by Kay Marie
“Thank you. I appreciate that.”
Rascal lifts my hand to his lips, placing a light kiss on the back. I go back to gazing out the window and zone out. I lived most of my life wondering what it would be like to know who my father is. Now, I know who he is and I don’t know what to do. It’s moments like this where I wish I could talk to my mom and get her advice.
“It’s your turn to ask a question.” Rascal’s voice brings me out of my head and back to reality.
“Oh, right,” I say. “Why’d you join the Savage Menaces?”
“I grew up with Minx and her brothers. We all went to school together and have been friends for as long as I can remember. They were always like brothers, so when they decided to prospect for the club, I was right there ready and willing.”
“So, essentially, you’ve always been a Savage.” I smile.
“Yeah, in a way, I have.”
We keep talking for another couple of hours before stopping at a rest area.
“How are you holding up,” Minx asks as we walk out of the bathroom.
“I’m doing alright. Rascal and I have been talking most of the time,” I tell her.
“Are you two together now?”
“We haven’t actually talked about that yet,” I say.
“Do you want to be with him?”
“I like him, but the idea of being in a relationship with anyone right now terrifies me,” I admit.
“I vote you give him a chance. He’s different with you.”
“How so?”
“He’s protective of you and actually cares about you. He’s either ignored or turned down any cut bunny that tries anything with him, too. That’s something that he’s never done,” she tells me.
“You mean because he’s such a manwhore?”
Minx giggles. “Exactly. I’ve known him my whole life and I’ve never known him to care for someone the way he cares for you.”
We meet the guys back at the trucks. Rascal’s eyes light up when they connect with mine. Minx nudges me, letting me know she sees what I see.
“Ready to get back on the road, Princess?” His eyes roam over my body sending a chill down my spine.
“You bet. The sooner we get to our destination, the better.” I wink at him then climb into the truck. He shakes his head with a smirk playing on his lips as he walks around to the driver side. I lean my seat back as he climbs in and starts the truck.
“You taking a nap now?”
“Yeah, is that okay,” I ask.
“Of course. I’ll wake you if I need anything.” He takes my hand in his. Within a few minutes I fall asleep. A few hours go by before Rascal is waking me up.
“Hey, Princess. Wake up, we’re almost there.” He lightly shakes my arm.
My eyes flutter open. I slowly lift the seat back up, glancing out the window as I do. “Where are we?”
“We’re driving through Memphis now. The safe house is just north of here,” he tells me.
Being in Tennessee is a first for me. We drive out of the city and the further out of the city we get, the more beautiful the scenery. Thirty minutes after I wake up, we’re pulling down a dirt drive surrounded by giant oak trees. A couple minutes later, we come to the most beautiful cabin I’ve ever seen.
“This is where we’re staying?” I stare in awe.
“Yup, what do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous. So peaceful.” I grin. A sense of calm washes over me. Being here, away from everything, will be good for my soul.
“Wait until you see the inside. You’ll want to stay here forever.” Rascal chuckles.
“Well what are we waiting for? Let’s go inside.”
23
Rascal
I knew as soon as everything went down last night, I would be bringing Marley here. Bull has had this house for years. He bought it in a fake name to make it harder for our enemies to find it. The house sits on ten acres of land completely surrounded by trees. If you don’t already know where it is, your chances of finding it are slim to none. You have to pay close attention or you’ll pass right by the dirt driveway.
I grab our bags out of the back seat before leading Marley up the porch to the front door with Raze and Minx close behind us. I unlock the door, letting them in first. Raze moves toward the keypad to disarm the alarm. The security system set up here is high tech. Tech set it up with the best of the best.
Marley’s eyes are wide as saucers as she takes in the interior of the house. When you first walk in, the dining room is to your left and to your right is a staircase that leads to two bedrooms and a bathroom. We walk straight ahead into the living room. The layout for the kitchen and living room are open.
“Why don’t y’all take the master bedroom and we’ll take one upstairs,” Minx suggests.
“Are you sure?” Marley gapes at her.
Minx smiles at her. “Of course! Make sure you take full advantage of the bathtub in the master bath. It’s the greatest bathtub ever!”
“It’s a good thing I brought some bath bombs.” Marley giggles. Minx and Raze disappear upstairs to put their bags away.
“Follow me, Princess. I’ll show you to your room.” I walk into the hallway that leads to the bedrooms. “The master bedroom is to the left, that’s where you’ll sleep. I’ll be in the room on the right, so if you need anything I’ll be close by.”
Her eyebrows pinch together. “You’re not going to stay in the master bedroom with me?”
“I figured you would want your own space.”
She nods her head and takes her bag from me. Walking into the room, she closes the door behind her. Something tells me I fucked up. I sigh and walk into my own room. Dropping my bag on the floor, I fall back onto the bed and stare at the ceiling. My eyelids become heavy. Before I fall asleep, I hop up and head to the kitchen.
“Get settled in okay,” Minx asks.
I shrug. “Yeah, I wanted to come check our kitchen status before I passed out.”
“Pops had someone stock everything up for us before we got here. There’s a shit ton of food here,” she tells me.
“Good. I really didn’t want to go buy groceries.”
“Where’s Marley?”
“In her room,” I say.
“Her room? Y’all aren’t sharing a room,” she asks.
“No, I didn’t think she would want to.” If she were anyone else, I wouldn’t be talking about this shit. I’ve known Minx forever and she’s always been able to get me to talk. Hell, she can get anyone to open up to her. It’s a gift of hers.
“You’re an idiot, you know that?”
“What the fuck, Minx?”
“Truth hurts and it needed to be said,” she dead pans. “Do you really think she wants to stay in that room by herself?”
Before I can respond, Marley walks out of her room.
“Hey! How are you feeling,” Minx asks her.
“Better now that I’ve showered,” Marley replies.
“Did you see that bathtub?”
“It’s huge! I decided I’d save that for another day.” Marley giggles and it goes straight to my dick. “So, Romeo. What are you making us for dinner?”
“Oh, I like the sound of that.” Minx laughs. “You can wake Raze up to help you if you want.”
“What the hell? How did I get nominated for cook?”
Marley shrugs. “Sounded like a good idea.”
“And I second it so it’s settled,” Minx adds.
I shake my head. “There’s no getting out of it, is there?”
“Nope!” They say in unison.
“You’re lucky you’re cute.” I point at Marley. “Just know, I’m not taking requests. You eat what I make or you don’t eat at all.”
“Yes, sir.” Marley salutes me and I can’t help but laugh.
“Mar, would you like something to drink?” Minx offers.
“I’ll have some water. I’ve taken a couple hits of my pen and don’t like to mix drinking with smoking,” Marley says
.
“You got it!” Minx goes to the cabinet for cups and fills them both up with water. The two of them move to the living room and collapse on the couch. I scour the cabinets and fridge to see exactly what we have and what I can cook. I decide on a meatloaf. My grandmother’s recipe to be exact. I begin gathering everything I’ll need for it.
I set the oven to preheat and get started mixing everything together. I watched and helped my grandma make this meal so many times, I don’t even need to follow a recipe. She always eyes her measurements when she makes it, and that’s how I learned, too. Once I have the seasonings mixed in with the hamburger, I form it into a loaf and place it into a casserole dish to bake. As I finish washing my hands, the oven dings, letting me know it’s ready. I slide the casserole dish into the oven and start to work on peeling potatoes.
“How’s it going over here?” Marley moves to the sink to fill up her water.
“Lonely. Wanna keep me company?” I wink at her.
“You sure you don’t want some space?” I deserved that. She walks away without another word. The corner of my mouth twitches as I fight a smile and I shake my head. The sass is strong with her. I have a lot of groveling to do to get back in her good graces. I have a few ideas up my sleeve.
Right before dinner is ready, Raze makes his way out of their room. He stops in the living room, giving Minx a kiss before coming to sit at the kitchen bar.
“Have a nice nap, Sleeping Beauty?”
He flips me off. “What smells so good? Did Minx make dinner?”
“No, asshole. I made dinner.”
Raze’s eyebrows shoot up. “The women talked you into cooking?”
“Something like that.”
Ten minutes later, we’re all sitting around the kitchen table. Good food and great company. Hiding out here won’t be so bad.
24
Marley
This house we’re staying in is huge and absolutely breathtaking. Not to mention the view out back. The leaves are still changing colors. Green, yellow, red, orange. It’s beautiful and so peaceful out here. A girl could get used to this.
Rascal cooked dinner for all of us, thanks to Minx and I. He’s surprisingly a great cook. Now, Minx and I are chilling on the back porch with a fire going in the pit. It’s a bit colder than it is back in Texas, but nothing like Colorado. Even so, I brought a blanket to wrap up in. I wouldn’t mind wrapping up in Rascal to stay warm, but I’m not going there.
“What are you thinking about over there,” Minx asks.
“Why are guys such idiots?”
Minx giggles.
“He didn’t even ask if I wanted the room to myself, just assumed I did,” I tell her.
“He’s never had feelings for someone the way he does for you. I think he’s still trying to navigate his way through that,” she says. “Also, he could be giving you your space so you don’t feel like he’s trying to pressure you into a relationship.”
I nod. “Both are valid thoughts.”
We’re both quiet for a beat. After a few minutes, Raze and Rascal walk out to join us.
“Anyone want some s’mores?” Rascal holds up a bag of marshmallows.
“Oh, I do!” Minx gestures for Rascal to pass her the bag. “Mar, you want one?”
“No, thanks. I’m going to head inside for some tea and a bath. I’ll see y’all in the morning.” I stand and head inside. Once in the kitchen, I search the cabinets for a tea pot, finding one out of my reach. “Of course it would be on the top shelf.”
“Need some help, Princess?”
“Oh, shit!” I jump, turning around to face Rascal. “I didn’t even hear you come in.”
He chuckles. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”
He’s by my side before I can respond, reaching for the tea pot. My nose is assaulted by his cologne and it goes straight to my head. I’m a sucker for men that smell good and Rascal smells better than any man I’ve ever met. I inhale a deep breath before I let out an audible sigh.
“You okay?” He hands me the tea pot with a devilish smirk, as if he can read my thoughts.
“Huh? Yeah, I’m good.” I move to the sink to fill it up. Setting it on the stove, I turn the burner on medium.
“Are you still mad at me?” He sits at the bar, watching me.
“I wasn’t mad at you. More so irritated from you assuming you knew what I wanted. You didn’t even ask.”
He rubs a hand over his face. “I’m sorry, Mar. I should have asked. I’m still new to all this having feelings for someone thing.”
“For future reference, if you don’t know how I feel about something, ask.”
“You got it.”
The water starts to boil, so I grab a mug and place a tea bag in it before pouring water into it.
“We’re going to be staying in this house for the foreseeable future. We might as well make the best of it.” I walk out of the kitchen, straight to my room. I take a bath with one of my calming bath bombs then slip into pajamas and climb into bed.
I lay there for what seems like forever with thoughts going through my head at a hundred miles an hour. From wondering what Rascal is currently doing to are we truly safe from the Cartel here. Eventually, I fall asleep.
I’m back in the cold, empty room I was held prisoner in. The only piece of furniture in here is a dingy twin size mattress that has seen better days. I’m in nothing but my bra and panties. My skin is black, blue and purple with a little green and yellow in a few spots.
Three men wearing masks walk into the room. My body shakes uncontrollably as they get closer. One of them grabs my arms, yanking them above my head and causing me to lay down, while another grabs my feet to stop me from kicking at them. The third one is holding a huge knife. He stops at the edge of the mattress, lifts his mask and stares at me with a maniac smile painted across his face. I start screaming and thrashing around as much as I can as the man kneels down, bringing the knife to my skin.
“Marley, it’s okay! You’re safe.” I wake up to Rascal’s voice, trying to calm me down. Tears are streaming down my face. He pulls me into his arms and a sob escapes my throat. “I got you, Princess.”
He holds me, without saying a word, until my crying stops.
“Nightmare?”
I nod my head against his chest.
“Do you want to talk about it?”
I shake my head and sniffle.
“If and when you want to, I’m always here.” He lays down next to me, never letting me go. Snuggling into him, I drift back to sleep.
The next morning, I wake up to Rascal gone. The smell of bacon wafts through the air. I go to the bathroom, brush my teeth and toss my hair into a ponytail. I walk out to the kitchen and Rascal is the only one around. He looks up from his task and smiles when his eyes find mine.
“Good mornin’, beautiful,” he says.
“Good morning indeed. I didn’t think you would be cooking again so soon,” I tease.
He shrugs his shoulder while a sexy grin plays on his lips. “I felt like doing something special for this chick I know.”
“She must be pretty special if you’re cooking her breakfast.”
“She most definitely is.” The corner of his mouth tips into his sexy half smile.
“So where are Minx and Raze?”
“Still in bed.” He turns around to tend to the bacon. “They were up pretty late, so I wouldn’t expect them for another couple of hours.”
“More food for us then.” I giggle. I move around the island toward the coffee maker. “Do you want some coffee?”
“Sure,” he replies. I set out making the coffee while he finishes breakfast. When they’re both ready, we each make a plate and a cup and sit at the island to eat. We eat in silence, but it’s an oddly comforting silence.
25
Rascal
After breakfast, Marley grabbed a hoodie and took her coffee and kindle to the back porch. Staying out here in the middle of nowhere should do her some good. This
place is by far one of the most peaceful places I’ve ever been. It makes me want to build a house out on the club’s property, away from everyone. Bull owns enough land we could all build a house and still have plenty of distance between each one. I get the kitchen cleaned and sit back at the island to finish my coffee.
Marley is sitting in one of the oversize chairs with her legs tucked under her, coffee in one hand, kindle in the other. Her hair is pulled back in a messy bun and her face free of any makeup. I love seeing her this way. Even at the clubhouse she always had her makeup done.
“Nice view out there, huh?” Raze walks around the island, wearing a smug grin.
“Best I’ve ever seen.”
“Don’t fuck it up,” he tells me.
“I’m trying not to.”
“Don’t worry, you will. We’ve all been there.” He laughs. “What matters is you don’t stop trying.”
Raze moves around the kitchen, getting two coffee mugs and the creamer and makes coffee for him and Minx.
“Go out there and talk to her.” With that, he goes back upstairs. I turn my attention back to Marley. Her eyes are glued to whatever she’s reading. I can’t help wondering if she remembers having a nightmare in the middle of the night and me coming to lay with her. I laid there for hours, holding her and watching her sleep, worried she was going to wake up screaming again. I wanted to ask her about it when she came out of her room earlier, but I didn’t want to pry.
I shake my head, I need to get a workout in and clear my head. I walk outside to talk to her. She’s so wrapped up in her kindle, she doesn’t even hear me come out.
I clear my throat, causing her to jump. I grin. “Didn’t mean to scare you. I wanted to let you know I’m gonna change and head downstairs to the gym.”
Her eyes come to mine. “This place has a gym?”
“It’s not much, but yeah. If you need me that’s where I’ll be.”
“Thanks, Romeo.” She smiles and goes back to reading. I walk back inside, straight to my room to change into some work out clothes. I grab my phone and headphones and head to the basement. I turn on my work out playlist, mostly Breaking Benjamin songs, pop my headphones in and start some warm up stretches. After stretching, I run on the treadmill for roughly thirty minutes. I pause for some water before starting in on the punching bag.