Cutter's Hope

by A. J. Downey

  “Good, good, deep easy breaths, Darlin’. I need you to hold it together, I need you to think; what’s more, Faith needs those things from you.” I nodded numbly and sniffed. Cutter turned me to face him and when he was sure I wasn’t going to hit him or do anything else dangerous he smoothed my tears away with his thumbs and kissed my forehead. My eyes drifted shut at the reverent touch I was sure I didn’t deserve.

  The front door to the police station grated and Lightning and Radar came out. Lightning carried my helmet in one hand and neither one of them looked happy. Two deputies came out with them and stopped a ways up the walk, letting Lightning and Radar finish the trip towards us physically unescorted.

  “Come on Hope, we gotta get moving before they arrest you,” Lightning grated and handed down my helmet.

  “They give you anything?” Cutter asked helping me to my feet.

  “Not a damn thing,” Radar said and spit on the ground.

  “Let’s get a move on, Darlin’, before Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum get any ideas about that luscious ass of yours,” Ruth said and puffed on his cigar. Grinning around it, he shot the two deputies a one fingered salute.

  “Might have gotten some answers if she didn’t throw such a damn tantrum! Also might’ve got some if she kept better company,” the deputy on the right commented. He was tall with a deep brown mustache and curly brown hair. I cocked my head to the side and hoped and prayed that this office would contact me for work. That way I could tell their superiors to fuck right off and why.

  Instead of popping off again I thrust my helmet on my head, Cutter escorting me to my bike. I climbed on, starting her up.

  “You good to ride?” he asked me and I jerked my head in a nod. I wasn’t really, but I had to be.

  “C’mon y’all. You need some food and rest before you do anything else,” Ruth said but he was looking at me. I couldn’t say I disagreed.

  We rode back to his compound and the further we got from the Sherriff’s department, the worse I felt for my outburst. God I was just failing Faith and fucking up left and right. It was only a matter of time before I failed Char too… hell, I was already failing Char too if we were keeping serious score. I’d lost her big sister, and let her slip through my fingers yet again.

  I beat myself up the whole way back to the Voodoo Bastards compound but at the same time, I was also already devising a way around the fucktards at the Plaquemine’s Parish Sherriff’s office. I shut off my bike and put down the kickstand startled to realize I didn’t really remember the ride back here. I’d been lost in thought the whole way and just sort of on auto pilot. Fucking dangerous. I sat astride my bike staring at the tank and the still and silent gauges while Cutter pulled off my helmet.

  “Shit, Babe. I hate seein’ you like this,” he said, tone heavy with something akin to regret.

  “I’m going to find her,” I said, “And I’m going to kill whoever has her. Do you understand what I’m saying?” I asked and my voice sounded bitter, hollow and scary, a foreign facsimile of what my voice should be. The woman speaking right now was dispassionate and full of discord.

  “Come on Hope, come with me; come sleep with me. We’ll deal with all of this after we’ve had a few hours,” Cutter tugged on my hands and I was puppet to his master and glided to my feet as if pulled by invisible strings. He led me from behind, his hands on my shoulders as he urged me into the cooler twilight of the Voodoo Bastard’s club.

  It looked like any ol’ bar with couches and the like here and there. Gaming tables for blackjack and poker, a pool table, hell I think there was even a roulette wheel… It was all sort of a blur. Cutter led me to a row of cots where some of his men were already wracked out. He sat me on the edge of one and I collapsed, staring at his handsome face as he set to work pulling off my boots.

  I looked on, almost detached as he worked first one then the other off my feet. He put his hands on my knees and captured my eyes with his, sighing out. I leaned forward and kissed him. I had no words right now to express how grateful I was that he was here with me, helping me, and so I kissed him. A gentle press of lips full of reverence and just everything I had in me that I couldn’t say right then. Partially because there were eyes on us in the form of some of the Voodoo Bastards, and partially because I was a little scared of what I was feeling. It was just too soon and so big and I didn’t know what to do with it.

  “Hmm,” Cutter made the sound and flashed me a brief smile, while he unzipped my jacket and peeled it off of me, carefully stripping me of enough to be comfortable but not so much I should be worried. Not that I really was. The guys wouldn’t have much left to beat once I got done with any would-be attackers myself.

  I glanced over and caught some of the Kraken watching me and their president, brows furrowed with concern as Radar and Lightning spoke with their brothers in low careful tones. Some of those looks shifted from concern, to sympathy, to anger, on my behalf and I appreciated them for it.

  Cutter’s hands smoothed beneath my white baby doll tee along my ribs curving around my back. He rested his chin on my chest and looked up into my eyes as he popped the clasp on my bra, dragging his hands back across my skin until I shuddered. He peeled the offending straps down one arm before pulling the entire contraption out the other sleeve. I smiled at him and he smiled down at me, swinging my legs up and drawing the blanket up over me. I was down to my tee and panties and I didn’t even remember him pulling my riding pants off. Damn.

  He didn’t waste any time stripping down to bare feet and just his jeans. He shoved his cot right up against mine and lay down on his side facing me. We clasped hands between us and he pressed a reverent kiss to my swelling knuckles. I blinked. What had I punched? Oh! Right. The glass.

  A bag of ice settled onto my hand and I startled, Ruth smiled down at me from over my shoulder. I blinked.

  “Sleep, Darlin’. This whole mess will be here to sort out in a few hours,” he wandered away and it was just me and Cutter despite how surrounded we were by the men of both MC’s.

  “I promised I’d help you find her, Sweetheart. I meant it, I’ll be right here. Try and get some sleep.”

  Chapter 18

  Cutter

  Her sleep was uneasy. I woke before her to it being dark outside. Some of the guys were up quietly playing cards with some of the other MC, nervously shifting eyes looking us over from time to time. I slipped my hand out of hers. Someone had taken the bag of ice a while ago. I’d woken up for that, but went right back out.

  I smoothed some wayward tendrils of her deep chestnut hair away from her open mouth as she slept on and got up to take a piss. Ruth was waiting outside the bathroom and gave me a chin lift. Right. Detailed explanation was owed. I followed him back to his office, which I think was also their chapel and he shut the door. He took a seat at the head of his table and motioned with his hand. I dropped into the proffered seat and he lit up the stub of a Cuban I think he’d been working on most of the day.

  “Mighty fine,” he commented and I smiled.

  “Don’t smoke ‘em myself.”

  “That’s a damn shame man, you don’t know what you’re missing,” he said. We enjoyed a moment of comfortable silence before we got down to it.

  “You gotta fill me in, Man. What’s up with your little Darlin’ out there?”

  I sighed, “I’m a sucker for a damsel in distress.”

  Ruth snorted and laughed out loud, “Seems to me you got yourself one hell of a wild cat out there. So what’s doin’? How did you and yours get mixed up in all of this?”

  So I explained, every damn bit of it. Me and mine had voted on it and decided it was only fair seeing as we were crashing on Ruth’s turf so hard and so fast and the guy was being so stand up about it.

  I told him about the SHMC Lake Run debacle and Ruth shook his head, “That’s a damn fuckin’ shame right there. Now-a-days any ‘ol jackass with a Harley and a notion makes up a club, pulling all manner of bullshit ideas out of the ether. Most of these dumb f
uckers don’t know the first thing about what it is to be a part of a brotherhood.”

  “Preachin’ to the fuckin’ choir, Man,” I said and heaved a heavy sigh. “Had some trouble with that m’self, a dude by the name of Tiny. Inherited him along with the patch, part of the old guard…” I launched into the next part of the story about how Tiny took it upon himself to off Tonya and how Hope showed up a little under two years later, just last week looking for her and why.

  “Hell, not sure I can entirely blame you for wantin’ to help there brother, a fine piece of ass like that walked into my place, I’d want to know what’s what too, damn shame – ”

  He didn’t finish what he was saying, a crash, some breaking glass, objects scattering across the cement floor out front and what’s more; several outraged shouts of surprise from both my men and his. Ruth and I both were on our feet and moving as one to the chapel door. Ruth thundered up the hall in front of me, shorter than me by a lot, his presence crackled like a thunderhead. We poured out into the main room by the bar to see cots overturned, and Hope on the ground. She had one of the Voodoo bastards between her legs, choking the shit out of him. I laughed, she had more than that, she was about to rip the poor bastard’s arm out of its socket.

  Ruth squatted down by his man and tsked shaking his head, “What’d you do to piss off the lady, Rusty?” he asked his man. Rusty let out a strangled gurgle in response.

  “Radar!” He was my man in charge of security, he’d better have a fuckin’ answer for me.

  “Aye, Captain?”

  “Report.”

  “I was takin’ a piss, Sir,” he said plainly unhappy. I looked Hope in the eyes and met cold dark fury.

  “Can you fill me in, Sweetheart?”

  “Stop struggling or I’m going to break it!” she snarled at the man in her grip and wrenched down on him tighter with her legs, Rusty’s feet went to kicking and Ruth laughed.

  “Let ‘im up, Darlin’, you’re going to choke him to death,” he chuckled and stood up himself. I like that Hope looked to me for confirmation before doing anything. I gave her a nod and quicker than light she’d shoved Rusty away from her and had lightly and silently gotten to her feet. She stood staring down those long, toned legs at the man writhing on the floor, sucking in air.

  “Woke up with his hands where they didn’t belong,” she said darkly.

  “Is that right?” Ruth asked.

  Hope came to me and tucked herself into my side, shuddering with revulsion. She wasn’t hurt that I could tell but some injuries, no matter how capable or strong you are, aren’t physical things. Especially for a woman.

  “Where was his hands?” I asked.

  “Down her panties, wasn’t they?” one of the Voodoo Bastards asked. Ruth looked murderous, like off the fucking charts pissed.

  “That true, Boy? You better answer me truthful now,” he said. Rusty was still trying to suck in air and was coughing miserably but he nodded.

  “Uh huh, and anyone care to tell me why Rusty’s hands were in our guest’s panties?” Ruth demanded. The big one, La Croix, was looking at Hope like she’d done something fascinating. My arms were already around her but I gave her shoulder a little squeeze and tucked her closer into my side. Her face was carefully schooled neutral but she was staring stoically at Rusty. I could see her wheels turning but had no idea what she was thinking.

  La Croix stepped up and bent down, speaking in barely there tones to Ruth who nodded along to whatever was being said, his expression a mix of incredulous and furious. He stared down at Rusty and cocked his head to the side.

  “Boy, you know that deserves an ass whoopin’, now you’re half way there, and seeing as it’s the lady you trespassed against… Darlin’, what would you like me to do to him?”

  Hope looked to Ruth and without missing a beat said, “Break his damn hand.”

  A bunch of the men sucked in a breath and one of them murmured, “Damn that’s a cold piece.”

  Her reaction told me everything I needed to know, though. He’d touched her. There. There wasn’t anything ‘close’ about it. This was no near miss. He’d violated my woman.

  “Mind if I do the honors?” I asked Ruth.

  “Naw Man, you go right ahead.”

  I let Hope go and sat, pulling on my boots beneath my jeans, taking my time. I went to where Rusty lay on the floor.

  “Radar, Atlas…” My men dove on top of Rusty who started fighting. Radar got a hold of the man’s wrist and pulled his arm out, flattening his hand against the cement floor. I didn’t think about what I was doing. I just did. I slammed the heel of my boot on his splayed hand and the fucker howled. Bones crunched satisfactorily and I stepped off.

  “Let him up,” I said and the man clutched his busted hand to his chest.

  “Good enough?” I asked her. Hope nodded, her dark eyes slightly haunted but only if you knew what to look for.

  “I need a fucking shower,” she grated and snatched up her back pack.

  “Through there, to the left,” Ruth said a look of amusement on his face. I followed her and shut us into the bathroom and she started up the shower.

  She turned around and with a furious look in her eyes came at me, I braced and she was up, in my arms. My hands found her ass while her legs went around my hips and her mouth crashed into mine.

  “God, I know this is fucked up but I need you to fuck me,” she said against my mouth.

  “What happened?” I demanded.

  “Woke up with his fingers against my cunt, fishing to get inside.” I gritted my teeth, clenching my jaw for a moment.

  “Should have broken his arm too, Baby. I’m sorry I left you,” I whispered.

  “Don’t be, as you can see, I can take care of myself but if you really want to take care of me stop talking and start fucking, I want you there. I want only you there.”

  Fuck that was hot.

  “Down, down, down,” I ordered and she slid to the floor with an unhappy noise. I whisked her panties down her legs and her shirt off from over her head the same time I struggled to kick out of my boots. I got them off, but had to let her go to pull them off hopping on one foot. She laughed at me and I had to laugh a little too. I knew I looked ridiculous but I didn’t fucking care if it put a smile on her lips after that.

  She went for my belt and my jeans before I could and I stood there and watched her undress me, smoothing my hands over her shoulders. God damn I wanted inside of her. I wanted to erase every bit of the presence of that cock sucker and to give Hope what she asked for. She was back up, those legs wrapped fine around my hips, her arms around my shoulders and I pressed her back against the wall.

  I slid against her, my cock slicking through her folds only once or twice before finding purchase. I sank into her gratefully and loved how her head tipped back, a sultry moan climbing out of her throat as if I pushed it from her. I sank into her deep, and reveled in her heat. God damn she was so fucking perfect. She bit my bottom lip just until I grunted in protest, then she backed right off, smiling against my mouth.

  “Hard, Cutter. I want to feel every inch of that cock, ride me you bastard!”

  Damn she knew how to rile a man up with that dirty mouth of hers! I gave it to her, just how she’d asked for it, and vowed that one day we’d actually get to do foreplay. That someday I would get to take my fucking time with her. For now I was perfectly content to drive myself up into that hot, wet, tight; sweet pussy. I could fuck Hope like this for hours but with the way she tightened down on me, that wasn’t going to be an option. I bowed my head and caressed the side of her throat with my lips, and murmured my encouragement.

  I think she liked it when I urged her to come, that it turned her on and gave her that edge she needed to go over the cliff. I growled against the side of her neck and nipped her shoulder and she spasmed around me, her silken channel rippling around the head of my cock and it took everything I had in me not to fucking come right then and there like some teenage jackass.

 
“Oh God, Baby, you feel so fuckin’ good, but you gotta fuckin’ come for me or I’m gonna go and I’m gonna have to finish you another way…”

  That did it, with a low moaning wail, Hope came like I’d flipped her fucking switch or something. She shuddered and trembled in my arms, her pussy convulsing around my shaft and that did me in. I came, deep inside of her, pressing her back against the tiles of the bathroom wall by the door to a rousing course of cheers from the main room.

  “Fucking assholes,” she panted against my shoulder. I laughed, and pulled back, she smiled up into my face and we kissed, probably one of the most perfect and meaningful meeting of souls I’d ever experienced in my life. I drew back to look at her one more time and she unwound her legs from my hips. I slid from her and she got her feet under her and we both sighed simultaneously. We shared a shaky laugh and she pulled me after her into the shower were we went at it all over again.

  God yeah, I could get used to having Hope in my life. Now I just needed to figure out how to keep her once this was all over…

  Chapter 19

  Hope

  I think that the boys were a little surprised when the badass militarized version of Hope came out of the bathroom behind Cutter. I’d forgone lighter, cooler clothes in favor of unrelieved black as utilitarian as it came. Black fitted tee over black 5.11 tactical pants tucked into black combat boots. My hair was drawn up and back into a severe bun and the only concession I’d made to being a woman was my makeup. A heavy smoky eye and some clear lip gloss. I looked like what I was. A defense contractor and a good one, which is what I needed.

  “I’ll be back,” I murmured and kissed Cutter.

  “I don’t much like you going alone,” he said and I nodded.

  “I hear you, but you heard the deputy yesterday, I think I’ll do better with this without the biker shadow.”

  “I don’t disagree Sweetheart, still don’t mean I have to like it.”