by KJ Dahlen
Slowly, he took a step back bringing her with him, until he felt the edge of the wide tub at the back. He had put this in after he moved in here, a wide bench just for him on days when he wished to sit back and allow the water in the steam to relax him. He released their kiss, sat down and spread his legs a little. He held his shaft in his grip as he pulled her down. She bent forward slightly away from him, so she was perfectly positioned. Holding onto her hips he pulled her back onto his cock, his ass clenched as he surged upward into her. She was wet as her muscles tightened around him.
“Damn, you feel so good,” he groaned. He’d never felt anything quite like the inside of her...it was the highway to heaven. He smirked at the title. He may never hear that song again and not think of this moment.
She placed her hands on his legs to balance herself, leaning back on his chest in the reverse cowgirl position and pumped herself up and down on his cock.
“I cannot believe what a natural you are, sweet Cin... ride me baby, ride me.” He held onto her waist helping her with each thrust. Reveling in the way she took to this without abandon. It was a relief to him and he was in awe of her with every passing miute.
The water fell, steam built up around them, the heat from without fueling the heat burning inside of him. Their movements became faster. He squeezed her waist tighter moved her faster up and down on him. His legs trembled as he surged as far into her as he could go and could hold back no longer. With one final thrust... he detonated inside her.
She did let out a scream as she came, “Beast!”
He smiled as he breathlessly held onto her...This made him feel completely happy. She leaned forward like a rag doll. Yeah, he was pleased by this.
They both had to catch their breaths and he rinsed her off, after this last trip to heaven. He grinned. Life was going to be a beautiful thing if he got to be with this woman every day. He hadn’t felt joy like this maybe ever in his life. All too soon, the water began growing cold and Beast shut off the faucet. “Man, I love the new water jets,” he joked as he rubbed her ass cheeks.
Cin chuckled a bit.
They dried off and dressed in silence. Though they both kept smiling as they went out to the main room.
Jackal stared at them funny. “I didn’t see you guys come in last night.”
Beast grinned. “Did you know there are tunnels in these walls? Not only hidden places but tunnels as well? Old Edward wanted to have a way out of here if trouble ever came to call.”
Jackal sat up and stared at the pair of them. “Really? Tunnels?” He looked around at the brothers sitting at the tables. “How did no one notice after all this time? Hell how did the Dogs never find them?”
“They found at least one remember?” Cobra reminded them all of Harvey’s invasion.
“That’s true enough.” Jackal remembered.
Cin’s eyes went to the oversized bar in the back of the room. “They found the tunnels?”
“Yes, they did but we stopped them in the basement,” Jackal admitted. “Was there more than one tunnel from the outside coming in?”
Cin thought about what she remembered for a moment then shook her head. “No but there is more than one way to reach that tunnel.”
Jackal looked around the room again. “We closed it off from the inside. Is that the only way in or is there another way? Could we still in danger of being invaded from an outside source?”
“Grandpa hid those outside entrances very well. I doubt anyone could find them unless they know where they are,” Cin insisted.
“Maybe you could show us where they are anyway so we can keep track of them,” Jackal insisted.
Cin nodded. “Ok.”
“Now about these tunnels within the walls...” he said. “Where are they and where do they lead?”
“One of them leads straight to my bedroom,” Beast added.
“Your bedroom used to be my grandparents. There are three other bedrooms with escape tunnels as well. And hidey holes all over the house. But if you don’t know where they are, you’d never find them or be able to use them.”
The front door opened and Silas and George came inside. Silas heard her last statement and had to chuckle. “That’s for sure. Old Edward would have wanted his family protected at all costs.”
Jackal turned to look at the older man. “Did you know about any of his hiding places or tunnels?”
Silas shook his head. “He always said a secret shared with too many people didn’t stay a secret very long.” Shrugging he went on to say, “I can’t say I didn’t disagree with him there.” He looked over at Cin. “That girl was all I had left of my child and I wanted her safe above all else.”
“What brought up the tunnels anyway?” George asked as he poured himself a cup of coffee.
“The fact that we never knew about them until last night,” Beast told him. “We’ve lived here for almost eleven years and had no idea this place held so many secrets.”
“Then maybe our warning is just in time,” George told them while wearing a grim expression.
“What warning?” Jackal snarled.
“You got eyes on you,” Silas warned them. Growing serious he told the others, “On our way home last night, we walked the perimeter and saw at least three different areas where they are watching this place from.”
Jackal glared at the other man. “Anyone we know?”
Silas nodded. “Ricky Prentiss was one and he was the closest.”
“Dammit,” Jackal looked around at his men. “These people just don’t fucking quit.”
Chapter Nine
“Where was he?” Jackal asked.
“Other side of the fence by the old barn,” George replied.
“Well fuck a duck,” Beast swore. He looked over at Cin and could see the fear growing in her eyes.
Cin felt the walls closing in on her and she got to her feet and ran outside. She didn’t stop running until she got to the fence line, a good half mile from the backdoor. She dropped to her knees when she stopped and was breathing heavily.
Her past wouldn’t even give her a week to keep the feeling of welcoming her home. How did anyone know she was here? Her mind was so scrambled at first she didn’t notice the change in the air.
When she finally did notice she raised her head but didn’t make any other moves. Turning her head slowly at first, she saw nothing but the feeling grew and persisted, so she kept her eyes on the woods. Finally, she saw a shadow move and the shadow became a pair of glowing yellow eyes.
His coat was almost grey now but she could still see hints of pure black underneath. He stood very still and watched her closely. Then the air was disturbed by pounding footsteps coming toward her.
“Cin, don’t move,” Beast called out as he slowed down to a walk. Creeping along carefully, he approached where she was sitting. Moving gingerly, he reached behind him for the weapon he always carried.
“Put it away,” Cin told him quietly. “He isn’t going to hurt us.”
“Baby girl, that’s a full-grown wild wolf. You don’t know what he’ll do,” Beast whispered words that held just a slight note of panic.
“He’s an old friend. I first met him when he was little more than a pup. His foot was caught in a trap and I freed him.”
“That was a very long time ago and he might not remember the incident,” Beast argued strongly.
Cin turned her eyes to the wolf. She saw something in his eyes that she remembered well. “He remembers.” She broke eye contact and looked over at Beast. “It’s been years since I’ve seen him but I don’t think he’ll hurt me.” She shook her head. “You, I’m not so sure about.”
“Then let’s move away carefully.” Beast urged her. Reaching his hand out to help her up, Cin got to her feet. She turned to cup his cheeks. “I’ll be fine okay?” Then she turned and slowly walked closer to the fence. She held the wolf’s eyes but stopped far enough away to give the wolf no worry.
Behind her, she heard Beast growl but he didn’t come any
closer. She stared at the wolf before she knelt and held her hand out. It didn’t quite touch the fence and the wolf didn’t move. “Hello again old friend. I’m glad to see you’re still here. You don’t know how much I hoped I would see you again, someday. I know it’s crazy to be friends with a wolf but I’ve thought a lot about you over the years.” She stood there and saw other wolves coming out. They all lined up behind the grey-haired wolf. Cin smiled. “I see you’ve got some new friends now. You know what? So do I...I’ve always thought of you as a shadow, so I gave you that name a lifetime ago. I guess I’ll see you around sometime. At least I hope I do. Stay strong and be well my friend.”
She got to her feet and backed away until she bumped into Beast. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back toward the house. They moved slowly as long as the wolves watched them but when they reached a certain point the wolves disappeared back in the woods.
Beast grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the house. Before they reached the back door, he stopped and turned toward her. Cupping either side of her face with his hands, he kissed her hard. When he broke the kiss both of them were short of breath. Laying his forehead against hers he growled, “Don’t ever do that to me again. If that wolf would have come after you and hurt you, I would have lost my fucking mind.”
Cin grabbed his wrists. “Shadow never would have hurt me,” she insisted.
“Shadow might not have remembered the connection you insist you have.” He growled. “You could have been dead before you knew it. Wolves generally rip the throat of their victims. He’s a wild animal not a house pet.”
Cin just shook her head. She didn’t know if he was being stubborn or had no clue about her but she was thinking maybe he didn’t know enough about her to know the kind of woman she was yet. She had an infinity with most animal’s. She also loved the outdoors and would feel one with nature. It had started when she was a child in these very woods on this very land. Then when she had been so cooped up in that apartment it had been the only thing she’d missed badly. She needed the fresh air, the sunlight, the feel of grass beneath her. She would even at times just sift dirt or sand through her hands. It was a strange quirk to most she assumed but she loved the feeling nature gave her.
She pulled away from his hold and he let her go easy enough. Turning to walk inside the house Cin made her way to the kitchen and grabbed a cup of coffee. Then she joined the others in the main room and took the chair next to Silas.
“I see you were renewing old acquaintances,” Silas groused.
Cin nodded. “I guess after all this time, I didn’t know if he would be alive or not. I’m glad to see him again.”
“Old acquaintances?” Jackal asked.
“She was eye to eye with a pack of wild wolves,” Beast grumbled as he sat down next to her.
“Wild wolves?” Hades swallowed hard. “And you’re still alive?”
Wolf shook his head. “Wild wolves are dangerous. But some are just teddy bears.” He smirked.
Jackal raised a brow at his comment, but said nothing.
Silas chuckled. “Well, this girl has no fear and she knows animals. Edward and Ms. Katie used to worry about her from the crack of dawn until she closed her eyes for the night. She was the worst and the best of her mom. My Morgan was just like her, bless her soul.”
“Wolves only attack when their hungry or they sense a threat against them. I was no threat. He wouldn’t have hurt me,” Cin insisted as she sipped her coffee.
“He might not have but you saw the rest of his pack,” Beast reminded her. “They don’t have the old relationship with you that he did. They might have perceived you as a threat.”
Cin bit her lip to stay quiet. Then she looked over at Jackal. “No words of wisdom from you?”
Jackal shook his head. “I don’t think anything more needs to be said. Beside all that, we’ve got bigger fish to fry than a pack of wolves.”
“And what would that be?” Cin asked.
“Well, we got a little mystery to solve here.” Jackal reached for his coffee. After taking a sip, he looked at her. “We need to know if your grandfather had anything that belonged to the Dogs, anything that he might have had that would cost him his family and his own life.”
Cin shook her head. “I already told you I don’t know what the Dogs were after that day. The man in charge never said what he was looking for before he shot my uncle. After that, there was no way my grandfather would have given him anything.”
“Well, we found the money he had, but I think from what we’ve heard he was after more than just money.” Jackal sat there staring at her. “It must have been something that meant something to George Norris and the only thing I can think of that meant anything to that pig was his MC. He took over when his old man was murdered.”
“His dad was murdered. How?” Cin asked with a frown.
“A bullet to the back of his head on a midnight run,” Cobra told her. “His bike went over the guard rail and his body went into the Bluebonnet swamp. His MC looked for him but could never find him. They figured the gators got to him. His killer was never caught.”
Cin gasped in horror. She looked from man to man and finally ended up at Silas. “Do they know anything about who did it?”
Silas looked down at her and nodded. “They figured it was one of his own men. I have no doubt it was George himself. He claimed the day of his daddy’s funeral that old Denver named him the next president. No one stood against him. They didn’t dare. They all knew he was crazy enough to shoot them right then and there. Under George’s rule, they did terrible things to the people in the city. Again, no one stood up against him. If they tried they found themselves either burned out or shot in the middle of the night. People were afraid of that man for a reason. After that, he just did whatever he wanted to, he took whatever he needed from people he threatened and then laughed in their faces. He kicked his whore out of the club and took another woman. That woman was Malinda Prentiss. Ricky’s mom.”
Cin looked over at Silas. “Was George Norris Ricky’s father?”
Silas shrugged. “No one knows for sure. That was club business and they didn’t talk about it. But as soon as George became president, he booted her and the boy out.”
“So there’s a lot of anger inside him waiting to come out isn’t there?” Cin asked. “That could mean trouble for you and your men huh?”
Jackal nodded. “That, plus the fact he’s watching us. We don’t know how why or for how long. He seems to know where the cameras are and he’s stayed just out of range. That’s why we never knew he was there until now. Silas and George saw him last night when they left. He’s got a couple of others watching different areas as well.”
“And you have no clue why?” she asked.
“No and I don’t like it, especially now that you’re here.” Jackal stared at her.
Cin frowned. “What does that have to do with anything? He couldn’t have possibly known I was here. I never expected anyone to see me when I came back here.”
“And that tells us he never expected you to be here,” Beast told her. “That’s what we’re worried about.”
“Why? What do I have to do with him? I haven’t been here in sixteen years.” Cin was confused as hell by their statements.
“He might remember what George was after and it might be enough for him to come after it,” Silas suggested. “Thinking he could finally take his place. He might be thinking he has the right to form another MC. Word on the street is he’s got some very unsavory friends.” Shaking his head, he muttered, “And here I thought we’d seen the last of that batch of bastards.”
“But I was just a kid when Ms. Katie and I left here. What the hell would I know about anything?” Cin exclaimed.
“Maybe he only thinks you know something,” Cobra stated. “Or maybe he might think he could use you against us to recover whatever George Norris was after.”
“If that’s what he’s thinking you have to be very careful,” Wolf told her.
“You shouldn’t be outside without one of us with you.”
Cin chuckled. “He isn’t going to know who I even am. I barely remember him. We didn’t even know each other all that well as kids and then he moved away.”
“You gotta be careful anyway honey.” Silas patted her arm. “That boy’s got something on his mind and I don’t think he cares who he hurts to get what he wants.”
“Have you remembered anything else about where your grandfather could have hidden a safe of some kind?” Jackal asked. “Oh, and we need to see the tunnels you and Beast we talking about this morning.”
Cin thought about the safe her grandfather had. The little cubbyhole in her grandparent’s bedroom was just that, a small cubby hole. Her grandfather had been in the moonshine business for a number of years and it had been a very profitable business. Between that and the farming they did, there was always plenty of money to go around and that was how he’d built this large house and all the outbuildings.
She never understood why her father felt he had to go out on his own but when she got old enough to understand, Ms. Katie told her about his reasons. It wasn’t that he wanted to leave, he didn’t but he had something to prove even if it was only to himself and his daughter. Elijah wanted to be his own man, he wanted to start his own empire and watch it grow just like his father Edward had done. Her grandmother told her that her mother, Morgan and he had spoken about it before she died and she had encouraged him to be strong enough to leave the farm and start out on his own path. He was doing it to prove himself that he could. For himself and her he was going to follow his own dreams. He had told his parents he had to at least try for his daughter’s sake. They completely understood and when he left that day, they wished him all the luck. Three days later, they got the phone call from the New Orleans police about the stabbing. He’d been killed and his dreams had died that day in New Orleans.
