by A. M. Myers
My heart cracks wide open at the gesture and I bury my face in his chest as tears sting my eyes. The last few days have just been hell and it’s all catching up with me… with all of us. Travis sighs and pulls one hand away from my body. I peek up in time to see him reaching for the bottle of booze on the bedside table. Sinking my teeth into my bottom lip, I choke back a sob and reach out, laying my hand on his arm as he wraps his fingers around the neck of the bottle and he looks back at me, his brow shooting up as I shake my head.
“Not today, baby. Let me be your whiskey,” I whisper, pressing a kiss to his chest and he stares down at me, his eyes blazing, and his nostrils flaring. I hold my breath, waiting for his answer and finally, he nods, releasing the bottle. I swing my leg over his body and straddle his waist as he grips my hips in both hands and rises up off of the bed to press his lips to mine as his arms wrap around me, holding me tightly against his body. There is a desperation in his kiss, an intensity that was never there before and every ounce of his pain is on display as his tongue flicks at my lips, demanding entrance and I give it to him. I’ll do anything, say anything, give him whatever his heart desires if it means I can ease just a fraction of his suffering.
With his arms locked around me, he scoots back along the mattress until his back hits the headboard and he relaxes, thrusting a hand into my hair as his tongue tangles with mine, stroking and teasing me to the brink of madness. Moaning into his kiss, I rock my hips against him, annoyed that the lace of my panties separates us. I want to … no, I need to feel him against me. He reaches down and grabs my tit, twisting my nipple between his fingers as he nips at my bottom lip and my pussy clenches.
“Travis,” I breathe and he growls, his head falling back for a second before his lips are back on mine. He grabs my panties and I jerk away from him as he grabs his pocketknife off the table with his other hand, flicking it open. My heart pounds in my chest as he lowers the knife to my waist and effortlessly slices it through one side of my panties before moving to the other side and doing the same. As he tosses the blade back on the table, he pulls the scrap of lace away from my body and flings it across the room, groaning as my bare sex rubs against his cock.
“Fuck, baby,” he groans, his fingers kneading my hips as his head drops back again. I fucking love when he does that, loses himself in the pleasure of being with me and I crave more of it so I slip out of his grasp, kissing a line down his chest as I lower myself on the bed. When I peek up at him again, his eyes are focused on me, blazing with need and he lifts his hips slightly, encouraging me to suck his length into my mouth as he drags his teeth over his bottom lip.
Wrapping my hand around his cock, I watch his face as he fights to keep his eyes open and each breath punches past his lips, reveling in the power I have over him in these moments before I lean down and wrap my lips around the tip. His hand immediately slips into my hair and he releases a soft groan that sounds something like a prayer as his head falls back and his eyes close. The hand in my hair slips down my back, dragging over my skin with reverence as I take all of him, letting him hit the back of my throat as he releases another groan.
“You’re so perfect, Row. So fucking perfect,” he murmurs and my skin tingles with need as his hands roam over my body, touching me everywhere but it’s still not enough. Pulling back, I trail the tip of my tongue up the underside of his cock, teasing him as my fingers wrap around the base and I begin pumping him. He groans again, reaching down to play with my nipples and as soon as he grazes them, they tighten with need.
“Oh, God.”
He shakes his head and grabs my arm, pulling me back into his lap with a feral look on his face as he leans in and peppers my face with kisses. “I need you, Princess.”
“Yes,” I whisper, reaching behind me to grab his cock and line it up with my entrance as every cell in my body shakes with anticipation. He presses against me and I glance back at his handsome face as I slowly sink onto his length, inch by glorious inch. A groan slips past his parted lips as his eyes bore into mine and his hands grip my hips. When he’s buried inside me fully, he holds me in his lap and I grab his face in my hands, pressing my lips to his as I circle my hips, loving the way he fills me completely. He drags his lips down my neck to my shoulder and I arch my back as he kisses down to my tit and gently smacks my ass.
“Move, baby.”
I do as instructed, lifting up and slowly sinking back down as he catches my nipple with his teeth and sucks it into his mouth, flicking the little bud with his tongue. I shudder, leaning back and bracing my hands on his thighs as I set a slow, seductive pace with my hips. He releases me with a pop and leans back against the headboard as he grips my waist, watching me ride his cock with fire in his eyes. I can’t stop watching him as he stares down at where we’re joined, skating his tongue over his bottom lip like he wants to taste me and I moan, fighting to keep my eyes open.
His gaze snaps to mine and he growls, reaching forward and hooking a hand around the back of my neck as he drags me back to him and claims my lips. The kiss is fierce, protective, demanding, and possessive like he’s branding me with his lips and everything inside me crumbles at the thought. It’s what I want more than anything - to be truly his and even though I know it will never happen, I let myself dream for a moment. Dream that he and I have a future together, that we could be happy and tears sting my eyes. With a groan, he rips his lips from mine and tucks my head into his neck as he braces his feet on the bed and begins thrusting up into me, wringing every drop of pleasure from my body as I shake in his arms, an orgasm quickly building in my belly.
“Travis,” I cry and he groans, his fingers digging into my hips as he flips me over onto my back and looms above my body, sinking his cock into me again. I cling to him, my nails digging into his back as I wrap my legs around his waist and throw my head back with a moan. He slams into me mercilessly and my pussy throbs, demanding more as I spiral out of control. I’m desperate, frantic, needy as I cling to his body and beg for my release. Each time the word “please” passes my lips, Travis groans in my ear, panting and grunting as he fucks me within an inch of my life as sweat pours down our bodies. He pulls back and I meet his eyes.
“Please, baby,” I beg, grabbing the sheet underneath me in one hand as I lift my hips off of the bed to meet him as I reach down with the other hand and circle my clit. “I need to come.”
He groans again, unable to take his eyes off of me as I circle the sensitive little bundle of nerves and my body jerks, so close to the release I’m craving. Reaching up, he wraps a hand around my throat and it is exactly what I need. With a scream, my body erupts and convulses beneath him as waves of pleasure slam into me, again and again, rendering me paralyzed as I coast through them. Travis leans down and presses his lips to mine, the hand around my throat tightening as he thrusts into me two more times and stills above me with a guttural roar before his body relaxes. He drops his forehead to mine and releases my throat as we both gasp for air, drifting down slowly from the intense pleasure and after a few seconds, he sighs and slips out of my body.
I open my eyes and meet his gaze. There is something different shining down at me, something I don’t recognize, and I cock my head to the side as I study him but he doesn’t say anything, just shakes his head and presses his lips to mine again before lying next to me and pulling me into his arms.
“Pretty sure we probably woke up the whole house,” Travis says and I laugh as I cuddle into him. Maybe I should care but I just don’t - especially when I know our time is limited. Sighing, I drag my fingertips over his chest.
“What’s the plan for today?”
He shrugs. “I figure it’s about time I get back into the case and try to figure out who the fuck Warren is.”
“I saw him, you know.”
“What?” he snaps, jumping up and caging me in between his arms as he stares down at me. “What do you mean you saw him?”
I suck in a breath and shudder at the memory. “After he rode by with
the knife, you all were distracted by Blaze and he lifted his visor and let me see his face. He smiled and winked at me… it was fucking terrifying but you were right about him, he’s completely unmemorable.”
“Shit, baby,” he whispers, falling to my side and staring up at the ceiling as his jaw ticks. “I’m so fucking sorry I didn’t do a better job of protecting you.”
I prop myself up on my elbow. “It’s not your fault, Travis. The whole thing was… no one was thinking clearly, okay? Hell, even Tate wasn’t acting like herself.”
“I’ve fucking let Blaze and this whole club down, Rowan. I should have…” Tears shine in his eyes. “I should have found something sooner, worked harder, and maybe he would still be here with us.”
“Baby…”
He shakes his head. “Don’t. I don’t want to hear you fucking say this isn’t my fault because everyone knows it is. This is my thing. This is what I do and I failed this time.”
“What do you mean this is what you do?” I ask, scowling down at him and he meets my eyes as a tear glides down the side of his face.
“I catch the bad guys… it’s what I’ve always done, what I’ve always known.”
There’s a deeper meaning behind his words, I know there is, but I can’t see it and I know there is no way he’ll tell me. Not with that look on his face. His walls are up, high as hell, and completely unbreachable right now. Laying my hand on his chest, I set my chin on top of it and look up at him.
“Want some help going over the cases?”
He glances down and forces a smile to his face. “From you? Always.”
I smile as he climbs out of bed and goes over to his bag, pulling the files out as I scoop one of his shirts up off of the floor and pull it over my head. He glances back at me and nods in approval as he carries the stack of files back over and plops them on the bed. Grabbing the first one, I flip it open and stare down at all of the information Travis has been able to find on Warren but it’s not much. As I stare at the name, I keep being drawn to the unusually spelled last name and I glance up at Travis as he flicks through another file.
“Have you ever gotten anywhere with Warren’s name?”
His head jerks up. “You mean besides the fact that it’s fake as shit? No.”
“Right,” I say, pursing my lips as I glance back down at the name. “But he had to get it from somewhere, right? And it might mean something to him so why this name?”
Travis stares at me, his brows furrowed, and I can see the wheels turning in his head as he slowly nods. “Okay… so what are you thinking?”
“Well… the easiest would be an anagram, right? And it would explain why his last name is spelled so weird.”
“You think there is another name hidden in Warren’s name?” he asks and I nod. He studies me for a second before jumping up and grabbing a notebook and a pen. When he climbs back into bed, he flashes me an expectant look.
“Okay, what do you have?”
I stare at the name, running through the letters as I try to find another name hidden there. “There’s Ren… which could be spelled with a “w” or without one.”
“I don’t think we know anyone named Ren or Wren,” he answers and I continue studying the letters laid out in front of me as I chew on my lip.
Come on.
There has to be another name here…
“Oh, wait! I’ve got Ryan,” I say as I run through the letters and make sure they work. When he doesn’t answer me, I look up and meet his wide eyes. “What?”
He shakes his head. “We knew a Ryan… but…”
“But what, Travis?” I ask, my heart climbing into my throat. He blows out a breath.
“He’s dead… Storm killed him in this very fucking house.”
My stomach drops. “What do you mean Storm killed him in this house?”
“He was a police officer and he was dating Emma before she met Nix… he was a bad fucking dude and the shit he did to her… it was fucking awful, babe. After Emma met Nix, Ryan lost his fucking mind and started stalking her - that’s how we actually met her cause Nix called his dad for help. He broke in here one night and held Emma and Nix at gun point but Storm snuck in the back door and shot him.”
“Okay,” I whisper, trying to process everything he just told me as I look down at the name again. “So clearly, it’s not him but… someone that he was important to?”
Travis shrugs. “I have no fucking clue.”
“We should go ask Emma.” I’m sure if anyone could help us crack this whole thing wide open, it will be her now that we know more. Travis nods and as we climb out of bed and get dressed, I try to imagine what Emma went through back then and Travis’s comment about Emma bringing Nix and Blaze back together pops into my head. It all makes more sense now.
Once I’ve thrown on a pair of jeans and Travis is dressed, he grabs my hand and we walk downstairs in search of Emma but the house is empty.
“What the hell?” he whispers, pulling a gun from the waistband of his jeans as he pulls me closer. Voices drift in from outside and we follow them to the front door where everyone is standing, watching as a man with blond hair steps out of a sleek sedan. Emma gasps, taking a step forward.
“Zane?”
Nix steps in front of his wife, blocking her with his body. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
“Who is Zane?” I ask Travis and he glances over at me, shrugging his shoulders before we both turn back to watch the scene unfold. Storm steps forward, a gun in his hand as well as he glances between Zane and Emma.
“Em?” he asks. “You know him?”
She nods. “He is Ryan’s brother.”
All of the guys jerk to attention, turning to Zane with guns raised and he holds his hands up in front of his body, shaking his head as he looks over all of us with wide eyes.
“Don’t shoot me. I’m not Warren.”
Travis growls and takes a step forward. “How the fuck do you know that name?”
“Because I know who he is… who he really is,” he says, glancing up at us and something about him makes me think he’s telling the truth. Unlike when Warren revealed his face to me, I don’t sense anger or pain when I look at Zane. In fact, he just looks tired.
“You’d better start talking, Wheeler,” Storm snarls, taking a step forward with his gun aimed at Zane’s chest. He nods and sighs.
“My brothers, Caleb and Jake… they’ve been working with Ryan’s best friend, Evan Nelson, to get revenge on y’all for Ryan’s death. He came to me, too, about two years ago to ask me to join them but I didn’t want any part of it.”
Chance lowers his gun and steps forward, eyeing him skeptically. “Why the fuck would you come tell us this if your brothers are involved?”
“Because,” he sighs, running a hand through his hair. “They are involved but Evan is the one running the show and I don’t want to see them get hurt because of him. He’s… he’s fucking unhinged and after he was released from prison, all he talked about was making y’all pay.”
“Do you know what they are planning?” Travis asks and Zane shakes his head.
“No. I washed my hands of the whole damn thing but I do know he has specific targets in mind, four people that he blames the most for killing Ryan - Blaze, Storm, Emma, and Streak.”
Sucking in a breath, my gaze snaps to Travis and he meets my eyes, his lips pressed into a thin line as all of the hell he’s gone through trying to track down Warren fills my mind. It was all designed to drive him crazy because he’s one of the targets.
“Speaking of which…” Zane says, scanning the group with a scowl. “Where is Blaze?”
A wave of grief washes through all of us, it’s palpable even that even Zane takes notice. Storm sucks in a breath and lowers his gun slightly as he shakes his head.
“Warren… no, Evan killed him five days ago.”
“Oh, fuck,” he whispers, running a hand through his blond hair. “I really hoped I would get here before… fuck!”
&nb
sp; Travis tucks his gun back into the waistband of his jeans and grabs my hand before walking to the front of the group and stopping in front of Zane. “Do you know anything else? Anything that can help us find him before he comes after us again?”
“Why don’t we take this inside?” Storm says, scanning the tree line around the property and Zane studies us all for a second before nodding as everyone else lowers their weapons. As Travis turns back to the house with my hand in his, I pray that we can finally get some answers and end this before anyone else gets hurt.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Warren
“My brothers, Caleb and Jake… they’ve been working with Ryan’s best friend, Evan Nelson, to get revenge on y’all for Ryan’s death. He came to me, too, about two years ago to ask me to join them but I didn’t want any part of it.”
Fuck.
Fuck.
Fuck.
What the hell have you fucking done, you moron?
“Zane,” I growl under my breath, watching him from the safety of the trees as he spills everything to these fuckers, everything I’ve built for the last two years, everything I’ve fucking worked for, and everything that was almost mine. My plan was fucking brilliant, flawless, and now I have to change it. I mean, I have always had several back-up plans lined up but I was attached to this one, the one that inflicted the most pain, the most suffering. For days, I’ve been watching them cope with Blaze’s death, happy as a pig in shit because I could see the pain and horror in their eyes. I loved that I did that to them and I’ve been fantasizing about the next step endlessly but now it’s going to have to change.
“Fuck you,” I hiss as I watch Zane fucking Wheeler follow the Devils back into Emma and Nix’s house, my heart pounding in my ears as I think about what I’ll do to him when I manage to get my hands on him. He fucking ruined everything and now, he has to pay, too. Caleb and Jake won’t be happy about that but they’ll just have to deal with it. As his betrayal dances through my mind, I turn and slam my fist into a nearby tree trunk, unable to quell the boiling of my blood as I think about everything I just lost.
