Rough Stuff (The Untouchables MC Book 3)

by Joanna Blake

  I knew being club President put a target on my back. But it was more than that. There was bad blood going back to the moment I took the helm and started changing things.

  Dante and I had locked horns at every turn. I actually preferred Shane, even though he was totally unpredictable. The guy was bat shit crazy, reckless, and had no respect for the rules. Not even MC rules. But he wasn’t a complete fucking sadist like Dante.

  For a long time, I’d thought he was cut from the same cloth. He’d been my number-one suspect after Dante was executed. But Shane was not who I thought he was. He was unpredictable, yes, but also seemed to have a moral compass that Dante had been lacking.

  I’d finally crossed Shane off my list after one of my guys saw him rescue a puppy from some of his club guys who were messing with it. He’d taken it home with him and could be seen walking it early in the morning and late at night. Apparently, he didn’t want to be seen with a dog, especially such a little one.

  I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen the surveillance photos. I’d had him followed for months after Dante’s murder. I was actually beginning to think Shane might be the one who killed him. But if he was, I owed him.

  I shook my head, momentarily bemused by the Raiser’s new President. The guy was bad to the bone on the surface, but apparently, he was more like Mase. An animal lover.

  A Goddamn puppy.

  I’d have to reach out to Shane too. Find out what he knew. Find out if any of us had a Goddamn clue about what was happening.

  “Fuck me.”

  “What is it?”

  Kelly was beside me, riding in my Hummer. Mine was military issue and the safest, biggest thing you could drive. But it also attracted attention.

  At this point, I was pretty sure it didn’t matter. I had a feeling the sick fuck already knew who she was. From here on out, I was escorting her everywhere.

  I was even going to college with her.

  When Connor and I decided to let her out of the house again, that is.

  “Things are about to get complicated.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “This guy—the killer—he’s getting more brazen. Just by being with me, you have a huge target on your back. I should have stayed away from you.”

  “Don’t say that! We can’t let this guy control us. I want to be with you, Cain.”

  “I want to be with you too, baby girl. But this . . . it’s not good.”

  I swallowed past the huge lump in my throat.

  “From now on, you don’t go anywhere alone. You always have an armed escort. I’m going to lay down some ground rules and I need you to follow them to a T.”

  “Armed? That’s crazy! Are you carrying right now?”

  “Yes.” I nodded curtly. Then I gave her a quick glance to see how she was taking it. She looked alarmed, as she should be. “I can’t let anything happen to you, Princess.”

  “Okay.”

  I raised an eyebrow, casting her a sideways glance.

  “That’s it? Okay? You aren’t going to fight me on this?”

  She sighed loudly.

  “I’m used to bossy. You have met my brother, right?”

  I grunted in agreement. Her brother Con was an FBI agent, but he reminded me of my Corps buddies. He wasn’t a bad guy. In fact, he was a Goddamn Boy Scout. It was just that bikers and FBI did not mix. Plus, he had hassled the club more than a few times in the past. Not that I blamed him.

  Connor had a damn good reason for what he had done.

  He thought the cretin who’d murdered his partner was one of us. We were almost positive it had been Dante and his cronies, but the trail was ice-cold. I frowned, hoping Mason would talk to him soon. I needed answers, but I also did not need to confuse the issue.

  Kelly was my primary focus at the moment. And she would remain my focus until the killer was caught. Brought down like the rabid dog that he was. As much as I wanted to do the killing myself, I didn’t care who did it. I just wanted it done.

  So I needed Connor to watch my woman. He would be the first defense when I was not there. My team would be second defense, watching her from a distance. And the rest of us would be out there, catching the motherfucker.

  So yeah, I was going to let Mase grease the wheels for information. He was family with Connor. I was not.

  Not yet.

  I clenched my jaw and picked up speed, my guys falling into formation around me as we wove through the shadowy woods. We were only taking back roads on the way to Connor’s place. They were outside town, isolated. That made it a lot easier to watch and a lot harder to get help if things went sideways.

  Of course, I’d had drones surveying the area since the decision was made to send Kelly there. I’d called Connor myself and he agreed. Though he was still pissed I was taking his sister out, that was for sure.

  That was just too fucking bad for him. Kelly was mine now. She might even have my baby growing in her belly already. I was going to marry her and make lots of mini Kellys with her for years to come.

  Connor was just going to have to get used it.

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Connor

  “Come in.”

  I glanced over Kelly’s shoulder at the fucking brigade of bikers parked in my front driveway. That was pretty much the last thing you would expect to see in an FBI agent’s driveway. But it was a sign of the times. We were secluded from the road up here, so no one would know they were here once they pulled in. But still, it was disquieting.

  Mason came here a lot, of course, but he rarely brought his hog. I even had a motorcycle myself. Of course, mine didn’t have skulls and devil horns painted all over it.

  I stepped back and made room for them to come inside. Cain and his second and third in command. I nodded at Hunter and Vice before I shut the door. I was always a bit annoyed by how tall Cain was. I was a big guy at well over six feet.

  But Cain was enormous.

  He practically ate up the room standing there and taking the place in. He wasn’t looking at our home decor. He was doing a preliminary sweep for security risks. I saw his eyes assess the entry points and other issues. Then he nodded.

  He looked at me, his beefy paw on my baby sister’s lower back. I puffed out my chest and glared. Everything about him screamed, ‘I just fucked your sister.’ Not that he was saying shit about it. I could just read him like a book. It was the first time I’d ever gotten a hint behind his shields.

  Usually, the man gave away nothing. Literally nothing.

  But now . . . well, fuck. He was blatantly possessive with Kelly. A total caveman, practically pissing in a circle around my little sister. I doubted he was even aware of it, but I sure as hell was.

  I did not like his hands on her, nor did I like the way she glowed. Glowed, dammit. My sister was lit up like a goddamn beacon! She was relaxed too, in a ‘I just got laid’ kind of way.

  I crossed my arms and stared disapprovingly at them. I didn’t like it. Not one fucking bit!

  My sister was falling for the head of the Untouchables MC, right in front of my eyes. And there was not a damn thing I could do about it.

  Not right now, anyway.

  But later, he and I were going to have words.

  “Where’s Mom?”

  “She’s on her way to Aunt June.”

  “Are we sure that’s safe?” Kelly’s voice was anxious. She was wringing her hands together. Cain noticed, rubbing his hand over her back. But for once, it didn’t piss me off. My baby sister was scared and it pissed me off even more than the big biker manhandling her so familiarly.

  I switched focus, realizing how scared she was. She needed her big brother. This was my responsibility. I would protect my sister. My sister. My family. Not his.

  “Texas is far enough. He hasn’t come close to crossing state lines, let alone crossing half the country.”

  “Okay.” I reached out to take her shoulders. I stared into her eyes, so much like my own. “You can go too, if you want.
”

  She gave Cain a swift look and shook her head.

  “No. I’m good.”

  I hated that the way she’d looked to him for approval. The way they’d communicated without words in an instant. I was about to argue with her when Cass came in, looking like a ray of fucking sunshine as usual. She was so gorgeous it made me forget what I was doing entirely. Living with Cass was like living in a natural skincare commercial. All the damn time.

  I couldn’t help but smile as she wrapped her arms around Kelly, giving Cain a respectful nod. They looked like angels standing together like that, minus the wings. My anger was gone, replaced with a sense of ultimate contentment. My wife was the ultimate antidepressant.

  The ultimate Viagra too.

  “Let me get you settled.” She linked arms with Kelly and led her toward the stairs. “If we are going to be on house arrest, at least we will be together!”

  I looked at Cain. Cain looked at me.

  “I’d like to walk the perimeter.”

  I nodded. I’d expected nothing less. We took the front door and walked around the house, with Cain pointing out any issues he saw. There weren’t many. A trellis with climbing roses Cass had planted under Daniella’s window. A rain pipe that could be climbed, though not without making a fuckton of noise. I showed him the security lights I had angled at those exact spots.

  I smiled smugly as we circled back to the house. I grabbed two beers and took him out to the back deck. We drank in silence for a few minutes.

  “I’m sorry about your friend.”

  He nodded but didn’t say anything.

  “Is there any chance he was mixed up in this? Have any connection to Dante? Or Shane?”

  Cain shook his head swiftly. But he looked tense. Tense and worried. Tired too. The man had just lost a friend, I reminded myself.

  “Shane’s not the killer. He’s fucking crazy, but he’s not evil.”

  “Yeah, I have the same gut on that.” I swigged on my beer. “But, your friend?”

  “No. No way. Even in the Corps, he was a rule follower. He was the straightest biker I know.” He finally looked at me. “Except me.”

  “Right.”

  Cain was straight as an arrow. No one could argue with that. I couldn’t even fault him. I just didn’t like him touching my sister.

  This was a damn good time for that talk I was set on having.

  I chewed on a toothpick and looked out at the dark woods. It was quiet, even with his guys patrolling the woods around our house. I was impressed. They barely made a noise. I had security cameras everywhere. The women and children were safe.

  “You aren’t good enough for her.”

  His answer surprised me. He barely even took a breath before he answered me. He just got right to the point.

  “I know.” He looked at me. “You aren’t good enough for Cass, either.”

  I grunted. He had me there. Nobody was good enough for Cass. She was a literal angel on earth. A sexy, funny angel who watched too much reality TV. I felt an uneasy truce settle between us.

  Well, fuck.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Kelly

  “Thanks, Mich. I’ll talk to you later. Kiss those cuties for me. And Mase too, of course.”

  I hung up and stared out the window, longing to go outside. I was on day three of the lockdown. And despite Cassandra’s best efforts, it was wearing on me.

  I was ready to climb the damn walls.

  Cass and Michelle were going nuts too, but they were more used to it. And Mich was allowed out, with escort, of course, to take Payton to and from school. There was someone parked outside the school and the house at all times.

  Plus alarm systems. Plus cameras. Plus drones.

  Between the club and Cain’s security firm, Michelle was covered.

  But as of right now, Cass and I were dealing with a lot more. There were a ton of off-duty FBI agents coming and going constantly, and that was on top of the damn MC! I alone was dealing with Cain in addition to all this, and he was driving me batty.

  It was hard to believe, but Cain was even stricter than my brother. Even more of a hard ass. He had so many rules! I wasn’t allowed to sunbathe out back during the day or even get some air. I was supposed to stay away from the windows at night. Apparently, it made me a target, not that the killer used bullets. And I wasn’t allowed to leave at all!

  The worst part was, Cain couldn’t even be bothered to come and visit me himself! That irked me most of all. He sexed me until my knees were weak and then rode off with the cavalry. It was just like a man! Trying to save the day and treating me like a helpless damsel. I didn’t like it one bit!

  No matter what I did to stay busy, the thought of being confined, and knowing why . . . it was making me as jumpy as a cat! I needed my man to come and soothe me, to tell me everything was going to be alright. But no! Instead, he sent someone else! He barely texted and it was mostly just to check in and make sure I hadn’t been abducted or something. It was insane! I needed a little romance. Some love words. I needed reassurance, damn it!

  I was feeling neglected and annoyed with the whole damn world, especially those two hulking bikers who acted so deferentially and called me ‘Cain’s old lady.’

  That especially made me want to scream!

  Every day, one of Cain’s guys brought by my homework, notes, and supplies from my house. Usually, it was Hunter or Vice. I was covered when it came to school, though I didn’t like skipping. I was also missing my shifts at work. The only bright side to this whole disaster was hanging out with my adorable niece and nephew.

  And not being brutally murdered, of course.

  I sighed and sniffed the air, turning toward the back of the house. I smelled something . . . wood smoke. I was sure of it. I tapped my foot, trying to decide what to do. It was dark and I wasn’t supposed to go outside . . . But I had to at least find out what was going on out there. What if the house was on fire? I had to protect the children above all else, I decided.

  My jaw dropped when I saw what it was. When I saw who it was.

  I guess he finally decided to show up, I thought. But I wasn’t annoyed anymore. I lit up like a neon sign.

  Cain stood on the deck, grilling Portobello mushrooms.

  His timing sucked. He finally shows up when I’m aching for him and wanting to smack him in equal measure? I scowled at him. He was out there, enjoying the cool night air when I was stuck inside.

  “You can come out. The woods are clear. We just did a sweep.”

  He didn’t even look at me. Yet somehow, he knew I was there. I bit my lip and pushed the screen door open. It creaked loudly, sounding like it was part of a horror movie.

  I shivered and looked around. That was not a good sign. I had to admit, being outside after three days . . . well, I felt totally exposed.

  Cain closed the grill top and turned to look at me. Without a word, he opened his arms. I took a step, and then another before I practically threw myself at him. His big, warm chest was covered in a soft flannel shirt that felt incredible against my cheek. The way he smelled made me melt instantly. His arms closed tightly around me and I was safe.

  Just like that.

  I suddenly realized how afraid I was. How afraid I had been all this time. I wasn’t just pent up and bored. I was petrified.

  “Cain . . .”

  “I know, baby girl. I know.”

  “What if he’s . . . out there?”

  “My guys are everywhere. They made a sweep at sunset. That doesn’t mean we can stay out here for long though.”

  “Okay.”

  “Here.” He held something up and I realized it was a cold beer. I took it with gratitude. “Unless you want wine?”

  “No, this is perfect.”

  I sat on a chair by the kitchen door and watched Cain grill. He made himself a steak and me a couple of mushrooms, along with a couple of baked potatoes.

  When it was done, he looked around and then whistled. Another voice whist
led back, so close it made me jump. He shook his head.

  “Just my guys. I’m letting them know half of them can go home. They work in shifts. Let’s go inside.”

  I nodded and opened the door for him. When we stepped inside, my jaw dropped. Not only was the TV not on like usual, with one of Cass’s reality shows playing, but the room was transformed. The lights were lower, for one thing. There was a candle lit and the table had a tablecloth on it. A bottle of wine and two glasses were set out.

  I raised my brow and Cain winked at me. Winked! He really was loosening up, I decided. And he’d worked a miracle.

  Well, I guess he can be romantic sometimes.

  I tilted my head and listened. The house wasn’t empty. Cass was watching TV in the master bedroom at a low volume. She loved her shows, especially the ones about Housewives and Southern Gentlemen. Con must be up there with her too. He was into the shows too, although at first, he only watched them to humor her. Now he was hooked.

  How sweet of them to let us have the first floor for dinner, I thought to myself.

  Cain set our plates down and pulled out the chair for me. I stared at the candle, mesmerized by the glow. Cain cleared his throat and I realized I was standing there like a dimwit. I sat, putting the napkin on my lap. Cain sat across from me and started pouring us each a glass of wine.

  “This is really . . . nice,” I finished lamely. Cain just grunted and handed me a glass of wine. I felt unaccountably shy all of a sudden. This date felt . . . well, more date-like than usual. Serious somehow. He looked at me quizzically.

  “Are you wanting to say grace, sweetheart?”

  I almost melted from the term of endearment. He was so sweet with me. The last of my anger and frustration melted away. I was ungrateful. He was doing everything he could to keep me safe, and I’d been mad at him for it. Not to mention how lonely I’d been. Horny too.

  Bad Kelly. Bad.

  “No, thank you.” I picked up my fork and knife and started to eat. Cain watched me intently in between cutting bites of his humongous steak.