Radge by Esther E. Schmidt
CHAPTER EIGHT
– RAMSEY –
“Are you sure about this?” Brodie’s voice slices through my thoughts as I stare at Meribeth who is stocking the bar.
She’s putting in extra bottles of water since the woman drinks coffee in the morning and the rest of the day it’s water. While she has her back to the rest of the room, it’s clear all her senses are on alert by the way she eyes the mirror above the fridge.
Tasha and a few other women are sitting at the table. I’m still pissed at the bitch for stirring up trouble, though I was part of the blame but dammit, I had no fucking clue. That was two days ago and I can’t complain about the change it brought. It somehow made us connect more than just the sex we had between us.
“Yes,” I tell Brodie. “I’m sure. The woman is my old lady and I consider this a peace offering. She was brought up in a mafia world where she was brought up to become a capo’s wife, or hang on someone’s arm that’s higher up their food chain. She understands arranged bonds, is feisty as hell, can withstand a lot, and seems loyal enough.”
“So, it’s a test of some sort?” Brodie clarifies.
“Take it any way you want. We’re going to visit her mother since she just woke up from her coma but doesn’t recognize anyone, including herself and the life she lived. The woman basically doesn’t know the skin she’s wearing and I don’t think seeing her daughter will make a difference but who knows.” I shrug. “I’ll give Meribeth the choice of being on the back of my bike or riding herself. The next couple of hours will be interesting. And if she does run? There’s no fucking place she can hide. I will find her and drag her back by her hair.”
“Nice. Here I was thinking you’d gone a bit soft on me, but the dragging back by her hair part makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside again.”
I shake my head. “Fuckin’ idiot.”
“Okay.” He rubs his hands together. “When do we leave and how many are we taking with us?”
“You, Fraser, and Bennie are coming with us. I want the rest to stay here. We’re leaving in a few minutes.” I give him a dismissive nod and head over to the bar.
My woman–damn that sounds good now that I’m used to the feeling of having her as mine–catches movement in her direction and when she notices it’s me, she fully turns toward me.
“You done?” I question, stepping into her personal space.
Her head tips back and right when she wants to give me a reply, Tasha asks, “Prez, can I have a word, please?”
I raise my hand and slide my fingers to the nape of Meribeth’s neck to keep her in place and feel her stiffen in my grip.
I don’t give Tasha a second of my attention when I rumble, “There’s nothing you have to say that would concern me. If you think there is, talk to my VP and he’ll handle it.”
“But, Prez.” Her voice is a husky whine and it’s fucking annoying and not worth my time.
“Baby,” I whisper on a husky breath and stare at Meribeth.
A noble, honorable woman who has never been kissed before, never had her lips wrapped around another man’s cock, and her pussy was no man’s land until I conquered that sweet place with my mouth, fingers, and dick. Such a stark contrast to the whore demanding my attention and who put my woman down.
Meribeth’s gaze darkens with desire and there’s something more behind those eyes. As if she’s opening herself up to me and is fully invested in what we have. I might not have any ideas about where we go from here, how our bond will be now, tomorrow, or years from now, but when I let myself drift away into her blue depths it feels as if she’s offering me her soul to do with it whatever I desire.
Bad move to give something so pure to a man like me, but I guess she wasn’t exactly given to me either. Kidnapped and thrown in the middle of a fucking war and yet here we stand, my heart racing and my body pulsing with the need to feel her under me every second of the day.
She evokes shit inside me I’ve never experienced but I sure as hell welcome it, if it means I can fuck this feisty woman every which way I can and then some. She belongs where she is; right next to me. And I hope she realizes it too and won’t fail me.
Though, I know from the bond my parents had, it was a give and take relationship. This means the respect I want is something she needs to feel I’m giving her the same thing in return. And I know I have to take a step forward to make her understand I want more than the arranged bond I set in place between us.
“Tasha,” I bark and keep staring at my woman. “If I ever see, hear, or find out you disrespected me or my woman again, I’ll slice your throat and feed your chopped up body to the pigs.”
I slam my mouth over my old lady’s lips and force my tongue into her sweet mouth. Her taste fills my senses and I growl hungrily against her. My hand finds her ass and I pull her closer to me and devour her mouth without coming up for air.
I can feel her body heat up beneath my fingers and the need to take her right here is burning through my very soul. Pulling back from the kiss, I take her bottom lip gently between my teeth and tug slightly before nipping it and letting go.
“Fuck, woman, you do something to me,” I murmur in a soft confession without thinking.
Her hands fist my leather cut and she tugs as if to slightly shake me. “Same here, old man.”
I grab her ass and turn us so I can place that fine body of hers on the counter. The urge to tear her clothing off her body and sink myself deep inside her is almost eating me alive.
“Live porn, nice,” Brodie’s voice rumbles me into awareness.
My head whips up and I shoot my VP a glare.
He holds up his hands. “Hey, I’m just sayin’ that kiss? Fucking hottest thing I’ve seen in a long damn time.”
“Get used to it,” I growl. “She tastes like heaven tainted by the sin I engulf her with and I’ll make damn sure to treat myself to that shit whenever I can.”
I kissed Meribeth in front of Tasha and the other whores to drive my point home and show them the clear difference between them and an old lady. But what I just mentioned to Brodie is the truth; her taste is refreshing, addictive, and so damn pure it gives an ultimate high. Maybe it is a high–something fleeting–but there’s only one way to find out, and that’s to live and enjoy while it lasts.
The feel of my woman’s lips on my neck makes my cock twitch. Damn, it feels good to have a woman in my hands who knows the ugliness in this world, is aware of the blood on my hands–even if the crimson isn’t showing–and still seeks my touch when she’s tied to me without choice.
Giving her my full attention, I give her the first choice, “We’re going to visit your mother. Do you want to ride your own bike or are you on the back of mine?”
Her eyes light up but her brows furrow, letting my words sink in.
Tilting her head slightly she says, “I like to ride my own bike but to be honest? I’ve never been on the back of one.”
“That’s still not an answer.” My voice is gruff and I can’t help thinking about her tits and pussy pushed tight against my back.
She must be reading my mind when she says on a soft whisper, “I’d like to have your back.”
I wonder if she has an added meaning to those words but I guess time will tell. But I’m also one to taunt fate and it’s for this reason I offer, “Since we’re going out, I think it’s best to give you something to defend yourself with in case shit goes south. What’s your weapon of choice?”
I’ve seen her moves in hand-to-hand combat and know her father trained her as a son; it’s not hard to figure out she must have had weapon training as well.
“Bow and arrow.” She shoots me a grin. “But that might be a little too obvious to carry around, huh? I’d settle for a knife. Easy to throw when needed and silent when you’re going in for the kill. But if you only have guns that works too.”
I grab her hips and lift her off the counter. Placing my hand on the small of her back, I guide her toward our room. Once inside I open a safe and grab a few weapons to spread out on the bed.
Her gaze travels over all of them until she reaches for a spear pointed folding knife. She lifts her foot, slides a zipper down on the side of her boot and slips the small weapon inside. Her eyes going over all the weapons once more.
She surprises me when she says, “I have a custom laser engraved Glock in a concealed space on my bike. Mind if I get that one instead?”
Trust. It’s a funny thing. It isn’t free and comes with a price. Hell, it can sometimes cost you your life and it’s the kind of stuff we talked about last night. Keeping her prisoner limits her and she damn well knows it.
Freedom, respect, loyalty, and trust is something we agreed to work on. Throwing one another a bone is one hell of a start because she could have kept the weapon hidden and used it against us.
I give her an easy smile. “Not at all, we’ll grab it on our way out.”
Reaching for the back of her neck, I pull her close and slam my mouth over hers. I might not have used my mouth for kissing in fifteen years but I’m putting it to good use now. It’s an opportunity to fuck her with my tongue in plain view, a promise of what I want to do with my cock and her pussy.
Even if it leaves an imprint of my zipper on my hardened flesh, I can’t help myself to have a little taste of her. Fucked-up and I might not understand it myself but on the other hand, I couldn’t care less; I’ve always done what I want and I won’t be stopping now.
Breaking away I mutter against her lips, “Let’s go before Brodie blows another nut.”
She giggles and it’s the first time I’m hearing the innocent sound. My cock twitches again and I really should bury myself between her legs again but like I said, we need to head out. I put the weapons she didn’t pick back into the safe–except for a small handgun–and we head out to our bikes.
I watch how she takes out her Glock and she hands it to me. It’s a beautiful piece with flower swirl engravings, giving it a more feminine appearance.
I hand it back and offer her the small handgun along with it. “Here, put this one back into the hidden compartment. You never know when it might come in handy.”
She gives me a grateful smile and slips the gun into the compartment and closes it. Her Glock disappears into a holster at the back of her jeans, hidden underneath her leather jacket. I hand her a helmet and straddle my bike.
The others are on their bikes as well and I wait for Meribeth to get on behind me. The feel of her tits flattening against my back, arms wrapping around my waist while her pussy is pressed close is fucking amazing.
I understand the feeling my father once described about having my mother on the back of his bike. It’s like beating your chest with your fist in a primal move to bellow the claim of your old lady.
Hitting the throttle, we head out. Brodie is next to me and the two others follow behind us. I keep an eye on the road and every now and then check if anyone is following us. We’re still in the middle of a war and while having the woman sitting on the back of my bike forges a truce between her family and mine, there’s still the Bane family who seeks revenge. Revenge because I killed his son and because he wants what’s mine; Meribeth.
We ride for close to forty minutes and once we’re in the parking lot, leaving our bikes, I notice a car parking on the other side which I’ve spotted twice during our ride here. I grab my phone and text Brodie so I don’t have to concern anyone else if it’s nothing.
Brodie glances at me after reading the text and gives me a nod. “You guys go on up, I’m gonna get myself a cup of coffee first and then I’ll come find you guys. Bennie, you’re with me, I have a little job for you.”
“Fraser, you’re with me,” I grunt and we head inside the hospital.
Adler has been keeping me up-to-date about Erin, Meribeth’s mother. We know which floor and it’s no hardship to slip into her room while Adler and Fraser stay out in the hall.
Meribeth rushes to her mother’s side but staggers back when the woman glances at her as if she’s a total stranger. It’s completely fucked up and my chest tightens at the hurt and shock sliding over Meribeth’s face.
“Who are you?” Erin asks, brows furrowed and throwing me a look as if I’m a wild animal.
“Mom,” my old lady croaks. “It’s me, Meribeth, your daughter.”
Erin gives a curt shake. “I don’t…I don’t remember.”
The beeping of her heartrate starts to spike. This whole situation is fucked-up and futile. At first, I wanted to keep Erin hidden to have something to hold over McVay’s head but since I’m tied to his daughter I don’t need her anymore. I pull out my phone and jab the screen when I’ve found Niall’s number.
“McVay,” I grunt, Meribeth’s eyes go wide when she glances my way. “Your wife was hurt the night we took them. The blast from blowing up the gate knocked her back and she landed on her head. I had one of my prospects deliver her to the hospital where she’s been staying ever since. She doesn’t remember anything and it might be good if you swing by.”
Silence greets me but his shallow breathing lets me know he heard me just fine. I stalk over to Meribeth and hold out my phone for her to take.
“Dad.” Meribeth swallows hard. “She doesn’t recognize me. From what I’ve been told she’s slowly recovering but they don’t know if her memory will come back. Yes.” She stares at me for a moment and releases a deep sigh. “No, I don’t want to talk about it. Just come and watch over mom, bring her home, okay?”
She hangs up and rounds the bed to come to a stop right in front of me. Handing me my phone back she lifts herself on her toes and whispers, “Thank you,” before brushing her lips against mine.
Fuck. This woman. Thanking me while it was us who blew up the gate that knocked her mother back into the pavement. Yeah, we first thought it was her father’s men who fired at us first and caused this shit to unravel, and now look at us.
This woman has found a way to bring the truth to the surface by being the fierce woman she is, closing a rift it caused between us. I’m not saying I trust her father but I understand he too was a pawn in someone else’s dirty game.
I dig my fist into her hair. “Don’t think I’ve gone soft on you. I’m only evening things out, nothing more, nothing less.”
Before she can say anything else, I slam my mouth over hers and deepen our kiss, not caring one single bit about her mother being in the room. There’s a knock breaking us apart, though.
Brodie sticks his head inside the room. “You were right, Prez. Bennie is keeping watch but we should leave right now or wait for backup.”
“Fuck,” I snap and tighten my hold slightly to draw Meribeth’s attention back to me. “Say goodbye to your mother, we’re leaving.”
She doesn’t throw questions at me or attitude for that matter.
Stalking toward her mother she gently takes her hand and murmurs, “I know you don’t recognize me but–” She swallows hard. “I love you, Mom. Father will be here soon. Please get better.”
The woman looks confused and her eyes follow her until we’re out of the room. My chest constricts at the pain and sadness edged on her face. I pull her close and place a kiss on the top of her head as I guide her through the hallway.
I can’t explain the tender movement, even more because I did it in front of my brothers but it felt right at the time. And when she leans in to seek comfort and support it’s exactly what I give her as we walk out of the hospital.
My gaze goes to our bikes and when I notice Bennie’s body slumped behind them, I reach for my gun but I’m not fast enough when I hear the first gunshot slice through the air. I push Meribeth behind a nearby car and scan my surroundings.
Brodie and Fraser are both across from me, taking cover behind a truck. Brodie signals he’s going around in an effort to take the fucker out. Fraser fires a round and the return fire comes from dead ahead.
I hold up two fingers to let Fraser know it sounds like there are two shooters. He lifts his chin in understanding and also slinks away to give Brodie the much needed backup. I risk a glance to my right and get a glimpse of Meribeth who is palming her gun while she’s crouched down with her back to the car.
I focus on what’s in front of me again. The gunfire has died off and I’m about to glance around the car when I’m suddenly hit with Meribeth’s body as she pushes me to the ground, gun-fucking-blazing.
“Ouch. Motherfucker that hurts,” she grumbles and I whirl around to see a man’s body lying behind me.
His eyes are facing heaven with his gaze fixed on hell and a bullet hole in his forehead. Swinging my head toward my old lady I notice she’s bleeding from her side.
“You took a fucking bullet for me?” I snap.
And why the hell am I snapping at her? She just saved my life because the way she pushed me to the side while I was crouched down, and her jumping for me? That bullet was meant for my head.
“Clear,” Brodie yells.
I place my gun back in its holster and rip the fabric from her shirt some more to check her wound.
“Not a through and through, more like a heavy graze, but we’re going to need to patch you up and then clean the wound and put in some stitches. Fucking lucky woman.” I grab her face in my hands and give her a scorching kiss. “You,” I grunt. “Unbelievable.”
I hoist her up and we walk toward Brodie and Fraser.
“I threw the two bodies in the car, you know–” Brodie’s face fills with anger. “The one you mentioned earlier. These fuckers were following us. I checked for tattoos, each of them have the grizzly with crown tattoo on their forearm.”
“There’s another one behind that car.” I point my thumb over my shoulder. “Meribeth took him out. We have to leave before the place swarms with cops.”
“I’ll throw that body in the car and drive somewhere else,” Fraser offers.
“I can ride Bennie’s bike,” Meribeth offers.
“You took a bullet,” I growl, not liking her hurt and riding a damn bike that’s fucking heavy.
“I’m fine. I’m an experienced biker, Ramsey. I’ve ridden dirt bikes ever since I was a little kid.”
“Time’s ticking away folks,” Brodie grunts.
Fraser pulls his keys from his pocket and throws them at Meribeth who snags them out of the air. If this moment wasn’t as fucked-up, my cock would be hard from the pride I feel for my old lady.
We all jump into action and get the hell out of there.
