Page 26 of Loch
“So this should be a simple handoff and go, right?” he asked, taking the hint and changing the subject. I nodded chewing a huge bite of food, trying to ignore the nagging feeling in my gut. I was glad when he turned on the old as fuck TV and found something to watch.
The next morning when we pulled into the hidden side entrance to the docks it was quiet. We made our way around the scattered rows of old, rusted out shipping containers until we made it to the tucked away meet spot. The Dogs ran the port, but we weren’t stupid enough to do business out in the open. Race was leaning up against his bike with his arms crossed over his chest. He was a big guy, over six and a half feet tall, with a shaved head and a full dark beard. He had tattoos covering ninety-nine percent of his body and he looked mean as hell. When he wasn’t doing business, though, he was a real fun guy. He was surrounded by seven of his crew, looking just as scary as him.
Lake backed the van up to the back of theirs as I stepped up and shook Race’s hand. His guys seemed a little on edge. I watched without looking like I noticed it. Even Race looked antsy to get the deal done. I handed him the black gym bag full of money as my guys transferred the crates into our van. After everything was done, we shook hands again.
“Watch your back out there, brother.” His warning stopped me in my tracks. “Just get out of town as quickly and quietly as possible.” Then he hopped on his bike and took off like lightning, his crew right behind him.
I looked over at Crow and he gave me a knowing nod. Then we all headed back out the way we came. Leading the pack, I checked the main road before pulling out. I didn’t see anything that seemed suspicious, but I still reached back and felt for the gun in the waist of my pants. I had checked it several times before leaving the motel room, so I knew it was good to go. I pulled out, determined to take the straightest route to the highway.
As I pulled onto the main road, four shots rang out in succession. I ducked, and my bike wavered a little. I regained control and saw Bocca’s bike go down in my mirror. His body rolled a few times and then went limp as his bike continued to skid away from him. The sound of metal scraping against pavement almost overshadowed my loud heartbeat.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Reagan
The bar was pretty quiet. By eleven it was only Brand and me. Nate said he was going to be back tonight, but I still hadn’t seen him. I was hoping he would stop by at least for a few minutes. But, to my disappointment, he didn’t. The night went by so slow and quiet. The hours seemed to drag out longer than they should have.
The first few hours, Brand tried to keep it light. He chatted as he nursed his beer. He even convinced me to play a few games of pool with him. Seeing as there were no customers and nothing to stock or clean, I complied. He beat me both times, but just barely. Or that would be how I would tell it if anyone asked.
Then the night took a weird turn. But I wasn’t sure why. Brand took a few phone calls outside and after that, his demeanor was a complete turnaround. He didn’t seem to want to talk. He got another beer and picked at the label with worry etched on his face. I wanted to ask him what was wrong, but I knew better. I wasn’t part of the club and I sure as hell wasn’t sanctioned to any information regarding what was going on. All I knew was that some of the guys had gone on a ride. That’s all. A ride.
In my mind, I pictured them all cruising down the highway just for the hell of it. But I was a smart girl. I knew that wasn’t what was going on. Deep down I knew it was something dangerous, even if Nate had assured me it wasn’t.
As I sat in my car after I closed down the bar, the panic started to grip me tightly. What if something happened to Nate? What if he hadn’t stopped by because he was hurt? Or dead? The air became thick and I felt like I couldn’t breathe. I looked over and saw Brand sitting on his bike, watching me, waiting for me to drive off before he headed on his way. I nodded and started my car with a shaky hand. The last thing I wanted to do was go home, but I didn’t know where else to go. So I ended up driving around for an hour. Deciding that I wasn’t going to sleep anytime soon, I drove to the diner along the highway. I knew it was going to be the only thing open at that time of night within twenty minutes outside of town. I wasn’t feeling adventurous enough to drive all the way to the city.
The place was pretty empty. Only a handful of patrons were scattered about. I sat down in the booth in the far corner and when the elderly waitress approached me, I ordered a coffee. I don’t know how long I zoned out, watching the black liquid ripple every time someone walked by. The steam dissipated and the cup became cold in my hands. Finally, I grabbed a bill out of my purse and tossed it on the table. I didn’t even bother seeing how much I’d left. I knew there was nothing smaller than a ten in there and figured that should be good enough. My mind was numb as I made my way back to my car and then back home. The whole ride I kept telling myself that Nate was fine; that they all were fine. By the time I turned onto my street, I felt like I was starting to believe it.
It was well after two in the morning. Everything was quiet. The downstairs light was still on in Nan’s place, just waiting for me to get home. I glanced over at Nate’s house and found it still dark and lifeless. His truck was still in the same spot it was in yesterday. His bike was still nowhere to be seen. I sighed and dragged myself out of the car.
Something caught my eye. I squinted my eyes in the direction of his front porch. I could hardly make out the faint outline of his dark figure. With tentative steps, I made my way over to him. He was sitting on the steps, hunched over, beer bottle dangling from one hand. He either didn’t hear me or didn’t want to acknowledge the fact that I was there because he didn’t move. Even when I was three feet away from him. There was a six pack of beer sitting beside him, and I noticed that only two had been open, including the one in his hand. I knew he wasn’t too drunk to know I was there.
“Nate?” I called out in a soft tone. After a sad, deep sigh he lifted his face to look at me. Even in the glowing light of the night, I could tell something was wrong. His face looked more like a lost, defeated little boy than the hard man I knew.
I moved to him, taking the four stairs with hesitant feet until I stood on the one his feet were on. His eyes tracked me the whole time. I had no idea what I was doing. I felt a pull to him, even stronger than before. I wanted to wrap him up in my arms and bring back the strong man I was used to. His head tilted up, looking into my eyes.
Something had happened on their ride. He didn’t need to tell me, I could see it. But he was alive. I could breathe a little easier.
His head crashed into my stomach as his arms wrapped around my waist. I ran my fingers through his hair before cradling the back of his head, holding him to me with a firmness we both needed. My shirt rode up and his day-old scruff rubbed against the exposed sensitive skin on my hip. The air shifted around us and I felt it all the way through to my bones. He clung to me like I was the last life raft. And I held him like I would never let him drown.
Without warning, he urgently pulled me down to straddle his lap. The bottle dropped from his fingers, causing a bang and a few thumps as it hit the stairs and rolled down. The noise echoed through the quiet night. He fisted my shirt as he buried his face in the crook of my neck. We stayed there, wrapped in each other, for what seemed like forever. His scent filled my nose and breathed it in deeply. I shifted my palm and rubbed my thumb back and forth along the stubble on his jawline.
“Fuck,” he whispered into my neck, his breath tickled me and sent a fire through my veins. Then I felt his lips, soft and sweet, kissing up my neck to that spot that made me shiver right behind my ear. I was putty in his hands, and I was glad to be. I would have given anything, any part of me, to help make this man whole again. And that was the moment I knew I was in love with him. I felt it in every part of me.
He pulled me in closer, his fingers biting into my back, until there the air between our bodies was snuffed out. My back arched into him as he kissed my shoulder. The air blowing over the wet line from his mouth leading up to the base of my throat made my skin prickle. My breath hitched and my head lolled back as he made his way up. The roughness of his stubble made me even more aroused. A whisper of a kiss graced the underside of my chin. I tilted my head back down to look at him. There was a brief pause like he was waiting for me to tell him it was okay. Running my fingers through his hair, I pulled him into me. I kissed him delicately, bouncing slowly over his soft, full lips. I parted and his tongue slipped in, searching for mine. I moaned into his mouth as he deepened the kiss.
Everything about that moment felt right. I was too caught up to over analyze it. My body was too on fire to think about what it would all mean tomorrow. My head was too dizzy to imagine how badly it all could end. Instead, I let go and just felt for that moment. However long it lasted.
His hands slid into my jeans and with a low growl, he grabbed my ass. With a firm, jerk he pulled me in until I felt the hardness of his erection against my core.
“I need you,” he whispered into my ear, his voice deep and soft at the same time. It was a plea, not a demand. His desperation and sadness ran through to my soul. Warmth flowed through me at his choice of words. I tried to shake off the thoughts of what it meant.
“Take me,” I insisted, looking into his eyes.
He stood, his hold still firm on my butt. My legs and arms instinctively wrapped around him as he carried me inside and up the stairs. He kicked a door open and I guessed it was his room. I didn’t have a second to look around before he lightly laid me down on a huge bed. He lifted my shirt and sat up so he could pull it free. His fingers danced along my skin as he unclasped my bra and slid the straps down my shoulder. My eyes never left him as he knelt down and removed my shoes. The heat of his hands left a trail on my skin even through the thickness of my jeans. Next, he slipped the button free and pulled the zipper down. I could feel every tooth of the zipper as it was set free. He pulled my jeans and off almost painfully slow. His lips like feathers on the inside of my thigh as he made his way to my core.
Hooking a finger on the inside of my panties, his knuckle grazed my wetness. My back arched and my eyes closed. I needed him to touch me. I needed to feel him.
Before I could breathe again, my panties were off and his tongue was swirling my clit. I became a moaning, writhing mess as his finger slipped inside me. I rocked against his face without shame until my body couldn’t take it anymore. One hand fisted the sheets as the other grabbed his hair.
