Page 24

“ M orning, pet.”

I slide the mug under her nose just enough for her to lift her head to seek it out, and I’m greeted with a warm smile.

“Mornin’,” she says with a hint of sleep still evident in her voice as she stretches. The sheet falls away to reveal her bruised skin from my very attentive mouth and fingers last night and well into the morning.

Seeing my mark on her makes my blood stir and appeases my inner beast that’s usually screaming at me to hunt. To kill and protect all at once. A trait I used in battle and that helped me get to the position I’m in today within the club. It was always there. Something Bane saw and helped me harness into my dominant side inside the BDSM lifestyle. Never has it been so satisfied before. Dampened, yes, even appeased by those I played with or missions I’ve won, but never this fulfilled.

I can’t resist the sight before me a second longer, and I lean in to kiss her. The moment is stilled between us, frozen in time. It was meant for a quick caress, but now that I have my lips on her, I don’t want it to end. The position is awkward, holding both her cup and mine out to either side to not drop any of the hot liquid on her as I bend one knee on the bed to lean closer. My mouth opens and I’m rewarded with hers mimicking mine as we fight together for us to stay lip-locked. Her hand even comes up to hold my jaw as she nibbles and sucks on my tongue.

With reluctance from both of us, I pull back and hand her the mug.

“What’s the plan?” she asks.

I take a few steps away from the temptation to say fuck the plan and just fuck her instead as I lean back on the bar top. “I spoke to Bane again. He wasn’t able to get us much other than that he saw a few boats enter the harbor during the night. Nothing too noticeable besides that they’re docked, and this place doesn’t have any water play on the list of things for the weekend. Usually they reserve a few boats during the summer for those enthusiastic people who want to make their own waves. However, in Michigan, boating is only for summer fun. Doubt anyone else sees it for something else.”

“Like a way to leave without going out the front door.”

I nod once. “Exactly. We expected they’d use the water, and this is proof your company was right. But I don’t know if it’s a distraction. I still want to go over all the exits they could use.”

She sits up straight and crosses her legs, not caring that half of her is on display. I’m not one to protest. I enjoy the view and like seeing her in game mode all at once.

“Okay, so water is one, obviously. Might be the best option since they can get out of the country quickly. While the Coast Guard and the Canadians monitor these waters, a boat can still easily slip through. There’s the front door, but only one road that leaves. Others trying to exit could make it crowded, and they probably want to avoid cops who could easily be posted up right outside if they think someone is on to them.”

“All that leaves is air control.”

She nods in agreement. “I have Jack monitoring that. We’ll have a team of F-16s and a Huey transport circling tonight to keep eyes in the sky and on radar.”

“F-16s?”

She shrugs a shoulder as she sips her coffee. “You have your toys. We have ours.”

“Yeah, but hiding ours is easy. How do you even hide a fighter jet that size?”

Her smile is devilish and makes my cock hard inside my jeans. “Who says we hid them? More effective to have people in the right place when needed.”

“You just happen to have people in the military who are on a mission in the area right now?”

She smirks. “What can I say? The US military takes all forms of threat seriously. And the Air National Guard is always willing to protect our borders should someone suggest it.”

Damn. Their reach really is far and wide. I might not like everything I know about C8, but I have to hand it to them for being organized and having people everywhere, it seems.

“So, we’re thinking boats.” It makes the most sense, and she agrees.

“Yeah, that’s what I’m putting my money on. And I think it might also be the best way for us to get out of here too. Do we know the size of these boats?”

“No, but I can get that from Bane. You thinking it’ll be more than three of us getting out of here?”

“If we can, I’m willing to go after the whole lot. I know the mission is just Candy, and she’s the primary, but I can’t let anyone suffer if I have an opportunity to help. Not sure how many will come with us, but I suspect at least four others are like Candy from what I saw.”

“Agreed. You want the animals too?”

She bites that delectable lip of hers and nods.

I knew it. Girl might have done the vet job just to get an in that allowed her into the community, but she really likes animals. I saw the joy in her eyes every time she spoke about them. It wasn’t just a job for her but a career path. She might not have wanted it at the start, but it’s obvious that she’s grown to love it in the way she speaks about the animals she’s worked with before, when she was Wendi. But even though she was hiding her true self, she couldn’t hide the way her entire being lit up. You don’t get that from just any job, something to pay the bills. That’s what you get from something you genuinely care about, that you work at because it’s your love and your job.

“Eventually, but not right away.” Her mind pulls her focus as she thinks it through. She doesn’t even question the topic, making it clear that she’s thought about it already. “Let’s stick to the humans tonight, and tomorrow we can get a team in here to close that down too. I don’t like them being caged, but having them loose might hurt them or cause more harm to those around us. Not sure if you recognized all the animals, but several were venomous, and there isn’t enough antivenom in the world for an outbreak in this place if some get loose. Hopefully, the people guarding them know it, too, and will run instead of trying to leave with them if we cause too much noise. Do you still want to do this quietly?”

I set my empty mug down and cross my arms as I nod. “Yeah. This is still Bane’s area. He’s given me leniency because of my position, but he’s requested that I keep this clean where possible. Most of these people don’t know who Bane is outside these walls, and while he’s not ashamed of his Dom or biker side, he prefers to keep the two separate.”

“Why? Don’t see the Hounds caring.”

I shrug. “We don’t. But it’s his request.”

“His? Or his VP?” she questions. “Bane seems more invested in helping us than the rest of his club. I thought we would have their full support.”

“We do. And if I had to guess, I would assume it’s because few would let him into such a prestigious club. Places like this are for the rich types. And we still live in a society that thinks a biker is beneath them, even if he can easily cover the monthly fee.”

“Think he’s getting any pressure from his own club?”

I shrug. “Maybe. But I don’t have proof. Till I do, I’ve got to give the local president my backing. But don’t worry, I already have my team looking into shit up here. I agree that things don’t completely add up, but we don’t have enough to investigate them and work on this. Got to pick one.”

“Okay. So just you, me, and a guy who doesn’t want to make any noise on the inside because his club, which he’s supposedly in charge of, might have issues.” She rolls her eyes hard at that, but I just shake my head before she continues. “We have the Crazy Eights monitoring the skies.”

“Bane says he’ll have his boys ready on the roads. All that leaves is the lake. If we can force them that way, we have a better shot at crowding them into an area we can control. Who’s on the water?”

“We have three boats close by, but they have to stay a minimum distance away as they aren’t from the US.”

I raise a brow. “Canadians? Seriously?”

“Not exactly. Actually, not them at all. Let’s just say we have a team ready to assist and leave it at that.”

I narrow my eyes at her as she fidgets and looks away.

“Am I going to like who this team is?”

She huffs out a deep breath, but at least she faces me full-on. “Probably not, but it’s what we’ve got. All I can promise is that they’re here to help and not hinder us. That includes going after you or any Hound.”

I don’t like this. Not at all. But I have to learn to trust. And like she said, it’s all we’ve got for the water. Not enough time to pull in someone who knows the area more. Bane has his team ready but admitted they do better on land than water. Not one of them is a Navy guy, or even raised on water beyond the occasional fishing. Might seem like that’s all you need, someone to drive the boat, but I need a tactical wet suit team. I could have prepped one with OHH, but this was C8’s gig. At the start, I was only along to fulfill the debt and not bring any bloodshed to my boys. I didn’t care about anything else at that point. Now I want to make sure we get as many out as we can—and that Billy makes it out too.

“Fine. So we have the exits figured out. How are we getting to Candy?” I concede the point, for now, and focus on the bigger issue.

“Well, I know you don’t like to share, but what about a bit of flirting with the idea?”

I narrow my eyes at her words, curious and hesitant at the same time. “I’m listening.”

“I haven’t figured out all of it, but what if I get on the auction list somehow? Maybe find the host and see if we can get him to get me on it, or at the very least lead me down to where Candy and the others are being held? We made that big show when they showed them around. Got a few members talking about if you were looking for another to join or even replace me. Might make sense to have me put up there. Think Bane could get me backstage?”

“Maybe.” I hate the idea. I know she can take care of herself, but I also know my feelings toward her and my need to protect what’s mine. Because she is mine in so many ways. And if I lose her, then I’ll burn the world down looking for her if she gets taken.

I just found her. Just discovered what a world could be like with her. I’ve tasted that life. I like it. Crave more of it. Refuse to be parted from it unless there’s a goddamn reason that is beyond unforgivable. Which I think we’re past. No more bullshit between Billy and me. Nothing but us and the desire to keep going forward, whatever that might mean.

Hopefully, it’s us together.

If she’s willing.

“This is a shit plan,” Bane grumbles beside me.

“You’ve said that,” I muse around my drink to avoid people looking my way.

“And I’ll say it again till it puts some sense into your thick skull.”

I grind my teeth and try to curb my shit. Lashing out at a sister chapter’s president won’t win me any points in the diplomacy department, but it might earn me a level of respect that my former mentor has ignored since I met up with him.

But I get it. To a point. Not a fan of his lack of faith, but I know it’s from a place of Dom life and not Hounds life. As a Hound, he might voice his concern and walk away. But as a Dom, his concern is for the sub. For my pet. He likes pain, just like General, and also like my resident doctor, he has enough heart to not truly cause pain to a willing submissive.

That’s the part he doesn’t get, and I’m not willing to spell it out for him. Billy might look the submissive part and seem like she needs the protective nature of the role, but she doesn’t. It’s a part of her for sex, but that’s it. The look she has is just a covering, hiding her inner strength that’s both physical and mental. She would make one badass brother if she were born a man. But she wasn’t, and she still found her own club to be a part of and lead in.

“Just go back to doing what you were doing and play ignorant like you want,” I growl with a glare. I’m tired of all his comments. He has an opinion on a lot of things and somehow got it in his head that I want his advice. While I’m new to the role, I didn’t seek him out for advice. I’m here for a job. And the only mentoring the guy ever did for me was how to get control to fuck with people’s minds in a way that brought everyone pleasure. I appreciate what he did when I got out of the military and was lost to everything, but that was years ago.

I move away from him and notice out the side of my eye that he leaves the auction room in a bit of a huff. The guy needs to get laid or something. Bass was the club’s unofficial roamer to check in on our sister clubs and get them in on OHH, our mercenary project. Last year, he spent most of his time setting things up at our North Dakota compound, but I might need to send him—or someone else, now that he’s got a family—to check in on our other clubs. We’re closer with some of the sister chapters more than others. We might all meet up once a year for our annual rally, but now might be a better time to go and not wait.

If Bane has anything to go on, we need to know. Shake a few trees and see who’s in power—or has the balls to be. We seem to gather a lot of enemies, and I would rather have everyone in play than some just wanting to sit on the sidelines. This club isn’t for weekend riders. We have a reputation that we’ve earned, and it’s one I aim to keep now that I’m in office. And it’s not to fuck with us. Any of us.

If I can’t even get a brother on board with that, I have little hope of earning it from those who want to come against us.

The more I think about it, the more I see the opportunities for the mother chapter president to do a tour around the US. Maybe even set up a national level. Law could handle a lot, but I wonder if we missed something. We might even look at our international chapters, but we should start small first. Clear out the cobwebs of any chapter we notice immediate issues with before going grander.

I post up at a tall table as the lights go low. They set up the auction in the grand room again, just like the first night. The stage is back, the tabletops are high, and there’s even a packed crowd. I recognize most of them, even the three gentlemen both Billy and I noted at the viewing session. There are a few new people here now, too, but it’s Saturday. Weekends always bring in crowds no matter the venue. I’m just trying to figure out who’s friend and who’s foe.

Billy was quickly added to the list of those to be auctioned off, just as we expected. We found the host before we saw Bane, offered Billy, and he snatched her up. Bane didn’t even know what was going on till he found me and I told him I’m auctioning Billy. I found it funny since I have no plans to actually let anyone bid on her if we get to that part. She’s mine in every way, and I’ll pay happily for her if she gets onstage before Candy does. Or before all hell breaks loose. Whatever happens first.

However, the glint I noticed in Billy’s eye when she was ushered away to the side door we used earlier makes me certain I’ll be hearing screams before the bidding even starts.

As the blood rushes to my cock at the idea of her taking someone out, I smile. Who cares if I scare a few of those around me with my manic grin, making them move away. What can I say? I like a girl who can take care of both herself and others. It’s what an old lady does—especially the president’s old lady.