Authors: Joanna Wylde
“Wake up, asshole. You’re late for church.
No excuses.”
Shit. Had he slept in?
Horse opened his eyes, blinking rapidly,
trying to focus. Not his room…hospital. Had to be a hospital. It came back to
him in a rush—he’d been with Marie and then somebody shot him.
“Did they get Marie?” he demanded, but it
came out in a whisper. Fucking pussy, he couldn’t even talk. He hated feeling
weak.
“Marie is safe,” Picnic said, stepping into
Horse’s line of sight. Horse studied his face to make sure the man wasn’t lying
to him. “She’s in jail right now. Our guy’s arranging bail. He says that if the
ballistics match her story, they probably won’t charge her with anything. She’d
be out already but they’re pissed that she’s stonewalling about why her brother
and Max were fighting.”
“Jail?” he asked, confused.
“Marie shot Max,” Picnic said, his face
grim. Horse wrinkled his forehead. “Ruger’s in there too. Hands covered in
blood so they arrested him. He had to tackle your girl to get the gun away from
her. She’d gone all
Pulp Fiction
on us, ready to defend you by killing
all of us if she had to. Crouched over your body like Wonder Woman. Gives me a
boner just thinking about it.”
“You’re the asshole. Why would she shoot
Max?” Horse asked, every word grating against his sore throat. Had the bullet
hit his mouth, for fuck’s sake? Why couldn’t he talk right?
“Max shot you in the back,” Picnic said
shortly. “And then he shot Jensen. Marie was probably next—she told our guy
that Max was getting ready to finish you off when she took him out. Kid is like
a fucking commando, never saw that coming. Shot him seven times.”
“Fuck,” Horse muttered, feeling himself
smile. “Damn, that’s amazing. My girl’s a one-woman army.”
“No shit,” Picnic said, shaking his head.
“Took care of business, no question about that. Hey, gotta ask you something
important.”
“What’s that?”
Picnic leaned over and spoke softly.
“Cops found all kinds of papers,” he said.
“No idea what was in them, but Marie told the lawyer they were talking about
money transfers. Jensen said it was all set up. Could we be in trouble?”
Horse wrinkled his forehead, trying to
think.
“I changed everything after we found out
about Jensen,” he said. “New accounts, the whole thing, a lot more than just
passwords and shit like that. Shouldn’t have been traceable.”
“Wonder what he was talking about?”
Horse searched his memory, which was way
too hard. Must be on drugs, he realized. Something hovered just out of reach,
something he knew was important. Then it came to him.
“We’re good,” he said, smiling.
“How’s that?”
“Max was in the office the last time I
printed out a list of the overseas account numbers and contact information,” he
said. “Told him I was making dupes for the lockbox. Probably left to take a
piss or something and he copied them. Bet he thought he’d hit the jackpot.”
“Tell me that isn’t as bad as it sounds,
bro.”
Horse tried to shake his head, but it
didn’t work.
“They were dummies,” he replied, savoring
the moment. “You know I like to fuck with the cops. Couple times a year I
update my fake accounts and ledgers, make ’em realistic enough that if we ever
get raided they’ll be chasing their tails for months. I never told Jensen, and
Max sure as fuck wouldn’t know. Max gave him accounts with about five grand in
them. Just enough to trick someone trying to do a test transfer, you know?
Little game I like to play, extra insurance…guess it worked out.”
“Jesus Christ… Thank fuck for that,” Picnic
said.
“Nope, not Jesus, just a man,” Horse
whispered. “Although when women see my dick for the first time, they’ve been
known to fall down on their knees and worship me.”
Picnic laughed.
“Yeah, you’re gonna live,” he said. “Ego’s
too big to die. Cops’ll want to talk to you at some point. Tell ’em you can’t
remember anything beyond being at the party, lawyer says a traumatic head
injury can make you forget the hours right before it happened. Yours hit the
ground when he shot you. That’ll get you off the hook and drive ’em crazy at
the same time. I’m gonna call the nurse now, let them know you’re awake.”
“Wait,” Horse said. “Tell me about the
Jacks. I miss anything?”
“Nothing yet,” Picnic replied. “We’ll keep
an eye on them, this is just getting started. War’s coming. Doubt your girl’ll
be their target though. Not worth their time to range this far out of their
territory if they aren’t getting paid.”
Horse heard the room door open, and the
sounds of a busy hallway behind it.
“Hey, Picnic, I just went down to grab a
drink,” Dancer said as she walked in. Horse managed to open his eyes again and
look at her. She froze, eyes wide, then her face exploded in a huge smile as
she rushed over to him. She leaned over to give him a hug, pulling back at the
last minute with a grimace. Thank god for that, a hug right now and he’d
probably need another gallon of whatever painkiller they’d given him. “Horse!
I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up. How do you feel? Can he talk?”
“You look like shit,” Horse said. “What’s
wrong with you?”
“My brother got shot, you douche,” she
said. “I thought you were going to die. Marie saved your life, did he tell you
that?”
“Yeah,” Horse said, closing his eyes again.
Damn he was tired.
“Fuckin’ pansy,” Picnic said, and Horse
heard him laugh, as if from a distance. “Damn woman had to protect him, lazy
asshole wouldn’t even get up off the ground. Dripping blood, making a mess…”
Horse opened his mouth to tell him to fuck
off, but before the words came he was out again.
Yakima Valley, eastern Washington
Five months later
Marie
I drove past our old elementary school on
the way to the church. Jeff and I loved that playground—in the summer Mom would
drop us off there before heading in to work a block away. We’d check in with
her every couple of hours, feeling very mature. The familiar ache of sorrow and
loss hit me, a stealth attack.
I missed him.
Jeff’d been messed up, way more messed up
than I’d realized, but that didn’t change that he was my brother or that I’d
watched him die right in front of my eyes. At least the nightmares were getting
better. For the first few weeks I’d been terrified to sleep because he’d visit
me at night, accusing me of killing him while his brains dribbled out his
mouth. Thankfully, I hadn’t had one of those nightmares for two months now and
most days I didn’t even think of him.
Today wasn’t like other days though.
I pulled into the parking lot and grabbed
my dress bag. Mom was going to be pissed—I was supposed to be there almost
forty-five minutes ago but I’d been delayed. The church coordinator glared at
me as I walked in, grabbing my arm and rushing me downstairs to the bathroom.
There I found my mother looking like a dream in an elegant, Grecian-style, peach-colored
wedding dress.
“Oh Mama,” I said, feeling tears spring to
my eyes. “You look so beautiful. John’s gonna die when he sees you.”
Her face crumpled at the word “die” and I
swore under my breath. Mom was fragile these days and I still wasn’t sure how to
deal with that. I was used to her being the strong one, because she’d suffered
so much and always survived. Now I’d become the strong survivor.
“You need to get dressed,” she said,
forcing herself to smile again. Joanie, her longtime beautician, clucked at Mom
to sit down so she could finish up her makeup. Her hair was already done, swept
up in keeping with the Grecian style, little ribbons woven through it along
with fresh flowers.
An hour later we waited in the back of the
church. The last of the guests were inside and then John came out to stand at
the altar. The music started and I reached over to take Mama’s hand, squeezing
it. John’s daughter Carla walked ahead of us carrying white lilies. She was
hard to read and I still wasn’t quite sure how she felt about our families
being joined. I guess it didn’t matter, because she wanted her dad to be happy
and that was enough to make her overlook our oddities. The wedding march
started and I took Mama’s hand to give her away.
It should have been Jeff’s job.
I wondered if he could see us from wherever
people go after they die. I hoped he knew Mama was finally happy. Then I
stopped thinking about Jeff because the stunned, almost worshipful look on
John’s face as we came down the aisle filled my heart. I put their hands
together, popping up on my toes to kiss first his cheek and then hers. I liked
him. I liked him a lot, actually. He adored my mother and the feeling was
mutual.
I stepped back and took my spot next to her
as maid of honor. The minister started talking and that’s when I let myself
look over at Horse for the first time. He stood strong and tall next to John’s
grown son, Paulson. They wore matching tuxes, which I’d never imagined Horse
would be willing to tolerate. He’d done it with grace though, telling me I’d
find a way to pay him back.
I blushed, because that’s why I’d been
late. He’d already started collecting.
They held the reception in the old Eagles
lodge, where John was a lifelong member. Their first dance together was
beautiful, and somehow Mama resisted the urge to smash cake on John’s face. She
hadn’t been married to my father, so this was her first wedding. That seemed to
please John in some weird way. I guess he liked the idea of being her only
husband. Horse held my hand all through dinner, stealing little glances at me
when he thought I wasn’t paying attention. It made me a little nervous—I knew
him well enough to realize he was up to something. That could be very good.
Once when he’d gotten that look, he’d taken me up to Canada for a surprise
weekend at a gorgeous bed-and-breakfast.
Of course, last week I’d seen that look on
his face the instant before Maggs dumped a bucket of water on me from the
second floor of the armory.
I stood talking to Denise next to the dance
floor when he struck, throwing me over his shoulder and carrying me out of the
room to cheers and whistles. My mom’s voice was the loudest, something we’d be
having words about later. I squawked as he hauled me up the stairs and out onto
the roof. Then he set me down and I saw a blanket covered with red rose petals.
My eyebrows raised.
“I get that this is probably some romantic
gesture, but what have you done with my old man?” I demanded, looking at him
with narrowed eyes. “This isn’t your style, babe.”
Horse grinned, looking almost sheepish.
Wow. Didn’t know Reapers could do sheepish.
“Your mom’s idea,” he said. “She said I
couldn’t be trusted not to fuck things up. This is the price I paid to keep her
from following us up here. C’mon.”
He took my hand and led me over to the blanket,
standing in front of me and kissing my lips very softly. Then to my utter shock
he lowered himself to one knee and took my hand.
“I feel like an asshole because this is so
corny,” he said, shaking his head. He started to get back up and I grabbed his
shoulders, pushing them down hard.
“Ouch,” he said, glaring at me.
“Just say it,” I burst out, glaring back at
him. “Don’t make me get my gun.”
“Fuck, am I ever going to live that down?”
he asked, shaking his head. “You know they’re calling me your bitch at the
armory now, does that make you happy?”
“I’m aware. Not my fault I had to save your
big, bad, biker ass. You know what they say with guys who—”
“Shut the fuck up, Marie,” Horse said,
rolling his eyes. “You gonna let me do this or what?”
“Okay,” I replied, feeling a little giddy.
Sure it was corny, but it also kicked ass.
“Marie Caroline Jensen, will you do me the
honor of being my permanent bitch?”
I smacked him on the side of his head as he
burst out laughing, then aimed my foot for his nuts. He grabbed me, shoving me
down onto the blanket and covering me with his body, still shaking with
laughter.
“You’re going to ruin my dress.”
“I guess your mom was right—I am fucking
this up.”
“Do it right or I’ll say no.”
“Marie Caroline Jensen, will you marry me?”
he asked suddenly, looking right into my eyes. I bit my lip, trying to decide
how long to drag it out. Maybe a little longer…he’d used the “b” word, I should
probably make him suffer. I looked away, refusing to meet his eyes as he
stopped laughing and grew still.
“Marie?” he asked, his voice suddenly
strained. “Oh fuck, don’t do this to me, please. I—”
“Yes,” I said, catching his eye and
smirking. “I’ll marry your big, dumb ass but only because you said the magic
word.”
“Fuck? You’re right, that is a magic word.
Let’s test it out.”
I burst out laughing, which only lasted for
a few seconds before his mouth took mine, kissing me deeply. I felt the length
of his erection between my legs and realized that whatever damage he’d already
done to my outfit was probably just the beginning.
He stopped kissing me long enough to lift
himself and pull up my dress. That’s when he discovered I’d left my panties
off. He growled in approval as I giggled, covering his face with kisses while
he fumbled with his fly. Then his cock was out and pressing into me, sliding
into my wet depths with a singular focus that drove me crazy.
Horse thrust into me over and over,
touching me deeper than I’d imagined possible before him. I wrapped my legs up
and around his waist, holding him to me and tilting my pelvis just the right
way to make the most of his hard length.
“Can’t believe you’re stupid enough to
marry me,” Horse muttered, sitting up and lifting my hips, one of my favorite
positions because now every stroke drew the round lip of his cock head across
my G-spot with a force that drove me insane. He knew it too, and he grinned at
me as I flew over the edge, moaning and arching my back. Two more strokes and
he followed, spurting deep inside.
We came down together, panting under the stars,
the faint sound of Mom’s reception floating up from the open windows below.
After what seemed like forever, Horse sat up and I joined him, pulling down my
dress as demurely as possible considering I’d just been fucked senseless on a
roof. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around them, looking
out over the lights of the valley.
“No second thoughts, right?” he asked.
“No second thoughts,” I said, feeling warm
and happy all over. Then I held up my left hand. “Did you forget something?”
Horse smiled at me, looking very pleased
with himself again.
“Yeah, I brought it for you.” He stood up
and walked over to one of the rooftop air conditioning units. He grabbed a
small, black bag and brought it back to me, dropping down onto the blanket. Then
he reached in and pulled out a box.
A too-big box.
I narrowed my eyes and took it from him to
discover that—in addition to being too big for a ring—it was way too heavy. I
opened it and found a large, semi-automatic black pistol.
“It’s a .38,” he said proudly. “I know
you’re a .22 girl, but it’s time for us to take the next step in our
relationship. I think if you start practicing you’ll get used to the feel of
it. This is a great piece because—”
“I swear if you say one more word I’m
shooting you,” I growled, thoroughly disgusted. Of course he’d buy me an
engagement gun.
Stupid biker.
“At least take it out of the box and see
how it feels in your hand.”
I shrugged and picked it up, wondering how
many anniversaries we’d have before I needed my own private bunker to store my
weapons. But as I pulled it out, a beautiful, sparkling silver engagement ring
came with it, tied to the trigger with a short thread. It was gorgeous, not so
big that it was tasteless but still absolutely stunning. It held a large blue sapphire
with small diamonds on either side. I loved it instantly. Horse pulled it loose
and I held out my hand for him to put it on. Then he took my chin and looked
right in my eyes.
“Love you, babe. Are you still planning to
shoot me?”
“Love you too,” I replied, grinning at him.
“I haven’t decided yet about shooting you though. I’ll get back to you on
that.”
“So you want to stay up here a little
longer, just the two of us? Or do you want to go downstairs and show your mom
your new bling?”
I laughed at him, leaning against his side
as he wrapped an arm around me.
“Does it make me a horrible, shallow person
that I want to go flash this thing around to everyone?”
“I’m fine with that,” he replied, kissing
the top of my head. “Then you need to call Maggs and Em—it took everything I
had to keep them from crashing the reception. They’re having a party for us
when we get back to Coeur d’Alene. Picnic wants you to make potato salad. I
told him no fucking way you’re cooking for your own engagement party.”
“Really?” I asked. He shook his head.
“Naw, I told him I’d do whatever it took.
Love that shit. It’s the bacon that really sets it apart.”
“Baby!” my mom squealed, rushing out onto
the roof. John followed her, along with Denise. “I’m sorry, but I couldn’t
wait. Tell me all about it! Did he screw it up?”
“Go on, go to your mom,” Horse said,
rolling his eyes. He stood and took my hand, lifting me to my feet. Then he
smacked my ass, pushing me toward my mom and her new husband. “But when she’s
done with you I’m taking you home to celebrate.”
I lifted to my toes to kiss him and then
ran over to show Mama my new ring. I decided to leave the gun with Horse.
At least for now.