Rough & Raw (Notorious Devils Book 2) (6 page)

“Got it. LeeLee used to have this woman, Tammy, watch Bear when she worked nights at the club. He’d never find her at Tammy’s. She has nothing to do with the club, just an old neighbor of LeeLee’s. She’s a great lady,” he explains. I nod. It could work.

“You trust her?” I ask.

I have never left Stella alone with anybody except my parents. Not even with Scotty. I haven’t trusted him since the day I married him. No way would I leave my baby alone with him.

“Yeah, she’s a good lady—grandmotherly and very sweet. Bear loves her, and LeeLee trusts her completely,” he explains.

“Okay,” I say, nodding my head.

“Go to bed, yeah?” Bates mutters.

I don’t say another word.
I need sleep
. I can’t think about Bates or my life for a moment longer.

I change into an oversized shirt and leave my jeans in a pile on the floor before I crawl into Bates’ bed and slide beneath his cool sheets. My eyes flutter closed the second my head hits the pillow, and I fall into a dreamless sleep. Thoughts of Scotty, of his abuse and the fear I hold, disintegrate.

I am safe.

Stella is safe.

Bates has us, and no way would he ever let anything happen to my girl and me. Of that, I am certain. Even if I can never fully give myself to him as a lover. I can’t be certain that he’ll stay if I give myself to him ever again. He ran from me, and now I have a child, running from the both of us would damage not only me, but Stella too. He was right when he said she’d been through enough, she has.

I will always have faith in Bates as a protector. He’s changed, he’s hardened, and through all that, I can still see that there is that boy he used to be, all those years ago, deep down, somewhere.

Sniper

I rub my hand over my face.

Fuck
.

This girl breaks me.

Everything inside of me is calling to claim her, but she isn’t ready. Not even close to it. I don’t know if she ever will be. At this point, all signs are pointing to
never
. She has to heal and get free from that fucking dickwad’s hold over her. I don’t know what I’ll do if she never lets me back in there. I want to believe that I could talk her into giving herself to me again, but she’s so fuckin’ damaged right now.

I’ll be there for her every step of the way, anyway she wants me.

Now, if I could only tell my dick that. He’s ready to be buried inside of his home—
Brentlee’s body
.

My phone rings and I frown at the name flashing on my screen.

“Fury,” I say.

It’s late. Since he’s been home from prison, he doesn’t stay up late. He’s always home with his wife and family.

“He came lookin’ for her. She was right,” he mumbles into the phone. I already know he’s called the cops to his place; Vault informed me earlier tonight when he did a check on her old place.

“And?” I ask, wondering what’s next.

Scotty’s an abusive piece of shit with ties to people high up in the community. He not only doesn’t want to look bad, he doesn’t strike me as a guy who would easily give up on something he thought was his.

Win at all costs
.

Not that I’m any different, I just won’t beat Brent’s ass to get her to come to heel.

“Told him I didn’t know why the fuck he was lookin’ for her here since we ain’t seen or talked to her in six fuckin’ years,” Fury grunts. “He didn’t buy it. He’s suspicious and I wouldn’t be surprised if he shows at the club or the clubhouse soon.”

“I’ll be ready for him,” I grunt.

“No, Snipe, this guy is an asshole. You’ll be no good to Brent in jail, trust me. We play this smart and legal. I already contacted a lawyer today. We meet with him tomorrow in Boise,” Fury says. It shocks the shit out of me.

“That’s almost a full day’s drive,” I point out.

“We’re all goin’. Call it an overdue family fuckin’ vacation. Kent wants to take the kids to the zoo or some shit. We’re leaving at eight in the morning. Make sure you got your girls ready and we’ll meet at your place and take off from there. I think that fucker has eyes on my house just waiting for Brent to show. I ain’t givin’ him a chance to catch her,” Fury growls.

I know he’s doing this for Kentlee, but he’s also doing it because he’s watched a young girl get beat the fuck down and that shit ain’t right.

“Eight, we’ll be ready,” I say. “She isn’t workin’ at the
Devil’s
Club,
” I announce.

“Didn’t think you’d allow that shit,” Fury chuckles from the other end of the phone.

I sigh, because it’s so hypocritical, since I’m the one who pushed his woman into working as a cocktail waitress at the strip club.

“She’s going to manage the bar at the clubhouse. Clean and order booze and shit like that. She’ll be safer inside there than anywhere else,” I say, waiting for Fury to deny me.

“What’re you gonna do when a brother wants to tap that?” he asks with a hint of amusement in his voice.

I’m not fucking amused in the slightest.

“She’s claimed. She’s mine. Nobody touches her but me,” I growl.

“She wearing a patch saying she’s yours? She gonna have your name inked on her body?”

“Doesn’t matter, brother. She’s been mine since she was a kid. Any other man looks at her with anything other than sister affection, I’ll kill him.
Slowly
,” I state. Fury bursts out laughing.

“You’re a fuckin’ goner for this bitch,” he says.

“Always have been,” I murmur into the phone.

“All right, brother. I get it. Got the other sister spread out in my own bed,” he says laughing.

“Brother,” I groan trying not to picture LeeLee spread out in any bed.

“Fuckin’ fact. Pussy’s the best I ever had; figure that’s a family trait, since you ain’t had it in a decade and you’re ready to give up every other cunt on earth for her without a second thought,” he says, laughing uncontrollably, like he’s a goddamned comedian.
Asshole
.

“See you tomorrow,
fucker
,” I grind out, hanging up the phone without waiting for a response.

I stand up from the couch and start to shut down the house. I check every single door and window before I go to the coat closet and open my safe. I didn’t want to have any guns just lying around with Stella in the house, but I won’t be able to get to my safe in the middle of the night very quickly, so I’ll need my handgun available. No way is that asshole getting the jump on me. I take my favorite nine mill out of my safe before locking it again and shoving the gun in the back of my waistband.

I go back to the couch and sit down. I’m not tired yet. Horny, but not tired. If I could sink myself inside of Brentlee, I would in a hot minute; but I’m not about to fuck up my chance with her.

This is a second chance to make her permanently mine. I have to play it right. I have to make her
want
me, not
need
me. She’s been through enough hell, and I want to give her a taste of heaven.

I hope I don’t fuck up.

I’m not that boy I once was.

I’m not good or kind anymore.

I’m rough.

I’m raw.

I need things now that I never needed back then.

Brentlee

I
feel my body being shaken awake and I suck in a breath before I open my eyes in a panic.

Shit, I missed my alarm and I’m late making Scotty’s breakfast
.

Once my eyes focus on the figure in front of me, I let out a sigh.

It’s Bates.

Not Scotty.

I lift my shaking hand to my eyes and moan.

“You okay?” he asks, concern etched on his face.

“Yeah, you startled me,” I semi-lie, sitting up.

“Get ready and pack an overnight bag. We’re taking a road trip today,” Bates orders with a grin.

“Road trip? To where?” I ask, my heart beginning to beat quickly in my chest.

“Boise. We’re all going with LeeLee, Fury, and the kids. Fury set a meeting up with a good lawyer and then we’re just going to chill, spend some time at the zoo with the kids,” he says with a shrug, like he isn’t telling me something beautiful.

A
family
day.

A day with my sister and her babies.

Tears prick my eyes and I suck in my trembling bottom lip.

“He really did that? For me?” I ask as tears completely fill my eyes and then begin to fall.

“Yeah, baby. He loves LeeLee and she loves you. Get ready because you’ve got a huge pack of bikers at your back now. I’m making damn sure that asshole is never touching you again. We start the legal way,” he says. It sounds as if there is more to that sentence, but I don’t want to know what it is.

I don’t even want to think about Bates doing something illegal for me. Something that could take him away from me. I wouldn’t survive it.
God, I am so pathetic and needy
. I can’t allow myself to feel this way—ever again. But I don’t know how to stop it.

I quickly shower and pack a small overnight bag before I dress in a pair of cream shorts and a dark blue tank top. I feel lighter today than I have since I was a teenager. I can feel Scotty’s heavy cloud of doom lifting away from me, and it makes me smile as I style my hair in the mirror.

Having Bates in my life again is a wonderful thing. Even if nothing ever develops between us, I’m just thankful to be away from Scotty—to have Stella away from that horrible man. I hope that whatever this attorney says today, I can have some reassurance that Stella will be safe. In the end, she’s the only one that truly matters to me.

I grab my purse and sling it over my shoulder before walking into the living room. I expect to see Stella sitting in front of the television watching a movie and Bates in the kitchen, maybe. What I don’t expect to see is Stella and Bates sitting next to each other at the kitchen table, eating breakfast and talking.

“I wike your big muscles,” Stella whispers as she stares at Bates’ bulging bicep in awe.

Jesus
, I like his big muscles, too. In fact, I’d like to trace them with my tongue.

“Thanks,
malyshka
,” he murmurs gently.

“How much do you eat to have muscles that big? Mama says I have to eat to get stwong,” she explains. I put my hand in front of my mouth to keep from giggling at her question.

“A lot. I eat a lot. It took me a long time to grow,” he explains to my sweet girl.

“
Wow
,” she says, still in awe.

I take a step toward them and Bates’ head pops up to see me in the kitchen. His eyes soften as they graze over my body. I feel the heat from his gaze touch all of my exposed skin, as if his fingers are touching me instead of his eyes.

It’s too much.

The lingering looks are already driving me into sexual overdrive, and I’m only on day two of living with him. I can’t let this happen between us. I’m not the same sweet girl I was at fourteen; and by the haunting look in his eyes, he is nowhere near the
boy-man
he was back then, either.

It will never work between us. At one time, he was the only man I ever knew. He wouldn’t want me now if he knew the truth, if he knew how many men I have been with since he left me. Maybe I’ll tell him so that he can get rid of this infatuation he seems to have with me.

“Ready, babe?” Bates asks, breaking me of my thoughts.

“Yeah,” I murmur as I take a step toward Stella. “Time to get dressed sweet girl.”

I take Stella by the hand and lead her into the brand new princess bedroom, which Bates went over and above on, and I dress her quickly. I can’t look at the décor in this space. The gestures are too sweet, too soft, too perfect. If I even think about the kind hearted way he took us shopping last night, or the way his eyes lit up every time Stella got excited about any little thing in the store—I’ll throw myself at him.

Once I dress Stella and pack her a little overnight bag, we walk hand-in-hand into the living room to wait for Fury and Kentlee. I hold my breath as Bates steps toward me, his big body crowding my space, making my stomach quiver with want.

God, I
want
him so badly.

I want him more than anything I have ever wanted in my life, but I know one taste will never do. I’ll want to keep him and then he’ll break me again. I’m destined to be the girl who is forever broken. I don’t deserve his kindness, his lust, or his affections. If he only knew. If he only knew the truth.

I jump when there is a loud pounding on the door and watch in shock when Bates pulls a gun out from the waistband of his jeans. He holds his finger in front of his lips, signaling me to stay quiet. I squeeze Stella’s hand and look down to see that she is staring at Bates with awe. I tip my head to the side and watch as Bates looks through the peephole. His shoulders immediately relax.

I let out the breath I had been holding with relief when the door swings open and Fury’s huge body fills the space. For an older guy, he’s smokin’ hot.
Scary as shit
, but smokin’. Less than thirty seconds later, I watch as my sister squeezes past him and starts to run toward me.

A peace washes over me as Kentlee’s arms wrap around me.

My big sister.

A hug from my big sister.