Summer Storm: A Satan's Fury MC Novella Page 6

  “Such as?”

  “He’ll explain all of this to you at some point, but I’ll tell you a few of the things I’ve learned. First, you never talk about the club… to anyone. Anything that goes down here stays within these walls. No fucking around.”

  “Okay.”

  “You don’t ask questions. Just do as you are told.”

  “Really?” I didn’t like the sound of that. I didn’t like taking orders, and I had a habit of asking questions… lots of questions.

  “Allie, I’m serious. Kane will make sure you know what you need to, otherwise consider it none of your business. You just have to remember that he will do whatever it takes to keep you safe. That’s really all you need to know.”

  “Keep me safe from what?” I asked.

  “See? That’s the kind of question you don’t ask.”

  “I don’t know if I can do this, Dallas. This is freaking me out.”

  “Do you love him? Do you want a future with him?” she asked.

  I thought for a moment and then said, “Yeah… I do.”

  “Then you can do it. Trust your man. Everything else will fall into place. The club is like a family. We look out for one another.”

  “That sounds really great, Dallas. It’s one of the things I miss most… having a family. I still have my brother, but it’s different with him,” I told her. I loved the thought of having a family that would look out for me. I hadn’t had that in a very long time.

  “Well, now you’ll have lots of brothers that will have your back. It’s one of the things I like most around here. They might not look like much, but these guys have heart. They are loyal, and they’ll never let you down.”

  “Wow. You have no idea how great that sounds to me. What else? Are there more rules I need to know about?” I asked.

  “There’s always stuff going on around here. The guys work hard, and when they’re done, they play hard. Keep your nose out of their business, and steer clear of the sweet butts.”

  “Sweet butts?” I asked. “What the hell is a sweet butt?”

  “The club whores. Every club has them. A couple of the girls are okay, but the rest are nothing but trouble. They’re always looking to get their claws into one of the brothers, but none of the guys around here wants a stretched out has-been for an old lady.”

  “You are too much, Dallas,” I said, laughing.

  “Truth, girl,” she said with a wink. “No man wants someone’s sloppy seconds.”

  I looked down at the other end of the bar and asked, “What about Cassidy? Is she one of them?” I really liked her, and I hated the thought of not being able to talk to her.

  “She’s different. Cassidy isn’t like the others. She’s more… selective.” I didn’t know what to think. I knew things were different here, but this was a little much.

  “So all the guys have been with these girls? Even Kane?” I asked, feeling a little nauseous at the thought.

  “Don’t ask questions you already know the answer to, girl.”

  Arms slowly wrapped around my waist, and I felt the bristles of Kane’s beard brush against my cheek. Just having him close made my doubts slip away. I didn’t care about his past. I just cared about his future.

  “You ready to get out of here?” he whispered in my ear.

  “Whenever you are,” I told him as I leaned back into his chest.

  “Let’s roll,” he said as he nipped at my ear.

  “You kids have fun,” Dallas said playfully. “I know you will, Allie.”

  We both laughed, and I gave her a quick hug before I said, “Thank you, Dallas. I really had fun hanging out with you tonight.”

  * * *

  Chapter 12

  Guardrail

  ‡

  My phone started ringing early this morning, but I couldn’t make myself answer it. There was only one thing that was going to get me to wake up… Allie. I wanted to feel her body pressed against mine, to hear her call out my name over and over while I fucked her senseless. I was pissed when I rolled over, though, and found that she wasn’t in the bed with me. I lifted up on my elbows and quickly realized that her clothes were missing. Fuck! She had slipped out of the house without me noticing. When my phone started again with its incessant ringing, I thought it might be her. I reached over to the nightstand and answered it.

  “Yeah,” I grumbled.

  “She’s on the move,” Big Mike announced. “Looks like she’s heading back to her house.”

  “What the fuck?”

  “She got another message from Tony about a half an hour ago. He told her to meet him there. I’ve got two of the brothers on her, but you might want to get over there.”

  “Tell them not to lose sight of her. I’m on my way,” I ordered.

  Anger surged through me as I threw on my clothes. I tried to warn her that Tony was up to no good, but she wouldn’t listen. She was just too damn stubborn. She was determined to help him, but there was no way for her to help someone like him. He was out for himself, and he didn’t care who he brought down with him.

  When I pulled up to Allie’s house, Rico and Boozer were standing outside her living room window with their weapons drawn. They both watched as I pulled into the driveway. I didn’t stop to ask what was going on. I just headed straight for the front door.

  I stopped as I heard Tony shout, “I’ve seen you with him. I know what you’ve been doing, Allie! What the fuck were you thinking?”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” she yelled back.

  “You’ve been to their clubhouse. You’ve been in his bed! I’ve been watching you, sis. I know you’ve sided with them.”

  “What the hell are you talking about? I’ve ALWAYS been on your side! He’s just my contractor!”

  “Are you so fucking stupid you don’t even know who you let crawl between your goddamn legs? Fuck, Allie. He’s the Vice President of Satan’s Fury. They’ve been after me for weeks, and now you’re fucking the man that wants to put a bullet in my head!” Tony shouted.

  “You’re lying, Tony!” she screamed. “He’d never do anything like that!”

  “You are so fucking stupid! Don’t you know he just used you for a good fuck? How could you be so damn naïve? A man like him would never settle for woman like you, Allie. Surely you don’t think this guy actually gives a fuck about you. You’re just a piece of ass to him!”

  “You’re wrong, Tony,” she said, not sounding very sure of herself. I could tell that she was beginning to have her doubts, and I didn’t like it. Not one fucking bit.

  “Just give me the money so I can get the hell out of here!”

  “I don’t have the money, Tony. They wouldn’t give me the loan,” she cried.

  “Fuuckk!!” he shouted.

  I heard something fall before Allie shouted, “Tony, what are you doing? I told you I don’t have the money! Put the gun away!”

  “You’re fucking one of them, and now you’re turning your back on me! You were supposed to stand by me! I’m your brother. The only family you’ve got left, and you tossed me to the side like a bag of garbage!”

  “It’s not like that, Tony! I’ve always been there for you. You know I’d do anything for you,” she pleaded.

  “You’re a lying bitch! You’re no better than the rest of them,” he snarled. “Just another club whore that doesn’t give a shit about anyone but yourself. And what for? You know he’ll have his dick in another hole by the end of the day! You can count on that.”

  “Tony, please! Just listen to me.”

  I’d heard enough. I pulled my gun from its holster and eased the door open. Tony’s back was to me, and he was pacing back and forth in the living room. Allie glanced over to me for a brief second, and I could see the relief in her eyes when she saw me standing there.

  “What’s the point? You’ve made your choice,” he said as he lifted his hand and pointed the gun at her. “You always were full of shit. Thinking you were better than me, snubbing your nose at
the life I chose. Look at you now… nothing but a two-bit whore.”

  “Tony,” I said firmly. “Put the gun down.”

  He whipped around, now aiming his gun directly at me. “Well, look who’s joined the party. I was wondering when you’d show up here. I’ll have to give you credit, man. Never thought you’d fuck my sister just to get to me.”

  “Put… the gun… down,” I demanded as I pointed my gun at him.

  “Fuck you, Guardrail. I’m not doing shit,” Tony snapped. “I know how you want this thing to end, but I’m not going out like that.”

  “It’s over, Tony. Let Allie go.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” he said as he stepped closer to her. He placed the tip of his gun at her side and said, “Why do you even fucking care? We both know you were just using her to get to me. I should put a bullet in her right now just for the hell of it.”

  My heart twisted with his threat. I didn’t want to believe that he would really hurt her, but I could see the desperation in his eyes. He’d do just about anything to get out of this. Panic filled Allie’s face as she glanced over to me.

  “What’s the plan here, Tony? You kill her and then what?” I asked. “Doesn’t seem like anything is going the way you planned. You didn’t get the money you were after, so there’s no chance you’re going to get those weapons you were after… not that Nitro ever had plans to sell them to you anyway. So what exactly are you going to do now?”

  “Fuck you.”

  “You’re running out of time, Tony. The brothers are on their way here. Hell, they should be here any minute.”

  Tony pulled his gun away from Allie and directed it at me. For a brief moment, I looked over to her, urging her to move out of the way. When she pulled away from him and started towards me, Tony pulled the trigger, shooting me in the chest. The blow caught me off guard, and I stumbled to the ground.

  “Kane!” Allie cried as she rushed over to me. She dropped to her knees, and frantically tried to do what she could to stop the bleeding. I’d been shot enough to know that it wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. The bullet hit just below my shoulder blade, and I was fairly certain that it had gone completely through.

  Tony’s laughter filled the room as he looked down at me, his gun aimed straight at my head. With a smirk on his face he said, “You were right. I never had any intention of giving that money back to your fucking club. Hell, I’d have to be an idiot to give it back to you. We both know you’d have killed me either way. Now, I’m not going to give you that chance.”

  I felt Allie’s hand reach over to my side as she carefully took the gun from my hand.

  “Don’t worry… I’m still going to get my money. Once I kill Allie, I’ll use her life insurance,” he said with an eerie laugh. He never even noticed that she was now pointing my gun at him. “Your little whore will give me my payout, one way or another.”

  “I loved you, Tony. I was always there when you needed me,” Allie told him as she started to stand, still pointing the gun at her brother. “I tried to be the sister that you needed me to be, but I can’t do it anymore. I can’t let you keep hurting people… hurting me.” Her hand trembled as she pulled the trigger and shot Tony in the center of his chest. Allie stood motionless as his limp body dropped to the floor.

  * * *

  Chapter 13

  Allie

  ‡

  I couldn’t get the image of Tony’s lifeless body out of my mind. The moment I pulled the trigger I knew he wasn’t the brother I’d always thought he was. I’d lost my brother the day my parents had died in that crash. From that moment on, he’d changed forever, turning into someone I didn’t even recognize. I’d allowed myself to believe that he was something he wasn’t, a caring, loving brother who would always look out for me and love me… be my family. Ultimately, he was just a cold-hearted shadow of a man that didn’t really even care about me, and it broke my heart.

  When he shot Kane, something inside of me broke. When Kane’s life was threatened, I realized how much he truly meant to me. The thought of losing him shook me to my core. Even with his deceit fresh in my mind, seeing him lying there fighting for his life made me understand that I’d love him no matter what. He was a risk, yet the most certain thing I had ever known.

  As soon as the prospects saw Tony hit the floor, they jumped into action. In a matter of minutes, Kane was being rushed back to the clubhouse. On my way out the door, I glanced back and watched as the prospects removed Tony’s body from my house and erased any sign that he had ever even been there. My heart ached for him, but my concern for Kane overshadowed all my other thoughts. I needed to know that he was going to be okay. The doctor that they had on call at the clubhouse spent almost an hour tending to Kane’s gunshot wound. It felt like the longest hour of my life as I waited to find out if he was going to be alright.

  When they finally called me back to see him, a sense of relief washed over me. As I walked into the room and saw him for the first time, I froze. A storm of emotion raged through me as I looked at him lying in that bed. His shoulder was completely bandaged and his arm was in a sling. He’d risked his life for mine, and I hated seeing him hurt.

  “Come here, All-Star,” he said as he patted the side of his bed.

  I couldn’t move. My mind still couldn’t process the fact that he was there alive and actually talking to me.

  “Allie…” he said firmly. “Come here.”

  Without saying a word, I walked over to him. I reached out and ran the palm of my hand across his cheek. He took my hand in his, pulling me closer to him.

  “You okay?” he asked as his eyes searched my face.

  “Shouldn’t I be the one asking you that? You had me scared to death. Really…how do you feel?”

  “Baby, I’m fine. Sit down,” he told me as he gently squeezed my hand. As soon as I sat on the edge of the bed, he said, “You know, I’ve told you from the beginning, I’m not a good man. I’ve done bad things in my life….”

  “Don’t, Kane. We don’t have to talk about this right now. You could’ve died tonight…” I began.

  “No, Allie. Listen. When I started this with you, I was no different. You already know I was using you to get to your brother. What you don’t know, is that every word I ever spoke to you, every kiss, every touch, was real for me. The moment we met, I knew you were it for me. For the first time in my life, I saw a future… a future I wanted with you. I’m sorry it started out as a lie, but you changed me, Allie. I love you, and I will spend my life showing you that every day.”

  Tears streamed down my face as his words sunk in and touched my heart. I could tell by the look on his face that he was being completely sincere and meant every word he’d just said. Kane meant the world to me, and I was relieved that he felt the same way.

  “I love you too, Kane. I’ve never known love like this before. Thank you for being there for me, protecting me, and keeping me safe. You saved me in more ways than you know. I love my brother, and always will. He just wasn’t the man that I thought he was. I hate what he did to you and your club, but his betrayal finally opened my eyes.”

  “No one would blame you for the way you felt about your brother. Of course you loved him. He was the only family you had. He didn’t realize how lucky he was to have you. You were a good sister, Allie. You’ve gotta know that,” he said as he ran his hands down my arms, comforting me. “You’re mine now. I’m claiming you as my Old Lady, which means you’ve got a new family now. One that will be there whenever you need them. Loyal to the end.”

  “I never thought I’d have that again. I desperately wanted it, but it always seemed just out of my reach,” I said, wiping the tears from my eyes. “I want this, Kane. I want you.”

  “You’ve got me,” he said, pulling me over and pressing his lips against mine, sealing his promise with a kiss. When I leaned into him, deepening the kiss, he groaned in discomfort. In the passion of the moment, I’d forgotten about his wound and hurt him. I jumped back, sa
ying, “I’m sorry, Kane! Are you okay?”

  “Hush, Allie. I’m fine. Just lay with me for a little bit. I need to rest my eyes.”

  I curled up beside him, settling myself in the crook of his arm. I felt the tension from the day begin to drift from my body as I listened to the rhythm of his breathing slow. I finally succumbed to sleep as my body relaxed against his.

  * * *

  Chapter 14

  Guardrail

  ‡

  Several days later, we held a short memorial service for Tony. It was nice, even if it was small. It was just the two of us, but I think it was better for her that way. I knew she needed to pay her respects to her brother, and what she was feeling was complicated. She wasn’t really up for it, but I knew she would be glad she did it in the end. She needed closure before we could move on with our lives together.

  It had been two months since that day, and I couldn’t believe how much my life had changed in such a short time. Allie had sold her condo and moved in with me. I’d patched her in as my Old Lady, and she’d begun spending more time getting to know the club. They had quickly realized why I’d fallen in love with her and welcomed her into our family without reservation. She’d just started planning our wedding, and she couldn’t have been more excited. I knew things were moving fast, but I wanted a family with her and I wasn’t going to wait.

  “Do you want chocolate cake? Or vanilla? Oooh oooh, or strawberry! Or red velvet? Oh wait! I know, I know, each tier could be a different flavor! Babe? Babe, are you listening to me?” she prodded as I pretended to focus on the football game. She was so cute when she got excited about this wedding shit, and I loved tormenting her. “Kane!”

  “‘Sup, baby?” I chuckled, never taking my eyes off the TV.

  “Cake, Kane! We are talking about cake!” she shouted as a pillow collided with the side of my head. “What flavor cake do you want??”

  “Woman…you’re gonna pay for that,” I said as I stood up slowly from the couch and tugged up the waistband of my jeans. “I’m gonna get that ass,” I laughed as I darted toward her.