by Chiah Wilder
As he rode to Get Inked, he checked out all the ornaments he saw on all vehicles. Most new cars didn’t have hood ornaments, so he figured it couldn’t be too hard to track down the fucker. He’d find him, and when he did, he’d rip him from limb to limb.
* * *
“I don’t like you driving to Albuquerque by yourself,” Goldie said as he cut his porterhouse steak.
“I’m a big girl. I’ve driven that route hundreds of times. The drive is a little more than three hours. It’s no big deal.”
“Yeah, well, we weren’t hanging when you were doing all that damn driving. I’ll pay for an airline ticket for you.”
She laughed. “By the time I wait through the long lines at security, transfer in Denver, and land in Albuquerque, it’ll be six hours if I’m lucky. I’ll be fine. Don’t obsess over this.” She brought the glass of white wine to her lips.
“You need to call or text me while you’re on the road and when you get to your parents’.”
Hailey saluted him. “Yes, sir.”
Goldie scowled. “I’m not fuckin’ around here. Shit happens when you think it won’t.”
Taking his hand, she kissed it, tenderness shimmering in her gaze. “I know, and I think it’s sweet that you’re concerned for me. I know the biker lifestyle isn’t all roses and puppy dogs so I do understand your apprehension. I guess I don’t think that there’s danger lurking around every corner like you do. We just have different mindsets.”
Leaning over the table, he drew her to meet him halfway, then kissed her. With his forehead pressed against hers, he whispered, “I don’t want anything to happen to you. A person’s obliviousness to danger is what sick fuckers use to hurt them. I’m always aware that danger is just under the surface and may strike at any time. I’m always on guard. I’m just asking you to be super careful and keep in touch with me.” He brushed his lips across hers.
“I promise,” she whispered back.
“How long are you going to be gone?” He pulled away and resumed cutting his steak.
“Only four nights. I’ll be back Monday morning.”
“Are there gonna be guys at this birthday party?”
“I don’t think so. It’s more of a girls’ night out thing, and we’re going to have a cake and presents.”
I hate all her fuckin’ girls’ night out shit. Just thinking of a guy hitting on her makes my blood boil. “Is it at your friend’s house?” Hailey shook her head, then glanced out the window. She doesn’t want to tell me. I don’t want her to be afraid to tell me shit. “I’m not gonna freak out, babe. Just tell me where it’s at.”
“A club.”
“Why didn’t you want me to know that?”
She shrugged. “I just thought you’d be mad, although we never discussed not dancing with other people.”
The vein in his temple twitched as he tensed. “What the fuck does that mean?”
Blinking rapidly, she took a big gulp of water. “Nothing, really.”
“Then why the fuck did you say it? Do you wanna dance with other guys?”
“No. It’s just that I’m not sure if you’d be mad if I did.”
“I’d be fuckin’ pissed if you danced with a guy and he had his hands all over your body. Do I really have to tell you that? I haven’t looked at another woman since we’ve been hanging out.”
“I’m sorry. I definitely don’t want to dance with anyone but you. It’s just that I’m confused as to what we are.”
“We’re two people who enjoy being together and are having a helluva good time. You mean something to me, Hailey. I don’t hang with a chick more than a couple days.”
“I’m just being silly. Forget what I said. I love hanging with you, and as long as we’re together, we’ll be exclusive, okay?”
“I’ve been exclusive. I don’t need an agreement for that, but it seems like you do. So yeah, I’m just with you.”
“And I’m just with you, so I won’t be dancing with anyone at the club but my friends.”
Goldie nodded and a silence settled between them. I know she wants to pin me down on every aspect of our relationship. Fuck. I can’t believe I’m even in a relationship.
“Are we good?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Yeah.”
“You’re not mad at me?”
“Nah.”
When the slice of strawberry cheesecake came, Goldie scooped up some of the whipped cream with his finger and placed it in her eager mouth. Mesmerized by the desire in her eyes as she sucked on his finger, he slowly moved it in and out. Low moans and her tongue swirling around his digit drove him crazy.
“You keep doing that and you’re gonna get yourself fucked.”
“Maybe that’s what I want,” she rasped.
Then her bare foot pressed hard on his bulge and excitement rushed full force into it, making it feel tight and full. When her toes wiggled against his hardness, a frantic desire for it to be absorbed into her heated wetness consumed him.
“Does that feel good?”
“It feels like my cock wants to rip out of my jeans and be crammed into your tight pussy.” He put his hand on her foot. “Let’s get out of here,” he said huskily.
The ride back to her house was miserable, his erection aching to be freed. When they came into the house, he chased her up the stairs and, after catching her, threw her on the bed. Discarding both their clothes in record time, they were all over each other, kissing, biting, scratching, smacking, and licking. He loved how she moaned when he spanked her ass cheeks, and the deep scratches and bites she’d given him turned him way on. He liked that she wanted to mark and claim. Running his hands over her skin, he noticed she was hot to the touch with primal need. Begging him to enter her, she grabbed his hard dick and rubbed it between her juicy folds. The head of his cock was sensitive and tingling, and he wasn’t able to hold out any longer. Pushing it against her wet slit, he plunged inside her, grunting as the muscles of her walls hugged him tightly.
As he pummeled her, she thrashed and moaned, and their primal desire pushed them harder and higher until it overwhelmed and consumed them, ending in a shared burst of euphoria.
Breathing heavily, he pulled her close. She snuggled into him and they lay holding each other, their breathing filling the room until sleep took them.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Parked several houses down from the Victorian, he saw the biker place Hailey’s small suitcase in the trunk of her car. A surge of energy bolted through him as he realized how fortunate he was to have come by that morning to watch her. He almost hadn’t due to his job, but he’d made up an excuse and switched his shift, and now he had the whole morning free. Free to follow Hailey and find an opportunity to finally claim and devour her. He’d been waiting too long to capture his prey.
The man’s gut twisted when she looped her arms around the biker and kissed him. Watching his hands run down her back and land on the ass he’d hoped to ravage in about an hour’s time made him sick. What did she see in him? Hailey was much too pretty and sophisticated to waste her body on a dirty biker whose name escaped him.
The man chuckled. The lowlife is so inconsequential that I don’t even remember his name. For the past six weeks, he’d seen the outlaw’s motorcycle in the rehab’s parking lot at the same time as Hailey’s car, and every time he noticed it, he’d wanted to take a razor blade to the Harley and scratch it up. But he didn’t dare. Acting out of impulse was sloppy and stupid, and could only lead to getting caught.
He smiled when Hailey waved goodbye to the biker. The thrill of the hunt and the image of what he’d do to Hailey had his senses and arousal on overdrive. He knew she’d planned a trip to Albuquerque; he’d overheard her tell her aunt when he walked past the room. That stretch of highway was usually pretty quiet, and he knew she’d have to stop for gas. That’s when he’d make his move. The excitement tingled and flushed his skin, and he willed himself to calm down.
Forty-five minutes into the drive,
his phone went off for the fourth time. Again it was from his wife. Tempted to ignore it like he had the last three times, he reluctantly answered.
“Why haven’t you picked up my calls?” Trisha asked. Panic laced her voice.
“I didn’t hear them. What’s wrong?” He smiled when he saw Hailey veer off the highway, taking the exit for gas and restaurants.
“Kyle’s in the hospital! He was eating and then just started screaming. I freaked out. I didn’t know what was wrong with him. I called 911. He’s in the emergency room. I need you to be here.”
He pulled into the gas station and parked at a distance. She looks so sexy in her shorts.
“Are you listening to me?”
“Uh… yeah. You said Kyle’s in the hospital. Do they know what’s wrong with him?”
“Not yet. He’s getting X-rays. I need you here. I don’t want any bullshit excuses either. I don’t want to hear about having to go to work. Our son is sick! You need to get here fast. I can’t do this alone.”
A flash of his hands around Trisha’s neck ran across his mind. Shut the fuck up, bitch! Hailey went inside the convenience store as the nozzle pumped gas into her car. This is my chance to get inside her car. This is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I’m so close that—
“When will you be at St. Joseph’s Hospital?” Trisha’s voice buzzed in his ear, annoying him like a swarm of gnats.
Then he watched Hailey place the nozzle in its holder and go inside the car. In a few seconds, she pulled out of the station and drove in the direction of the highway ramp. His eyes focused on her car until it disappeared.
“Soon. I’m on my way,” he gritted. He hung up before Trisha could answer, then pounded his hands on the steering wheel and the dashboard over and over in an attempt to disperse his built-up excitement and now anger.
Turning left out of the parking lot, he made his way to the ramp that would take him back to Alina. Hailey had alluded him yet again, and his determination to have her grew to a dangerous obsession.
I will have you, bitch. All of you. And I’m going to take all the time in the world to enjoy you. You fucking owe me!
Chapter Thirty-Four
Goldie looked at Hailey’s text for the umpteenth time while Sangre went over the club’s treasury reports. As he scrolled through a series of pictures of her taking off a sexy-as-hell purple bra, he shifted in his seat. She knows how to push my buttons. The final picture was her glossy puckered lips with the words “Miss U” captioned under it.
It’d only been two days since she’d left, but he missed her like crazy. Some of the brothers ribbed him about it, and he got into a couple of fistfights over it, but at the end of the day, he still missed her like hell. The feeling was new for him, but he was getting used to feeling a lot of things he never had before. Hailey was definitely someone very important in his life.
“Chains, did you fix the records at Skid Marks?” Steel asked.
Goldie diverted his attention back to the meeting.
“Yep. When the badges come by with their subpoena, it’ll show only a few of the American eagle ornaments have been sold.”
“We don’t need to worry ’bout that now. For the past few days, I’ve been going through all the online and in-store purchases until I couldn’t see shit anymore. There’re a lot of fuckin’ cars out there sporting our ornament,” Shotgun said while the members chortled.
“Did you find out if the fucker bought it through us?” Goldie asked.
“He didn’t. I wish to hell he had, because then we would’ve taken care of business, but he didn’t. Me and Diablo already checked out the SUVs who bought from us in Alina and the county. He’s not among them.”
“How do you know?” Paco asked.
“The color of the SUVs didn’t match, or if it did, the ones driving it or had access to it didn’t match. We looked at a bunch of shit and ruled everyone out. Maybe he’s in Durango or somewhere else. A lot of the online sales came from all over, but I doubt the fucker’s commuting.” More snickers.
“He knows the area too well. He’s either from here or lived here for a while,” Goldie said.
“Damn! I wish we could’ve nailed him. When Shotgun first told me about it, I thought for sure we had this fucker. Disappointing as hell.” Steel crossed his arms.
“Most of the people who bought the eagle from the store were older, like in their sixties and seventies,” Diablo said.
“I’m pretty sure this fuck’s younger,” Muerto replied.
“Let’s pay attention to what we see on the streets. Also, if an SUV comes in for repairs with the eagle, check it out. Now, let’s go on to some other business. The arms deal went down without a hitch, and Roughneck is pleased as shit. It should help him out with the punk gang that’s been making too much noise in Silverado. And it seems like everything’s set for the rally. I asked Banger if he wouldn’t mind if Rock and Jax helped Diablo with the security. He agreed, and Roughneck said Brick would be willing to help too.”
“I already talked with them and we’re all ready to go,” Diablo said.
After another half hour of club business discussions, the gavel signaled church was over. Goldie tucked his phone in his pocket, deciding to take another look at Hailey’s bra-teasing photos when he was in his room and could relieve the ache they gave him.
“You going over to Cuervos?” Brutus asked.
“We got a group going?” Goldie said.
“Yeah. You in?”
Goldie nodded. It was just what he needed for a Saturday night. If he stayed in, he’d probably imagine all kinds of shit about Hailey in the club. It wasn’t that he didn’t trust her; he didn’t trust other men.
When Brutus, Skull, and Goldie arrived at Cuervos, Steel, Muerto, Army, Diablo, and Eagle were already there, drinking beer and wolfing down baskets of spicy wings. Jorge ran over and pushed another table together, and they sat down.
Eagle laughed and elbowed Goldie. “Is Vampirella stalking you?”
Goldie looked behind him and saw her staring, the Jagged Ace from Rear End next to her giving him a hard glare.
“Fuckin’ pathetic,” Goldie said as he picked up his beer.
“What?” Diablo asked.
“The Jagged Aces need to clean up their club. They got some real pussies in it.” Goldie put four wings on his plate.
“And they need to screen the bitches who hang with them,” Eagle added.
“You talking ’bout Dog? He’s cool,” Diablo said as he craned his neck.
“No. Talking about that fucker at the bar with the queen of the undead,” Goldie replied. Several members sniggered and looked toward the bar.
“I don’t know him,” Diablo said, turning back to his food.
“That’s Rusty. He and a few of the other members have become a real pain in the ass in the club. Dog’s thinking of throwing their asses out.” Steel motioned for the waitress.
“The sooner the better. That asshole doesn’t deserve any patch. If he keeps up with the looks, I’m gonna have to beat his ass.” Goldie rose from his chair.
“More wings?” Jill asked as she came over to the table.
Steel nodded. “Yeah, and bring four macho nachos. What’s the chick’s name with Rusty?”
“I can’t fuckin’ remember,” Goldie answered.
“And you didn’t have nightmares?” Muerto joked.
“When I hooked up with her, she looked alive. I’m gonna straighten out that sonofabitch she’s with.” As he made his way through the crowd, he saw Rusty grab Vampirella’s hand and bolt out the door. “Fuckin’ pansy-ass,” Goldie muttered. Returning to the table with a beer in each hand, he sank into the chair.
“Did you beat his ass already?” Diablo asked between chews.
“The pussy took off. Good thing too.” Goldie scooped up a bunch of chips. As he munched on his food, he watched various men trying to pick up different women, and his mind went to Hailey. He took out his phone.
Goldie: U bett
er not be having 2 much fun.
Immediately his phone pinged.
Hailey: How can I be when ur not here?
Goldie: I miss u.
Hailey: Me 2. What r u doing?
Goldie: Hanging with my brothers @ Cuervos.
Hailey: U being good?
Goldie: Ya. U?
Hailey: Yes. Always good 4 u. ;)
Goldie: I can’t stop looking @ the bra pics u sent me. Want to suck ur tits real bad.
Hailey: U know I’m still sore from a few nights ago. Deliciously sore.
Shaking his head, he laughed out loud. She’s turning me on, just like that. Damn. She gets to me real good.
Goldie: Fuck, I wish u were here. I got a real itch for u.
Hailey: When I get back, I’ll make up for lost time.
Goldie: Damn straight.
Hailey: My friends r trying 2 take my phone away. Better go. ♥♥
He stared at the screen, wanting their conversation to go on until she came back. He missed falling asleep and waking up next to her. For someone who never spent the night with women, he didn’t think he would miss her in his bed as much as he did.
Taking another gulp of beer, he focused his attention on the conversation at the table. He couldn’t keep mooning over her. I’m acting like a damn pussy.
“I heard Easyriders contacted you to have your bike on the cover of their magazine,” Army said.
“Yeah. I was blown away,” Goldie said.
“Fuckin’ awesome!” Muerto said.
“A rep from the magazine saw my bike at the rally in Laughlin. He was drooling over it. All the custom chrome and hand-painted zombie apocalypse stuff on the body gave him a hard-on. If it were a woman, he would’ve fucked her until the end of the rally.”
The brothers guffawed, and the conversation settled on Harleys, Sturgis, and poker runs that netted the best money and women.
After a few hours of motorcycle talk, drinking, and playing pool, Goldie walked out with Army, Muerto, and Diablo. “What the fuck?” Goldie said as he scanned the lot. “Where the hell’s my bike?”
