The Fallon Brothers: Kinney

by Esther E. Schmidt

  I press a few buttons to get the complicated coffee machine going before I face Mira. “I’m going shopping, wanna come?”

  “Shopping?” she gasps. “As if there’s nothing wrong?” Her voice wavers a bit.

  I know with everything she’s been through and being pregnant and all, it gives her a high level of emotions swirling through her at every second, and it’s also why she needs to come along.

  “Yes, because there isn’t anything wrong, Mira.” I point into the direction of church. “Because they are handling it. I’m gonna bring him his coffee and ask which prospect needs to tag along with us and then we’ll go. If you wanna come along that is.”

  “Are you insane?” she squeaks and winces right after due to her loud voice bouncing off the walls from excitement. “Hell, yes, I want to come along.”

  “Great,” I beam and stalk into church to place the steaming cup of coffee in front of Kinney.

  There are six other bikers sitting at the table besides Kier and Kinney. I recognize Nics and Byrne by name and some of the other faces I know but not by name.

  “Aspen,” Kinney’s hard snap makes my eyes land on his hard stare.

  “Jeez, I wasn’t checking anyone out,” I mutter underneath my breath.

  His arm shoots out and his fingers grab my nape, pulling me toward him to give me a kiss that makes my freaking toes curl.

  When I’m allowed to come up for air, I give him the words, “As if I would ever so much as want to look at someone else when I have you kissing me like that.”

  Now he chuckles and Kier—sitting next to him—also laughs.

  Kinney reaches for his back pocket and takes out his wallet. He hands me a card and says, “Buy what you want, same goes for Mira. There’s a prospect already waiting for you out front in an SUV. This meeting will take a few hours, so take your time, yeah?”

  “Yeah.” I smile and brush my lips against his at the same time I snatch the card from his fingers.

  “Don’t forget to buy some lace for that tight ass of yours,” Kinney states with a loud freaking voice.

  I shoot a glare at him and snap, “I’ll be sure to do that along with a silicone cock ring we could tie around your balls.”

  The whole room fills with laughter as I slam the door shut behind me.

  It takes a few more minutes before we can get into the SUV since Mira wanted to grab a sweater and a hoodie from Kier. That woman is always cold and it seems being pregnant magnifies it for her.

  The prospect named Chance is behind the wheel, and I was kinda expecting one of the younger looking prospects. This guy is closer to thirty than twenty years old. He’s also bulging muscles and the other two prospects I’ve seen have more of an athletic build where this one is more of the bodybuilder type.

  “Want me to tag along with you guys or more like observe from a distance?” Chance says.

  I raise one of my eyebrows as we stalk toward the first store. “Kinney didn’t give you any orders?”

  Chance slowly shakes his head. “Nope, just ordered to drive the SUV out front, get you to where you wanted to go and stick around.”

  I don’t know why I was expecting Kinney to order a guy to keep me in his sights at all times, but I guess this is the part where trust goes both ways.

  “Whatever you’re comfortable with, Chance.” I give him a wicked grin. “Be ready for some serious shopping because we’ve been locked away for days and really need some clothes, underwear, some comfort food, the works.”

  Chance just shrugs and says, “Whatever, I’ll stick around. I have four younger sisters and am a pro at keeping an eye out while shopping. Oh, and I don’t mind giving my opinion about clothes and shit. Though you’re the president’s old lady so I’d probably need to be respectful.”

  I snort out a laugh and punch his shoulder. “Bring out the unsalted opinions. I like you already, Chance. We’re gonna be besties.”

  Chance winces and grumbles, “Don’t fucking say that shit to my Pres. He gave me a damn warning about respecting what’s his and I have to say, I like my balls and dick attached to my body instead of being preserved and displayed.”

  Laughter goes back and forth during our shopping adventure. It’s been three hours and Chance still has the patience of a saint. Seriously, I’ve never seen a guy keep his cool during endless shopping. He’s still all smiles and it’s no act either. I’ve kept my eye on him the whole time and he’s very observant and yes, this means he’s caught me eying him a few times too in an effort to get a read on him, but all I got in return was a raised eyebrow.

  It also makes me question why this guy is still a prospect because he’s way different than the younger prospects who seem more eager and over the top in pleasing and bouncing with energy like young dogs. All while Chance is thoughtful, laidback, and as I mentioned...very observant.

  Mira is looking at nail polish while my eye catches earrings on the other side of the store. I signal to Chance that I’ll be over there and check out the nice big hoop earrings. It’s been awhile since I was able to wear hoop earrings.

  I’m debating getting silver or golden colored when I instinctively know someone is inching closer to me. Glancing to my left there’s an instant hatred flowing through my veins when I recognize Lanshes standing next to me.

  I’m well aware Chance must have his eyes on me so I keep my face forward and whisper hiss, “What the hell are you doing here? What do you want?”

  “To offer you a deal. I know you’re with the MC now. We want all the intel you can get and are willing to offer you your job back. A raise and a promotion. You know I am able to offer you this, you have my word. Contact in two days as usual. Eyes and ears open, Asp.”

  Eyes and ears open, Asp. I roll my eyes at my inner dialogue and give him the finger, not caring he doesn’t see me since he has his back to me, already walking away. I do catch one of my former colleagues, Elle, near the exit. I grind my teeth and the spike of anger swirls even hotter through my veins.

  I turn on my heels and head toward Mira and Chance. My mood is down the drain and I want to go home. Home as in back to Kinney. Strange how I trust someone I recently met and am in a newfound relationship with. Instead of trusting a man who I’ve worked alongside with for years and has been my supervisor, a man of the law, one of the freaking good guys. And yet deep down I know the truth and value my own worth when it comes to Lanshes. Human life means nothing to him. Yet Kinney steps forward to keep my friend safe and me along with it.

  “You okay?” Chance questions.

  “People are assholes,” I grumble in reply.

  Chance snickers. “You know, I mentioned I had sisters and along with it came loads of chicks as their friends. I’ve noticed about ninety percent of all chicks all want dick and money, even if they are in a committed relationship. But you? I’ve seen guys flirt with you, with or without you noticing, but it bounces right off you without even blinking. And then this guy comes up to you and tries to talk…you turned him down flat and flipped him off as a bonus. Hilarious. Though, I think his girlfriend caught the fucker making advances at you.”

  Like I said, very observant. And he’s right, I’ve suspected Elle had the hots for Lanshes for a very long time. She also disliked me since I was labeled as Lanshes’ favorite, seeing as I helped him close loads of cases. Not to mention Lanshes prefers to work by himself or with one other agent along with him, preferably me at the time.

  “Like I said, people are assholes. Except for Kinney. And Mira. Kier too, and I’m warming up to you,” I grumble.

  Chance fights a smile. “Oh, come on, grumpy. We became besties before we went shopping, no backing out now.”

  A genuine smile slides over my face. “Okay, bestie. We need some coffee and you’re buying. Then we’re going home.”

  “You bet,” Chance states and shoots me a wink.

  I can’t believe Lanshes once again managed to ruin things for me. Giving me the option of a promotion and a pay raise while he should ha
ve done so months ago so I wouldn’t have to deal with him. The fucked-up hostage situation wouldn’t have happened and I wouldn’t have been out of the country when Mira needed me. And now he offers a deal and in return I need to give up what finally feels right in my life.

  As if there even is a choice.

  CHAPTER TEN

  — Kinney —

  “I don’t care what you say or what we decided on, I want the fucker dead and the woman found,” Shea snaps as he paces his office.

  After the long meeting in church—where we decided it would be best to take a step back and assess the whole situation—Shea called and demanded I swing by.

  “And I’m telling you this shit is too hot to handle right fucking now. What the hell is wrong with you, Shea? Normally you’re more focused instead of the whole ‘dive in first and check to see if you can swim later.’”

  Shea glares at my words and stalks toward the mini bar in the corner, pouring himself a few fingers of whiskey which he downs in one go.

  I wait patiently as he braces himself on the mini bar and finally says, “There’s no one left, Kinney. I’m all alone in this big mansion. My wife is gone, that little shit bugging me all my damn life has stopped breathing and my whole fucking house is quiet except for my damn head where everything is running around that I need to get a handle on. And I need to get a fucking handle on it. Leon needs to be gone along with that drug dealing gang he runs. This is my damn town. And then there’s this hint of family somewhere walking around in the belly of an unknown woman. Fuck. Maybe it’s just this one time in my life I have no fucking idea what to do but I have to do something.”

  He eyes me warily and I nod in understanding, though he has to know. “You can’t fill a void with something that seems like common sense to you. What if the woman doesn’t want anything to do with you? Are you going to force her to live here? Keep her prisoner? Fill the house with the cries of a newborn baby and a woman who despises you? You don’t need this shit. What you need is some sanity and some plain old serenity to get your head on straight. Man, bury your cock into a willing pussy and fill your house with her screams.”

  He stalks to his chair with a refilled glass in his hand and sits down. “Follow your example? Like what you did with the feisty assassin you took as your old lady? How is that working out for you? Did she turn on you yet? Tell me you didn’t erase the video your guy made when she killed him. You did save the murder weapon with her prints on it, right? Or are you defying my orders? If I’m acting out of order, you’re one to call me out on it. Ever since you wrapped that government pussy around your cock it’s as if you’re backing away from your responsibilities. Fucking telling me to wait to get my revenge, this needs to end and you’d do best to get your hands dirty.”

  “Are you forgetting it’s a fifty-fifty thing between us? I know you have the whole title and chains along with what others expect of you, but if you start to act like you fucking own me, we’re bound to have a fight where only one comes out breathing. And you and I both know who that’s going to be.” I don’t have to raise my voice or turn it to steel.

  And believe me, it takes effort to keep my cool while on the inside liquid fire rages inside me.

  His stare openly displays he’s well aware he won’t ever fucking win from me, but he won’t back down either. And I should have expected his words when he says, “Just answer the fucking question, Kinney.”

  “Nics took care of it,” I say through clenched teeth, hating the shit that’s stored in my safe.

  It feels like betrayal and yet I know very well what I have with Aspen is new and delicate. Not something that can be put in the balance and can risk everything we worked for all these years. Not to mention if she does still work for the government and this is some shady undercover scam, all our asses could land in jail.

  Though, deep down my gut is telling me her actions are honest and open. Nonetheless, precautions have been set in place. I only hope she is the person I think she is and will stay at my side, so I won’t have to use the stuff locked away in the safe. And for fuck’s sake don’t let her find out I have it stored because that will break trust and will rip us apart either way.

  “Any info about the chick my son knocked up?” He takes a sip of the alcohol and all I want to do is smack the glass out of his hand.

  He fucks with me; I fuck with him. “The woman has been found and knows about your request. She wants to be left alone. We’re keeping an eye on her.”

  There is no smirk on my face or satisfaction in my voice. It’s information stated matter-of-factly.

  But Shea? His face fills with anger. “I want her brought here.”

  “Think of it as the shit locked in my safe, Shea. We know it’s there and for now we’re gonna leave it. Your fucked-up son did enough to her, leave it be.” I check my watch and know by now Aspen must have returned to the clubhouse from her shopping trip. “I have more things to deal with. Like I said, arrange for some pussy to wrap around your cock and lighten your mood. For now, everything is handled. We will get together if things change.”

  “This isn’t over,” Shea snaps.

  I give him a pointed look. “Things rarely are. But I’m telling you to leave it. Like a good wine, let it breathe before you consume it.”

  He rips his eyes away from me and turns his head as if to dismiss me. Fucking hot head.

  I turn to leave and can’t help but state the obvious again, “Don’t do anything foolish, Shea.”

  There’s no reply when I head out.

  Where normally a ride on my bike makes me relax, this time it does nothing and my mood is blown to shit when I eventually stalk into the clubhouse. There are a handful of my guys in the main room and Aspen is sitting with Nics and Chance at a table on the left.

  Aspen waves me over but I’d rather lock myself in my room so I can’t lash out at her. I don’t have a reason to give her some of my piss-poor mood, but I wouldn’t be able to help myself. Maybe it’s the whole underlying threat of betrayal and doubt Shea jabbed me with. Filling me up with doubt and possibilities. Fuck. I have to get my head in the right place.

  I ignore her and stalk right past but her words make me stop dead in place. “Hey, grumpy. This can’t wait so put a cork in it and listen to what I have to tell you.”

  Swirling around I meet her hard stare and from the corner of my eye I see Nics—who is sitting next to her—wince. Probably due to the look on my face displaying how I feel inside.

  “Maybe it’s better to let him be and discuss it at a later point in time, Aspen,” Nics says.

  “No. This can’t wait.” She answers Nics’ question but her eyes stay on me.

  Hard. Determined.

  I stalk to the table, place my hands on the table and lean in to get right in her face and growl, “What’s so important it can’t wait?”

  I bite back the “bitch” I want to add behind it. Any other woman challenging me would have received the insult, so in some way—even when I’m angry—this woman manages to fucking change me and it might just piss me off some more.

  Aspen keeps a straight face and says, “I’d say it’s fairly important when someone approaches me to rat you guys out, don’t you say?”

  Fuck.

  My gaze slides to Nics’ and he gives me a smirk as if to say, “Told ya, her loyalty lies with us.”

  He was just as reluctant to stash away the evidence in the safe as I was. Telling me how she proved herself a few times already and if she really was two-timing me, she would have nailed us already. I close my eyes and swallow hard, feeling all the anger and frustrations leave my body.

  Of course, Aspen catches my mood change and with narrowed eyes she judges, “You expected me to betray you.”

  The rise and fall of her chest and the fucking hurt in her eyes are a knife jabbed in my chest.

  She pushes everything in the background and only a plain look is set on her face when she says, “Lanshes approached me when we were shopping. He knows I’m
with you guys so it’s safe to say they have eyes on this place too. He offered me a promotion, raise, everything I’ve wanted since I first started out.”

  I push myself off the table and clench my fists. Lanshes needs to stop breathing.

  “Did he touch or harm you in any way?” I growl, knowing very well the fucker risked her life the last time he forced her to do something.

  Her face softens a fragment and she shakes her head.

  Chance speaks up and says, “From where I was standing, she looked instantly annoyed and aggravated. She flipped him off when he walked away.” His attention goes to Aspen. “That was Lanshes, right? I mean, it makes sense now the way you reacted, all tensed up and angry.”

  She nods. “The woman you thought was his girlfriend was one of my former colleagues, Elle. So, you keep an eye out if you see her again. Elle hates my guts and has the hots for Lanshes. She actually doesn’t have a reason to hate my guts since she got what she wanted; my job.”

  “Sure did look like she holds a grudge: the woman looked like she was ready to spit nails. I thought she was just pissed her man flirted with another woman. She’s a double risk if you ask me,” Chance says.

  “Good thing no one fucking asked you, prospect,” I sneer, the anger and aggravation slamming back full force. “You should have called it in when you noticed that shit. We voted you in this morning but now I’m thinking we’d do better to fucking strip those leathers off your back.”

  “Hey,” Aspen snaps. “That’s uncalled for. Chance should have been a full member for a long time. He’s loyal, observant, patient, and has a very good head on his shoulders. He noticed I was approached even from the other side of the room. He even saw the woman who wasn’t even near me. See what I’m getting at? You’re angry at me, at this situation. Hell, you were in a shitty mood when you got here. Don’t lash out on someone who doesn’t deserve it.”

  She’s right. And here she is, giving me loyalty and honesty. Fucking standing up for a prospect who I damn well know has proven himself to be a full member. And he already is a full member since we were going to give him the good news when I got back. But first I need to feel Aspen wrapped around me. I need to, for the both of us.