Twisted Mercy (Red Team Book 4) (25 page)

“Give me your phone,” Blade requested, holding his hand out. He removed the battery, then turned the phone off. “He won’t know that you’re with us.”

“I’ll send a couple of my friends, men you can trust, to guard the pride until you return,” Mad Dog said. “They will stay out of sight. No one will know they’re there.”

“Your friends are warriors?”

“They are.”

Lion shut his eyes as he considered the possibilities. Maybe this was the way out he’d been searching for. Maybe if he joined forces with these men, he could finally fight King. He looked at Mad Dog and nodded. “I’ll give you one night. Tomorrow, I must return to the pride.”

“Agreed.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

A knock sounded on Hope’s door. She hurried to open it. Mads stood there. Alone. She stepped back, opening the door wider.
 

He shook his head as he entered. “I couldn’t find him at the arena.”

Hope pressed her hands to her face and resumed her pacing as she tried to figure out what their next steps should be. “He’s just a kid, Mads. He looked so overwhelmed there tonight.”

“He’s an adult.”
 

“No. He’s lived too sheltered a life.”

“He’s not been as sheltered as you think. I’ll go back tomorrow, first thing in the morning, and try again.”

She stopped and stared at him. In the morning? Lion was lost
now
. She stepped into a pair of flip-flops and grabbed her purse.
 

“Where are you going?”

“Back to find him.”

“He’s not there, Hope. I waited until it all shut down. I showed his pic to the guys at the gates. Lion knew where we were. He could have found and joined us at any time.”

She shook her head. “We left early to dodge the Feds.”

“He’d ducked out before then, I suspect.”

“Why? Why would he do that?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because it’s the first time he’s been off this mountain.” Mads set his big hands on her shoulders. The weight and warmth of them was instantly calming. “Leave this to me. Please. I will find him.”

She glared up at him, silently communicating that if he didn’t find him, she would. He didn’t relent, but she did. With a sigh, she leaned in to him, resting her forehead on his chest. His arms slipped around her.

“I was so close, Mads. I found him. Met him. Spoke to him. I almost got him out of here.”

“It ain’t over yet. Don’t give up on him yet.”
 

Hope dropped her purse on the floor next to them so she could wrap her hands around him. They stood, body to body, for a long minute.
 

“Try to get some rest tonight. Tomorrow, get to work on the bikes you have in the shop; do your regular routine as if nothing was wrong. We’ve got to fly below the radar on this. The guys here can’t know he’s your brother.”

Hope sighed, “I can’t sleep. I lost my brother, Mads.”

Mads kissed her forehead. “He’s not lost, baby. He’s being a kid. For the first time in his life.” He took her hand and led her into the bedroom. “Strip down. I’ll run a hot shower for you then put you to bed.”

Hope looked at Mads. He had to be as exhausted as she was, and yet he put her comfort before his own. She could count on one hand how many times someone had done that for her. She nodded. She had no energy to argue, and he was probably right anyway. The shower would feel good.

She got out of her clothes and pulled her robe on. She went into the bathroom, only to find Mads standing naked, with his back to her, as he tested the water. “You’re showering with me?”

He laughed as he turned to her. “Who do you think’s going to hold you up?” Her gaze lowered to his heavy erection hanging between his legs. “Don’t worry about it. It doesn’t know how tired you are, but I do.”
 

She left her robe on the vanity. He reached for her hand and led her into the ancient tub. Putting his arms around her, he pulled her against his chest and let the hot water hit her back. She relaxed against him. The hot water felt divine. And when his big hands came up to massage her back, she was in heaven.
 

Far too soon, he shut the water off and wrapped a towel around her and another around himself. He led her to bed and lifted the sheet and cotton blanket. “In.”

He went back into the bathroom. She could hear him straightening things. She wondered about her brother again, where he was, if he was safe. Did he even know how to get a hold of her if he asked a stranger for help? And with his odd looks, would anyone help him?

She started to cry. She never cried. She hated crying. Suddenly, the bed dipped down on the opposite side. Mads was under the covers, pulling her into his arms. “Cry it out. I gotcha.”

She moved her face against his pec, feeling the furring of his chest under her cheek. His nipple bar was rough against her chin. She ran her hand over his other pec, over and through his chest hair. She circled her hand over his other nipple, feeling the bar rub against her palm.
 

He turned onto his side, facing her. She forked her knees through his. His eyes looked dark in the shadowy room. She couldn’t see much of his face. He reached over and touched her cheek. Only then did she realize that she’d stopped crying.
 

He kissed her forehead, then she felt him tugging at her towel. “You should ditch this. It’s damp.” She lifted up and let him pull it free then toss it away. His towel followed hers. She wiggled closer to him until her face was pressed against his chest.
 

“I love the way you smell, Mads.”

“It’s just me. And soap, I guess.”

Her elbow rested on his side. She fingered his chest, brushing against his upper inner arm. She felt the ridges there, ran her fingers over them. “What happened here?”

“I cut myself.”

“With what?

“My fingernail.”

“You did this on purpose?” She felt him nod. "Why?"

“To remember things I didn’t want to forget. Didn’t want to forgive.”

“Oh, Mads.” She pushed herself up and kissed the thick stripes.

He caught her wet hair, fisted it as he held her face to the old scars. She felt the breath he huffed, almost like a choke. He leaned over her, his hand still in her hair. He kissed her eye, her cheek, the side of her nose.

He leaned over her more, pressing his weight into her, pushing her onto her back. He reached his arms above her head, capturing her face. He kissed her upper lip, then her bottom lip. She could feel the ring in his lip press into her skin. He bent to kiss her jaw.
 

His lips moved across her face to her mouth. She opened for him. He held her cheek as his tongue entered her mouth, slipping against hers, pushing and thrusting. As they kissed, he eased a hand down her shoulder, along her back, over the curve of her hip and butt.
 

She realized suddenly that she was not tired at all. It felt wonderful to be here with him. He moved slightly, pushing his rigid cock against the soft flesh of her belly. He moved his mouth to her chin, down her throat. He kissed her collarbone, then cupped her breast and kissed his way across the mound to her nipple. She dug her nails into his back when he sucked her nipple. He was a heavy man, but he was careful to keep most of his weight on his elbow.
 

She caught his face and drew him upward. “Mads, now.”

He kissed her mouth, then turned to the side of the bed and pulled a rubber from his jeans and covered himself. Moving between her legs, he spread them wide as he positioned himself at her opening.
 

She leaned up on her elbows. There was only ambient light in her room, muted by the sheers and blinds on the windows. She wished she could see more of him. She wanted to watch the look on his face as he entered her. She sucked in a sharp breath when he did just that. He didn’t push in fast. No, he went slow, rocking his apadravya right there where she was so sensitive.
 

He leaned down over her, scooping his forearms under her shoulders as he held her head. He brushed his thumbs against her cheeks as he rocked over her, in her, against her. When he finally thrust all the way into her, she cried out, bucking against him. She braced her weight on her heels and pushed into him.

Her orgasm hit hard. He began pumping harder, faster. As her first crest slowly eased back, he touched her clit, working it with the rhythm he was setting. This time, when she came, he did too. He caught her hips in his hands, gripping her butt cheeks as he drove hard thrusts into her.

He groaned, then kissed her neck as the last waves of passion eased away. He stayed in her for a long moment, holding his weight on his elbows. She smoothed her hands over his back. She felt different with him than she had with any other man. She choked back tears. She didn’t want this to be temporary; she wanted it to be real.

“Hey.” He laughed and leaned forward to kiss her temple. “That’s how this all started. Did I hurt you?”

“No. It felt wonderful.” Too wonderful.
 

He eased himself from her and removed the rubber, then went to toss it in the bathroom trash. When he came back, she’d rolled onto her side, away from him. He slipped into bed next to her, molding his body to hers. He wrapped a heavy arm around her belly and pushed his other arm under her head.

She moved to kiss his scars again, then wrapped her arm over his where it was draped over her stomach and threaded her fingers through his. She shut her eyes. Tomorrow, Mads would find Lion. She knew it.

Max’s heart was racing. Hope was going to hate him soon. If Kit decided to hold her brother for further questioning, Hope would lose her mind. She was so determined to make a life for her and Lion. He’d never seen such selfless intent, especially in the face of such overwhelming odds—not only of getting her brother off the compound, but of evading the WKB once they got away.

Max felt the tightness in his scars. They’d burned all night. How different his life would have been if his family had put each other first instead of buckling under their own devils. They’d all still be alive. His dad wouldn’t have lost his job. Max wouldn’t have taken a paid hacking job. His mom wouldn’t have medicated herself to death. And his sister wouldn’t have felt the need to party so dangerously.

And he wouldn’t have joined the Red Team. He’d be some regular guy, working a nine-to-five, not living a life of double identities. He’d be free to pursue Hope. He wouldn’t have to be alone.

She was beautiful inside and out. Capable. Resilient. All the things his family had not been.
 

If only there weren’t so many unknowns about her. Why was she associating with King? Why had King pointed him out to her? Why was her brother taking orders from King?

Though Kit wasn’t convinced, Max had no doubt Hope was as much a victim of the WKB as her mother had been. He pulled her tighter against himself. Being with her was like finding all the missing parts of himself at some lost and found, just sitting there waiting to be reclaimed.
 

She was everything—everything he couldn’t have.

* * *

Lion walked up the several flights of stairs to the hidden doorway inside the closet in the den. Two of the men who’d met with him during the night, Blade and Kelan, were with him. Kelan led the group and held the hidden door for them. His dark eyes gave away nothing of his thoughts. Lion’s mind was overflowing with the videos and clips of news they’d shown him.
 

The world was a much bigger place than he’d thought it to be.
 

The rich scents of breakfast foods wrapped around him like an invitation. His stomach growled. It smelled like a feast the likes of which he’d never partaken. At least not since he joined the pride. Each of the boys in his pride took turns hunting for the others. Sometimes they even foraged food from the bikers, especially in the lean winter months. They grew their own crops on a corner of the Friendship Community’s property. While the residents there were forbidden to interact with them, they sometimes left food baskets for them. Or other supplies like clothes and blankets and bandages.

He was nervous to eat with these warriors. He didn’t know their rituals and so couldn’t follow them. He did know the repercussions for failing expectations could be deadly.

The hallway was alive with the sounds of people congregating for the morning meal. Men and their women and children. A cold sweat blanketed his skin. He kept his head up, refusing to let them see his distress. The three of them stepped down into the living room. The voices were louder.
 

A little boy who’d watched them from the entrance to the kitchen ran through the dining hall. He jumped down the steps from that room and rushed over to them. The men with Lion patiently stopped and waited for him to speak.

“Hi,” the boy said, blocking the way with his little body.

Lion looked at Blade, who was smiling in a relaxed way, then back to the boy before nodding his greeting.

“Chief Owen said you’d be joining us.”

The “Chief Owen” bit had Lion looking at Blade again. His grin was wide. Lion didn’t smile. He’d met Owen. He was a formidable chief.

“I’m new here, too,” the boy chattered on. “It’s scary at first, but everyone’s nice.” He took hold of Lion’s hand, stepping in front of Kelan. “I’m Zavi.”

Lion looked at Kelan, worried the boy was about to be cuffed. Kelan seemed as relaxed as Blade. “I’m Lion,” he said to the boy.
 

The boy drew him forward to the entrance to the dining hall. There was a long table with dozens of chairs. And women. The conversations ground to a halt when he entered with Zavi.

He sent a look around the room. Down by the end of the table was the girl from the camp, the one who had been with the female warrior. He looked at the other women, wondering if they were warriors, too. He didn’t think they were—none wore weapons. One of them, a petite woman with long, dark hair, went over to sit beside the girl.
 

Zavi led him over to two open chairs that backed to a sideboard with serving dishes. “You sit there. I saved that chair for you. Mandy will bring us some food. She’s my new mom.” Zavi climbed up onto his chair, standing on the cushion so he could direct Mandy as to what he wanted to be served. Everything he had her put on his own plate, he also had her put on Lion’s plate.