Billionaire Misery Read Free Page A

perfect blue, were surrounded by a thick fringe of black lashes and emphasized by straight and well-groomed brows. Her nose was high, thin, and straight, and her mouth was full and lush. Her body was tall and elegant, with scant curves and sleek, lean muscles under tanned skin that he longed to touch, just to see if it was as velvety and smooth under his fingertips as he thought it must be.
    She was also tough. He’d seen how hard she rode, and he heard how hard she fought. A woman like this one was rare. She was totally out of his league, and not just because she rode with the OutKasts and he was a man without a club, but because she knew he was a fuck-up.
    No woman wanted a fuck-up.
    And no woman like Jessie wanted a fuck-up who was also an exile, and the reason most of his former club was sitting up there facing murder charges.
    He caught Morgan’s eye. Morgan nodded faintly, and Craig acknowledged it with a single nod back, almost imperceptibly. Lesser men would have pointed the finger right to him. He was wanted too, and for the same charges; the cops somehow just hadn’t caught him yet.
    Jessie leaned slightly closer. An intoxicating whiff of leather mixed with a light faint perfume and the scent of her shampoo all wafted toward him, making him shift uncomfortably in his seat as his jeans tightened. No woman had ever had this effect on him. It made him long for more, and ticked him off at the same time.
    The judge cleared his throat, and the silent courtroom went even quieter. “I have to deal with this matter according to the law.” He shuffled through some papers. “There seems to be enough evidence to move forward, and so the charges will be brought against the defendants.”
    Katie went rigid. Craig, sitting beside her, saw the force of her tension, and felt the shock as it hit and traveled down her body.
    Nate argued, “I beg to differ, Judge; the evidence is, at best, circumstantial, and we have tendered evidence that proves without any doubt that there are others who stand to gain from the unfortunate deaths of the victims.”
    “Save it for the courtroom, Counselor,” the judge said dryly. “I’m aware of the evidence. You may submit it through the proper channels for investigation, at your earliest convenience. However, as there is evidence that proves that these men were in the house, and, as the jury gathered here has determined that there is enough proof to move forward with the proceedings, that is exactly what is going to happen. As you well know.”
    Craig’s fists knotted. None of the men looked surprised. Morgan looked resigned, in fact, and Clive just looked bored. The others held their expressions in check, schooling their features into tight masks.
    They were removed from the courtroom. His brothers in shackles and chains, dressed in stupid, ugly-ass orange jumpsuits.
    Katie stood and headed down the aisle, her steps showing her agitation. She reached briefly for Morgan, but a deputy forced her to keep her distance.
    He, Nate, and Jessie followed as Katie kept walking out of the building, and would have walked right out into traffic if Jessie hadn’t grabbed her and said sharply, “Pull it together.”
    Katie glared at her. “Fuck you! It’s not your ...it’s Morgan in there. And Clive. And all the others.” Her face twisted in agony that no physical pain could cause.
    It tore at Craig’s heart. “Katie, we’ll fix it.”
    She turned slowly to him, her voice low and venomous, “Morgan didn’t blame you,” she said thickly, “But I damn sure do. You’re to blame for all this, you fucking bastard!” She stormed off.
    Everyone but Jessie followed. She stood there, watching him with those clear and icy eyes of hers. Her full mouth was parted slightly, just enough to give him a glimpse of her pearly-white teeth and pink tongue. His pants grew noticeably tight yet again. He shifted and said, “You’d better go too.”
    Her eyes met his, not even wavering for a second. “Are you