Summer Pain (13 page)

“Do you?” Logan pressed.

Tigger rubbed his hands over the top of his head. “Damn it! Where is she?” He marched to the bedside table and grabbed his phone. He tried calling again. No answer.

“Why don’t you try to text her?” Sassy suggested.

“Tigger doesn’t text.”

“Want me to send a message for you?”

Tigger paused before he reluctantly handed over his phone. “Here. Go ahead.”

“What do you want me to say?” Sassy positioned her fingers over the keys.

“Tell her…” He paused. “Tell her this is a hell of a way to say goodbye.”

The door slammed, and Tigger jerked. All heads turned to the entrance as Summer marched into the room.

“Where have you been? I’ve been worried sick,” Tigger greeted, meeting her halfway. Before scolding her further, he embraced her. The hug quickly turned into a passionate kiss, deepened by the relief he felt when he held her in his arms again.

When Logan cleared his throat, they parted lips but not bodies. Summer wrapped her arms around Tigger’s waist and rested her cheek against his chest.

“We were all worried about you,” Sassy informed her. “I’m glad you’re okay.”

“I’m fine. I just had something I needed to take care of.”

Logan gave her a quick glance, one that Tigger immediately noticed but didn’t question. He probably read too much into it, anyway, given how his emotions were in a tailspin.

“It’s dangerous out there,” Tigger reminded her. “I was about to pay Gaylord a visit.”

“Gaylord has been handled.”

“How?” Tigger gripped her shoulders and looked down at her. “Did you see him?”

“No,” she replied flippantly. “But I sent a message.”

Tigger frowned. “I don’t like my woman sending messages to other men, especially to Gaylord Martin.”

“Gaylord attacked
me
. Remember?”

Tigger felt his heart clench. The shiner on her face was a constant reminder. “You avoided my question. Did you see him?”

“No.”

“Who is delivering this message?”

“That doesn’t matter, Tigger,” Logan said, sticking his nose where it didn’t belong.

“The hell it doesn’t!” He shot Logan a cool glare. “She could’ve been killed while the three of us stood here trying to guess where she might be!”

“It’s handled. No questions. Remember? We agreed to leave the past where it belongs.”

“I know so little about your past,” Tigger admitted, suddenly bothered by the fact.

“Then we’ll just have to spend some time getting to know each other.” She slipped her arms around his waist and pulled him flush against her body.

He stared down the bridge of his nose at the little vixen watching him. “You aren’t going to tell me. Are you?”

“Nope.”

Logan laughed. “That’s a woman for you. They always pry and try to find out our secrets but refuse to reveal their own.”

“This conversation isn’t over.” Tigger clucked. “Not by a long shot.”

“Trust me, Tigger. Considering the club secrets we all harbor, it won’t hurt you to let Summer guard this one.” Logan grabbed Sassy by the hand and led her to the door. “Sometimes, a man is better off if he just lets sleeping dogs lie.”

“We aren’t discussing a poodle here. We’re talking about a Doberman. Gaylord is dangerous.”

“And Gaylord won’t bother me again.”

“You don’t know Gaylord,” Tigger said. He knew Gaylord wasn’t the type of man to be intimidated by a woman.

“No,” she whispered, lifting her lips to his. “But I know you, and as long as I’m with you, I’m safe.”

“That you can count on,” Tigger promised.

“I believe you.”

Epilogue

Logan and Devon swung off their bikes at the same time. Each man had parked parallel to a gas pump.

“I’ll pay. Want anything to drink?” Logan asked, heading toward the old country market.

“Grab me an orange soda.”

“You got it.” Logan entered the store.

He had just stuck his hand in the upright cooler when Mark Sampson stepped from behind a row of dry goods and slammed Logan’s arm in the door.

“What the fuck!” Logan bellowed, reaching for the small handgun he carried in his leather jacket.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” Sampson said, tilting his head toward the surveillance camera. “We’ve had several scheduled meets. You haven’t shown. Did you really think you could just walk away from this now?”

Logan sneered. “I haven’t quite decided how I’m going to handle the new intel Summer stumbled across.”

“Handle the intel?”

Logan jerked, but he wasn’t able to free his arm. “Let me go, Sampson.”

“Or what?”

“Or I’ll hunt you down like the animal you are and leave nothing but scattered remains behind.”

“Are you threatening your handler?”

“No. Just another street thug with a tarnished badge.”

“You owe me, Marcs.”

“I don’t owe you a damn thing.”

The two men swapped hard glares before Sampson conceded and released the door. Logan shook his arm a few times then said, “If I were you, I’d hand in my resignation. Tell the Director you want to take an early retirement. Walk away while you can still save your family the embarrassment. Draw your full pension. I don’t give a damn. But walk the hell away.”

“I can’t do that,” Sampson said.

“I had a feeling you might say that.”

Sampson shrugged. “I’ve been in place too long.”

“Now, you sound like Gaylord.”

“What’s done is done, Marcs. We can’t change the past.”

“You’re probably right,” Logan said, turning to the cashier. “But I can’t stand by and watch you mess up what I’ve spent years working for.”

Sampson followed behind him. A deep, evil chuckle fell from his lips. “Look at you. All decked out in your club colors, leather, and bad boy, ass-kicking boots.” He laughed aloud again. “Hell, you’re so deep into this lifestyle you honestly believe you’re a full-patch member.”

Logan slowly turned around. “That’s where you’re wrong.”

“Am I?” Sampson thumbed the door. “Isn’t it true you and Devon are closer than you’ve ever been since Gaylord’s quote, false accusation, unquote?”

“Devon isn’t working dirty now. His operations are above board. His father was the problem and, in case you haven’t heard, his old man is dead.”

“We still have hours of footage showing a different Devon and a very dirty MC operation.”

Logan frowned. “What do you want from me?”

“
Your
resignation. When I have a copy of your letter, I’ll advise Summer’s superiors of what they can do with her resignation as well.”

So Summer was still on the job and didn’t know it. How convenient for Mark Sampson.

“I don’t give a damn what you do with Summer’s resignation,” Logan said, lying through his teeth. He’d often thought about the leverage Summer had given Mark when she’d put her resignation in writing and given him a copy to prove she was no longer an FBI agent.

“If that’s true, you won’t mind if I mail a copy of this to Tigger then?”

Bingo! So Sampson planned to use the letter to blackmail them.

“Like I said before, I don’t give a damn.” He set the can of soda on the counter and addressed the cashier. “We have ten each on the bikes.”

“Twenty-one fifty.”

Logan paid the bill and turned to Sampson. “Don’t contact me. I’ll call you when I decide what to do.”

“Don’t take too long, Marcs. I don’t like to be kept waiting.”

“Well ain’t that a blessed shame?” Logan drawled. “After the mess you’ve caused for the MC, I don’t care if you wait a lifetime.”

“I’m sure that’s true. It’s all the more reason for you to question yourself and your motives, Marcs. You don’t want to look in the mirror and see what anyone else can see. But you’ve gone rogue. You’re just too arrogant and too self-righteous to acknowledge what’s in front of you. You’ll never turn on the club, Marcs. You can’t. You’re one of them now. And that makes you no better than the rest of us.”

Logan marched out of the store without responding to the accusation. He handed off the orange soda to Devon and boarded his bike. As he laid his heel to the kickstand, Sampson’s words stuck in his head.

Maybe the man was right. Maybe Logan was one of them—a hero and a rogue. If so, did it really matter?

In the end, how many roles did one person play in a lifetime? That of a mother, father, brother, sister, employer, employee, lover, spouse, volunteer, and the list went on and on.

Everyone played a certain part. Everyone assumed a particular role.

In the broad scheme of things, the main goal was to live a good life, support and raise a family, and enjoy every day to the fullest. Cherishing life was kind of an easy task when one realized his or her days were numbered. In the end, which side someone stood upon didn’t really matter as long as he or she could live with his or her choices.

Gripping the handlebars, he took a deep breath and looked up at the beaming sun.
It sure is a beautiful afternoon,
he thought. Then, he turned to Devon and said, “Let’s ride, brother.”

About the Author

Destiny Blaine and her pseudonyms are bestselling international e-book and trade paperback authors. She lives in East Tennessee with her husband and daughter. Her son is serving in the United States Navy.

If you’ve enjoyed Heroes and Rogues, send Destiny an email and let her know you want to read more Heroes and Rogues:
[email protected]
.

Visit Destiny on the web at www.destinyblaine.com or www.destinyblaine.blogspot.com.

Sassy Road
by Destiny Blaine

Sassy Road is tough, beautiful, smart and looking for a little retribution against the stepfather who abused her.
Logan belongs to Heroes and Rogues, a small town renegade motorcycle club with a bad reputation. Only Logan isn’t exactly loyal to the MC. He’s an undercover cop who’s been in place for several years, and he’s days away from taking down rival club leader Damsel Road.
A new gal arrives at the H & R clubhouse and, after spending time with Sassy, Logan quickly realizes the newcomer is the step-daughter of a man he is supposed to put away for life.
Unable to deny his infatuation with the lovely Miss Road, Logan’s life just became more complicated. To make the situation worse, vultures are circling. If Logan doesn’t claim Sassy as his old lady, club members will pass her around for their own twisted pleasure.
 
Logan refuses to see Sassy used, but when he discovers her true motive for associating with the Heroes and Rogues, he fears an intimate involvement could destroy them both. Then again, losing Sassy is a higher price than he’s willing to pay.

Victory Rising
by Destiny Blaine

Months of longing eliminate the need for foreplay once Victory Rising decides to play for keeps. She knows what she wants and isn’t afraid to go after it, even if her choices cost those around her.
Devon Kardashian has turned over a new leaf. The Heroes and Rogues club once profited from illegal operations, but no more. As leader, Devon has implemented legitimate business practices. Now, it’s time to claim the woman who owns his heart.
When he invites Victory to his clubhouse, Devon risks breaking the truce with the Devil’s Angels. What’s worse, Devon’s club members don’t trust a woman who used to sleep with the Angel’s chapter president.
Will Devon choose professional obligation or personal gain? Is Victory trying to settle old scores for her former club or has she taken the long way home and finally found a man who cares for her?

Anna and the Three Generals
by Suzanne Graham

Profortuna Series, Book One

Having spent the last twenty-five years devoted to science, elite bio-researcher Anna is now faced with her mandatory mating on the un-breathable planet of Profortuna. Anna’s research on how to sustain life in the bio-domes is vital, but it also makes her a target of the Open Air Society.

Convinced the Council has found the most appropriately brain-heavy men on the planet for her mates in order to perpetuate their superior intellectual genes, Anna is shocked to find three high-ranking military men waiting for her in the reception room.

Just as Anna’s sexuality is awakened by a kiss from one of her mates, terrorists from the Open Air Society attack her lab, and the three Generals act quickly to protect her. As they shuttle her to the other side of the planet, Anna comes to know her mates intimately as three men of distinction. But can they fulfill her secret wish to find old-fashioned romantic love?

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by Cheryl Dragon

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Secrets have haunted Bonnie Hastings’ life, but the answers were always hidden from her. After a close encounter, aliens leave her on the military base, Dreamland, and she’s found by her college boyfriends—three men who left her five years ago and have a secret of their own.

Group love was once part of Bonnie’s rebellion, but now, it looks like a big setup. She needs to discover what’s going on because there’s no escape from Dreamland. Of course, Bonnie doesn’t want to give up the three sexiest men she’s ever met—they just have to prove their love is real and tell her the whole truth.

The Hunter’s Surrender
by Kaenar Langford

Maddie Graham is a bounty hunter who likes to keep a low profile. But her stellar reputation has brought her under the keen eye of the Tentalians who feel she’ll be a fitting brood mare for their king. Little do they realize that kidnapping Maddie will be the easy part. She’s far more dangerous than they thought, and it has nothing to do with her hunting skills.

King Rochar and his consort, Santara, aren’t sure what to expect with Maddie. Living on an all male planet, they’ve been taught to view women as mere vessels for future children. But they soon discover Maddie is as feisty as she is compassionate, and her presence threatens to unravel the very fabric of their civilization when they realize she means much more than they’d ever thought possible. As the moment approaches to choose their destiny, will they fall victim to their sense of duty, or will a new order rise with the ringing of the Soprac bells?