REAPER: Death Row Shooters MC, page 10
“Perfect.”
“Who are the buyers?”
“We have a large selection of buyers, all through the black market. Hong Kong is a big city, easy to get lost in. Shady business deals are made on the regular. The buyer requests the item, and we procure it. No questions asked. They get their item, we get our money.”
“I see. So who exactly are we supposed to be handing this shipment to.”
“There is a woman there, similar to me. Her name is Kai, she runs Kai Enterprises in the Tai Po district of Hong Kong. She is your liaison. Tell your man that if he finds her, he’ll find the buyer.”
“My man Poe has agreed to travel with the first shipment. He has a man there who can help him navigate through the cities.”
“Very well. My best advice is that he keeps his head down and stays to himself. Foreigners attract attention. Attention we do not want. Half a million will be deposited into your account by morning, the other half will be deposited as soon as the shipment has been dispensed to the appropriate buyers.”
“How do I know you guarantee my man’s safety?”
“I don’t guarantee anyone’s safety, Mr. Simon. I pay you to guarantee the safety of my item. Trust me, you don’t want to go against the people I work with. Nor do you want to be seen by those you are stealing from.”
“Stealing?”
“I am breaking a contract for you to keep your mouth shut. You do the job right the contract is yours. You do it wrong and it’s your head, including the pretty girl that lives with you. She will be used as collateral.”
I clenched my fists and Ash shifted towards me. Not one word was spoken but I could sense the intensity in the glare he was giving her.
“You leave her alone.”
“You asked for the job. This is how we work. You threatened me, Mr. Simon. That was your first mistake. Lose the shipment, and that will be a tragedy.”
I clenched my jaw, keeping the vile retort from slipping from my tongue. “You touch one hair on her head and I will have all of Los Angeles after you and the people you work with.”
She nodded. “Fair enough. I only do the negotiations. You do what you will with the information I’ve given. But I urge you. Do not take my warnings lightly. The men who had this contract are dangerous. As soon as they find out that they will no longer be used they will go after you and yours. So, please, I beg you. Tell your man to be careful.”
A few minutes later Ash and I walked out onto the docks. The wind swirled around us as we stood looking out onto the black water.
“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?”
I nodded. “What the fuck did we just get ourselves into?”
“We could back out?”
“I threatened them in order to take over. I won’t back out of the deal.”
“But that means…”
“I know what the fuck that means, but Cecilia doesn’t have to know. Get the fucking details of the shipment and we’ll see how it goes. Either way we need to use these docks or what the fuck do we have them for.”
Ash nodded. “I’ll let her know.”
Grabbing his arm I held him back. “Be careful what you tell her. I don’t trust her.”
Ash glared at me and I could tell he was biting back a reply. “She’s caught in the middle. You can’t blame her for doing her job.”
“You may be right, but make sure you’re thinking with your head and not your dick when you’re around her. Remember. One of your brothers is at stake here.”
Ash hung his head and sighed. “Yes, Prez.”
I slapped his back and he went back to her. I stayed out there for a long time, once again being pulled into the darkness. Cecilia would never forgive me if I put her life in danger, which meant I had to do everything in my power to make sure absolutely nothing went wrong with this job. Priscilla’s words echoed in my head.
Nor do you want to be seen by those you are stealing from.
That thought made my gut wrench. Who were those men and why did I have a feeling there was more to this job than we were let onto? It wasn’t just shipping items, it was a very well calculated operation. These items were worth millions of US dollars. What in the world had I gotten us into?
15
Cecilia
I’d woken up alone. Staring at the indent of his pillow. I couldn’t believe he’d come into my room like that the night before. And on top of that he hadn’t given me what we both so desperately wanted. Somehow, I was angry at him for that. Angry that he’d teased me, angry that I could cum so easily for him, angry that I had no control over my body when he was around.
He was the only man I’d ever been with and he knew it. It’s why he took advantage of me, playing his fucking mind games. He could play all he wanted, I wasn’t going to give into him. I was adamant about leaving. My heart wanted to stay, but every minute in this place only swallowed me back into the past. More bloodshed, more gunfire, more danger. He’d said La Plaga was dead, but for some reason I had a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach that told me that chapter of our story had not ended.
I made my way down to the kitchen and spotted Poe eating in the back booth. I smiled and slid in next to him, his grunt nearly made me laugh as he slid himself farther away from me.
“That looks good. Whatcha eatin’?” I liked teasing Poe, he was always so grumpy. I wondered how long it had been since he actually smiled. His chocolate eyes were soulful in their pain. And I had a soft spot for the big guy.
“What’s it look like?” He eyed me for a second and then dug right back into his scrambled eggs and sausage. Cookie came over and set down a plate in front of me. A veggie omelet with a cup of coffee.
“Here you go sweetie. Poe, slow down, taste the damn food.”
He grunted and continued to scoff down his food. She shook her head, a smile tugging at her lips. “This man is insufferable.”
Winking at me, she turned and walked away, an extra bounce in her step. I eyed her, then I eyed him- cocking my head towards him.
“Cookie likes you.”
He frowned and shrugged. “Yeah well, I don’t like her.”
“Aww, she’s cute. There’s nothing wrong with her, maybe there’s something wrong with you?” I muttered under my breath.
He grunted in response. “Never said there was somethin’ wrong with her. She’s just too good for me, sweetheart. I don’t do good. I do dirty.”
I grimaced. “Ewww. Why are you so damn crude?”
“Cause it’s the truth. Not every woman out there wants hearts and flowers and not every man is looking for a good girl.”
I rolled my eyes at him and sunk into my fluffy omelet. Cookie had been with the club for a few years now. She did the cooking and helped Digger take care of the books. She had a thing for Poe, but I knew Digger had a thing for the pretty brunette. With all the women that roamed the club, you would think these boys would entertain them. There was no denying any one of them would kill to be a Death Row Shooter’s Ol’ Lady. The only one who seemed to indulge was Ash, but he only used them to satisfy his needs. Even Jayce, our Vindicator, had set his eyes on the pretty Brandy and God forbid if anyone touched her. His eyes were glued on that stage never leaving her. It was as if he were protecting her from something. Maybe even from himself.
How do I know all this? When you’re stuck in a place this long without going out you start noticing things. These boys had an eternity of sleepless nights and needed to come home to a warm bed, yet they came home to nothing. A shame if you ask me. Because not only were these men mighty fine, they were the sort to take care of their women. If only they could step out of the darkness once in a while then maybe they wouldn’t be so damn lonely.
“What’s wrong with hearts and flowers?”
“That’s not love, sweetheart. Loving is hard work, its rough, it’s raw emotion. Hearts and flowers are bullshit.”
“Yeah well, others seem to think that love is owning someone.”
He turned to me then and scowled. “You think that man doesn’t feel love for you?”
“I think he loves power more than he says he loves me.”
“You want to talk about love, just look at his ridiculous face when you’re around and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. You’re his fucking weakness and don’t think we haven’t noticed. We also don’t like the idea of having a woman like you in the clubhouse.”
“A woman like me?”
“You’re a blind spot. We never saw you coming.”
“It’s not as easy as you picture it, Poe. He hurt me. Bad.”
“So what?”
“What?” I looked at him as if he’d lost his head.
“He hurt you because he had to protect you. He didn’t do it on purpose. Know the difference. You think he doesn’t hurt? He ain’t made of steel, as much as he thinks he is. That man’s been hurtin’ since the first day he was left without you. Remember that.”
“He sure doesn’t act that way,” I murmured under my breath.
“Why? Cause he’s not whispering empty promises in your ear and falling to his knees? He ain’t about pretty shit, sweetheart. He’s about loving hard and fast. The good kind of shit, ya know? The kind that lasts.”
“It wasn’t easy.”
“For either of you. That boy has not had one moment of peace in his whole fucking life. He’s the best man I know, the best fucking Prez I know, and my loyalty lies with him. I love you, doll, but if you hurt him you won’t have my vote.”
I looked at him for a long moment, watching as he gulped down his coffee. From what I knew, Poe had a hard life too. He came into the Death Row Shooters with hope and it had been torn away the day Nate died and then Simon. He’d found his brother in Ryan and I respected his loyalty. It meant he always had his back. What I didn’t like was the fact that he made me feel like I was the bad guy in all this.
“You act like I came here to hurt him.” His eyes were on me, a sharp glare in them. I looked right at him, not cowering, I’d done enough of that with my father around. “Don’t ever forget who dragged me down here. We’re both gluttons for punishment.”
“You’re both fools,” he muttered and gulped down the rest of his coffee.
He slid out of the seat, but before he left he got his last word in. “Love ain’t easy, Cecilia. It takes work and heart. If you’re not willing to do that, then let him go.”
I looked up at him and blinked. “Don’t you get it Poe? I already let go. He’s the one that keeps bringing me back.”
He hung his head knowing I was right. “Then it’s on him. The heart has to suffer, just don’t make him suffer to badly.”
He walked away, and I stared at his slumped shoulders. There was a reason he was called the Poet, but it wasn’t because of his fists, he was definitely poetic in matters of the heart too. I was certain that any woman who was able to get close to that man- would be loved to every extremity.
I swallowed down the rest of my eggs in silence and when done I slid out of booth and made my way down the hallway. Ryan was coming out of a back room when I approached, and instantly I pulsed, remembering the feel of him between my legs.
I wanted to run past him and hide, but there was no hiding from a man who was determined to make me his. As soon as I swept past him, he swept a hand around me and pressed me up against the wall.
“No good morning.”
“I’m not in the mood,” I placed my hands on his chest trying to squirm out of his hold. He felt so damn good I thought I’d melt right there.
“I like when you struggle against me, Firefly,” he nipped at my ear. “Makes me fucking hard as fuck for you.”
I whimpered as he sucked on my earlobe showing me just how hard he was.
“I’m sorry I left you so early this morning. I wanted to finish what we started.”
“There’s nothing to finish because it was a mistake.”
He cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes on me. “Go out with me?”
“What?”
“Come on, we’ll go for a ride.”
“I have things to do,” I stated as he grabbed my hand and tugged me down the hallway.
“Come on, Firefly, I know you ain’t got shit to do.”
I rolled my eyes but followed him out obediently. His old Harley stood out front and he handed me a helmet right before he revved up the bike.
I took him in for a second. Leather jacket, expensive slacks, thousand-dollar shiny black boots, and black aviator sunglasses that covered his eyes. He looked dangerous and sexy sitting on his throne. He turned to me and I felt his heated gaze on me, quickly I slid in behind him.
Grabbing my knee as he always did, we took off. I didn’t bother asking where we were going, he wasn’t going to tell me anyway.
* * *
I walked down to the water’s edge, the sun glistened on the small crescent waves that lapped along the rock ridden path. He’d brought me here before, years ago, on his birthday. That was the day he’d promised to always stay by my side. A bittersweet memory now. I could sense him a few feet away, his eyes on me, always on me as he leaned against his bike.
“Are you coming?” I looked back at him and he smiled, heading down the path towards me.
We walked quietly to that one spot, the log still hidden on the curve of the path. Our own secluded spot where no one was ever able to find us. Holding my hand, he helped me up first and then he sat himself down next to me.
Grabbing my hand, he laced his fingers through mine. The touch was warm, sending tingles up my arm. We sat in silence for a long time, watching the sun begin to set. He was the first one to speak. “I don’t like this, Cecilia. I don’t like what we’ve become.”
I didn’t say anything, just played with the leather band of his bracelet.
“I want to make this right. How do I fix this? Fix us?”
“There’s no fixing us, Ryan. We were broken from the start.”
“That’s not true.”
“But it is. I don’t think this was ever meant to be.”
“Horse shit!”
He yanked his hand away and leapt off the log. I watched him pace back and forth, he looked like a caged panther readying himself to be released into the wild. When he looked at me, I shivered.
“Why are you so fucking stubborn?”
“Why are you so damn arrogant?” I jumped off the log and walked up the path. “Let’s go, I’m done here.”
Grabbing my arm, he whirled me around. “We go when I say we go.”
“It’s always your way, isn’t it? It’s my life, Ryan. Mine! I won’t let you take that away from me and I don’t take orders from anyone, least of all you.”
I jerked my arm away and walked back towards his bike. I knew it held sentimental value to him. Simon had sent him that bike the night he’d died. He never took it out anymore, and somehow, the fact that he’d let me ride on it today made my heart melt for him.
Grabbing me, he whirled me around to face him. His heated breath on my face as he seethed in anger. God how he looked gorgeous angry, like a wild beast about to let himself loose on me. The masochist in me loved it, the submissive begged to be put on her knees, but the woman in me wanted to run.
“Don’t you dare fucking blame me for what happened? Your life was on the line, I did what was best!”
“You have no idea what it means to lose everything? To lose your freedom!”
“I don’t, do I? You want to know what it means to lose your freedom, sweetheart.” His hands reached out to me, capturing me against him. I punched at his chest, but he only squeezed me tighter, forcing me to still.
“I’m going to show you what it means to be owned by the Death Row Shooters, Cecilia. And when I’m done with you, you’ll regret denying me anything.”
“I’m not…” I gasped, losing my words as he twirled me around, bending me over the bike. “Ryan!” I cried out as he spanked me over my leggings, his growl of frustration heating up my loins and forced little whimpers from me.
“Fuck, those whimpers make my cock hard for you, Cecilia.” His rough tone matched the grinding of his pelvis on my ass.
“I was sweet with you last night, but today I’m done. You want to fuck with me, then let’s fuck!”
My head jerked at the sound of that familiar click, the sound made my core clench. Turning, I watched as he lay the blade flat on my skin. That damn blade he always kept on him. I used to watch him play around with that blade, flinging it against the wall. He was lethal with it, an extension of his hand, and now that blade was on me. His eyes met mine as he tilted it up, the sharp edge now gliding down the crevice of my ass.
“Ryan,” my tone was a mixture of need and fear.
What if he nicked me? What if I bled? What if I liked it? God, I was fucked up.
He gripped the stretchy material of my leggings and in seconds he had it split it in two, gaining access to my flesh. I held my breath as he ran the blade along the crevice of my right thigh, and then my left. Turning it, he brushed the flat of the steel along my wet lips, slightly tapping at it as I quivered in anticipation. He was playing with me, a sinful game, and if he wasn’t careful he could hurt me.
Hurt me? Ryan would never hurt me.
I whimpered as I felt the tip of the blade run across the seam of my panties, the only article keeping my core out of his reach. I held my breath and clenched my eyes shut, unexpectedly there was a forceful tug, and I screamed as my panties were ripped off me.
Running his rough palms across my ass, he squeezed and groaned. That damn groan sending a needy thrill down my spine. Expertly, he slid the edge of the knife along my pussy lips, along the curve that met my thigh. It felt so fucking good, that damn sharp point teasing me, my pussy pulsing and becoming so damn slick.
“I’m going to cum, Ryan.”
His hand came down on me and he hissed. “What did I tell you before?”
I whimpered in need. “I cum when you tell me to cum.”
I gripped the leather seat and bit my lip, the game he was playing was daring, and I held myself still trying to keep my breath steady so that the blade wouldn’t cut through me. Oddly, I found the idea erotic and I moaned as the tip of the blade outlined my heart shaped ass.
