Vengeful Soul by Emma Creed
I wake up before Gracie does, and prop myself up on my elbow to watch her sleeping. Her lips are slightly parted, allowing soft breaths to leave her body, and I can feel it fuckin’ happening to me. I felt it last night too.
My heart is thawing.
I’m falling for her.
And now I’m even allowing myself to imagine how it might feel to wake up like this every day.
I understand for the first time why Nyx had been stupid enough to put his life on the line for Ella, and how Jessie could consider making peace with the Bastards to keep his girl safe.
Only difference here is, Gracie ain’t my girl. There’s no future for us, and she knows that as well as I do.
She stirs, her lashes fluttering as they open up those big green eyes to me, and my dark glare is the first thing her pretty green irises have to focus on.
“You're still here,” she whispers, her lips lifting into a dreamy smile.
“You’re in my bed,” I remind her. “And my shirt.”
Looking down between us, she shrugs, then reaches her arms above her head to stretch out her body. Tempting me to run my hands all over it.
“We fucked up again, didn’t we?” she says with a smile that holds no regret.
“Yep,” I nod. “And I got a feelin’ I’ma fuck up again real soon.” Rolling on top of her, I take her lips with mine and love the fact that she tastes like me. She smells like me too, it’s fuckin’ perfection.
“I like you when you’re like this,” she confesses, her delicate fingers touching over my mouth. Something hurts inside of me when I hear her say that. And I can’t decide if it’s the words she said, or how happy she looked saying them. Maybe it’s because I don’t really know who I’m being right now, all I do know is that it doesn’t feel forced or faked.
I’ve been awake a whole hour now, and still haven’t felt that bitter feeling start to creep up on me. I’ve been far too focused on watching her sleep, absorbing her essence like it might cure my cold, damaged heart.
“I thought I was gonna wake up and you’d want to forget again.” She looks up at me through those lashes nervously and instead of looking away, I confront the situation. I've thought about it all night and come up with only one conclusion.
“Way I see it, we can waste our efforts fighting it, or we can take this for what it is. We don’t know how long you’re gonna need to be here. Might as well enjoy the time we got.” I push my knee between her legs and force them wider apart.
“I have someone, back at home, Brax,” she reminds me softly, but does nothing to stop my cock pressing against her pussy.
“When you leave the club, you leave me too,” I tell her. “You go back to your life, and leave any guilt you got for what we did here with me. Go get yourself all that happy ever after bull shit.”
“That’s deep,” she laughs a little, and it earns her a smile from me.
“Deep, huh? I could get way deeper if you want.” Rocking my hips against hers, I let my dick slide against her wet slit, and her head falls back pushing her throat up to my lips.
“So what d’you say, princess…? You wanna sin here with me for a little while before you go back to paradise?” I ask, only this time I make sure my voice is serious. I know what I’m asking her to do is a big deal, but I can’t see another way around it. I can’t be stuck on this compound with her without wanting her, and I can’t deal with all the extra frustration holding off on her is causing.
She looks a little disappointed in herself when she nods her head back at me, and I kiss the guilt right off her lips. Gracie may be a stubborn little brat, but she has an innocence about her that’s addictive. If cheating on her weak assed boyfriend is the worst of her sins, I could never burden her with all of mine.
That list is far too fucking long.
My cock automatically finds its place at her entrance and I’m about to push inside her, when a loud thump on the door stops me.
“Brax, open up,” Jessie’s voice calls out, and I take a calming breath through my nose before I drop my head between us.
“This better be fuckin’ good,” I curse under my breath, before dragging myself away from her and pulling on some jeans. When I open the door, I hit Jessie with a glare that tells him exactly what he’s just interrupted.
“We fuckin’ got it,” he tells me with a gruesome smile that spreads all the way to his ears.
“Got what?” I rub the space between my eyes, trying to stay calm.
“Maddy’s been up all night. She got all the evidence on Clunk. And the list of his associates. Prez just called church,” he slaps my shoulder enthusiastically before heading toward his bike.
“What was that all about?” Gracie steps out of my bedroom looking sexy as shit with her bed hair, and my club T-shirt covering her body.
“I gotta head to church. Maddy got the list.” Stepping toward her, I gently stroke my fingers over the bruises I made on her skin. Angry purple reminders of what a selfish prick I can be. It wasn’t just the feral in me, I want her marked so everyone here knows that for as long as she’s here, she’s mine.
“It didn’t hurt… I liked it,” she whispers as if she can read my thoughts, and I ignore her, pressing my lips over them anyway.
“You should go hangout with Maddy and Ella today. I don’t know how long I’ll be.” She looks up at me with wide desirable eyes, and it would be so fucking easy to take her back in that bedroom and fuck her through the rest of the damn day. “Help yourself to whatever you need.” I step past her, grabbing a fresh T-shirt from the drawer. I notice her eyes widen further when I take out my holster, slip it over my shoulders and load it up with two pistols.
“Do you really need those?” She chews on her thumb nervously, and I shrug as I put my cut on over the top.
“If you need anything that’s not here, just ask Maddy next door, I’m sure she’s gonna fill you in on everything.” Picking my knife up from the table, I slip it in my boot. Then kiss her on her forehead before I make my way to the door.
Now that we’ve made a deal about what’s going on with us, I feel more relaxed. Affectionate shit like that seems to come without effort.
“Oh, and stay away from Squealer,” I spin back around and warn her before I open the door.
“Which one is Squealer?” She crosses her arms under her chest, tilting her head at me.
“You’ll remember him when you see him.” I roll my eyes as I head out to my bike. Troj is already out in the yard. I assume he’s just taken one of his long assed runs through the woods since he’s resting his hands on his knees, and is drenched in sweat.
“You hear Prez called church?” I call over to him, saddling my bike.
He lifts up a thumb to me, still catching his breath.
“I’ll grab a shower and be down,” he manages back. Troj is a lean fucker, but hell if anyone around here would mess with him. Ain’t many men had the opportunity to ruin his pretty-boy face. He’s still undefeated in the ring and makes the club a shit ton of money by being the best underground fighter in the state.
Grimm comes out of his cabin, heading straight for his bike, his head lifting when he notices me. That one never has a lot to say, too buried in his own head to be in anyone else’s business. I still have no idea how he ended up here and we all have our own stories, but I can sense whatever led him here has damaged him beyond repair.
The chapel where we hold church is already clouded full of smoke when I get there. Prez sits at the head of the table with Jessie by his side. The other space beside him, reserved for Troj, his Sgt in Arms. Grimm follows me in and takes his usual seat, and I take my space at the other end of the table. I’m still not officially patched in, and as a nomad, I don’t get a vote. But I do get to listen in and offer an opinion.
We talk among ourselves while other brothers slowly filter in. Troj is the last to arrive, taking his seat beside Prez just as he slams down the gavel.
“You all know about recent events,” Prez starts. “The club are looking at taking down a group of people who are… tradin’ in kids.” Just saying the words out loud revolts him, and I feel bad for ever doubting him. “I agreed to do all I could to help Agent Scott, on her word that I would have Clunk.” Heads around the table nod as he continues. “You all know that Jessie here made a pact with Lector, and I have every reason to believe his word is solid. The Bastards won’t want the trouble that we could bring to them under new leadership.”
“I don’t know if we can trust them,” Thorne speaks out, leaning forward for the ashtray and releasing a stream of smoke from his mouth before he taps his cigar.
“Let me tell you why I think we can.” Prez rests his elbows on the table, crossing his hands in front of him. “You think the Bastards will get any decent deals if word gets out about what their Prez has been into? There will be doubt, people will suspect that the whole club was involved. That poison will spread to other Charters, and the Bastards will be stripped of any respect and alliances they ever built. They’re facing ruin.”
“So let ‘em rot. They ain’t ever done us no favors,” Squealer pipes up.
“You're right,” Jessie nods. “But we’re doing them one now. They’re in our pockets. Mads got the evidence they need to exile Clunk, and then he’s all ours.” His lips twist into a snarl. Jessie wants the Bastards’ President’s blood as much as Prez does. Prez’s daughter, Hayley, had been like a sister to him. Bastards had taken her from them both, and the Bastards are the reason Maddy can’t leave the compound without someone by her side.
Whatever is gonna happen to Clunk, it goes without saying that it’ll be by their hand, and that it will be brutal.
“There’s more,” Prez’s eyes glance around the table like he’s about to reveal something big. “Jessie’s old lady managed to recover a list that Scott and her partner had put together. Names of other people involved with the agency. We need to decide what we do with that information.”
Nervous glances pass across the table, it’s a big decision to make but I know which one I’d be choosing if I got a vote.
“How many?” Grimm speaks up first, no doubt concerning himself with the mess this could leave behind. He doesn’t make eye contact with anyone, just stares at the table in front of him.
“Nine,” Prez answers, and Grimm slowly nods, still in his trance.
Screwy surprises us all when his fist lands hard on the table, and the room rattles like an earthquake just hit. I’ve never known the guy to react. I wondered when I first met him if he was missing his tongue, but since then I’ve seen him put it to use on more than one occasion, and not for talkin’.
“Think we all know where Screw stands,” Squealer looks sideways at his brother, appearing just as shocked as everyone else by his outbreak.
“We suspect Clunk was leading the operation, and there’s no vote needed to be taken over his fate,” Prez tenses. “The rest of the names have their risks, but could also have rewards.”
“You wanna hand this information over to the law, give these bastards the privilege of three meals a day?” Troj shakes his head disapprovingly. “And, who can we trust? Brax took out four fuckers from the CIA who wanted that shit right there buried.”
“He’s got a point,” I add, not liking the idea of anyone on that list living another day if they are a threat to Gracie. When she leaves here, I don’t want her to have to look over her shoulder. And I’ll enjoy taking each of them out single-handedly, to enable that to happen.
“So we vote,” Prez says. “Raise ya hand if you think the club should take responsibility for taking these shit stains down.” Silence falls across the room and every brother raises his arm, except for me, and that’s only because my vote won't count.
“That seals it. The names on this list…” Prez holds up the piece of paper in front of him, “…just became Dirty Soul business. We pick them off one by one, and we keep it discreet. Some of the names on here are high profile.”
“When do we start?” Squealer twists his head and cracks his neck.
“Me, Jessie, and Brax will meet with Lector and give him his evidence. Clunk will be the first one taken out. We deal with the others quickly and keep it clean.” Prez’s eyes land on Grimm who nods back confidently.
“Grimm, be on standby for clean-up. Until then you’re with Nyx on wedding duty. My girl wants it, she gets it. Understood.” His eyes move to Nyx.
“Gotcha, Pops.” Nyx’s sense of humor earns a few laughs from the brothers, and a warning look from Prez.
“Troj, I need you and the twins to check out an address Maddy picked up from a cell tracker.”
My interest immediately peaks. This could be another lead on Chop.
“I can do that. Troj needs to ride with you,” I interrupt, feeling my pulse twitch.
“I want you with us,” Prez tells me.
“But…”
“Brax, you ride with us.” His voice is stern, eyes daring me to argue. And I don’t miss the confused look Jessie and Nyx give each other.
“Get to work, boys,” Prez slams the gavel down, calling an end to the meeting. I stand up and storm out of there before anyone does something stupid like trying to speak to me.