Author: Jaci Burton

“You and me both, AJ. And if we were still on the other side of the law and we had a chance to find them, we probably could do something to those guys.”

AJ turned his gaze on Pax. “We’re in a better position now to have something happen to them.”

Pax’s lips lifted. “Yeah, we have the connections now that we wouldn’t have had before. But you know as well as I do that we can’t do that.”

AJ slumped into the chair. “I know. But it makes me feel better to think we can. I’d like to make the assholes suffer for what they did to her.”

“So would I. But we’d have to find them first. And the chances of that are pretty slim.”

AJ turned to Pax. “It had to be the Fists who did that to Teresa.”

Pax nodded. “I thought the same thing. The guys dressed all in black, they wore condoms, didn’t take off their helmets? And they just happened to come by when her bike broke down? What are the odds that was random?”

AJ didn’t like it at all. “I don’t think it was random. I think she was targeted. Like someone tried to send a message to Joey and the Thorns, and that message didn’t get across to them.”

“Or maybe it did, and Joey just didn’t want Teresa to know.”

“Shit,” AJ said. “I need to talk to Joey.”

“If he doesn’t know about a connection to the Fists, are you sure you want to bring it up?”

AJ shrugged. “Either way, he needs to know, and we need to find out what he knows about that night. I don’t like what happened to Teresa, and I really don’t like that no one’s ever paid for it. Someone needs to. The more we know, the better chance we have of finding the guys who did this to her.”

“Man, this could fall outside of what we’re allowed to do, legally.”

AJ looked Pax straight in the eye. “Are you down with that?”

Pax didn’t even flinch. “Hell yeah. I hate motherfuckers who hurt women. We need to find them and take them down.”

“Good.” AJ knew he could count on Pax. And in this they’d always been in agreement. No man took anything from a woman that she didn’t give freely. There was no sex involved in an act like that. It was simple brutality and violation at that point.

He and Pax had their fun with women—plenty of fun with a lot of different women. And every single one of those women had been more than willing and always consented. That was one of their rules—no coercion. A woman was either into it or she wasn’t. If she wasn’t, then game off. There was no fun in having sex with a woman who didn’t want to be there. AJ couldn’t understand guys who got off on power trips like that. He didn’t even want to analyze the whys of a man raping a woman. He only knew the guy should have his dick and balls cut off. There was nothing weaker than a man who forced his strength on a woman. Those were the true pussies in life. And AJ would like to make them all disappear by throwing them off a tall bridge somewhere.

Starting with the two who had hurt Teresa.

NINE

A FEW DAYS LATER THEY HAD NOTHING MORE TO HELP JOEY. Tests had concluded beyond a doubt that it was Larks’s blood on Joey’s clothes. The absence of a murder weapon hadn’t seemed to dissuade the DA from filing murder charges against Joey. Witnesses had pointed to Joey doing the deed.

Teresa was devastated. Joey was resigned. This was unacceptable.

The only interesting find was in the autopsy report, which indicated that the knife blade used to stab Larks was atypical, had an unusually patterned edge with distinctive markings, as if it had been custom made. The coroner said the edges didn’t match any standard knife edges in their database.

Which meant if they could find the guy who owned that knife and match it to the wound pattern on Larks’s body, they would have their killer.

Teresa made the suggestion to Pax and AJ after she closed the bar that night. She’d finally been able to reopen the bar, and had figured Pax and AJ would take off, head back to doing whatever it was they did for the government. But they hadn’t left. They’d come with her to the bar and helped her and the girls clean it up. Then whenever she went for updates on Joey’s case, they’d hung out at the police station with her, talked to Joey’s lawyer, spent some time huddled on their cell phones talking to their boss. And when she opened the bar in the late afternoon, they’d go with her, one on either side of her like two imposing bodyguards.

She had to admit she didn’t mind that part at all. Even Heather and Shelley were giving her raised brows and elbow nudges, though she told them both nothing was going on with AJ and Pax. They didn’t believe her.

“I like those guys, Teresa,” Heather said as they stood hip to hip in the storeroom doing liquor inventory.

Teresa inhaled and let it out. “I like them, too.”

“One tall, dark and handsome, the other tall, light and handsome. And both have eyes only for you. Goddamn, Teresa, it’s every woman’s dream.”

She ticked off the whiskey list. “Yeah, it is.”

Heather put her clipboard down. “Okay, spill. What is it?”

Teresa turned to her and smiled. Heather was beautiful, popular and changed men as often as most women changed nail polish. “You know what it is.”

“You’re gonna tell me again that you’re not ready yet.”

“I don’t know. Maybe. I mean it’s been five years. And these guys . . . they make me feel, Heather. I haven’t felt in so damn long. And I want to. You know how much I really want to.”

“Do they know?”

She nodded.

Heather’s lips curled up. “And they’re still here.”

Teresa’s smile matched Heather’s. “Yes, they are.”

“Most men wouldn’t be. Many haven’t been, as you well know,” she added, wagging her finger at her. “None of the guys you’ve told have stuck around long enough to help you through it.”

“I know. And they warm me in ways I can’t even explain. More than physically. Their presence—the way they watch over me—”

“They care. They’re protective. I can see it. They’re nothing like those guys who hurt you.”

“Logically I know that.”

“At some point you’re going to have to stop letting logic lead you and let a man touch you again. And I mean all the way touch you. You’re going to have to have sex again. You have the need, don’t you?”

She never talked about these things with anyone but Heather. “Of course I do. I get . . . urges, just like any other woman.”

Heather crossed her arms. “Let me guess. You’re taking care of those ... urges, on your own, instead of letting a guy take care of them for you.”

“Yes. But at least I can touch myself again. Sex is sexy to me again. At least I’m actually thinking about a man touching me again. That’s progress, isn’t it?”

“Well good for you. After five years you finally want sex again. Get going, Teresa. Otherwise, those assholes who hurt you win. You lose. You know damn well what they did to you wasn’t at all about sex.”

She shuddered a breath. “I know. You’re right.” Heather had never coddled her. That’s why they were best friends. When she needed a good kick in the butt, she knew where to go. Heather had been there for her five years ago when her world had shattered. She’d held her, comforted her, let her cry for days, weeks, months, had held her hand when she didn’t think she’d ever be whole again. And when the time had come for her to pick up the pieces and go on, Heather had been the one to shove a boot in her ass and make her start living again. She owed Heather everything.

“Look, Teresa. You have two hot men who want to take it slow and easy with you and help you get back in the real world. Honey, I’m surprised you aren’t coming at the mere thought of it.”

Teresa snorted out a laugh. “Believe me, my body is fully aware of them. It’s a big step.”

Heather laid a hand on her shoulder. “It’s a big step that’s been a long time coming. Do something about it. Let them help you get past this. If you trust them, they’ll back off if it gets too intense.” Heather peeked around the corner of the doorway, then looked at Teresa. “Besides, you could always start with doing them one at a time. Then graduate to both.”

“Oh, God.” Teresa leaned against the wall, the cool brick taking her rocketing temperature down. “One at a time would be more than enough, I think.”

Heather’s eyes went dark. “I’d do both of them in a New York minute.”

“I’ll bet you would.” She envied Heather’s ability to think about sex as just . . . sex. Teresa had to get that mind-set back. She would get it back. The rape wasn’t going to define her for the rest of her life.

“You decide you want to dump them, let me know. I’ll do whatever it takes to get a piece of both of them before they ride on out of town.”

“Whore.”

Heather laughed and picked up the clipboard, once again scanning the liquor boxes. “You say the sweetest things.”

Traffic was light at the bar tonight, but it was about what Teresa expected. She had a few strangers pop in now and then, but her regulars had always been Joey and the rest of the Thorns, and with the start of Bike Week in Sturgis in a couple days, all the bikers had headed up north to South Dakota. Joey’s guys hadn’t wanted to go out of loyalty to him. Even though he was out on bail, he needed to stay put. But Joey had insisted the Thorns go have some fun. God knows someone should.

She paused in wiping up the bar. Of course. That’s why they couldn’t find the Fists. She dropped the rag in the sink and went to the table where AJ and Pax were nursing their beers and talking to Joey. She leaned over to talk to them.

“They’re in Sturgis. That’s why we couldn’t find any of the Fists.”

Pax arched a brow. “You sure?”

“No. But it makes sense. Our guys headed up there, didn’t they?”

Joey nodded. “Russ and the others left at dawn.”

“Do you usually go up there?” AJ asked.

“We go every year. Never miss it,” Joey said.

“He’s right,” Teresa added. “This place is a ghost town during Sturgis Bike Rally week every August. All the biker clubs from the region head up there. I don’t know why I didn’t make the connection the other night.” She took a glance at the clock. One hour until closing time. She was certain Heather and Shelley could run the bar for her. “We need to get on the road.”

AJ raised a hand. “Wait a minute. Get on the road? What the hell are you talking about?”

“Sturgis. We need to go.” She took a look around the bar, then swiveled back to them. “Or I need to go there. You can come along if you want, or not.” She ran her fingers through her hair. “I’m going.”

AJ exchanged looks with Pax, who shrugged and said, “I don’t have a clue.” Pax looked at Teresa. “What are you talking about, honey?”

“Don’t you see? The guy who killed Larks has to be up there.”

She decided to ignore their dubious looks.

“How do you figure?” Pax asked.

“The Fists went there. I’d wager this bar that’s where he is. And I’m the only one who can identify him.”

“No,” AJ said.

“She has a point, AJ,” Pax said.

Joey stood. “Oh hell no. No fucking way, Teresa.”

“I agree with Joey,” AJ said. “Let the cops handle it.”

Teresa turned to AJ. “They don’t even know who to look for. I do. I know he’s there.”

“Yeah, him and a half million other bikers,” Pax said with a laugh.