Finding Needles (Charon MC Book 10)

by Khloe Wren

  “I didn’t thank you for last night.”

  “Don’t need to. Should be me thanking you for saving my mother’s fucking life.”

  She shook her head. “I just poked around enough to get myself kidnapped. Didn’t really help.”

  I took her shoulders and locked my gaze with her. “Are you fucking with me right now? You gave us every lead we had with your research. It wasn’t your poking around that got you snatched, it was that fucker finding a couple of Keys’ cameras. Bess, you saved lives. Scout wasn’t blowing smoke up your ass about that. Godfrey’s a fucking murderer. Hell, he could probably be classified as a serial killer with all he’s done. I don’t give a fuck what your old man said to you. You did good and I’m fucking proud of you.”

  And I was done talking. She was naked and looking all submissive and sexy as hell. I wanted inside my damn woman. Wrapping my arm around her waist, I lifted her up against me as I took her mouth with mine. She was tense for a few seconds before she wrapped her legs around my waist and her arms around my neck. My cock throbbed where it was pressed against her pussy but I didn’t shift to enter her just yet. This wasn’t going to be fast. I wanted to take my time with her. Make sure that by the time we were done, she’d have no fucking doubt who she belonged to.

  Elizabeth

  We probably should be talking about what happened last night and this morning, about what he thought this meant. But I couldn’t bring myself to stop him. In fact, stopping was the last thing I wanted right now. I’d had a hell of a twenty-four hours and getting lost in Ryan sounded like heaven. With me wrapped around him, he continued to kiss me as he strode down the hallway and into my bedroom. The next thing I knew, my back was on the mattress and his weight had me deliciously pinned beneath him. He shifted to kiss down my throat to my chest, where he palmed one breast while he took the other nipple into his mouth. I ran my hand over his short hair. He must buzz-cut it every week or so to keep it as short as it was. It was certainly way too short for me to grab, so I just cupped the back of his head and held him against me as he switched between my breasts, tormenting me in the sweetest way.

  I ran my other hand down his lean body, tracing all the ridges and valleys of his muscles, until I could grip his hip. I tilted my pelvis up, trying to get him to slide in deep but he growled and didn’t follow my lead. With a pop, he let my nipple go and moved up until his face was level with mine. We’d covered the whole issue of needing a condom thing last month and I hoped he didn’t bring it up again. I didn’t want to lose this moment to reality. “Please, Ryan, make me feel whole again.”

  His expression softened, his body relaxing against mine. “Bess, baby, always.”

  He gripped my thigh, lifting it as he shifted his hips to thrust inside me. With a gasp, my back arched at the intrusion. Before our night together last month, it’d been years since I’d had sex and my body wasn’t used to being stretched. Ryan wasn’t a small man either, but I loved the burn. Loved the feel of him sliding in and out of me like he was. Last time, it had been hot and heavy, hard and fast. We’d both been hurting and that ended with us hurting each other. Not physically, but emotionally, and we both ended up lashing out. Didn’t help we’d been drunk. This felt different. In the few short weeks since our last time together, so much had happened. Me getting taken had changed both of us. While I’d been trying to break free from that wall, knowing what was going to come my way, I’d thought about Ryan. About what we could have had, rather than what we couldn’t. And Ryan had settled down. He was more tender, less of an asshole, with me and in general.

  Reaching up, I cupped his face and pulled him down to me until his lips met mine. The kiss started soft, his strokes inside me slow and steady. This was making love. Ryan Perry was making love to me. Tears welled in my eyes again, but they weren’t sad tears this time. I pressed up against him, needing more of him. With a groan, he deepened the kiss, slipping his tongue in to tangle with mine as he picked up the pace of his thrusts. I broke the kiss on a gasp when he ground his pelvis against mine, rubbing my clit just right in the process.

  “Ryan...”

  He grinned down at me and did the hip thing again. “Told you last time I’d show you some new tricks.”

  That, he did. I returned the favor by clenching down on him. His movements stuttered so I did it again, starting a pattern with my clenching to massage him within me.

  “Fuck, Bess. That’s a helluva trick.”

  He dropped his head against my shoulder as his thrusts sped up again, losing some rhythm as he got closer to the edge. He slipped a hand down between us and started to flick my clit in time with his thrusts. I couldn’t focus to keep up my teasing him, and as I felt myself reach the start of my climax, I gripped his shoulders, digging my fingers into his hard muscles as I shattered apart beneath him.

  When I came back to earth, I was gathered in Ryan’s arms, tucked in against his warm body as he pressed kisses down the side of my face and along my jaw, his beard tickling my skin as he did.

  “Hmmm.”

  “You back with me, babe?”

  I snuggled in closer to him. “Yeah.”

  “I hate to say this, but we really need to get moving. The sooner you talk to Flick, the sooner we can move on from all this Godfrey shit. Scout’s been messaging my phone.”

  I huffed out a breath. “Damn reality.”

  He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, pretty much. C’mon, sooner all this is done, sooner we can find another bed to climb into.”

  I appreciated his attempt to lighten my mood, but its effect was pretty limited. After pressing a fast kiss to his mouth and giving his beard a tug, I rolled over and got out of bed. After a quick trip to the bathroom to clean up, I was back in my bedroom, opening my closet. I ran my gaze over all my clothes and couldn’t see a damn thing I wanted to wear. Over the past nine years, I’d stuck with my office wear most of the time so that’s what my closet was filled with.

  “Why don’t you wear what you wore to the bar last month?”

  With a sigh, I moved from my closet to my dresser, pulling out panties and a bra.

  “Those clothes aren’t me anymore. That night I was— I don’t know. Trying to re-live the past or something.” I shook my head as I slipped into my underwear. I’d just clipped my bra closed when his strong arms wrapped around me from behind.

  “That prissy shit ain’t you either, Bess. You got a pair of jeans in there somewhere?”

  I shrugged as I leaned back against him. He’d put his pants on but his top half was still naked and I loved how his chest hair felt against my bare back.

  His palm dipped lower on my torso and my body jerked when he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the scar. “What happened, Bess? Someone hurt you, badly. It kills me that I wasn’t there. That I didn’t even fucking know you were in danger.”

  “I need clothes on for that conversation.”

  Digging around in my drawer I found a pair of yoga pants I never normally wore outside the house and an old t-shirt that was long enough to cover my ass. Ryan released me and I quickly dressed as he did the same. Then he took my hand and led me out to the living room where he pulled me down onto his lap as he sat on my couch.

  “You know I always wanted to leave this town, spread my wings.”

  “Yeah, most teenagers do.”

  I nodded as I picked up the edge of his vest, playing with the stitching on the leather. Trying to distance myself from what I was about to say.

  “I’ve never told anyone this, Ryan.”

  I could hear the frown in his voice. “What about your folks?”

  “Nope. This has been my secret. They know a little, like they knew I was pregnant, so naturally worked out I’d lost it. But I never told them why or how.”

  His whole body had gone unnaturally still beneath me but I couldn’t risk looking at his face, so I kept staring at those little black stitches that held his vest together.

  “After college, I got a job at this big law firm i
n downtown Miami. I thought I was the shit for landing that job. It was only a mail room clerk to start with, but I soon moved up to being a legal secretary. It was after I was a secretary that I met James. I met him at a night club, I didn’t have any clue that he was involved with the firm I worked for. He was so far out of my league, but he’d noticed me. He was all charm and smooth moves and I stupidly fell for them all.” I paused to clear my throat. “We’d been together for about fifteen months when I found out I was pregnant. I told him straight away and he seemed happy, but told me we should put off living together until after the baby was born. I thought it was a little odd, but when I tried to talk to him about it he blew it off, saying it was just my pregnancy hormones making me see shit that wasn’t there because it was apparently logical to him.” I shrugged. “One day at work, I noticed something on a lease. It was a bunch of handwritten notes added to a typed up document. It was odd. If the client wanted changes, we normally typed in the changes then had everyone sign the new copy. Once I read what had been added, I knew something was going on. Someone was demanding extra money on the side, above the rent agreed on. I had no idea who’d added the extra shit, though.”

  I looked up at him then, ignored his clenched jaw and stared into his eyes that were flaring with rage. “I followed the rules, Ryan. I followed protocol exactly and you know where it got me?”

  “It got you hurt, Bess. Those fuckers hurt you for doing the right thing.”

  I didn’t bother to wipe away the tears that were running down my face again. “I hadn’t known all the companies James was involved with, so I hadn’t realized it was he who had changed the lease. I got home to find him there. Him and one of his men. He had his goon hold me down while he beat the shit out of me. Told me I was unworthy of a man like him. That I didn’t deserve to carry his child—” My words broke on a sob and Ryan tried to pull me against his chest but I needed his gaze to get through the rest first. “After he beat me to the point I was barely conscious, he stabbed me. Straight through my womb. He murdered my son. And stole my ability to ever have another child.”

  With the final word all my strength vanished and I crumpled against his chest, sobbing yet again as he held me close. His arms were like iron bars holding me safely against him.

  “Fuck, Bess. Just. FUCK!”

  He rested his head against mine and I felt the dampness of his tears against me. Big, tough biker, Ryan “Needles” Perry was crying. For me.

  “You need to give me his name.”

  I shook my head against his chest, even as I smiled through my tears. Typical Ryan. Wanting to go save the day.

  “You can’t touch him, Ryan. He’s got too much power. He took my job and home. Leaving me for dead after killing my baby wasn’t enough for him. A neighbor found me and called 911. While I was in hospital, my boss came to see me. He was full of apologies but told me he had no choice. James’ family was too powerful, he had to let me go. He was nice enough to wait until I was out of the hospital before he put through the paperwork so at least my medical insurance covered that cost. I got home from hospital to find an eviction notice on my door. He’s too powerful and I don’t want you to get hurt. It’s done and in the past. Let it be.”

  He ran his palm over my head and down my back, giving the end of my braid a small tug. “Ain’t taking no for an answer. I need a name.”

  Anger and frustration had me lifting my head to glare at him. “It’s dangerous to go after him, Ryan. Don’t you understand? I couldn’t bare for him to take you from me too.”

  His eyes softened and he leaned into kiss me gently before pulling back. “I’m gonna have Keys look into him, I’m not gonna go riding off to take him out, Bess. I need to know where this fucker is, so I can be sure he’s not going to come after you again.”

  I rolled my eyes. Damn over-protective man. “It’s been nine years, Ryan. I think it’s safe to say he never really cared about me.” He just held my gaze, not moving, not releasing me. “Fine! James Brenner. There. You happy?”

  “Very far from it, Bess. I’m so fucking sorry he did all that to you. That I left— Fuck. That’s why you’ve been pushing me away isn’t it? Because I left and you got hurt.”

  I gave his beard a hard tug. “Don’t be stupid. I was a big girl. I got myself into the situation with James all by myself. I’ve never blamed anyone for any of it. Other than him and me. No, I pushed you, and every other man who’s ever come near me away because I can’t give you want you deserve.”

  He gave me the sweetest confused look, I couldn’t help but chuckle through my drying tears.

  “A family. I can’t give you a family, Ryan. I don’t deserve—”

  “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” There was steel in his voice, and with shock, I shifted until I could hold his gaze again. “There’s all sorts of family, Bess. You don’t have to have kids to be in one. But the good news for us? I already got a daughter. And if you want more kids, we can have them. There’s adoption, foster care. Hell, if you really want to mix our DNA we can find a surrogate or something. There are a heap of options out there.”

  I couldn’t speak. He was just too fucking perfect. I cuddled in against his chest, letting him simply hold me until his phone rang with Scout wanting to know where the hell we were, and to stop fucking around and get back to the clubhouse.

  Chapter 11

  Needles

  I could barely breathe for the rage I felt at what Bess had told me. Her ex had stabbed her in the stomach, intentionally killing his own fucking child. That was a new level of fucked up evil. Ashlynn hadn’t been planned by any means, and there were times I’d completely freaked the fuck out at the thought of becoming a father, but never, not once, did I ever fucking wish harm on her or Tori.

  I knew we’d taken too long in Rocky Gully, but I also knew once I filled in Scout with what had happened he’d be fine with it. I helped Bess pack a bag and loaded her up in her cage. I wished she’d just come with me but she wanted her own car with her in Bridgewater. I decided since she was willingly heading back with me, I’d stop while I was ahead.

  “Follow me back to Ma’s and I’ll grab Ashlynn, then we’ll head back. I wanna be with you when you meet Flick, yeah?”

  She gave me a nod, then hesitated a second. I cocked my eyebrow, wondering what was going through her head when she dashed over to me and with her palms on my ribs, leaned up to press a small kiss to the corner of my mouth.

  “Thank you.”

  I wrapped an arm around her waist and kept her close, giving her a deeper kiss before releasing her.

  “Always, Bess. I’m here for you always.”

  She gave me a smile even as her eyes glossed over with tears before she turned and got in her cage. With a shake of my head, I climbed into my own ride and headed back to Ma’s place. Bess stopped at the end of the street, not wanting to risk running into her folks again today. I understood it. I didn’t really want to run into her folks right now either.

  I pulled into the drive and as soon as I shut the door, I heard her parents’ front door open. Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath for strength before I turned to face whichever parent had come to ask me about Bess.

  “Did you find her? Is Elizabeth alright?”

  Sheila. So Larry was still hiding inside, then.

  “I found her. She’s not doing so great, but she’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it.”

  Sheila nodded absently as she eyed my empty car. “You know where she is now?”

  “She’s waiting on me to grab Ashlynn so we can head back to Bridgewater. She needs to sit down with the Feds and go over what happened last night, then I’m thinking giving her a few days away from everything to work out what she wants might be a good idea.”

  She gave me another nod. “Of course, I’ll let Larry know. He’s, well, you know how he is. He’s adjusting his way of thinking. Elizabeth dropped quite the bombshell on us before running out the door.”

  I crossed my arms and frowned at h
er. “You mean about her son? What her fucker of an ex did to her and him?”

  She shuddered and closed her eyes, tears leaving them as she did. “She’d told us she was pregnant, then when she moved home she wasn’t anymore. We assumed she’d miscarried but she never said a word, never told us what happened to bring her home. Ryan, neither of us had a clue what had happened until today. Even now, we don’t really know. She said she’d been beaten and left for dead while her son had been murdered. Do you know more?”

  I had no fucking idea if I should fill her in or not. It was Bess’ pain to share, not mine.

  “She just confessed it all to me. It ain’t pretty, but it’s not my place to share her story, her pain. You’ll need to ask her for those details yourself.”

  “Oh, yes, of course. Just, tell her we love her, and she’s always welcome home. No judgment. Larry will get over the rule thing. He’s more shocked about what happened to her down in Miami, that we didn’t know about it before now.”

  “I’ll let her know.” My phone chimed with another message and I winced when I saw it was from Scout. “I really have to get going. See you later, Mrs. Brookes.”

  “Thank you, Ryan. Take care of her for us.”

  Then she turned back to her home and I raced up to Ma’s front door. It opened before I could knock and I was left speechless as I found both Ma and Ashlynn ready to go.

  “Ah, Ma? What the fuck?”

  She frowned. “Language, Ryan. I will not have my granddaughter cussing like a sailor just because her daddy does.”

  Ashlynn giggled as she skipped out to the cage. “Don’t be silly, Grandma, Daddy’s not a sailor. Oh, but Nitro used to be. He was in the Navy SEALs.” She frowned as she waited for us adults to get with the program and catch up to her. “Ariel told me it has nothing to do with the animal. Daddy, do you know what a Navy Seal is if it’s not an animal?”

  “Hold that thought for a sec.” Before I could settle that one for her I had to get us moving. I turned back to Ma. “You’re joining us, I take it?”