STICK: MC ROMANCE NOVELLA (Forsaken Riders MC Romance Book 8) Read online

  The voices all merged into one as they started arguing with one another and Serena kept her eyes closed tight.

  “She’s just some dumb bitch,” one man said.

  “What? Who just so happened to be out this far?” another snorted.

  “They sent her, of course they fucking did,” a deep, rough voice interjected.

  “Put a bullet in her just like they did with King and send her back,” another snarled.

  Serena started to cry. And she shook her head.

  “D-don’t,” she stammered, “Please, I can explain…”

  The men all kept shouting between themselves and it wasn’t until she heard the slam of a door elsewhere in the house and the sound of heavy, slow footsteps and what could have been a cane coming closer, that she realized they were all quieting down.

  “Stop it!” he shrieked from the back of the room. “Put the guns down!”

  Serena still didn’t dare open her eyes, but in that moment, she knew that she was safe.

  “What the fuck!” the voice came again. “I said put your guns down!”

  “All right, Lynx,” one man snarled. “What’s got you?”

  “It’s my kid sister!” he shouted as he pushed his way through the crowd toward Serena, and she slowly and nervously opened her eyes.

  Lynx was in front of her, on one crutch and with a big bandage wrapped around his leg. His eyes were wide and alarmed as he looked down at her and hers were swimming with tears.

  “I’m sorry,” she choked as he rushed down to her and started to untie her hands with the help of the handsome guy with green eyes who had opened the door on her in the first place. “I’m so, so sorry.”

  Lynx didn’t say a word as he pulled her close to him and held her tightly in a hug. Serena shook in his arms and sobbed into his chest.

  “Fucking hell, Serena,” he hissed into her ear. “What am I going to do with you?”

  “I’m sorry,” she gasped again as she sensed the other men in the room backing away and them all looking from one to the other, trying to figure out what on earth they were seeing. The hot blonde was still looking at her cautiously, but she could see that his guard was now down, and his intrigue had returned. She felt herself blush from embarrassment and she had to look away, diverting her eyes back to Lynx.

  Lynx held her at arm’s length, looking her up and down. He shook his head slowly as if he were annoyed and then a smile spread across his lips and he pulled her to him again.

  “My fucking kid sister,” he laughed. “Here in Slate Springs… I can’t even begin to believe it.”

  “Well, you better,” a voice came from behind, and when Serena opened her eyes, she could see that it was Bull. The man she had seen climbing out of the truck in town and who she had used as her ticket to Lynx.

  “You better start explaining this to all of us,” Bull said as he crossed his arms over his chest and breathed out deeply.

  Serena looked up to her brother and then back to Bull, and at all of the other eyes fixed on her from around the room. She knew she was in trouble, and she had probably gotten Lynx in deep too, but it was too late to start having regrets now. She stood there in front of them all, and she had never felt more studied or exposed before in her entire life. But there was one thing that kept her attention, and pulled her back into calm – those green, green eyes. Watching her. Collecting her. Wanting her.

  Whoever that man was, he was trouble. She could feel it in her bones.

  ***

  Bull stood at the head of the table in the long kitchen with his big, bulky hands on his waist. Serena was sitting in a chair rubbing her wrists from where Green Eyes had bound her up tightly, and he was sitting opposite her, watching her every move. Lynx was pacing the room, wincing each time he moved his injured leg and barking things at Bull that she was too delirious to take in.

  “Well, how were we to know?” Bull spat. “And more importantly, how the fuck did she know where to find you?”

  Lynx looked as stumped as Bull as they both turned and looked down at her with questioning expressions. Her eyes were still swimming with tears, but she wiped them away and raised her hands.

  “Okay, just give me a minute and I can explain,” she panted as she tried to avoid the longing gaze from Green Eyes across the table. They were so penetrating and fierce, they were leading her to distraction.

  “When you told me you were hurt, Lynx, I had to come and see if you were all right. Things haven’t been so good at home and I wanted to see my brother. That’s all.”

  “So you’ve told her about us, and about here?” Bull asked angrily.

  “No,” Serena answered for Lynx. “I’ve always been curious about his life away from me and our family, but he’s barely told me anything. And that’s why I came without him knowing, in the hopes of tracking him down.”

  “So you just randomly headed in the direction of Slate Springs? A tiny town in the middle of the fucking desert. And oh, bingo! Here he is?” Bull laughed and snarled. His lip curled into a disbelieving smile and he shook his head.

  “No,” Lynx lowered his head. “I know, at some point, I let slip the town name.” He sighed. “Always by accident.”

  “So, I had a good starting point,” Serena continued. “I only arrived in town earlier today. And when I was on Main Street, well, I saw you and your truck and when I heard you say Lynx’s name, I knew that I could try and follow or hitch a ride to see if you took me any closer to my brother.”

  Bull’s eyes widened as he realized how easy it had been for her to find the clubhouse. He had led her straight there.

  “I’m sorry, I should have just called, but you said you didn’t have your cell phone, that you lost it in the accident. And then I get here, and it turns out, I had every right to be suspicious. I mean, come on, what the hell is going on here?” She looked from Bull to Lynx and then to Green Eyes, who still hadn’t stopped looking at her since the second they had been put in front of each other again. His look was curious and full of want, and although it was quite frightening, it was also piquing her interest with each passing second.

  “I should have just told you,” Lynx said. “I mean, there’s not exactly any need for all of this secrecy. Serena isn’t from here and she wouldn’t have ever talked about it with anyone,” Lynx continued.

  Bull pulled out a chair and sat down too. His big shoulders heaved as he sighed and rubbed his temples.

  “You’re right,” he said. “These are just uncertain times and we are all on guard. Serena, I’m sorry for how you were treated. It was unacceptable.”

  She smiled weakly and nodded in acceptance, but she still felt so in the dark. Who were these men in this house? What was her brother caught up in? What were the uncertain times? And why the hell was he recovering from a bullet in the leg?

  “Serena,” Lynx said as if he were reading her mind. “For the past ten years plus, since I left home and disappeared, I found a family here in Slate Springs.” His tone was serious and respectful, and he looked from Bull to Green Eyes, who were both smiling and nodding.

  “I’ve been here and a part of this for a long time now. This is my home and my brotherhood. We’re bikers, Serena. We run The Forsaken Riders here in Slate Springs, and at the moment, you have just walked into an almighty shit storm.” He sighed and sat down too. “Last week, I was shot and another one of our brothers was badly hurt in a deal gone wrong.” He rubbed his temples and sighed again, as if the memories were too painful for him to continue. “And now, we are more than at war with an enemy who has been threatening us for years.”

  “That’s why we were so on guard when you arrived,” Green Eyes said gruffly. “We thought we were about to be under siege. This isn’t exactly the kind of place that gets visitors knocking on the door, you know what I’m saying?”

  She looked up to him and he flashed her a wicked smile. Her heart skipped a beat in her chest.

  “I’m sorry I startled you all,” she said. “But I honestly had n
o idea what I would be walking in on. I just wanted to find Lynx and make sure he was okay.” She felt herself well up with tears again and her shoulders shook as she cried. She felt shocked and broken, as if she had been beaten in the ring and was now lying at the side trying to recover.

  Lynx got to his feet and limped around to her, he pulled her up to meet him and hugged her tight.

  “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I should have just been honest with you from the start.”

  Serena nodded her head and sobbed into his chest. She was exhausted and her whole body was aching.

  “Come on,” Lynx said. “Let me take you somewhere quiet so you can rest and get your head around all of this.”

  Bull got to his feet too and picked up Serena’s bag.

  “There’s a spare room on the top floor,” he said warmly. “Serena, you are welcome to be here for as long as you need. But as your brother has told you, things aren’t exactly safe around here at the moment.”

  Serena didn’t care how safe they were, she just wanted to get the hell out of that room and crawl into bed and sleep. She nodded and then looked down to the floor as Lynx helped her toward the doorway.

  “Thank you,” she called weakly over her shoulder to the two men as she walked out into the hall.

  “Oh Serena,” Lynx whispered. “What the hell am I going to do with you?”

  CHAPTER 5

  She slumped down on the bed and covered her eyes with her hands. Her head was pounding and she didn’t know what to do or what to think. She had been so foolish. She had put herself and Lynx in danger because she was too proud and too curious to just tell him that she was coming and that she wanted to see him. She had been so full of fire and the need to know it all. She’d convinced herself that she had the right to know every single last detail of her brother’s life, and now she had gone and made a complete mess of everything. She cringed at the thought of how she had climbed into the back of the truck and trekked across the country secretly. Who the hell did she think she was, Nancy Drew? She had no right to be snooping around like she had done. She should have just asked around in town and found out some facts before she had gone all in, guns blazing. The irony.

  “Are you all right?” Lynx asked as he sat down on the edge of the bed and tapped her ankle reassuringly.

  Serena shook her head from below her palms and sighed.

  “I’m sorry, I feel like such an idiot. Have I gotten you in a ton of trouble?”

  Lynx laughed, and as she peeked out from behind her fingers, he shook his head.

  “Nah, it’ll be fine,” he smiled. “I’m sure we’ll all look back and laugh about the time The Forsaken almost shot my kid sister because Stick and Bull mistook you for one of The Iron Riders.”

  And even though Serena was still shaken up, she managed to crack a smile and laugh too. It was all such a crazy situation. It only could have happened to her.

  “Stick?” she asked as she leaned up on her elbows. “Is that the guy with the blonde hair and crazy green eyes?”

  Lynx nodded with a wry smile on his face.

  “Yeah, he’s relatively new,” he said. “He was with me the night this happened.” He pointed down to his calf and winced. “I suppose I’m going to have to fill you in on everything, but I don’t want to overwhelm you for now. Why don’t you rest for a while; regroup and get your head around everything you’ve just learned?”

  Serena nodded and watched as her brother got to his feet and took hold of his crutch. He moved slowly toward the door, and even though he was injured, she could still see the strength within him and she was proud to have him in her family. She was proud and glad that she had someone who was her own flesh and blood that was strong and well put together. Someone who could take care of himself – and of her – if she ever needed him to.

  Lynx stopped by the doorway and turned back around.

  “I still can’t believe this is actually real. That you’re here. It’s crazy…,” he laughed.

  “I know, neither can I,” she said.

  “You’ve got some balls,” he smiled with a wink. “I wonder who you take after.”

  “Yeah, I have no idea,” Serena winked back. She looked down at her feet and still felt embarrassed that she had caused so much drama. She had no idea how she was ever going to move past it and make it up to them all.

  “Are you sure I’m okay here?” she asked. “Are they really all right with me staying, or will they want me to leave as soon as possible?”

  “God no,” Lynx shook his head. “You’re my sister, Serena. Of course, you’re welcome here. You’re one of the family. It’s not often we get someone knocking on doors out here, and even less likely for it to be someone’s sister or brother or parents. This is something to them. Like I told you, they’re my brothers now, and so you’re like a sister to them too. They’ll want to take care of you and make sure you’re safe.”

  Serena felt momentarily overwhelmed. She had never felt so much care and love flowing her way.

  “Tell them thank you,” she said genuinely. “It means a lot.”

  Lynx nodded and smiled and then he turned and headed out the door. He closed it behind him and she heard him shuffling off down the hallway and toward the stairs.

  When she was alone, she sank back down onto the comfort of the bed and breathed in and out deeply. It had been a crazy day and she had so much to think about and take in. She closed her eyes and rolled onto her side before she reached down and pulled the blanket up around her bare shoulders. Even though the day was red hot outside, she felt chilled in the darkness of her new room, and as she closed her eyes, it was only a matter of moments before she was fast asleep.

  ***

  In her dreams, she was being chased through the desert by a man with piercing green eyes and a wicked laugh. He chased her high out into the mountains and when he caught her, he pulled her to him and kissed her so hard she moaned with desire. He was so rough and strong. He frightened her, but she liked it. And she wanted more. He was everything she didn’t know she ever wanted, and now she was at his mercy. She would let him do anything to her. She really would.

  “You pulled a gun on me,” she murmured and he winked.

  Her heart began to pound and her pussy began to ache. She wanted him, but knew that he was bad.

  “Please,” she whispered, wanting more of his wicked kisses.

  But his image in front of her was fading, and his touch was leaving her skin. His heat was slowly evaporating and she wanted to reach out and shout No!

  She awoke with a start to the sounds of motorcycles revving outside. Her heart was still pounding and the sensation of his kiss was still lingering on her lips. But to her disappointment, it had all been a dream. It was dark but she could hear the laughter of men drifting up from the desert down below. They all called to each other as they revved their engines again and blared off into the night. Serena sat up and looked around her in a panic, almost forgetting where she was for a moment. She rubbed her eyes and yawned and then gathered her bearings. Her heart was still fluttering in her chest and she could feel that she was moist in her panties.

  What a goddam dream, she thought as she bit her lip.

  As she pulled herself together, she could see that she was in the bedroom where her brother had left her. She was alone and she was sitting in the dark. Night had fallen whilst she had been napping, and now she had no idea what time it was. She looked to her left and reached over to the small nightstand where there was an old, dusty lamp. She clicked it on and the light glowed throughout the room.

  When she had first walked in there, she had been in such a spin of fright, shock and emotion that she had barely taken in what it was like. But now she could see that the room was decent enough. She could tell that a man had put it together; it had little-to-no comfort to it and no decorations, but it had a large double bed with plenty of blankets, a set of blackout curtains up at the window and a door in the corner that was half open and she could see that led i
nto a small adjoining bathroom.

  She got to her feet and reached for her bag. When she had packed, she hadn’t really thought about what she was taking with her, but when she opened it up and saw a couple of her books and the photograph of her and Lynx, she was relieved. She put them on the nightstand next to the bed and smiled. She knew she could have the place feeling like home in no time.

  The bathroom was stark but clean. She placed her toiletries and toothbrush by the side of the sink and ran the basin full of water. She splashed her face and rubbed the make-up that had streaked down away from underneath her eyes and stretched. She brushed her teeth and ran a comb through her long, blonde hair and then she returned to the bedroom and pulled a clean t-shirt out of her bag.

  When she had finished making herself feel more human, she turned and looked at the door to the bedroom that led out to the rest of the house. She had no idea where Lynx was or who she could be running into by leaving the safety and confines of the bedroom, but her stomach was growling and she was thirsty. She couldn’t even remember the last time she had eaten and she was starting to ache inside from hunger. And somewhere out there, Green Eyes was waiting. A smile flicked over her lips as the dream played out in her mind once more.

  She sucked in a breath and pushed back her shoulders. She was a grown woman and she could handle anything. She’d had a ton of guns pulled on her earlier in the day, what else could be waiting for her down there that she wouldn’t be prepared for now?

  She took a step forward and pulled the door open by the handle and stepped out into the hallway. It was dark in there, but the glow from lights in the floor below shone up to meet her and light her path. She could hear rock music coming from somewhere. It was low and heavy and thumped around the walls. She ran her fingertips along them and felt the vibrations and she could smell cigarette smoke drifting up the staircase and right up her nose. She coughed and then tried to remain quiet. She didn’t want to run into anyone half naked or half asleep. Maybe not all of the men who lived there even knew that she had arrived.