Page 69 of Roses Are Dead
My breasts touched first as I moved to press against him. His hands slid over my ass and up to the small of my back. I splayed my palms on his waist. This was so different from the wild kiss on his bike. It was cautious. Fragile. One wrong move and the weight of outside expectations would crush us both. He bent to inhale the heat of my skin. I buried my face in his beard, pushing it aside to find his neck, or just drown in him so I could shut out the cacophony that clamored in my heart and mind. He deserved more than I could give. But he had my gratitude, nevertheless. “Thank you.”
My words were soft. The drugging power of his scent much stronger than my voice. I clenched my fingers to hold him close. I inhaled again, making myself drunk on the sharp smell of leather, the heat of skin, the light fragrance of his beard oil, and the subtle musk that clung to his body like a long-forgotten memory of paradise.
KC whistled. Two staccato blasts that broke the spell. “Wolf’s coming in hot. Look sharp.”
Bear slipped his hands out of my clothes and straightened my shirt. Adjusting his raging erection wasn’t as easy, and Wolf caught him mid-shift.
His president’s face was grim. “The Demons are here.”
16
Bear
I slipped Carl’s money into Rose’s jacket and zipped her up tight. “Keep that safe.” Tits was right behind Wolf and guided Rose through the bar to the waiting van where Kate and the other women huddled. Rescue mission complete, the group took off with little fanfare. Their escort included Tits on her rat bike and the few members we could afford to delegate.
I noted the patches present. The clubs were mostly the weekend types, with a few exceptions. Those I counted and weighed their loyalties toward our meager crew.
We were outnumbered.
As the Demons hung on the perimeter, a second group arrived. The colors on their back were from one of their feeder chapters. The bar’s mood shifted quickly. The rattle of conversation died, and people cleared out, paying tabs, and making themselves scarce. Even the civilians knew we were outnumbered.
None of the newcomers left. That was good. Our women were safely gone.
I tipped my head to the road and back to Wolf. “Well? Shall we?”
He frowned, his eyes lingering a few moments too long on the highway Tits was on.
“She’ll be fine.”
“We’re in our territory. They crossed without permission.”
I shrugged. “Maybe they heard about that crew in Allentown?”
His face broadcasted his disgust. “Life would be a lot fucking easier if…”
He didn’t finish his thought.
I could think of a dozen ways to do that for him. I wanted to be balls-deep in Rose right now; so I felt his frustration keenly. I matched his gait as we approached the mounted club.
Wolf held his hands loose by his hips, palms exposed as he addressed their leader. “Hey, Fry.”
The man dipped his head. His eyes trailed to me. Unlike Wolf, I didn’t pretend to be unarmed. I shifted until my vest hung open, exposing the gun I had strapped to my chest under it.
“I see there’s been a regime change.” Fry squinted at my patches, searching for a clue to give him the information he’d just hinted at.
Wolf stepped forward. “You didn’t get the memo? Jackson’s Regional President now.”
Fry snorted. “Here I thought his fucking around finally killed him. Damn.” His tone was sarcastic enough to be an insult. I held onto my temper by calculating how fast I could pop fifteen shots off to take him, his VP, his SoA, and any other motherfucker close enough to drill into with a bullet before the rest drowned me in a hailstorm of lead. We would not go down quietly.
“No such luck.” Wolf laughed. “Got a present for you.”
“I like presents.” Fry licked his lips and searched the thin crowd behind us. It was only our brothers. I glanced to the left in time to see KC’s buddy, Fish, work his way along our flank. He was positioning for a shot. I recognized the maneuver because it would be what I’d do if I wasn’t standing in the middle of a parking lot with my ass waving in the breeze like a big red flag.
“We cut loose those bastards from Allentown. You’re free to recruit ’em or shoot ’em. ‘Don’t give a fuck either way.”
Fry smiled at Wolf. His eyes scanned our numbers. “Did you stop recruiting?” His tone hid a smirk as if he was a front row witness to our demise.
He had at least twenty men at his back. And the feeder chapter held another dozen or more. Numbers we would never be able to match. Not unless we wanted to give away the fortune Sprout stuck a ring on fair and square. This was what Jackson had worried most about. We might all be dangerous, but we also were far too few.
