Bad Breed (MC Romance)

by Amanda Heartley

  “What are you talking about?” Ralph answers, frowning. He turns to me, as if to apologize for his friend. “He doesn’t know what he’s saying. Too many beers and he loses control.”

  “Run along, Ralph. Leave this little beauty with me. Don’t you have booze to sell?” Crack replies, slurring his words, and it’s quite evident he’s had more than one too many.

  “Crack, you’re drunk. Go home now or I’ll call Bobby over to throw you out.”

  “I ain’t afraid of Bobby,” Crack says, swaying on his seat. I’d like to talk more with Ralph, but this Crack guy makes me want to puke, so it’s time to leave this conversation before it gets any uglier.

  “Where are you going?” Crack says, tugging my arm as I slide off my stool.

  “The ladies’ room…and no, you’re not invited, so get your hand off me,” I say, furiously.

  “Crack! Get a grip, will you? Stop bugging her,” Ralph shouts, and I give him a grateful nod.

  As I push my way through the crowd and open the door to the ladies’ room, I’m feeling a little anxious. I don’t like being accosted by strangers, especially not by some leery biker, stinking of booze, and it occurs to me again that there is not one single face I recognize in the bar. Suddenly, I’m worried.

  I sit down on the seat in one of the stalls to think when I remember Flynn’s letter. I pull it out of my rucksack and dial the number at the foot of it. Thankfully, he answers within seconds.

  “Yes, who is it?” he says, abruptly.

  “It’s me,” I say, sheepishly.

  “Who’s ‘me’?” he snaps.

  “It’s me…Jo,” I whisper.

  “Jo? Are you okay? Are you in trouble?” he says, concern in his voice.

  “No. No, I’m fine. It’s just—”

  “Where are you?”

  “I’m in Hardale—”

  “What?! How come?” he says, clearly shocked by my revelation.

  “I read your letter and it so touched my heart. I just had to come.”

  “Where are you now? I’ll come and get you.”

  “I’m in the Starlight bar. The guy at the general store told me there were bikers here, but I don’t recognize anyone. Are you guys coming here?”

  “Shit! Fuck! No! Get out of there, Jo. Get out now. You’re in serious danger.”

  “What do you mean?” I ask as chills run down my spine.

  “That’s the Cobra’s hangout,” he replies. “Our sworn enemies. Have you talked to anyone there?”

  “Um, no one of any consequence. Just a guy called Ralph, the bartender, and some drunken asshole called Crack.”

  “Oh, shit!” Flynn cries out. I can almost feel the angst in his voice.

  “Don’t worry. I didn’t tell them who I was or say anything about you or your boys.”

  “Ok, I can’t come and get you or I’ll be shot before I even make the front door. Just get out of there, nice and easy, and ride away. I’ll meet you at the gas station on Route 91, just outside town. Be careful, Jo.”

  “I will,” I say. “See you soon,” then I hang up and take several deep breaths, steeling myself to walk out into the bar again. It’s noisy and busy as I edge my way through the crowd toward the door, providing the perfect cover I need to slip outside, unnoticed. But, just as I reach the door and think I’m home free, someone slaps my ass and I spin around. It’s that disgusting Crack...of course, it would be him.

  “Leaving so soon, sweet cheeks?” he asks, grinning all over his face. Inside, I’m seething. How dare he touch me? Little does he know I could wipe that smug smile off his face and put him in the hospital before he can even blink.

  But I just smile sweetly back at him. “I’m afraid so, but I’ll come back soon. Such a lovely place you have here,” I say sarcastically, through gritted teeth as I continue walking toward my bike. I stow my bag, hurriedly don my helmet and gloves, and I am gone. I breathe a big sigh of relief as that god-awful shithole gets smaller and smaller in my mirrors.

  * * *

  I ride for ten minutes until I reach the gas station and my heart skips a beat when I see Flynn waiting for me, leaning against the seat of his Commander. God, he looks so sexy. I’m nervous as I park next to him, pull off my helmet and gloves, and dismount. He comes over to me and places a warm hand on my face, stroking me softly with his thumb. We just stand there for a moment, silently looking into each other’s eyes, then he leans down, and his lips lightly brush against mine.

  I throw my arms around his neck, pulling him to me and crush my lips against his as his hands slip down past my waist and rest on my hips. He pulls my body close against his, his growing erection rubbing against me, and we kiss, deep and long. He strokes my back, my neck, my hair then squeezes my ass. My pussy is wet with desire for him. Finally, he breaks the kiss and we hold each other tight with my head resting on his shoulder.

  “Fucking hell, Jo. I’ve missed you, but what are you doing here?”

  “I came to see you. I’ve missed you so much, too.”

  “But, why? I thought we were over. You’d decided my life was too dangerous and unpredictable.”

  “I know, I know. But that was before I found your letter,” I say, holding his face and looking up into his eyes. “It moved me so much, reading your heartfelt words. I just couldn’t stay away. It made me cry.”

  Flynn holds me even closer, his entire body pressing tightly against mine, then he buries his face in the crook of my neck and inhales deeply. I shiver with the sensuality of it, making me even wetter.

  He gently strokes the side of my face with his nose then whispers into my ear. “I love you, Jo. I always have. It was a different kind of love when we were just teenagers, but I love you as a man, now.”

  “And I love you too, Flynn. With my whole heart.”

  “But as much as I love you, for your own sake, you don’t want to be with a broken sonofabitch like me,” he continues. “Find yourself a good man, have babies, settle down in the suburbs. Enjoy your life and forget about me.”

  I stare at him, not believing what I’m hearing after our passionate reunion. Was that what his letter really meant? I’d read it several times and he’d said I would always be the special one for him. Or had I read too much into it?

  “No. No, I won’t do that. I’ve found a good man, and he’s standing right in front of me. I want you, and I know you want me, too. You said I was your what could’ve been,” I say as tears well in my eyes. “Well, I’m standing in front of you now.”

  “You know how my life is. I ride with a bunch of badass guys who fight and kill. That’s what we do. You don’t want to be a part of that.”

  Now, I’m getting mad. “Stop being a martyr for me. I don’t want it,” I snap at him. “Is that how you want to live the rest of your days? You could get killed tonight, tomorrow, maybe next week. We have a shot at love, Flynn. Are you going to waste it? If the answer’s yes, just tell me now and I am out of here…and I won’t look back.”

  He looks down at the ground, sheepishly circling the tip of his boot on the concrete, apparently, thinking about what I just said. It feels like minutes pass as we stand together in silence.

  “I don’t want you to go,” he says, finally. “But I had to tell Jake why I had to leave the guys to meet you. He knows you’re here. We’re in the middle of preparing our hit on the Cobras, and I need to get back there.”

  “Can’t you just leave the MC like Steve did?”

  “I can’t do that, Jo. At least, not right now. So please don’t ask me to. The Breed have been my family, my home, and my brothers for a long, long time. As screwed up as we are, honor, and loyalty are a big part of the code we live by. I won’t blame you if you want to go back to L.A.. I’ll understand. I have to see this through with them, but I’ll tell Jake I’m out right after if you’ll wait for me. I do want to be with you and leave this fucked up life behind me. Been thinking about it for a while.”

  I nod, understanding what he just said, and I know the
re’ll be no changing his mind. His club code means so much to him. It’s all he’s known through his entire adult life.

  I hesitate, then say, “I’ll wait, Flynn, but I don’t know what I’ll do if you get killed.”

  He smiles at me, stroking my cheek with the back of his fingers and I lean into his touch. “I promise. Now I really have to go. Where are you staying?”

  “I’m coming with you,” I announce, without even thinking.

  “What? No!” he says, vehemently. “Find yourself a hotel in town and text me where you’re at. I’ll come and get you when it’s all over.”

  “I’m coming with you, Flynn! Deal with it,” I say, stamping one foot on the ground. For one thing, I can’t bear to be apart from him, knowing he’ll be walking into danger soon, and I don’t know who I can trust in town, anyway. “How do I know if the hotel isn’t run by the Cobras?”

  “All right, all right. You can ride back with me. Maybe you can help us out with some info, but I don’t want you leaving the house, ok? I want to keep you safe.”

  His words melt my heart all over again, and a warm feeling comes over me as we climb onto our bikes.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Flynn

  “So, what else did you see in there?” Adrian asks Jo in a quiet tone as we all sit around the table in the library of the old Atwood home. It’s remote, to say the least. Surrounded by fields, half-a-mile down a dirt road off Route 91, and a couple of miles from the center of Hardale.

  Apart from those two, there’s only me, Jake and Al in the room. Adrian’s been teasing out tidbits of information from her about the Cobras and their hangout since she arrived, and I have to say, he’s darn good at doing it without it seeming like an interrogation. So calm and methodical. He’ll make a good president someday—not that Jake has been particularly calm lately.

  “Do you mind if we go over all that you saw and heard at the Starlight one more time, Jo?” Adrian asks softly, and she nods her agreement. This will be the third time, but I’m not going to interject. He’s so freakin’ meticulous, but it’s saved our lives on many previous occasions.

  Boredom with the same questions has my thoughts turning to Jo. It was like an apparition, and my heart raced when she rode her scrambler into the gas station. The minute I saw her, and held her, I was lost all over again to her warmth and her love.

  “So, where was Ralph when you walked in?” Adrian asks.

  “Behind the bar. That’s the only place I saw him,” Jo replies.

  The question and answer session continues, and I drift once again to the memory of Jo at the gas station. I’d wanted to find a quiet place, tear off all her clothes and take her then and there, and I’m sure she would have let me. I still can’t believe she’s ridden all the way from L.A. to find me and tell me that she loves me. I say it again in my mind. I can’t hear it enough. She fucking loves me. I look across to her as she answers another question, and we smile at each other. I feel my heart flutter just looking at her. Jake catches our exchanged smile and rolls his eyes at me.

  “Jesus, Flynn. I know you two can’t wait to fuck each other again, but we’re trying to avoid getting killed here.” Jo looks away, putting her hands to her face as she flushes red and, suddenly, I feel all eyes around the table on me.

  “Sorry, Jake, but I’m just trying to make Jo feel at ease. She’s not used to all this like we are, don’t forget, and she is helping us,” I say.

  “Yeah, okay, okay. I didn’t mean to get mad, and thank you, Jo. I appreciate all you’ve told us. I’m just a little on edge is all.”

  “Right. I would say ‘you’re welcome’, but actually, I’m not happy about telling you all this,” Jo says, looking at Jake. “If it wasn’t for Flynn’s unwavering devotion to your code of honor and loyalty, I wouldn’t be here at all. I love him, but I am so not from your world. It’s completely alien to me, and I know I’m giving you information that will probably get men killed. Whether they’re your enemies or not, that doesn’t sit well with me at all.”

  Holy fuck! I can’t help admiring Jo’s ballsy attitude, expressing her feelings out loud to some of the meanest, badass men I know. I’d never even thought about it from her perspective, and as I look around the table, I’m not the only one of us who hangs their head a little as the full extent of what we’re about to embark upon comes into sharp focus.

  The Bad Breed has given me my life and my identity, I owe them a lot. But what Jo said, shows me just how much I’ve become used to violence and death as an everyday occurrence, as if it’s nothing unusual. I hate myself for it and realize I do want to change.

  Jake pauses reflectively on her words for a few seconds, then barks out his orders. “Enough, Adrian. We’re ready. Get the boys and brief them with what we’ve discussed. We’re not waiting any longer,” and Adrian and Al stand and head toward the door.

  “I’m coming with you,” Jo says, matter-of-factly as she slides out of her chair.

  “No, you are not!” Jake and I say in unison and we give each other a surprised glance then look back to her.

  “Why not? Because I’m a woman?” she snaps.

  “I don’t have time to explain,” Jakes says, seemingly exasperated. “Tell her, Flynn, then kiss her goodbye, and be quick about it. I’ll see you outside in a minute,” then they walk out the door.

  We stand, our bodies pressed close together and I take Jo’s hands in mine. We look deeply into each other’s eyes. She’s either so much braver than I thought she was, or so much more naïve.

  “You cannot, under any circumstances, come with us, Jo. It’s going to be dangerous, and it could get really ugly, really fast. You don’t even know how to fire a gun, let alone actually pull the trigger when it’s pointed at someone. Think about it. Could you do it?”

  She looks down at the table, thinking about what I just said, and I think I’ve got through to her, then she says, “But, you could get hurt. I’d sooner be with you than bouncing off the walls here all on my own, worrying myself sick about what’s happening, and if you’re even going to come back to me alive. I know you have to do this, but if you’re going, I want to be there, too. I’ll stay out of the way, I promise.”

  “No way, absolutely not! Even if you were a block away, I’d be constantly worrying about you and I need to be completely focused and at the top of my game on this mission. Knowing you’re safe here at the house will allow me to do that. Please, Jo.”

  “Then promise you’ll come back for me this time,” she says, looking up at me with pleading eyes. “Promise me, Flynn.”

  “I promise,” I whisper, and kiss her soft, warm, inviting lips.

  “C’mon Flynn, let’s go!” Jakes yells from the doorway and I give her one last, loving look as my fingers slip out of hers, then turn away from her and follow him outside.

  * * *

  We arrive in Hardale just after sundown and leave our bikes on the main street. Using the shadows, we all move stealthily down the dirty road on foot until we reach the Starlight. There are a lot of bikes parked up, the lights are on inside and we can see people moving around.

  Jake and Al execute the plan they’d formulated with Adrian earlier, and each club president directs their men to where they want them to be until the bar is surrounded. I’m taking cover behind a wall to the front, and now there’s no escape for the Cobras. If they try to shoot their way out, they’re going to be met with awesome firepower.

  It’s not our intention to get involved in a firefight if we can avoid it. Neither Jake, nor Al are hell bent on spilling the Cobras blood. Nor do they want to lose any of their own men unnecessarily, so our plan is to ask them to surrender their weapons and get the hell out of town, for good.

  Maybe when they realize the strength of the opposition they’re up against, they’ll see it’s futile to do anything else, but, I can’t say I’m hopeful of that outcome. If they’re anything like us, they won’t give up without a fight, and run with their tails between their legs. Nope, I don�
��t see that happening at all, and every nerve in my body is on high alert for trouble…and I don’t have to wait too long for that.

  “Get ready!” Jake shouts, and I look behind me to see Ray standing behind me. He throws a rock with a note wrapped around it through the plate glass window of the bar. It shatters into a thousand pieces, instantly, followed by numerous shouts of ‘what the fuck?’ and ‘get down’. It’s started, and my pulse races, my heart beating like a drum in my chest.

  “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you just signed your own death warrant.” I recognize the voice. It’s Bobby, president of the Cobras.

  “Bobby, it’s Jake. We’ve come back to get what’s ours. Now, you can do this the easy, or the hard way. Throw down your weapons and you and your boys find another town, or—”

  “Or what, Atwood? We beat your ass last time. Seems you didn’t learn your lesson,” Bobby says.

  “It doesn’t have to be this way, Bobby. There’s been enough blood spilled between us already. Do what I say, and you have my word I’ll let you all go. Find someplace else to run your drug operation.”

  “And if I don’t?”

  “You know what will happen. Your choice,” Jake says, calmly.

  There’s an eerie silence for a few seconds and I peer into the bar over the top of the wall to see a group of men scurrying down a passageway and out of the rear door with their weapons drawn. Moments later, shots ring out from the back yard and I see two of them stagger backwards on their heels and crash to the floor.

  “Fuck you, Atwood! Get ‘em boys!” Bobby shouts. I duck back down behind the wall and immediately a hail of bullets fly over our heads. They’ve got us pinned down.

  I look at Jake. “I guess it’s the hard way, then,” I say, smiling, and he smiles back at me. He knew this is exactly what would happen…and he’s loving it.

  “Ray, Duke, flashbang,” he orders. “We’ll cover you. Go!”

  We poke our heads above the wall and lay down relentless fire as they stand and throw flashbang grenades through the open window. Seconds later, they go off with a deafening crack, and among the smoke and confusion, we all rush toward the front of the building, inside the porch and start shooting. Screams and the sound of bodies hitting the floor fill the air.