by Jewel, Bella
For a few minutes, we just sit there, both of us panting, both of us pulsing. He releases my throat and carefully pulls away from me, placing my feet on the ground. He takes the key off the table and unlocks my cuffs, and then he fixes up his jeans and his eyes lock onto me, standing there, wet and naked, still panting, cheeks burning, wondering what else this man has up his sleeve for me to try out.
“You in pain?” he asks, his voice still so incredibly husky from sex.
“Yes,” I whisper.
I am in pain.
So much pain.
My ribs are screaming at me, and my back kills, but I’ve never felt so exhilarated in my life. To have sex the way I crave, in a healthier way, is something I never thought I could experience. I hated that I loved when Reece fucked me after he hurt me, I hated how that made me feel about myself, but this ... this is different. This makes me feel like maybe I’ve met someone that understands and accepts who I am and is showing me I can have it my way without guilt.
Kendric is changing everything for me.
It scares the life out of me, but it excites me even more.
One thing is for sure ...
Something has been started here, I’m just not sure what that something is.
15
ZARIAH
“How are you, Cova?” I ask.
I decided to visit Cova after Briella told me that she had informed her that Colton had asked after her. It took a lot of convincing, but she did the right thing, and I’m glad she did. Cova deserves us to be on her side, and to trust her choices. It’s the only way she’ll come out of this.
“I’m good, actually,” she tells me, her voice lighter than I’ve ever heard it. She is always down, but today she looks like a different person. Someone I’m sure she was before Dax ruined her life. “I think I have a job.”
“Seriously?” I ask, eyes wide. “That’s incredible! Where?”
“Karen knows the owners of a café in town, they’re looking for wait staff so I applied and they called me back for a trial tonight. I don’t know how I’ll go, but I’m ready to start getting my life back on track.”
That’s something I haven’t heard come from her mouth yet. She has, thus far, hated everyone and everything that took her away from the life she thought she loved. The man she thought she loved. What has changed? Could it be Colton? Does he mean something to her?
“That’s amazing, I’m so happy for you.”
She nods, rubbing her arms. “Yeah, my therapist recommended I try to get a job and start figuring out what I want to do with myself. I’ve never ...”
She trails off and looks down at the floor.
“You’ve never had that option,” I finish for her.
“No, I haven’t.”
She looks back up at me, and I offer a reassuring smile. “Well, I think it’s amazing and you’re strong for taking steps forward.”
“It’s hard,” she admits, sitting on the edge of the sofa. “I am struggling to get along with Briella. I just hold so much resentment toward her for upending my life. I’m working through it, I am, but it’s hard all the same.”
“Give it time. Time is the only thing that fixes these things. You’re making huge progress, that’s all that matters right now.”
“Yeah, you’re right.”
I’m a little suspicious, I won’t lie. Her dramatic change of attitude does scare me just a touch. Mostly because I have to wonder if there is another reason she’s suddenly perked up. Like maybe she’s planning on tricking everyone into thinking she’s fine so she can do a runner, or she’s saving money so she can go back to her old life. She struggled hugely with being taken away from Bryant, the man who bought her. I just don’t see her getting over that so quickly.
I could be wrong, too.
Perhaps finding out about Colton has helped her realize that everyone is on her side.
Maybe that’s all it is.
“I heard you spoke to Briella about Colton ...” I say, letting my voice trail off.
I don’t want to push her if she doesn’t want to talk.
I just want her to know that I’m here if she does want to.
She gives me a sceptical look, her eyes narrowing slightly. Behind her gaze, I can see her hesitation. I’m certain now that she’s not doing as well as she’s making out. I see the dullness and the doubt. I know she’s not over what happened, and I know she’s not okay with Briella. This is a ticking time bomb, and I feel bad that she’s living through what she is, because it must be confusing as hell.
I make a note to spend more time with her.
She needs someone she can trust.
“Yeah,” she finally says. “He’s an old ... I don’t know ... person I was involved with. It’s really complicated. I’m not interested in going to see him.”
Her shoulders tighten and, by the time she’s finished her sentence, I can see just speaking about him is bringing some sort of weird reaction to her body. There is certainly more to the story, coming from someone who has lived through those tiny reactions—I know now what they mean. I also know it’s not my place to ask her, or push her, or do anything but listen.
“That’s your call.” I shrug, trying to brush it off.
She tips her head to the side. “She told me it was you that made her tell me. Why is that?”
I exhale and give her a small smile. “Because I’ve lived without choices, and I thought you deserved the right to make the choice about Colton yourself, not to have someone decide for you. You’ve already had enough go on, the very least you can be given back is your choice.”
She looks shocked by this, and it seems to take her a moment to snap out of it. “You really believe that?”
“Yes,” I say, my voice unwavering. “Yes, I do.”
“Because you have lived through it.”
I nod. “Yes.”
“Thank you,” she tells me, looking away quickly. “For having my back. It hasn’t been easy ... everything since they took me from—” she pauses, and I can see her visibly gather herself “—Bryant. It has been really hard. I didn’t know what was coming and now I’ve been thrust into a world I didn’t anticipate. I’m clean now, so I can see more clearly, but I also struggle daily not to go back down that road. To drugs. To toxic people. I’m grateful to have a choice.”
“I can’t imagine how hard it has been for you. I’m sorry your world got quite literally ripped out from beneath you.”
“You know the worst part?” she says, fidgeting with her hands. “Is that nobody has actually sat down and asked me what my life was really like. They decided I was in a bad place, they decided that I needed to be saved, and they took me out without ever considering that I might not have wanted to be taken away. They never asked. They never even tried to see my side of things.”
Poor girl.
Even if being with Bryant was toxic to her, she didn’t know that. Hell, she probably still doesn’t. She’s been living a life that felt okay to her, and because of that, she sees Briella and the club as the bad guys, because they took her from a place where she honestly believed she was happy.
“What was it like there?” I ask her, sitting on the sofa.
She leans forward, placing her elbows on her knees. “It was fine. Honestly. He treated me well, for the most part. It wasn’t a violent existence. He took care of me, he fed me, he loved me. Sure, he gave me drugs and I will admit my life was somewhat of a blur, but I was living that life on the streets anyway. Only I was in a whole lot more danger out there.”
“He never hurt you?” I ask, quite shocked at this revelation.
She shakes her head. “Not really, no. I mean sure, there were times ... he got angry or I did something wrong, but mostly, he was good to me. I was his favorite, I know that. But I loved him. He loved me. I know that nobody believes that, how could they, they only see what they want to see, but it’s the truth. Just because it was broken doesn’t mean it wasn’t real.”
My god.
&
nbsp; This girl is tugging at my heartstrings in a way I haven’t felt in such a long time.
I feel her words more than she’ll ever know.
“I know what you mean,” I say to her, my voice soft. “I know because I have lived through something nobody could understand either. Hell, I didn’t understand it half the time, yet I couldn’t walk away. I truly loved him, though. In the most twisted, sick way. I did. I really did.”
“Is he the one who hurt you?” Cova asks, her eyes meeting mine.
“Yes.”
“Briella told me you were in hospital because your ex hurt you. I’m sorry that happened.”
“It’s life, isn’t it?” I say bitterly, then give her a smile.
She smiles back. “Yeah, I suppose it is. Listen, I like you. You’re the first person since I’ve been in this god forsaken place that I’ve actually wanted to talk to. I’d like to hang out sometime ...”
I give her a bigger smile than the one I was already giving her. “Sounds great to me.”
And just like that, I have found someone who understands.
“I’M NOT SNOOPING, ALARICK,” I mutter, crossing my arms. “I already gave you something good to go off, but I’m not going to look into Blanche. I’ve told you this, and I mean it. I’m sorry you don’t like it, but you have to know I’m not risking everything for something I know isn’t a thing.”
“It is a fuckin’ thing,” Alarick growls, pacing his office, arms crossed. “You’re refusin’ to see it, but it’s real and you’re the only fuckin’ person close enough to find what we need.”
“What we need is to find Dax, what we need is to do a search on his house, what we need is to get into that god damned house and look around. What we don’t need is to waste our time looking into an officer that has nothing to do with this.”
Kendric, who is sitting on the sofa beside Bohdi, stands and walks over to me, stopping in front of me. “You need to do this.”
“I’m not doing it, Kendric.”
His eyes hold mine, angrily. “You’re wastin’ fuckin’ time because you refuse to believe that he has anything to do with this. We find out what he knows, we find Dax. You want me to go down?”
“Fuck you,” I snap, angrily. “You know damn well I don’t want you to go down. I’m doing my best.”
“No, you’re fuckin’ not.”
Rage bubbles in my chest, and I struggle to push it down. I’m trying to help them, but they’re so set on Blanche that they’re not seeing anything else. They’re not even willing to consider that they’re wasting time. I’m not risking everything for them to be chasing their damned tails with the wrong fucking thing.
“God dammit, I’m not listening to this anymore. I have things to do, I have a person to find and you’re all wasting time on Blanche when you could be out there finding Dax.”
I turn and walk toward the door, but Kendric walks up behind me and stops me, hand on my shoulder. I turn, jerking my shoulder from his grips. I’m wild with anger and he’s staring at me in a way that tells me he damn well knows that. “You’re working at his house tonight, at the very least, look around.”
I shake my head, frustrated.
“I’m going to meet him for lunch. I’m not discussing this. I actually have a job to do.”
“Where are you goin’?” Alarick asks.
I look to him. “What?”
“Where are you goin’ for lunch?”
“The Water Bar, why?”
“I was curious. Nothin’ major. Keep your eyes peeled, Zariah. You’ll see we’re right about this, I just hope it’s not too late.”
I make a loud, angry sound in my throat and storm out.
I’m frustrated.
And fuck them.
Seriously. Fuck them.
I stop in the toilet before I leave, and just as I’m walking out, I slam into a hard body. Kendric puts his hands on my shoulders and pushes me back in, slamming my back into the basin. “What are you doing?” I cry, shocked.
His eyes lock onto mine. “You want to storm out like a fuckin’ child, I’m goin’ to punish you like a fuckin’ child.”
I open my mouth to argue, but his hand goes up around my throat and I find myself immediately at his mercy, wanting it without hesitation. “I’m not helping you, so you’re punishing me?”
“Yeah,” he growls, his free hand going down to my pants where he undoes my belt with one swift movement.
Everything falls to the ground. He takes my pants and undoes them, his other hand still on my throat, his grip not tight but definitely using slight pressure. I love it, god do I love it.
“You look fuckin’ good in uniform. Shouldn’t want anything to do with a cop, but you do things to me, Zariah ...”
Oh, boy.
He shoves my pants down, and I wiggle them the rest of the way. My hand goes to his jeans, and I undo the button, slip down the zip and then let them slide down. His cock springs free, and I curl my fingers around it, loving how warm it feels in my hand. How hard. How fucking delicious. I bite my lip and meet his eyes. “Are you going to fuck me or did we come here to play?”
He growls and then releases my throat, spins me around, and bends me over the sink. His hand goes back to my neck, only he’s hanging onto the back of it this time. He takes my hip roughly in his other hand and then he slams his cock into me without warning. I cry out, not caring who hears, because it feels so damned good. The pain. Everything that comes with it. I moan as he starts fucking me, so roughly his balls slap against my bare pussy.
“Oh, god,” I cry out, loving the way my nipples immediately get hard and my entire body coils, ready to explode with pleasure.
Pleasure I crave.
Pleasure I need.
“Kendric,” I cry, arching. “Oh, god, yes.”
I cum with a force that has me shoving my ass back into him as hard as I can, needing every single centimeter of him inside me. He growls, low and feral, and then he’s cumming, hard and deep, cock pulsing. I whimper and my entire body trembles as I come down from the most incredible release. It feels like heaven—like I imagine heaven, anyway.
Kendric pulls his cock out, releasing me. His cum drips from my pussy as I stand and it’s only then that I realize we didn’t use protection. That’s fine, I’m on the pill, but it’s not pregnancy I’m worried about. It’s the fact that he’s a biker, he has plenty of women, and he could have anything. I pull my pants up, get myself dressed and neat, and then turn to him.
“I’m clean,” he says, before I can even ask the question. “Never go without a condom for random bitches, and I get checked once every six months. Only did it a month ago. Used condoms since except then. You’re good.”
Well then, that clears up everything.
“Me, too,” I say my voice still shaky from sex.
I catch a glimpse of us in the mirror and pause. What a sight we are. Two of us, him all dressed in leather, looking wild and dangerous, and me, in uniform, looking clean cut and good. It’s quite a match. His eyes meet mine, and he murmurs, “Thought you weren’t workin’ after what that motherfucker did to you.”
“I’m working with Blanche, nothing strenuous,” I tell him, holding his gaze in the mirror.
He turns and walks to the door, looking back at me when he reaches it. “When you’re sittin’ with him later, make sure you’re thinkin’ about whose cum is dripping’ out of you.”
Then, just like that ... He’s gone.
16
ZARIAH
“You wait in the car and I’ll get the check,” Steven tells me once we’ve finished our lunch at the restaurant.
We’re going to his house to keep working on the case tonight and hopefully we’ll get a little closer to finding out where the missing girl is and what happened to her. I love working on this; it takes my mind off the bad things going on around me and makes me feel like I’ve got something to work toward. I am enjoying every second of it.
I thank Steven and then go to his car and
slip into the passenger seat. As I wait, I look around. Not for any particular reason, just purely because that’s what you do when you’re in someone’s car, right? I mean, that’s what I do anyway. I notice a piece of paper sort of squashed into his seat, and I reach over and pluck it out, opening it up. There is some scrawled handwriting on it, that reads Steven, things to go as planned. We’re set up for transport. You know what to do from here. Peter.
Peter?
I swallow, my heart picking up a few notches as I read the note again, and again. Who is Peter? Surely it can’t be the same Peter who is working with Dax. No, it must be someone else. Probably something to do with a case. It’s just a coincidence that the person who wrote it’s called Peter. There plenty of Peters in the world, right? And transport, that’s probably just a package or something he’s getting shipped in regard to a case.
He has nothing to do with this.
I scrunch up the note and shove it into my pocket, mostly because I’m scared if I put it back, it’ll look wrong and he’ll know I touched it. I’m better off just playing dumb. I sit, my hands fidgeting, as I wait for Steven to get into the car. He arrives a few minutes later and climbs in, oblivious to the fact that his little note has gone. Maybe he forgot about it or hasn’t even seen it.
That would make sense.
“Are you ready to go and finish up the case? Did you have anything you needed to do before we get to work?”
I shake my head. “No, I’m okay. My son is with my nanny tonight; I told her we’d be working late. Let’s go and crack this.”
He smiles and starts the car, pulling out and driving the twenty or so minutes to his house. When we arrive, I stare up in awe. He has a massive home—I suppose he would being as popular as he is, he must make a lot of money. His house is two stories, a dark brown brick, high roof, gorgeous gardens. It looks like something that belongs in a history book. It looks old and yet well taken care of, like it has only been there a year instead of over a hundred.
