Hellbent Hero by Naomi Porter
4
Storm
IT HADN’T BEEN more than a couple of months since the mayhem brought on by the Dirty Hunters. Not nearly long enough for anyone to get over it. Least of all, Madeline. I still harbored some guilt over what she’d braved. For what all of them, Tara, Hero, and Emilee, had endured. Not keeping my woman and the others safe ate at me. The loss of AJ tormented me, despite knowing the MC life was rough and dangerous. Every one of my brothers lived with the knowledge that they may not see their next birthday… like AJ. He was too young when his life ended with a bullet straight to the heart.
But Madeline taught me I needed to let shit go. Of course, it was easier said than done. I’d gladly spend the rest of my life making it up to her—sort of like repentance for letting her and the others down.
Angel’s girl didn’t fool me. What in the fuck would I do about the redhead? Her trailer house was secure. I had a prospect watching her when she wasn’t at work. Yet, alarms blared in my head every time I looked into her big brown eyes. She was hurting something fierce.
Fuck!
The fact that she was Hero’s woman, whether either of them admitted it, wasn’t what had me in protective mode. Hero hadn’t officially claimed Tara. So technically, she wasn’t the club’s responsibility. Yet here I was spending time and money on her. Why?
My gaze lifted when I heard my woman.
Madeline shuffled out of the bathroom wearing my coveted Ozzie Osbourne shirt. I loved it on her. Stole my breath away. More so now, with her tits rounder and plumper thanks to my baby in her belly.
The redness at the tip of her nose drew my attention. She’d been crying when doing her bedtime routine or fighting to keep the tears locked up. Either way, it fuckin’ tore me up when she was sad.
My Angel was the reason I’d do everything possible to keep Tara safe. I do anything for my wife. Anything to make her happy.
“Talk to me, baby.” I patted her spot on my lap. She’d taken a bit longer than usual while I waited in bed for her.
She took my outstretched hand and straddled my hips. I caressed her soft cheek with my finger. She was so goddamn beautiful. The love in her eyes was powerful and possessive. It wrapped around us securely, like an invisible blanket.
I still couldn’t believe she was mine. All mine. My old lady, my wife, the mother of my child. Nothing astounded me more than her being the little firecracker who’d worshiped me a decade ago. Fate had put her in my path the night at The Bullet, forever entwining us as one.
It was a gift I’d never be able to repay.
Madeline sighed, as if absorbing my touch into her soul. I knew the feeling. Did the same when she caressed my skin.
“She’s not okay. Tara hides it well, but she’s not okay. I’m so worried about her.”
“What do you want me to do, Angel? I’ll do it. Whatever you want.”
A sad smile curled the corner of her lips. “I don’t think you can do anything. She’ll just laugh off my worries, but I feel it, Kaleb. She’s hiding something. Through all our conversations since we met in college, I’ve pieced stuff together like a puzzle. She has severe anxiety. Depression. She fights like hell to hide both. But that’s not what has me twisted up inside.”
“What is it, then?” My chest tightened at the distress in Madeline’s baby blues. She wasn’t one to exaggerate. Never a drama queen. If she was concerned, to the point of tears, I took her seriously.
“She hates being alone. Something about solitude puts her in a dark place. The night I left Dane after one of the worst beatings he’d given me, I’d caught Tara in the bathroom. I smelled smoke. When I’d questioned her about it, she said she’d just lit a candle. I was such a mess at the time, I didn’t give it another thought.” She leaned forward, draping her body across mine.
I wrapped my arms around her protectively. “I got you, baby.” The topic of Dane, her fuckin’ ex-boyfriend, Deputy fuckin’ Miller, always turned me into a raging bull. I wished he was in the county jail with Hero. I’d have him end that prick’s life right along with the Hunter’s enforcer. The lucky fucker got off scot-free, sort of. A dirty judge threw out the case, but Sheriff Bush fired Miller’s ass. The pussy went into hiding before I could nab him.
But Miller would have his day of reckoning. I just needed to be patient.
She pressed her lips to my neck. “Now that I think of it, I don’t recall smelling apples and cinnamon when I went into the bathroom that night.”
“What’d you smell?”
“I think it was cigarette smoke. Or pot. Or both. I didn’t know what weed smells like back then, but I do now after getting a good whiff of it during some of our parties.”
“Maybe she was just having a smoke.” No harm in toking, especially if Tara had anxiety. She might’ve needed it to help her relax.
“She hates those ‘cancer sticks,’ as she calls them.”
“Hmm.” I didn’t know what to say. So instead, I stroked her back to soothe the tension in her body.
Madeline melted into me. “I just wished she’d stay at the compound so I could keep an eye on her.”
“I have no problem with that. Hero wants her here.”
She growled a little. “Yeah, well, she’d be here still if he hadn’t ghosted her. The jerk.”
My lip quirked up, hearing the irritation in her voice. I’d love to see my woman hand Hero his ass. It’d be the event of the year.
She raised up on her elbows and dropped a kiss on my lips. “I need you.”
“I’m yours. Tell me what you need, Angel.”
She fluttered her lashes and her cheeks turned pink. “How about your face between my legs? I need to get rid of this stress. It can’t be good for the baby.”
I rolled, putting her on her back. “My pleasure.” I helped her out of the T-shirt. She never wore underwear. She used to, then we got together, and it didn’t make sense anymore since we fucked every night… and most mornings.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“Love you too, baby.” I kissed her slowly, holding back from devouring her. She needed me to be soft and tender. I’d give her exactly what she needed.
She moaned into my mouth, raising her hips to mine. Her warm pussy rubbed against my fully erect cock, exciting me. Teasing me. But she’d asked for my face between her legs. I wasn’t a fool. Pass up feasting on my woman? Fuck no.
Breaking away, I kissed down her neck and stopped at her tits, licking and sucking a little. Her back bowed as she released another moan, louder than the first and full of need. The musical lilt in the sounds she made during sex was erotic as fuck. I could come just by listening to her.
I continued my journey down her torso and stilled. “Love you, peanut,” I whispered to my baby. We didn’t know the gender, so we called the baby peanut, but we’d give it a name once we knew if it was a girl or boy. Our little biker brat would get a road name if it was a boy because I was sure the club life flowed through our kid’s veins like it did mine. But if we were blessed with a little girl, a little biker princess, we’d give her a pretty name like her momma’s. I hoped to God she’d have a voice like Madeline’s and a heart filled with as much kindness and compassion.
“I love your mouth on my body.” Angel swirled her hips, opening her legs for me.
“Mmm, I worship this body.” I flattened my tongue, collecting her arousal, and groaned. “Love your sweet cream.”
Madeline mewled and lifted her pussy to my face. “You’re so good to me.” Her small hands held my head in place, nails scratching my scalp. A bolt of desire shot down my spine.
“Baby, you’re the one who’s good to me.” With those words, I focused on taking away her worries and stress. If something was going on with Tara, I’d find out about it. For my Angel’s peace of mind.
Monday morning, we were in church… my council and me. Six of us sat at the table drinking coffee and eating Sugar’s famous egg bake—renowned within the club, anyway. She didn’t dump a bunch of healthy shit in it like spinach and zucchini or tomatoes and eggplant like some people did. My brothers and I were meat-and-potatoes men. The only healthy we did was the occasional salad with lots of croutons, bacon bits, and ranch dressing to cover the leafy greens.
We were a bunch of lucky fuckers, because Sugar and Tina served us exactly what made us happy.
Boxer and Ire ate better than the rest of us. Especially when they were training for a fight. Even when they weren’t, they lived off their protein shakes and bland-ass oatmeal and chicken. They had a special menu one of the kittens prepared for them. Funny, for as picky about diets as they were, they still downed booze like it was water.
But I digress…
We convened in church faithfully every Monday as my Uncle Matt had during his time as president. More often when needed, like with the Hunters wreaking havoc in my territory.
The mood in the meeting room this morning was somber. I observed each of my brothers. My VP, Raul, was to my left. Beside him was my road captain and my best friend, Track. They were father and son.
I nodded at my enforcer, Boxer, then at Lynx, the club’s treasurer. I acknowledged the empty chair to my right, where my SAA, Hero, normally sat. I pulled my gaze away, moving onto Justin’s spot, now occupied by Art. If I lingered too long reflecting on why they weren’t here, I’d get angry. I missed the shit out of my brothers and it pissed me off to not have them here.
I lifted my mug to my lips, hiking a brow. “Everyone all right today?”
They grunted their replies.
The heaviness in the room was suffocating. A lot changed over the past month and a half, and not for the positive.
We were sad about losing AJ. He had shown great promise and would’ve been patched in after the first of the year.
Following the clusterfuck with the Hunters, Justin had left the club and took his daughter away. I’d only heard from him once when he let me know he’d found out Dodge was asking around about Emilee. Fuck I hated drama, but I’d put a stop to Dodge’s inquiries. Couldn’t say I didn’t understand his desperation. Emilee was carrying his baby. God himself couldn’t keep me from my woman and child. But as his Prez, I stopped him… for the time being.
The council voted in Art to replace Justin the day after he left. It was the right decision. Art was a top-rated tattooist and managed Human Canvas, a club-owned tattoo parlor. Taking over Justin’s duties as secretary would be a piece of cake for Art.
I drank my coffee and raised the gavel, hitting it once on the table to bring the meeting to order. “First piece of business, Hero.”
Some brothers nodded.
I eyed Grizzly at his desk in the corner. I was concerned about him, more than usual. His long brown hair wasn’t pulled back in a man bun or ponytail. It hung over his eyes, all messy and shit as he sat hunched over his keyboard behind three big-ass monitors. He had other techie gear that a nerd like him required to do his job. I called him the brains of the club.
“Theo hopes to get Hero out before Thanksgiving, but he’s not making any promises. If we can’t prove the weed was planted, Hero could face a year or two behind bars. So we need to vote for a temporary replacement. I’m thinking, Ire.”
Boxer shook his head. “I don’t think Ire’s right for the job. He’s not been the same since the attack at The Bullet.”
I set my mug on the table and narrowed my eyes. “What’s up with him?” Admittedly, I’d been distracted with the Hunters and Madeline. Ire’s recovery had taken longer than Patch predicted. Not due to Ire’s physical injuries, he was built like a fuckin’ warrior. In tip-top shape like Boxer with all their MMA training. It was Ire’s mental state. The dude might’ve been messed up, but I thought he could handle standing in for my SAA.
Boxer reclined in his seat, squeezing his favorite hand gripper. “He’s distracted. When we’re sparring in the cage at the gym, he ends up on his back.”
Lynx snorted. “What’d you expect? The dude got his bell rung with a lead pipe to the back of the head.”
“No, I don’t think that’s it.” Boxer fell quiet for a moment with a contemplative expression, putting the gripper in the other hand. “I’m pretty sure it’s the girl, Ava, who’s got him out of sorts. I’m worried. The Black Friday event is soon. He’s not mentally ready for it. I told him to pull out but he ignored me.”
I didn’t like hearing this about Ire. He’d always been an angry cuss. It was where he got his road name from. If he was making stupid choices, endangering his life, he could put others at risk.
“We only have three weeks. I’m not confident he’ll be ready.” Boxer knew what he was talking about. He was a fighter and a trainer. My brother was born for the cage. Born to fight. Undefeated. And took his opponent out in the first round. Ire was no different. The two never fought against each other in a match. I imagined it was to avoid a bloodbath.
“We can talk about the fight later.” I needed to redirect Boxer. He could talk about MMA fighting all day long. “If not Ire, then who?”
Raul turned toward me. “What about Dodge? He’s ready to be patched in. We just need to vote.”
Track sat forward in his chair. “That’s not a bad idea. He’s certainly strong enough. Getting him off the gate will be good for him. He’s had too much alone time out there.”
I considered Raul and Track’s suggestion. Out of all the prospects, Dodge was next to be patched. Only one problem… “He’s a loose cannon these days. I mean, it’s understandable. His woman and baby were taken from him.” It might seem cruel to some, but Dodge had gotten what he deserved for fuckin’ around with Justin’s only daughter. Knocking her up too? He’s lucky he was still breathing. Emilee was only nineteen and off-limits. Dodge knew better than to touch her. So now he paid the ultimate price for his betrayal—losing Emilee and the baby.
Raul leveled his gaze to mine. “He won’t let you down. I assure you, he’s ready.”
“And it’s just temporary until Hero returns,” Track added.
I looked each one of my brothers in the eyes. “Let’s vote. All in favor of patching in Dodge?”
Every man raised their fist.
I eyed each brother again. “Anyone have a problem with him filling Hero’s position for a while?”
No sound was made.
“All right. Dodge is in as my temp SAA.” I hit the gavel on the table. “Next on the agenda. I’m meeting with Hero later today to discuss Rudy Dutra’s mom and sister and let him know we have them in the cabin.”
The table banged their fists, sounding like a bunch of apes. They wanted blood. We’d have it, too, without getting our hands dirty.
“I sure hope that asshole cares enough about them to end his own life,” Track poured himself more coffee. “Miguel is chomping at the bit to get him back in Cali. Said Dutra won’t last an hour before he’s taken out. They’re pretty fucking ruthless out there in the Sunshine State.”
“No kidding, brother. If Dutra doesn’t come through, we’re screwed.” I’d sent Track, Boxer, Wolf, and two prospects to capture the women yesterday. It probably was overkill sending so many men, but I didn’t want to take any chances. Our plan had to work, or Hero might take matters into his own hands and kill Dutra on his own. He was hellbent on getting retribution.
Spending life in prison didn’t scare Hero. I’d hoped Tara might’ve kept him levelheaded, but Hero had a one-track mind that leeched off self sabotage.
“I’d lose my mind if someone took my sister. I’d do anything to save her.” Boxer chugged his protein shake. “Those pictures we took made me sick.”
Grunts sounded around the table. We’d all do whatever it took to protect our loved ones.
My brothers hadn’t harmed the women. To get them to the cabin without their knowledge, they drugged them. Then gagged and tied them to chairs to get the pictures we needed. Afterward, the ladies were unbound and locked in a room. We had a couple of brothers guarding them around the clock, feeding them on a regular schedule. They were pretty much babysitters.
We didn’t hold people at the cabin just for the helluvit. The dungeon in the basement was for torturing and ending the life of the scum of the earth. No captive left the shack alive. I didn’t feel I had a choice but to keep the women there. I couldn’t put them in the quiet room here in the clubhouse. Angel and the other women might’ve found out we had them. In these extenuating circumstances, I needed to be flexible. Not something I was very good at.
Using family wasn’t beneath the Knight’s Legion MC. I just hoped to fuck Dutra gave a shit about saving his only living relatives. Otherwise, we’d have one giant clusterfuck of a mess to clean up.
I cleared my throat to get my brothers’ attention. “Here’s how this will play out—”
