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FORSAKEN: The Punishers MC Page 28


  As the kiss deepened, I was horrified to feel my pussy getting wet and soaking through my panties again. Just like at the bar, Trey’s body had an immediate effect on my own. I felt arousal brand me until I was twisting my body and pressing up against him. Trey slid his hands down my body and scooped me up, wrapping my legs around his waist. I felt his erection shove between my legs and I moaned softly — even through the layers of fabric we wore, it still felt better than I ever could have imagined. Wrapping my arms around Trey’s neck, I tangled my hands in his hair and tugged hard. Trey groaned into my mouth and slapped my ass gently with one of his hands. The sensation was enough to make me cry out and finally, I broke apart from Trey and licked my lips.

  Trey set me roughly down on the ground and stepped away from me. He stared at me and I felt my heart beating faster than ever. I wiped my mouth free of our saliva and tried to catch my breath. I felt like I’d just run a marathon. My body was pulsing with lust. As we stared at each other, I silently begged him to come back and pick me back up. It no longer mattered that Lindsey and Chuckie were in the next room. The goddamn Pope could have been in the next room and I wouldn’t have cared. All I wanted was Trey, his strong arms around me, his mouth on mine, kissing me savagely. I wanted him to carry me to bed and slide my panties down my legs before spreading my thighs and diving between them with his tongue, and then his cock.

  “Get out,” I said softly, shaking my head. No, I couldn’t ever be with him again. I couldn’t take that risk. I was a mother now, and I had to put the life of my son ahead of my own. Back then, Trey had been dangerous. Now, he looked even more so. He was a big, tattooed biker who’d thought nothing of showing up and punching two guys out. I shivered with lust. The conflicting urges in my body were warring, but, finally, the rational side won out. “Get out or I’ll call the cops,” I said finally.

  Trey looked into my eyes, an expression of wounded rage on his face. Finally, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the door. Out of my life, for the second time. And unlike the first time, this time it would be forever.

  Chapter 7

  Trey

  I stalked away from Angel’s little ramshackle house in anger and climbed on my bike, gunning it into a high gear and driving out of Centerville. I had to be alone. I had to think. I was so angry I could have spat, so I turned up music loudly and stuffed headphones in my ears. I just wanted to ride and ride until all of the adrenaline and anger had subsided. That’ll take a billion fuckin’ years, I thought to myself in anger. Fuck!

  She had a son! My son! He had to be my son. There was no way he was anyone else’s. He was the spitting image of myself at that age. I had to close my eyes and count backwards. She’d called him Chuckie. He had to be at least eight. It had been over eight years since I’d last seen Angel. That set me off all over again. I couldn’t believe she’d had my son and not said a goddamn word! Who did that woman think she was! Just because we had a past together didn’t seem like a good reason to punish that poor kid. Shaking my head, I sped up and navigated around a turn.

  I’d grown up without a dad. While it hadn’t been my mom’s fault, I’d always wished I could have had a father. My old man had been a biker, too, but in a different club. A bad club, a club that was more like a gang. He got killed while my mom was still pregnant. At first, she’d vowed to make a better life for me but that was damn near impossible. She’d never even finished high school. I remembered her trying hard when I was a little kid but by the time I started school, she had started to flounder. Mom had always had drug problems and she started using again by the time I was in second or third grade. I’d come home and find her passed out, no food in the house, the TV sold for more junk. After a while, I resented that she’d never cared enough to quit for me. I mean, I was her only kid. I was supposed to be the only thing in her life, right?

  My mind flashed back to Angel’s cramped little house. Even though she obviously didn’t have much money, I could tell how much she loved her son. The living room had been covered with framed pictures he’d obviously drawn, and there had been a giant pile of his crayons on the kitchen table. Hell, even the room where I’d dragged Angel was filled with his toys. Against my will, that brought a smile to my face.

  I shook my head. No, I didn’t feel good about Angel right now. I was angrier than ever that she’d never contacted me. After all, she was the one who had left me! She’d never talked to me again! Not after that fateful night.

  “No,” I said aloud. I couldn’t let myself get dragged back into the memories. That was only dangerous, and something that was guaranteed to bring me more pain for now. I had to stop thinking about Angel. I had to do something to take my mind off of her.

  Angel’s parents had never thought I was good enough for her. Even back then, even when I was actually trying. Nothing I did was good enough. I thought it was something I’d managed to move past, but I apparently hadn’t. Now, the pain and the wound felt as fresh as they had the day that I knew it had all been over.

  My phone buzzed in my pants.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Trey, dude.” I heard the voice of one of my fellow Skullbreakers, Ram. He was my best friend and my second-in-command. Without him, I wouldn’t have gotten to the top. Without him, I probably would have died six times over.

  “Hey, man,” I greeted him. His gruff voice was a welcome distraction from the turmoil raging in my brain. “What can I do for you?”

  “I got some bad news,” Ram said. He let out a deep sigh. “You remember Damien?”

  “Oh man, do I,” I said slowly. Damien had been my best friend growing up. We’d been from the same wrong side of the tracks, and we’d gotten into a lot of trouble together. When I met Angel, Damien had always been jealous. Not because I had a girlfriend, just because it was a sign that I was doing better. Damien never would have treated a girl like a gentleman; he would have abused her and scared her off. But because I was able to date some high class girl, he couldn’t stand it. He accused me of being a sellout. I was too loyal to Angel to even want to reconsider mending things. Ever since then, we’d drifted apart. Now, he was in a rival MC, the Steel Demons. They were dirty — into guns and drugs — and they resented the Skullbreakers. After all, we’d had a hold on Centerville for a long time. They didn’t have a chance to get close.

  “Well, Damien and his boys were involved in some kinda shootout on the outskirts of town. I think a lot of people were shot or injured, or something.” Ram paused and I heard the click of a lighter. “They were selling guns to the Russians, outside of town, and it must have gone bad.”

  “Fuck,” I muttered under my breath. “Just what we fuckin’ need right now.”

  “I know,” Ram said. “I know, man.”

  We were silent for a moment and I knew he was thinking of the implications of this. Even though the Skullbreakers were usually in good with the cops, no one liked a bloody shootout. Especially not the local law enforcement.

  “Any word about the cops?”

  Ram sighed again. “Yeah, man, they’re gonna look into us,” he said after a pause. “You want me to tell the other guys?”

  “It’s fine. I’ll take care of it. I’m headed to the clubhouse now.”

  “Listen,” Ram said. “You and Damien used to be tight, right? You used to be close?”

  “Not for a long time,” I said bitterly. “Try almost ten years ago. He hates me now. He wants me dead.”

  “All the same,” Ram said. I had a sinking feeling in my stomach. “You should probably go talk to him. Maybe he’ll listen to you, who knows. But either way, we can’t have these kinds of attacks, you know? I mean, the cops are gonna crack down on us a lot tighter if shit like this keeps happening.”

  “Right,” I said. “Fine. I got it. I’ll go see him.”

  “Man, don’t be pissed. You know I wouldn’t willingly ask you to take care of this, okay?”

  “It’s fine,” I said, trying to relax. “I’ve just had one hell of a day.”
>
  “I bet,” Ram said drily.

  I had to chuckle at that. Ram was used to tales of my white-knighting and seduction, to the point where he would just start making stories up to counter which outrageous claim I’d come up with next. I got into the clubhouse one morning after spending it with a couple of beer models and Ram was already making up stories about the orgy he’d attended the night before. It was a sign of our friendship. But this time, he had no idea just how crazy shit had gotten. He didn’t even know about Angel. None of the Skullbreakers did. It was easier that way.

  “All right, I’ll see you later, man,” I said, shoving my phone in my pocket after I’d hung up.

  I let out a long sigh. Damien still lived on the wrong side of the tracks. His house was actually pretty damn close to where Angel lived. The idea of heading back over there didn’t exactly fill me with happiness, but I knew it had to be done.

  The sky was an inky black over my head as I rode my hog through the streets of town. I pointed my bike towards Damien’s place. His house was a ramshackle wooden building that had definitely seen better days. At least the yard and hedges outside of Angel’s place had been well-manicured, but Damien’s house looked like a shack.

  He must have heard my bike rumbling because he’d stepped out onto the porch before I could even climb off the bike. Damien was tall but squat. All of his features looked too large for his body, including his giant face and chest. His pec muscles were well-defined, even through the loose cotton shirt he was wearing. And his biceps were bigger than his head — which was a feat, considering he practically had no neck. He grinned at me. It was a nasty, yellowing smile. Behind him, inside the house, I heard the fierce barking of hungry dogs.

  “Hey there,” I said in a guarded voice. “I need to talk to you, man.”

  “Oh, now you wanna come crawling back?” Damien gave me another nasty grin.

  I rolled my eyes. “If you’re trying to scare me, it’s not working. I mean, come the fuck on. Shooting up those Russians? What the fuck did you think was going to happen?”

  There was an evil gleam in Damien’s eyes. “You’re one to talk, asshole. You think you’re too good for the rest of us but you’re biker trash just like me. Just wait, you’re one gun away from turning into an Steel Demon.”

  I shook my head. “No way, man,” I said, trying to stay calm. Being around Damien was making me angry. I could feel my hands balling up into fists at my sides. “You don’t fuckin’ know anything, Damien. You don’t know how this town works.”

  “I know how you work,” Damien said. He winked at me and I felt rage boil through my body. “And I know you saved that pretty little librarian from a bad fate.”

  My mouth went dry but I shook my head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said. “But I’ll make you pay if you don’t stop this shit. Stop being such a goddamn jackass, Damien.”

  Damien worked his lips into a slow grin. “She’ll have to watch her little back in the future,” he said. “And boy, does she have a nice back.” He held his hand up and squeezed the air.

  “Fuck you,” I snarled. “You stay away from her.”

  Damien only chuckled. It was only when I climbed on my bike that I’d realized my mistake. By acknowledging I knew who he was talking about, I’d only put Angel directly into the face of danger.

  Chapter 8

  Angel

  All I could think about that night was Trey and how we’d ended, and how angry he’d been with me. I shuddered. Part of me never wanted to see him again. After all, he’d left all those years ago. He’d left and never come back. Not even a fucking note, and then he had the nerve to show up and try to “rescue” me.

  I barely got a wink of sleep. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Trey’s face floating in my mind. It was torturing me. Things are never going to be that good again, I thought to myself. And you know that. The sooner you understand that, the better.

  Unfortunately, the morning came even though I didn’t want it anywhere near me. As I was getting Chuckie ready for school, he seemed more solemn than usual. He was a serious kid, but still, he was usually pretty goofy in the mornings.

  “Mommy, who was that man?” Chuckie looked into my eyes and I could tell he was worried.

  I crushed him against my chest and buried my face in his hair, smelling his sweet scent. In a few years, he was going to be a heartbreaker. But for now, he was still my little boy.

  “I’m so sorry that happened, sweetie,” I said, pulling back. I put my hands on Chuckie’s shoulders and looked into his innocent face. “He won’t be coming back again. I promise.”

  Chuckie bit his lip and for a moment, it looked like he was going to cry. The resemblance to Trey was so astounding I couldn’t believe I’d never thought of it before. Chuckie had the same blue eyes, the same chiseled jaw. His hair was lighter in color than Trey’s but I could tell it would darken with time into those same messy waves I loved.

  “Who is he?” Chuckie looked at me again and I felt a tug on my heartstrings. “How do you know him?”

  I didn’t answer. Turning around, I stood up. I was still only half-dressed, and I had to be back at the library before ten. After the bus picked up Chuckie, I’d have to call a cab. It wasn’t cheap, but I didn’t have a choice, as the library was fifteen miles away. I couldn’t walk. Damn you, Trey. If it weren’t for you, I’d still have my car.

  If it weren’t for you, I might be dead, I realized. If Trey hadn’t shown up when he did, those thugs would have surely done worse. I shivered, remembering the feel of their greasy, chubby fingers sliding over my body.

  “Who is he?” Chuckie repeated when I was almost out of the room. “What did he want?”

  “I don’t know, sweetheart,” I said. Chuckie frowned. Even though he was only eight, I could tell he didn’t believe me. “I mean, Mommy knew him a long time ago. That’s all. I don’t know who he is anymore.”

  Chuckie laughed. I was glad for a break in his serious temperament. Sometimes I hated being a single mother. I wished he could have had a father in his life. For his benefit and mine. But when Trey left, I didn’t think he wanted anything to do with me, or with Chuckie. He hadn’t known I was pregnant when we split, and I’d never found it in my heart to tell him. If someone already wanted to be gone, it wasn’t going to do much good trying to con them into staying.

  I’d seen the same thing happen to one of my friends, Colleen, in college. She’d been dating this guy, James, for years. They were in love; they lived together. Unlike me and Trey, they actually had an adult relationship. They were open about their love and affection for each other. But when she got pregnant, everything changed. James promised he’d stick around but he never did. She came home one day and he was gone, just like that. His clothes were out of the closet and their books had been carefully packed and separated. She never even knew what happened to him. When it had first happened, she’d tried convincing me he’d been abducted. But Chuckie was a toddler by then, and I knew better. Still, Colleen had never wanted to hear the truth. She would have rather thought the father of her child was dead than gone away from her.

  “Mommy, tell me,” Chuckie insisted. I looked down at his sweet face and saw the same anger and confusion. “He can’t be a different person!” His voice was rising to a hysterical pitch and I feared a crying fit was coming soon. “People don’t change, Mommy!”

  “Unfortunately, sweetie, they do sometimes,” I told Chuckie as calmly as I could. He crawled into my arms and I felt his sobs on my neck. I tried to hold him and calm him down as best I could, but my efforts only went so far. Chuckie was a nervous kid, always upset about something. He’d always been sensitive, and now that he was in elementary school, I worried about him being bullied. His teachers always told me he was well-behaved, but quiet. I just looked forward to the day when he’d stop asking me about a daddy.

  I had wanted to raise Chuckie in a family, but at the outset, I’d known how impossible that would be. After all, kids di
d better with a mother and a father figure. Science said so, everyone said so. But I hadn’t ever met anyone who would have been a good father figure. I couldn’t ask someone to do that and risk it not working out. That wouldn’t be fair to my kid, to introduce someone and have him call them Daddy, only for them to disappear. I didn’t want Chuckie to have to watch me go through heartbreak again and again. I’d promised myself that when he was just a little older, I could start dating. Maybe find a nice, boring, single dad and link up our families. But right now, it was just impossible.

  “I promise, I’m never going to change,” I told Chuckie in a soothing voice. “I’ll always love you. I’ll always be your mommy.”

  Chuckie’s crying stopped after a few seconds. He leapt out of my arms and grinned at me. The tense moment had apparently been forgotten, and I was relieved. Still, now that I knew he was back, part of my mind was glued to Trey. Or maybe he never left, I thought sadly. He just left you.