Chapter 11

Eleven

Fletch

I wipe my hands on a rag and throw it over my shoulder. "I can have it ready for you by tomorrow," I tell the guy who's pacing the garage floor in agitation. "I can't do it today cos I don't have the parts." He rolls his eyes and stomps off to make a call.

Nyx smirks. "Every fucker thinks we're magic and can just fix everything with a simple touch."

"Life would be easier if we could."

"You talk to Gemma yet?"

I stick my head back under the bonnet to hide my irritation. "Not yet," I lie. I've decided I need some time on my own with her before I ruin it all. "I will, though."

"We could hang out together," he suggests, and I straighten up to stare at him.

"What are we, five?"

He shrugs with a slight smirk on his lips. "Maybe she needs some persuading from the master." I grab the rag from my shoulder and throw it in his face. He catches it, laughing.

"I've got it under control. She's putty in my hands, trust me."

Nyx stares past me and groans. "What the fuck?"

I turn to find police cars pulling up on the forecourt. "Great," I mutter, watching as officers pile out and head our way. A second later, Gemma pushes her way through them, holding up her badge. "D.I. Stone," she says firmly, avoiding eye contact. "We've got a warrant to search these premises."

"Seriously?" I bark, and she briefly glances at me. For once, she looks unsure and maybe a little guilty.

"Is there anyone else on the premises?" asks another man, joining Gemma.

"Nope," I state.

"Someone cuff them," Gemma says, stepping away.

I'm cuffed and jostled into the office with Nyx, where we're both forced to take a seat. "What grounds have you got to search?" I ask the nearest officer.

"We believe you're involved in criminal activities," he says, pulling open a filing cabinet and searching through the paper files.

"You won't find shit," I snap.

"Relax," mutters Nyx. "They want to rile you."

"They're putting off potential customers," I snap. "This is a fucking joke."

"We'll get the bitch back," he murmurs, adding a wink.

Half an hour passes before Gemma enters the office while the rest of the officers congregate outside. "Here's the paperwork," she mutters, placing a folded piece of paper on the desk. She proceeds to unlock Nyx's cuffs and then moves to me. "I didn't have a choice," she almost whispers.

I stand abruptly, and she takes a step back. "Fuck you, Gem," I hiss, pushing past her and stepping out into the fresh air. "Ain't it time you fuckers got off my property?" I yell at the officers mulling around.

I feel her step out behind me. "Your attitude isn't helping," she mutters quietly so only I can hear.

"Just go," I snap, keeping my back to her.

"I'll call."

"Don't fucking bother. Whatever this was, it's done." I head back inside, slamming the door hard in her face.

"Shit, brother, she looks gutted," says Nyx, staring out the window.

"We need a new plan. I'm done."

"Bullshit. We can't just change the plan."

I glare at him. "Why are you so bothered? Are you that desperate to get in her pants?"

He smirks, and it makes me want to smash his face in. "Don't you wanna crush her, Fletch, after what she's just done?"

I scrub my hands over my face. "I have a kilo of powder in the roof tiles," I almost whisper.

His eyes widen. "What the fuck?" he growls, glancing nervously behind me. "Axel told you to clear all your shit up. He told everyone."

"I know," I hiss. "It was a last-minute thing, and I didn't expect her to come here."

"You fucking idiot. Get rid of it, now."

"I can't," I snap. "What if they're watching us? They'll know we're spooked and expect us to make a move."

"Axel will break your jaw for this bullshit," he yells, storming back into the office.

My phone rings out and I pull it from my pocket to see Gemma's name flashing. I cancel the call. A second later, a text message comes through.

Snap: You're damn lucky I didn't bring dogs with me today. Whatever you're hiding, get rid of it now.

I stare at the text until Nyx returns a few minutes later. "Axel is going off his head. He's calling church."

"She knows," I mutter, turning the phone to him so he can read the text message.

"Church," he barks, pulling the shutters down.

Axel paces the spot behind his chair. It's a sure sign he's pissed, and when he fixes his dark, angry eyes on me, I almost choke on the air that's threatening to suffocate me. "I'm sorry," I begin. It was the wrong thing to say, and he slams his fist into my jaw, almost knocking me off my chair. "Shit," I hiss, shaking my head and cupping my chin.

The rest of the brothers keep their eyes downcast as he goes back to pacing.

"Nyx said you got a text," says Grizz.

I give a slight nod and produce my phone. He reads it and shows Axel. "You're a stupid idiot, you know that," Duke tells me. "You think any of us are happy about putting shit on hold?"

"I forgot it was there," I mutter feebly.

"Damn, brother, are you that loaded that you can stash a kilo and forget about it?" sneers Grizz.

"I fucked up," I admit. "I'm sorry."

"This warning," says Axel, sliding my phone back to me, "you think she's watching the place so you move it and then she can swoop in?"

I shrug. "Maybe."

"When are you next seeing her?" asks Grizz.

"Never. I'm done with her," I tell him.

I don't see Axel's fist this time, and it's not until I'm on my back staring up at the ceiling that I realise he got me good. My eye throbs, and I slam my foot hard on the floor to keep my calm. "Stay there," he hisses, pointing a finger in my face. I clench my jaw to stop myself spouting some remark that'll just earn myself a full-on beating. "You don't call the shots here, I do. She wants to take this club down, so you don't get to decide if you're done with her. We continue with the plan."

"And the drugs?" I ask.

He holds out a hand, and I grab it warily. He pulls me to my feet, and I sit back in my chair. "You move them when she's with you."

"What?" I ask, my brows reaching my hairline.

"She knows you're hiding something. If she comes back tomorrow with a dog, you're done. You move the stuff while she's with you. Drop it at the gym and place it in this locker." He passes me a key with a number on it. "Tell her it's a clean set of gym clothes you keep there for whenever you want to drop in the gym. Shadow is gonna do what he does best," he says, slapping Shadow on the back. "He'll get some shots of you two together. She can't deny being involved if she's with you."

I bury my face in my hands then nod. "Okay." It's a good plan, and if this all comes crashing down, her case against us will fall apart. "I'll call her now."

"No," says Nyx. "She was gutted earlier when you rejected her. Let her come to you. It's less suspicious."

"Listen to him," says Grizz. "He knows what he's talking about."

Nyx grins, nudging his shoulder into mine. "I'm the master," he whispers. "Told yah."

Gemma

I walk around the car for a third time. I have no idea what I'm doing, but I'm hoping this makes it look like I do. I groan because who the hell am I kidding? I've never purchased a brand-new car before. My last was second-hand, and I kept that until it died. I pull out my mobile and send off a picture to Fletch, hoping he'll offer some words of advice.

The sleezy salesman makes his way back to me with a huge shit-eating grin on his face. "Wanna go for a ride?" He dangles a key in the air.

"Actually, I'm waiting for my friend to message me back. He knows more about cars than me." I glance at my phone and will it to light up. I know Fletch is mad at me, and I get it, but he knew my job before he slept with me and I never promised to back off. With my father and Karen breathing down my neck, it was unavoidable.

"It's hard to make a decision without feeling the power of the engine rumbling through your body." He scans me with his beady eyes for extra measure.

The sound of a motorbike fills the air, and I pray it's him coming to my rescue. A minute later, Nyx stalks in as he pulls off his helmet. "Let's go," he says clearly.

"Go where?" I ask.

"This piece of shit will rip you off," he says, grabbing my hand.

"Hey, that's slander," the car salesman yells after us.

Nyx gets on his bike and passes me the spare helmet. "Where did you come from?" I ask, wondering how he got here so fast.

"I was in the area, so Fletch sent me to get you."

"Oh." I throw my leg over the bike and push the helmet on. Nyx pulls me closer to him, just like Fletch does, and then he pulls my arms around his waist and starts the bike.

A few minutes later, we're pulling into the clubhouse. I glance around nervously as I step off the bike. I've been lucky so far, not getting caught with Fletch, but it's the middle of the day, and who knows what my father could have put in place behind my back.

Fletch is talking to a woman when we go inside. He's laughing with her and jealousy instantly burns me. He glances my way before turning his attention back to her. I wait a few minutes before he finally heads my way. "Everyone knows that jackass on the High Street is a rip-off."

"Clearly not everyone," I mutter.

"I've gotta stop by the garage to get my gym bag, then I'll take you to a decent salesman."

"Thank you."

He makes no move to grab my hand as he leads me back out to his bike. He climbs on without helping me with the helmet, and when I slide on behind him, he doesn't grab my legs the way he usually would to drag me closer. In fact, when I take hold of the bar behind me, I fully expect him to pull my arms around his waist, but he doesn't and I'm disappointed. Somehow, I've fallen back into Cameron Fletcher's trap.

We stop at the garage, and he runs inside, returning seconds later with a gym bag. He lays it across my lap and gets back on the bike. "Shouldn't we secure this?" I ask.

"You'll have to hold on to it."

"I can't, I'll fall off the bike."

He sighs heavily, like I'm suddenly a huge pain in his side, before taking my arms and pulling me a little closer so the bag is trapped between our bodies. "Better?" he spits, and my heart aches.

Next, we stop at a car sales garage. A man steps out the office dressed casually. He doesn't look like a salesman, which instantly relaxes me. He shakes hands with Fletch, looking genuinely pleased to see him. "This is Gemma," says Fletch without looking my way. "She needs a reliable car, and I know you'll look after her."

"Of course, brother."

Fletch waits by the office, staring down at his mobile phone, and the salesman smiles. "I'm Darren."

"Hi," I mutter, unable to hide the hurt in my voice. Suddenly, I'm less excited about buying a car. I don't like the way I feel when Fletch is being so cold and distant because it shouldn't bother me nearly as much as it does.

Darren proceeds to show me around his showroom of shiny cars. He doesn't push me on any but talks about the pros and cons of the ones I like. I finally settle on an Audi, and when I glance back to ask Fletch's opinion, I see he's talking on his phone. "I'll just take it," I mutter, offering a weak smile.

"I'll sort the paperwork."

When I finally step back out the office, Fletch is waiting for me on his bike. The car needs to be registered, so I've got to collect it tomorrow. "Done?" he asks.

"Yeah, thanks."

"Let me drop this at the gym and I'll take you home."

"I can walk," I say, not wanting to be in his cold presence for a second longer.

"Get on the fucking bike, Gemma." It's the first time he's been so stern with me that, for a second, I hesitate. "Now."

We stop by the gym, and again, he rushes inside to dump his bag. Then he drives to my place and gets off the bike after me. He follows me up the path, and while I unlock the door, I think of excuses to deter him from coming inside, but when I turn to tell him, he grabs me by the throat and pushes me backwards into the house. It's not aggressive but commanding, and I'm instantly weak at the knees as his mouth clashes with mine in a hungry, claiming kiss.

He rips my shirt open, tugging it from my arms and discarding it on the floor. He kicks my legs apart and his hand rubs between my legs. Even through my leggings, it's effective, and I cling to his shoulders as he rubs faster. He slams me against the wall and crouches in front of me, gripping the material between my legs and pulling it hard enough to rip a hole there. I gasp as he moves my underwear to one side and presses his mouth to my pussy, hungrily licking me.

"Jesus, Fletch," I cry, pressing my hands to his head to hold him closer. It all feels so rushed and desperate, yet I can't stop the excitement it's evoking from me. I come hard, crying out while he eats my pussy with a starved hunger.

Before I'm fully recovered, he stands, and I watch through hooded eyes as he sheathes his erection with a condom and pushes it to my wet entrance. He slams into me with a grunt, leaning down to take my bra-covered breast into his mouth. He soaks the material with his tongue, gently biting on my erect nipple.

He lifts me and carries me through to the lounge. The curtains are open, and for a second, I worry someone passing will see us, but he forces me towards the window regardless and withdraws from me. He turns me to look outside, placing my hands on the windowsill. "Fletch," I murmur, about to protest, but he stuffs his erection back into me without warning and begins a punishing onslaught which consumes my entire being, making sure any protests die on my lips.

"You like the fucking power," he hisses, grabbing a handful of my hair and tipping my head back. "You like watching me squirm?"

My words won't come. He's fucking me too hard and too fast. All I can think about is the orgasm about to rip through me again. I feel his hands in the wetness between my legs, and then his finger is pressing at my tight backside. I fidget, getting distracted from my end goal but determined to stop him exploring there. He bats my hand away, continuing to press his finger to the tight hole. "Fletch," I whisper, resting my head on my arm.

"I'm in control," he hisses, and I cry out as the digit slips into me, causing an uncomfortable pain.

The front door opens and closes, and I freeze, my impending orgasm ebbing away. "Surprise," whispers Fletch, still chasing his own release as he slams into me.

Nyx leans in the doorway, a smirk playing on his lips. "Looks like I'm just in time."

I feel the blush spread from my neck to my cheeks, but as Fletch continues to fuck me, I can't find the words to stop any of this.