Jake’s Angel (King’s Of Fury MC #2)

Chapter 21

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

JAKE

These assholes who are shouting woke me way too early this morning. I climbed out of the bed, grabbed my shirt and threw it on. I’ll have to run out and get some fresh clothes later if I’m going to be staying here awhile to babysit her highness down the hall. Caleb and Gabe thought it was a great idea to have me keeping watch over Avery while she’s with us. Though I don’t mind being near her, I prefer to be near her on my own terms.

Being so close to her, and not being able to have her, is going to be a struggle. I don’t think they realize what they’re asking me to do.

I’ll protect her. It’s already been decided, but the other things I’d like to do to her don’t exactly fall under the rules of a bodyguard. There’s also the added problem of her being Gabe’s daughter. Anyone who actively pursues her will need his permission first, and I don’t see the new daddy letting anyone near his precious baby girl any time soon. Which means my dick and I will have to keep my thoughts and his actions under control.

Fuck.

Although, I was happy to see Avery last night in her lavender dress, all tipsy and relaxed in Liz’s kitchen. Her cheeks were flushed, her smile genuine. She was laughing and joking, talking with the girls like they do it all the time.

It was strange.

I’d never wanted to rip my brother’s arm off and beat him with it before, but the urge hit me hard when Hawk sat next to Avery at the table and put his arm around her shoulder. She didn’t move or pull away from him like she had at the diner, which proved she was drunk enough to let her guard down.

And I’ll be keeping a closer eye on her when she drinks.

When she finally decided it was time to turn in, I watched as she stood up and her body swayed. I moved in closer, trying to catch her attention to get her to sit back down, but it was too late. I saw her eyes starting to glaze over. She was checking out.

Gabe had been sitting on the couch quietly observing while talking to Pop. When he saw Avery about to go down, both men shot up off their seats for her. I caught her just as she was going down. With her tight little body turned into mine, I cradle her close, keeping her head from hitting the floor. I stood up, lifting her with me, preparing to move her into the bedroom, when I felt her hands gripping my T-shirt as she nuzzled her head against my chest.

Gabe moved to take her from me, but her grasp on my shirt had me backing away from him.

“ She trusts you. ” Caleb’s words had filtered in and reminded me how Avery had backed away from Pres earlier in the day. How she didn’t trust him.

It felt like I would’ve been betraying her if I’d handed her over to Pres, especially while she was incoherent and vulnerable.

Gabe was ready to take my head off, but before he had a chance to order me around, Avery sighed deeply and whispered my name. It was soft and breathy, but we both heard it. His watchful eyes studied me carefully.

The urge to protect Avery both angered and overwhelmed me.

“Take her to her room,” Liz ordered over Gabe’s shoulder. “The poor girl must be exhausted. She’s been through a lot these last two days with running away and dealing with you idiots. Let the poor thing rest.”

Without looking back, I took Avery down the hall. Loosening her grip on my shirt, I gently laid her on the bed in what was once Maggie’s room. Avery rolled over with a whimper, but never opened her eyes. I grabbed the blanket at the end of the bed and covered her up, kissing her forehead. Her forehead creased, but she didn’t wake.

There you go Angel. You’ll be safe here.

As I was turning to leave the room, Liz was standing in the doorway wearing a smirk on her not so innocent face. “What?” I snapped.

“Nothing. Just watching how gentle you are with her. She’s special, that girl. You should take extra care of her and treat her as such.” She entered the room, placing her hand on my cheek. My brow creased, not sure I was going to like what she was about to say. Liz may be a pain in the ass to us all, but she’s the only real grandmother that I’ve ever known, and she always shoots it straight. Whether we want her to or not.

“She’s not mine to care for. I was just doing the right thing.”

My thoughts were all over the fucking place.

Not mine? But it was me she called for out there, wasn’t it?

Maybe … No.

Liz pulled her hand back, searching my face for a moment, then slapped me on the cheek hard, catching me off guard. “What the fuck?”

“Shhhh. You’ll wake her up, you idiot!” Her voice was just barely above a whisper.

“What was that for? I was being nice, and you slap me for it?” I whispered back at her, not amused at all by her sudden change of demeanor.

“You don’t see it yet, but you will. I’ve seen it only once before, but once you realize it, you’ll know why I slapped you,” she said, still smiling.

“Whatever. I need to get back out there before Gabe comes storming in here thinking I’m taking advantage of his little girl while she’s sleeping.” I walked back out to the kitchen, grabbed a beer, and took my ass down the hall to what would be my room. I shucked my boots off by the door and dropped my ass on the bed, sipping my beer while my mind spun until sleep finally took me under.

As if yesterday hadn’t been restless enough, these bastards decide to come in here and start shouting and cursing at each other, waking up the whole goddamn house.

Pop and Gabe are going back and forth on what to tell Avery about the dangers the club could be facing.

The Devil’s Order has always been a rival to the Kings, but ever since we rescued Skyler and Lilah from a couple of DO members, they’ve been relatively quiet. We still don’t know if Spider and his accomplices were acting on orders, or if it was Spider’s own need for vengeance that brought them back to Oakridge.

As for Marco Cusenza, we still don’t have all the details of what we might be dealing with. What we know is he made a direct threat to Avery. The poor bastard doesn’t realize what he’s done for himself. He may have thought he was threatening a wealthy entrepreneur’s granddaughter, which might’ve brought the heat of the cops on Cusenza. Cops who don’t seem to be able to lock the fucker up.

What Cusenza doesn’t realize is by fucking with the President of the club’s daughter, he’s brought the full reign of the Fury on his ass.

The Kings protect their own.

“She already knows Cusenza is looking for her. That’s enough for her to worry about for now. If we tell her too much, she’ll take off and we need her here where we can protect her.”

I’ve heard enough of this shit.

“Let me get this straight. You want to lie to her again to teach her she can trust us?”

Gabe turns his anger toward me, but I don’t back down. It’s the stupidest thing I’ve heard all morning. “She deserves to know the truth about who’s out there and why she needs us to protect her. If you keep hiding shit from her, you’re right, she is going to leave. Only when she does, she’ll have Sadie cover her tracks. We all know she’d do it too. Sadie’s loyalty is to Avery.”

“Sadie’s loyal to her family. She’ll do as she’s told,” Pop says, as if he can force her to obey.

Not fucking likely.

Liz comes storming in from the hallway, stopping right in front of Gabe. Her eyes are shiny, and her lips have a slight tremble, hinting that she’s close to crying. “Oh, for shit’s sake. Will one of you overgrown dummies say something to the poor girl before she decides to say to hell with the lot of you? Because I’ll tell you right now, Gabriel, if our Bug leaves again, I’m going with her.”

“Calm down, Mama. Nobody’s going anywhere. We were just trying to give her time to get to know everyone. She doesn’t trust any of us except maybe Jake, here, and Sadie. She looked scared as hell when we talked to her yesterday. We don't want to make it worse for her since she's not sure about any of us yet.” Caleb is rubbing Liz’s shoulder, soothing her. She grabs his hand, tapping it with her other one.

“Avery has been lied to about her entire existence. Russell’s cunt of a wife told her Maggie was whoring herself out and her father didn’t want her. Now, she’s told her mother was murdered and her father gave her away. She has absolutely no reason to trust a damn one of you, and I’m telling you now, Gabriel, if you continue to lie to her, to keep secrets, you’ll lose the last piece of Maggie you have on this earth.”

There’s a knock at the front door. Mom doesn’t wait for us to answer. She just lets herself in. Hawk and Declan come strolling in behind her. Pop jumps up to greet Mom with a kiss.

“You look good this morning. Did you get some good rest last night?” I ask. She immediately blushes, then turns away.

Yeah, I know what she did last night and it damn sure wasn’t getting rest.

Pop notices her reddened face and hollers from the table, “Never you mind what your mother was doing last night.” The redness in her cheeks deepens and spreads to her neck.

She glances around the room and in the knowing way a mother does, and hellbent on taking the focus off herself, she says, “Who fucked-up and what are you assholes going to do to fix it?”

One sentence, and the tension in the room lessens by several degrees. My shoulders shake with laughter. Only my mom and Liz can get away with being so bold as to call us on our shit. Except maybe Skyler.

There’s a fine line when it comes to respecting the club, and Liz, nor Mom, would cross it. But it doesn’t mean they won’t point out our flaws and dumb-assery when it needs to be brought to our attention. If anyone else said something like she did to Gabe, he’d throw them out on their ass. Gabe respects their opinions even if he doesn’t always like the delivery. They’ve been around the club for a long time and know how it works. They chose this life and are as loyal as they come. Even when we fuck up.

“I’d say it’s a collective clusterfuck, but I think we can help them set it straight,” Liz teases, embracing Mom in a warm hug.

“How do you propose we do that, Mama?” Caleb asks, amused.

“Give her some space to sort out everything she’s heard. Include her in planning Sadie’s party. Let her see for herself what this club, this family , is all about. Give her a chance to feel the love Maggie felt. Show her she belongs.”

I listen as the conversation goes on about expectations for the party, concerns about how Avery will handle it, and with how the club girls will behave.

“You could tell the whores they’re not invited since it’s a family party.” Mom suggests.

“Sadie’s eighteen. That makes it an adult party.” Hawk notes. “You want Avery to experience the club, then the girls are a part of the brother’s way of life. She’ll need to get used to being around them.”

Gabe’s scrubbing his beard, apparently unsure of how he wants to handle the situation. We never exclude the club whores from parties, not even for family. They earn their keep by keeping the clubhouse clean, stocked with food and necessities, and serve our guests in exchange for a place to stay and the protection of the club. The only exception is when hosting a family function where children may be in attendance, the ladies must wear respectable clothes and can’t do anything of a sexual nature in the public’s view. They’ve got to take it behind closed doors until after ten p.m. when the children leave.

“Pres, if you’re worried about the club whores and the party getting too out of hand for Avery, you shouldn’t. Liz and the girls have explained everything she needs to know.” I’m sure Hawk meant to reassure the Pres with his comment, but it only serves to deepen Gabe’s scowl. Caleb smirks from behind Liz, who is not hiding her shit-eating grin in the slightest.

Gabe shoots off a group text to inform everyone to make sure the girls at the clubhouse know they will be on their best behavior and clothed respectably until ten p.m. when the wives and children leave.

“Is Avery awake, Liz?” Mom asks, and Liz nods.

“She is, but Sadie Jay is buried under a pillow, contemplating her life’s choices and redefining her limits when it comes to the Taming of the Shrew.” They both laugh.

“I’ll see my way out of this conversation since I’m sure my two cents won’t help anyway.” She glances over at Liz who gives her a knowing smirk. She makes a quick exit toward the room where Avery is staying to check on her. I’m sure she’s fine, but everyone was a bit concerned after she passed out. Mom was determined to make sure she didn’t have any underlining medical issues we needed to be aware of while she’s staying here.

Caleb stares at me over his cup as I watch Mom disappear into the bedroom down the hall.

“What’s the look for, old man?” I ask.

“Not a damn thing.” Caleb says, smiling.

“I called your mom to check on her.” Pop says. I nod. “How is the girl?” He asks. The other three men all turn to face me now wondering the same question.

“She was asleep on the bed in Maggie’s old room last I checked. Liz was just back there with her. Why don’t you ask her how the girl’s doing?” I offer, stepping into the kitchen and grabbing a cup and filling it to the rim with coffee.

I’m going to need something stronger before the day’s out.

“She was getting dressed. I told her to take her time and come out when she’s ready.”

“She trusts you.” Caleb pointedly looks at me as he speaks.

“So, you’ve said.”

“I saw how she clung to you like she knew you would keep her safe. You need to be sure you don’t break that. She needs to feel safe with all she’s got going on around her and all the things she has yet to understand. She’s going to need to feel grounded somehow to someone.” Caleb says, raising his eyebrow at me.

“She doesn’t even know me. Hell, judging by the way she spouts off at me, she doesn’t like me much either. Why would think she trusts me?”

“Well, unless you know where she is, you won’t have to worry about who she trusts. She won’t be anybody’s problem anymore,” Mom says sarcastically as she casually strolls into the room and leans against the doorway. Liz bites her lip as if reigning in her laughter, but none of us finds this news the least bit funny.

“What the hell do you mean?” Gabe slings his chair back, getting to his feet as we all start stomping our way down the hall to her room.

Caleb heads back into the kitchen, sits at the counter, picking up his coffee cup. He smirks, offering me the seat beside him. “You don’t have to look so worried, son. She didn’t get too far. I’m sure she’s fine.”

“How can you be so sure? She doesn’t know these woods like we do. She could be lost out there.” I struggle to not let on how much I want to tan her ass for taking off on me—again.

“Because she’s not in the woods. She didn’t run. Our Bug is safe and sound out on the porch.” He points toward the back window. “Plus, she left her bag out here. It’s in the corner of the room.” He smiles over his coffee cup. “If she meant to run, there’s no way she would’ve left it here.”

Looking out the window, I see Avery’s body balled up in the swing. Her arms wrapped around her knees, making her look small and frail. How could she not be after everything she’s been through over the last twenty-four hours?

“Why don’t you go grab her bag and let’s have a look inside?” Caleb suggests. “Might give us some idea of what she’s running from, or where she’s running to. Best do it while Sadie’s still knocked out, too.”

I do as he asks, and grab the backpack, bringing it back to the kitchen and hand it to Caleb. I’m hesitant to look. I’m not into digging through a woman’s belongings. God knows all the shit they pack away into these things, but Caleb’s right. There might be something in here that could help us figure this shit out.

“Open it.” Caleb orders. All eyes are on me as I walk back and take the bag from Caleb and open it. Shuffling through the clothes, I pull out a pair of stretch pants, a couple t-shirts, and a pile of panties and bras in all colors, styles and fabrics.

One purple lacy set, with a matching bra and thong panties, especially catches my attention. Picturing her luscious, firm little body in these brings my cock to life.

My mind starts conjuring up a series of images of my Angel modeling each of the various pairs of panties and now my spank bank is full, and my dick is rock hard.

Calm yourself you fucking perv. She’s the Pres’s daughter for shit’s sake.

Caleb clears his throat, a warning to get the smile off my face and stop touching her frilly panties.

“Keep digging. But be careful, I don’t know if the safety is on.” He says.

Reaching to the bottom of the backpack, I find a thin, velvet bag and the lump I feel there creates both alarm and suspicion. I pull it out quietly and pull open the strings.

“Shit.”

“Take a closer look at it and tell me what you notice.” Caleb sips his cup.

I check the chamber, remove the clip, which is full, then put it back together. Making sure to engage the safety, I put it back in the bag.

“It looks new, has a full clip. Clean. Doesn’t look like it’s ever been fired.” I look back to Caleb, who’s still calm as can be drinking his coffee.

“With a stack of cash and a gun, either she’s planning on being gone a long time or she’s not done running,” he adds. “There’s more in the duffle. I noticed it last night when I went in to check on her.”

“You went through her things?” He shrugs like it’s no big deal.

“My Bug’s been gone for sixteen years. She didn’t show up here looking to meet her family. She ran away from the one who raised her.” He takes another slow sip. “I learned a long time ago you can tell a lot about a woman by what’s in her bag.”

“Why didn’t you mention it to Gabe or the guys?”

“I was planning to, but then he got on his soapbox about the party and his ignorant ideas of keeping her in the dark about things. It didn’t come up.”

“You said you checked it yesterday. They weren’t talking about the party yesterday.” I narrow my eyes and try to hold in my laughter when all he does is shrug one should and continue sipping his damn coffee.

Sneaky bastard.

Caleb was right. There’s a huge stack of cash. Thousands of dollars. No credit cards, no identification, only cash. What’s her back-up plan?

“With this much money, either she’s planning on settling somewhere and this is her startup money, or she’s not done running. I’ve never known a rich girl who carried cash instead of flashing their daddy’s credit cards all over town?”

Thinking back to when we first met, I realize, “She doesn’t want to draw attention to herself or leave a trail. She paid cash for breakfast at the diner. From her clothes to her cash, Avery was trying to blend in. It’s not uncommon for people to pay cash, but rich kids who come through here are usually all too eager to let you know they have a gold card and can do whatever they want. Like those three girls we saw come walking in.”

“What girls?”

“I don’t know who they were, but Avery sure did. They spooked the hell out of her, and she ran out of the diner.” I don’t tell him how I kissed her senseless before she left.

“Go to her. Don’t do anything, just be there with her. She’s scared, hurt, and, I would imagine, lonely. Maybe having someone be there, not wanting or expecting anything from her, will help her feel better.” He pats my back. “Give her time and she’ll open up if you don’t push her.” I grab her bag and head for the door.

Stepping out on the porch, I find her asleep on the swing. I close the door quietly, not wanting to wake her up just yet, and stand here, leaning against the door, watching her like some kind of creeper. I can’t help it. She seems peaceful. I don’t want to disturb her.

What is it about this girl that makes me want to protect her so much?

She’s not helpless. She’s proven she can stand up for herself on repeated occasions. I smile because she definitely doesn’t have a problem telling people off.

But then there are moments when I see her fear, the uncertainty that she tries so hard to bury. Maybe it’s finding out all the secrets and shit being thrown at her with no warning, but I don’t think that’s it. Not all of it. She was trying to get away from something. She didn’t know what she was running to when she came here. Yesterday was shitty for all of us, but for her most of all.

Leaning down, I touch her shoulder gently, trying to rouse her. “Avery. Avery, wake up.” She adjusts her face on her knees but doesn’t open her eyes. A soft whimper leaves her mouth in protest at being woken up.

“Come on, Angel. I need you to wake up. We need to talk.” Stroking her cheek with my hand, I sweep away a few strands of hair that have fallen there. She opens her eyes slowly, taking in my face. “That’s it.” I stroke her cheek once more. She watches me with suspicion, but doesn’t flinch or move away from my touch.

And she’s not drunk. Interesting.

I drop my hand as she sits up. Putting her feet on the ground, grabbing the edge of the swing with both hands. She arches, stretching her back. I take a step back, giving her some space.

“Sorry, I must’ve fallen back to sleep. I didn’t realize how tired I was until I sat down on the swing. The sound of the water must’ve lulled me.” She pauses, looking up at me. Worry is written all over her face. “What is it?” Pulling the hair tie out of her hair, she runs her fingers through it as it falls around her shoulders.

Damn, she’s beautiful. I wonder what that hair would look like sprawled across my pillow.

I’m still standing here like an idiot, staring at her, until she finally breaks the silence again. “What do you want, Jake? Why did you come out here? Is something wrong?”

“No. I mean yes. Well—no, and yes.”

Smooth dumbass.

She tilts her head, confused by my words. I don’t know where to start and seeing as how she has no clue either; I decide to do the next best thing.

“Listen. You want to get out of here? Maybe go for a ride on my bike?” This could go either way, but if what Caleb says is true, and she trusts me even a little, then I need to get her to open up to me. But first, I have to get her away from all these idiots who can’t seem to do anything but argue about the poor girl.

“Where would we go?” she asks.

There’s curiosity and a hint of excitement in her once sleepy eyes. I shrug my shoulders, take a step back, and lean against the railing of the porch. Crossing my arms and legs, I watch as she studies me. Her eyes take me in from my chest, where she seems to be the most intrigued, until she reaches my face. I smugly smile back at her.

“Like what you see, Angel?” Her eyes drop as she tries to find something else to focus on. Her cheeks flush, but she doesn’t cower with embarrassment. Instead, she surprises me with a borage of questions.

“Why do you keep calling me Angel? You don’t like me. So, why are you being nice all the sudden? What do you really want, Jake?”

Well, damn.

“You’re right. I’ve been an asshole to you, but not because I’m mad at you or don’t like you. Everything that was said yesterday, it doesn’t only change the last sixteen years of your life, it changed mine too.” I say gently.

It’s the truth. After everything else she’s heard so far, I don’t want to be another asshole liar to her. Don’t ask me why I care what she thinks about me, but I do.

She lets out a long breath. “I’ve never ridden a bike before.” She crosses her arms protectively over her chest. Her admission makes me smile.

“Well then, allow me to pop your cherry for you.” I wink. The way her jaw drops open makes me laugh. It gets me the death glare and I can’t help laughing even more.

“Ah, come on Angel. It’s a bike ride, not sex. Let me take you away from here for a little bit. Unless you’d rather go back in and listen to more from your dad and my Pops about why they thought hiding you away was such a stellar idea.” She glares at me again, but her eyes soften for a minute before she speaks.

“Won’t Gabe and Mack be mad if I leave here with you without telling them?” She sounds genuinely concerned.

I smile like the ass I am, caressing her cheek with my finger and answer, “No beautiful. They won’t be mad if you’re with me. If anything, they’ll be happy to know you’re safe.”

“Am I?” she asks hesitantly. “Am I safe with you?” The fear she had before is back.

Ouch.

Seeing the trepidation return to her beautiful emerald eyes reminds me that someone has hurt her. They’ve made her afraid.

I won’t be like him. I would never hurt her. I may not have liked her at first, but that’s all changed somehow. I could never hurt her, not when my instincts tell me I need to keep her close, protect her.

Make her mine.

Whoa! Nope. No. Shit.

Standing on my feet, I take her hand and lift her to stand with me. Taking a step closer, closing the gap between us, I brush away the stray hair from her face, tucking it behind her ear. Raising her chin, I force her to meet my eyes, making sure she’s paying close attention.

“Yes, Avery. You will always be safe with me. Whatever happens with all of this, I won’t ever let anything hurt you, including me.” She nods, accepting my truth. Dropping my hand from her chin, we walk out around the house to where my bike is parked.

She’s staring at my bike, looking somewhat anxious and a whole lot excited. She may be a little uncertain, but it doesn’t keep her from taking this on like some sort of challenge.

My Angel feeds off a challenge. Good to know.

She looks at my bike with such appreciation. Walking around it, running her finger along the tank, taking in every inch of my baby as if trying to memorize everything about it.

Damn, could she get any better?

“You going to stand there staring at it, or are you going to ride it?” I wiggle my eyebrows at her before straddling my bike and putting my sunglasses on. She rolls her eyes.

“Here, put this on.” I hand her my helmet, then help hook the strap under her chin. “Alright, now throw your leg over, put your arms around my stomach and hold on tight.” I wish I knew what the look on her face meant.

Apprehension? Arousal? Excitement? Maybe a mix of all three?

Hesitantly, she climbs on behind me and does as I say, putting her arms around me, but not nearly tight enough. I don’t miss the hitch in her breath when I grab her thighs and pull her forward. The heat of her body crushes up against mine. I have to fight off the effect having her so close is having on me, and I stifle a groan.

Not the time dickhead!

Maybe if I have a silent talk with my dick, he’ll remain calm. Not likely.

I grab her hands and pull them tighter across my stomach.

“Hold on tight. I don’t want you falling off.” She feels so damn good pressed up against me. “You lean when I lean. When I stop, you leave your feet on the pegs. If you get scared, just squeeze my leg and we’ll stop. You got me?”

I feel her head nod against my back. “You good? We can always take the cage if you’d be more comfortable.”

She lifts her head and yells, “Just start the bike and let’s go already!” A smile spreads across my face as I start the bike with her straddled behind me, holding onto me with everything she’s got.

I could get used to this.