Biker's Bride: A Bad Boy Romance (Demons MC) (Includes bonus novel Kinged!) (8 page)

“As your leader here said, we did in fact speak with the Snakes. They said they found the boy dead when they arrived, and they found her I.D. card in his riding bag.” He shrugged, smiling. “We put two and two together.”

“Why do you think we have anything to do with the girl?” Larkin asked.

“Frankly, I was going to ask for your help in finding her,” he said, smiling. “But our messenger fucking saw her sitting in your damn clubhouse earlier today.”

Larkin grunted at that. “Okay. We got the girl.”

“What’s the fucking deal, Larkin?” Jetter said, losing his genial way of speaking. There was an edge to him.

Jetter was a funny, smiling man most of the time. He was older, in his forties, and was quick with a drink and a joke. He was maybe rounder in the middle than most leaders, but he could still ride, shoot, and fight.

Despite his smiling, Jetter was a killer at heart. He used his personality to blind people to that fact, but I never forgot it. Back when he was a Demon, Jetter was known as a cut-throat motherfucker, and that was the man I’d always remember.

“Girl came to us for protection,” Larkin said. “She claims the Snakes killed your boy.”

Jetter frowned. “Sounds unlikely.”

“It’s the truth,” I said. “I know the girl from way back. She’s not a club slut, not a part of this. She wouldn’t lie.”

Jetter nodded, looking at the shorter man. He just shrugged. “Say you’re telling the truth,” Jetter said. “This could mean war, you know.”

“Not our war,” Larkin said.

“Could be. You’re holding the girl.”

“Not our war,” he repeated.

Jetter sighed. “I want her,” he said.

“I claimed her,” I said. “She’s fucking mine now.”

Jetter looked surprised. “Claimed her? You’re fucking kidding me.”

“It’s true,” Larkin said. “The girl is Ford’s, like it or not.”

Jetter laughed, shaking his head. “This is some fucking bullshit, Larkin.”

“Here’s the deal: We’re leaving now; you can figure out your own business.”

Jetter sighed. “I’m not so sure about that.”

I felt Clutch and Spoil tense. I put my hand on my pistol, staring down the short man, who only gazed at me and smiled softly.

“No need for bloodshed,” Larkin said. “We’re protecting the girl, but you can speak with her.”

“Tonight,” Jetter said.

“Our place. Bring your boys. You can speak with her as long as you like.”

Jetter stared down Larkin for a minute and then nodded. “Fine. We’ll figure out this shit then.”

“Fine.” Larkin nodded at us. “Boys.”

We turned and walked out.

It was never easy to turn your back on bikers, but I knew they’d never shoot. The Demons would crush them like fucking bugs if they ever tried to step out on us, and they knew it.

But it concerned me that Larkin was letting Jetter speak with Caralee. I didn’t want her anywhere near some murderous fuck like Jetter. She really wasn’t a part of our world, and she had no clue how to act around a man like that. “Girl will be fine,” Larkin said as we got on our bikes, looking at me. “You’ll be with her the whole time.”

I nodded at him. “Yeah, I will.”

“Come on.”

We kicked our bikes into gear and headed back toward the clubhouse.

My mind was spinning faster than my tires. I hated that Caralee was going to be around Jetter, but I knew I could keep her safe if I was around for it.

What worried me more, though, was the relationship between the Snake Spit and the Rebels. We hadn’t known they were dealing with each other, and that was a problem. We needed to know what was happening with our neighbors at all times, and this felt like a huge fucking mess.

Things were getting complicated, and fast. I needed to be on my game if I was going to keep Caralee safe.

Fortunately, this was the sort of shit I truly fucking loved.

I
t was a tense hour while the guys were gone. None of the other Demon members acted like it was a big deal, but I could tell there was a ripple of concern beneath everything they were doing. There was a tension in the room that nobody was acknowledging.

And it would have been pretty awful if it weren’t for Janine talking my ear off.

“And anyway,” she said, “that was how I ended up stripping for a year.”

I shook my head. “Wow. Crazy story. Your uncle sounds like an asshole.”

She laughed. “He’s not so bad. Kicking me out was the best thing he ever did.” She cocked her head at me. “How’d you end up hanging around a bunch of bikers, anyway?”

I frowned at her. I wasn’t sure how to explain it, or if I even wanted to. What had happened between me and Ford was one of those things I never really told anyone about.

If it weren’t for that night with Ford, I probably wouldn’t have loved motorcycles as much as I did. And if I didn’t love riding on the back of a bike, I probably wouldn’t have ever met Rod, or wanted to spend so much time with him, or ignored the fact that he was in love with me.

Strange how long, twisting strands could bind people. One decision could lead to the next, and one day you woke up after a long series of choices wondering exactly which one made you into the person you’d become. Though the answer was probably all of them and none of them.

“What’s wrong?” she asked after a minute. “You look like I just asked why your dog died.”

“Sorry,” I said, smiling. “It’s just a long story.”

“Sure. I get it. Tell me sometime if you want.”

“Okay,” I said.

Just then the door pushed open. Larkin, Clutch, Spoil, and Ford all walked back inside.

The relief was almost palpable. Men nodded to them as Clutch and Spoil walked over to the bar. Larkin headed back into his office, and Ford came directly for me.

“Caralee,” he said. “Janine.”

“Hi, Ford,” Janine said, smiling. “You boys up to no good?”

“As always.” Ford’s eyes never left mine.

“Well,” Janine said, “I’ll leave you two alone.” She stood up and walked off, heading over toward the bar.

“What happened?” I asked him.

He sighed. “Not much worth telling, if I’m honest.”

“Tell anyway.”

“Rebels know we have you somehow.”

I was surprised. “Is that bad?”

“Can’t tell.” He stared at me, this gorgeous, intense stare. “They were dealing with this other club from Dallas called the Snake Spit. They’re pretty big, maybe our biggest rival in the state. Anyway, seems as though the Snakes blamed you for the killing.”

“I didn’t,” I said fiercely.

“I know that,” he responded, “and so do they. Or at least I told them.”

“So what now?”

“The Rebels leader doesn’t believe our story. He wants to meet with you.”

“When?”

“If you’re up for it, tonight.”

I looked at him, frowning. “What will it be like?”

“I’ll be with you the whole time. We’ll be right in here. He’ll ask you stuff, whatever. It’ll be okay.”

“Okay then. If you think it’s safe.”

“Unlike that dumb shit you used to hang out with, I’m not about to put you in any bad situations if I can help it.”

I frowned at that. “Why do you keep saying that about Rod?”

“Because you don’t take a civilian along with you on a drug deal.”

“He wasn’t a bad guy,” I said, feeling that anger inside me. “He loved me. He was trying to impress me.”

“Makes him even fucking stupider,” Ford said. “The pathetic asshole was trying to impress a woman with his drug deal, and he ended up getting himself killed and her in deep shit. Sounds like a dumbass.”

I stared at him, the anger flaring up inside me. I hated the way he talked about Rod, as if he hadn’t just been murdered.

“Stop,” I said angrily. “Stop talking about him like you knew him.”

“You’re right, I didn’t know him.”

“I know I’m stuck with you,” I said, not able to stop myself, “but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want.”

“I don’t know about that,” he said, smirking. “The way you look at me says otherwise.”

“Stop talking shit about Rod. He was a good guy.”

He looked at me silently for a second and then smiled softly. “Yeah, okay,” he said. “As soon as you admit how bad you want me to fuck you.”

“You’re an ass.”

“Maybe, but it’s the truth. I can see the chills run down your spine every time you think about my cock sliding deep between your legs.”

I leaned back, crossing my arms. “I think you’re mistaking my disgust for desire.”

“Not a mistake I’d ever make, sweetheart,” he said, grinning that huge, mind-bending grin. I wanted to wipe it off his face, if only to touch those lips.

And I hated that I couldn’t stop thinking about kissing him hard, biting his lip, pulling his hair, letting him slap my ass and grab my hips hard.

“Come on,” he said, standing up. “Let’s get the fuck out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“Back to my place.”

“Why?”

“Because we have a few hours to kill. You might as well try to settle in.”

I sighed, standing. “Okay, fine.” We headed back toward the door. He waved to a few guys as we pressed outside, walking down toward his bike.

“I get the bedroom,” I said as we climbed on and he handed me the helmet.

“I was thinking we both get the bedroom.”

“Not a chance. You can have the couch.”

He laughed as he started the engine, the roar drowning out any other noise.

I pushed on my helmet as he slid out into traffic. I held onto his body, my own mind at war with itself, torn between wanting to share the bed and wanting to get far, far away from him.

Although we weren’t even married yet, I was already looking forward to my divorce.

A
s we tore down the highway, wind whipping through my hair, I felt her suddenly start tapping against my back, signaling for me to pull over.

What the hell could she possibly need? I pulled off at the first rest stop I saw, figuring she needed to piss or something.

“What’s up, princess?” I asked her.

She gave me a dirty look. “We need to go back to my apartment.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Why would we do that?”

“I forgot my laptop.”

“You can live without it.”

“No, I can’t.” She crossed her arms, and I recognized the look on her face. It was pure, stubborn anger, and it meant that no matter what I said, she was going to do whatever she wanted.

I could fight it all I wanted, but what did it matter? We were going to her apartment one way or the other.

I decided to just make it easy on myself.

“Fine,” I said, “but we have to make it a fast trip.”

“I just need to grab it.”

“Let’s go.” I kicked the engine to life as she got back on.

The meeting with Jetter kept playing in my mind. On the surface, things were civil between our two groups, but everyone knew better than that. Jetter and the Rebels had been itching to get a piece of our action for years, ever since Jetter had taken over and become their president. He was an opportunist, and he would turn his back on us the second it benefitted him.

More than that, it seemed like he knew something we didn’t. He seemed almost confident in our meeting, which was probably not surprising, but he had just lost a man. He was almost cavalier about it, almost like it didn’t matter so much.

The only person in the world who knew what had happened was sitting on my bike with me, probably mentally preparing herself to marry me. Worst of all, she couldn’t even begin to understand what was happening around her.

Maybe she hated me, although I wasn’t sure why. If anything, I had every right to despise her. Because of what had happened between us, her father had thrown me in prison and she hadn’t so much as written me a letter. And here I was willing to sacrifice my damn freedom for her just to keep her protected from the bad motherfuckers who wanted to do her harm, and she was acting like I was some asshole.

Damn girl thought the world revolved around her pretty little head. Truth was, I wanted to fuck her cunt so bad, I was beginning to think that was true. The way my dick strained toward her every time she was around meant maybe she actually was the center of the damn universe.