by Sophia Gray
He pulled me to him, and we lay down on the floor beside the chairs and the table, with me on top of him.
“How was that?” he asked again.
“Not bad,” I said cheekily.
Pax slapped my ass. “Not bad?”
I kissed the tip of his nose. “Not bad at all.” I pulled back and winked.
“The way you were squeezing me…” He shook his head, wonder in his eyes. My breathing stilled at the sight of it. “You never cease to amaze me. You have this fire in you, this light. I’ll never let that burn out. I swear I will keep you safe, Jasmine. Nothing will ever happen to you. I’d die first.”
And that was part of the problem. I knew he was willing to die for me, and I did not want that to happen.
Pax eased me down onto his chest and rubbed his hands up and down my back. I sighed contently. At times, he could frustrate me like no one else ever could, but there was no denying what I felt. None whatsoever. I was in love with this crazy, sexy man, and I always would be.
Chapter Thirty
Pax
The next night, I drove Jasmine to the drop-off point. I felt so fucking incredibly protective of her. Even though I wanted to turn around, drag her to my room, and leave her there, I couldn’t. My mind was made up, and I had made the right decision. Even Jasmine had agreed to it. She needed to be assured of her safety for forever. She needed to be able to live her life. We had talked about the future a lot last night, before and after we had another romp that left me so content. Jasmine meant everything to me. She knew that. And I would make her future as bright as I could. No more darkness.
As I took a tight turn to the right, I promised myself that once I caught this fucker, Jasmine and I were going leave the motorcycle club life and start afresh somewhere else. Anywhere else. She could pick the place. It didn’t matter to me where we went. As long as we were together, it would all work out. She wanted to get a job, any job. She was even willing to go back to waitressing or maybe being a hostess. After she made some cash to start paying off her bills, she would apply for beauty school and continue to work at night. It was amazing how much she had planned for the future, that she could imagine a future without such darkness hovering over it. I never wanted her to lose her desire to live life to the fullest, and the only way to give her an opportunity to do just that was for our plan to work.
As much as I hated that she was the bait, it was necessary. If I went after the fucker myself, it would be a bloodbath. So many people could die between my guys and innocent bystanders. I wasn’t willing to risk that, and neither was Jasmine, which was what had convinced her in the end that this really was the only way.
My nerves heightened as we neared the drop-off point. Was Jasmine nervous? She hadn’t seemed that way this morning or later when we had left. A little bit of nerves was a good thing. Kept you on edge. Kept you cautious.
She’ll be fine.
She had to be.
During my early research on Frank Greene, I had learned that he frequented a lot of strip clubs, but my boys had assured me he hadn’t gone to any of them since the news story first broke out about his corruption. The asshole went to church every weekend and ran a daycare with his wife. Just a front, a cover, for his disgusting ways. Made me sick just thinking about it.
But of course, he was too smart to go anywhere obvious. He had avoided capture by the police for so long. He wasn’t about to risk getting caught now.
Still, there was one place to check out. There was a brand new sex club in town. It was as good of a place as any to try our luck.
A truck filled with my boys followed us. They would track Jasmine and be ready just in case she needed help. Plus, she was wearing a wire. We’d be able to hear everything that went down, and if things even started to get dicey, we’d pull her out.
I parked in the back, in the dark. The truck parked beside me.
Jasmine climbed off. She had gotten all dolled up for her role. A super tight dress that was cut so low in the front and practically had no back. A breeze would reveal her ass cheeks. Fuck, I wanted to take her right now. She’d styled her hair in loose curls that framed her painted face. She would fit right in.
“I’m ready.” She nodded at me. Cool. Calm. Collected. Damn, she would be able to pull this off. I could already feel myself bursting with pride.
Jasmine took one step away from me.
Oh hell no.
I tugged on her arm and whirled her around for a long kiss. It wasn’t a goodbye kiss. If anything, it was a good luck kiss.
She stepped back, patted my cheek, and turned to walk away again.
Once more, I grabbed her arm. “I’ll come in with you,” I urged. “I’ll put on my hood and—”
“Look so completely out of place.” Jasmine shook her head, her curls flying everywhere. “We’ve been over this. You can’t go in there. If he sees you—”
“He’ll start shooting.” I grimaced.
We had to assume he’d acquired a gun by now. No way would a guy that smart stick around if he didn’t have one. I hated that, in one aspect, we were so alike—neither of us could go without exacting revenge.
“You’ll be safe? You won’t take any chances?” I asked.
“I’ll do a couple of sweeps around the room. If I don’t see him there in an hour, I’ll leave. I know what to do.” She placed a hand on my chest. She had to feel how hard my heart was pounding.
“Just be careful. I can’t lose you.” My voice cracked.
“You won’t.” She was wearing tall enough heels that she didn’t have to lift onto her toes to kiss me.
With a wave, she turned around and walked away, swaying her hips. The bouncer let her in with no problem. When he opened the door, loud music blared, but when he shut it behind her, silence prevailed, heavy and thick and oppressive.
Fuck, I hoped I hadn’t made a mistake by involving her.
Fuck, I hoped everything went down tonight so we could end this.
Fuck, I hoped happy endings didn’t just happen in fairytales.
But life wasn’t a fairytale.
Chapter Thirty-One
Jasmine
The music was blaring so loud I could hardly think. The lighting was dimmed but not dark enough that I couldn’t see. The smell of pot lingered in the air, like burnt tea leaves.
A woman wearing hardly anything walked by with a tray of drinks. To fit in, I grabbed one—a yellow, orange, blue hombre concoction—but I didn’t actually drink it even though I brought it to my lips. I couldn’t afford to get drunk. I had to stay sharp. Yeah, I was on edge, and a drink or two would help to settle me down some, but it wasn’t worth it. Besides, who knew if the drinks were spiked with any drugs or hallucinogens.
A couple walked around me, their hands all over each other, and I forced myself not to stare and moved deeper into the club. To the left, a female wearing what basically looked like a bikini was having guys take test tube shots from between her boobs. One guy even picked her up so that she was almost upside down for him to drain his.
Beyond them, there were several booths. Most had the curtains pulled shut, and from the heavy breathing and the moans and screams coming from them, audible even over the music, it was quite clear to me just what was going on behind them.
Then I walked by two more that had the curtains pulled aside so you could watch. Why else leave them open? The guy was mostly dressed yet, but the woman was completely naked, sitting on his lap, the table pushed away so she could have more room. Her head was thrown back, and his mouth had captured one of her nipples. They were obviously enjoying themselves. How? This was too much for me. I mean, yeah, I had gotten a total rush from having sex with Pax in public in the cove, but we had still been somewhat private. This was completely different.
Or maybe I was just too uptight because I was focused on the task at hand, looking for a one Frank Greene who had tried to choke me to death the last time I had seen him.
A small crowd of gawkers were standing ar
ound the next open booth. A naked guy was eating out a naked girl who was lying down on top of the table. That reminded me so much of Pax and I, that I grew wet. The moisture slickening the inside of my upper thighs. This dress was so tight and short I couldn’t even wear a thong under it.
Beyond the booths was a huge dance floor. You couldn’t really say that the people on it were actually dancing. A lot of them were having sex to the beat standing up. One girl had her hands braced on the wall as her partner pounded into her. I could feel my sex inadvertently clench at the sight. God, that had to feel amazing.
“You doing all right?” a voice said in my ear.
I winced. Answering back would be hard because I’d have to shout, but if I didn’t, Pax would get worried. “Fine,” I murmured, not sure if the mic would be able to pick up my words over the music.
But he didn’t say anything else so maybe it had after all.
I edged around the dance floor. There were rooms in the back, I could tell, each labeled something different. One was “dark fantasies.” The door opened, and a couple walked out. The girl was wearing the tallest pair of stilettoes I had ever seen, and she was holding a whip. Those kind of fantasies. Huh.
I tried to look through the dance crowd to read the other doors when someone touched my shoulder. A guy who had obviously just got done fucking someone and was wearing only jeans, unbuttoned and unzipped, was leering at me. “Wanna dance?”
I held up my untouched drink. “Maybe after this.”
He reached over and squeezed one of my nipples through my dress. “I’ll be around.”
How I refrained from slapping his hand away or from kneeing him in the balls, I didn’t know, but I couldn’t do anything to draw attention to myself. I walked away, and this time when I brought the drink to my lips, I did swallow some. Not too bad, but so freaking strong.
I headed back toward the booths. A new crowd was forming around a different booth, and in the back was him. I recognized him immediately, but I still checked his wrist. Bingo. Dragon tattoo. Frank Greene.
If I thought the other guy had a leering look to him, he had nothing on Frank Greene. I hadn’t bothered to look at the booth to see what everyone was watching, but Greene sure was enjoying it. He was rubbing himself through his jeans.
Showtime.
Pretending I hadn’t seen him, I cut right in front of him cutting through the crowd. I hadn’t checked out one corner of the place yet, and it was by a back door too. I hoped it might be quieter there.
I also hoped he would follow me there.
I took another sip and failed to keep an even pace. I was walking a little faster. Yes, it was a little quieter in the corner here. Not many people were over here, everyone was either too busy getting off or getting someone else off elsewhere in the club. There were a lot of empty glasses on the tall tables scattered about, and I started to slide onto one of the high stools at the only cleared off table.
Before I could actually sit down, though, Greene grabbed my arm. Pax had done just that about twenty minutes ago, but his grip had been out of love and fear. Greene’s was so tight with anger that he was practically cutting off blood circulation.
“What are you doing here?” he hissed. “Were you followed?”
I blinked at him, hoping my eyes looked a little glazed over. “Hey. Do I know you?” I leaned toward him, swaying, and bopped him on the nose.
He glowered at me.
Not buying my drunk act. Crap.
I glanced all around, pretending to be mesmerized by the place. “Whoa, this place is pretty trippin’.” I grinned at him. “What’s it called again?” I took a swallow but tried to make it seem more like a gulp. “My girlfriend told me about this place. I think. I don’t know. Said she had sex with five guys, each more amazing than the last. I want that. Do you want that?” I leaned forward, shoving my boobs at him. Yeah, the guy preferred kids, but I could only work with what I got. “I mean, not that you want guys, but to maybe…” I wiggled my eyebrows suggestively.
“What are you taking?” he finally asked. He was still on guard, but I had done it. He thought I was drugged out.
Good. Now I just needed him to relax. If I could convince him to leave the club with me, phase two would be underway.
“A little of this. A little of that.” I shrugged. “Whatever makes me feel good.”
“’Whatever makes me feel good,’” he repeated. “I like the sound of that.”
I giggled. It sounded completely false and fake to me, but he was grinning so I kept it up. “What else do you like?”
Without answering he stalked toward me, and I backed around the table until I slammed against the wall. Greene ground himself against me. Whenever Pax did something like that, my body responded immediately, but all I felt right now was disgust.
And fear.
“I like sex. Lots and lots of sex. You won’t need five guys. Just me. When I’m through with you…” He grabbed my hand and shoved it down his pants.
I swallowed hard. I so didn’t want to touch him, but I didn’t have a choice.
“I’m going to fuck you so hard you’ll be screaming,” he vowed. “I’m going to fuck you all night long. Come on, bitch!” He slapped me hard with one hand, his other hand forcing me to stroke him.
I blinked back tears. I couldn’t risk saying the code name. The place was packed. If the guys came in with their guns, it would be a slaughter, and we would all go to jail. No. I had to get him to leave the club with me.
So I forced myself to stroke him. “What do you say we get out of here?” I whispered in his ear.
“No. I’m going to fuck you right here, right now.” He unzipped himself.
Oh shit.
Chapter Thirty-Two
Pax
When I first heard his voice flittering over the mic, I knew she had found him. Greene hadn’t spoken during the apartment altercation, but I had heard his voice in clips on the internet, and in my nightmares. He sounded like a whiner, and his voice grated on my nerves. I hated everything about him, everything he stood for, all the shit he had done.
The words spewing out of his mouth and over the line had me seeing red. No one else was ever going to fuck Jasmine so hard she would scream. No one else was ever going to fuck her all night long. That was my job. She was mine, and I was hers. No one would ever come between us.
I had known this was a possibility. So had she. Neither of us had wanted it, of course, and it burned me alive that he was probably touching her right now with his grubby hands that had also touched children, kissing her with lips that had touched so many others.
“Come on,” I muttered. “Say the code word.” My gun was in my hand. I didn’t even remember grabbing it. Every fiber of my being urged me to follow my instincts and just go in, but I waited. Jasmine was capable of taking care of herself. She had sworn she would say the code word—nightfall—if she felt uncomfortable or needed us to come in and get her if anyone got violent with her.
But when that fucker said he was going to fuck her right then, I knew I couldn’t wait any longer. I had to act and act now. I gestured to the boys. Only Sam the Slayer, Eyebrow, and Ratched had come along. Too big a group would attract attention if things went badly, and things were already starting to head that way.
Eyebrow was good with electronics, and he had a feed on the place on his laptop. The image on the screen showed the blueprints of the club, just the walls, doors, and windows, with blue lights to show everyone. Jasmine was the only red blinking light. Smart girl. She was right by a back door. I never underestimated her for a minute, but I had underestimated just how jealous I would be if someone else, as despicable as Greene was or otherwise, would dare try anything with her.
“Let’s go,” I growled. My blood was pumping so loudly I could hear it. My chest ached. Fear was a bitter taste in my mouth. Jasmine was not about to get raped by a monster. How could I have been willing to endanger her? We all knew this guy was a sick fuck. Guess he would screw anybody�
��kids, women… hell, maybe guys too. He would be willing to shove it in any hole.
Well, I would be putting a hole through him. A bullet hole. Or two. Or three. Empty the entire clip into him. He would never touch anyone every again. He would wish he had never been born.
As soon as Jasmine had gone inside, I had climbed into the van so the guys and I collectively could know what was going on. It was far too crammed in here and far past time to get out and make a move. I pointed my gun at the back door, and Ratched opened it immediately.
“Close it,” I said suddenly, changing my mind. “Drive around to the back.” We needed to be close to the door just in case we had to have a speedy getaway. The plan had never been to open fire inside the sex club, but if there were no other choice, I wouldn’t hesitate.
