Tarek

by Nikki Landis

  Chapter 3 – Tarek

  Hurricane (I Prevail)

  Synna Daniels couldn’t stand to be in the same room with me for a single minute. Over four years had lapsed, and she still didn’t forgive me for the past. My hands clenched at my sides as I watched her rush from the office and run out the front door as if the place were on fire and she was afraid to burn.

  Blowing out a frustrated breath, I followed her out and didn’t bother interrupting Hyde. I would see him tonight when I met him and the rest of the club at Hyde’s Rock. The bar belonged to Hyde and was passed down from his old man before he stepped down as pres of the Lords of Wrath. He retired years ago but Buzz could still be seen at the Rock almost every night. He was the closest thing I had to a father since my own was a deadbeat piece of shit that skipped town years ago. A middle finger to the wind, he rode away on his Harley and never returned. My mother found out she was pregnant only a couple of weeks later.

  Tribal never returned to Arizona. Last we heard the sperm donor called the south his home. Not sure which state he decided to finally drop some roots, but it didn’t matter. Tribal had never been a father and I could give two shits where he ended up.

  Sighing, I swung a leg over my bike and sank my ass onto the seat with a frown. It wasn’t thoughts of Tribal that caused my irritation or foul mood, it was Synna’s presence back in my life. Or lack of it, I should say. I kind of deserved her attitude and it wasn’t all that surprising, but the past was too long ago to hold onto any grudges. She obviously moved on from whatever we began four years ago so I didn’t get the nearly hostile way she narrowed her eyes or rushed from the office.

  Pinching the bridge of my nose to ease the sudden pulse of pain, I could feel a headache coming on. I needed a drink. Bad.

  The Rock was close by and so was the man I loved like a father. I knew if there was anyone that I could talk to about Synna’s return to Flagstaff, it was Buzz. He usually spent his afternoons parked in one of the many leather booths that ran the perimeter of the bar, slinging back a couple of beers and sharing stories with a few of the other retired brothers in the club.

  Gliding out of the lot, I headed right for the Rock as I merged into traffic.

  Hyde’s Rock wasn’t just a bar. Sure, the front part of the massive compound we owned was, but there was an entire upper level of the building full of rooms most of the brothers stayed in regularly. Behind the bar was the chapel where we held church, the game room, a kitchen, more bedrooms, and a common room filled with plasma screen tv’s, leather couches, a few pool tables, and a smaller bar located along the back wall. There was even a few pinball machines and a jukebox. Buzz liked to play old tunes but if Johnny Cash was on, there wasn’t a soul who didn’t know what that meant.

  Buzz only played Johnny Cash when he was missing his old sweetheart, a lady named Whiskey Sue. From what I remembered she was a badass bitch he hooked up with a few times back in the day. She had a reputation for holding her liquor, especially whiskey. Rumor had it that she could drink any man under the table, even Buzz. That sparked more than a few drunken binges and wild nights. To hear Buzz tell it, he was never as happy as when he was with Sue or buried inside her. It all ended quite a few years back when Buzz’s ex-girlfriend tried to start shit and spread a bunch of lies. Late one night Whisky Sue downed a shot, flipped Buzz off, and strutted from the Rock, never to return. She left behind her teenage son J.D. who was already a prospect with the club.

  Buzz never got over his one true love.

  Johnny Cash was the result. Every one of us gave Buzz a wide berth when the jukebox played any of Cash’s music. I loved the old guy though. He was tough, rugged, and didn’t hesitate to say what he was thinking. The kind of guy that would give you the shirt off his back or his last cigarette. Hyde was just like him. The pair were so much alike they even walked, laughed, and talked shit the same. Maybe that was why he was family to me as much as his old man.

  Buzz was more than the retired pres of our MC. He was a father figure to nearly all of us who were younger patches and a solid brother to the rest. The man was a natural leader. He loved the brotherhood and the MC and there wasn’t a single damn thing he wouldn’t do for any one of us. That was why I knew I could head over, and he would hear what I had to say.

  Buzz seemed to be waiting for me when I walked inside the bar, pulling off my leather gloves and shoving them in my back pocket. I didn’t waste time but slid into the booth across from where he was seated. Buzz sat back, leveling me with one of his signature stares. The cool gray color of his eyes could be as hard as steel when he was pissed but right now seemed like a morning mist floating above the hot desert sand. He lifted a thick arm and draped it across the back of the leather seat.

  “Synna’s back.”

  He stated the obvious right away and it shouldn’t be surprising that Hyde already texted his old man when he saw me riding away.

  “Seems that way,” I stated, tempted to fidget in my seat. That unnerving gaze was still as intimidating as it was when I was a little kid. “She didn’t bother saying a word to confirm or deny it.”

  “You mean she ran as soon as she saw you,” he stated with humor.

  I blew out a heavy breath, failing to see his amusement with the situation. “She hates me.”

  He chuckled lightly. “Love and hate aren’t that far apart, Tarek.”

  “Right.” I shook my head. “She’s never gonna forgive me.”

  “Well, by rights she has a good reason.”

  I didn’t need the reminder. “It was for her benefit.”

  “Don’t think she saw it that way, then, or obviously now.”

  He had a point. “She deserves to have a better life. Synna never wanted to stay in Flagstaff or put down roots in Arizona. I didn’t want to make her feel obligated. My life is here. The rez, my mother’s hogan, my people. This is my land. It’s in my blood.”

  Buzz knew all this. He nodded. We had the conversation many times in the past. “You’re Navajo. She’s white. It’s complicated. That ain’t never gonna change, son. As long as you live, you’re both gonna be who you are.”

  A beer was placed in front of me and I didn’t bother to look at the club whore who placed it on the table. Twisting off the cap, I downed half the bottle, deep in thought.

  “I’m not what she wants.”

  Even after all this time apart, I knew I still felt strongly for Synna. She burrowed her way under my skin long ago. Years before I understood what it meant to love a woman, months before I realized that my feelings were far deeper than friendship. For the last four years I’d done everything I could to erase her from my memory, but my heart just wouldn’t let go.

  That was probably more the fault of my unique DNA. I was a shifter. A man who could transform into a beast as easily as he could walk on two feet. The whole MC was like that. A hodgepodge of loners, drifters, and outcasts that had found their way to one another in the hot desert of Arizona. We all came from different nationalities, origins, and backgrounds but were united in our ability to shapeshift.

  Buzz welcomed nomads and prospects. Hyde’s Rock was a safe haven for any man who loved his Harley, freedom, and the ability to live life on his own terms. The Lords of Wrath was established because of the vast number of shifters out there without a place to call home, a club to understand their needs, or a society that condemned or persecuted those who were different. Our rage stemmed from the secrecy were forced into and not many understood the pressure or toll on those who could transform.

  My coyote knew Synna was his mate. He recognized her as his female one hot summer nearly a decade prior. I spent the next few years denying those feelings. Only six months before she left for college did I finally act on impulse and kissed her. That kiss sealed my fate . . . and hers.

  I wanted to claim her. Ronin refused.

  A shitstorm followed.

  We were broken apart by fate, left devastated by the events that changed the course of our lives forever.


  Synna Daniels was never gonna be mine. The sooner I accepted it, the better.

  Chapter 4 – Tarek

  Last Time I Say Sorry (Kane Brown & John Legend)

  The sun had set by the time I finished my conversation with Buzz. Most of the club had arrived and my brothers were drinking, playing pool, or dragging an ol’ lady or club whore into their laps. Every face was familiar. Our group was both selective and small. Had to be that way. Our secrets couldn’t be shared with the world and we didn’t take chances. Those in this room had pledged their lives and loyalty to this MC and no one betrayed the Lords of Wrath or risked serious retribution.

  Oddly enough, the only person who wasn’t exposed to the club’s secrets was Synna. She knew nothing of the club’s true identity. Ronin insisted that she wasn’t exposed to our abilities and she never had been. There was only one mistake four years ago. Ronin made sure Synna left town quickly as a result.

  Bitterness still lingered in my heart from that night so long ago.

  My thoughts were interrupted by Ronin’s booming voice as he stood, pushing a blonde off his lap so fast she hit her bottom on the hardwood floor.

  “Synna!”

  My heart nearly jumped into my throat when I saw her bright smile and the sexy swish of her hips as she practically ran to her brother. His arms wrapped around her and squeezed as she laughed, a light, tinkling, sexy sound that seemed to vibrate deep down into my core. I couldn’t help lifting my head a little and caught the light perfume she wore with a hint of citrus and spring flowers. My eyes closed and I fought the urge to rush forward and tug her into my embrace. The reaction was so strong I nearly growled at her brother and had to take a few steps back or risk my coyote surging forward to stake his claim.

  Not again.

  Spinning around, I headed toward the bar and picked up a shot of strong liquor. I knocked back more than a few in an effort to block the way my body reacted to Synna’s presence. Even with my back to the room, I could sense where she was at every moment. Whenever she moved, my senses kicked into overdrive and kept tabs on every person she spoke to, every word she said, every touch of her fingertips on everyone else’s body but my own.

  My coyote howled and snarled within. He was pissed. Being ignored was downright painful.

  I wasn’t sure how long Synna had been in the bar, but it felt like hours. Every second we were apart was total and intense agony. I winced, picking up another shot as I realized this wasn’t normal. Something was off. My protective instincts were always strong but tonight I was on edge.

  Unable to resist moving closer, I slowly made my way around the bar until we were only a few feet apart. I knew the instant she noticed my close proximity because her back straightened and her shoulders pulled backward slightly. A nervous energy seemed to radiate between us.

  I did the only thing I could in response.

  Whispering her name so low only she would hear, I brushed my hand slightly across her elbow as I walked toward the bathrooms and the only privacy in the entire compound besides my bedroom. “Synna.”

  I didn’t look over my shoulder to see if she followed. My senses picked up the light footsteps that proved she did. I disappeared around the corner and into an alcove that was dimly lit. I inhaled deeply when her familiar scent seemed to latch onto my body with sharp barbs. Synna nearly bumped into me as I pulled her into my arms and held her, even as she gasped in surprise and then struggled briefly only to relax a few seconds later.

  My heart was beating wildly in my chest and I was certain that she could feel the powerful thumps as her head rested over the spot. There was a feeling of complete and total bliss that I hadn’t experienced in so long that I swallowed hard. Memories of four and a half years ago assaulted my brain but it wasn’t the painful separation that surfaced. The night we held one another under the stars and confessed our feelings was so potent and powerful that I leaned down and pressed my lips to hers, pushing all of the longing, passion, and desire I held back into that kiss.

  When we finally parted, her eyes filled with tears and my heart did a funny little lurch.

  “Forgive me,” I pleaded, knowing that I had to make this right between us.

  She blinked a couple of times as if she just now realized what was happening and she shook her head. A single tear slid down her cheek. I lifted a finger to brush it away, but she lightly slapped my hand and prevented any further intimacy. My coyote howled mournfully in response, but I didn’t betray my feelings.

  “It’s not that easy,” she whispered.

  Before I could stop her, Synna ran back into the bar and I sighed, banging my head lightly against the wall. I wasn’t going to give up. Not now. Synna was back in Flagstaff and I intended to prove to her that I was still the guy she fell in love and swore to never leave her side. Everything was different now. The passage of time proved neither of us were the same and we both held onto the past.

  Ronin could kiss my ass. I let him tear us apart once. I wasn’t allowing it again.

  Heading back into the smoke-filled haze, I was immediately struck by a fierce and overwhelming sense of danger. In the few seconds it took to locate and run toward Synna, gunfire erupted outside the bar. Bullets sprayed through the glass of the windows as they shattered. Several lodged into sporadic booths or the walls. A couple hit flesh as screams and shouts of rage filled the room. A vicious snarl left my lips as Synna cried out in terror.

  The second I reached her I threw my body in front of hers. She was pinned against the wall in the corner but every part of her was covered with my heavy frame. I knew I was practically crushing her but all I could think about was preventing any of those bullets from harming my woman.

  My brothers were running outside to confront the shooter, but I refused to move. I heard a few groans, more shouting. The whizz of a bullet flew right by my head and shattered the wood a few feet to my right. My body stiffened as I tried to lower Synna to the ground safely. We were far too vulnerable standing upright.

  As we moved, another bullet must have ricocheted off a metal sign or something because it grazed Synna’s leg. She screamed as the crimson streak of blood rose to the surface of her skin. We hit the ground hard as I covered her with my body again. The wound was superficial, but it would need attention as soon as I was able.

  “I’ve got you,” I promised, shielding her as I looked around the bar.

  Total chaos greeted me. I knew I couldn’t keep Synna here much longer. She was in too much danger. When there was a lull in the gunfire, I scooped her up and ran for the back door. I parked my bike in the back today and I was thankful that it was the opposite lot of the one where the shooting originated.

  There was no choice but to ride out fast and take Synna to safety. No way would I let her be caught in the crossfire again. I practically dragged her to the bike and gently shoved her onto the seat as I picked up a dome. She was wearing a helmet even if she tried to argue.

  I was already tugging it over her head when she seemed to snap out of it and smack my hands away. “I’m not going anywhere with you, Tarek!”

  “You’re gonna put this dome on and park your ass on my bike or so help me, Synna Daniels,” I promised through clenched teeth, “I will spank your ass and then still make you ride with me.”

  She must have sensed I wouldn’t budge because she cursed under her breath as I swung a leg over the seat, yanked her closer, pulled her arms around my waist, and took off like all the demons from Hell where hot on my ass.

  For all I knew, they probably were.

  Chapter 5 – Synna

  Skeletons (New Years Day)

  “Where are you taking me?” I shouted for the third time.

  No answer. At least, nothing more than a strong squeeze of my thigh.

  We kept moving further away from the city as the wind whipped around our bodies and the cooler night air proved the late hour. The motorcycle rumbled beneath us as I shivered and tightened my grip around Tarek’s waste. I refused to acknowledge th
e way his muscles rippled beneath his t-shirt and leather cut, demanding exploration from my traitorous fingertips. My head lowered and I was tempted to rest it against his back. He was my savior even if I didn’t like it. Always the fierce protector.

  That much hadn’t changed in four long and painful years.

  Despite my worry that he was the same handsome playboy as he was when I left, I couldn’t deny there was a strong attraction between us. Everything was so easy with Tarek. In truth, had always been that way since we were young. As far back as I could remember we had a friendship that was both unique and special. There was just something about him that was irresistible. A raw, attractive power that I found hard to ignore . . . especially when his lips were locked on mine.

  It was a mistake to linger on the kiss he gave me in the bar. Tarek had been drinking. I knew he wasn’t thinking clearly. Who knew what kind of life he lived in my absence? I wasn’t taking any chances. The guy probably had a girlfriend or was hooking up with a couple of the club whores always hanging around the Rock.

  I had to protect my heart from Tarek Jones.

  No way was I falling for his mind games. Not again.

  It was dark by the time we arrived at our destination. There were no streetlights to guide our way. Only the light of the pale white moon that kept hiding behind wisps and clusters of dark gray cloud. I had no idea where we were staying for the night. Tempted to blurt out my questions, I waited until Tarek reached for my hand and led me into a small structure that was round in shape and seemed to squat like a careful predator watching his prey out in the dirt roads and hidden trails.

  “We’re staying here tonight.” Tarek didn’t ask.

  Huffing out a breath, I pulled my hand from his and nearly stumbled. The interior was so dark that I couldn’t see a thing.

  “Maybe you should wait here.” The humor and chiding tone of his voice was instantly irritating. “I’ll light a few lanterns.”