Tank
Every time the shadows outside shifted, I went on alert, fearing the worst. Emmie had fallen asleep in my chair about an hour ago. It tugged at my heart that she trusted me to keep her safe even with all the craziness going on. I couldn’t help but smile a little every time I looked at her. I’d sworn to never get involved with a woman, and then Emmie had shown up at the diner. The moment I’d seen her, I’d been hooked. Even if she’d been too spooked for me to talk to her, I think deep down I’d known that she was the one for me. I only regretted that I hadn’t had the courage to talk to her sooner.
Lupita was back to screaming and thrashing, her need for whatever drug she’d been given nearly driving her mad. I feared what would happen to her if we couldn’t get her out of here soon, but I didn’t dare make a move just yet. With Ernesto and Luis unaccounted for, I didn’t want to take a chance on letting anyone in through the gate. As the Sergeant at Arms, I took my duties seriously, and keeping the women and children safe was number one on my list. Especially Emmie.
“Never thought I’d see you settle down,” the doc said.
“Didn’t plan on it, Doctor Myron. Then I met Emmie.” I shrugged. Wasn’t more to say on the subject. Maybe Wire had been right. When a Reaper met his perfect match, he just knew.
The doc grinned. “You know, as often as your club uses my services, you should probably start calling me Garret. I’ve been treating your ladies for close to a decade now. I think we’ve moved past using my title all the time.”
“Thanks for trying to help Lupita, Garret. She means a lot to my Emmie,” I said.
“I could tell.” He glanced at my wife. “Everything all right with her? With everything going on, I never thought she’d fall asleep. Hell, someone could have slipped me a sedative and I probably still would be awake.”
“She’s pregnant,” I said. “Or at least that’s what those over the counter tests say. Just found out today so we haven’t had a chance to book an appointment with your office. I know the other ladies around here were more tired when they were expecting. Either that, or the stress finally got to her.”
“That would do it. Both the stress and the pregnancy. I’ve witnessed pregnant women fall asleep in the strangest places. With everything she’s been through, it wouldn’t hurt to bring her in for a check-up. She’ll need prenatal vitamins too.”
“I’ll set something up once this nightmare is finally over. I’m sorry you’re trapped inside the compound,” I said. “Your partner know you’ll be home late?”
Garret smiled. “Phillip is aware of the situation and is concerned about Lupita. He’s probably worried about me too, but he’d never say as much. I’m sure he’ll be in touch here and there, and he’s supposed to contact Jeb about Lupita’s care once we know what drugs she was given. It’s possible it was just one, but they may have mixed them. Her signs lead me to believe it’s heroin, but it could be something else. And there are a lot of ways for heroin to be prepared. Too many options to make a guess.”
“This club owes you a lot. Both of you. We appreciate you always being there when we need medical attention for our women. Wouldn’t trust anyone else with Emmie, and I’m sure the others feel the same about their wives.”
“These women hold a special place in my heart. They’re all so strong in their different ways. They’re each remarkable and I’m blessed to have gotten to know them, and the Dixie Reapers,” Garret said. “If I’d ever met a woman as fierce as the ones all of you seem to find, I might have been persuaded to swing both ways.”
I, for one, was thankful he preferred men. Not that I thought Emmie was going to leave me, but if the guy was going to be looking at her even partially naked I didn’t think I’d have been quite so cool about it if he were straight.
My phone buzzed in my pocket and I pulled it out. Incoming.
“Rocky says there’s someone heading this way, and I doubt they’re friendly. He didn’t say how many there were, or how the fuck they got inside. If this shit keeps happening, we’re going to have to up the security on the perimeter.”
“I didn’t even notice him leave. Quiet for such a giant,” Garret said.
“Comes from his military training. Know anything about guns?” I asked. I didn’t know what was about to go down, but I wanted to be armed just in case.
“Yes.”
He didn’t elaborate, but I gave a nod and went to the bedroom. Inside the closet was a custom-made gun safe. I placed my hand on the scanner and unlocked it, then loaded the Colt Night Cobra I’d only had a few months and handed it to Garret before arming myself. The Glock 9mm I’d had for years was my go-to weapon. I hesitated as I looked at my Tresna 9mm AR, but I didn’t want to use it so close to Emmie. I’d never seen her around gunfire before and didn’t know how she’d react. Part of me wanted to lock her in the bedroom, but I worried they’d come in through the back and snatch her. Being out in the open might not be very safe, but I wanted to keep an eye on her.
I made sure Flicker was carrying, and then I went to stand near the front door. As crazy as these bastards were, I doubted they’d do something so cliché as come in the back way, even though I wasn’t about to leave Emmie in that part of the house unprotected. Men like Luis and Ernesto weren’t exactly sane, and anything was possible. It didn’t take long before I was proven right. Except it wasn’t the door they used. They came crashing through the living room window, sending shards of glass everywhere. I should have woken Emmie before now to at least let her know what was going on, make sure she could get out of the way if need be, but time wasn’t on my side.
Emmie bolted upright in the chair and let out a scream as Ernesto snarled at her.
“You’ve caused me no end of trouble,” he said. “Come quietly and quickly. Maybe I’ll make your death painless.”
“You’re not touching my wife, asshole,” I said, taking aim and unloading half my clip. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Emmie dive behind the chair and out of sight. It gave me the freedom to focus solely on the bastard who wanted to harm my woman, but I hadn’t counted on the fucker being so damn fast. He dove out of the way before I’d even gotten off the first round. Two of the bullets grazed him, leaving flesh wounds, and the others missing completely. The coffee table was toppled and Ernesto did his best to hide behind it. I wasn’t exactly known for missing and it pissed me off. Then again, I wasn’t dealing with an ordinary man either.
I went after Ernesto as he lunged from his hiding place and charged toward Emmie, and I saw Garret corner Luis. With the doc taking care of Emmie’s father, I was able to concentrate on taking down Ernesto. Six shots left in my Glock. I blocked out everything around me, silencing the noises. Even if I’d wanted to take cover, there just weren’t any options for a guy my size in this room. As my gaze held Ernesto’s, my finger squeezed the trigger. The moment he started to move, I shifted my aim. The bullet hit just to the right on his chest. Not close enough to his heart, but it was sufficient to slow him down. I sent three more shots into him, with the last being a headshot. His sightless eyes stared up at the ceiling as his body crumpled to the floor.
Once I was certain he wasn’t getting up, I turned to face Luis. The doc hadn’t fired yet, though he looked ready to shoot at any moment. Montoya held his hands up and sweat beaded his brow. His gaze went to the fallen Ernesto and I watched as he swallowed hard. As I moved closer, a wet spot stained the front of his pants, which amused me to no end.
“How did you get in and how many others are there?” I asked.
“None! It was just us,” Luis said, sweat beading on his brow as he stared at my gun.
“How the fuck did you get in?” I repeated.
“Fence. We… we cut the fence about two miles from the gate. No one was watching that area and it was dark.”
Fuck. We’d definitely had to up our security. Too many crazy people were managing to get inside the compound. If we couldn’t keep our women and children safe, then what was the damn point of having a fence?
“Did I or did I not tell you to leave Emmie alone?” I asked. “I told you that she was mine and you couldn’t have her.”
“I had a deal with him,” Luis said. “You understand. It was just business. Perhaps we can make a deal! Anything you want. Whatever I have, it’s yours.”
“I already have the only thing I want. Emmie.” I place my finger on the trigger. Only two bullets left, but I just needed one. “Any last words?”
“I’ll sign everything over to Emelda!” he shouted. “Let me live, and it’s all hers. Yours. The two of you can have it all.”
“I have no need of your money or your house in Spain,” I said.
Emmie came out of hiding. Her body trembled and she stayed near the chair. “He has a will,” she said.
“And what’s in it?” I asked.
“In the event of his death, everything goes to Lupita. I’m fine with that. He’s not really my father so none of it was mine to begin with,” she said.
“So if I kill him, then she inherits everything?” I asked.
Luis pressed his lips together and that wet spot grew bigger. How the fuck was this man who inspired such fear pissing himself just because I held a gun on him? I didn’t think it was the first time a firearm had been pointed in his direction. With his winning personality, I’d be willing to bet it happened on a daily basis.
“Yes,” Emmie said. “Lupita gets it all.”
“Sounds fair.” Without any warning, I pulled the trigger, hitting Luis right between the eyes. His blood and a bit of brain splattered the wall before his body fell to the floor. I sighed and looked at the mess. Between the broken window and all the gore, it was going to take a lot of work to make this place livable again. I couldn’t ask Emmie to stay here. Hell, she might never want to live here ever again.
Flicker came down the hall, putting away his gun. “Torch and Venom are outside. They said not to shoot when they come through the door.”
“Where the fuck is Casper?” I asked. “He was supposed to take care of these two, not leave them to make a mess of my damn house!”
“I’m right here, dickhead,” Casper said as he came through the broken window. “Not my fault you idiots couldn’t keep them outside of the compound. Looks to me like someone needs to ride fence and figure out where they slipped through.”
“Ride fence?” Venom asked as he entered through the front door. “Does this look like a fucking ranch? Isn’t that what cowboys do? Ride the fence lines?”
“What the fuck else would you call it?” Casper asked.
“It will be handled,” Torch said as he joined us. “Definitely time to up our security.”
“And install a panic room big enough for the women and children,” I said. “Somewhere they’ll be safe if this shit keeps happening.”
“I don’t mean to be one of those really weak, pathetic women, but… I think I may be sick,” Emmie said.
I watched as she paled and swayed on her feet. I handed my gun off to Garret and reached for my wife. Pulling her against my chest, I helped her out of the living room and away from the carnage. She pushed at me and I released her, just as she threw up all over the hall floor. I winced and started to wonder if we should just burn the damn house and start over. She wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and groaned.
“Take her outside,” Garret said. “The fresh air will help.”
“You can put the guns in the bedroom. I’ll clean them, then lock them up later,” I said. I picked up Emmie and carried her out to the driveway. She wobbled a bit as I set her down, but the color slowly started coming back into her cheeks.
“I’m sorry,” she said.
“For what?”
“Being so weak.”
I tipped up her chin. “Baby, you are far from weak. You came down here all by yourself with those men on your trail, and when you couldn’t get inside the gates, you took care of yourself. Two men died in there. Anyone would have lost their lunch over something like that.”
“You didn’t,” she said.
“Not my first rodeo,” I said.
“Is it safe for the ambulance to come through?” Garret asked from the doorway.
“Yeah. Ask Venom to clear it with whoever is watching the gate,” I said.
Torch came out and looked at the house before turning his gaze on me. “Should have known whatever house I gave you would end up destroyed at some point.”
“Hardly destroyed. It’s a broken window.”
“And a lot of blood, among other things.” Torch looked at it again. “Any sentimental value to it?”
“Nope. Thought about burning it down and starting over.”
He chuckled. “That would be one heck of a bonfire.”
“I can’t sleep in there tonight,” Emmie said softly. “I’m sorry. And I know I keep apologizing, I just… could we please stay somewhere else?”
Torch focused on her. “You want a family, Emmie?”
Her hand went to her belly and Torch gave me a knowing look.
“There’s a house two down from Venom,” Torch said. “Big yellow thing with a white porch. Four bedrooms, two living areas. Already has a fenced yard in back too. Why don’t the two of you take it?”
“Why haven’t you already given that house to someone?” I asked.
He snorted. “Because… like I said, it’s two doors down from Venom.”
“And? I know the VP can be an asshole, but what Reaper can’t say the same?”
“It’s not Venom,” Torch said. “Think about it. Two doors down. From Ridley. And those hellions they call kids. Every fucker I’ve offered that place to has run the other direction.”
Emmie coughed to cover a laugh.
“We’ll take it,” I said. “Besides, we’ll have kids of our own soon enough. Maybe ours will take after my sweet Emmie and they’ll have a calming influence on Venom’s little monsters.”
“Let’s hope for one kid at a time,” Emmie said. “I’ve never been around kids and I’m terrified I’ll screw ours up. If I have to handle two at once, I may lose my mind.”
I winked at her, knowing damn well my dad had only ever sired one kid at a time, but that didn’t mean there weren’t twins or triplets hiding in either of our family trees somewhere. So far, Preacher was the only one with twins. I was up for it if that was Fate’s plan for us. As long as Emmie was their mother and I got to sleep with her in my arms every night, then that’s all that mattered to me. Even if she gave me all girls, that would be fine too. At least until they became hormonal teens. Then I’d have to hide somewhere. I wasn’t afraid to admit I was terrified of teen girls. Couldn’t shoot them even when you really wanted to.
“I’ll stay with Emmie while you gather some clothes,” Torch said. “The yellow house is furnished. I’d hoped it would lure someone over there. You can get your other stuff later.”
“What’s going to happen to this place?” Emmie asked.
“I’ll have someone tear it down to the studs and start over. We could just fix the living room floor and busted window, but the house needs a fresh start. Might be a good home for whoever patches in next,” Torch said.
I snorted. “We keep adding brothers, we’re going to need more houses. Good thing we have plenty of land.”
I left Emmie in Torch’s care and went back into the house. Venom was on the phone and from what I could hear, he was ordering a clean-up crew to come in and handle the bodies. Garret was in the guest room with Lupita, and had apparently given her something since she seemed calmer. I gave him a quick wave and kept going. In the bedroom, I pulled a duffle off the top shelf of the closet and put a few changes of clothes for myself and Emmie into the bag, along with toiletries I thought we might need. I locked my guns back into the safe, promising myself I’d give them a proper cleaning tomorrow. Right now, Emmie needed me.
When I got to the driveway, Emmie was gone and so was Torch. I looked around, but didn’t see either of them. Flicker came over, his hands in his pockets.
“He had a truck here already. Took Emmie to the new house,” Flicker said. “Probably for the best. That shit inside could fuck up anyone, and she saw it go down.”
Shit. He was right.
I strapped the duffle to the back of my bike and drove it over to the house Torch was giving to us. The lights were on inside and I had to admit it looked like a nice home, good place to raise a family. And then little Farrah let out a war cry and dropped out of the tree, nearly landing on my head. I sighed and looked down at her. The imp just grinned at me, until she tried to stand.
“You broke it, didn’t you?” I asked, eyeing her foot.
Her lip quivered, but she lifted that stubborn chin of hers and tried to stand up again. I could see the pain etched on her face, but the little shit had too much of her daddy in her to give up. She took two hobbling steps before I picked her up and carried her down to Venom’s house. Ridley was on the porch, hands on her hips, as she scanned the darkness.
“Farrah!” she called out, until she spotted us heading her way. “What the hell has that girl done now?”
“Think she broke her foot when she launched herself out of the tree,” I said.
“What tree?” Ridley narrowed her gaze on her daughter. “I told you not to climb the tree in the yard.”
“I didn’t,” Farrah said.
“You didn’t climb that tree right there?” Ridley asked, pointing to one at the corner of the property.
“Nope,” Farrah said.
“She dive-bombed me from the tree in front of the yellow house,” I said, giving a nod in the direction I’d just come. “Torch gave the house to Em and me, seeing as how mine isn’t in the best of shape right now.”
The kid gave her mom a disgruntled look. “I waited forever for someone to come by. You took too long to look for me.”
“So you were going to jump out of the tree at your mom?” I asked.
Farrah grinned, then grimaced in pain.
“Jesus,” Ridley muttered. “Can you put her in my SUV? I’ll have to ask Isabella to watch Mariah so I can take this one to the ER. Venom is just going to love this shit.”
I carried Farrah over to Ridley’s vehicle and set her down on the backseat. Ridley came out a moment later with Mariah, and as they drove off, I wondered if my life was about to become that eventful. I doubted it. Unless my kids took after me. I was hoping they’d be more like Emmie. I didn’t think I could handle a miniature version of myself. The world wasn’t ready for that, and I damn sure wasn’t.
I walked back to my new home and found Emmie standing on the front porch. The truck was gone, which meant Torch had either gone back to my place until things were sorted, or he’d gone home to his wife and kids. Hopefully, he’d taken that useless shithead, Casper, with him.
“You like the house?” I asked as I removed the duffle from the bike. I walked up the porch steps and she wrapped her arms around me.
“I love the house,” she said. “It’s perfect.”
“I guess all this room means your sister will be visiting frequently,” I said.
“After Lupita has recovered, I wouldn’t mind a visit. I don’t think she’ll make a habit of it. She’s going to have to figure out who she is now that she’s no longer an agent or a prisoner. Her life in law enforcement is over, and I know my sister. She’s going to flounder at first until she finds another cause to support.”
“We’ll help her however we can,” I assured her.
“Zach?” she said softly.
“What, sweetheart?”
“I love you. I know it’s only been a few weeks, and people will say that’s way too fast, but…”
I shut her up the only way I knew how. I pressed my lips to hers, and was grateful when I tasted mint. She smiled against my mouth.
“You didn’t even know I’d brushed my teeth,” she said. “That could have been really, really gross.”
“Nah. Kissing you is never gross.” I smiled down at her. “And I love you too.”
She glanced over her shoulder through the open door of our new home. “You know. We have lots of space now. Tons of new rooms to explore. Maybe even christen?”
I swatted her ass. “Then I guess you better get inside and get naked.”
Emmie smiled at me a moment, then it slid from her face. “I know something really horrible happened tonight, and yes, it was scary. I’m sure later I’ll have time to think about everything and I might freak out. But right now, I just want to forget. I want to make a happy memory, something so wonderful that it will overshadow the evil from tonight.”
“I can do that. Have you checked out our new shower yet?” I asked.
She grinned widely again. “Yep. Dual showerheads, and really big. We could probably fit three of you in there, maybe four.”
“Go start the shower, Em. I’ll be there in a minute. Just going to lock up for the night.”
She went inside and headed upstairs. I watched her ass sway and sighed at the beautiful sight. After I made sure the house was secure, I tossed the duffle onto the bedroom floor and found a very naked, very naughty Emmie in the shower, with her hand between her legs.
“I told you to get the shower ready, woman, not start without me.”
“You were too slow,” she said as her fingers stroked her clit.
I stripped off my clothes and opened the shower door, stepping under the hot spray. My cock was already hard and aching just from looking at my sexy as fuck wife. I reached for her, and Emmie plastered herself against me. I kissed her long and hard, groaning when I felt her nipples harden even more. It still amazed me how responsive she was, and how eager.
“Please, Zach. We have all night to take things slow, but I need you right now.”
I placed my hand against the tiled wall, but it felt cold. There was a bench along the opposite wall of the shower. I walked over to it and sat, then pulled Emmie down so that she straddled me. With my hand wrapped around my cock, I guided the head between her slick folds and watched as she lowered herself.
“Fuck, baby! You feel so damn good,” I said.
“I never knew what I was missing,” she said. “But I’m so glad I waited for you, Zach.”
That made two of us. She lifted and lowered herself, moving slowly at first. I reached between us and rubbed her hard little clit. Her pussy grew slicker, hotter, and soon she was riding me with fast, jerky movements. I could tell she was close. I used my other hand to tweak her nipples, pinching first one, then the other. Her pussy squeezed me tight as she screamed out her release, slamming down onto my cock again and again. When she panted for breath and her body started to grow limp, I gripped her hips and thrust upward. I fucked my gorgeous wife until I filled her with my cum, and even then I still wanted her.
No matter how many times I felt Emmie wrapped around my dick, I knew I’d always need more. I didn’t think the craving I felt for her would ever go away. If anything, it seemed to grow stronger every day.
“Love you, sweet angel,” I said.
“Love you more.”
I smiled and kissed her again, my cock already growing hard once more. Yeah, every day with my wife would be an adventure, and I couldn’t wait to see what life had in store for us next. It just preferably wouldn’t involve a lot of blood. I much preferred hearing my Emmie scream in pleasure, and I was going to keep her screaming all night long, until we were both too exhausted to do anything but sleep.