We’d already checked that angle out, but we kept that close to the cuff for now. The conversation continued with various theories being thrown around. I kept my eye on Torch the entire time, but the guy had a pretty good poker face. It was going to be difficult to connect him to anything. But the longer I watched his smug face, the more convinced I became that he was up to something.
17
Ember
It was a warm, beautiful day for late November. The bright sun and blue sky were in complete contrast to my mood. Looking down at my all-black ensemble, I couldn't ignore what was happening today. I couldn’t believe we were sitting here at Fitz’s funeral.
I’d dressed simply in a short-sleeved, black, knee-length dress, and Colt’s patch, like most of the women in the club. I didn’t bother with makeup this morning because I knew my tears would ruin it before the service even started.
I looked around the funeral home and was shocked by the vast number of people present to pay their respects. All of the club members from Las Vegas were here plus large contingencies from the other chapters. There was a mix of old ladies and children, club girls, and several people from the community as well. I even recognized one of the police officers from the hospital. He wasn’t in uniform and didn’t appear to be on the job, but you never could quite tell if they were conducting some sort of surveillance.
I was sitting just a couple of rows back from the front, directly behind the ones reserved for the Las Vegas guys, between Kate and Meredith, a place of prominence. It felt weird to be sitting with Viking’s wife, sons, and daughter, but since Colt was the VP, this is where his old lady would sit. But I knew I didn’t belong here and wished I were sitting with the other women behind us.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” Kate whispered next to me, echoing my thoughts from earlier.
“I know,” I whispered back, trying to wipe a tear away discreetly.
Meredith leaned into me. “He really liked you, you know?”
“I liked him too. He was a great friend.” I couldn’t bring myself to say more because this was already so hard on everyone.
We watched as people continued to file in even though all the rows were filled and several others were standing in the back. Once the room reached capacity, the service began. A giant sob caught in my throat, but I tried to keep a tight rein on my emotions as I watched Viking, Colt, Mac, Wolf, Viper, and Hawk carry Fitz’s casket to the front. When the guys moved back to their seats in the front row, I caught Colt’s eye for a fleeting moment. He seemed surprised to see me sitting with Meredith and Kate. I wondered if my prominent position angered him. Before I could read more into it, he turned away and sat down.
The officiant started speaking, but I didn’t pay much attention. Instead, I kept replaying my last moments with Fitz over and over again in my head. I was trying to pick up on anything from that morning that would help us, but as hard as I tried, I just couldn’t come up with any clues.
From what we were told, the police hadn’t found much during their investigation so far. There were a few bullet casings and a couple of skid marks, which they figured belonged to the car the assailants escaped in, but nothing else. There were no eyewitnesses, and Metro had scoured over traffic cameras, but the car was stolen, as well as the plates, and faces of the occupants in the car were hidden. They’d even worn masks, sunglasses, hats, and gloves to hide their physical features.
As the service wrapped up, Viking stood to make an announcement. “We’re going to have a barbecue in honor of Fitz back at the clubhouse. Fitz would want us celebrating his life instead of sitting around and acting like a bunch of miserable assholes.” That got a small chuckle from the crowd. “You all are welcome to join us.”
Some of the old ladies arranged to have the barbecue catered. That allowed everyone who wanted to attend the funeral to do so instead of staying behind to prep. It took a while for the funeral home to clear out. When we finally made our way outside, I searched the crowd for Colt. He told me this morning that I would ride with him to keep up appearances. When I spotted him, he was huddled with Wolf, Mac, and Hawk. They seemed to be in deep conversation, and I didn’t want to bother him.
I walked around the side of the building, looking for a quiet spot where I could relax for a few minutes and try to clear my head while I waited for everyone to finish up.
“Damn, it’s been hard to get you alone,” Torch said, causing me to jump.
Scared to be alone with him, I searched for a way to escape. “I was just heading back over to Colt,” I said, making a wide arc around him.
Unfortunately, he was still able to reach out and grab me. “Look here, bitch. I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I told you not to screw me over. Then you go and make the biggest mistake you could. You’ll pay for this. Or maybe Ice will pay for it. I know a few people in jail with him. One phone call is all it would take.”
“Please don’t do that. I’ll do anything.” He wasn’t bluffing, and I needed to buy some more time before he followed through on his threat.
“What good are you to me when you’re fucking that asshole?”
I thought for a moment before an idea came to me. “You asked me to get some info on their club. It wasn’t working before, but now I have an in. I can get you what you need.”
I didn’t know what else to do. Viking and Colt were doing everything in their power to solve this mystery. Now was my opportunity to do the same and not mess this up.
I tried to pull my arm free, but he held on tighter. I knew he would leave bruises that I would have to cover up later. “How do I know you’re not playing me?”
“You threatened James. I’ll do anything to protect him. You should know that better than anyone.”
“If you so much as—” But before he could finish his warning, we were interrupted.
“What’s going on here?” someone asked from behind me and the breath I didn’t realize I was holding whooshed out of me.
This time Torch allowed me to break free from his tight grasp, and I walked over to my new favorite person. “Colt’s looking for you,” Viper informed me, and then looked back at Torch. “I suggest you stay the fuck away from Ember if you know what’s good for you.”
“Fuck this. The dumb bitch is more trouble than she’s worth.” Torch walked away without acknowledging whether or not we had a deal.
I grabbed ahold of Viper as he made a move to go after Torch. “Thank you, but don’t go and make things worse.” As an officer of the club, he knew what was at stake and where we needed to keep our focus.
He nodded his head. “No need to thank me. As long as you’re wearing Colt’s patch, we all have your back.”
“But you know the truth about why I’m wearing it.”
“Yeah, I do. The two of you might not know it, though,” he said before turning away, leaving me to decipher his cryptic response.
An hour later, we were all back at the clubhouse. It was a little more subdued than usual, but it was still a party. There were even more people here than at the funeral home. Fitz would have loved it.
As much as I dreaded it, I needed to talk to Torch to confirm he accepted my offer. I was trying to decide how to approach him when I felt my phone buzzing in my dress pocket. I pulled it out and was a bit surprised to see the jail phone number I saved for my brother flash on the screen. The last time I spoke with him was when I was still in the hospital. He was freaking out that he couldn’t be there with me. He hadn’t calmed down until Viking talked to him.
There was a good possibility someone already filled him in on what was happening here. Then the realization that Torch may have already followed through on his threat to have James pay for my transgressions hit me in the chest.
“Um… hello?” My voice trembled as I was unsure what I would be met with on the other end of the line.
“Hey, Ember. How ya holding up?” James asked, sounding as good as possible being locked up.
Relief cour
sed through me. “I’m okay, I guess. Today was hard. How are you?”
“I’m all right. Wish I’d been there with all of you.”
“I know.” James liked Fitz, and it must have weighed heavily on him not to be able to attend the funeral today.
“So my timing sucks, but I don’t know when I’ll be able to call you again, and this can’t wait.” He hesitated for a minute, and I just knew he’d already heard about what went down here when Torch arrived. “Want to tell me how you got mixed up with Colt again?”
I shouldn’t have been surprised by his question, but I was caught off guard. I figured he’d be clued in by someone in the club, but getting called out on it this soon had me speechless for a few seconds.
“ I didn’t plan it or anything like that. It’s not like there was a future with Torch, even you knew that. Seeing Colt again brought back feelings I thought had disappeared.”
That sounded reasonable without giving too many details that could trip me up later. Besides, it wasn’t exactly a lie. The way I felt about Colt was a jumbled mess. There was a part of me that was still attracted to him, regardless if I wanted to admit it or not.
He seemed to accept my explanation. “Are you sure you don’t want to come home? I don’t feel right leaving you there after everything that happened.”
“I can’t leave. I have Colt, my job, and I like it here. I’ll be fine.”
Even if I hated it here, I wouldn’t leave. I didn’t know what Torch would do if I went back home, but I knew it wouldn’t be good.
“Okay. But, if you change your mind, I’ll send someone for you.”
“Thank you.” I was grateful he was allowing me to make this decision for myself. It wasn’t an option extended to me very often.
We spent some more time chatting. I filled him in on my job and the friends I’d made here. But while I was talking, I couldn’t keep myself from seeking out Colt.
I didn’t want to care about him after the way he’d treated me, but I knew Fitz’s death was a profound loss, and I was worried about him. When I found him, he was alone in the corner, sipping his whiskey. The air around him crackled with a ‘don’t fuck with me’ vibe.
After I hung up with James, I worked up some courage to approach him. “Hey.” It was a lame intro, but talking to him still made me nervous. “You doin’ okay?”
He just stared at me, and I knew it was a dumb question.
He put down his now empty glass and pulled the half-full bottle of Jameson off the counter. “I need a smoke.”
“Mind if I join you?”
He shrugged his shoulders, but since he didn’t say no, I followed him outside.
I watched him as he pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a long drag while leaning against the brick building. It was clear he didn’t want to talk, which was fine with me. Instead, I took comfort in the silence.
He took a large pull right from the bottle and then offered it to me.
“You’re going to share?” I was unable to mask the surprise in my voice.
“Why not? Been a shitty day for all of us.”
I couldn’t argue with that, so I grabbed the bottle from his outstretched hand and took a sip, letting the burn of alcohol distract me for a moment.
“Viper told me Torch cornered you after the service. What did he want?”
I didn’t want to talk about anything having to do with Torch, but our plan would only work if I was honest with him. “He told me I fucked up and then threatened James and me. Nothing I haven’t dealt with before.” I tried to make it seem like no big deal even though I’d been freaked out at the time.
“Are you okay?”
The question threw me for a loop. I figured he would ask how I responded, not act concerned for me.
“I will be once he leaves,” I answered truthfully. I was glad they were heading home tomorrow.
A loud noise drew my attention to the front door as two people came tumbling out. Of course, Torch found some random chick to mess around with tonight. I was so happy that I no longer had to be the woman pretending to be happy being mauled by Torch. They took a moment to break apart so they could both gather their bearings. In that second, Torch glanced over and saw me. I could tell by the look in his eyes; he was going to say something that wouldn’t end well for either of us.
“Well, if it isn’t my cunt of an ex and her new fuck buddy. It appears she has a thing for VPs, huh?”
I saw Colt stand at full attention, and I worried a fight was going to break out any minute.
“Ignore him. He’s drunk,” I whispered in Colt’s ear as he stood next to me.
“Yeah, listen to your bitch.”
I glared at Torch. It was clear he was trying to get Colt worked up, and I feared it wouldn’t take much given his mood tonight.
“Go sleep it off, man. Now’s not the time to test me.”
“Let’s get out of here,” the girl hanging all over Torch suggested as she pulled on his arm.
Not heeding the warning issued, Torch turned his focus toward me. “You’re nothing more than a club slut. He might be fucking around with you right now, but no one will ever really want you.”
He could have punched me and it wouldn’t have hurt as much. His words cut deep, and knowing Colt was only standing here because of an obligation to his club made it difficult not to believe there was some truth in Torch’s words. So far, the only two relationships I’d been in were because someone needed something from me.
“Last warning. Get the fuck out of here before Stone has to save your ass again.”
I pulled on Colt’s arm, trying to move him away before all hell broke loose. “Let’s go back inside.”
Of course, Torch couldn’t just leave it alone. “I would tell you to have fun, but I remember what it was like to fuck that pussy. You’d have a better time if you picked any of the other bitches in there.”
Utter humiliation. That was the only way to describe how I was feeling. That part of my relationship with Torch had been short-lived as there was no way I could sleep with the man trying to destroy me, my family, and the club. If not for the hold his wife had on him, his other life as a family man, VP responsibilities, and my excellent avoidance skills I’d cultivated since I was a teenager, he would have likely continued to force me to have sex with him after I found out what kind of man he really was. Turned out, he got off on just making me absolutely miserable and forcing me to do his bidding in other ways.
I heard a deep growl next to me, and before I could do anything to stop him, Colt was rushing Torch. I managed to jump between them at the last second. I wasn’t strong enough to push Colt back, so I did the first thing that came to mind. I jumped up, wrapped my body around his, and kissed him.
His entire body went rigid, and I feared I’d made the situation worse. Just as I was about to pull away and run to my room so I could hide for all eternity, I felt his arm snake around my waist, holding me against his body.
He quickly took control of the kiss, not holding back as he allowed his tongue to explore my mouth. When he finally released me, I didn’t know what to expect. But, he didn’t give me long to think about it. Instead, he grabbed my hand and started pulling me back into the clubhouse. Torch was yelling behind us, but neither of us gave him a second thought.
I didn’t know where we were headed, but I definitely wasn’t expecting him to guide me up the stairs. The whoops and hollers from the guys nearby barely registered as he pushed me into his room and slammed the door behind us. He pushed me up against the wall; the roughness of the situation was somehow a major turn on.
I knew he was stressed from everything today, and suddenly I wanted nothing more than to help him relax and feel good. I reached for the button on his pants, pulling the zipper down quickly. He let out a harsh breath as I palmed him over his black boxer briefs. A quiet voice in the back of my mind was telling me this was a horrible idea, but I couldn’t find the will to stop.
Instead, I dropped to my knees be
fore him. Slowly, I pulled his pants and underwear down, letting his cock spring free. Grasping him at the base, I ran my tongue all the way to the tip before taking him fully in my mouth. As I started to pull away, I felt his hands on the back of my head, pushing me back down his length. His thrusts became more urgent while the grip he had on my hair started to sting just a bit. The small bite of pain only encouraged me to suck harder and faster. Just as his movements became a bit uncoordinated, he pulled himself from my mouth.
“Get on the bed,” he instructed. “I want you on your hands and knees.”
I quickly complied with his request. I heard him finish shuffling out of his pants before walking over to me. He flipped my dress up over my ass, displaying my black thong to him. I felt his hands caress my bare skin and then he slowly pulled my panties down over my hips. The air on my already slick pussy made me shiver. I felt exposed in this position and needed Colt to do something.
“Please,” I begged without knowing what exactly I wanted him to do.
He pushed my shoulders down toward the mattress with one hand while slipping a finger from his other hand slowly into me. The feeling elicited a small moan from me as he added a second finger to the mix. After a few thrusts with his hand, I heard him open the drawer next to the bed and guessed he was looking for a condom.
I turned to watch him roll the latex on over his long cock. He rubbed the tip through my folds a couple times before surging forward. The sudden intrusion took my breath away, but it felt amazing.
He pumped his hips furiously, and it took all my strength to keep myself up on my knees. This wasn’t a sweet moment between two lovers. Tonight, Colt was working out all of his frustrations and anger on my body. I could feel my body tightening with my impending orgasm and when Colt reached around my body to rub my clit, I tumbled over the edge. My body shuddered as I yelled out his name. As I came down from my own high, he grabbed my hips and fucked me harder until his body shook with his own release.
Colt (Desert Sinners MC Book 2) Page 11
