Dual Desires (6 page)

“Fuck you. You don’t know shit. I’m here to see my kids. You can’t keep them away from me.” Natasha rushed toward the door, and Ardy shoved her back. “Rocket! Harley!”

Ardy slapped her hand over her mouth, and they stumbled away from the front porch . “Shut up, you crazy bitch. They don’t need to see you like this,” Ardy hissed. Natasha stumbled, and they went down in the driveway. The drug-induced woman bucked, rolling them over. On top of Ardy, she began to slap wildly. Ardy held up her arms to shield her face, and brought her legs up, pushing up with her feet. Natasha screamed as her body flew back. The roar of motorcycles filled the air, spurring Ardy into action. She scrambled to her feet, scraping skin of her palms as she half crawled up the drive before she gained her feet. Unsure if friends or foes approached, she burst through the front door, locked the door behind her, and began to yell.

“Rocket, Harley, come on, we need to play hide-and-seek.” She grabbed her cell phone off the table near the door, pressed speed dial, and jogged to the door.

“Hey, Ardy—”

“D, all hell’s breaking loose here. I don’t know what to do.” She entered Harleys’ room first, lifted the groggy girl into her arms, and rested her against her shoulder. “Come on, sleepy head, let’s head to the basement.”

“Ardy, what the hell is going on?” D said.

“I don’t know. Natasha showed up, and we fought. Then I heard motorcycles coming. I didn’t wait around to see who was on them. I came back in and locked the door.”

“Fucking bitch.”

“Ardy?” Rocket’s sleep-filled voice drew her attention to the hallway.

“Come on, baby, we’re heading downstairs for awhile. Emergency drill.”

“What?” Rocket rubbed his sleep heavy eyelids.

“Listen to me, Ardy, down in the basement to the far right there’s a hollow spot. Remove the panel, and you’ll see a door. It’s a panic room that locks from the inside. I installed it after all the shit went down with Natasha. Put the panel back, close and lock the door, and do not leave until I come for you, do you understand me? “

“Yes.” Her voice shook. She held the phone between her neck and ear as she clutched Rocket’s hand and guided him down the hall to the basement stairs. They took them as fast as she dared.

“Good girl. Hang tight for me, baby. I’m coming.” He hung up, and she reached the bottom of the stairs. Shoving her phone in her pocket, she rushed to the right side of the house, knocking on the paneling. When a portion made a hollow sound, she dug her hands into the grooves, relieved when it gave way and revealed a few inches of space and a smooth metal door.
Jesus, just call me Jodie Foster.
She pushed it open. A loud banging sounded up stairs.

“Ardy, what was that?” Rocket asked.

“Nothing important. In you go, Rocket.” He walked inside, and she rested Harley on the ground before she hurried back and grabbed the paneling. The handle on the back told her where to clutch, and she said a silent prayer to Mother Mary as she backed up, wedging it into place. When it clicked, her knees went weak, and she stepped back, shutting the metal door. She slid the lock in the door, and she heard the door upstairs give way.

She slid down the door and took stock of the room. It was small, but it had the basics. A toilet in the far left, two small cots made with sheets and blankets. A black mini fridge sat in the opposite corner next to a small white cabinet and gray plastic tub.

“Ardy?” Rocket said, sinking down beside her.

She lifted Harley in her arms and walked her over to a cot, sinking down and patting the space beside her.

“Ary?” Harley whispered, slowly.

“Listen, guys, there are bad people in the house and we need to be very quiet. Just like when we play hide-and-seek,” she said, running her hands through Harley’s thick hair.

“Bad people?” Rocket said. “Like my mom?”

“What do you mean, honey?” Ardy said.

“She used to yell a lot.” He glanced down. “I didn’t like it.”

I should’ve punched that bitch in her face while I had the chance.

The sound of boots coming down the stairs made her tense. She wrapped her arm around Rocket’s shoulder and pressed Harley’s head to her chest. “Remember, guys, they can’t get in, okay? We’ll be as quiet as we can, and when they get tired of that, they’ll go away.” Ardy prayed the Dueling Devils would get here soon. They were no more than ten minutes away, but time seemed to be moving as slow as freshly tapped molasses.

“Come out, bitch. I know you’re there! You make this easy and we won’t mark up that pretty face.”

Harley whimpered. “Shh, baby, quiet.” Ardy rocked back and forth. Rocket burrowed his face into her side. The sound of things crashing against the wall made her flinch.

“Where are they? We didn’t see anyone leave,” a muffled voice said.

“Maybe they ran next door from the backyard,” another man said.

“We don’t have time for this. Their boys are on the way.”

“If we go back empty-handed, Pres. is going to hurt us.”

“Better him than the Dueling Devils.” They rummaged through the basement for a few more minutes before they plodded back up the stairs. Ardy took a deep breath and her muscles relaxed.

“We’re going to be okay, guys. Your dad will be here soon.” Crew or not, nothing short of Demon himself would coax her out of here.

***

“What the fuck is going on in my house?” Demon jumped from his seat. “I need to leave, now.” He stalked toward the door, leaving the others behind.

“Whoa, what the hell?” Lefty jumped out of the chair.

“You need to finish this up for me. Ardy called, Natasha showed up at the house, and then motorcycles came up.”

“Fuck, is she okay?”

“Yeah, they’re in the panic room, but I told them not to come out until I got there. Call the boys, then finish this drop. My family needs me.” He wanted to call, but he didn’t for fear he might alert them. His finger flew over the keys.

Did you make it to the room?

Hours seemed to crawl by. His phone vibrated.

Yes.

“Understood, brother. I got this covered.” Lefty patted his shoulder.

Demon nodded, and continued his flight from the building like he was on fire. He hopped onto the bike and placed his keys in the ignition. She roared to life, and he pulled out of the parking lot with his heart in his throat. The three people in that room owned his heart. If anything happened to them, he’d lose it. As it was, the bastards declared war. He wouldn’t stop till their blood turned the ground red and their numbers were too low to continue. When they had to disband or start over, he’d make a deal with the dumb fucks left who’d seen what he was capable of. Either way, their president, Louis had to go. He’d tried the truce with him before after he’d discovered the truth about Natasha to keep the peace and wrangle an agreement to keep her away for good. When he’d broken that and come to his house feeling froggy, he’d voided the contract and put his neck on the chopping block.

The ride did nothing to soothe his nerves. Every mile the black tires ate up filled him with dread. By the time he pulled onto his street, familiar motorcycles had lined the driveway. He parked haphazardly at the end of the drive and jogged through the broken front door.

A biker named Sleepy stepped forward. “We looked everywhere for them, but it’s like they disappeared into thin air.”

“It’s okay. I know where they are. Bring everyone top side,” Demon said. The only people who knew about his room were Lefty and the out of town contractors he brought in to do the job. He didn’t want it spread around; it’d defeat the purpose. He pulled his phone out of his pocket.

I’m coming down.

He shoved the phone back into his pocket.

“Look, I appreciate you coming out as fast as you did. I’ll handle the rest. We got a war coming. Go back to the club house, prepare, and wait for my word. You feel me?”

An echo of yes filled the room, and they trudged out obediently. Ever since Natasha, he’d been paranoid. It was time they did a clean sweep of the club, tested loyalties, and did some digging into their whereabouts recently. He wanted to tighten the ranks, increase security, and take out the garbage.

Alone in the living room with a doctored door he’d have replaced later, he hurried down the stairs of the basement. He knocked on the wood.

“Guys, it’s me.”

“D!” Ardy’s wavering voice made his guts ache. He ripped the panel off, resting it against the wall.

The door swung open, and he pulled her into his arms, pressing his lips to hers as he claimed her mouth, plundering it like a pirate looting a ship. They broke apart for air, and he scanned the area. Harley lay beside her brother on the cot, mouth open.
Probably worn out by all the insanity.

D clutched Ardy’s thick locks. “You’re mine, Ardy. We’ve been dancing around our emotions long enough. If anything had happened to you, I would have torn this place apart brick by brick.” He growled. “That kind of emotion doesn’t just happen every day. I see how you look at me. I know it’s mutual.”

“D, but what about—”

“I don’t give a damn about the logistics. You aren’t going anywhere. Your place is here.” Their gazes locked.

She opened and closed her mouth. “But my family.”

“What about them, Ardy? You can’t put your life on hold forever for them. They’re all grown, or close enough to it. Their debt’s wiped out. They can handle it from here.” He nipped her full bottom lip. She whimpered. “Unless you don’t want this.” He pulled back.

“No. I want it.” She cupped his face with her hands.

“Then stay, be my old lady and make a real go of it.”

She studied him from beneath her thick lashes.

“Don’t go, Ardy!” Rocket’s small voice echoed in the room. He’d sat up in the bed.

Little sneak wasn’t sleep after all.

“
We want you to stay.” Rocket slid off the cot and ran over, wrapping his arms around them both. “I want you to be my mommy, like my friends have.”

Ardy’s jaw dropped. “Rocket, I don’t… D?”

D smirked. “Great minds think alike, little man. How about we give this thing a chance to grow naturally before we put labels on it?”

Rocket wrinkled his nose. “Okay. But...” His voice shook. “You’ll stay, right?”

Not above using a little dose of guilt to get his way, Demon looked at her. “Right, Ardy?”

She nodded her head. “Yeah, I’ll stay.”

“Good, because everyone’s about to be locked down tighter than Fort Knox. This can’t be left unanswered.” She tensed in his arms. “When they’re asleep for the night, you and I are going to have a long conversation.” She nodded. “For now, how about we get out of this room , huh?”

Rocket stepped back and nodded. “I was scared, Daddy.”

“I know you were, buddy, but you did a great job. I want you to remember this room in case anything ever happens again, okay?”

“Yes, sir.”

Demon smiled, relieved they were all fine, but furious it had ever happened.

The tension in the house was palpable as they played nice for the kids. A brother who did construction work came to fix the door, and prospects came to help set the house back the way it had been. The kids held on until ten when their heavy lids got the best of them and they passed out on the couch. Demon carried them to their bedrooms one by one, tucking them in and kissing their heads. He had boys doing patrols around the house, but he wouldn’t feel right until he got his revenge.
This time, I’m going to put that bitch down for good, too.
He shoved the thoughts to the back of his mind. Now was the time to deal with Ardy. He hadn’t gotten the answer he wanted out of her earlier.
I’ll rectify that now.

He walked to his bed and paused in the doorframe, admiring the way she looked sitting on the bed freshly showered and clad in a pair of boxer shorts and a tank top. Her hardened nipples poked out. No bra. He bit back a moan.

“You ready to talk?” He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed facing her. All the stoicism left her voice, and she launched herself into his arms. Silent sobs shook her frame. He rubbed her back.

“It’s okay, baby girl. I got you.”

“I was so scared, D. I was sure they were going to come in, take the kids, and kill me.”

He clenched his jaw, swallowing the angry words that wouldn’t fly. It wasn’t what she needed. “I’ll never let anything happen to you, Ardy. I don’t know how you did it, but you came into this house and filled all those empty spots, in me, in my kids.” He shook his head. “I’m not good at this shit. I can’t whisper pretty words, but I can promise to protect you for the rest of your life and take care of you.”

She pulled back, wiping at her tears. “I don’t need you to do that.”

“No, and that’s part of why I like you so much. Fuck, Ardy. You have to know I’m half in love with you.”

Her eyes grew as round as quarters. “Y—you are?”

“Why else would I be making an ass of myself right now?” he said.

“You’re not.” She shook her head. “I thought… I hoped, but... You...men like you don’t want women like me.”

“They do if they have any common sense.” He brushed her lips with his thumb. “I got a lot of shit to sort out right now, Ardy. But the one thing I’m sure about is this. I want you to be my old lady, to be mine officially, and stay here. What do you want?”

“The same.”

“Then that’s what we’ll have. Later, we’ll go over what happened, and I’ll tell you my plan. But right now, I want to be buried inside my old lady.” He pulled her into a kiss, and she sighed, tilting her head and opening her mouth. He took advantage, exploring the moist cavern as he massaged her thighs.