Insatiable - Devil's Stepbrothers MC (16 page)

Her Lucca was gone. She had three younger brothers, and they were great but no one looked out for her like Lucca. There were times she knew that he didn’t understand her or the way she hated violence, the  way she tried to avoid her family and the tales she told so no one would know who she was, but he loved her anyway… protected her anyway. He was the one constant that she could count on in her life, and now he was gone. It felt like the moon should have stopped shining and the stars should have shut off. Nothing was right… nothing and the guy she’d been sleeping with and giving her heart and soul to had taken him from her.

She heard the knock on the door, and she didn’t know how she would ever face him again. Violence beget violence, and she never understood why… until now. Her father would be proud of the hatred and brimstone that seemed to be bubbling in her veins. She didn’t know what she should do, but getting away from this love haven she’d set up with the devil would have to be the first thing she changed.

There was a phone in the bathroom, and she knew it was a secure line. To think she thought it was humorous when they described this feature to her. Who the hell needed a phone with private access in the damn bathroom? Who needed it? She did… right now.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Aiden didn’t know what to do. He knew she would be livid. Just like he knew she was going to think he had killed Lucca himself. Once she heard her cousin was dead, it was like a switch went off, and he didn’t think she even heard anything after that. She made this noise that sounded like she was screaming inside her mouth, and there was nothing he wanted to do more in that moment than to comfort her, but she wouldn’t stay still long enough for him to catch up with her.

When she locked herself inside the bathroom, he didn’t know what she was planning to do. The screaming that she was muffling in her mouth turned into full blown screams and crying a few minutes after she closed the door. He didn’t think she’d hurt herself, but the thought did cross his mind. In the time that he’d known her, he’d learned how special Lucca was to her and sometimes he would cringe just thinking that he was going to end the man’s life for a job. Death happened. Sometimes to the most deserving people, but when you did it for hire, you didn’t even have a problem with the person. It was just business. Before now that was just fine by him, but now he didn’t know how he felt about it.

Sitting by the door of the bathroom made him feel helpless. He’d knocked a few times when she got quiet and told her if she didn’t say anything he was going to call the police. Both times she threw something at the door. At least she was okay even if she apparently wasn’t talking to him.

After a few hours the door opened, and he wasn’t sure if he was going to be good or bad, but when he finally saw her face he knew the end result wasn’t going to be the one he was hoping for.

“I’ve called my father’s people, and they are coming to pick me up.” She didn’t even look him in the face as she said it. It was like she was a robot, and all her emotions were shut down. He understood that, but he wished she would just hear him out.

“How long until they’re here?” He took a step toward her, and she moved around him to start loading up all her items.

“They should be here shortly so I don’t think you should stay. If they know what happened, and I know that they do, this night will be your last.”

“I was trying to explain myself when you went into the bathroom, but I don’t think you could hear me. My side of this story has to be told. I don’t care what your family thinks or what my company thinks, but I want you to know the truth.”

She was normally a methodical neat freak who liked everything in its place, but now she was throwing things into bags randomly. He moved to sit next to the suitcase where she was tossing everything when she suddenly stopped.

“I don’t really care about your truth because the truth won’t bring my Lucca back. You and the people you set yourself up with killed off one of the best human beings I’ve ever known. I can’t even look at you without knowing that if you didn’t enter my life, I may have my cousin back. All my life I’ve tried to live a nonviolent and normal life because I didn’t understand how people could want to harm other people.” She stopped to look up at him finally, but when she did he wished she hadn’t. There was a fierce disgust in her face, and it was like he was a child again back in foster care. She wished he was never born just like everyone else he’d ever run across that he took time to know.

“I know that, Lorna,” he said quietly because he knew that hurt people… hurt other people, and he was definitely the target for her wrath.

“But did you know that you’ve helped me understand it all. My father and his boys, my cousin and his underlings… they all have rage. It burns inside of them leaving a path that desires to be filled with ugly things… like revenge, destruction, and hate. I feel that now… I understand that now, and I’m praying that it won’t over take me. I want you dead… in this moment if I had a gun, there wouldn’t have been a question that you would have taken your last breath on the same night as your victim.”

She looked so sad as she explained her feelings to him, and he’d never heard it put that way. It wasn’t like he didn’t know what she was talking about. He lived his life with that feeling, and until he met her, he didn’t know how it felt to be without the monster that lived within him. That thing that made him want to fight, destroy, and fuck anything and everything that had a wet pussy and was willing. Lorna soothed that beast in him, but in turn he made her take on the ugly dragon that ruled his world. He’d destroyed her, and just like he couldn’t bring Lucca back, he wasn’t going to be able to fix the fury that beat within her heart.

“I won’t stoop to your level, but I want you out of my life. I want you out of my sight and I’m giving you this one last reprieve. Leave before my family gets here. This is the only way I’m going to believe that this night hasn’t made me into the death machine that you are.” She turned back to her suitcase where she finished throwing her clothes and items in with haste.

“Lorna?” He didn’t even know what he could say to her, but he didn’t want to leave it like this.

“Don’t make me sorry I didn’t let my family clear up this mess. I want to be a decent human being… that’s all I ever wanted. Even though I came from shitty stock, I thought that I could make a good defense for nature over nurture and be the rose that broke through the garbage to bloom and be fruitful, but I can see that science is right and the fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree. I’m shit too. Thanks for helping me find that out. I probably should be grateful, but I just am not.”

He stood there for a few more minutes hoping that something brilliant that would make her see that she was wrong about herself. She was one of the best women he’d ever met who always saw the best of everyone. She didn’t look like she was going to be believing anything he had to say. Was it odd that she’d want to be away from him? No, but he’d hoped she’d sleep on it and be able to hear his side of things first thing in the morning. This would probably be the last time he saw her, and he was pissed about that, but things happened, and he knew that it didn’t matter how he felt about things. If someone didn’t want you around, they were going to make sure you knew about it.

“They should be pulling up any minute. You need to think very carefully about the next move you make here. My family doesn’t like you for whatever they presume you did to make me change and pick a stranger over family, but now that Lucca is dead, the time for talking is over. Capishe?” She didn’t even look at him with that drawn out rationale for why he needed to stop standing there and get going, but it didn’t feel over. His intuition could be wrong when it wanted to be, he guessed.

He walked over to get the rest of his clothes and threw them on. “I know you’re not in the mood to hear me, but if ever you want to know what happened tonight I’ll be willing to tell you. No one else, but you. I will.” He scribbled down the phone number he kept at his home and hoped that one day soon she would call it. Placing it in her purse, he closed it and walked out the door. He wasn’t going to beg anyone to be there for him or to trust him. He knew no one thought he was trustworthy, and he knew the end result of trying to force something that wasn’t meant to be. It had been like a television show while he was with her… friendly… inviting… unreal, and he loved each and every minute of it. He wasn’t sure he deserved all that he was getting when he was with her, but damned if he was going to turn it down.

Taking the steps quickly he threw his duffle bag over his shoulder and went over to his bike. It didn’t take long to strap everything up and be ready to go. Unfortunately, he didn’t want to go. He looked up to the window where their room had been hoping to see something… a shadow of her frantically packing or her in the window flipping him the bird, but what he did see made him wish he’d been denied anything. There was a shadow that he could make out, and it was of her crouched down on the floor. It looked like she was crying so hard that her body was wracked with heaving sobs. Fuck.

He couldn’t leave her like that. There had to be a way he could stand around and make sure she got picked up. He wheeled his bike to the other side of the house behind a wall where he couldn’t be seen from the road. It didn’t take long for the troops to come rolling in, and they came in like there was a war to be fought. Most of the men stayed in the cars but what looked like a father and a few other guys got out.

The door opened, and Lorna walked out of the house like she was a regal princess. He could see the dirty look her father was giving her, but since nothing was done, Aiden would have to be comfortable with the fact that she was safe with people who loved her… minus Lucca.

It didn’t take long for them all to let the lead car back out and the others follow suit, and he knew he should be counting his lucky stars that no one saw him and that he didn’t try to take off when he was going to… he would have ran right into them on the road, and he wouldn’t have to worry about getting another chance at her or anything else. His chances would be done and so would he.

Waiting a few more minutes, he pulled out of the place where his bike was hidden and started his bike. With one last look up at the place that had been his residence and dream life, he took off into the night trying not to think about what was going on with Lorna.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

“Well, look who made it back,” Maverick, the leader of the mercenary motorcycle group The Devil’s Stepbrothers, and technically Aiden’s boss said when he walked in the door.

Aiden had gotten home last night but had waited for the next day to come in and talk to Maverick. He didn’t know what kind of reception he’d receive, but the happy go lucky one didn’t even make it on the top 10 lists of how this was going to play out.

“I wanted to talk to you about what happened on the last job,” Aiden said as he looked around at the few men around them.

“Come with me,” The large Hispanic man lead them to his office and directed him to sit in the seat across from the large presidential chair. He leaned back in the chair and looked at Aiden so long he wondered if the man was going to gather the information just by looking at him. “I heard it was a cluster fuck down there, but the job got completed, and there is a fat reward for you.”

“A reward?” Aiden didn’t think he deserved any type of reward for what he’d done.

“Yeah. I guess no one told you, but the man who wanted Lucca dead was getting impatient since it seemed like the person we sent down there was having a change of heart when it came to completing the mission. So you get your regular pay for completing the mission and an extra $50,000 bonus.”

Aiden couldn’t even believe what he was hearing. It seemed wrong to even think about taking money for something that had ruined his life with an angel.

“I didn’t kill either of them. I don’t deserve that bonus or the pay.” Aiden argued and found it hard to keep seated, but in the end, he did just that. He was known for his patience and calm, so this damn fidgeting was going to have to go.

“I heard they both shot each other.” Maverick watched Aiden like a bird of prey and with all that had happened, Aiden had nothing to hide.

“Right.” Aiden hoped the man was getting the gist of what was going on because he really didn’t want to talk about this right now, but that is why he had come in today instead of getting into his bed and sleeping for a good long while. “I was down there so long trying to get them to resolve their issues. Crowbar came out of nowhere, and they shot each other.”

“Look, dude. I’ve known you for a long while, and I really wanted this to be your thing, but it’s not. There are plenty of jobs to do with the club, and you need to look into one of them. It’s not saying you’re not tough or able, but you are a lover. You think it’s your problem, but I think that’s just you. Stop fighting it.”

“So you’re saying I should just fuck for a living?” Aiden thought this was the strangest conversation he’d ever had.

“No. I’m saying maybe you could do surveillance or fact checking or hell… watch over the money, but the killing part isn’t for you.”

Aiden was somewhat happy that he wasn’t being asked to leave. He’d been with the group so long it was like he didn’t know where else he’d go, but there was something relieved that he wasn’t going to be going back to the streets in the same capacity. He wanted to share that news with someone but he knew the someone he wanted to share with didn’t want anything to do with him.

“Why am I getting the money when I didn’t do the job?” Aiden was confused about that part.

“Well, someone did the job and since you were the only one standing that makes the money yours… did you not want it?” The man leaned up in his chair like he was getting ready to call the little men to take him to the mental health unit.

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t take it… I just wondered why I was receiving it.”

“This has been a tough assignment, but it was lucrative to the company. Take a few days off and rest, but we’ll see you after that, and I’ll figure out where to start you.”

Maverick had a way of dismissing you even though he didn’t say the words.

“Alright, then.” Aiden was already mentally in his bed as he left the office, so the reality of that job being over seemed to wipe him out.

The ride home was quicker than normal, and he almost dreaded going inside. He didn’t want to have to deal with this shit. He was a few chick a night fucker, but he couldn’t even think about going out to score. Fuck… he was losing his damn self over a woman who was over him. He’d think about that shit tomorrow.

He put his hands in his pockets to find the key to his apartment and in that pocket he found the sparkly diamond bracelet that he was trying to give Lucca when it all went south. He held it up to the light and was again amazed at the clarity of the stones. He wasn’t a jeweler, but even a blind man could tell this wasn’t just your regular mass market jewelry.

Holding the treasure in his hand, he wondered what he was supposed to do with this. One thing he knew for sure was that these little quirks of fate were signs and even if he didn’t normally believe in them, he was going to believe in it now.

Here he was with a big ticket item in his hands, and he had to get it back to her. Maybe she’d not noticed it was missing yet. He’d followed along in the paper and knew that the funeral was a closed event with only close family and friends, but that was going on tomorrow. He wouldn’t break into the funeral. Aiden wasn’t a religious man, but he respected what other people chose for their religion.

Setting the piece on his side table, he went to sleep and hoped that all would be figured out when he awoke.

He was bone tired and miserable, but he couldn’t get a wink of sleep. It was like the bracelet was calling to him and wanting to return to its owner. That’s what he would do; he’d wait a few days and then get back so he could give her a chance to receive the offering in the spirit in which it was given… like a man who was going to have to live without oxygen and was trying with all he had for a few more sucks to fill his lungs.

With a plan in his head and Lorna’s jewels in his hand, he could feel himself drifting off. He hoped his girl was going to get a bit of rest because he was coming back with a vengeance. Would it be a fight? Maybe… but would it be worth it? Hell yeah.