Page 9

CHAPTER 8

Rogue

S he retreats into my house. I remain on the porch. Should I have been so brash? Probably not.

I am who I am though. And that man is brutally honest.

My phone rings, I retrieve it from my pocket.

“Yo,” I answer seeing it’s Tyrant.

“She still at your place?” He asks with a tone that tells me shit isn’t good.

“Yeah, but can’t say how long she will stay.”

“You piss her off already?” he asks knowing I can be a lot for some people.

I can’t stop the smirk. I am thankful for this brotherhood who know me and don’t judge me. “Yup.”

“Well, that is gonna make this difficult. Keep her there, Demons are inside her house setting up to take her. Audio says they are pissed she wasn’t there and they called in someone to hack and find out where she went. Only a matter of time, brother.”

Well, fuck me. “Affirmative.” I reply wondering how deep into shit is the woman in my house.

“We’re closing in on these asshats and will take them to the hole. You stay with her until we can figure out why this shit came to our town.”

She comes stomping out of my front door the same time I end the call. I step in her path, she moves to side slide away. Reaching up, I wrap my hand around her throat. I don’t squeeze but this gives me the advantage to make her look me in the eyes.

“I get you are not from my world. I get that you’re all up in your head thinking pleasure is a bad thing and the timing and all the other shit society feeds woman for centuries to suppress your orgasms and give men some stupid sense of control. But let me make a few things clear, buttercup.”

She swallows hard, I feel it in my palm, but I don’t release her and she doesn’t speak.

I continue, “Over there, on my couch, that was release. You needed it no matter what you think. It took a wall down so you could open up. I get to you I’m a stranger, but right now, buttercup, I’m keeping you alive. And I’m a lot of things but a liar isn’t one of them, so I’ll be honest and tell you it’s for selfish reasons. Never had a woman make me want to bust a nut in my pants from watching her come. I could spend the rest of my life giving you orgasms and never once need in that tight cunt. But baby, you give me that privilege, just know my cock will treasure it.”

“You are insane,” she whispers.

I laugh, “no I’m a man who has had plenty of pussy, but not one pussy has ever felt as good on my fingers and cum taste so good on my tongue as the mere appetizer you gave me today. I’m a man, Michele, carnal desires always win. Before shit got complicated, men and women were simple. Eat, sleep, fuck. That is life.”

“I don’t care. We don’t need to talk about what happened over there,” she darts her eyes to the couch, “because it won’t happen again. I’m not sure how you are so tangled in my mess, but it’s my mess. I appreciate your help this morning, but this is over and I need to go home.”

“No.”

She tries to jerk free and I give a gentle squeeze to remind her I’m in control.

“You can’t keep me here against my will.”

“Breathe,” I order and she does. It makes my dick twitch still hard. Her mind wants to resist me, but her body is all in for anything with me.

“I want to leave.”

I roll my eyes. “You calm your shit long enough, I’ll explain and you’ll want to stay put.”

She blows out a breath. “Fine, explain.”

I release her seeing she won’t bolt. “ I don’t know what is going on yet, but I assure you we will find out. You can simplify this process by sharing, or you can keep adding bricks to this wall around your life. Either way, Kings run this town and will get to the bottom of the bullshit.”

“Fred’s life isn’t bullshit, Rogue!”

“Ahh, that fire, I fuckin’ enjoy this shit, buttercup. You should know it turns me on. But you with me, I’m Jennings to you. Rogue is not the man you get.”

“Whatever! Just tell me what is going on so I can explain to you why I’m still leaving.”

“Your house is full of Legion’s Demons. In case you don’t know they’re bikers waiting to either, rape and kill you there, or kidnap you to torture you, rape you in every way possible, and kill you. Either way, you go home, you die and they won’t make it quick. They will play with you long before they let you take your last breath.”

The tears form, but she fights to keep them from falling. “And you’re the good guy?” she whispers sarcastically.

“Good guy?” I shake my head, “never gonna lie and say there is anything good about me, buttercup. But the safest place for you to be right now is with me.”

Her phone rings and she reaches into her purse for it rather than continue talking to me. I take it from her hand, sliding to answer as I do.

“Bows and Blossoms, we’re closed today. Feel free to call tomorrow and we will be happy to assist in your order,” before I can click off, I see the name on the caller ID.

Giulia.

As in Giulia Bianchi. Lifting the phone back to my ear, I listen. “I don’t know who the fuck you are, but you touch one hair on her head, I’ll fucking serve your ass for dinner to your fucking family. Put Michele on the phone now or know this is your last day breathing.”

“The one, the only,” I reply to her and she cuts me off.

“Giulia Bianchi, and don’t fucking think you’re cute. Where is Michele?”

“In front of me,” I tell her honestly while Michele gives me this stare of death.

“Put her on the phone.”

“No,” I reply smiling. “This is fun buttercup, I’m not sure who has more fire in their veins, you or Bianchi here.”

“Please, Jennings,” Michele asks quietly, “let me speak to my cousin so I can warn her about things.”

“Cousin, ahh see, we are making progress. The more you relax, the more I learn.”

I hand the phone to Michele after clicking the speaker phone on. She moves to retreat into my house. I grab her wrist, stopping her and directing her to the couch. She doesn’t fight me and moves to sit on the very edge as if she gets too close to the spot we were in the orgasm would come again.

If she wants another one, I’ll give it to her. Shit, I’ll give her as many as she wants she comes that hard every time. I can’t get enough of that.

She clicks the speaker off and lifts the phone to her ear. Reaching over, I take the phone down from her ear, click speaker on again. She rolls her eyes.

“There is a thing called privacy, Jennings.”

“And you got a target on your back, buttercup, so all information from all parties should be shared equally. You share, I share, that’s how this goes and you keep breathin’.”

She blinks studying me. “You’re serious,” she whispers and I nod.

Reluctantly, she leaves the phone on speaker and holds it out in front of her. Joining her on the couch, I sit beside her with my arm draped around her, scooting her to me, and my hand resting on her ass.

“Listening doesn’t require touching, Jennings,” she informs.

I laugh, “you and me sharin’ space, buttercup, my hand on is on you somewhere.”

“Does he call you buttercup?” comes from the phone.

“No-,” she mutters at the same time, I say, “yup.”

“We have things to discuss later, cousin,” Giulia tells her with an under laced warning as if Michele has been hiding something.

“We’re new,” I intercede. “She’s still comin’ to terms with it.”

“We are not a we, Jennings. I need to talk to Giulia.”

“Okay, buttercup, we are a lot of things, especially once we sort your shit. That sweet cunt, I ain’t givin’ it up, baby.”

“Oh my God,” Giulia mutters, “you two can fuck this out once we hang up.”

“I’m not fucking him!”

“Not yet,” I reply, “we need to get rid of your problem first.”

“I can’t get to you, Chelle-Belle,” Giulia mutters, deciding to change subjects to her intention in calling, “Pilot went to land at the private airstrip. Benny already had men in play. Wasn’t safe, my team said fly over. I’m in Mississippi for now, trying to sort getting to you or getting protection to you.”

“She’s got protection,” I interject.

“Who are you?” Giulia asks, knowing the minute she gets my name she’s going to put her people on it.

“Jennings McCoy Benson, known to my friends as Rogue. Forty-four years old. Own one truck a 1998 Chevy, own one SUV a 2024 Chevy Tahoe, I trade up the Tahoe every two years, always navy blue. I have two Harley-Davidson motorcycles, both yellow. I served for nine years in the United States Navy as a SEAL. Medically retired after sustaining a shrapnel wound that caused permanent nerve damage in my left forearm and into my left hand. My social security number is 878923555, you will find I have a credit score in the eight hundreds, my house is paid in full along with two others. On paper, I’m an upstanding citizen of the United States. The flip side of that coin, I live my life by my own code because laws are nothing more than political bullshit. The law of man on a code is more stringent and holds more weight. I smoke weed to keep the tremors at bay in my arm and I won’t apologize for it. I have killed motherfuckers abroad and stateside. Cross me or someone I care about and I won’t hesitate to end you. Got a dead wife, dead daughter, drinking and driving killed them. I was overseas when it happened. Got no family left except the Kings of Carnage and that club is my life so you touch them, I’ll end you too.”

Michele blinks, “why are you an open book suddenly?”

“Your cousin is cut from the same cloth as me and my brothers. She has her world, her reasons, her code. She understands what I’m saying.” I explain and Michele looks lost.

“Chelle-Belle matter to you?” Giulia asks me and I lock eyes to Michele.

“Before today, wasn’t sure. Had a taste. Like it, yeah, she matters. Can’t say it’s a lifetime thing, can tell you I’d like an opportunity to explore.”

“I like him, Chelle-Belle,” Giulia tells her cousin and Michele rolls her eyes. “Your club with you on this?”

“Yes,” I confirm while Michele shakes her head.

“Giulia, I’ll come to you. You can keep me safe.”

There is muttering on the other end of the line, but I can’t determine what they are saying. “I can’t. He got the head start, I told you this morning. He already zeroed in. This biker you have shacked up with, his club is the best we got until I can find Benny and eliminate the threat.”

“Giulia, he’s not going to let that happen.” Michele tells her cousin with fear in her voice. “I know what I have to do. He doesn’t want you, he wants me. Two men have died because of me already. No one else dies.”

“NO!” Giulia barks back.

“Buttercup,” I say cupping her chin to make her look at me. “I don’t know Benny, but I know me and my brothers. You ain’t givin’ him shit and if you think you need to give him you, baby, you’re mine and he can’t have you.”

She blinks and then blinks again.

“My world, buttercup, I lay claim, every King everywhere takes your back. Had a taste, sweetest cunt. Ain’t givin’ that up for Benny or no man.”

She falls into my shoulder and I squeeze her ass.

“Gonna let me keep you safe, baby?” I ask and she nods.

“Don’t think you plan to give me a choice,” she mutters in frustration.

“Finally, we’re getting somewhere.”

“I’ll touch base soon, Chelle-Belle,” Giulia informs, “got some intel coming through. Jennings, I’ll get everything I have over to Havoc or you got a different man running point? Or you want it direct to you?”

There it is. She searched me and my crew while we spoke. Exactly as I figured she would. “Direct to me. Club is in on it, but it all goes through me usually any way.”

“You got it. And Chelle, don’t leave his side or at least do what the fuck he says until I can get to you. Beyond this, whatever you got with the biker, for the first time, I can tell you go for it and don’t hold back.”

Michele drops her head into her hands, “there is nothing to be had with the biker, but right now I need to stay alive against a sicario, I need to go.”

Ah, there it is. Benny is a sicario. As much as I hate to lose touch, I shift and rise. “finish your call baby, I gotta take care of something.”

Moving to the other end of the porch, I make the call to give Havoc the update. At least we can learn who we are up against now and formulate a plan to end the threat.

Benny, whoever he is may be a skilled killer, but he’s up against a trained weapon that is me.