“Then I will. Until she explains why the fuck she keeps running away.”
I had a pretty good idea why she kept running away, but it was Remi’s story to tell, so I stayed quiet. “I’m gonna let you go.”
“Keep me posted.”
“I will,” I lied.
We rang off and I called Booker who started his trace. I headed back to my condo and threw my keys on the counter before pulling my phone out and checking the screen.
Nothing.
Fuck!
I tried her again, but got her voicemail, so I hung up and tried to figure out where she’d go. Only one place came to mind and that was ‘home.’ If her trust fund had been frozen, it was the logical conclusion.
And we had someone in common.
Sort of.
I pulled up my contacts and hit ‘call.’
“Finch, brother,” Alamo answered jovially. “How the fuck are ya?”
I’d gotten to know our Savannah Chapter Sgt. at Arms pretty well when I was working down there to help resolve a legal issue the Club had gotten pulled into. The trip had ended with my dick between Remi’s legs, and it was unforgettable.
“I’m in a bind,” I said.
“No shit?”
I filled him in on everything I knew about Remington’s situation, keeping several things private for obvious reasons.
“Shit,” Alamo breathed out. “Jazz knows Remi, I think. I’ll talk to her.”
“If she sees Remi, ask her not to say anything about me, yeah?”
“No problem, brother. Is Booker lookin’ into her?”
“Yeah. Gotta get my eyes on her, though.”
“I hear ya. Always room here if you need to do it in person.”
I smiled. “Got a feeling that’s gonna happen sooner than later.”
“Figured,” he said. “I’ll talk to Jasmine and get back to you.”
“Appreciate it.”
“You need us to watch her?”
“Yeah, man, that’d be good.”
“You got it.”
Alamo hung up and I relaxed knowing my brothers would make sure she was safe until I could take over.
* * *
Remington
Nine days. That was how long I’d been home, and how long it had been since I’d heard from Merrick. He’d called a couple more times, but didn’t leave another voicemail and I was both relieved and saddened by that fact. I missed him. Horribly. But I wasn’t willing to drag him into my shit storm of a life. No one deserved that.
“Earth to Remi,” Kennedy droned, snapping her fingers in front of me.
“Oh, sorry, what did I miss?” I asked, taking a sip of my margarita.
Michelle and Kennedy had organized girls’ night out, and I’d insisted we avoid anywhere that one of Merrick’s ‘brothers’ might frequent, but I couldn’t stop scanning the space a hundred times a minute.
“You’re missing everything,” Kennedy said. “Like the guy staring at you...three o’clock.”
I rolled my eyes. I didn’t miss him at all. He just wasn’t my type. “Pass,” I said.
“She needs more booze,” Michelle said, and I laughed.
“No amount of alcohol will make me want that guy.” I slid out of the booth. “But I do need to pee. I’ll be right back.”
Grabbing my purse, I headed into the ladies’ room and did my thing, then pulled open the door to head back to the table.
“Miss me, baby?”
I squeaked and tried to step back into the bathroom, but Merrick wrapped an arm around me like a vice and tugged me gently out. “Not this time.”
Oh my god, he was here. Really here. I wanted to crawl inside his leather jacket and snuggle, but I refused to let him see my elation.
“What are you doing here?” I asked as he pushed me against the wall.
“You seriously asking me that?” he challenged.
“Merrick,” I whispered.
“Yeah, Rem?”
“What are you doing here?” I repeated.
“What did I tell you?”
I met his eyes. “When?”
“Right before I buried my dick in your pussy.”
I dropped my head. “I don’t remember,” I lied.
“Cute, Rem.”
“You shouldn’t be here.”
“You want me to leave?” He lifted my chin and frowned. “And be honest. Don’t give me some bullshit answer that’s gonna piss me off.”
I licked my lips. “You don’t have to stay.”
He sighed, kissing me gently. “Pain in my ass.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Hey, that’s my line.”
He shook his head. “You need to promise me you’re gonna fucking stay put, Remi.”
I gripped his jacket. “I promise, I won’t run away from you again.”
“You in this with me?”
I knew this question was one of finality, which meant I needed to make sure my answer was just as final. The truth was, this man had gotten under my skin...in a good way. But I was afraid to trust. Afraid I’d make yet another bad choice, and he’d hurt me.
“Rem?” He stroked my cheek, drawing my focus back to him.
I decided to take a leap of faith and breathed out, “Yes, Toucan Sam, I’m in this with you.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Toucan Sam?”
“Because you’re nosy.”
He dropped his head back and laughed. “Fuck me.”
“Yes, please.”
He kissed me again. “We need to talk, so you’re gonna say goodnight to your friends and I’m gonna take you back to the compound.”
“Compound?”
“Club.”
“Is it a super-secret biker lair?”
“Don’t think it’s all that secret, but, sure, we can call it a lair.”
I slid my hands up his chest. “Are you really here?”
“Yeah, baby, I’m really here.”
“I’m so sorry, Merrick.”
“We’ll talk when we get somewhere quiet. You can explain everything to me then.”
I frowned up at him. “Do you hate me?”
He stroked my cheek. “Do you think I’d be here if I hated you?”
I shrugged. “Promise me, that tonight, after I tell you everything, if you want out, you’ll leave. Okay?”
“No.”
“Tweety,” I breathed out.
“Come on. Let’s tell your friends you’re leaving.”
“Wait,” I said, and gripped his jacket again. “One more.”
He grinned as he leaned down to kiss me, then took my hand and walked me back to my table.
* * *
I was highly disappointed Merrick drove me to the lair in a very sensible rental car instead of a bike, but he’d said he got in a few hours ago and hadn’t sorted out one to borrow.
“You really just got here?” I asked.
“Yeah. Flew in at seven.”
“Why?”
He frowned at me as he stopped at a red light. “You seriously asking me that right now?”
God, I sound so fucking needy.
“Never mind.”
He shook his head, facing forward again and we drove on. We didn’t speak again until we arrived at a huge barn surrounded by tall fencing. He slid his window down and the guard gave him a chin lift and opened the gate for him.
Merrick had said that the compound was housed in an old tobacco barn on almost thirty acres, but there were newer, smaller buildings surrounding it. Fencing and concrete walls made the compound impenetrable, along with the armed men guarding it.
“I feel like we’re heading into a jail.”
“It’s definitely as secure as one,” Merrick said. “But you’re free to go anytime you want to. In theory, anyway.”
I smiled. “Brat.”
He parked next to a couple of pickups and we headed inside. Linking his fingers with mine, he led me into a huge room and I let out a quiet whistle as I spun to take in everything.
&nb
sp; The main room of the barn was all wood and open, probably like it had been back in the day. There were three sets of stairs, one off the main room, one off the kitchen at the back and one off the foyer.
“It’s beautiful.”
“Yeah, it’s a hell of a lot cooler than Portland.” He squeezed my hand. “But don’t repeat that.”
I grinned. “Lips are sealed.”
“Finch, man. Hey.”
We turned toward the voice and I saw a tall, dark and bearded man walking toward us, holding a beer. God, he was gorgeous.
“Hey, Alamo. Jasmine kick you out?” Merrick joked.
Oh! Alamo. This is the man who killed Thomas.
Alamo chuckled. “She’s on her way here, actually. This must be Remington.”
“Hi,” I rasped, finding it hard to find my voice.
“You okay?” Alamo asked.
I bobbed my head up and down. “Yep.”
“Sorry I’m late,” a feminine voice called out as she rushed for Alamo and wrapped her arms around his neck.
“Hey, Firefly.” He grinned, leaning down to kiss her. I recognized Jasmine immediately. Her red hair gave her away.
Jasmine Buckley was gorgeous. Curvy, sassy, her red hair matching her personality perfectly, and she was sweet. Not a pushover, from what I understood, but very kind.
She turned to face us and pulled Merrick in for a hug. “Hey, Finch.”
“Hey, Jazz. Have you met Remington?”
“Once,” she said with a smile.
“The Children’s Hospital benefit, right?”
She nodded. “Exactly. Such a weird night.”
I chuckled. “Right?”
Merrick raised an eyebrow in question and I squeezed his hand. I’d fill him in later.
“Gonna show Remi around,” Merrick said, and Alamo gave him a chin lift as Merrick led me out of the main room and upstairs.
“Explain how a charity dinner can be weird,” Merrick said, as he pushed open a door and stepped back.
I walked inside and smiled. “The chairman’s wife, who was sixty-two at the time, got wasted drunk and gave a speech accusing several of the women in the room of ‘fucking’ her man. Jasmine’s dad had to virtually carry her off the stage.”
“Holy shit.”
“Exactly. They stayed together, though. Because, you know, it would look bad if they divorced.”
Merrick chuckled. “Rich people are fuckin’ weird.”
I nodded. “Definitely.”
“I was referring to you.”
“Like hell you were. I’m not rich.”
Merrick laughed. “Yeah, you are. I didn’t realize how rich until I got your money back, but you’re definitely rich.”
“Wait, what?”
“We got your money back.”
“How?”
“Can’t tell you that.”
“Why not? It’s my money.”
“Club business.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a card. “This has all your new banking information. We moved it so your parents couldn’t find it.”
“Oh my god, are you serious?” I whispered.
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Not gonna dignify that with a response,” he said, and opened the mini fridge by the window, pulling out a beer.
“Merrick, please. Why would you do that? I’ve been a total bitch to you.”
“Again. Not gonna digni—”
I let out a frustrated groan.
He held his arm out. “Come here.”
“Did you do this because you felt some weird obligation—”
He waved his hand. “Come here, Rem.”
“I—”
“Swear to Christ, woman, you don’t get your ass over here so I can hold you, I’m gonna turn you over my knee.”
I swallowed.
“Remi,” he growled.
“I’m not sure which one I want more,” I admitted and found my mouth covered with his.
I touched my tongue to his and wrapped my arms around his waist before breaking the kiss and meeting his eyes. “I’m really sorry, Merr.”
“Accepted. You wanna talk now or fuck?”
“Fuck,” I breathed out. “Definitely fuck.”
He grinned. “I was hoping you’d say that.”
Setting the beer on the windowsill, he lifted me and dropped me gently onto the bed, crawling up my body to kiss me before unzipping my jeans. “So fucking beautiful, Remington.”
“Back atya, Tweety.”
“You in this?”
I nodded.
“Need to hear the words, Rem. Figured out a little later than I should that if I don’t hear the words, you’re not making a deal.”
I bit back a smile. “I’m in this, Merrick Lundy, AKA Tweety, AKA Big Bird, AKA Toucan Sam. I won’t run again. I promise...Hei Hei.”
“You done?”
“Yep...Chicken Little...AKA Scrooge McDuck.”
He dropped his head to my chest and his shoulders shook as he laughed. “Fuck, Rem.”
“Yes, please, Foghorn...show me your Leghorn.”
“You keep making me laugh, I’m not gonna be able to fuck you.”
I slid my hand between us, cupping his already rock-hard cock. “Well, that’s a lie...Zazu.”
“How many fucking cartoons did you watch as a kid?”
“Who said I watched cartoons as a kid?” I challenged, slipping the button on his jeans and sliding the zipper down.
“You a secret cartoon watcher?” he asked, lifting his hips slightly so I’d have better access to his body.
“I don’t know how secret it is.”
He let out a quiet hiss when I moved the waistband of his boxers aside and wrapped my hand around his cock, running my tongue over his bottom lip.
“On your back, honey,” I ordered. “I need to taste you.”
He rolled onto his back, removing the rest of his clothing before settling into place. I grinned, tugging off my shirt and unhooking my bra, freeing my breasts but keeping my jeans on. “Do not touch,” I ordered.
He linked his fingers together, sliding his hands up and resting his head in them with a grin. I stepped off the bed to remove the rest of my clothes, then knelt between his legs. He reached for me, but I smacked his hands. “No touching,” I growled.
“You gonna let my dick fuck your tits?” he asked.
I raised an eyebrow. “If you let me finish.”
He settled his hands behind his head again. “Continue.”
I ran my tongue up his shaft, then guided the tip into my mouth. Merrick pulled his knees up and I wrapped an arm around one of his thighs as I worked his cock with my mouth and free hand. His hands slid into my hair and I frowned at him but continued to suck. He released my hair and placed his hands behind his head again. I took him deeper into my mouth and he closed his eyes and shifted up slightly.
I gripped the base of his shaft with one hand, and pumped with the motion of my mouth, cupping his balls gently.
“Fuck, Rem,” he rasped.
His legs straightened, and his sac tightened, and I knew he was close.
“Now, baby,” he rasped, drawing his knees up again and I took him deeper as he came, swallowing then releasing him with a loud ‘smack.’
He chuckled as he smiled down at me. I crawled up his body, kissing him as I went, then settled beside him, snuggling close. “I didn’t think you were going to let me finish.”
“Well, if I’d known you were gonna lie to me, I wouldn’t have.”
“How did I lie?”
“You said my dick was gonna fuck your tits.”
“Oh, it will, Tweety,” I promised, kissing his chest. “We have all night.”
“Are you trying to distract me?”
“From what?”
“Talking.”
I shook my head. “No. We can talk, I just want something to remember you by.”
He lifted my chin. “Stop it.”
“Merr, I’m b
eing serious. I won’t be mad.”
He sat up. “Goddammit, Remington, I’m not going anywhere. Just drop it.”
I sighed, dragging my hands down my face as he stalked into the bathroom. I heard the toilet flush, then the faucet start, then he was walking back to the bed. God, he was gorgeous.
“You got some drool right there,” he said, tapping his finger on the corner of my mouth.
I wrinkled my nose. “I can’t help it. You’re delicious.”
He grinned, kneeling on the bed and kissing me. “Back atya.”
Merrick stretched out again and pulled me over his chest. “Fill me in, Rem. All of it.”
Remington
I told Merrick about my conversation with Michelle and her never ending battle with cancer, ending up in a blubbering mess as I said out loud that my friend was going to die...and it was going to be soon.
As my shitty experiences of late washed over me, I sobbed into his chest and let him hold me as I poured out my heart. I felt like I’d tried to do everything right and I’d been a colossal failure. I’d picked the man my parents approved of, I’d followed my dreams and uprooted my life to move to a city I’d never been to in order to bring those dreams to fruition, and I’d tried to be a good friend and daughter. Everything was a mess and I didn’t know how to right the wrong.
“I mean, why the fuck do men think it’s okay to beat the shit out of me?” I asked, rhetorically. “Or control me somehow? My father, my boyfriends, my brother when he decides he’s going to be a dick. Okay, maybe not Dawson...he’s not really a dick. He just tries to ‘protect’ me and ends up inserting himself where he doesn’t belong. But still, he’s barely two years older than me, so he has no right to talk.”
Merrick gave me a gentle squeeze.
“Are you saying nothing because you like to insert yourself where you don’t belong?” I challenged, then clarified, “With Grace, I mean.”
“Nice save,” he said with a chuckle.
“Well, you do it to me as well, but I like it. Mostly.”
Merrick rolled me so I was on my back and he was hovering over me, running his thumb over my cheek. “You done crying?”
I shrugged.
He smiled gently. “Just want to make sure you hear me.”
I sniffed loudly, then nodded.
“You got a chance to do that swab test thingy for your friend, right?”
“Well, sort of. I take the swab and then they let me know if I can donate marrow or stem cells or whatever, then I have to go in and do the blood thing. I might be a match for someone, but I can’t just give it to Michelle, even if she and I are a match.”
Road to Freedom Page 6
