Motorcycle Master: Bad Boy Angel (Alpha Male Master Series Book 1)

by Maggie Carpenter

  "Yeah, that'd be good," Leo said eagerly, "and I don't feel right about leaving Jim there by himself either. Poor guy's probably crappin' his pants every time the door opens."

  "He might have closed up, and I hope he has. If you're there he can open the doors, but keep your eyes on your bike. Park it out front, maybe throw a cover on it, so if someone has any ideas about messing with it they'll have to pull it off."

  "Sure will. What about you?"

  "Like I said, I'll be meeting up with a friend who has a line to the cops. He'll be able to give me details of the crash. He's the one who told me Tank's bike was tampered with."

  "When I find out who did that..."

  The remark had been a growl from the back of the group, and everyone began muttering their own threats of violence against the perpetrators.

  "I hope I can get to the bottom of it all. I'm going to try," Marco promised. "Leo, I just had a thought. Can you go ahead and ride back to the tavern tonight?"

  "Sure."

  "Keep a low profile. Contact Jim, find out what he's heard, and if it feels okay, go ahead and open the tavern around lunchtime."

  "Yeah, good idea. That's a good plan, Brooder."

  "That's it. Charlie, I want you to stick around the village. I'll call you when I have news."

  "I was plannin' on takin' Marlene to stay there overnight."

  "Good. Don't come back here until you hear from me. Take it easy everyone."

  As the group broke up, Kat hurried to join Marco, and together they walked back to his bike.

  "Where did you go?" he asked as they donned their helmets.

  "I went to look at the shadows from the rocks."

  "Why?"

  "I'll tell you over dinner. Right now I want to get back. I'm feeling cold, and I'm ready for a comfort food dinner."

  "Are you okay?"

  "Yeah, I think so. Like I said, I'm just a bit cold."

  Studying her face Marco thought she looked pale, and as they climbed on board and headed slowly through the dark woods, he felt as tired as she looked. They'd have a good dinner and an early night.

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  A couple of hours later, mellow and yawning after pasta and red wine, as they slipped between the sheets, Kat wrapped her fingers around Marco's cock and pressed her pussy into his thigh. Her ardent attack surprised him. They were both exhausted, but as she softly fondled his member into life, he willingly obliged. Shrouded in a newfound intimacy, their lovemaking was slow and sensual, until they were deeply kissing through their shuddering orgasms. When their spasms had passed, and she sank next to him and curled into his hold, he felt her fall to sleep almost instantly.

  Completely drained, he closed his eyes, relishing her naked body next to his. He absolutely adored her. She was tough and smart and sexy, yet wonderfully submissive and almost childlike sometimes. He was determined to keep her out of harm's way, but it wouldn't be easy. She could be impetuous, and much too brave, and he couldn't watch her all the time, but he was determined not to let her anywhere near the glass house.

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  As the morning sun washed through the windows, wrapped in Marco's powerful arms and still half-asleep, Kat surrendered to his warm, ardent attention, but as they came fully awake his passion burst to life. Flipping her on to her stomach he spanked her skin to a tantalizing tingle, then grabbing her hips he lustily rode her until she was pleading to come. His cock bursting, he granted permission, and after shuddering through an explosive orgasm, he collapsed next to her and pulled her against him.

  Resting her head against his chest and listening to the fast thumping of his heart, she could hear him trying to catch his breath. He had taken her with vigor, and though he was always a vigorous lover, she had sensed an urgency in him.

  "Marco?"

  "Yeah, baby."

  "Is everything okay?"

  Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly, then propping himself up on an elbow he stared down at her intently.

  "What is it, Marco? You look upset."

  "I'm not upset, not exactly. Everything will be okay when this job is behind us, but I'm not going to lie to you. I'm worried."

  "Worried? About what?"

  "You have a great sense of humor, and I love it, but we can't be flippant about any part of this."

  "Sometimes I'm a smart-ass because seeing the lighter side of things can help, but I do understand the gravity of what we're facing."

  "I'm not sure you do."

  "Excuse me?"

  "Kat, I've been entrenched in this world for two years, you've been here two minutes."

  "But I--"

  "But nothing," he said sharply. "You can guess, but you can't possibly know what this life is like. The unwritten rules, the protocols, the gang members you need to avoid and the ones you can hang with, and that's just the Kratos Kings. We know nothing about HH and his organization."

  "What are you saying?"

  "When I told you yesterday that I need to be in charge, it wasn't coming from ego or a need to throw my weight around. This is life and death stuff Kat, and I'm not being dramatic. We have three bodies, a guy who will be in prison for a very long time, and Tank is banged up and has a guard outside his hospital door for his own protection. This is a nasty tough world, but I can only protect you if you follow my lead."

  "I will, and I mean that. You're right. As much as I enjoyed kicking that guy's ass yesterday, I don't want to cause any trouble, or get myself into any either."

  "Good. I'm glad to hear it, but about HH..."

  "What about him?"

  "Kratos was a tough guy, and I mean tough, but he was scared shitless of HH. I've heard HH is a cruel, vicious torturer who uses fear to control people, and look at how effective he's been. No-one will breathe a word about him. Both our agencies have hit brick wall after brick wall because people would rather be in jail or die than tell us what they know."

  "Yeah, it's been crazy. Johnny said placing me in the Kings was a Hail Mary."

  "The point is, Kat, I can't let you go up to that mansion in the Hollywood Hills."

  "Marco...!"

  "I can't. I'm sorry, it's too dangerous, and how will I be able to focus if I'm worried about you?"

  "But who will have your back? You need a partner."

  "Possibly, but it can't be you."

  "Then who? I don't like this, Marco, I don't like this one bit."

  "As far as I know, Kratos only went up to the mansion twice, and he went alone, and I have to believe there was a reason for that. Kratos never did anything arbitrarily. He may have been a crazy-ass thug and a drug dealer, but he was smart, really smart."

  "I don't know what to say," she mumbled. "It doesn't seem right for me to stay behind."

  "Kat, they could use you against me. Think about this. If we were in a room with this monster and he threatened to...I don't know... slice off my fingers, sure, that would be horrifying, but if they threatened to slice off yours, I'd tell them anything they wanted to know. Do you understand?"

  "But why would they--"

  "I have no idea what they might or might not do," he said, cutting her off, "but when I show up on their doorstep with their missing delivery, one thing I know for sure, they're going to have questions."

  Kat felt a shudder ripple down her spine. She'd been on many dangerous operations, she could fight and shoot and size up situations in a flash, but staring into Marco's determined worried eyes she knew he was right.

  "I get what you're saying. You'll need to think on your feet, and...yeah. I can see how...," she murmured, her voice trailing off as a myriad of unpleasant scenarios danced in her head.

  "You're going to be invaluable and we're going to make a great team. Believe me, you'll have your role, but every team needs a leader."

  "I agree," she said circling her arms around his neck, "and I'll do as I'm told."

  "Good."

  "I've been the one calling the shots more often than not over the last few
years. This is going to be a bit weird."

  "Don't worry," he said with a wicked grin, "if you have trouble I'll just pull out my strap."

  "Your hand will be enough, thank you very much."

  "Apparently not if you're already debating."

  "I can't win."

  "Of course you can, you just have to pick your battles. I'm ready for breakfast. What about you?"

  "Definitely. Let's have it out on the terrace."

  "That's a great idea. You order whatever. I'm going to jump in the shower."

  "I refuse to let you leave this bed until you kiss me," she said defiantly, "and if I can't win that battle I quit. I'm walking out that door right now!"

  "You're not going anywhere," he growled. "No way baby."

  Grabbing a fistful of hair he crushed his lips against hers, then loitered his kiss, softly, lovingly, drifting his mouth, and when he finally broke away she was breathless.

  "You were saying?" he murmured, moving his attention to her neck as he listened to her soft moans.

  "I surrender."

  "Yeah, that's what I thought."

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  The ride back to Los Angeles was uneventful, and with Kratos and Dennis dead, Mike locked up, Tank in a hospital bed, Leo at the tavern, and the rest of the gang tucked away at the rocks, it was safe to meet at Steve's office, but as Marco stood in the elevator with Kat at his side, he felt as if he was living a lucid dream. It had been two long years since he'd been in the building, and as he knocked on the door and walked into Steve's office, he felt even stranger.

  "Hey, you made it," Steve declared standing up from behind his desk to greet them.

  "Damn, this is weird," Marco muttered staring around the office.

  "Hi, I'm Johnny Fallon. Good to meet you."

  Turning around, Marco saw a man walking towards him. Marco guessed he was in his forties, and he looked like any man on the street. He could have been an insurance salesman.

  "Hi, Johnny, good to meet you too, and Kat, this is Steve."

  "Nice to meet you, Kat. Have a seat. We have a lot to go over."

  The small talk lasted a few minutes while coffee and donuts were brought in, but as they settled down Steve outlined the theory that Kratos had been responsible for killing Dennis, framing Mike for the murder, and tampering with Tank's bike.

  "There's strong evidence that suggests Kratos and his girl were leaving L.A. to start a new life," Johnny interjected, "and if they hadn't met that semi they'd probably be halfway to the Caribbean by now. We don't know for sure, but--"

  Marco suddenly jumped to his feet, startling all three of them and cutting Johnny off before he could finish.

  "Just give me a minute...I'm trying to remember something," Marco declared. "It's tickling my brain..." The room fell silent as Marco paced, then he abruptly slapped his forehead! "Of course! That's what it was!"

  "Don't just stand there smacking your head, tell us," Steve insisted.

  "It was when Kratos was getting ready to meet with HH. He was telling me that if he didn't come back that I should take off and leave the Kings behind. He said something like...I haven't told you about my dealings with these bastards for many reasons, and be glad. The only other person who knew anything was Dennis."

  "Why is that significant?" Johnny asked.

  "Knew--was Dennis--past tense! It was a slip. Kratos didn't say, the only other person who knows anything is Dennis, he said, the only other person who knew anything was Dennis. He was already aware that Dennis was dead. How? He must have killed Dennis himself. It's the only explanation. Your theory is right!"

  "Shit. We thought it fit, but you've just given us our confirmation," Johnny exclaimed. "That's some memory you've got."

  "It only stuck with me because I felt something was off when he said it."

  "That's great, Marco. So HH hasn't been on a killing spree. Okay, you need to get a message to him that you found the heroin and you want to take over where Kratos left off," Johnny declared as he stood up and began to pace, "but it's not like we can pick up the phone and call him. We could play out a scene in the office in front of the camera Tank put in place behind that photograph--oh--speaking of that, wasn't Kratos maniacal about checking for surveillance equipment?"

  "I'll bet that camera was old," Steve suggested. "If Kratos was using high-tech stuff to hunt for bugs it wouldn't pick up a plain old video cam. Kind of like hackers can't get into outdated computer systems."

  "That makes sense," Marco said, "but getting back to the subject, how do I go about this?"

  "Tank!" Steve exclaimed. "He must have a way of communicating with HH. We need to convince him he'll be better off if he works with us."

  "Are you sure that's a good idea?" Kat piped up. "I mean, if Tank betrayed Kratos to save his own skin, why would you trust him?"

  "I agree," Johnny said with a resigned sigh, "but is there another way?"

  "I think there is," she offered. "A much easier, more direct way. What about Jason Dean."

  "Of course!" Marco exclaimed, "Why didn't I think of him. He was the one who introduced Kratos to HH in the first place."

  "When Jason hangs out at the tavern it's usually with Tank," Marco said thoughtfully. "I'll bet Jason has been the go-between. I have Jason's number and I have an idea, but it will rock the boat and I'm not sure who will be thrown overboard."

  "Marco, I know that look," Steve said solemnly. "You're going to suggest something I'm not going to like."

  "Probably."

  "Okay. I've got my seatbelt fastened. Let's hear it."

  "It's actually quite simple," Marco said with a wicked smile.

  As he outlined his scheme, Johnny's eyes grew wide, Kat started to laugh, and Steve nodded.

  "Yep," Steve sighed, "just what I thought. Heart attack time."

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  Sitting in the library where Kratos had undergone his lie detector test, HH was playing one of Bon Jovi's earliest albums, Slippery When Wet. The number one single, Shot Through The Heart, always made him smile. The lyric, you promised me heaven, then put me through hell, reminded him of the pure white powder that offered heaven but turned people's lives into hell, the same white powder that had made him filthy stinking rich. He sang along, then laughed his maniacal laugh that his comrades-in-crime had likened to The Joker from Batman, but it was short-lived. HH wasn't happy. HH had a problem.

  Kratos was dead. Dennis was dead. Mike was in jail, and Tank was lying in a hospital room guarded by the fucking FBI.

  Mike or Tank could open their big mouths, not that they knew a great deal, but they knew enough to be a nuisance, but worse, HH still didn't know exactly what had gone down, and his informers had told him a package of heroin had been found at Mike's garage. While it was likely the missing delivery, HH couldn't know for sure and he didn't like loose ends. Loose ends were like the loose threads on the sweaters his mother would knit. Pull one and the whole damn thing unraveled.

  It was entirely possible the third in line to the throne, Marco D'Angelo, had been behind the entire mess. Brooder was his nickname because he was moody. He had no girlfriend, he'd kicked the ass of every man in the club, and had come up the ranks fast...real fast, but that's all HH knew about him.

  "I think it's time I made your acquaintance," HH muttered. "Let's find out exactly who you are Marco."

  Hitting a button on the wall, the rock music abruptly stopped and the library fell silent. Pulling his phone from his pocket he touched the screen.

  "Hey, get me a complete profile on Marco D'Angelo. I want to know who this fucker is, and I mean everything."

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  As the meeting wrapped up there was a sense of triumph tinged with excited anticipation, but Marco was anxious. It had been a long, perilous, challenging operation in a gritty, grimy world, and he couldn't wait to put it behind him.

  "You look happy and worried all at the same time," she remarked staring at him. "What's that about?"

/>   "This operation is coming to an end, I can feel it, and it's going to happen fast."

  "It will if your plan works, but let's face it, HH is so slick. He's like the invisible man."

  "Yeah, but I can feel that we're going to get him."

  The elevator doors opened, and as they walked towards the double glass doors that would take them outside, he stopped and pulled her to a quiet corner of the lobby.

  "I'm going to drop you at your place then head over to the tavern. There's a lot to do. I need to get the gang back, I have to start sorting through all the crap in the office, and I don't know when Dennis's body will be released so I can't arrange a funeral, but I'll put together a memorial service and a wake for him and Kratos."

  "I should come with you. I can help."

  "I need you to do something else. See what you can dig up on Jason Dean. Find out everything you can. Who is this guy? What did he do before he was famous?"

  "I'm good at that stuff. I'd love to do that."

  "Great, we'll meet up and go over everything later tonight at my place."

  "Your place?"

  "Yeah. I need to stay close to the tavern. Meet me there around nine. My home is a hovel, by the way, and there's no gorgeous view."

  "Are you kidding. Wherever you are has the best view in town," she said softly, running her fingers down his chest. "Especially when you're naked."

  Marco laughed out loud, then abruptly falling serious his eyes shone down at her.

  "Back at ya baby," he said softly, "the best view in the world."

  ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

  A little while later, when Marco pulled up outside the tavern, the parking lot was virtually empty; just four bikes and a car. Striding through the doors he immediately felt the dark shadow of grief. Jim, the happy-go-lucky bartender who had worked for Kratos for years, was red-eyed and forlorn. Leo, looking glum, was sitting at a table drinking a beer and talking to a couple of regulars who had heard the news.