Ryder: MC Biker Romance (Great Wolves Motorcycle Club Book 8) (13 page)

“Look, I want to
help. I do. But The Judge, well you saw. If you get me something else.
Something solid.” Tanner looked honest. He looked like he wanted to help. But in
the end, he couldn’t do dick if The Judge let every suspect walk.

The Judge had
called a lunch recess, and I wondered where Jules was. Where had she gone after
the ruling? I wanted to connect with her, reassure her that I’d come up with
something. Even though I didn’t know what the fuck to do with a corrupt judge
and this Goddamn evil club.

I didn’t have to
wonder about her father.

He was outside the
courtroom to collect his piece of shit crew.

He had black hair,
black jeans, black leather, and a fucking black heart for sure. Gray streaks
looked like steel in his hair. He had a mean look about him. There was a snarl
on his lips for anyone who dared to meet his eye. He liked having everyone
under his boot. He counted on the fact that everyone was afraid of him.

Except I wasn’t.
I’d take him on right now.

Sonny Maldonado
walked up to me. Calm as you, please. His voice was ravaged by years of
smoking. A Marlboro was hanging from his lips as he spoke to me for the first
time.

“Ryder. That your
name? Let me tell you something Ryder. This is our town. Cruz here is a reject
from my club. And now he’s collected a whole shitty little band of pussies who
couldn’t cut it. You’re new here. So I’m going to let you in on something. I
run this town. I run The Judge, and I decide who fucks my daughter.”

That had me seeing
red. I charged at him and my fist found his nose. Blood spewed from it and then
he gave it back, landing a punch on my jaw. I felt the flesh inside my cheek
open.

Before I knew it,
Cruz was pulling me back, and Headlock was doing the same for Sonny Maldonado.

“Fuck you,
Maldonado.” I spit a chunk of blood and gristle from my mouth and onto the
sidewalk. He wiped a streak of blood from his nose and laughed at me.

Cruz held me a
vice grip. I was ready to go again, finish it right here. Nice to meet you,
Daddy, let me kick your fucking ass, was running through my mind.

“You aren’t making
shit better with this,” Cruz said to me under his breath to me.

“Listen to Cruz
Ryder. Remember I decide who’s in the cage with my daughter.” He looked up, and
I followed his eye line.

That’s when I saw
what he wanted me to see. Above us, I could see the courthouse window, and
Jules was there. She didn’t see us or wasn’t looking. Her eyes were somewhere
else. Maybe her soul was too.

The Judge stood
behind her. He put his wrinkly old lips on her neck, his creepy hand stroked
her bare arm. And then he reached up and shut the blind. I threw up in my
mouth.

“You son of a bitch,”
I said, and Maldonado laughed and turned away from us as if I wasn’t going to
murder him in the street. I would have, and Cruz knew it. He tightened his grip
on me and pushed me up against the building.

“Ryder, RYDER
stop.”

“That fucker. He
can’t…” I was sputtering. I saw spots. I tried to watch Maldonado drive away on
his bike, but Cruz was in my face.

“Let’s go. Not
now. Not on the street.” Cruz was trying to get me to be sensible. I didn’t
feel sensible at all. I could see still Sonny Maldonado laughing, and I would
forever see that Judge with his lips on Jules.

This had to end.

I had to get her
free. I had to get this town free of the fucking Devil’s Hawks.

And I had to do it
fast.

Jules

Part of me hoped
that Ryder was right. That The Judge would put Daddy’s worst three minions in
jail and throw away the key. But only a small part of me hoped that. Most of me
understood that it wouldn’t happen.

I watched them all
walk free and knew there was no way out. Not the way Ryder thought of it
anyway.

I was to meet The
Judge in his office after his morning docket was cleared. This was my job now.
Meeting Richard Wexler whenever he needed me to meet him. My Daddy thought it
was too funny if he thought of me at all.

I was squared away.
Daddy had me trapped. I was the ultimate payoff for The Judge doing what Daddy
wanted.

I looked around at
the office, and there was a photo of Richard being sworn in as a judge. It was
dated twenty-five years ago. The same amount of time that Daddy had been the Prez
of the Devil’s Hawks. He’d been a young president, my mom had told me, and now
I knew why. His ruthlessness combined with a judge in his pocket made him the
king of this world. A king that no one crossed until me.

But it wasn’t long
until he had me right where he needed me again.

I thought I could
do it. I thought I could marry The Judge. I would still have my jewelry business,
and that would be enough.

It would have to
be enough. But seeing Ryder again made me realize it would never be enough. I
needed to be free. I needed to stop Daddy.

But how?

My mind raced.
Daddy would never let me out of this deal. He would haul me back here if I ran
and he’d kill anyone who tried to help me.

I had to do it on
my own. I heard The Judge in the hall talking to his secretary.

“No interruptions
for an hour Irene while I’m having lunch with Juliet.”

I turned to stare
out the window. Southwood was Daddy’s territory. The town was under his thumb
and thanks to The Judge the Devil’s Hawks had run wild here. The unholy bargain
Daddy and The Judge had made had to have cost Daddy a lot of money over the
years. Part of what they stole went right to The Judge’s coffers.

“Hello,
delicious.” I stared into nothingness as The Judge lifted my hair and kissed my
neck. His fingers were tight around my arm. I was there every day now for his
lunch time. Sometimes he wanted to play with me, his favorite toy, others, he
just wanted me there.

I stared out over
the town, at nothing, at the sky, as he slid the blinds closed. This meant he
wanted to play with me.

“Dear I need to
sit.” He dragged me behind him as he sat down in the big leather chair behind
his impressive mahogany desk. He put down the files he’d carried into the room
and had me sit on top of the same desk as well. What would he want to look at
today?

“How was your
morning?” I asked. A plan was starting to form in my head as The Judge glued
his eyes to my breasts.

“Oh, just a few
easy decisions that will keep us both happy.” The Judge slid me forward so he
could sit comfortably and look at me.

“Really? With
Daddy’s Club?” The Judge nodded and flicked at the top button of my blouse. I’d
broken a rule. Buttons were difficult for his old fingers. He had me take over.

“Yes. Faster dear.
I want to enjoy my lunch.” I undid my blouse, and he sat and stared. I’d
learned to always wear a bra since our first encounter. Sometimes it even
stayed on.

As I sat, with him
staring, my plan got firmer even if The Judge couldn’t.

“You’re the first
person who I ever felt safe with Richard,” I said. And slowly I stood up and
positioned myself on his lap. I was careful to keep my weight on chair’s arms. The
Judge was frail. He was old. And he was mine. Not Daddy’s. That was my
revelation. My weapon.

“I’m so glad
puppet.” He said. I took the food I’d
brought him for lunch and fed it to him a bit at a time while sitting, blouse
open, on his lap. The glaze I’d seen in his eyes was my opportunity.

“Do you miss the
money?” I said and put a pout on my face.

“No, your Daddy
paid me plenty over the years, and I invested wisely. You are a much better
arrangement.”

“Are you sure?”
And I used every ounce of my focus to shift the power I had with The Judge. I
had the power dammit. I reached to the front of my bra and unclipped the front.
I spilled out right in front of his nose. It was evil. It was calculated. I
knew it. But it was my way out. I knew that now too.

“I’m very sure.”
The Judge was looking at me as if I was his lunch now. I’d never been so
forward with him. I’d never taken the initiative I’d only passively took his
hands, mouth, and eyes on me.

This seemed to be
all that was required to keep him wrapped around my finger. But I needed more.
I needed trust and information.

So I took it
further.

“Richard, will you
let me re-decorate your office?” I asked as he struggled to swallow a piece of
the sandwich I’d packed him.

“Why in the world?
It’s fine as it is.”

“I just want it to
be nice for you. And I want to be useful,” I said.

“It’s extra work
child, you don’t want to work.” I swallowed hard and decided to make sure
Richard said yes to everything I wanted.

“I just want to
make you happy since you make me feel so safe.” I grabbed the glass of water he
had on the desk.

I let the
condensation drip onto my chest. The Judge licked his lips.

“You make me very,
very happy. And do whatever you want. I’ll tell Irene to give you a key.”
Richard leaned in and lapped up the water droplet that had settled on the
juncture between my breasts. I was in control of him.

I was completely
grossed out. But I’d done it. I’d convinced him to let me be here in his office
without him.

“Here Richard let
me help you.” I took one of his arthritic hands into mine and slowly used my
strong fingers to massage his painful joints.

“Heavenly, simply
heavenly.” He placed his head on my chest as I continued to work on his gnarled
knuckles. He breathed heavily on my nipples, and I heard him giggle. He used
his other hand to inch up my skirt. His hand stayed on my outer thigh. He never
asked to go further than that. I hoped to God that stayed the case. I hoped to God
he still planned to keep me “pure” until the wedding night.

And as I suspected
he would, eventually he closed his eyes and fell asleep as though I was his
human pillow, with one hand on my thigh.

I didn’t care. He
couldn’t do more than paw and drool. But I could do a lot more. In this very
room.

I just needed
enough time for my plan to work. As far as anyone else was concerned, I was
loyal to The Judge and no one else. But more than that The Judge trusted me.

After his lunch
hour was over my plan was solidified. I finally had a way out. Or at least a
chance at one.

But I was afraid
to tell Ryder. And he didn’t make it easy for me.

Ryder was waiting
for me at my place.

“I’m getting you
out of here,” he said.

“I told you The Judge
and Daddy are tight.” Ryder was as mad as I’d ever seen him. He raised voice
and stalked around the room. My easy going biker beach bum had hit the limits
of his patience. But I still needed more.

“I don’t care. I
don’t care about Great Wolves or Devil’s Hawks or any of it. I only care that I
get you out of here. That Judge had all the evidence he needed and didn’t do
dick. You can’t fight these people.”

“I need you to
trust me.” Ryder was as mad as I’d ever seen him. Even angrier than when he’d
first confronted me in this very room about leaving him.

“I do trust you. I
don’t trust them. Let me just put you on my bike. We’ll get out of Michigan,
out of the country if we need to.”

“So you’re willing
to leave your club?”

“I am. It’s not
even a question.”

“I am not going to
be the one who pulls you out of your club.”

“It’s not up to
you. We’re going,” Ryder was desperate to get me out of the situation. I was
desperate too. I’d learned my lesson about running without a solid plan. It
would fail. I would fail, and Daddy would win.

“Nothing has been
up to me, except running to you. I love you. But if you love me you’ll listen
to what I want to do.”

“Wait. You what?”
Ryder’s emotions shifted from pleading and desperation to utter surprise. His
panther-like stalking around my loft stopped. I’d blurted what should have been
softly delivered with a kiss or a Hallmark card. Blurt. And then I did it
again.

“I love you.”

“I love you too
Jules,” Ryder walked toward me and took my face in his hands, “So much. More
than anything.”

Ryder put his lips
on mine. They were warm, soft, and so tender. It was beautiful. And it was
right. It was an “I Love You” kiss. So many of ours were, “I Want You” kisses.
Also good, but this kiss was deeper. It told me it really was Ryder and me
against the world.

I pulled back and
looked at his face. He was so handsome it took my breath away. But it was his
eyes. Where Daddy’s eyes were cruel and mocking. Ryder’s eyes were kind. There
was a smile in them for me always. There was a smile in them for most the
people he met.

He may be a biker
but he was a different breed than Daddy, and I wanted to spend my life where he
was.

“If we’re going to
have a life together, and I want that Ryder. I learned how much I want that
these least six months. If we’re going to have a life together, I need to take
Daddy down.”

“You want me to
kill him? Because I fucking will.”

“No, I don’t want
you to ruin your life. We’re going to put Daddy away.”

“How? The Judge is
in his pocket.”

“No, The Judge is
in my pocket.” Ryder looked at me with suspicion, but he was going to have to
trust me if this was going to work.