Age: 24
Threading my fingers through Kelly’s hair, I held her head steady and lifted my hips, fucking her mouth. Hitting the back of her throat, she gagged on my cock.
“Take it,” I growled, pushing deeper.
Obeying, she stared up at me with watery eyes and dug her nails into my ass as she sucked me deeper.
God Almighty.
This girl.
As much as I was ready to come down her throat, I willed myself to hang on a little longer and pushed her off my cock.
“Now ride me, baby,” I said, diverting my eyes toward my cock. Hard as steel and covered in her saliva, it waited for her sweet cunt. Lifting my head, I watched her wipe her mouth with the back of her hand and straddle me. With one knee on each side of my body, she positioned herself over me and I stared at her pussy. Wet from my mouth and the two orgasms I already gave her, she was just as ready for me as I was for her.
Bracing her hands on my chest, she lowered herself onto my cock and I watched in fascination as the head disappeared between her lips.
“Fuck, this never gets old,” I grunted as she dropped all the way down and swallowed every inch of steel. Adjusting to the feel of me, she slid her hand down the front of her body, finding her clit. “That’s it baby, work that pussy,” I hissed.
Holding my gaze, she stroked herself a few more times before splaying her palms flat against the wall. Her tits hung in my face, begging for my mouth as she slid up and down on my cock. Knowing neither of us would last much longer, I grabbed her hips and arched off the bed. Our skin slapped together as I pumped into her. Pink hair draped our faces like a curtain and I lifted one hand from her hip to push it away, needing to look at her.
Her eyes widened as she clenched around me, chanting my name as she came.
“Come with me,” she begged, pushing down on me once more. Grabbing the back of her head, I brought her mouth down to mine and gave her one more thrust before my dick started to spasm, filling her with my come. Crashing, I wound an arm around her and as she fell forward. I touched my hand to her back, pressing her closer to me.
“I love you,” she panted into my neck.
Catching my breath, I opened my mouth to tell her I loved her more but, before I got the chance all hell broke loose.
You see, Satan doesn’t allow love.
Something everyone in the clubhouse learned the second bullets sprayed through the windows. Clinging to me, Kelly screamed in fear.
“What’s happening?” she cried as I pushed her off me.
“Get down on the ground,” I shouted, scrambling out of the bed. I grabbed the first pair of shorts I saw and quickly slid them on. Taking my gun off the nightstand, I loaded it and glanced over my shoulder to make sure Kelly was listening.
“Don’t fucking move,” I demanded.
“Where are you going?”
“Just stay here,” I roared. Keeping my gun cocked, I rounded the bed and found Kelly on the floor, her knees tucked against her chest as she sobbed. Over the deafening sound of the gunfire, I heard my brothers in the distance, shouting for help.
Duty called loud and clear but, I ignored it.
Leaving my girl shaking on the floor, wasn’t an option for me. Falling to my knees, I chose Kelly over my club. Grabbing the comforter from the bed, I covered her quivering body before I laid over her and used my body as a shield. My lips found her ear, and I assured her repeatedly that everything would be okay.
Ten minutes passed before the gunfire came to a stop. Still, I didn’t move until I heard Shady scream for help.
“Is it over?” Kelly cried.
“I think so but don’t move just in case.”
Chaos ensued outside, causing me to move off Kelly.
The door flew open.
Time stopped.
Life changed.
Quick on my feet, I pointed the gun at the intruder and wrapped my finger around the trigger. Frozen in my tracks, my eyes landed on Shady. Standing in the doorway covered in blood, he cradled his girlfriend’s bullet ridden body.
“Help me,” he rasped.
There was no helping him.
Just like there was no helping the innocent victim lying dead in his arms.
Now here we are a week later, laying Shady’s old lady to rest.
Having witnessed murder and mayhem before becoming a Knight, I was no stranger to death. Burying people was part of my job description and I learned to turn a cheek. That being said, I never took part in a funeral for a fallen brother or sister until today.
It started with a closed casket viewing which was held in the clubhouse instead of a funeral home. Unlike a civilian memorial, there were no flowers surrounding the coffin. Two men, me being one of them, stood on the sides of the wooden casket guarding the body.
From coast to coast, brothers came to offer their condolences to Shady and pay their respects to a woman they never met—including Wolf. Standing between his sister and Kelly, his eyes meet mine and I wonder if he can read the questions reflected in my eyes. Does he fear for his niece’s life the same way I do or is he immune to death and destruction? Does the mayhem ever end or is this the way of life for us?
The reverend steps in front of the coffin and opens the tiny book of prayers, asking us all to bow our heads in prayer. Tearing my eyes away from Wolf, I look at Kelly and watch as she makes the sign of the cross. As the sea of black all bow their heads, she lifts hers. Our eyes locks and the fear I see mirrors mine. The urge to abandon my duty and comfort her taunts me but, I remain rooted to my side of the casket. It’s been a pattern of mine since the ambush. Conflicted between my love for Kelly and the unforgiving truth that she could’ve suffered the same fate as Shady’s woman.
Logically, I know she was part of this life before I ever showed my face on Satan’s doorstep. This place was her home, and it’s all she knows. I’ve laid awake every night since the ambush, telling myself she would’ve been at risk regardless of her involvement with me. It doesn’t ease my conscience though. As men, I think we’re all born with the natural need to protect. It can be a man’s fortune, his woman or his family but, every man has something he fights to keep safe. He might spend his whole life doing it and it may end in a losing battle but when he leaves the earth at least he can say he tried.
For men like Wolf and Sin, it’s their club and the constitution for which it stands. It’s the brothers and sisters they call family and swore to protect. And, as the casket is lowered into the ground, Sin loses his battle. Shady loses too but, there’s one difference. He has a choice whereas Sin does not. You see, Sin made his choice a long time ago when he took that gavel. He sacrificed his life and his soul for every man and woman here today. His loss won’t end here today. I’m sure throughout the course of his life, he will lose many more battles but, Shady doesn’t have to.
He can lay his girl to rest and decide never to lay another innocent life in the dirt. He can walk away from this grave and never attach himself to another woman or he can ride the wind with the devil on his tail.
Sadly, I can say I’ve been in his shoes. I’ve walked away from death and damned myself to hell but, I made the choice never expecting to find love again. I didn’t think I could love Kelly as fiercely as I do. Naively, I thought losing Savannah meant I lost my ability to feel entirely. Now I got this girl, and she’s everything.
She’s the air in my lungs.
The blood in my veins.
The one thing I will spend my whole life fighting to protect.
The silence stretches across the cemetery as Shady bends his knees. Grabbing a fist full of dirt, he rises to his full height and closes the distance between him and the coffin. Opening his palm, the dirt trickles over the wood.
“Ride with the angels,” he rasps.
It the words that bring the funeral to a conclusion and me to Kelly. Taking her hand in mine, I drag her away from Wolf and lead her to my bike.
When a man chooses to let go, he gives himself one final memory to carry with him. For me, it’s this. It’s Kelly on the back of my bike. Her arms wrapped tightly around my middle, her chin on my shoulder as we ride the wind one last time. It’s her lips on mine when we reach the clubhouse and I help her dismount. It’s the way she whispers in my ear that she loves me. It’s the way I hold her hand for the final time.
“I’m going to change out of these clothes,” she says softly.
“Go,” I tell her. “I’ll come look for you after.”
It’s the last kiss I press to her lips.
It’s watching her walk away knowing I’m about to break both our hearts.
Finding Wolf at the bar, I take a seat next to him. Silently, he pours me a shot of whiskey and pushes it toward me. Lifting the glass, I stare into his narrowed eyes and salute him before knocking back the shot.
“Shame what happened,” he mutters, pouring me a refill.
Two days ago, he showed up unexpected as usual. I thought it was just another impromptu visit from the man who invested so much time in me because he had no idea about the ambush. Joanne had called him but, he was off the grid and last night after Kelly fell asleep, I found him sitting exactly where he is now, drowning his sorrows in Sin’s whiskey.
In all the time that I’ve known Wolf, I’ve learned the man doesn’t react to death the way the rest of us do. He keeps his emotions in check and does what he’s gotta do. An innocent girl may have died but, that’s not what tore him up and it sure as hell, wasn’t what brought him down the coast.
We drank in silence, topping off the bottle before he revealed his troubles to me. His charter was suffering and on the brink of destruction. Losing brothers left and right, they were sinking. One of the more recent attacks also found an innocent woman as the victim. Luckily, she didn’t lose her life or the life of her unborn child. Needing revenge and knowing they didn’t have the manpower to stay afloat, Wolf volunteered himself to find a bunch of nomads willing to settle down in Brooklyn. A tough task when everyone knows you’re on the balls of your ass and trying to pitch a suicide mission.
Pushing my empty glass aside, I turn to him.
“When do we leave?” I ask.
“We’ll head out before the sun rises,” he replies, pausing a beat. “You sure this is what you want?”
The only thing I’m sure of is the fact I don’t want to watch Kelly die.
“I’ll turn my patch over to Sin before we leave,” I reply. “I already spoke with him.”
I expected Sin to have more of a reaction to me leaving North Carolina but he didn’t even ask why. The only thing he wanted to know was what he should do about Kelly. I may never have claimed her but, he gave me the same respect as if I had.
“What do I tell her when she asks where you are?”
“You make her hate me.”
“How the fuck do you expect me to do that after you’ve done nothing but love her since you met her?”
“Tell her it was all a lie, that the only girl I ever cared about was Savannah. Tell her, I couldn’t possibly love her or else I would’ve claimed her to the club. You tell her whatever bullshit you need to and, you keep her fucking safe. You make sure she never ends up like Shady’s girl or so help me God, I will kill you and I will make it as painful and torturous as possible.”
“Gonna ask you one more time, are you sure about this?” Wolf asks, pulling me back to the present.
“I’m sure,” I reply. Pushing back my stool, the legs screech against the floor as I stand.
Like a needle hits a scratch on a vinyl record, the song skips as I make my way down the hall to where Kelly waits in my bed. The same chord repeats over and over when I open the door and find her asleep on my bed. Crawling beside her, I brush my lips against her hair and take her into my arms. She doesn’t wake. The needle fights to push past the scratch but it’s too deep. The vinyl too fractured to continue.
Morning comes and the music dies.