RIDING DARKNESS (A Back Down Devil MC Romance Novella) Read online

  “What happened with your parents?” Ares asked.

  “I walked in and saw them… they were gone. A second later Armen appeared and looked surprised to see me. He hurried to grab me and took me from the house. Refused to call police. Refused to explain what happened. He only told me that they were coming. That’s what he always said. They’re coming… they’re going to kill us… So I believed him. I really didn’t have a choice. I had to believe him. I had to keep myself safe. The more I traveled with him, the more I let myself fall to him. Anything he said, I held at truth. I figured if he was gathering that much cash for a war, I would either die or find a way to escape.”

  “Then he picked here to fuck around,” Ares said.

  “Yeah, I guess. His biggest mistake.”

  “One he’ll pay with his life.”

  Brooke nodded. She inched closer to Ares and pressed her lips to his cheek. “I don’t know why but I feel like I should be thanking you.”

  “Don’t,” Ares said. He took Brooke by her face. His thumb ran along her bottom lip. That damn sexy lip had been moving along his shaft just a few minutes ago. “Don’t thank me for a thing. You want to come on this mission with us, you might end up dead.”

  “Then I’ll die facing the truth and I’ll die in your arms. That’s okay with me.”

  Fuck… this woman is beautiful and caring. She’s honest. She’s broken. She’s… she’s like everything.

  Ares slipped his hand to the back of Brooke’s neck. He pulled her in for a kiss. “I don’t want you to go anywhere, darling. You belong right here in this room with me. When I kill your brother, I’m going to accept a patch from Miller. Then… you’re going to be all mine.”

  “I like the way that sounds,” Brooke said.

  She kissed Ares and when she tried to pull away, Ares pulled her back again. Their mouths opened and their tongues touched for a few seconds.

  “You know, one of these times I’m going to leave this room and clubhouse and never come back,” Ares whispered. “That’s why there’s something I need to do.”

  “Which is?”

  “I like to fuck before I leave…”

  “You already came, Ares.”

  “I know that, darling. But I want to taste you now.”

  Ares turned and moved from the bed. His hands were wrapped around the top of Brooke’s pants a second later. He opened them and pulled them down. He watched her panties peel away from her wet silk. Before her pants and panties were down to her ankles, Ares came forward with his hungry mouth.

  He brought his hands up to Brooke’s knees and pushed her legs open wide. His tongue fluttered up and down Brooke’s sweet pussy. He licked bottom to top, top to bottom. He savored her sweet taste over and over, watching as her stomach fluttered up and down with shaky breaths. Time was wasting by the second, but there was at least a few minutes to spare here.

  Ares’s tongue darted into Brooke. Her tightness tugged at him, leaving him wanting more.

  A knock came at the door, and Ares pulled away and turned his head.

  “Bro, you in there?”

  It was Gaige.

  “Yeah,” Ares said. “I’m busy.”

  “We need to ride, bro.”

  “Give me a minute, man. Get Miller. I know where Armen is. We can end this today.”

  The door wasn’t locked. Ares waited for the door to open.

  “Hurry,” Gaige said. “We don’t have time then.”

  “One fucking minute,” Ares yelled.

  There was no reply.

  Ares looked up at Brooke and smiled. “Hey darling, you have one minute to come. Can you do that?”

  “Can you make me come in a minute?” Brooke dared.

  That was one challenge Ares accepted and knew he would win. He came forward with his mouth and his fingers. He knew just what to do. With two fingers, he thrust deep into Brooke’s sex. She lifted her body and let out a whimper. That’s when the tip of Ares’s tongue sought out her clit and found it with ease. He then sucked as hard as he could, making tight circles with his tongue. Using his fingers, he twisted and turned, pushing and pulling. In a matter of seconds Brooke was reaching down and grabbing at Ares’s hair. She pulled and wiggled, gasping for air. Her nails dug into his head and Ares loved it. He loved the taste of Brooke’s sweetness and he loved the way she moved.

  Her body began to rock hard and fast. Ares pressed harder with his mouth and fingers. He was in fucking control and Brooke was going to accept that. She then began to convulse, crunching forward, her hands grabbing his hair, pulling. Ares had his entire face buried between her legs, suckling, nibbling, fingering.

  And then Brooke lost it and began to come. Her cries were beautiful and the fresh moisture that poured from her body was nectar to Ares’s tongue. He continued to savor the taste right up until the bedroom door flew open.

  Brooke pulled away and let out a scream.

  Ares looked back and was ready to fucking kill someone.

  Miller stood there, hand on the door. Gaige and Blaine were next to him.

  “Oh, fuck,” Miller said and laughed.

  “Nice,” Gaige said.

  “Hey, brother, wipe your mouth,” Blaine said. He then put his hands together and rubbed them fast. “Is it… my turn…?”

  “Both of you, out of here,” Miller said to Gaige and Blaine.

  They moved back and Miller came into the room. He shut the door.

  “Christ, can I get a minute here?” Ares asked.

  “No,” Miller said. “Where’s Armen?”

  Ares lifted the covers and put them over Brooke’s exposed lower body. He stood up and grabbed the phone off the bed.

  “He’s hiding in a warehouse,” Ares said. “He has some protection. Eight Under.”

  “They fucking helped him?”

  “In exchange for me. Brooke’s supposed to lure me and have me killed.”

  “But she’s not doing that…,” Miller said and looked at Brooke.

  “I can’t give up that tongue,” Brooke said and her face turned red.

  “Good to know,” Miller said. “We’re riding in two minutes.”

  “I’ll be there.”

  “We’re going to ambush and kill,” Miller said. “I don’t care how many are there. We’re taking them all down. It’s going to cause something much bigger.”

  “I know that,” Ares said. “If you let me go alone…”

  “No,” Miller said. “You’re taking your patch after we leave.” Miller looked at Brooke again. “I hope you know what you’re getting into. I know he’s your brother. There’s no going back.”

  “I know,” Brooke said. “He deserves what he gets…”

  “Thanks for the little entertainment too,” Miller said. “I never get enough of those sounds.”

  Miller opened the door and left.

  Ares looked down at Brooke and her face was burning red. He laughed and touched her red cheek. “It’s all good, darling. I’m sure that won’t be the last time they hear you screaming for me.”

  “Stop that.”

  “Never. Now pull up your panties. We have to do this right now.”

  Ares leaned down and kissed Brooke one time. He didn’t believe in thinking about last days and last kisses… but something about Brooke’s lips and body made him do just that.

  Fuck, I don’t want to die today.

  eighteen.

  They were a large group. The sight alone was scary, but to be on one of the motorcycles, holding tight to Ares’s leather was something else. She counted eight rides. Miller had been barking orders from the second they got outside. He was pissed off that Brooke was there, but she refused to leave. Miller made it very clear that her death was on Ares’s hands and nobody else’s. Ares argued back with the President of Back Down Devil, making it known that if Brooke didn’t go, then Armen would run.

  The plan was pretty simple. They were going to ride toward the warehouse. Everyone but Ares and Brooke would cut off the road and c
ome up through the back of the warehouse. Ares and Brooke would approach the warehouse and make it seem like Brooke had set him up.

  Brooke’s heart pounded. The plan seemed too easy and calm. Bullets were going to fly. People were going to get hurt. Armen was going to die.

  The motorcycles thundered through Frelen and beyond the main part of town. It quickly went from a busy little town to desolate areas. There were buildings in the distance and plenty of forgotten about properties.

  The ride felt longer than it probably was. Brooke wondered what would happen if Armen was able to escape. Would he leave? Would he come back and try to kidnap Brooke? For a second, Brooke wondered if she could help her brother. Let him run until it all caught up to him. But then she remembered the sight of her parents on the floor. Her dear parents. They were good people. Honest people. They worked hard. They loved their kids. And Armen took all that away. Because of his stupidity and greed. His need to gamble and always come up big. But he always came up short and then cheated to get away from it all.

  Brooke knew deep down that she should have been killed a long time ago, one of the nights when things went bad, but Armen always knew a way out. It was scary, risky, and he lived looking over his shoulder.

  That would be no more after today.

  When the time came, Miller made a hand signal and the group cut to the left. Ares throttled his ride and sped up. He powered down the road and hung a wide left. Up ahead was the warehouse where everything had happened. It was still taped off with police tape. Brooke feared the police would be lurking, but she remembered Miller saying something to Ares that someone named Jerry (or was it Chief Jerry?) would have the area open for them for about an hour.

  That was their window.

  To get in, fix the mess, and get the hell out.

  As they rode toward the warehouse, Brooke saw three men near the door. They were big, in leather cuts, and there was three motorcycles near them.

  Ares turned to the right and gave a wave, then threw the middle finger. All three men quickly drew their weapons.

  Ares stopped his ride and turned his head. “Stay calm, darling. They won’t hurt you. They want me. But they won’t hurt you.”

  As Ares stepped off the motorcycle one of the guys came charging toward him.

  “Don’t move!” the man yelled.

  “What the fuck are you doing here?” Ares asked. “I thought Eight Under had learned their lesson…”

  The man was close enough and swung his gun, smacking Ares in the mouth. He spun and fell. Brooke let out a scream.

  “Come here,” the man growled and grabbed at Brooke’s arm.

  She watched Ares rub his mouth and stand up. “Motherfuckers. What is this?”

  The man laughed. “She’s coming with me. And then we’re going to take you into that warehouse and cut you limb by limb. You fucking punk. You’re not even patched in…”

  Brooke was then dragged away from Ares. He started to come forward but the Eight Under guy lifted his gun again and Ares threw his hands up and remained still.

  All of a sudden, everything felt wrong.

  Brooke tried to plant her feet to the ground, but she was still moving.

  “Don’t fucking fight me,” the guy yelled in her ear. “I’m saving you.”

  Brooke looked at Ares, unsure what to do. She then caught him giving a nod.

  What the hell does that mean?

  For a second she thought maybe it was a signal to the other Back Down Devil guys. Or maybe it was her cue to do something. Brooke knew that if she was taken into the warehouse alone, Ares would be shot dead.

  Taking a chance, Brooke lifted her left foot. She brought it back and then down, hitting the Eight Under guy in the leg and then stomping his foot. He screamed and Brooke dropped to her knees. She looked at Ares and watched him scramble to grab his gun and shoot.

  Brooke flinched and the man behind her fell to the ground. She turned around, still crouching and a second later there were more shots fired. The other Eight Under guys fell to the ground, dead.

  “What the hell?” Ares bellowed as he grabbed Brooke and lifted her. “You weren’t…”

  “Give me your gun,” Brooke yelled. “I’m going inside there.”

  The Back Down Devil riders came into view, Miller and Blaine with guns at their sides. They had been the ones who shot the other Eight Under men.

  Everything was moving fast now.

  “Christ, Brooke,” Ares said. “We have a plan…”

  “And it’s fucked up now,” Brooke said. “He’s in there. He’s going to run.”

  The motorcycles roared close and Brooke saw Ares curl his lip.

  He put his gun into her hand and kissed her forehead. “Don’t get killed.”

  Brooke turned and ran. She got to the door and opened it. Her shoes smacked against the pavement of the warehouse with a hollow sound.

  “Armen!” she called out. “Armen, I’m here! I brought Ares… but he…”

  A shot rang out next to Brooke. She halted and fell to the ground. She looked around and saw a figure approaching. She looked to her hands and saw that the gun Ares gave her was too far out of reach now.

  “It’s just me,” Brooke said.

  “Get up,” Armen said. “Get up now.”

  Brooke hurried to her feet. Armen approached with gun in hand. “What happened out there?”

  “We… we were followed,” Brooke said. “They’re fighting out there. We can run…”

  Armen put the gun to Brooke’s head. She shivered and shook her head. “Let me do it, Armen. Let me shoot Ares. He took me from you…”

  Armen was shaking. He was so disoriented. He knew his time was up. Things were at their apex and there was no turning back and no escaping.

  Slowly, Brooke lifted her hand and wrapped it around the gun. She pulled and it slid from Armen’s hand. She then hurried and turned it around, pointing it to Armen’s gut.

  “What did you do?” she whispered. “I want the truth.”

  “The truth… you want the truth…”

  “Yes.”

  “What’s the truth out there? You brought men with you. Why? Don’t you want to be with me? I love you, Brooke. You’re all I have in this life. We have to keep running. Soon…”

  “You killed them, Armen,” Brooke said. “I know the truth. I should have seen it a long time ago, but I was too afraid. Now I’m not. I have protection.”

  “Where is it? Where’s your protection?”

  “Just tell me the fucking truth,” Brooke said. “From your mouth. I want to hear it.”

  “Yeah? You want… fuck you, sister.”

  Armen swung his hand and smacked Brooke. She felt him pull the gun from her hand as she fell. Her face stung and she was defenseless on the ground.

  “You want the truth?” Armen yelled. “I did it. I killed them. I shot both of them. Her first. Him second. I needed the goddamn money. They knew it. They didn’t love me like they loved you. I had no idea you’d be coming home right after. So I took you with me. And now I’m going to finish the job. I should have killed you that same day too.”

  Armen pointed the gun.

  Brooke shut her eyes.

  Where are you, Ares? Why…

  The gun went off.

  Brooke sucked in a breath. Then she exhaled. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Armen on the ground in front of her. His body was twisted, not moving. Brooke turned her head and saw Ares standing there.

  A second later Miller, Gaige, and Blaine came rushing into the warehouse.

  “Fuck,” Miller said.

  “He’s dead,” Ares said.

  “Bro, go get your woman,” Gaige said. “She needs you.”

  nineteen.

  Ares carried Brooke from the warehouse to his motorcycle. And then he carried her into the clubhouse and back to his room. He put her on the bed and dropped to his knees before her. He took her hands and kissed them.

  “Christ,” he whispered. “That’s why I d
idn’t want you there.”

  “He was going to hurt me,” Brooke said.

  “He had been. But he can’t anymore.”

  Brooke nodded. She lifted her hands, with Ares still touching her. “You killed him.”

  “I told you…”

  Brooke looked at Ares. “You did it to save me. To protect me.”

  “Yes. He’s gone now. But you’re not. You’re right here.”

  “What happens next?” Brooke asked. “What happens to me? Am I leaving?”

  Ares stroked Brooke’s hair and face. “No. You’re not going anywhere. You want to be in this clubhouse, then be here.”

  Brooke touched Ares’s face. Her small fingers ran along his cheek and scruff. “I know it’s going to sound crazy, but I’m… I’m falling for you. I think.”

  “Don’t think. Know.”

  “Then I know. I’m falling for you.”

  “That’s good.” Ares leaned forward and kissed Brooke. “Because I’m falling too. And I don’t fall. I hate fucking falling. But for you, it’s worth it.”

  They slowly started to kiss and then the front door flew open.

  “Whoa, again?” Miller asked.

  “Is her pants off?” Ares asked.

  “I guess not. Get out here. Brooke too. We need to talk.”

  Miller disappeared and Ares stood up. He took Brooke by the hand and led her from the room. When they got to the main part of the hallway, the walls were lined with the patched in members of Back Down Devil MC. They all nodded to Ares as he walked. At the end of the hallway stood Miller and Gaige. President and VP.

  “What the hell is this?” Ares asked. “Am I getting married or something?”

  Miller looked at Brooke. “What’s the verdict on her? She staying here?”

  “I’d like that,” Ares said.

  “What if we said no?” Gaige asked.

  Brooke’s hand squeezed Ares’s tighter.

  “Then I’ll leave with her,” Ares said. “She’s worth that much.”