16. Chapter Sixteen

Chapter Sixteen

Mackenzie

“ P lease don’t leave me, baby!” Vanessa has her arms gripped around Prez’s torso as she lies beside him, almost as if they’re just having a lazy morning in bed and she’s snuggled against him.

It’s fucking heartbreaking.

Her screams, her cries, her pleas for him to come back to her…

If this is anything close to what Aleko went through when I “died,” then I have a hell of a lot more making up to do with that man. It just hammers home that the decisions I made were selfish as fuck. I need to do better.

The ambulance arrived twenty minutes ago, and they’ve been waiting patiently to take him away after confirming he’s dead. It’s a shame Spence isn’t working tonight, with Aleko and a whole lotta Sons out searching for the shooter, I could do with the comfort. Mom and Sabrina are still up in the sound-proofed room with Ninja and Bandit, and everyone still out here is seething with barely controlled rage.

However, now is not the time to have my own pity party because this isn’t about me. This time, Vanessa is at the heart of this tragedy. The love of her life is gone. Just like that. No warning. No time for goodbye. Just gone.

I slowly approach Vanessa from behind and wrap my arms around her, trying to gently pry her away from Prez so the EMTs can do their job. The longer he lies there, motionless, the more images of this sickening moment she’ll have planted in her brain.

Bash must catch on to what I’m trying to do because he sets down the bottle he had a white-knuckle grip on and comes over.

“Let me.” He twitches his head to signal for me to stand aside. I can barely hear him because Vanessa’s screams are so loud, but I get the gist of what he’s saying and I move. She’s freakishly strong, but that’s not surprising in this situation. Her need to never let go of her man is deep-rooted, and doing so means accepting he’s gone.

With ease, Bash lifts Vanessa from Prez and nods for the EMTs to do their thing. She screams for her husband as he grips her tightly from behind and lifts her, kicking and scratching at him to get away. Her whole body goes limp once the EMTs lift Prez, placing him on the stretcher after the police have cordoned off the area surrounding him and taken their photos, and they cover his face with a white sheet. The wails that come from her remind me of the moment Mom was told that Dad hadn’t made it, that he was gone.

Like then, I’m utterly useless. There’s nothing I can do or say to make this better for her. Nothing in the world other than him miraculously opening his eyes can heal her heart. While this is sad for me, it’s just that. Sad. It’s fucking gut wrenching, shred your soul pain for Vanessa.

The deputy sheriff, Celia Shipman, is ordering around the other cops as they talk to the Khunts and brothers left behind. It’s a flurry of activity and yet none at all. Surreal is an understatement.

Bash calls me over as the EMTs roll the stretcher toward the ambulance, just as Vanessa collapses to the floor like a broken ragdoll, landing on her hands and knees and curling over herself. She sobs into her hands, which are covered in Prez’s blood, just like the rest of her beautiful cream outfit.

Kneeling beside her, I wrap my arms around her to let her know she’s not alone. She still has people here who love her. It won’t help for shit right now because the world is never going to be the same for her, but one day, when she’s ready, she’ll be grateful for the support.

I’m not sure how long we kneel on the solid ground, the bonfire still roaring behind us, but the brothers who left to search out the killer finally return. The Reapers are with them, and if circumstances were different, I’d chuckle at the cute, tiny woman walking among all those huge leather-clad men with an expression that promises death. She could easily lead an army.

Aleko searches me out as soon as he rounds the corner of the building. His eyes, when they land on mine, are filled with so much pain and anger, I’m not sure which one is riding him most. They flick across to Vanessa, then back to me, and he stalks toward me, giving no fucks who needs to step aside for him to take the quickest route.

“Hey, Mac. I’ve got her.” Shade’s deep timber tone is beside me just as Aleko crouches down to our level. “Come on, V.” He somehow manages to hook his arm beneath her knees and lift her. She immediately curls into him and continues sobbing. Holding her close, Shade nods to Aleko before heading toward the building.

The time I’ve spent with the Sons has taught me how close they all are to each other. But I’ve also seen all the individual friendships that have blossomed between them, and from that, I know Shade is going to be hit by this in a different way to the others. Prez and Shade went to school together, joined the club as prospects at the same time, and they have been best friends for most of their lives.

Arms wrap around my waist as I watch them disappear inside, and the smell that is uniquely Aleko invades my senses. His body presses against my back and he nestles his chin into the dip between my neck and my shoulder.

“I fucking love you, Cherry Pie.” The words are husky, as though he’s been shouting for hours on end and his throat is desperate to get these final words out. He’s trembling, but I can’t determine whether it’s from the pain or from the anger. It’s probably a combination of both.

“I love you too, Aleko.”

All around us, seething bikers are downing shot after shot, the empty glasses exploding in the bonfire, and as I move to turn and face my man, the room hushes.

“I know we all want vengeance on those Irish bastards for what they’ve done tonight. But we need to be smart and not fuck ourselves over in the name of revenge.” Hoops is standing tall beside the makeshift outside bar. He pauses a moment, emotion threatening to take over, but he pulls himself together and continues. “Prez would tell us to plan this shit, not go in raging. We need to do this right, get our fucking ducks in a row and keep our club safe or it’s all been for fucking nothing. Tonight, we drink for our Prez. Griffin Michaels. Friend, brother, husband. And tomorrow, we prepare. Those fuckers will regret fucking breathing.” Hoops raises his shot in the air. “For Prez!”

The whole club follows suit, raising whatever glasses, bottles, or cans they have. Bash quickly hands a shot to Aleko, who then does the same before they all yell, “For Prez!” Then they drink and a kind of calm before the storm settles over them.

Aleko throws his empty glass onto the bonfire and it lands with a crack as he grips onto me again.

“Come on.” Taking his hand in mine, I step out of his arms and head for the double doors into the back of the building. This is hitting Aleko in ways I don’t think he even knew were possible, and I can’t imagine not being able to spill blood or blow shit up is easy for him, so I lead him to our suite.

Going through the motions, Aleko undresses in silence, his mind clearly elsewhere. We both use the bathroom and I get into bed first, pulling the dark sheets back for him to climb in beside me. With a heavy sigh, Aleko nestles into me, his head against my stomach, and I finally feel his body relax a little. The way his muscles loosen slightly is visible and we just lie there for I don’t know how long, this time, with me comforting him, stroking my hands through his hair and across his back.

A few wet drops slide across my stomach, but before I can say anything, Aleko moves and kisses them away. More gentle than I’ve ever felt them, his lips work their way over my stomach, my thighs, and when they reach the slit of my pussy I can’t hold back the moan. I continue to thread my fingers through his hair as Aleko climbs on top of me, carefully spreading my legs to give him better access.

The moment his tongue touches me, my back automatically arches and I have zero control over my body as he sucks on my clit, pushing two fingers into my pussy and quickly drawing out my first orgasm. It’s so quick, I barely have time to breathe before he’s hovering over me, the head of his cock sliding against my entrance.

Aleko’s eyes are full of so much pain as he stares down at me, the cool-blue depths red-rimmed with emotion, but I know he needs this just as much as I do. To remember we’re still here. We’re not gone. The unshed tears and dark shadows are fighting for dominance, but it’s as though being in this moment pushes that aside, ever so briefly.

Leaning down, he takes my lips with his, gently parting them with his tongue, and I can taste myself on him. His tongue begins to battle with mine as his cock drives into me, over and over, but it’s not desperate or quick, it’s slow and steady, his pelvis rubbing against my clit with every push inside me. It’s so deep, so gentle, and my next orgasm builds into something so powerful I could explode. He doesn’t mean to draw it out, he’s just taking the pleasure from me that he needs, and I’m more than happy to give it, but the pace is excruciating.

All my nerves are on edge, waiting for that moment I finally give in to the sensations flowing through my body, but I refuse until Aleko’s ready. Our mouths are fused together as his thrusts become more urgent, one of his hands squeezing my hip, the other behind my head, gripping at my hair and holding me close.

His movements get jerky and he lets out a satisfied growl as he comes inside me, and it’s the key to unlocking my own orgasm. The feel of his cock pulsing against the walls of my pussy sends jolts of electricity through me and we both moan into each other’s mouths. With his cock still inside me, Aleko pulls back with watery eyes and places a featherlight kiss on the tip of my nose. Then he buries his head into the crook of my neck and breaks my heart all over again.

His silent cry is something I never want to experience again after tonight, and I can fully understand how helpless he’s felt when I’ve done the same thing.

The world will burn before I allow Aleko to get hurt like this again, because as much as he wants to protect me, I will happily risk every ounce of his rage in order to do the same for him.