A price to pay : RED HORSEMEN MC 3 Read online

  “Suki was knocked out. I grabbed her, but Maia wasn’t with her,” I let out in a rush, watching my words sink in as we all twist towards the building. Bricks fall to the ground, fire licks the sky above, and smoke bellows from it as if it’s a porthole to hell itself.

  “Firecracker,” Ice roars as he sprints towards the rubble, all of us hot on his heels. Luther, Bolt, and Sketch come out of nowhere to join us.

  “My, my,” Blaze starts to shout from Rae’s arms, pointing his finger. Ice looks at his son before going off in the direction he’s pointing.

  “That boy doesn’t leave his sister’s side,” he says more to himself as he makes his way over the damage. Glass, rubble, pieces of chairs, and doors litter the area as if they are nothing but firewood.

  “Firecracker!” Ice’s roar can be heard over everything as he skids to a stop, pulling away wooden planks. All you can see is a dirty little arm sticking out, buried beneath everything. We start yanking away panels when more brothers rush over with Red and Rae, using all the strength we have.

  A head of dark hair appears, but it’s too long to be Maia’s.

  “Sienna,” Red gasps.

  “No, you’re not dying, bitch,” I bark, just as Ice rolls her over, picking up Maia’s little body underneath.

  “I’m not dead,” she groans, blinking up at me with those emerald eyes, which look brighter with the dark smears across her face, as a slow smirk curves those lips.

  “Firecracker, baby.” Ice’s anguished voice brings my attention back as he makes his way over the rumble. We all stop, each of us holding our breath, even the cold bitch Sienna stands, her eyes fixed on Maia.

  Come on, little Firecracker.

  “Dad is here, baby. Daddy’s got you.” He holds her tiny body in his arms, making her appear even smaller, wiping her hair away from her face as Rae comes to his side, tripping over her dress as she tries to climb over everything.

  “Logan.” Ice’s real name coming from her sounds strange, but it’s the agony in the word that has every brother’s eyes stinging and throat working.

  “Daddy, ouch.” A little voice breaks the silence, making all our heads whip to Maia as Rae lets out a whimper. I swear you can hear everyone release a breath. Luther’s eyes fall shut, his shoulders drooping in relief at the sound of his granddaughter.

  The twins have brought a new life to the club, something none of us knew was missing. We all love these damn kids.

  We watch as Maia sits up, wrapping her arm around Ice’s neck. Her lip quivers as tears race down her face. Suddenly she pushes back as those ice-blue eyes, which match her father’s, search the faces.

  “Blaze,” she calls, louder than I’ve ever heard. Cage jogs toward us with Blaze in his arms, and they both fight to get down.

  Soon as they hit the ground, they run to each other. Blaze watches her, then looks at his parents with tears in his eyes.

  “My, my, ouch.”

  Rae falls to her knees; her fingers gently trace over Maia. Ice is beside them as they look over their daughter when Storm steps forward.

  “Is your arm hurting, Firecracker?” That’s when I notice she’s holding it tightly against her body.

  Maia nods, and her little lips wobble as Ice looks up to Storm.

  “I think she might have broken her arm.”

  Rev tears the bottom of his shirt away, kneeling in front of Maia. “Brave girl, Firecracker.” He makes a makeshift sling, gently raising her arm before Ice picks her up as Rae gathers Blaze.

  “Go with them.” Luther points to Rev who nods as Bolt steps forward.

  “I’m going.” Even being president of his chapter, he still respected Luther.

  “Didn’t think any different.” They both lift their chin when Luther twists to look at Cage. “Go and get looked at.”

  “It’s a mess,” Storm utters, glancing around.

  I follow the same destruction, and my eyes land on Sienna who stops Rae. They have a passing conversion before the rest leave for the hospital, and Sienna narrows her eyes looking around. I turn away from her. I don’t care about the bitch. She fucks with my mind and smirks as she does it. She doesn’t cringe at my rage; instead, she seems to bask in it as if she wants it. The words I told her earlier were the truth. If anyone is killing that woman, it’s me.

  I’m speaking with a few brothers when Red walks towards us.

  “Where’s Sienna?” I look towards the bench. “She was just there, I went—”

  I don’t hear the rest of her words as I shove through the brothers, not seeing Sienna. Something in my stomach squeezes. I stride around the corner, stopping when I see her. She stands there, head against the wall, blood splatters covering her skin, and her dress is torn just above her hip. Sienna blows out a breath, and that’s when I notice she’s dragging a piece of shrapnel from a wound. That must hurt like a bitch. Gritting her teeth, she chucks the part of a wooden beam on the floor. The crimson tip drips blood from it that glisten like the most expensive rubies.

  Sienna looks up as if just realizing I’m there. Before she can speak, my bloody hands glide through her strands, pinning her as I bite those lips, causing a hiss to fall from her mouth that makes mine curve before I slam them down on hers. It’s not tender or romantic. It’s a kiss filled with hate and anger, harsh and challenging, letting it all loose on her. She moans against my mouth as her nails dig into my shoulders.

  I tear my mouth from hers, using the back of my hand to wipe the wetness away, but I can still taste her.

  “That, that...”

  She rolls her eyes before taking another step closer, leaning upon her tiptoes. Using my shoulders for support as she bites my lobe before breathing, “Fuck me as you hate me.”

  Those words are my ruin, and I shove her against the wall with my dick fighting to get out of the denim.

  I yank the silk dress over her ass, feeling only soft skin, revealing that she’s bare.

  “Legs around my waist.” She does without any smart comeback or smirks. Undoing my jeans, I guide myself to her opening before thrusting in, no foreplay, making her back arch as she moans. My fingers dig into her skin to keep her in place as I punish her with every thrust. All the rage and fury that’s built for years is let out, and she takes it all while moaning beneath me.

  This is precisely what she said, a hate fuck. I hate everything about this twisted bitch, but my body just doesn’t get the message my brain’s sending it.

  I feel her whole body go tense against me; her cunt hugs my dick like a fist before she lets out a deep-seated moan, and her body quivers as sweat coats her golden skin.

  Pleasure laps my spine, coming quick and hard. Before I can pull out, I’m releasing inside of her, and the feeling knocks me off balance as darkness invades my vision. My thighs shake as aftershocks run through me.

  I pull out, and seeing our juices mixed does something to me that I shake away. She’s just a fuck. I drop Sienna to her feet, and she stands, pulling her dress down and smoothing it out.

  She doesn’t even look at me as she makes her way back to everyone like she wasn’t just moaning under me.

  “You tell anyone, and I’ll cut out your tongue,” I snarl.

  Her back straightens before she twists, glancing over her shoulder. Cheeks flushed and lips swollen.

  “I’m good at keeping secrets.” She smirks before vanishing around the corner.

  “Cunt,” I growl at the empty space. Sienna is a Mendez. My pops will be coming back to beat me for putting my dick anywhere near a bitch that wears the name. It’s a betrayal to him. I need to get my shit together and stay the hell away from the bitch. I storm back around the corner, my fingers itching to pull out my piece and shoot her between those fucking pretty eyes so my smirk is the last thing she sees. Better her than me.

  THREE

  X

  We pull up just in time for the show. Sparking up a cigarette and blowing out the smoke, it conceals the metallic smell of blood from the dead body in the b
ack.

  We’re far enough away not to get noticed but near enough to get front-row seats. As the first explosive goes off, holding the cigarette between my teeth, my lips stretch into a grin.

  “Momma, look at that.” I twist to my son, Harley, seeing his eyes come alive with a vengeance that I put there. One so powerful it beats through him like another heartbeat. We continue to watch as more blasts go off and screams start to fill the air.

  When it’s all over, a bike pulls up beside my window.

  “You actually did it.” He grins, making my lips curl.

  “We’re sending them all back to hell. This is just the beginning.” I chuck the remains of the half-smoked cigarette out of the window.

  “What about Zane?” Harley asks.

  My hand connects with his cheek, hard enough to sting. “Don’t say his name. He is no longer my son,” I hiss, watching the way Harley’s eyes turn to the floor. Stupid fucker. He loves his brother, even though he decided he wasn’t on our side—soft bastard.

  “Sorry, Momma.”

  I turn away in disgust, narrowing my eyes at the smoking clubhouse or what’s left of it.

  “Did you forget what they did? Don’t you remember all the blood? His cold body?”

  A growl comes from my left as Harley’s eyes darken, lips curling back and baring his teeth like a wolf that’s just had his first taste of blood and feeling the craving coming alive inside.

  “Do you think he is a problem?” A snarl comes from beside me, and I turn my head to look back at Kris.

  “If he is, I’ll take care of it. They will never see us coming,” I sneer.

  Payback is a bitch, and she’s coming straight for the Horsemen. But not before I have some fun first.

  “Let’s go. We’ll dump the van about a mile away. Meet you back at the motel?” I ask Kris.

  Kris shakes his head. “Got to get back to the club before they notice,” he says, before his mouth crashes on mine. “See you soon,” he whispers against my wet lips as he kick-starts his bike, pulling off.

  Harley puts the florist van into gear, and we pull away. They need to be careful who they trust. I let out a laugh as my eyes stay on the rearview mirror, watching the thick dark smoke rise. The destruction and mayhem of the clubhouse is just the beginning.

  FOUR

  SKETCH

  My arm stings like a bitch. Fuckers! I look around everyone, seeing the same lost look. What is happening? We were celebrating Ice’s wedding, and then it was raining bombs, not rice.

  Luther stands in the middle of the chaos directing five brothers that aren’t hurt to cover Ice and Rae at the hospital. The rest of us sit on our asses, watching as our clubhouse, our home, goes up in smoke.

  “Show me your arm.” I look up at Sienna’s voice. She’s striking. All that coffee-colored hair, warm golden skin, and those green eyes make her look exotic, forbidden.

  Coated in blood and still in her bridesmaid’s dress, she sits in front of me and lifts my shirt, her soft fingers gliding over my skin. No one trusts Sienna, and for good reason. She’s that bastard Carlo’s daughter. The only reason she is alive is because of Rae, and we have no clue what the hell to do with her. We wouldn’t hurt women, not as a rule, unless they went against the club in a way that left no other option. Killing a bitch leaves a stain on your soul and messes up your head. We don’t have much of a moral compass, but there are some lines we aren’t willing to cross.

  Tonight, she saved Maia. Jumped on top of her to protect her. That means something. Sienna could have quickly vanished in the madness, ran, and never looked back. I don’t miss the dark secrets in her eyes. She hasn’t told us everything. How deep those secrets go, only time will tell, but if she’s going against the club, she will pay the price.

  “I saw you.”

  She stops wiping my arm, looking up at me with a look that would rival Ice’s coldness. She doesn’t say a word, waiting for me to carry on.

  “He hates you.” Her brow raises as she pierces my skin with the needle, sewing up the small wound in my arm.

  Yeah, I saw Cas fucking her against the wall, the pleasure that masked her face, the rage that covered his. If she thinks it changed anything, it didn’t. Cas still hates her.

  Sienna’s mouth curves, mixed with the blood streaks plastering her skin, it looks manic.

  “I know,” she answers, continuing to work on my arm.

  “Cas will never come around,” I sneer as the anger coils in my gut, making my teeth bare as I remember that day. “You didn’t kill him, but you may as well have. All he remembers when he looks at you is all the anger and pain.”

  I see a glint of something in her eyes at the truth I’m spilling. Sienna knows Cas will never come around, that he’ll never forgive. Buck, his father, was everything to him, and her family stole him.

  “Done.” Her smile is painted on, fake as hell, but she keeps it in place, pulls up those defenses she hides behind. I peer down at the gauze wrapped around my arm before my attention moves to her as she stands and looks down at me.

  “I’m a big girl. I can take Cas.” She winks like a deranged psycho, but her next words steal my breath. “Rae loves Ice. You’ll always be her friend, just a friend.”

  I grit my jaw looking around, knowing her loose lips could get me killed, before landing my eyes back on her as I slowly stand, leaning in. “Watch your mouth, cunt.”

  Her brow arches as she purses her lips, and they twist slightly. She turns, walking away, making me curse. I thought I hid it better. I hated Rae had become more. The feelings I have for her will get me killed. It didn’t matter how many times I had my dick sucked or fucked club girls; one smile directed my way from Rae, and everything seemed lighter. My eyes go back to Sienna, watching as she saunters over to another brother and shaking my head, crazy fucking bitch. We should start calling her CB.

  “What happened, Luther?” A voice shouts, making a few brothers spin to see officer Andy gazing up at the building.

  “What the hell does it look like,” Luther snarls, crossing his arms over his chest as Andy strides towards him.

  “Looks like someone blew up your club, and I guess the dead female in the back of the florist van has something to do with it,” he says smugly, causing the brothers to bristle. We all look at each other when I catch Luther’s eyes.

  On it

  I head over to the bench seeing Smithy, the prospect who was covering the gates today.

  “Who brought in the flowers?” His eyes flick to mine, sitting straighter. “A woman, the same one Red approved.” He scowls. “She got something to do with it?” I shrug. He isn’t a brother yet and not in on the inside information.

  “Red!” She turns, looking over her shoulder, and says something to Butch as she gets up, coming over.

  “Yeah?”

  “The woman who did the flowers, you know her?”

  A slight frown appears. “Yeah, Sarah. She was a few years above me in school. Why?”

  None of it makes sense. I look between both. “And it was only her?”

  Red nods. “Yeah, we met her by the gate, and then I left to get Rae ready. A few of the older brothers brought them in. What’s with the questions?”

  “Her van was found ’bout a mile away, a dead female inside,” I growl, having overheard Andy.

  “You think they’re both connected? She just got married a few months ago,” she gasps, and Smithy curses just as Sienna appears.

  “It was the bases. They were rigged. I guess someone else was in the van and fixed the bases, then made her drop them off. If she’s got a husband, I’d say they threatened him. You brought the bombs in yourself.” Her words are straightforward and factual but make me grit my teeth and rub me the wrong way.

  “Who the hell asked you?” She shakes her head and walks away.

  “She’s just trying to help,” Red grits out before going after Sienna.

  A blonde, yelling Smithy’s name, comes barreling around the corner. She’s a tiny
little thing with a curvy body, which has all the guys twist as she passes them, spitting fire like a dragon. Smithy runs his hands through his hair, cursing as he jumps up.

  “Tal.” At her name, she stops, her eyes searching before landing on his. She races across the distance leaping into his arms, hugging him, before hitting his chest with her tiny fists.

  “Don’t you dare scare me like that!”

  “Problems, prospect?” I ask, watching the spitfire take me in, her eyes widening before dramatically crossing her arms, arching a blonde brow at me as her lips narrow. When I don’t say anything, she rolls those sky-blue eyes before going and taking a seat on the bench Smithy had just vacated. He watches before turning back to me.

  “Nah, she’ll fucking cool down.” I can’t stop looking at the feisty blonde. My stomach tenses as her eyes briefly meet mine. She has an attitude, my favorite kind. I like a woman who can hold her own, but there is something about her that makes me want to pick her up and drag her away, knowing danger could still be prowling.

  I can already imagine my ink branding her skin, and how the colors would look against the paleness.

  “She’s your girl?” I grunt and turn away from those blues.

  His eyes narrow. “No, Talia is my baby sister. Stay away,” he grates out with more venom than I’ve ever heard in his voice, making my brow rise.

  Smithy holds my look, and as much as his reaction pisses me off, I respect his stance, so I nod.

  “Hear you.”

  His shoulders drop. “Sorry, been raising Tal since she was twelve.”

  I slap his arm. “Yeah, get that. My sister did the same for my ass.” I can’t help smiling at the thought of Carla, an angel. She raised me and Storm too. When she should have been out partying, she stayed in making sure I had food in my stomach and wasn’t getting in too much trouble. Our parents were too fucking drunk even to know they had kids.

  As rough of a deal as it was, Storm had it worse. His mother, the local whore, sold her body for drugs that she pumped in her veins rather than feed Storm. His father was a bastard who only came around when he wanted to teach him a lesson with his fists.