Chas's Fervor: Insurgents Motorcycle Club (Insurgents MC Romance Book 3)
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Dressed in local attire for the last three weeks, Ian had laid low, observing his target. Always a patient man—a huge asset in his business—he tracked him to find out everything about the portly mayor. If Ian were a betting man, he’d bet he knew more about Hurmoz Nabiyev than the government of this cold, desolate country did. The fat mayor had a ton of security around him most of the time, but there were moments when he was unguarded, like when he fucked his barely legal mistress at a crumbling stone house. After he was good and fucked, the mayor would slip some money to his mistress’s parents and escape out the back door. For the time it took him to make his way down the narrow, cobbled streets to the main street, he was unaccompanied. Normally, it took the target twenty minutes. If he had a longer than usual fuck session, he’d slow his pace afterwards.
The politician had been banging his whore for thirty minutes. Ian guaranteed he’d walk slowly down the unpaved road. Ian could wait. A lone gunman, he was undetectable in his brown camouflage clothes as he waited for the right moment to snuff out the life of his prey.
Smoke billowed out of the chimneys from the local factories, which circled the town like a cigarette ring. Striking a match on the nearby rock, Ian inhaled deeply—the surge of nicotine coursed through and wired his body. Not wanting to spend another day in this cold, barren land, Ian had made the decision the night before that the mayor would enjoy one last fuck before his face kissed the ground. Hiking through the rough terrain and slipping into Tajikistan would definitely be a bitch, but before any one of the idiots could figure out what had happened, he’d be on a flight to Zurich. Life was sweet.
Stubbing out his cigarette, he looked through his sniper rifle. On cue, Mr. Nabiyev—adulterer, family man, mayor, and unlucky bastard—stumbled down the uneven street. Pulling the trigger back, Ian fired one solitary bullet. As if in slow motion, the mayor stopped in his tracks, shock masking his face before he fell face-down, blood and brain matter covering the cobblestones.
The minute he hit the ground, Ian was packed up and slithering on the dirt until a large rock blocked him from the town’s view. He picked up his concealed backpack behind the monolith, put on his sunglasses, discarded his camouflage attire, and made his way toward Tajikistan. In a couple of weeks, he’d be back in Pinewood Springs to finish his business and take his wife back to Chicago with him.
* * *
Two weeks later…
“I’ll be by your place later tonight. I’ve got some business to do. Is that cool, babe?” Chas asked Addie.
“That’ll be perfect. I’ve some work I have to catch up on.”
“See you later. Wear your sexy yoga pants with the sheer white t-shirt. Love that on you,” he said, his voice thick and low.
“We’ll see.” Addie laughed, even though the sound of desire in his voice shimmied down from her head to her toes.
When she clicked off the phone, she glanced at the time. She had about forty-five minutes until the library closed. There was plenty to do, but Addie wanted to lean back in her desk chair and replay all the wonderful times she’d been having with Chas since she first agreed to go out with him. Each time she thought about his hands on her skin, how delicious his mouth and tongue felt on every inch of her, she’d blush and a heat would radiate through her until she was tingly and horny. Chas did so many wickedly pleasurable things to her body and to her emotions that if she had to leave him to save him, it would be pure torture.
Addie sighed. How had she married such a monster? Had she been that naïve and desperate when she’d professed her love for Ian? It still bothered her that she hadn’t been able to read the bullshit he’d dished out to her. How blind she’d been. And he’d finally found her. Each time she remembered that he knew where she was, she’d break out in a cold sweat, and her limbs would tremble. After all this time, he’d come to torment her. What the fuck was she going to do?
“Can I take off thirty minutes early? Snake wants to take me out for barbecue,” Jordan said as she leaned against the door frame.
Addie shuddered when she heard Snake’s name. She despised him, and he was the reason her heart hammered against her chest so much lately. He’d brought Ian back into Addie’s world. “Go ahead. Have a nice time.”
“Thanks. See you in the morning.” Jordan turned on her heels and hurried away.
Addie picked up a large bundle of papers, determined to make some headway in her work during the next thirty minutes.
* * *
Ian lurked in the shadows on the side of the porch as an older lady, grocery bags in her arms, struggled to fit the key in the lock of Addie’s apartment building’s front door.
“Here, let me help you, ma’am.” Ian flashed one of his charming, boy-next-door smiles as he reached for the many plastic bags hanging low on her wrists.
The woman scrutinized Ian from his short, blond hair to his freshly shaven face. “Are you a new tenant?” she asked, suspicion tinging her voice.
“No, I’m a relative of Addie O’Leary. She lives in apartment twenty-four. Do you know her?”
A warm grin broke out on the older lady’s face. “Addie? Oh, yes. She’s such a lovely young woman. Are you visiting her?”
“Yes. I’m from out of town and have come by for a visit.” Ian chatted cheerfully with the woman as though she had been an acquaintance of his for years.
“I’m Harriett. I live two doors down from Addie.”
Ian had all the grocery bags in his hands and followed Harriett up the stairs. When she arrived at her apartment, she opened the door and let Ian enter to place the bags on her small kitchen table.
“How’s Addie doing? I haven’t seen much of her in a while. She seems so busy at the library and with that new man she’s been seeing. He looks scary, if you ask me—not clean-cut, like you—but she seems to like him, so who am I to judge?”
“Her new friend comes around here a lot, does he?”
“Yes, but I’m not snooping. The whole neighborhood knows when he comes over with all the racket his motorcycle makes. I don’t know why people want to ride those loud, dangerous things.” Harriett placed a tea kettle on the stove. “Would you like a cup of tea?”
Smiling wide, Ian said, “No, thank you. I have to be going. I want to surprise Addie. She doesn’t know I’m here.”
“How nice. She works so hard. I’m sure she’ll love seeing you. It’s always fun when family visits.” Harriett plodded toward the door.
Ian grinned, his face dark and his sunken eyes bright. “It was good meeting you, Harriett.”
“Same here. You have a key?”
“Yes. Addie gave it to me the last time I was here.”
“Tell Addie to come by and see me sometime. I miss our tea time.” Harriett closed the door, leaving Ian in the shadows.
His easy smile faded and malevolence spread over his face as he took out a small tool and unlocked Addie’s door in less than a minute.
Once inside, he looked around the small apartment cluttered with books, Victorian china, and other knick-knacks he’d never have allowed her to put in their pristine condo. Shades of yellow, blue, pink, and green assaulted his eyes. Addie needed him to set her back on track.
Glancing at his watch, he noted the time was six-thirty. Addie should be home soon. He walked into her room, switched on the lamp—cursing the tassels hanging from the shade—and glared when he saw a pair of men’s boots neatly by the bed. The biker was moving his stuff into Addie’s home. No, my dear wife. Your days of living like white trash stop tonight. Ian opened her closet and saw it was a small walk-in. Glad it was roomy enough for him to hide, he shoved her shoes over to one side, making room for him as he awaited his wife’s arrival.
* * *
Addie scurried to her car. The cold wind howled through the bare trees, which had taken on new and ominous forms as nightfall crept in. The familiar sights, which lent comfort during the brightness of day, had transformed into shadows, which the encroaching nightfall swallowed up. Addie quickly open
Since moving to Colorado, she’d grown to love country music, and when she felt anxious, a good country song with crazy lyrics always made her smile and sing along. By the time she arrived at her apartment building, she felt much better.
Lugging her tote full of work she had to try and finish that night, she opened the lobby door and climbed up the stairs. In a few short hours, she’d be on the couch tucked in next to Chas. But instead of pleasure tingling through her body, a sudden icy wave of fear washed over her. The hairs on the back of her neck and arms stood up while her heart hammered against her chest. In front of her, she could swear she heard a voice whispering to her to turn and run. Why do I have the jitters so badly tonight? She chalked it up to being tired, knowing Snake was in town, and not knowing where Ian was.
Nevertheless, a sense of foreboding forced her not to turn the key in the lock. For a few seconds, she had the urge to turn around and flee, but she didn’t. Chiding herself once again on being silly and very tired—Chas had been keeping her delightfully awake most of the night for the past couple of weeks—she turned the key and entered her apartment.
Darkness greeted her, and the fear, which had started several minutes before, was still with her, just under the surface. For a few minutes, her brain couldn’t comprehend why she was engulfed in blackness. It was her habit to leave the lamp on, but it was off. Addie knew for certain she had left it on when she went to work earlier in the day. She inched over to the lamp and turned the switch, expecting the bulb to be burned out. Bright light flooded her space, and her heart leapt to her throat as her brain short-circuited with dark thoughts—someone had come into her apartment and switched the light off.
Whipping her head around her small abode, Addie didn’t notice anything being out of place. Three deep breaths steadied her nerves. I’m sure the power went out. Again. The city was doing its ubiquitous road construction down the street, and the power had gone out at least three times in the past week. She’d been home each time, and she was certain that was what had happened that day.
A glass of red wine was what she needed. For some reason, she was on pins and needles. As she went through her mail, she sipped her glass of wine. After she finished, she stretched and rubbed the aching muscles in the back of her neck and shoulders. She padded to her bedroom, deciding a warm shower was what she needed for her achy body.
She switched on her bedside lamp, closed the window blinds then took off her blouse and skirt. Addie pulled out her pretty maroon sheer bra and panty set then went to her closet to retrieve her newly laundered shower robe. She loved how fuzzy it was. The robe made her feel decadent when she had it wrapped around her body after a shower.
Addie stepped in the closet and grabbed her robe off the hanger. From the corner of her eye, she saw a shadow coming toward her. Her insides turned upside-down as she jumped out of the closet, running toward the bathroom. A strong arm curled around her waist and slammed her backward into a tight, lean body.
“Missed me?” a deep voice asked from behind her.
Whirling around, Addie gasped when she met Ian’s piercing gaze. Black mist swirled at the edges of her mind as she opened her mouth and screamed—only nothing came out. Fear had frozen her throat, and all she could do was strain her vocal chords as she attempted to force any kind of sound through them.
Ian slid his eyes over her curvy body clad only in bra and panties. A cruel laugh rose from deep within as his gaze filled with lust. “You look real nice, Lizzie.”
Fear bubbled in her chest, but she couldn’t let it show. A few minutes before, he had taken her by surprise, but she had recovered from the shock of him being in her space. “What are you doing here? How dare you break into my place? I should call the police.”
“But you won’t. You don’t want them asking a lot of questions about your fingerprints being all over the murder scene in Glenview.”
As he took a few steps toward her, she backed up, the back of her knees hitting against the bed.
“I’ll tell them the truth. I’ll tell them you killed that poor woman because her bastard husband hired you to do it.”
Shaking his head, he continued to walk toward her. “No, you won’t. And do you want to know why? Because your fingerprints and shoe prints were all over the place. Mine were nowhere to be found because, dear, I’m the pro, not you. It’s a shame the fucking bitch bled so much. And it’s a bigger shame you couldn’t mind your own fucking business. You had to make sure I wasn’t having an affair. Fuck! You were always so provincial.”
He was standing so close to her, she could feel his warm breath on her face. With nowhere to escape, she fell back and landed on the bed.
“I’m tired of running. I’ll take my chances.”
Ian sneered as he bent over and snarled in her face. “You’re not opening your fucking mouth. You’re going to be a good wife and come home with me so we can pick up where we left off two years ago.” He put his hand up in front of her face when she opened her mouth to protest. “This isn’t open for discussion. You’re coming with me whether you like it or not. You owe me, bitch.” With one fluid movement, he was sitting next to her on the bed, his arm wrapped tightly around her, his thin, cold lips pressed against her warm cheek.
Tears gathered behind her eyes, and even though the apartment was warm, her blood was icy and her muscles tensed.
If she fought Ian, he’d love it, because that was the kind of man he was—he was all about control, domination, and torment. Even if she wanted to fight him, it would be no use trying to break free of his clutches—he had an iron grip on her.
“Ian,” she said softly, relaxing in his arms. “Please, let me go. You know we didn’t have much of a marriage before I found out what you really did for a living. We’re just different people, that’s all. I’ll keep my mouth shut and keep living my lie, and you can keep doing what you’re doing. It would be crazy for us to go back to Chicago and pretend we care about each other.”
Darkness fell over his face, and his eyes narrowed—they were cold and hard. In that moment, Addie knew he’d decided she was his enemy, and Ian always dealt with enemies in an efficient way. She’d never feared his anger when it came on suddenly, like a fire, because it leapt and burned then it was done. What scared her was his ice—calculating, calm, and cruel.
Squeezing her upper arm until she cried out in pain, he said, “You don’t want to go because you’ve fallen for the outlaw, right?” Shaking his head, he gave her a mocking look. “And your stupid parents didn’t want you to marry me? What a fucking joke. How do you think they’d like a dirty outlaw biker for a son-in-law? You’re really scraping the bottom of the barrel, sweetheart.”
Heat rose up her neck and spread over her face as her eyes ignited with anger. “Chas is more man than you’ll ever be. And speaking of scraping the barrel, there’s nothing left to scrape because I already married the scum on the bottom. My parents were one hundred percent right, and if things would’ve been different, I know I would’ve listened to them and not married you.”
“Yes. You were always the good, obedient daughter who listened to what her mommy and daddy said. You don’t think I know that? Why do you think I got rid of them? Telling me I’m not good enough. Well, I showed them not to mess around with me.”
Leaping to her feet, the room spun around her at top speed as the blood rushed and pounded in her ears. Unable to breathe, her eyes and mouth were frozen wide open as her brain scrambled to make sense of it all. Ian killed my parents? He’s the murderer? The cause of so much sadness in my life? She stood rigid as a board, unable to comprehend the horror of it. Ian, the man she’d once loved, kissed, made love to, and cherished, executed the two people she loved more than life? In cold blood, he’d murdered them then held her in his arms after the police broke the news to her.
“Go on and pack your things. We’re leaving. We’ll stay a few days at the cabin so I can get rid of my jetlag. It can be like a second honeymoon for us, you know?”
Tears trailed down her white face. “You killed my mom and dad? How could you do something like that? What do you have inside you that allows you to kill without remorse? How could I ever think I was in love with you? You’re a sick fucking sociopath. I hate you! I despise you! You fucking repulse me! Did you hear me? You fucking repulse me!” Sobbing uncontrollably, she pounded her fists against his chest as he stood before her, no expression on his face.
After a while, dry sobs wracked Addie’s body. Ian said, “Are you finished?”
She wrapped her robe around her then blew her nose. Addie stared at the wall, not believing she was married to a man who destroyed lives. She had to get away from him; she would rather be on death row than live with him again.
“Go pack your clothes. I’ll help you pack the rest of your stuff.” Ian’s calm voice had a steel edge to it.
Rolling her shoulders back, defiance replaced shock in her gaze. “What if I don’t go? Are you going to kill me, Ian?” Laughing dryly, she spread out her hands on her thighs, cocked her head, and stared him straight in the eye. “I want you to kill me, because I’d rather be dead than be with you. I don’t care anymore, Ian. Go ahead and kill me, but I’m not fucking going with you.” A sense of ease rippled over her as she realized she did have a choice, and she was choosing not to go.
Narrowing his eyes, Ian grabbed her by the shoulders, jerking her sideways so she could see him full-on. “You’ll go with me unless you want to have the death of your lover’s boy on your conscience. Jack’s his name, isn’t it? I won’t hesitate to snuff him out, and I can make his death painful. And the outlaw will be next. Before I kill the sonofabitch, I’ll cut his dick off, put it in your mouth, and kill him nice and slow while you watch. Yes, sweetheart, you have choices here. Which will it be?”
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