Bite Deep (29 page)

* * *

Jericho drove slow, rocks spraying up to hit the underside of the car, braking directly in front of the MC's cabin. He unlocked the front door and then returned to the ute. Lydia's lay still, a faint pulse flickering in her neck. Most of the blood had been cleaned from her skin, but her soft curly red hair was clotted with it. Scooping her up in his arms, he knew he needed to get her warm as soon as possible. At the moment, with his position with his crew and the Dog House in jeopardy, protection was all he could offer her.

He took her to one of the bedrooms at the back of the cabin, a room filled almost entirely with a large bed. He laid Lydia out and checked her pulse again, just to be sure, and found it steady enough. His hand hovered over the white gauze taped to her throat, wanting to check the injury wasn't as serious as he'd first thought. But he hesitated, not wanting to disturb her, and settled for watching her for a few minutes. Eventually he roused himself and left the room on soft feet, shutting the door behind him.

Jericho collapsed on the couch, mind replaying what had happened at the Dog House. His own men had turned from him, had doubted his ability to lead, and a sense of loss washed over him, caving in every certainty he'd become accustomed to. He'd thought he would stay president of the Diablo Dogs and command the compound until he passed the torch onto someone younger and deserving. But now, when he looked down the path of time, he couldn't see where he fit in, couldn't see what meaning his life had.

He hadn't realised he'd been dozing until approaching bikes jerked him awake. Boots clumped up to the front door, deliberately heavy, then the front door opened and Blades walked in, a backpack slung over one shoulder, heading for the kitchen.

Jericho stood, wondering if they were here to take him back to face Vaughn for a challenge. If they were, he wasn't sure he had the heart to fight them. They were still his pack brothers. If they were here for Lydia though … His body tensed.

Reaper followed, looking exhausted, and flopped down on the couch Jericho had just vacated. He picked up a fishing magazine and began flipping through it.

‘Hope you don't mind, but I rode your bike here,' Blades said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder and towards the door. ‘Thought you might want it.'

Jericho grunted, but said nothing. After all, what was there left to say? What could you do when your own crew didn't believe in you anymore? The pain in his chest was sharp and unrelenting, and he wondered if it would ever leave him.

‘Turk didn't mean what he said,' Reaper said, eyes fixed on the magazine. ‘He'll see soon enough what a prick Vaughn is.'

Frost entered the cabin, nodded once at Jericho, then sat next to Reaper, resting his heavy boots on the scarred pine coffee table.

‘Turk's back at the compound, trying to keep things calm,' Frost said in answer to an unasked question. ‘He wanted to come here, talk to you.' He shrugged. ‘But things are kind of tense with Vaughn. He's talking about disbanding the Diablo Dogs MC and bringing in his own men.'

‘What the hell happened?' Frost glared at Jericho. ‘Where did you go this morning?'

He sat down at the small kitchen table. ‘Lydia had a theory about where the Hunter was. I thought I'd check it out.'

‘By yourself?' Frost's eyes were chips of ice. ‘That was stupid.'

‘Lydia was with me.'

‘Even more stupid.'

He shrugged, not denying it. What was the point? Frost was right, he hadn't behaved like a leader, hadn't taken precautions to protect himself. And now everything was falling apart. ‘We were going to shake a name loose, try to get him to tell us who he was here to clean up after. We found photos at his hotel room, photos that look like they've been taken over the course of a couple of years. Most of them were of the females from Crystal Waters. Looked like whoever took them had a real hard-on.'

‘No photos of us?' Reaper asked.

‘My brother, you're too ugly for anyone to be jerking off to,' Blades said.

Reaper gave him the finger. ‘Fuck you.'

‘You wish, sunshine.' Blades turned to Jericho. ‘Guess from the state the Hunter's in, he didn't get around to giving you that name?'

‘You might say that,' Jericho said. ‘Things were getting ugly when the hotel manager showed up, waving around a crossbow.'

‘The hotel manager shot the Hunter?' Frost clarified, sounding doubtful.

‘She used to belong to the old coven,' Jericho told him. ‘Said she knew Coulter was a Hunter.'

‘If she was a witch, why did she use the crossbow?' Blades made a zapping gesture with his hands. ‘Why not just shove lightning bolts up his ass?'

‘No coven, no magic,' Frost said.

‘What do you know about witches and magic?' Blades asked, shooting him a suspicious look.

‘I read,' Frost answered. ‘You should try it sometime.'

Blades turned to Jericho. ‘Just because Little Miss Hero tried to help you, how can you be sure it wasn't just some elaborate Hunter stitch up? That she wasn't playing you?'

‘Because when we confronted Coulter, he slit her throat,' Jericho said flatly. ‘Pretty clear to me she's not with him.'

‘Coulter cut her?' Reaper sounded surprised. ‘I thought she was blood.'

‘Guess that didn't matter too much when it came down to it,' Jericho said.

‘What's the next move?' Frost asked.

‘I'm going to wait and make sure Lydia is out of danger,' Jericho said. ‘Then, I'm not sure.'

‘Your call, Jericho,' Reaper said. ‘We all back whatever you decide.'

‘You sure about that?' Jericho stared down at his hands. ‘Vaughn made some good points. He could bring in some cash the Dog House desperately needs.'

There was a short silence, before Reaper said, ‘Yeah, but he's also a douchebag.'

Blades chuckled. ‘And no one can follow a douchebag.'

‘We're going to wait,' Frost said. ‘Wait until we're all together to talk about this.' He pointed at Jericho. ‘What you did at Crystal Waters was serious and when the King finds out, your ass will be burned.'

‘Fuck the King,' Reaper muttered. ‘Who gives a shit what he thinks?'

Blades sighed. ‘That, I suppose, we can all agree on.' He tossed the backpack he'd bought in with him to Jericho, who caught it. Unzipping it, he spied a leather vest with the Diablo Dogs patch on the back.

‘You look naked without it,' Blades told him. ‘Regardless of what happens, we're brothers and the men at the compound need to know we're family. If Vaughn comes against you, he comes against us.'

‘And Lydia?' Jericho asked, hands holding the vest tight. Would he have to choose? He didn't know he could.

‘You've made your choice about her, and we stand by you,' Reaper grunted. ‘If you trust her, that's good enough.'

‘Agreed,' Blades said. ‘Of course, I still think you're insane, but Reaper's right for once.'

Jericho looked at Frost, who gave him a small nod. With a sigh, Jericho put on the vest and a tightness he hadn't realised existed unwound a little in his chest. He loved his brothers, would sacrifice anything for them. He supposed if he had to, he'd even push Lydia away for her own safety and the protection of the Dog House. But he'd die before he'd let anyone hurt her again.

* * *

Karla rubbed her neck, taking another sip of cold water. In the distance, the sounds of women laughing from the gardens could be heard and a burned amber sunset streamed soft light through the second-floor window of her bedroom.

‘You sure you're okay?' Vaughn sat down on the edge of her bed, touching her bare ankle.

‘I'll live.' She put the glass down on the side table. ‘Have you found Jericho yet?'

‘Not yet.' He fixed her with a steady look. ‘His man, Turk, won't tell me where he is. But he won't be too hard to find. Though I haven't decided what to do with him yet.'

Karla dropped her hands into her lap. ‘What he did was unforgivable.'

‘I know.'

‘He
attacked
me, over that woman.'

‘I know.'

‘And what will you do?' She knew her question was a challenge. Vaughn's fingers began stroking her ankle.

‘What would you suggest?' he asked.

‘He needs to pay,' she said, the words making her feel empty.

Vaughn's fingers stilled. ‘I'll send a message to the council and see what they advise.'

‘Are you serious?' She paused long enough to swallow the worst of her outrage. She tucked her legs under her, shifting closer. ‘You are the Enforcer to the King, sent here to ensure all measures of threat are neutralised. I don't know about you, but a Hunter here, inside my grounds, feels like a pretty big threat.'

‘You said Jericho had bitten her?' Vaughn said.

‘He claimed he was only part-reverted, but who knows if that's the truth,' Karla said. ‘He can't be trusted.'

‘And what do you think a just punishment would be?' he asked her.

‘A punishment that reminds him of his place,' Karla replied. ‘And reminds him of who I am.'

Vaughn stood and walked to the window to stare out, face lit a golden glow by the sunset. Karla shifted on the bed, a trickle of worry threading through her. She'd always been able to read the Enforcer, but this visit he'd been acting strange, inscrutable. Even when she pressed about her brother's illness, he'd neatly sidestepped the issue, face unreadable.

‘It's my intention to strip Ben Jericho of his title,' Vaughn finally said, eyes still trained on the sinking sun. ‘I have put forward a strong case that the recent deaths under his care clearly show he's lost whatever hold he's had over his men. And today, at the compound, even his own crew questioned his ability to lead.'

‘Do you have a successor in mind?' Karla asked.

‘Yes.' He turned to her. ‘Me.'

Karla blinked a few times, not sure she heard right. ‘Why?'

He crossed the room to sit beside her again. ‘The King is greatly ill. We both know it will only be a matter of time before he is challenged. This is my opportunity to sidestep from the lead Enforcer role and into something else. It will be a step down in authority, but I think I can make it work.' He shook his head. ‘The role of Rehabilitator has begun to attract attention and prestige. Some view it as a position of honour and sacrifice.' He reached over to take her hand. ‘A sacrifice I would make to stay here with you and my daughter.'

Karla tried to compose herself, thoughts whirling. If Vaughn really was going to pass that sentence over Jericho, then all her work, all that flirting, had been pointless. She wanted to scream. She wanted Jericho punished and broken, but not gone. But now it looked like she had little in the way of options.

‘I hadn't thought to stay here more than a few more years,' she said carefully. ‘I intend to eventually return to society.'

Vaughn let go of her hand. ‘I thought you would be pleased. This is a chance for us to be together.'

‘And I am.' She took back his hand, grasping it tight. ‘You've just taken me by surprise. This isn't something I'd thought of.'

‘And you usually think of everything, don't you.' Vaughn reached up to stroke her cheek. ‘Don't you see, this way I avoid the sentence of death from any challenges to the King.'

‘Jericho was spared,' she said without thinking.

His face darkened. ‘A momentary weakness by your brother. And I will not be dishonoured in such a way. I'd rather die than have my face marked by shame.'

Karla swallowed. She needed time to think, time to plan. ‘And what of the woman? The cop with Hunter blood?' she asked.

‘And what punishment do you think she deserves?'

‘She was bitten. Death is the release for her,' she said.

Something hard entered Vaughn's eyes. ‘And what do you think I would receive, should I pass this judgement out?'

She shifted closer to him with a smile. She understood this dance; manipulation was a familiar landscape to her. She almost laughed at the thought that Vaughn believed he could win at this game. His familiar scent stirred old feelings inside of her, reminding her of the past, when she thought she had all the time in the world to get what she wanted. Now, she suddenly felt as though her time was running out and she had no choice but to act boldly.

‘Have you seen Alice today?' she asked gently.

‘I have.'

‘I think it's time to explain who you are,' Karla told him, satisfied when his breath hitched, his hands clenching by his side. ‘Time for her to know her father.'

He pulled away. ‘Do you think she would understand why I haven't been around?'

‘I believe I could make her understand.'

Vaughn's jaw clenched. ‘I hate this. Being so far from you both. I want to watch her grow. I want to take care of you.'

‘I know you do,' Karla said. ‘And it's not too late for that to happen.'

Vaughn eyed her warily. ‘You agree with my plan?'

‘I can see you've taken much care in thinking it out,' she said, knowing she had to proceed carefully. ‘Jericho needs to be dragged to justice for what he did to me. For the safety of all Breed. For your daughter. For me. And the fact that the cop is still drawing breath is an insult to all of us. Jericho bringing her here … that atrocity must be dealt with, in the strongest of ways.' She took his hand, running her fingers over his palms. ‘We used to talk about the future, you and I. We used to talk about getting Alice recognised officially by my family. You want to come here? I think that's wonderful. But I need to know you can stand by my side for that and you won't falter. I need you to prove yourself worthy. Prove yourself to me.'

She reached up to stroke his cheek. Leaned forward to caress the edge of his jaw with her lips. ‘I know you are strong, Vaughn, I know you can take care of us.' Her fingers dipped, dancing down his chest, touching his belt buckle, then caressing lower. ‘And I have plans myself. Plans that include you, in a position of power, by my side. Enforcing my will.' Her hand danced lower, caressing his crotch lightly, feeling him harden. She bit back a smile. It would be almost too easy to twist his desires to align with hers.