Page 15

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

HAP

If you had asked me this morning if I was about to declare Alina as mine, I would have said no fucking way, that it’s too damn soon. That was before she went and put on that fucking dress, with those god damn heels, and declared that she was going to get my brothers out of this shit-show. It had stirred something within me. I was unsure if this life was for her, and I was unsure whether she would feel comfortable, and then she went and did that for people she didn’t even know. I wanted to bend her over the truck and fuck her then and there. It’s not that I thought she wouldn’t be able to do it. I knew she was the type of woman to not back down. She always got what she wanted, especially in her job. She was strong, powerful, and successful at every fucking job she took on. I had gotten Cash to look into her, wanting to know more about the woman that was carrying my kid. I wanted to know what I was up against when I made her move in with me.

Then there were Beast’s words as he got in the truck. “If you don’t claim that woman, someone else will.” She had gotten them out and had even managed to get their charges dropped, and now she was staying in the damn reception area, refusing to leave Ghost’s side. She wasn’t giving the officers a damn inch as she made sure she got her man. She was fucking pregnant too and had only been feeling better these last couple of days.

I knew I had to claim her. I wanted her, and I sure as shit didn’t want anyone else having her. Not that there were any other brothers to have her. I didn’t want anyone else touching her, and I didn’t want anyone else raising my fucking kid. So, I had decided that when she got Ghost out, I was going to take her home and claim every single part of her, but of course she went and fucked those plans up by sending me that text about her ex. Which was like waving a red flag to a bull. I damn well nearly crushed my phone in my hand, and after reading that, I wasn’t going to sit and wait. She needed to know she was mine.

After claiming her around the back of the building, feeling her come undone by my fingers had my dick stirring to life. I’d wanted to rip her panties off her and fuck her right then and there, but knew I couldn’t keep her there any longer. No, that would have to wait until later. Sitting in the truck, all I wanted was to see her and Ghost to come walking out of the building.

My cell vibrates, and I look down to see Cash’s name across the screen. I slide my thumb over it to answer. “Hey, brother.”

“Hey. Any news yet?” he asks.

“No, not yet. Alina is still in there, refusing to leave. She hopes that the pressure will make them release him early, but these fuckers will probably keep him as long as they fucking can. Shit, it’s already been what? Thirty fucking hours,” I sigh.

“Thirty-two,” Cash comments. I groan and rub my face. My back is aching and my eyes are burning from being so fucking tired. “Star ain’t slept. She’s been sat out on the porch all night wrapped in a blanket. She only came in to feed Enzo and kiss him good night. If he goes down, I don’t think she will fucking survive without him,” Cash murmurs.

I sigh. No, I don’t think she would either. The pair of them were each other’s lifeline. If I believed in fate, I would have said they were destined for each other. If Star didn’t have Enzo, then she would have already lost her shit by now.

“She will get him out,” I state firmly, believing it too.

“I’m just glad we had her, because with our lawyer not answering our fucking calls, they would have all been fucked,” Cash points out.

“I know. When Ghost gets out, he’s going to hunt that fucker down and tear him limb from fucking limb.” I smirk, thinking it will probably be good therapy for him once he’s out. “Any news on Eugene?” I ask.

“Actually, yeah. So it turns out Agent Pryor is a friend of a friend of Eugene’s. When the guys came back, Elsie recognised his name when they spoke about him. Turns out Agent Pryor is a gambling man, and he owed one of Eugene’s friends a lot of money. If he can make the charges stick, or in some way make the Black Hearts disappear, then his debt is wiped clear. If not, then I don’t expect him to last a week before this guy and his men hunt him down,” Cash explains.

I sit upright, the news waking me up. “Fucking cock sucker. Explains why he’s being so relentless in keeping Ghost in there,” I fume. “But how did he get a video?” I ask.

“He fucking made it!” Cash laughs. “He used an empty warehouse, made a cut like ours, and made sure it was filmed in the dark with dim lighting. The problem was the thick fucker didn’t remove the date or time. Meaning it’s worthless.” Cash laughed again.

“Mother fucker. How could he be so careless and fucking stupid?” I ask, a smile playing on my lips.

“Fuck knows. The man is desperate, but he obviously makes sense when his boss bit his hand off, thinking they had shit on us. Probably thought this would be the easiest takedown ever,” Cash adds.

“Then Alina came along and chewed them up and spat them out,” I mutter with a smirk.

Cash laughs. “They did not see her fucking coming. Man, we owe her big time,” he brags. “Text me when you are on your way home,” he adds.

“Will do. Catch you later,” I say before disconnecting, smiling to myself. Eugene may still be out there, but he had played his move, and it had backfired. Now that we had an idea of where he would be and who would be helping him, we could hunt him down and burn his mother fucking soul to the ground.

A tap at my window has me jolting awake. Fuck, I must have fallen asleep. I rub my eyes and look through the passenger window to see Ghost standing there with a shit-eating grin on his face. I press the button to unlock the truck and jump out, pulling him into a tight hug and slapping him on the back.

“Fuck, Pres! It’s damn good to see you,” I say, unable to contain my relief.

He steps back and drapes his arm over Alina’s shoulders. “All thanks to this fucking wonderful woman. All charges dropped. Agent Pryor was being handed his ass by his superior when I was being released.” He grins, inhaling the fresh air. “Damn feels good,” he sighs. “Now take me home to my woman,” he states before hopping into the passenger seat.

I look at Alina. She’s smiling softly, but her eyes look tired. I step closer and cup her face in my hands, kissing her softly, my tongue just teasing her lightly. “Get in the back of the truck, baby,” I tell her softly across her lips.

She sighs, her body melting into mine. “Okay.” She steps back and moves to the back door of the truck, and as I reach for the handle and open it, she turns to Becky. “You going to be okay driving home?” she asks with concern.

“Yeah, I’m still full of caffeine.” She smiles up at her.

Alina hesitates for a moment before giving her a hug and getting in the car. I close the door behind her and approach Becky. “You sure you are going to be okay? I can run you home and then get one of the brothers to drop your car back off to you,” I offer.

She grins. “No, I’m good. Thank you though, and I’m glad she has you. You’re good for her. Don’t tell her I said this, but I always thought her ex-husband was a douchebag.” She winks before getting in her car.

I smile and give her a nod before I climb back in the truck. After sending a quick text to Cash, I pull off. The drive back to the safe house is quiet, and as I look in my rearview mirror, I see Alina fast asleep in the back, exhaustion taking hold of her.

“Anything she wants, she can have,” Ghost blurts out, drawing my attention to him. I look at him and see him watching me closely. “If she hadn’t been there, I would have spent weeks inside. It would have gone to trial. No thanks to my mother fucking lawyer,” he growls angrily. “But I mean it, anything she wants, it’s hers. I’m indebted to her,” he adds.

I nod, feeling a surge of pride filling my chest from his words. “I will tell her,” I state.

Thirty minutes later, I turn into the long drive for the safe house. “Alina, wake up, baby. We are here,” I say softly to wake her, knowing the brothers will want to see her. They will want to thank her again and the ol’ ladies. They could have her for thirty minutes, but no more. Then I’m taking her to bed. I hear her moan, and her eyes blink open, looking at me in the rearview mirror.

As I put the truck in park, I jump out and round the truck to let her out. She steps out, and I immediately take her hand in mine. Ghost gets out of the truck and strides towards the house, and that’s when I spot Star on the porch. Her head turns in our direction, and I see her pause for a minute, as though checking if she’s really seeing right. Realisation hits her as she leaps out of the chair and runs down the steps of the house, sprinting to Ghost. She launches herself into his arms, wrapping her legs around her waist. He holds her to him as she buries her face in his neck, her body racked with sobs.

He reaches up and strokes her hair. “I’m home, darlin’. I ain’t going anywhere. I’m here.” Ghost’s voice breaks, as I know he will be feeling the emotion of this moment.

“You leave me again, I will cut off your balls and wear them as earrings,” Star sobs. The corners of my mouth tip up at Star’s emotional threat. It’s been nearly fifty hours since they arrested him, and at that time, there was so much uncertainty. Alina gave them hope, but when Ghost didn’t come back with the others, I know Star’s hopes would have plummeted.

I lead Alina inside, leaving them alone. Her hand squeezes mine, and she looks up at me, her face soft.

“Feels nice seeing that.” She smiles. “I’m normally helping people split up,” she says with a shrug of her shoulders.

“Come on, let’s get you inside. Give these two a moment,” I state, leading her up the steps and into the house. As soon as I open the door, it’s like a swarm of bees as the ol’ ladies squeal and practically rip her from my hand.

They drag her into their arms, each one hugging her tighter than the next. Alina looks over at me with a smile spread across her face, but her brows are furrowed in confusion as she hugs them back, not knowing who the fuck they are. I didn’t exactly have enough time to introduce her to everyone at the club.

“Oh my girl, you must be absolutely starving. Come and sit down. Let me get you a plate of food. We’ve already eaten, but I made sure to put some aside, as I just had a feeling deep down in my gut that you would be bringing him home,” Queenie cheers softly as she sits Alina in a chair at the table. “Everyone sit! Sit!” Queenie claps her hands.

I stride over to the seat next to Alina, as Dixie is leaning down talking to her.

“So, if you get any unusual discharge or rotting, just head straight to the hospital. Don’t risk it, but excess vaginal discharge is completely normal. It’s all the pheromones,” she says, giving Alina a warm smile before heading to her seat next to Rage. Meanwhile, Alina looks at her like she’s lost the plot.

“She means spotting and hormones. Dixie sometimes gets her words muddled. “I whisper quietly in her ear. Alina nods. I place my hand on the back of her neck, my fingers lazily stroking against her soft skin. She gives me a look. “What?” I shrug at her.

She doesn’t say anything, but instead she bites down on her bottom lip. If her facial expression is anything to go by, I think there is a lot she wants to say but can’t. I give her a playful wink, earning me a scowl, which just has my grin widening. Queenie comes back in with trays of food, followed by Nova and Belle, all carrying huge amounts of food.

“I thought you said you just had leftovers to reheat?” I frown, looking at Queenie.

“Well, not many were that hungry, and I made a lot in the hope that they would all get out.” She shrugs.

“You ain’t fucking kidding,” I mutter, looking at the huge trays of lasagne, chicken wings, salad, potato salad, seven-layer dip with chips, and even some baked potatoes.

The front door opens, and in walks Ghost, with Star rearranging her top.

“Did they…?” Alina mutters in surprise.

“Fuck outside?” I ask. She nods. “Yeah,” I answer.

“But what if someone went out there and saw them?” she asks, shocked.

“They wouldn’t have. We all know to give them their time.” I shrug as I pile up her plate of food.

She gives me a pointed look when she notices. “I won’t eat all that,” she protests.

“Just eat some damn food so I can take you to bed,” I order. Her mouth drops open, and I lean in and kiss her. “Look as stunned as you like baby, but once you’re rested, I want you riding my dick,” I add as I shove a forkful of food in my mouth. I glance at her, and her cheeks are heated, and a furious glaze is in her eyes. I know she doesn’t like being told what to do, and I know making a statement like that would piss her off no end. She opens her mouth to speak, but I get in there first. I scoop up a forkful of her food and hold it to her lips. “Open your mouth baby, and eat like a good girl,” I demand.

She parts her lips, just enough for me to slide the food in. She closes her mouth as I place the fork down and chews while glaring at me.

I lean forward, swiping a bit of the sauce from her bottom lip before placing it in my mouth. “Hmm,” I moan. “Delicious.” I state, just to tease her a little more. She releases a little growl in warning, but I don’t miss the hint of lust in her eyes. I am going to have so much fun with her.