Outlaw's Kiss

by Nicole Snow

  He grabbed me, his rough hands sinking into my hips as he pulled me to his lips. We kissed as long, hard, and hot as the time crunch would allow us, a kiss that said how grateful we were the bastards in the warehouse hadn't taken away everything before I admitted what we had.

  It was here. Right here in his marvelous, insatiable lips.

  “No we're not, babe. This is all real. I just gotta finish branding you when all this shit's finally done.” He grabbed me by the hand and led me forward. “Now, let's go. I'm fucking starving.”

  Frustration and happiness mingled in his eyes. I recognized the look, praying it would all be over as quickly as he hinted. It needed to be.

  Tonight was going to be sheer hell keeping my hands off him while Jackie slept in the other bed.

  VIII: Deals With Devils (Brass)

  Sleep didn't come easy. It wasn't just club politics weighing heavy on my brain – it was having her pressed up against me in too damned small a room to do anything about it. No fucking way was I gonna make a move and subject the kid sister to hearing us fuck.

  But god damn my dick ached. Bad. Felt like somebody reached in and filled my balls with lead, heavy and hot, anchoring me to the sheets. Anxious lust hissed through my veins all night. I don't think my hard-on relaxed a second, pressed snug against her ass, taunting me every time Missy twitched in her sleep.

  She was obviously having some bullshit nightmares. At one point, I leaned over, kissed her brow, tender as I could without making my cock rage harder.

  “It's gonna be okay, baby,” I whispered. “All this shit. I'll kill them all myself for dragging you girls into this. Then I'm gonna fuck your brains out, wipe away all the nasty memories with red hot sex. I'm no doctor, but I've got a cure, and I know how to deliver it too.”

  She stirred, wriggling against me in her sleep. I had to shift my hips. Having my dick on her all night was bound to drive me absolutely nuts by dawn, if I didn't wake up balls deep inside her first.

  Truth was, Missy ignited a lunatic inferno in my skull, my blood, and especially below my waist. I'd never told a woman I loved her before the drive up.

  Before her, that was the sappiest, most alien shit I ever could've imagined. But having her around let cupid sneak up behind me and drive his arrow deep in my back, and I wasn't gonna pull it out for anything.

  It was finally all as clear as a California day.

  My life had two stages: before Missy Thomas and after her. The before was complete shit, betrayal and stupidity, my family going to pieces while I was too blasted outta my skull to do anything about it. Shit, I'd helped it along, hadn't I?

  What was this after, this new run just waiting for me to follow its jagged path? Remained to be seen. But I swore I'd give it everything to make it the beginning of the rest of my life; a smooth, sweet ride that meshed seamlessly with the future I'd give the babe curled up next to me and her little sis.

  I had to. Fucking up again was not an option.

  The ride was long and hard the next day. Woke up with a nasty bruise on one cheek, plus a few kinks in my shoulders and ribs from all the places those fuck faces hit me at the warehouse.

  We all ate a quick breakfast in the hotel, checked out, and then we were on our way, second leg of the two day trip to Missoula. It all hinged on time, getting our ducks in a row back in Redding before Fang had too many of his own to snuff us out. The rest hinged on those Devil assholes cooperating.

  Thinking about that shit made me want to rip everything apart. Having Shelly as his wife – or Saffron as he called her, my sis' old stripper name – was the only fucking reason Blaze agreed to talk to me at all. And I still didn't know how I was really gonna sit down with those assholes without punching their teeth out.

  I'd barely kept it together during their wedding in Reno. Two Prairie Pussies, Stinger and Tank, nearly beat me to a bloody pulp the minute they saw me. Thank fuck their old ladies were there to talk sense to 'em.

  We spent the next night in Coeur d'Alene. I got us all some grub at a sit down restaurant. It was strange to eat in public without my cut on over the tight gray shirt, but the Idaho panhandle was Grizzlies MC territory, and I damned well had to keep a low profile. There was no telling what the charters would do as news about the power struggle in Redding spread.

  More than a few Prezes out there had axes to grind with Fang, and there was never a better opportunity. But the bastard also put plenty of loyal thugs in place over the years, far and wide, including pussy fuckers who'd stay with him 'til the bitter end while the cartel had them scared shitless.

  Dinner was good. The girls both seemed happier. They chatted and smiled, a welcome thaw in the tension I'd seen between them yesterday. Missy told me about her accounting shit while little Jackie rolled her eyes in boredom. Promised right then she'd be going back to school – shit, both of them – as soon as we were clear and free.

  “Brass? This is it?” Jackie wrinkled her nose when we pulled up to the only hotel with vacancies.

  The kid had good reason to whine. The place was a fucking dump, and I seriously contemplated camping out in the truck for the night over staying here. Too bad a hot shower sounded like it was worth the price of admission alone.

  I took a full lap around the place, looking for obvious signs of dangerous deals going down or bitches whoring themselves out. Any one of those things wasn't just bad for the kid – it could indicate a connection to the local MC. The Idaho crew made most of their money off women since the Devils' shipments west started to drain our old business.

  I looked high and low, searching for skanks or unassuming bikes parked within a couple blocks. Nothing. Missy was leaning on my shoulder.

  Stroking my arm, she whispered in my ear. “It's cheap. It's a warm bed. Let's just take it, Brass. Seriously. We've had worse.”

  I nodded, parked the truck, and got out ahead of the girls. My ears matched my eyes – the place was eerily quiet.

  Yeah, this is the time when most dudes would get in the truck and gun it, or else get gnawed to pieces by some fucked up thing in a bad horror movie. I'd stopped being afraid of anything worse than the murderous freaks I'd run into over the years.

  Missy and Jackie hung close while we checked in, right where I wanted them. It took a few rings to rouse the old goat from the back. He spoke in a thick accent – maybe Russian or Polish or some shit – and took my cash without even giving me the stink eye for skipping the card like most decent hotels.

  I didn't like the way the fuck's eyes wandered. One of them looked artificial. The other kept skipping me entirely and sinking to the side, staring at Jackie while she messed with a vending machine on the other side of the shitty lobby.

  “Something else you need?” I growled, wishing he'd hurry the fuck up.

  The jackoff looked down sheepishly and shook his head, reassuring me everything was in order.

  Soon as he passed me the keys, I grabbed Missy's hand and walked over to the little girl. “Let's get the fuck inside and rest for a few hours. Don't forget to check for bed bugs.”

  My girl gave me a worrying look. Jackie just laughed. The room was cramped, a little smoky, but surprisingly not bad.

  The women showered, one after another, and then it was my turn. However shitty the place was, it had a working water tank. Feeling the hot jets racing down my muscles felt fucking amazing after two days of pure hell. Only thing better would've been having Missy there with me, wet and slippery and sexy as the time I took her at the apartment, the first time we fucked.

  Fuck, my cock throbbed like mad. Had to fight hard to resist jerking it. No, I wasn't resorting to that teenage shit. Didn't care how many hours were left before I fucked my woman – I wasn't gonna do anything but fucking when the time came.

  Truth time: I hadn't jerked my dick in years when there was always pussy waiting for it. But no pussy was more perfect than hers, and the need to be inside it almost put me in a straight jacket.

  I was practically drooling by the time I ste
pped out, toweled off, and dried my hair. When I came out, the girls were already crashed out in two beds, exhausted after the day long drive.

  I stayed shirtless and climbed in next to my old lady. For a few minutes, I laid there, listening for anything fucked up going on outside the room, any sign I should pass on sleep and meet the Prairie Pussies tomorrow with bloodshot eyes.

  My fucking body didn't want to cooperate. The sandman yanked my eyelids like cheap shades. I ended up falling asleep without even realizing it.

  I dreamed about anger, violence, and sex. Same shit that always rattled my brain at night. It was more feverish than usual, and at some point I rolled, opening my eyes.

  The bed next to us was empty.

  Fuck!

  I shot up like a lightning bolt and reached for Missy first. She was still there – thank fuck – rolling sharply when she felt my arm sweeping over her. She moaned, rubbing her eyes.

  “Brass?” She said, full of grog.

  “Stay right there, babe. Don't fucking move. Take this.” I reached onto the night stand and took the switchblade, handing it to her.

  It was her turn to panic when she sat up and saw what was going on. The covers went flying off the bed and she stood, desperately scanning the room.

  “Where's Jackie!?”

  “Don't fucking know, but I'm gonna find out.”

  She called after me, but I was on the move. I'd seen enough shit to know every single nano-second counts in a situation like this. My blood roared like a lion's at his breaking point. Fuck, if anybody took her and plucked a single brown hair outta her head, I'd gut them faster than they could beg for their miserable life.

  Outside, it was still pitch dark. Several lights were burned out, and the place was quiet as ever.

  No, there was something coming from below. Moaning. A bed creaking. Somebody fucking.

  Loud shouts. A woman screamed – this time, not in pleasure.

  I didn't bother with the stairs leading down from our second floor room. I hopped right over the fucking rail and fell several feet, hitting the pavement hard. Ignoring the fire in my knees, I headed for the noisy room and threw myself threw the door.

  The couple in bed was greasy, disheveled, and ugly as sin. They'd stopped fucking because of the jackass rolling around on the floor, the asshole with the lazy eye who'd checked us in.

  He was thrashing around in pain, grabbing his crotch. Jackie was backed into a corner, her clothes messed up, eyes red with tears, shaking. Just like a cornered cat.

  Hot air hissed out my lungs. If the fuck managed to do anything, she wouldn't be dressed. I charged like a bull, jumping on the bed, ripping off the covers.

  The couple were just as nasty underneath the sheets. They screamed, rolling on the floor, trying to get away. Or that's what I thought at first, before the pudgy asshole who'd been fucking the hag started to laugh.

  I looked at the nightstand and saw a familiar arrangement. Smack, ice, several joints half-burned to a crisp, a nine millimeter with its clip laying next to it. Typical junkie shit. I grabbed the drugs in a fistful and threw it on the bitch, who was shaking and moaning, halfway outta her fucking gourd.

  These motherfuckers wouldn't say shit. If the motel wasn't deserted, somebody else would've been standing at the door I'd kicked in after all this commotion, but there was no one there except –

  “Missy. Take your sis and go. I'll handle this.”

  My girl looked like she'd seen a fucking ghost. Well, she'd definitely seen some demons. I walked to the corner, took Jackie's hand, and led her out to her big sister.

  “I hope you busted his fucking balls, girl. You did the right thing. Don't feel bad for a single goddamned second. I'll do the rest,” I whispered in her ear and ran my fingers through her hair before handing her off.

  Reaching into my pocket, I handed Missy the keys. “Get the truck warmed up and wait for me. Change of plans. We're heading out early and not stopping 'til we hit Missoula.”

  I waited 'til I heard the truck's growl to shove the door shut – at least as much as it would close on the busted hinges. Then I walked to the asshole on the floor, reaching for my gun, the lazy eyed fuckface who'd tried to make an innocent girl part of this sick orgy.

  He saw me coming, reached into his pocket, and haphazardly flashed a hunting knife. I rolled my eyes, stomping his hand flat with my boot. The knife and his fingers crunched underneath my foot. Didn't let up 'til I had to lean down and silence his screams.

  “Lemme go, Mister! I didn't hurt her...ow! Honest, honest – fucking honest! Just wanted to have a little fun...make a little movie...”

  I saw the bag behind him on the stand by the bathroom, clearly holding a camera. Good. That would come in handy in a minute.

  No, I hadn't gotten an epiphany about peace and forgiveness. The fuck was as good as dead the second I walked in here, but now I had an idea. Skinning his ass was gonna help me out, and maybe my brothers too.

  I looked to my side, glancing at the old TV that looked like it's best days were in the late eighties. “You know, I can handle the peeling paint and the old sheets. But there are some things you really should've upgraded here.”

  He looked at me like I'd lost my mind. It was the last look the fucked up worm would ever give anyone. I reached down, grabbed his hair, and picked him up, throwing him face first into the TV with all my might.

  Funny how broken circuits and glass can drown out a man's screams. He was too shocked to howl or struggle as I picked up his hunting knife and drove it into his back, stabbing him repeatedly 'til he stopped moving. His carcass slumped halfway to the floor and stopped, held up by the TV still attached to his head.

  The skank on the floor between the beds was looking at me, trying to process what she'd seen through her druggie brain. I still had a couple little baggies of shit I'd scooped up off the table in my pocket.

  Her eyes lit up when I approached, holding the small pack of ice in front of her face the way you tease a dog with a treat. “You want this shit?”

  “Yeah! Just give it to me. My man's hogged enough for one day...” Over on the other side, the fat man groaned, totally blasted.

  “I'd say he has. It's all yours, if you tell the camera who killed this fucker with his head in the screen.” I pointed.

  It took her a moment to follow my hand. “Who? Who? Who killed you, Joey?”

  I let that shit sink in, listening to her mumbling like a demented owl as I picked up the camera, took it outta its case, and gave it a quick look. Everything seemed fine. It was old, still had a tape, but I knew how to use it. Now, I just hoped the piece of shit I'd thrown through the TV wasn't so sloppy it was broke.

  “This is a hit ordered by Fang, bitch. Say it. Fang, President of the Grizzlies Motorcycle Club, California. You tell 'em I left the fucking message with you, right after I threatened to cut your throat. I came, I saw, I fucked him up for stealing from the club. Drugs, bitch – that ice you're hankering for –

  understand?” I used my best interrogator voice while I unscrewed the cap. “Now, repeat that back to me.”

  Camera on.

  “Fang did this. The Grizzlies. Bikers...biker bastards. You...you threatened to cut me open...” She sniffed, eyes more vacant than ever. “This is for drugs...drugs! Shit, where's mine?”

  I let the camera pan around the room, focusing on the dead man. Sooner or later, some boys in blue would find this fucking mess, but my junkie “witnesses” would be long gone by then. They wouldn't know what the hell because it wasn't meant for them.

  I had it all mapped out in my head. This was Plan B, a backup in case too many charters outside California sided with Fang. Once they saw this sloppy shit, he was one lame fucking duck.

  “You killed him! You and your Grizzlies,” the junkie screamed, recognition flickering in his eyes. “All over my sweet crystal...”

  I teased her, giving the baggie in my free hand a shake. She slapped her fists on the ground, truly upset, rolling her head ba
ck and letting tears slide down her cheeks. Perfect.

  Switching the camera off, I stuffed it in its case, and then threw the ice in her lap. Turning my head away from her for the last time was a fucking relief. I'd need a couple long, hard nights with Missy to forget those saggy, bruised tits.

  “Snort up. Don't use it all in one night.”

  I heard her laughing behind me as I stepped out and closed the door. By some small miracle, I'd barely gotten Lazy Eye's blood on me when I did him in. Just had his hunting knife with me, and it'd be getting cleaned up and dropped in the trash at the nearest remote place we found on our way to Devils' territory.

  Missy got out of the driver's seat and slid over when she saw me coming. I got in the truck and felt her hand on mine.

  “How's our girl doing?” I asked, looking across her at Jackie.

  “Just fine. He didn't touch her. He never got the chance. He forced her downstairs with a knife...came into our room when we were fucking sleeping.” Rage filled her voice.

  I nodded, taking the wheel and steering the truck onto the road. “It's all over, babe. We got lucky this time.”

  “No,” Missy snapped. “You did this. You protected us both.”

  She squeezed my arm something fierce. “God, Brass. We'd be dead or worse several times over if it wasn't for you.”

  “You can't sell your sis short, babe. Jackie's strong, just like her big sis. I like hearing how awesome I am, just like anybody else, but fuck me if you're not holding your own. Both of you. And I need you to keep it up.”

  She leaned into me, resting her head on my shoulder. “We'll try.”

  “Fuck yeah, you will,” I growled, tapping the accelerator to catch some speed on the highway. “You'll stay strong because that's the way I like my woman. If I didn't think you could, I wouldn't have kept you as mine, even with that smoking hot bod.”

  She smiled, leaned in, and kissed my arm. Over in the darkness, Jackie was glancing our way. I really felt bad for the kid. She'd been through so fucking much. Couldn't catch a break wherever we ended up.