Crow’s Revenge (Devil’s Murder MC #5)

Chapter 1

Present day—

“Fuck, Bella. Just like that,” I groaned, my fingers gripping her waist tighter as she rolled her hips, snapping them forward and forcing me deeper inside her. “You keep fucking me like this, and I’m not gonna last long.”

“Then you’ll just have to make it up to me,” she announced as her hands lifted, skimming over her breasts and up into her hair, where she gathered the sweaty strands. Her gaze focused on the mirror anchored to the ceiling. We installed it last week. “Harder, baby.”

I loved it when she used that sexy, husky tone. Loved it even more when she clenched her core like she was doing now. My cock got the tightest hug from her pussy.

Her back arched, pushing out her perfect tits as she rode me faster. “More.”

“You move those hips like a fucking porn star, my queen. Blows my goddamn mind,” I growled.

“How about when I do this?”

She reached behind her, leaning backward until she reached for my balls, giving them a gentle squeeze. The added pressure felt too fucking good.

“Gonna be the death of me, babe,” I joked.

She released my nuts, moving her hand forward again, gripping my cock as she leaned forward, holding onto the base as I lifted off the mattress to give her every inch of me. “You’re so thick. I love it.”

“All for you.” I slid my fingers over the generous swells of her ass and up her back, hooking my hands on her shoulders. At this angle, I could bring her down on my cock and bury deep with each thrust.

“Oh, fuck. That’s perfect.”

Yeah, it fucking never got old with my ol’ lady.

“Gonna come for me yet?” I asked as my lips lingered close to hers, the heat of our breath mingling.

“I’m so close.”

“Then let me tip you over the edge,” I murmured with a hard tug, knowing I hit the right spot. I felt it.

Bella gasped, slipping her hand between her legs to press on her clit. She circled it once. Twice. And then. . .she fell apart.

Her lips opened, and sounds of pure bliss emptied into the air. “Austin!”

This was my favorite way to end the day. Feeling her spasm around my dick and crying out my name. I let her ride the waves until she fell limp on my chest.

I turned us, laying her back against the mattress while keeping a consistent pace. It didn’t take long for me to join her, shuddering as I spilled into my woman.

We rested in a tangle of limbs, and I kissed her forehead as she draped over my chest.

“You forgot something important, you know.”

I did? “Enlighten me, beautiful.”

She lifted her head and rested her chin on her hands, staring into my eyes. “It’s our six-month anniversary.”

I blinked. Huh?

“Since the night of our first date at Hoover Dam,” she clarified.

Well, fuck. I did forget. “I’ll make it up to you, Bella, mine.”

“I know you will. That’s why I already bought my present from you. It’s gorgeous. Thank you.”

A laugh bubbled up my chest and out of my mouth as I sat up, kissing her sweet, plump lips. She always tasted like bubblegum and cotton candy—her favorite lip gloss flavor.

“So feisty,” I teased.

“Do you want your gift now?”

“Absofuckinglutely.”

She slid from the mattress, shaking her ass on the way to the bathroom. “Me on my knees. You naked in the shower. How does that sound?”

I scrambled from the bed, chasing her inside as she jumped into the stall, turning on the water. Once it was warm, we both stood under the spray, letting the hot water sluice over us.

Bella lowered to her knees, giving me that fuck-me grin that I loved. When her hand wrapped around the base of my cock, I groaned with need. When her lips covered the head and sucked, I had to slap my hand against the tiled wall to remain upright. She swallowed me down, and I swore to fuck I would marry this woman and make her mine before the end of the year.

Later, when we both left our apartment on the third floor of the clubhouse, I held her hand.

We needed food, and I led her to the chow hall, admiring the long row of silver pans and the candles under them, keeping everything warm. I was fucking starving. Bella filled her plate as I piled food onto two, noting the secret smile lingering on her lips.

“It’s your fault.”

“Oh? How’s that?” She snagged a breakfast potato from my plate and popped it in her mouth.

“You have a perfect pussy.”

She tilted her head to the side. “And my mouth?”

“Goddamn heaven on earth.”

She snickered. “That’s why I stick around, Crow. You need me.”

“Every fucking day,” I replied without humor. I was serious. “You’re my forever, Bella mine.”

She loved the cheesy shit I said to her, but I meant every word. Some couples didn’t banter the way we did, but I loved that my ol’ lady was unpredictable. She kept me on my toes, my dick happy, and my heart fucking full.

“You’re my ride-or-die and my forever, too.” She popped a kiss on my lips before stealing another potato off my plate.

“Babe, would you like some potatoes?”

“Honey, why do I need my own when you have that big pile on yours?”

Soft laughter caught my attention, and I turned to see my sister. My sister. It still didn’t seem real that she was here. Gail stood with Talon, scooping scrambled eggs onto her plate.

“Morning, Nightingale,” I greeted her, using the nickname our father had given her, but I’d also called her without knowing about it.

“Morning, big brother.”

Talon ticked his chin my way. “Hey, pres.”

“Talon.”

Yeah, I was still pissed at him. He was supposed to protect my sister, not fuck her. And now she was in love with him. My fucking enforcer. An outlaw biker. I wanted a better life for her than that. My pops did. He kept her out of this life to keep her safe. Fuck.

Bella’s hand rested on my arm. “It’s what she wants,” she whispered, reminding me I had no control over this.

“Let’s eat.”

Yeah, now I was in a mood with the reminder, which only brought all the other shit I had to handle back into focus. I tried to brush it aside for Bella while we ate breakfast, but I knew she could tell I was preoccupied.

I tugged her close for a kiss after we finished and cleared our dishes from the table. “Gotta talk to my officers, babe.”

“Have fun. I’m going to bake with Bree and set up the teapot for my afternoon with Gail.”

“She loves your teatime. I asked her.”

“I do, too.”

I loved that my ol’ lady and my sister were becoming best friends. Made my life a hell of a lot easier having them both in the same place and protected. “You’re so fuckin’ sweet, Bella. I can’t get enough of that sugar.”

“You will later.”

“Yeah, I will.” I slapped her on the ass. “Meet you at our room for dinner.”

“It’s a date.”

Raven, Hawk, and Talon were already seated around the table in the chapel when I entered. Lucky Lou nearly bumped into my ankles with his new scooter when I started to close the door.

“Hold on. I got shit to say.”

“Don’t let me hold you back,” I grunted as he nearly clipped the side of the table.

Raven coughed to hide his laugh. Hawk sipped from a fresh beer. And Talon? He didn’t react, watching me enter the room and take my seat at the head of the table.

This wasn’t church. I didn’t slam the gavel down. When I met with my officers, it was less formal.

“I’m gonna give the floor to Lou first,” I announced, snagging one of the beers from the center.

“Mighty gracious of you,” he acknowledged. “I want to look at those documents Rook sent to you again. Got ’em handy, Crow?”

I did. There was a safe in this room, and I occasionally kept paperwork that I didn’t stash in my office. “In the safe. Give me a minute.”

I set down my beer and pushed away from the table, walking to the safe to open it. The design was clever. If you didn’t know what you were looking for, you’d never find the location. I’d hidden it within the interior of the bar’s wooden base. The only way to open it was to move a specific stack of glasses out of the way. I spun the dial and worked the combination, popping the door open. Once I had the envelope I needed, I returned to my seat.

Lou reached for the documents as I handed them over. “That’s right,” he murmured, as if he had forgotten what was inside.

I will never forget. There was my birth certificate. Gail’s birth certificate. The marriage license between my father and my mother, Laurel Holmes. And a death certificate for Laurel.

Until I received that envelope, I didn’t know that she died. Rook never told me. My pops could be far too secretive, and this added another on top of the pile I would never learn about. My mother left me when I was a kid and nearly ruined my life.

If I hadn’t had such a devoted father and men like Raven and Lucky Lou to bring me up right, I would have been a lost cause. I battled anger, abandonment issues, and the painful realization that I wasn’t enough reason for my mother to stick around or take me with her. To this day, I still didn’t know why she left and turned her back on us. Was it the club? Something my father did?

“It wasn’t your fault.”

My gaze flicked to Lou. “It felt like it back then.”

“But it wasn’t. Sometimes people can’t work through their shit. It’s fucked but the truth.”

Yeah, I knew that now. Tell it to my inner seven-year-old.

“This death certificate of your mother’s. It’s strange.”

“Strange?” Hawk asked.

“Yeah. It says the cause of death was Diabetes. That’s wrong.”

“What?”

“He’s right,” Raven agreed. “Laurel wasn’t diabetic.”

Raven would know. Of course, health conditions can change with time.

“Maybe it developed later.”

“That’s the thing that’s odd about this certificate,” Lou continued, “It’s her weight. It’s fucking high. Nearly three hundred pounds.”

Raven frowned. “Laurel was always slender.”

Lou pointed to a spot on the certificate. “Says she didn’t have any edema. A1C was low.”

I scrubbed a hand down my face, trying not to get agitated by this. What did it matter now? “Lou.”

“This is important, Crow. You got to hear it. I don’t think your mama is dead.”

“Well, shit,” Hawk blurted.

Wow. “You think it’s fake? Why the fuck for?”

“To keep her safe,” Talon answered. “It makes sense, pres. Rook protected your sister and kept her hidden. It’s not farfetched to think he would have done the same for the woman he loved.”

I shoved away from the table, pacing the floor. Could I have been wrong? Did my mother leave because she didn’t have a choice? Was she threatened? Did Undertaker and the Dirty Death MC go after Laurel? “Fuck.”

Lou placed the documents back in the envelope and slid it my way. “Yeah, fuck. We need to investigate this.”

“It could be nothing,” Hawk pointed out.

“Or we could find someone who isn’t supposed to be found,” Talon added. “If this is true, Rook and Laurel had their reasons for keeping these secrets.”

Raven leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table. “This is all a guess. We don’t know shit. I don’t like being in the dark, pres. If Undertaker or the Dirty Death have any chance of having a hand in this, we need to check it out.”

Lou nodded, pounding his fist on the table. “That’s what I’m saying.”

“I don’t even know where to start,” I admitted. “I’ve got no information about Laurel.”

“With Eagle Eye. He can do a deep dive. Find out everything he can on the internet about Laurel.”

“That’s a start, Hawk.”

Lou tapped the table. “She had two sisters. They might still be alive. It’s a good lead to follow up on while waiting for Eagle Eye.”

“Then I’ll go talk to him now. This stays with us. It doesn’t leave this room.”

Four heads nodded.

I left the chapel, ignoring the sudden churning in my gut.

Could my mother still be alive?