ROUGHNECK: A DARK MOTORCYCLE CLUB ROMANCE (16 page)

J
ared explained
it all in such a rush that I only caught bits and pieces. He said something about going in to help Hale. He said he needed to get the gun.

I had to grab ahold of his arm and drag my feet just to slow him down.

When he’d calmed enough to talk to me, it was too late.

The first two shots went flying just over head. By the time we found the source, there was no chance to run. It was the man from inside. The one who slapped me for talking back. The one who was in charge of all of this. The one they called “Sly.”

He pointed his big gun at us and told us to back up slowly.

“Shit, you two made this a much bigger pain in the ass than it should have been. I knew your sorry ass went to the cops!”

“I’m here. You’ve got me, so let her go,” said Jared.

“I don’t think so kid. I’ve got dead bodies lying all over this property because of you. Those pigs are taking down the whole fucking club. Two more bodies aren’t gonna make a difference.”

“She doesn’t know anything. You don’t need her,” he pleaded.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” said Sly. “I need her to
suffer
.”

He swung his gun toward me as Jared leapt. Everything slowed down. I saw the barrel spit fire and I heard the earth-shattering sound. I saw Hale… I saw him round the corner and lock eyes on us just as the gun went off.

I saw Jared’s body take the bullet that was meant for my chest.

When my brother spun in the air and came crashing down at my feet, everything went back into real time.

“Jared… no!” I shrieked.

His shirt was drenched in blood. It looked like the bullet hit just below his shoulder.

I looked up just in time to see Sly fix his gun on me again. Another crackling shot pierced the night. But this time, Sly fell.

The hole in his heart was big enough to see through. At first there was confusion on his face, and then… nothing. His lifeless body dropped in the dirt.

Sirens screamed in the distance. Someone was shouting over a megaphone and gunfire continued to ring out from the clubhouse.

“Jared!”

He managed to sit up, his arm hanging limply at his side

“Are you okay, Sis?”

“We need to get you to a hospital…” I shouted, tears streaming down my face.

“I’m sorry about all this,” he said, “ I didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“Don’t say you’re sorry… Just hang on. We’ll get you out of here.”

His eyes shifted past me.

“Did we get ‘em Roughneck?”

Hale jogged up to us and placed a big hand on my shoulder.

“Yeah, we got ‘em Ace…”

The look in Hale’s eyes as he surveyed the scene told me what I didn’t want to know. My little brother was hurt… Bad… Color was already draining from his skin as he helped Jared to his feet.

“We have to get out of here right now,” I said, pulling on Jared, but he was no longer paying attention to either of us. I looked past Roughneck toward the clubhouse and I could see exactly what Jared was staring at. The little girl who saved me was hanging from the same ledge I’d dropped from. She must have been spooked by the gunfire and followed me out.

A bullet whizzed through the air above us, slamming into the shed, and Roughneck pulled me down out of the line of fire. I lost grip on Jared as he started to move.

“Get her out of here Roughneck!” he shouted, his feet carrying him faster toward the clubhouse even as a trail of blood followed in his wake.

“He’s not going to make it,” I shouted at Roughneck, trying to get up and run after him.

Hale gave me a squeeze.

“Adeline… we have to hurry.”

“But my brother, he’s…”

He scooped me up in his arms and threw me over his shoulder. I sobbed uncontrollably as we ran away from my dying brother. I kept my eyes on Jared as Hale moved, watching as he caught the girl with his good arm. Both of them collapsed to the ground, my brother covering her with his body as more gunfire rang out.

Hale’s motorcycle was parked just outside the compound. He set me on the back and fired it up just as another half-dozen police cars came screeching on to the property. They didn’t see us behind the outcropping of trees.

He cranked the throttle and melted rubber to the road as we tore off into the night. I held my man tight as I wept. The noise faded but the image of my brother’s face burned bright behind my closed eyes.

I felt the world crashing down around me.

“
O
ne day you will
…”

I held my ring finger out and waggled it in front of his face. Hale raised an eyebrow.

“One day,” he said. “One day when he’s old enough to ride on his own.” He nodded toward our bouncing baby boy in the bassinet near the end of the bed.

“I don’t care,” I said. “As long as it’s one day.”

Hale pulled the pillow over his face and sunk back into the bed.

“Don’t even think about going to sleep! You promised you would take me before work.”

I jumped on him and tickled his bare stomach. He squirmed and tossed the pillow against the wall. Our baby giggled.

“Fine. You win.”

“Are you riding today?” I asked.

“There’s a meeting with the Drifters. Preacher needs me to hang around for a little while.”

“I hope you boys are playing nice.”

“The Drifters are solid. We’re talking about some territory splits for some time down the road when the numbers go back up. It’s best to be prepared for that sort of shit, I guess.”

The Fallen had regrouped after that fateful night. Hale remained very much an active member ever since. His side returned to power when the majority of Sly’s crew wound up dead or in jail.

The latter included Dirty, who was sentenced to multiple life terms for the two killings of the couple back east and the shooting out on the highway. I sat in attendance for every day of his trial. He cried on his lawyer’s shoulder when the foreman read the verdict.

Preacher had returned to lead the club, and he was a man who Hale respected deeply. He requested that Hale be his VP. But Hale didn’t want the role. He remained the group’s enforcer. It suited him well.

“Let’s go! I want to have enough time to see him off before I go in.”

“Alright, already. You keep nagging me and that damn ring’s not gonna meet your finger until we’re in rocking chairs.”

“Don’t tempt me,” I teased.

“Get the kid squared away with the sitter and I’ll meet you out front.”

I took JD to the babysitter waiting on our couch. One look at his little blue eyes and you could tell who he belonged to. He was our miracle child. He’d been there inside me that fateful night when everything went wrong, and here he was none the wiser. I loved him more than life…

I grabbed my ID off the table and went to Hale. The rumble of the bike never got old. All fuel and sweat and oil. I still loved it.

“Bus station, right?”

“We need to be there by two.”

“Hold on.”

We shot through town, and then on to the freeway. How Hale got away with breaking every rule in the book, I didn’t know. My theory was most cops didn’t have the nerve to stop him. I couldn’t blame them if it was true.

Hale rolled the bike to a stop at the curb and let me off.

“I’ll be right behind you, babe.”

There he was in his dress blues. I was truly proud.

“Hey Sis! You made it.”

Jared survived that night. We didn’t know until the next day when the hospital called. He needed several blood transfusions and almost didn’t make it… But he was a hero. He saved that little girl from her fall, and he took a second bullet shielding her body with his own.

I was proud of him…

In exchange for his testimony in Dirty’s trial, he’d gotten his charges dropped and part of his record expunged. The prosecution called him their star witness.

The first thing he did when he recovered from his injuries was enlist in the navy.

“You’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”

“I know, I’m kind of nervous.”

“You’ll be great,” I said. “This is good for you. You need to get out of here.”

“And what about you?” he asked. “Will you be alright?”

I looked over my shoulder at Hale, who was just climbing off his bike.

“Yeah,” I nodded. “I’ll be fine.”

The PA system announced last call for boarding.

“Give me a hug.”

I pulled him in and tried not to cry. Despite everything, I was going to badly miss him.

“I love you.”

“I love you too. Be safe.”

He took a few steps toward the bus as Hale walked up and threw his arms around my neck.

“Give ‘em hell, Ace!”

Jared smiled and saluted my man before walking up the steps.

“You gonna be okay?” Hale whispered in my ear.

“I’ll be fine,” I said. “But I’m worried about the U.S. Navy.”

He gave me a squeeze and turned me toward the parking lot. I gave one last look over my shoulder to see Jared laughing and joking with another young guy on the bus.

He was going to be fine.

“Let’s get you to work,” said Hale. “Those patients aren’t gonna take care of themselves.”

“Take the long way. We have plenty of time.”

I felt free. It was hard to describe it as anything else. All of the pain and anxiety that had come as a result of those dark times was worth it now. There was nothing that could stand in our way. I held on to the man I knew would be mine forever.

The road rolled out amongst a beautiful backdrop of trees and mountains. We’d be back in the city soon, but that didn’t stop me from treasuring the beautiful day ahead.

The patch on his jacket used to make me afraid. I didn’t know what he was capable of while wearing it. But now, as I studied the stitching from the rear of his Harley, I found strength in it. No longer was I an outsider to the world. Hale had claimed me as his, and through that, I was protected.

“Can we stop?” I yelled from my seat. My voice floated away like a bubble in the breeze.

I gave his ribs a squeeze and he eased off the throttle.

“I don’t have to be back at the hospital for an hour.”

Hale grinned as he surveyed the road ahead.

“Home?” he asked.

The look in my eye told him I couldn’t wait for home. With a wink, Hale turned back to the road.

He knew the area like the back of his hand. Years of riding had shown him the way. He lived his life with passion, but never seemed truly at ease unless he was on the highway. It was his sanctuary.

We turned off of the main drag onto a little farm road. I pressed my thighs into him as he navigated the bumpy surface.

We’d spent the last year discovering each other. The baby was a welcome surprise. Our little, impromptu family was doing just fine. The nurse, the biker, and the baby boy… it didn’t sound real to me yet. I didn’t know if it ever would, but it made me believe in love.

Hale took pride in caring for us. The MC was in his blood, and he would never give up that life. I didn’t want him to, either. It made him who he was. But, we were his family and he’d go to the ends of the Earth to care for us.

The engine purred as he brought us to a stop in front of a little meadow. It was secluded from the rest of the world by a stand of trees that ran the length of the highway.

I drew a long breath of cool morning air in a futile attempt to slow the fire that was raging inside of me. Even after a year, he still made me tremble when he got that look in his eye.

“You look
too
good in those scrubs. I don’t know how those doctors keep their hands off of you.”

“It might have something to do with the fact that my boyfriend runs with The Fallen. More people know who you are than you would believe.”

I climbed down from behind him and kicked my shoes and socks off. The soft grass felt like heaven under my feet.

The image of him, alone on that bike, bent toward destruction, was one I’d be happy to keep in my head for the rest of time. The black bandana, the rough stubble on his face, the chiseled body… it all still put a weakness in my knees that I struggled to deal with.

I watched, lustfully, as he threw his leg over the beast and stepped off. His arms wrapped around my stomach in a gentle hug.

“You shouldn’t be out here in the middle of nowhere with a man like me,” he whispered in my ear.

“Didn’t your mother ever tell you to stay away?”

“I can take care of myself.”

“Are you
sure
? Because, out here, no one can hear you scream?”

“You’re going to make me scream?” I asked, coyly. “I don’t know if you have it in you.”

He took my challenge in stride.

“Hold on tight.”

He threw his arms around me as I slumped against the seat of the motorcycle. The kiss he buried into my neck made my toes curl.

“I’m gonna give you everything you need. When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to beg for any more.”

I pulled his face to mine. Our lips touched and it felt like the first time all over again. Hot, forcefully kisses played back and forth between our mouths.

I steadied on the seat so I could wrap my legs around him. All I wanted was for the clothing between us to disappear so I could give myself over.

He whispered dirty things into my ear… words that would have made me blush and run away little more than a year ago. Now, I lapped it up and strained to hear more.

“Give it to me,” I pleaded. “I want you to fuck me hard.”

“Don’t ask for it unless you can take it.”

“Fuck me like I’m bad.”

Desire dripped off of him. The heat coming from his body was unreal.

I ran my hands down his strapping arms, trying not to scratch into them. His muscles tightened as our hands met and our fingers intertwined.

I was his to guide.

Hale turned me away. The power from the thrust of his hips sent me over the frame of the bike. He held me by the elbows as he roughly grinded himself against me. Even though the thick denim, I could feel the throb of his jutting cock.

His hands worked like magic. The aggression with which he went after me didn’t stop his fingers from nimbly loosening the strings on my scrub pants.

He tugged them down to my ankles in a fluid motion. I was overwhelmed with need. Part of me desperately wanted to face him so I could watch him work. The other part lay intrigued with the anticipation of the unknown. Everything in my DNA screamed for me not to turn my back on a predator. The thrill is what kept me still.

How would he take me first?

Hale shoved his hand down the backside of my panties. His strong fingers squeezed and probed at my ass. He took a handful of my hair with his free hand and yanked me toward him.

My back arched and my slit ached for the touch. His fingers split in a “V” and teased at the edges.

“Give it to me.”

I tugged my hair free of his grasp and fell further over the motorcycle. If I tried, I’d be able to reach out and touch the blades of grass in front of me.

Just as his fingers penetrated, he slapped his palm down on my ass.

He didn’t hold anything back. I squirmed under his grasp as he worked me from behind like a piston. Hale’s rough hand covered my gushing pussy.

“This is mine, Addy. Every inch of this little body is mine.”

My knees slammed together as my ankles kicked apart. The only thing keeping them somewhat contained were the panties stretching between the two. He remained inside of me, teasing my clit with his thumb.

“I… oh…,” my mind was blank. Or maybe it was full. Full of the pleasure and ecstasy he filled me with.

Everything seemed to buzz when he moved.

He dropped to a knee behind me and attacked with his mouth. The tip of his tongue landed a direct hit against my swelling clit. I rolled my hips, making my sensitive body dance over his face. He stayed in rhythm, catching me between his lips, then letting me slide free.

His tongue darted inside. I pushed back on him, my clit bumping against his unshaven face. He held my hips in place and massaged from the inside with his tongue while I grinded myself into his chin.

My body shook and shimmied under the power of the orgasm. Hale stayed behind me and let the pleasure roll through to the tips of my toes.

He held my legs tight to his chest and placed a light bite on my butt cheek as I finished. It was a subtle reminder that he would still take what was his.

Hale stood behind me, hooking the panties between my ankles with the toe of his boot. He pulled them over my heels, flipped them in the air, and caught them.

“You can ask me for these later,” he said, as he stuffed them into his pocket.

He could have thrown them into the bushes for all I cared. I was still trying to recover from the number he’d just done on me.

His muscled thighs rubbed against my taut, smooth hamstrings. The tip of his member tickled my bare lips.

“Is this what you want?” he asked, letting it bounce tantalizingly between us.

“Oh…”

I still couldn’t form a coherent thought.

Like an arrow to a target, his cock found its mark. It plunged deep into me, my body flexing around him.

He shoved his hands under me to reach my perky breasts. He rubbed and fondled beneath the cover of my top. I struggled to pull it off, but with each authoritative stroke, he made me succumb to his movements and forget what I was doing.

My eyes rolled as he pounded himself into me. Hale got the shirt the rest of the way over my head and, if bolstered by the complete view of my naked form, revved the energy to a higher level.

Every part of me shook and jumped as he conquered my body. His powerful hips pushed the thick, hard member deep into me.

“Take that dick, Adeline,” he barked.

I was at his mercy and loving every second of it. Our clothes littered the ground around our feet as Hale Murphy fucked me wildly.

I loved how my body reacted to the pressure he put on it. Each deep penetration
made
me accommodate him.

His hands clamped down around my ass cheeks.

Oh... oh… oh…

He lifted me off the bike and pulled me to his chest, letting himself sink deep into me. I was pushed to my absolute limit.

Effortlessly, Hale held me against him as he continued to fire at my wetness. Without losing the tempo, he planted me squarely on all fours.

“I’m gonna come,” I squealed. “Finish with me baby. Finish inside.”

“I’m not letting you off the hook that easy.”

I clamped down on him as another burst of pleasure went through me. The release was like nothing I’d ever felt before. I tried to squeeze him into joining me, but he was too controlled. His cock pulsed and twitched but didn’t explode.