Chapter 39 Ashes and Embers
Killian’s POV
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What the hell am I doing here? The blonde grinds her hips on my cock, the pressure on my lap growing almost intolerable, but my body refuses to react. I sit limp beneath her, numb, nothing stirring except a deep ache for Valentina. Even when she offered me this “free” lap dance, I’d already decided I didn’t want it, but I let her coax me into the leather booth anyway. She climbs on, gyrating with practiced skill, but it only makes me wince.
I lean my head back, closing my eyes against the neon haze, trying to conjure Valentina’s face, her voice, the way she used to laugh for me. Instead, this woman’s grinding turns from awkward to outright painful. I curse myself-the strip club was Blaise and Medic’s idea, and Torque and Slugger tagged along, all thinking a distraction would fix me. It’s hopeless. The only thing I want right now is my girl.
A DJ’s voice crackles over the sound system, “Alright, alright, alright. The amateur contest is about to begin! Four ladies tonight, so make some noise!”
Suddenly, Medic appears at my side, shoving something into my hands. I recognize Valentina’s property vest immediately-her scent, her warmth still clinging to the leather. My heart plummets.
“What the fuck, Medic?” I demand, already shoving the dancer off my lap. She tumbles to the floor with a surprised yelp, but I barely notice, muttering a half-hearted apology as I rise.
“Where did you get this?” I press.
Medic jerks his chin toward the stage. “Her. She’s up there.”
I turn, and there she is-Valentina, blazing under the lights in a sheer pink baby doll and clear heels that threaten to topple her. Her hair is wild, her face a mask of devastation. It guts me. She meets my gaze, pain written all over every line of her body.
Then, her voice cuts through the noise, raw and broken. “You want all these other bitches on your cock, but not me? Fuck you!” She rips off her dress, grabs a man, and slams his face into her chest. The crowd erupts.
Blaise leans in, his voice low. “She saw you with that stripper, man. This is payback.”
Shame and fury war inside me. She thinks I wanted anyone but her? I lunge toward the stage, desperate to reach her, but Blaise and the others hold me back. I drag them with me, shoving tables aside, my jaw clenched so hard I think I might crack a tooth.
Valentina tosses the biker’s head away and bends over, her ass on display-so perfect it hurts to look. The men howl their approval. Then she shocks me, grabbing another girl and kissing her senseless. The blonde drops to her knees, mouth pressed to Valentina’s panties. The sight makes me hard for the first time all night, but when Valentina throws her head back, a single tear trailing down her cheek, I feel everything in me shatter. I should never have let another woman touch me.
As the music fades, Valentina storms offstage. I break from the guys and rush a door marked for staff, yanking at the handle-it’s locked tight.
Medic claps a hand on my shoulder. “Wait for her here. You’ll get your chance.”
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Blaise adds, “We’ll head back. Torque and Slugger are staying with you.’
I nod, slumping down by the door to wait, nerves fraying with every second. Twenty minutes crawl by. Across the smoky club, I spot a cluster of Fallen Saints leaving-the asshole who’d had his face in Valentina’s tits among them. I resist the urge to tear him apart.
Ten more minutes, and two girls exit-the redhead and the blonde from the stage. I approach them, my voice rough. “Hey, Valentina-she still in there?”
The redhead tilts her head. “Valentina? Oh, you mean Vandal?”
“That’s her.”
The blonde grins. “She left ten minutes ago with Lira. Out the back.”
My pulse spikes. “Where’d they go?”
The redhead laughs knowingly. “Well, if we know Lira-and we do-she’s probably convincing Rocco to let her play with Vandal before he jumps in. Rocco likes to watch.”
I growl, “The fuck does that mean?”
The blonde purrs, “Lira’s taking Vandal to the Fallen Saints’ camp. Rocco’ll watch his woman eat Vandal out before he fucks them both. And trust me, he’s called Rocco for a reason. Ten inches and wild as hell-it hurts, but in a good way.”
“Like hell he will,” I snarl, rage boiling over. I shove past them, out into the night.
I scan left-only our club, The Marauders, and The Inferno’s Sons. Nothing. I veer right, heart hammering, weaving through booths toward the camping grounds. Tents sprawl across the sand, bonfires burning, bikers and women everywhere. I hunt for a tall, bald black man, but there are too many, and I never saw Rocco’s face, just his head buried in Valentina’s breasts.
I grab a Fallen Saints cut as he passes. “You seen Rocco or Lira?”
He eyes me, wary. “What’s it to you?”
I force a smile. “Just old friends. Looking to catch up.”
He shrugs. “Haven’t seen ’em. Not surprising-they’re probably off screwing somewhere. Trying for a baby.”
“Great,” I mutter. Maybe I’ll spare him if he keeps his hands off Valentina.
Torque and Slugger trail me as I press on toward the last bonfire. Biker babes descend on them, four latching on, two to each guy. They look stunned, but quickly recover, arms winding around the girls. Good for them-they’re new, and tonight, they’re reaping the perks.
I keep moving, eyes scanning every shadow, until I reach the final bonfire. Twenty Fallen Saints and a dozen women circle it, their cheers rising into the dusk. I push forward, heart in my throat, and freeze at the sight before me.
Valentina’s POV
Lira finds me as I step off the stage, her hand warm on my arm. “You alright, girl?”
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I force a shaky smile. “Yeah. Just needed to serve my man-or ex-man, I guess-a cold dish of payback. Honestly, I’m not even sure where we stand.”
Her brows shoot up. “Wait, he’s here? In the club?”
I nod, my voice low. “In the back, with some leggy blonde grinding on him when I walked in. He’s been through hell lately. I tried to help him, but he pushed me away. I left the club, tried to piece myself back together, convinced myself he didn’t want me anymore. Guess I got it wrong-turns out it was all a mess of misunderstanding. So I roll up in Daytona thinking I’ll surprise him, but he’s the one who knocks me off my feet. He let that girl crawl all over him like I was nothing, so I gave him a little taste of my own medicine. Now, I’m just floating, completely untethered.”
Lira sighs, her gaze distant, remembering. “I’ve been there with Rocco. He sometimes forgets what commitment even means. Sure, biker life is wild, but when he asked me to be his Old Lady, I made it clear-I don’t share. He agreed. Didn’t stop him, though. One day, I come back from a grocery run with the other Old Ladies, and there’s some fresh-faced prospect on her knees in front of him, right in the middle of the clubhouse. He thought I’d just swallow it and stay. I tore off my cut in front of everyone and told him he could go fuck himself. Hid from him for two weeks while he lost his mind looking for me. When I figured he’d suffered enough, I let him find me. He swore up and down no woman would touch him again unless I said so. Three years now, we’re tight.”
A small smile tugs at my lips. “I’m happy for you, Lira.”
She squeezes my hand. “Come with me. We’ll slip out the back. I’ll text Rocco and we’ll head to the Fallen Saints’ camp. You can lay low there, figure out your next move. No one messes with you when you’re with Rocco.”
Relief softens my shoulders. “Thanks. I really need that.”
We sneak out, weaving through the Furies, and soon we’re at the Saints’ encampment. Rocco greets me with a booming laugh, easygoing despite his intimidating size. He cracks jokes, offers to straighten Killian out, but I just shake my head and let the warmth of the bonfire soak into my bones. I almost forget about the ache in my chest.
But peace never lasts. A guy stumbles up-college kid, wild-eyed and drunk, definitely not one of the
Saints.
“Hey, baby, how about showing off those pretty tits?” he slurs.
Rocco’s voice rumbles, threatening. “Back off, or I’ll tear you apart myself.”
The kid waves him off, cocky and clueless. “C’mon, man, you already got a girl.”
The crowd is growing, a circle of faces lit by firelight. I glance at Rocco, then size up the kid. Something reckless ignites inside me.
“How about this?” I say, voice clear and cold. “If you can beat me one-on-one, I’ll suck your cock right here in front of everyone.”
He wobbles, then grins, drunk on his own bravado. “Honey, I play for the University of Florida football team. I’ll flatten you.”
I shoot him a feral smile. “Try me.”
The crowd whoops as we step away from the fire, circling each other in the sand. His mouth twists
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< Chapter 39 Ashes and Embers
into a sneer. “I’m gonna enjoy stuffing my cock into that throat, sweetheart.”
I launch at him without warning, catching him off guard. He topples backward and I’m on him, fists flying. All my fury pours into every punch-every betrayal, every wound. My knuckles split, blood splattering across my white top. His nose crunches beneath my fist. He tries to defend himself, but I rain blows until his arms go slack and he sags beneath me, unconscious.
The bonfire crowd erupts-cheers, howls, laughter. I stand over him, breathless and trembling, blood and adrenaline singing in my veins. As I turn away, I catch a pair of eyes burning through the haze- Killian, watching me with a hunger that’s almost savage.
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