His grip on her tightened, and his brows drew down over his eyes. He pounded her brutally, grunting and shoving deep—so deep she felt her soul go up in flames.
She exploded, crying out his name. Wave after wave crested over her head, rocking her entire body, leaving her breathless and glowing. He groaned and grunted, slamming his release into her. His body pressed down on her, breathing deep, sweating, and marking her with his scent and his seed inside her.
Terri wrapped her arms and legs around her Ryker, trapping him, clamping him, possessing him.
He relaxed over her, covering her, shuddering with pleasure as her pulses milked the last of his ejaculation from him. She continued to kiss him with her sheath, over, and over, gripping and relaxing, tightening and contracting, squeezing him to let him know that whatever happened, from now on, they were in it together.
Chapter Eighteen
“Terri, I brought refreshments!” Jolie’s voice sailed through the front of the flower shop early the next morning.
Too early.
Terri rubbed her eyes and parted the curtain separating the workroom from the showroom. The scent of fresh brewed coffee and cinnamon rolls almost dispelled the dread buried deep in her chest, but not quite.
“Wow, you look like something a cat dragged in,” Jolie said, setting the takeout carton of coffee on the counter. “Want to tell me why you bailed on us last night? Motorcycle queen says she can’t ride?”
Terri’s eyes darted to the doorway to check if any other customers happened to be within hearing range. Fortunately, it was still early and she wasn’t officially open.
“It’s a long story, and I’m not sure what to do about it.” Terri wandered to the front of the shop and drew the shades.
Concern settled over her best friend’s forehead, and she settled herself on a stool in front of the cash register. “Okay, spill. What went on with Ryker? We get why you didn’t want to speak to him and his brothers, but what was with the danger signals?”
“Well, obviously you survived riding with them. What did they do? Where did they take you?”
Jolie pushed her red hair back in a preening motion. “It turns out Warren’s posing as a prospect for the Metal Wolves, and he helped us get on the bikes. I got Thorn, Leanna got Drake, Nikki got Maddox, and Sherelle, the old fuddy-duddy, drove her Subaru. They tooled us around the bay front and that was it. I know your parents quit the scene and all that, but not all clubs are criminal.”
“They’re wearing the 1% patch, so they’re dangerous. No club can have the 1% patch unless the big ones say they can, so they have to be allied to one of those dangerous gangs. Aren’t you worried about Warren?”
Jolie pushed a cinnamon roll onto a paper plate for Terri. “I didn’t blow his cover. I acted like I’d just met him and asked him why he was standing around outside, as if I didn’t know anything about how motorcycle clubs operate.”
“Good. Did they buy that you guys were tourists?” Terri rubbed her arms, unable to keep the goosebumps from forming. She and Ryker were playing a dangerous game. She’d convinced him her father was amenable to peace, and he hoped his mother would have a soft spot for him being the baby of the family. They’d parted company reluctantly, but had agreed that it was probably not a good idea to be seen together in the light of day.
“Oh, they swallowed that line about Kansas totally,” Jolie chirped. “You should have seen Sherelle. She was a fount of Kansas trivia. Nikki put on a heavy Chinese accent, and Leanna hinted she was a plus sized model from South America.”
“Good, you guys got lucky.” Terri took a nervous sip of coffee. “I have something serious to tell you.”
“Oh? Is it about Ryker?” Jolie put her coffee cup down and patted Terri’s back. “He doesn’t deserve you, and none of us will be seeing his brothers again. So don’t worry. We took selfies with them and made them feel all macho and badass with our comments, but not even Leanna gave out her number.”
“That’s good to know.” Terri’s stomach rumbled at the scent of the cinnamon roll, but her mouth felt cottony and she had no appetite. “There’s no better way to say this and I don’t want you to be scared, but the Slade brothers want to kill me.”
“Kill you?” Jolie’s fingers clutched Terri tight. “Seriously?”
“Yes, it all goes back to when my parents were in the Storm Demons.”
“Shit.” Jolie’s eyes popped wide. “I thought your dad changed his name and everything died down.”
“They don’t know who I am, but Ryker does.” Terri swallowed a hard lump in her throat. “He’s the link between me and them.”
“What’s he going to do? Are you in danger?”
“He came back here last night and told me everything,” Terri said. “He wants to protect me.”
“Wait, what?” Jolie’s head snapped up at the news. “I’m getting whiplash here. He came back? And? Did he spend the night?”
Terri knew her cheeks were blushing bright red, and she couldn’t help the smile from creeping up her face. “Yes, and he explained he had to leave the bar and pretend he didn’t know me because he didn’t want to endanger me. He also recognized my mother, but fortunately, she didn’t recognize him, because the last time she saw him, he was ten.”
Jolie didn’t know the details of what had gone down between the Demons and the Wolves. Her family had never even owned a motorcycle, and both her parents were doctors—truly respectable members of the country club.
“What are you going to do? Do you trust him?”
“I do.” Terri nodded. “I do, but I don’t trust his family. His dad’s getting out of jail on Friday. Is there something Warren has on them? Can he get them arrested and put away?”
“He never talks about the sting operations with me.” Jolie looked deflated. “He wasn’t happy that I went to Club Rachelle. He said I could have compromised his cover.”
“There’s nothing he can do to drag them all in?”
“If he catches them doing something really bad, I’m sure, like murder.”
A cold chill trickled up Terri’s spine, rattling her eardrums. “I hope it’s not my murder that puts them behind bars. That would be too late.”
“No kidding, girl.” Jolie rubbed her back and hugged her. “What are we going to do with you? Are you going to tell your dad?”
“That would put Ryker in danger. No. I’ll see if my father wants to run away now that Ryker’s father’s getting out of jail. I’ll tell him his cover could be blown any time soon, and that last time was too close.”
“When was that? What last time?”
“Five years ago, when Ryker ran off to the Marines. His uncle infiltrated my father’s company, but Ryker let my father know he was in danger. My father had his uncle killed.”
Jolie’s jaw dropped and every muscle in her body trembled. “His father’s going to be after blood. You need to warn your father and you guys have to run. Change your names and leave. There’s no other way.”
“I know.” Terri’s shoulders slumped and her heart clenched inside her chest. “I know. Except Ryker will track me down. He’ll never let me go.”
“Wow. Just wow. Are you two that serious?”
“After last night, we feel we’re soul mates, destined to be together.” Terri’s face flushed warm at the afterglow of waking up in his arms. “We’re not in love yet, but there’s a definite bond, like we’re two halves of the same coin. I can’t explain it. I just know.”
“Wow.” Jolie’s eyes widened and she sighed. “I wish I knew what that feels like.”
Chapter Nineteen
Ryker stepped into the lobby of Martin Transport, a full service distribution and logistics company headed by Tyrell Martin, the cleaned up version of Terror Terkel.
He’d passed the initial screening interview for a position of operations foreman by using one of Axe’s many false identities.
“Jason McGuire here for Mr. Martin,” Ryker said, handing his cover letter to the receptionis
t.
“He’s expecting you,” the receptionist said with a smile. She tapped a message into a chat window on her computer and deactivated the locks on the double doors leading to her boss’s office.
Ryker gave her a polite nod of thanks and followed her as she announced him. He had already walked through metal detectors and he wasn’t armed, but he didn’t foresee a problem with the man who was a paraplegic.
Terri’s father turned his wheelchair away from his desk and toward the doorway as Ryker stepped in.
He certainly didn’t look at all like a former motorcycle club president. He was clean shaven, balding, with a round face, double chin, and a paunch spilling over his thin and stiff legs. But looks could be deceiving, and being in a wheelchair didn’t make him any less dangerous.
“It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Martin,” Ryker said, bending to shake.
“Please, call me Ty,” the man said with a congenial voice while giving Ryker a hearty shake. “So, Mr. McGuire, my managers tell me you’re back from the Middle East.”
“Yes, and glad to be back. I supervised the transport and logistics of our supplies. I definitely know my stuff.” Ryker took the seat Ty Martin indicated.
“I’m sure you do.” Mr. Martin’s eyes made a tour of Ryker’s face, giving him a thorough scrutiny. “My managers have already vetted you. What I want to see is if you’re an honorable man. Can you keep confidences? Can I trust you?”
“Yes to all.” Ryker leaned forward in his seat. “Especially with the life of your daughter, Terri Martin, or Teresa Terkel.”
The older man’s face paled and he reached for a button.
Ryker put his hand out and stopped him. “Please, hear me out and turn off any video or audio recorders.”
“Who are you?” Mr. Martin’s formerly cherubic face hardened into a doughy stiffness. “You’re a Slade, aren’t you? I thought you looked familiar.”
“I’m Ryker, the youngest. Turn off the recording, unless you trust your men one hundred percent. I bet no one knows the details of your past.”
“Say no more. I’ll turn off the feed.” Terri’s father frowned as he clicked on his laptop. “Now, I can kill you.”
“I know,” Ryker said. “But I reckon I’m worth more to you alive than dead. My father’s getting out of prison on Friday, and if I’m dead, there’s no stopping my family from coming after you. You had my uncle killed. You shot my eldest brother.”
“Your father blew up half of my family.” A vein bulged dangerously in the other man’s forehead.
“You started it by burning down our garage.”
“You tried to rape my daughter.”
“That’s not true. I was a ten year old boy, and she invited me to kiss her, but this isn’t what I’m here to talk about.” Ryker stood and crouched over the other man.
Beads of sweat formed on Terri’s father’s forehead as he tried to move his hand underneath his desk, where he no doubt had a gun hidden.
“Like I said,” Ryker reiterated. “I wouldn’t kill me if I were you. I’m not here to kill you either or I would have done it already. I would have done it five years ago.”
“Then what are you doing here?”
“Bargaining for the life of your daughter, Terri. I want you to promise me you will not hit any of my family, and in exchange, I will be your hostage.”
“Hostage? Like how?”
“I pledge that if any member of the Metal Wolves, including my family and any supporters were to harm Terri in any way, shape, or form, then I will turn myself in to be killed.”
“What’s stopping me from having your entire family killed first? Starting with you?” The former motorcycle club president narrowed his eyes. “I think you miscalculated by coming here. You have balls, I’ll concede. But you’re stupid. I have men surrounding your family. I know about your father’s release. The only missing piece is you. I didn’t know where you were, and now I know. The only way my family will ever be safe is to eliminate all of you at the same time, so there’s no one left to take vengeance. I can kill you now, and give the order for Friday.”
“How do you know my brothers and mother don’t have your wife and daughter surrounded? We might also know who you are, and your disguise is wearing thin.” Ryker crossed his arms to look smug. “You let me handle my family, and in return, you call a truce, on your word of honor as a man.”
“No, you’re lying.” Mr. Martin reached under his desk and produced a gun. “If your brothers and mother knew who we were, they would have already done the deed. They had no reason to wait for your father’s release from prison.”
He clicked the safety and cocked the gun at Ryker.
“You do that, and you’ll never see your daughter again.” Ryker lowered his voice to a growl.
Palpable fear crossed Mr. Martin’s face as he swallowed hard. “Where is my daughter? What have you done to her?”
“I’ve made love to her, and I’m going to protect her, but if you touch a hair of my head, your daughter is not going to want to see you ever again. She will never forgive you for killing the man she’s pledged herself to.”
“Bastard.” Mr. Martin’s hand shook, but he lowered the gun. “You took advantage of my Terri. I will never ever accept her with the likes of you. No Storm Demon will ever accept a Metal Wolf into our fold.”
“Wolves mate for life, and as long as I make Terri happy, I suggest you keep your threats and bluster to yourself.” Ryker backed himself to the door. “We Wolves outnumber you. Don’t do anything stupid.”
Mr. Martin gritted his teeth and glared at Ryker as he backed to the door. “You start tomorrow. Be here at eight for orientation.”
Chapter Twenty
Terri spent the rest of the day on pins and needles, jerking her head every time a customer stepped through the door. Her assistant had come down with the flu, which meant Terri was alone at the shop. She would have loved to have Ryker help her, and even though he wanted to stick by her twenty-four seven, she knew she was pushing her luck.
It was only a matter of time before either her mother figured out who he was or one of his brothers would have him followed and suspect her of being Terror Terkel’s daughter.
The front door chimed, and in stepped her mother.
“I knew I’d find you here,” Mom said. Her lips were painted in a garish purple, and her sense of style could only be described as loud and obnoxious with colors that clashed.
“Where else would I be?” Terri straightened the sales pamphlets on the counter. “How may I help you?”
“Oh, let’s not pretend I didn’t catch you with that motorcycle punk last night.” Mom pointed a sharp, glittery fingernail at Terri. “How many times have I told you, guys who ride are dangerous?”
“Like Dad was? When he rode with the Demons?”
“Shush.” Her mother waved her hand and glanced around the empty store. “You’re never supposed to bring up the past. Your father’s a retired Marine. Injured during the Gulf War—the first Gulf War.”
“You think I’ve forgotten all the trouble we got in?” Terri leaned across the counter. “Besides, not all guys who ride are into that stuff—you know, meth, smuggling, theft. How do I know Dad’s still not involved? Kind of convenient how he has a transport and logistics company.”
“What’s gotten into you?” Mom pressed that slash of her mouth into a thick line of disapproval.
“Nothing. Only I’m going to be too busy Friday to go on that date with Dr. Fiske.”
“That’s actually what I came to see you about. Why don’t you close up early, seeing as you have no customers, and go shopping? A man like Dr. Fiske would appreciate a woman in designer clothes.”
“Did you not hear a thing I said?” Terri raised her voice. “I’m not going on the date this Friday.”
“Why? Is a proctologist not good enough for you? A florist?”
“I’m not exactly eager to hold hands with a guy who spends his entire day digging around assholes.”
Terri rolled her eyes bigtime and chortled annoyingly.
Her mother narrowed her eyes, lowering lids heavy with iridescent eye shadow. “The biker punk came back, didn’t he?”
Terri felt like telling the truth. She wanted to say, What if he did? But everything was too precarious, and she couldn’t let her parents know Ryker was back in town.
“No, Mom, I’m just very tired, that’s all. I had a large delivery of funeral flowers yesterday, and there’s a shortage of Easter lilies, so I have to contact suppliers and get myself on the short list for Easter.”
“Then that’s settled. You contact those suppliers and then go dress shopping.”
“Why don’t you go buy something for me? You have my measurements.” Terri got out from behind the counter and walked toward the workroom. “I’ve got bouquets to make, centerpieces to arrange …”
She skidded to a stop and suppressed a gasp.
Ryker was crouched under the workbench with a finger over his lips. He had to have heard everything about her upcoming date with Dr. Fiske, proctologist, because he could barely contain his laughter.
Terri whirled around and hustled to block her mother’s view. “Mom, here. Choose anything you want out of the cooler. A wildflower centerpiece? How about a bunch of daisies? I’ll even write up a card from Dad and have them delivered to the country club in time for tea. How about that?”
“Well …” Her mother’s beady eyes rolled around as she computed which women would be present at the club and how big of a bouquet was required to impress them. “I guess I could take a dozen long stemmed roses. Ty has been ever so sweet lately, and your birthday is coming up. He never forgets the thirty-six hour labor I went through to have you. While everyone’s giving you gifts just for being born, I was the one who suffered and labored so many, many horrible hours.”
Bad Boys for Hire: Ryker (Bad Boys for Hire #1) Page 8
