So Hot MC Boxset

by Blair Grey

  He blinked rapidly as shock took over his expression. “Hey, I didn’t say that. But what the fuck are you saying? You want me to stand up to your father for you?”

  “You’re every bit as powerful a man as he is. You’ve got the ability to make things different for me. And I don’t mean by sending me away. Carl, if I wanted to be alone, then I could go off on my own. I’m sick of being alone. Can’t you see that?” I felt tears beginning to burn the backs of my eyes.

  “You don’t want to be alone anymore?” he asked quietly. “You want to be with me?”

  I nodded as the tears fell. “I do want to be with you. And I do know that I’m going to have to work on myself for years. But I know that there is no other person on this planet that’s as capable of helping me as you are. If I can just stop myself from pushing you away, which I am going to try to do, but I need you to stop me when I do it. I need you, Carl. I need your help. And I need you to handle my father so that we can be together.”

  There, my hearts on the table. I’ve never done that before. Let’s see what he does with it.

  “You want me to handle your father? You want me to handle Arthur fucking Kelly?”

  That’s all he got out of everything I’ve said?

  “Excuse me. I am so sorry, Carl. For a second there, I thought you had the balls to take on my father. Guess I was wrong.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Carl

  She’s out of her fucking mind!

  “First, I’ve got the balls to do anything I need to do, honey. Second, for me to take on a man like him, you would have to be well worth it. And so far, all I’ve seen is that you can’t be trusted. The fruit don’t fall far from the tree, sweetheart. I’m not about to get my throat slit for a woman who I can’t trust.” She’d lost her damn mind, asking me for such a thing.

  “You know my history and you use it against me every chance you get. Yes, I am screwed up royally. Yes, I tend to push people away. I guess that’s what you’re talking about here about not being able to trust me.”

  “Yep. You nailed it. You get the golden star, baby. You. Can’t. Be. Trusted. That’s it in a nutshell. And I’m not using your history against you either. I’m using what I know to be true about you to make a good decision. If I ran off half-cocked to do your bidding, then I’d be clinically insane.” I thought she should fully understand what she’d asked of me. “And dead. You have to realize that, Britt. I would end up dead.”

  Her chest heaved as she drew in a deep breath, seemingly exasperated with me. “Carl, you’re just as strong as he is, if not stronger. He’s cruel and ruthless, you can use that against him.”

  I had to laugh at that. “And just how does one use the other’s cruelty against them, might I ask?”

  The way her dark eyes sparkled nearly took my breath away, they looked so gorgeous. “You know what he’ll go for – the throat. So, you won’t be surprised when he does. And you can be ready for that action when he takes it.”

  Standing there, looking into those amazing eyes of her, I felt bewitched. “He will go for the cheap-shot.”

  “And you will be ready for that.” The smile that curved her plump, caramel lips beckoned me to listen to her words.

  “I suppose I could be.” Shaking my head to rid it of her manipulations, I couldn’t let her get into my head. “You Irish are all the same with your mental trickery. You may not have anyone you love or care to live for, Britt but I’ve got my daughter to live for. And she’s going to have my first grandchild soon. I’m not about to get myself killed now. Not when so much good is about to come my way.”

  “I had no idea that you thought so little of yourself, Carl. Big, bad Carl Davis – president of the Iron Cobras. Your whole persona is just an act. I can see that now.”

  Drawing in a breath to calm the fury that she’d built inside of me, I had to remember who had raised her. “Look, let’s stop fighting and talk rationally to each other. You’re just projecting the image your father made you think is strong and will get you what you want. So, in plain English, can you lay out exactly what you want.” Instinct told me that she would use herself as the prize if I did as she wanted me to.

  “I’ve been clear about it. And you’re probably right. I don’t know anything other than what I’ve seen my father do. But he has managed to get people to do tons of things they didn’t want to do. He’s a master negotiator. You’ve got to give him that.”

  “I don’t have to give him shit. And he’s not a master negotiator, Britt. He’s a mind-fucker. It’s not a fair way to get what you want. And here’s another little golden nugget for you, baby. What a person wants isn’t always the best thing. That’s why people have discussions, instead of dictatorships where only one person makes all the decisions.” Her father had deeply scared her in so many ways that I was sure one day I would lose count. “So, what is your entire plan?”

  Shrugging her narrow shoulders, I could clearly see all she’d thought of was sending me out to do the dirty work. She was using me as her guard dog. “I thought you could figure out the details. I want you. I want to be able to ride around this town on the back of your bike without fear of us being gunned down for it.”

  And there it was. “Honey, you’ve got your priorities all screwed up. And one thing you haven’t thought about is that I haven’t asked you to be my old lady. Yet, here you are, making all kinds of things up in your pretty little head about you and me living happily ever after together.”

  When fire blazed in her eyes, I had to stand up straight as I was pretty sure I was about to deal with her wrath. “How can you say a thing like that to me? I haven’t brought up the last night we spent together. You told me things that night, Carl Davis. You told me that you never wanted to stop holding me. You told me that you’d never felt the way you feel with me. You told me that you would never hurt me.”

  “But you hurt me first.” Pulling my breath in sharply, I hadn’t known that was going to come out of my mouth. I didn’t want her to know that she’d hurt me. I didn’t want anyone to know that. I didn’t want to know that about myself.

  Immediately, her body crumbled, she went to the floor in a heap. “I didn’t know you were capable of being hurt by me. I didn’t think the things you said were any more than pillow-talk. But now that you’ve been honest with me, I can’t take it. I can’t take knowing that I hurt you. You’re right. I’m trying to use you to rid this world of my father.”

  She wasn’t wrong about one thing. The world would be a better place without Arthur Kelly in it. “Britt, you’re desperate right now. You would promise me the moon right now. But you wouldn’t mean it. I get it now. You want your father dead. I can’t blame you for wanting that. But don’t use my heart against me to get what you want.”

  Pulling her head up, she looked at me with wide eyes. “Would you go after him if I wasn’t going to be with you afterward? Would you kill him just to rid the world of his evil and not hold me accountable for it? Or would you simply refuse my request?”

  Kneeling in front of her, I wanted her to feel as if we were on a level playing field. She’d been lorded over her whole life; it was time for her to see how most people dealt with each other. Taking her hands in mine, I looked into her doe-like brown eyes. “I think we’re making progress here, baby. See, you’re supposed to ask me things in a straightforward manner. And you are supposed to give me time to think about what my answer will be. You’re not supposed to rush me to make a decision. And the same is supposed to be done for you. I know your father didn’t teach you this very normal way of getting along with people. But this is how most of us get along.”

  “Okay. I get it.” She licked her lips as she prepared herself for what seemed rather difficult for her to say. “Would you kill my father, Carl?”

  “So you can feel safe living your life freely?” I asked her to be sure. “Or is it for revenge for all the things he’s done to you?”

  Looking up, she seemed to be thinking about her answer, whi
ch was progress. Then she looked at me. “I want to live my life without fear of him. And I want some retribution for what he did to me and my mother.”

  “Fair enough.” I too wanted to see the man pay for what he’d done to his daughter. “I want some time to think about this. And I will have to have a meeting with my council as well. This isn’t a decision that I can make alone.”

  Confusion riddled her pretty face. “I don’t understand. My father does as he wants all the time and doesn’t have to run things by his council.”

  “Your father and I run very different MCs. In the Iron Cobras, we are true bothers at heart. What affects one of us affects us all. When you cut one of us, we all bleed. And when one of us commits an act that might end our lives or put us away for a very long time, we all make the decision whether to go through with it or not. We operate more like a beehive than anything else.”

  Her jaw tightened as I could see ire building in her eyes. “Your MC makes you all weak. A man should be able to make his own decisions.”

  “That is your father’s blood talking. Put that away and bring your mother’s blood into the forefront of your mind. She’s there too, you know. You may have never known her or any of her family, but she’s every bit a part of you, the same as your father is. Listen to her. I know she speaks to your heart. Let her overrule him.” If Britt was ever going to be a woman I could share a life with, she had to learn to put her father and all he’d taught her away.

  “Decisions have always been made fast in my life. It’s all I really know.”

  I shook my head. “So what? It may be what you knew, but now you know differently. You’re not supposed to jump to make decisions in the first place. And making snap decisions and judgments about something as important as a person’s life certainly shouldn’t be made hastily.”

  “Carl, I can’t help feeling that you just don’t want to do what I’ve asked and are just stalling me. I can’t help feeling that you just want me to leave the state, so you can go on living your life the way you want to.” Her eyes slowly came to mine. “It was just sex to you, wasn’t it? You only said those things to me because you were pretending I was your dead wife. You used me, didn’t you?”

  The way my heart ached told me this woman had too much of a hold on it. The slightest squeeze she made, made it feel as if it would burst. It was staring me in the face, the fact that she would never think someone could care about her and only her. It would never be normal with her.

  So I said what she wanted to hear. Even if I had told her the truth, she wouldn’t have ever believed me. “It was just sex, Britt.”

  Before she could say anything else, I grabbed her by the wrists, then took the rope and tied her hands together. Grabbing the gag, I put it into her mouth then tied it before putting the black bag over her head.

  Tossing her over my shoulder, I took her out to my car where I put her into the trunk. And I felt horrible every step of the fucking way too. The fact that she didn’t even try to fight me made it even worse.

  This was an absolute, fucking mess. I had made so many bad decisions with the whole thing. Picking her as a hostage, having sex with her - not once but twice, telling her things that I should’ve never told her, and then keeping the whole truth from her.

  Justifying my actions with the facts of her not believing me anyway wasn’t a thing I’d ever done before. But I’d never dealt with a woman as damaged as Brittany Kelly before. I’d never fallen for a woman as broken as Brittany Kelly before.

  As I drove away, I tried not to think about the woman in the trunk of my car or what she’d asked me to do for her. Her reasons for wanting her father dead were good reasons. But it was selfish of her to think I should just do what she wanted without thinking twice about it.

  Murder was a thing I took seriously. I’d only ever done it for my own reasons. I wasn’t some thug for hire. Her treating me as such had told me that she didn’t respect me the way I deserved to be respected.

  I couldn’t have a relationship with someone who didn’t respect me. Lisa and I had mutual respect for each other and that’s why our marriage had worked. Britt just wasn’t capable of giving respect. She was only capable of figuring out how much she could use a person. Again, thanks to her father.

  But when a person becomes an adult, they have to take some of the blame for who they’ve become. She’d been under his thumb for thirty-five years, that was way too long in my book.

  Then again, her father wouldn’t let her leave, so who was I to blame her for what she’d put up with?

  All I knew for sure was that it was a huge mess and it was time that I cleaned it all up. The time had come to do what I needed to do.

  I’d lived my life in a way that had people knowing that I did what I wanted when I wanted, and how I wanted. I didn’t try to hurt others in the process and tried my damnedest to consider everyone’s feelings in any situation. Sometimes, you can’t do what everyone feels is right. Sometimes you have to make the big decisions on your own.

  When making decisions that might affect one’s MC brothers though, you had to take a vote on that. So, Brittany would just have to wait to see if what she wanted was in the cards or not. And if not, then she would have to make her own choices about where to go from there.

  Pulling into Sarah’s garage, I stopped the car, then hit the button to roll the automatic garage door down before opening the trunk. As I waited for the door to close all the way, I tapped in a text to Leo, telling him to call a council meeting ASAP. I couldn’t leave to get to it, but I could do a video call as soon as everyone had gathered at our bar. I needed the answer before I let myself get any more worked up over things.

  And I need to fix this thing with Britt. How? I don’t know, but I need to make it as right as it can get.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Brittany

  I felt him carrying me inside, then he put me down gently on what felt like a sofa. The bag was removed, but he didn’t look into my eyes as he took out the gag then untied the rope that held my hands together. I didn’t say a thing as he released me.

  Finally, he looked at me. His lips formed on hard line as he wiped away my tears. “Look, I’m not happy.”

  I could see that by the look on his face. “And?”

  “You’re not happy either.” He knelt in front of me. “I’ve never dealt with anything like this. I’m not sure what to do here.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’m used to people not being there for me. No big deal. It’s just the theme of my life is all. I should be used to it by now.” I wasn’t trying to hurt him. I was just trying to let him know the truth about myself. “I’ll leave when you release me. I don’t want your help. I don’t want to go out of state. I just want to leave.”

  He chewed on his lower lip as his face took on a grim expression. “Will you try to leave before I allow it?”

  “No.” I had no want to get chained back up. Plus, there was no rush for me to find my fate at the hands of my father. Looking around the place, I found it nicely furnished and a bit on the girly side. “Where are we? Whose house is this?”

  “This is my daughter, Sarah’s townhouse. She lives with her husband now, but she hasn’t let this place go yet.” He got up, then went to turn on the lights. As he did, I saw some pictures on the wall that made jealousy spring up inside of me. “Is that your wife with you there in that picture, Carl?”

  “Yeah.” He headed to the kitchen. “I’m hungry, so I’m going to make something to eat. I brought groceries in before I picked you up. You’ll eat.”

  Not a question, but okay.

  Getting up, I rubbed my wrists where the rope had been tied tightly around them. I went to look at all the pictures on the wall. The girl in them looked familiar. “This is your daughter?”

  “Yeah, Sarah. She and her husband manage the Executive Viper. Ever heard of it?”

  I had. “So, your MC owns that then, huh?”

  “Nope.” He laughed. “You should know better than
to ask silly questions like that, Britt.”

  He was back to treating me like someone outside of his circle. And he had every right to do that too. Now that I knew without a doubt that I was just another piece of ass to him, it had made things easier.

  As I’d been in his trunk, all tied up with nothing else to do, I’d thought about things. Knowing that I wasn’t anything to him was better than trying to figure out how we could be together.

  I still wanted my father dead. But at least it wouldn’t shatter my heart if he said he wouldn’t do it. Which I had my doubts that he would.

  Killing my father might mean all kinds of bad things for the Iron Cobras. Why would Carl stick his neck out for a female he had no feelings for?

  It was stupid of me for even thinking that he liked me. I was his hostage. And he was a good man. He wanted me to feel secure and that’s how he’d made me feel. It wasn’t his fault that I was completely unlovable.

  Putting some steaming plates of scrambled eggs on the table, he jerked his head, gesturing for me to come to him. “Take a seat. I’ll get us some glasses of milk. I think I’d like to hit the hay soon. It’s been a long day. I bet you could use the sleep too.”

  I didn’t want to argue about anything. “Sure.” I ate the eggs as he went to get the milk. “This is a nice home. Is yours this nice?”

  “Nah,” he said as he came back with two glasses of milk. “Mine is kind of not homey at all. I let Sarah have most of her mother’s things. Seeing them around our house only made me mad that I’d lost her.” He laughed as he stabbed his eggs with the fork. “I broke lots of shit in there too. There are no doors on the kitchen cabinets. The mirror in the master bath is shattered. I practically live in the garage when I’m home. Just me and my bike is how homelife goes.”