Derek Read online

  I walk past him without even looking, making sure to bring my heel into his foot. Oh, have I missed doing that. I can’t do that to Derek because I do love him and I don’t want to hurt him. My brother on the other hand? It’s fine for him to experience a little physical pain. We have fought like cats and dogs for years. It started when I was laying out in the sun and he threw cold water on me. Since then the war has been on.

  “Ouch! Why did you do that?” Wilder complains. I walk over to Derek, and he tucks me into his side.

  Everyone is smiling at us, and one by one, their eyes go to my stomach, which Derek’s hand is resting on. I love that his hand gravitates to my belly, even though our baby is just a little bean.

  Oops.

  “Since you’re dying to ask…I am pregnant!”

  All of the girls run over, and the guys walk over to Derek, congratulating him, but Wilder is standing back, looking pale.

  Uh, oh. Do you think he is going to pull a Dad and pass out?

  “Wilder, are you okay?” Joslyn asks and takes a hold of his arm. Dad walks over to him and helps him sit down.

  “She had sex,” Wilder tells someone and I can’t help but laugh. Did they think I was never going to have sex? Apparently so.

  Derek leads me to a chair beside Wilder, and he pulls me into his lap and kisses the side of my neck. Wilder covers his face, and I cover my mouth so I don’t laugh. Derek is just evil. I lean back and allow him to have his fun, and he puts his hand on my leg.

  “What’s the matter, Wilder?” Derek asks. Joslyn and I roll our eyes at his childishness.

  “Nothing,” Wilder huffs and relaxes into his seat. He doesn’t look so pale anymore, and Dad is amused that he is not the only one who passes out at the drop of a hat.

  “You look so beautiful, Brittany. These last couple of months have treated you well.” Shaylin comes over and hugs me, practically hugging Derek too.

  It’s going to take some adjusting because we have gotten so used to it just being us all the time, but I can’t wait. People haven’t seen me and Derek as a couple. We got together right at the start of all of this, and now it’s going to take some adjusting for them too.

  We have all known that Derek and me is something that has been in the works for years, but we just danced around each other.

  It’s heaven.

  It’s something that I dreamed of and wished for, something that I never thought could be my reality, but it’s here. And it’s better than I ever expected.

  Derek fires up the grill, and I lounge by the pool and relax.

  All of the bad stuff is far from my mind.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Brittany

  A Few Days Later

  It’s been a few days since we got back. Derek and I are holed up at home. We’ve gotten Princess back from Gareth and are just getting adjusted.

  Tonight all the girls are getting away, and we're going to stay in a cabin in the hills behind Lane’s house. We will have a couple of prospects watching us along with the property.

  All the guys are going to have a meeting at the clubhouse. What I mean by “the guys” is the Grim Sinners and the Devil Souls MCs. The Devil Souls are coming in, because this affects them too.

  It’s going to be a crazy night and one I can’t wait for. I especially can’t wait to give the prospects hell. Not Gareth, though, he is a sweetie, but I am biased since he is Derek’s brother.

  I will miss my honey, but girls’ nights are always needed.

  So right now Derek is driving me up into the mountains to the cabin. Derek lives right down the road from Lane. It’s a huge-ass gated community. All of the married members live here because it’s safer. I love seeing all the kids playing and riding bicycles. I love that my babies will be raised here; it’s even better that it’s surrounded by my family. Don’t get me wrong, each of us has plenty of space. That’s why everyone has invested in golf carts, and it’s hilarious seeing huge alpha guys riding around in one of those.

  “I will miss you,” I tell him when he parks.

  He looks at me and smiles. “I will miss you both.”

  “Give me some smooches, honey.” I wrap my arms around his neck dramatically, kissing all over his face.

  He finally gets tired of me attacking him, and his hands grab my neck, his fingers on my pulse.

  “Why do you always put your fingers on my pulse?”

  He presses his forehead against mine. “It’s to reassure me that you’re here, alive, and mine. I want to count your every heartbeat, because losing you would kill me.”

  Wow.

  I scoot closer and hug him, resting my head on his shoulder. His words have overwhelmed me; he is just everything to me.

  My heart, my soul.

  I knew once he finally had me it was going to be everything I had always wanted, but this is more. He owns all of me, and I don’t think I could love anyone any more than I do him. I never thought it was possible to love someone this much.

  But I do.

  “Alright doll, let’s get you inside. We have some peeping Toms.” I look at the front of the house and see a bunch of faces pressed against the window of the cabin. I laugh because they look ridiculous.

  There’s a knock on the truck window, and I see it’s Gareth. “Want me to get your bags?” he asks when Derek rolls down the window.

  “Yeah, thank you.” He opens the back seat and takes out my bag.

  “See you tomorrow, honey.” I kiss Derek’s cheek one last time and let Gareth help me out of the truck and into the house. I look back to see Derek waiting to make sure I am inside safely before he drives away.

  “Damn Brittany, about time!” Jean yells the second I step foot inside the door. It seems like I am the last one here. I see Kayla, Alisha, Jean, Shaylin, Paisley, Amelia, Joslyn, Mom, Adeline, Chrystal, Myra, and Bailey. All of the girls are here.

  “Drinks!!” Bailey yells, and all the girls run to the bar. Bailey and Travis have just gotten together; they met while we were gone. I haven’t talked to her, but I am excited to meet her. I know one thing: she is absolutely beautiful.

  I join Joslyn on the couch. I know she is not much of a drinker to begin with, and she and I are both pregnant, so it’s a no go for us.

  “Come on Brittany, loosen up!” one of the girls yells, but I am not sure who.

  “I can’t.”

  They all stop and look at me, even Gareth, who is perched against the front door. They look at me, then my stomach. The ole ladies in the Grim Sinners already know, but this is news to the Devil Souls ladies. Even Gareth didn’t know.

  “You’re pregnant?” Jean asks. Mom hugs me, excited about my news all over again. She’s loving the idea of being a grandmother twice over. Joslyn and I are just a few months apart.

  Gareth walks over to me. “You’re pregnant?” he asks and I nod.

  He smiles—he has Derek’s smile. He hugs me. “I am going to be an uncle.”

  Okay, that was cute! I’ll give him that. I hug him back and Mom wraps her arms around both of us, not wanting to be left out.

  “Aww, this makes me happy!” Jean tells everyone dramatically, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Jean is hilarious, so hilarious you can’t help but love her. They all come over and hug me after they tear me away from Gareth.

  Next we have to tell his parents, and I know Willow will freak out—I can just imagine her and Darla at the same time. I can just imagine the baby shower they’ll plan. Jeez.

  So tonight I have a feeling I am going to be playing Mom for the other ladies, who will be passed out before the night’s end.

  Joslyn is leaning back holding her slightly swollen belly. I remember the day she found out. We were at the mall and Mom made her take a pregnancy test. I was so happy for her and for my brother. They deserve each other, both of them. Joslyn has not had the easiest life, but my brother has made it his mission to make that possible for her.

  Gareth goes to the wall and locks down the building. There’s no
thing getting in unless we let them in.

  “We are locked down.” Gareth calls someone and hangs up. I feel my phone vibrate. and I look down to see a text from Derek. “Have fun angel, love you.”

  I smile like a loon and text him back. “I love you too, honey.” Then I send a kissy face emoji.

  Then it hits me, this is the first night I have been away from him overnight since we started dating.

  That hurts my heart; there’s nothing I love more than being snuggled up safely in his arms.

  “You’re missing Derek, aren’t you?” Joslyn asks, interrupting my thoughts.

  I nod, putting my phone down. “Yeah I do, this is the first night away from him.”

  She rubs her belly. “I miss Wilder too. Every night he lies on my belly and talks to our baby.” She smiles wistfully. “Your brother is great, you know.”

  I sigh. I love, love, and I love to see that expression on someone’s face. I am grateful for her too. She makes my brother happy. All the women here have met their men in weird circumstances but, most of all, their men have been their protectors.

  I was Derek’s prey. He watched me for a year and I waited. I wanted him to catch me. I wanted to be his.

  But most of all, I wanted him to be mine.

  “Alright the prospects are here with dinner.” Gareth opens the door and grabs a huge bag; then she shuts it, alarming it once again. He carries the bag over to the coffee table and starts laying everything out. I think someone ordered the whole Chinese restaurant; there’s a little of everything.

  My mouth waters at the sight of honey chicken; it’s my favorite. I grab a plate and start putting my dinner together along with the other girls.

  We all gather around on the couches, arranged in a huge circle so we can all face each other.

  “So how does it feel being an ole lady?” Kayla asks.

  “It’s no different, besides being claimed, I was already a part of the MC.” Which is true, the Grim Sinners are my family.

  Kayla nods slightly. “I understand that.”

  Paisley nods. “It was like that with Liam, I was raised in this way of life. Just made it all the better.” Paisley is around my age, and her father is the vice president of the Devil Souls.

  Shaylin also grew up in the MC. She was the president’s daughter, and she is Lane’s sister. She married into the Devil Souls, so she knew the way of life but now she’s in with another club. Luckily, it was just thirty minutes or so from the Grim Sinners club.

  Shaylin and I have gotten really close. She was the friend I needed and someone I could tell all of my troubles to. I did have Darla, but I needed someone who I could tell everything to without hurting Darla. She had enough on her mind without me spilling all of my insecurities to her. Shaylin winks at me and I smile. It’s like she knew I was thinking about her.

  “I vote we watch Fifty Shades of Grey!” Jean says and we all agree. I look at Gareth, who is looking at me pleadingly.

  “Sorry!” I mouth, but in the end I am not really sorry. It’s going to be hilarious seeing his reaction.

  The last movie just came out on DVD, so I am down for a whole marathon. I snuggle up on the couch, pulling a blanket over my and Joslyn’s laps. Mom is on the couch next to ours.

  “Come on and eat with us, Gareth.” I wave him over and he hesitates. “Look, I know you’re on watch, but eating isn’t going to be that big of a distraction.”

  He relents and makes himself a plate then goes back to his post. He goes door to door and checks in with the prospects to make sure they’re good.

  He is going to make one hell of a member, I know that for sure, and I know the guys think so too because they allowed him to be inside the house with us. That means they trust him.

  I do wonder what the guys are up too though.

  Derek

  Tonight is the night we make the plan to eradicate this problem once and for all; this has been going on for way too long.

  The Devils Souls MC is joining us. This affects them too, since our members are intertwined. Shit has gone down many times, and we have all had each other’s backs through it all.

  “Months ago a cartel member named L. Garcia made it known that he wanted Brittany and they would stop this war if we handed her over.” Lane stops talking and looks around the room. “We all fucking knew that was not going to happen, so I had Derek take her into hiding. Then they found her again. It’s time to end this once and for all.” Lane nods at Techy, who gets on his laptop. The screen on the wall shows a house.

  “This is where he is living, right on the outside of town. I say we blow something up tonight, shall we? Sadly, he is not here, but I still say we fuck with him a bit, shall we?”

  I grin. This is the kind of shit I am talking about.

  “Derek, Maverick. You’re up.” Maverick and I leave the room. This is the shit we are best at.

  We walk down to the armory. Techy comes in and straps us up with cameras, so they can watch our moves, and with a mic, so we can all talk to each other. Everyone else will be here at the clubhouse, watching.

  Maverick and I gather everything we need to blow up the house. I can’t wait to get back on my bike. I have missed it—it’s been two months. It was not safe for Brittany on the back of my bike, because if they had found us she would have been hurt.

  I nod to Maverick and we speed away from the front of the club, the prospects closing the gate behind us. There are only one or two here; most of them are protecting the girls, which is the most important thing.

  The streets and the cars become a blur as we ride at full speed, not giving anyone a chance to follow us.

  We pull up behind a house, hide our bikes, and run through the woods to the house, not even making a sound. We have been trained for this; this is what we do best.

  The house comes into view, and I hear a slight hum as the gate is activated. “Techy, open the gate,” I say. A second later I see the green light and the hum of the gate goes off. Bingo. We push it open just enough for us to slip through, and we run to the side of the house, splitting up.

  We get to work putting the C4 on every corner of the house, running the wires around the house so it all connects. We leave the bag on the ground behind the house, walk out through the gate, and run back to our bikes so we are out of the danger zone.

  “You do the honors.” Maverick hands me the remote and I push the button.

  Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! The ground shakes and the place is up in flames. Maverick shakes my hand, grinning ear to ear. He lives for this shit.

  “Fucking awesome.” Maverick throws out his arms, ashes falling down all around him.

  Fucking nuts, but I can’t say that I’m not fucking thrilled.

  “We are heading back,” I tell them in the mic, and Maverick and I start our bikes before we can get a response.

  Brooks

  We all grin as the house goes up in flames; it went fucking perfectly. There is a knock at the door of the meeting room. We look at the camera, and we can’t see the prospect’s face but he has his cut on.

  Kyle gets up from his seat by Lane, since he is closest, and opens the door. He jumps back, a gun in his face.

  Fuck.

  We all pull our guns as cartel member after cartel member comes into the room. We all have our guns pointed at someone, and Lane has his on a man who I know is the leader.

  Techy shuts off the camera and mics before they can see their house, along with Derek and Maverick’s location. Techy is a member of the Devil Souls, but lately he has been working for both of us, along with Locke. He has been all over the place.

  Aiden is standing next to me, his gun in the face of the man pointing at gun at my face.

  “Looks like we are evenly matched, gentlemen. I am L. Garcia.” He looks around the room at everyone as it sinks in: this is going to be a fucking bloodbath.

  We have underestimated him.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Derek

  We arrive back at the clubhous
e, and the gate opens for us. Konrad was visiting a family member and has just returned.

  We walk inside the clubhouse. “I am going to go put my stuff away, then I will join you guys.” Konrad separates from us and goes to the spare room that we keep here for members. It’s where everyone is going to be crashing for the night.

  I put in the code to get into the meeting room and push the door open, and my eyes widen at the sight in front of me. All of my brothers have guns trained on them by the cartel, and all of the cartel members have guns trained on them by the MC.

  It’s a fucking standoff right under our noses.

  I pull out my gun and point it at the fucker I want to kill more than fucking anything: L. Garcia.

  I have never seen this man in my life, but I would know him anywhere. His blood calls to me. It begs me to rip him to fucking shreds.

  Maverick jumps in beside me and does the same thing. The fucking cartel will be less likely to shoot because they don’t want their boss to die.

  “Ahh Derek, it’s good to fucking finally meet you.” L. Garcia sneers at me, turning his full attention to me, then Wilder, and then Brooks.

  He is here for Brittany.

  “It seems that my deal was never acknowledged, how sad is that?” He gives me a sad look. “I am here to collect what is mine.”

  I don’t say a fucking word, he is not worth an ounce of my energy, so I grin. I want to get under his skin. I want it to fucking fester so deep that he can’t stand it, then he’ll make a move.

  A move that will end his fucking life.

  Brittany

  “I wish we knew what the guys were doing.” Jean pouts and cups her wine glass like it’s her lifeline.

  “I do…” Alisha starts and then looks sheepishly at the floor.

  Jean scoots forward. “Oh tell me, tell me!” She rubs her hands together and Alisha gnaws on her bottom lip.