Exquisite Redemption (Iron Horse MC Book 3) (19 page)

“Close it,” I muttered, aware of the arousal thickening both my voice and my dick.

Smoke let out a low sigh. “She’s got a twin sister? She single?”

Big Al shrugged. “Couldn’t find out much about her sister Sue other than she lives in Houston and she’s some kind of super-reclusive genius. Has all kinds of degrees and graduated high school when she was thirteen. Other than that, she either lives a real borin’ life or Mike Anderson is doin’ what he can to keep his girl under the radar.”

“So not too far away,” Smoke said with an interested look that for some fucked-up reason made me feel protective of Sarah’s sister.

“I want surveillance on Sue Wanda, but keep your dick in your pants. Got me? And if she spots you, tell her who you are, but keep your fuckin’ mouth shut about me and Sarah. Far as you know, we met here in Austin when she was decorating one of my places. You pass that along to your boys as well. Understood?”

Smoke arched a brow, but didn’t argue. “You want ’round the clock?”

“For the next two weeks. After that we’ll discuss it to see if you think we need to keep someone on her. I do not want her to know you’re there.”

Snorting, Smoke gave me an arrogant look. “You know that won’t be an issue.”

“Normally, no, but think with your brain instead of your dick. This is Mike Anderson and Lady fuckin’ Death’s daughter. You think she won’t be able to spot a tail? Whoever is gonna be on her is gonna need to know how to watch from a distance.”

From across the way, Vance said, “I’ll keep watch over her if you need it.”

Smoke nodded. “When we get on the ground, head to the office and do what you need to start up a Gorman Protocol detail on her. Beach, is Sarah gonna be staying at your place?”

I hesitated. An hour ago I would’a said hell yes, but now that I knew how young she was, I knew I should walk away—but I couldn’t. Not just ’cause she could very well be in danger, but my gut felt sick and hollow when I thought about her leaving.

Still, it would be best if she went and stayed with Birdie until I let the women I’d been sleeping with over the years know I was off the market. They were known to stop by from time to time unannounced, and I didn’t want Sarah dealing with that shit. No, my girl would be better off with Birdie for a day or two, being smothered by the old woman’s relentless affection.

So though it pained me to say it, I forced out the words. “Take her to Birdie’s.”

“Not to your place?”

“No.”

Big Al pursed his lips and leaned back in his dark leather recliner, his gleaming eyes intent. “You withdrawing your claim on her?”

If I had a decent bone in my body, I’d say yes and let the boys know she was off limits, but I didn’t earn my position as President of the most powerful MC in twelve states by being a good man. I’m selfish, I’m proud, and I know what I want. Or in this case, what I’m apparently obsessed with.

Looking my men in the eye one by one, I let them know I was completely serious about my claim on her as plainly as I could. “Sarah Anderson, Sarah Star, don’t care what the fuck her name is, she is my old lady. That means one hundred percent hands the fuck off.”

“Beach,” Vance said softly with tension lacing his gritty voice. “She’s young.”

“That may be true, but the woman I just survived a kidnapping with didn’t act like some stupid young bitch. I know brothers who wouldn’t have been able to pull off the coldhearted shit she did without blinkin’ an eye. Those were not the actions of some innocent young girl.” It pissed me off he would even say that, but Vance’s dad had left his mom for a fifteen-year-old girl so I gave him a little breathing room. “You know me. You’ve partied with me for years. I’ve been around your family and you mine. Have I ever come across as the kinda guy who would be interested in young, stupid stripper pussy for anything other than a fuck?”

A feminine inhalation somehow cut through the roaring hush of the plane and I knew by the looks on my men’s faces Sarah was behind me.

Sure enough, when I turned around, I got sucker punched in the gut by her pale, bruised face as she stared at me with tears glimmering in her eyes.

Hating the look I know I’d put there, I opened my mouth to try to smooth things over but she beat me to it with a scathing snarl.

“I’m sorry to interrupt, but Beach, your phone is in the room and it keeps ringing. It woke me up and I think someone is trying to reach you for an important reason, so you should answer it. Oh, and if you try and get into bed with me tonight, I will castrate you. I assure you, I both know how to do it and have had practice, so don’t test me. This young, stupid stripper pussy isn’t quite as foolish as you think.”

Her gaze hardened so fast I could feel a physical wall slam down between us and my gut clenched in response as her disappointment in me hit me on a visceral level.

“Sorry for the interruption, gentlemen, carry on with your shit-talking me behind my back.”

With that, she chucked my phone onto the couch, spun on her heel, and slammed the door shut.

We all stared in silence at it before Hulk said, “Sad I’m gonna miss this.”

“Miss what?” Vance asked with a sour look, clearly pissed for some reason as he stared down at his phone.

“Miss watchin’ the Prez fuck up over and over again with that sweet young thing. You boys believe in karma? I do, and I believe that stunning creature is gonna give the Prez the fight of his life to win her heart.” His dark face tightened. “Then again, not sure if you’re worthy of something so sweet.”

I had to resist the urge to pull my gun on Hulk. “Watch yourself.”

He shrugged and made his way into the lounge area. “You want my advice on how to handle a woman like that? One who threatened to unman you and probably meant it? Unless you know her well enough to get in there and fuck her until she forgives you, you sleep on the motherfuckin’ couch.”

The way he enunciated those last two words made me grunt. I limped my way over to said couch, all too aware we would be landing soon where a dangerous jungle of problems threatened to destroy everything I hold dear. Without a doubt, the Iron Horse MC was being targeted and I had a meeting scheduled with various segments of my empire to shore up our defenses. This wouldn’t be the first time we’d been targeted, but whoever was trying to take us down was being sneaky about it and I did not like having an enemy I didn’t know.

Opening my phone, I saw nine messages from Sledge and I softly cursed, wondering what the fuck had imploded around me now. I listened to the most recent one.

“Prez, almost lost a load of fur jackets from the pawn shop but we caught the fuckers before they made off with anything. Turns out they’re independent contractors…Russian contractors hired to target us. They’d heard we’re movin’ some high-quality jewelry for our friends and thought the fur jackets was it. That means word has gotten out. I’ve got shit locked down tight so nothing to worry about, but thought you might be curious ’bout this happening while you were up in Denver. I’ll meet you when you land. Oh—and don’t get pissed, but Scarlet made me promise to tell you that Sarah is one of the nicest people she’s ever met and to be gentle with her. None of my business, but my little sister’s known you since she was in diapers so she feels like she’s got a right to interfere in your life.”

With a weary sigh, I returned to answering messages on my phone as we began our final descent into Austin and I tried to figure out how to get the shit that I needed to get done finished as quickly as possible so I could clear the air between Sarah and me.

Chapter 9

Sarah

I
let my expression go bland as Beach tried to feed me his bullshit again. He’d apologized about what I’d heard, explaining that I’d only listened to a tiny part of the conversation. I said I forgave him, but not really. I was still pissed and he was not helping the matter by taking off on me as soon as we landed.

“I’m sendin’ you someplace safe for a few days to heal. Shit around me is bad and I need you somewhere I know no one’ll fuck with you. Birdie’s ranch’ll work and I know you’ll like her. She’s like a second mom to me and she’s been a biker since the 1960s, and is my mama’s best friend. Birdie’s also a little crazy, you gotta be if you’re gonna be friends with my mom, but has a big heart and will love havin’ your company. She lives for entertaining.”

While Birdie did indeed sound like an interesting character, and I could use some down time to heal, I didn’t like being shuffled off on a stranger in some kind of odd holding pattern while Beach went out and did his thing. I was not, am not, and never will be the kind of woman who is content to sit around and twiddle her thumbs while the world floats by. My mother did that, fogged herself out into a drug-induced permanent haze and gave up caring about anything but incoherent chemical bliss.

I needed to get out of here. “No, I’m going to get a hotel room and contact my father.”

He grit his teeth. “Look, Sarah, I need you to go to Birdie’s.”

“While you run around doing what?”

“Club business.”

His eyes shuttered and I snorted. “Give me a fucking break. You’re going to pretend,
now
, that I can’t handle the way the world works? That I can’t figure out you’re going to be out there seeking vengeance while I sit around with my thumb up my ass waiting for you to decide it’s time to see me again? You are out of your damn mind.”

A few throats cleared around us and Beach’s nostrils flared with anger. “Don’t test me. Not here, not now.”

I took a step closer into his space, not liking that I had to tilt my head up to meet his amazing eyes in the bright lights of the parking lot of what appeared to be a somewhat busy regional airport. We were standing in the middle of a circle of men who were openly staring at me, and all wearing leather Iron Horse MC cuts. I ignored them, pissed beyond belief. Though it pains me to say, I’ve inherited my father’s temper combined with my mother’s razor-sharp tongue, and it took a lot of self-control to keep myself from saying something that would cut deep.

“I’m not trying to test you, I’m trying to make this easy for you.” I lowered my voice further and leaned up then whispered in his ear, “I may be young, dumb, and a woman, but I’ve had enough of your shit to last a lifetime. We are parting ways, period.”

A flash of violence gleamed over his roughly elegant face when he jerked back, so sharply it made me gasp. Without another word, he grabbed my hand and pretty much dragged me as far away from the group of people as we could get. When we were in an isolated section of the lot, he turned to face me.

“We do not,
ever
, share our shit in front of people like that,” he growled back as his entire body stiffened and seemed to grow bigger. “You got a problem, you talk to me about it in private and we’ll address it. Getting bitchy with the whole world watchin’ is not smart. We do not have time to talk about this shit right now, but I promise you, Sarah, we are nowhere near done.”

Despite my being supremely pissed off at him, I lowered my voice and turned my back on the people watching us, not wanting to give them a show just in case they could read lips. “Oh, that’s cute, you think you can decide when I can end things. Not that there’s anything to end.”

Instead of becoming even more pissed, he chuckled low in his throat and whispered into my ear, his lips stroking my sensitive skin with each word, “Had my fingers up that sweet, wet pussy of yours, made you come so good for your
Papi
. I think that qualifies as us havin’ something right there.”

Anger mixed with arousal and, if we were alone, I’d be tempted to jump him just to relieve the lust he so easily stirred in me. “Fuck off.”

“We are definitely havin’ a talk about your mouth once you’re healed up,” he muttered while giving the lobe of my ear a stinging nip. I gasped then pressed into him, my hands automatically going to his lean hips to steady myself. “By the way, Birdie used to run a spa and from what I hear from the old ladies, her bathtubs at the ranch are the shit. Big enough to swim in with candles and all that chick shit you women love so much. So how ’bout instead of arguing with me, you go with Smoke so he can take you over to Birdie’s house. Programmed my number into your phone; you need me, text me or call me and I’ll talk to you as soon as I can, yeah?”

At this point he started rubbing his soft lips, surrounded by his thick blond scruff, along my neck in a way that felt incredibly sinful. “I should go home.”

“Stay, just for a little bit. We’ll take it slow, get to know each other without the fuckin’ world falling down around us,” he cajoled and kissed his way to my mouth, where he seduced my lips until they parted for him. “I realize this is movin’ fast and even though I really wish I could take you home with me, I have shit that needs to be handled. If it was just personal stuff, I’d let it suffer, but this is the safety of my people and I gotta take that into consideration. I don’t just protect my brothers, but their women and children. It’s not a responsibility I take lightly and right now, my people need me.”

I closed my eyes and hung my head in defeat, forcing myself to take a look at the bigger picture for a moment and not just me, me, me. He softly stroked my neck with his rough fingertips and I leaned a bit closer, taking in his crisp scent and basking in his heat. In a history of fucked-up relationships, this…whatever I had with Beach, was a whole new level of dysfunctional—but I felt something for him that was new to me, something warm and bright, something I wanted more of.

Without a doubt I was making a huge mistake and my heart would crash and burn, but I couldn’t walk away from the possibility of something amazing with Beach. With this in mind, I stood on my tippy toes and kissed my way across his face, gentle kisses meant to soothe. He responded instantly, a happy rumble escaping him as our lips met.

Damn, he tasted so good and I loved the way our bodies fit together as he kissed me with a deep tenderness that said worlds about his feelings for me. Or at least I thought it did. I tried to keep a clear head around Beach but it was next to impossible to resist his charisma. Or his talented tongue. Our bodies were drawn together in a way that defied logic and I returned his kiss while threading my fingers into his deliciously thick hair.

Then he added a temptation I couldn’t resist. “Did I also mention if Birdie likes you, she’ll make you some home-cooked meals so good, you’ll swear you died and went to heaven?”

My stomach decided to hijack my mouth. “Does she do brownies?”

“Yep, frosts ’em with this kick-ass fudge frosting and everything.”

“The frosting is kick-ass?” I asked with a slight smile, amused by the idea of this big, bad biker so clearly enamored with the wonders of fudge frosting.

“Taste and you’ll see.”

“I’d love to hang out with Birdie for one day, maybe two, but I won’t wait around for you forever,” I murmured and tried to ignore the way his smile made me want to both smack and kiss him. “You’re right, I do need to rest up.”

“Thank you.”

Walking me back to the group, he gave me a semi-teasing grin. “Gonna be a good girl for me?”

I flinched before I could help it, my instinctive reaction to those words hitting my psyche like a blow. Good girl—I always had to be the good girl or no one would love me. If I wasn’t good enough, I’d be alone with no one to take care of me. Goose bumps prickled my arms and my breathing sped.

Playing the flinch off like I was merely shrugging, I sighed. “Seriously?”

Leaning in again, he caught my chin and that stern expression came over his face again, nailing me to the spot even as the echoes of my childhood memories kept ringing through my wounded heart. “
Mi reina
, in my world, when a woman is claimed, her actions reflect on her man. If you do something that brings shame to yourself, it will shame me as well. Mind your manners so everyone can see the beautiful woman that you really are, not the cold bitch you can pretend to be.
Si
?”

“Uh, no, not
si
,” I hissed back in a whisper as my muscles tensed and I forced my palms flat on my legs in order to keep them from gripping into fists. “In my world, here on earth, there is no such thing as claiming a woman. So I’m sorry if you think my behavior is going to somehow shame you, but—”

He cut me off by kissing me until I forgot what I was going to say, his tongue stroking me into submission before he pulled back. “Not sayin’ that at all. Just askin’ you to keep our private life private and allow Birdie to fuss over you a little bit.”

“Okay,” I whispered, aware of the now very impatient men waiting for Beach and staring at us. “You should go.”

“You gonna go to Birdies and wait for me?”

“Yeah.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Six hours later, I was glad Birdie’s daughter-in-law was a few sizes bigger than me, because my belly was straining against the waistband of the pajamas I’d borrowed. They were black with hot-pink piping on the edges and I knew without having to ask that Birdie bought these for her daughter-in-law. I knew this because the guest bedroom I was staying at in the main house was decorated in a similar zebra/hot-pink theme. Thankfully the zebra pattern didn’t extend into the super fabulous en-suite bathroom, and Beach had been right, the bathtub and girly bath crap Birdie provided me with were awesome.

Now, post a real home-cooked fried chicken dinner complete with all the fixings, I lounged in the big russet leather recliner near the lit fireplace, watching Birdie move quickly around her kitchen. I’m pretty sure she was the same woman I saw back in Denver wearing the Jack Daniel’s robe and fuzzy pink slippers, but she looked different now. Biker babe chic for the seventy-year-old woman. In her case, a black tank top, tons of gold chains with different pendants, a crazy-big diamond tennis bracelet, and a pair of designer jeans studded with tasteful rhinestones on the back pockets along with kick-ass black cowboy boots. Her hair was sprayed into a crispy blonde helmet, the likes of which I haven’t seen outside of teen movies from the 1980s.

She was sassy, she was brutally honest, and she was the shit.

Grabbing a wooden bowl full of apples, she moved over to the black granite countertop which separated the open-plan kitchen with its gold, brown and amber glass tiles from the living room dominated by deep browns and crimson red.

One of the reasons I’m so into interior decoration was because I found that people’s homes reflected their spirits. If the heart and mind didn’t love where they lived, it would never transition from a house to a home. Yeah, I know my own lack of a stable place to live as a kid was part of my joy in providing others with the perfect décor, but it was
only
part of it. I just loved interior design. Back when Swan and I had been tight, she’d watch those home improvement shows with me all the time and I’d valued that bonding time with her and our circle of close friends.

The glug of wine being poured drew my wandering thoughts back to Birdie, refilling her etched crystal glass. She was an odd woman and I hadn’t quite been able to get a read on her yet. This is the first time we were alone, all the farmhands that had stopped by earlier to meet me and give me a once over had left. Picking up a big, shiny and sharp kitchen knife, she began to peel one of the apples in between sips of wine.

Concerned she was going to slice herself, I put down my own barely tasted glass and sat up. “Why don’t you let me do that?”

“I’ve got it, little girl.” She gave me a wry smile that folded up all her deeply tanned wrinkles. “My husband travels a lot doing his job as National Chaplain.”

“Chaplin?” I frowned into my glass. “Iron Horse didn’t seem that religious to me.”

She laughed. “Maybe not in the traditional sense, but my husband is an ordained minister and he performs lots of weddings, and sadly lots of funerals, for Iron Horse. Not only in Austin, but all over. In fact, right now he’s marrying a nice couple out in California, Skipper and Tracy. Good kids, strong foundation. They’ll have a good life.
Mazel tov
to them.”