Rycks, page 10
“I see in your eyes your doubt. Don’t. What we did, we did to help you all. El Diablo acted on my advice. He trusts me like you do. Ask your girls. They can tell you there was always someone looking out for them. Your woman might not remember, but I guarantee you the girl will.” He tapped his temple with a weathered finger. “Told you. That one is intelligent and perceptive.”
I took a breath. “I’ve trusted you with my life on more than one occasion.”
“That you have. It’s a testament to how much these girls mean to you that you don’t now.” He clapped my shoulder. “Take care of them. And don’t think badly of this old man.”
“Perhaps you’re right. Though you opened up some raw wounds.”
“I know. It’s something you need to tell your woman so she understands your need to keep her close. And why you’ll have to continue to bring in women who can’t protect themselves.”
Much as I hated the thought, he was right. “I’ll talk to her second thing when I get back.”
Chief chuckled. “Of course. First things first, eh?” He gestured over his shoulder. “You know where to dispose of the mess when you’re done.” I did.
I grinned, feeling better about the situation, but needing to get back to my girls like I needed to breathe. Since Chief didn’t believe Rat Man could give me much on the Brotherhood, that left me needing significantly less time than I’d originally thought.
I said my goodbyes and headed back to the truck. Seconds later, we were headed to the middle of nowhere where I could burn my rat problem out.
Three hours later, the deed was done. Turns out, Chief had upgraded his incinerator. Oh, it was properly attired for garbage disposal, but burned considerably hotter than I remembered. Rat Man screamed. Blood-curdling screams. Had I been less of a bastard, they might have bothered me. Instead, I thought of what he’d probably had planned for little Bella and I grinned. Yeah. The man deserved what he got and more. Might should have videoed the whole event for when I got back to Salvation’s Bane. That way, when we caught the rat inside -- and we would catch him -- I could give a preview of what was in store for their sorry ass.
The “garbage disposal” was a dump over land on the way home from our plane. This time, we were on a cargo plane landing at an ExFil base. From there, we took a helicopter to the open yard of the Salvation’s Bane compound. It was afternoon when we landed. Justice grasped my shoulder once, then moved ahead of me to greet Mae. She kissed and hugged Justice before coming to me. When she wrapped her arms around my neck, I felt like, maybe by killing Rat Man the way I had, it had given some vindication to women everywhere who’d been tortured or bulled. Rat Man hadn’t tortured Mae, but it had been the same fucking club.
She clung to me for long moments before kissing my cheek. “I’m glad you’re home safe, Rycks.”
“Me too, sweetheart.”
“Lyric and Bella are inside in your room. And we have news. Seems that Topaz is one of the moles in Bane. Venus and Thorn had something to do with her confession. I think it has to do with the stripped video footage of Lyric.”
I snorted. “Didn’t see that coming. Should have.”
“She had access to every man in this place. Well, except the ones who have ol’ ladies now. But before… yeah. She’s been in place for a very long while. Long before Rat Man.”
“Bet Thorn’s shitting himself.”
Mae tapped her chin thoughtfully. “Not sure Thorn ever gets that upset, but yeah. He’s not what I’d call a happy camper.”
“I’ll go see what’s going on,” Justice said. “You go to your woman and your daughter. Meet her properly.”
My daughter…
“Yeah. Think I’ll do that.”
I found them in the room I’d been designated by Bane. Venus stood outside and welcomed me warmly, ushering me inside. “Don’t worry about club girls. I got your back.” That wasn’t cryptic at all…
I stepped in to get my first look at them. Bella was in Lyric’s lap. Both were engrossed in a book Lyric was reading. Only, sometimes Bella would read. Apparently, they took a page at a time reading to each other. They were so engrossed, they didn’t hear me enter. Which was fine by me. It gave me a chance to simply watch and listen.
They were reading Charlotte’s Web. Bella seemed to love the rat, Templeton, and giggled at his antics. Much as I hated to disturb the moment, I wanted to be part of it.
Quietly as I could, I moved next to the loveseat where they were curled up under a blanket. Lyric read softly, making different voices for the characters -- which Bella clearly loved -- until it came time to turn the page. The Bella took over and I slowly moved in beside the two.
At first, Bella stopped, her eyes going wide and her mouth dropping open. I smiled at her and nodded. “Go on.” She gave me the biggest, most beautiful smile I’d ever beheld before starting again.
Carefully, I sat next to Lyric and pulled both my girls onto my lap. Lyric adjusted her hold on Bella and shifted until they were both resting comfortably against my chest. A funny pressure built in my chest, as if it were too full. As I looked down at my woman and my daughter, I knew that was exactly what the sensation was. My heart was full. There might have been a leak in the ceiling, because I was sure that drop of moisture on my face absolutely did not come from my eye. I cleared my throat and brushed it aside before anyone could notice.
Bella read the rest of her page, then looked up at me. “I think it’s Daddy’s turn.”
Well, fuck. There went that stupid ceiling leak again. Lyric smiled and leaned up to kiss the spot where the offending moisture had landed. Clearing my throat, I began my page.
Lyric
I’m not sure I’d ever expected to see Rycks in this kind of setting. As hard a man as he was, he was right at home sitting on a loveseat with me and Bella both in his lap, reading a children’s book. We could have been in some midwestern subdivision in a house with a white picket fence. It was that… normal. He slipped into the role of suburban dad with ease. Honestly? I wasn’t sure which man I liked better. My rough biker was thrilling and a demon in bed, but the dad reading to my daughter stole my heart. Not to mention, everyone knows a man taking care of a child is sexy as all get out.
Rycks read to the end of the book. By that time, Bella was sound asleep. Like, snoring asleep. I couldn’t help but giggle. “I’m not sure she’s ever slept that soundly.”
“‘Bout fucking time, then.” Rycks’s deep, rumbling voice was right by my ear, sending shivers through my body. “You got her?”
“Yeah.” I started to get up, but Rycks just pulled me closer and stood with both of us in his arms. Really, no man should be that strong. And yeah, it sent a thrill through me.
“She sleep with you?” His question was matter of fact, but I could see it was important to him.
“Sometimes. She did last night because she had questions about you. She did when we were with Kiss of Death, but she’s already asking about getting her own room.”
“Little independent thing, huh?”
“I think so. She’d probably come crawling into bed with me even if she did have her own room.”
“Well, I see no reason for her to start now. But I have unfinished business with you. So, we’ll put her in our bed, then get our own room for a little bit.”
“I don’t want to leave her.” Much as I wanted time with Rycks, I was still terrified at the thought of letting Bella out of my sight for long.
“Don’t worry, baby. Venus is right outside. I’m sure she wouldn’t mind sitting with her until we come back.”
He didn’t really give me a chance to protest. Carrying me to the door, he buried his nose in my neck and inhaled as he walked. “Missed your smell.”
I giggled. “That tickles!”
“Got more parts of you I want to tickle.”
He opened the door and Venus glanced our way. “Everything OK?”
“Absolutely,” Rycks said. “Bella is asleep in our bed. Would you mind sitting with her in case she wakes?”
“Not at all. She’s… precious. Feisty kid, but very precious.”
“That she is,” Rycks agreed. “I owe you one, Venus.”
She waved him off. “My pleasure. I hope you come over often when you leave for Black Reign. I’d like to get to know kid better.” She grinned. “I can teach her to ride. We’ll have matching Harleys.”
“Not happening.” Rycks shook his head.
“Absolutely not!” I protested. “She’s too young for a bike of her own!”
“Huh?” Rycks looked down at me questioningly. “I mean, it’s not happening that she gets a pink Harley. In fact, I’m going to petition Thorn to make Venus’s illegal. I mean. A pink Harley is just all kinds of wrong.”
The woman chuckled. “Good luck with that.”
“You’re both crazy,” I declared.
“I am,” Rycks agreed. “But you love me anyway.”
With a sigh, I admitted, “Yeah. I guess I do.”
Rycks took me upstairs where the officers typically stayed. “This is where Thorn was going to move us. Kind of a step up from the other room with an extra bedroom. You want to stay here?”
“Actually,” I said as he opened the door and ushered me inside. “I was hoping we’d go back to Black Reign. That is, if they’ll have me. I just… don’t feel entirely safe here.”
“I’ve already cleared it with El Diablo on my flight back. He’s anxious to meet you and Bella.”
“Everyone makes him out to be the boogieman. But you talk about him as if he’s a proud father or something. Which is the real El Diablo?”
“Both.” He shrugged. “Neither. Hell, I don’t know. I know he’s my mentor. He’s the one guy I always want at my back and that I never want to cross. And before you ask, you should know that, if he didn’t trust you, there’s no way he’d let you into our clubhouse. Even with all the security and the fact that you’d be going into the proverbial lion’s den, he’d never let you in if he thought you’d betray him in any way. He knew from the outset that you were innocent.”
“No shit?”
He grinned at me. “Nope. He also knew about Bella and that she was my daughter. And why you were sent to me specifically. I wasn’t too happy when I learned that, but he was right. And you and Bella were kept safe even if you didn’t know it.”
I frowned. “I don’t understand.”
“Apparently, there was someone in the club watching out for you. He kept Rat Man from going too far and kept him diverted when he might have otherwise fixated on you or Bella.”
“Wait a minute.” I thought back really hard. “Bella always talked about a man there. He was the only one she liked. She talked about him sometimes like they’d had real conversations. Always when I was at work in the city at the DA’s office. It was like he was her babysitter or something. He’d come to her after I’d left, then leave her right before I got back. What did she call him?” I searched my memory. “Loki? Maybe?”
“Hum,” he said, his brows drawn in concentration. “Could be. There was a Loki loosely associated with a friend of mine. Chief. I’ve known him almost as long as I’ve known El Diablo. Chief’s the one who decided I wasn’t ready for you and Bella.”
Wasn’t ready? “What does that mean?”
He sighed and sat on the bed. For the first time since I’d known him, Rycks looked vulnerable. “It’s a long story. Short of it is, I about a year after you and I met, I lost my sister.”
“Oh, Rycks! I’m so sorry!”
“I’ve come to terms with it. For the longest time, I blamed myself because I didn’t take time out of my life to help her. We both left home at early ages. Me because I hated my dad. Sara because she killed our dad. She was nineteen.”
“Oh, Lord,” I gasped. “Do I need to ask why?”
“No. Dad was the lowest of the low. Sara was older than me by four years. I was fifteen the last time he beat me. Sara took matters into her own hands after that. As mean as I am, Sara was even more scary. I’m not sure exactly what happened, but she literally shoved me out of the door one night. Told me to go to Mexico City. Said someone would find me. It’s where I met El Diablo.” He shook his head. “Anyway, about a year after I met you, I’d gotten word that Sara had killed our father, then killed herself. Didn’t seem like something she’d do, but El Diablo seemed to think the information was sound. He told me she’d want me to put it behind me and make a life for myself.” He shrugged at me. “I mean, I couldn’t deny he was right. She’d sent me straight to El Diablo. Besides, Sara was always one to make up her own mind. It didn’t seem like her, but, if she decided that was the best course of action, she’d do it without hesitation.”
“I’m so sorry, Rycks.”
“For the longest time, I blamed myself. I mean, I should have tracked her down once I was working for El Diablo. He’d have helped me. We could have helped her somehow. At least, that’s what I thought. In reality, I think something more sinister happened. I’m just not sure what.”
“You think she was killed?”
“Actually, no. If she’s dead, it happened just like I heard. She killed the old man, then killed herself. Only, I’m not so sure she’s dead.” He waved that off like it was unimportant. “The point is, I had to lose someone I loved. Someone I thought I could have helped before I was ready to find out about Bella. El Diablo and another friend pointed that out to me. It’s why I take in girls I feel can’t fend for themselves. Who are in impossible situations. Sara was a strong woman so it doesn’t really fit, but in my mind, she needed my help and I wasn’t there for her.”
“And now you’re paying your penance?”
“Maybe. I don’t know. It started with Serilda and Winter. Then Mae. Had I met you after Sara died, I’d have recognized your plea for me to take you with me for what it was. A cry for help.”
“I don’t want you to feel sorry for me, Rycks.” It was the last thing I wanted. I wanted him to want me for who I was. Because he loved me. Not out of some sense of obligation.
“Believe me, honey, I don’t. I feel possessive. Territorial. Like I’ll fucking die if you try to leave me again.” I could see the truth of that on his face as he looked at me. “If I feel sorry for anyone, it’s myself. Because I’m just as big a pussy as I accuse Justice of being with his woman.” He tried to grin at me, but failed. Instead, his eyes had the sheen of tears in them. He swallowed them back, looking disgruntled and uncomfortable. “You deserve better than me, but I’m too selfish to let you go, Lyric. I…” He cleared his throat and looked off to the side. “I love you.”
My whole being settled. “I love you, too, Rycks.”
“You and Bella will come back to Lake Worth with me tomorrow. I’ll introduce you to El Diablo and we’ll get settled.” Finally, he looked at me and smiled. “I think you’ll like the place. We have a suite all our own. The compound is huge and sprawling. Like a country club. Best of all, it’s surrounded by armed guards. No one can get in or out without me knowing.”
“As long as you’re with us, we’ll be happy.”
“I will, baby. Always.”
He leaned in to kiss me. One thing led to another and the next thing I knew, I was naked with Rycks’s head buried between my legs. After that, there was really no point in trying to hold a conversation. I could barely focus on anything other than the sensation he created in my body with just his lips, teeth, and tongue.
Once he crawled up my body and tucked his cock against my entrance, all I could do was scream. And boy, did I scream. Rycks surged into me over and over, the sensations building until I thought I’d go mad with the need to come. I remembered him doing the same thing the first night we met. He did it so effortlessly back then. Same as now. Our bodies seemed to be in tune with each other. He gave me exactly what I needed and took what he needed from me. All I could do was cling to him and take what he gave me.
“So fucking perfect,” he whispered in my ear. “You’re absolutely… perfect.”
“Rycks,” I sighed. “I love you so much!”
“I love you, too, baby. I fuckin’ love you, too! AHH!”
He erupted inside me, triggering my own orgasm. I screamed his name long and loud, glad he’d taken us away from Bella. Last thing I wanted to do was wake her. Not now. I needed Rycks all to myself. Later, we’d shore up our family unit.
“Nothing and no one will ever tear us apart, Lyric. You. Bella. Me. We’re in this together.”
“Yes,” I sighed happily.
“You’ll like Black Reign. We’re like a regular MC in many ways. Some of the members of the original club are still there. But most came with El Diablo, El Segador, and myself. Any who are left have proven themselves loyal to El Diablo many times over.”
“Anywhere you take us, we’ll be happy. As long as you’re with us.”
“Always, baby. Always.”
We lay for long moments, Rycks over me, his semi-hard cock still inside me. He kissed me over and over, our sweat-soaked bodies slick against each other. Finally, Rycks groaned and got to his feet. He padded into the bathroom. I could hear water running for a few moments. When he returned, he cleaned me gently before tossing the cloth back into the bathroom and drawing on a pair of drawstring sleep pants and a shirt.
“I’ll have Venus bring you back something to sleep in. I’ll bring Bella.”
“All right.” I sighed happily as he left. Maybe I’d get my happily ever after.
A few minutes later, Rycks entered with a sleeping Bella in his arms. “Not sure the kid’s moved an inch,” he said. “Venus put you a change of clothes on the couch.”
“I’ll get dressed. Give me a minute.” It wasn’t long before I was back in the bedroom, dressed for sleep. I crawled into the bed beside Bella. She mumbled something and turned her head in my direction. Rycks looked down at us, a satisfied little smile on his face. When he turned to leave, I called out softly. “There’s plenty of room, Rycks. Stay.”
He turned, hesitating when I knew he wasn’t a man to hesitate. “You sure?”
“Absolutely.”
He crawled in beside me, wrapping his arms around me and Bella both. The child put her tiny hand on top of his huge one in her sleep. I placed mine on top of hers. Behind me, Rycks sighed contentedly.
