by Bella Jewel
“He had told me his daughter died, but when I looked at the grave he was visiting, there was no grave for a girl that could have been his daughter. I started feeling uneasy, and I looked back and saw he was coming back. I started to run, he called out to me, and I heard him say his name.”
It’s a lie, but it’s the best I can come up with on the spot.
“He definitely said Dax?” Alarick asks, narrowing his eyes.
“Yes, he said something like ‘You’re not afraid of little old Dax, are you?”
That sounds logical, right?
I mean, I think it does.
“Fuck,” Alarick exhales. “He’s getting too close. He wants us to stop, he wants revenge, and he’s goin’ to do anythin’ he can to make us stop lookin’ into this.”
“He yelled out that you had better stop, or he’ll kill everyone you love.”
He didn’t, of course, but King did warn that this needed to stop or he’ll hurt everyone Alarick loves. I don’t want to see anyone get hurt, but at the same time I don’t want to see this Dax monster getting away with anything like this any longer either. It’s such a tricky situation to be in. I don’t like how it feels. Not at all.
“Fuck,” Alarick hisses. “Did he say anything else? Did you see anything else?”
“No, that’s it. I didn’t see anything else, but I do know what he looks like now.”
“That’s a good thing,” Samson murmurs. “If she can recognize him, it means we’re going to be better off.”
“Not sure how,” Alarick growls. “This fucker has obviously been watchin’ her if he saw her go to the cemetery alone.”
“We already knew he was watchin’, boss, we just need to make sure we’re smarter than him,” Cohen mutters. “The fucker is getting on my nerves now.”
“I’ve got Zariah bringin’ her step-sister, Waverly, in,” Alarick tells the group. “He doesn’t know her, and she’s goin’ to get her set up with him so we can find his location. That’s the only way this’ll end.”
“Wait,” I say, putting a hand up. “What?”
Alarick looks to me. “I know you’re not goin’ to like this plan, but it’s the only one we’ve got. We’re not goin’ to find him without it.”
“You’re going to risk an innocent life?”
“No, Briella, we’re not. She’s volunteering and she’s goin’ to have full eyes on her at all time. We’re not goin’ to just let her go out there alone. Everywhere she goes, one of us will be close behind her. We’re goin’ to fit her with trackin’ devices and any other security we can. She’s not goin’ to be alone.”
“She could die, Alarick!” I snap. “No amount of tracking devices will protect her if he puts a bullet between her eyes.”
Flick glares at me, angrily. “He’s not killed them quickly before, and the only reason he killed the other two was to send us a message. As far as we know, he’s sendin’ them overseas. That doesn’t happen overnight. He gets them to trust him, to believe in him, and then he sells them. We’ve got time. She’s goin’ to be okay. So, unless you’ve got a better fuckin’ plan, then I suggest you let this one go.”
He’s right, I know he’s right, but that doesn’t mean I like it.
It doesn’t mean the idea of putting a girl that has done nothing wrong into a situation where she could lose her life.
That’s not nice, and I’m not cool with it, but I also know arguing with Flick won’t get me anywhere because he’s the boss and he does what he thinks is best for everyone, not just me.
“When does this girl get here?” I ask, my voice tight.
“Tomorrow. From this moment on, you don’t go out without an escort, it’s too dangerous.”
I clamp my lips shut, but I know I have to follow those orders right now or lose my life. I’m not stupid, I’m not going to risk my own life for the sake of my pride.
“This is goin’ to end badly,” Samson mutters. “I can fuckin’ feel it.”
“Yeah,” I agree with him. “Same.”
“We stick together, we make a plan, and we get through this. That’s what we fuckin’ do,” Flick says, and then turns to me. “Let’s go.”
I exhale and look to Cohen. “Thanks for getting me earlier.”
“You’re welcome.”
Alarick and I leave, and Samson stays behind with Cohen. The moment we’re in his truck, Alarick turns to me. His eyes are serious. His jaw is tight. “I know you don’t like my decisions, Briella, but they’re mine, and I expect you to follow them. Regardless of what you believe, my first priority is keepin’ everyone safe, that mainly being you. Need you to respect that and not fight me every step of the way.”
I nod. “Okay,” I say softly.
“Good girl.”
I look out the window as we drive off.
I’m scared, but I’ll never admit that.
I’ll just keep fighting, until this war has been won.
I only hope it’s us that wins it.
6
FLICK
“This is Waverly, my step-sister,” Zariah says, nodding her head to the side at the girl standing next to her.
Upon first glance, Waverly looks to be quite young. Maybe a little too young, but when you take her in a little more, you see she’s just got a baby face. She’s pretty, in a rebellious kind of way. She has brown hair with purple streaks throughout the thick locks, and eyes the color of milk chocolate. Big full lips, a pert little nose, and tanned skin. She’s attractive, no doubt about it. Small, curvy body. Big tits. Round ass. Tank top, tight black jeans, and Converse. She has her own style.
Nothing wrong with that.
Waverly looks at me, tipping her head to the side and taking me in. She has an intensity, that, if I wasn’t a strong ass fucking man, I’d say was intimidating. She looks like should take on the world and not think twice about it. Starting to make sense why she has decided this is the job for her, after all, the girl doesn’t seem at all bothered by what she’s about to get herself into. “You must be Alarick,” Waverly says, her voice surprisingly soft considering her look is quite intense. “You look a whole lot bigger than I expected.”
I snort. “I’d say thanks, but I’m not sure that’s a compliment.”
“It wasn’t,” she grins. “I hear you want me for one of your little biker adventures. Tell me, Pres, what do I get to do? Fight a gang? Bring down a cartel? Save some bitches?”
I snort.
Yep, just as I suspected. A character.
I don’t mind that.
“You’re jumpin’ way too far ahead. No way I’m sendin’ a girl in to somethin’ that dangerous.”
“That’s sexist.” Waverly grins.
I chuckle. “Yeah, well, that’s bikers. What you’re doin’ is a fuck load more complicated. Gotta know you’re in it for the long haul.”
“She is,” Zariah tells me. “She knows what she’s doing, she’s messing with you.”
Waverly looks to her sister and smirks, then looks back to me but her face is far more serious now. “To be fair, I’m allowed to mess with you a little bit considering you’re risking my life, but Zariah is right, I know what I have to do.”
“We’re goin’ to go over it clearly, because once you start, contact with us needs to be very minimal, due to the fact that we have eyes on us. You can’t be seen with the club members.”
Waverly nods. “I’m sure I can manage that. So, tell me about this guy I’m going to seduce with my incredible charm and good looks.”
“He’s not a good guy, but he’s goin’ to make you think he is. He’s goin’ to charm you, and make you trust him, and make you think you’ve found a fuckin’ incredible person in an incredible life. You’re goin’ to see shit you don’t like, and it’s goin’ to be hard but I gotta know you’re strong enough to take it.”
Waverly looks at me, and her face is dead serious. “I am stronger than you could even begin to believe, big guy. I’m not going to break under the pressure. And don’t worry about me being swept off
my feet by murderous Prince Charming. There isn’t a single thing he can do for me that is going to change my mind on the fact that he needs nothing more than to be six feet under. I know what he did to those girls, what he’s doing to them, and I’m going to be a part of stopping it.”
This girl is fierce, and I think she’s going to be perfect for the job, except for one thing ...
“Gotta tell you, and this ain’t me bein’ a dick because I think you’re fuckin’ rockin’. But you gotta change your look. This guy, he likes girls who are easily pushed around. No offense but nothin’ about you screams that you’re easy to push around. That’s a good thing, but you gotta play a part here.”
She stares at me. “You want me to have a makeover?”
“Yeah.”
“Sweet lord,” she murmurs. “You’re not going to turn me into some pumped up lip Barbie, are you? Because let me tell you, I can’t walk in heels. I resemble a dinosaur stomping down the road, which, if I’m honest, isn’t very ladylike at all. So, yeah, think long and hard about the kind of woman you want me to be.”
I chuckle and look to Zariah. “She always this dramatic?”
Zariah nods. “You have no idea.”
“Back to the makeover,” Waverly continues, unbothered by our comments. “Who is going to be doing it?”
“My woman. She’s down to earth and fuckin’ gorgeous. She’ll play it the right way, and you’ll be glad to know she doesn’t do heels and doesn’t have pumped up lips. Not askin’ you to change everythin’ just askin’ you to be a little more approachable.”
“Does that mean the purple has to go?”
I grin at her. “The purple has to go.”
“Well dammit!”
This should be interesting.
No doubt about it.
“HOW DO YOU THINK WE’RE goin’ to track this fucker down?” Mykel asks, leaning back in his chair with a beer and a cigarette. “We don’t even know where to fuckin’ find him.”
“No, but we do know where to find Bennett and considering they’re in on this together, we just need to get this girl on his radar and he’ll do the work for us,” Cohen points out.
Mykel makes a sound deep in his throat, a sound that indicates he’s not overly happy about this choice. “Bennett is a slimy fucker, are you sure she’s safe in all of this?”
“It’s our only option right now,” I tell them, staring at the door as Briella walks in followed by Waverly.
I introduced the two of them earlier and it’s safe to say they hit it off big time. They get along incredibly well, which makes it a whole lot easier to get shit done around here if the girl has someone she can turn to.
“Boys,” I say, standing when Briella comes over to me. “This is Waverly.”
I take Briella by hooking my arm around her waist and hauling her to my side. There I plant a kiss on the top of her head, needing more than anything to spend one fucking night away from all this, with my cock buried deep inside of her for most of the night.
Waverly stares at all of the guys, her brows going up. “Well damn, is there somewhere online you order these hotties or did you just get lucky?”
Cohen snorts a laugh, and then looks to her. “You’re a firecracker, we were warned.”
Waverly grins. “Indeed I am. What’s your name, handsome? I bet it’s something super sexy like Colton or Brax? Please don’t tell me it’s Greg or John because that’ll kill all my sexual fantasies and I’ll have to immediately remove you from the spank bank.”
Briella giggles. Cohen laughs.
“Name is Cohen, honey. And you can keep me in the spank bank.”
Waverly laughs, and then looks to the other guys.
“Samson,” Samson says, waving a hand.
Kendric goes next. “Kendric.”
Mykel looks at Waverly for a minute, a long, long minute, studying her. I’d say he looks unimpressed, but I’m not sure that’s the problem. He’s staring at her like he’s not quite sure what to make of her.
“Do you have a name?” she asks him, tipping her head to the side.
“Mykel. Not for the fuckin’ spank bank.”
He stands and looks to me. “Can we have a word?”
“I’d say your man Mykel here doesn’t approve of me, boss man,” Waverly mutters, glaring at Mykel.
“We got a problem?” I ask him, holding his gaze.
“Yeah, we do. She’s not takin’ this seriously. She’s not the right kind of person to deal with what we’re puttin’ her into.”
“Excuse me?” Waverly says, her voice shocked. “I’m sorry, I’d like to know how you got to know me so damned quickly to make such an assumption?”
Mykel ignores her. “She’s too mouthy, too ... bold. The girls this guy is takin’, they’re sweet and soft. Like fuckin’ flowers. Broken and delicate. They’re never goin’ to fall for her.”
“I’m sorry, is he deaf?” Waverly demands. “Because he’s not seeming to hear me when I speak.”
Mykel looks to her. “Got nothin’ against you, don’t know you, but I do know that this is my fuckin’ club and you’re not right for the job.”
“Enough,” I growl. “Mykel, back down. Waverly knows what she’s gotta do, and I got confidence she can do it. You gotta trust me on that.”
“You’re makin’ a fuckin’ mistake, Pres. This girl ain’t the right one.”
“Gosh, your momma didn’t spank you nearly enough, mister. Your manners are terrible,” Waverly says, and then looks to Briella. “Let’s go and do this makeover so we can show judgy mcjudgy pants over here that I’m going to kick this challenge in the ass!”
Briella looks to Mykel, shakes her head a little, and then follows Waverly out the door.
When she’s gone, I look to him. “Out of line, brother.”
“Not fuckin’ out of line. You’re not seein’ this for what it is. He’ll see right through her.”
“She can put on an act, Mykel. She’s not fuckin’ stupid. She knows what she has to do.”
Mykel shakes his head. “You’re making a mistake.”
“You’re questionin’ me and you shouldn’t be. I know what I’m doin’ here, and you need to roll with it or stay out of it. Choice is yours, brother.”
Mykel stares at me, frustration in his eyes, but then he turns and walks out.
Fuck.
This isn’t going to plan.
At all.
7
BRIELLA
“So,” I say, standing next to Waverly with a box of hair dye. “Blonde or brown?”
She scrunches up her nose, and stares at me in the mirror. I laugh at her expression. I like Waverly, a lot. She’s funny and she’s sassy. She has more character than any woman I’ve met and to be quite honest, I’m glad to have a friend. Other than Karen, I don’t really have anyone right now and it feels nice to have someone to talk to. Waverly and I hit it off right away. Like we had been friends forever.
“Do I have to?” she moans, looking at her purple strands. “I don’t think I can be sweet and innocent. What color does sweet and innocent even look like? Blonde? Like a fragile little doll? Or brown, like plain Jane next door? Ugh. This sucks.”
“How about both?” I offer. “We can wash the purple out of your hair, as I’m sure you had to bleach it to get it in, and we can make those a soft blonde and then with the rest we can just clean it up and leave it as close to your natural color as possible.”
“My hair is ugly, no, let’s go the blond streaks and make the base chocolate brown. I always wanted to have chocolate brown hair.”
I laugh.
Right now, her hair is a medium brown, with purple tossed throughout. It actually suits her, and I can see it’s been done well. I’m sure making her hair a touch deeper with the brown will make her look even prettier than she already is. She has amazing chocolate-milk eyes, and I’m sure this color will work a treat with those.
“Okay, I’ve got this. Are you ready?”
She nods, a
nd I get started in getting the purple from her hair, which is going to take a lot of washing. Thankfully, those colors don’t tend to stick well. Then I’m going to recolor it with an ash blonde before putting the base color in the rest. It’ll probably take a while, but I’m happy to hang out and chat while we do it. I’ve needed girl time.
“What happened to your head?” Waverly asks. “I see you have a good scar there.”
“I had brain surgery a few months ago.”
Her eyes widen. “Girl, that is bad ass. I think you rock the hair cut by the way.”
I laugh. “It was this or let the doctors decide what they thought would work. I’m glad I went with this, to be honest.”
“I think so, you look amazing.”
“Thanks.”
She smiles at me, then her smile fades. “Alarick told me about your mom and your sister, and the girl they found recently. I’m really sorry, honey. That must be so hard, I can only imagine how difficult it has been for you. I promise you something, when I get in with this dick bag, I’m going to make him wish he was never born. I promise you we’ll get justice for your family.”
I meet her eyes in the mirror again. “I have no doubt about that. Are you scared?”
“Not at all.” She shrugs. “I’m in need of a good adventure.”
I laugh. “Not exactly the kind of adventure you’d pick, though.”
“Oh, hell yes I would.”
I shake my head, grinning. “Have you always been this wild?”
“Oh, honey, yes. I was born this way, and I’ll die this way.”
“I think we’re going to be great friends, you and I,” I tell her.
“I could have told you that two days ago.”
I grin. “Have you ever worked with a club before?”
“No way, but they’re super cool. How did they all get so hot, though? I mean, the old men are even not bad for their prime.”
I burst out laughing. “Jesus, that’s something I never noticed and I grew up with them.”
“Come on, they’re all pretty broody and nice, even the oldies. How many of those hunks are single?”
