Page 30 of Crave Me

“I won’t see Caleb suffer, especially not longer than he fucking well needs to. With you and I pulling together, he won’t, they won’t, you won’t. You’re tired, Caspian. I can see it all over you.”

“And you’re not after what you just dealt with, after dealing with the likes of your demented father for years on end?”

“I thrive on this sort of thing, you don’t. You never wanted this. Aside from The Jackals escapades, you wanted King to be fully legitimate, to cast off the underground operations and the down and dirty of it eventually. But that time never came, did it? Because you can’t just touch it, you see. It gets its claws into you. The poison spreads. And because you’re not built for it, it’s a hell of a lot more taxing on you than it is on the likes of me.”

Son of a bitch. “Fine. Yes, I could use your help.”

He stepped up close to me, completely breaching my personal space. He was a couple of inches shorter than me and with less bulk and muscle mass but his indomitable presence transcended that utterly.

Unfortunately for him, he wasn’t dealing with just anyone.

I saw him smile at me not even flinching with what he was putting out there.

“Hmm, this is going to be interesting, King.”

I merely glared back at him steadily.

“To do this, we need to actually work together. I understand that you’re in the headspace of being willing to do anything to get your boys back, but can you handle that?”

“Whatever it takes.”

“Very good.”

He stepped back, took one last drag of his smoke, then dropped it and butted it out with his shoe. “All right, we’ll get Caleb and your other boy back. It’s just me, though. I won’t allow Jonah, Aurora, or Killian to be pulled into this.”

“Understood. I’ll manufacture a cover for you that you’ve been invited to meet with me regarding a very lucrative business opportunity. One I’ll create as compensation for your assistance.”

“That’s not necessary. I’d do nothing less for Caleb.”

I swallowed down the bite that his words caused me, memories of those photos and all the details of his intimate relations with Caleb threatening to breach the surface.

I had to rise above it. I needed his help.

And getting my boys back mattered more than all the rest.

8

~Skylar~

I flipped back the long hair of my purple wig as I strode toward the dive bar, aware of a couple of the motorcycle members checking out my ride—a custom Harley Sportster I’d borrowed from Caspian, given the fact that I’d lost my own bike in the fire two years back.

This was one of the holdings belonging to the Iron Crows Motorcycle Club and the very place that Dante’s intel had put Raze at. Also known as Scott Timmins, the club’s president.

A hulking guy wearing a leather cut, his long hair blowing all over the place in the wild wind whipping through the night, stepped forward and held up his hand. “What’s your business here, sweet thing?”

“That’s between me and Raze.”

“Is that so?” he asked, all amused. He took his sweet time looking me up and down in my Onyx gear—the version of me that their president knew—with the head-to-toe black leather, including my form-fitting hooded jacket with the spikes down the length of the sleeves and my studded gloves.

“Tell him Onyx is here to see him.”

His eyes shot wide and I saw the recognition there instantly. “Hold up… you’re her? From the fight clubs?”

“In the flesh.”

“Damn. Yeah, he’s gonna want to see you, big time.” He walked to the steel door and hauled it open, telling me, “I’ll go get him. Come on in.” He gave me a wink. “He’s just finishing up something in the rear office.”

The raucous sounds of hearty laughter, shouts, beer mugs clinking, and hard-rock music blaring inundated me, along with the scent of booze, leather, and cigarette smoke.

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