In Bed With The Outlaw (15 page)

“You have to track them,” I told Jackal.

He rolled his eyes at me now. That helped ease me down a little. He looked a lot like me at the moment.

“Can I sit back down and try? Or are you going to flip out again?”

“Sure. Sit,” I said. I kicked the wheels toward him. He gave me a stern glare but sat down.

“I’m going to need a keyboard.”

I searched the side of the computer where I thought it had landed. Once I discovered it, I picked it up. He was already lost in the screen, clicking around.

“Oh, you’re going to have to put all those keys back in.”

I looked at it dumbfounded. The board was missing about every key. This was going to take time. Serious time that we didn’t have.

“Just kidding. There’s an extra keyboard underneath the computer tower.”

“Bastard, now isn’t the time,” I growled. I slid it out from underneath the tower and handed it to him. He worked his magic, which seemed to be all in this program called IP Lookup. I understood that much. IP addresses could be traced. Every Internet connection had one.

He smacked his hands, let out a strong “Yes,” and then rubbed his palms together, grinning mischievously.

I darted to look over his shoulder. “What is it? You’ve got them?”

“Hell yeah I do, Brother. You were lucky. These guys weren’t even smart enough to use a VPN. A VPN will mask your IP address. We’ve got a number on them. It looks like it’s local. It’s coming from a mechanic’s not twenty miles from here.”

My eyes went wide. “Holy shit.” I gave his shoulders a huge squeeze. I shook him and spun him around.

“I owe you,” I told him.

“Easy.”

“Give me the location.”

He pointed to the screen. “It’s right there.”

Snatching one of his notepads, I scribbled the address on it. As I did, he didn’t waver from deconstructing every one of my moves. “Wait for us to get ready. I’ll sound the alarm and gather the troops. You can’t hit this place by yourself.”

My nostrils twitched. My right eye throbbed. “There isn’t time. I’ll head there first.”

“Head there first, right into a possible trap? These guys aren’t computer geniuses. They’re good at bikes and shooting, but that doesn’t mean they’re not capable of stringing together some half-assed plot to overwhelm you. It could be you’re running right into their trap. No, you wait for us. It’ll only be a second.”

Jackal threw the chair back. He rushed to the door to get there before me. I followed close behind in the hallway.

“I’ll be waiting in the armory. You’re going to need me to unlock it, anyway,” I said.

We were out of The Backyard. I knew he would be pissed at me for leaving, but I knew he would understand. I don’t think he believed me when I said I would be waiting, but he knew he couldn’t convince me otherwise.

My brother ran to get the others.

I didn’t have time. I ran to the armory for weapons. I picked out a sawed-off shotgun and two handguns. Backup was coming, but backup would be too late. She didn’t have much time, and I was the only one who could save her.

I blazed down the highway like the devil. I kept my weight pushed ahead, trying to cut through and get there as fast as possible. I was looking into the distance, ready to see that garage where they had taken her so I could bust through the doors.

It took too long. Terrible thoughts kept emerging. Thoughts about what they might be doing to her. My only relief was when I thought about what I would do to them in return.

I was familiar with the location, a rough part of the desert, and I’d actually driven past the garage but thought nothing of it. Most garages in that part of town looked dumpy. It drew no red flags.

“Come on, Ash, hang in there,” I yelled, teeth gnashing together, muscles clamped tight and ready to explode, firing me off into the building to exact my revenge. No one messed with a Bastard. No one ever messed with a Bastard’s lady.

The garage didn’t look very big. There was nothing but some old junkers on the sides. It was fenced in, but the gate was open. I parked my bike on the side of the lonely road. In the distance, the desert mountains loomed. The vast wasteland stretched on to meet them, meaning that no one would hear them scream. No neighbors to file complaints.

It could be a blood bath.

The Red Bastard was what they wanted to call me...I would truly live up to that name now. No one laid a finger on my girl. Ash, precious Ash, so beautiful, too beautiful for pain. She didn’t deserve this.

I put one of the handguns in my hip holster. The sawed-off shotgun went on the strap around my back. The other handgun, I carried. Cold weight felt good in my palm. Sun blazing above me, my shadow stretched out like a giant as I stepped past the gate.

It smelled of rubber, oil, and dirt. I aimed my gun ahead as I took my steps to the garage’s door. There was a sign across it that said “Sorry, we’re closed.” It looked like it had been hanging there for years. Cobwebs weaved across the tiny front office window.

I went to open the door, but thought twice about it. Something seemed off. I looked inside, but only saw a vacant, busted-up front desk. No lights inside. Only dust mites from the light streaming in.

Taking the corner, I kept my arm ahead, the barrel pointed straight. Thank God it had been my left that took the bullet. If it was my right, this rescue mission would be far more challenging.

As soon as I hit the corner to the back, I sniffed it—cigarette smoke. I already took a step out, and the crunch was audible, much too loud in this vacant space. Whoever was smoking would’ve heard it, so I kept moving, shoving the barrel out from the corner, where it spotted three men standing around a barrel drum.

They looked stunned to see someone in all black in their backyard, a true Blessed Bastard sent to deliver justice. I’m sure they must’ve thought it was a delusion. In that split second, they knew they didn’t have time to react.

The one who was smoking had a tattoo across his forehead that read “Defiler.” Unlucky, since that was exactly what earned him the first bullet.

Kickback was unbelievable with one arm. I feared it might go haywire. But I was pissed enough where it seemed like I forced that bullet ahead through my own sheer will. He crumbled to the desert floor.

Firing three more shots, I caught one in the shoulder as they leapt into the building. I slid my gun back into my holster. I took off the sawed-off shotgun on my back.

“Let her go,” I hollered after them.

They took cover through an open back door. As soon as I looked inside, I spotted one in a car bay aiming his gun right at me. I swiftly swung my head back as a bullet whizzed past.

Gunshots erupted from inside. I heard them getting closer. The fucker was confidently striding toward the door while taking shots. I waited for a pause in between his firing, and despite the piercing rattling of the gunfire, my focus was cold and unwavering.

He was five paces away.

I noticed what type of gun he was firing when I looked out. A handgun, looked like a Glock, but probably with an extended clip, which was illegal in this state. If I drew out of cover on ten, I would’ve caught a bullet. He fired three more as I strafed across the entrance.

The shotgun blasted him back. Peppered with shot, he hit the ground.

I sprinted inside once his friend, limping, fired from around the corner, trying to flank me. Inside, taking cover by the bay door, bullets dented, shots closing in.

Pinned...

Maybe Jackal was right.

It didn’t matter. Let me die for Ash to live. I would hold them up long enough for the rest of The Bastards to arrive.

Keeping myself low in a half crouch, I sprinted to the open bay door. Firing the shotgun again at the source of the gunfire, I wasn’t confident I hit anything, but it did suppress them enough where I could charge up the side of the garage. I smelled weakness, the man who was limping from a prior gunshot, and I was going to end him. My shotgun was used up, so I hefted it back onto my shoulder strap.

As I neared the corner, he jumped out. He was just as surprised to see me. I crashed into him, both of us toppling over in a chaos of dirt, dust, and limbs. His gun fired off into the sky as I pinned his wrist.

I broke his nose with a headbutt.

“I wish I had more time,” I said. I would’ve loved to choke the life from him. No one ever touched a Bastard’s woman. A fast death didn’t seem right for him.

I slid the handgun out of its holster, tucked it against his balls, fired once, and then fired three times into his chest.

“Stop,” someone said.

I picked myself up.

There was Ash, a gun to her head.

M
y abductor shoved me ahead
, tightening his squeeze around my waist.

How did Red find me? Why did he even look for me? I thought he wanted nothing to do with me. But the possessiveness I saw in him, I knew the man who held me at gunpoint had taken something precious from him.

That was me.

Too bad this was not the time. I could really revel in that observation. Too bad I probably wouldn’t live long enough to enjoy it.

As I took a step ahead, he yanked me back, keeping me pressed against the barrel shoved at my temple. His finger rested on the trigger.

“Let her go,” Red said. Red slid his foot forward, edging it closer.

“Fuck you and fuck her. This is what happens when you fuck with The Defilers,” he hissed. The barrel shook angrily against me.

Take me away from here, Red. Bring me back to your bed, where I’m safe, where we don’t have a care in the world. Please.

I let out a short shriek when the Defiler put his knee into my lower back. He pushed me ahead, and then wrapped me up even closer, knocking the air from my lungs. That had happened too many times today. I was exhausted to the point of passing out.

All of Red’s muscles were twitching, He looked like an angry bull ready to charge.

“Take me,” he said. “Let her go. She’s got nothing to do with this.”

“She’s your bitch. We’ll fuck you and we’ll fuck your bitch. We’ll string both of you up.”

Red tossed his arms up. “Take me, but let her go.”

The Defiler eased up. The gun stopped shaking. He seemed more in control now. As he got more confident, his hold on me weakened.

“Drop your weapons,” he said.

Once Red disarmed himself, he would be shot. I knew it. This man wasn’t going to honor him. He was a coward.

I wanted to shake my head, but my neck muscles were so cramped that I couldn’t. Red dropped a shotgun, kicking up some dust.

“Happy?”

“Don’t fuck with me. I’m this close to killing both of you.”

I locked eyes with Red.

L
ook at me. One last time, I need you. This second, let’s savor it.
 

I drew my eyes back and pumped my elbow, only a little as I struggled in the Defiler’s hold.

“I have two,” Red said.

The barrel bit into my skull.

Red threw open his jacket and reached in. Had he understood? Or was I imagining it?

As soon as he gripped the pistol, my eyes blurry with fearful tears of what would happen, but doing it anyway, I swung my elbow back and ducked, throwing all of my weight to the ground.

His fingers slipped from me. I was free. I looked up and saw the gun flash at me. I was looking death right in the face. It jerked away.

The Defiler tried to aim at Red in time, but he was blasted in the chest, the gun dropping and hitting the dirt next to him. He sputtered blood. It flowed over him and pooled toward me as I crawled away.

My ears ringing, my heartbeat pounding in my whole body, I turned to see Red kick away the pistol. I closed my eyes when he pointed the gun at the Defiler to finish him. I didn’t want to see Red kill anyone else.

When I opened them, I peeled my hands away. The whirl around me settled. I coughed and stumbled onto my feet. I lost my balance. I toppled toward the ground.

Red caught me.

“You’re safe.” He clutched me and pressed me to his chest. Tears unleashed. I kept sobbing, unsure what emotion was taking over—fear or the happiness I felt in Red’s arms.

He tried to tilt me off his chest, but I wasn’t having it.

“We need to get out of here,” he warned me.

I stayed close to his side as we made our way through the abandoned front yard, his gun still in his working hand.

“What you did was a very brave thing,” he said. “Crazy, and brave, and a little stupid, but I’m glad you did it.”

Once we were at his bike, he swept me up. He kissed me, forcing those sorrowful lips open and driving his tongue against mine, giving me some hope. I wrapped my legs around him as he spun me around and gave me an awesome squeeze.

“I don’t care what it takes, Ash. You’re mine. I’m always going to be there for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re with the Feds. It doesn’t matter if I’m with The Bastards or not. We’ve got it too bad to ever stop.”

How could I be smiling? After all that horror, the pain still welling in my chest and radiating to my back, I could still smile.

“I do have it bad,” I said, hanging my head low while peeking up with a smile.

“Now let’s get the hell out of here.”

He dropped me back down on his bike. The roar of the engine was a welcome sound. It meant Red was close. Fear slowly drained from me.

We met the other Bastards as we were heading onto the highway. They stormed off the exit with a huge caravan of bikes and trucks.

Red saluted. He circled around.

Boots and Jackal were at the front. I peered out from behind Red’s shoulder. I hoped this wouldn’t take long. The shock started to wear off. Pain filtered in with a promise of a lot more on the way.

“Call ahead and tell them to get ready for a burn and possibly fractures.”

“You got it,” Boots said.

Jackal shook his head at me. “You shouldn’t have left without us.”

“We can talk about it later.”

“Glad she’s safe,” he added.

“The place is cleared out, but double check to be sure.”

He revved the engine again. It thrummed beneath me and I jumped closer to him as we pulled out.

Once we hit the steady speed of the highway, even with the wind whipping me back, I couldn’t focus. I closed my eyes and tried to make the pain disappear.

When I opened them, I saw The Bastards’ compound. Then the gate. I shut them again, and we stopped.

Red lifted me into his arms.

“You don’t have to do that. Don’t hurt yourself,” I told him, slurring my words like my mouth was filled with cotton.

“You’re safe with me. Quiet now. Rest. I’ll take care of everything.”

He carried me in through a doorway. When he dropped me, pain radiated from my lungs, branching out farther to my ribs. Red tucked me back down. His hands entwined with mine, he pumped life into my fragile body.

I had shut my eyes after Red squeezed my hand. When I opened them again, he was gone. I gnashed my teeth to fight a scream, but it came out anyway.

“Get her something to kill the pain,” Red shouted. He was pissed. Three people scrambled through the door. A girl and two men who I didn’t recognize. When one pulled in an IV, it occurred to me what was about to happen. They were going to put me under.

“No, no,” I screamed. Red caught my fist as it flung through the air. His grip wouldn’t let up.

Not by them. Not by those doctors at the compound. Couldn’t he have brought me to a real hospital?

Before I could shout something crazy and mean at him, his strong, confident face brushed against mine.

“It’s okay. I’m here. Nothing bad is going to happen.”

My head hit the pillow. White lights above me. Red guarding me. That was the last memory I had of that day.

“I like having you around, Red, but you don’t have to watch over me all the time. I’m fine. Are you sure you don’t have anything important to do?”

Ash seemed back to normal. Even happier than I last left her. Perhaps happier than I’d ever known her to be. It wasn’t something I was prepared for. Who was kidnapped and woke up in a good mood? Ash, that’s who.

“No, don’t ask me that again. You’re the most important thing right now. After what happened, you’re under my watch...for a long time.”

She kicked back and hit the king-sized headboard. Images hit my mind of her fingers reaching up for the top, trying to curl around it to hold on as I pounded her, driving myself to the hilt, stretching her to the max.

But she still wore medical tape around her ribs, reminding me of her injuries. Despite the tape, as soon as we arrived in the four-star hotel, she seemed fine. The idea had been mine. To get away from the club, the complications, and possible vengeance that The Defilers might try to enact.

So far, we were safe, and so were the boys. No sign of trouble. Anywhere.

Ash didn’t seem worried at all. Telling me the truth, and I also guessed, being away from The Bastards and shacked up in a nice hotel had lifted her spirits.

At some point, we would need to talk about how we were going to handle things.
We
I said, and I meant it. We were together now. There was no doubt about that.

I didn’t want to think about it right away. I was consumed with thoughts of caring for Ash. The hotel room was like a time bubble; we were in our own little world, free from distractions and the nasty outside world which had threatened to destroy us. The room was on the top floor in a gaudy hotel right off the highway, in a location which hadn’t been overdeveloped yet, meant we had a clear, open view of the desert as it stretched into the horizon.

There was even a hot tub in the bathroom. Ash had slid her sexy ass into it earlier when I went to grab some water. When I came back, my mast reared up, urging me to join her. Seeing her tits hide at the edge of the surface, I almost forgot that she was recuperating. The bastard in me almost came out. I handed her the water bottle and hopped into bed, distracting myself with the TV.

My balls still ached every once and a while whenever I thought about the opportunity. Especially with her cheery disposition and how she kept telling me how fine she was. How fine was she really? Not fine enough to take a hard fuck, that’s for sure. Soft and slow...maybe? I crossed the thought out.

“What are you thinking about? You look so serious,” she said playfully. She pushed the covers off and crawled to the edge of the bed. On her knees, looking up at me, it was an enticing position that almost broke me.

“Nothing,” I grunted. “A lot of things.”

“Really? I thought you would be more stressed than this.”

“Me? You’re the one who was tortured. You had a blow torch to your back, Ash.”

She shrugged. “It could’ve been worse. He didn’t really touch my back for long and you arrived so soon. I had days to recover. I’m tired of being treated like I’m on my deathbed. Trust me, I’m fine. It’s you that I’m worried about. Are you concerned about what’s going to happen to us? Eventually, we’re going to need to tackle that question.”

The question. What
were
we going to do? She was an FBI Informant, sent to infiltrate and lock me up. I was a Blessed Bastard, sworn to ride for life.

The only answer I had was Ash. She was my choice.

“Let’s not worry about that,” I said, dipping lower, my lips brushing hers. She moaned, her lips slipping open a little more as I swiped against the tip of her tongue, giving her a tease and a dose of my heavy medicine.

“It’s us now,” I said.

She leaned back. Her pupils dilated.

Did she think I would be giving up the colors? The colors were for life. I hoped she wouldn’t think so. Damnit, the struggle was real. My head was littered with the jumbled mess of conflicts outside of this beautiful hotel room and this beautiful girl before me. Wasn’t that enough? For today, I wanted it to be.

Savor her. She was almost taken from you before. You almost lost her. Savor her now.

I kissed her again, this time granting more of my tongue as I circled hers. Breaking away, I saw her beaming like she was ready to burst with frenetic energy. Best to keep my distance. Already there was a tug in my jeans. Who knew what I was capable of if I continued to stand right in front of her lips? My cock would probably burst out and hit her in the chin.

“Going to take a quick shower.”

It was apparent that I was trying to hide. She gave me a smug smirk, like she knew exactly what I was doing, but before I could give her the pleasure of a retort, I strode to the bathroom and halfway shut the door.

I draped my jacket near the shower. My t-shirt, which should’ve been cool from the blasting AC, was warm and clung to my chest. I tossed it off. My boots too. Then my jeans. There was plenty of room, enough room for the hot tub, and also a boxed-in shower with a sleek marble floor.

I gave a caveman-like grunt at my cock, plump and at attention. Ash always got my blood pumping.

She’d better heal soon. If she didn’t, I might be the one never getting out of bed. My balls were heavy and sore. That was a lot of pent-up testosterone.

Grabbing a towel, I placed it over my jacket.

I stepped into the shower and turned it on. First, I hit cold. I feared telling Ash that was part of my routine. She might want to get in the shower with me someday. Just thinking about our morning routine with her curvy, sensual body brushing against me, my cock started to fill, my debased impulses taking over.

Not even the cold could keep hot thoughts of her away.

Leaning over, I grabbed the bar of soap and scrubbed at the back of my neck. The shock to my system from the cold water hadn’t proved sufficient, so I turned the warm water up. Freezing water had managed to numb my cock a little, but not much. It started to tingle. Soon, it would be all I could think about.

Christ, I couldn’t go a minute without thinking about it. Red Jr. was one hell of a time waster.

Something caught my eye. My arm snapped to the door. A blurred figure stood before me, casting a faint shadow. My berserker rage almost took control. Warm water caressing my tense muscles helped settle me. Usually, an intrusion like that would have my trigger finger itching.

This shape was soft. Getting even softer as I watched her toss her clothes off. Her hourglass shape, her hair dangling down to her shoulders, and the steam which started to form between us destroyed all intents of remaining proper in my mind.

What was she thinking?

“Red, since it’s just us, and we’re together now, I thought it would make sense to start showering together,” her voice called out. It was husky and smooth. My erection throbbed. I had full wood now. My balls were tightening, driving me to release.

Wildness in me desired to pump my seed into her, to really claim her as mine. Words didn’t matter to that side of me. Only action. The most important action to fuck her and claim her.