by Harley Wylde
“If I give you some locations of brothels that Shepherd was running with funding from Bastard and Reverend Martin Tolbert, could your department raid those facilities and save the women? None of them are there voluntarily.”
He leaned back. “And just maybe flush out the rats for the Savage Raptors?”
“Yeah. That’s my hope. Look, there’s no way the Raptors are going to let you have Bastard or Shepherd. They’ll be handled in a way that you don’t want to know about. Trust me on that. But if the police were to get an anonymous tip about women forced into prostitution not just in your town, but in this county and several others, that might shine a favorable light on law enforcement for a while.”
He gave a bark of laughter. “Yep and these are sure enough dark times when it comes to wearin’ a badge. All right. Ya get me those addresses and I’ll see what I can do.”
I’d come prepared, expecting him to offer to help. Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew a folded piece of paper. I’d written out the locations first thing this morning when I’d toyed with the idea of calling Carson. I seriously hoped this didn’t backfire, but I needed a distraction to help out the Raptors and my brothers, and those women needed help. I couldn’t think of a better solution.
Elena stepped outside with a little girl in her arms. The kid was cute with light mocha skin and blonde curly hair. The bright blue eyes told me she’d be a knockout when she was older. Right now, she was just all chubby and adorable. And damn but did my woman look good holding a kid.
“I see my Charlie girl found ya,” Carson said, grinning and holding out a hand to the little girl. She latched onto her daddy’s hand and babbled at him.
“She’s so sweet,” Elena said. “Peaches sent me out to see if the two of you wanted anything. She said she’d made some Rotel dip and if you wanted any, you needed to speak up now or Daisy would eat it all.”
Carson snorted. “True enough. My little Daisy does love her some chips and dip. How ‘bout it? The two of ya stayin’ for a bit?”
“We can hang out a while,” I said.
“Good.” He flashed a grin at me. “Least this ways I’ll know ya ain’t out there causin’ trouble. I’ll get that info to my chief, but I’m off duty for the rest of the day. We can have us a nice visit, and maybe that woman of yours can teach my Peaches a new recipe or two. God do I love her, but my stomach would like some variety.”
“I heard that,” Peaches yelled from inside. The cute blonde was heavily pregnant and glaring at her husband as she stepped outside. “Carson Benson, don’t you go telling these nice people that I don’t cook good enough. You have no complaints if your pants are any indication, and don’t even try to say you need more room for anything other than your waist.”
He winced. “Damn, woman. That was harsh.”
Elena laughed and paused before following Peaches back into the house. “You’ve been married long enough to have three kids with another on the way and you still haven’t learned not to piss off a pregnant lady?”
“I adopted Daisy,” he admitted. “But those others… Yep, that woman of mine is hell on wheels when she’s expectin’.”
“Angel, would you bring us some chips and Rotel?” I asked Elena. “Daisy sounds fierce. Not sure I want to fight her for some later.”
She smiled and headed inside, but I knew she’d bring something out soon. It was quiet in Carson’s neighborhood. Almost too quiet. If his kids were home, where were all the others? Shouldn’t they be out playing? Even his school-aged kids were home, so I’d assumed that classes weren’t in session right now. Unless they homeschooled, which was always a possibility. I didn’t see how that woman managed it while pregnant. She had her hands full.
“Ya got a good one,” he said, motioning toward the house. “Seems sweet.”
“She is. I’m lucky to have her,” I said.
“Ya gonna be okay here for a sec? I’ll go call the chief and tell him about that tip I got.”
I waved him off and took another swallow of my beer. If this all went to shit, at least I’d done something to try and help. It was better than sitting at the Raptors’ compound and not doing a damn thing. They may not see it that way since I involved the police, but it was too late to second-guess myself now. I’d just have to ride this out and hope everything went well.
Elena and I spent the next three hours visiting with Carson and his family. She seemed to get along really well with Peaches, and their kids were all just too damn cute. It was partway through the strawberry shortcake that Peaches had made when Carson’s phone went off. He excused himself only to come back several minutes later and give me a nod. It seemed the issue had been handled and the brothels were raided. I didn’t know what that meant for the Raptors or my brothers, but I shot off a quick text to Dingo.
Created a diversion. Might flush out Bastard and Shepherd.
He didn’t respond for a while and I started to worry. Then my phone chimed with an incoming message. Fucking brilliant. Got Shepherd and closing in on Bastard.
I smiled, thankful that it seemed to have worked out. I only hoped that Slash and Attila felt the same way. Pissing either of them off wasn’t in my best interest, especially Attila since I was on his turf right now. Until all the players in the game were apprehended, I decided the safest place I could keep my woman was at a cop’s house, so we settled in for the rest of the day, and I hoped that when the dust settled, all my brothers would still be standing. I also looked forward to heading home. I’d had my fill of Oklahoma for the time being, but now that Elena and Peaches had hit it off, I had a feeling we’d be making another trip in the future.
Chapter Thirteen
Elena
Outlaw was smart, but he wasn’t very sneaky. When we’d stayed to visit with Peaches and Carson for so long, I’d known that he was waiting out the mess with Bastard and my foster father. What I hadn’t counted on was Badger showing up to tell us it was time to go. Carson hadn’t batted an eye at having a biker other than Outlaw on his doorstep, but I’d noticed he’d kept his kids and wife in the house. I liked that he was so protective of them. He seemed like a good man, and I knew that Peaches adored him. It was in her eyes when she looked at him, and the way she spoke about him.
I wondered if I looked at Outlaw that way. Even though we hadn’t been together for very long, he already meant so much to me. I may not have planned to stop in Blackwood Falls, but it seemed that someone had been guiding me that day. My foster mother would have said it was God, but after all I’d seen and heard about since I ran away, I wasn’t sure if I still believed in God. Then again, evil hadn’t prevailed. Not only had Bastard been caught, but so had the reverend.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “How could they have kept that hidden from me?”
Beau was driving and Outlaw was in the backseat with me. He’d been holding my hand or touching me in some way ever since we’d left the Savage Raptors’ compound. I didn’t mind it, and even though there was an audience, I’d have been happy if he’d wanted to do more than just touch me. I ached for him, but since he’d been healing, I’d tried to keep my hands to myself.
“Don’t look at me,” Beau said. “No one tells me shit.”
Outlaw snorted. “Because you’re a punk-ass Prospect, and on probation at that. But to answer your question, angel, I’m not really sure. Maybe you didn’t see it because you didn’t want to, or perhaps it’s because you didn’t expect to find that sort of behavior at your church.”
“But everyone was in on it?” I asked. “All the adults? Except my foster mom, right? She wasn’t the most loving person, but I can’t see her doing something like this.”
He nodded. “That’s what Slash said. Apparently the reverend started running off at the mouth, confessing all his sins and everyone else’s too. It was Bastard who would marry the women and then make them disappear, but the ladies at the church helped lure them in. We found quite a few legit marriages between him and the women he’d sent to Shepherd, and accordi
ng to the reverend, he pretended to perform marriage ceremonies for Bastard on many other occasions.”
“Why?” I asked. “I just don’t understand why.”
“Money,” Outlaw said. “It makes men do stupid shit. For what it’s worth, your foster mom didn’t know what was going on. He kept her in the dark. She honestly thought you were going to marry an upstanding man if she paired you with Garrison West. Doubt she ever knew he’d been part of the Savage Raptors, or that he went by Bastard for so long. The woman either followed her husband blindly, or she wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box.”
“I didn’t love her, and I don’t think she ever loved me, but I hate that she died. They murdered her! What’s going to happen to them?”
“Didn’t ask, and I won’t. The Raptors will take care of Shepherd, the reverend, and Bastard. I can promise that none of them will ever be heard from again. They’ll make the three of them vanish one way or another,” he said.
It didn’t really matter what happened to them, as long they couldn’t hurt anyone else. But that still left the rest of the church congregation who had been in on it. It didn’t seem right they wouldn’t be punished. I must have been frowning because Outlaw rubbed his finger between my eyebrows.
“Everything will be fine, angel.”
“I was just thinking of all the others involved.”
He smiled. “The Savage Raptors will make sure they’re rounded up. All the shit that Bastard and Shepherd were running was set up in a way that incriminated the club. Attila won’t stand for that. He’ll make sure every last person responsible pays the price.”
I cuddled closer to him. “Is it bad that I want them all to disappear too?”
“No, honey. Just makes you human, and tells me you have a soft heart. You want to protect the innocent, and that’s commendable. There are evil people in the world, and most of the time the only way to handle the problem permanently is to make them vanish. Some are resting in shallow graves, and others will never be discovered no matter how hard people look.”
I yawned and closed my eyes. “How much longer until we’re home?”
“About six hours,” Beau said. “So if the two of you want to nap or whatever, I’m just going to stare out the windshield until I see the compound. Just pretend I’m not even here.”
Even though I’d gotten hot thinking about being at the clubhouse, taken in front of everyone, I could tell that Outlaw hadn’t been into it. He was too possessive, which I kind of liked. I wasn’t going to ask him for something that made him uncomfortable. I didn’t know if it was because of his scars and he didn’t want to expose himself in front of everyone, or because he just didn’t want to share me. Either way, I was fine with it. As long as I had him, I didn’t need anyone or anything else.
He toyed with the ends of my hair while his other hand stroked my arm where I’d thrown it across his abdomen. I was content, like a happy cat dozing in the sun. It was crazy, all that had happened in the past few days. Even the last week for that matter. It had been about that long since I’d arrived at the Devil’s Fury compound. The fact I was married to a guy I didn’t really know wasn’t something most people would ever understand, but for me it was like I’d finally come home. With Outlaw, I’d found the place where I belonged.
“If the women were going to stay at that other place, Devil’s Boneyard or whatever, is that where we’re going too?” I asked. It hadn’t occurred to me until just then, but with the extensive repairs the compound probably needed, I wasn’t sure if Outlaw would think it was safe for me to be there.
“The gate is already repaired and same for the two houses that caught part of the blast. It’s going to be a little while before the clubhouse is back in order. Not sure what Grizzly will decide to do,” Outlaw said. “Nothing wrong with our house, right?”
“No, it was fine.”
“Then we’ll go home. I may not be able to do much, but I’ll help where I can. Even if I can’t swing a hammer, I can at least supervise.”
“Did you ever find out exactly what happened?” I asked. “I know Martha was threatening me and shooting at people, but I got there after the clubhouse had been destroyed.”
Outlaw sighed. “The men she hired were muscle for hire, but they came prepared. Or so they thought. Tossed a homemade bomb through the window. Unfortunately, Martha hadn’t informed them of how well-armed we were so most of them were killed. The few who lived were all too happy to talk.”
I shook my head. It just baffled me how Martha could have done something like that. She’d always seemed so sweet, more like the type to bake you an apple pie than plan your death. It made me wonder if I’d ever truly known anyone in my life. I felt safer with Outlaw than I did with anyone else. As far as I knew, he hadn’t lied to me. What little I did know about him, I’d be willing to bet if he’d lied it was to protect me. But those people, the ones I’d trusted and thought were good, they were lying to me as a way to use me.
Being around the Devil’s Fury was removing the blinders I’d lived with for so long. I no longer just assumed that people were good, or were who they said they were. I’d seen too much ugliness, and heard about even more. It wasn’t that I’d never watched the news or read about current events, it just hadn’t seemed possible for that stuff to ever touch me. I knew now I’d been incredibly naïve, and I’d even go so far as to say stupid. I didn’t know that it was necessarily a good thing that I would now assume that people I met weren’t as they first appeared. On the one hand, I’d possibly be safer. On the other, I hated that there was so much evil in the world that it had come to that.
I knew that Outlaw didn’t do things the legal way, and I knew he was capable of hurting people, but he also protected those weaker than him. The entire club seemed to have a soft spot for women in trouble, and from what little I’d heard from Meiling that extended to kids too. They looked all tough and badass, and I had no doubt they really were, but they also had a soft mushy center when it was needed. Despite the things they did or had done, they’d kept their souls and maintained a certain level of integrity. I could respect that. Even Badger and Blades who had both been to prison weren’t stone-cold hardened criminals with no capability of expressing emotions. It was clear they loved their women, and Blades definitely loved his daughter.
“What are you thinking about?” Outlaw asked.
“Just how much my life has changed, and while a lot of it is for the better, it’s kind of sad that there are so many bad people in the world. If we have kids, I’ll be worried every time they’re out of my sight.”
“Trust me, angel, no one is getting near our kids. If they do, I’ll find them and make sure they never hurt another person ever again.”
I smiled, knowing he spoke the truth. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he ran a thorough background check on anyone our kids wanted to date when they were old enough. Assuming we ever had any. He’d said he might not be able to have a baby with me, but I looked forward to trying.
The rest of the trip was quiet and I dozed off and on, until I saw the compound come into view. I winced at the clubhouse, which was already in the process of being torn down. Outlaw was right and the two nearest houses were already repaired, but it looked like they were going to have to completely remove the clubhouse and start over. I didn’t have any idea how much time something like that would take, but I knew it would mean they were hampered a bit when it came to their meetings, or Church as they called it. Not to mention the parties.
Beau took us straight home, and Outlaw helped me out of the truck. Beau put our bags inside the door, then started walking down the road. I glanced at Outlaw, but he wasn’t paying attention.
“Why didn’t Beau just take the truck?” I asked.
“The club had four vehicles. Out of those, only the truck we were using and an SUV survived. I’m afraid your car was also destroyed. They never got around to moving it. So for now, we get to use the truck while I find you a new vehicle, but I’m thinking you need a
small SUV at the very least. I’d prefer something bulletproof, but I figured you’d balk at that one.”
I folded my arms and stared at him. “Bulletproof? Really?”
He shrugged. “What can I say? I want to make sure my woman is safe.”
“Fine. We can look at an SUV. I had insurance on the car although I’m not sure homemade bombs are covered.”
Outlaw came closer and pulled me against his chest, kissing my forehead. “We’ll get it handled. We can always use part of what Attila gave us. I’d planned to use it as a nest egg, but I’m sure we can find you a new or close-to-new SUV for around twenty grand, maybe less. Just depends on how loaded you want it and how big.”
“Just need enough room for the two of us and maybe a baby at some point. Something smaller is fine.”
He kissed me and while it started out sweet and slow, it wasn’t long before he was backing me down the hall toward the bedroom. I heard the door slam shut, but I didn’t much care right then. His hands felt like they were everywhere, and he soon had both of us naked.
“Been too fucking long, angel. I know why you kept your distance, but I’m not waiting another second.”
“Good. I didn’t want you to.”
He tackled me and we both tumbled to the bed. I giggled as he rubbed his beard against my breasts, then he took my nipple between his teeth and I almost begged him for more. I slid my fingers through his hair and wrapped my legs around him. That wicked tongue of his! He flicked it against the hardened tip before sucking hard and slow.
“Noah!”
“That’s right, angel. Let me hear how much you love what I do to you.”
“Don’t stop.” I pressed my hips closer to him. “I need you.”
He teased the other side before sliding farther down my body. He broke the hold I had on him and shoved my thighs wide, settling between them. At the first stroke of his fingers along my slit, I moaned and parted my legs even more. Then he held me open and went after my clit with his tongue, flicking, circling, and driving me crazy. I squirmed and bucked, wanting more yet also wanting to pull away from the intense sensation. He banded an arm across my waist, holding me in place as he worked my pussy, not relenting until I’d come twice.
