Chapter Twenty-Five
Cujo
“The fuck have you been?” Gytrash rushes out the front door of his house, shirtless and disheveled, as he pulls his leather cut on. “Shit’s going down, and you fuckin’ disappear?”
As the Sergeant-at-Arms, it’s my job to make sure the club stays safe, so having our VP vanish off the fucking face of the earth has my hackles up.
He could have been bleeding out in a ditch somewhere.
But no. Here Gy stands on his front porch, his mouth opening and closing like a fish gasping for air.
“I. Um… I was…” The gruff biker shrugs, acting as though it’s nothing, but Gy is never MIA. He’s a constant this club depends on, which means only one thing.
He’s been doing something he doesn’t want me to know about.
Working with the enemy?
No. It’s not in his nature. So, what then?
Pausing, I let my instincts take over, analyzing the scene.
Prowling closer, I watch him, looking for a tell, but it’s not his face that gives him away.
No. A gentle breeze tickles my nose, carrying the scent that hasn’t left my mind all day. Honeysuckle. Hers.
A growl builds deep in my belly as my brain fixates on that remarkable perfume. The scent isn’t light, as if he’s been near her. No, it’s much richer, deeper, slicker.
Pure fury rips me open from the inside out. Unable to hold myself back, I bound up the stairs and grip my VP’s cut. Her scent swirls around me, glorious and deep.
“Did you fucking touch my omega? Get your cock nice and wet?” I grit through clenched teeth.
“If you hurt her, there’s nowhere you’ll be safe from me.
” Darkness writhes within me, snakes growing in the pit of my stomach, twining together, ready to use their venom on a man I consider a brother.
My teeth clench so hard that my jaw aches, and he stares me down.
“I didn’t do anything she didn’t want.” He punctuates each word with a panting breath, and although I sense his rage, he doesn’t come at me. “She’s my damn omega, too.”
They may be scent-matches, but tonight—fuck that. He didn’t consider me when he got his cut soaked in her slick. Gy smells as though he bathed in her honeysuckle. And I want to kill him for it.
I’m a vengeful bastard; sharing isn’t in my nature, but this is a next-level slight. And of course it’s not my sweet honeybee’s fault. She’s perfect in every way. No, this fucker corrupted her. And I bet he didn’t even do a good job. I’m the only one who can satisfy and care for Willow.
But maybe caring for her means accepting that she has more than one Alpha. The insidious thought creeps into my mind.
“Now, was there something you needed?” My fists unclench, releasing Gy’s leather as I’m reminded of my earlier mission. But then the scent of honeysuckle hits me again, and I can’t help myself.
Thwack. My fist lands in Gy’s gut, and he doubles over with a satisfying grunt.
Yeah. That’s a smidge better.
“The Grind and Growl burned down tonight.” The coffee shop isn’t one of our businesses, so I expect him to shrug with his usual nonchalance, but instead, his face contorts with rage.
“No fucking way.” He balls his hands. Interesting. I wait for him to tell me what the fucking deal is because, while the fire looks suspicious, it’s not a hit against the Hellbent Hounds.
“Something you want to share with the class?” a voice asks from behind me.
The gentle crunch of grass under boots reaches my ears as Cerberus walks toward us.
“Seems like you have more information than we do.” Our president is as annoyed with this dumbass as I am, and I wonder, for a moment, if it means I’ll get to spend some time with him in the shed.
I’ll make it hurt, but keep him alive.
“Fuck. Yeah, I guess. Earlier today, I took Sheila to that training class Willow teaches.” His eyes flick to me, and I file away the information.
Note to self: Get dog, go to Willow’s class. Make sure I’m the next one to touch her pussy.
“When she came in, she looked all flustered, and she was holding a cup from Grind and Growl. Said that there was some guy with a Black Plague cut in there messing with the barista.” Gy acts like it’s no big deal, but suddenly the single punch wasn’t enough.
“This is the kind of information that I need immediately, not hours later,” I seethe. Stupid fuckface.
“Got sidetracked. We knew they were on our turf. One guy getting coffee didn’t strike me as all that pressing.” He crosses his arms over his nearly naked chest, and I consider flaying his skin off his bones.
“You mean you thought pussy was more important?” In my mind’s eye, I’m raking him over hot coals.
“Don’t you dare fucking call my scent-match pussy,” he snarls, dominance roaring to the surface.
“My scent-match,” I snap back.
“Wanna whip them out right here? We can measure and see which one your girl likes better?” Cerberus interjects, breaking the power battle. “’Cause honestly, the way you two are acting, neither of you deserves her.”
Gy and I glare at one another for a final moment before getting back to the business at hand. “I figured I would update everyone at Church. I wonder if the shop was burned down in retaliation.”
“Retaliation for what?” Leaning against the wall of Gy’s cabin, I reach for my blade, needing to do something. Neither reply, they watch me slide the cold metal from hand to hand.
“Whatever the deal is with the barista, or maybe Willow stepping in between the two of them. She wasn’t clear on the details, but I got the sense that she didn’t let the jerk bother her friend. Bruce was there.” Ah. My girl stood up to the biker. Interesting.
“That doesn’t make a lick of sense,” Cerberus chimes in. “No one in town knows about Willow bein’ your girl. The Black Plague didn’t see you. Just her. And if they were mad at a random omega, then why burn down the coffee shop?”
He’s right. Maybe this has nothing to do with Willow. Just a coincidence…
“Any news from the investigator?” There are a few police officers we’re close with, and they fill us in about most of the goings-on in Broken Ridge.
As former military vets, we don’t have the same issues with law enforcement that one-percenter clubs do.
We stick to the right side of the law… mostly.
“Not yet. They’re looking into it, but they weren’t assuming arson.
There are so many gadgets and whatnot in there, it’d be easy to have an accidental fire.
” Cerberus nods in the direction of his house.
“Gonna head to bed. I’ll fill you in when I hear something.
But you two don’t go off half-cocked ’til we’re sure this is the Black Plague’s handiwork.
If those assholes are trying to enter our territory, we’re going to have to handle it.
” His gaze flicks to me, hardening slightly, when I toss my knife in the air, catching it smoothly.
“You know they came into our town. Might as well clean it up, either way. Fen, Orthos, and the boys have a bit of pent-up aggression to let loose anyway. Too long since we’ve had a good fight,” I remind him. Cerberus rubs his fingers across his jaw, eyes flicking toward Gy.
“We need to know why they’re here first. Hellbent don’t clean house unless there’s a reason. Grabbing a coffee isn’t a reason… unless there’s something your girl’s hiding. Maybe I need to talk to her.” Everything in me recoils at the thought.
For the first time ever, I find myself at odds with my president.
“You’re not interrogating my omega!” Gy snarls, and I shift closer to his side. In this, we are one. Cerberus holds up his hands in surrender.
“You can be there, but she still needs to tell us what she saw. She’s the first person to have any interaction with them on our soil.
Everything else we’ve learned is just rumors.
They haven’t been spotted here yet.” He may have a good point, but the idea of her being grilled by my president doesn’t sit right.
“Gy and I will get the information you want. I’ll even record it,” I growl, my voice firm. Thankfully, Cerberus takes the offering, nodding before moving toward his house further down the ridge line.
Waiting for Cerberus to get out of earshot, I eye Gy. Ally? Packmate? Obstacle?
“I want to see her.” It’s taken all my willpower to wait this long. Striding forward, I head for the door, but he jumps in front of me, blocking it. The knife I’ve been flicking between my fingers finds its way to my palm, ready for action.
“Or what? You’re going to stab me?” He stands to his full height, muscles growing taut.
I could murder you so fucking fast…
Gy’s nothing without his big guns. But brothers don’t just go around killing each other. That’s the whole point of this family.
“Might. But I won’t let you bleed out.” It’s all I can promise.
“You’re a damn pain in my ass. Can’t believe you belong to her, too.” He shakes his head, still barring the entrance to the doorway. “Better be the last fucking Alpha. Not even sure how the two of us will make it work.”
“Maybe start by letting me in.” I move forward, still flicking the knife. Willow’s my obsession, my mate. Mine. Mine. Mine. Knowing she’s so near…
“No. Willow’s asleep. I don’t want to wake her to ask for consent. She was dead on her feet,” he tries to explain, but I crowd closer, red tinging the edges of my vision.
I’m ready to hurt him if need be.
But then… ear-shattering screams pierce the inky blackness all around us.