by KB Winters
“A dark SUV just pulled up across the border, and the bikes are on the move.” Cash had dug out the cheap pair of binoculars I had in the glove box and aimed them at the border. We both watched in silence as five men stepped out of the SUV.
“Shit, that’s Lazarus Ocatella of the Mexican Devils.”
“Those fuckers deal in pussy, coke, and weed. We don’t need more girls, so unless bullets start flying in the next minute, we have our answer.” Cash’s words were cold, efficient, like the solider he’d been for more than a decade. “I’m gonna get this shit on video.”
We both watched through the barrier of lenses as Toro took a leather bag that could only contain money and shook hands with Lazarus. “Un-fucking-believable!”
Everyone returned to their vehicles and the SUV crossed over the border, following the bikes down the road. I started the engine to follow at a distance. This time of night there wasn’t much traffic in Brently or the main highway so I needed to stay back, but thanks to Toro’s chopper it wouldn’t be hard to keep them close. “Fuck!” I smacked the steering wheel as the truth of the situation became clear. “They’re giving those assholes protection, and I’m sure you can guess why.” We didn’t need to guess, though, because we followed them a few more miles up the road and the SVU made a turn while the bikes continued ahead, presumably back to the clubhouse.
“Take the dirt road.”
I cut the lights and followed the SUV while Cash kept filming as they bounced down the dirt road. Lazarus stepped out and walked around the back of the truck where he pulled a brick from the back and handed it another man, one I didn’t recognize. “Definitely coke or heroin, maybe both.”
“Yeah, and that’s not all. Toro, Rocky, Wags and one of the fucking prospects helped get this shit over the border.”
That meant we needed to figure out who we could trust before we could come up with a fucking plan. “Let’s get home.”
***
After dropping Cash off at the clubhouse, I took my bike and headed to Talon’s place where I stood on her porch for several long minutes while I worked out what to say to her. She’d likely be pissed off, and I had very little experience with pissed off females these days. The women around here didn’t get all that upset, especially at a patched member, and a quick flash of my green eyes usually did the trick.
That wouldn’t happen here.
The door opened. “You gonna stay out there all night or be a man and come in?”
Ouch. Well I guess I had my answer. “I was just getting up my courage.” I flashed a smile, but her lips remained in a straight line as she waved me in.
“Well I guess you can do it inside as well as out. Right?”
“Yeah,” I sighed and walked in, but I couldn’t deal with this tension between us so I stopped and turned to her, cupping her face. “Yell at me later, but right now I need this.” My mouth slammed into hers, devouring her in my desperate need to taste her. To be closer to her. To feel her. I kissed her long and hard until we were both breathless and my cock strained against my zipper, so desperate to bury myself deep in her. “That’s better,” I growled.
“That was nice, but not exactly what I was expecting since I haven’t heard from you all week.”
There was no heat behind her words, but I could tell her feelings were hurt and she wasn’t pleased with me. “I know, babe. I’m an asshole and I’ll explain everything, but first I need a shower.”
She pushed me back, but I saw the way her lips curled as she walked past. “Don’t expect me to wash your back.”
I had to laugh at her words because Talon was a woman you couldn’t keep down. She might be mad but she still responded to my kisses, and she was damn happy to see me.
She disappeared into the kitchen and I went to her room, undressing and taking the world’s fastest shower because I wanted to settle things between us. Seven minutes later, I had a towel wrapped around my waist as I strolled into the kitchen.
“I figured you might be hungry,” she said and pushed a thick slice of lasagna across the table. “Don’t get too excited, it’s vegetarian because I wasn’t expecting you.” She grabbed two beers and slid one my way. “Eat and then you can tell me why you’re avoiding me until now. At midnight.”
Yeah, I knew exactly what she meant. She thought I stopped by to fuck her when I’d avoided her all week. Because I’m an asshole. “Cash and I did some recon tonight to see what we could find out. It wasn’t good, darlin’.” I told her everything because she swore she could handle it, and I believed her. “I shouldn’t have disappeared on you like that and I’m fucking sorry, but I needed to get to the bottom of this.” Shit, I knew I couldn’t explain it, but I did my best. “I have to ride with these guys, sometimes across states and count on them to have my back in case any shit goes down. I have to be able to trust them.”
“I get that. But what does that have to do with a couple phone calls or text messages? For all I know you weren’t figuring shit out, you were with one of your pass-arounds.”
I scoffed, “I definitely wasn’t doing that. Look, baby, I’m sorry but I’m not your ex. I’m trying to figure out if my club had anything to do with killing the man who was like a father to me.”
“Thank you for that,” she answered primly and stood to rinse her bottle and dump it in the recycling bin she kept on the back porch. “Good luck.”
Good luck? That sounded like goodbye to my ears, and I couldn’t have that. “That’s all you have to say?”
“What else do you want me to say, Mick? I accept your explanation, but maybe we should just stop this until you find what you’re looking for. I wouldn’t want to be a distraction.”
Her words were right but they sounded off, like she didn’t mean them. “No.”
“What do you mean, no?”
I went over to her, one hand on the knot keeping the towel around my waist. “I mean we’re not stopping anything. You’re mine, and I’m yours.”
“I thought so, too.” She took a step back and raked a hand through her thick black waves. “But I’ve been wrong before.”
“Goddammit, Talon, you’re mine. Don’t fucking fight it,” I growled, pinning her against the sliding glass door with my body, nipping her ear. “You don’t want to fight it, babe, and I’m so damn tired of fighting.”
“Yeah, you just want to fuck, don’t you, baby?” she shot back, but I heard the breathy quality of her voice. She was as turned on as I was.
“You want to fuck, too. You want me to fuck you and then you want to hop on my cock and fuck me. Don’t you?”
“No.”
“Liar.” I pressed my cock between her legs, and the deep moan that she released told me she was still here. With me. “Tell me, Talon.” I licked across her neck, biting down and soothing it with more kisses. “Tell me.”
“Yes, Mick, I want you to fuck me. And then I want to ride your cock until I come all over you.”
That’s all I needed to hear. Without a word, I grabbed the little scrap of silk she wore under that flowery dress and yanked until the fabric tore.
“No.” She pushed at my chest until I fell back against the counter, and then dropped to her knees. I groaned, and she smiled up at me while her hands made quick work of the towel until my cock sprang free. “Such a beautiful cock,” she purred and took me deep in her hot, wet mouth.
Jaysus! She felt so good around my cock, and I couldn’t stop my hips from thrusting forward, sliding deeper down her throat. “Yeah, baby. You want me to fuck that pretty little mouth of yours?” She nodded, speaking around my cock, and sending vibrations through my balls. I growled and pumped harder when she grabbed my ass, sinking her nails into my cheeks. “You like it,” I told her.
Silver eyes widened in excitement when I began to fuck her mouth, grabbing her hair and twisting it around my fist. I’d never been so fucking turned on in my life, but I needed her pussy and pulled out with a pop that made my nuts tingle.
“Mmm, that made me so we
t,” she purred.
“You’re trying to kill me,” I told her as I lifted her up, kissing her hard enough that I knew she’d have beard burn tomorrow. “I’m gonna eat that sweet cunt of yours, but first I need to be inside you.”
“Yes,” she moaned as I slipped a finger into her tight, hot cunt. She was more than ready for me. She was begging for me. “Now, baby. Fuck me…”
She jumped in my arms, wrapping her legs around my waist, and I fucked her hard and fast up against the stainless-steel fridge. Long and hard and deep, I pounded into her because I loved the way her pussy dripped and clenched when I went deep. I hit that spot that made her eyes close, and she made that dirty growl in the back of her throat. “I can’t get enough.”
“Harder.”
I gave her exactly what she wanted, what she needed. Shoving my cock deep until those telltale pulses squeezed me tight, and she shouted my name on a keening cry that had my spine stiffening and my come shooting deep inside her until she was full. Of me. “Oh, babe.”
A nervous laugh erupted from her, shaking us both along with the bottles on top of the fridge. “That was perfect.” She smacked a kiss against my neck and slid down my body until we separated. “I’ll be back.”
We both cleaned up and put some clothes on before meeting again in the kitchen. I grabbed us a couple beers and opened the old-school cookie jar on the counter, smiling when I pulled out peanut butter chocolate chip. My favorite. “You made cookies.”
“Yeah well having sex with myself doesn’t really take up a lot of time, so,” she trailed off and took a long pull from her beer. “Have a seat. We need to talk.”
“The worst four words in the English language,” I grumbled. “Are you leaving?”
“No. I’m not, but I found a few things I think you should know about.” Her eyes darkened to melted gun metal, a contemplative expression on her beautiful face. Raven hair mussed from my hands.
“You’ve been digging?”
“No, but this might go faster if you stop guessing and just let me tell you.” Her lips twitched at the corners, and I nodded for her to continue. “I think something fishy was—or is—going on with the produce delivery at the diner. I didn’t investigate because I promised I wouldn’t, but I do have it for you to see it because it is my place now.” She grabbed her laptop from the coffee table and brought it to me, inserting a flash drive and stepping back for me to look.
I started going through the spreadsheets she created for each month of the past four years, and I could see very clearly what she meant. Fruits and vegetables from Mexico, but more importantly the consistency of the orders seemed off. “Magnus would have never ordered produce from Mexico if he could help it, even with us being so close to the border. Always preached about buying American and saving jobs and shit.”
“Do you think this could be helpful to you?”
“Yeah, I do.” I didn’t have all the pieces put together yet, so I didn’t want to bother her with theories or get her hopes up. “Just be careful with anyone who isn’t me or Cash, yeah?”
Damn, this girl seemed just perfect as she climbed on my lap, straddling my hips so we were face to face, my cock nestled between her thighs exactly where it should be. “There’s something else. The day I went to the clubhouse, Minx and I stopped at Two Scoops, and Trudy was pretty worried because Dagger hadn’t come home. Still hasn’t come home. Do you think he’s involved or…?”
A big fat fucking or. I didn’t think Dagger was involved, at least not on purpose, and his disappearance had me more worried than ever. “Shit. You didn’t say anything, did you?”
She play slapped my cheek. “I told you I wouldn’t. Don’t you trust me?”
“I do, or I wouldn’t tell you any of this. And thank you for telling me,” I stood and carried her to the bedroom, kissing her again. “And thank you for not doing anything else.”
Her smile punched me in the gut and I was reminded again, this girl was it for me. “I told you I wouldn’t.” Leaning back on the bed, robe gaping open at the thigh, she looked like a fucking goddess.
She leaned back on the bed, looking good enough to eat. “I want to still be mad at you, Mick, but I think I’m in love with you.”
I leaned over and fixed my mouth to hers, pouring everything I felt into that kiss while my hands made their way between her legs. She was still wet or maybe wet again for me, and I rubbed my calloused fingers against her clit, swallowing her moans. In less than a minute, her thighs tightened around my fingers and she cried out my name.
Satisfied with the pink flush of her skin, I slowly removed my fingers and brought them up to my mouth, licking them clean. “When you’re sure, let me know.” I stood up, gave her one last kiss, and walked out.
Chapter Seven
Talon
“Thanks, Charlie. I’m glad you agree with me.” I’d straightened my spine this morning and hoisted up my big girl panties so I could finally talk to Charlie about the produce supplier. Technically, it couldn’t be considered getting involved because the diner was my business, and I had a right to make changes. Plus, her ready agreement meant Charlie had no role in my father’s death.
“No problem, honey. I never understood why Magnus changed it anyway.” She cradled one side of my face, something she did often, and it made me feel cared for. Nurtured.
I wrapped my arms around her, feeling her grief must be unimaginable. “I’m sorry for your loss, Charlie.”
“Me too, honey, I wish he could have seen you. He’d be so tickled you’re here.” I loved hearing that, but every time I did it made me angry with Mom, and since I couldn’t be angry with a dead woman, those feelings felt pointless.
Waving Charlie off, I said my goodbyes and made my way home. I desperately needed a shower after making the girls give the kitchen a thorough scrub. Most of them didn’t even like me, so it was no problem being a hard ass if it meant getting things done.
The short drive home gave me time to pull my thoughts together as I watched the fiery sun come closer and closer to kissing the horizon. The sun’s movements were purposeful, automatic whereas mine felt…haphazard. I looked around, seeing everything my dad had built with his life. A motorcycle club that boasted a massive clubhouse as well as more than a dozen businesses, a long-term relationship with a good woman and many lifelong friendships.
What did I have to show? Not a goddamned thing. Everything I had now—the house, the business, the land, even Mick—was all thanks to him. Maybe I was being melodramatic, or maybe rereading the letter he’d left me had taken my mind to places it shouldn’t go. I decided to let Charlie’s words stand as the truth. Magnus loved Mick, and I’d like to think he’d love the fact that we’re together thanks to him. I think he’d be happy that I switched produce suppliers, unless of course that decision brought hell and thunder to my front door.
I pushed through the front door and reminded myself that negative thoughts like that didn’t help anything. No matter what Mick found—and I had no doubt he would find his answers—things would play out the way they were meant to in the end. Good or bad.
After a quick shower, I shoved all thoughts of Mick aside because I needed to get my libido in check, and thinking about him had a way of making me think of orgasms, which in turn made me want orgasms. But I needed to get dinner started because this was part of the new and improved Talon, making healthy dinners at night like a grownup. So, I moisturized and slid into a pair of lightweight Capri pants and a flowy pink top. I’d chosen it for its simplicity and because I knew it drove Mick wild when he had to undress me.
I took out ingredients for beef teriyaki, and I froze at a sound in the back of the house. The kitchen was silent because I’d decided another part of the new me would enjoy the silence. Embrace it rather than filling my mind with sound constantly. It could have been raccoons or this far in the desert it could have been possums, but I didn’t think critters were out there banging around. Shutting off the lights so I could see outside, I crept
closer until I heard the distinct sound of a human thudding. And then groaning. Wrapping my shaky hands around the bat beside the door, I lifted it and opened the door slightly. “Who’s out there? I have a weapon and I’m not afraid to use it, asshole!” Yeah, that sounded brave even though my heart beat so fast I thought it might have been louder than the wannabe intruder, but my voice never wavered though fear was palpable in my veins.
I heard the slide and thump of an uneven gait. “Who are you?” The voice came from the dark, scratchy as though whoever it was hadn’t had water for days.
I thought for a second maybe a lost hiker had wandered my way, but then, that’s exactly what a serial killer would want me to think, right? “I don’t think so, buddy. You’re at my place, who the hell are you? Show yourself, dammit.”
“Dagger,” he spat on a groan. I’d heard the name before and when I realized who he was, I reached for my phone and flicked on the flashlight.
“Oh hell,” I gasped at the sight of him beaten and bloody. “Come in,” I urged, but it became clear moving caused him more pain, so I helped him as best I could considering he was a big man. Tall and solid. “Damn, you’re heavy. You lift cars instead of weights?”
He tried to laugh and winced for his efforts. “Funny.”
“What the hell happened? Does anything feel broken?”
“Nah, my ribs are bruised, though. I’m just busted up and probably in need of a few stitches.” Typical man trying to downplay his injuries.
But I knew better, so I put a hand to his chest until he fell onto the bed in one of the guest rooms, taking off his boots, his cut, and his shirts. All three of them. “Shit. What happened to you? Never mind, don’t talk. Drink this water while I gather some supplies, and then I’ll let Mick know you’re here. Should I let Trudy know, too?” I wanted to make her my first call, thinking about how tangled up she’d been over his disappearance.
