Seven Sunsets (Asphalt Gods MC Book 2)

by Morgan Jane Mitchell

  After my first week waiting at Ohio State University, Derayn’s obituary arrived in my mailbox, saying he died in a house fire. I knew good and well that he lived on Manul’s estate. Inside was a simple note from Manul.

  Dearest Emery, You can’t run.

  I was numb but scared soon took over. Was I next on Manul’s hit list? Vickie convinced me to really enroll in college, so I threw myself into schoolwork, all while waiting to die. However, two years past without another word from Manul. That’s when the unthinkable happened; Vickie wrecked her car and died in the crash. Her parents came up and their insurance adjuster wanted to talk to me while they waited for the toxically results, asking me if she was a drinker and such. I met Don Jenkins, and he asked me out. I put him off because I was grieving, but he hung around OSU and didn’t give up. When I finally said yes and agreed to go to dinner with him, I fell fast. Being my first real relationship, it was like I was in a damn fairytale. I was the girl with the fucked up life and Don was my fucking Prince: handsome, rich, charming—the works. Without Vickie around, I spent the whole summer with Don, and he moved into our apartment. Our relationship was perfect. Soon, he insisted I not finish school but marry him, have and raise his kids. At the time, only two and half years in, not knowing what I wanted to do with my life, it was all so romantic. Suddenly, my life was wonderful and full of hope again.

  I was a little worried when Don wanted to move to Florida, but what could I say, I didn’t want to tell him about what had happened in my past. Don had so much money but no family. He’d said his parents had died a few years ago, leaving him an inheritance. I never wanted for anything and was able to explore everything I ever wanted to do in life, from learning photography to dance.

  We’d only been married a year when I lost our baby. I’d been far enough in that it was shattering. Having to give birth to a dead child killed me, and I had no comfort from my husband who’d suddenly went cold. Don blamed me, said I hadn’t been taking care of myself. For a while, he wouldn’t even touch me. When he did touch me, it was to push me away.

  Despite all his cruel words and actions, I loved him with all my being and only hated myself. Eventually, I fell into a deep depression. Don could care less, but gladly paid for therapy. That’s when I made my first slice, but I could never go through with killing myself. My therapist, a sweet woman named Henriette, told me to find serenity outside of my life. I started painting, mostly sunsets. Going far away in the colors of the sky helped me get better some, but still, I pinned all my hopes on Don riding in to rescue me again and eventually, he did. Gradually, he became more and more like the old Don again even if we barely even had sex anymore. Soon, all of our problems seemed so far in the past. When he went missing, I was beside myself.

  “How could you?” I’d found him at what my private investigator said was his cabin. I had the file of pictures of him and his whore under my arm. “I thought you were dead!” I was crying so hard, I was hiccupping and snotting.

  Don laughed a crazy laugh. “I just couldn’t take it anymore.”

  “Couldn’t take what?” My tears were falling so hard, I could barely listen. The thought that Don had only been happy lately because he had someone else rang through me.

  “You just weren’t satisfying me,” Don told me, looking away.

  I tried to leave, stomping to the front door of his cozy hideaway, but he dragged me back into the cabin, saying he was sorry and he wanted to come home. I walked to the kitchen to hear him out even though he was scaring me. There was a briefcase on the counter. I opened it, and Don told me point blank there was fifty grand in cash, his payment for two years of marriage to me. It only took him uttering one word for me to understand, “Manul.”

  Another woman was bad enough but finding out he’d been working for Manul this whole time, married me to keep me under Manul’s thumb was earth shattering. I don’t think I took a breath as he told me. He was keeping me warm for Manul, in case the man wanted me again. It was time. An Amun was coming in a week to collect me.

  Don’s voice was full of hopeful desperation as he said, “But, I have the money right here. We could run away you and me. Emery, I do love you.”

  His words, I heard them but they weren’t registering. “And the woman you’re fucking?”

  “Jackie is in with another family, a family that might be able to protect us from Manul’s.”

  “Are sleeping with her?”

  He didn’t say and my heart broke all over again. My mind was still on the fact our whole relationship had been a lie until it went darker. “What else did you do for Manul? Did you kill Vickie too?”

  He didn’t say no, but his face said a terrified yes.

  I slumped against the counter feeling sick, letting a devastating thought surface. “Did you make me lose the baby?”

  He didn’t say anything but looked even more horrified.

  My heart exploded in my chest. “Our baby? How could you?” I cupped my hand over my mouth, trying not to pass out.

  “How could I? Do you think I had a choice?” He boomed then shook his head, his own tears falling. “At the time, Manul said either I got rid of the baby or he got rid of you.”

  “Oh my god, how could you?” It was all sinking in even more. Don killed our child.

  “Emery, do you think any of this has been easy for me?” He started coming toward me, to comfort me as I sobbed uncontrollably.

  Picking up the skillet, I hit Don with the damn thing. He fell back, his head hitting the edge of the counter as he fell with a loud crash. “Don?” I dropped down to check on him. He was bleeding out of the back of his head. I pressed my fingers to his neck. He didn’t have a pulse. I threw up beside him. I’d killed Don.

  Automatically, I went to his shed looking for a shovel. There I’d found evidence of Don’s life away from our home. He had plenty of tools, his wood working materials here. I decided to make him a coffin, the best I could. If anything, the hard work and cleaning up the mess in the kitchen kept me from rolling on the ground crying. When I finally got Don in the ground, I buried the offensive money with him. Instead of going home, I went to the beach to plan my disappearance, but as the week dragged on, my spirits sank even more. I started cutting myself again, wanting to finally go through with it, kill myself. Every time I’d tried it, I thought of my mother’s body scattered amongst the cliffs and just couldn’t do it. Then, I thought of Vickie and my baby. More than that, I thought of Manul’s warning. “You can’t run.” He’d find me. I used the information I got from Don’s cabin to hunt down Amun and ended up in Shark Bait’s, where Amun was a regular. I’d planned to kill myself right where he’d know.

  I told Scar my story the best I could, trying not to really think about any of it. He hugged me tight to him, and didn’t say much. I was okay with that. “Do you still want me to go away with you after learning I’m weak and easy?”

  “You’re not either of those things,” he whispered into the top of my hair.

  “My whole life has been filled with death and lies. Now I’ve killed even more people. I don’t know how I can live with myself.”

  “I am who I am and you are who you are. No matter how I’ve ridden, doesn’t mean I can’t turn around. Your life can change, Emery.”

  Closing my eyes, I hoped he was right.

  Chapter 8

  Meanwhile on the outskirts of El Paso

  Only a waitress

  “Your names are Tony and Bob?” It said Bones and Cowboy right on their vests. I could barely see in the horrible strobe lights, but I’d read that much. They were too drunk to realize.

  “You say you’re new here.” The man’s hand was on my ass. I removed it.

  “Yeah, you could say that.” I was only filling in for a friend because I desperately needed the money. You’d never know from the hot pants, bra and hooker boots, but I’d never stepped foot in a strip club before last week. It’s not that I was an angel, but I thought I’d never be caught dead exposing myself on st
age, no matter how desperate. Tonight I was only a waitress, but tomorrow night I’d go on stage for the first time. The girls here said they made even more giving lap dances with extras. Extras being blowjobs and sex. I hated to stoop this low, but you do what you have to just to survive. My time was running out, and I’d just have to take the bullet. Take one for the team. “I’m only a waitress, boys. What can I get ya?”

  “Only a waitress?” The broad shouldered blond man gave me a smolder. “They keeping the pretty girls off the stage?” I swallowed, trying not to let the compliment go to my head. He was the kind of man women fell on the floor and flailed around for, but he was also here to see the strippers. Not to mention he wore a leather motorcycle vest and had bones tattooed up his neck and down his arms. Skeleton hands were tattooed on his large hands that had a sinister looking ring on every finger. His hand touched mine. “So you mean I can’t get a lap dance from you?”

  “No,” I said steadily and walked away from him and his buddy wearing the cowboy hat and plaid shirt under his vest. He’d barely looked my way.

  Cowboy

  “Cowboy, what the hell does that name mean anyhow? I used to think it meant you were a cowboy, being from out west and all this shit you wear, but now I see you’re all quiet most of the time—until you go off. You’re a fucking loose cannon, took those Mutherfukers down without blinking an eye. Saved the lot of us, but they’ll be hell to pay back home. I’m going to make sure you get some pussy tonight.” Bones was drunk, patting my back and hugging me close. He needed a woman before he fucked me.

  “What about her?” The stripper in front of us didn’t leave much to the imagination with one strip of fabric between her legs and tasseled nipples. Any of the women here would do. All of them had smoking bodies, iffy faces and probably heaps of daddy issues. Knowing how fucked up they were didn’t make my dick less hard. I’d be someone’s daddy tonight, have a bitch or two before the night was over. I didn’t need Bones’ help.

  “Nah, I want some filling. I want to take that pretty little waitress back to the hotel and fill every hole she’s got. You gonna help?”

  Bones wanted to us both to fuck the waitress. The thought sent a longing through me too. It was always more fun if the girl didn’t think she was a porn star. Speaking of porn stars, I thought of Anarchy, wondering who she was fucking now. Fuck—I didn’t want to think of that woman. “Tails.” I called it first.

  Bones grimaced, slamming his fist down on the stage.

  I laughed. “That’s if you can score her.”

  “No problem.”

  “Did you look at her?”

  “I sure did, coming and leaving.”

  I’d watched too. I’d called her ass after all. “Didn’t look like the kinda girl who’d fuck two strangers. What do you plan to do? Get her drunk?”

  He got up and walked off. Fuck—he was full of himself.

  Suzi

  Vic, the bartender cocked his head. “Looks like you got an admirer.”

  I followed his gaze to see the gorgeous blond Viking of a man strolling my way. His eyes were locked on me.

  “Suzi’s a beautiful name for a beautiful woman.” Bones kissed my hand, his lips lingering before his tongue darted out.

  I fought a smile. “Thanks.” Shit, I was waiting for my drinks from the bar, so I couldn’t just walk away again.

  “You wanna get out here?”

  “And go where?” It was late. The only things opened other than the Super Walmart and the Circle K were strip clubs and bars.

  “Go have some drinks?”

  “Can’t. It’s my first week.”

  Bones smiled, making himself ten times more irresistible. “When you get off?”

  I’d had men hit on me all week, but none were as hot as this guy. Nevertheless, I wasn’t stupid. The girls told me not to fall prey to flattery. The men here were looking to get laid and nothing else. It was part of the job too, putting up with constant harassment. If a guy got too persistent though, I could tell our bouncer and have him thrown out. My voice more assertive, I told him, “Going home to sleep.” Finally! Vic slid me my long island ice tea. I turned away from my admirer to grab my drinks.

  Bones didn’t give up. “My buddy and I have a bet. He says I can’t get a kiss from you.”

  I huffed, steading my tray of drinks up over my shoulder. “You can’t.” I headed over to the stage booth full of business men with loose ties hanging around their necks. They’d ordered a large round of drinks only to hand me a dollar that had probably fallen out of a stripper’s twat. “Fucking tight wads,” I said under my breath. Turning around, I bumped into the huge man, landing against his hard chest. He smelled of leather and beer, but damn it didn’t matter because when I peered up, he wore that sexy grin again. He steadied me, grabbing my waist, his hand almost wrapping around half of me. As butterflies tickled my insides, I stepped away. “Are you following me now?” I asked over my shoulder, walking back to the front.

  He followed me back through the club, closer and closer until he was looming over me. I turned around to find him towering over me. He bent to my ear. “Look over there. My buddy’s watching. Just one kiss,” he whispered, handing me a one hundred dollar bill.

  Taken aback only for a second, I shoved it in my pocket. I tilted my head way up and closed my eyes, waiting. Nothing happened. I opened my eyes to see he’d gone back to the second stage. Mandy had her ass in his face, but he was looking over his shoulder back at me. What a weirdo! I wasn’t giving back the money.

  For the next hour, I didn’t see the two bikers again. Figured they went to the back for a lap dance. Too bad I wasn’t stripping tonight. I really hoped for one high roller tomorrow, so I wouldn’t have to do it too long. God let him be as sexy as Bones. Leaving for the night, I pushed open the back door to see the man leaning against his motorcycle, waiting for me. His eyes blazed, cutting through the early morning darkness, finding me. He wore a mysterious look on his face that was broken by his charming smile. His friend was on his bike, the engine running. Crossing my arms, I looked around for Mandy, my ride, with no luck. I turned my head back and forth, searching for her car.

  “I sent Mandy home,” Bones voice came through the rumbling engine noise.

  “Why?” I sounded pissed, but truth be told, I was scared. Two motorcycle men, no matter how handsome, and one woman—this was what my pepper spray and whistle were made for. I put my hand on my purse, knowing both were deep inside beneath a mountain of receipts, makeup and my big can of hairspray.

  “I’m waiting for my kiss.”

  Oh! Is that all he wanted? “You didn’t take it.”

  “I didn’t say when I was going to kiss you.”

  “Fine, go ahead.” I closed my eyes and puckered my lips. Hell, he could tongue me as long as he wanted. As nasty as I felt about stripping, being around so much sexual energy had left me frustrated. No, as I waited for his lips, I knew he’d started it earlier. Now, I wanted his one kiss. I waited a little longer, but the kiss never came.

  Bones’ mouth hovered above mine. “I wasn’t talking about your mouth, sweetheart.”

  “Ugh,” I said aloud. “Really?” I rolled my eyes, digging in my pocket for his hundred dollar bill. Like I was going to let him kiss me there? I pulled out my money, looking at it in the little bit of light from the street lamps. I only saw one dollar bills on the first pass. I flipped through frantically, looking for the bill he’d given me, but it wasn’t there. “Fuck! I don’t have your money. Sorry.”

  “Then you better get on your knees.”

  “What, me?”

  He laughed, coming in close again. “You think I’d pay one hundred dollars to place a kiss on your pussy?” Bones had a smart ass smirk. “Must be one hell of a pussy.” Trapping me against the back door in an instant, he had his long arms on either side of me.

  Burnie came around the corner. “Thank god,” I breathed, my eyes meeting the black dots under our bouncer’s thick brow, but Bones waved
him away, and Burnie left. What the fuck just happened?

  Bones’ face was inches from mine. “Like I was saying—get on your knees. I want my kiss.”

  “You have to pay one hundred dollars to have women suck your cock?” I challenged with my own attitude. I was buying myself some time.

  Bones only seemed to like me more, his charming smile returning. “No, but I’d pay you a thousand to come back to me and my buddy’s room.”

  “No thanks. I like breathing.”

  He leaned into me even more, his body against mine as he laid a kiss on my neck. My whole body responded, screaming take me right here. I held my breath.

  “I’m not a sicko, love. I’m not going to kill you,” he said into my skin, kissing it again. “If I wanted to kill you, I’d take you and put you on the back of my bike right now. I want to fuck you. Well, actually, me and my buddy want to fuck you.”

  Glancing over at the other guy, I found he was hot too but something about Bones spoke to me or at least my body. This was crazy. “Why me? There were thirty girls in there tonight who would have said yes.”

  “Why are you here if you don’t want to make some money?” Bones asked the obvious question.

  I didn’t have an answer for that. “I told you before. I’m not a stripper or a whore. I’m a waitress. I don’t fuck two guys at once.”

  “See, I didn’t say you had to take us both at once. Two thousand if you take us both at once.”

  The image in my head didn’t frighten me like I thought it would. I’d never done two guys before. My ex had wanted a threesome, but with another girl involved. A threesome sounded so offensive to me when he’d mentioned it, but now confronted by two fine men, it only turned me on. Still, it wasn’t happening. Besides, two thousand dollars wasn’t enough. “Five thousand.” That ought to shut him up.

  “Done.” Bones smiled that smile that would make an angel fall out of the sky.