Raven Read online

  “If they are going to be home, why do we need to be there?” Remi grouched. She sounded like a bitch, but she didn’t care. Aylen was like a little sister to them. She was the youngest and Remi had to admit, she loved Aylen as if she was her sister and not a cousin. Kaiah, on the other hand, was a class A bitch. She loved to remind her and Nena that they were motherless; something that they knew all too well without their cousin’s nasty reminders.

  “Because Aunt Joanna asked for us and honestly, I want to see Anali. I know you just had a trip home but it’s been almost two months since I’ve been back and it’s time to reconnect and hopefully let some of the bad stuff go. We need to recharge, Remi.” Her sister wasn’t wrong. After Nena was abducted and kept for over a week, Remi was able to find her in her dreams. Remi went looking for her and she worried she’d never find Nena. Remi had been hiding out from that asshole Dave. Nena was trying to track her down when Dave took her and Remi knew that sooner or later, her connection with her sister might lead her into the same trouble Nena had landed in—so she gave herself up, hoping that together, they would find a way to escape. Dave was looking for a way to pull his own sister out of her coma-like state. Dave’s sister was also a seer and she did what she had to do to stay safe from her brother. He wanted to wake her to get the money their parents had left them. His sister, Anna, had basically hidden out in her dream-like world to avoid having to deal with her asshole brother. Anna was smart enough to know that if she woke up, Dave would have gotten his hands on her money and then he’d have no use for her anymore. Anna’s brother was a cold-blooded murderer and now he was going to spend the rest of his life in prison for murder and abduction.

  When Dave dragged her into that damn cell, to be with Nena, Remi wasn’t sure if she wanted to be angry with her sister or throw her arms around Nena and promise that everything would be alright. Nena said that she had hoped her sister had alerted the calvary about where they were, but that hadn’t happened—there was no time. Their only way out was to find Lyra and send her clues, through her dreams, as to where they were being held hostage. Lyra and her new husband, Tank were able to follow the clues and they sent Jag and Texas into the old paper factory to find them.

  The guys stormed into that damn place, like her knights in shining fucking armor, and she nearly gave in to everything they asked of her then. But, Remi knew better than to believe in all that fairytale nonsense. There was no such thing as a knight in shining armor and if she needed saving, she’d have to do it herself. That was who she was, her own personal savior and that was just fine with her.

  Jag

  Jag woke up to an empty bed and the small room that he and Texas rented above Reckoning felt cold and lonely. After Tex stormed out of there the night before, he thought for sure that Remi would be the next to make some lame-ass excuse and leave. But, she didn’t. She was dressed and ready to walk out of that room but one word from him, one pleading word changed her mind.

  “Stay,” he begged and she shut the door, stripped and got back into his bed. He wasn’t sure how or why he had gotten so lucky, but he wasn’t about to question it. Maybe Remi needed him as much as he seemed to need her. Hell, maybe she was just as lonely and sick of all the bullshit life kept throwing at her. Jag sure was. He could tell that Remi had been through hell and back and it had nothing to do with her being kept in a fucking cage by that asshole, Dave. No, she had lived through her own personal hell and he could see it in her deep, hazel eyes every time she looked at him.

  Honestly, Jag knew close to nothing about the dark-haired beauty. She was as mysterious as they came and maybe that’s what drew both him and Texas to her. He didn’t have much time to lounge around and think about why he needed her as much as he did. Jag had to get back to his place, shower, change and head into work. He had a client paying top dollar to be flown from New Orleans to Miami for the day and he couldn’t be late. Besides, flying was just what he needed right now, to take his mind off the crazy night that he and Remi had just spent, tangled up with each other. The only problem was he was going to have to face Texas since they lived together. There would be no dodging his best friend, even if he wanted to.

  They needed to get this shit aired out and he wanted answers. Texas owed him an explanation about what the fuck happened last night. Sure, they were both acting like jealous assholes, but it seemed to go deeper with Tex. Once he found out that Remi wasn’t submissive, he seemed to check out. Hell, Jag wasn’t sure Tex was even going to participate and that just plain pissed him off. They had been waiting for their chance with Remi for months now and his best friend was going to just throw it all away over a little bit of jealousy. The strange thing was that neither of them had ever really had an issue with the green-eyed monster before meeting Remi. She seemed to bring it out in them and if they didn’t find a way past it, Jag had a feeling that last night was going to be their one and only night together. He wanted more. He wanted so much fucking more with her and if Tex wouldn’t get on board, he’d find a way to convince Remi to give just him a chance.

  By the time he got back to the house that he and Tex shared, he had given up all hope of making it into work on time. He called his client and made up some bullshit excuse about lousy weather in Miami and having their flight pushed back by air traffic control. The guy didn’t seem too happy, but he bought it and that gave Jag enough time to talk to Texas. Finding his truck in the driveway was just plain dumb luck. Tex was usually an early riser, making his way into work early every day—except this morning.

  Jag threw his keys in the bowl by the front door and headed upstairs, to look for Tex. If he wasn’t in his room, he knew he’d be able to find him in their home gym down in the basement. Texas was obsessed with working out and given the fact that he had a lot of aggression—both sexual and otherwise to work through, he’d probably be down there.

  Jag jogged down to the basement and heard the heavy metal music before he even got to the last step. He turned the corner to find Tex lifting free weights wearing an angry scowl and judging from the amount of sweat pouring off his bare chest, he had been at it for a while now.

  Texas slammed down the weights to the basement floor and looked over at Jag, his expression mean. “So, you’re finally home?” Tex drawled.

  “Yep,” Jag said. He crossed the room to face Tex and Jag worried that might have been his first mistake. The guy looked about ready to tear him apart. Jag brazenly turned down the music and Tex huffed out his breath.

  “Don’t,” Tex warned.

  “Don’t what,” Jag asked. “You want to tell me what the fuck that was last night?”

  “Not sure what you’re talking about, man. We had sex with Remi and I left, that’s all.” Texas said. He picked up his weights again and cranked back up his music. Jag knew that pushing Tex wasn’t the best answer but what choice did he have?

  “You just left us there,” Jag accused.

  “She was on her fucking way out,” Texas said. “I’m betting she was hot on my heels after I left and that’s what has you all worked up. You didn’t get your night of fun and now, you’re going to pout like a giant baby and make this somehow be all my fault.”

  “Nope,” Jag said.

  “Nope?” Texas questioned. “What the hell does nope mean?”

  “It means that Remi didn’t take off last night after you left. She stayed.” Jag knew he was being an asshole, but he didn’t give a fuck. He wanted to hurt Texas just as much as he had been hurt. He just left him hanging and that broke their bro code.

  “What the fuck? Remi stayed?” Texas asked.

  “Yep, all night,” Jag bragged.

  “Fuck,” Tex swore again and Jag laughed.

  “Yeah, a few times, although it’s really none of your business. You lost the right to know what happened after you walked out,” Jag said.

  “How did you get her to stay?” Tex asked, setting the weights back down. He shut off the music and slumped down onto the weight bench. The look of defeat on Tex’
s face was nearly enough to make Jag feel like a complete ass for rubbing in the fact that he spent the rest of the night with the woman they both wanted.

  “I asked nicely,” Jag said. He sat down next to Texas on the bench. “Why’d you do it? Why did you leave?” Jag asked.

  Texas sighed, “I don’t know man. I freaked out when she got out of that bed and started pulling on her damn clothes. All I could think about was how bad I wanted her to stay with me—with us. Hell, I panicked and did all I knew to do, I bolted.”

  “Yeah, I get that, Tex. But, Remi isn’t like other women we’ve shared. She’s different—even special, although I doubt she’ll let us tell her that. She’s broken man. I know you can see it too, every time she looks at either of us. She’s been through something that we might not be able to fix, but God, I want to try to fix her, Tex.” Jag chanced a look at his friend and he could tell Tex felt the same way.

  “How do we do that if it’s not what she wants?” Texas questioned. “You saw her last night, man. She couldn’t crawl out from between the two of us fast enough. It was like she was counting down the minutes to be rid of us.” Jag knew where Texas was coming from. They had been friends for years now and Jag was pretty sure there wasn’t another person on the planet who knew him better. He knew all of Texas’ secrets including the dark places of his soul where he didn’t believe he’d ever be good enough for anyone else because his own father threw him away, without a second look back.

  It was a story that Texas reluctantly told Jag after the first night they shared a woman. The two of them had spent most of that evening, almost five years ago now, drinking and talking. When Texas all but insisted on being his wingman, Jag took him up on his offer. He wasn’t much of a lady’s man and being home fresh from the terrors of war, made him a little gun shy about putting himself out there. Jag was never very good at talking to women. He’d learn to say just enough to get by, but women seemed to flock to Tex and his good old country boy charm. They couldn’t seem to throw themselves at him fast enough and Jag was honestly intrigued by his friend's superhero-like abilities with the opposite sex.

  Texas took him under his wing and when the first woman to come along that night nearly jumped at the chance to be between the two of them, Jag almost backed out. But, Texas shot him a look like he’d kill him if he walked away and before he knew it, they were taking the hot little blond up to Texas’ room above Reckoning. Sharing women became their thing and after a while, the guys in the club just seemed to accept their wicked ways.

  “I don’t think that was the case, Tex,” Jag offered. “I think she was scared and was doing the only thing she knew to do—run. Honestly, once I asked her to stay, she didn’t hesitate.”

  “Well then, maybe it was just me she couldn’t wait to get the fuck away from. Hell, maybe she just wants you and I was a means to an end,” Texas said.

  “That’s the dumbest fucking thing I’ve ever heard,” Jag grumbled. “She wanted both of us and you sitting there sulking isn’t going to make any of this mess better. I have a quick flight to Miami, but I’ll be home tomorrow morning. How about you get off your ass and go apologize to Remi for acting like a fucking jerk?” Jag waited Tex out, hoping his little speech was enough to give Tex the kick in the ass he needed to make things right with Remi. It was the only way she’d give them the time of day again and Jag needed that—her time. He craved it more than he did his next breath.

  Texas nodded, “Fine.”

  “Thank fuck,” Jag growled. He stood and started for the steps. He didn’t want to be an asshole, but it was almost like he couldn’t stop himself from what he was about to say next. “And Tex,” he said, looking back over his shoulder. “Don’t fuck it up.”

  Texas

  Texas really didn’t have time to sit around and try to figure out his next move with a woman who may or may not want to give him a second chance. Just before Jag left for his flight, he made Texas promise to at least try with Remi. He wasn’t sure what his best friend was looking for from him, but he owed it to Jag to at least try. Tex knew that Jag would do at least that much for him if the tables were turned. Right now, he had a job to get to and then, he’d consider his next move with Remi.

  By night, he was a badass Reckoning MC member but by day, he was an accountant. Yeah, even he found that fact hilarious. He’d don his business suit, to hide his tats, and head into work to crunch numbers at one of the largest accounting firms in NOLA. Not a lot of people knew what he did for a living. The guys at Reckoning knew since he was in charge of the club’s money. He kept tabs on accounts for the MC and for the bar, as Tank’s accountant. He also came up with creative, albeit sometimes illegal, ideas for funding the club’s various activities. Hedge funds and day trading were his personal favorites and he had to admit, having the club Prez’s trust made him feel damn good. Tank wasn’t just his friend; he was his brother and Texas was damn thankful for that.

  Honestly, he never had friends like the ones he found at Reckoning. They were a band of misfits, made up of guys from all walks of life. Some of them were ex-military, like Jag and even Tank. Others were guys who had done hard time—the club’s one-percenters, like him. But, Texas considered every one of them his friend and he was damn lucky to have his club backing him. As a kid, he was bounced from foster home to foster home. It wasn’t until he was almost a teen that he found a home that he knew wouldn’t toss him back out into the system. Tex was always looking for a family—his place in the world, and that’s how he got mixed up with the wrong crowds when he was nineteen and ended up doing time for grand theft auto. While he was in prison, his goal was to keep his head down, serve his time and get out. He served five of his seven years, got out for good behavior and never looked back. He moved from Arizona to New Orleans, looking for a fresh start and that’s exactly what he found at Reckoning.

  Texas had basically grown up in the foster care system and all things considered, he had it pretty good. His mother died shortly after he was born and his old man had tried to do what he could to raise him, but the alcohol finally won in the tug of war that seemed to play out between him being a decent dad and wanting his next drink. Texas learned at a very young age that he could only count on himself and that was a crappy lesson for any kid. By the time Texas was seven, he had been in three different foster homes and being bounced from place to place was really taking its toll on him. He was hoping to find a family who wanted to keep him, but that had never happened. He found the next best thing though, a foster family who kept him long enough that he could age out of the system and find his own way. The Vasquez family had taken him in when he was ten and he was lucky enough to live with them for the next eight years. They offered to help him out and let him stay after he aged out of the system. He legally changed his last name to Vasquez, pretending to be someone he wasn’t. But he knew the score. They needed his bed for another kid and honestly, if he had stayed, he might be keeping another kid from a safe, warm, home. He couldn’t do that, so he left. He tried the whole community college thing, but after a few semesters decided that he didn’t want to keep spinning his wheels. He ran out of money and when the student loans ran dry, he decided to take drastic measures, joining a gang that would never care about him and doing some pretty dumb shit—like stealing cars.

  Tex floundered, trying to find his place, but that never seemed to happen for him. Not until he stumbled into Reckoning one night, to dodge a thunderstorm. He was driving across the country on his bike and he decided to take a break and hopefully find a place to lay low for the night. He found so much more in the little bar that evening. He had met Tank and got into a heated debate over which was more fun to drive, a Harley Sportster or a Softail Classic, with some guy named Jag. Little did he know that he was meeting the two guys who would help shape who he’d become. He owed his entire existence to them.

  Tank convinced Tex to finish college and he did, getting his degree in accounting. Tank had floated him the money for tuition and in return, he di
d Reckoning’s books and helped out with the MC portion of things after he was patched in. Jag convinced him to prospect for Reckoning and even agreed to be his sponsor and it finally felt like he had found his home—both in his club and with his friends. Texas had everything he thought he wanted until the leggy, sexy as fuck, brunette walked into Reckoning to warn Tank’s ol’lady, Lyra, that she and her daughter were in danger. And now, Remi was all he could think about, day and night and here he went and fucked everything up with her.

  ****

  Texas got off work at six and ran home to shower and change into his jeans, t-shirt, and cut. They had church tonight and he promised Tank he’d be there since Jag was going to be out of town. Jag was Reckoning’s new VP and Tank’s right-hand man. Texas knew that Tank would need some help with the meeting tonight and besides, the only other thing Tex had on his plate for the evening was to hunt Remi down and find a way to grovel and beg her to give him and Jag another chance.

  “You’re late,” Tank grumbled.

  “Sorry, man,” Tex said. “Jag and I had a late night and I got to work late this morning.” It was mostly true. Jag had a late night with Remi. Texas had fucked up and missed out on possibly that best thing to ever come between him and Jag and ran out of there like a pussy. Texas thought it best to leave that part out since Lyra and Remi were friends.

  “What did you do?” Tank growled. Texas shot him a look across the bar. Tank stopped cleaning beer mugs long enough to stare down Tex and his resemblance to an angry grizzly bear didn’t have the effect Tank seemed to be hoping for. Tex cracked a smile and Tank sighed, picking up another wet mug to dry. “Fuck,” Tank cursed under his breath. “I’m going to have to fucking hear all about your two asses messing shit up from my very pregnant wife, aren’t I?”