Take Aim and Reload (Forgotten Rebels MC Book 3) Page 10

  Her anxiety brought tears to her eyes as she realized the man she had fallen in love with must now want her dead. But of course he wanted her dead. She had betrayed him. It was heartbreaking, and scary, and horrible all at once, tied together with a big heaping of guilt. When an exit for Lake Wappapello appeared, she flipped on her signal. At the first side road off the exit, she turned onto it and stopped the car. Then she waited for fate to catch up with her.

  Heart followed and parked behind the Caddy before dismounting. He still gripped the gun, but it hung down at his side, and he used the car’s body as a shield. He skirted around the car to the passenger side, and threw open the door. For the second time in her life, a gun barrel pointed at her, but a moment later it was yanked away.

  “Cherry?”

  A little sob emerged. The next thing she knew, Heart slid into the passenger seat and yanked her into his arms.

  “Holy fuck, darlin’, I thought Cabot had you,” he said. “Jesus, I was so fuckin’ scared!”

  She blinked, trying to stem the tears. “You were scared? I nearly peed my pants.”

  “How’d you get away?” He pulled back to look at her. “And why the hell do you have his car?”

  “Cabot’s dead,” she said. “Masterson killed Warren and let me go.”

  “What the hell?”

  “I know,” she said, taking a deep breath. It helped. Her nerves were calming down. “Seems like Masterson has an ethics code that Warren violated. But the evidence is all gone, Heart. Your club … it’s safe.”

  “When I discovered you were gone, all I cared about was finding you to make sure you were okay. The club is an important part of me, but so are you, Cherry.”

  “So you won’t kill me?”

  His eyes widened. “What?”

  “I … I thought you were going to kill me for betraying you.”

  “Oh, darlin’, no,” he murmured. He cupped her face brought her lips up to his. “I was on my way to rescue you, and you end up rescuing yourself.”

  He gently ran a thumb over her bottom lip, and only then did she realize she was biting it. Heart brushed her mouth with his before sliding his tongue along the seam. She wrapped her arms around his neck as the kiss deepened, hardly able to believe that maybe she would get that happily-ever-after she’d only dreamed about.

  “This is crazy,” she said when they finally came up for air. “We’ve just met, but I feel like I’ve known you forever.”

  “I know,” he replied. He pushed the hair off her forehead with a finger before letting it trace down her face. “When your sister told me that Cabot had you, I think my heart just about stopped. I was fully prepared to kill him to avenge you.”

  “You would’ve done that? For me?”

  “Yes.” He smiled. “I’ve come to realize that there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you, Cherry.”

  “I was going to erase the documents that mentioned the club’s name, to protect what you valued.” She gripped his hand. “I’ve also come to realize there isn’t much I wouldn’t do for you as well.”

  “Come back with me, Cherry,” he urged. “To the compound.”

  “Of course. I was headed there.”

  “Back to me?”

  “Yes. Back to you.”

  Chapter Fifteen

  Cherry pulled up to The Forgotten Rebel’s gate and honked. The man at the sentry tower looked down at her and she waved. A moment later, the gate rolled back and she pulled forward and parked where Heart had parked the truck last time. That vehicle had disappeared quickly and she was thinking it would be just another easy set up for this one. Stryker strode from the house to greet her.

  “Hello,” she said. “I was told—”

  “You upgraded from that piece of shit truck,” he interrupted, crossing his arms and sticking his hands in his arm pits.

  “Uh, I guess so. But this one needs to disappear too.”

  “Ah,” he said. “You thinking we’re just a bunch of bad boy bikers so we must be good at car theft?”

  “Actually, I believe I’m the car thief,” she replied, presenting the car Vanna White style. “You just need to dismantle it. Merry Christmas?”

  For a long moment, he stared at her with a hard, unflinching stare. Just as she considered getting in the car and driving away, a smile cracked the corners of his mouth and he chuckled.

  “Well, shit, lady, I thought for sure you were a stick-in-the-mud-fucking prude, but damn!” He pointed at her. “You’re actually pretty funny.”

  “Thank you?”

  “Wick, Heart, and your sister aren’t here, you know. They took off looking for you. Tell me one thing before I offer to call Wick and let them know you’re here.”

  Cherry realized she should probably tell him Heart was only a few minutes behind her, at most, from simply being stuck at the only traffic light in the town of Stevens, but she sensed Stryker was one of those men who didn’t trust easily.

  “That evidence you have … do I gotta tell my Brothers to expect a visit from the Feds?”

  His body language was tense. Bracing.

  “No,” she said softly. “It’s gone. All of it.”

  His shoulders relaxed a fraction, which was the only indication of his relief. “What happened?”

  “Warren Cabot destroyed it. And he’s dead now.”

  He studied her for a long moment, and then he gestured her for to follow him. “Come on. I’m sure you’re probably hungry. While you eat, I’ll get some of the boys to take real good care of your Caddy. You know, this here car is the Cadillac of Cadillacs.”

  She raised an eyebrow.

  “No? How about it’s big on the outside, smooth on the inside?” He waited for her reaction.

  “Like you, God’s gift to man?”

  He laughed and winked. “Yep, you’re all right, sister!”

  Just then, they heard Heart’s bike as it roared up to the gate and he rolled in like he hadn’t a care in the world. Jeans, leather jacket, and tight black t-shirt, he looked the quintessential rough biker, but she knew under that tough exterior lay a good man with a soft heart.

  He parked his bike and dismounted. The first thing he did was snake his arm around her hips and pull her to his side. At his touch, that sparkle of excitement surged through her. Hormones combined with the rush of endorphins from staring death in the face caused her breasts to ache and her pussy to grow slick. She couldn’t wait to be with him on the bed upstairs. As if sensing she was turned on, he looked down at her and winked.

  “Where’s Wick?” Stryker asked.

  “On his way, I assume,” Heart replied. “Mac tracked down Cabot’s car and all I thought about was getting to Cherry. Right now we need to take out the car’s computer.”

  Cherry handed him the key fob.

  “Why don’t you wait inside while Stryker and I deal with this?” he murmured, giving her a quick kiss. “If you’re hungry, you can raid the fridge. The kitchen is right behind the bar.”

  “Okay.”

  After one more kiss, she headed inside, leaving the two men to take care of the Cadillac. Inside was much the same as before and she wondered if anybody had actually moved or if they’d just frozen in place. Cigarette smoke formed a cloud near the ceiling. A football game was on the television, music blared from speakers, and men lounged around with girls on their laps. One couple was making out on the loveseat in a corner, and by the disarray of their clothing, she wondered if they planned to find a bedroom or copulate right there. And when the man tore off the woman’s panties, Cherry figured she had her answer and turned away. Voyeurism wasn’t on her agenda right then and there.

  Her stomach growled, reminding her that it’d been a while since she’d last eaten. The burn of many curious stares followed as she hurried toward the kitchen. Once away from them, Cherry breathed a little sigh of relief that it was empty. Slipping off her jacket, she put it on the back of a chair and headed toward the fridge, opening it to see platters of sandwiches all neatly sea
led with plastic wrap. She took one, as well as a can of soda, and sat the table. Roast beef, cheese, and horseradish burst across her taste buds, and she gave a little moan of pleasure. The last food she’d had was the breakfast sandwich, and nothing made a person hungrier than surviving an assassination attempt.

  A tiny woman walked in, hair in pig-tails, and if it wasn’t for the fine lines fanning from her eyes, Cherry would’ve assumed she was a teenager. But the world-weary wisdom shining from her huge, anime blue eyes told a life story.

  “Hello,” she greeted. “I’m Doll.”

  Cherry took a sip of cola to wash down the food in her mouth. “You look like a doll.”

  “Yes.” She smiled. “The Brothers gave me the name when I joined the club.”

  “And how long have you been with The Forgotten Rebels?”

  Doll cocked her head and got a far-away look on her face, as if mentally counting. “Um, about eleven years now. Time flies, does it not?”

  That shocked Cherry. “You don’t look old enough.”

  “I was brought here when I was eighteen.”

  The word brought didn’t sit well with Cherry. Doll walked over to the fridge, opened it, and got herself a can of cola as well. She next at the table across from Cherry and openly stared at her.

  “You have a twin, right?”

  “Yes,” she replied. “I’m Cherry and my sister is Church.”

  “That’s an odd name.”

  Cherry didn’t point out that her own name was odd as well. “You have no idea. Our mom was a teenager when she got pregnant, and decided to be different. My name is Cherry Sundae and my sister is Church Hallelujah, but please don’t tell her I told you.”

  Doll snickered. “I love it. My real name is Mary, but I like Doll.”

  “I think it suits you.”

  Doll nodded. “Some of the men said you were trying to put us in jail.”

  Cherry grimaced and immediately lost her appetite. She pushed her sandwich away. “The only person I wanted in jail was Warren Cabot. I wanted him to be held accountable for his actions.”

  “You have nothing against biker clubs?”

  Cherry shook her head. “No, in fact, I quite like one particular member.”

  “You mean Heart.”

  “Yes.”

  “He’s a good man.”

  “I know.”

  It occurred to Cherry that Doll probably had slept with Heart, probably on more than one occasion, and that vision of the two of them together turned Cherry’s stomach.

  “You and he…”

  Doll held up a hand. “Whatever happened between me and Heart was just a physical thing. I care about him, like I care about all the Brothers, but that’s all. If he’s happy with you, then I’m happy.”

  Relief swept through Cherry. It was difficult to understand how a woman could be so blasé about sleeping with men, then again, Cherry didn’t know anything about Doll, so who was she to judge?

  “Thank you,” she whispered.

  “So this thing with Warren Cabot, it’s about the drugs, right?”

  “Yes.”

  Doll took another sip of soda and looked down at her can. She fiddled with the pull tab. “I don’t like drugs. I ran away from home because my stepfather was addicted. He did very bad things.”

  Cherry had an idea what those very bad things must have been.

  “Stryker found me hitchhiking and gave me a lift,” Doll continued. She shrugged one shoulder. “I never looked back.”

  Cherry’s heart hurt for the vulnerable little girl peeking through Doll’s perfectly made up face.

  “So when you say you were brought here…”

  “The Forgotten Rebels saved my life,” Doll replied, blinking those big round eyes of hers. After a moment, all emotion cleared up and she smiled at Cherry. “I would be happy for the Brothers to get out of the business, but it’s not my place to say anything.”

  Without thinking, Cherry took hold of Doll’s hand. “You’re pretty amazing.”

  Doll beamed. “From now you and me are best friends forever. Let’s go to my room and get you washed up. You look tired.”

  Cherry sighed. “Yeah. The past twenty-four hours have taken a toll.”

  Doll stood and grasped Cherry’s hand. “I know the perfect remedy for that. Exfoliating and a mud mask will take away the stress.”

  Amused, Cherry let the tiny woman lead her away. She’d never really had a friend before, and Church wasn’t the type of girl to get facials and mani-pedis with. Strangely enough, she was looking forward to her impromptu spa session with the child-like woman who now seemed to be her BFF.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Several Brothers came to help with the deconstruction of the Cadillac, so the strip down only took a few hours. The computer system had been dismantled, which made Heart breathe a little easier. With Mac covering their tracks in the cyber world, nothing could link Warren Cabot back to The Forgotten Rebels.

  “Good,” Wick said as he stepped into the garage. “That takes care of that.”

  Heart wiped his greasy hands on a rag. “Good riddance.”

  “Tell me about it,” Wick muttered. “This has been one helluva situation. I’m going to call a full member church meeting next week to get feedback on our commitment to The White Death. Without Cabot’s pseudoephedrine supply, I’m not sure how Kix can maintain his supply levels.”

  “Without that influx of cash, what’ll we do?”

  “I don’t know,” Wick said. He sighed. “Come up with ideas so we can talk about it in church.”

  “Sure.” Heart threw the rag onto a tool box. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’m gonna visit my girl and get a proper kiss hello.”

  Wick smirked as Heart left him and the others behind. With each step, his dick grew harder, just thinking about Cherry waiting for him, her soft skin ready to be explored. He wanted to give her a hickey, right on her neck, to brand her. Perhaps they should get matching tattoos, declaring to the world that she was his and that he was hers.

  The first person he saw as he stepped inside the house was Parky, who stood at the bar cleaning. Everyone else seemed lost to their vices so he headed over to her.

  “Where’s Cherry?” he asked.

  Parky raised an eyebrow. “Was it my turn to watch her?”

  “Just answer the fucking question,” he said, scowling.

  Parky placed one hand on her hip. “You mean the blonde chick all y’all were saying was going to send us to jail? No warm fuzzies, here, Heart.”

  “She’s going to be my ole’ lady.”

  Parky’s jaw fell open in surprise. She blinked a few times before snapping her mouth shut. “Are you fucking with me?”

  “Nope,” he replied.

  “Hm,” she said as she looked him up and down. “Never thought I’d see you settle down since you’ve been pining for years for Sissy.”

  “Wait just a second,” he said, holding up a hand. “Sissy and I are friends. That’s all. I’ve not been pining for her.”

  “Come on, it’s me. I’m her best friend, you know.”

  “Once upon a time I thought we’d be a good fit, but we both know once she set eyes on Kix, everyone else ceased to be. She’s found happiness, so that makes me happy. Now I’ve found someone who makes me equally happy, who turns me on by just a look. She … soothes me.”

  Parky patted his hand. “Good. You deserve a good woman.”

  “She is,” he said. “She’s honorable and passionate. She sees the good in everyone. And she makes me feel ten feet tall.”

  “Then let me suggest you wash your hands and then go find her upstairs. I saw her heading up there a little bit ago. With Doll.”

  Heart’s eyes widened. “Holy fuck.”

  He turned and hurried up the stairs, taking two at a time. Doll’s room was on the third floor and as soon as he hit the top landing, he followed the pop music blaring from the closed door at the end of the hall. He didn’t even bother knocking, just opened
the door. Doll turned first and gave him a big smile. But it was the woman sitting on a chair in front of her that caught his attention.

  Cherry was a vision. A beautiful, angelic goddess who stole his breath and had his heart pounding with excitement. It was hard to believe this woman belonged to him, that she was going to be his wife. And as gorgeous as she was on the outside, it was the equal strength and loveliness inside that he truly admired.

  He cupped her face to stare down into her exquisite face. Makeup turned her blue eyes into luminous sapphires and highlighted her porcelain skin. Her hair was in some sort of fancy up-do, showing off the delicate lines of her jaw and neck. Yep, the first thing he was going to do was give her a big hickey.

  “Time to talk,” he said. He nodded to Doll. “Thanks for keeping her company.”

  Doll gave a small, dismissive wave. “Anytime.”

  Heart took Cherry by the hand and led her from Doll’s room, down the stairs, and into his. He shut the door and turned the lock to make sure no one could disturb them, and then took a deep breath to steady his nerves.

  “Cherry, I want you as my ole’ lady.”

  She frowned. “Um … what?”

  He grinned sheepishly. “I actually say it kinda wrong. It’s old lady, but that doesn’t sound right. You know?”

  “But I’m not old.”

  “No, it’s not like that.” He ran a hand over his bald head and then scratched under his beard. “In the biker world it means I want you to be my woman.”

  “Oh,” she said. She wrapped her arms around herself. “For how long?”

  “What?”

  “For how long do you want me? For a day? A month? What happens when you get tired of me? Do I end up like Doll?”

  “Doll … what the hell? No, Cherry. I meant I want you to be my wife.”

  “Oh,” she said, shocked. “Really? But … but we don’t know each other all that well.”

  “Well, sure we do.” He gave her a big smile. “You’re smart, sexy, brave. Me, well, I could use more education, I’m always horny, and you constantly amaze me with how strong you are. I know I could make you happy, Cherry. Make sure you never needed anything.”