  “Jesus. Fuck, brother!”

  “Exactly.”

  “And you ain’t happy?”

  I turn to glare at him. He should already know the answer to that.

  “What am I gonna do with a kid, Demon? Huh? Raise it to be a killer?” Huffing out a breath, I shake my head and look the other way.

  “No. Raise it to be like his dad. Someone who takes no shit and protects the ones he cares about.”

  “Are you fuckin’ insane? You want me to raise a killer? Just like me.”

  “No. I want you to raise a kid to take no shit. You aren’t that fucked up, Drake. I mean, you are to a point, but you said it yourself - she makes you feel different. Maybe that baby is a good thing,” he says shrugging his shoulders.

  “A good thing. Yeah, real fuckin’ good when he catches daddy puttin’ a blade to mommy’s neck,” I growl.

  “You got yourself fucked up, brother. I mean it. The kid might no
t be a bad thing. You hated the way your dad was and you became him. You don’t want that for your kid, yeah?”

  “Fuck no I wouldn’t want that,” I admit.

  “That’s my point. You wouldn’t be raisin’ it to be like you, Drake. Think about it.” Just as he says that we hear the guys whistle signaling that they are coming.

  I smirk as I look at Demon. Pulling my gun from the back of my jeans, I get ready for the last play of my game. The shots start and the first car comes into view. I know he’s in that one. Fucking idiot always goes for the first car. Aiming my gun at the driver I step into the driveway and smile.

  “Stop that fuckin’ car or I shoot,” I roar. The car stops and I pull the trigger, killing the driver. Blood splatters the window, the seat. I nod to Demon who moves to the passenger side as I round the driver’s side. Giving Demon the okay, he pulls the door open at the same time as I do. Chastain sits with wide eyes looking between us with his hands up.

  “You,” he growls when he sees me.

  “Miss me, motherfucker? Get out of the fuckin’ car,” I tell him, keeping my tone even. He scoots across the seat looking as if he might piss himself. That would just make my day a whole lot better.

  “You’re making a mistake here.”

  “Am I? You didn’t have shit to do with the Black Market Railroad?” His eyes widen giving me my answer. “That’s what I thought. Move.” Ushering him in front of the car, I see the others walking up. That means they took out his entire convoy of assholes. I smirk. Job well done.

  “What do you want? Money?” he asks the same old clichéd question.

  “This isn’t about money. It’s about a little girl who was taken. A little girl who was sold to the highest bidder, raped, killed, and dumped for her parents to find. A little girl who meant the goddamn world to me!” My voice thunders through the space, echoing in the distance. The guys make a circle around him, watching us both.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh but you do. You were the big player in the Savannah area, yeah? Called the shots. Not anymore. How does that make you feel that you are now the one who’s fucked?” I ask stepping closer to him. He watches me intently, unsure how to respond. It’s probably best that he doesn’t.

  “What do you wanna do with him, Drake? Won’t be long before cops show up,” Demon reminds me.

  I slip my gun into the back of my jeans and pull my knife from its sheath. Grabbing his shirt, I cut the fucking ugly pink polo off his body and toss it to the side.

  “Stand up.” He does as he’s told, it’s not until I move to his khakis that he starts to fight, I nod at Demon. He moves in, grabbing the fucker’s arms and another one of our guys grabbing his ankles to hold him in place. I move in to cut his pants the rest of the way off.

  “I’m gonna cut your fuckin’ dick off for those girls. I’m gonna leave my motherfuckin’ mark on your body so that when your little friends find you, they will know who did this. They will regret every comin’ in contact with you,” I growl as I move to grab his boxers.

  “Don’t do this! I can pay you! I assure you I can!”

  Ignoring his pleas, I grab his boxers, cut them free, and gaze down at his cock. “That’s not very impressive, Chastain. I would have thought better of you,” I chuckle.

  Pulling another cigarette from the pack, I light it up, bringing the blazing tip to his balls. He screams and it’s like fucking heaven to my sick ears. The smell of burnt flesh burns my nose, but I love it. Sticking the cigarette back between my lips, I grab his cock in my hand.

  “This is for my best friend,” I tell him, slicing through it with ease. His scream is like a song from the devil. I relish that sound. The guys release him when he passes out and I hold his bloody cock in my hand.

  “The fuck you gonna do with that?” Demon asks nodding toward it.

  “Souvenir?” I ask with a smirk.

  “Fuckin’ sick, brother. Shove it up his ass,” he suggests.

  “Nah, he’d like that too much.” I lean down, prying the fuckers mouth open, shoving his cock deep down his throat. Blood leaks down the sides, coating his mouth and damn does that do something to me.

  “You good?” Demon asks as I move back and look at the bastard on the ground.

  “Not yet,” I inform him holding my knife in both hands as I straddle the piece of shit. I raise the knife and bring it down quickly, plunging it into his chest as I scream out loud. Pulling the blade free, I stand back up and take a long look at him. Blowing smoke through my nose, I turn to Demon.

  “I’m good now.”

  Epilogue

  I scratch at the stubble on my chin as I twirl the knife in my hand. Only the tip is stuck into my thigh just enough to break the skin, blood oozing from the wound. Crimson drips into the bathtub, slowly running down the drain. Everything that’s happened up until now weighs heavily on my mind. Did I end it right? Did I make him suffer enough? The answer is always no. I did put in some calls to the other Royal Bastards chapters and let them know what’s going on. Some already knew about it and are dealing with it in their areas where others didn’t. They sure as hell are looking into it now.

  “Can I come in?” she asks softly.

  Looking up at Evie, naked as always, I nod my head. She climbs into the bathtub but keeps her distance. I look back down at my naked thigh, the metallic sweetness dripping around the blade.

  “I wasn’t sure I’d feel any different after I got justice for her,” I say never looking up.

  “And do you feel different?”

  “Somethin’ does. I don’t know what yet. My head isn’t as dark but it’s still grey. Over three hundred thousand people under eighteen are trafficked a year in the US. That’s only the fuckin’ US, Evie.”

  “That’s a lot. It’s sad to know that they are out there. That people can be taken and hurt so easily.”

  “I feel like there’s more I need to do, you know? Like that wasn’t enough.” I shake my head blowing out a breath.

  “You did good, Drake. You can’t take on the world but you can do what you’ve been doing. It may not seem like it but you are making a difference. You saved who the hell knows how many people from Chastain,” she says reaching out and running her fingers down my leg. I look up and lock eyes with her, wondering why the fuck she’s still here. What she really sees in me.

  “I hurt you,” I say softly.

  “Not the way you think you did.”

  “Do you really think this is a good idea?” I ask her once more. I’m not so sure but every time Evie reassures me that this is the right thing and we can handle it, I find myself wanting to agree.

  “Yes. We can do this. I promise if things go too far, I will walk, Drake.” The pleading in her voice tugs at my soul. I know how much she wants this and somewhere deep inside I think I want it too.

  “Turn around,” I tell her huskily. Evie stands and turns before sitting back down in front of me. I pull the knife from my thigh and toss it out of tub before wrapping my arms around her and pulling her back between my legs.

  “My dark angel,” I whisper in her ear before kissing her neck. Her body shudders as my hands moves over her tits. Pulling her nipples roughly, she arches into me, gasping for air. That is until I run my hands farther down. Her stomach is rounder now, full of what we made. My hands rest there, feeling the little kicks and flutters and it makes me wonder. Am I really such a bad person? Am I really so fucking lost I can’t find a way back? Maybe this baby growing inside of her is my last chance. Maybe the universe decided to give me a second chance with Evie and this baby.

  “It’s a girl,” she whispers and I gasp this time.

  “The baby is a girl?” I ask, not sure that I heard her right.

  “What was her name?”

  “Whose name?”

  “Your friend.”

  “Tara,” I whisper her name as if it’s a secret never to be heard. Evie grabs my hands in hers, holding them over her stomach.

/>   “Then we name her Tara.”

  I don’t speak after that. I’m not sure what to say. We sit in the tub for a long time while I let my demon’s fight amongst themselves. Everything is in the world is right, yet I feel like something is wrong.

  “Everything is perfect,” Evie whispers when I realize I said it out loud. “Everything is perfect.”

  The end

  If you or someone you know is the victim of human trafficking, don’t be afraid to reach out. There is help! Never be afraid to take that first step.