Chapter Eleven
THE TRIP TO the clubhouse was nothing like the ride to his home. Kelsie didn’t whoop joyfully, and Ty didn’t have to fight a massive hard-on. Nothing killed an erection faster than hearing the woman he wanted describing the trauma she’d endured.
He could taste the vengeance on his tongue, and damn if it wasn’t sweet.
Tension bunched his shoulders. Only the scent of blood would relax him this day. Ty wasn’t a stranger to violence. In his youth, the club he and Curly had prospected with worshiped violence as a religion. He hadn’t wanted that kind of life day in and day out, but he’d committed his share of sins and had no problem doing what needed to be done, especially when it came to protecting those he cared about.
And a man needed to die today.
The soft weight of Kelsie’s chin landed on his knotted shoulder. She held tight around his waist and squeezed her thighs against his. Her warmth bled into his skin, reminding him she was alive, if not fully okay. Her flavor still lingered on his tongue, as did the feel of her pulse fluttering beneath his lips.
That kiss and the way she’d writhed in his lap had nearly done him in. He was a forty-six-year-old man who’d had to fight not to come in his damn jeans. Christ, he wanted her. He wanted to bury himself inside her wet heat and make her come again and again. He wanted her so mindless with pleasure that she’d forget every second of pain she’d experienced in the past. He wanted nothing in her head but the thought, feel, and taste of him.
Today proved he wasn’t strong enough to resist touching her.
He parked next to Curly”s bike in front of the clubhouse. As he killed the engine, Brenna came jogging down the clubhouse steps.
“Ty? Lock asked me to keep an eye out for you. What is going on? Oh, Kelsie! I didn’t realize you were with Ty.” Brenna’s eyes lit with curiosity, but she didn’t ask any questions. Yet. Poor Kelsie would probably be grilled the second he left her.
“Where is everyone?” he asked as he turned to unhook Kelsie’s helmet. Sure, she could do it herself, but he wanted an excuse to touch her. Something about it grounded him even as it made him hard again.
“Um…” Brenna tilted her head and bounced her gaze between them before focusing on him. “Lock said you’d know where to find them. And that they’d ‘keep things on ice’ until you got there. What’s going on?”
He set Kelsie’s helmet on the motorcycle’s seat. “Kels can fill you in. I’m gonna head out there.”
“Wait!” Kelsie grabbed his hand. “Just, um…” She flicked her gaze to Brenna, who shifted and cleared her throat.
“Hey, uh, come on inside when you’re ready. Brooke is making nachos, and Liv’s working on the margaritas.”
“It’s two o’clock,” Ty said with a frown.
Brenna shrugged. “And?” She grinned and walked backward toward the clubhouse. “Take your time,” she said, then winked.
Ty rolled his eyes. As soon as Brenna got in the clubhouse, she’d start the gossip mill, telling the other ladies he was out there drooling over Kelsie.
“You’re meeting up with your brothers?” Kelsie asked, wringing her hands. Her tone was tinged with worry.
“Hey.” He tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear. If he lingered, she didn’t seem to mind. “There is nothing for you to worry about right now. Go inside and have fun with the ladies.”
“Will you tell me about it once it’s over?”
Fuck no, he wouldn’t. “Kels…”
“Not everything. I don’t need all the details, but I need to know some.”
The instinct to protect her from anything bad in the world rode him hard. Be it her age or because she’d already suffered so much, he didn’t know, but he had to stem the urge—at least a little. She didn’t deserve to have her life managed around her. She was an adult who knew the darker side of life better than most. If anyone deserved to be an active participant, it was Kelsie.
Well, an active participant from afar, with censored stories detailed enough to help her move on but not enough to contribute to her nightmares or give a misplaced sense of guilt.
“Fair enough.”
“Thank you.”
He wanted to kiss her. Like her brothers would with their ol’ ladies. Before anything big or dangerous, the women were there to share a passionate kiss with their men. This felt like that kind of moment. One where he should gather her in his arms and kiss her senseless so she could think of that instead of what he was about to do.
But it wasn’t his place. It wouldn’t ever be his place.
So, instead of following his gut, he turned and strode away after a nod of goodbye.
“Wait,” Kelsie called after him. She jogged the short distance he’d traversed. “Um… just… be careful.”
Their gazes locked. There it was again. The strong urge to claim her. Once he finished this afternoon, he needed to get away. Maybe ride down the coast and spend a few days on Marco Island drinking and fucking to clear his mind of all things Kelsie.
He ignored the voice in his head telling him he didn’t want another woman. That stupid voice didn’t know anything.
“I will.” He gestured toward the clubhouse with his head. “Go have fun with the girls. Try not to think about all this.”
He nearly rolled his eyes at the unlikelihood of his own advice.
“Okay,” she said, though her tone betrayed her confident agreement.
He waited until she was safely inside the clubhouse before jogging over to the ATVs the club kept for traveling across their vast property. A while back, they’d built a small structure deep in the property away from prying eyes. They’d needed a place to chat with their enemies and host special guests who might never leave the compound.
At least not with a beating heart.
He reached the shack in record time, jumping off the ATV before it’d stopped rolling. His phone rang as he stormed toward the building.
Kelsie?
He yanked it from his pocket, heart hammering, only to see Trina’s name flashing on the screen. Fuck that. He didn’t want to talk to her on a good day, and today was as fucked-up a day as they came. After stowing the phone, he barged into the shack with a quick nod for the prospect sitting watch outside.
“Welcome,” Spec said as he pushed off the wall with a maniacal grin. “Time to get this party started.”
The man from the tire shop sat bound to a chair in the center of the room. Curly, Spec, and Lock leaned against the walls, arms folded.
“So,” Spec said as he walked to the man in the chair. He slapped his hands on the guy’s shoulders, making him flinch. “What’s the deal with our man, Fletcher, here? Jinx didn’t have much to report. Just that this guy is a piece of shit who needed a little special attention. And he might be one of the motherfuckers who hurt our girl.”
Fletcher? Pretentious fucking name, but it made sense. A guy who thought he had the right to purchase and abuse women would have a pretentious name.
Ty owed Spec a thank you for not outing Kelsie by her real name. The last thing they needed was this guy coming after her. Not that he would be able to do shit to Kelsie once they finished here, but why take an unnecessary risk?
“You know who we are?” Ty asked, snarling down at Fletcher. His knuckles itched to connect with the man’s haughty face.
Fletcher’s cheek and eye were bruised, probably from struggling against Jinx”s hold, but not nearly as many as he’d have soon. Sweat ran down his face and soaked through his suit jacket. The shack was hot as hell, so he had to be roasting. Any extra discomfort their guest could experience thrilled Ty.
“You’re bikers. And you have something to do with that crazy bitch from the tire shop.” Despite his vulnerable position, Fletcher spoke with authority as though he held all the cards. “Seriously, man, you should get your woman some help because I’ve never seen that bitch before.”
Spec clamped down on Fletcher’s shoulders until the man cringed. “Call her a bitch again,” he whispered low and deadly. “Dare you.”
“We are bikers,” Ty said, stepping forward and cracking his knuckles. “The same bikers who broke up a human trafficking ring run out of Stray nightclub. Ring any bells?”
Spec’s eyes narrowed as the realization of this man’s connection to Kelsie took hold.
Fletcher paled. “I-I have no idea what you’re talking about, man. Never been there. That bi…” Spec squeezed, “… woman say she saw me there?”
Ty stared him down.
“Yikes,” Spec said with an exaggerated shiver. “He is pissed.” He leaned down to speak at Fletcher’s ear again. “I’ve known him for a good while now, and I have to say, I have never seen the man this pissed. Not sure how this is gonna play out for you, buddy.”
Across the room, Jinx let out a loud laugh.
“All right.” Spec chuckled. He slapped the side of Fletcher’s head hard enough to make the man wince. “You got me. I know exactly how this is gonna play out. Hope you got life insurance.”
“This is insane!” Fletcher yelled, thrashing against the bindings. “I’m telling you, I don’t know what you’re talking about. I don’t know who she is.”
The fucking liar.
A man who had no problem doing the crime but didn’t have the stones to admit it was the weakest kind of creature.
“Maybe you need a little reminder.” Ty grabbed the asshole’s throat and squeezed. Spec stepped back, letting Ty do whatever he wanted. Fletcher’s eyes bugged, and his face turned tomato red within seconds. A high-pitched gurgle came from his constricted throat. “Is it coming back to you?”
Fletcher struggled but couldn’t reach for Ty’s hands since his were tied down. His lips moved, but no more sound came.
“You did this to her. After you bid on her, purchased her, and raped her, you cut off her air until she passed out.”
No one dared to breathe. On an abstract level, they all knew what had happened to Kelsie. Human traffickers had held her for over a week. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had been done to her, but hearing the actual words made it real on a level they’d been able to compartmentalize before.
Not anymore. Now, they had one of the bastards at their mercy, and they knew exactly what he’d done to Kelsie and who knew how many other women.
“How does it feel?” he asked in a low, growly voice. “To know your consciousness is slipping away with each passing second, and you have no idea if you’ll ever wake up again. Do you like being on this end?”
Fletcher”s eyes began to roll back in his head. His struggles ceased, and just as it seemed he would lose consciousness, Ty released his throat and smacked his cheek to jolt him awake. Fletcher sucked in a long breath which turned into a choking fit.
Bloodshot eyes full of hatred met Ty’s gaze, but they’d lost their arrogance. Fletcher was now a man who knew he was fucked.
“You hard?” Ty asked.
“Wha—” Another hacking fit racked Fletcher. A string of saliva hung from his chin when he finally stopped coughing. “What?” His ruined voice made Ty smile.
“Are. You. Hard? You like this, right? This is what does it for you? Someone getting roughed up and choked out without their consent. This is the kinda thing that revs you up, right?”
“Maybe he’d like it better if he was naked,” Jinx said with a dark laugh.
Ty raised an eyebrow. “Is that what we’re missing?”
“Fuck… you,” Fletcher said between wheezes.
“What’s wrong? Don’t like that idea? Coulda fooled us.”
Fletcher said something, but his raspy voice made it intelligible.
“Speak up,” Jinx called with a laugh.
“I said she fucking loved it.”
Ty saw red.
“She’s a who—”
He punched Fletcher so hard that the chair toppled back. The back of his head smacked against the ground with a satisfying thwack. Sharp pain bloomed across Ty’s knuckles, making him smile. If his hand hurt, so did Fletcher’s face.
“Hell yeah! That’s what I’m talking about.” Jinx slow-clapped as he cheered.
Ty kicked the leg of the chair, spinning Fletcher until his face came into view. Blood poured from his nose, puddling on the ground. God, he wanted the man to die.
Slowly and painfully.
Even that wouldn’t be enough to slake his rage. All he could think about as he glared down at the fucker was the way Kelsie looked the day they’d rescued her. She’d been traumatized beyond reason, visibly bruised, and scared out of her mind. This man caused that. He’d taken a young, beautiful woman and harmed her in the worst way. A woman who stared at Ty as though he’d hung the fucking moon.
Would that change if he ended Fletcher’s life? Kelsie claimed to want him dead, probably did want it for now, but would she lose the gleam in her eye if she knew Ty was the one to do it?
It shouldn’t matter. Beyond the few kisses they’d shared, nothing could happen between them. Kelsie wasn’t in the right head space for it, and he was too fucking old for her. She needed to find a guy her age who wanted the same as her.
Even if the thought of another man near her made him murderous.
That was his issue, not hers.
He rolled his shoulders to loosen the knots. His skin felt too tight for his body. What the fuck was wrong with him?
“Hey, VP.” Spec appeared at his side, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Let me do it,” he muttered low enough that only Ty heard.
“What?” He raised an eyebrow at his club’s enforcer. The man was nearly a decade younger and had a bloodthirsty side like no other.
“This is my job. And I’m damn good at it if I do say so myself.” Spec winked. “I’ll spend some quality time with him. We’ll get to know each other real well.”
Ty nodded. Spec knew ways to inflict pain that Ty hadn’t heard of.
“Torture isn’t your style.”
No, it wasn’t, but he had a promise to keep. Speaking low so only Spec would hear, he said, “I swore to Kelsie she would go to bed tonight knowing one less monster walked the Earth.”
“And she will.” Spec nodded. “I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
Grunting, Ty ran a hand through his hair. “Yeah.” He met Spec’s gaze. “Thanks, brother.”
Spec winked. “Anytime. And I mean that. I live for this shit.”
The comment was meant to make Ty laugh, but he couldn’t summon the energy. His feet felt heavier than lead as he walked over to his cousin and president, who stood next to Jinx. “I need to get the fuck outta town for a few days.”
Curly nodded. “No problem.”
“I’ll cover for you at the shop. Don’t worry about a thing,” Jinx added as he slapped Ty on the back.
Ty had to lock his knees and clench his abs to keep from hurtling across the room.
Damn giant.
“Take all the time you need, brother,” Curly said with a smile. “Clear your head. We got everything under control here.” He rubbed a hand across his scruffy chin. “You gonna swing into the clubhouse to say goodbye to Kelsie first?”
“What? No. Why the hell would I do that?” Did everyone think there was more to their relationship?
Curly’s eyes widened. “No reason. Just asking.”
“We’re not a thing, Curly.”
His cousin lifted his hands as Jinx snorted. “I know,” Curly said. “Just thought after all this…” he waved a hand toward Fletcher, “… you might wanna talk to her before you split.”
He did. He really fucking did, but the problem was he wanted to do a whole lot more than talk, which was why he needed to get away. Marco Island called to him. He’d spend a few days in a bungalow on the beach, drinking and staring at the waves. While there, he’d make sure to bury his crush, or whatever the hell it was, on Kelsie in the sand so he could return with a clear head. The harder part would be getting his dick on board with this plan, but some random sex with a tanned beach bunny should do the trick.
As he left the building, his phone chimed. He rolled his eyes to the heavens.
If this is Trina again…
Sure enough, a text from his ex-wife sat waiting for him.
We want to see you. I’m coming to town.
No. Hell-fucking-no. All the more reason to get his ass out of town immediately. He stowed the phone back in his pocket. After what she’d done, she didn’t deserve a response. The woman could knock on his door in vain all day for all he cared. She wasn’t worth the energy of texting back.
After a quick ATV ride back to his bike, he hit the road, heading straight for the highway that would take him south to Marco Island. Fuck clothes and toiletries. Anything he needed, he’d pick up on the way. If he hung around Lithia any longer, he was bound to do something stupid like let Kelsie climb in his lap again. Now he knew what she felt and tasted like, so resisting her a second time would be impossible. Physical distance was the smart move.
The only move.