by Alexa Rynn
He held his finger to his lips and then closed the door.
The room was silent for what felt like forever before I finally heard heavy footsteps and the sound of the door swinging open. Cutter moved his body in front of the closet, blocking the tiny sliver of light that was my only sense of life beyond the door.
Blaze let out a sound of relief.
“Jesus,” Cutter said, an edge in his tone. “We thought you were here to look for your dead brothers.” He moved away from the door but only slightly. “You really didn’t have to come.”
“Of course, I had to come,” a dark male voice said. “Anytime a man is killed on our hands I have to come, Cutter.” He sounded condescending like he was speaking to a small child instead of a grown man.
“Of course, Dad.” Cutter sounded cold and uninvolved.
Dad? I reached for the doorknob on the closet but pulled back at the last minute. If Cutter wanted me out there, he would come and get me.
I heard the sound of heavy footsteps circling around the room. “What happened here? Blaze said you walked in and they were both dead?” I could hear him lean down and unzip one of the bags, inspecting the bodies.
“Yeah, I figured we better take care of the bodies before their brothers came looking for them. The longer we can keep this under wraps, the longer we have to prepare for the war that’s sure to come our way.” Cutter sounded convincing, there was no sense of deception in his voice.
It made me wonder what else he lied about if he was that good at it.
“Why would we get a war?” His father scoffed. “You came here and found a few Misfit members dead. That has nothing to do with you, you just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Right, like they’re going to buy that,” Blaze pointed out.
“And the girl?”
Blaze and Cutter didn’t say anything.
“Where’s the girl?” his father sounded alarmed.
“No clue,” Cutter admitted. “When I got here the place was empty.”
“Let me get this straight… we have two dead brothers and the girl they want is missing?” I heard the sound of glass breaking around them. “They are going to want her even more after this.”
“To state the obvious.” Cutter’s feet shifted further to the right.
He was shielding me.
Always the protector. The knowledge made me all warm.
The silence in the room could cut through ice. Cutter’s father was breathing so heavy that I thought his chest might explode in the middle of the room.
“We’ll find her,” Blaze said in an effort to calm him down. “We always find them.” I heard the sound of a bag being zipped back up. I realized that if Cutter’s father checked the bullet wounds he might put two and two together about who’s gun had actually delivered the deadly shots.
Cutter’s dad didn’t speak for a few seconds. “Of course, we will find her.” He sounded calmer now. “Who the hell knew she was such a good shot?” More footsteps. “I better get back to the club.”
“We’ll keep you updated,” Blaze reassured him.
“I know you will,” Cutter’s dad told him. I could hear the sound of a hand clapping him on the back. “You’re loyal above everything else, Blaze.” I noticed he didn’t say the same to Cutter.
The door to the hotel opened. “The important thing is to find the girl and bring her in,” he paused. “And at this point, it really doesn’t matter if it’s dead or alive.”
And then the door slammed so hard the hangers in the closet shook.
***
CUTTER
Grace was being dramatic, per usual. “You’re being very dramatic.”
“Dramatic?” She threw her hands up in the air. “I’m being dramatic? You’re dad, who happens to be the president of one of the most feared MC clubs in the entire city, just told you that he wants me captured. Dead or alive, Cutter, dead or alive.”
“And are you being taken in, Grace? Dead or alive?”
She yanked back the curtain on the window and looked out. “Not yet.”
Blaze came back into the room and Grace jumped a foot off the ground.
“Just me,” he told her. “Relax. The more jumpy you are the more attention you’re going to attract to yourself.” He glanced at me. “The bodies are all loaded up.”
“Well, excuse me. I’ve never been on the run from a bunch of crime and rage filled brothers before!” She pushed her hair out of her face. It was all full of static from her time hiding in the closet.
I imagined what it would be like to push her face into the wall and hit it from the back while she was in there, hangers banging around. I would give it to her so hard that she’d have to hold on to the wall for support so she didn’t fall over.
The image excited me and I felt my bulge start to rise.
Fuck.
I willed my thoughts under control. “Blaze is right, you’re acting kind of frantic.” I poured a huge thing of bleach over the floor and started mopping at the floor with the foot of one of my boots. “Nothing has even happened to you yet. We just need to hide you out for a while until this whole thing dies down.”
Blaze shot me a look that told me that wasn’t going to be anytime soon.
“I don’t want to hide out like some criminal, Cutter.”
I hated her tone, she was already talking to me that I was her boyfriend or some shit. I wasn’t anyone’s boyfriend and her bold tone was making me feel like I had to make that clear.
“Okay, then be killed,” I told her. “See if I care.”
A hurt look came across her face but I pretended not to notice, I couldn’t be in charge of fixing her feelings every time she got upset. This whole thing was a mistake. Was she special? Yes, but…
Guys like me didn’t do girlfriends. I was too fucked up in the head for it to ever end well or be considered healthy. Something about the way she was behaving told me she wasn’t like other girls, she wasn’t going to get that and even if she did, she wasn’t going to play along.
“I’m not going to be killed.”
“Yeah, if you shut up and listen, you’re right you won't be.”
Blaze shot me a look. One that said, if you were just going to be a dick to her and shrug it off if she got murdered what the hell did we lie to my dad for anyway? And why the fuck were we sneaking around trying to keep her safe?
Of course, I was going to keep her but she didn’t need to know that.
Her knowing that would only show weakness.
“Look, I have a shipment I have to be present for. Every biker and their mother are going to be looking for you soon.” Blaze had his gaze locked on Grace. “This may seem annoying but we have to do what we have to do to keep you safe.”
She sighed. “And what exactly does that mean?”
“I have a place I’m going to take you,” I told her. “Some place that no one else knows about.” I didn’t meet her eyes. It wasn’t exactly a place, more like a prison I used to torture people who had a hard time telling me things that I wanted to know.
But whatever, it was safe and no one knew about it.
She wouldn’t be in the Four Seasons but, at least, she’d be alive.
We piled out of the room one at a time, leaving the fresh smell of bleach and cleaning supplies behind. If the Misfits came they would smell the stench and know someone had cleaned something up immediately but I had sprayed a shit ton of Lysol trying to mask the smell.
But fuck it, as far as anyone knew none of the Red Sin’s had been here to begin with.
Blaze had paid the kid at the front desk a large sum to say as much, too.
“How did you guys find me, anyway?”
“The next time you want to be on the run maybe you shouldn’t use your credit card, I had it traced for activity within minutes, Grace.” I took the steps down two at a time.
“I’m going to swing by and check on Heather really quick before I head to the docks.” Blaze glanced back and for
th between the two of us. “You’ll meet me there after you're done… uh, handling your business?”
I smirked. “You got it.”
And then he was gone. The thing about blaze was that my father was right; he was loyal, too loyal. But my dad didn’t realize one important fact, just like the rest of the brothers didn’t. He was loyal to me above anyone and everything else.
My right-hand man.
Who else would lie to the brotherhood and our leader like that for me? And all over some girl he had only met a handful of times? Blaze knew who I was and he knew that if something was important enough for me to take a risk than he was going to back me up on it.
I’d do the same for him.
Heather and Blaze were the only people I’d do anything for.
And Grace, a voice added, but I pushed it away.
Thinking like that this soon was nuts.
They were the only people I knew would never let me down.
“Okay.” I looped my foot around the side of my bike and pulled her toward me. “Climb on.” I patted the leather seat gently, wanting Grace to get the message that she should proceed with caution.
“You want me to… to… ride on THAT thing?”
“Hey, hey.” I rubbed the handlebars of my Harley carefully. “That thing has a name, don’t insult her. Patty can get very sensitive, you don’t know her the way I do.”
Grace let out a small smile. “Oh my God, you named her?”
“I named all my babies,” I told her seriously.
“How many do you have?”
“Twelve.”
“TWELVE?” Grace looked at me like I was crazy.
“Yep.”
“And you named them all? I doubt it.” She crossed her arms over her chest and tilted her head to the side, trying to call me out. “They’re probably the only consistent woman in your life.”
“Patty, Betsy, Georgia, Lisa…” I started naming them off, ignoring her bratty comment. “Morgan, Virginia, Sasha, Hannah, Kelly…”
“It doesn’t matter,” she cut me off. “I can’t get on that thing.”
“Well, that’s just rude. Sure, she’s a little older but as far as Harley’s go she’s actually in mint condition.” I stared up at the dark sky. “Let’s just hope it doesn’t start raining anytime soon.”
“No.” She shook her head. “I can’t get on Patty or Georgia or Victor or any of them!”
“Victor?”
“Whoever!”
“Oh,” I told her, nodding. “I get it. You’re too scared.”
“I’m not scared.” But she won’t look at me.
“You’re scared shitless!” I chuckled. “Really, Grace? After everything else you’ve been through in the past 24 hours this will be like a walk in the park.” She still looked unsure so I reached for her hand and pulled her closer to me. “Come on, you’ll be fine, I promise.”
She seemed reluctant but climbed on the back anyway.
I wrapped her arms around my stomach and pulled her closer to me. ‘Just hang on to me.” Her boobs were pressed into my back and I could feel her breath on my neck.
Sweet like cinnamon.
Just being close to her got me turned on.
What the hell was going on with me?
I wasn’t trying to give her mixed signals but it was hard being too far away from her at the same time. I wanted to be with her but a voice in the back of my mind reminded me that I wasn’t capable of it. That every second I was close to her was another second closer to me hurting her.
I turned out of the parking lot and picked up speed right away. The faster I got to my spot across town, the safer it would be. The last thing I needed was for someone to spot me cruising around town with a girl matching Grace’s description on the back of my bike and for it to get back to my father. He would lose his fucking mind if he knew what I was doing.
The wind picked up and her hair flung forward, getting lost under my nose. It was still a little damp from the shower but still smelled damn good. I couldn’t wait to get back to business. I would get Grace safe and then I would take care of this whole situation.
The way I took care of every other situation that popped up.
By any means necessary.
The red and blue flashing lights shine up bright as they pulled up behind me and a second later I heard the loud ringing of a siren. I break checked the cop cruiser behind me and slammed my fist against the handle of my bike. The fucking police were never going to stop trying to shake me down.
“Just let me do the talking,” I told Grace as I cut the engine and hopped off Betsy. I turned around and glanced at the plate on the car. “Great,” I groaned as the door to the red and white vehicle slipped open and Sargent Olsen put one boot on the ground.
I was hoping it would be one of our men on the inside or someone I could pay off to get the fuck lost but this guy was a real asshole. He’d pulled me over a few times before and each time he took forever, checking every single part of me and my bike in the hopes of catching me with some kind of drugs or illegal weapons.
I moved the gun on my waist further toward my back.
“Dick,” I called out, plastering a grin on my face.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to walk towards cops like that,” Grace hissed at me, completely ignoring my command for her to stay silent. “He could shoot you!”
“Shush.” I waved her off but she just rolled her eyes and climbed off my bike, choosing to lean on the back end of it. I hoped she didn’t tip her over. I didn’t want any scratches or dents popping up anywhere.
“It’s Rick,” the douchebag officer called out as he got closer to me.
“That’s what I said.”
He looked me up and down like I was scum. “You got your license and registration on you, Mr. Ford?” He flipped a tiny pad out of his front pocket as he got closer to me.
Oh, come on.
“Really? Haven’t you seen it enough times by now to know it’s valid?”
“You aren’t asking me to give you any special treatment now, are you, Cutter?” He glanced at Grace, taking in her long legs and flat stomach. “Because that would be against the law.”
“Something fascinating over there?” I challenged him, suddenly feeling overprotective of Grace. I followed his gaze. Why was she standing like that? It was giving off the wrong message. Like she was a slut or something and was waiting for him to come over and take a bite out of her.
His eyes flickered back over to me and he licked his lips. “Actually…”
I took a step toward him.
“Cutter,” Grace called out, nervously. “Please…”
“Yeah, Cutter, please,” Rick mocked.
The pulse traveling in and out of my arms grew stronger. I wanted to snap this guy’s neck, I’d wanted to for a while, but the way he was looking at Grace was pushing me over the edge.
He placed his hand over his gun, just looking for an excuse to unload the barrel on my ass right there in the middle of the street. Then he’d probably fuck Grace on the hood of his cop car while my body sat feet away. My fist was throbbing so hard that I could feel it starting to shake.
“You got something to say, Boy?”
I willed myself to stay in control and shook my head. “Nope.”
“That’s what I thought.” He took a step toward me and shoved me closer to my bike. “Now I’m not going to find anything illegal on you if I have myself a little search party here, am I?”
“Me? Of course not.”
“Of course.” He turned his attention to Grace. “What about you, honey? You have anything on you I should know about?” He licked his lips again and glanced down her shirt.
The pervert was probably going to do a pretty hands-on search.
Grace glanced at me. “No, nothing.”
“Uh huh.” He brushed his fingers against her arm. “I’m going to need you to come with me back to the car.” He started pulling her away from me. “It’s standard procedure to s
eparate the parties involved in situations like these.”
“In a traffic stop?” Grace sounded confused.
“Uh huh.” His grasp tightened on her arm.
I hated scum like him. He thought because he had a badge that he could get away with anything. I swear most of the cops out here were just as dirty as the criminals they were arresting.
“I’ll be right here, Grace,” I mumbled.
“Yeah, he’ll be right here, Grace.”
I waited until he was a few more feet away from me before I leaped up behind him and grabbed him by the back of the head, smashing it down into the hood of his cop cruiser and sending blood going everywhere.
He cried out and I grabbed his gun out of his holster before he had a chance to pull it on me. I grabbed him by the head and dragged him to his knees, cocking the safety off and pointing his own weapon at his head. “What were you gonna do with her? Huh? What the fuck did you think you were going to do to her?”
He shook his head, tears welling up behind his eyes.
“FUCKING ANSWER ME!”
“Cutter,” Grace yelped. “Cutter, please don’t.”
“Shut up, Grace,” I snapped. “This doesn’t concern you.”
I pulled the douche bags face closer to mine. “Go ahead, tell me, what were you going to do to her in the back of your cop car, huh? Have a little fun of your own with my girl?” I pried his mouth open with my fingers and stuck the barrel of his gun inside.
“Cutter, no!” Grace lunged her body onto my back. “Cutter, you can’t, he’s a cop! You can’t kill a cop!” She sounded desperate and terrified. “He wasn’t going to do anything to me, you heard him, that’s just standard procedure! So, we can’t compare stories if he finds anything!”
I pushed her off me. “Don’t be an idiot, Grace. Of course, he was going to do something to you.” I spit in the pig’s face and it landed right in his eye. “And now he’s going to have to die.”
Rick shook his head, pleading and crying. “Please, please don’t do this. I have kids, man, two of them.” He sobbed like the coward he was. “Please don’t take me away from my kids.”
“That’s not my problem. You should have thought about that.” I shoved the barrel down his throat again. Grace had managed to slip it out when she had lunged on top of me.
