Rake's Redemption (Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club) Read online

  Praise for the Wind Dragons Motorcycle Club series

  DRAGON’S LAIR

  “Dragon’s Lair proves a badass chick can tame even the wildest of men. . . . Not to be missed. A biker book unlike any other . . . [with] a heroine for strong-willed women and an MC of hot bikers. Chantal Fernando knows how to draw you in and keep you hooked.”

  —Angela Graham, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author

  “Dragon’s Lair was witty and fast-paced. A delicious combination of badass biker men and laugh-out-loud humor.”

  —Bookgossip.net

  ARROW’S HELL

  “Cheek-heating, gut-wrenching, and beautifully delivered! Arrow’s Hell took me on the ride of my life!”

  —Bella Jewel, USA Today bestselling author

  TRACKER’S END

  “Fernando’s vivid characters burst onto the page . . . pulling readers into their world immediately and completely. This tightly told tale will leave readers eagerly waiting for the next installment.”

  —Publishers Weekly

  “The charismatic characters have captured my heart. . . . Tracker’s End is my favorite book in this series.”

  —Smut Book Junkie

  “Don’t miss out on the Wind Dragons MC series. . . . Chantal can really pull off the sexy times and give you some new BBFs to add to your list!”

  —The Literary Gossip

  Thank you for downloading this Gallery Books eBook.

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  For Tenielle “Nush Nush” and Sasha Alexis.

  I just want you both to know that I love you,

  And I’m proud of you,

  And there’s nothing I wouldn’t do for each of you.

  I’ll always be there for you, your safety net, catching you when you fall.

  For that’s what big sisters are for.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  FIRST of all, I’d like to thank all my readers for wanting more from the WDMC, and for Gallery books and Abby Zidle for making it a reality.

  To my agent, Kimberly Brower, I’m so lucky to have you! Thank you for everything you do, as always, I know I can always count on you, and I’m so grateful.

  A big thank-you to all my beta readers, the women who are always there for me on a daily basis.

  Mallory Green, Kara Brown, Stephanie Knowles, Rachel Brookes, Rose Tawil, Eileen Robinson, and Melanie Williams, I don’t know what I’d do without you!

  Arijana Karcic thank you for all you do for me. You’re seriously the best and deserve the world.

  Natalie Ram I’m so glad you came back into my life. I don’t know what I’d do without you, but I won’t have to find out because I’m never letting you go. Like ever.

  Thank you to my parents for helping out whenever I need more writing time, I appreciate everything you do for me, and to my three sons for being patient when they know their mama has to work. I love you all so much.

  FMR Book Grind, thank you for everything, I appreciate all the hard work you all do for me!

  Emily & Sarah Channing I love you both, thanks for always being there for me.

  Last but not least, a shout-out to all the OGs. May you forever inspire my hilarious and sexy characters.

  If two people love each other there can be no happy end to it.

  Ernest Hemingway

  PROLOGUE

  Seven years ago

  Rake

  I DON’T want to go home,” she says, her face buried in my neck.

  “Just stay, they won’t notice,” I tell her, rolling her over onto her back and bracing myself on top of her. “You can borrow some of Anna’s clothes and just come to school with us.”

  “Maybe,” she replies, flashing me a cheeky smile.

  My mom is hardly ever home, and we have no contact with our so-called father, so it is just Anna and me here anyway. We don’t have much, but Bailey doesn’t seem to mind. That is only one of the reasons I love her so much. I kiss her forehead, closing my eyes, wondering what I’d do without this girl. As I draw back, she kisses my lips, a soft, sweet kiss.

  “I love you,” I whisper against her lips.

  “I love you too, Adam,” she says, smiling. “You don’t have to tell me that to get me to stay though.”

  I chuckle and kiss her again.

  She wraps her arms around me and sighs in contentment. We may not have much, but we have each other, and I wouldn’t change that for the world.

  “Wherever you are is my home,” she says, rolling me over so she’s on top now. She lays her head on my chest and closes her eyes. I cup the back of her head, my other hand on her back, just holding her.

  “I’ll always love you, Bailey, no matter what.”

  She kisses my chest.

  If only I knew then that the next day, everything would change.

  I would have never let her go.

  ONE

  Present day

  Rake

  THE redhead sucks my cock deep into her throat. She’s good, but I’ve had better head. I watch her try to take every inch of me in her mouth. She starts to gag, then pulls away, sucking on the head.

  I look around the clubhouse, already feeling bored. Sometimes I get this feeling like something is missing. I can’t pinpoint it exactly, but it’s almost like I’m looking for something I know I’ll never find. Like there’s a hole inside me that nothing will ever fill. Emptiness mixed with a feeling of longing. For what? I don’t exactly know. All I know is that I need a fuckin’ distraction, constantly.

  And nothing is working these days.

  I call over a cute blonde walking past, and she comes to me instantly.

  I like that she doesn’t bother to play hard to get, when we both know she isn’t.

  I push the redhead away gently, then lie back on the couch. I hand her a condom. “Put it on me.”

  She nods her head and gets to work.

  I watch her to make sure she’s doing it properly, then look at the blonde and tell her to undress.

  She does.

  She has a nice body, a flat stomach, and breasts the perfect handful, tipped with dusky nipples.

  She can be seen by anyone passing by; she knows it, yet she doesn’t give a fuck.

  I like that.

  I tell the blonde to sit on my face, so I can eat her out while the redhead rides my cock.

  After we all come, I’ll take them into my room, tie them up, and do with them as I please.

  And they will love every second of it.

  Bailey

  I’ve never been to Rift before, but the club seems pretty cool. I feel out of place, even though I’m dressed like the other women around me. Maybe my black skirt isn’t as short, but it’s tight and figure-hugging. The black off-the-shoulder top I’ve matched it with clings tight around my boobs, then flares out to hide my stomach. My stomach never completely went flat again after giving birth, no matter how many sit-ups I’ve done, so tops like this are a godsend. Still, I feel like an imposter. It’s been that long since I’ve been to a club. I’ve had only one drink, and I’ve already lost Amethyst, the girl I came here with, to some hot biker. The two of them are dancing in the corner.

  I met Amethyst at the school where we work; she was the receptionist there until recently, when she left to take a better-paying job elsewhere. She definitely isn’t the type of girl I’d usually be friends with, but when she invited me out I
decided to accept, for a change. I had no idea, however, that I’d be ditched for the first guy who approached her.

  Great.

  I knew I shouldn’t have come out, but I wanted to do something different for a change, to push myself out of my comfort zone. Act my age. Enjoy being out. Try to have a carefree night. When I hear Chris Brown’s “Zero,” I head to the packed dance floor. Alone or not, I’m not going to miss out on dancing to this song. With my eyes closed, my hips move on their own accord, swaying in time to the music. I open my eyes just in time to see two beautiful women rush at me. It takes me a second to realize that I know them.

  Holy shit.

  I haven’t seen Anna and Lana since high school. I was a year older than them but still saw the two of them daily because of Adam. My chest suddenly hurts. Adam usually wasn’t too far away from Anna, but surely that had changed with time?

  “Hello, stranger!” Anna says, smiling widely.

  I shake my head in surprise, beaming at the two of them.

  “Anna Ward? Oh my god!” I say, my eyes on her face. I then turn to Lana. “Lana Brown! I should have known the two of you would still be friends. Do you want to go outside so we don’t have to talk over the music?”

  They’ve been best friends ever since I can remember. I feel a pang of jealousy at everything I must have missed out on over the years, but I push it aside. Anna moved away the year Adam and I broke up, but I have no idea what’s happened since then. I’ve been completely out of the loop. My relationship with these two was lost along with Adam.

  Anna nods, smiling again, and we all walk out the front. The bouncer eyes us warily until Anna says, “We won’t leave this spot,” which has me confused.

  “How have you been?” Lana asks me, bringing my attention to her.

  “Good,” I tell them. “Just got out of a relationship, getting back into the dating scene.”

  If you can call what Trevor and I had a relationship.

  “How’s that going for you?” Anna asks me with that cheeky grin of hers.

  I wince. Not so well. “I feel like I’ve been thrown back into the dating pool with no floaties.”

  Trevor ended up being a train wreck, so who knows what else is waiting for me out there. We dated for only a month, after meeting at a museum. I’d taken my class there for an excursion, and he’d been the tour guide for the day. He’d slipped me his number as we left, and after two days I’d finally called him. He was good-looking and I hadn’t been on a date in so long, so I’d accepted. He started to get really clingy after the first two weeks, wanting to see me every night and blowing up my phone asking where I was. I didn’t want him to meet Cara, and I wasn’t exactly flexible to meet him whenever he wanted, which was way too regular for my liking. When he told me about his foot fetish, yeah, I was done.

  We all giggle.

  “I can be your float,” Anna jokes.

  “You’re not single,” Lana reminds her best friend.

  “Oh,” she replies, squinting her eyes. “Is that a rule? Do I have to be single to guide her in the right direction?”

  I need more than a guide: I need a miracle.

  And I need to stop wishing she would tell me about Adam. Is he married? Does he have children? How would I even feel about that? I hate the man, but I also love him. I always will. It is complicated. Do I want to see him? No. But knowing how he is doing wouldn’t hurt my soul.

  Lana giggles. “No, but you have to know what you’re talking about.”

  Anna scowls, while Lana and I share a laugh at that.

  “I got Arrow, didn’t I?” Anna says, on the defense, her hands on her hips. “And trust me, it wasn’t easy.”

  “You’re with someone?” I ask, interested to hear about the man who stole Anna’s heart.

  Her face lights up. “Yeah. His name is Arrow. He’s . . . amazing.”

  Lana and I share an amused look as a dreamy expression plays on Anna’s face.

  “How did you meet him?” I ask.

  She suddenly looks a little unsure. “Through my brother, actually.”

  “Oh,” I say, keeping my expression neutral. “Well, I’m glad you found someone, Anna. And I hope your brother didn’t give him too much of a hard time. He always used to tell me that he thought you were too good for any man.”

  Anna makes a face. “He still thinks that. So, tell me everything. Where have you been all these years?”

  “I’ve been here,” I tell her. “I never left the city. I went to college and got a degree in early-childhood education.”

  That is the truth, sort of.

  Really I’d gotten pregnant and had my daughter, Cara, when I was twenty. Being a single mother, I struggled. Cara’s father didn’t want anything to do with her, and so I never asked him for anything. I worked and put myself through college, barely having enough money to eat most days but making sure my daughter had everything she needed. They were rough times, but I knew they’d pay off in the long run, and they did.

  “You’re a teacher? That’s awesome!” Lana says, smiling widely.

  “You’d make a good teacher, I think,” Anna inserts, laying a hand on my arm. “It’s really good to see you, Bailey.”

  We stare into each other’s eyes.

  “You too,” I say, suddenly feeling emotional. I knew this girl. We practically grew up together: I was fourteen when I came into her life. I thought that one day she’d be my sister-in-law, but I was wrong. So wrong. Embarrassingly so.

  She’s about to say something when a man storms out of the club, coming to a halt when he sees us standing there, his eyes on Lana and Lana alone. He’s handsome. Okay, he’s more than handsome—he’s magnetic. Tall, with blond hair and a body worth sinning for. Is this Lana’s man?

  Yeah, I need to start hanging out with these girls again.

  “Christ, Lana. Pretty sure I told you to stay where you were,” the man growls. He looks at Anna, then at me, his eyes narrowing. “Who are you?”

  Lana answers him, which I’m thankful for because I’m still surrendered speechless. “Tracker, this is Bailey, an old friend of ours. Bailey, this is Tracker.”

  He smiles, exuding sex appeal. A man who knows exactly who he is and the effect he has on women. A confident man. “Nice to meet you.”

  “You too,” I squeak, then glance at Lana with wide eyes.

  Arrow? Tracker?

  They’re weird nicknames, and it’s now obvious they’re bikers: the leather vest Tracker is wearing gives it away. Adam is letting his sister date a biker? I don’t know what to think, but if these two are with them, I’m sure they’re good men. Although I have to admit, Lana is the last girl I ever thought I’d see with a biker.

  “We came out here to catch up,” Lana tells him.

  “I can see that,” he murmurs. “Do you guys want to go into the VIP room? It’s much quieter and safer than standing out here where any man who drives past can see you. Rake’s in there, but you can just ignore him.”

  Anna and Lana share a glance that I don’t miss. What are those two up to?

  “Can you give us a second?” Lana asks Tracker, eyes pleading with his.

  Tracker nods at Lana, his expression gentling. He says something to the bouncer, then heads back inside Rift.

  “You’re dating a biker?” I ask, watching Tracker disappear.

  “I am,” Lana replies slowly, as if unsure of what I’m thinking. “So is Anna.”

  The two of them never did anything without each other, so I’m not surprised.

  I grin at Anna. “No shit? What does your brother think of that?”

  Anna mock-winces, her expression changing to amusement. “He didn’t like it at first, but now he’s okay with it.”

  I want to ask more, but I don’t. I know there’s more to this story, but it isn’t really any of my business. Adam isn’t my business, hasn’t been for years, and will never be again. It’s a new chapter for me. I don’t need to be thinking of my first heartbreak.

  �
�Let’s go check out this VIP room,” I say, trying to sound excited. I lead the way, guessing the direction, with Anna and Lana close behind.

  “It’s this way,” Anna says, threading her arm through mine. “Can I ask you something?”

  “Sure,” I tell her. We stop in front of the VIP area, and I turn to face her. “What is it?”

  “Why did you never keep in contact with me when I left town? You said you would.”

  I look into her familiar green eyes, and my chest suddenly hurts. “Didn’t Adam tell you what happened? I didn’t think you’d want to talk to me after that.”

  She shakes her head. “He just said the two of you broke up. That was it. End of discussion.”

  I cross my arms over my chest, suddenly feeling extremely exposed. “It’s a long story, Anna. And it’s in the past. I never stopped caring about you. I guess I left Adam behind, and you were a part of him.”

  She tilts her head to the side and nods. I smile at Lana as she catches up to us.

  When I look back at Anna, I see her eyes widen. Then she visibly cringes. She’s not looking in Lana’s direction but behind me. Almost afraid to look, I turn and see the man I loved more than anything in my life, the man I thought I never wanted to see again.

  “Adam?” I gasp, wishing like hell I was anywhere except here right now.

  This is the first time I’ve said his name out loud since high school.

  Even saying it breaks my heart a little.

  “Bailey?” he whispers, looking at me like he is seeing a ghost. His green eyes widen and his jaw goes slack.

  Only a few seconds pass, but it feels like years as we both take each other in.

  He looks as happy to see me as I am him.

  Which is a big fat not at all.

  I don’t think his scowl can get any deeper, and his eyes are narrowed to slits. He looks like he hates me.

  I don’t want to face him. I’m not ready; I don’t think I’ll ever be ready. I need a do-over for tonight. One where I never come out at all.