Chapter 15
Maddox
My fingers still tingle from her soft skin, but Delaney’s rosy cheeks and wide-eyed stare burn my chest as I drive her home.
What was I thinking? I knew she was off limits the first time I saw her in that uniform but after finding out she’s a virgin…yeah, game over.
Fuck me. She’s sweet, too sweet. I should have known.
Hell, I shouldn’t have started that shit to begin with. What a cluster.
She’s so stiff beside me that I search for something to say but come up empty. I’m used to Dray who lashes out when she’s upset and the other women in my life fulfill one need, so…
I meant what I said, she is beautiful. Too beautiful for the likes of me. She deserves someone who won’t come home covered in blood and reeking from his sins.
Although the notion leaves me burning, I know that man isn’t me and I set it aside as she exits the vehicle.
My unease over her chilly behavior fades though when I see her father sitting in the yard again.
The fucker makes no bones about being in his underwear and it’s what, eight in the morning?
He’s got a beer clutched in his hand as he strokes his belly.
Delaney waves her hand at the lazy bastard, and he says something that inspires her to snap back.
I admire her fire for a moment when she slams her hand on her hip, standing beside the poor excuse for a trailer as his eyes move to mine.
They harden into chips of ice, and I rack my brain once again, trying to figure out where I’ve seen him before.
With a shake of my head, I back from the driveway but at the last minute I glance in the rear-view mirror as he stands and staggers to the door.
There’s something about this fucker but I don’t know what it is.
Maybe it’s time to do a little recon.
The following evening, I head back to the broken-down trailer after passing the diner to confirm Delaney is there.
I’m not sure what I hope to accomplish but maybe watching the old ass fool will bring some answers.
When I roll up to the trailer, it’s quiet. I can hear the television blaring through the thin walls but short of stalking up to the door, there’s nothing obvious to see.
I have time though and after zipping my jacket to my chin, I settle in to see if anything shakes loose.
Beyond the women missing in which we continue to comb the countryside looking for answers, I can’t help but to turn my thoughts to Delaney.
She’s so fucking beautiful and pure. How did she end up here with this asshole when the pig is her stepdad? Did he kick her out?
If he did, I wouldn’t be surprised but it enrages me to think that he would force her to live with that slovenly fucking piece of shit.
The way Delaney looks at me, like I’m a fucking god, creates a slow burn in my chest.
Is that the way Mom looked at Pops before she died a brutal senseless death? Does he carry the weight of that guilt in his bones?
It’s like a fucking fix I can’t help giving in to because whenever she’s around, I want to touch that pretty hair, feel the weird warmth that invades my chest…slay the dragons I see shining behind her eyes.
But I can’t entertain such things. I might go mad if I do.
Instead, after about an hour of twiddling my damn thumbs, I hear the low rumble of a motorcycle and turn.
I’m parked beneath a tree two trailers down and behind a rusty old truck that conceals me from the other side of the street.
Still, if these assholes pass, they’re bound to see me.
The distinct roar of straight exhaust pipes sends a trickle of awareness down my spine as the two men stop before Delaney’s trailer and dismount.
Fuck me. Is that who I think it is? Why are two Aces brothers paying a visit to Delaney’s dad?
Frozen, I watch as they bang on the door and wish that I was closer to see the lazy fucker’s face.
Once the two men disappear inside, I consider my options. We’ve been hunting down these assholes one by one.
Delaney has never mentioned the Aces but why would she?
If she doesn’t know about the bad beef between us or what her dad is affiliated with, it wouldn’t occur to her.
Still, I can’t let it go. The Aces are slippery fuckers. As nomads they don’t stay in one place for long which makes it harder to pin them down.
We’ve had our fair share of scuffles, but it’s been years in the making and we’re still trying to get to Ice but the asshole refuses to show his face and that’s the man we’re ultimately gunning for.
He’s responsible for Mom’s death and I’ve waited and watched, knowing the opportunity to finally get him would come. Delaney’s dad may be the key.
Pops is worried about the psycho out there killing our women and rightfully so but if this drunk asshole has answers, we may be able to kill two birds with one stone.
Resolved, I pull away and head back down the lane. It sticks in my craw to leave knowing there’s two Aces here for the taking but I figure coming back better armed and prepared is the wiser course of action.
Is Delaney’s dad doing dirty work for the Aces? Or does it go deeper than that?
What’s he doing hanging out in Omega Heights?
Last I heard, Ice, the Smokin’ Aces president doesn’t take kindly to people leaving the fold. I can’t say I blame this douche though because those fuckers are scum, but in this world, you don’t exit the brotherhood unless it’s in a body bag.
Does Delaney know who her dad is?
I’m fucking tired and seriously confused when I get back to the clubhouse.
The first person I see is Romeo. He nods from where he’s sitting out back, a sweet butt writhing on his lap and I ask, “You seen Pops?”
“He’s out back.”
“Thanks.”
I find Pops behind the main building standing before the rickety old cabin that Doc used to stay in.
Unfortunately, Doc passed away a few weeks ago. We had a raging party for the man, the last of the founding brothers of the Shadow Saints MC.
It was both a solemn event and a party that will live in Infamy, which is how Doc would’ve wanted it. He’ll be missed but he knew that life moves on.
“Thinkin’ about tearing this down,” Pops says when I stop beside him.
This is the last of the cabins that were here when the Saints bought the property.
According to Pops, this is also where many of the newer generation, including myself, were born.
I’m not much into nostalgia but it seems a waste to destroy the last of what the founding brothers had.
Shrugging, I turn to Pops and say, “Can you think of any reason why the Aces would let one of theirs go?”
Pops scratches his head and says, “That fucker Ice would never let anyone go.”
“That’s what I thought. So, why is one of them hanging out in Omega Heights?” I ask and Pops turns to me.
“Come again?”