Chapter Twenty-Six
The Night Rebels flocked into the clubhouse, weary-worn from their mission in Arizona. When the brothers entered the main room, they received a warm welcome from those who stayed behind and the club girls. Brown bottles and short glasses filled with clear and amber liquids glistened in the morning’s light.
Diablo went up to the bar and downed two Jacks, the whiskey going down smooth like liquid fire. After a few days without any alcohol—when on a mission, no drinking was allowed—the smoky whiskey tasted damn good.
“Mission accomplished?” Rooster Mike said as he came over to Diablo.
“Yeah. The fuckers got what they had coming.” Diablo’s jaw twitched.
“Lena’s been cooking up a storm ever since Steel told her you’d all be back today.”
“Smells fuckin’ awesome,” Skull interjected.
“I gotta go see my woman.” Diablo downed another whiskey, then spun around and headed to the kitchen. After talking briefly to Lena, he headed to his room to freshen up and get rid of his dusty clothes. He couldn’t wait to see Fallon. The whole time he was gone she was always on his mind. He’d never felt such a strong pull toward another human being in his life. It was amazing that out of the sea of seven billion people on the planet, she’d entered his orbit softly and unassumingly. But her impact on him was like a galactic storm. He’d made up his mind while he was away that he’d never let her slip out of his life.
Freshly showered and changed, he locked his door, pumped his fist in the air as he walked through the main room, and straddled his Harley before he switched it on and rode to the bookstore.
The store smelled like ink and paper. It was the only one in town that had such a varied collection of both used and new books. The owner, Hattie, had opened the town’s favorite gathering hole for bibliophiles thirty-five years before, and her friendly staff and willingness to find out-of-print books gave the shop its stellar reputation.
When Diablo entered the store, the chiming bell announced his arrival. He scanned the area but didn’t see Fallon. Jerry came up to him, smiling. “You’re here to see Fallon, right?” Diablo jerked his head. Jerry licked his lips quickly. “She’s in the back room opening some boxes we received earlier. Just go on back.”
Diablo went to the back of the store and opened the door that had an “Employees Only” bronze sign on it. He went down a short hallway and stopped when he heard the rustling of paper and the ripping sound of a box cutter. Walking inside the room, he saw Fallon with her back to him, breaking open boxes and taking books out. The way her hips swayed when she’d pull open the top of a cardboard box made his dick punch against his zipper. The truth was he’d been sporting a hard-on ever since he’d come back. It was all he could do to freshen up and come over to the store without losing it.
His woman had changed her wardrobe nicely. Instead of the baggy, shapeless tops and pants she used to wear, she now sported leggings and fitted tops, and she looked mighty damn fine. Her change in wardrobe reflected her growing confidence in herself, something he loved seeing as the weeks went on. Forging out on her own seemed to have really helped her come out of her shell. As much as he wanted her to live with him, he had to admit that she’d been right to have some time to herself to get to know who she really was.
As if sensing him, she stopped and whirled around, a huge smile lighting up her face. Without a word he went to her, pulling her into his embrace and kissing her. “I’m so happy you’ve come back safely,” she murmured against his mouth.
“I’ve missed you so much, woman,” he rasped as his hands skimmed over her hips and cupped her buttocks. He walked her backward to the wall and pushed her against it, his mouth never leaving hers.
“I had no idea when you were coming home. I didn’t hear from you,” she said in small pants as he ran his tongue down the side of her neck, nipping and sucking between the licks.
“You were on my mind the whole time, sweet pea. I’m ready to burst here. I want you so fuckin’ bad.”
“Me too.” She glided her hands underneath his shirt and raked her nails down his muscular back.
In one fluid movement, he’d turned her around, taken off her leggings and panties, and shoved her against the wall so her palms were flat on it. He spread her legs wide and pushed down on her lower back so her ass was up higher. She moaned and looked behind her shoulder, her desire-filled eyes catching his and making his cock hard as steel.
“What if Jerry comes looking for me?” she whispered.
“Then he’ll find us fuckin’ good and hard.” He unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, shrugging them down. His hardness poked against her quivering flesh, and he placed his hands on her ass cheeks, squeezing them hard, loving the way she moaned and squirmed when he dug into her skin. Leaning over, he kissed her lower back, then trailed his lips up her spine, landing on the nape of her neck. “So fuckin’ beautiful.”
Shoving her top up, he grasped one of her tits in his hand and massaged it, then ran his hand down her belly to her pussy.
“That feels so good,” she muttered.
“I bet it does. And I love how wet you are,” he said against her skin as he ran his finger up and down her wet mound. “Do you want me to fuck you, sweet pea?” he asked as he slid his finger next to her hardening sweet spot.
“Yes. I really want it,” she breathed.
“Want what?” he asked as he flicked her nub.
“I want you to be inside me. Please?” She turned to look at him and the lust he saw in her gaze sent him over the edge.
He grabbed and squeezed her ass cheeks roughly, then jackhammered into her hard. She cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain. For each thrust, he pulled all the way out and then buried his dick to the hilt, his balls slapping her pussy lips and clit. Each time he plunged his cock into her, Fallon’s body was pushed forward, causing her tits to sway. Grabbing one of her breasts, he said thickly, “I’m gonna make you come until you can’t breathe.”
With each thrust, her wet and warm walls clamped onto his cock, drawing it in and coaxing it deeper. Sweat misted over their bodies as their frenzied desire mounted. Then he pulled out quickly, yanked her up, turned her around, and flattened her back against the window. Diablo lifted her and she wrapped her legs around his waist before he shoved into her again. He dipped his head and kissed her while he pounded her pussy, an enticing combination of wickedness and seduction.
Diablo’s balls tightened and the pressure was strong, overpowering. He stiffened and then grunted, his release ripping through his hardness, his balls emptying thick, hot streams of ecstasy into her. Fallon’s nails dug into his skin as she followed his release with her own pleasure-filled one. Her high-pitched cry rang through his ears as he placed his damp forehead between her heaving breasts.
“Fuck, sweet pea,” he grunted as his breathing slowly returned to normal. She had her arms around his neck, her head buried in the crook of it. It was the best fucking he’d had since the last time they’d come together.
Gently he eased her down and she fell against him. “My legs feel like jelly.” She chuckled. He helped her onto a chair. “I’m so glad you’re back,” she whispered.
Kissing her gently, he stroked her cheek. “Me too,” he murmured against her lips.
“Can you please close the door now? I feel like we’re tempting fate. I really don’t want Jerry to see me half-naked.”
“Neither do I.” He zipped his pants, winked at her, then strode over and shut the door. “What time do you get off work?”
“At five. Did you want to go out to eat? It’ll be my treat.”
“We can get some barbecue. And I’ll pay. No arguments about it. You know I’m old-fashioned that way. No way am I gonna have a woman pay for me.” He held his hand up and came over to her, his finger tracing her jawline. “Having you in my life is a treat. I’ll pick you up at six thirty. I got some shit to do right now.”
Shaking her head, she leaned forward and hugged him. “You’re too sweet. Six thirty is good. I better get back to work. I have all these boxes to unpack and inventory.” She swept her hand over a stack of boxes to the left.
“I’ll see you later, sweet pea.” He brushed his lips across hers and left the room.
As he walked down Main Street, he bumped into Goldie. “Hey, dude. What’re you up to?” Goldie said.
“I just stopped by to see Fallon. I’m going to get her something for her birthday. It’s coming up soon and I have some time to kill, so I thought I’d get it today.”
“I don’t have shit to do. I’ll hang with you and afterward we can grab a beer. I just got back from visiting my grandma.”
Diablo’s face softened. “How’s she doing?”
Goldie raked his fingers through his thick blond hair. “About the same. She still recognizes me, so that’s a plus. Alzheimer’s a fucking awful disease. I can’t believe she got it. I mean, she’s always been the nicest, sweetest person I’ve ever known. If it weren’t for her, I don’t know where I’d be. She took me in when my mom bailed.”
Diablo clasped Goldie’s shoulder. “It fuckin’ sucks when bad shit happens to the good ones and great shit happens to the fuckin’ assholes. Life can be a twisted puppet master. Fuck.”
Goldie nodded. “What’re you planning to buy for Fallon? Before you answer that, I gotta admit I never thought I’d live to see the day where you’d be shopping for gifts for a woman. Dude, you’re so hooked.” He chuckled.
“I’m shopping for Fallon, not just any woman. And… yeah. I’m fuckin’ hooked in a big way.”
They went into a shop at the end of Main Street. Lace ’N’ Things catered to women and had a little bit of everything, from beautiful stationery to naughty lingerie. The saleslady’s eyes widened when the two bikers entered. “May I help you?” she said, the lines around her eyes deepening when she frowned.
“Need to get something sexy for my woman,” Diablo said as he glanced around the store.
“Like lingerie? We have some very pretty pieces and they go from sweet to… well… to not so sweet. The ones we have are against the back wall.”
Diablo turned to where she pointed. “I’ll check ’em out.”
“Do you have stuff that has cutouts, like where the tits and pussy are?” Goldie said.
The woman’s face blanched and Diablo chuckled. Goldie didn’t have filters. “Uh… no. We don’t carry that kind of lingerie. Maybe you’d have some luck online.” She turned away quickly and started rearranging a stack of lace scarves on one of the display counters.
“What the fuck’s her problem?” Goldie asked.
“You’re fuckin’ clueless, dude. Let me check out what they got.”
The two men looked at the different teddies, babydolls, and two-pieces. “I like them with the cutouts. I think it’s sexy as fuck.” Goldie had a black teddy in his hand.
“I like where you can untie shit. Covering up can be sexier than showing everything right off.” Diablo pulled out a sheer lilac teddy with pretty satin ribbons over the breasts and crotch. He knew Fallon would love that the ribbons had tiny flowers on the end, and he loved that the back was a thong. They could have some real fun with that one. “I’m gonna get this one. Let’s go.”
As they exited the shop, Goldie laughed. “I bet we’re gonna be the topic of discussion at that uptight lady’s next potluck. Now let’s grab a beer.”
“I need another gift that’s all for Fallon. If you were a woman, what would you want?”
“I know what I wouldn’t want—you. I’d prefer a blond, blue-eyed stud like me.”
“Fuck you,” Diablo said as they headed to Eldorado Street.
They walked down the street and a small shop with different shaped perfume bottles caught his eye. Twenty minutes later he came out of the shop with a perfume bottle of a bejeweled woman dressed for a masquerade and a bottle of Chanel perfume Chance Eau Fraîche. When the lady had spritzed it on a piece of paper and he smelled it, he knew it’d be perfect for Fallon. Its scent reminded him of her, and he knew she’d love the light, airy perfume that had a woody lemon-infused fragrance.
“Are you done spoiling your woman? I need a beer.” Goldie said.
“Done. Let’s go to Bulldog Pub.”
The pub was a mass of people and noise as the two bikers took the booth next to the front window. They placed their order for two drafts, two orders of buffalo wings, and a basket of fries. They talked about Goldie’s new Harley and the customizing Diablo wanted to add to his bike as they scarfed down the wings and fries, ordering another round of draft beer.
“Whoa,” Goldie said as he set his glass down. He motioned the waitress to come over. “Send that cutie a drink.”
“Do you want me to tell her it’s from you?”
“Why not? I may get lucky.” He laughed and the waitress walked away to fill the order. “She’s a looker.”
Diablo looked over, but from where he was seated, he could only see the back of her. He turned back to Goldie. “She’s a citizen. You know how you regret taking up with one of ’em.”
“Yeah, but it’s fucking fun while I’m with them. Oh yeah, she’s smiling at me. Wait, she’s coming over here. Now don’t scare her away.”
Diablo jerked his head back. “What the hell does that mean?”
“Don’t give her the evil eye. You do that a lot, you know. It intimidates the hell outta citizens.”
“This is the way I fuckin’ look.”
“Here she comes.”
The woman came over and smiled at Goldie; then she turned to Diablo and her face fell. He took in her tight jeans, low-cut top, and heavily made-up face and shock tore through him. “Taya? What the hell are you doing in Alina?”
“Diablo,” she said as she brought her hand to her mouth.
“You know this delicious-looking woman?” Goldie smiled at her.
“Lay the fuck off. She’s my younger sister,” Diablo growled.
Goldie pushed back. “What? Seriously?”
Diablo nodded. Looking at Taya, he said, “Let’s go back to your table. I wanna talk to you.” He followed her back and slipped into the seat across from her. “Level with me. Why’re you in Alina?”
“How are you?” she asked as she picked up her paper napkin and began ripping it.
“Cut the small talk. What the fuck are you doing here?”
Avoiding his gaze, she looked at the napkin in her hand. “My boyfriend got a job here so we came out. Nothing was happening in Salt Lake City, so we decided to see if this job panned out. So far so good.” She giggled.
“Why didn’t you call me? How long have you been here?”
“We’ve only been here a few days. I thought you lived in Pueblo. I totally forgot it was Alina. If I’d remembered, I would’ve called for sure. Now that I know you live here, I want you to meet my boyfriend. You’ll like Tae. He treats me real well. We’re really serious.”
“Is this the one who’s your pimp?” His eyes narrowed.
She shook her head vigorously. “No. No way. Tae is great. You’ll like him. I want you to meet him. I’ll call you and we can get together for dinner or something. This is gonna be so much fun living in the same town. We can catch up on the years we’ve spent apart.”
“Where you living?”
“We have a place at Empire Apartments. It’s not fancy, but it’s perfect.” She glanced at her phone. “I’m sorry but I have to go. I didn’t realize it was so late. I got a job as a dog walker, so I have to go get the dogs. I like it, and the pay is way more than I thought it would be.” She stood up and took out her wallet.
“I got it,” Diablo said.
She smiled. “Thanks. I’ll give you a call.” She rushed out of the eatery.
When Diablo came back to the table, Goldie shook his head. “Man, what a fucking small world. Imagine you seeing your sister in Alina of all places.”
Diablo scowled. “Yeah… imagine that.” He didn’t believe a thing Taya had said. She was up to something, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. He was pretty sure whatever it was involved money. Maybe she moved here so she could be closer to me to get money out of me more often.
“Maybe she’s been missing you and wanted to get closer to you.” Goldie motioned the waitress for the bill.
“Maybe.” He didn’t think that was it, but she seemed happy and clean; he hadn’t seen the scabs and sores indicative of crank. Maybe she’s telling the truth. Maybe she left Salt Lake to get away from her pimp. It seemed plausible, but he didn’t trust anything she told him. He’d never forget how she’d betrayed him when he’d only been trying to help her out.
I’ll see if she calls me. I wanna check out this boyfriend of hers.
* * *
When he and Fallon arrived home from the restaurant, they walked up the sidewalk to the front doors of her building. From his peripheral vision, he saw something in the distance. A form. A shape. Something that triggered his internal warning system.
“Go inside. Lock your door. I’ll join you in a minute.”
“What’re you talking about? Where’re you going?” Fallon gripped his hand.
Gently he shrugged it away. “I thought I saw someone. Go on, do as I told you.”
He waited until she went into the elevator, hating that precious time had slipped away. When the doors closed, he sprinted across the grass to the semiwooded area across from the complex. He didn’t see anyone so he walked around, his ears alert to any sounds: footsteps, car door closing, car engine, snapping of a twig. Nothing. He walked back around and stood behind the lilac bush, a sliver of his body partially exposed. From that position, he could see the front of Fallon’s apartment building perfectly.
The faint scent of smoke curled around his nostrils. He looked down and saw several cigarette butts on the ground. Bending over, he picked one up; it was still warm. He smelled it, noting it’d been recently extinguished. Someone had been watching them. He waited in hopes the person would come back, but after a long while, he crossed the street and went back to the front of Fallon’s building. He buzzed her apartment and she let him up.
When he got off the elevator, she was waiting for him in the hallway.
“Did you see anyone?” she asked.
“No, but I know someone was out there.”
“You’re right.” She followed him inside her place.
Stopping in the middle of the room, he spun around and looked at her. “What do you mean?”
She told him about the man with the dreadlocks who’d been spooking her for the last couple of weeks.
“Why didn’t you tell me this?”
“At first I thought he was just a random nut and it wasn’t a big deal, but when he followed and came after me a couple days ago, I knew that wasn’t normal. I didn’t want to spoil your homecoming, but I was planning to tell you about it tomorrow morning.”
Fire coursed through his veins. “He tried to attack you? Fuck! I’m gonna find this sonofabitch and teach him some respect. It won’t be too hard to get this fucker. There aren’t many guys with dreadlocks in Alina. Sounds like he’s stalking you.”
“I don’t know why. I first noticed him at the bookstore a couple of weeks ago, and like I said, it didn’t seem like a big deal. I mean, I thought he was creepy and all that, but it seemed like it was an isolated thing. But then I started getting a feeling like he was following me and watching me even though I didn’t see him a lot of the time. It was like I knew he was there. Then I would see him at places I went, and it ended with him coming after me. That time it was different because it felt like he not only wanted to hurt me, but that he wanted to do something nasty to me too.” She shivered and he drew her in his arms.
The thought of another man even touching her made his blood boil, and the fact that the asshole scared his woman put him over the top. He’d make sure to find him and make him pay for what he’d done. He rubbed her back. “I’ll find him. In the meantime, I’m installing GPS on your phone and picking you up from work. I’m also moving in.”
She smiled. “Yes, sir.”
Nodding, he led her to the couch and turned on the television, but his mind was on the man with the dreadlocks. Chances were high he was the one watching them earlier. He wished he would’ve caught him. He’d do anything to take the worry out of his woman’s eyes.
I’m gonna find this bastard and tear him from limb to limb.
He had to keep Fallon safe.
She was his world. His life. His love.
And there was no way he was going to lose her.