Fernandez “Stop your fucking whining. He’s dead, get over it. The bitch killed him and all you have left is revenge. I feel the same way about my sister. Both of them will pay along with their men.”We’re in a dump of a motel room in a shithole town called Casa Grande, which is far enough away from Phoenix that Moon won’t look here for a while. I need some time to regroup and I also need a man with Goose. One who can drive because this piece of shit never learned. How you live in the United States without driving is fuck-all ridiculous.“She’ll pay,” he says while clenching his fists and opening them repeatedly.“Yes, she’ll pay, blah, blah, blah and so will the black bitch with her. Your cousin was a dickhead for getting himself killed by a woman to begin with. Learn a lesson from this. Never trust whores. They’re good for a piece of ass and that’s it.”Goose is too stupid to understand I disrespected his dead cousin and only hears what he wants. “We’ll get them both and get your si
Alex GomezTwo bored women are more than Austin and I can handle for another day. Moon won’t allow anyone in to see Madison and our incoming information on Fernandez, which was keeping the women busy, dwindled to nothing. Too much estrogen at loose ends is not a good thing.Dax took Sofia home so she could see their children. At least she’s happy. Melina and Celina—yeah, their names sound funny when spoken together to me too—want to shop at the mall. I could tell by Austin’s expression that it’s not exactly his favorite thing to do either. We decided to man up even if it kills us.Fact—the women will go nowhere without us until the threat from Fernandez ends. I don’t even trust twenty guards watching over them at this point. Celina will stay in the house or within my sight at all times.Window shopping became the women’s answer to the boredom problem. If there’s a dumber waste of time on the planet, I’m unaware of it. The way Celina explained it to me, if you shop to buy, you find not
MadisonHis hands, his voice, his smell, the slick sweat drenching him, and last… the violation of my body. The nightmares come each time I fall asleep. When I’m awake, a dark fog twists inside me, suffocating my thoughts. There’s no room for good memories and I can’t escape the bad.I lie in bed, eyes open so I don’t fall asleep, and try to find the courage to come out of this. I’m strong. I’m a fighter. I should be first in line to hunt down Fernandez. If I had enough energy to leave the bed, I would go back to the service and try to return to normalcy. Without me or Cori, I can’t imagine things are running smoothly. Our newest receptionist has been there since Melina went back to California, but she is in no way equipped to handle a full-on female tantrum, which tends to happen when I’m away. Just the thought of it makes me tired. It’s so much easier to stare at the ceiling and hope for a better tomorrow.Moon allowed Two Dogs into the room earlier. His soft fur and sloppy kisses h
MadisonI crawl out of bed on unsteady legs. I’ve only gotten up to use the bathroom when it was absolutely necessary and I haven’t eaten solid food in days. That needs to change. I turn at the bathroom door and look at Cori. The bed is calling me back, the covers need me underneath them. Her expression, showing once more the horror of what we’ve been through, helps with the determination I need to be strong. I close the bathroom door behind me.The shower is redeeming. I scrub every inch of my body and walk out of the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around me. Cori is no longer in the room, but my husband is; he’s standing in front of the closed bedroom door.I walk straight into his arms. My wall. My heart. The air I breathe. My source of stability in this fucked up life. He’s all those things and his arms offer what they always do—unconditional love. The tears start up again and I allow them to fall onto his strong shoulders.“I love you,” he whispers into my wet hair.His love
MoonMy world aligns. We have a long road ahead and my wife will charge that road with her head held high. It’s only one of the reasons I love her so damn much. I’ve never known anyone with her strength of will.I was shocked when Cori entered my office a short time ago and told me to go to my wife. It stunned me when Madison walked out of the bathroom, a cloud of steam following her, and stepped into my arms.Now she’s on the bed naked and it’s almost like the first time we made love three years ago. I’m nervous. Hell, I’m terrified. I don’t want to hurt or scare her. The need in her dark brown eyes reassures me. She wants me to fuck her not make love, but no matter how we do it, the love is in every stroke of my body into hers.“Lift your arms and grip the headboard,” I tell her. The smile disappears from her face and a sensual, come hither expression takes over. “Open your legs,” I add while taking my hard cock in my hand. With the other hand, I slide a pillow over and tell her to
MadisonI die inside, her words a stab directly into my heart. I should have saved her, but she saved herself and killed a man doing it. We made vows the day we were married and I didn’t keep my end of the bargain.She isn’t finished. “Since becoming an adult, I haven’t relied on anyone. I’ve always been strong and determined, but I allowed myself to be caught by that monster.” Her hands clench into fists and I lift them to my mouth and kiss each finger in turn. “After Fernandez took me, I became the little woman who needs a man to save her.” She runs her hand over my thigh, but it does nothing to comfort me. “That woman wasn’t me. I’ve become so entrenched in your world that I’ve lost part of myself.”So many thoughts travel through my mind. Is she leaving me? Would I allow her to?Crazy because the last thing I would ever do is hurt her. The truth is I should have been there. I should have rescued her before Fernandez raped her. She would be safer living anywhere other than in my cr
MadisonIt’s not that my world has suddenly changed to sunshine and roses, but it’s still hard to think of facing the other people in the house. Our home is fifty-five hundred square feet of living space, not counting the garages, and it’s never bothered me that we don’t live alone. This works for our lifestyle. Now it’s different. My friends aren’t dumb and they’ve figured out what happened to me. If they’re not sure, they suspect. My absence these past two days only confirms their fear.My gaze turns to the bed, which Moon has straightened. For a brief moment, I want to climb back in and bury myself in darkness again. I mentally pull myself together. If Cori can leave her room, I can do it too. “I’m ready,” I tell Moon after slipping into jeans, a shirt, and athletic shoes. I would usually wear shorts around the house at this time of year, but if we need to leave quickly to help Alex, I want to be prepared. Putting an uncovered knee to the ground in the heat is never fun so jeans ar
Moon“Conference room,” Moon says to the men. He threads his fingers through mine and leads me down the hallway. This is the no-go room when there’s a problem. That doesn’t mean I haven’t invited myself inside when the occasion calls for it. Celina and I have both been in meetings, but it’s not the norm. No more burying my head in the sand. It’s time for me to take my place.Melina and Celina stay behind. The men, including our security team, don’t question me being there. One of the guys hands Alex a washcloth and he covers the wound on the side of his head, pressing it down to stop the bleeding. He then offers me another wink, the jerk. I’m not an idiot; I know he’s doing it to show how damn tough he is.Me caveman, blood is good.These last six months, I’ve had trouble reconciling who Alex is and what he does for Moon. He kills and he’s not a quick or gentle executioner. I know he keeps us safe and that was good enough for me until uncertainty set in. Stupid really because Alex cou
I rolled over and yawned, my arms coming from beneath the soft white cotton of the bedding and bumped the hard body next to me. Moon’s hand went into my hair and he moved his leg between mine and something very hard hit my belly making me smile. The smile lasted a few seconds before I covered my hand and jumped from the bed trying to get to the toilet before I lost the contents of my stomach. Yep, that was sexy. This time the hand in my hair pulled it back away from my face while I heaved my guts. He didn’t say anything and just waited for me to finish. It was horrible and at the same time endearing because I loved him so much. I stood and leaned back against his body. “Crawl back into bed and I’ll grab tea and crackers,” Moon said gently. I wanted to bitch and moan about the morning sickness but held it in. When I had my shoulder injury that took me from my career as a cop, I had a small amount of control. I could do my physical therapy and ice as needed and it worked. There was
Duke The wedding night was at the cabin and our honeymoon at the property. We had a week to ourselves. Cori laughed when I carried her over the threshold and straight to my bed. “Do not touch that dress,” I typed into my phone before checking the house was secure and I could fuck my wife for the first time. Her laughter followed me. When I walked back into the room, she was waiting exactly where I left her, smart woman. She opened her legs wide, the stilettos going to either side of the bed. A bit of red showed. The dress was fucking perfect. I crawled between her legs and pushed the yards of black lace up higher in the bed and snagged the red G-string with a finger. The garter wasn’t in my way. Cori sat up suddenly and stopped my exploration. “You spoke your vows.” I smiled even though my dick throbbed. “Thank you,” she added and lay back. I planned to fuck her until she couldn’t walk or talk. I didn’t remove the red nothing lace. I lazily fingered her, then took a long, slo
CoriIf I weren’t lying down, I would have fallen. Of all the things she could say, it was the last I expected and I couldn’t hide my shock.“No, I’m not pregnant yet but we’ve decided to try. We’re leaving and starting a family. Alex and Celina are taking over Moon’s operation.” She turned to Celina. “I’ll call it Alex’s operation eventually.”“Are you sure?” I asked softly.I was having trouble processing.“I’m absolutely positive. I thought I never wanted children but when Moon brought it up, I knew I was wrong. I want Moon’s babies.”“As in multiple?” I asked in horror.Children wasn’t something I ever wanted. I was not a rug rat fan and could tolerate Sofia’s rug rats for a limited time only. I thought Mak and I were on the same page.“We’ll decide if we want another after the first.”“Congratulations,” I offered, my voice uncertain.Melina started laughing.“You’re taking it how I did. The last thing needed in this world is a mini Austin.”I could most definitely second that.“O
CoriLife slowly returned to normal, though my new normal was much different than the old one. Things changed more after the cast came off and Duke could ride again. That’s when I became a true biker bitch.I blinged the shit out of my newly purchased black wardrobe and made that shit look good. I had standing orders from the other old ladies too. The club whores and I had a talk and we seemed to be on good terms. My end of that conversation was short.“Keep your hands off my man and we won’t have a problem. Touch him, even when I’m not around, and you’ll lose a fucking nipple, we clear?”They were fine with it. I understood their world. Respect was key. I had no problem with their choices as long as they respected me and my man.Dax’s club was a community of misfits and I fit in like I never thought I could. They didn’t care that I arrived in five-inch stilettos, looking like I was heading to a ritzy club. They accepted me as Duke’s old lady.Duke spoke to Dax and arranged a week off
Cori“How is Mr. Grumpy today?” Mak asked. She had her overprotective Pitbull at her side. I hadn’t seen Two-dogs since I arrived with Duke. I contained myself to the kitchen and Duke’s room. Two-dogs stayed out of Gabriella’s domain because the two of them stayed at war over what was permissible and what was not. I secretly thought Gabriella slipped the dog treats when no one watched but I had no way to prove it. I guess her new kindness made me think she was something other than Attila the Hun. I needed to watch those stupid fantasies.With assistance, Duke had made it downstairs for this morning’s physical therapy. He refused pain meds afterward and fell asleep exhausted. It gave me time to do something normal. I’d quietly left the room and gone to the outside patio to escape. The heat, even with the water misters, would make it too hot to stay for long but it was nice to be outside.I blinked at Mak who carried a towel. She took the lounge chair beside mine.“He’s sleeping. I’m es
DukeMy biggest problem was boredom. It almost went hand in hand with people poking and prodding constantly. I didn’t live at the clubhouse for a reason. If it weren’t for Cori, I would have found a way to escape Moon’s place the first day. Maybe. I was fooling myself. The ability to lift a spoon to my lips was pushing things.I remembered little about what happened at Wild Fur. Between blood loss and the damage to my stomach, I should have died in oblivion. Things were foggy since waking too. I remembered telling Cori I loved her. It just came out. I hadn’t practiced speaking in years. It was something I did when younger when no one was around. I never felt comfortable with the sound of my voice and eventually decided it wasn’t necessary. That was true until Cori. There were things she needed to hear. Cori hadn’t asked me to speak since it happened. I doubted she even understood what I’d said.My grandfather took me in when my dad went to prison for almost killing me. They were the b
CoriThe air in the room was soft if that were even a thing. There were four rows of chairs. There was a podium at the front. No crucified Jesus hung from the wall, only a large framed needlepoint with writing.“Enter in peace and leave your sorrow.”I sat in the front row and bowed my head. My prayer was to Jesus.“I’ve never asked for anything.”Tears gathered in my eyes and turned to sobs. I couldn’t go on and fell apart. So many thoughts tumbled through my head. I was the whore of Babylon. If there were a man who would hear me, it would be Jesus.“Please,” was all I managed the next time I tried.The quiet settled over me and I inhaled in and out slowly. Within a few minutes, I wiped my tears. The room, like Duke with his silence, gave me peace. It also gave me strength.I went back to ICU and held his hand again. He wouldn’t die because I wouldn’t let him. I spoke to him quietly and assured him all would be okay. I spoke of silly things. I had to keep the connection so he knew I
CoriIt took us more than three hours to get back to the city and another hour through rush-hour traffic to get to Wild Fur. Moon sent his men in first and stayed with me in the SUV. Alex and Austin were with the other women at his compound. Moon didn’t want them here. He’d also left a vehicle behind with four men on Duke’s property to dispose of the bodies.The men cleared inside the Wild Fur quickly. There were two female employees cleaning and handling inventory. The place didn’t open until eight at night. They weren’t harmed and they were assured they could leave after we found Duke. The men hadn’t located him when they cleared the building. Moon and I entered and were shown the entrance to the basement.A light had been turned on. It looked no better than the club upstairs. I saw a rat scurry along the wall. Moon found the hidden door within a few minutes. He pried it open and we entered the dark room.The smell of excrement and death hit us.Death.I couldn’t breathe.In the sha
CoriDuke never left my thoughts. If he was dead, so was I. My life changed that fast. We hadn’t known each other long and it didn’t matter. He was everything I wanted and most of all he was someone who loved me for who I was. I knew he loved me. He shared his silent world and refused to take advantage when he could have. From the time his arms wrapped around me in the car after my escape from Fernandez, we belonged together.My past didn’t matter to him because he lived in a world where endurance and hard work were part of life. Duke and the men like him respected survival.Moon brought more firepower than required and the guns we’d pulled from the cave weren’t exactly needed. I decided to stick with Duke’s weapons because he made sure I was familiar with them. A piece of him was with me.Our plan had been to ambush the vehicles a mile before the entrance to the property. Alex moved the attack to the house. I wasn’t worried about Cartwright’s men knowing the location. None would leav