“Daria told me to make him suffer.”
“You told her he was spotted?” His voice heightens an octave, almost choking on his water.
“I’m not keeping anything from her ever again, Nico. I’m done with the secrets and lies. That’s what tore us apart the first time around; it’s not happening again.”
“I’m surprised she didn’t want to come with and do it herself.”
“Jesus, don’t even mention that to her because you know she would.” My eyes widen at the thought of her confronting him. “I can’t let her get hurt by him again. I’m going to get some rest.”
I go to one of the rooms that Marc, the president, has let us use. I pull out my cell to shoot off a quick text to Daria.
Morning, beautiful. I just wanted to check in and let you know we’ve taken a pit stop at Nevada. I love you, Emily, and bug. S xx
I hear my cell beep five minutes later; I wasn’t expecting her to be awake at this time.
We love you too, babe. Be safe. I miss you and your arms D xx
My arms? Why are you awake? S xx
Yes, your arms around me, keeping me warm and safe. I can’t sleep, and your child decided five am was a good time to make me puke everywhere, so I had to clean it up. D xx
You’ll be back in my arms on Monday, baby. I miss you. S xx
She must have fallen back to sleep because she didn’t reply. I close my eyes and dream of a future with me, Daria, and our two kids. I will marry her one day. She will have my name one way or another.
***
We finally arrive at Devil’s Reign compound two days later. I can’t wait to get my head down for a few hours before killing this asshole.
“Hey, man.” Dad walks over to Austin, shaking his hand.
“We’ll brief you in the morning. I’ll let you all get some shut eye. It’s been a long trip,” Austin says. “Yazz has made up a few of the rooms for you all, but you’ll need to bunk up.” He looks over dad's shoulder, and his eyes lock with mine. The hate radiating off him is palpable.
“You two going to be able to be civil?” Nico asks, looking between us.
“I’m here for Daria, that’s it. I’m not starting any trouble, don’t worry. Your brother-in-law is safe.”
“Right, boys. Sleep, and we’ll get down to business tomorrow,” Dad demands. The guys start piling in. Nico and I are last. Austin catches my arm. Nico stops too, waiting to be the referee. I look down at his hand and then up to his eyes.
“This is my turf, and I say what goes down here,” Austin grinds out. “My club. My rules.”
“Is this your version of cocking your leg and marking your territory?” Nico groans behind me. “Listen, you may be president here, but Brad is my kill. He put his hands on my woman.”
“Ex.”
My lips lift into a slow, easy smirk. “He put his hands on my woman, nearly killing her. He’s mine.” I wrench my arm out of his grasp, leaving him with the thought of Daria and me being back together.
“Really, Striker?” Nico sighs when we reach the room we’ve been assigned. “This pissing contest and fighting over Daria is going to get one of you killed.”
“It won’t if he gets it into his head that Daria is mine.”
“She’s not a fucking object you own,” he snaps.
“I know. But Austin just needs to get over the fact that Daria only sees him as a brother, a one-time fuck, and nothing else.”
“You two need to put this aside and focus on Brad.”
“I have been nothing but focused on that asshole since it happened, Nico.”
“I know.” He sits down on the bed, raking his hands through his hair. “I just need this fucker dead so we can move on with our lives, and Daria can live without having to look over her shoulder every day.”
“Nico, this all ends when his flesh is sliced with my knife.” Daria’s words come back to me. Make him suffer.
For you, baby, I’ll make him bleed out like a slaughtered pig.
***
The next day, we all pile into the room where they have their church meetings. The Devils on one side and the Demons on the other, glaring at each other, while Dad and Austin discuss the plan.
“Striker, Nico, and I will wait at the hotel he’s been staying at,” Dad says.
“No. Travis and I are on good terms with the manager. We’ll scope it out and ask him to take Brad to an empty room where we’ll be waiting.”
Asshole.
“No,” I growl. They both look at me. “He’s mine to kill. It was my family he tried to kill.”
“Daria is our family too.” Austin sneers, looking me up and down.
“He knows what you guys look like. If he sees you, it will spook him and he’ll run,” Travis says, with a sympathetic look at Nico and me. “He’ll run back to Phoenix, where Daria, Jess, Emily, and Ezra are all unprotected.”
“Cobra, Blair, and Chucky are there.”
“Two geriatrics and a prospect?” Austin scoffs.
“Cobra and Blair have protected her more than anyone in this fucking room. Including me,” I snap.
“Oh, we know who has protected her more than you.”
“Got something to say, fucker?” I step forward. Nico’s hand lands on my chest to stop me ripping this asshole’s head off.
“She wouldn’t be in this fucking mess if it wasn’t for you.” Austin says, his lip curled in disgust.
“Austin, this is about Daria. Now is not the time for you to pick a fucking fight with her man.”
“You both have to put your differences aside. This is about my sister. I’ll be going to the hotel with Travis and Barron. You two hang back until you get a call from one of us. The rest of you, be on call just in case we need back-up,” Nico says.
“I second that plan.” Dad nods.
“I third it,” Travis agrees.
“Fine.” Austin slams the gavel down and storms out, followed by Travis and another guy.
I need to get out of this fucking place and back to Daria.
***
“Hey, baby.” I sigh down my cell when I sit outside, watching Dad, Nico, and Travis drive away to get information from the manager at the hotel.
“Hey. Everything okay?”
I close my eyes. Just hearing her voice soothes my anxiety over this whole thing. “Yeah. Just waiting on the call about Brad. I miss you so fucking much.”
“I miss you too. Only five more days.” The line goes silent before I hear a smash and her curse. “Shit.”
“What was that?” I sit up straighter when it goes quiet again. “Daria?”
“Sorry. I dropped a glass and cut my hand.” She breathes down the receiver. “Thanks, Dad,” she adds, talking to her father.
“Are you okay? Is it bad?”
“I’m fine, Striker. Dad’s patching me up. How’re things there?”
“Fine.” I look toward Austin, who keeps staring at me. “Austin is glaring at me as I speak.”
“Oh God. Don’t fight. It’s not worth it.”
“I’m not touching him. I couldn’t care less about him, Dee. I got the girl.” My mouth lifts at the corner in a lopsided grin.
“Striker, stop goading him.”
She can’t see me; how the hell does she know what I’m doing?
“I’m not doing anything.”
“Please. If I was there, you’d be touching me whenever you caught him looking.”
“Believe me, that’s not the reason I would be touching you, baby.” I groan down the phone. “What are you wearing?”
“Really? You want to do this now?”
“Oh yeah.”
“Hang on.” I hear her talking to her dad, telling him she’ll be ten minutes. I stand and walk to the room Nico and I are sleeping in and lay on the bed. “I’m wearing a sweater and tight jeans.”
“Take your sweater off.”
“Striker, Lauren, Dad, and Emily are in the house,” she whispers.
“Lock your door. Just lie back and imagine I’m
touching you.”
“Mmm,” she breathes.
“Feel your pussy under your fingers, baby. Are you wet?”
“So wet. Just for you.” I put my hand down my jeans, wrap my hand around my junk, and start rubbing up and down.
“Imagine my finger inside your slick pussy. Ride them.” I hear her moans and breaths down the phone. I rub my length faster and harder.
“Oh God, S-Striker, I’m close. S-so close.”
“Come for me, baby,” I breathe out, and I’m close to coming. Right on cue, she moans out her orgasm and I follow her with a groan, hot cum shooting up and landing on my stomach.
“You better hurry home. I need you,” she demands. I hear the faucet running when I walk to the bathroom at the other side of the room to clean myself up.
“I’ll keep you locked up for a week and screw you until you can’t walk.”
“I’ll keep you to that promise. I’d better go. Lauren’s dragging me to the mall with Emily for Christmas shopping.”
“You don’t sound too pleased about that.” I chuckle, hearing her disapproving tone.
“I hate shopping, Striker. I’d rather stay home and order online.” I laugh at her. I know how much she hates crowds and people being close to her. “People suck.”
“I know. Remember, take Cobra and Blair with you.”
“I will.”
“You’re doing something I’m asking you to do without a fight?”
“I am. Are you proud?”
“So proud, and a little turned on.”
“And that’s my cue to hang up, or Lauren will know what I’m doing for sure.” She laughs.
“I need to go anyway.” There’s a knock at the door. I open it and see a sour-faced Austin. “I’ll see you when I’m home. Tell Emily I love her. I love you, baby.”
“Love you too.” I hang up and place my cell back in my pocket.
“What’s up?”
“Your dad’s back with Travis and Nico.” He walks away, and I follow him. I know by his tone that it can’t be good news.
“What did the manager say?” Austin asks.
“Will said that he checked out early this morning. He said something about needing to catch an early flight back to his mom.”
“Bullshit. Brad’s mom died years ago,” Mars shouts, slapping his hand on the dark oak table, clearly frustrated. He did a background check on him when we tried to find him after he beat Daria.
“Well, where has he gone?”
“Daria,” I say. My muscles bunch up tighter than a nun’s pussy. “Fuck. He knew we were here. He’s gone back knowing she’ll be alone.” I start to pace, pulling at my hair. “He fucking knew we would follow him here.” We played right into his hands.
“Get all your shit together; we leave now. Call Cobra, Blair, and Chucky. Get over to Daria’s dad's place and surround it.” Dad throws instructions at everyone.
“She’s going to the mall with Lauren and Emily,” I say.
“I’ll call Nicholas and tell him what’s going on,” Nico says, pulling out his cell when we get back to the room to pack all our stuff. “She’ll be safe at her dad’s.”
I nod.
“Pops, you need to stop Mom, Emily, and Daria from leaving. Lock all the doors,” Nico instructs Nicholas and explains that Brad may be on the way back to Phoenix.
I’m coming home, baby.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Daria
Striker has been gone for five days, and I haven’t heard from him since yesterday morning. Nothing from Nico either. I’m trying not to think of all the bad things that could have happened to them.
Dad told Lauren just as we were about to leave for the mall yesterday that he needed us stay and help with getting the Christmas decorations out, which I found strange because he always gets them out himself. He’s never asked for my help with it. He’s been acting weird ever since, constantly asking if I’m okay. Blair and Cobra have been extra alert too. I keep asking what’s going on, but they brush me off. I tried calling Striker to ask him, but it went straight to voicemail.
I’ll question Striker when he comes back before chaining him to the bed, and he’s never leaving it. It feels like forever since we last had sex. Nico had to walk in and interrupt us before they left.
***
I jump, waking up to someone making patterns on my back. Turning, I open my eyes, the sun burning. The scent of leather hits my nostrils. I blink my eyes open and I’m met with the sexy sight that is Striker.
“Morning, beautiful.” That voice first thing in the morning does things to me.
I spring up and throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and squeezing. “Dee, kind of cutting off my air supply here.”
I release him a little. “Sorry, I’m just glad you’re home safe. I’ve missed you. Why haven’t you called? I tried to get hold of you, Nico, and your dad. None of you would pick up. I was worried something had happened. I thought-” His lips are on me before I can finish my sentence. When he stops, I gaze into his eyes.
“I’m fine. We’re all fine.” He pecks my lips again.
“Striker.”
“Hmm,” He peppers kisses along my jaw and down my neck.
“I want to know why everyone is acting weird around me.” He stops and avoids my gaze. “Striker? What happened in Redmond?”
“Brad left. We think he spotted us and hightailed it out of there.”
“Oh.” I sit up, wringing my fingers together in my lap. Striker places his hand on top of mine, bringing his other arm around my shoulders, pulling me back to him and instantly calming me.
“We thought he might have come back here, but we haven’t seen him yet.” I nod. “We couldn’t take any chances, Dee.”
“I understand. I’m glad you called Dad. He wants to help too.”
“It was Nico that called him. He still hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you. He wouldn’t have let you over the threshold if he did.”
“Lauren let me in, and he does hate me, babe. I doubt that’ll change any time soon.” He sighs. I know he wants to get to know Dad better and try to change his mind about him, but Dad’s more stubborn, if not worse than Striker is, and he won’t back down. “So, how many people knew you were pregnant before you told me?”
I peek up at him and see he’s amused. I bite my lip. “Jess, Alex, Lauren, and Dad know.” I start drawing patterns on his chest, trying to be cute so he won’t get mad at me. “And Nico.”
“So, everyone?”
“Not everyone.” I roll my eyes at him. “Emily and your dad don’t know.”
“Dad knows. I told him the morning you told me.” He lets out a sigh. “Why didn’t you just tell me?”
“I was scared, Striker. Past experiences and all that.” I look down, still drawing around the pattern on his shirt.
“That was a long time ago, babe. I’m not the same person I was back then, and I don’t have an irritating asshole in my ear telling me lies.” I know he’s talking about Blaze. I hate him, and I’m glad Barron transferred him to the New York charter.
After a few minutes of silence, I can’t take it anymore. I climb on top of him, my legs either side of his hips.
“What are you doing?” he asks as I start taking off his cut and shirt. “Baby, you can't always distract me with sex.” He chuckles, placing his hands on my hips.
“Oh, really?” I grind my hips down.
“Fuck.” His hardening cock strains against his jeans. “You realize I won’t last long when I’m inside you. It’s been too long.”
“As long as your cock is in me, you can last two seconds, and I wouldn’t give a shit.” I lean down, kissing him deeply, reaching between us and undoing his jeans to free his cock. My hand moves up and down. “Shit.” He breaks the kiss, flipping me over. He hovers above me, shuffling out of his jeans and underwear. His hand slides over my stomach, stopping the kisses on my neck to look at me.
“You’re really pregnant?”
“You think I would lie about it?” My eyebrow lifts. I gasp out loud when his fingers brush against my panties.
“No, just thought I was dreaming it.” With a slight shake of his head, he hooks his fingers in my panties, sliding them down painfully slowly. He kisses his way back up my legs, bypassing my pussy, much to my dismay. He kisses my stomach, all the way up to my lips. “I love you.” He pushes himself slowly, inch by inch, into me. I arch my back and moan.
“I missed you,” I groan out when he begins to move slowly and gently. “Harder, Striker.”
“I don’t want to hurt the baby.”
“The baby is fine. I won’t be if you don’t fuck me like you used to!” I snap. His head jerks back at the ferociousness in my voice. “Striker, I haven’t had your dick in me for weeks. Fuck me like you missed me.”
He grabs my wrists, slamming them above my head, and starts moving faster and harder.
“Oh, fuck, yes!”
“Daria, you need to be quiet. Your dad is downstairs.”
“I don’t give a shit.” My hips lift to meet his. “Yes, oh, fuck.”
Striker growls, dipping his head, and covers my mouth with his, swallowing my screams of pleasure. I feel a familiar pressure building inside me, and an electric current zips up from my toes. I manage to wriggle my hands free. I spear my fingers into Striker's hair, my nails scratching his scalp, then move them to his back and dig them in, dragging them up. He groans loudly into my mouth and moves harder and faster. I know he’s close too. My pussy starts to pulsate, and my eyes close, rolling back, my heart rate speeding up. My vision blackens for a few seconds, and I scream into his mouth when I come violently. A few more pumps and Striker shoots his load, collapsing on top of me, breathing hard.
“Holy shit. I fucking missed you.” He pulls me close to him as we try to get our breath back. I can’t think or even move, let alone talk. “I love you.”
Looking up at him, the pool of desire is still notable in my stomach. He glances down at me. I bite my lip, trailing my hand down to his still hard dick. He pushes me back before I make contact, and I let out a giggle. “Never leave me again. Even if I tell you to, please refuse.”
“Never.” He pushes into me again and makes love to me, slowly this time.
Nothing Else Matters (Demons Disciples MC Book 2) Page 12
