Crash and Burn (Savage Menaces MC Book 5)

by Kay Marie

  “Yeah? Is that why you had Trix dancing on you last night?” There’s a bitterness to her tone.

  “I won’t lie, I’ve tried to get you out of my head. My dick hasn’t gotten hard for anyone but you since you moved into the clubhouse. The more I’m around you, the more I wanna know everything about you. Even when you’re throwing your sass at me. I wanna know what makes you laugh.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and cup her face in my hand. “What makes you cry and everything in between.”

  Her eyes flutter closed as she sighs. “The anniversary of my mother’s death is tomorrow and I almost forgot it. That’s why I was crying.”

  “Fuck, Princess. I’m sorry.” I wrap my arm around her, pulling her into me.

  She shrugs a shoulder. “It was two years ago, but I never got a chance to truly mourn her.”

  “Why not?”

  She moves out from under my arm, standing from the bed. “That’s, uh, something I’ve never told anyone but Blaze.”

  “Does it have to do with the Cartel?”

  She whips her head around, locking eyes with mine. “How . . .?”

  “The only thing Bull told me was that the Cartel can’t find out you’re here.”

  Her face softens. “The day after my mom passed away, I was kidnapped. The guy had some weird clown tattoo and kept me at some weird compound where a bunch of other guys came and went. Last September, I managed to escape. I ran and ran, until I got to Blaze’s. Now, I’m here.”

  “Did you tell Blaze about the guy’s tattoo?”

  “No,” she says, shaking her head. “Why does that matter?”

  “The Torres Cartel, that’s their symbol.”

  “Shit,” she mutters.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “My panic attack. That’s what caused it. I saw someone in the mall with the same tattoo.” She clenches her chest as her breathing changes. “Wh-what if they already kn-know I’m here?”

  I jump from the bed, moving to her side quickly. I grab her hands. “Hey, hey. You gotta breathe, Princess. Look at me, look into my eyes.”

  She lifts her eyes to mine. I move one of her hands to my chest, holding it there. With my other hand, I cup the side of her neck, caressing her cheek with my thumb.

  “Take a deep breath,” I tell her, taking one with her. “Now let it out.”

  We keep taking deep breaths together until she calms down.

  “You know, I don’t even know your real name.” Her voice is soft.

  “It’s Cameron. Cameron McCoy.”

  17

  Marley

  “You don’t look like a Cameron.” I smirk at Rascal. “But I like it.”

  “Yeah?” He pulls me into him. “Well, I like you.”

  I put my hands on his chest. “Stop. We can’t do this. This,” I say gesturing between the two of us. “Can’t happen.”

  “Why the hell not?”

  “I won’t be here forever. As soon as the coast is clear, I’m headed east,” I tell him.

  “Stay, for me.”

  “I know your reputation. You’re not a one woman man, Rascal. You’ll get tired of me within a month and move on to the next.”

  “It’s not like that,” he states. “You’re nothing like any of the women I’ve been with.”

  “It doesn’t matter. I’ve heard it all before.”

  “Not from me. Marley, give me a chance.” He’s all but begging at this point. He grabs my hand, gazing into my eyes. “Do me a favor and at least think about it?”

  I nod. “I can do that.”

  Rascal slides his hand onto the side of my neck. With a light squeeze, he pulls me closer, bringing his lips to mine. I sigh into his mouth, giving him entrance to assault my tongue with his. I slowly pull away and he lets out a soft growl against my mouth.

  “I’m sorry. I had to get one more kiss in, in case it’s our last,” he admits. He lets go of me, walking to the door. “I’ll be waiting for your answer.”

  As soon as the door closes behind him, I flop onto my bed. “Ugh!”

  How can one person make me feel so many emotions at one time? I want to give Rascal a chance. While I’ve met my fair share of playboys, I’ve never met a guy who lights a fire in me quite like he does. He is so arrogant, but today he showed me a more vulnerable side. I never would have guessed he could be vulnerable. At the same time, I’m terrified of how he makes me feel.

  It’s been years since I’ve had a serious relationship. I’m not sure I even know how to be in one. Maybe we could have a friends with benefits relationship. That I can do no problem. The question is, would that be enough for either of us. Exhaustion washes over me and the demons I’ve been battling come crawling out of their caves. With all the bullshit life has thrown at me, it’s no surprise I have depression. It comes in waves. Some days it’s crippling and some I can beat the demons back into their caves. Today it’s somewhere in between.

  You’re not worthy of any love or affection he might be able to give you, the demons tell me. He only wants you for sex. He’ll get tired of you and pass you on to someone else.

  They’re right. I’m damaged goods. Why would anyone want someone who has already been used and abused the way I have. Damaged. Goods. I crawl under the blankets and succumb to the darkness, sleeping away my feelings.

  A couple hours later, I’m woken up by my phone buzzing. It’s a text from Minx.

  From Minx: Haven’t seen you all day. Wanted to make sure you’re okay.

  To Minx: Not feeling well. I think I drank too much last night.

  From Minx: Been there. Feel better. Let me know if you need anything.

  I toss my phone on the side table. With the demons still lurking close, I climb out of bed, grab some clean clothes and head for the bathroom to take a warm bath. Turning the water on to let the tub fill up, I grab one of my favorite Lush bath bombs, Turmeric Latte. It’s such a warm, relaxing and moisturizing bath bomb. I toss it in when the bath is half-full. Once the bath is filled, I toss my hair on top of my head, strip my clothes off and step in, slowly lowering myself into the water. A calmness washes over me. I need to do this more often, I think to myself.

  Fifteen minutes later, my phone dings with a text.

  From Tink: Are you in your room? I have wine and need to talk.

  To Tink: I’m in the bath but come on in.

  From Tink: Be there in five.

  She comes barging into my room exactly five minutes later and straight to the bathroom.

  “I need a girls weekend asap. Away from all these men.” Tink sits on the floor with her back against the tub.

  “That sounds fantastic, but I don’t think anyone is letting me leave the clubhouse for a while,” I tell her.

  “Fucking assholes,” she mutters. “What if we had a girls only weekend at Minx’s house? It’s still on club property.”

  “You’ll have to take it up with Rascal or Bull.”

  “Speaking of Rascal.” She glances at me over her shoulder with a stupid grin on her face. “I saw him follow you down the hall last night. Neither one of you ever came back.”

  “We had sex,” I blurt out.

  “What?” she shouts, turning around to face me.

  I lean my head back against the wall, closing my eyes.

  “Well? How was it,” she questions.

  “It was alright,” I tell her.

  “Alright? That’s it?”

  I let out a nervous giggle. “It was good. Really good.”

  “But?”

  “He wants to take things further,” I admit.

  “What?” She shrieks. “As in a relationship?”

  I nod my head.

  “What did you say?”

  “I told him I know about his reputation and know guys like him. It wouldn’t work,” I say.

  “Marley! That’s fucking huge for Rascal. You realize that, right?”

  “He’ll get tired of me like any other player. I’m not looking to get hurt,” I admit.


  “I’ve never known Ras to ever show interest in someone like that. It sounds serious.”

  “I told him I would think about it.”

  “And have you?”

  “Too much,” I confess.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Even if he wasn’t a player, the shit that happened to me in the past has made it extremely difficult for me to have a relationship,” I tell her.

  “Oh, Mar. Get out of this bath. We have wine to drink and we’ll watch something sappy.”

  She walks out of the bathroom, leaving me to rinse and dry off. Once I’m dressed in my clean clothes, I walk back into my room to Tink laid out on my bed.

  “I poured you a cup of wine.” She points to a cup on the side table. I climb into bed next to her, sipping on my wine as we watch some chick flick on TV.

  18

  Marley

  The next day is the anniversary of my mom’s death. Two years have gone by and it still hurts as bad as the day I found out. I spend the whole day in my room by myself. I can’t bring myself to cry this year. I’m not sure what it is, but I’m completely numb. I miss her more than words can explain, but they don’t fall. Would I still be running from the Cartel if she were still alive? Would I have ever moved to Colorado with Blaze? Or met Rascal?

  I’ve always been one to believe that everything happens for a reason but this is one thing I haven’t been able to accept. I spent so long wondering what I did to deserve losing my mom at such a young age. It wasn’t until I moved in with Blaze that I learned that while everything happens for a reason, we won’t always understand or know what that reason is.

  Sienna texted me earlier to let me know Rascal was asking about me. I haven’t talked to him since he left my room yesterday. I’m thankful he’s giving me space, though, I haven’t thought about much of anything other than my mom and my time with those Cartel assholes. Tomorrow marks two years since I was kidnapped. It was as if they knew I was alone, maybe even watching me and learning my habits. I never thought I was predictable until that happened. I’ve learned from that. I began taking different routes to and from work and the grocery store. I started switching up what day of the week I go grocery shopping.

  I haven’t had to worry about any of that since moving into the clubhouse five months ago. I’ve only been off the MC’s property twice since I’ve been here. The first time was for Cali and Buster’s baby shower, I took pictures for them. The second time was when we went to the mall. I honestly don’t plan on leaving the property again until these bastards after me are taken care of. Bull has promised me that as long as I’m under their protection, I’ll be safe.

  I’m laying in bed, staring at the ceiling with the TV on, oblivious to what’s even playing on it, when my phone buzzes.

  From Romeo: I’m sure you don’t want to hear from me right now, but I want you to know, if you need anything at all, I’m here.

  I stare at the text for what feels like forever. Part of me wants to ignore him and the other part wants to text him back and ask him to come lay with me. That in itself would show if he’s serious about being with me or not.

  To Romeo: Come hold me. Please.

  He doesn’t text back. Instead, a couple minutes later, he comes walking into my room. Closing the door behind him, he walks to my bed, kicks off his shoes and climbs into bed next to me. My eyes fall to his. His deep, chocolate eyes. His fingers graze my cheek as he tucks a strand of hair behind my ear. Without saying anything, he pulls me into his chest, enveloping me in his arms. As if on cue, the flood gates break loose. My body shakes with sobs. Rascal holds me close, letting me get all my crying out. He holds me until I fall asleep.

  The rest of the week goes by uneventfully. Minx talked Bull into letting all of us girls have a girls’ weekend at her house. Since it’s on club property, we’ll be close to the clubhouse in case something happens. Bull’s only stipulation was that two patched in members hang around outside the house all weekend.

  I’m packing my weekend bag when there’s a knock on my door.

  “Come in,” I call. I turn around as Rascal walks in.

  “Hey, Princess.” He gives me his sexy half-smile.

  “Hey, Romeo.”

  “You about ready to go to Minx’s?” He sits on my bed, watching me as I continue to pack.

  “Almost. What’s up?”

  He grabs my hand, pulling me so I’m standing between his legs. “I wanted to do this.”

  He slides his hand along my cheek, into my hair. Within seconds, his lips are covering mine. I glide my hand into his hair, grabbing a fistful as I deepen the kiss, moaning into his mouth. He wraps his free hand around my waist, holding me close. Our tongues dance together in a sweet kiss. Neither one of us fighting for control. Letting go of his hair, I break the kiss.

  “You sure you don’t want to spend the weekend with me instead?” He smirks. “I mean, look at this face.”

  “It is a cute face, but it would look better between my legs,” I sass.

  His smirk turns into a full tooth smile and grabs my hips. “That could be arranged.”

  “Not now, Romeo.” I play swat his hands away. “I have to finish packing and head up to Minx’s house.”

  He pouts his lip. “But, but, I need you,” he fake whines.

  “It’s only two days. You’ll be fine.” I pat him on the chest and go back to packing.

  “So cold,” he mutters, teasingly. “You owe me.”

  “Oh? How so?” I giggle.

  He shrugs a shoulder. “You’re leaving me for the whole weekend.”

  “We’re not even officially together, Rascal.”

  He cocks an eyebrow at me. “We can change that.”

  I roll my eyes, zipping up my bag. “We’ll talk about it later.”

  I pick up my bag and start for the door, only to be stopped by Rascal grabbing my wrist. He takes my bag, locking eyes with me.

  “Let me walk you up there.” It’s not a question, it’s a statement.

  “Okay.” It comes out breathy. He stands from the bed and we walk out of my room together. He walks so close to me, our arms brush against each other with every step. When we get closer to Minx’s house, he brushes his hand against mine, as if he wants to grab it.

  “If you get bored or need anything this weekend, shoot me a text, okay?” Rascal says.

  “Thanks, Romeo.” I shoot him a smirk.

  “Why isn’t anyone out here yet?” he says as we come up to the front porch.

  “It’s still early. They probably didn’t know what time to come,” I tell him.

  “You head inside, I’ll hang out until someone else gets here.” He kisses my forehead and hands me my bag.

  “I’ll see you later.”

  “Have fun,” he calls as I walk inside.

  19

  Rascal

  Once Marley went inside Minx’s, I sat on the front steps to wait for Buzz and Saint. They’re on watch duty first. I close my eyes, remembering how broken her eyes were when I got to her room last night. This woman, who always seems so strong, who throws sass out like it’s confetti, was broken. I know yesterday was the anniversary of her mother’s death. Other than that, she hasn’t talked much about her past. I plan to change that and soon.

  “Rascal, what are you doing here,” Tink questions. “I thought Buzz and Saint were supposed to be here?”

  I open my eyes and they fall to Tink. Lolita is standing next to her with a confused expression.

  “I walked Marley up here. When we got here, neither one of them were here yet so I decided I would stay until they decided to show up,” I explain.

  “As always, it’s good to see you, Ras, but I’m going inside.” Lolita walks past me and into the house.

  “What was that about?” I hook my thumb over my shoulder toward Lo.

  Tink shakes her head. “I honestly don’t know. She’s been a little distant lately. So you walked Marley up here?”

  “I did.”

/>   “Is there something going on between the two of you?” She grins.

  “That’s not for me to tell.”

  “Oh, come on! Tell me something! Anything,” she begs.

  “You’re friends with Marley. Ask her.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Alright, alright. You know, you’ve been different lately. She challenges you. She’d be good for you.”

  “Yeah? Tell her that.”

  Her eyebrows shoot up. “I should head inside. See you around, Ras.”

  “See ya.”

  She walks inside and I lay back on the porch, staring at the ceiling.

  “Yo, what are you doing here? Follow your girl like a lost puppy?”

  I slowly sit up, shooting daggers at Saint. “You’re tryin’ to catch my hands today, huh?”

  “Touchy subject?” Saint smirks.

  “What the fuck took you two so long? Half the women are in there already,” I tell him and Buzz

  “Honestly, we didn’t know what time they would be here,” Buzz answers.

  I stand to leave. “Sienna, Raven and Aria are the only ones not here yet. Keep an eye out for them and keep them all safe. If you need anything or you notice anything suspicious, call me.”

  “You got it,” Buzz says.

  I make my way back to the clubhouse. Some of the guys are hanging around in the main room, shooting pool, smoking and drinking. The Nomads are still here, but all the out of town brothers have left already. Surprisingly, most of the cut bunnies are here, too. I would have thought they had gotten more attention than they could handle with the clubhouse being so full. Apparently I was wrong. Trix locks me in her sight, her eyes lighting up as she stalks toward me.

  “Ras, baby,” she purrs. “Did you finally get rid of the trash?”

  My hand flies to her throat. “No, she’s right here in my grasp.”