Angel's Halo: Avenged Page 4

  Surprised at his question, I laughed out loud despite all the emotions roiling inside me. “Really? You have to ask me that?”

  His face was completely serious as he nodded, checking over his shoulder again before giving me his full attention. “I wasn’t in a good place the last time you visited. I vaguely remember you being at my house one night, but I seriously couldn’t tell you why.”

  “Relax,” I told him with a strained laugh as I put a hand on his arm. “Reid isn’t yours.”

  “Reid?” he wheezed out, his eyes going back to my beautiful son.

  I grimaced and shrugged. It wasn’t like everyone wouldn’t know soon anyway. “Tanner and I hooked up a few times during that last visit.”

  Matt stumbled back a few steps, his eyes filling with an emotion that startled me as he locked eyes with Reid. In all the years I’d known Matt, I’d never once seen him—or any of the MC boys—cry before. But right then, there was no mistaking the tears in the biker’s eyes. “Tanner’s son?” he croaked out. “You and he…? But you’re so freaking young, and Tanner was always into cougars.”

  “Yes,” I muttered a little sheepishly. “I might have seduced him. Whatever. I had the biggest crush on him. Don’t judge me.”

  “Tanner’s son,” he repeated, as if lost in thought.

  “Yes,” I reaffirmed. “Is he here right now? I’m not sure how this reunion will play out, and to be honest, I’m scared to death. We didn’t exactly part under the best terms, and I… Well, Reid is going to be a surprise to everyone.” I hadn’t even told Dad or Grandpa about my son, afraid they would make me tell Tanner. I hadn’t been ready to tell him back then. Hell, I wasn’t sure I was ready now. But I had to be an adult about this and allow father and son to meet.

  “Butch didn’t tell you?” Matt asked in a voice considerably weaker than it had been only moments before.

  “Tell me what?” I asked, distracted by Reid as he squirmed in my arms. “Dad doesn’t tell me much about things that go on around here.”

  “Tanner…” He trailed off, clenching his jaw hard as he sucked in a deep breath through his nose. “Tanner died last week.”

  The bottom felt like it fell out of my world. I tightened my hold on Reid as I began to sway. “Wh-what?” I whispered, tears filling my eyes. “What?”

  Matt caught me, one arm going around my waist, the other to support Reid, keeping him safely in my arms. “I’m sorry, Jos. I thought you knew.”

  “He can’t be dead.” I shook my head, looking at my son and feeling the loss all the way to my bones. Reid’s dad was dead. He was never going to get to meet him, never going to get to know what a great guy he could be—when he wanted to be. Huge tears blurred my vision as I pressed my face against Matt’s cut, sobbing for what my son would never have now.

  For what I had cost him.

  Chapter 5

  Colt

  Once Kelli was questioned to everyone’s satisfaction, the others cleared out of the office. Hawk, Bash, and Spider were the only ones who stayed behind, and I took one of the vacant seats close to my brother-in-law’s desk as he turned the laptop to face me.

  “It’s exactly like she said,” Spider assured me with a grimace. “Her pops won’t be too happy with her if he ever finds out about this.”

  Kelli laughed tiredly. “He’s never been happy with me a day in my life. Don’t worry your sweet little hearts, boys. I can take care of myself where Calvin is concerned.”

  For the next hour, I listened to the majority of her conversations with Royce Campbell and Derrick Michaels. Those greedy sonofabitches ate up every last detail she had to offer them, but Kelli was smart. She knew to get her money up front for the secrets she was spilling on her father. Starting with the second meeting, she ensured she was paid before telling one of Calvin Samson’s many indiscretions. And I was willing to admit that they were worth every penny the assholes paid for them.

  Hitting pause, I turned my gaze on her. She was half asleep in her chair, but she was too cautious to allow herself to give in to her exhaustion completely. “Why?” I demanded, my tone unwittingly harsh after not using it for so long. After biting my tongue every time Bash got in her face. My knuckles ached from having clenched my fists so hard, watching my brother-in-law and Spider get close to her while they were so fucking pissed.

  She had no idea just how much danger she’d been in while Spider talked to her so calmly. He was deadly when he was in that zone. It was when the predator in him came out, when he was measuring and calculating every movement, every thought, so that when he did strike, it only took one. For a big man, he could move with a speed that was beautiful to watch, but it made you thankful you weren’t on the receiving end.

  Her head snapped up, and she blinked her eyes a few times to clear them of sleep. “Why, what?” she asked, confused.

  “Why did you sell out your father?” I snapped, more than a little confused myself. Why go against her father, her flesh and blood? I had listened to her explain her reasons earlier, but I still couldn’t wrap my head around her dislike of her father.

  She pushed her hair back from her face, rolling her eyes at me like I was stupid. “It was you or him. Oddly enough, I like you more than Calvin. Although I’m seriously rethinking that idiocy.”

  Clenching my jaw, I pushed to my feet. Maybe I could have gone about forcing her to talk differently. Maybe she shouldn’t have been using me the whole fucking length of our relationship either.

  But was she really? a sadistic-sounding voice asked in the back of my mind. She sold out her father—for me. All so she wouldn’t have to use me. She hadn’t betrayed me. She’d betrayed her blood at the risk of herself.

  And what had I done?

  Drugged her. Cuffed her. Given her no choice but to tell me the truth.

  Guilt ate at me for the first two actions, but I couldn’t bring myself to regret it completely because the end result had been the latter. Now, it felt like a raging river was standing between us. I either had to dive in and swim across to reach her. Or jump that gaping distance and grab back what was mine.

  Stretching her neck, she turned her attention to the other three men in the room. “What’s going to happen now? You got what you wanted. I didn’t tell anyone shit about your MC. Am I free to go?”

  “You’re free,” Bash informed her. “For now.”

  She didn’t move as she assessed him fully. “Be more specific, dickhead. Am I free to leave whenever I want? Or am I under house arrest?”

  “If you choose to leave, we won’t stop you,” Bash assured her. “But if you stick around, we’re going to watch your every move until we can be sure we can trust you.”

  Her laugh was short and cold. “Like I want to stick around this god-awful place. The only person who even remotely matters to me here is Quinn, and if she finds out about any of this, she’s going to take Colt’s side.” She got to her feet. “Don’t worry, boys. I’m leaving. And I don’t ever plan on coming back to this shithole of a town.” Shooting me a dirty look, she walked past me and slammed the door behind her.

  All I could do was stand there, suddenly frozen as the realization that Kelli was actually going to walk away from me hit me like a wrecking ball. I hadn’t expected this; although I should have seen it coming. She was pissed and hurting after what I’d done. Of course she was going to walk away without a backward glance.

  The fuck she was.

  “Wait!” I bellowed as I followed her down the stairs.

  People in sleeping bags spread around the room lifted their heads, but Kelli kept walking, pretending she hadn’t heard me. I jogged to catch up with her just as she reached the front door. Grabbing hold of her elbow, I twisted her around and started dragging her toward our room.

  “What the fuck?” she snarled at me as I pushed her into the bedroom and locked the door behind us. “What’s your problem, asshole? I was leaving, just like you wanted.”

  Reaching out, I f
lipped on the lights and pushed her back onto the bed. “You leave when I say you leave,” I growled as I followed her down. “And I haven’t said you can yet.” I wasn’t ever going to say she could. Whether I wanted to admit it or not, I loved her. I wouldn’t let her go.

  She pushed at my shoulders, but the sudden rapid flutter at the base of her throat told me she wasn’t really trying. I lowered my head and sucked on her pulse point, tasting sweat and the wind on her skin, along with something spicier. Her.

  A needy little whimper left her throat, but she was still pushing at my shoulders. I caught both wrists and pinned them to the mattress above her head. “Sex won’t solve this,” she grumbled, arching her neck into my kiss.

  “When has sex ever solved anything between us?” I muttered against her flesh. “But it feels so fucking good, doesn’t it, baby?” I pushed my hips hard against her spread thighs, pressing into her wild heat. I could feel how much she wanted me even through our layers of clothes.

  Lifting my head, I smirked down at her, ignoring the hate I saw shining out of her eyes. I would deal with the animosity later, after I figured out what the fuck I was doing. Right then, all I could think about was keeping her with me and fucking her so hard we both fell unconscious.

  “I don’t want you,” she groused, yet she spread her thighs a little more, letting me closer.

  “Sure, you don’t,” I laughed at her ear before sinking my teeth into her lobe. “Don’t worry, baby. I won’t tell anyone if you don’t.”

  “Colt…” It started out as another snarl but ended on a breathy little sigh. “How fast can you get me naked?”

  I set new records getting her clothes off one-handed. Kicking off my boots and jeans, I fell on top of her again. Our bodies fit perfectly as I pushed into her. Releasing her wrists now that I had her right where I wanted, I grabbed her ass and sank deeper.

  “Fuck,” she moaned, closing her eyes. “That feels so good.”

  “Yeah, baby.”

  “Colt, look at me,” she panted.

  I lifted my head from where it was pressed into her neck. Despite the hunger reflected in her eyes, there was a serious expression on her beautiful face. “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “Savor this all you can,” she told me with a determined set of her chin. “Because this is our closure. I’m not doing this with you ever again.”

  I smirked down at her. “Sure, Kelli.” I thrust hard against her core, making her eyes close as her needy whimper filled the room.

  “I mean it,” she muttered. “We’re over after this.”

  “Yeah, babe. Okay.” I filled my hands with her tits, roughly pinching each pebble-hard nipple between my fingers. Just like she loved. Her inner walls squeezed my cock as I knew they would when I twisted her nipples a little firmer. “You won’t leave me.”

  I wouldn’t let her.

  Chapter 6

  Kelli

  My body ached, but I wasn’t sure if it was from the long, hard ride on the back of Colt’s bike the night before or the long, hard fuck he’d given me just a few hours ago.

  I woke disoriented, unsure where I was for a moment. Realizing I was back in Creswell Springs, at the MC’s clubhouse, I muttered a curse. Pushing Colt’s hand off my stomach, I threw back the sheets and stomped into the bathroom.

  A shower did little to relieve the stiffness in my muscles, but it went a long way toward getting the scent of Colt off my body. I avoided making eye contact with my reflection in the steamed-up mirror as I dried and brushed out my tangled wet hair. Shame filled me as I threw on a fresh pair of panties and jeans from the stash of clothes I kept in his room before pulling a tank over my head without bothering with a bra.

  The second that bedroom door clicked shut, I’d known what was going to happen. My feeble attempts at “No” were pathetic at best, especially when my panties had already been soaked at just the thought of having him between my legs. That was how it always was with us, though. And when we were pissed at each other, the sex seemed twice as good.

  But I wasn’t kidding when I told him it was the last time. This was the end of us. I was done with him and this entire fucked-up town. The only person who was even worth my time was Quinn, and I knew she would side with Colt without even bothering to hear all the facts. That was just the way their relationship worked.

  She loved and trusted him wholeheartedly. It didn’t matter that he was less than the knight in shining armor she imagined him to be. It didn’t matter to her that her best friend was going off on protection runs for the damn mafia, running drugs and pussy from one coast to the other. Not that she knew he was doing that—and a hundred other things that could get his ass locked up for the rest of his life if he ever got caught.

  I knew what he did. I wasn’t a fucking idiot. I knew Vito Vitucci was their boss, and everyone who knew who Vitucci was knew exactly what kind of businesses he ran. If I’d wanted to—really wanted to—I could have made up shit to tell the DA about the MC, and it probably wouldn’t have been far off the mark.

  If I’d wanted to.

  Too fucking bad I’d fallen for the guy I swore I wouldn’t.

  Colt was still sleeping when I grabbed my jacket and boots. Telling myself not to, I still paused at the door and glanced back. The ink on his back were faint markings in the dimness coming from the bathroom light I’d left on, but I knew each and every one of them. Had spent hours tracing my fingers over every tattoo, falling hard for the masterpiece that was his body.

  He looked peaceful with his face pressed into the pillow, snoring slightly. Tears filled my eyes, but I angrily blinked them back, refusing to allow them to fall. He didn’t deserve my tears or my love. Maybe I thought he did at one point, but that was before I woke up cuffed to a fucking bed I had no memory of being strapped to.

  Straightening my shoulders, I hardened my heart, putting up all the walls it had taken an eternity for him to knock down. All it had proved to me was that I really couldn’t rely on anyone but myself.

  Shaking my head at my own idiocy, I shut the door quietly and walked down the hall.

  There were more people with working brain cells walking around now. The sleeping bags were gone for the moment, and people were sitting around talking and eating. A glance at my phone told me it was just after eight at night. I couldn’t honestly say how long I’d slept, but I felt better than I had when we first got there that morning, despite my aching body.

  I could smell food coming from the kitchen along with the sound of female voices I would have rather avoided, but I was freaking starving. I deserved at least a sandwich before I hit the road. Ignoring the looks the sheep shot me, as well as the dirtier looks coming from some of the MC brothers, I walked through the main room and pushed open the swinging kitchen door.

  The room was in organized chaos as women moved around from the stove to the island, set up with platters of freshly made food. Ol’ ladies were busy making their men plates of food, but I pushed in and grabbed a yeasty dinner roll. Opening it, I slapped on a scoop of mashed potatoes, roast beef, and a few green beans.

  Taking a hungry bite, I opened the back door, my keys already out so I could unlock my car and get the fuck out of there. The parking lot at the back of the compound was lit with three streetlights, giving the area plenty of illumination. It was the best spot I could find for my car when the MC first forced the stupid lockdown. I figured no one would bother my shit if it was over there away from prying eyes. I heard people talking but didn’t bother to see who was sitting at the picnic tables as I headed for my car.

  “Hey, Kelli!”

  Hearing Quinn’s sweet voice gave me pause, but after the initial falter in my step, I kept walking. I couldn’t do this. Not now, maybe not ever. I loved that girl more than I’d ever loved anyone, including Colt Hannigan. She became my family when I hadn’t realized I wanted or even needed one. Of course I needed her. Every damn person on the planet needed someone, and Quinn became that someon
e for me.

  But I couldn’t let her stay mine. I had to walk away while I still could.

  In my gut, I knew it was what was right. But with each step I took that brought me closer to my car and away from her, my soul ached a little more.

  “Where you heading?”

  I nearly choked on the food in my mouth when I heard the new voice. My keys and phone fell at my feet as I coughed the food free of my throat and shot a cautious glare at the queen of the Angel’s Halo MC. In a fight, I knew we would be evenly matched, but I seriously didn’t want to fight her. She fought dirty, and I wasn’t even sure I could outmatch the tricks she had up her sleeve.

  Raven walked out from behind my car just as I bent to pick up my things. “I’m leaving,” I told her honestly. “Like I told your husband I would.”

  She leaned back against the side of my car, blocking the driver’s door as she crossed her legs at the ankles and pushed the tips of her fingers into her front jeans pockets. Dark blond brows lifted as she watched me like a predator assessing its prey. “How was the hangover?” she taunted with an evil lift of her lips.

  I clenched my jaw and tossed the rest of my roll aside, knowing I wouldn’t be able to stomach it after the reminder of what Colt did to me. “You got lucky. A little more of that shit and it probably would have killed me.”

  “Nah,” she said with a casual shrug, as if she hadn’t been worried about it—or my possible death—in the slightest. “I got my math right. I gave him just enough to keep you out for a while so he could figure out if he really could off you if he needed to.”

  A shiver went down my spine, but I didn’t let her see my reaction. “There wasn’t any need to go to those extremes. I would have given him, and you, everything I had if you’d just asked.”

  “Sure. I believe that.” She smirked up at me, but I wasn’t blind to the dangerous sparks flashing in those green eyes so much like her brothers’. “Actually, I really do believe that. Oddly enough, I trust you. Which was what I told Bash earlier.”