Misfit (Death Dwellers MC #6) (79 page)

“Christopher, she needs
me
. She needs us,” Johnnie argued, his look and tone more reasonable.

“I give a fuck how?” Outlaw said, lifting his brow before he sighed with irritation. “If you had a fuckin’ way to stop her from tryin’ to fuck with Megan, I’d tell you to bring her the fuck back. You could take care of her here. But she made her fuckin’ bed, now she gotta fuckin’ lay all the fuck alone in it.”

“She sounds devastated, but she also sounds
finished
,” Johnnie admitted bleakly. “This just might end my marriage.”

Cash drained his beer, watching Outlaw stalk to the hallway without commenting, and disappear in the direction of his office.

Christopher sat behind his desk, drinking tequila and thinking of Johnnie’s devastation. He hadn’t seen Kendall around in days, so he knew she’d been put somewhere out of his reach. The aggravating cunt wouldn’t have had the sense to stay away, until Christopher cooled off. Until he
backed
off.

Now, she’d lost her fucking kid and Johnnie wanted her near, something Christopher understood. In a similar circumstance, he’d want to be with Megan.

But Kendall wasn’t Megan. Psycho bitch forever put him in a fucked up position. She’d destroyed his trust in Fee. Her conduct kept Johnnie unhappy.

Jesus, Mary, and all that was holy, why didn’t that bitch behave?

A light knock came on his door. At first, he thought he’d imagined it, then it came again.

“Come in,” he called, frowning as Cash stepped just inside the room, looking as if he preferred to be anywhere else.

Motherfucker knew he was owed a dick stomp for fucking with Fee after Christopher told him to stay the fuck away.

“What?” he barked.

No response.

Christopher had fuck all to say to Cash. Not only because of Fee, but because he was also the motherfucker who’d probably helped Johnnie put Kendall out of Christopher’s reach. It hadn’t escaped his notice how fucking buddy-buddy Johnnie and Cash had suddenly become.

“John Boy loves his old lady,” he started as if Christopher was a stupid motherfucker and needed that pointed out.

He’d never considered how deep that love went. Yeah, the motherfucker had gone off the deep end when she fucking left. At the time, Christopher thought a fuckload of hurt fucking pride had been mixed up with a sense of loss and betrayal. “So?”

“If you had a way for Kendall to come back, would you allow it?”

For Johnnie, yes. “I fuckin’ don’t got a way, so get the fuck outta my face.”

“Suppose you did?” Cash persisted. “Suppose you had some information to keep her in line? If she opens her mouth to Meggie, you’d go to Johnnie.”

Suddenly, he remembered coming upon Slipper and Kendall with Cash. Kendall wouldn’t have stopped to talk to either of those motherfuckers, unless she had a specific request. She hated Slipper, so she’d ask nothing of him. But Cash?

“You the assfuck with the ability to get that bitch away. You also the assfuck with hookups to all types of pills and shit. Pills to destroy babies, for fucking instance.”

Cash choked, all the confirmation Christopher needed. With a roar of rage, he bounded from the chair and punched Cash, sending the man reeling. “You stupid motherfucker,” he snarled, pulling his nine.

“Wait, Outlaw!” Cash cried, holding up his hands. “I didn’t get her abortion pills.”

“Then what the fuck else you got on her? Why the fuck you comin’ in here with that fuckin’ offer the day she lose Johnnie kid?” The day she
supposedly
lost it. Fucking bitch.

“I wouldn’t do that to Johnnie.”

Enraged at the memory of his brother’s heartache, Christopher shoved the gun against Cash’s temple. “Then why the fuck she was talkin’ to you the day after Fee stabbin’?”

“She
wanted
me to get pills but I refused.”

“Then how the fuck she lost her baby now?” he asked, his hand trembling. “Shit too convenient.”

“I don’t know,” Cash swore. “Yes, I got her away, until you calmed down but I declined her request.”

Knowing Cash to be honest about almost everything, Christopher snatched his nine away, and Cash sagged. Besides, if Kendall had gotten abortion pills, there was another explanation.

“Kendall had access to a lotta our shit at the law firm.”

“How the fuck would she know who to call? It isn’t like I had the motherfuckers marked
Pill Supplier, RDX Contact, Gun Buyer
, or none of that shit.”

“Kendall a sneaky bitch. She got fuckin’ ways.” That bitch had a fucking Plan A, B, C, D, and E, for every fucking thing she did. “Call the fuck around and report back to me. Lemme think this fuckin’ shit through. If she did get rid of John Boy baby, you right. I got something to hang the fuck over her head so she never fuck with Megan again. If she lost the kid, then I guess that bitch never comin’ back. I ain’t livin’ the rest of my fuckin’ life waitin’ for her to open her fuckin’ trap.”

If he’d ever had a small inkling of doubt before of what losing Kendall would do to Johnnie, his reaction today removed it all from Christopher’s head. He fucking hoped they finally had something to keep Johnnie’s bitch in line or they’d be at an impasse forever.

Fee studied herself in the bathroom mirror, inventorying the scars marring her skin, the most prominent being the one on her neck. She’d be lying if she told herself the marks didn’t bother her, but she’d be a hypocrite if she gave in to depression after she’d always encouraged Stretch to overlook
his
scars.

The raised skin on his beautiful face was the only visible sign of his injuries. Until he began to walk, no one knew about his damaged leg, as long as he kept it covered, which he did. But she had reminders on her arms, legs, and thighs, even one or two on her hands where she’d attempted to shield herself from Noah.

Shivering, she glanced at the bathroom door, home, for the first time in weeks, as of an hour ago. Three days ago, she’d decided to return to her own apartment. At first, Fee had been happy to be home. Unlike at Christopher and Meggie’s house, where she shared a floor with only Bunny and Diesel, at Zoann’s place it was different. All the bedrooms were feet away from each other. If she cried and someone happened to be passing, they’d overhear her. So she’d left, needing solace and solitude. Despite her want of consolation over her brother’s continued shut-out, she wouldn’t invite her guys over tonight.

She needed to think.

Ten days had passed since she and Zoann had made up and Meggie had paid her the first of many visits. She and Zoann were showing Fee the ropes of their business, offering her a job as their office assistant. That would mean working out of Christopher’s house with Meggie, so for the time being, Fee satisfied herself with the impromptu training.

But she still hadn’t she spoken to Christopher yet. Nor had she seen Kendall since that devastating night. Several times, Fee had called her cellphone, but Kendall never answered or responded to Fee’s texts. She’d dropped her bombshell then left Fee to suffer the consequences.

A sound reached her and she gripped the counter. She lived on the third floor, so it could be anything, but whatever it was seemed quite close. Swallowing, she grabbed her towel and wrapped it around herself.

Another bump. “Hello?” she cried, staring at the door, waiting for it to burst open.

Shoot! Her phone was on her nightstand.

“Hello?” she called again.

Silence, the deafening, dreaded kind where the monster always frightened the hell out of everyone in horror movies. The hairs on Fee’s nape stood on end and her skin crawled.

“Anybody there?”

Nothing. No answer. No other noises. Just that awful, eerie quiet.

Was someone waiting for her just beyond the door? She wasn’t sure if she should leave the safety of the bathroom or not. Someone had to be out there as
watched
as she felt.

She had no windows to climb out of. No way to escape. If a killer, a Torp—
Noah
—was there, she was trapped.

A tremble assailed her.

Was that breathing she heard?

No, absolutely not. Her imagination was running wild. Who heard breathing? No one. But everyone could feel a presence, that force of energy with another body nearby.

“Hello?” she croaked out, forcing a sob down. She’d cried so many tears. The well should be dried up.

The wetness streaming down her cheeks made her feel like a sniveling coward. She wasn’t! She was Christopher and Zoann’s
sister
. They’d both looked fear in the eye and survived. She could do the same. She
would
do the same.

Snatching her hair dryer, the only item she could use as a weapon, Fee opened the door slowly. She expected to see
whoever
, but her bedroom was empty, just as she’d left it, without a crease in her lilac floral print bedset.

She swiped at her cheeks and swallowed again. Still gripping the hair dryer and trying to keep her towel in place, she tipped forward and froze. Her phone. She’d left it on the nightstand but it was gone.

Sweet baby Jesus, someone
had
been in her place!

The revelation made her shake, but…but her door was still ajar. She couldn’t say for sure it was at exactly the angle she’d left it. It looked pretty damn close though.

Moving forward, she went to her closet and stared at the door, heaving in a breath. She convinced herself she
had
to make sure no one was hiding in it. Poised to strike, she raised the hair dryer and threw open the door.

Empty. Nothing out of place.

Someone could be under the bed. Right? Right.

Grabbing a stiletto to jab a creep in the eye, she went to her bed, dropped down and pushed her comforter to the side. All clear.

Physically, at least. But perception-wise? Someone was in her house.

Armed with two weapons, Fee crept forward and left the safety of her bedroom. Her open floorplan allowed a quick inventory. No one lounged on the sofa, sat at her table, or stood in her kitchen. Her entry door was still locked and all the windows were down. A check of the small pantry also came up empty.

Furthermore, her cellphone rested on the counter, right next to her purse and keys.

She must’ve been so tired and stressed that she’d forgotten where she’d left her phone.

That was it. She’d go with that and ignore the feeling that something just wasn’t right.

Hours later, Fee bolted up in bed. With the aid of her pain pills, she’d fallen asleep, but something had awakened her.

A noise?

That creepy feeling of being watched returned to her. Leaning over, she flipped on her bedside lamp. This time she made sure her phone was on her nightstand. Grabbing it, she got the stiletto from under her pillow and cursed her stupidity for not bringing her butcher knife in her room.

Not dwelling on the mistake, she rushed through checking her house again to make sure she was still alone.

When she found nothing out of place, she decided she was being paranoid. Understandable, she supposed, after what Noah had done to her.

Sitting on her couch, she realized why Stretch had always been so sad. God! She’d been so wrong to him. While he’d been suffering from the trauma of his experiences, she and Cash had been telling him to be grateful for his life.

Fee was definitely thankful to be alive, but she was also scarred
and
scared. Her life was forever changed, once again. Until Noah was caught, she’d always look over her shoulder. With Christopher so angry at her, he hadn’t even sent a guard detail…That was it! Suddenly, the reason for feeling as if she were being stalked by unseen forces came to her.

She had no safety net. Fee knew she could return to Zoann’s house if she wanted to.

Maybe, she should. Maybe, she wasn’t ready to live alone and never would be again. The bogey man was breathing down her neck and it wasn’t a good feeling.

Unable to go back to sleep, Fee waited until the clock struck seven before she picked up her phone and called Stretch.

“Fee, are you okay?” he asked by way of answering.

“I don’t want to be here alone,” she blurted. If that made her a coward, she’d have to be one.

“Sweetheart,” he soothed. “I know how you’re feeling. I hated being alone, too.”

“I’m so sorry,” she said on a swallow. “For all the times I didn’t understand what you were going through. Please, forgive me. I should’ve empathized with you more.”

“It’s all right,” he swore. “This isn’t something I ever wanted you to go through, especially not to see what I was going through.”

His words eased some of Fee’s turmoil and a tingling started in the pit of her stomach. Her admiration for him knew no bounds. “You’re an amazing man,” she whispered.

“And you’re one helluva woman,” he returned, as serious as she was.

“Can you come over for dinner? I’ll call Cash and invite him, too.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he said. “I’m still waiting for the barbeque pizza you promised months ago.”

That’s right! Well before their trip to Kansas City.

She grinned. “I’ll see you later.”

After preparing coffee for herself and securing Cash’s agreement, Fee dressed, then sat down and wrote out a grocery list. Once she finished, she headed to the store to purchase the needed items, checking her rearview mirror all the way there and back. Something
still
seemed out-of-place.

At the rate she was going, she might have to look into therapy.

Determined to pretend everything was fine, Fee went about her day, changing her sheets and freshening her apartment up. She also sautéed her chicken breasts and onions, mixed cayenne pepper with barbeque sauce, and prepared the canned pizza dough. The only thing she’d need to do when the guys arrived was do the mozzarella cheese before building her pizza and then baking it. In between, she received calls from Meggie, Zoann, Bunny, Talon, and Blue, to check on her. She was grateful for the concern and it helped her to go on with her day. When she ran out of things to do, she put the pizza together, just as Roxy had shown her once. The only thing left to do was bake it.

Finally, she was opening her door to let her guys in, giggling at the group hug Cash drew them into before they even stepped into her house.

Holding her waist, Cash nibbled on her neck. “You’re finally letting us taste your stuff, huh, princess?” he murmured.

“You always taste it,” she breathed, throwing her head back and resting on Stretch’s chest. Somehow, he’d maneuvered behind her. “If you’re talking about my pizza, though, yeah. I have to pop it in the oven and bake it until the cheese melts and the dough is a golden color. Aren’t you hungry?”

“I am,” Cash agreed. “Aren’t you, Stretch?”

Stretch pressed his hard cock against her ass and cupped her breasts. “I am, but not for food, Cash. What about you?”

Edging his way into her apartment and kicking the door shut, Cash lifted Fee’s skirt and slipped a finger into her panties. “Food’s the last thing on my mind, babe.”

He stroked her clit and Fee gasped. She’d been deprived of them for weeks, but she hadn’t expected them to, um,
ravish
her the moment she opened her door. How lucky could a girl get?

Standing on tip toes, she covered Cash’s mouth with her own, moving her hips to the rhythm of his finger. Stretch raised the back on her skirt to invade her panties from behind, meeting Cash’s finger before inserting it inside of her.

“Tonight’s all about you, Ophelia,” he whispered. “Whatever you want. However you want it.
Wherever
you want it.”

She gasped at those hot words, her orgasm building and barreling through her blood. Her eyes rolled back in her head and she went limp against Stretch. Cash ripped her panties from her body, then slid her skirt down her legs, the touch of the material against her skin making her shiver.

He dropped to his knees, and parted her thighs, tonguing her slit, and meeting her gaze, daring her to look away. She was barely aware of Stretch unbuttoning her blouse and removing her bra, until he stepped beside her and leaned in, drawing an aching nipple into his mouth.

“Oh my God!” she cried, her body hypersensitive, their wet heat releasing her inhibitions. She rode Cash’s mouth, grinding herself into a frenzy, her juices sliding down her thighs.