Merrick: Harlequins MC (19 page)

“Yes, but I found out differently today. Twenty men attacked us and tried to steal your guns. They paid for it with their lives. Before one died he admitted to attacking your compound.”

There was a long pause. “I will take care of it.”

“Which brings me to the problem. If you wipe them out, we’ll lose our ability to bring weapons into the country for you, at least for a while.”

“I can’t allow them to get away with attacking me,” Abana said.

“I understand, Señor Abana, but it will take me some time to arrange another way to bring your weapons in.”

“Do you know who the Corpse Killers’ contact was?”

“No. They guarded that information carefully, for obvious reasons.”

“If I provide you with the name, do you think you can arrange a deal with them?”

Merrick shrugged. “I don’t see why not. My money is as green as theirs. How will you get the name?”

“Leave it to me,” Abana said and Merrick could hear the cold smile in his voice. “Thank you for providing me this information. I’m sorry I doubted you. Do you know where the merchandise is that was stolen from me?”

“No. We didn’t have time for a lengthy conversation.”

“If I provide you that information, can you recover it for me?”

“Probably.”

“I’ll also give you that information. You recover my merchandise and I will pay you fifty percent of the regular price.”

Merrick smiled. That would be a very profitable operation for them. “Tell us where to find it and we’ll do our best to recover it.”

“Thank you. You have done me a great service today.”

“Thank you, Señor Abana. We may someday wish to leave your employ, but we’ll never cross you, for the very reason the Killers are about to discover.”

“I hope that day is far in the future. I believe our business arrangement has been mutually beneficial. To help ensure our continued success, I will give you a little something extra you can pass along to the contact as an incentive to do business with you.”

“Thank you, Señor Abana,” Merrick said, sincerely hoping the incentive wouldn’t be a body part.

Merrick grimaced slightly as he stepped off his bike in the La Palacio parking lot. They’d delivered the merchandise to Señor Abana without a hitch, but as they transferred the weapons from Jason’s Tahoe to Abana’s Range Rover, he couldn’t help but think about what this load had cost. The cops were going to be crawling all over the massacre on the road and he prayed they hadn’t left behind anything pointing to the Harlequins.

“You okay?” Poppy asked as Merrick limped into the hotel. She was waiting for him in the lobby with a surprise.

“Yeah. I think I strained something yesterday pushing on that damn steering wheel.”

“I’m sorry. Come here. I have something to show you,” she said with a grin, dragging him toward the dining room. When they entered, most of the cast and crew began to clap and cheer quietly.

“How you doing, man?” Merrick asked, walking up to Tony. He was the only one sitting, a pair of crutches propped on the table behind him.

“Good, thanks to you,” Tony said, offering his hand.

Merrick shook it and grinned. “Remind me not to loan you my car.”

Taylor walked up. “When the shoot is over, I want you and all the Harlequins to join us at our wrap party. Normally that’s only for cast and crew, but I think you’re part of the family now.” Everyone clapped and cheered again. “Also…also,” Taylor began as the clapping died down, “I’m going to try to arrange an early premier of
Los Rio
for you and your men here in Laredo.”

Merrick’s grin spread. He couldn’t care less about the movie premier, but he appreciated the sentiment that went into the offer. “Thank you. I’m sure our old ladies will be thrilled to get to attend a movie premier. Did you find out what caused the accident?”

“Broken tie-rod,” Tony said. “They caught it on camera. Just one of those things. It was probably defective from the factory.”

Merrick sighed in relief. If it had been sabotage, he didn’t have the first clue what to do about it.

He stood around talking with the cast and crew, Poppy tucked in close at his side. He’d never been one for parties, but it allowed him to forget for an hour or so what had happened on the road. It felt good to be the hero and think about what he’d done.

He wasn’t ashamed of what the Harlequins did. There was nothing inherently illegal in selling arms. They could legally do it all day, even the fully automatic weapons, with the proper permits. It was the who that was the problem. Supplying weapons to a drug lord was strictly illegal, but so long as Abana used the weapons for his own purposes in Mexico, he didn’t have a problem selling them to him. If he didn’t do it, someone else would. But that was before today. Today the violence had come to his front door, and he was still reeling.

“Can we get out of here?” he whispered to Poppy.

“I thought you’d never ask.”

***

“When does production start up again?” he asked as they rode up in the elevator.

“For me, Friday at ten. Will is going to shoot some second unit stuff tomorrow to give Blake and me another day.”

“You have the whole day off tomorrow?”

She grinned. “Yes I do, until ten on Friday, and I know how I want to spend it. Are you sure you’re okay? You seem a little down.”

He smiled. “No, I’m fine.”

“Stay with me tonight?”

“Yes, but not here. I have a better idea. Pack a bag.”

“Where are we going?”

“How about the Riviera? Between work and the wreck, I could use some down time.”

Poppy grinned. “The Riviera, huh? You sure we can be back in time.”

“No problem.”

“And how are we going to get there? Your motorcycle?”

“Yep.”

She giggled, wondering what game he was playing. “Sure. I’ve never been to the Riviera.”

***

With a couple of changes of clothes, toiletries, and nothing else, they rumbled along Highway 359 and 285. The night air was cool and refreshing as the Harley crooned its road song. Riding always helped clear his mind, and as the powerful headlamp split the darkness, Merrick began to come to peace with what happened on the road. All they’d done was defend themselves. There was no doubt the Corpse Killers would have killed them all given the chance. They’d proven their willingness to kill when they attacked Abana’s compound. They’d have gunned them down without a second thought and taken the weapons, but they’d miscalculated the Harlequins’ determination and willingness to fight. Who knows what story they would have spun to Abana, and Abana would have taken bloody revenge on the Harlequins. The bulk of the Harlequins had no idea their club dealt in illegal arms on the side, and one hundred thirty men, and probably their families, would have paid the price. They’d done what they had to in order to protect the club and the brothers who belonged to it, and he could live with that. Hopefully it would be another thirty years before something like that happened again.

Poppy leaned in close as Merrick’s motorcycle thundered through the darkness. She didn’t love the guy, but yesterday had changed the way she looked at him. Before he was just a fuck, someone who was scratching an itch, a fling she would have soon forgotten. Then yesterday happened. The first thing she remembered after the panic of realizing the car was about to crash was him smashing the window and leaning in, crying her name and asking her if she was okay. She’d tried to get out but was trapped by the seatbelt until he cut her free and pulled her from the car. Then, after making sure she was okay, he’d joined the other Harlequins as they took charge of getting Tony out of the car. Watching him and the other Harlequins bellow in effort as they gave everything they had to free Tony, seeing them give so much for someone they didn’t even know, then realizing Merrick had injured himself in the effort had impressed her deeply. She smiled and snuggled in a little tighter. She still wanted him to scratch the itch, and it might still be a summertime fling, but she wouldn’t be forgetting Mr. Capra anytime soon.

She grinned as the sign welcoming them to Riviera, Texas, flashed past in the darkness. She’d thought he was yanking her chain, but he’d taken her to the Riviera after all. They rode through the small, sleepy, little town and he pulled to a stop in a small but tidy motel. She could smell the ocean, and if she listened carefully, she could hear waves in the quiet.

“May I help you?” the plump, grandmotherly woman asked as they stepped into the office.

“Capra. I called a couple hours ago for reservations.”

“Ah, yes, Mr. Capra. The office normally closes as ten, but I’ve been waiting on you. You’re very prompt. You said ten-thirty,” she said with a glance at the lock.

Poppy turned to look at the clock, and smiled. They were five minutes early.

Merrick filled out the paperwork and paid for the room as Poppy explored the lobby. The motel was obviously older, but it had been lovingly maintained, and was full of interesting Texas and ocean memorabilia.

“Room 128,” the woman said, passing over the key. “It’s on the back, facing the ocean, on the far end. Enjoy your stay.”

“Thank you,” Merrick said, pulling the key off the counter and dropping it in his pocket.

They collected their few belongings from the bike and walked to the far door. She could hear the splash of waves more clearly now and there was soft, fresh breeze blowing in.

Their room was small and full of antique furniture, though the bath appeared to have been updated recently. By far the best feature was the large, four-poster bed with canopy and gauzy side curtains.

As they prepared for bed, Merrick opened the windows and the cool ocean breeze wafted into the room.

“The breeze feels wonderful,” Poppy said, noticing how the side curtains on the bed swayed with the breeze like in a romantic movie.

“Not every place in Texas is as hot as Laredo,” Merrick said as he pulled her in, then kissed her slowly.

The lump on her head was still sore, and her ribs ached, but that wasn’t going to prevent her from fucking him if he was up for it, the bulge in his pants giving her hope. “How’s your back?” she asked as the kiss dissolved.

“How’s your head?”

“We’ll have to be slow, and you can’t put too much weight on me.”

He watched her eyes then smiled softly. “Slow sounds perfect to me.”

He took a half step sideways and clicked the lamp off, plunging the room into darkness. Before her eyes could adjust his lips were on hers, his kiss slow and erotic as he began to slowly remove her clothes. She was nervous the windows were open, worried a paparazzo would snap a photo of her and Merrick making love, but as his lips began to slide down her body, she stopped worrying about it. Nobody knew where she was, and in the darkness of the room, and veil of the side curtains, she realized they couldn’t be seen. She sighed as he tugged her fingers, pulling her to the bed. As she parted the gossamer like material and climbed up onto the tall bed, she felt like Scarlett O’Hara, and Merrick was Rhett Butler. A moment later he joined her on the bed, pulling her to him, his skin deliciously warm against the cool breeze as his took her lips.

He rolled her over onto her back, being careful to keep his weight light, enjoying the feel of her warm soft skin against his own. They’d had fire, passion and hard fucking, but tonight he wanted more. He wanted to make love to her, to wash away the dirt and grime of today with something pure and beautiful.

“I want you,” he whispered.

She smiled as she nodded slowly. She could just see his face in the bright moonlight, and the way he was looking at her made her heart skip a beat. Each time they’d fucked before he’d looked at her with lust and a fire that made her tingle all the way to her pussy. Tonight the savage lust was missing, replaced with a tenderness that surprised her. “I want you, too.”

He started to reach for his condom, but then paused. “Do you trust me?”

“Yes.”

He kissed her softly. “Are you on the pill? Are you safe?”

She smiled, realizing where he was going. Did she want to do this? She’d never had sex without her partner wearing protection, but she was on the pill as a backup. “Yes.”

He kissed her softly again. “I want you,” he repeated. “I don’t want to feel anything between us.”

“No,” she breathed. “Take me.”

He slowly slid into her, taking her lips as he did. It had been a long time since he’d fucked a woman without a covering on, and the rarity of the experience excited him. It somehow seemed so right and natural that he and Poppy were making love as it was meant to be, trusting each other, holding each other tight as he slowly rocked his hips.

She held him, the feel of him moving inside of her exhilarating. It was probably just her imagination, but without the condom she felt wetter, more ready, than she could remember any time before.

“You feel so good,” he murmured into her neck before rising to take her lips. She kissed him with gusto, raising his heat, starting his orgasm on the march, and he shifted slightly as he began to trust into her harder.

She gasped as his change in position made his cock start hitting her just right. “Oh, God,” she breathed as he began to drive into her harder, each stroke a flair of pleasure. “You’re going to make me come,” she whispered. “Come with me. I want to feel you come with me,” she begged.

He began to drive into her harder still, pulling his orgasm to him, wanting to experience the peak of rapture with her. “Yes,” he whispered. “I’m going to come with you.”

“I want you to kiss me when you come,” she breathed, her orgasm spooling up, the thought of them climaxing at the same time exciting her.

“Yes,” he whispered, her words puncturing him like an arrow. “I’m going to come,” he said as he began to pound into her, pushing against his orgasm, holding against the tide of pleasure as it threatened to overwhelm him.