Cowboy (A Bad Boy Romance 4)

by Harley Wylde

  “Saint’s been with the club since he was seventeen,” Isabella said. “He’s twenty-six now, and yes he’s the youngest patched member. Aside from the officers, there isn’t another man here that my husband trusts as much as Saint.”

  “And that’s his daughter?” I asked, nodding to the little girl.

  “Yep, that’s Delia,” Darian said. “She came as quite the surprise, not just to us but for Saint too. He knocked up the sister of a Hades Abyss member and she never told him. When she died, the brother called and Saint hauled ass up there to meet his daughter. He’s really good with her.”

  “It’s sad she lost her mom so young,” I said, thinking of my own kids and what would happen to them if I died.

  “So, things are good with you and Cowboy?” Darian asked. “He seems completely in love with you.”

  I smiled a little. I was stupid in love with him too, and I was worried sick something bad would happen today. Either that Beck would hurt Ty, or that my cowboy would do something stupid and end up in jail. He’d promised that wouldn’t happen, but I knew Beck. If he felt cornered, he’s say some really horrible things, the type of stuff that would set off Ty. My ex-husband was a master of manipulation, as I knew all too well.

  “They’re going to be fine,” Ridley said. “Venom and Torch are with him, and so are the others. Cowboy will come home to you in one piece.”

  “I just know Beck. He’s not going down without a fight. He might not start a physical fight when the odds are stacked that high against him, but he’ll know just which barbs to sling to get a rise out of Ty. He’ll try to make Ty do something reckless.”

  “Cowboy has a lot of backup, not just from this club but from two others. He’s going to be fine,” Mara said. I hadn’t had a chance to get to know her before today, but she seemed sweet if a bit quiet. “Rocky will make sure he comes back to you.”

  I hadn’t had friends in such a long time, it was a little overwhelming to have the support of the Dixie Reaper ladies. Well, Ty had been my friend, but Beck had made sure I didn’t have anyone else. Anytime someone had tried to get close, he’d found a way to sabotage it. I didn’t understand why he hadn’t kept me away from Ty, except that he didn’t see him as a threat. Ty had been professional and kept his distance when Beck was around, and I’d heard my ex-husband’s snide comments about how pathetic and weak Ty was, even though I knew different.

  I twisted the engagement ring on my finger. Saying yes to Ty hadn’t been a hard decision. I knew that he was nothing like Beck. I might have been fooled once, but Ty was so protective, so tender. There was no way I was making a mistake this time. And he adored my kids, even called them his. I didn’t think there were too many guys like him in the world, although the other Dixie Reapers seemed to be cut from that same cloth.

  My stomach rumbled and I glanced toward the kitchen. I’d been told to help myself to anything in there, but I still felt like a guest here. So far, I’d only been sick that one time, even though nausea was almost constantly present right now. I didn’t know if it was the pregnancy or the stress. Standing up, I went into the kitchen, intent on finding a cold bottle of water and maybe some crackers.

  The kitchen was dark and quiet. I flipped on the light and frowned when only one of the four fluorescent lights came on. It seemed strange, but maybe with everything happening they hadn’t had a chance to change the others. I made my way to the fridge and found a bottle of water. I’d just taken a sip when I heard a shuffling noise in the dark corner. My heart kicked up a notch as I stared into the inky blackness. The hair on my nape stood up and goose bumps ran down my arms. I waited, nearly holding my breath, but I didn’t hear anything else and nothing bad happened. Turning to go back to the others, I gave a yelp when someone gripped my hair and jerked me off my feet.

  “Thought you could leave me, you little bitch?” Beck whispered against my ear. “Do you know what happens to whores who don’t behave?”

  I whimpered and closed my eyes, hoping my kids would stay in the other room. If Beck got his hands on Danica or Jackson, I’d never forgive myself. I thought of the life growing inside me, and I hoped like hell that I could make it out of this in one piece. Ty would be devastated if I lost the baby, but I knew he’d care more about me surviving. I didn’t understand how Beck had gotten into the compound, much less into the clubhouse. I’d seen the men they assigned to keep watch outside and the ones in here. I wasn’t sure if Beck was just foolish or since he had nothing left to lose if he was being reckless.

  “You’re going to keep quiet and come with me,” Beck said. “If I even think you’re trying to alert anyone, I’ll snap your fucking neck and light this damn place on fire.”

  I gave a short nod that I understood and let him pull me through the back of the kitchen, down a short hall, and out into the night. I dragged in the cool night air and wondered how long it would take someone to notice I was missing. If Beck were armed, he hadn’t used his weapon yet. Or maybe he just thought I was such an easy target he didn’t need one, and it seemed he was right.

  “I won’t fight you, Beck,” I said softly. “Just please, leave Danica and Jackson alone. They’re happy here.”

  “I have to admit, I didn’t think that worthless cowboy had it in him. I saw the way he eye-fucked you when he thought I wasn’t watching, but he seemed like the spineless type. Never counted on him being a biker.” Beck pressed his nose into my hair. “Does he fuck you real good, Jacey? Make you scream?”

  I trembled and fought not to throw up. I didn’t know what Beck had planned for me, but it couldn’t be good. Whatever it was, I’d survived this long married to the man. I could make it through one more night. Eventually, someone would come for me. I only hoped they didn’t end up dead in some heroic attempt to rescue me.

  “How did you get into the compound, or the clubhouse?” I asked, hoping he would want to brag and boast about how much smarter he was than the others.

  “Snipped part of the fencing a few miles down the property line. No one was nearby, and it doesn’t look like they have enough manpower to watch that fence twenty-four-seven. As for the clubhouse, it was merely a matter of watching for a pattern. Every twenty minutes, the men outside left that back door unguarded. Or rather, the one stationed there walked off. I don’t think that was in the plans, but he’s sloppy.”

  I didn’t think Torch would be happy to hear that, and I hoped I lived long enough to tell him. If Beck could get in and get to me, then someone else could get to the other women and kids. This place might not be my home, but it was the first time I’d felt like I belonged somewhere. Those women were my friends now.

  “You shouldn’t have run, Jacey. I told you that I’d never let you leave.”

  “I don’t love you, Beck. I couldn’t help falling in love with Ty.”

  He cuffed me on the side of the head with his fist and black dots swam across my vision. I fought to remain upright as he dragged me farther into the darkness of the compound. We didn’t seem to be heading toward the fence but away from it, and that gave me a little bit of hope. If we stayed inside the gates, then maybe I would be found before it was too late. I only hoped that whoever came for me wouldn’t end up dead.

  “Couldn’t keep your mouth shut about our little games, could you?” he asked, his voice low and silky, like a lover and not the demonic force that he truly was. “You know you liked it, getting my dick and being filmed.”

  Bile rose in my throat, but I refused to respond or to throw up.

  “My little cash cow.” I felt him smile as he pressed his face against my neck. “Don’t worry. I found a replacement for you the same day you left. She didn’t handle it as well as you did, though, so she ended up in a dumpster the next night. There are lots of little Jaceys in the world, my wife. And I will find them all until I have the perfect woman under my control again.”

  “You’re a monster, Beck. No one will ever be under your control again because you’re going to prison. Do you know what happens to
cops in prison, Beck?” I taunted. “You like raping women? I hope you like getting the favor returned tenfold.”

  He threw me to the ground and pulled his foot back to kick me, but I heard three rapid gunshots and watched as Beck staggered backward, red blooming across the shoulder and side of his shirt. He snarled, spat at me, then took off into the night.

  Grimm knelt at my side, a gun clutched in his hand as he checked me over with his free one. “Please tell me I got here in time.”

  “He hit me, but that’s about it.”

  “I’m sorry I wasn’t here faster. When you didn’t return from the kitchen, Ridley alerted me that something was wrong. Didn’t take me long to figure out he’d forced you out the back way.”

  “But how did you find us?” I asked.

  “Your husband is so desperate he didn’t worry about leaving tracks. Just in case he made it past us, I made sure I hosed down the ground around the clubhouse before you arrived earlier. Should have told someone else about my plan and maybe you’d have been found faster. It was still just wet enough that he left footprints. No one else had come this direction so I knew it had to be him,” Grimm said.

  He helped me stand just as two more men came running toward us. Grimm gave a nod in the direction Beck had run and they took off after him. He pulled a cell phone from his pocket and sent off a message. With his arm around my waist to keep me steady, we made our way back to the clubhouse. Saint stood on the front porch with his arms folded and a fierce expression on his face.

  He glared at me as we made our way to the front door, and I slowed my steps. Why was he angry with me? I hadn’t done anything wrong! It wasn’t my fault that Beck had found his way inside, or that he’d taken me. I’d kept him from hurting everyone else by going with him quietly, and that included Saint and his little girl. Didn’t that count for anything?

  “Next time you want something, tell someone,” Saint said.

  Grimm tightened his hold on me. “Don’t be an asshole, Saint. Just because you’re worried Cowboy might kick your ass for losing his woman isn’t a reason to take it out on her. You want to go after someone? Calder was supposed to watch the back door. Where the fuck was he for so damn long that Beck was able to get into the clubhouse and back out? Maybe that’s what you should be asking. Chew Calder’s ass out and not her.”

  He gave a nod and stepped aside so we could enter the building.

  “Beck threatened to burn down the clubhouse with everyone inside,” I said. “I had no choice but to go with him. I couldn’t risk all the kids being hurt.”

  “Don’t be a martyr, Jacey,” Grimm said. “Next time, fucking scream or something. That asshole wouldn’t have done much when we all converged on him.”

  I hadn’t thought about it like that, but then I’d never had anyone try to help me before. I was used to handling Beck on my own, of being the one responsible for protecting my kids from him. It had only come naturally to me to shield everyone else by sacrificing myself, but I could see that Grimm was right.

  He led me to a chair at a table in the corner and made me sit, then he claimed the spot across from me where he could keep an eye on the door. I felt like a kid being scolded, but I knew he was right. I shouldn’t have defaulted to the old Jacey and gone with Beck. I should have fought, or done something. Grimm wasn’t trying to be mean or blame me for what happened, he was just trying to keep me safe, and that meant I needed to fight back.

  “He said he killed a woman,” I said. “He used her to replace me for his videos and then put her in a dumpster when he was finished.”

  Grimm’s lips thinned and his eyes darkened. “There’s a special place in hell for men like him. I’ll make sure Officer Daniels knows. He may contact Beck’s old department, or he might go speak to the Tennessee State Troopers. Not sure alerting the Mayfair police will do any good, but it’s better than letting that woman rot without anyone knowing what happened to her.”

  The front door opened and two men came in, neither that I recognized. Grimm gave them a nod, and I waited to see if Ty would come too. I stared at the door, but when it didn’t open again, I sighed and looked away. If Ty wasn’t here with me, then that meant he was going after Beck. Now that my ex had taken me, I knew Ty wouldn’t be thinking rationally. Not only had I been in danger, but so had his child.

  I looked at the man sitting across from me and wondered what his story was. I didn’t really know anything about any of the Dixie Reapers. Ty had this entire other life I’d never known about, and I was curious about the men he considered his family. I could see the appeal of living here at the compound, but I agreed with Ty that I wanted wide-open spaces. Well, if Beck were ever dealt with. I wouldn’t feel safe out in the world if he were still a free man, but I had a feeling the minutes were ticking by before he breathed his last or was locked up for a really long time.

  “You’re staring,” Grimm said.

  “What’s your story? Why are you here and why the name Grimm?” I asked.

  He smiled faintly. “My parents immigrated here from Russia, but not before my father got mixed up with some bad people. I joined the military first chance I had as a way to escape, and when I got out I roamed a bit. Found my home here a year later as a Prospect.”

  “That doesn’t answer the question about your name. The Brothers Grimm weren’t Russian. They were German.”

  “I collect old books. My most prized possession is an 1812 copy of Grimm’s Fairy Tales. My mother would read those stories to me when I was younger, not the watered-down version we tell kids today but the original tales. I got drunk one night and told Venom all about it. When it came time to patch in, he named me Grimm.”

  “You don’t strike me as the book collector type.”

  “Growing up, I didn’t have many nice things, but my mother made sure we always had books to read. My parents are gone, and I guess it’s a way of keeping my mom with me at all times. She’d have loved some of the books I’ve been able to buy over the years.”

  I leaned forward and lowered my voice so I wouldn’t offend anyone with my words. “You’re not what I expected of a biker. None of you are. I always thought you were scary and dangerous.”

  “We can be, if provoked,” he said, then smiled a little. “But a sweet woman like you has nothing to worry about. Not unless you tangle with the wrong club. There are those out there who are rotten to the core and would make your husband look like an angel.”

  That made me shiver and I hoped I never met those men.

  “Do you think they’ll be okay? Everyone who’s after Beck?”

  Grimm nodded. “They know what they’re doing. A lot of the guys here have a military background, or grew up in rough neighborhoods. This isn’t the first time they’ve gone up against someone like Beck.”

  It made me wonder about Ty. We never really discussed his past, and now I wanted to know why. Was he hiding something from me, just like he’d hidden his past with the Dixie Reapers? And if he was, then why?

  The longer I had to wait, the more I started to question everything I knew about Ty. I didn’t doubt that he was a good man, that he loved me and would do anything to protect me, but now I really wanted to know about his past. When he came back to me, and he would come back, we needed to have a talk. I wasn’t going to walk into another marriage completely blind. I didn’t think for a second that Tyler Adler would ever hurt me, but my past made me overly cautious.

  Come back to me, Ty.

  Chapter Eight

  Ty

  It hadn’t taken long for my brothers to track Beck and capture him. His hands were tied and attached to a hook hanging from the ceiling in the old barn at the back of the compound. A few upgrades had been installed since I’d been gone, like the cement floor with a drain and the sink on the wall. At least if I was going to get bloody, I could clean up before I saw Jacey.

  Beck hadn’t said a word since we tied him up, just gave us a bored look. Either he didn’t think I was capable of hurting him, or he just
didn’t give a shit. Monster like him might even get off on pain, but I figured he was the type that preferred inflicting it. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have chosen my sweet, docile Jacey as his target. He’d have picked a spitfire who would fight him at every turn.

  Someone had cut Beck’s clothes off him and he hung there naked, like a slab of beef waiting to be butchered. The analogy wasn’t far off. Before his body was dumped, he wouldn’t be recognizable anymore. One of my brothers had already burned off his fingerprints. There were still dental records, but we’d fix that problem soon enough. I remembered every mark on Jacey’s body, and I planned to duplicate them on Beck, and add some more. Only seemed fair after everything she’d suffered at his hands.

  “On the one hand, I should thank you,” I said. “Because of you, Jacey was placed directly in my path. Now I’m engaged to the best woman I’ve ever met and get to be a dad to three amazing kids.”

  Beck spat on the ground. “I knew you were a stupid cowboy, but didn’t know you couldn’t add one plus one and get two.”

  I grinned. “I was counting the one I already planted in her belly. We’re having a baby, Beck. Me and Jacey. And I’m going to raise Danica and Jackson like they’re my own, make sure Jackson learns the right way to treat a lady.”

  “They’re all whores,” he said.

  “Jacey is far from a whore. She was a virgin when she married you, but then you knew that. It’s part of what drew you to her. Her innocence, her vulnerability and how easily she trusted those around her. You made sure to destroy that part of her and damn near killed her,” I said.

  “She loved what I did to her.” He grinned. “She’s nice and tight when she’s screaming and begging. I love it when they thrash around, like squeezing their throats and watching the life start to drain from them.”

  Tank drove his fist into Beck’s ribs and we all heard them crack. The asshole didn’t even wince, just kept grinning maniacally. I knew he wasn’t right in the head, and I’d known he wasn’t redeemable. We were doing the world a favor by ridding it of the likes of Beck Lane.