Derek Read online

  I grin at him. “I am not here to interrogate you, I am here to kick your ass.” I stride across the room and grab a bat off the wall. I walk over and swing my bat, nailing him in the kneecap. He screams bloody murder.

  “I thought you were in the cartel, all big and bad.” I wave my arms around, taunting him. I swing again and hit him in the jaw. I am tired of that screaming.

  “Damn, Brit,” my dad whispers in shock.

  I am enjoying this. They tried to hurt my family and were planning on doing God knows what to me.

  That is not happening.

  I smile as I walk toward the door, my eyes connecting with Derek, who was standing close to me the whole time I was beating their asses.

  * * *

  Present Day

  I get out of my appointment way earlier than I originally planned. I decide to not tell Derek and surprise him. I am shaking with excitement at the prospect of seeing him. I missed him.

  I drag my makeup bag along with me, the wheels making a grinding sound against the gravel. As I get closer to my car, I notice something under my windshield. I better not have gotten a ticket or I will be pissed.

  I unlock my car and put my luggage in the back seat; then I shut the door and grab the piece of paper off the windshield.

  I open it and, much to my shock, it’s a handwritten letter.

  Go to club, the guys will want to see you.

  I will see you soon, my love.

  L. Garcia.

  What the fuck?

  My hands are shaking as I tear open my door and climb inside. I power out of the parking lot and head straight for the clubhouse.

  I take out my phone, and I can barely even push in Derek’s number. He answers almost instantly. “Hey, baby doll.”

  “Derek.” I can barely get the word out, my voice cracking. I am scared. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t.

  He said he is going to see me soon; how do I comprehend that?

  “Tell me,” he demands. I hear the roar of his bike in the background as he switches over to his helmet Bluetooth.

  “I found a letter on my car, it said for me to go to the club and that he will see me soon.” My voice is choppy, and I am not sure he can understand a word I am saying.

  “Fuck,” he growls. “Where are you?”

  “I am coming into town. I will be at the club in five minutes or ten, depending on traffic.”

  “I will be by your side in a second, baby.” I can hear the roar of his bike; he is speeding to get to me.

  My mind is going a million miles an hour, imagining the worst-case scenario. I just want to get to the club and find out what the hell is going on.

  Two minutes later Wilder pulls up behind me, and I let out a deep breath. I am safe.

  The prospect at the gate recognizes us and lets us in. I pull up close to the front door, and Wilder pulls up beside me.

  “Brittany!” Lane yells for me and runs over. Derek pulls open my door, and I hand him the note, which he passes on to Lane, who curses when he sees it.

  “Come on, doll, let’s get you inside.” He tucks me into his side and walks inside with me. I am taken back to the conference room. One by one all of the members pile into the clubhouse.

  Because of me.

  I don’t like the fact that all of this is happening because of me. My mind is a constant blur, with the words I will see you soon at the forefront.

  What did he mean?

  Lane is carrying two letters. I know one is the note from my car, but what is the other one? Wilder and my dad come in last, and Wilder looks confused. I don’t even know, myself, what is going on. Derek is standing right beside me, his hand on my shoulder, being my personal guard.

  “Lane, tell me what the fuck is going on?” Derek asks through clenched teeth. He is beyond pissed, and I have never seen him like this. Ever.

  Lane looks at me before he faces the others in the room. “Brittany got a letter today that arrived here at the club.”

  Derek’s hand tightens on my shoulder.

  “We can end all of this now.” Lane’s hand clenches around the paper as he reads. “I will leave your town and never bother you again if you give me what I want. If you hand over Brittany Bennet, she has piqued my interest. You can hand her over and end this, or I can take her and I won’t be nice about it.”

  The room is completely silent as those words sink in. I just feel defeated, utterly defeated. I know the guys won’t hand me over, which means any of them could be hurt. I don’t want that. This is my family; this is all I have in the world.

  Lane finishes reading the letter. “Signed, L. Garcia.”

  Derek slams his hands onto the table, scaring me and every single person in this room. “Let me take her to my cabin in the mountains. Let me hide her.” Derek stands up, clenching and unclenching his hands. “He will not fucking have her. I will kill every single one of them.”

  Time to put on your big-girl panties, Brittany, the crying shit you have been doing is over. You are a strong fucking woman, and it’s time to act like it.

  I stand up and fix my clothes, raising my chin. I am ready to take on any shit that is going to be thrown my way.

  Derek walks over to me and grabs my face between his hands. “You are leaving with me, do not fucking argue.”

  I am not going to fight him on this. I am learning to fight and pick my battles. This is one that I am not going to win.

  But this just means one thing.

  War.

  Chapter Six

  Brittany

  Later That Day

  Derek and I are all packed. We have packed up Princess, and I am holding her as he puts our bags in the back of the truck.

  I am saddened that I had to cancel all of my appointments, but this is literally life or death.

  Derek isn’t someone to speak much around other people, but I am usually the exception. But he hasn’t really spoken since all of this started, giving me plenty of time to think. The more I’ve stewed on this, the more I’ve realized I have been followed at some point, because how else would he know me enough to want me?

  Derek is pissed, like I can feel it radiating off of him. He is majorly protective, and it’s killing him that this person is after me. It’s killing my dad and brother too.

  It boggles my mind that this man has gone to such extremes for me, when I don’t even know who he is or what he looks like, for that matter.

  I hear a couple of vehicles pulling up in front of the gate, and Derek looks at me. “Get inside the house, Brittany.”

  I want to stay with him. I have to force my legs to move, but I go, mostly because I have to keep Princess safe. I shut the door and peer out through the glass. I recognize the truck, and I start to run outside but Derek shakes his head.

  I bite my lip because I don’t want to tell him to shove it. The truck door opens and my dad gets out. Wilder gets out of a separate truck with Joslyn.

  They have come to tell me goodbye. It’s going to break my heart being away from my family this long. I have not left them for longer than a week since I moved in with them.

  Mom all but pushes everyone out of the way. She hugs me, and I can feel her tears against my neck.

  “I love you, Mom. I will be home before you know it.”

  She smiles and kisses my cheek. “I know, my girl, but it scares me that you’re in any ounce of danger. My momma bear instincts are in full force right now.”

  “I will be fine, Mom, I promise.” I look over at Derek, who is standing off to the side staring at me, his face soft.

  I smile at him, letting him know I am fine. Mom follows my gaze, and she grins at me. “Looks like you will be having a lot of fun.”I feel my face heat. She backs away laughing and Dad takes her spot. “Be careful, baby girl. I will see you soon.” He hugs me tightly and kisses my forehead.

  When I first moved in with them, I would often fall asleep on the couch with him as we watched TV together. He was my rock for the first couple of months as I
got myself together. “I love you, Dad.” I kiss his cheek and he puts his hand on the back of my head, touching our foreheads together. He lets me go and moves to my mother’s side.

  Wilder is next and hugs me. “See you soon, okay? I will be busy kicking asses and taking names,” he teases and I roll my eyes. “Love you. Be careful.”

  My heart swells. We fight like cat and dogs, but we love each other. “Love you, bub.”

  He takes Joslyn’s hand, and she gives me a small hug.

  I run my hand over Princess’s head and walk over to Derek, who is now waiting by the door of his truck. I climb inside the truck and he shuts the door.

  My heart hurts, seeing them standing there all together and knowing that I caused that. That hurts me.

  Derek starts the truck, and he puts his hand on my leg as he pulls out of the driveway. “You will see them soon, doll.” He rubs my leg soothingly.

  “I know, I just worry and I feel guilty because all of this is because of me.”

  He snaps his head in my direction, pissed. “First the fuck off, this is not your fault. None of this is, Brittany. This is Garcia’s fault. He is evil and he is going to die.”

  I lean my head on his shoulder. I wish he wasn’t driving right now so he could hold me.

  Princess barks and licks me under my chin. I laugh and snuggle her against my neck. Derek touches the side of my face. “Sleep my girl, you’re exhausted.”

  He is not wrong. It’s getting dark outside, though I am more emotionally drained than anything else. All of this took everything out of me.

  “Here.” He lifts the seat divider and pats his leg. I lean over and lay my head in his lap, closing my eyes.

  The only good thing about today is that I get to be with him. I know one hundred percent for certain that I feel safe with him.

  He runs his fingers through my hair and down my back. Princess is lying beside me. She is ready for her nap.

  I yawn and rub my eyes. Hopefully, it’s not too far to the cabin.

  Derek

  She is exhausted. I can see it written all over her. This shit came out of nowhere; it’s been months and months since the cartel showed its face.

  The words in that fucking letter are ringing over and over in my head. I can’t wrap my head around the fact that some fucker offered to leave if he had my woman. Someone is asking to have a bullet buried in his head. I will not rest until he is fucking dead for trying to take what is mine.

  I look down at her, her breathing even as she sleeps. She was scared, I could see it on her face, and that fucking rocked me to the core. I never want to see that on her face ever again.

  It amazes me how your world can change in a split second. I was laying out steaks for dinner when I got the call, the one that stopped my heart in my chest. The sound of her voice will haunt me. I never realized how much she meant to me until I felt the fear when she called me.

  I smooth her hair out of her face. I will protect her, that is one thing I know. They’re dead.

  Brittany

  “Baby, it’s time to get up. We’re here.” Derek gently smooths my hair out of my face, waking me, I open my eyes. I am still beyond tired. My eyes are hurting and my mouth is dry. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

  Derek smiles at me. “There are those beautiful eyes.” I smile at him being sweet. I love sweet Derek. I even like pissed-off Derek.

  He slides me across the seat; then I lay my head on his chest as he carries me onto the porch. Princess is still in my arms. It looks like she isn’t having this waking-up business either.

  Derek plops my butt down onto a chair as he unlocks the door and flips on the lights. I stand up and follow him into the house, dragging.

  “Come on, baby.” He leads me up the stairs and into a huge master bedroom.

  “Shirt.” I hold out my hand for the shirt he is wearing, and he laughs and takes it off. He takes Princess from me and hands me his shirt. “I am going to take her out and start packing her stuff. I want your ass in that bed and back to sleep. I will be in here soon.”

  He won’t get any kind of fight from me. I strip out of my clothes and get into bed. I groan at the soft mattress and the warm blankets.

  I wish I had my phone. I want to tell my mom that I made it, but I know Derek will call Lane and update them on a phone that can’t be tracked.

  They think the cartel found me through my cell phone. I know Techy from the Devil Souls MC is now the sole owner of my phone, and I hope that I deleted all of my history from it. That would be embarrassing.

  I pull the blanket up to my shoulders and I am out.

  * * *

  A hand grips my hip, rubbing gently, before his arm bands tightly around my waist. This has to be heaven.

  Princess is asleep under my neck. She has crawled all over both of us all night long. I woke up once to see her on her back, her legs straight up in the air and her little tongue sticking out of her mouth. She even slept on Derek’s face—it was hilarious. We were both too tired to really care.

  I look at the clock on the nightstand, and it reads 10:00 a.m. We arrived at the cabin right around midnight.

  Derek is still asleep, and I can’t help but snuggle closer and soak in his warmth. I love the feel of him holding me, the way his arm is branding into my stomach protectively.

  I know one thing: I don’t want to wake up without being in Derek’s arms ever again.

  It saddens me that I will be away from my family, but I am also excited that I will be getting major alone time with Derek, something we both need, to explore whatever this is.

  In my eyes he is mine—is it wrong to think that? I know that this is so new, but I just can’t imagine anything being different and him not being right here by my side.

  “Good morning, doll,” he whispers in my ear, scaring me since I didn’t know he was awake.

  I smile and lean up, kissing his cheek. “Good morning, hot stuff.”

  He rolls his eyes and grips my throat, kissing my temple. “You’re so beautiful in the mornings—fuck, you’re always beautiful.”

  “You’re sweet,” I whisper and kiss him. I drag my fingers through his hair and down to his beautiful jawbone.

  He pulls back, pushing my hair from my face sweetly. “Only to my girl.” My heart skips a beat.

  “I’m yours?”

  He smiles. I love this soft side of him and that only I get to see it. “Yeah doll, you’re mine. All of you.” His heated gaze moves down my body, and I get what he means by “all of me.”

  “We need to go into town and get things we need. I haven’t been here in a year.” He groans as he gets out of bed, and I take a second to admire his back and the tattoos.

  He scoops up P and rubs the top of her head. “You have to go potty?” he asks her, and she barks and wags her little tail. My mind goes straight to thinking about Derek being a father and holding his baby against his chest. That would be the most beautiful sight.

  I climb out of bed and walk into the bathroom to wash my face and brush my teeth. My clothes are still in my suitcase on the floor in our room. “Here are your clothes, baby.” Derek pushes open the door, and I’m leaning over the counter, my ass hanging out of the shirt he gave me.

  He drops the duffle bag to the floor with a thud, and I put the mascara wand on the counter as he walks over. His hands go to either side of my hips, and he kisses the side of my neck. “You’re too fucking sexy for your own good,” he whispers into my ear, in between kissing my neck.

  I tilt my head to the side to give him better access, and he uses it to his full advantage. He grips my chin, taking full control of my movements. His other hands rubs my ass cheek. “Fucking beautiful,” he growls, nipping where my neck meets my shoulder.

  If he doesn’t stop, I am going to combust right here. His hand snakes from my butt cheeks to my pussy. “Soaked for me already.” He growls even louder and rubs my clit, pushing aside the crotch of my panties. My hand smacks the counter. “My baby li
ked that, didn’t she?” he whispers in my ear, seeing goose bumps on my arms and back.

  I nod and look at myself in the mirror. It’s erotic seeing Derek behind me, his fingers slightly in view between my legs.

  Derek spins me around and lifts me up onto the counter. He looks down at me in his shirt. He grips my panties, pulling them down my legs, and tosses them onto the floor. He looks down at me and licks his lips.

  Oh God, I can feel my face redden from his gaze.

  He gets down on his knees in front of me, and he winks at me. His hands wrap around my thighs, pulling me to the edge of the counter. He pushes up his shirt and ducks his head.

  I close my eyes at the first touch of his tongue, and he throws my legs over his shoulders and pulls me impossibly closer. I bury my hand in his hair, pulling slightly. I lean my head back, and it thumps against the mirror.

  “Fuck,” I moan, his tongue moving faster over my clit, drawing the pleasure out of me. Last time it was slow and steady, but this time it’s fast and furious and my whole body is stiffening at every second.

  He pulls back for a moment. “I could eat you all fucking day.” He comes back with an extra oomph, and I grasp the counter trying to hold onto something, anything, to ground me.

  He slips two fingers inside me, his tongue moving at the same speed at his fingers. I throw my head back. “Derek,” I grind out between my teeth, and I tighten around his finger before I come hard.

  “Oh God,” I moan as he continues drawing out the pleasure.

  “Let’s take it to bed.” I try to push him away because it’s too intense.

  He lets me go and looks at me. “What are you saying, darlin’?” He stands up, his hands gripping my thighs.

  “I want more from you, Derek,” I tell him honestly, and he studies me, wanting to see if I have any kind of hesitancy. “I want you, Derek.” I put my hand on his chest, looking deeply into his eyes, and he lets out a deep breath, nodding.