Page 37 of Kiwi

Kiwi

Irode all fucking night—just me, the road, and persistent thoughts of Piper. My brothers all know about Donovan Black, and every sorted detail of the operation he was running years ago. That knowledge alone has made me edgy for the past forty-eight hours and my stomach in knots. No matter how Nova feels, Vegas is not the place for two young women. Vultures lurk around every damn corner in search of their next victim. The assurance that Donovan possesses no active threat since he hasn't been seen or heard from since he went into hiding eleven years ago does nothing to shake the uneasy feeling in my gut.

I thought my bike and the highway would bring me some peace like so many times before. Instead, I'm home, standing under the spray of water, hot enough to cause some pain, but I'm too distracted to care. I smack my palm against the wet tile. "Goddammit," I growl. I should have pushed the issue further. Then again, if I did, would my worry have raised flags of suspicion? Would my brothers wonder why my concerns are so strong? Would they have seen right through me?

The tension in my neck and shoulders grows, and I feel a headache developing near the base of my skull. Closing my eyes, I try to relax and clear my mind, but visions of Piper are all I see. I think back to the night she returned home and walked through the door of the bar like it was the first time she walked into my life. Then my mind takes me back to Leon's and the kiss we shared.

My cock grows heavy as I replay the feel of her lips against mine. I wrap my hand around my cock, like I've done every night for the past year, and give it a few strokes. Then she throws it in my face that her lips have been wrapped around another man's dick before, and someone else has tasted her sweet pussy—and it wasn't me. Fueled by jealousy, anger, and need, my strokes become aggressive and fast. My hands ache to explore Piper's curves—to squeeze her full tits, rolling her nipples between my thumb and forefinger, before sucking them one at a time into my mouth. I throw my head back and squeeze my cock harder. I want to run my tongue through her center and suck her clit until she comes in my mouth. The pressure of my impending release builds, along with my breathing. The moment I visualize my cock sliding into her pussy for the first time, I explode, coming so fucking hard my vision blurs. My thigh muscles quiver as I ride out the rest of my release. Bringing my heavy breathing under control, I relax my body as the water cascading over me begins to turn cold.

Suddenly my mind is clear, and it hits me. Why haven't I thought about this before? Turning the water off, I step out of the shower, snatch a towel from the rack, and wrap it around my waist. With water dripping from my hair, down my back, I walk out to the living room. Sitting on the couch, I open my laptop. As a safety precaution, the club has trackers on every family member's phones, and I'm the one who makes sure every device is running as it should. Knowing the code, I sign into the app and tap on Piper's cell number. Leaning back on the couch, I sigh. Piper looks to be at the hotel. A small sense of relief washes over me, but it's still not enough affirmation to put my mind at ease.

She's fine. Piper knows how to take care of herself. At least, that's what I continue to tell myself as I close my laptop and make my way back to the bedroom. Drying off, I toss the damp towel into the clothes basket. Laying in his dog bed, Chance slightly raises his head. I give him a head scratch before turning off the lamp, then sliding into bed.

Closing my eyes, I will my brain to shut down, but I can't help thinking about Piper. I've texted her many times since she left, but everyone was ignored.

After lying in bed for what feels like an hour, mental and physical exhaustion finally help me succumb to sleep.

* * *

The following morning,Chance's barking wakes me from a deep sleep. Looking at the time, I notice it's nearly 9:00 am. "Shit." I throw my blanket to the side. I never sleep this late. Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I rise from the bed. "Sorry, boy. Come on. Let's take care of your bladder, and then I'll get you fed."

Because Chance's hindquarter is paralyzed, he can't empty his bladder himself, so I need to help him. Retrieving a piddle pad, I sit on the floor beside him. Laying Chance on his side, I express his bladder by squeezing it the way Dr. Channing taught me.

Once we've finished, I discard everything and wash my hands. Chance and I make our way through the house to the kitchen. He eagerly awaits next to his bowl for his meal. While he eats, I brew a cup of strong coffee. Ready for his morning exercise, Chance then maneuvers his way to the backdoor. Grabbing his wheelchair, I get him securely strapped in, then pull open the door. Taking my coffee with me, I step out on the porch as Chance zooms down his doggy ramp I built the day he came home to make his access to the yard as easy on him as possible. The first thing he does is to run toward the goats, barking. I chuckle, watching him.

I take in a deep breath of fresh air. It's peaceful out here. No neighbors. A strong breeze sweeps across the back porch, causing the old wind chimes to clink. I look off in the distance and notice storm clouds rolling in. Then, what I think is thunder, morphs into the distinct rumble of Harleys. Stepping off the porch, I stroll around the corner of the house and see my brothers barreling down my driveway. My gut clenches, and I'm on high alert. Something isn't right.

They roll up and quickly cut their engines. Chance rolls around, sniffing at the bike tires as I approach. Nova is the first to look at me, his face tight with worry. Looking at all my brothers, they wear similar expressions. "What's goin' on?" I sound desperate for an answer and don't give a damn.

"I haven't heard from Piper in nearly twelve hours. It's not like her not to check-in," Nova states.

"I checked on her location late last night, and from what I saw, she was at the hotel." The guys eyeball me. "Look, I don't trust anything to do with Las Vegas. All of you know that. For my sanity, I checked on her whereabouts around ten," I admit, and the only questionable look I get comes from Fender.

Nova scrubs his palm down his face. "I need you to open your computer and pull up all her recent activity." Nova and Fender follow me to the back of the house, then inside to my living room. Removing Chance from his wheelchair, he stretches out on the cold wood floor. My brothers wait as I open my computer and tap into Piper's phone. I retrace her activity from the time she left Louisiana, pinpointing every stop she and her friend made once they landed in Nevada.

"Her phone hasn't moved since last night. The battery life is good," I state. "And you've called her?" I then ask.

"Several times," Nova says. "Promise too. Even called the room directly, and still nothing."

It's not normal for Piper to ignore contact with her family. Something doesn't feel right. Everything about the situation is wrong. I look up at Nova from my computer screen. "What does your gut say?"

"Something isn't right," Nova states and I couldn't agree more. Nova retrieves his phone and calls Riggs.

Forty minutes later, after planning for one of the club girls to drive out to my place and pick up Chance, Nova, Fender, and I are pulling up to the clubhouse. The place is dead silent as we enter.

"They guys are in Church," Bella, Logan's woman says, and several of the other old ladies look up from where they sit. Giving her a nod, Nova, Fender, and I cross the room and walk into church finding every member seated at the table.

"What's the word, Prez?" I ask, sitting beside Nova after he pulls out a chair.

"We don't know much yet. I'm still waiting to hear back from Cowboy. He is supposed to contact the commander and authorize the use of one of the team's aircrafts. The fastest way to find out what is goin' on is for some of us to fly out to Las Vegas, and ASAP," Riggs addresses us all before his eyes settle on Nova. "I know you're worried, brother, we all are." Riggs lights a cigarette. "It's not like Piper to avoid contact with anyone in the club."

My jaw clenches. Anger is an understatement for what I'm feeling at the moment. No matter how hard I try, Donovan haunts every aspect of Piper's lack of communication. What if her and Jia fell victim to the same scenario as all those women did years ago. It doesn't take much for my thoughts to darken, and the fear of never finding Piper hits me like a Mack truck.

"Get out of your head, Kiwi. We have no idea what is going on at the moment," Riggs singles me out.

"She should have never been allowed to go to Vegas," I grind my teeth. It takes all my strength to keep from coming undone. I voiced my concerns, and now Piper could be in trouble.

"There have been no signs of Donovan since he gave us the slip years ago," Riggs tries to convince me, but his words fall on deaf ears.