Outlaw's Kiss

by Nicole Snow

  I looked over. The older brother wasn't moving. His lips were curled – curiosity or confusion, I couldn't tell which.

  Fuck. I wracked my brain at light speed, trying to find something, anything that would save them from ending up underneath the old warehouse like the Mexican and so many more.

  Then it hit me. A crazy, stupid idea so outta bounds it just might work. Effective or not, I was about to make myself a fucking laughing stock to every brother in Redding, and maybe beyond.

  Whatever. I'd be glad to have the humiliation if it saved these chicks from holes in their heads.

  “You can't snuff her out,” I said, reaching for Sweet Ass and throwing my arm around her. “This is my old lady. Right here, right now, I'm claiming her.”

  She flinched when I said the c-word. If those eyes were stormy honey colored oceans before, now they were full of tsunamis, spinning with hate and confusion and disbelief.

  I pointed. “Don't touch the little girl neither. She's family. You fuck with my old lady's blood, you fuck with me. I'm dead serious.”

  Splitter lowered his gun, busting a gut. His nose ring swung as he let it pour out, the only brother laughing at my pure insanity.

  Rabid looked at me like I'd lost my fucking mind. Serial snorted, waving his gun at his side. Whatever, at least he'd lowered it – but only for a second.

  Next thing I knew, the fucker had it up again, this time pointed at me. “So much for being clean. You must be back on that shit if you're seriously doing this, Brass, you junkie asshole. Just give the order, Blackjack. I'll put this asshole outta his misery so we can –“

  “Put the damned gun down,” Blackjack growled, taking a heavy step forward. “The brother's right. Crazy and stupid as this is, I'm gonna allow it. We got what we came for, and we've gotten ourselves a good laugh too. There's no need for a massacre. Yeah, sure, that'd be the neat and clean way, but this fucking club's been stuck on that track for too damned long. We're trying something different.”

  Serial's jaw dropped. Dunno how I held onto mine. My arm squeezed the chick I'd claimed, pulling her closer, burying her face in my chest so she wouldn't have to look at my brothers anymore.

  “I'm gonna give you a week to find a place for these girls,” Blackjack continued. “They can't stay at the clubhouse forever. Serial's right, Fang'll tear everybody involved to shreds if we pile this kinda shit on his plate with everything else he's dealing with. Now that you've claimed them, they're you're problem, Brass. If they start to become a problem for the club again, then I won't hesitate to finish the cleanup we started here today. Got it?”

  I looked at him and nodded. Guns were holstered.

  I couldn't fucking believe it worked. Hell, I couldn't believe how Blackjack just turned into more of a fucking mystery than he already was. And I really couldn't get it through my skull that I now had two strange women on my hands, and I didn't know shit about how to handle them.

  “Let's move,” Blackjack growled, aiming his hard stare at everybody else. “Get the cash loaded so we can get the fuck outta this dump. Smells like the place where my old man died...”

  “You got a name, or what?” I said, helping her onto my bike.

  “It's Melissa, but everybody calls me Missy.” She eyed me warily. “What's happening to us? What does it mean to be claimed?”

  I coughed, looking for a spare helmet. Fuck, it'd been too long since I had a passenger on my ride, let alone an hourglass with such a tight sweet body.

  “Means you're under my protection now, babe. I'm gonna help you get outta this shit, but you gotta work with me. We'll link up with your girl when we get to the clubhouse. She'll be all right riding with Blackjack.”

  Convenient answer. No way was I explaining all the honors and obligations of an old lady 'til I had to.

  “Him?” She bared her teeth, pointing to the Enforcer securing the kid to his bike. “He almost fucking killed us!”

  “Yeah, he did. But he changed his mind, didn't he?” I winked. “Nice to hear a firecracker go off between those teeth. Keep that shit coming. You'll fit in fine with where we're going. Put this on.”

  I pushed the helmet onto her head, trying to tuck her hair underneath it. She got pissed real fast and batted my fingers away, fixing the strap herself.

  “You ever been on one of these before?” I asked, taking my place up front.

  “No. I'll figure it out. I'm more worried about Jackie, my sister...”

  I tried to hide the big whoosh of relief soaring through my chest. No, not a MILF after all, and thank fuck for that. My cock wouldn't have blinked at her having a kid, but fuck if it didn't make things easier. Dealing with a kid sister as part of the package was a whole lot easier than a daughter.

  “She'll be okay. He's not a bad guy all the time. Blackjack always keeps his word. He'll take care of her, same way I'm gonna make sure you get home in one piece. Hold on tight 'cause we're about to roll.”

  Reaching behind me, I found her hands and pulled them around me. One rough tug. The girl only resisted a little bit. Soon as I started my engine and the bike jerked, I became her whole world, the only thing between her flying off onto the road.

  I grinned to myself. Never fucking failed. These rides always brought the lucky gals closer to the brothers. It took me a second to remember she wasn't choosing it, though, because I'd made her choice for her.

  All Missy – beautiful fucking name – could do was lock her hands around me and bear it as we ripped down Redding's streets. Fuck if I didn't enjoy it, even if I'd taken her like a total barbarian.

  Her hands pressed tighter around my waist each time I followed my brothers around the corners. I kept it together, but my greedy cock didn't. He was making me come apart a little more by the second, shooting lightning to my brain, making me imagine what her pretty fingers would feel like around my dick, or maybe clawing at my shoulders while I got between her legs and throttled her a hundred times harder than anything she'd feel on this easy cruise through town.

  By the time we were a couple blocks from the clubhouse, she'd adjusted. Missy found her balance, loosening the death grip she had at first, just holding her hands on me like they were always meant to be there.

  Why the hell did it feel so natural? My brothers and I had already done too much evil shit to her and little sis for it to feel this good.

  Fuck it. I shook my head, keeping my eyes on the road, following Blackjack and Serial to the gate. Worrying about the rights and wrongs constantly was for fuckheads like the Prairie Pussies. In this club, a man took action. If he saw something good for himself or good for the club, then he didn't wait around to ask questions or ponder the ethics. That shit was for civilian eggheads teaching philosophy.

  Taking what I wanted when I wanted was the surest way I'd found to set a man free.

  I slowed down and stopped while we waited for the gate to open. A few more minutes and we were in, back in the fortress. I killed my engine inside the hanger-sized garage attached to the clubhouse and started to help Missy unload.

  “Where's Jackie?” she asked, without so much as a thank you.

  I grunted, pointing as I took her helmet. Blackjack already had the kid off the bike and she ran toward us, throwing her skinny arms around Missy's smooth neck. They hugged for what seemed like ages.

  Blackjack watched us from a distance before heading inside, shooting me a warning look. Keep this shit under control, asshole, or I'll finish what we started in the basement. You know I keep my word.

  He didn't need to say it to read him loud and clear. When the girls were finally done sobbing all over each other, I laid a hand on Missy's shoulder. Predictably, she shook it off right away. Least I'd gotten her attention.

  “Let's go inside. I got a room for you ladies. We can figure out something more permanent later, but it'll be a place to flop for now.”

  I waited to make sure they weren't going to fuck me over. After another one of those doe-eyed stares, Missy followed, holding Jackie by the
hand.

  The teenager wrinkled her nose as soon as we were inside. “Stinks worse than the house in here!”

  Missy gave her arm a jerk. I turned around in time to see her uneasy smile.

  “She's right. This place isn't always like this. It's been...hectic lately.” I left it at that.

  Explaining the ins and outs of the cartel swarming us like angry fucking wasps, killing good men, wasn't my job. It wasn't her fucking business anyway. Of course, I knew she'd be asking me why we'd taken her inheritance and made her prisoner in the first place soon.

  I unlocked my room and stepped inside, grateful not to run into any brothers. Hoped like fuck Twinkie or some other bitch hadn't found her way back into my place while we were gone. I stepped in ahead of the girls, scanning it over, glad when I saw it was just the way I left it.

  “Have a seat. I got some clean sheets somewhere...”

  Fuck, I really had to find 'em. These ladies weren't the type who'd enjoy laying in man sweat and a week of fuck residue.

  “You hungry?” I decided to change the subject while I dug through my messy closet.

  “I'm good. Jackie needs something, though.”

  I nodded. The clubhouse was balls deep in junk food. I'd grab her something for the night, but it wasn't gonna win any awards from nutritionist bullshitters.

  They stood up while I pulled off the old sheets and changed it over. When I was finished, I pulled out my sleeping bag. Only place I'd be staying tonight with these two in my bed.

  It was a damned good thing the kid was with her after all. If she was holed up in my room, all alone, sleeping in my bed with that body...

  Fuck! I'd spike a hole through the floor with my dick if I didn't lose it and climb in with her first. Then I'd do something we'd both regret. Well, just her, anyway.

  I stepped out and slammed the door behind me. It was a big relief just to be away for a second.

  I couldn't shut my fucking brain off as I headed to the kitchen. Sex, sex, sex...and sex. Missy woke something real potent and primal deep inside me with her amber eyes and pumpkin hips. She was the first woman in a long time who seriously competed with my jonesing for a hit.

  Too bad that meant resisting her would be about as hard as staying off smack. Shit!

  I ransacked the cabinet before anybody could give me crap about it. Chips, pretzels, jerky, and a couple candy bars. If Jackie was like any teen, then she wouldn't be too disappointed in the junk food buffet.

  Took a quick peek in the fridge too, expecting to find old burgers and expired dips. Total shock when I saw a pack of berry yogurt sitting there, probably left behind by some slut or a brother's old lady.

  Snatched that shit without a second thought. If living with my sister Shelly taught me anything, it was that a girl would kick her little brother's ass for stealing it. Compared to all the other shit in the fridge, it was a fucking crown jewel. I grabbed a spoon and some waters before heading back.

  Inside, I dropped the food onto the empty space between them. The girls were sitting on the bed, awkward and closed off, like they were chilling in a waiting room before some shitty procedure.

  “Dig in. You girls need anything else, just let me know. I'd give you a grand tour, but you can take this fucking place all in just by turning your heads.”

  I took the chair across from them, checking my phone while they ate. When I reached for my pocket to put it back, I felt an unfamiliar bump. Shit, I'd forgotten I still had Missy's phone with me.

  “Don't suppose you're going to return that anytime soon?” She stared at me intently, ripping the plastic top off her yogurt.

  Fuck me. I must've looked like an idiot and let my hand linger near my pocket too long. Well, since the goddamned cat was screaming outta the bag...

  I stood up, plucked the phone out in front of her, and dropped it on the ground. I stomped that shit harder than I intended. It cracked and came flying out underneath my boot in a hundred plastic shards.

  “You're not making any calls 'til I know I can trust you, babe.” Not this time. I looked at her, holding her gaze, steeling myself against those bright brown gems in her head. “I feel for you, whether you believe it or not. Doesn't mean I'm turning my back before we've reached an understanding.”

  “We have one: you kidnapped us, and you're holding us prisoner. You stole everything my family had to make a new life together.” She was breathing heavy, those sweet round tits rising and falling in waves on her chest.

  My head was fucking ringing. I took a step closer, holding in the volcanic heat so I wouldn't spook the kid real bad. I got as close as I could before I leaned down, never taking my eyes off her.

  Surprisingly, the chick didn't flinch. She held steady while over two hundred pounds of rock hard biker leered down at her.

  “We did what we had to for reasons that aren't your fucking business. If it wasn't for me, you'd be a dead husk in an unmarked grave right about now. Gratitude? I really don't give a shit. But you'd better close your fucking mouth and show me some respect. Appreciating this patch is all that's between you and some guys who'd like to do a whole lot worse.”

  I thumped my chest once, then turned around, making damned well sure she could see the roaring grizzly bear on my jacket. In my younger days, this was the point when I would've went storming outta the house, slamming the door off its hinges while Ma or Shelly screamed after me.

  But I was a prisoner in this damned room tonight too. My hell was babysitting the kid munching chips on my bed and the grown brat my crew put through the wringer. Shit, couldn't she understand I'd saved both their asses?

  I wasn't fucking around when I warned her what would've happened if it wasn't for me keeping my brothers from putting lead in their skulls. I'd sacrificed my fucking club cred to keep her and the kid whole. Yeah, she had every reason in the world to hate me and spit in my face, but no way was I putting up with that shit.

  Tomorrow, I didn't have a fucking clue what was gonna happen. We had to play pretend around the brothers, or else somebody else would be jerking her into their room and fucking her like another slut. The only thing keeping her safe and sane was pretending to be my old lady.

  And right about now, I had some serious fucking doubts that we were gonna be able to pull it off.

  “Missy?” Jackie put down the empty Doritos bag and looked at her sis, trying to keep one eye on me.

  Those brown eyes pulled away. She threw her arms around the girl, ignoring me.

  “It's okay, sis. I know it's scary and it doesn't make sense...but we're going to get out of this. I'll find a way.” She paused, rocking the teenager, who was strangely calm, probably too numb to spill more tears today. “I'll do anything I have to.”

  Had a feeling the last part was aimed at me. Hoped to hell she was serious, because that was the kinda attitude that might save me from a few ass kickings and keep her alive.

  I swept up the broken phone fragments and took their empty packages. A hasty trip outside to throw away the junk brought me face to face with Rabid. He had one arm around some redheaded bitch I'd seen on his dick a couple times before.

  “You still alive in there, bro?” he said, grinning through his short brown stubble.

  “Don't see too many dead fucks walking around out here.” I had to stop and wonder if that was true – some of the men who'd settled in from Sacramento spent enough time drunk and high to look like the living dead.

  “How about the girls?” The redhead laughed when he asked, like she was in on some big fucking secret.

  I frowned, hoping he wasn't so loose with those bitches he was spilling club secrets along with his jizz. “They're doing fine. Gotta work on getting 'em somewhere else to crash. They're not a good fit for the clubhouse.”

  Rabid's eyes narrowed as he saw me looking at his girl. “Whatever, bro. Hope you get them some new digs before Fang finds out.”

  They walked past me to his room, right across the hall from mine, slamming the door behind them. My favorite
brother wasn't kidding.

  Having the Prez involved with these girls in any way, shape, or form was an express train to hell. I had to get their attitudes checked and work on shuffling them out as soon as I could. Shit was guaranteed to get more heated with the cartel soon, and then there'd be zero tolerance for loose ends.

  They were sprawled out on my bed when I got back. The little one must've been knocked out after eating, but Missy was awake, bathing me in that guilty fire spilling out her eyes.

  “It's been a long night. Go ahead and get some sleep,” I said. “I'll be right here on the floor if you need anything.”

  She rolled over without saying anything. Should've given myself the same damned advice. It had been a long night, and it was about to get a whole lot longer.

  I slept with one eye open the entire time, running my brain through cash flow, consequences, and choices. If I didn't have to worry about them flipping and running to the police, I had enough to stick them up in a hotel 'til I could find something better, maybe a crappy apartment.

  Club business was too serious to keep them under lock and key forever. There had to be a balance, somewhere between covering my ass and doing what was best for them. There had to be some way outta this damned quicksand I'd landed in with both feet.

  I pushed my face into my sleeping bag, muffling a growl.

  One thing, I had no doubts about: if I didn't get Missy outta here soon, I wouldn't be able to keep my dick zipped up while it strained against my jeans every time I looked at her. And if she kept sassing me with those spitfire lips...

  Fuck. If that happened, throwing her down, spanking her ass raw, and fucking some respect into her was as certain as the moon hanging in the sky while I nodded off to sleep.

  III: Many Kinds of Ransom (Missy)

  The first three days were hell, and they were the ones where we sat in his crappy room by ourselves, alone while he went out and did...I didn't really know what, but it must've been terrible.