Reckless Temptations (Tempted #4)(43)

The tension was mounting between Jack and Blackie and with my eyes on Wu, I knew it had nothing to do with the gun deal we had going on. They had something else brewing and whatever it was had Blackie hitting the bottle more than usual.

The man was still grieving his wife who died of an overdose, an overdose supplied on the product he was pushing before Jack became the head honcho of the Knights. Bones thinks Blackie’s guilt will be the death of him if he doesn’t get a handle on it.

I think he’s dead already, just waiting for the reaper to call him home.

I parked my bike next to Blackie’s, noticing it was the only one in the lot aside from the few cars. I hung my helmet off one handlebar and strode into the compound.

Bianci was off doing father-to-be crap and luckily for me I wasn’t invited to that sort of shit. After the night I text Lauren, I kept my distance and respected she wanted nothing to do with me. Which sucked, because with the afternoon to myself all I wanted to do was take a ride on my bike with her. I don’t know what the fuck was wrong with me. I guess it’s the game of temptation, wanting what you can’t have.

I stopped in my tracks when I heard a sob and turned around to see Jack’s daughter running down the stairs. She froze, mascara streaking her pretty face, as she buttoned up her shirt.

Well, now.

“Lacey,” I started.

“I was never here,” she sniffled, straightening her back as she stared at me.

I raised an eyebrow. Daddy’s little girl didn’t fall too far from the badass family tree.

“I was never here,” she repeated.

“Never saw you,” I agreed, biting the inside of my cheek. She waited a moment, assessing me to be sure she had my word, before grabbing her keys off the bar and jetting out of the Dog Pound.

I think it was safe to say she wasn’t visiting daddy looking for a handout.

I glanced toward the stairs and decided this afternoon just got a whole lot more interesting.

Who needs Kitten when you got a clubhouse full of demons?

I climbed the stairs, remembering the only bike in the lot was Blackie’s and made my way toward his room.

If I had any brains whatsoever, I would’ve turned the fuck around and minded my own business. But I was bored and stupid. I’ve been doing a lot of stupid shit lately. I needed to get that shit under control, but not until after I saw why Lacey was running down the stairs crying.

I opened the door to Blackie’s room and found him sitting on the foot of the bed with his head in his hands. He slowly lifted his face and the whites of his eyes were so red he looked like he had pink eye.

“Get out,” he seethed.

“You the reason Lacey just ran out of here crying?”

“What’s it to you?” He said, rising to his feet, stumbling a little as he did so. He was fucked up. No surprise there, but he wasn’t drunk. He crossed his arms against his bare chest and that’s when I noticed the fresh marks on his forearm.

I took a step closer, getting a better look at the bruises that marked his skin, and lifted my eyes back to his.

“You’re using?” I questioned.

He uncrossed his arms and reached behind him for his gun before aiming it at me.

“Get the fuck out of my room, Riggs,” he shouted, unlatching the safety.

The reaper was coming, and he was coming soon.





Chapter Fifteen





I wonder if the Psychic Friends Network is hiring. Dionne Warwick was dead, wasn’t she? If not, the bitch had to be retired by now and I’m a perfect candidate to take her place.

It didn’t take that long for the reaper to show up, ready to claim our souls. In fact, he showed the next day, getting our attention when Blackie’s truck was blown to bits. The reaper has a name and his name is Jimmy Fucking Gold.

I knew these gangsters were nothing but trouble but now really isn’t the time for “I told you so.” Not while our club is on lock down. Not while Jack Parrish was in Bulldog mode, teetering on the edge of insanity.

I knew shit was heavy between Jack and Blackie, and for a hot minute I thought it was because Blackie might be banging Jack’s daughter. But, this runs deeper than a little game of “just the tip.” When Bianci showed up at the Dog Pound with Grace Pastore in tow it became clear that this was more mobbed up bullshit that found its way to the Satan’s Knights doorstep.

It also became clear that Anthony had been working with Jack and Blackie for some time. Clearly, I was doing a bang-up job on keeping tabs on Anthony because I never saw this shit coming. But hey, the motherfucker was still breathing and I should get a gold star for that right?

I lifted my eyes from the beer I was holding as the compound door opened and Wolf pushed his three sons through the door. Pipe followed him with his young, hot piece of ass wife. I think she was one of those mail-order brides that married him for a green card. Gotta love America!

“They come back yet?” Pipe asked.

Blackie had gone to get Jack’s daughter—no shocker there and Jack went to pick up his old lady, Reina. Everyone who ever mattered to a Knight would fill these four walls until this crap died down. At least then we could do our jobs and know the people who mattered most were safe.

Me and Bones? We had each other, no one else to rally together and bring here to keep safe.

The door opened again and crazy came barreling through the door.