Chapter 27
CHAPTER
TWENTY-SEVEN
Payden
My body feels wrecked. The man lying by my side, spooning me, is a machine. That big, fat, pierced cock of his punished me, and despite what he said, my ass can wait.
The protective way his arm folds over me as we sleep is the most comforting thing I’ve ever experienced.
I’ve never been a cuddler, and I’ve never really enjoyed sharing a bed with someone because I like my own space.
Plus, I get hot when I sleep, and when I’m hot I get annoyed.
Somehow, Logan bypassed all of those annoying traits that drive me nuts. Go figure.
It has nothing to do with his confession last night…
okay, maybe it does. A little thrill runs through me at how quickly we both came to the same conclusion.
We both have feelings for each other that go far beyond the bedroom.
I’m not gonna lie and say I don’t enjoy Logan’s fine spectacle of a body, or what he can do with that giant dick, but hot and heavy never lasts very long.
When Logan tells me he’ll keep me safe, I believe him.
He told me about that video. At first, I wanted to see it, then when I thought more about it, what would it honestly bring?
I’ve seen enough carnage these past few days to last a lifetime.
But something is for sure; Ryan covered this up and there is no doubt in my mind he was working for the other side.
Or being bribed. Regardless, he should’ve gone to the police, that’s exactly what I would’ve done had I received that footage.
It was intended for me, after all. I need to talk to Becca when they get her here and find out what the fuck is really going on.
If this was her leverage, she did one heck of a job keeping it under wraps.
It’s early when I rise as I head to the little kitchen. It’s nothing fancy but has the basics like a coffee maker and a fridge. I make myself and Logan a coffee and head back upstairs. Dozer lifts his head as I appear with the mugs, but he immediately plops back down.
Logan rouses and sits up when I pad back into the bedroom, running a hand through his messy hair. I smile to myself.
“Morning, sleepy head.”
He yawns, stretching out. “Surely it can’t be mornin’ already?”
“Yep. Just after six.”
“Six?” He reaches for his phone, then sinks back into the pillows. “Why did you get up so early?” He pats the space next to him. “Come back to bed.”
“Can’t sleep,” I say, placing his coffee on the side table next to where he’s lying. “I think the last few days are catching up with me.”
“That reminds me. Sawyer, Haze, and Hustler are headed here. With Erica bein’ so close to havin’ the baby, Brew is stayin’ behind.”
I blink in surprise. “I get that about Erica, but why are they coming? Is everything okay?”
“Yep, everything’s fine, but Sawyer has too much to go over in a phone call, and we need to figure this shit out.”
“What do they know so far? I feel as if we’re just sitting here, existing?—”
“Don’t ever say that,” he says, his eyes flicking to mine as I sit cross legged on the bed, blowing into my cup. “It isn’t your fault that any of this happened.”
“I know that, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that people are dead, Logan, and I’m just sitting here when I could be… I could be…”
“You could be what?” he challenges. “Puttin’ yourself in danger? And for what? If those monsters think you’re alive, they will come after you.”
“I need to talk to Becca.”
“You and me both. Becca is the key to all of this. We don’t know why she held onto this information, and the only thing I can think of is that it was her last bargainin’ chip if anythin’ went wrong. That’s how much she doesn’t trust anyone—anyone except you, that is.”
“There is so much we don’t know,” I agree. “So much we?—-”
Boom.
Suddenly a huge crack of an explosion has both of us jolting and I spill my coffee. “Holy shit!”
Dozer barks, then hides under the comforter with his penguin in his mouth.
Logan jumps out of bed and pulls his jeans on as he rips a shirt over his head, draws his gun and turns to me and says, “Stay here.”
“Logan!”
He races up the hallway as I trail after him, picking up Dozer in my wake, alarmed.
“Don’t answer that door to anyone but me, got me?”
“You’re going out there?”
He turns to look at me as he pulls his socks and boots on. “Of course I am.”
I’m already moving toward him as he pins me with a look that says not to challenge him. “That sounded really fucking close,” I stammer. “Too close.”
His eyes soften. “Listen to me. Stay here.” He tosses me the phone. “I’ll call you when I find out what the fuck that was. Do not leave this fuckin’ cabin, come to think of it, barricade yourself inside until I give the all-clear.”
My eyes widen. “Could th-they be here?”
He cups one side of my face. “I’ll be right back. I promise.” He strokes Dozer’s head and then he’s gone.
I peer out of the window as Logan joins a couple of bikers who are running toward the clubhouse from the woods behind us.
Oh, holy shit! Is that smoke? My eyes almost bulge out of their sockets.
I quickly scroll through the phone. I added Ivy’s number into it last night before we left.
I dial and she picks up on the second ring.
“What the fuck was that?” I start. If I hear gunshots, I swear to the heavens I’m gonna lose it.
“I don’t know!” she cries back. “But there’s smoke coming from the front of the clubhouse.”
I found out that Ivy’s cabin is the closest to ours, but still can’t be seen from where we’re situated. They were all built this way for privacy in mind.
“Shit.” My mind races a million miles an hour. If I brought mayhem to this clubhouse, I will never forgive myself.
“Where are you?” Ivy asks.
“In the cabin.”
“I’m coming to you.”
“Is that safe?”
“I have a gun and I know how to use it,” she tells me.
Of course she does. She probably has a fucking cannon ball and a semi-automatic.
“Okay,” I breathe. “Be careful.”
I hang up and then Declan is calling me. I answer quickly. “Dec!”
“Sis, are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine, there was this huge noise, it sounded like an explosion, Dec. Where are you?”
“I’m inside the clubhouse.”
All of the blood drains from my face—and most likely my body—as I place a hand on the wall to steady myself. “Get out of there, please. I can’t deal with you getting hurt.”
I know he won’t leave, but it’s worth a try. No matter what, Declan will always be my little brother no matter how old he gets.
It also slipped my mind he takes one of the rooms upstairs because he’s the newest recruit. Only patched members, and guests like us, get the fancy cabins.
“Can’t do that. I’ll be okay, just wanted to check on you and make sure you were okay.”
I hear shouting in the background.
“What’s going on?” I garble. “Are we under attack?”
His voice is muffled as he says something to someone, then comes back to me. “Stay put.”
“If anyone else tells me to stay put, I’ll smack them one!” I start, but I hear the urgency in his voice.
“Think it’s the Skeletons,” he goes on. “They threw a fuckin’ grenade at the gates. As far as we know, they didn’t penetrate, but it was a low act, even for them.”
The rival MC club. I’ve heard the boys talking about the Skeletons from time to time.
Oh, holy fuck!
Relief leaves my body that it wasn’t my potential assassins finding out where I was, but that quickly passes. This is serious shit.
“Why are they throwing grenades?” I place Dozer on the couch then begin to pace. “Are they fucking crazy?”
“Of course they’re fuckin’ crazy. Listen I gotta go, shit’s gettin’ real in here. I’ll be there when I can.”
“Are you sure they didn’t get inside?” I whisper, not wanting to really hear the answer.
“If they did, they’ll all be dead in the next few minutes. Stay inside, okay?” He doesn’t wait for me to answer and hangs up.
I pull the phone back from my ear as I stare at it. Momentarily, there’s a loud knock on the door and I jump in fright.
“Payden? It’s me!” Ivy calls as I run to the door, unlatch it and she dives inside, Chloe on her heels as they dash inside too, and I bolt the door again behind them.
“Holy shit!” Chloe, who’s clearly been running for her life, presses a hand to her chest. “Hollywood told me someone just blew the fucking gate up!”
“Hollywood?” Ivy and I say in unison, though hers is more of a ‘what the heck?’ and mine is a ‘who the hell is that?’
“Wait, are you banging him?” Ivy says, as brow lifted in accusation. “Since when the fuck did this happen?”
They proceed to take up position by the window where I just was. I see the gun shoved into the back of Ivy’s jeans and I swallow.
“Hey, don’t judge,” Chloe says. “I had one too many margaritas and ended up in his bed.” Then to me, she adds, “He’s a Tailgunner, rides at the back of the pack with Panic and Viper, and he’s hot, but nothing happened, unfortunately.
We were both too out of it, plus, he’s a sweetheart.
I swear to god single dads do it to me all the time. ”
Ivy gives her a look. “Fucking Hollywood,” she mutters. “But his kid is cute.”
I don’t even ask if that is his real name. Of course it isn’t, and I’d almost find their bickering funny if we weren’t barricading ourselves inside my cabin.
“Bane is gonna be pissed,” Ivy goes on. “Looks like they waited until he left to strike.”
“Wait, where did he go?” Chloe asks, looking at her bestie confused.
“To rescue some chick. It’s a favor to the NOLA Rebels. Boys are gonna be pissed this went down while they were gone. This is fucking premeditated.”
“This place is safe though, right?” I ask, even though the words sound foreign even to my own ears. “The Skeletons?—”
“They’re not as bad ass as they think they are,” Ivy fills me in.
“Though ten points for strategy. And yeah, this place is like Fort Knox. It looks like we have an open property, but there’s a border beyond the trees here.
It’s all electric and guarded twenty-four-seven, hence why they brazenly thought they’d attack from the front in broad daylight. ”
“Assholes,” Chloe mutters. “They just won’t give up, will they?”
“Tell me about it. I was going to fucking make souffle this morning!” Ivy scolds.
I’d laugh if this wasn’t so frightening.
Instead, I stare at them. It seems like these kinds of shenanigans are the norm around here. Here I was thinking the damn Rebels had some baggage, but a gate blowing up and a rival MC showing up while the Prez is gone is ruining Ivy’s souffle plans. I need to get a grip.
“What’s with the beef, anyway?” I ask, wanting to know the gossip. “What are they fighting about?”
Ivy scoffs. “Their prez is a total loser, he’s always been jealous of Bane, and as far as I know it all started over Diamond, but I can’t be sure about that.”
I blink. “Diamond, as in the Stilettos Riders?”
They’re the ladies over in Texas who run an all-female MC club in the town of Saddle and singlehandedly helped the cops take down trafficking and smuggling over the border.
Diamond is bad ass and has a reputation not to be messed with.
Star’s younger sister, Tilly, went and joined them a few years back after they were the ones to find her when she was kidnapped, had amnesia and kept her safe.
“Diamond and Bane have history, but they were more like best friends than an actual couple,” Ivy says.
“And when Diamond escaped her own horror story, she decided to form an alliance with other likeminded women, hence the Stiletto Riders of Saddle Texas was born. Somewhere in between, the Skeletons got wind and tried to snatch her or some shit, and the rest is history.”
“That’s cool about the women,” Chloe says, peering through the blinds as we all watch the vacant space. It’s eerily calm. “And I love how all of their names are gemstones or precious stones; Ruby, Sapphire, Opal, Pearl…”
I’ve met the women before when they traveled to New Orleans. Sapphire was also instrumental in helping Crystal, who’s old man is Ryder, the VP, escape when she was kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend years ago. What a fucking mess that was.
“Yeah, and I love how trouble seems to find them no matter where they go,” Ivy scoffs. “Nothing Diamond can’t handle, though I wouldn’t tell her any of that.”
I know from the rumors around the club Diamond has had a tough life, but she’s all about girl power and women sticking together. The Stilettos are a force to be reckoned with, and that’s saying something.
“Shit no,” Chloe agrees. “I heard she castrated a man one time.”
We all wince.
“Ouch,” Ivy says. “He would’ve deserved it.”
There’s another loud knock at the door and we all jump. So much for watch-dogs—Dozer doesn’t even bark this time.
“Payden? It’s Dec,” my brother says as I scurry to the door.
I unlock it and he runs in, out of breath.
“You’ve been compromised,” he says as I shut the door behind him.
He leans back on the desk to try and catch his breath.
“Some asshole followed me from New Orleans and must’ve figured out we were related.
We think the Skeletons were paid off to come and snatch you. ”
My eyes widen in shock and fear as my heart sinks. “Holy shit,” I whisper. “Now everyone is in danger? Because of me?”
He shakes his head. “No, we’ve sealed the area, got a couple of their guys who spilled their guts already. Choker has them in the dungeon.”
I don’t even want to know about the dungeon.
“My brother?” Ivy says, tucking her hair behind her ears. “He won’t be back for hours yet, right?”
Declan nods. “The NOLA boys just arrived, too.”
Holy crap, the cavalry.
This is turning out to be a fucking morning and a half.