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CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: CICELY

Twice, I almost turn around and head home instead of the clubhouse. I’m conflicted. I know Frodo wants a clear path to those who hurt his aunt. He doesn’t want to go to the police and give them the name of his aunt, which is a clue that might lead to apprehending those responsible. But by not going to the police, he’s keeping the cops from discovering the identity of the other Jane Doe. I glance over to the passenger seat of my car to see her smiling face in the framed photo I stole from Beverly’s home. I owe it to her to find out who she is and hopefully locate a family member who is likely worried about her. Chrome’s men are my best option for identifying her without going to the police.

However, going to the Demon Dawgs’ clubhouse means facing Chrome again. Every time I see him, I hurt. I miss him. But I’m also angry with him. Why did he end our relationship? Is it like Lily suggested? That he’s dealing with a traitor in his club, which is why he broke things off with me? He wants to protect me? Maybe he’s protecting me from physical harm, but emotionally and mentally, he’s destroying me.

Parking so I’m facing the clubhouse and the multitude of bikes lining the front, I realize that the clubhouse must be full of members. This gives me pause. I see Chrome’s bike parked front and center, so I know he’s here. The long line of bikes on either side of his Harley makes me question my next move. What if he refuses to talk to me? Could I handle the rejection? Or worse, what if he’s with someone else? The club parties usually include club girls. What if I walk in and see him having sex with one of them?

Grabbing the picture frame, I stare at the happy face of the smiling woman with the lavender hair. The woman was lying unconscious and forgotten in the ICU. If she has family, they are worried about her. They deserve to know where she is, and she deserves to have her family around her. Maybe she’ll awaken sooner if she hears the voices of her family trying to reach her. All of these benefits far outweigh any embarrassment or heartache I might experience. I owe it to my patient to do everything I can to help her heal.

Opening my car door, I step out and march up to and through the clubhouse doors before I can change my mind. Inside, I find what I expect. A sea of leather and denim dotted with islands of naked flesh. I scan the packed clubhouse for Chrome but don’t see him on my first pass. Sliding through the crowd, I make my way to the bar. I’m disappointed when I see a stranger instead of Sammy behind the bar.

I look around for a familiar face, but so many are standing instead of sitting, so they tower over me.

“You need something?” the prospect behind the bar asks.

I glance at his kutte to find his name. Pipes. “I’m looking for Chrome.”

“He’s in Church. You can sit here until he comes out. Do you want something?”

“Bottled water?”

He smiles. “Of course.” He hands me the bottle before sliding two beers down the bar.

I slide onto an empty stool and watch the party behind me. I can see the two billiard tables from my spot, but no one is playing with cue sticks. Four women sit atop the surface in various poses. One on her back as a patched member pumps into her with hard thrusts. Another is on her knees, getting eaten out from behind. The third lies with her head over the corner with her mouth full of a cock while another man licks her pussy. The fourth is bent over the edge, getting fucked from behind. The tables shake, causing the billiard balls to roll and clack against each other.

Movement to my right has me glancing over to the stool next to mine as a girl several years younger than me plops her naked ass on it. She’s moaning as a biker finger fucks her while he plays with her breasts. I’m jostled on the left when another club member unbuckles his belt and pulls out his dick. He lifts a girl up and over before impaling her on his hardened shaft.

Bemused, I shake my head. I don’t know what these guys are celebrating tonight, but I’ve learned that bikers don’t hold back when they party. They also have little shame. I turn back to the bar and take a sip of water. A roar of anger sends the water flowing the wrong way. I’m coughing and hacking as I glance around to see who is angry and why. My eyes land on Chrome. Before I can twirl on the chair to face him, he grabs me up and pushes through the crowd and up the stairs. He doesn’t stop until we’re behind the closed door of his room.

“What are you doing here?” Chrome demands, just as I ask him what he’s doing.

“I came to see you. I have a favor to ask,” I tell him.

“You shouldn’t have come here,” Chrome says.

Hurt and angry, I turn toward the door. “Fine. I’ll leave.”

“No! You can’t go out there.”

I turn to him and cross my arms. “You aren’t making any sense. You don’t want me here, but you don’t want me to go. What do you want? Because it’s pretty clear you no longer want me.”

Chrome runs his hand over his gorgeous face and sighs. He reaches for me and pulls me into his strong arms. “You’re wrong. I do want you. I’ll always want you in my life.” He leans closer to brush his lips over mine, once, twice, before he crushes his mouth to mine.

I forget why I’m here when he deepens the kiss and nudges me toward the bed. I reach for his belt buckle as his hands slide under my shirt to cup my breasts. His touch sends an electric current over my skin and straight to my core. I slip my hand into Chrome’s jeans and wrap my fingers around his shaft. He tightens his hold on me as he emanates a low growl that leaves me shuddering in anticipation.

We break apart long enough to take off our shirts. Chrome’s eyes latch onto my chest as I reach behind to unfasten my bra.

“God, I missed these beauties,” he groans as he cups his hands around them so he can flick my nipples with his thumbs. Now, it’s my turn to moan. At the same time, one thumb continues to flick one as he lowers his head to suck on the other. My legs tremble as he works both nipples into hardened peaks. I continue to stroke him as he pushes my pants and panties down. I kick off my shoes and step free of my clothes. With my free hand, I push his jeans down below his ass. He backs away to remove his boots and jeans before he pushes me back onto the bed.

My legs hang off the mattress as he leans over me. He stares into my eyes with his hands on either side of my head. I take the opportunity to run my hands over his shoulders and chest. His muscles quiver at my touch, which makes me feel powerful. When I look back into his eyes, he’s still watching me.

“What’s wrong?” I ask him.

He shakes his head. “Nothing is wrong. Nothing at all. I can’t believe you’re here. You’re so beautiful. I missed you.”

He closes the distance between us and nuzzles my neck. After placing several kisses along the column of my throat, he keeps moving down my body until he reaches my belly. Then he flips my legs over his shoulders before burying his face in my pussy. He groans like a man who smells food after days of starvation. His tongue slides through my folds and then inside my channel. I arch my back when he nibbles on my clit. What the man can do with his tongue is glorious.

The orgasm builds slowly at first, but when he slides his thick finger into my passage, I explode. Before I float back down, I hear the crinkle of a condom foil, and then he’s at my entrance. He slowly pushes in inch by inch. He stretches and fills me. This is what I need—this man. His arms, torso, and scent surround me. Cocooned by pleasure. When he pushes in, he freezes while we stare into each other's eyes. Then, he begins to rock in and out. His eyes stay locked on mine as his pace increases. Our pleasure rises. Our bodies tense. His eyes go dark just as we reach the crest. We cry out each other’s names as we fall over the other side. When he rolls off me, we both suck in the air as if we’d run a marathon.

“Never better than with you,” he says after our breathing returns to normal. “I’ve missed you.” He grimaces. “But you can’t stay. It’s too dangerous.”

“Because you have a traitor in the club?”

He pulls back and looks down at me. “How do you know?”

“I’m not an idiot. I figured it out. Well, with help from my friend, Lily. She’s the one who pointed out that you might be searching for Mode’s attacker inside your family. I assumed they came from the outside and never considered that his attacker was someone you trusted.”

Chrome grins. “Lily, the mafia princess? You didn’t tell me you were mobbed up.”

I chuckle. “I’m not. Not really. Except through Lily. I’ve known her since we were kids. Her family adopted me as another daughter. They’re the reason I’m here.” I explain about Frodo recognizing one of the Jane Does as his honorary aunt and how they went to her house to learn that someone had stolen from her while she lay in the hospital, broken and unconscious. “Frodo wants to keep the police out of it and isn’t going to tell them her name or about the missing items. I get it. He wants to keep it in The Family. To have The Family locate her attackers and provide justice.”

Chrome nods. “That’s understandable. If the same happened to one of my men, we’d handle it similarly. But I can understand why you would disagree.”

“I don’t have a problem with their plan except for one thing.” I hold out the framed photo. “When we were going through the house, I found this. I believe this woman is our second Jane Doe.” I point at the image of the woman with the pretty lavender hair.

“Are you certain?”

I shrug. “No, I don’t know for certain, but I’m pretty sure. I need help finding out her name and if she has family. She shouldn’t be alone.”

“You came here to see if Mode can identify her?”