“Probably not,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.
Before Pageant could fire off another remark, Randon grabbed hold of her hand and pulled her away from her seat. Weakened, she fell against him.
Unable to gain her footing, she realized she couldn’t put up a fight. She whispered, “Something is wrong with me, Randon.”
“It’ll pass.” He swept her into his arms, sticking one solid arm under her hips and one behind her back.
“Don’t lie to her, man,” Kurt said, snickering as Randon hurried by him.
“Mr. Shane, do you mind telling me what is going on?” Sheriff McKinney slammed something against the podium.
“Not at all.” He stopped right inside the main exit.
“Please don’t do this,” she begged, suspecting why she was suddenly ill. She’d once worked with a group of renegade supernaturals who had turned their mates and then deserted them for some sort of universal cause. Their mates fell violently ill. Some of them even died.
“I’m waiting,” Sheriff McKinney said. “In fact, we’re all curious —all twenty-three of us. We can’t wait to know what was so damned important that you couldn’t wait, Mr. Shane.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, Detective Keen is physically ill.” He turned to the room as if he wanted everyone to see. “She’s hot to the touch, pale, and her entire body is one complete tremor.” Accusation hung in the air. “You call yourselves detectives and officers, but no one noticed the detective right in front of them. She’s a very sick woman!”
Muted whispers and exclamations of surprise filled her dizzy head as a blur of bluish bodies spun around her. Her sixth sense took over and she gripped a handful of Randon’s shirt. “He’s here.”
“You’re fine, baby. I’ve got ‘cha.” His voice reverberated throughout the room. Each syllable echoed in the distance. She realized he was still addressing the sheriff, but she couldn’t make out what Sheriff McKinney said back to him. The wong-wong-wong humming in her eardrums made her think of a hospital recovery room. Years ago, she’d had some minor surgery and when she’d awakened, she’d been dazed and confused.
Another light blue shadow encircled the room. It was as if a couple of ghosts had entered the meeting hall and stretched their bodies from side to side in order to surround them.
Unable to get a handle on her reckless mind spinning out of control, she struggled to hold her head up, desperate to make them all understand. “No. Randon. Please listen to me.” She jerked his shirt with all her might. “Listen…the extortionist. He’s here. Look. At. The. Room.”
A foggy haze fell over the area. Randon leapt into action. He kicked open the exit door as if he thought they were already barricaded inside. “Clear the area! Get out of here! Scatter! Now!”
Mass confusion broke free as chairs and tables toppled over. Windows were broken out as members of the MC threw themselves out the nearest possible point of exit. Everyone rushed out of the building, screaming at the top of their lungs.
Randon sprinted across the parking lot, shouted obscenities to a pedestrian, and flagged down a motorist. Once they were safely in the backseat of the car, he gave quick instructions to the driver and whispered at her ear, “You’ll be just fine, Pageant. I swear it. Once I get you taken care of, you’ll never have to worry about the withdrawals again.”
Her head rolled one way or the other. She tried to look up but couldn’t gain the strength. Somehow, she finally managed, “Withdrawals from what?”
“Me.”
Chapter Thirteen
“There isn’t a dignified way to do this.” Randon stripped off his shirt, kicked off his boots, and shucked his slacks.
“Randon?”
“I’m right here, baby.” He grabbed hold of her legs, pulled her to the edge of the bed, and plucked her shoes from her feet. “Hang on, Pageant. Everything will be okay.”
Damn it! He’d known how crucial the mating hours were. He’d been warned time and time again. If a new mate didn’t fully understand what had transpired between them, they ran the risk of a physical withdrawal. The only way to ensure there wasn’t a relapse of any sort was to make absolutely certain the mates understood their place.
He hadn’t done that. Hell, he hadn’t even thought about it.
Rushing against time, Randon stripped his mate down to her panties and bra. About that time, he heard footsteps in the hallway.
“Who’s there?” He grabbed his jacket and withdrew his forty-five.
“Whoa, man. It’s just me.” Kurt put his hands up in the air. “Just letting you know we’ve got the place surrounded.”
“Make sure you spread out.” Aware of the marked lust in Kurt’s eyes, Randon snarled at his pal. “Anything else?”
Pageant’s head bobbed against her pillow. A light moan fell from her lips.
“Yeah. How are you gonna fuck that?”
“Out!” Randon stalked the bedroom door and slammed it in his buddy’s face. When he turned back to the bed, his heart skipped a few beats.
For a tough as nails detective, Pageant sure looked vulnerable. He admired the woman stretched out before him and wished a thousand times he could capture this moment, at least the start of it, so he could later share what he’d seen, how he’d viewed her before he took her.
Lowering himself to the bed, he tilted her head to his and smoothed his lips over hers. “I’ll never do anything to hurt you, Pageant.”
She groaned and her hand rested on his forearm. As if it took all the strength she could muster, she said, “Do it.”
His sharp incisors dropped and he grabbed her wrist. Penetrating the skin, he breathed life into her body, aware of the awakening, the way she shuddered and sighed as he held her arm to his lips.
“There, sweet baby,” he whispered, releasing her when her eyes opened. “Now, we finish this.”
She grinned and lazily said, “It sure is taking you long enough.”
“We’ll see about that.” Stripping her panties away from her body, he spread her legs and trailed her inner thighs with gentle kisses. Pausing at her pussy, he looked down on a much-weakened woman, a woman he could empower, strengthen.
A long swipe left her arching underneath him. He savored her sweet, wholesome taste, the essence of his desirable lover. Addicted to her scent, he delivered another reverent swipe, enjoying the way she shivered against him.
“I wish I could do this all night long.” He towered over her then and looked down on the woman who would know him as only her mate by the time they left her bedroom. “You belong to me, Pageant.”
“Yes.” A light of recognition shone in her eyes and she cupped his cheek. “I’ve known I belong to you since the moment you showed up at our crime scene.”
His heart soared with her confession and he plunged inside her wet walls, rolling his hips in an infinity formation. As he slowly made love to his mate, he saw the color return to her pretty skin. The dark circles under her eyes vanished, and her body came alive under his.
Her arms looped around his shoulders and she pulled herself forward. Meeting his mouth with a fiery kiss of her own, she thrust her tongue between his lips and drove the kiss. She took and gave as much as she could.
Their bodies crashed together in an unfathomable beat. Their fucking became wild and reckless. He started off slow but quickly found a thumping gait. Then he went long and deep, delivering heavy shots to her quivering pussy.
“Oh God, Randon,” she whimpered, throwing her head back.
Her silken hair flowed across her shoulders and she shivered as he grabbed hold of her hips and drove inside her. He watched as his hard rod forced her pussy lips to suck at his male flesh.
“More,” she breathed, raking her nails down his chest and spreading her legs wider.
“God, Pageant, You’re beautiful.” He couldn’t tear his gaze away from the point of penetration.
She twirled her tongue around her index finger. “Can I?”
“Oh yeah.” His
cock stretched another inch or so as she reached for her clit.
He hammered inside her, stroking at her tender muscles and sensitive tissues. Every now and then, she’d lift her hand so he could see her swollen clit. His mouth watered as he thought of going down on her again, of driving her to orgasm with his tongue.
If only he had the control to pull out then. He cursed his raging need and slammed inside her. Clasping her hands in his then, he threw her arms above her head and assaulted her mouth, pumping his hips at a rapid beat as his male need became ravenous and the wolf inside fought to be freed.
“I need everything, Pageant.”
“Tell me,” she whispered, breathless.
“You belong to me. No one else will touch you. You’re mine.” He paused in the middle of a hard thrust and peered down on a surprised woman. “Only mine.”
“But you barely know me.”
“I know you, Pageant. I’ve waited my entire adult life to share a connection with someone. You feel it, too. I know you do. I see it in your eyes.”
“I’m not denying that.”
“What do you feel when I’m inside you?” He gave her another solid jolt. “When you look at me?” And another. “Um, yeah.” He worked those hips in damn good time. “Tell me, Pageant. Who do you see?”
Her eyes watered and he knew then she understood the significance of their mating. She reached up and cupped his cheek. “I see the man I’m meant to spend my life loving.”
Rapturous moments fell upon them then. The loving, the fucking, the mating, whatever she wanted to later call it, would suit him just fine. They tumbled across the bed in an erotic escapade of pure and exquisite lovemaking. His cock danced between her folds, stroking and caressing her tender walls as her pussy clenched and closed around him. Their releases took them to the height of their awareness and as they came down, they collapsed in one another’s arms, panting in exhaustion.
“You’re wonderful,” he said, dragging her body over his.
“I’ve heard of fucking the life out of someone, but never the other way around.”
“Let’s hope that doesn’t happen again,” he said, caressing her shoulders. “You gave me quite a scare.”
“Could’ve fooled me.” She rested her face against his chest. As if the seriousness of their earlier situation struck her at once, she lifted her head and asked, “Was anyone hurt back there?”
“I don’t know,” he replied honestly. “My only concern was getting you out safely.”
“But what about Sheriff McKinney?”
Randon’s body stiffened as he remembered the sheriff’s earlier words about Pageant and her snoring. “What about him?”
She searched his eyes. A slow smile crept across her lips. “Are you jealous of Blaine?”
“Ah, so it’s Blaine now, is it?”
Laughing, she threw the covers away from the bed and headed to the bathroom. “You’re gonna have to get a handle on that possessive nature of yours. Blaine and I are just friends. He’s my boss.”
“Then how does he know that you snore?”
“Uh…stakeouts?” She went into hysterics and entered the bathroom. A second later, she stuck her head in the bedroom again. “Do me a favor, leave the green-eyed monster in bed and come in here and join me. If you’re the reason I have more energy than I’ve had in my entire life, I’m not done with you yet.”
“Honey, in case your earlier sickness didn’t make you a believer, I’m pretty sure you’ll never be done with me.”
“You say that like you might plan to hold something over my head.”
“Your head didn’t have a darn horse in this race when I brought you home and took care of that sexy little body. And while I’m definitely attracted to your head, that beautiful mind, it’s your heart I’m after. Never forget that.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Can someone tell me why the MC is guarding Detective Keen’s home again?” Sheriff McKinney marched up the sidewalk.
Kurt jumped over the latticework surrounding the small porch and met him halfway. With his hands in front of his body, he said, “You can’t go in there.”
“Like hell I can’t. Detective Keen was clearly sick at our meeting. I’m here to check on her.”
From where Pageant was standing, she couldn’t see a whole lot after Sheriff McKinney walked up to the porch, but thanks to the slightly ajar window, she could hear the conversation.
“Since you and your ‘brothers’ rode into town, this place has gained a new understanding of bold and free. They understand the meaning of bold because you’re cocky enough to be here pretending to lend a hand when the truth is whatever is happening to this town is because of you people. As for free? None of us will know the meaning of true freedom until every last one of the Bold and Free riders get the hell out of Pleasant.”
Realizing what consequences they’d face if the MC left town, Pageant rushed outside. The screen door slammed behind her and she jerked with the impact. Dressed only in a pair of jeans and a plain white T-shirt, she was sure her appearance would piss off the boss.
“You don’t mean it, Sheriff,” she said, ignoring the smirk on Kurt’s face. When this was all over, she intended to have a talk with Randon. Apparently on a need to know basis because of the current threat looming over them, Kurt seemed to know precisely what went on behind her closed doors.
So much for spontaneity.
“I meant every last word,” Sheriff McKinney said. “Let me remind you that thirty-two of our citizens are dead. The MC lost three of their own. And Deputy Phillips is fighting for his life.”
“And you’re turning on the only people who can help us?”
“Detective Keen, unlike you, I’m not impressed by Randon Shane or his sidekick here.”
“I’m hurt,” Kurt said, flattening his palm to his chest. “Have I done something to offend you, Sheriff?”
“I’ve spoken with officials in Fort Lurrow, Alabama.” Sheriff McKinney deliberately ignored Kurt and watched Randon carefully as he exited Pageant’s home. The two men glowered at one another, but words weren’t exchanged. “One of you should’ve mentioned why you’re on this case, why it’s so important to you.”
“I told you from the very beginning, we lost a friend in Alabama.” Randon turned his undivided attention to Kurt, and Pageant couldn’t help but notice the silent exchange between men. Undoubtedly, Randon paused as if he were awaiting the final word from Kurt, something to assure him he hadn’t given away too much information. “Sheriff, our one loss pales in comparison to the magnitude of what you’ve suffered here, but—”
“Knock it off, Mr. Shane. I’ve spoken with the proper authorities in Alabama and I’ve talked to the Feds, too. We aren’t discussing one friend here. Are we, Mr. Shane?” He scowled at Pageant. “Do you know why they’re really here?”
An instant replay of the great sex she’d recently enjoyed scrambled through her mind’s eye. She started to speak, but with the explicit memory fresh on her mind, she did little more than shake her head.
Sheriff McKinney snorted at that. “I’m sure you must have some idea.”
“What are you getting at, Sheriff?” Kurt spoke up before Randon or Pageant had the chance.
“According to the Feds, there’s a specific reason they’ve been forced to rely upon the MC in these individual cases.”
“Humph. I can’t imagine what it is. Can you?”
“Mr. Shane? Any comments? Your buddy says, ‘he can’t imagine,’ but that’s a lie. Isn’t it?”
The place went silence. Pageant inched closer to Randon, determined to make him look at her as he told his story. Willing him to disclose everything he knew, she said, “You either tell him what you know or I’ll tell him what I do. Somewhere between my truth and yours, there may be some important facts that could save lives here in Pleasant.”
Kurt finally said, “Go ahead, man. Do it. You’ve condemned every other mated biker for wanting to do the same. Maybe if we start telli
ng the whole truth, we can save a few lives. History has shown our old tactics have been anything but successful.”
Pageant sat on the steps of her porch. Sheriff McKinney removed his hat and threw it on the glass-top table between two old rocking chairs. When he took a seat, he played his hand. He apparently believed they were finally getting somewhere. “Well, Mr. Shane? You have the floor. Start talking. Why are you here? Why are the Feds nowhere in sight? And why do you and Detective Keen look like you’re torn between two lovers every time I see you?”
“I don’t understand the last part,” Randon said, squaring his shoulders.
Of course he probably took that in the literal sense.
“He’s trying to be cute,” Pageant said, understanding completely. “He’s already assumed we’re sleeping together and he knows that while that may be true, we’ve had our share of concerns about what’s happening beyond this front door each time we’ve slipped between the sheets.”
“Each time, huh?” Kurt snickered. “Damn Randon, I should’ve given you more credit. Who would’ve thought you would’ve been fucking like rabbits in the middle of a mass murder investigation?”
“Yeah, who would’ve thought?” Sheriff McKinney eyed Pageant.
“All jabs aside, shall we get down to business or are you more interested in our personal lives, Sheriff?”
“Oh I’m interested in both,” Sheriff McKinney replied, withdrawing his notepad and pen. “See, I happen to think the two are intertwined and one can easily lead to explanations for the other.”
Chapter Fifteen
“A lot of what I’m telling you is purely speculation,” Randon began, standing a few inches away from the porch. “We’ve been riding behind this guy for over four years now.”
“Riding behind him?” Sheriff McKinney lifted a brow.
“Showing up a day or two late and cleaning up his messes,” Kurt explained. “Normally, by the time we roll into town, he’s already done and moving on somewhere else.”
Sheriff McKinney jotted down a few notes. “By the looks of things here, he isn’t in any particular hurry this time. Why?”
Pleasant Extortion [The Extortionists 1] (Siren Publishing Everlasting Classic) Page 7
