by Addison Jane
“Pretty,” he snapped as he climbed to his feet too. “But not fucking smart apparently. You’re gonna find me something, Dakota, or these people…” he slammed his palm down hard on the photo that lay in the middle of the table, it groaned under the force, “… they’re next.”
He’d thought of everything.
Once he let Ripley go, he wouldn’t be able to take it back and charge him again if I refused to do his dirty work. He had to have some other kind of collateral. Something that would trump my love of the club and the people in it.
I felt sick. I felt like a horrible fucking person.
“You have an hour to get Ripley out of here, then we have a deal.” With that, I turned on my heel and marched toward the door. I needed to be strong. I needed to leave here not feeling like I was weak, not feeling like he’d won because, in my mind, this wasn’t over just yet.
My hand was reaching for the handle when he called after me. “You better keep your mouth closed, Dakota. I hear that any of this has gotten out… and trust me I’ll know… I won’t even give you a chance to say goodbye to them.”
I pressed my free hand to my mouth to try and stop the vomit from rising in my throat.
I needed to do something.
I needed to figure this shit out.
And I needed to do it yesterday.
RIPLEY
My knuckles were numb. The ice I was holding on them was doing nothing but making me feel like a fucking popsicle sending a chill through my entire body. Or maybe that was just the adrenaline finally leaving.
I was in a cell on my own. It was one of the ones I think they reserved for the drunk or crazy criminals so they couldn’t hurt anyone, or themselves, I guess. They’d put me in here when I’d lost my shit after they took my fucking cut.
My club colors were a piece of me. Caleb fucking knew that and him taking them was his way of kicking me in the fucking balls.
I kept looking up at the door waiting for it to swing open and my dad to waltz through with a pissed-off look on his face. But so far, nothing. It had been at least three hours since they’d dumped me here. I hadn’t been processed. No one had come to ask me any questions or give me a phone call to my lawyer.
I knew what getting arrested was like, and something was fucking wrong.
Just as I had that thought, the loud clicking of the door locks echoed in the room, and the door eased open with a groan. Two officers stepped inside first. They were tall and broad and had muscles on their fucking muscles. I was strong but against these two beef heads? I wouldn’t have a fucking show.
That’s what I assumed they were for at first. Thought this was where they came to get even for ruffing up one of their own. But after stepping inside, they both casually lounged back against the wall like they didn’t even want to be there.
Then I knew why.
Caleb walked in.
He’d dressed in new clothes, gotten rid of the ones with the bloodstains on them I guessed. His sparkly business shoes entered first making me snort with laughter. Drake wore them all the time, and if I didn’t know my brother and what he’d done to get to where he was today, I’d laugh at him every time he walked into a room too. At least his had a little dust on them, a little bit of something to show he wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty. Caleb’s had a princess kind of sparkle you only got from getting someone else to do your dirty work for you.
“Couldn’t even come in here like a man?” I taunted, leaning back against the brick wall and shaking my head. My body craved nicotine. I needed to calm the fuck down before the situation turned into something else.
A shit-uation.
“You had to bring your sidekicks with you in case I plowed my fist through your face again.”
Caleb’s lips pursed together. That look where people’s lips ended up looking like a cat’s asshole. The blond cop off to the left smirked then quickly covered his mouth.
I obviously wasn’t the only one who disliked this little needle dick, so how the hell was he here swinging his dick around like fucking King Kong? What the hell was this guy’s gameplay? Could he be dirty? Or maybe working for someone. Could perhaps be a business or maybe even another club, so they could come in and take over the money from Empire when he exterminates us.
Caleb took a deep breath, his cat’s bum lips drawing into a smile before he looked down at his pants dramatically. “Oh, how embarrassing. My fly is undone.” He reached down and pulled it up, all while grinning at me like a fucking Cheshire cat.
He had something up his sleeve and the bristles on the back of my neck began to stand on end as I waited for him to deliver the blow he was holding.
He cleared his throat and stepped to the side. “Damien here will show you out.”
The officer with the darker hair walked out of the room, I guess expecting me to follow along behind him, but I was frozen to the spot.
Was this a joke?
“You’re kidding, right?” I asked cautiously as I climbed to my feet. My body was aching and sore, but I was ready for a fight if this was going to go down. Maybe he wanted me to walk out the door so then he could pretend like I was escaping and hope they’d gun me down.
Caleb shook his head. “No joke. The girl at the front desk will give you your vest.”
“Cut.”
He waved his hand through the air. “Cut, whatever. We’re done here, so…” he drew the word out as he indicated toward the door.
I still didn’t move.
This shit did not happen.
I attacked a police officer.
I knew the types of penalties they gave those who came after a member of law enforcement. They took them for fucking everything they had, dragged them through the mud and the dirt, beat the shit out of them, then dragged them back again.
“Tell me what the fuck’s going on,” I ordered. “I don’t give a shit how many men you have in this place, I will burn it to the fucking ground.” My anxiety was rising. Yes, I wanted to just say fuck it and walk straight out the fucking door, not giving a shit why he was handing me this free pass when just a few hours ago he was determined to inflict as much pain on me as possible.
When he didn’t bother to answer, I took a step forward, and the uniformed officer stepped in immediately. He looked bored, but obviously, he’d been told to protect this fucker. I chuckled, looking directly at him as he tried to control the agitated tick in his jaw. He knew he looked like a douche. A fucking pansy. In front of his own officers.
Tension was swarming in the room like bees, buzzing around the both of us, waiting to attack.
“I’ve got this under control, Evans. You can wait outside,” Caleb finally said through clenched teeth. I couldn’t help but smile even wider. I was in under his skin, and I fucking loved it. The uniformed officer shrugged, turned, and strolled out the door.
Caleb rolled his shoulders, one after another. Then the tension in his jaw began to release, and a devious smile touched at the corners of his mouth. His hand reached up to touch his lip where it was split in the corner. “Dakota came by to see me.”
My fist clenched.
I didn’t give a fuck how sore it was.
I didn’t give a fuck if it was broken.
Just hearing her name on his lips was enough to make me want to begin round two, right fucking there in my cell. Dipshit one and two out there wouldn’t care. Fuck, it was obvious they really couldn’t fucking care less if Caleb had the shit beaten out of him. He was probably just as much of an asshole to them.
I took another step forward, my fingers twitching to wrap themselves around his neck. He didn’t pull back, his grin only grew bigger. Because he knew he had turned the tables.
“Yeah, we had a chat. She was very… passionate about not letting you go to prison,” he drawled, pulling on the cuffs of his suit before adjusting his collar. “She was adamant there must have been something she could do in order to kee—”
I rushed at him, my forearm pressing against his throat a
s I threw his body back against the brick wall. He coughed and spluttered, the air instantly knocked from his lungs and unable to inhale anymore with my arm pressed to his throat. Hands grabbed me, fighting against the pressure I was putting on. It took some effort but they finally managed to pull me back with a force I couldn’t fight. I turned to swing, thinking it was the two officers but instead, my father caught my fist before it could connect. Shotgun was with him too, the both of them breathing heavily.
“That’s enough,” Dad growled, hitting me with a look which told me I better shut my damn mouth before he shut it for me. After a few moments, he dropped my hand, trusting that I had my anger under control. He maneuvered his body in front of mine forcing me back just slightly. “Are we done here?”
Caleb was still hunched over, his hands tearing at his throat as he finally managed to suck in some actual oxygen. “You… little…” he managed to grind out between breaths.
Asshole?
Bastard?
Motherfucker?
I was all of the above and then some.
But I was also loyal, intelligent, and stronger than he could ever fucking believe. No, I wasn’t the good guy, but if this douchebag is what constitutes good, I’ll be the villain any fucking day.
“We’re leaving,” Dad asserted while Caleb still fought to catch his breath. He grabbed my arm and shoved me toward the door, but I couldn’t help but leave the great officer one little parting piece of advice.
“Before you try and come for my family, here’s a little tip… don’t.”
DAKOTA
I shoved open the door to my little apartment. It often stuck, especially when it had been raining and the moisture got into the old wooden doorframe making it expand. Yeah, it was annoying, but I loved this place. My apartment was small, but it was cozy and it was just me.
My body was completely exhausted. After what happened at the police station, I’d let Meyah know to send someone to get Rip when he was released, and then I’d run. I’d gone to the local library where I often went to write assignments when I didn’t have classes.
I’d found the section right in the back corner that no one used, and I’d cried. So much that even three hours later, my eyes were still swollen and puffy, and I couldn’t stop sniffing.
I felt broken.
And I felt dirty.
And I still hadn’t decided what the hell I was going to do.
I leaned back against the door until it clicked closed. Letting out a satisfied breath, I turned and twisted the lock before reaching for the light switch. The room illuminated brightly, the sudden light forcing me to blink several times as they fought to come back into focus.
“What the hell did you do?”
I screamed, my body spinning around in fright and my hand instantly going to my heart as it tried to leap out of my fucking chest. Seeing Ripley’s face as he leaned against the entrance to my kitchen, his eyes burning holes through me, his mouth pressed in a straight line, sent chills straight from head to toe.
He was furious.
It quickly drove my blood pressure through the roof as my heart raced to keep up with the sudden surge of adrenaline shooting through my veins. His arms were folded across his chest like a parent waiting for their teen to sneak back in their bedroom window. I wasn’t a fucking child, I was an adult, one who was capable of making choices in her life. Especially when they included protecting the people she cared about.
Instantly, my fear turned to anger, and when that kicked in, I didn’t waste a fucking second. “Don’t fucking do that shit!” I launched my pile of keys that weighed a freaking ton right at his face. Unfortunately, his reflexes were a little quicker, and he ducked. They hit the wall behind him with a hard thump and fell to the ground.
When he pulled his body back to full height again, the dark glare on his face was just as intense, and it twisted my stomach, sending another chill shooting up my spine, this one stronger and more intense than the last. He was angry. Obviously, he knew it was me who somehow got him out of a possible prison sentence.
Of course, it was.
Caleb would want him to know.
He’d want Rip to know that I had to give something.
Lord, I think I’m going to be sick.
I sighed heavily as the pounding in my chest began to return to normal, but my stomach contents began to swirl fast and stronger.
“Tell me what you fucking did, Dakota.” He took one step forward, and I was instantly on the defensive, holding my hand up and pressing my back against the door. “You suck his cock? You fuck him, Dako—”
“Stop it!” My heart had moved from my chest up into my throat making it hard to breathe. “Get out, Rip,” I ordered sternly, trying to act like the idea of being anywhere near that man’s genitals didn’t make me want to fucking puke. I turned my body, reaching for the lock, unlocking it again. My hand gripped the door handle, but before I could twist and pull it open, Ripley’s tattooed hand slammed against the door just inches from my face.
I gasped. The tears were already brimming in my eyes. I tried to pull back, but he quickly locked me in, pressing his hand to the door on the other side of my head. My nose crinkled as I fought hard to keep my composure, and I looked up at the broody bastard staring down at me.
“Get. Out.” My voice shook, but I didn’t care.
I couldn’t do this.
Not with him.
“What did you do?” he asked again, this time through clenched teeth.
I lifted my chin defiantly, and his eyes instantly moved to my exposed neck, his tongue swiping out across his bottom lip as if he could already taste me in his mouth. Even with my heart feeling like it was going to pound its way out of my chest, and not to mention at any moment feeling like someone from the club was going to jump out and accuse me of betraying them before burning me at the goddamn stake, I still managed to be turned on by the way he was looking at me. My pussy still clenched at the way his tongue ran across his lips, and the way he bared his teeth like some kind of fucking animal. I didn’t have the guts to tell him the truth, not until I had some time to think about it myself.
So maybe this was best.
Maybe him thinking that I used my body wasn’t the worst idea.
I ducked under his arm, ready to make a dash for my bedroom, or the bathroom, somewhere with a fucking lock on the door where I could escape this man and the way he tormented my body. He was faster though, his rough hand grasping my wrist and tugging on it, turning my body so my back was pushed against the wall and my hands both forced up above my head. I struggled for a few moments as he just stared down at me with an intensity that burned straight through to my soul as he effortlessly held me captive.
“Don’t do this, Ripley. Please,” I pleaded, my voice raspy as my throat burned with tears. His caramel eyes looked hard and dark. His hands were rough, there was none of the gentleness I’d felt before. It was all gone. He thought I was the enemy now, and he wasn’t far from the truth.
“I didn’t need you to play hero,” he hissed under his breath, but I could hear some of the sharpness melting away.
“He was threatening to charge you with a felony, Ripley,” I croaked, feeling like I was fighting a lost cause like I was about to lose the one person I never thought would be more than an annoying pain in my ass. “I wasn’t going to let you be sent to fucking jail for ten years because he was trying to punish me for not getting on my knees behind the bar that night.”
He leaned forward, his mouth just a breath away from mine. The smell of mint of his breath was so very Ripley, and the way it mixed with the smell of cigarette smoke in his leather was one of the most unexpectedly sexiest aromas.
Ripley only smoked when he was stressed or angry.
Which told me one thing—he gave a shit.
More than he would ever like to fucking admit.
Ripley pulled at so many damn emotions inside me that I constantly felt like I was in some kind of tornado when he was around. J
ust when I thought he was going to kiss the fucking life out of me, he pulled back and released a deep growl from inside his chest before plowing his fist into the wall beside my front door.
I smothered a frightened scream with my hand and pressed my body back against the wall, watching him with wide eyes. For a moment, I wondered whether he was going to lose his shit and blackout like he did with Caleb at the theater. I knew he wasn’t there. He wasn’t aware of what he was doing because he was reliving some kind of nightmare in his own head.
I’d tried to get to him, but Shotgun held me back. He tried to tell me that Rip wouldn’t have recognized me, he would have kept swinging, and I could have gotten hurt, but honestly, I didn’t care.
He stopped, raising an eyebrow. “You suddenly fucking scared of me, Dakota?”
I actually snorted at the prospect. It was forced. Ripley petrified me, but not for the reasons I think he was implying. I was scared of the way my body ached for him whenever he touched me. I was scared of just how easily I could fall. And I was scared of how hard I would hit the ground when I did.
There was a reason why they called it falling in love. It was the fall that was the most important part. It was where you let yourself go, where you take that leap off the side of the cliff in hopes that another person would catch you at the bottom.
There were two types of guys in this world.
They were either catchers, or they weren’t.
Men like Ripley were not catchers.
Which is why I had to take a step back from the ledge and stop pretending like what we had was going to ever be more than two bodies who shared an electrical current unlike I’d ever experienced with anyone else.
Without warning, he rushed forward, pressing my body back against the wall as he captured my mouth with his. I clutched on to him, my body aching just to hold him, to lay down with him, and to listen to him tell me about that dark place where he went to today. I wish this was a fucking normal relationship like we weren’t two people that continually thrived on the tension between us to light us on fire. But it wasn’t ever going to be that way.
