by Debra Kayn
"Fuck," Stache mumbled.
Cam's chin came down and he looked at each member. "If that's the case, we have to figure out how far Blues will go to protect are agreement. We're talking numbers, and the Reds have more men on the outside than they've ever had. Blues will be influenced. I'm not sure they can hold Reds back, and if that's the case—"
"We're going to war," Merk said, completing the thought.
Christina cupped her elbows, soaking in all the information. She understood the basics of what Moroad MC did for a living, but war? Outnumbered?
Fragile didn't even describe how she felt. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself. Fear of losing Cam settled heavily on her shoulders.
Chapter Fourteen
The hum of the vacuum inside the house leaked through the open door to the porch. Cam closed the door and faced Merk, Stache, Gunner, and asked Jeremy to stand in for the meeting. After learning Merk shot one of the Reds members during the visits, Cam's options dwindled. If he had any reservations Reds wanted to take over the gun run, the doubts were gone.
"I need to go inside the prison and talk to Jacko." Cam flicked his cigarette butt into the yard. "Our members will have to put pressure on Blues. They need to know we won't back down."
"We'll cover the house while you're gone." Gunner picked at a scratch on his arm.
Jeremy put both his feet on the porch and slid off the railing. "What about asking Bantorus MC for backup in Federal?"
"I trust them with our women, but there's no reliance built up past that. One of their guys worked for the Feds, and while I'm sure some of them would think about stepping over the line, they won't touch Moroad. We need to stay with our own kind," he said.
"How's going inside the prison going to help?" Jeremy cleared his throat. "The actions out here."
"The only way we can retain our investment and power over the gun chain is to control the population inside the state pen. I'm going to have to orchestrate the plan from the outside to keep us protected," Cam said.
He hoped like hell his men could bring down Reds and stop the release of more Reds members. There had to be someone higher up than the guards at the prison being paid under the table to let the other gang walk away. He needed to look into what judge worked the cases. He had a feeling the answer he needed sat with one of the judges. Once he found out who to hold responsible for putting the Reds on the outside, he'd eliminate that person.
"Fine, but someone needs to watch over the women. These guys will use any means to get to Moroad." Jeremy pulled out his phone. "I'm going to let Tiff know I'll take her to and from work."
"I thought you cut her off," Cam asked.
"I did. That doesn't mean I'm going to stop protecting her." Jeremy moved away from the group.
Cam turned to the others. "If you have any altercations with Reds in the future, you stand back and wait for them to move first. I don't want any more asshole behavior that requires us to do unnecessary clean up. Today, you put our club at a bigger risk. We need to do whatever possible to protect the gun chain. We can't have more men going back inside the prison or we'll be outnumbered on the chain. I won't risk years of work, because one of you got it in your head to take out one of their members."
"It needed done," Merk said.
"Bull shit." Cam pointed at Merk's chest. "You walked onto their territory and popped him off."
Merk shook his head. Cam stepped forward. His attitude toward Merk verged on killing him in front of the men. He had no room in his life to worry about his vice president around his club or his woman.
"There's no other warning. Next time, I'll strip the patch off and shoot you myself." Cam looked toward Stache and Bear. "You've witnessed this."
Merk scoffed. "You're telling me that you would've stood there and taken their threats toward Christina without blowing a hole in his head?"
"They threatened her?" Cam said, his throat closing.
Merk nodded. "Maybe if you were taking care of her the way you should be doing, you'd know what the fuck was going on around here. Instead you have your head so far up your ass, you can't see the dangers you put the club in. It took a woman to get the information you should've had from the start."
Cam's hand shot out and he squeezed his fingers around Merk's neck. "Take your last breath, because you're going to die."
"Fuckin' Christ, Cam. Let him go." Bear stepped forward.
"He's not fighting back." Stache shoved Cam, but he refused to move. "Drop him."
Cam leaned closer to Merk. "Who gave you the right to care about my old lady?"
"You ga..." Merk's throat worked under Cam's hand, struggling for air. "Gave me the right, fucker."
Blind rage powered through Cam's grip on Merk's neck. The pressure in his head promised a satisfying result. All he had to do was squeeze a little harder, a little longer.
He'd put his trust in Merk to protect his property, and Merk betrayed him. He'd seen how Merk watched Christina and the effect his attention had on her. If Cam weren't here, Christina would rely on Merk. He wasn't willing to let that happen, ever. He wanted Merk away from Christina, anyway he could get him.
"Cam?" Christina said.
"Let him go, man. He's not fighting you," Bear said, pulling on Cam's arm.
Cam turned his head and found Christina in the doorway. His fingers dug into Merk's neck.
Merk gurgled. Christina's gaze stayed on Cam, her eyes begging him to stop. He let go, ignoring Merk as he fell to the porch onto his knees.
Cam stalked over to Christina, capturing her open mouth with his, and backed her into the house, slamming the door. He only wanted one person to understand his need to own her, and he held that person in his arms.
She ripped her mouth away from him. "Cam?"
"You're mine. You've always been mine." He took her to the bedroom and set her on her feet. "I won't let anyone take you away from me."
Her eyes searched his in confusion. He undid his belt, his jeans, and shoved his clothes below his hips. His cock throbbed, harder than stone. He needed her.
His fear of Merk taking what belonged to him stripped him of his power. His weakness won, and he wanted to erase his time away from the house, from Christina, from the club. Somehow, he'd failed to hold on to the responsibility of making Christina happy and she'd turned to Merk to feel good.
That ended right now.
She would learn who controlled everything.
He would prove she belonged to him.
"On your knees, baby," he said, his voice low to his own ears.
She dropped in front of him. He locked his knees when she braced her hands on his thighs. He guided his cock into her mouth. Wet warmth surrounded him, and he groaned, staring down into her upturned eyes.
Nobody would take her away from him. Nobody.
She sucked, sliding her lips down his length, dragging her tongue underneath as she pulled her head back. His chest tightened, wanting her to stay attached to him. He wanted his fingers inside of her, his cock fully engulfed in her body, her tits pressed against his chest, her hair skimming his neck.
She swallowed strengthening her hold on him. His legs trembled and he was unable to pull the willpower out of his soul to lay her on the bed and do all the things to her body that he wanted.
Right here, just like this, she made him weak. Weak for her. Strong for her. She made him the man who could accomplish what he set out to do.
Adrenaline coursed through his veins. His balls rose and his ass clenched. She sucked all the anger, the fear out of him. She gave him no chance to catch his breath. His cock pulsed, building, hardening, hurting so fucking good.
"Take it," he said, cupping the back of her head, guiding her movements.
Back and forth, she assaulted his cock. Her teeth skimmed the sensitive skin and he grunted for more. He loved everything she did, down to her fast breath heating him.
He leaned over, scooped her under the armpits, and laid her back on the bed. "I want inside of you."
>
She nodded, scooting back on the bed, and undoing her jeans. He pulled her jeans, taking her panties with him. Her shoes hit the floor and he tossed her clothes.
Her gaze flitted to him. He'd confused her. He could see the doubt in her eyes. But, he couldn't slow down. He couldn't wait. He had to have her.
"Pistol?" he asked, kneeling between her legs.
"Pillow," she whispered, tensing.
"Get it."
"Cam...?"
"Do it." He lowered himself on top of her and waited. "I'll never hurt you."
"I know."
"You don't know. I see the doubt in your eyes. You hesitated. You've learned to protect yourself against me." He kissed the tip of her nose. "I want you back. All of you this time. I don't want you fearing me. Give me that, baby, and get the gun."
She closed her eyes briefly and then stared up at him. She stretched her arm above her head, sliding her fingers under the pillow, and retrieved the gun. He remained completely still, knowing she needed the validation. He'd hand over his life for her.
Unable to say what he wanted, he showed her. There was only one person she needed, and he'd die for her.
He placed her hand, holding the pistol, on his shoulder, the barrel pointed at his head. His toes curled. The danger more of an aphrodisiac than fear. He wasn't afraid to die, not for her. He'd gladly take a bullet.
"Ready?" His arms shook under the power to hold himself back.
She hooked her leg behind his thigh. "Yes..."
He plunged inside of her. Blood rushed from his head to his cock. His body, one big pulse. Boom. Boom. Boom.
Her legs relaxed and he pressed harder into her, circling his hips. His gut tightened, and he thrust again.
"I love you," she said on a moan.
Her words wounded him and left him raw. He gave in to the need to fuck her. The rhythm unpredictable, he only knew he wanted to touch every inch inside of her, to mark her, to remind her of who she belonged to, and leave no spot untouched.
Christina gasped, holding her breath. He continued moving, bringing her to life. She shuddered and struggled to keep her eyes open. Intense pleasure controlled his muscles. He found the spot and repeatedly plunged inside of her.
The barrel of the pistol scraped against his temple. He forged on, too close, too far gone, to worry if she'd pull the trigger with the way her body moved underneath him. Too caught up in making a statement to stop, he continued to move inside of her.
"Yes," she said, bucking her hips against his pelvis.
Sweat broke out along his back. He dug the toe of his boots into the mattress, scooting her against the mattress with each inward thrust. Her nails dug into his chest and the pistol tapped his head. The fear of losing her fled. All of his concentration centered on his dick, inside her, and pleasure hovering at the edge.
She muffled her scream. Her pussy clamped down on him, squeezing, sucking him in. With all his energy, he slammed balls deep and groaned, ripping him apart and touching the empty cavern inside of him.
Christina stared up into his eyes. Caught in the magnitude of what they created, he lowered his head and kissed her lips. "For life, baby."
The pistol lay on his back where she held on to him. Her body continued to clench around him, coming down from her orgasm, giving him everything. Each twinge expanded and returned while he slowly caressed her with his cock.
She pressed her lips to his neck, sucking softly. Then she whispered, "How did you know I needed you that way?"
He shifted, framing his hands around her head. "Because we need the same thing and you need to learn, I'm the only one who can give you everything. We're going to be okay. Jeremy will survive not knowing the truth. This shit with Reds...I won't let anything happen to ruin what I've built. Nobody will take me away from you, and I won't let anything or anyone take you from me."
He sealed his promise with a kiss. For the first time since walking out of prison, he had his family back. Now all he had to do was take any threats away from the gun chain and keep Reds from destroying Moroad MC.
Chapter Fifteen
Cam stood beside the motorcycle and unstrapped Christina's helmet. She looked around the back of the Sterling Building. Her skin crawled and she rubbed her arms. Ever since Reds shot at the house, she sensed someone watching them everywhere they went.
"Hold still." Cam tapped his knuckles against the helmet. "Everything will be fine. It's the middle of the day and the town is full of tourist."
"If you've forgotten, our house was also shot at during the middle part of the day." She ducked her head, and Cam removed the helmet.
The warm breeze through her hair cooled her scalp. She climbed off the bike and latched on to Cam's arm. His bulk would shield her from any stray bullets. She bit her lip and hurried in front of him. If someone wanted Cam dead, they'd have to go through her.
"Will you relax?" he said, tugging her back against his side.
She dug her nails into his forearm. "Maybe you forgot how my parents were killed."
His boots stopped and he turned, grabbing her shoulders. "I never forget, because it's a part of you, but baby, I will not let anything happen to you."
"I know you'll try to keep me safe, but who is going to protect you?" She leaned against him. "Let's just get this over with, so we can go home."
"It shouldn't take too long." He led her to the back door of the Sterling Building, knocked twice, and let himself in.
Ink, a member of Bantorus MC who owned the building and ran Silver Girls with his wife Lilly, motioned them inside. She latched onto Cam's hand and walked into the main room. Every time she'd stepped foot into the adult entertainment business, the surroundings distracted her. The whole building gave off the experience of stepping back into the early 1900's with all the blood red decorations and velvet curtains. She bet if she trailed her hand over the wall, the off-white wallpaper with the flamboyant red roses would be velvet, too.
"Prez dropped off some papers for you." Ink walked behind a mobile bar stand, retrieved an envelope, and passed them over to Cam. "He said to go ahead and take your time looking them over, and then I'm supposed to shred them."
"Thanks. I appreciate the help," Cam said.
"Go ahead and grab one of the tables. I'll be working on the stage, so take your time." Ink smiled at Christina.
Cam walked off and Christina asked, "Is Lilly around?"
"No, she's over at the courthouse." Ink grinned and continued to look at her.
Obviously, Lilly's visit to the courthouse was a good thing or Ink wouldn't be staring at her as if someone handed him the best steak dinner of his life. She tilted her head. "Is everything okay?"
Ink leaned against the bar. "Do you remember Tanner?"
Her spine straightened and she nodded. "Of course. He was one of the county babies I worked with ...though he must be almost two years old now."
"Tanner's twenty-eight months old this month." Ink lowered his voice. "We've been approved to adopt him. I'm going to be his dad."
Her brows shot up before she could hide her surprise. Ink and Lilly lived upstairs in the Sterling Building. They ran a strip joint on the main floor. He belonged to the Bantorus Motorcycle Club. If she still worked for social services, there would be no way she'd allow a child...a baby to live in these conditions.
"We've only told the club, but I thought since you used to work at Silver Valley Children's Society, you'd like to know he finally found a home...with us." Ink exhaled. "We bought a house over on King Street. That was the one condition we had to make to pass the home study and get the okay to apply for adoption. We get to bring him home in two weeks."
She shook her head and laughed. Joy filled her. "That's wonderful. Congratulations."
"Thanks." Ink motioned to the stage. "I better get back to work. We're trying to get everything done, so we can spend more time at the new house soon."
"Please tell Lilly I'm happy for you both, and Tanner," she said.
"I will." In
k winked and walked to the other side of the room.
She stood by the bar. In her wildest dreams, she never imagined Ink and Lilly would adopt a baby. Yet, in some ways, the adoption made sense. Ink and Lilly, plus the Bantorus MC as a whole, continued to support the community and were active in all the fundraisers for the kids in the Silver Valley.
"Hey, Christina. Come here for a second," Cam said, interrupting her thoughts.
She approached the table and when Cam pulled out the chair beside him, she sat.
"I'm going to need you to look at these papers." Cam frowned. "Damned if I'm seeing anything useful."
She picked up a sheet of paper. "I'm only seeing a bunch of names. What exactly am I looking for?"
Cam leaned closer and whispered. "I want to know if any of the names you collected off the internet are on these papers."
"Okay, though I don't know them all by memory."
She laid the paper down and used her finger to scroll down the list. When she reached the bottom, Cam put another paper in front of her. She slowed down, taking her time, running each name through her head, afraid she'd miss something obvious.
After the tenth paper, she leaned against the back of the chair. "Unless I'm drawing a blank, none of the names seem familiar."
"You're sure?"
She nodded. "Pretty sure."
"Okay." He gave her another stack of papers. "Before you look at these, tell me the time of year the prison released more prisoners."
"What do you mean?"
"Did you notice if more prisoners were released in June or in October? It doesn't have to be specific. Just think back to everything you wrote down and try to remember when it seemed like more men walked away from their sentence than normal."
"January and February. There were at least three times the amount of releases than normal," she said, sure of the answer. "I figured that was because a new year started and they'd done their time."
Cam remained silent.
Her stomach turned and she leaned forward. "Shit, they wouldn't go year to year...like January to December, would they?"
