As soon as my boys left, Starks entered the room as if he’d been waiting for the chance. “Something I can do for you?”“Yeah, you can answer this question. You told me to trust you, right, that you have it under control. So how did someone get by you to take out my kid’s pet?”He was pissed. Fine, I’m not so much of an asshole that I would think he had no right since he barely knew his kid, but I was close to being that asshole because of all that was happening. I reminded myself that I’m a trained professional, and what’s more, I’m not the type to lose my cool at the slightest provocation, but it was a very close call.However, I took my time answering him, doing my best not to let my anger get the better of me. “What is it that you want to say? Just say it and quit skirting around the issue; I don’t have time.” There, my tone didn’t even go up by a decimal.“What I’m trying to say is, how can I trust you after this? From my process of elimination, it was either your sister or her fri
True to his word Lyon sent the information by the time I made it back inside. I was still not sure how he knew my plans since I had no recollection of sharing them with him, but it was too late to worry about that now. The others filed in behind me, “What’s going on, boss?” Mace dropped down in a chair while the others stood around waiting for a response.“Lyon has a job for us. Those bikes are for you guys; I guess we’ll be riding back together after all.” They exchanged looks but said nothing. No doubt they were wondering when I had lost my mind, something I, too, was wondering since I’m not in the habit of letting anyone tell me what to do.“So you’ve decided to work with him on the trafficking thing?”“Looks like he decided for me.” I had to rewire my thinking at this point, but I welcomed the distraction from my growing anger. My issue now was taking her along, but I’m one hundred percent certain that if there was any imminent danger, that man would never have suggested what he di
“Why are you so angry? Is it because of Bella?”“Who says I’m angry?”“Your body vibrates when you’re mad.”“It what?” How the hell could she know that? I was doing my best to keep my thoughts well hidden from her, and as far as I know, not even the most well-trained operatives have ever been able to read me. She lifted her head off my chest and looked at me. At least she was no longer crying. “It’s like the ground after an earthquake, like little aftershocks.” Her innocent response left me speechless, and all I could do was look at her, almost dumbfounded.“Don’t be upset; it was just a freak accident. I still don’t understand how she did that. I was sure I left the door to her pen open when I left the room just in case she woke up, but…” She was this close to blaming herself for something she had no part in, and I was second-guessing my decision not to tell her the truth.The only thing that held me back was the fact that it would serve no real purpose other than to further upset he
After her afternoon of tears, I thought of a way to cheer her up, something I should’ve done anyway because she was leaving her home, and even as messed up as her life here had been, I figured she had to have some fond memories of the place at least.I sometimes forget that I myself was born here and had spent my more formative years here before moving to NYC. I can’t help but try to imagine how my life would’ve turned out had I not left. How different would I be now? Would I have followed in my dad’s footsteps and become a biker?It seems to be in the blood because outside of my work and now her, riding has always been one of my greatest passions. Whenever I got the chance after a job was done, I’d spend a few days just riding to clear my head. I’d escape to my favorite place on the Island, a manmade nature trail someone had created back in the seventies as a safe place for bikers, surrounded by trees and foliage and well off the beaten path.But I’d never had the urge to form a chapt
“Oh good, you’re back, the kid called.”“What kid?”“Lyon’s daughter, she said she sent you something urgent.” The kid is ten; how urgent could it be? I just nodded at Garrett and carried on to the bedroom with Silla in my arms.She’d fallen asleep not long after we made love the second time, and I still had the memory of her riding me in the moonlight imprinted on my brain. She was so cuddly and cute that I was tempted to climb into bed with her, but I figured she’d had enough. I thought about waking her to take a bath after rolling around in the grass, but she looked too comfortable to disturb. Plus, she’d had a long day, no matter that it had ended on a good note.I slipped her beneath the covers, kissed her hair because I couldn’t help myself, and disappeared into the shower for a much-needed wash. Her scent was all over me, and our combined juices were already drying on my cock. I let the hot water do the work of easing the knots from my shoulders and washing away the worry of the
“Catalina, I suppose!” The others had left to get things ready for the road, and I was left sitting in the office, still trying to make sense of these latest revelations. Either Lyon was a very good liar, or he really had no idea what his daughter was up to. I didn’t get the sense that he cared enough about what anyone else thinks to hide behind falsehoods, but the alternative is too preposterous to believe.I’m supposed to accept that a ten-year-old child has the mental capacity to put all these things together? Her assumption that there were underground tunnels along the Silk Road is more than enough to leave me questioning my own sanity, but this this is too close to home. I think the thing that’s bothering me most is the slight inkling that she might be onto something.I, for one, never imagined that such a thing could be possible, and since I’ve never put much store in conspiracy theories, I never heard the rumblings of anything hinting at such a thing. Beyond that is the fact tha
It was dark out when I lifted her from the bed and got her dressed to leave. I’m not sure why I chose this hour, but I was caught in an absurd place between not wanting to make this trip and wanting to get it over with. “Come on, baby, you gotta wake up for me.” She’s a grumpy little thing when woken up before her time.I was hoping she’d had enough sleep even though I’d kept her up most of the night. I’m not ashamed to say that I’d spent the night buried deep inside her to escape my thoughts about the upcoming job. I was also battling my conscience because I was basically about to take her into danger without her knowing.Lyon had called one last time to make sure I really wanted to take her with me, but the alternative was not something I could live with. Once again, he’d promised to send in reinforcements that were meant to keep her as far away from the situation as possible, and it was the fact that he seemed almost as stressed about her presence as I was that put me more at ease.
I gave serious thought to strapping her onto my back for fear that she was still too sleepy to stay awake back there, but within ten minutes, she was prattling away in my ear through the built-in headphones, another gift from Lyon that I have to admit is pretty decent. I never would’ve thought of something like this, but that’s because I’m in the habit of riding alone to escape my everyday life on those rare occasions that I have a moment to myself.The guy thinks of everything in such a way that I was beginning to question if our meeting was really just a coincidence, but then I remember that I was the one who’d called Law and hop off that merry-go-round in my head.With the wind at our backs and the early morning rays through our visors, it seemed like whatever dregs of slumber might have lingered were long gone as she exclaimed over the things we saw in passing. The coming fall was already evident in the foliage, and with the backdrop of the mountains, the view was picturesque and p
This is insane. I thought I had it under control, but I didn’t expect the night to be like this. It wasn’t because of all the people that were here in the arena, though it had to be at full capacity, which was around two hundred and fifty thousand people, give or take about ten. No, what was bothering the hell out of me was the fact that my girl was in the middle of this shit. I didn’t think it would bother me this much, especially since I knew that there was no danger here, that the whole tunnel thing was the only thing going on, and the other players had already been taken down, but I couldn’t shake it off. I had this feeling like the feeling you get when someone has you in their crosshairs, but you don’t know which direction they’re in. It could be a case of transferred anxiety because Lyon has been ranting and raving since he got here about some shit going down. It was hell trying to hide my thoughts and feelings from Silla, who was happier than I’d ever seen her. Part
Lieutenant Morgan was more excited about the tickets than even I expected. She was so distracted that that excitement led to her being the one who invited me to tour the tunnels. I didn’t have to use my well-rehearsed speech to talk her into anything. It was so easy I almost grew suspicious until I remembered that this was just like the woman I know. She had no reason to suspect me of anything, and with my clearance, she’d see no issue letting me on site. But as we walked and talked, I couldn’t shake the feeling that someone else seemed to know her as well. Namely Lyon’s daughter. But how was that possible? I’m pretty sure the kid never met her in the flesh. While she talked about how excited her kid was going to be I was looking around for anything that would give any indication that there was more going on here and saw nothing. Not that I didn’t believe Lyon, I did, but that’s how good the operation was. We hopped into a golf cart, and she drove deeper into the tunne
“Where did you go? Did you have fun?” I tried not to sound too much like I was grilling her, but Flanagan and Quinn had me a bit paranoid with the things they’d said about their women and the shit they got up to. Not that I expect Silla to do any of those things; my little innocent is too sheltered for that. But there are other issues at hand. Like the fact that I’d only just started to convince myself that with Sam out of the picture, she was no longer in any danger, plus the fact that the mess I’d just waded through was geared toward kids, so she wasn’t in any real danger here. But I don’t know why I get the feeling that the guys are holding something back. I think Lyon might have told them to ease me into it, which begs the question of just how much worse it can get. I still have no idea what it is that they want me to do in the tunnels or even if I’d actually get the chance. Just because I’m military doesn’t mean they’ll roll out the red carpet, especially if they’re using
I guess Flanagan was wrong after all because the places the women drove to just seemed to be the usual tourist traps. They did take a little detour on the way back, but it seemed to be a more scenic route, something anyone might do when visiting a new place. It can’t be overlooked the fact that the mountains here are some of the most beautiful in the country. “I guess they did only go for a joyride after all.” I made the distinction out loud when I saw Flanagan and Quinn mapping the route they’d taken. “It’s good that you think that.” “What do you mean?” “Not sure yet; I’ll let you know when we figure out what they’re up to. I have to get this information to Lyon.” He reached for his phone while I went back to what I was doing, feeling at ease for the first time in hours since she left. Every once in a while, one of my boys would make a sound of disgust from across the room, but since I’d already given them the option to bow out, which they all refused, I saw it a
“What’s wrong boss? Something bothering you?” Mace asked me quietly as I watched the door where the women had just left. “No, it’s not that.” I couldn’t give him an answer because I didn’t know what it was that was making me twitchy about the whole thing. I wasn’t sure if it was my natural sixth sense or my new overprotectiveness where she was concerned. It didn’t help that Lyon’s men didn’t look too settled either at the idea of their women going joyriding in the middle of an Op. Maybe that was it. This whole situation has left me feeling more bereft than my first firefight. I’d rather dodge bullets in the desert than deal with this evil shit that I’d been pouring over for the last few hours. How anyone could deal with this shit day in and day out and not lose part of themselves is beyond me. It's only been a few hours, and my skin is already starting to crawl. Now, I’ve always known that men can be evil monsters; I’ve seen some of the worst they can do to each other, or
Shit, blast and damn. How do I leave her behind without hurting her feelings? She’s so dang innocent; I was sure a rebuff, though not meant to be one, would hurt her feelings. Was I ever this innocent? No, but some of my new sisters used to be when we first met, so I know the signs. I was thinking hard about a plausible excuse when she clapped her hands across her mouth and looked at me like she’d committed a crime.“Oh my gosh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean… I just got so relaxed with you two; it’s like we’ve known each other forever. I didn’t mean to overstep; I’ll just go back to the room and leave you two alone.” She rambled off the words before starting to walk away, and both Kelly and I had to stop her. Okay, this one might be more sheltered than the others, and it almost broke my heart. Over the last couple of years, I’d come to recognize the signs of past trauma in women, and she had a boatload. “No, you didn’t overstep. I was just worried about how your man would r
This is happening. Things have been moving really fast in the last few days and the honeymoon was over. True to his word, Lyon had sent in a crew, or squad as he calls them. Two couples, the men seeming just as anxious as I was, having their women close to this shit. I wasn’t sure how we were supposed to do this, keeping the women in the dark, I mean. But I needn’t have worried because Quinn and Shane knew exactly what they were doing when it came to that part of the Op. Silla, I was happy to see, was only too happy to make two new friends, and these women must’ve taken classes or something because they had her hooked in no time at all. I’d barely seen her interactions with Chantal back at the house, but it was good to see that she played well with others. There was no cattiness among these women and I couldn’t help but notice the difference between these two, Arianna and Kelly and Nikki. It’s been days since I even thought about her, but I guess I figured one headach
I looked these people up when I had a chance, and I have to say, Lyon and his kid do get around. I wouldn't have pegged him for the type, but then again, what do I know? Silla was all but jumping out of her skin with excitement ever since I mentioned their names, but I have to count that as a plus since it kept her even more in the dark about what was really going on. I brought my boys up to speed on things later that night once she'd knocked herself out after playing Rodeo Queen on my dick. At least the news knocked the disrespectful smirks off my team's faces, and they switched gears from sticking their noses in my shit and got down to the business we were there for. "I'm only telling you now because it's been finalized on their end. When Lyon called earlier, it was just an idea they were playing around with, but now, apparently, it's a done deal. Here's the thing…" I filled them in on what Lyon had shared in his latest phone call, i.e., the fact that this Ryder person's past con
Penance, it has got to be. I can't come up with any other reason for me to be dealing with this mess right now. I've always prided myself on being at the top of my game in any given situation, but this shit has thrown me for a loop. For what has got to be the first time in my adult life, I find myself in a situation that I'm not completely in control of. Right now, I should be focused on the job; nothing is more important than that, at least there didn't used to be. But now, even with the danger I was sure was here, given the Intel we'd collected so far, all I could think about was her. And not even in a sexual, I wanna jump her bones every time I see her kind of way, but more like how can I put her in my pocket and keep her safely away from all this shit type of thing. It's not something I expected, not to this degree anyway, and no one ever told me that these things could happen, and if they had, I'd have said not to me. But I am living it, so it's real, and that brings me back t