Blade (Dark Falcons Book 5) Read online

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  Blade

  Dark Falcons Book 5

  Copyright Em Petrova 2021

  Ebook Edition

  Electronic book publication 2021

  Cover Art by Em Petrova

  All rights reserved. Any violation of this will be prosecuted by the law.

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  More in this series:

  DIXON

  TANK

  PATRIOT

  DIESEL

  BLADE

  Blade dropped out of high school.

  He drinks too much.

  He’s the son of a killer.

  And he’s in love with a woman so sweet that even looking at her too long will taint her.

  Yet Titus, aka Blade, can’t seem to stay away from the clubhouse, where his best friend’s little sister has been hanging out lately. Laying a hand on her would mean strained ties with his buddy…and besides, Juliette is far too good for a man like him.

  When Juliette isn’t teaching kindergarten during the day, she is sitting at the Dark Falcons clubhouse. She also can’t keep her eyes off a man named Blade. The scar he sports on his hand doesn’t come close to the ones she sees in his eyes. Trouble is, he won’t make a move toward her.

  Then Blade turns to her for help, and Juliette will never be the same. Except bald desire isn’t enough to last for more than one night…or is it?

  Blade

  by

  Em Petrova

  Chapter One

  Some people deserved what they got.

  Blade earned his nickname because he deserved to be sliced by a thug he picked a fight with one night in a bar.

  His father deserved a life sentence in prison for murder.

  Question was…when would he start deserving anything good in his life?

  He didn’t slow to go into the tight curve circling the base of the Smoky Mountains. He was already cutting it close. Whether or not he reached his cousin’s place before the organized crime family did remained to be seen.

  The phone call with his cousin would put the fear of God into any man. Everyone in Tennessee knew to steer clear of the Enger family unless you either wanted in their group for life or to jump into an early grave.

  Well, almost everyone knew that—his father hadn’t. After he murdered the Enger patriarch following a sordid affair with the man’s wife, the remaining family members didn’t stop at putting him behind bars. In their world, they believed dirty blood ran deep in families.

  Maybe they were right. Blade asked himself daily—sometimes hourly—if he was any better than the good-for-nothing who sired him. But something inside him made him scramble up again and again, searching for a better way to live than what he was taught.

  He came out of the tight curve at speeds of sixty, and by the time he straightened his Harley Davidson, he reached for seventy.

  What if he didn’t make it before things turned bad? His cousin would die. All Creed said was to hurry, and then he’d gone into a coughing fit that sounded far too wet to end well.

  And why didn’t he call 9-1-1? Blade only had to ask himself once to know the answer.

  To do so would bring their family out into the open. Acknowledging that the crime family was after the Bancrofts would put a bullet in all of their heads.

  Blade wouldn’t let his cousin die because of his old man. Nor his sister, her children, aunts, uncles or countless distant cousins who’d be under fire sooner or later just for sharing his father’s blood.

  What his father started, Blade would end. One way or another, he’d stop the Engers and set them all free.

  First, he had to stay upright on the road and not lay down his bike and end up in a crumpled twist of metal and road rash.

  He slowed for the next switchback curve, trying to clear his mind enough to focus on his drive. Casting about for something that was good in his miserable world proved difficult.

  Except there was one thing…Juliette.

  Sweet, perfect, innocent Juliette. His best friend Rio’s little sister—off-limits to a man like Blade. Though damn if anyone could rip away his dreams of her.

  A kindergarten teacher and a biker had no life together, and he wouldn’t delude himself that anything more than a brief nod of hello would be acceptable. She taught kids and volunteered at the school fundraisers and bake sales, while he went after people who threatened his family.

  He vowed to never lay a hand on her. To do so would taint her perfect soul. Though she’d been hanging out at the Dark Falcons Motorcycle Club lately, he couldn’t figure out why. While the guys in the club were good to the core, they were a rough bunch—some more than others, and he came in dead last on the list when it came to worth.

  Yet, she stuck around. When he looked up at the table in the corner where she often sat talking to some of the women, he’d catch sight of her and his heart would lift.

  For that shimmering moment, he believed that good things existed in the world…in the silk of her straight blonde hair or the richness of her creamy skin, so delicate that even the spattering of freckles appeared fragile enough that a callused fingertip such as his could wipe them away.

  Truth be told, he lived for the glimpses he got of her in the clubhouse. That rosy-lipped smile haunted his dreams and fantasies and tormented all at once.

  He wasn’t so blind that he didn’t see her looking back. He looked up, she glanced down. When they passed each other, one of them would slow as if battling the magnetism between them.

  No good thinking of things he could never touch let alone call his own. Rio would smash in his face if he found out Blade was toying with his sister. And he refused to bring her into his dark world.

  Not even the Dark Falcons knew how the flames licked at his heels. He planned to keep it that way too. While he trusted the brothers with his life, he refused to drag them any deeper than simply knowing him did.

  The final curve and the blue evening light, nearly purple, cloaked his cousin’s home, along with the thick fog that came off the Smokies and seemed to fill every corner of Mersey and the surrounding areas.

  Dragging in a deep breath, he smelled the mountains he loved so much. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere else, but if his leaving meant his friends and family were safer, he’d pack his shit tonight and leave town.

  The Engers would follow him, he had no doubt.

  In front of his cousin’s, he quickly parked his bike and jogged to the front. Bending, he swiped the key from beneath a garden statue of a gargoyle and let himself in.

  “Creed?” he called out, striding through the house in search of him.

  “Here.” The faint return had Blade’s guts clenching. Creed was the closest thing he ever had to a blood brother. They grew up as close as brothers, always at each other’s homes. Later in their teen years, they grew apart. But that didn’t last long, because in their twenties, they reunited, and recently that bond strengthened after Blade’s old man killed Devon Enger in cold blood.

  He saw the blood before he spotted his cousin. The man sat propped against the wall, legs splayed before him, as pale as death.

  “Fuck,” Blade grated out as he hit his knees.

  Creed gave a wan smile. “Looks bad, d
oesn’t it?” He glanced down at the hole in his chest, the result of some attack.

  “Jesus Christ, man. What do I do?”

  “Get me to the clinic. My buddy…” Creed struggled a minute, and blood bubbled from the hole in his chest. More faintly, he said, “Knock at the side door. He’ll know what to do.”

  Blade scanned Creed’s body, wondering how the hell to pick him up and put him in a car when he was in such bad shape. Shifting him seemed like the worst idea right now.

  What choice did he have?

  “Your father started this,” Creed said faintly.

  Blade pinched his nose to stave off the fury and emotion boiling in this blood. “Yeah, and I’ll end it.”

  “They killed my dog.”

  “Goddamn, man. I’m sorry.”

  Their gazes met, and Blade knew he couldn’t hesitate another minute.

  Gripping Creed’s shirt, he hefted him over his shoulder even as he stood. Bearing his weight wasn’t the problem, but leaving without neighbors asking questions might be.

  And the Engers might still be lurking, waiting to finish the job.

  Prepared to reach for his weapon in order to save both their lives, Blade strode out the front door and locked it behind them. In minutes, they were in Creed’s car on the way to the clinic to see his friend who he swore would fix him up, no questions asked.

  Juliette loved working with children. Watching their brilliant little minds open up as they learned about the world was the most rewarding thing she could ask for.

  But after a long, stressful day such as this, she couldn’t wait to unwind either.

  For her, kicking off her pumps and shucking her teacher’s attire, even letting her straight hair fall down her back and no longer held in a ponytail on her nape, out of the way of fingers sticky with glue or peanut butter, left her feeling free.

  And walking into the Dark Falcons clubhouse had her drawing in a deep breath and finally relaxing.

  It was odd. Until her older brother Rio became entrenched in the motorcycle club, she never would have considered she could fit in here. Yet, she did.

  Several women greeted her as she entered. Some were the ‘old ladies’ who were permanent fixtures here along with their boyfriends or husbands. And others were the ‘honeys,’ who tried to snag themselves a biker man.

  Juliette didn’t come to latch on to a man, but after attending a couple picnics and parties with Rio this summer, she realized every time she walked through the door and set eyes on all the black leather and the Dark Falcons’ skull logo on the wall, she knew where she belonged.

  “Hey, Jules,” Fiona called out to her.

  She shot the woman a smile. “Hey, Fi. Looks as if you’re heading out.”

  She withdrew the keys to her truck from the pocket of her jeans. “Yeah, going to The Painted Pig now.” The brothers usually ended up at the bar Fiona owned, following their leader and club president, who happened to be her hot hubby.

  Fiona offered her a bright smile. “Will I see you later, Jules?”

  She smiled in return. “We’ll see. It’s Friday night, but after the day I had, I might hit my pillow early.”

  “Sounds as if what you need is a stiff drink. If you decide to come later, it’s on the house.”

  Juliette grinned. “Thanks, Fiona.”

  The woman breezed out of the clubhouse, and for a moment, Juliette felt the energy go with her.

  Well…maybe not all the energy.

  She turned and looked to the corner where he sat. Blade. The brooding Dark Falcon who left every inch of her body scorching from a single look. A glance from his smoldering dark eyes set her on fire. She could cut the tension hanging between them with a machete.

  To admit she came to the clubhouse for him…well, she wasn’t quite ready to say as much to her brother, Fiona or even herself.

  Her stomach dipped as she saw his head of thick, dark hair wasn’t among the other guys grouped at the rear table, talking club business. Rio wasn’t here either. Her brother Rio wasn’t an official Dark Falcon—he continued to refuse the offer—but the guys had grown up together and they wanted him around, member or not.

  On the other hand, Blade was an active member of the club but refused to become an officer.

  She guessed Blade and her brother had that much in common. Something held both men back. While she knew her brother’s reason, she couldn’t begin to guess at Blade’s.

  The man was an enigma, and not only to her. She heard how the honeys talked about him. Since few knew the true story of why he detached himself from the group or how he got that wicked scar climbing over the back of his hand, the ladies speculated.

  Juliette didn’t join in their talk, though. Even mentioning Blade opened a hole of longing in her that left her aching.

  Someone cranked up the music. An oldies song flooded the clubhouse, and a cheer went up from the honeys. One or two grabbed their preferred men and dragged them into the middle of the open space between tables for a dance.

  Juliette thought of Blade’s stare riveted on her, and her insides warmed. Would he ever asked her to dance?

  “Jules, you okay?” Rio appeared out of nowhere beside her.

  She glanced up. “Hey. I didn’t know you were here. Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “Just watchin’ out for you. Making sure nobody screws with my sister.”

  Her stomach clenched. She’d long believed Rio might be the reason for Blade looking but never touching—or even talking to her.

  Rio poked a finger into her shoulder like they were four and five years old again, and she gave him a smile. As he walked off, she twisted to stare at the corner. Of course Blade hadn’t appeared, but her habit of looking for him was a hard one to shake.

  “He’s not here,” the beauty named Selena said from next to her.

  Juliette reached for her bottle of water. “Who’s not here?”

  Selena’s wide smile revealed that Juliette hadn’t fooled her. Leaning in close, she whispered, “Blade.”

  She uncapped her bottle. “Oh, I’m not looking for him.”

  The honeys continued to dance, shimmying against the bikers they wanted to protect them for life.

  It was an odd concept, and one Juliette didn’t totally climb on board with. Standing by the man you loved as one solid unit was quite different from acting the damsel in distress.

  Suddenly, her brother picked up his head and looked her way. One of the new members clapped Rio on the shoulder and then wove through the tables and dancing couples toward Juliette.

  “Looks as if you’re about to get a dance partner,” Selena said.

  Juliette gripped her water, watching as the guy everyone called Balls approached. Did she want to dance with a guy named Balls?

  He stopped at her table, hand braced on the surface very close to hers. Her insides jittered as she looked up into his twinkling blue eyes. “Rio gave his approval for me to ask you for a dance.”

  As if this wasn’t the twenty-first century and women couldn’t make up their own minds about dance partners. Later, she’d give Rio a piece of her mind on the matter. But for now, Balls waited for her answer.

  Slicing a sideways glance at Selena, Juliette fought for a response.

  Selena nudged her, and Balls extended a hand.

  She didn’t have anything to lose by giving the man one dance. Besides, it was the kickoff to the weekend. Time to unwind and forget about the outbreak of lice among her kindergarteners today that made her want to itch her body all over while showering in kerosene. After a thorough inspection by the school nurse, Juliette had been announced bug-free. Thank God.

  Wanting to dump all that behind her, she placed her palm on top of Balls’. He shot her a womanizing grin and pulled her to her feet. As he spun her onto the dance floor with moves she never guessed at by looking at his denim and leather or the tousled state of his hair, she found herself laughing.

  The song ended seconds after they hit the floor, gearing down to a slow
dance. Balls reeled her into his arms, and she placed her hand on his shoulder as he guided her in a circle.

  He nodded toward the honey dancing with another club member next to them and said something about her sinking her hooks in deep, and Juliette laughed.

  Behind her, the clubhouse door opened.

  She felt the air suck out of the building and a hot, heavy stare boring into her spine, and she knew Blade stood in the entrance before she even had a chance to look.

  Her insides coiled. She closed her fingers on Balls’ shoulders, but it wasn’t for that man’s sake. She was struggling not to walk over to Blade and dig her fingers into his carved, chiseled body and force him to see what was really going on between them.

  Chemistry didn’t begin to explain it. And when Balls pivoted her so she could see the entrance, her stare locked with Blade’s.

  His jaw clenched into a shard of granite. And those black eyes burned into her very soul.

  She’d read about connections such as this, but never believed them to be anything more than fairy tale stories. Looking at Blade, though…she believed every word. Some people were meant for each other, and no matter who stood in their way—Rio, the guys, whatever hang-ups Blade carried on his broad shoulders—wouldn’t stop the force of their attraction.

  A heavy heartbeat seared through her chest, brought on by his unshifting stare. Just when she thought her insides might turn to molten lava, Blade jerked his gaze free and strode to the corner.

  Oblivious to what was happening, Balls turned her again, and she followed Blade all the way to the table where the Dark Falcons president, vice president and several other officers along with Rio sat with beers in hand. He leaned over the table and spoke.

  Every chair scraped across the floor as the brothers stood. They walked into the back room where they held conferences.

  Each person in the clubhouse watched them go in silence. Only the thud of her heart and the scuff of her feet on the floorboards as Balls turned her to the music sounded in Juliette’s ears.