Rise of the Phoenix: Phoenix Skulls Motorcycle Club: (Phoenix Skulls MC Romance Book 1)

by Cooke, Jessie

  Jace smiled. “That’s because I say stupid shit a hell of a lot more often than you do. And for the record, baby, you’re more woman than most women can ever hope to be.”

  “Well, yeah, but remember it anyway.”

  “Okay. I love you, Beck.”

  “I love you too. Now get your big ass home. I’m fucking tired and I’m not going to be able to sleep until you get here.”

  “I’ll be there soon, baby.”

  * * *

  Beck ended the call with Jace and then sat down on the edge of the bed. Her heart was racing and the tears she’d been crying before he called still stained her cheeks. Before he called, she’d actually been scared to death that she’d blown it. She had never depended on anyone in her life, and then Jace came along. Suddenly she didn’t know how to breathe without him. At first it had confused her and made her angry, but gradually she accepted that even she couldn’t get through life on her own and someone that complimented her the way Jace did was a keeper...and one she intended to keep...and God help anyone who tried to take him from her.

  She finally stopped shaking, washed her face so that he’d never know she’d been crying, and went back to bed. She’d just closed her eyes when there was a knock on the front door. Adrenaline shot through her veins and she was on her feet with her gun in hand in seconds. “Who is it?” she yelled as soon as she stepped in the hall. No one answered, but she wasn’t surprised. It was the middle of the night and the only person she could imagine knocking on their door would be the fucker who had been wreaking havoc with the club. She had half a mind to shoot through the door and take the fucker out where he stood. Another knock on the door and she yelled, “Who the fuck is it? I have a gun and I’m not afraid to blow your fucking head off.” She was at the door, cussing the fact that they didn’t have a peephole, when she heard the sound of an engine. Cussing, she threw the door open, almost tripped over a plastic bag that had been put on the welcome mat, and took a wild shot at the tan-colored SUV hauling ass around the house. The license plate was covered with mud and the dust it was kicking up was so thick that it almost disappeared into a cloud of it.

  “Motherfucker!” she yelled as she took another shot. She had no idea if she hit anything or not, but the SUV kept going. She was in a pair of bootie shorts and tank top with no shoes. There was no fucking way she’d be able to catch him even if she went back in to get the keys to her bike. She turned around slowly and looked at the black plastic garbage bag in front of her door. She thought about just not looking inside and letting the cops handle it...but fuck that. She wanted to see what the motherfucker had left for her.

  Beck went over to the bag and using the tip of her gun, she folded the plastic back just enough that she could see inside. All she could see was what looked like a blood-soaked t-shirt. “Fuck,” she said again, out loud to the once again quiet night. Leaving the plastic bag where it lay, she went back inside and called the police. She’d never spent so much time with the cops in her life. It was getting old.

  12

  Beck warned Jace about the cops before he got home, thank God. As he drove toward the house and saw the red and blue lights reflecting off it...again, he knew he would have nearly had a damned heart attack if she hadn’t. He could kick his own ass for leaving her alone in the first damned place. If anything had happened to her, he’d put a bullet in his own stupid head.

  As soon as he pulled up in front of the house, he saw Detective Tyler on the porch. As Jace walked up the detective said, “This shit’s getting old.”

  “You think?” Jace asked. “Where’s my old lady?”

  “She’s inside.” For the first time Jace noticed the clothes lying out on the porch. A gray t-shirt stained with something that looked like motor oil, a pair of jeans splattered with the same thing, and a pair of black boots. There was a jacket too, a leather one, and that was where Jace’s focus landed. On the back of the jacket it said, “Navajo Nation.”

  “What does it say on the front of that jacket?” When Detective Tyler didn’t answer him right away, Jace started to reach for it.

  “Don’t,” the detective said. “It’s evidence Mr. Bell. I need you to go on inside and let us finish out here, and then I’ll be in to talk to you and Miss Golden both.”

  “Is that Tommy Tsosie’s jacket?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “What does it say on the front?”

  “Jace...” Jace didn’t know if the detective was going to plead or threaten. The sound of a Harley coming up the drive caught both their attention. Jace watched the man drive up and park. He pulled off his black helmet and said:

  “This the Skulls’ place?”

  “Maybe. Who are you?”

  “They call me Bubba. I was over in Buckeye and...well, long story short, I was told to talk to you about joining up with your club.”

  “I’ll need the long version,” Jace said. Looking at the detective he said, “I’ll be waiting inside for you.” Tyler nodded at him and when Jace beckoned at Bubba to follow him, the detective watched him closely as they went into the house. “Sit,” Jace told the young biker, going to find his old lady before he did anything else. She met him in the hallway, coming out of the bedroom, fully dressed in her jeans and a long-sleeved t-shirt. Before either of them said a word, they embraced. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I never should have left you alone.”

  “Fuck that,” she said. “I’m not afraid to be alone, and not of a chickenshit motherfucker who has to ring the bell and run in the middle of the night. I hope one of my bullets caught him and he’s choking on his own blood right now.” Jace heard the kid in the room behind them clear his throat and he chuckled silently. Beck looked around her big old man and said, “Who the fuck are you?”

  “That’s Bubba,” Jace said, as the kid came back to his feet.

  “Who the fuck is Bubba?”

  “Haven’t gotten that far,” he said.

  Beck looked at the kid again. He looked like he was about to piss his pants. “Who are you?” she asked, slowly, like the kid was daft. He was an average-looking guy with light brown eyes, a shaved head, and a shaggy beard. He looked like a typical biker except that she got the feeling just from the look in his eyes that hair might not be the only thing he was lacking upstairs.

  “The bartender at the Desert Lounge said you were just in. I was looking for an MC to join up with...and I kind of didn’t know that the Black Warriors were....um, well, you know...”

  “Black?” Beck said, rolling her eyes. She’d thought Finn was a little short on brains, but Bubba made him look like a genius so far.

  “Um...yeah. Well, I came in from Texas a few days ago and I was doing some looking for a club to join up with. Some guy at the motel I’ve been staying at told me about the Warriors and I was only about ten miles from the club where they hang out...”

  “But this guy didn’t tell you that you were way too pale to fit in?” Beck asked. Jace looked like he was trying to keep a straight face. She loved her old man and she knew that nobody wanted to be on his bad side when he was pissed off...but when he wasn’t pissed, he was way too nice. She could already see the wheels turning in his head, trying to figure out how to make this crazy, bald Texan fit in with their club.

  “No, ma’am. I reckon he was messin’ with me a little bit.”

  Jace did laugh then and Beck rolled her eyes again, “What was your first clue?” The question was facetious, but Bubba didn’t get that. He launched into the rest of his story, starting with his “first clue.”

  “Well, when I got to the bar, I realized I was the only white guy. But everyone was real nice so I went ahead and sat down and ordered a beer. The Warriors were there, sitting in the back, and I needed a little liquid courage to approach ’em...”

  “Oh dear God, you actually asked them even after you saw the club?”

  “Well, no, not exactly. There was this big guy, really big, like you,” he said to Jace. “He had this pretty girl on his l
ap and this other guy, he came in...I think he was a street gangbanger. He was wearing a red bandanna around his head...and had them baggy pants, you know? Anyway, he went straight over there, talking a lot of shit. I thought he must be crazy, but then I saw the gun. The big guy, he was real cool about it. He grabbed that boy’s wrist and I heard it snap from across the room. He dropped the gun and then like a prizefighter or something, the big guy threw a few pretty punches and dropped him. Some other of the baggy pants guy’s cronies had come along during the fight and the rest of the Warriors got in on it too. Anyhow, the police showed up and took some of the Warriors away.”

  “Shit,” Jace said, finally speaking. “Was one of them the big guy?”

  Bubba nodded. “The bartender told me he was the president of the club, Newell Jamison.”

  “Shit.” Bubba waited to see if Jace had anything else to say, when he didn’t go on Bubba said:

  “Well, that’s when I started talking to the bartender and he told me I should come see you. He said you had just left a while ago, otherwise I wouldn’t have come out here so late...Looks like I showed up at a bad time anyhow?”

  Beck laughed, and sarcastically said, “Man you’re a quick one.” Jace gave her a look and she knew it was over – this brainless Texan would be wearing a Skulls patch before the week was over. Hopefully, he was at least handy with a wrench. If not, Beck planned to slap an apron on him and put a feather duster in his hand. She would learn how to live with her old man taking in strays if she had to, but she was damned sure not going to tolerate any dead weight.

  * * *

  “Mr. Bell!” Detective Tyler interrupted them, just as Jace had taken Beck aside to ask if they could offer to let Bubba stay in the guest room until they could “evaluate” him. Beck wasn’t mad at her old man; she loved his heart. Sometimes she was jealous of it. But, she did think he was way too trusting sometimes.

  “Hey!” Beck said to Bubba on their way back through. “Bed down in the back room for now. Any funny business and I’ll shoot your balls off, while you still have your pants on.” Bubba looked like he wasn’t sure if he wanted to stay or run away, but for the moment, he stayed rooted to his spot as she followed Jace out to see what the detective wanted.

  “We’re about ready to wrap things up here, for now,” he said. “I did some digging, however, into missing persons. The girls we found out here last week were both reported missing last month within two days of each other. They were from different parts of town, different backgrounds. The significant part of that is that the month before that, the same thing...and the month before that, as well.”

  “Son of a bitch,” Jace said. “A serial killer?”

  “Maybe. I’m asking your permission to search the rest of your property and see if we can find any more bodies.”

  “You’re going to just start digging?” Beck asked. “Tearing the shit out of the property? Meanwhile our building is still on hold?”

  “Yes. I’m sorry. But if you refuse...”

  “We’re not refusing,” Jace said with a sigh. “Do what you have to do, but please do as little damage as possible.”

  “You have my word.”

  “The clothes...” Jace started.

  “I can’t discuss that with you. I’ll let you know what I can, when I can. Y’all have a good night.” They watched him walk toward his car. The bag from the front porch and the clothes were gone. As the detective got into his car Beck said:

  “What about the clothes?”

  “The jacket...it said, ‘Navajo Nation’ on the back of it.”

  “You’re thinking Ajei and Rock’s son?” Jace nodded. “You planning on talking to him?”

  Jace shook his head. “No. I’m planning on talking to Rock. Ajei is a nice lady, but I’m afraid she might just be a little bit blind to what her son is capable of. Maybe Rock can look at things more objectively.”

  “Okay, but let’s get some sleep first.” Jace nodded. It was close to 4 a.m. and the guys would be showing up by 7 a.m. to get to work. Beck could see the poor guy was dead on his feet.

  “Wanna fuck first?” she asked with a grin.

  “If you do, baby,” he said.

  She laughed and put her arms around him. “You’re so tired you’re about to pass out, and you still don’t tell me no. See why I love you so much?”

  “You love me because I can fuck on demand...like a machine?” He laughed and Beck rolled her eyes and said:

  “Try and say something romantic.”

  Jace was still chuckling as he put his arm around her and walked them inside. The door to the back bedroom was closed and the bald, not too bright Texan was nowhere around. “I guess Einstein went to bed.”

  “He seems okay,” Jace said as they walked into their own bedroom and he closed the door behind them. Beck shook her head.

  “What if he’s the serial killer? Did you think of that? No offense, baby, but sometimes you trust way too much.”

  “I’ll run a background on him. I’m sorry I told him he could stay here, though; you’re right. I should have at least talked to you before I did that.”

  “Oh, bullshit. You’re the prez. You do what you want. He messes with me and we both know where he’ll end up. I’m just saying, everyone doesn’t have that good heart of yours.”

  He wrapped her up in his arms and she pressed her face against his bare chest. He bent down and kissed her on top of the head and she felt him bury his face there for a few seconds and inhale. He told her all the time that she was his “calm” in a storm. It took her a while to believe he really meant that, because for most of her life, to everyone else, she was the storm.

  13

  “Finn? Hey, sexy, wake up.” Finn smiled as consciousness returned to his body. It was a rare occasion when he woke up to a female voice, especially one calling him sexy. He never thought about being in a relationship. He was sure he didn’t know how. But a man could get used to being woken up like this for sure.

  “I’m awake,” he said. He opened his eyes to Jessie’s face. Her long hair was tickling the side of his face. His long hair was fanned out all over the pillow and her elbow was leaning into a good chunk of it. She could pull it out if she wanted to, though; he didn’t care. She was so hot, and last night had been...fucking amazing.

  Jessie smiled and ran one of her fingers across his lips before leaning down and pressing her lips into his. “How’d you sleep?”

  “Like a satisfied baby,” he said. His body jerked when she slid one of her hands underneath the covers and wrapped it around his morning wood. He groaned. “Jesus.” She ran her hand up and down the shaft a few times and he groaned again. “That feels so good.”

  Finn had gone to the bar the night before, looking for this particular, sexy-as-sin woman. He was more disappointed about Tommy’s ruining his chances with her, the last time he’d gone there, than he had been the fight and his hours in jail. He was aware that if Tommy was there, he might be looking for another fight, and Finn couldn’t afford any more trouble...but he’d been so damned horny, his dick was doing all of the thinking. He and his dick had been delighted to find sexy Jessie working the bar and no Tommy Two-Tone, or whatever the fuck his name was, lurking around.

  He had sat at the bar and Jessie had served him up a few drinks in between her other duties; Finn had tried to be as smooth as possible, and flirt with her like he’d seen his “normal” friends do recently. He was learning and since Jessie already seemed to be as attracted to him as he was to her, she seemed like a good person to practice on. Either it had worked, or Jessie was already planning on taking someone home that night and Finn came along at the right time. He didn’t care why, but before last call the sexy bartender had leaned in on her elbows with her cleavage almost right in his face and said, “I’m closing up in a few. You want to continue this party at my place?” Of course he’d said yes. He helped her close up and then he’d followed her about six miles up the road to a little house that sat off by itself in the deser
t. Once inside they did have that drink...and they shared a joint...and then to his surprise and delight, she had climbed up into his lap, and the real fun got started. Just thinking about it now was what made him hard again. What she was doing was going to make him have his third orgasm of the past eight hours or so.

  “Good,” she whispered in his ear, sending goosebumps racing down his spine and arms. “It’s supposed to feel good. I can make it feel better, if you want me to.”

  “Mm, I’d have to be insane to say no.” That was all she needed to hear. Her lips were on his neck then and in seconds they were burning a trail down his body, across his chest, his stomach and then at last they landed on the tip of his cock. Finn put his hands in her long, dark, silky hair and wrapped his fingers up in it. The first touch of her hot, wet tongue against the swollen head of his cock made him moan, loudly. He could hear her breaths speeding up as her full lips opened up and took the head in between them. Her tongue was still working and it licked the thick, liquid bead of excitement off the tip before beginning to lick his entire shaft in a spiral motion. Like one of those fancy staircases in those fancy houses that Finn had grown up in, her tongue worked its way up to the attic and then slid all the way down to the basement, leaving only pleasure in between.

  Finn’s hold on her hair got tighter when she began to suck harder. One thing Finn had learned about women was when they liked sex, it showed. Jessie was having a good time doing what she was doing. Each time he moaned or even sucked a breath in through his clenched teeth, she sucked harder and bobbed her head up and down faster. Finn just lay against the bed for a while and let the jolts of pleasure race through him, but soon he was unable to lie still and he began to pump his hips up and down, pushing his cock in as far as it would go, ramming it into the back of her throat. He pulled back when she gagged, but she’d push her own head down on it, taking it in all the way to the base. She was so good, the deeper he pushed himself into her throat, the sexier the sounds she was making got, intensifying Finn’s excitement even more. He could feel her mouth vibrate around his shaft each time she moaned and he could feel that third orgasm coming fast.