Vengeance MC Box Set - Volume 1: Call Me...Vengeance ~ Fury ~ Jonas

by Natasha Thomas

  “Jesus,” I hiss. “Fuck, I’m sorry, Boss. I didn’t know shit had gotten that bad.”

  “How would you? You weren’t here, and I’m not saying that to be an asshole.” Waving it off, he says, “All in a day in the life of an MC President, Fury. Don’t sweat it. Diesel and I’ll have words, they’ll probably come with me kicking his ass, and then he’ll sit down and tell me what his fucking issue is. We’ll work it out.”

  “Yeah,” I grunt. “Well, keep me posted. If you need someone to have your back, I’m in.”

  “Will do,” he nods. “Now, get out of here and go see that girl of yours. By now the news of you being back would’ve spread through town like wildfire, so no doubt she’s expecting you. Church at ten tomorrow morning, brother.”

  Saying goodbye to the guys left in the main room, I head back out to my bike, fire her up, and head toward Avery’s apartment. I’ve got no idea whether she knows I’m home or not, but she will soon. I can only pray she’s happy to see me because I’m not leaving again until we clear the air. And if that means I have to make good on my threats to tie her ass up, I will.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  ~ Avery ~

  “It’s truly sad that you have more dick in your personality than you do in your pants.”

  - yourecards

  Stepping out of the shower wrapping a towel around my hair, I throw on my robe which is hanging on the back of my bathroom door and call out,

  “I’m coming, keep your pants on.”

  I heard the steady pounding at my front door which has been going on for the last five minutes, but nothing, and I do mean nothing would have dragged me from the euphoria of my shower. Not even the impatient dick at the door. And yes, I know exactly who it is. I’ll even admit, I may have stayed in a little longer than necessary because I did too.

  There’s only one man determined and annoying enough to continuously bang on my door when he’s getting no response, and that would be Fury. He knows I’m home seeing as my cars in the drive, and he knows I can hear him, which means he’s got no intention of going anywhere until he’s, at least, seen me.

  Opening the door a crack leaving the chain on, I glare at him.

  “No thanks, whatever you’re selling I’m not buying,” I spit attempting to shut the door in his face.

  I fail when he sticks his huge booted foot in the gap.

  “Unchain the fucking door, Avery. You and I need to talk and I’m not doing it standing in the breezeway.”

  “Ah, I think not,” I retort with a smirk. “I don’t invite strangers into my home, so whatever you’ve got to say, you can say from out there.”

  “Stop being a smartass and let me in,” he growls.

  Oh, hell no. I think fucking not. If Fury is under the false assumption he can just breeze into my life, stir shit up and walk out again, he’s got another thing coming. I haven’t spent the last nine months reliving and trying to cope without him just to have him waltz back in like nothing happened.

  “Just in case you’re hard of hearing, I’ll repeat myself. I’m not letting you in and we are not talking, so would you kindly remove your foot from my door and fuck right off?” I snap, impatiently tapping my bare foot.

  “Jesus Christ, Ave,” Fury huffs looking to the ceiling. “I fucked up, I know I did, but if you give me five minutes, I’ll explain it to you so you get why I had to do what I did.”

  Again, hell fucking no.

  Fury had his chance. No, he had many. All the times I cried myself to sleep stupidly waiting for him to call like he promised he would. Every time I’d snatch up my phone to check for messages from him, or race to my mailbox to see if he’d written but didn’t, hardened another small piece of my heart toward him.

  I get that he needed time, I did too, but that doesn’t mean he should have taken off and forgotten all about me. In essence, he left me behind. He was selfish and self-centered, disappearing without a word. And I don’t think I can forgive him for that.

  I’ve thought long and hard about what I’d say to him when he eventually came home. As I said to Bella earlier, I knew he would, it was only a matter of time. I spent long, lonely nights going over and over everything in my head, what I’d say to him, what he’d say to me when he got back. But never, not once, did I imagine it going like this.

  The worst part is that I know he isn’t going to leave me alone until I let him have his say, which in this case is going to involve him yelling at me, and quite possibly me throwing things at him. Not the nicest welcome home, but he deserves it. He knows he does.

  “Now's not a good time, Fury. Give me a day or two and then we’ll sit down and talk,” I try reasoning with him.

  “Why, you got somewhere you’ve got to be, Ave?” He asks with no small amount of anger in his tone.

  “That’s none of your business. It stopped being your business when you stopped being my friend. Now, why don’t you go and have a drink, find a slut and cool off and then we’ll try this again later.”

  “Not going to happen, sweetheart. I’ve given you time, but that came to an end the second I rode back into town. Now, open the goddamned door and let me in,” he snarls.

  “Yeah, about that,” I smirk at him through the crack in the door. “You made the decision to leave and you made the decision on how long you’d be gone, but you won’t be making the decision on when or if I talk to you. So stop being an asshole and get your foot out of my door,” I snap finished with playing nice.

  Obviously, I misinterpreted how determined the jackass is to have this conversation, his next words proving as much.

  “You’ve got until the count of three to step the fuck back before I kick this door in, Ave. Don’t test me because like it or not, you and I are having a chat. And we’re having it now.”

  God save me from bossy, alpha males.

  “One,” he warns.

  “Just go, Fury. I promise we’ll talk later.”

  Ignoring me completely, he growls,

  “Two.”

  “Freaking seriously?” I screech. “Go home.”

  “I’m not kidding, Ave. Now, step back because I’m planting my boot in this door and kicking it the fuck open if you don’t unchain it.”

  Score one for crazy ass biker because as much as I don’t want to see him, it looks like I don’t have a choice. I have no doubt he’ll do exactly as he says, and I like my door. It’s nothing special, but it’s mine. And I have to admit, being able to lock it is a bonus, one I won’t have if he does what he’s threatening to.

  “Fine,” I huff. “Move your foot and I’ll let the chain off.”

  Snaking his hand through the gap, grabbing hold of my forearm before I can pull away, he prompts,

  “Promise me that if I move you’ll open up. I don’t want to have to bust it in, but I will if you try shutting me out, sweetheart.”

  Jerking away from him, I hiss,

  “I promise I’ll let you in if you promise you’ll leave when I tell you to.”

  I know it’s a long shot, but I have to try. I also know he’s a lying asshole when he replies,

  “I promise, Ave.”

  Hmm, I call bullshit but we’ll see, won’t we?

  I wait until he’s moved back so that I can close the door and swiftly unlatch the flimsy chain keeping him from getting in. I’m not stupid enough to believe that would have kept him out for long, but it’s nice to have a sense of security, albeit false.

  Fury doesn’t hesitate in barging his way in, stalking toward me the second he crosses the threshold. Throwing my hand up to ward him off, all the while moving backward across my living room until the backs of my thighs are pressed hard up against the couch, I caution him.

  “Not one step closer.” Gesturing to the chair across from me ordering, “You can sit over there.”

  “I don’t fucking think so,” he answers, getting in my space. Then, a few seconds later, I’m engulfed by two powerful arms holding me tightly against a broad, muscular chest.


  I can’t say I hate Fury holding me, I don’t. He’s so gentle with me, holding me like I’m something precious – something to be cherished.

  “Jesus, I’ve missed you, babe. You’ve got no idea how much,” he admits quietly in my ear.

  The heat of his breath against my neck, the feel of his arms around me, his solid bulk at my front, has a tear escaping from the corner of one eye. Because truth be told, I’ve missed him too. Fiercely.

  Fury doesn’t let go for long minutes and every one that passes, a little more of my tough exterior cracks. I’ve been strong for so long. I’ve fought back against the darkness that threatened to overwhelm me, and for the most part, I won. Sure, there were days it was a draw, but in the end, I survived and came out the other side a better woman for it. No thanks to him, though.

  And that’s what burns the most. Fury should have been here. He promised he’d be here for me no matter what. Whatever I needed, whenever I needed it, he would make sure I was safe.

  The fact is; he failed. I didn’t feel safe when he was gone, and that had nothing to do with the men he left to watch over me not doing their jobs. They did, and I’m thankful they checked on me so often, but it wasn’t the same. No one makes me feel as safe as he does, and when I needed him most, he disappeared.

  “Can you let me go please?” I whisper brokenly.

  “Never,” is his reply. “I’m never letting you go again, sweetheart. It doesn’t matter if you hate me, yell, scream, kick my ass out, I’m not going anywhere so best you get used to that now.”

  “That’s not your choice to make, is it?” I ask looking up into his devastatingly beautiful face.

  His piercing sky-blue eyes peer down at me through long, thick, dark lashes, full of emotion and promises. The line of his jaw is set, covered in a few days’ worth of stubble and the neatly trimmed goatee I love so much. Soft, full lips that are neither smiling or frowning is surrounded by a mustache that travels down the sides, ending just before the hair on his jaw.

  Fury isn’t traditionally handsome, he’s too rugged for that. Instead, his facial features along with his muscular six-foot-two height makes him dangerously attractive. In essence, he’s a tattooed bad boy, built like a Greek God with the temper of the devil himself. Which sadly is not a turn-off, although it should be.

  I should know better by now not to forgive him based on one of his soft looks and sweet words, because without fail, he’ll let me down again. Not intentionally, but he will. It’s part of who he is. Fury isn’t capable of giving me the things I need, the first being security. He isn’t built like that.

  After losing his family, and suffering the loss of his wife and child, Fury switched off that side of himself – refusing to acknowledge its existence. And I need that. I need someone to rely on, someone who will be there for me when I need them, not run away at the first sign things are getting too difficult.

  “That’s where you’re wrong, Ave,” Fury answers breaking me out of my perusal of him. “I might have fucked up, left you when you needed me most, but that shit’s in the past and I can assure you, it won’t ever happen again. I needed time to get my head straight too, sweetheart. Shit was intense, and while I know I should’ve stayed and worked through that with you, I couldn’t. I had too much going on that I couldn’t see my way clear of that I wouldn’t have been any good to you. You needed your Mom and Dad, your friends, the club, you didn’t need me no matter how much you say you did. Think about it, Ave. Think back to how fucked up I was after finding you there like that, and then tell me you believe I would’ve helped, not made things worse for you.”

  Placing both of my hands on his biceps, I think back to what I was like in the first few days after I was rescued, and while I hate to admit it, he might just be right.

  I wasn’t in a place where I could talk to anyone, let alone him. I spent every hour, every minute just fighting to make it to the next, I couldn’t focus on anything that wasn’t getting through one day to see another. And in saying that, I’m talking about the physical pain, although that was bad enough. I mean the mental anguish and emotional rollercoaster I was on.

  Every day was filled with ups and downs, it could change hourly depending on the memories that infiltrated my mind. For a while there, I vividly remembered the feeling of their hands on my skin, heard the words they spat in my ears as they tried to break my body and soul.

  Sometimes it all came back in a rush, scaring the ever-loving shit out of me. I could almost conjure the image of them if I tried hard enough. But eventually, after months and months of talking about it to anyone and everyone who would listen, the memories faded – became hazier.

  Don’t get me wrong, they’ll never go away, not entirely, but I don’t panic every time I smell a scent that reminds me of one of them or hear a voice that sounds like theirs either.

  “That’s something we’ll have to agree to disagree on then,” I finally counter. “Because let me tell you this. It didn’t matter to me how badly what you saw broke you, Tanner, I needed you regardless. I thought we were friends, but I was wrong. Friends are there for each other no matter what, and you weren’t. You took off when things were too hard for you to handle, when what you should have done was stay.”

  Fury tucks his head in the crook of my neck, pulling me closer because he knows he’s losing me.

  “I don’t know how many times I can apologize for leaving you, babe, but I’ll do it every day for the rest of my life if you’ll let me. I was selfish and I fucked up, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t spend every mile I rode away from you thinking about how you were doing and if you’d forgive me when I got back. Every night I went to sleep, it was your face I closed my eyes to. Every morning I woke up, it was your voice telling me to get my ass home and make it up to you. There wasn’t a day that went by I didn’t think of you hundreds of times a day, and that’s what made it so much harder to stay away. But until I got myself sorted, I couldn’t risk being a burden to you, Ave. I didn’t want you to have to deal with my shit at the same time as dealing with your own. You mightn’t think so now, but I was doing what I thought was best. For you, and me.”

  I understand that I really do, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less and until it does, I don’t think either of us have anything else to say to each other.

  Sighing heavily, I wriggle out from the safety of his arms, take several steps away from him and face him head on.

  “I don’t believe for a second you intended to hurt me by leaving, but you did, and I can’t just ignore that and pretend it didn’t happen. You might have had time to sort yourself out while you were gone, but I’m only just piecing my life back together again now, Fury. It’s been a long road to get here, and I don’t need anyone throwing up any more roadblocks, that includes you. I have friends, a job, a therapist, and Blaine, I don’t need anyone else right now. I’m sorry if that hurts you but that’s the truth.”

  “What about the fucking douchebag you’re dating then, Ave? What about him? Is he part of your healing, or is he just a bit of fun on the side?” Fury asks, his eyes darkening dangerously until they’re almost black.

  “What the hell are you talking about?” I ask, genuinely confused. The only man I’ve seen more than once who isn’t one of his brothers is, Lawson, and he’s hardly what I’d call my boyfriend.

  Deke’s cousin, Lawson arrived in Furnace over a month ago and is yet to go home. I know very little about him other than he is a roofer by trade, likes to drink to excess – too often if you ask me – is charming, kind, and has shown a genuine interest in getting to know me. However, all that aside, I’m not interested in him in the slightest.

  One of the first things I noticed about Lawson – this was on the very same day I met him – was that he gave off what I can only describe as a creepy vibe. A vibe I didn’t like and that felt as dangerous as it was worrying. From then on, I made sure I wasn’t in his company alone. Blaine, Bella, Beth, or one of the guys were with me at all times.

  �
�I’m talking about the fuckwit who’s hanging around trying to get in your pants. Don’t play games with me, Avery, Boss, told me about him already.”

  “I’m not playing games,” I say shaking my head. “Honestly, I don’t know what he’s still doing here. He said he was in town visiting Deke, but he’s done that and still hasn’t left yet. I don’t go out of my way to see him, Fury. Jeez, I only see him on the rare occasion I’m at the clubhouse, twice at Hounds, and once at the diner when he sat down with me while I was having lunch. We’re not even what I’d call, friends.”

  “Why’s Boss saying you and he are dating then? He wouldn’t tell me that shit unless it was true, sweetheart,” he rumbles moving toward me.