Warrant (Righteous Outlaws #1) (10 page)

I reached out to him, wanting to comfort him, to try and take the pain away, but he swatted at my hand. “Don’t fucking touch me,” he seethed.

I should have walked away and never looked back. Found the strength to leave him behind, but, instead, I decided it was best for me stay. I dropped to my knees in front of him, and took his hands in mine.

He snatched his hands out of my grip, but I didn’t let it deter me. He was trying to push me away, and I wasn’t going to let him. So, I reached out again, taking his hands back in mine.

He looked at me like I was crazy, and maybe I was, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he knew I wasn’t going anywhere. I was exactly where I needed to be. “You’re going to have to try a lot harder than that if you want to get rid of me,” I said, looking up into his eyes.

He smirked and shook his head. “Even if you left, you’d still be here, he said, smacking his hand against his head. “You’re in my fucking head. No matter what I do, I can’t stop thinking about you. It’s making me fucking crazy. I’m losing my edge and that is dangerous in my world.”

“Good, because I can’t stop thinking about you either,” I said, a slight smile tugging at the edges of my mouth.

His lip curled, and he shoved my hands at me. “Good? Good! It’s not fucking good. I told you. I don’t do monogamy, but, ever since you walked into that bar, you’ve knocked me on my fucking ass. So, no, this isn’t fucking good. This is a goddamned nightmare.”

“Why? Because you might have to sleep with only one girl? God forbid!” I exclaimed.

“You were only supposed to be a one night thing.”

“What do you want from me? To apologize for it? Because I won’t. I will not stand here and tell you I’m sorry that I want to get to know you, or that I enjoy being with you. That you are everything my parents are against, and I don’t care. Because the only thing I care about is that I want you.”

“Then you’re a fucking idiot.” He shot up and stormed away, running a hand through his hair. He came to a stop, his back to me.

Heartbreak got pushed aside by the anger surging through me. I stood up, and walked over to him until I was only a few feet away. “So maybe I am. Maybe I’m a fucking idiot, but at least I’m not afraid to admit to what I want!” I yelled, letting the anger pour out.

He gripped his hair, tugging at the roots. He spun around, his hands latching on to the sides of my arms. “Don’t you fucking get it? My life is too goddamned dangerous for you.”

I shook my head, refusing to accept that. “I don’t care.”

His grip on me tightened, but then he shoved me away from him. “Goddamn it.” He took a deep breath, and the darkened fury that had engulfed him was slowly slipping away. “You should care. My dad was the toughest son of a bitch I had ever known, and all it took was one bullet to end that.” He held his finger up. “One.” He shoved his hands in his jean pockets. “Guns and violence are a part of me. If you want me, then you want that life, too. There are no country clubs and stylists in my world.”

“Good because I’m sick of that life.”

A rush of air pushed through his lips. “You think you are, but, once you’re done slumming, you’ll be dying to go back to it. And I’ll just be an embarrassing memory that you keep hidden. That you’ll do everything in your power to forget.”

‘That’s not true!” I yelled, grabbing his arm and yanking him to me.

He ripped out of my grip. “Yes, it is! I don’t know what the fuck you expect from me, but, whatever it is, you’re not going to get it. So, it’s best if you just leave.” He walked away from me, and the tears I had been fighting finally pushed their way to the surface. They spilled down my cheeks, and I hated that he made me cry. That I was weak enough to let him. Stupid enough to think a guy like him would ever want to be with a girl like me.

I was too good. Too pure. The most dangerous thing I had ever done in my life was getting on the back of his motorcycle. When I was around him, I stopped over-thinking everything. Stopped trying to be someone I wasn’t. He might not have wanted me, and it broke me to a thousand tiny shards, but at least now I knew there was more out there in the world. That my life wasn’t confined to country clubs and stylists and the likes of William.

I found him in the kitchen, guzzling a bottle of beer. Without thinking, I went up behind him and wrapped my arms around him, resting my head on his back. “I’ll never forget you,” I said as I relished in his warmth, and committing his scent to memory, so I could bring it back and savor it down the road.

I let go, knowing this was the end, and walked away, refusing to look back. Fresh tears fell from my lids as I accepted the loss of something I felt could have been great.

I got to the doorway when his hand clamped down on mine, and yanked me back to him. His other hand came to my face, holding me as his thumb brushed away my tears.

“Don’t go Sunshine,” he pleaded. “I need you right now,” he whispered and crushed his lips to mine. All the emotions that were swirling inside of me combusted and I poured them into the kiss. He reached for the hem of my dress and pulled it up. “Lift your arms,” he commanded. “I need this off of you now!” he barked as he gruffly tugged it over my head and threw it to the floor in a heap.

Wanting to feel his skin against mine, I hooked my fingers into the hem of his shirt, and yanked it over his head. His hand came back to my face as he guided us down the hall. I raked my fingers up and down his abs, absorbing his heat and feeling every hard ridge.

He pushed the bedroom door open, his lips on mine and his hands on my face. His fingers ran down my sides, and cupped my ass, lifting me into his arms. He carried me across the room, and placed me on his bed. I sunk into his soft comforter as he kicked his pants off and got in the bed on top of me.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Sunshine. I need to be inside of you.”

“I need you inside of me,” I breathed as he thrust deep into my wetness. I closed my eyes at the delicious intrusion when a darkness fell over us. I blinked open my eyes to Cash, and watched his eyes dim as a look of pure evil crossed his face. My confusion was quickly replaced with sheer terror, as I saw the gun pointed at his head. The silver barrel glistened in the dark room, and every horrible thought I could imagine raced through my mind.

“Don’t fucking try anything, or I blow both your brains out!” someone yelled from behind us.

Fear wracked my body, causing me to shake uncontrollably. The terror consumed me, and the scream that was inside me desperately tried to claw its way out, but couldn’t find its way. I needed to keep my cool, or neither one of us was going to get out of this alive. I was not ready to die. I just started figuring my life out, and there was no way in hell I was going to sit here and let this guy kill me.

But, what other choice did I have?

T
wo things went
through my mind. The first: Kade should have killed this fucking bastard when he had the chance. The second: If he laid a fucking hand on my Sunshine, I would kill him and I’d guarantee it would be a slow torturous death.

The pure horror in Aubree’s eyes ripped at my insides. This was the exact thing I had warned her about. If I would have just let her fucking walk away, she wouldn’t be here right now. She’d be on her way back to the life she was meant for, and this would be
my
problem. And mine alone. But, now, it was bigger than that.

I needed a plan. It didn’t matter what went down as long as, in the end, Aubree was safe. Like a fucking moron, I left my gun on the kitchen counter, which left me at a disadvantage. I had another stashed under my bed if I could just get it without this prick seeing me.

“Get up!” Anthony demanded, and I slid out of Aubree, seeing the humiliation and fear streak her face.

“I’m sorry,” I mouthed as I got to my feet.

Aubree grabbed the blanket, and brought it up around her, hugging it to her naked body. She pushed up against my headboard, and I caught her eye and mouthed, “Trust me.” I didn’t have a plan yet, and really had no fucking clue how I was going to get us out of this, but it was all I could offer her. No matter what happened, I would keep her safe.

I held my hands up and turned around. “What the fuck do you want?” I demanded.

“To chat. I’ve been waiting in here for fucking ever.”

“My apologies for keeping you waiting,” I spat, trying not to lunge at the fucking bastard. I knew I could take him, but he was the one with the gun right now, and I was butt ass naked. This bastard was fucking dead, but first I needed to get Aubree out. “Now, why don’t you let the girl go? She has nothing to do with any of this.”

“I could,” he said. “But, after listening to your little fight out there, I’m thinking she’s worth more to me in here.”

Anger surged through my veins, and I flexed my fingers, trying to calm the rage. I needed to keep a clear head and, if I let emotions control a single move, we could both wind up dead.

“You want to talk, then talk,” I growled, keeping my eye on his gun, waiting to make my move.

“I’m here on business.”

“I didn’t think you were here for fucking dinner,” I muttered. “Now, get to the point.”

“You and your boys need to stop running goods, or you’ll start piling up on the side of the road like the Montamos pussies.” He had told me and Kade that he was the low man on the totem pole, but I was beginning to think that he was full of shit. Low levels didn’t come to deliver messages. “There’s a new Queen in town, and she’s taking over.”

I looked him straight into his dark eyes. “That’s never going to fucking happen. We’ve controlled this area for thirty fucking years, and we’re not going to let some immigrant come in here and rip that out from under us. Fuck you!” I yelled, spitting venom with my eyes.

He lifted his hand and pistol whipped me across the face, causing Aubree to gasp. The taste of blood filled my mouth, and I wiped the little bit that was spilling down my lip. He had to do better than that if he wanted to scare me.

“I don’t want to have to kill you,” he said, and the amusement in his voice pissed me off royally.

“What I find funny is that you break into
my
house, and tell me what I’m going to do in
my
town.”

“You can choose to disobey the request, but you might as well get a shovel and start digging your grave now.”

Who was he fucking fooling? We both knew that he couldn’t walk out of here with me alive. The message wasn’t for me to bring back to the club; it was for Aubree. I was going to be the first body thrown on the side of the road.

I didn’t want Aubree involved in any of this, and now she was in deeper than most. Fuck.

I took a step toward Anthony and, just as I expected, he flipped out. “I told you not to fucking move!” he yelled, coming at me and, when he was close enough, I headbutted him.

“Son of a bitch!” he screamed out as I rammed into him with all that I had. We both fell to the floor, and I grabbed his wrist holding the gun. I slammed it into the floor, trying to break his hold, but the fucker wasn’t giving up on it that easily.

The gun discharged a bullet, ripping through my wall. Aubree’s screams filled the room as I continued to struggle with Anthony. He punched me in the face, and we rolled closer to the bed. With one hand, I held the wrist with the gun down, and with the other I searched under the bed.

My hand skimmed back and forth across the carpet until the tips of my fingers hit exactly what I was looking for. Anthony tried to knee me in the dick, cheap shot especially considering it was fucking hanging out.

He threw a punch into my side, and I grunted as the pain radiated through my stomach. I rocked back, trying to get my hand around the grip, but it was just out of reach. Anthony reached up and his hand locked on my throat.

He squeezed, blocking any air from getting in. I couldn’t breathe and I could feel myself getting lightheaded, feel the life being sucked right out of me. I wasn’t going to let this fuck win. I struggled against him, using him as leverage to get that extra inch to retrieve the gun and end this. No matter how hard I tried I couldn’t get it. I used what little strength I had left to slam his hand into the ground, hoping the gun would fly loose from his grip.

My body tried frantically to gasp for air, but I ignored the impending death, and managed to get my hand around the gun just as Anthony shook free of my hold.

A single gunshot echoed through the house. My ears rang, and everything became dim as Anthony’s hold on my neck went limp. My hand was still under the bed. I never had a chance to pull it out.

I looked down at Anthony. A bullet hole right through the top of his head, and he was dead, currently bleeding out on my carpet.

I lifted off of him, and my eyes settled on Aubree. Her eyes were wide as she held Anthony’s gun out in front of her. She was frozen in shock, and I jumped up and went to her, taking the gun out of her hand. I tossed it onto the bed, and took her face into my hands. “I’m so sorry, Sunshine.” I urged her to look at me, examining every inch of her. “Are you okay?”

She nodded, and uttered a few sounds, but she couldn’t seem to form a single word. I pulled her against my chest and hugged her tightly. I rocked her back and forth assuring her that everything was okay now. Unfortunately, they were just words. The truth of the matter was, a war was raging on the outskirts of our town and I just brought us to the front lines.

“Is…Did I kill him?” Her voice shook with panic, and I tried to calm her by smoothing her hair, but her body was shaking uncontrollably. “Is he dead?”

I scooped her up and carried her out to the living room. She had already experienced more of my life than she ever needed to know about, and now she had blood on her hands.

I placed her on the sofa, and retrieved my t-shirt from the floor. I draped it over her, and helped her get into it. “Look at me,” I said, taking her face back in my hands. She blinked up at me, her brown eyes full of so many emotions I couldn’t decipher what was going through her mind. “You didn’t kill him.”

“But….But…”

“Listen to me! You didn’t kill him. I did.”

“No!” she blurted, shaking her head. “I can’t let you take the fall. It was self-defense. They’ll understand.”

“No, Sunshine, they won’t. The way things work in your world? They don’t work like that in mine. The cops can know nothing about this, and they will know nothing. Got it?”

“But, what about the body? What are you going to do with him? What if he has a family and they’re looking for him and they figure it out? What if…” Her words faltered as the panic took over.

“Shh.” I held her head against me. “I’m going to take care of it.” I pulled back, urging her to look at me. “Remember when I said to trust me?”

She nodded.

“I need you trust me on this. Okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered.

I took her hand, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “Now, stay here, I’m going to make a few calls, but I’m going to be right here. I’m not leaving you for a single second.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.” I kissed her forehead, and went right to my cell.

I dialed Kade as I pulled my pants on, and he picked up on the third ring. “This better be fucking important,” he answered.

“I need you. Now,” I said.

“Where are you?” His voice changed from sarcastic to serious.

“My place.”

“I’ll be there in ten.”

Next, I called Nick. I filled him in on everything that Anthony said, and everything that had happened after.

“Get the shit at the house taken care of, and then meet down at the clubhouse,” he said. “I’ll pull everyone together. They need to know and we need to figure out a game plan.”

I hung up the phone and went back to Aubree, who had stayed exactly where I left her. She stared off into space, her eyes completely void of emotion. Her hands still shook, and I was afraid she was going into shock.

“Hey,” I said, kneeling down in front of her.

She didn’t respond, just stared down at her shaking hands. I rubbed them between my own, and pressed my lips to the tips.

“I’m a murderer,” she finally said. “I killed a guy in cold blood. I’m a criminal. A murderer,” she spat, like it was acid on her tongue.

“What did I tell you?!” I demanded. “You did not kill him. I did!” I smacked my chest to emphasis my words. “I did, and he deserved to die. He was going to kill me.”

Tears poured over her lids, and slid down her cheeks. “I know. I was so scared.” She reached out to me, resting her hand against my jaw. “When he had the gun pointed to your head, all I could think about was the bullet going through your skull, and never seeing you again. I have never been so scared in my life,” she said, and I pulled her forehead to mine.

“I know, and I’m so sorry you had to go through that.”

The sound of a bike echoed through the night and, a few seconds later, I heard footsteps running into the house. Kade came around the corner, gun in hand, pointed out in front of him.

“It’s alright. You can put the gun down,” I said, and then kissed Aubree gently on the forehead before getting to my feet.

“Hey,” Kade said with a nod of his head. His eyebrows pulled together as he took in Aubree on the couch dressed only in my t-shirt. “Panty girl?” he asked because no matter what the situation, he couldn’t help himself.

“Kade, this is Aubree, but we can have proper introductions later. I need you to come with me.”

He lifted a curious eye, and followed me to my bedroom. I stood in the hall, and nodded toward the door. He peered in, and whistled, as he poked his head back out. “Well shit,” he said. “What the fuck happened?”

I explained the story again for the second time and, when I was done, Kade patted me on the shoulder. “I got this,” he said. “Take your girl and head to the clubhouse. I’ll call Bentley and Hudson to help me get rid of the body.”

“I owe you, brother,” I said.

He smiled. “No, you don’t. It’s what we do.”

He was right. It didn’t matter how fucked up a situation was, because we took care of our own.

I
drove
Aubree to the clubhouse while Kade took care of the mess at the house. I trusted him with my life and knew he would do what was necessary to keep me in the clear. Aubree hadn’t said much since Kade showed up.

She had put her dress back on and I gave her a sweatshirt to keep warm. When I carried her in the bedroom, this was the last way I expected to be spending our night. I should have been buried deep inside her ready to go for round two. Worshiping every inch of her body and tasting her delicious sweetness. Instead, I was trying to keep her from going catatonic on me.

I remembered my first kill, and how it affected me. The guilt that consumed me every time I thought about the innocent life that was lost. I never spoke about it. In doing so, I would have showed a weakness that wasn’t fit for the club life. They would have stripped my badge, and then I’d have nothing left.

By the second kill, I had become numb and, after that, it just became a part of my life and I was able to accept it. However, the look in that first guy’s eyes as I took his life away was still burned into my memory. No matter how many lives I took since then, it would never go away. I might have been hardened by the life, but that one thing still stuck out brightly in my mind. I hated that Aubree had to live with that now too. She never should have been there. I never should have taken her home. I never took girls home. Ever. It opened the door for too many questions, and I did everything in my power to keep it shut. But, for some reason, it was the only place I could think to go. She was the type of girl who deserved more than being fucked on my bike in a secluded area. I wanted to give her something better than that. Something to remember. I certainly gave her a fucking night to remember. But, instead of giving her the night of her life and keeping her safe, I completely tainted her pureness. Now, I was worried that I had darkened my Sunshine.

I pulled into the parking lot and cut the engine. I got off the bike and held my hand out to Aubree. She was hesitant at first, but finally slid her hand into mine. We walked into the clubhouse, hand in hand, and were greeted by Nick at the door.

“You okay?” he asked, and I nodded.

Aubree’s eyes scanned the space as if she had never been here before. She had. She came after me that one day and that was what set this whole thing into motion. If she would have just stayed away, we could have remained as what we were meant to be: a one-night stand.

“Why don’t you come with me?” Sienna reached out to Aubree, resting her hand on her shoulder.

Aubree looked at me, and I gave her reassurance with a nod. “Go with Sienna. I’ll come find you when I’m done here.” I gave her hand a comforting squeeze and, when she turned to walk away, I caught Sienna’s eye.

She blinked in understanding. “I got it,” she mouthed, and brought Aubree to the far couch. I watched as Sienna handed Aubree a glass of whiskey. “It tastes like shit, but trust me you’ll feel better once you drink it. Close your eyes, plug your nose, and down it,” she explained.