Jett Read online

  “Excuse me, sir?”

  “Yes, sir, how can I help you?” the suited clerk asked.

  “I have a package for Anna Silver. Could you please deliver it for me?”

  “Anna Silver?” he raised an eyebrow, but pulled the gift-wrapped package across the counter. “Certainly, sir. I’ll see she gets it.”

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  Colt wasn’t kidding when he said he was calling for reinforcements. The next day, I was being escorted through the hotel lobby in San Francisco by not one hot, leather-clad man, but two.

  Jesse was huge, even taller and broader than Colt, but nowhere near as handsome. He was all business, but you could tell he and Colt were close. His short black hair and stocky build were impressively intimidating, and his intensely focused deep, black eyes scared me a little.

  “Jett, this is Jesse, Sergeant-at-Arms of The Loyal Bastards MC, and one of my best friends,” Colt said, introducing us that morning. He had flown in right away after Colt called him.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, ma’am,” Jesse said, shaking my hand.

  “Thank you for coming, Jesse,” I said. “Please let me know if there’s anything you need.”

  “I will, thank you.”

  The plan was for them to trade shifts so that I had around the clock protection, and someone was always outside my door at night. Colt wasn’t willing to leave my side, and since Rex hadn’t been as vigilant as Colt would have liked, I respected his decision that he needed someone he could trust.

  “If Colt trusts you, then I trust you,” I said to Jesse.

  “Jett, we’ll make sure you’re safe until this Crazy Jack guy is caught.”

  “Thanks again, Jesse,” I replied. I didn’t like to think about Colt leaving and going back to his old life. Now that he was here, I wanted him to stay. Of course, I wanted Crazy Jack out of my life, too, so it was a screwed up trade-off. I just wouldn’t think about that right now.

  I retreated to the bedroom of the penthouse as Colt brought Jesse up to speed. I had a show in a few hours, and I needed to lay down and rest for a few minutes before getting ready. I had drank so much the last few nights, hell, the last few weeks really. It was starting to catch up with me. And yet, I still found myself pouring a drink before I sank into the bed. I just needed a little to take the edge off.

  I could hear Colt and Jesse talking in the other room as I drifted off to sleep. It was comforting, knowing I wasn’t alone. I spent so many hours alone before Colt arrived, and it felt so different now. He almost felt like family.

  I was drooling when I woke up, and for once, I was thankful I was the only person in the bed. I usually hated waking up alone. Lately, though, there was only one person I wanted to wake up to. Apparently, he didn’t share my desires. Yet.

  I showered and dressed, and as I was putting on my makeup, I heard a knock on the front door of the penthouse. We weren’t expecting anyone, but I was often interrupted by unexpected visits from Seth or Sam. Knowing Seth and Colt would not be getting along any time soon, I walked out to see who the visitor was.

  Colt was being handed a gift-wrapped box by a bellboy.

  “Expecting something?” he asked when he saw me.

  “Nope,” I replied. The wrapping paper was black, with a huge pink satin ribbon tied in a perfect bow on top. “It’s pretty, though. It’s probably from Seth or the label. Maybe the hotel management.”

  I untied the bow, the pink satin sliding smoothly through my fingers. I pulled off the lid and screamed, jumping as far away as I could.

  The unmistakable hissing of the snake grew louder as it slithered out of the box and onto the floor.

  “What the fuck!” Colt and Jesse yelled in unison, jumping back against the wall together.

  I jumped up on the couch, and once I realized that wouldn’t stop the snake from climbing up there with me, I ran into the bedroom and slammed the door as fast as I could.

  After taking a few deep breaths, I opened the door an inch or two and peeked out. Colt had grabbed an umbrella that was sitting by the door, and picked up the snake with it. It slithered onto it, coiling around the umbrella tightly as Jesse opened the door to the balcony. Colt carried it outside, dropping the umbrella onto the ground, and closing the sliding glass door, leaving it out there.

  “Jesus fucking Christ!” Colt yelled, as I walked back into the room. He walked over to the box and pulled out a piece of paper.

  “That motherfucker! Looks like you got another present from Jack.”

  “What does it say?”

  I stood there trembling as Colt read the note aloud.

  “Dear Jett,

  How will the brood of vipers escape the sentence of hell?

  Let this serpent kill the filth you’ve surrounded yourself with,

  and we will begin the journey of cleansing you.

  I’m coming for you, Jett.

  I will save you.

  I love you,

  Jack”

  “Oh, for fuck’s sake,” Colt said, putting the paper down.

  “That’s some creepy fucking shit right there, man,” Jesse said.

  “I am so sick of this motherfucker,” I said. “It’s so fucking far past creepy.”

  Colt put his arms around me, pulling me in close as tears threatened to spill down my cheeks. His cut pressed against my face, and I melted into his warmth.

  “I’m so fucking glad you’re here,” I whispered to him.

  “Me, too, baby girl. Me, too.”

  ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼ ☼

  “Seth, this is goddamned ridiculous. It’s gone too far!” I towered over Seth, the veins in my temples popping out with rage.

  Fucking Seth. He cowered, and I knew he was afraid of me. I was counting on it, in fact. I almost felt sorry for him. Jett had been bitching at him for so long about the lack of security and he ignored her. Bringing me on had pissed him off, I knew that, but what else was she supposed to do? Let some fucking crazy madman get close to her? Or worse?

  No, fuck that.

  If Seth had to endure an unpleasant encounter with me, then so be it.

  “Look, anyone can bring a package to a hotel, Colt! I can’t control that!”

  “You can sure as fuck control if the public knows where Jett is staying! It’s fucking bullshit, man!” I looked at Seth’s shaking hands, and a wave of pleasure washed over me. Maybe now he would know what it feels like to be afraid. Maybe that was just what he needed.

  “Look, Colt, I can change her alias, but not until after the Portland show tomorrow. These things take time. I need a few days to have it all fixed. There’s more involved than just a simple phone call.”

  “Fine, but fucking change it! Or, I will!” I growled. “Obviously, we’re not getting anywhere with the fucking cops. They showed more interest in meeting Jett than figuring out where the goddamned snake came from.”

  God, I fucking hated snakes, but I wasn’t afraid of them. I had put it outside at first, and then after a few minutes, I went back out, picked it up with the umbrella again, put it back in the box, put a heavy book over it, and left it there for the cops.

  Calling them had proved a huge waste of time. They took the snake, the box, and the note, promising to check for fingerprints and DNA, assuring us they would get back to us as soon as possible. Right. Nobody was taking this shit seriously except Jett and me. And now, Jesse. I was so glad to see him and knew I would be sleeping a little more soundly tonight, knowing he was there.

  After all that bullshit, we were finally in the green room at the Filmore in San Francisco before Jett’s show. Jesse was in her tour bus, sleeping so that he could stand guard outside Jett’s hotel door all night tonight. Our plan was to switch shifts. He would take nights, I would take the days. That way he could sleep during the day wherever we were, and I could stay right by Jett’s side day and night. If Crazy Jack thought he was going to get to Jett, he was going to have to come through Jesse and me first.

  I felt so bad fo
r Jett. I couldn’t imagine how it must feel to have to go out there in front of thousands of people and entertain them, knowing someone was out there probably watching her every move and obsessing over her so much they sent a fucking snake to her hotel room.

  I wished there was more I could do. But I had thought of everything, and outside of locking her away somewhere, all I could do was wait by her side. I was dying to get my hands on Crazy Jack, and I hoped it was sooner than later. I had already been gone for days, and while I knew the club would do just fine without Jesse and me for a while, we would eventually have to go back to the club. But what about Jett? What if I was able to get rid of Crazy Jack somehow, what then? There’ll sure as shit be another Crazy Jack ready to take his place before long. With all these people losing their minds over Jett, the number of mentally ill people among them was huge.

  Jett would never be safe. Not as long as she lived this life.

  “Well, you should be glad the cops were interested at all. If Jett wasn’t Jett, then they probably wouldn’t have shown up,” Seth said. I hated him more every day. “And if Jett wasn’t Jett, you’d be out of a job.”

  As soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he’d fucked up. I flew across the room, closing the distance between us before he could utter an apology. My hands closed around his throat, my words seething from my mouth as his eyes bugged out and teared up.

  “You fuck! What did you just say? You think I’m here for the fucking money like all the rest of you greedy bastards? I’m here because I care about Jett, you little prick. I should shove your fucking balls down your throat! Don’t you ever fucking talk to me like that again, you fucking understand me?” My blood raged through my veins, pounding in my ears as anger washed over me.

  I felt Jett’s hands on my arms, attempting to pull me off of him. When I looked over at her, I saw the fear in her eyes, and I pulled away, shoving Seth away from me before I tore his head off.

  “Fuck!” I yelled, walking out of the room, and slamming the door behind me.

  ****

  Between each song, a deafening eruption of applause echoed through the venue. I hadn’t noticed before, but Jett had taken a bottle on stage with her tonight, drinking from it every chance she got. It was the first time I had seen her drink on stage. I wasn’t surprised, though. The tension was weighing heavier on her each time Crazy Jack made contact. I didn’t fucking blame her one bit. Hell, at this point, I was dying for a drink myself.

  The only two things keeping me from it were the time I had under my belt and the fact that I needed to keep my wits about me so that I could properly look after Jett.

  By the end of her encore, she was stumbling slightly. I grabbed her elbow as she descended the stairs on the side of the stage, steadying her as she smiled at me.

  “I love having you waiting for me after the show,” she said, sliding her hand through my arm as we made our way back to the green room. Sam followed along, her usual babble drifting over our shoulders.

  “Break Your Heart is still holding strong at number one on Billboard, Jett! Seth called, and he wanted me to tell you that he’s working on changing your alias, also. He said…um…,” she hesitated for a second and I glanced back at her quickly before she began again. “Well, he said he only wanted to talk to you from now on. And that he needed to talk to you about —,”

  As soon as we reached the green room, Jett did her usual. She pulled me in, slamming the door in Sam’s face once again. She took two steps into the room, and turned and walked back, opening the door again.

  “Hey! Sam!” Sam was still standing there, her face inches from the door. She jumped when Jett opened it again. “Oh, sorry, darling,” Jett said. “I just wanted to ask you if you found my jacket yet?”

  Sam bowed her head, her face falling in disappointment.

  “No, ma’am, not yet,” she said.

  “You’re sure it didn’t get mixed up in one of the band member’s costume crates or something?” Jett asked.

  “I’ve looked everywhere, Jett. I’m so sorry. I’m trying to find you an exact replacement online, but I haven’t had any luck yet.” I thought Sam was going to cry, she sounded so upset.

  Jett sighed. “That’s alright, thanks, Sam. Have a good night.”

  “Goodnight, Jett.” Sam turned and walked away, her shoulders hunched over in disappointment.

  Jett closed the door and turned back to me.

  “Wow, you really want that jacket, huh?”

  “Yeah, I do. It was the first thing I ever bought for myself.”

  “Sam seems very upset about losing it,” I said.

  “I guess.”

  “So what does this jacket look like exactly?” I asked.

  Jett stood in front of me, and a playful smile danced on her lips.

  “Well,” she said, her fingers sliding along the edge of my cut, “It’s rough.”

  “Yeah?” I asked, my heart speeding up, her closeness catching me off guard.

  “Yes,” she slurred slightly, the tip of her tongue touching her front teeth. “And rugged…”

  “Rugged?” Her flashing green eyes peered up at me, sparkling with desire. She nodded, licking her bright red lips, as her fingers slid up and down the leather, her nails scraping along my t-shirt.

  “And it’s a little beat up,” she whispered, biting her bottom her lip.

  “I see,” I said, my cock twitching in my jeans, begging me to give in to what we both so desperately wanted. “Rough. Rugged. Beat up.” I stared at her lips, her teeth digging into the plump red flesh, yearning to rake them between my own teeth. “Sounds a little familiar.”

  “Yeah,” she replied thickly, the huskiness of her voice cutting right through me. “Rough, rugged, beat up, familiar. Kinda sounds like you, huh, Colt? I hope my jacket isn’t gone from my life as long as you were.”

  She stood so close to me that every inch of the front of our bodies was touching. I could feel her heartbeat against mine, sense her softness without even touching her. Her fingers continued their constant up and down slide on my cut until I couldn’t take it any longer.

  I grabbed her hand in mine, gasping for breath at the same time.

  “Jett…” I murmured, half-warning, half-pleading. What did I want? I wasn’t here to fall in love with Jett. I wasn’t here to save her soul; I was just here to protect her body. That perfect, deliciously curvy body that was driving me insane with desire. Protection. Nothing else. I had to stop thinking about kissing her. I had to stop imagining how soft she would feel if I ran my hands along those curves. I had to stop hoping that I wouldn’t leave this Earth without knowing what she tasted like. I had no place wondering how warm and inviting she would feel once I finally sank my cock deep into her sweet pussy.

  “Jett…” her name escaped my lips once more, as if my soul was trying to push her away. Or pull her in closer.

  When our lips touched, it was as if some inevitable thread was pulled, as if destiny finally arrived, in full-force, saying, ‘This! This is what you’ve been waiting for!’ All the kisses that came before, all the women that I fucked, all the drugs, the long nights behind bars, the drinking, the humiliation and pain, and all the lessons I had learned…had all led up to this one moment with Jett.

  Our lips. Together. Finally.

  The fiery heat of fate rose between us, my hands sinking into the darkness of her hair, her arms snaking around me, pulling me in tighter, closer, my tongue parting her lips. I tasted the whiskey there, and I wanted more. I kissed her harder, my tongue searching hers, roughly possessing her mouth as my cock throbbed painfully between us.

  She moaned into my mouth, melting into my arms in a way that was new and familiar all at the same time. As if she was finally home. As if we were home!

  It was all meant to be, and I knew it.

  And it scared the fuck out of me.

  I pushed her away, remembering why I was struggling with all of this in the first place. I was here to protect her, not fuck her.


  “Jett…fuck, I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have done that.” Jesus, I needed to come to my senses. One look at her face, and I wished desperately I had done it five minutes sooner. “I mean, we need to keep this professional.”

  She turned away from me, hiding all the pain behind a mask of anger.

  “Fuck you, Mr. Professional,” she said, grabbing the bottle of whiskey from the table and heading into the bathroom. The door slammed shut with a loud bang, as I buried my face in my hands.

  ****

  I waited outside her dressing room door. I needed space, and I figured she probably did too. When she finally opened it half an hour later, she still had the whiskey bottle in her hand, only now it was more than half-empty.

  I was expecting her anger. I was expecting to feel like a total asshole once I saw the pain I had caused her in her pretty green eyes. What I wasn’t expecting was indifference.

  “You ready?” I asked.

  “Yep, all good,” she said, strolling past me like nothing had happened between us. As if my cock wasn’t still rock hard and about to erupt in my jeans. As if our past and present hadn’t finally crashed into each other. As if my heart hadn’t just stopped and taken a sharp turn into chaos.

  I followed her, my eyes glued to her amazing ass. I longed to touch her again, to kiss her, to get close enough to smell her, to even find a way to explain and apologize, but she walked so quickly and far ahead of me, I had to trot to keep up. When we reached the limo, she sat across from me, as far away as she could get.

  Great. It was going to be like this. As soon as we were traveling down the road, I spoke up.

  “Jett, listen, I didn’t mean —,” I started.

  “Stop, Colt. I get it. No explanations necessary,” she interrupted. “You’re right, we should keep this all business. I forget sometimes because we grew up together. I got a little too familiar,” her breath was thick with booze and her words pierced my heart. “No big deal, let’s just forget about it, okay?”