I forgot how fucking amazing Kelly looked in a bikini. The skimpy little thing pushed her perfect tits up and molded the globes of her ass like a second skin. I also loved that she still had her belly button pierced.
“Is it cold?” she questions, standing at the edge of the pool.
“It’s heated,” I reply, wiping the water away from my eyes. “Come on, I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Gnawing on her lip, she watches me intently as she dips one bare foot into the water. Holding the railing, she takes another step before pausing with both feet in the water. Releasing her lip, her eyes widen as she stares at both feet submerged on the top step.
I fight the smile and wade closer to her. Extending my hands out, I lift my head and meet her gaze.
“Jump in,” I dare.
“You’re crazy,” she laughs, loosening her grip on the rail.
“I’ll catch you,” I assert.
“You ever watch Dirty Dancing?” Thinking better of it, she shakes her head. “Of course you haven’t,” she corrects. “But, I kind of feel like Baby right now, the girl from the movie.”
I laugh.
“When Johnny takes her to the lake to teach her the lifts,” I say, shocking her. A grin spreads across her full lips and without realizing it, she takes another step.
“You saw the movie?”
“You forget I was in the hospital for three months and at the mercy of mediocre television,” I say, continuing to distract her.
“What else did you watch?” she asks, waggling her eyebrows.
“I’d rather hang onto my man card than answer that question,” I reply, taking her hands as her feet touch the floor of the pool. Her eyes widen as she wraps her arms around my neck.
“I’m in the water,” she whispers.
“Yeah, baby, you are,” I rasp, kissing her softly.
“And, I’m okay,” she adds.
“You’re fine,” I agree.
The water comes up to her waist, making her comfortable enough to loosen her hold on my neck. Bringing my hands to her hips, I pull her closer to me and bury my nose in her neck.
“Thank you,” I say against her skin.
“For what?”
“For trusting me. For coming back into my life. For giving me a second chance. For being my girl. Thank you for everything,” I say hoarsely, lifting my head.
Our eyes lock and the smile she gives me is brighter than anyone I’ve ever known.
“I love you,” she whispers.
Touching her forehead to mine, she wraps her legs around my waist.
“Thank you for that too,” I say, pressing against her. Wading through the water, I push her against the wall of the pool. Lifting my hands to her face, I cradle her cheeks and lean in to take her mouth. “I love you too, Kelly. More than you’ll ever know. More than I can ever show you,” I confess before covering her mouth with mine.
With a swimming pool full of people, I fight to control myself—sure Anthony Bianci wouldn’t like it much if I ripped Kelly’s bathing suit bottoms down her legs and fucked her senseless in front of his clients. Covering her body with mine, I squeeze her tit in the palm of my hand and dip a finger into her bottoms.
“We need to get out of here, so I can fuck you right,” I growl against her ear as I slide my finger inside her. “So, I can properly take care of this pussy.”
“Or you can fuck me right here,” she hisses.
“There are people everywhere,” I grunt.
“They don’t have to know,” she whispers, tugging the ends of my hair. “I promise to be quiet.”
“You don’t know how to be quiet,” I retort.
“Fuck me, Linc.”
All thoughts of Bianci and his patrons cease to exist the moment she pulls my cock from my trunks. Pushing the scrap of material away from her pussy, I spread her legs further apart and push into her. She drops her mouth to my shoulder and covers her cries as I piston my hips. Her back scrapes against the wall of the pool as I slide my free hand under the water. Finding her clit, I start to massage it with my thumb as she tightens around my cock.
“I’m going to come,” she whispers against my ear. “In front of all these people, you’re going to make me come.”
A growl escapes my throat as I feel her spasm around me.
“My little troublemaker,” I pant as the water swirls around. I pump into her one more time and the waves slap at our skin as I give into my release. Her legs lock tightly around me as she reaches behind her to grab the lip of the pool. Her knuckles turn white as her body slides further under.
“Linc,” she whispers.
Taking her hips, I press her against me.
“I got you,” I pant.
“I think I’ve had enough of the water,” she says, unwinding her legs from my waist.
“Now, you’ve had enough,” I accuse, laughing. Leaning forward she, nibbles on my shoulder.
“You’re going to pay for that, music man,” she hisses.
“Come on, I’ll take you for dinner,” I say. Lifting her ass, I slide out of her. Taking her hands in mine, I lead her to the ladder.
“We grabbed a hot dog off the street before we went searching for the bathing suit,” she replies.
“That was two hours ago, I’m fucking starving,” I tell her, fixing her bathing suit as she climbs the ladder in front of me. “Besides, it’s going to take us at least an hour and a half before we get to where we are going for dinner,” I tell her.
Hoisting myself out of the pool, I take the towel she offers me and lean into her. Pressing my lips to hers quickly, I drape an arm around her shoulders and bring her into my side.
“Ever been to Philadelphia?”
“You’re kidding me, right?”
“Is that a yes?”
“No, I’ve never been to Philly,” she clarifies.
“Well, we’re going,” I tell her, making up my mind.
“Linc, that’s a long drive for someone who just got back behind the wheel.”
“So, you’ll drive. Gives me a chance to appreciate the view,” I reply.
Parting ways, she went into the women’s locker room and I made my way to the men’s. Showering the scent of chlorine away, we dressed and met one another outside the gym. It dawned on me as I made my way to the car that I hadn’t checked my phone in hours. Not, that I’m one of those guys who always has his phone his hand but, over the last few days shit’s been tight with the club.
The cop fucking with Blackie over his late wife made a play, sending him off the grid at a really crucial time. Everyone, including myself, worried that the recovering drug addict was on a bender. With the club up in arms over this mess with our vice president, Jack suggested Kelly take me to my appointments. Our swimming lesson wasn’t part of the schedule and I forgot all about the latest crisis to hit the Knights.
Heading down to Philly for a cheesesteak was a spur of the moment idea and probably not the best one. Not after realizing I didn’t have my phone but, I didn’t want my time with Kelly to end. For a brief pause, it was like we were back in North Carolina and the couple who did whatever the fuck they wanted, whenever they wanted. The offer of a raincheck sat on my tongue, never fully making its way past my lips.
Unwilling to disappoint her, I slid into the passenger seat and eased my conscience by assuring myself if anyone needed to get a hold of me, all they had to do was call Kelly’s phone. Besides, we were going to Philly, not fucking Guam. We’d be home in under four hours and that’s allotting a half hour at Pat’s.
Or so I thought.
We were making great timing until we finished our subs, made our way back to the truck and it didn’t start. At first, I thought she forgot to turn off the lights. I figured we’d find someone to boost us and we’ll be back on the road in no time.
I stopped figuring shit out when that didn’t go right either. Instead of beating myself up over it and ruining the day, I got me and Kelly a room at a nearby motel. Once we were settled into our room and Kelly was curled into my side, I used her phone to call Stryker.
“Hey, it’s me, I’m on Kelly’s phone,” I say when he answers the phone.
“Where the fuck have you been all day?” he barks.
“Whoa,” I say, sitting up. “I left my phone back at Wolf’s. Jack knew Kelly was taking me to therapy and to my doctor’s appointment.”
“Both of which were hours ago,” he hisses. “I’m going to ask you again, where the fuck have you been all day? You know what, forget it, just get your ass back to Wolf’s. Jack has us all on lockdown here.”
Hearing Stryker yell through the phone causes Kelly to sit up too. At the mention of a lockdown, concern wears on her pretty face and dread churns in my gut.
“Did you hear me? The club is on lockdown. We can’t locate Blackie, Brantley has lost his mind. He killed Jones and took Pipe. No one knows where he took him or if he’s even alive.”
My head spins at the information. Jones was our hook with the police department. Jack’s been greasing his palm since the day he took the gavel and we’d all likely be rotting in a cell if it wasn’t for him. Back in the day, Brantley had a hard on for Blackie’s wife but, what Pipe has to do with any of that or why he would take him is a mystery to me.”
“Now, get your fucking ass back here.”
“I can’t,” I mutter, swiping a hand over my face. “We’re in Philly. The truck broke down and I got us a room. I can’t get it towed until the morning—”
“Have you lost your fucking mind?” he bellows. “What the fuck is in Philly?”
There is no way in hell I’m telling him we came here for a fucking cheesesteak.
“Never mind,” he shouts. “Give me the address to where you are and I’ll come and get you.”
“If Jack put the club on lockdown, you can’t leave. I’ll be there tomorrow,” I tell him, glancing at Kelly. Watching her lift an eyebrow and cock her head to the side, I think back to the first time Sin put the Raleigh charter on lockdown and how it was her who taught me the severity of banding together with the brotherhood in dire situations. It put less of a strain on the leader knowing all the people he needed to keep safe were together and here we were locked away in a cheap as shit motel, miles away from where we needed to be.
“Text me the fucking address, I’m coming to get you and your girl,” he says before ending the call.
“What’s going on?” Kelly asks as I hand her back her phone.
“Stryker’s coming to get us,” I tell her, climbing off the bed.
“Is it the Russian?” she whispers.
At the mention of Yankovich, I realize two things.
One, that son of a bitch is still silent.
Two, no one has heard from Rocco either.
“No,” I rasp. “Stryker’s coming to get us and bring us back to Brooklyn.”
“What about the car?”
“We’ll figure it out,” I mutter. “I’m going to go down to the lobby and get a pack of smokes. Do you want anything?”
She shakes her head and I bend down to kiss her.
“Lock the door behind me,” I order softly.
The moment I step outside the motel room my mind starts to race. A sense of dread washes over me and I can’t help but wonder if this is it. If this is the catalyst that sends our lives spiraling into chaos. It would be easy to rule out this Brantley mess having anything to do with Yankovich if we had a fucking handle on this guy but, he surprises us at every turn. Bas and Needles have been digging through those papers for weeks trying to pull something out of nothing and the only thing Riggs was able to uncover from those phone numbers was that they were once listed under Yankovich. However, tracing them to an address was impossible.
We don’t hear a peep out of this cocksucker since he smashed Deuce’s car and now, this happens. The dirty detective and the street cop have a face off. Pipe gets taken and Blackie goes off the grid. How much shit can happen to one fucking group of people without it all tying together?
Waiting for Stryker, I bounce every possible hypothetical situation in my head and by the time he arrives, I decide nothing makes sense. Giving up, me and Kelly get into the cage and Stryker fills us in on everything.
Pipe’s woman, Layla, witnessed the whole exchange between Pipe and Brantley. Thank God the woman had enough sense to call Jack. He ordered her to grab her kids and head into the city. It was a two-hour ride from Pipe’s cabin to Wolf’s house and Layla and her kids were already there when we arrived.
Everyone was there—men, women, and children. Wolf’s house was busting at the seams and Jack was losing his fucking mind. The two men who always reeled him in were missing and he had a house full of people he needed to keep safe. When the call came through with Pipe’s location, Jack went old school. Riding with his original crew, he left the rest of us behind.
It was crazy to meet Layla and her kids, all of which were great but, I never expected Pipe to settle down with a family. We took a chance a piece keeping everyone occupied, especially the kids. There was no clown, but Kelly and I taught Layla’s oldest how to play poker. My wheelchair came in handy for Deuce as he used it to occupy the girls, giving them rides around the house.
We were a band of misfits riding out yet another storm but as I looked around Wolf’s little house, I saw a group of people who were nothing more than family. We all like to bust Jack’s balls about being property of Parrish but, as much as it’s a curse it’s also an honor.
An honor, my own family will one day be part of.
Danger lurks but looking around at all these people. The women who faithfully stand by their men and the children that make everything worth it, it’s hard not to find hope.
It's hard not to believe we’ll win.
We’ve been beaten.
We’ve been tricked.
We’ve been killed.
We’ve been paralyzed.
But, we’re still breathing.
That’s gotta count for something.