Crash: Ruthless Bastards (RBMC Book 9) Read online

  Crash

  RBMC – Book 9

  Ruthless Bastards

  Author: Chelsea Handcock

  www.chelseahandcock.com

  Copyright © 201p, Chelsea Handcock

  First electronic publication: May 2019

  All rights are reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews. The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted works is illegal. No part of this book may be scanned, uploaded, or distributed via the internet or any other means, electronic or print, without the author’s permission.

  Note from the Author:

  This is a work of fiction. Names, character, places, and incidents are products of the writer’s imagination or have been used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locale or organizations is entirely coincidental. The author does not have any control over and does not assume any responsibility for third-party websites or their content.

  Published in the United States of America.

  Ryker "Crash" St. John doesn't believe in relationships. He has seen the devastating cost of having one and wants no part of it. Crash doesn’t do strings, but for a friend, someone he thought was special, he was willing to bend his rules, but she left. Determined to live his life the way he wants, Crash is surprised when everything comes back full circle, well sort of. Different chick and messed up circumstances but he finds he is the one who wants strings, and she is the one who wants nothing to do with them.

  Braya Collins lives a very sedate life. She gets up every day, goes to work, at the preschool she runs, then goes home... rinse and repeat day after day. At one point, she thought that life was her rebellion from her over-controlling mother and what she coined her social responsibilities. Now she realizes she was just hiding in a different way. When her step-sister comes up missing, and a letter is delivered to Braya asking her to take it to Ryker St. John, she does it immediately, not knowing how much that one request will change her life.

  Reluctantly, Crash and Braya join forces and set off on a journey that knocks both of them for a loop. Past hurts and betrayals come to the surface. Danger lurked around every corner. Every second counts, and they can’t give up, or someone they both care about will be lost--or so they think.

  The only question left is, when all the dust settles, what will be left? Will these two opposites make, it or is the attraction just a product of their situation?

  Content Warning: Explicit love scenes and naughty language. Intended for mature audiences. This book is part of a series, but can be read as a standalone. Although to get full enjoyment, it’s suggested that you read in series order, starting with Whiskey: RBMC Book 1.

  Table of Contents

  RBMC – Book 9

  Ruthless Bastards

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Epilogue

  Chapter One

  “I’m thinking about introducing pickles to my evening activities with Tuck, you know just to liven things up a little.”

  “What?” Kayla turned away from the window she had been staring out of.

  “Yeah, you know a little of the dill to get the ‘D,’” Katie laughed before finishing the absurd thought. “What is going on, Kayla? You’ve been a million miles away for days now.”

  “Noticed that, did ya?”

  Kayla left the window and sat down on the couch across from Katie.

  “Yeah, so what’s up?”

  Shit, she really didn’t want to do this, but it was time, had been for a while. She knew Katie and the others she had become close to over the last few years wouldn’t understand, but she had to bite the bullet. This was what was right for her. So, with little fanfare, she blurted out.

  “I’m moving.”

  “What? I mean, damn girl, that’s the last thing I expected to hear coming out of your mouth. Why? I thought you were happy here. Is it because of what happened with Haslet? The club has been watching.”

  Kayla held up her hand. What happened at her house a while back when James Haslet broke in, demanding information about Cathy, was part of the reason she was leaving but not because of the situation, per se. There was more to it, but she wouldn’t be telling Katie about that. Only one person deserved that information, and she planned on telling him soon.

  “Katie, I don’t know if I can explain even if I tried. It’s just time. I’ve been in Defiance for a long time. I need to face some things, and I can’t do that here. I don’t expect you to understand. Hell,” Kayla laughed at herself, “I’m not sure I understand, but I know it’s the right decision to make.”

  Katie got up and came over to the couch Kayla was sitting on, sitting down, and wrapping her arm around her.

  “You’re right, I don’t get it, but what kind of friend would I be if I stood in your way or argued with you? If you think moving is what you need, I’ll help you any way I can. I just thought maybe you and Crash—”

  Kayla stopped Katie right away. “Crash has become a friend, nothing more. There isn’t a love story there, Katie. Our relationship isn’t like you and Tuck or hell, any of the other women in the club. I don’t think I’m meant for that kind of love or relationship.”

  “Kayla,” Katie admonished.

  “No, seriously, I know myself and believe it or not, I know Crash too. He’s a good guy, but I’m not it for him.” Kayla held up her hand when Katie went to talk again. “Katie, I love you like a sister, but I’m telling you, it wasn’t or isn’t going to happen between the two of us, no matter how much you or the other girls hope it would. I know myself. Please, just let it be.”

  “Shit, I don’t like this Kayla, but I said I would be a good friend, so I won’t pressure you. If I didn’t have a shift starting in an hour, I would stick around and subtly try to talk you out of moving away. You have done so much for the people I care about. I… just shit, girl... I’m going to miss you.”

  They both stood up, and Kayla walked Katie to the door. She hugged her friend, knowing it would probably be the last time she saw her. Katie didn’t know it, but Kayla already had plans in place and a plane ticket burning a hole in her pocket for later this evening. Watching as Katie pulled out of the driveway, she didn’t even turn around.

  “You heard?”

  “Yeah, what the fuck, Kayla?”

  Kayla turned around and walked by the disgruntled biker in her hallway, heading toward the kitchen. Once she got there, she pulled the bottle of Jack out from the cupboard and poured the two of them healthy glasses. Crash had followed, but he stood back, arms crossed, a wholly pissed off Alpha male. Kayla pushed the glass with the amber liquid toward him and motioned with her head he should take a seat at the island as she had.

  “What’s going on?”

  Kayla let out a deep breath, giving herself a second. This conversation was a long time coming, and a
lthough she knew it needed to happen, she wasn’t exactly looking forward to it. Kayla looked up at Crash again. The man was drool-worthy, had every bad boy vibe, and a fucking heart of gold; she knew that first hand. As much as she wanted to be in love, or at the very least, infatuated with him, she wasn’t. Taking a healthy swig of her drink, she relished the burn in the back of her throat.

  “It’s time.”

  “Bullshit, you’re running.”

  “No, actually, I’m not,” Kayla laughed. “Listen, I need to tell you some things you’re not going to want to hear, but they need to be said, so please, just listen, don’t storm off. I know who you are, Ryker St. John. I’ve known since I moved to Defiance. Hell, it’s one of the reasons I moved here in the first place.” Kayla wasn’t sure what she had expected, but Crash sitting there impassively like she hadn’t just said she knew who he was wasn’t one of them. “I remember you, I remember you rescuing me, cutting the ropes from my arms and legs, and carrying me out of that filthy room. I also remember you coming into my hospital room every night for over a month and telling me I was strong enough to make it. That what happened to me didn’t define me, that I was strong. You saved me twice, and I want to thank you for that.”

  “So? What does that have to do with you leaving, moving away from where you’re safe?” Crash demanded.

  “Everything.” Kayla shook her head. “And nothing at all. I just wanted you to know I knew who you were, and I know what you’ve been through. It didn’t seem fair I was keeping that information from you.”

  “Cut the crap, Kayla, you’re running. It was okay here in Defiance when you could stay in your house with Sadie and only Katie coming around every once in a while or seeing her at the hospital, but now that you have ‘friends’ and people who care about you, you’re running. You said I saved you, but you never left that room, Kayla, you never lived. You hide.”

  “How dare you! You want to talk about hiding? Why don’t we talk about how you have hidden every damn day of your life since your sister's death? How about we talk about why you have all the ink plastered over almost every visible inch of your body or the fact that although you belong to a club, you only have one true friend in its ranks? Who is fucking hiding, Crash, you or me?” Kayla knew she had said too much. She hadn’t wanted this conversation to go this way, but he could be and often was a prick of epic proportions.

  “Don’t psychoanalyze me, Kayla, you won’t like what you find. It just pisses me off. This is about you leaving your home and friends. Hell, it’s about you running from me and anything we could have in the future because I got too fucking close.”

  Kayla slumped in her seat, and quietly said, “You’re wrong, you didn’t get too close, you’ve always been close to me. But just like I told Katie, there’s no future for the two of us, and you know it. You feel sorry for me, want to help me, protect me, and I’m sure there’s some affection in there but not the kind either of us need. I think I remind you of your sister, and you're so determined to help me, you’re blind to what is really going on between us.”

  Crash got up abruptly.

  “You don’t know shit about me, Kayla, and what you think you know is wrong. You think I’m blind? Look in the mirror. You live day in and day out in your safe place, away from anyone who could possibly disrupt it or you. You have helped countless people, but you can’t help the one who needs it the most—you.”

  Ouch, that hurt, but she knew Crash was only getting started. He was the one who felt threatened right now, and she was going to take it because she cared about him.

  “You only talked to me back then when you thought I was asleep. When I started gaining strength and was more cognizant, you disappeared. I wondered for a long time if you were just a figment of my imagination, but something you said to me that very first night stuck with me. You called me Evie instead of Kayla. It was a weird thing to remember with everything, but it stuck. One of my night nurses asked me if the nice gentleman who had been visiting would be coming in again. It didn’t take much to get your name and research you. Hell, you became my obsession, a way to get through the day without thinking about what had happened to me.

  “You know I didn’t get it at first. I checked you out and found you had been involved in a ton of rescues, but for some reason, I was different, you stuck around longer with me. Then I saw a picture of your sister, and it all clicked. I look like her, same build, same features pretty much, and from what I could tell from reading the reports, we could have been best friends.”

  “This isn’t about my sister, this is about you leaving, running,” Crash growled out through gritted teeth.

  “No, that’s where you're wrong. This is about me taking my life back without hiding behind you or the RBMC. You don’t want me, you never have, but underneath that crass, badass exterior, you’re still the same good guy, trying to save me even if that means starting a relationship with me that has nowhere to go. You might care for me, but you will never love me like your friends love their women. You won’t ever get that dumbstruck look in your eyes when I walk into the room, and we both deserve that.”

  “You’re an attractive woman, fucking you would be no hardship,” Crash said, blowing off everything she said, making it less than, and it again hurt, but she had expected it. This was how Crash dealt with people.

  “Well, thanks for that.” Kayla picked up her glass, toasting him, and gulped down the last of it. “But I don’t think fucking me, hardship or not, is in the cards for either of us.”

  “Shit, Kay,” Crash said, getting up and coming to her side of the island, wrapping her up in a hug. He knew he had gone too far with that statement, they both knew. Hugging her up tight, he said, “I’m sorry, you pushed some buttons I didn’t want pushed, and I, damn…” Crash said, kissing her forehead. “I’m sorry, I was an ass.”

  Kayla awkwardly patted him on the back, laughed a little, the alcohol loosening her tongue more than usual.

  “I think we both said some things neither of us wanted to hear, but yeah, you were an ass. It doesn’t change anything, Crash. I’m still leaving, and I hope we can still be friends.”

  “Always, sweetheart, I just don’t like losing people I—”

  “Let in,” Kayla finished for him. “I get it, and you’re not losing me, more like you’re letting me find my way. You have kept me safe for years, Ryker St. John, and I want only the best for you, you deserve it whether you believe it or not. When you meet the woman of your dreams, and she demolishes all those walls you put up and knocks you on your ass, I expect a phone call.” Kayla half-cried, half-laughed when she hugged him a little tighter. This was a hell of a lot harder than she had expected. She hadn’t lied, she didn’t have any of those romantic feelings or lovey-dovey thoughts about Crash, but he had been her security blanket for so long, it was hard to just let it all go.

  “I have to do this, Crash, it’s important to me,” she said, not letting him go. “And I think you need to let someone in, talk to them about Kalie. Let all that anger, hate, and regret go. Forgive yourself, please.”

  “Fuck, sweetheart, I don’t know if I can.”

  Chapter Two

  Miguel Perez looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows of his temporary office, looking over the Gulf of Mexico. Even the peaceful blues and greens of the water couldn’t change how he was feeling. Miguel hated coming to this safe house. It was beautiful no question, the scenery spectacular, a home fitting a man of his stature. The grandeur of the building and furnishing divinem but his wife had loved it, and that reason alone caused him to detest the residence. She had ruined everything.

  It was because of her, his children were weak—her coddling, sympathy, and insistence love would make them loyal. He wanted to scoff at the thought even now; he shouldn’t have allowed it. Should have paid more attention to what his wife had been doing. In some respects, he had to admit she had been right because their children had been faithful to her. Not the man putting a roof over their heads and securing th
eir future, but to their mother, who was no more than a whore he had found pretty enough, American enough to suit his needs to further his business. She had been quietly devious, sowing seeds of dissent without appearing outwardly disloyal to him. For years, she had done everything to Miguel’s specifications... or so he thought. Obeyed his commands and sated his needs when he wasn’t otherwise engaged with one of his many pets. She didn’t question his demands, commitments, or plans and played her role as if her life depended on it, which it had. In the end, she had learned that lesson brutally. He could still feel the last beat of her heart as it stuttered while he strangled the life out of her. He could still see her face as she smiled at him as the last breathe left her body, taunting him as if she had won.

  Miguel refused to allow anyone to best him even the woman who bore his children. Those actions had deadly results. Most of his time had been spent on building his empire. Making his organization robust, formidable, and unbreakable had been his focus in the early years, not his children. He should have paid more attention, guided them better, taught them, the way his own father had taught him. He had been too absent and focused on what he felt was important, allowing her freedom to rear his children. He should have used her as he did his pets, chained or caged, but that was his sin to bear. The state of his business right now wasn’t where he expected it to be at this point in his life, and he didn’t like it. Weakness within his ranks showed vulnerability and within the circle he lived brought out the predators. Several deals had gone down badly, associates and customers were dropping like flies. He knew that was because of his children, he just couldn’t put his finger on precisely what they had done or how they had done it. But he would figure it out, and they would pay, that he was sure.

  Some things were, however, going according to plan. Any day now, he would have his latest acquisition and possibly his newest protégé. His pet was back in New York ready to give birth. Once he determined the child’s parentage, he could move forward with his plans to eliminate his mistakes and start over. Build something stronger to his specification. Love, coddling, and sympathy would play no part in the upbringing of the next generation of Perez children. He would teach them with a firm hand, fear, and beat the loyalty into them. They would be schooled from birth... Miguel would make sure of it.