Victory Rising (11 page)

Logan frowned. “Maybe he should.”

* * * *

Devon’s afternoon romp had lasted a few hours longer than anticipated. Now, Logan was riding on borrowed time. He was supposed to meet Gaylord on neutral ground. They had an appointment set for eight o’clock, and of all times, Logan had to report in and meet Mark Sampson, the lead detective working several motorcycle club-related crimes.

Opening up the throttle, Logan gripped his handlebars and ripped down Highway 93. He’d told Sampson he had a previous engagement but the other detective hadn’t cared. He was insistent upon meeting up before Logan met Gaylord at The Big Orange, a Fall Branch pub where bikers rubbed shoulders with cowboys and other locals.

Taking a right off the interstate, Logan pulled in the driveway of an abandoned house. According to the sign in the yard, the house was due to go on auction the week after next. He followed the narrow driveway and parked in the carport behind the ranch-style home.

Laying his heel to the kickstand, he steadied his bike and swung his leg over the seat. And that’s when his nagging suspicions were confirmed.

Gaylord was seated next to Mark. He wore his club jacket and a smug expression, both represented danger as far as Logan was concerned.

Crook of the century was a more deserving title.

Mark exited his unmarked vehicle on the driver’s side. His passenger didn’t leave the car.

Logan was a little uneasy, but quickly reminded himself of their positions. At the moment, he wasn’t a biker with the Heroes and Rogues. He wasn’t the current treasurer for one of the oldest MC chapters in the state.

Oh no. For the time being, he was a cop, a man on a mission to bring down a rival club and its members. His gut told him the man in Sampson’s car had been hired to do the same.

“Mark,” Logan said, yanking his helmet from his head.

“You’re late,” Mark said, glancing behind him. “You weren’t followed?”

“How long have I been doing this?”

“Too long,” Mark replied. “We all have.”

“So I see,” Logan said, glaring at the man behind the glass.

“None of us have been in place as long as Gaylord. He trumps us all in years and experience,” Mark said, thumbing the air behind him.

Logan sneered, thinking about the unpleasant past he shared with Gaylord. Undercover, they were adversaries. A few hours earlier, he’d held a blasted shotgun to the man’s head, and now this? Fuck!

Gaylord opened his door and exited the car. He took long strides and stood in front of Logan, right next to Mark.

Gaylord clenched his fists and gritted his teeth.

“You take that punch, and I’ll return it. We can beat each other down and waste some time, and we’ll both go back with bruises and scars,” Logan warned him.

“That’s a guarantee,” Gaylord said.

“How long have you been under?” Logan asked. No point in directing his questions to Sampson. He’d lie anyway.

“Too long.”

“That’s what we all say.”

“You’ve been in long enough,” Gaylord said, nodding at Sampson.

“Why? Because you say so?”

“Because you’ve switched sides. You pulled a weapon on a federal agent!”

“And I knew you were a fed how?” Logan asked, reaching in his pocket for the disc he’d been ordered to deliver.

“You can’t stay under if you don’t know which side you’re working for anymore,” Mark said.

“You want me out?” Logan asked.

“Gaylord says you’re confused about which side you represent.”

Logan slapped the disc against Gaylord’s chest. “Is that right?”

His eyes searched Gaylord’s. The son-of-bitch wanted him out because
Gaylord
had gone rogue. Based on his research, hours upon hours of digging, Logan knew Gaylord had been a Devil’s Angels for as long as he’d been married. He and his wife had an eighteen-year-old daughter. That put Gaylord inside for one of the longest stints in history. He definitely had clout. That much was probably a given.

“I’ve never pulled a shotgun on a man,” Gaylord told him.

“That’s funny. I seem to recall you holding a pistol to Devon’s head.”

“To keep the situation under control.”

Bullshit!
“Same here. And since you’re still standing, it’s obvious I didn’t fire,” Logan said, digging in his pocket. Having warranted suspicions, Logan had come prepared. Dumping the empty shells in Gaylord’s hand, he said, “They were blanks anyway.”

“At close range, you still could’ve done some damage.”

“I had no intentions of firing on you,” Logan said.

“And what if the Angels had taken a shot? What then?” Gaylord asked.

“I guess you proved today you at least have your club under control.”

“Meaning?”

“Maybe you should practice what you preach,” Logan said, nodding toward the disc.

Mark looked confused. “Something I should know about?”

“Ask him,” Logan said, marching to his bike. “If anyone has been inside too long, it’s Gaylord, and considering what I know about him, I don’t appreciate you possibly blowing my cover to bring us all together for this pow-wow. I’ll be talking to your superior, Sampson.”

“You’re out, Logan,” Mark said. “Go back to the clubhouse, pack up your things and your woman, and get out of town. We have a big bust planned, and you don’t want Sassy there when it all comes down.”

Logan chuckled. He couldn’t help it. He found the timing completely hilarious, and Gaylord was way too smug. Damn it, this wasn’t going to go down like Gaylord had planned. Gaylord should’ve had a plan B because, right about now, he needed one.

“Mark, you got the wrong finger on the wrong guy.” Logan tilted his chin toward Gaylord. “Tell me something, Gaylord. Does your wife know about your real job? Does she know you’re deep undercover?”

“She knows.”

“Fine, she knows.” Logan shook his chin strap free of a tangle and affixed his helmet atop his head. “Does she know about Victory?”

“That was all for show,” Gaylord replied.

“Uh huh,” Logan muttered, averting his attention away from Gaylord. “Then care to tell Mark why you needed proof she’s fucking Devon?”

“I didn’t ask for proof. He volunteered.”

Logan affixed his gaze on the man who’d been his primary contact between the world he’d left behind as a cop and the world he lived in now. “He was in bed with Victory.”

“If he was there, he was there for a reason.”

“That’s a crock of shit, and you know it.” Logan felt his nostrils flare. He took a moment to regain his composure. “Since when do federal agents slash a woman’s tires?”

“I’m not guilty,” Gaylord said, standing taller and under the apparent misguided impression he could explain away infidelity, murder, and all sorts of illegal activity. Not to mention bad behavior. “And you heard Mark. Everything I do is for a greater cause.”

“He’s right, Logan.”

“Oh, I agree. Gaylord sure has his reasons,” Logan drawled, sarcasm spilling in his tone. “He’s in love with Victory Rising. You should’ve seen him when he rode out to our clubhouse today. He was ready to kill for her, demanded a property tour, and if he’d found her, there’s no doubt in my mind, he would’ve dragged her out of there kicking and screaming.”

“She’s Devil’s Angels property. She has a home. We need her to stay in place.”

“She’s not going back. That DVD there should tell a pretty explicit story, put everything in layman’s terms for ya.”

Gaylord looked as if he’d been kicked in the balls. The color left his face and he said, “She’ll be back. She won’t stay with Devon. Besides, what will she have to stay for when the Heroes and Rogues are locked up and behind bars? With you and Sassy out of the picture, no one will be around to protect her.”

“You’re not getting rid of me that easy, Gaylord. I know who you are, and I know you’ve gone rogue.” Logan took a deep breath, processing what all of this meant and how Gaylord’s revealed cover could expose his position within the Heroes and Rogues. “It’s probably best if you keep my secrets and I keep yours. Enjoy your movie.”

Gaylord snarled. “This ain’t over, Marcs!”

Boarding his bike, Logan said, “You’re right. It’s only just beginning.”

Epilogue

Victory awoke with a heavy limb across her waist. She’d never felt more satisfied in all her life. She threw her arm overhead and stared at the ceiling, thinking of the previous hours and reliving them without an inch of regret. She was where she belonged. She was beside the man who’d always been kind to her, always made her feel like more of a woman.

Her gaze held at the camera, and she took a deep breath.

“I didn’t send it,” Devon said, propping himself up on one elbow.

“What do you mean?” she asked, flipping over to face him.

He moistened his lips and rubbed his right eye with a closed fist. “I gave Logan a blank disc.”

“Why would you do that?”

He rolled over to his side and reached for a remote control. After fiddling with the settings, he pointed the oblong object toward the television set and hit a button.

The explicit reminders of an afternoon well spent filled the room with erotic sounds. “I’m technologically challenged. There wasn’t time to make a copy of the DVD, and there was no way I was letting the original out of my possession.”

Victory watched a replay of some pretty intense fucking. She rubbernecked as she tried to figure out how Devon had maintained a few of his sexual positions, and for the first time, she noticed something she’d missed during their earlier sex fest.

He wasn’t just screwing her. He wasn’t just fucking her to pass away the time. He was making love to her. There was no question about it.

He cared about her, maybe even loved her.

“What is it?” he asked, kissing her forehead, cheeks, and finally her lips. “I thought you’d be happy. Surely you didn’t want Gaylord to see this.”

Victory took his hand and brought his fingertips to her mouth, brushing his knuckles with affectionate pecks. “Devon, look at us.”

He winked. “We do look pretty hot together, huh?”

She nudged him with her elbow. “That’s not what I meant.” She paused, deciding whether or not she wanted to take a leap of faith. Upon reaching her decision, she blurted, “You’re in love with me.”

“You think so?” he asked, completely focused on the television. He acted as if he were completely taken aback by the accusation and needed to watch the recorded footage for verification. “I don’t know. You look pretty smitten by me.”

“I am,” she admitted, placing two fingers under his chin and forcing him to look at her.

“You are?” His nose and upper cheek twitched.

“Yes. And I have a feeling you might like the idea.”

He pushed her arm toward his groin. “You might want to feel around again just to be sure.”

“I’m not talking about sex, Devon.”

“Right now? I am. I’m horny and you’re fucked.”

“And afterward?”

“I think I might just take you out there and tell the whole club.”

“That I was fucked?” she teased, stroking him.

“They won’t need confirmation there,” he promised her. “After I tell them you’re my old lady, they’ll pretty much know the dirty deed is done.”

“At least there won’t be any proof floating around.”

“Why? Are you ashamed of me?” Devon asked, arching a brow.

“Are you kidding me?” She pointed at the large screen and the oral acts unfolding there. “I don’t care if the whole world sees how well you loved me, Devon Kardashian.”

“Good,” he whispered across her lips. “Because I sure enjoy loving you, Victory Rising.”

“Remind me,” she crooned, spreading her legs.

“It’ll be my pleasure, sub.”

“I hope so, Sir, because I have an insatiable appetite.”

“For bikers?”

“For you, Devon,” she said softly. “Only and always for you.”

About the Author

Destiny Blaine and her pseudonyms are bestselling international e-book and trade paperback authors. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and daughter. Her son is serving in the United States Navy.

Visit Destiny on the web at
www.destinyblaine.com
or
www.destinyblaine.blogspot.com
.

Also available from
Resplendence Publishing

Sassy Road
by Destiny Blaine

Heroes and Rogues
Series, Book One

Sassy Road is tough, beautiful, smart and looking for a little retribution against the stepfather who abused her.