Page 5 of Creed (Satan’s Fury MC- Little Rock #6)

CREED

A nother night.

Another shift.

Same monotonous noise and lights.

Same weight settled heavy on my shoulders.

The Black Crown was packed in tight with all kinds of folks.

Most walked in with an excited air, like they’d just stepped into a world of possibility and tonight was their night, but they’d leave either broke or buzzed or both.

Some didn’t want to face the consequences of their actions and would pull something stupid, and they’d leave bruised or cuffed.

It was my job to make sure it didn’t get worse than that.

I was standing by the edge of the upper floor, scanning the casino floor for any possible issues, which wasn’t exactly easy when it was so damn packed.

I was watching a group in the lower corner when Skid strolled up next to me like he didn’t have a care in the world.

The kid looked just like his ol’ man, even had the same cocky grin, but he didn’t have the same wear behind the eyes—at least, not yet. That would come with time.

He gave me a nudge as he teased, “You ever take a night off?”

“Night off? What the hell is that?”

“You’re making us look bad.”

“Not that hard to do.”

“Ah.” Skid cocked his brow. “Looks like the extra hours are gettin’ to ya.”

“Maybe. Doesn’t help that it’s so damn packed tonight.”

“Hell, it’s packed every damn night.”

He wasn’t wrong. From the very first night, the place had been rocking.

It was one of the many reasons why Sergei and his brothers had hired the best of the best. Their guards were all either ex-military or ex-FBI, and they all had eyes like hawks and enough muscle to put anyone down before they had a chance to cause a real problem.

Skid glanced around the room as he muttered, “Wonder what they rake in on a night like this?”

“No tellin’, but I’m sure it’s a pretty penny.”

“Yeah, they’re certainly not hurting.”

A couple in the back corner started getting a little loud. Their drinks were sloshing, and their hands were flying a little too wild for my liking. I didn’t move. I just tipped my chin toward one of the guards down front.

“Handle it,” I said low, more to myself than anyone else.

The guard nodded and started weaving through the tables.

Me and Skid watched as he approached the couple and leaned in close as he spoke, making sure not to cause a scene. The couple looked surprised that they were being reprimanded. Thankfully, they didn’t put up much of a fuss and let the guard show them to the door.

The guard gave me a quick nod as he passed. He had one hand clamped around the drunk guy’s arm while the woman staggered behind him. “Looks like someone had one too many.”

“More like three or four too many. Going to need to talk to the servers and have them keep a better eye on things.”

“Surprised Sergei hasn’t already taken care of that.”

I didn’t respond.

There was no reason to. He was right. Sergei seemed on top of everything, and whenever something slipped by him, Preacher would step in. They worked well together, which made this whole partnership thing with the Volkov brothers work as well as it did.

I was still watching the door when Skid leaned in and asked, “So, what about the two assholes from the other night? You think they’re involved in something, or was it just a one-night thing?”

“Hard to tell.” I shifted my stance, still half-watching the floor below. “Seems like everyone’s up to no good these days.”

Skid raised a brow but didn’t say anything. He waited for me to continue, “They haven’t fessed up to anything more than wanting to have a good time with the wrong girl. But something feels off with these two.”

“So, what are you gonna do?”

“Trust my gut and hold onto them for a few days. Just to be sure.”

Skid nodded as he said, “If they’re hiding something, Dad will get it out of ‘em.”

“No doubt.”

I scanned the floor again, and everything looked well and good.

And then something caught my eye.

Not something but someone.

It was her.

At first, I thought it was my mind playing tricks on me or it was just another woman who looked oddly like her.

But then she turned her head.

And everything around me just stopped.

The years had been good to her. Real good.

She certainly didn’t look like she was seventeen years older.

Not even close. Her blonde hair was down and wavy like she used to always wear it, but she’d shortened her bangs, making it easier to see the spark in those beautiful hazel eyes.

She was wearing a short skirt that clung to her like sin with a top that was a bit more revealing that I’d ever seen her wear. But it looked good on her.

Damn good.

And she was smiling, and fuck me, that smile got to me more than anything else. I hadn’t seen her in years, but it still made my chest tight when I saw it.

She didn’t see me.

She didn’t even glance in my direction, but that didn’t matter.

I was completely spellbound and couldn’t move if I wanted to.

And she didn’t have a clue that I was even there.

She and her friend slid into their seats at the table, playing a round of blackjack just like it was just another day of the week.

I couldn’t take my eyes off her. Just the sight of her had the memories rolling in. They came one after the other, but there was one that stuck with me. It was the day I knew I’d fallen for her, and I’d fallen hard.

It was raining. It was one of those lazy, southern storms that rolled in slow and loud and made everything dark and cozy. Hell, I didn’t even want to get out of bed, but I wanted to see her. I was trying to think of an excuse to get her to come over when there was a knock at my door.

She stood there looking like a beautiful, drowned rat with two cups of coffee and takeout. I pulled her inside and helped her out of her wet clothes, and we never made it out of the bedroom.

She curled into me like I was home and not just a man trying to be something better for her.

The sheets tangled at our feet, and her bare leg hooked over mine.

The rain was still coming down, but I couldn’t care less.

I had her next to me, and she was warm and smelled like vanilla and something I still couldn’t name.

We talked for hours about nothing. About everything.

She ran the tips of her finger over my hip, and when she reached my scar, she asked, “What happened?”

“I was shot.”

“What? How have you not told me about this?”

“You never asked.” She gave me one of her looks, and I chuckled as I added, “It was a long time ago.”

“How long?”

“I don’t know. I was nine or ten at the time.

” I ran my fingers through her hair as I told her, “My brother and I were bored and decided to go out to the back woods for a little squirrel hunting. Neither of us were all that good at it, and we certainly shouldn’t have been out there alone.

But that’s how it was with me and my brother. We were always into something.”

“But that doesn’t really explain how you were shot.”

“Well, that came later in the day. We’d wandered in those woods for hours, and we had a mess of squirrels ready for cleaning.

We were on our way back to the house when Tyler tripped and fell.

When he hit the ground, his gun went off.

Hit me right in the side. I went down, and it was hot, and I was bleeding like there was no tomorrow.

It was a freak accident, but he nearly took me out. ”

“What did he do? How did he get you out of the woods?”

“Threw me over his shoulder and ran. It was the only thing he could do.” I shook my head. “When he got to the house, he was so covered in blood that Dad couldn’t tell if he was the one who’d been shot or me.”

“Oh, bless his heart. I bet he was scared to death.”

“Nah, it just pissed him off. It was bad enough that he had to step away from the garage and get me to the hospital, but the bills that came after. Damn. That earned us both a beatin’ we wouldn’t soon forget.”

“Oh, Jameson. I’m so sorry.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. It was just the way it was, and my ol’ man was just doing the best he could with two rowdy boys.” I chuckled. “We had more good days than bad, and not many can say that.”

“I wish I knew you back then.”

“Oh, and why’s that?”

“I would’ve come to bring you soup or something.”

“I was nine. If you brought me soup, I would’ve thought something was wrong with you.”

She gave me a playful nudge to the gut. “You would’ve loved me. I was adorable back then.”

“I don’t know. Something tells me you were a bit of a nightmare when you were a kid. I bet you were one of those who had a bed full of stuffed animals and slippers at the foot of your bed.”

“And how would that make me a nightmare?”

“It would make you spoiled, and spoiled kids are usually nightmares. I was anything but spoiled. That’s why I was such a good kid, and everyone loved me.”

“So, you’re saying I was bad because I was spoiled?”

“Absolutely, and you’re getting riled up about it because, deep down, you know I’m right.”

“I know no such thing.” With a scowl on her face, she sat up and eased on top of me, saddling her knees at my side. “I was a delight.”

“Yeah, keep telling yourself that.” Damn, she was always beautiful, but when she got feisty, and that fire lit in her eyes, she took my breath away. “But I know the truth. You were a brat.”

“Jameson Levi Jones! I was not a brat. I was…”

Before she could finish her thought, I lifted and wrestled her back down on the mattress. I pinned her arms above her head, and just before kissing her, I whispered, “You keep getting worked up like this, and we’ll never get out of this bed.”

A sexy smirk slipped across her face as she sassed, “I’d be okay with that.”

And just like that, we were going for another round, and I was all for it. Hell, I couldn’t get enough of her. After, she fell asleep with her hand on my chest, and I remember thinking this was it. This was the good I didn’t deserve, but I was going to fight like hell to keep it.