CHAPTER ONE
Remi
“9-1-1, WHAT’S YOUR emergency?”
“There’s a man trying to break into my apartment,” I whispered as I hid in my bedroom closet. “His name is Vitaly Popov and I have a restraining order against him.”
I had been texting back and forth with my friend, Grace, when Vitaly showed up at my door. Vitaly had tried to rape me earlier today and Grace had walked in and helped me get away. I’d immediately reported it to the director of our ballet conservatory, and she’d promptly let me go. Fired because Vitaly was the bigger name. I was a girl from a small town in Georgia. I was nobody. Grace had left in solidarity to me, and I’d headed to the police station to file a report, then home to nurse my wounds.
Apparently, Vitaly now knew about the restraining order, because he yelled nasty things to me through the door in Russian. I knew they were nasty because I dated a Russian guy for about a minute, and the first words he taught me were the bad ones. How Vitaly knew where I lived was a mystery, but that made this situation even scarier.
“Okay, stay calm. What’s your address?”
I swallowed, then whispered, “4200 Alberta, unit twelve.”
“Where are you? Are you safe?”
“I’m in my closet,” I whispered. “I’m safe-ish.”
“Alright, ma’am, I’ve dispatched police officers to your address. Are you hurt?”
“No. No, I’m fine.” Tears streamed down my face. “Just scared.”
“What’s your name?”
“Remi…ah, Remington.”
“Cool name.”
“Thanks.”
“Okay, Remi, officers are three minutes out.”
I squeezed my eyes shut as Vitaly continued to pound on my front door. In the distance, I heard the muffled sound of sirens and the banging stopped. “I hear the sirens.”
“Okay, hon, I’ll stay on the line with you until the officers arrive.”
“Thank you.” I bit my lip. “The banging’s stopped. I think he’s gone.”
“Officer’s are walking up your stairs. Can you open the door for them?”
“Um, sure,” I said, and hauled my butt off the floor, easing out of my closet and heading to my front door. I checked the peephole and saw two men with uniforms, so I unlocked the door and pulled it open. “They’re here.”
“Okay, Remi. They will take it from here.”
“Thank you.”
I hung up and slid my phone into my pocket.
“Ma’am? Do you need me to call for an ambulance?”
“What?” I frowned. “Oh. No, these are from this morning. I reported them when I asked for the restraining order.”
Just as I was giving the officer the restraining order information, Grace came running up the stairs, followed by her badass biker boyfriend, Flea. “Remi? Are you okay?”
“Don’t move,” the cop ordered.
Flea’s hand went to his waist and I realized pretty quickly he was strapped. All I needed was a shoot-out on my doorstep.
“It’s okay, they’re friends,” I rushed to say.
Grace pushed past the officer, despite Flea’s growl of warning, pulling me in for a hug. “Where’s Vitaly?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“I have everything I need,” the officer said. “We can put a car out front for a few hours―”
“No, she’s going to pack a bag and come with us,” Grace said.
“It’s fine,” I argued. “I don’t think he’s going to come back.”
“Not really up for discussion,” Grace bossed. “Pack a bag…enough for a few days. You’re coming with us.”
“Grace―”
“Don’t argue with her,” Flea said. “It’s not worth the wasted breath.”
She smiled. “What he said.”
“Ma’am, what do you want to do?” the officer asked.
“I’ll go with my friends.”
“Okay, my partner’s searching the vicinity for Vitaly. We’ll head out once you’re gone.”
“Thank you,” I said, and went about packing a bag.
* * *
Finch
“No sign,” Hatch said as I joined him back at the front of the building.
“Me neither,” I said, and shook my head. “The message you gave him was ignored apparently.”
“Little fucker. He’s gonna regret that.”
Hatch Wallace was the Sergeant at Arms for our Motorcycle Club, Dogs of Fire. I was a member and typically worked closely with Mack, our club legal counsel, but tonight, I was at Hatch’s place when my sister, Grace, freaked. And when Grace freaks, we pay attention.
“Let’s check on Gracie’s friend,” Hatch said, and I followed him up the stairs.
We passed a couple of beat cops and one of them turned and cocked his head. “Merrick Lundy, is that you?”
Hatch stalled as I faced the officer. “Who’s asking?”
“Mike Watts.”
I grinned. Mike had come up in the academy with my dad. “Hey, Mike. It’s been a while.”
Hatch’s protective stance relaxed, and he continued up the stairs.
“What are you doing these days?” Mike asked.
“Law.”
“Of course you are. Shit, you could always bring an argument.”
I chuckled. “That’s what I’ve been told.”
“Well, good for you,” he said. “You and your sister were always good kids. Sad about your mom.”
“Thanks.”
“Gotta get back to it. You take care of yourself.”
“You too, man.” I gave him a chin lift and headed up the rest of the stairs.
Where I froze.
Remington Fucking Charles.
Goddammit.
“What the hell are you doing here?” she snapped.
Apparently, she remembered me too. Petite, blonde, and ample with both tits and ass, she was even prettier than she was two years ago.
I smiled. “Saving you.”
“You know my brother?” Grace asked.
“Merrick’s your brother?” Remi asked, a look of horror crossing her face.
“Finch,” I corrected.
Her head snapped to me. “What?”
“Finch. Not Merrick.”
“Club name,” Grace provided.
“You’re part of the club?” Remi asked.
“Yeah, babe.”
“Don’t call me babe,” she ground out. “Since when?”
“Since I was eighteen.”
“Wait.” She waved a finger in a circular motion toward me. “You weren’t wearing your fancy vest last time I saw you.”
“I was dressed for court last time I saw you.”
“You’re a lawyer?”
“Yeah.”
“Of course you are,” she hissed, dropping her head back. “What the fuck did I do, God? What? Huh? Is this my punishment? Okay, message received. I will never fuck some cute guy I just met in a bar ever again.”
My sister’s face was bright red as she tried to hold back her laughter, and I watched Remi in all her dramatic glory. Fuck me, this woman was stunning.
Hatch and Flea were doing their best to pretend they weren’t listening, but Hatch gave me a fatherly eyebrow lift and I knew he’d expect some sort of explanation later.
He wouldn’t get one.
Well, he wouldn’t get much of one. What Hatch really wanted to know was whether or not I respected her before, during, and after I fucked her. And I did.
The particulars weren’t important…not to him anyway.
I studied the cuts and bruises on her face and rage threatened to burst out of me. “You’re the one Vitaly attacked?” I asked.
“How did you know about that?” Remi demanded.
“He was there,” Grace said.
“What?” she squeaked. “How did I miss that?”
“He dropped Flea off…he didn’t know who you were.”
“God!” Her button nose scrunched up in despair. “Ain’t that all a glorious cherry on top of my shit sundae.”
God damn, her southern accent made my dick hard.
“I hate to break up this reunion,” Flea said. “But we should probably get you both back to your Grams’.”
Grace nodded. “Yes. That would be good.”
“You’re still at your grandmother’s?” Remi asked.
“Yes.”
“I don’t want to intrude, Grace. I can go to a hotel.”
“You’re not going to a hotel,” I said.
“You don’t really have a say in it,” she countered.
“Taking you back to my place,” I said.
“Like hell you are.”
“It’s either my grandmother’s or my brother’s,” Grace said.
“You can both come back to mine,” Flea countered.
I shot him a look of warning and I know he understood it, because he grinned.
Fucker.
“Can you stay with Grams, Mer?” Grace asked.
Our grandmother had had surgery on her broken leg a little while ago, so we were all taking turns staying with her so she didn’t try to overdo anything.
I scowled at Flea, but tried to soften my expression when I glanced back at Remi. Her chin was up in a challenging position and she couldn’t have been more beautiful. I focused back on my sister. “Yeah, Gracie, I can stay with Grams.”
She smiled, standing on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek. “Best brother ever.”
“Let’s go, baby,” Flea said to Grace, and grabbed Remi’s bag.
“Give me a sec, yeah?” I asked, and Flea nodded, ushering Grace down the stairs, while Hatch followed.
I cut off Remi’s escape and studied her. “How bad did he hurt you, Rem?”
“I’m fine.”
“Not what I asked.”
“Merrick―Big Bird―Tweety―whatever you call yourself these days…”
“Finch,” I provided.
“Finch. I’m fine. I just want to forget this day ever happened.”
“Did you get those cuts looked at?”
“No, they’re superficial. I have a few bruises, but I’ve been icing. I’ve had worse injuries dancing.”
“I don’t doubt it.”
“Can I go now?”
“Not yet.”
She rolled her eyes. “Merrick, I’m good. But if you don’t step aside, I’m going to get in my car and drive to a hotel. This is ridiculous.”
“Don’t do that, Remington,” I said. “Grace was worried enough to drag us all down here, so I’m getting the impression you’re not being honest about the severity of the situation. You going to a hotel isn’t going to happen.”
“Well, neither is this conversation. Let me pass.”
I sighed, knowing I’d get no further, and stepped aside. She walked down the stairs and I followed trying not to notice the graceful way her hips swayed as she headed toward my sister. Memories of her tight pussy covering my dick flooded my mind and I had to take a few deep breaths to keep from humiliating myself in front of my family.
Goddammit, one night hadn’t been enough.
* * *
Check for Finch & Remi’s story coming soon!