by K. J. Dahlen
“Yes, I can.” Melora walked over to where he was standing and took out her phone. Bringing up the video, she played it for him.
Paul Walker frowned as the video played out. Then he looked around the room. “So Baily is really dead and has been all along?” His face had paled.
Each man there nodded. They’d all seen the video and they knew the truth.
Walker turned back to Melora. “He told me you killed Baily and he even offered to find out where the body was hidden. Now, I know I’ll never recover him. I’ll never be able to bring closure for his mother.”
“You will,” Melora stated quietly.
“How so?” Paul asked.
“Because the hogs never got near Baily’s body that night.”
Paul frowned. “But you heard what he said.”
“Yes I did, but what Whiskey doesn’t know is I moved Baily’s body before the hogs got there. Only I know where he actually is.”
“And where is that?”
Melora shook her head. “I’ll only tell you after Whiskey is dead and I no longer have this murder charge hanging over my head.”
“Is it really true Whiskey wants to run guns and drugs on the East coast and he was going to use a connection to me to do it?” Senator Walker asked.
“Yes, it’s true.”
Walker looked over at Raven and shook his head. “That man is insane if he thinks I’ll let that happen.”
Raven snorted. “He thinks he’s gonna take the club away from me as well.”
He turned to Deke and asked, “What can I do to help you guys stop him?”
“Just stay out of our way. We’ll take care of the man and his friends.”
Senator Walker nodded. Looking at Raven again, he commented, “Let me know when he’s neutralized. I don’t want to know when or how.” He turned back to Melora. “I would like to know where Baily’s body is after this is over. He deserves a proper burial and my sister deserves closure in this matter.”
“I promise I’ll let you know.”
He turned to the room at large and announced, “Gentlemen, I’ll be leaving now. I hope to hear you have this matter in hand and I expect results soon.” He then walked to the door and left.
A few minutes later, they heard a helicopter start up and take off.
Deke turned to Melora. Then he crocked a finger in her direction.
She stepped closer.
“Don’t ever do that again. I will not tolerate disrespect in my clubhouse.”
Melora nodded. “I really didn’t show you any disrespect. At least I don’t think I did. The only disrespect I saw was from the Senator. But I am sorry if you feel I did that.”
“She’s got a valid point,” Gator spoke up. “He didn’t seem to respect us at all.”
Melora held up her hands. “Before this starts another agreement, let’s drop it. I apologize.” She turned to Sam. “That takes care of one of the problems, now we just have to stop Whiskey. Does anyone know where he is at the moment?”
“He and his boys are roaming the city looking for you,” Raven answered. “BTW thanks for putting Mr. Bigshot in his place. I was about ready to floor him myself. With my fist down his throat.” He swung his gaze over at Deke. “Of course, this is your town and I respect that, so I didn’t follow my instincts this time.” He gave Deke a grin.
Deke stared back at him with an emotionless expression.
“People like him give people like you guy’s bad names.” Melora smiled. “I know he won’t remember today but I feel better about it.”
“Oh, I don’t think he’ll forget what you did to him. He’s just happy no one but us saw it.” Iceman snickered.
Melora glanced over at Raven. “Are you and me okay? I don’t want any trouble with your MC over this.”
Raven shook his head. “We’re okay. None of this was ever your fault. I know that now. Whiskey is the traitor and I plan to bring the hammer down on him myself.”
“As much as I deplore violence I can’t wait for him to get his.” Melora shuddered. “He wanted blood, but it’s gonna be his own spilled and not mine.”
“Don’t you worry about that.” Raven seethed. “He won’t live long enough to worry too much about it.”
“That’s good enough for me.” Melora gazed into his eyes as she spoke.
~* * * *~
Mountain walked over to Melora and asked, “Can we talk?”
She nodded. “I think maybe we should. Time is running out and there’s so much you and I need to talk about before it’s too late.”
Taking her elbow, he led her away from the others. Taking a seat in the far corner, he stared at her for a moment then asked, “I want to know if you’ll come back with us when we leave. Come back to Texas with us I mean. I’d like the chance to know you better and we’ve been gone long enough now.”
Melora stared at him for a long moment. “I don’t know. When this is over, I just want to get on with my life.”
Mountain looked away then glanced back at her. “But if you don’t have a job anywhere yet, what would it hurt to come and stay with me for a while?”
Melora shrugged. “I don’t yet know what I want to do. Maybe I’ll stay here, maybe I’ll move on to another place. I just don’t know.”
“Can you at least think about it?” he asked. “We’ve missed out on everything so far, I don’t want to miss out on the rest of your life.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see what happens over the next few days.” Melora shrugged. “Who knows if either of us will live through this.”
Mountain glared. “The only one who’s going to die will be Whiskey.”
Melora laid her hand on his arm and shook her head. “No one can predict the future, not even this one.” She laughed without mirth. “I can only hope to survive the next few days but otherwise, I can’t make plans of any kind right now. I’m sorry.”
“Will you at least think about it?”
Melora nodded. “That I will do.” She got to her feet. “But right now we have to come up with a plan that ensures safety for everyone but Whiskey.” She walked back to the main table and began listening to the others talk.
Mountain watched her for a moment then got up and walked down the hall to the room he had. When he closed the door, he went to his bag and sat down on the bed. From inside the leather saddlebag he pulled out an envelope. Inside were the papers the lawyer had given him four years ago. The letter from Carla and the DNA test that claimed Melora was his daughter. He knew without the test that she was his child, yet even with this knowledge, he couldn’t get through to her.
He wanted nothing more than to know her as a person, yet she wouldn’t allow him to do that. Mountain knew he had to find a way to get through to her. He needed to find a way to understand her, so he could know what was in her heart. He wasn’t going to give up on the only thing in his life that was truly his. His daughter.
CHAPTER TEN
The afternoon melted into evening and with the night came a peace only the darkness could bring. It also brought the shadows that could hide evil but this night no evil could be found around the compound.
Sometime after midnight, when most everyone had gone to bed, only Sam, Mountain, Deke, Gator and Melora were sitting there in the great room when they heard the sound of bikes coming closer.
At first, the whine of the bikes didn’t phase Melora but as the sound got closer her head suddenly snapped up. She turned fearfully toward the front door as sweat beaded on her forehead. Getting quickly to her feet the chair, she was sitting on slid out from underneath her and she backed away.
Sam watched her action. He looked toward his son and Deke frowned.
Mountain stared at her for a moment then turned toward the sound of the bikes coming closer.
Gator and Deke stomped toward the door while Sam went to Melora and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.
Mountain stood in front of them with his weapon in his hand ready for anything.
The
n the sounds of the bikes stopped outside the main gate. The noise dimmed for a moment as the trio sitting on the massive bikes sat there staring into the compound.
Deke and Gator stood in the open doorway and with the lights from the clubhouse behind them, they seemed more like shadows than the imposing men they both were.
Whiskey, Micah and Lightning revved their engines but came no closer. Only the locked gate kept them away. One by one, the men making rounds inside the gates came into view. The bikers could see the rifles in their hands and no one on the other side of the fence made a move toward their own weapons. Instead, they twisted their throttles on their handlebars to make the engines rev louder.
After a few minutes, Whiskey gave them a salute and they turned their bikes and roared off into the darkness.
Deke and Gator watched as the night swallowed them, then turned and went back inside.
Deke grabbed the bottle of Black Velvet on the table and poured a drink. Slamming it back, he brought his cold gaze up to Melora. “I think he knows where you are.”
Melora turned her face into Sam’s chest. His arms tightened around her but it didn’t seem to help. The cold wrapping itself around her, holding onto her soul became deeper and she couldn’t seem to stop it. She couldn’t stop herself from shivering either. “Oh God, he’s going to kill me, I can feel it,” she whimpered against Sam’s throat.
“No baby, he won’t even get close to you,” Sam whispered into her hair.
“You can’t say that. He found me again.”
“Well, you did tell him where you were,” Mountain reminded her.
Melora shook her head. “No I told him I was in Troy, not where I was staying. I never mentioned I was here in the clubhouse.”
“She’s got a point.” Deke noted as he lifted his head. “How did they know where she was? Troy is a good sized city and they haven’t been here long enough to search the whole city. They didn’t have time to figure out she was here.”
“So how did they pinpoint her location so quickly?” Mountain asked.
No one could give him an answer.
“I think we should try and get some sleep. We can figure out whatever is going on in the morning,” Sam suggested.
“Sounds like a plan.” Deke sighed. “We all need to sleep to be on top of our game tomorrow.”
Mountain turned and went down the hall to his room without saying a word.
Sam led Melora to the room they shared. Once he closed the door he said, “I think you need to forgive him.”
Melora sat down on the bed and looked at him. “Forgive who?”
“Your dad.” Sam nodded. “He just wants the chance to know you.”
“Yeah, well I’ve got other things to worry about right now. He can wait.”
Sam knelt in front of her. “Honey, I know your life is a mess right now but here’s the thing…that man is a part of you, he’ll always be a part of you. He wants to get to know you since he never got the chance before. He’ll do whatever he has to in order for that to happen. I know how he feels baby, I didn’t know about Deke until he was twelve. I felt lost when he came to live with me and I made some pretty big mistakes in his regard. But I got a second chance and I’m still here. I know what you’re going through is scary but you need to know you aren’t alone in this situation. It isn’t just you against the whole world any more. You got a lot of people behind you now and you’ve got the truth as well.” He paused then ran his fingers through his hair. “I have no idea why we’re together but we are. I think you need to let your dad in too. At least give him a chance.”
Melora placed her hand against his cheek. “When we hooked up, I wasn’t looking for a father figure. I needed more than that. I needed you. You weren’t about that, okay?” Shrugging she continued, “You can’t miss what you never had. Mountain wasn’t there for me and my mom and that’s okay. It was his choice to ride way. Who knows if he would have been there for us even if he had known about me? When this is over, I’ll make the time to know him but he has to make a choice as well. He has to let the past be and accept me, as I am today, not look at me as a child. I’m a full grown woman now.”
Sam chuckled. “I think we’ve got that established. You most certainly are full grown and I love your body.”
“Then come use me, make me forget at least for a little while that there’s someone out there that wants to kill me.” Melora whispered as her lips touched his.
Sam groaned and surged forward carrying her backwards. He lifted her and set her down in the middle of the bed. Reaching up, he removed her wig, allowing her silken strands to fall over her shoulders. He gazed intently at her halo of hair as he took a satiny strand and rubbed it between his fingers. “My silk girl,” he whispered hoarsely.
Melora grinned. “Woman,” she reminded him.
He chuckled again. “Nah, I like silk girl better.”
She stared into his eyes. “Why do they call you Bones?” she asked as she raised his t-shirt sleeve and smoothed a finger over his skull tattoo.
Sam raised a brow and shrugged. “Over the years, I’ve crushed a lot of them.”
Melora tilted her head in confusion. “A lot of what?”
He laughed. “Bones, silk woman…bones.” Then he crushed her lips with his. His hands then literally ripped her clothes off. When her shirt and bra were gone, his mouth closed over her nipple. His teeth bit down and he suckled it deep into his mouth.
Melora whimpered.
The only thing between him and her core was the tiny triangle of her silk underwear covering her mound. His mouth slid down along her body until he was right where he wanted to be. He pulled her panties to the side and spread her folds using his tongue to lap at her.
Sam groaned when he felt her wet heat. It was almost pulsing in its intensity while his tongue swiped at her sweet skin. Her unique taste drove him wild and he groaned as her essence flooded his mouth.
When he couldn’t contain himself any longer he ripped the fabric left between them and his fingers fumbled with his own clothes. Kicking his jeans off, he settled between her open thighs and rammed his hard hot cock into her.
He paused and waited as he felt himself surrounded by her tight sheath. If he wasn’t careful, he would lose himself in her heat before he was ready. He didn’t know why but when he was with her he felt like a damn kid again.
He began to move slowly inside her but she wasn’t going to let him. Thrust after thrust, she lifted her hips to meet his and before long, Sam lost it. He began to thrust harder and faster and a moment before he came, he felt her come apart in his arms. She screamed out his name as his lips came down on hers. His mouth muffled her screams somewhat but not entirely.
Moving to her side, he wrapped his arms around her and brought her close. He snuggled closer when he felt her trembling. “Are you okay?” he whispered.
Melora laughed out loud. “Not really. I have never climaxed that hard before. What kind of magic do you have, Bones?”
Sam chuckled. “I don’t know about the magic, but when it’s right between two people, it’s just right. I guess it’s right between us, huh?”
~* * * *~
Melora closed her eyes and let her body relax. She didn’t answer him, she couldn’t seem to speak. In his arms, she did feel safe and that was a good feeling. For most of her life since her mother died, she hadn’t felt this safe. She began to drift away into the sweet depths of sleep, with her head resting on his chest while she listened to the sound of his heartbeat.
A few hours later, a soft knock woke them. Sam got up and grabbing his jeans, he answered the door.
Melora heard them speaking but she didn’t really pay any attention. When he came back over to the bed and knelt beside it, she opened her eyes. Turning her head, she noted it was still dark outside. “What’s up?”
“Deke needs you to identify a woman claiming to be Izzy.”
Melora’s eyes widened. Sitting up, she cried out, “Izzy is here?” Grabbing her clothes, s
he dressed in a hurry and rushed out.
When she came into the main room, she saw her friend sitting at a table with a couple of the guys standing there. “Izzy!” Melora cried out as she rushed toward her.
Beaming, Izzy got to her feet and waited for Melora to reach her.
Wrapping her arms around her friend Melora hugged her close. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stepped back a pace and searched her friend’s face. She saw the fading bruises and the haunted look in her friend’s eyes. “Oh, my god—I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “I never meant for you to get caught up in this.”
Izzy grabbed her arms hard and shook her. “Don’t you dare take this away from him. This was never your fault.”
Melora sat down with her. “But it was my fault. I put you in his line of fire.” She swallowed hard. “I never meant to involve you.”
Izzy held out her hand and cupped Melora’s cheek. “I know that and you didn’t. I knew when I got home that night and found you missing…something bad was going down. Then a few days later, Whiskey and his friend came for me but as soon as he told me what was going on, I knew he wasn’t telling the truth. I knew you wouldn’t kill someone, not for money or power. Whiskey lied to save his own hide. Everything that happened in the last two years is on Whiskey. The little bastard thought no one would care about me. He told me often enough that I was expendable and no one would care whether I was dead or alive. I tried to tell him he didn’t know you very well if that’s what he thought but all he could do was laugh at me.”
Melora’s eyes narrowed. “Yeah, that is going to be his last mistake.”
“Melora, I take it this is your friend Izzy,” Deke suggested.
She looked up and noticed everyone standing around them. “Oh, I’m so sorry.” She got to her feet. “Yes, this is my best friend, Izzy Zackery.”
Izzy got to her feet and faced them. “My name is Isabell Zackery. I know you all probably think I’ve betrayed my best friend but I didn’t. For the longest time, we were all the other one had. I would never betray that.”
