BLAMELESS: MC Biker Romance (Black Thorns, #3) (14 page)

‘Til Sarah.

And it ain’t the actual fucking neither. It’s the way I feel when I’m with her. Just being ‘round her. She pulls me away from all that. She pulls me outta that dark. She’s all light. That’s why. She ain’t got that dark in her and I guess that’s what drew me to her and what’s keeping me there.

“Zeb, I know how you are. And it’s okay. I’m not judging.”

I shake my head. “How I
were
. Feel different with you. Just being with you, Sarah.”

“Is it because I’m not…uh…good enough…at sex?”

Jesus Christ. I squeeze her hands. “Darlin’, when we’re getting it on…hell…I ain’t never had nothing better. Ain’t just saying that. It’s the truth. We got this connection, yeah? Feels different. Better with you. But I don’t wanna just do that. I spent my life like that. So empty. Don’t want the same with you. I want…I
need
more. You hear me?”

A huge grin forms on her face. “Really?”

“Yeah. Really.”

She blows out a breath. “Okay.”

“All right. We good then?”

She nods.

I let go of her hands and wrap my arm ‘round her. I pull her closer to me, so she’s brushing up against me. “Good. Let’s eat then.”

I’m ‘bout to dig in when my cell phone starts buzzing in the back pocket of my jeans. The burner phone Dealer gave me.

She pauses. Woman’s got amazing manners. Always waits for me before she eats. “Go ahead,” I tell her, getting up from the couch.

I eye the call display.
Private.

“Yeah?” I answer. Ain’t gonna give my name ‘til I know who’s calling.

“Runner!”

It’s Ax. Sounds like he’s ‘round bikes, cuz the roar of engines is almost drowning him out.

“Ax? Where you at? Can hardly hear you.”

“Clubhouse. Riding out. Get…Runner…get….”

“What? Can’t hear you.”

There’s some shuffling ‘round. Guess he’s getting away from the bikes.

“Get outta there!” he bellows down the line, suddenly.

“Jesus Christ, Ax. Almost blew my fucking eardrum there. What you talkin’ ‘bout?”

“Got a security breach. Dunno where from. They know! Get outta there! Ride now!”

Fucking hell.

“They coming? They close?”

“No fucking idea, but Torvin knowing where she’s at, I’m thinking, yeah, they’re headed there. So, get out now. Once you hit the highway, call me. Dealer and Sin are on their way. They’re closer than us. Gonna ride with the boys. Gonna get there as fast as we can, brother. All right?”

“Yeah, I—”

“Don’t waste time talkin’ to
me
. Get outta there, Runner!”

He hangs up, not giving me no choice.

I stuff my phone back into my pocket and turn to Sarah. She’s already on her feet. Heard what I said then. Her eyes are wide and she looks so damn scared. I hate it. Don’t want her to be feeling fear like that. Ever.

“We gotta go. Now.”

When she stands there frozen, I cross to her and grab her arm. I pull her behind me and lead her down the hallway to the bedroom. “Gotta get dressed, darlin’. Pack what you can. Five minutes. Can’t risk no longer.”

I lead her into the bedroom and let go of her.

She’s still in that frozen state. I cross to the bedside table and snatch up my gun. I holster it then walk back to her and bend down to her eye level. I cup her face in my hands and tell her, “Sarah, no thinking. No time for that. You gotta focus on the
task
only. And the task is getting dressed and packed. That’s all. Just the
task
, yeah? You hear me?”

She nods and her eyes snap to mine, their focus returning. “Task,” she breathes.

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Just as she turns away to get started, I hear something that has me stopping in my tracks.

Thuds coming from the front door.

“Stay here,” I tell her.

“Zeb! No! Don’t!”

“Just gonna check who’s at the door. Ax said he’s sent Sin and Dealer down. Probably just ‘em.”

She nods.

I snatch my t-shirt and cut up off the chair where I left ‘em and put ‘em both on quick. I cross to the door and walk out, shutting it behind me.

I know it ain’t Sin or Dealer. It’s Dealer’s safe house. He’s got a key. Why’d he be knocking on the damn door?

No way I’m gonna tell Sarah that. She’s worked up enough already.

I’m a few feet from the living room when a crash behind me, coming from the kitchen, has me spinning ‘round quick. Just in time, too.

Two muscle-bound fuckers barrel on through the now messed up kitchen door.

One of ‘em comes at me real quick. Good thing I’m faster than most then.

I wait ‘til he’s close enough, then I turn into him, grab him and use his mammoth weight against him to throw him over my shoulder. He grunts as he lands hard on his back on the kitchen tile. I smash my boot into his head, knocking him out.

The second one’s on me then, jumping on my back. As he wraps one of his arms ‘round my neck, tryin’ to choke me out, I stumble back into the fridge. I smash against it, over and over again, tryin’ to shake him off me. The second I feel his grip loosen, I thrust my elbow into his gut. It weakens his hold ‘round my neck, allowing me to rip his arm off me, breaking his hold on me. I spin ‘round to face him and slam my hands into his chest, knocking him into the countertop opposite. I come at him then, too fast for him to get the chance to sneak in a hefty jab. I assault him with rapid-fire blows. In seconds, he’s groaning in a heap on the floor, along with his buddy.

Movement outside from the open kitchen door catches my attention. I draw my gun and spin ‘round to see three more assholes barrelling through into the kitchen.

Before I can even fire off a shot, a thunderous thud comes from behind me. I shift my position so I can see the kitchen to my left and the living room to my right.

That’s when I see the front door’s been busted open, too.

Jesus fuck. It’s a fucking home invasion.

The first guy through the door don’t surprise me one bit.

Eddie Torvin.

“You ain’t touching her, fucker,” I tell him.

A sadistic smirk plays on his face as he walks into the living room and then steps aside. Two more of his muscle follow him in, each holding a handgun.

“Put the gun down,” Torvin tells me, gesturing to his boys and the fact that it’s now two guns versus mine. Shit. Shit. Shit.

If that ain’t enough, I hear the sounds of guns cocking to my left, the direction my gun’s still aimed in.

As I try to figure a way outta this messed up situation without taking a bullet, the sound of an all-too-familiar voice sends a chill through me.

“Not even you can get outta this one, Zeb.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

He steps through the front door.

It’s been ‘bout twenty years, but I’d recognize those cold, dead eyes anywhere. Black as his fucking soul. His hair’s silver now. Down to his shoulders and slicked back with way too much gel, making it look sickeningly greasy. He’s sporting a pinstripe black suit. Designer, no doubt. An expensive pussy-ass outfit that his blood money’s paid for. He’s exactly the slimy businessman I remember. Just much older. In his early fifties now.

“Jase,” I grit out, tryin’ not to show no emotion. That’s a major weakness in this kinda situation. The kind that could get me killed. But it takes all the self-control I got not to lose my shit with the rage burning through every part of my body. Fucker nearly destroyed me.

“Little brother,” he responds with that creepy smirk of his.

“What you doing here?”

He walks up to Torvin and slaps him on the shoulder. “After my
associate
figured out the guy who put down his boys was
you
, I had to see for myself. The younger brother I’d had such high hopes for alive after twenty years of me believing him to be dead? Nah, it couldn’t be, right? Yet, here you are. You’ve been hiding from me all this time.” His eyes darken. “This family reunion is way overdue, don’t you agree,
brother
.”

He spits the word
brother
in that way of his that lets me know he’s planning something. He’s planning to fuck me up somehow. Problem with Jase is, he ain’t predictable. Could never see shit coming with him. It were always too late by the time I figured his move out.

“Put the goddamn gun down!” he roars suddenly, smashing his fist into the arm of the couch.

And there’s the wild temper I remember.

When I don’t, he warns me, “Ten seconds, Zeb. Or, I’ll have one of them knee-cap you. You know I always make good on my threats.”

Fuck.

I pull my gun back and slowly crouch down and place it on the floor, before standing back up.

“Good boy,” he tells me.

Fucker.
I’m gonna kill you. I’m gonna fucking kill you!

“Now,” he says, striding closer with his hands clasped behind his back. “Eddie tells me you’ve taken something of his.”

“Ain’t his,” I growl.

He grins. “Of course. Still the same man I remember. Fucked her, did you? Made her yours?”

“You know that ain’t what I do, Jase. Don’t claim no woman.” Ain’t totally sure where my head’s at on that one, but Jase can’t know nothing ‘bout me feeling things for Sarah. He’ll use it and hurt her, if I show him I care ‘bout her at all. “Club tasked me to protect her from this sicko you’re doing business with.”

Torvin snarls at me and demands, “Where is she?”

I keep my eyes on Jase. “That why you’re here? Ain’t like you to get involved in personal shit.”

“Oh, I’m here for
you
. Don’t care what he does with some bitch. Collateral damage to me, Zeb.”

“For me?”

His eyes flash. “We got twenty years to make up for.”

What the fuck’s that mean?

He steps closer to me. As he does, the three guys to my left close in on me, surrounding me.

“You know, brother, it’s real harsh making me think you were dead all these years, going off the grid by joining that club of yours. Making me grieve your death.”

“Grieve?” I scoff. “Give me a fucking break.”

“You left me!” he bellows, that dangerous temper of his sparking to life again.

His hands shoot out suddenly and he grips my cut. His expression softens and he smiles—crazy bastard, flipping from one emotion to the next in a split second—and tells me, “It’s okay. You’ve just forgotten who you really are. Forgotten where you belong. With
me
.”

I hear a door open suddenly. My blood runs cold as I then hear Sarah’s sweet voice. “Zeb? Are you okay? What’s happening?”

I see Torvin start down the hallway.

I slam my hands into Jase’s chest, knocking him back. I dart outta the kitchen. A bullet bites into the drywall just a split second after I’ve cleared the area. Shit. Way too close! I lunge at Torvin and tackle him to the ground as I scream at Sarah, “Get outta here! Now! Go, Sarah! Window! Go!”

I’m so distracted by making sure she does as I tell her that I ain’t paying attention to the fucker I’m tryin’ to hold on the ground. Real stupid, cuz he’s got a good hundred pounds on me. He’s a huge guy, like Ax and Smiter. Should have my wits ‘bout me, cuz the only way a smaller guy like me can pull it off is through good technique.

I see Sarah run back inside the bedroom. The lock clangs. Thank fuck.

And then Torvin’s elbow clocks me across the side of the face. It’s a brutal hit that knocks me off his back. He struggles to his feet. Before I can do the same, his two guys who were in the living room seconds ago are on me and dragging me up. The two of ‘em hold me in two arm locks.

I don’t even get the chance to break outta it as Jase walks up with the three kitchen guys who’ve got their guns aimed my way.

Jase fixes his messed up hair from my brief attack and then parts the crowd of assholes surrounding me. He points to the three armed ones and tells me, “Try anything else and I swear they’ll kneecap you.”

“Tell her to come out here!” Torvin yells from behind Jase.

Jase barks over his shoulder, “Him first. Her after. Keep your shit together. Remember, you work for me, not the other way around. Got it?”

Torvin steps back. The fear in his eyes towards my brother is something I’ve seen way too much. Or
had
seen. ‘Til I ran when I were eighteen. Twenty years away from him, I’d thought it were a forever deal. And now this? Shit.

“You’ve been outta this life for too long, Zeb. You’ve forgotten how good it could be. You just need a reminder, that’s all.”

He reaches into his inner jacket pocket, his creepy eyes boring into mine. He pulls out two items.

Fuck. No. No. No.

I try to back away, but the guys holding me tighten their grips, almost breaking my arms.